>Roadtrip from Hell

[Penny Royals]

((>Implying it's a roadtrip
>Implying we have people from Hell

/shotshotshot))

Around the world, or, well, at least the tiny fraction that mattered, it was midnight. The blackened sky, though cloudless, was covered with a thick red dust, falling gently to the Earth to coat it day by day. For generations, nobody had seen the sky- it had come as a shock to them when the Starchildren fell, leaving pockets of the sky open long enough for people to peer out, and see the beautiful darkness and stars all around them. Those old enough to remember were those who attempted to explain to everyone else what it was like, and were those to explain the old legends.

In a city now called 'Paradise', for being the one place in the small world that was fully-functioning, with members of all races together- this was where the story begins, really. Standing in the middle of the city, on a small platform with an ancient, supposedly working starship, were our heroes, with their tiny Starchildren.

Standing in front of them was a very, very old person who smelled like peppermints, with leathery skin and short, chopping motions. This very, very old person was of indeterminate gender, the oldest surviving human from the nuclear war. Them just being there was awe-inspiring in and of itself. The person have each of the heroes a blessing, handing them small wreathe-like crowns of brambles. They were barren, but they were beautiful nonetheless.

The Galacian hero- a small girl named Fortune, stood with her Starchild Tähti in her arms, hugging her tight to her chest. Tähti was looking around confused, shy of all the people there. Fortune gently pet the small thing, smiling at everybody there while she wore her crown of brambles.

"People of Earth," the very, very old person said, their voice surprisingly strong, "Look upon these people with respect and fear. They are going out on a dangerous mission, a mission to the stars themselves!" This drew a slight round from the crowd, but not too much. "They must take back home the Starchildren of legend, the protectors of the galaxies, and they must find who it was that knocked them from their places. As precautionary measure, I have given them charms- special things of the natives long ago, to protect them and keep them safe." The very, very old person turned back to them, and made a few gestures with their hands over each of them. "There. Now you can go. May the fates smile on you, and may you return home."

The very, very old person left them then.

[Alkonost Storm]

Aether's thoughts lingered on her fallen lover even as she took the bramble from the elderly stranger. She was vaguely aware of Mu perched on her shoulder, trying to comfort her in its own way but it was as though she could not stop; all her thoughts seemed determined to focus on the battle where the fallen angel Aeron had been struck down by one of the stronger members of the Powers, Damphair. At some point, she would have her revenge, even though he quite likely outclassed her in skills and strength. But perhaps that could change, now that Mu was with her.

[Anya the Purple]

Rory Jensen didn't pay much attention as the person spoke and placed the wreath on his head. He had seen many things in his life. But he had to admit, Alden had surprised him. All the Starchildren had, really. They were so pretty... It was crazy that such pretty things could exist, especially on this planet.

A memory came to him, hundreds of years old, of being a small boy. When he was little, he'd wanted to be a spaceman. Well, he was going to space now.

The green Starchild next to him held his hand, scanning the scene with bright, lively eyes. He knew the odds of all of the protectors' returning home - approximately one in seven hundred fifty-five thousand, one hundred and eight. Still, he couldn't help hoping that they would.

"Let's get going, then," he said, walking towards the starship.

[mekasoundwave]

Out of all the figures that stood on the platform, Bob stood out the most. Because, y'know, he was an 8 foot tall ,one eyed blue robot. An older model one at that. He had a habit of sticking out where ever he went. The machine handled the bramble crown with care as he placed it upon his head. It...didn't quite fit as well as it did on the others, which clearly amused Astrophel, who was floating next to his head. Bob's Monoeye shifted to look at the starchild, but it quickly shifted to look at Rory, who was already leaving. He figured it was best to follow the Zombie's actions and get moving.

Bob motioned to Astrophel, who landed in his open palm. The robot, starchild in hand, turned around and followed the zombie to the spaceship.

[Alkonost Storm]

Aether waited until Bob was a few feet away before following after him and Rory, hugging Mu close to her chest as she walked towards the ship. If at some point this turned into a really difficult journey, she would not be surprised.

[Penny Royals]

Fortune lollygagged after her group for a moment, casting final smiles and waves out to the crowd before she realized she was quite a bit behind. In an attempt to catch up, she ran to follow the others, to find herself standing right next to that titan that was Bob. She stared up at him, curious as to if he could talk. She'd never met a robot before, after all.

The ship was even bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside. The room they entered into had high ceilings, and was nearly pristine despite some weird spots around the ground in the corners, like grout. There were seats of varying sizes in the middle, with belts... for them to sit in as they would launch off.

[Anya the Purple]

Alden smiled faintly, looking around the ship. Obviously of human design, from before computers were intelligent. That would be why it hadn't revolted with the other robots. Easy enough to drive, though they'd have to keep an eye on the fuel. A newer model would have been more efficient, but it would have also talked back. And probably been biased towards helping Bob before anyone else. This was a ship Alden could handle. He quickly assumed the captain's position.

"Buckle up, everyone," he called. "I'm going to run a quick inventory before we leave, so make yourselves comfortable." He looked up at Rory, who was still standing next to him, staring blankly out the front window. "You can go sit down now," Alden said quietly. Rory nodded and shuffled off.

[Penny Royals]

Tähti yawned in Fortune's arms. Fortune snuggled her close, sitting down in one of the little chairs. She set Tähti on her lap, and pulled the belt-like leather strap over them both. Tähti gave a small whine, her tiny arms reaching up to try to go around Fortune, who wrapped her arms around the Starchild. Tähti calmed down then, cuddling with her keeper.

[Alkonost Storm]

Aether chose a seat closest to one of the windows, hugging Mu close to her as she buckled down. "What do you suppose we'll run into out there?" Mu shrugged what she guessed to be his shoulders, as if to say "Who knows?" Aether sighed and looked out the window towards the sky, pondering the question she had asked.

[mekasoundwave]

Bob was pleasantly suprised by the size of the ship's inside. It wasn't as cramped for him as he had figured it would be. As Alden called to the rest of the group to get a seat, Bob looked around for a moment for his. He figured the one that looked more like a bench and would fit two to three normal sized humans on it was meant for him. Metal feet clanging against the surface of the ship's floor, he walked over and sat in it, buckling up and holding Astrophel in his hands as he waited for lift off.

[Penny Royals]

"I can't wait to see the stars..." Fortune whispered to Tähti. She looked up to her right to the big mechanical Bob, staring at him for a few moments. "...Hi!" She said finally. "My name is Fortune. I was told I shouldn't talk to robots, because they like to kill us, but you aren't scary. Plus, you're on this journey with me, so we HAVE to be friends! What's your name?"

[mekasoundwave]

Bob's monoeye shifted to look at the small Galacian sitting next to him as she stared. After a few moments, it shifted away, the machine assuming she wasn't going to say anything. Well, that was a miscalculation, since the little girl soon began talking up a storm to the robot. She called herself Fortune, and wanted to know his name, too. That was...complicated.

"People just call me Bob," the robot said in a synthesized, yet still gruff sounding voice.

[Anya the Purple]

"I hope everyone's buckled in," Alden said. He kind of wanted to use the speaker, but it wasn't really necessary. "Because we're going in ten... nine..."

As he counted down, Rory noticed the seatbelt that he hadn't seen before. He strapped it across his lap and buckled it as best he could with zombie motor skills. He looked at Aether, who was sitting nearby, and tried to give her an ingratiating smile. Really, he just came off as kind of creepy.

"Three, two, one!" Alden fired up the thrusters, and the rocket took off, heading for the stars.

[Alkonost Storm]

Aether was naturally creeped out by the smile, the bat wings on her head pressing flat against her skull in response before she looked away from him.

[Alastor]

In the back of the ship, in the luggage hull, was a wooden box in the shape of a cylinder. A moment of silence passed before sudden movement caused it to fall down. From the opening, crawled out a rather ragged homeless man wearing tattered, grime-ridden clothes and a paper bag. As he stood up, he... coughed out packing peanuts. Should anyone care to look, they would find that his Starchild had been hidden inside the paper bag, currently passed out from a possible lack of...

...what ever they breathe.

[Anya the Purple]

The ship glided along easily, which worried Alden. Surely they should have run into some sort of danger by now? But there was literally nothing for light-years around them, at least that the ship could pick up.

It scared him to death.