Expedition Permanence (Morgasimer)

After the events of his Awakening, Milton was glad to see Morgasimer finally managing to recover from the leak in their suit. From what he gathered, Morgasimer could breathe in poisonous fumes in place of cleaner gas sources. All Milton could think of was the presumed woman under the suit. Did they resemble human beings? Were they more similar to plant-like humanoid forms? Come to think of it, how could these types of people live in an open air city of they rely on breathing noxious fumes?

Sitting around thumbing his card key wouldn't help the questions streaming through Milton's synapses. With the patches of his armor slowly regrowing to protect him once more, Milton approached Morgasimer.

"Now then, Morgasimer, I would like to continue my exploration of Permanence. Can you direct me to the city you are from? Or rather, if that is not possible, any major settlements nearby?"

(Starting point - Dig Site)

Morgasimer sighed and headed off down a well worn trail into the woods. The trees along the trail seemed distinctly more withered and brown, getting progressively worse as the pair walked. "I'm taking you to Cog Town. We're going to meet up with my CO and start getting the citizens ready to get off this hell hole... I assume that giant pillar in the distance is your ship right? Got room for about five hundred new passengers?"

Milton felt a tad uneasy around Morgasimer. Despite her efforts to keep him safe during the Avatar's frenzied attack on the site, he felt he was only being an unwanted weight on her shoulders. Then again, maybe she was like Primrose; her society and position in it demanded her best efforts for the sake of her people. Whatever the case, Milton was determined to help Morgasimer and this Cog Town as best he could manage.

"I imagine it could house 500 new arrivals, yes. If anything, the housing structure I live in could fit a few hundred alone. I'm not the owner of the ship you see, only another wandering lifeform who found themselves on it one day.

May I ask how you know of these Persona beings? How did you come across yours?"

Morgasimer's pace slowed as Milton asked his question, the red light emanating from her porthole dimming slightly. The two walked in silence for a good while, the trees and grass around them growing more and more brown and withered as they continued on. Though, as the air began to grow  thick, she chanced speaking again. "Lets just say... a very long time ago my friends and I tryed to change things. To try and make our lives just a little bit better. The persona just... sorta happened. Far as I could tell we were the only ones who had them. Tel always called em,'An extension of Ego, proof that Gaia can't rob us of ourselves!'... Who knows where he's at nowa days."

Morgasimer returned to her quiet march for a moment before snorting out a sharp laugh."Listen to me wax nostalgic heh... You probably have no idea what I'm talking about do you?... Hey, I don't remember a settlement named Junction launching... Did you guys get off world after us?"

Milton listened to Morgasimer "wax nostalgic" as she put it through her recollection of the events of discovering her Persona alongside this Tel character. Along with the reference to this being known as Gaia, there were many names of people and locations that Milton felt he had to document before he could return. He took out the keycard in his pocket as he responded to Morgasimer's inquiry.

"Had I not explained this earlier? We are not from this planet. Junction is a spacecraft town of sorts that arrived on the planet via a minor glitch in our space travel 'jumps', or so I have heard. Secondly, you are free to talk to me about whatever concerns wither you or your people, as you are also free to discuss things with me. I do tend to pick the minds of interesting folks I meet such as yourself.

Now then, who is this CO you referenced? What can you tell me about Cog Town?"

All at once, Morgasimer stopped, dead in her tracks. Here one glowing red 'eye' trained directly on Milton. She stared at him for only a moment, before a few broken, stuttering sounds escaped her."Y-You... You didn't come from Earth did you? Y-You're a completely different civilization..." Morgasimer stumbled backwards untill she came to rest her back against an almost barren tree. Her free hand clutching the side of he helmet as she struggled with this revelation.

"You're just as much an alien as the Avatars... God I... I need a minute. What the fuck is Junction!? What planet did you come from?"

Milton was concerned that something was amiss when Morgasimer suddenly stopped only to realize Morgasimer was panicking because of him. He wanted to approach her to comfort her worries but realized that she was more likely to point her gun at him before letting him get that close. Nevertheless, he shuffled forward one short foot at a time until he could approach the tree at her back.

"N-no, I am not from this Earth. I mean no harm, honestly. I only came to investigate the planet we ended up travelling to. Junction, as I explained, it's more like a space travelling city. It takes pieces of the planets it visits, which is what happened to the labs I came from. My planet is known as Orbis Centra, bearing similar hospitable terrain as Earth only on a much larger scale. It would be, say, twice as large as Earth in size from what I can estimate.

You mentioned these 'Avatars' being alien as well? How many of them are there?"

"Similar to... wait...You've been to Earth?..." Milton mentioned Earth like he had been there. As if he had seen it's beauty. He said his world was similar to it... The majestic brown skies and murky seas, the dim light of the sun shining through the haze on a fresh morning. Nothing like this hellhole... So much green and blue, the water clear and acidic... the air invisible and toxic."When... when did you see it? I was just a young girl when we left... I barely remember it at all." Morgasimer looked up to Milton, her helmet looked almost pleading "Is it still there?"

Morgasimer stood from her position, slightly stiff yet shaking..."The Avatars are the natives of Permanence as far as we can tell. They come in so many different varieties I couldn't begin to put a number to them."

Milton bit his lip at Morgasimer's sudden desperate need to hear this Earth was still whole in the universe. He had only seen Earth referenced in certain information channels, viewing the gleaming blue jewel from a photograph and reflecting on his own home planet. He heard of a few visitors from this Earth with varying accounts on how well the planet has fared. But to think Morgasimer was from this planet...

He had to tell her all he could. He sighed before delivering the news.
"I apologise, Morgasimer, but I have never visited Earth. I only know of the information available through the information system. But from the citizens of Junction who came from Earth have stated that Earth is still present, albeit in different descriptions of how well Earth.has stayed the blue gem it is. But I believe Earth is alive and well, if that will help calm your heart.

But that statement just now... You are from Earth? Then under the suit... Are you human? Has your Earth changed to allow evolution of Earthling kind to breathe poisonous fumes?" Milton continued, an excitement sparking in his eyes as he speaks to her.

If it were able, Morgasimer's visor would have blinked in confusion at the torrent of information that Milton bombarded her with. "Blue? My earth? Ok just-just wait one second I have so many questions." Morgasimer would hold her hands up defensively, trying to stop the torrent of confusion spilling from Milton. Should he pause she would let out a ragged breath and take a moment to compose herself before continuing. "Ok first and foremost, yes I am human, what the hell else would I be... I mean I get that you're a robot but-never mind. Point is that I'm human. Second, blue gem? The Earth is...was a rusty brown color, the hell are you talking about? And No, I do not breath poisonous fumes, otherwise I wouldn't need this damn suit! I breath Sulfur... Ya know the normal stuff. It's the damn Avatars that breath this carbon and oxygen mix that breath fucken poison."

"Look pal, I'm starting to think you're just trying to tell me what I want to hear here... Do you or do you not know anything about the Earth?... I may be in a good mood about your Junction thing but I'm starting to think you're just full of crap..." Morgasimer eyed Milton with her arms crossed... Clearly not buying what he was selling.

Milton was bombarded with a mixed rush of feelings from his brain. Confusion. Anger. A need for answers. Firstly, Morgasimer claims to be human but breathes sulfur. Milton knew very few humans to begin with outside the Hom of his own planet, and none of them were capable of breathing sulfur to his knowledge. Not to mention Earth being remembered as a murky rustic brown planet. How was her memory of this Earth different from the information he had gathered? Not to mention the poison that was apparently in the air... were Milton's respirators filtering the poison from the air all this time?

But then Morgasimer started pressing her luck with Milton as she stepped on his nerves with her choice of words. Full of crap, was he? Not even a living being, just a robot? Who was she to question him when he was offering a way off the planet. The grip on his folded blade tightened as his facial features displayed his growing infuriation.

"My. Name. Is. Milton. Not 'robot', not 'metalhead'. Not even 'NLP-12-5' anymore. I don't know about humans who breathe in sulfur and my information does not display Earth as a... wait, I've got it! Stop here, we'll still be in range.

Alright, CWIS. Can you hear me? Requesting compiled information on Planet Earth."

"Look here you son of a bitch! I don't like your tone or your lies about my ho-" Morgasimer started, her voice and posture absolutely furious at this point, however her impotent rage was cut very short very quickly as a small light on Milton's pack lit up, projecting a familiar hologram before her... well familiar to Milton, damn near scared the crap out of Morgasimer.


Quick as she came, CWIS vanished. Morgasimer let our a loud, uncharacteristically high pitched scream as she fell backwards and landed flat on her rear."W-What the hell was that thing! It looks like a giant pink-" Before she could finish her thought, a floating projection of the Planet Earth as Milton had known it appeared where Cwis had been only a moment before.

"Earth. Planet! Earth is the common name given to nearly two point six seven percent of all planets that Junction has Visited! And when you think of the nearly googolplex planets Junction has been to over it's trek through the multiverse, that's saying a lot! Hehe" The singular projection of the Earth suddenly split int a couple dozen, each floating around the clearing as CWIS continued to read off some statistics about the various types of Earth's that Junction had visited. Morgasimer sat in awe of it all for a moment, simply looking up at the planets that floated by, each familiar yet alien...

"M-Milton... What is all this? Di-Did your computer just say Multiverse?... As in more then one?" Morgasimer's voice was barely a whisper as she listened to CWIS intently.

Milton nodded with a smile towards the ever helpful pink creature as he cycled through the planets all known as Earth to pull forward the ones he and Morgasimer described. He took in all of the information CWIS explained to him while Morgasimer stared in disbelief at both the information system and the discussion of a multiverse. However, just as quickly as Milton's smile appeared to greet CWIS, the frustrated and cold frown returned as he approached Morgasimer. The light warmth in his voice was absent as he explained the details with a straight, neutral tone.

"That was the City Wide Intelligence System, referenced as CWIS, the artificial intelligence many citizens of Junction utilize in their daily lives. It is a touch unsettling to speak and interact with at first, but CWIS is incredibly reliable and well integrated into the city's operations.

Ignoring your cutting remarks on my birth relation to my mother, this is the truth. Your universe is not the only one out there; there are many realities that, from what I understand, overlap each other. Universes in which the Earth is like this blue jewel, ones where it is reduced to this murky brown orb, some in which the Earth was never formed. Somehow, Junction possesses the ability to jump not only across space but across different universes. I myself have only lived on Junction for a few months, but this is as I have learned thanks to CWIS.

Now then, do you believe this liar and son of a demeaning title for mother now? I have only the best intentions for your people and planet, but even a rust bucket like myself does not have all the answers... much as I wish I did. Anyhow, let's get moving to Cog Town."

"....Tch..." Now broken from her awe struck reaction to this so called City Wide Information System, Morgasimer pulled herself to her feet and dusted off her suit. She failed to comment or react as CWIS bid Milton a fond farewell before disappearing all together "...Let's say I do believe you, that your some alien guy from another dimension in a giant ass tower that hops around like the Magic Treehouse... We're still going to need to convince Fleet Admiral Tagiser that you're telling the truth, and the more you tell me about your city the more I don't think that's gunna be to easy."

Morgasimer started back down the path, this time a few more steps ahead of Milton then before. Unless Milton tried for conversation, the pair would walk in silence for a good ten minutes.It wasn't until the great wall of Cog Town was visible in the distance that Morgasimer chanced talking again... Though by this point the air around Milton was thick to the point where it felt like he was walking through an extremely thin liquid, rather then a gas."....What's.... What's it like? On Junction..."

Milton's frustration started to waver away as he listened intently to Morgasimer, his simple and cheerful smile returning as he started to gain her trust, however limited it was at the time. It would seem this Fleet Admiral Tagiser was an official of significant standing in their society to require convincing to relocate the town citizens. This was a tricky situation; while Milton was a knowledgeable negotiator thanks to his experiences with Dr. Klein, he did have a tendency to step on a few toes or push someone's buttons on his path to figure someone out.

"Thank you for your trust, Morgasimer. I will do my best in convincing this Tagiser. If needed, we can find something on Junction to add to our argument. Perhaps you can tell me more about your Fleet Admiral so that I can get a better read on his mindset?

Hmm? Life on Junction? Well, that is quite varied. Akin to being thrown into a major city with only the possessions on your person, it can be a rough start. Most people Junction ends up taking with it start off in the slum area. It all depends on what you make of it. A good friend of mine, Dr. Klein, moved up to the middle ward with my family after founding a psychologist office in her office in the labs. Outside of living conditions, Junction is a wonderful world of opportunity.

But unlike many of those starting their days on Junction, you won't be alone. You have my support as well as the support of the rest of my friends in time. My life is fairly peaceful; working at Dr. Klein's office, keeping Anni company, doing my usual searches of information... all in all, one can always find something to do on Junction. It is the home of many races and walks of life for a reason."