Here comes the superstar!

Supreme High Ruler of the Universe

[celestialemperor]

Sacrificial Lambs and Trigger-Fingers

[celestialemperor]

Apollo blinked, then cleared his throat. “Right.” With that he displayed the next Robot Master: Quickman. “Now, this one has the ability of super-speed; perhaps that is more to your liking?” He sure hoped he wouldn’t have to produce the entire list by the end of their engagement.

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

He looks this option over, unpleasantly reminded of one particular instance involving a planet infested with little bug-like creatures. Squishing them was easy, when one could catch them. That would take a sort of precision and patience that he just didn't have today. Or he could just be feeling picky.

Sunstar shakes his head and crosses his arms. "Was your goal to offer me all the smallest robots you could find?" 

[celestialemperor]

Sacrificial Lambs and Trigger-Fingers

Today was the day: the day they made their first move. Sunstar was insufferable and if they were going to retain the small amount of sanity they had left, he was going to have to have an outlet. But of course it couldn’t just be any outlet; he’d need one which involved blood or the artificial equivalent.

Of course Apollo would rather destroy a machine, something which could be repaired, over a sensitive, delicate organic. So he met up with his Sungod outside of one of his (many) training facilities on the east dock of his ship. “Dearest Sungod, I have finally finished the list of, hm, appropriate targets.” He projected a hologram in front of himself, displaying it backwards so that the other could see it properly. “I will list them according to their somewhat-arbitrary numbering system.”

Moments later a model appeared on the hologram, and it spun slowly, almost like a vehicle on display in a used car lot. “This newer model, Oilman, seems to have been refurbished recently. With your affinity to set things aflame I can only assume he may be entertaining for you.”

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

Standing as straight as ever, chin raised with his business face on, Sunstar looks at the model before him, then to you, then back again. Waiting for the punch line. This option is clearly ridiculous, but he's impatient. "This is a joke, yes? So move on to the next."

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

So we have your ideal harem. What about the ideal spouse. Do they have to be heavily armored and fight you to the death as well, or do you have another idea for a spouse.

Uh.

Commitment.

Hrm.

Maybe once I've conquered everything there is to conquer, I'll think about it. Until then, a spouse sounds more like a liability than anything else.

[srn-008]

Pluto swallowed past a lump in his throat, a little nervous from Sunstar’s threat. Sheesh, he had just wanted to taunt Terra a little, it’s not like he was organizing an escape attempt. He sat down on one of the chairs in the lavish living quarters, sinking into its cushion.

"I’ll go to learn what I can a little later," He said, trying not to look too intimidated. "I should recharge a bit after my journey first. Say the word, my lord, and I’ll be ready to act."

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

"Of course you will. I'll leave you be, but I will ask you about Terra once you've seen him. I need to know all that's going on." With a nod, he leaves the room.

[srn-008]

The knowledge that they were soon to attack made Pluto giddy with excitement, but the later temperance  that he was supposed to lay low made him sag visibly. Wanton murder was one of his favorite pastimes, one that he’d rarely gotten to indulge in these past cycles. He was impatient at best for what was to come, but not enough to get on Sunstar’s bad side,.

The room was more lavish and comfortable than what Pluto had been living in up until now, even if it was only a guest room on a starship. That’s not to say his old room was spartan, but in comparison to this, perhaps it was. He did have one more question, though. “I understand, sir, but where in the brig is Terra being held? I’d like to see him, if I can.” If only go gloat/find out what the hell was wrong with him.

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

"Mhm. If you continue this way," He gestures further down the hall. "And make your way to the lowest level, past the weapons chamber, you'll find where he is. Just keep going until you find the heavily secured area with nothing else nearby. He's unable to teleport or receive messages, but you can speak to him. I wouldn't be surprised if he tried to convince you to free him, but I'm sure you'd like to continue existing, so don't take anything he says too seriously."

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

celestialemperor replied to your post:Was bringing Pluto here really necessary?

Fan was brought to assist with research.

Pluto was brought to assist with destruction. When the time comes. You know I'm impatient.

What does it mean to you if he's here?

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

Was bringing Pluto here really necessary?

Was Fan necessary??

[srn-008]

The more he heard about Terra, the less Pluto liked it. A reaction to the planet? Would being comparatively close to his own “planet” have the same effect? He did a flyby on his way here out of curiosity — miserable, frozen rock it was — and didn’t feel anything. So what was this about?

But that didn’t matter. All he had to do was not try to kill Sunstar and he’d be back on his good side. Sounded like an easy job. Stars knew how Terra managed to fuck it up. “Yessir!” he said, with considerably more enthusiasm. And some gratuitous destruction to top it off? This was almost like a vacation.

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

"It won't be much longer until we launch our attack anyway." Sunstar stops in front of a door, one of many identical ones on this side of the hall, which opens to reveal a living area nearly identical to the one Terra had been staying in. Like all of his "guest rooms" and everything else on his ship, it's ridiculously lavish. A wave of his hand signifies that this is where you'll be staying. 

"You can explore the area around here and search for weaknesses or any other useful information, but take care not to draw any attention to yourself. It's probably useless at this point, but we're still here under the guise of peace. No fighting. If I've kept it up for this long, you can too." The look he gives you is threatening enough to hide what he's really thinking. 

[srn-008]

What Pluto was getting out of this was that since landing here, Terra, Apollo, and Luna had all become people not to be trusted. That was kind of a high list, considering it was three out of the four that had been on earth for any period of time. He chewed his bottom lip, nodding in response.

"Yes sir. How is Terra compromised? Do you know?" And, more importantly, "Is it something about the composition of the planet, or something with him?"

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

"Well it must be some sort of reaction to the planet. He is tied to it after all, somehow. Apollo's running tests on him, even considering reprogramming, though I wonder if he might just return to normal eventually if he went back to his home. Really, all you need to know is that he's tried to attack me twice and cannot be trusted." He leads you through one of the larger main rooms and to the start of a much longer hall.

"The only other of us here is Fan, but all he does is get upset and impose flowers on everyone. He may seem like nobody to worry about..." He sighs. "...but stay cautious. You're here as a rough replacement for Terra at the moment, since trying to exist with only these peace-loving nature freaks around is, understandably, impossible. So don't turn on me and all will eventually be well. You'll even end up with a city or two of your own to take down."

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

Describe to us your ideal harem. What is the right size of it? Any specific species or races? Any specific gender? What would you have your harem do. Leave nothing out!

A large group, all extremely powerful and aggressive. All of us in one huge room together, but only one will leave. All clothing and armor stays on. It's a fight to the death. This is my fantasy.

[srn-008]

Sunstar’s question catches Pluto by surprise. Wasn’t Terra supposed to be on their side? Had something happened? The catlike droid practically radiated curiosity, but he kept it in check with the knowledge that he’d  know shortly. Barely.

"No, no he hasn’t. Sir. What’s this about?" Scratch that, he has no self control when it comes to these things.

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

"Just searching for clues. He's here, but in containment. He's not himself. He hasn't been since...really not too long after our arrival." The entrance door shuts and locks itself as Sunstar starts down the wide hall. 

"Not to name names, but I do blame both Apollo and Luna for a portion of it. I want to make it absolutely clear to you, as you're likely to be dealing with him, that you are to obey my orders, and mine alone. Terra doesn't know what he's talking about right now. Do nothing for Apollo or Luna without my consent. Nothing. Do you understand?"

[srn-008]

I’m here.

[Pluto kept his ship cloaked as he came down to land next to Sunstar’s ship, massive in comparison to his tiny scouter, nabbed off of one of his subjects. His own flagship wasn’t much better, but it was constantly under construction on account of the constant storms on his planet. It figured.]

[He exited the craft and began crossing the field between his and Sunstar’s ships, fully armored and more than a little apprehensive for what his reason for being here actually was.]

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

Out of his recently-developed paranoia, he makes absolutely certain that the energy signature of the approaching figure matches up with that of the Pluto he knows. The main entrance to the ship opens as you come near, Sunstar standing there, giving a motion for you to come inside.

"Welcome. Before anything else, I must ask: Has Terra contacted you or any of the others since he's been here?"

[srn-008]

R-right. Sorry. Sir.

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

[ Wrong words, but acceptable. Now all he's got to do is wait, so it's time for some musing. The vacation/observation mission had failed, along with Terra falling victim to something horrible, and the reality of conquering Earth is still far off. These obstacles must mean he's doing something right, getting close, making progress. Why else would an entire planet and time itself seem to oppose him? It would be too easy otherwise. All is needed for the accomplishment to feel as good as it should.

[ His hope at this point is to bring each member of his army here. They've been through the trials this planet has to offer before, so they're prepared. Most likely. But now it's a matter of getting Terra back to normal, and dealing with that really isn't something he wants to do, so why not call the quickest of his Stardroids to do the work for him? Doesn't feel so quick though. His impatience has been growing worse. It's been so long since he's destroyed something big and important... ] 

[srn-008]

Of course! I never said — I mean, entering jumpspace now.

[Does that mean something’s wrong? Can anything ever go right for once?]

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

I don't need an update with every step you take. The next thing I want to hear from you is "I'm here." 

[celestialemperor]

"Important to you?" He raised an eyebrow. "You mean as your second-in-command, yes?" He hated to think that there was possibly something else that he meant by that. That perhaps he cared about Terra on an emotional level, or on a level of property that Terra, being a "free bird," wouldn’t have. 

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

"Of course. Normally, he's powerful, obedient, and a talented flatterer. The perfect servant. Not having him to pander to my every whim is really throwing me off." It's all just a very unwelcome reminder that not everything is perfectly under Sunstar's control. To have problems with the one he's always trusted to be his perfect servant...it's not a welcome reality check. The sooner he can lead you away from the area, the better, but he's just going to have to keep talking about it.

"I'm calling someone here to deal with him though, so I don't have to. And you'll figure it all out quickly?"

[celestialemperor]

 Once Sunstar was out of the holding area he re-engaged the barrier, trapping Terra in the little “room” and rubbing his forehead. Sunstar’s story was very telling. Whatever was wrong with Terra, it was a much bigger problem than he anticipated. “He said that he loved me? And you? And had feelings for Luna? This is…” The starlord paused, considering how to word things. “Terra is quite obviously broken. Perhaps the fact that he has never experienced true, real emotional love has him thinking that his mindless crushes are somehow quite meaningful. And he does care for Earth, I know he does. It was the planet that was given to him so he obviously has strong feelings towards it. But this, this is just outrageous.”

With that out of the way he rubbed his forehead, looking at Sunstar afterward and putting a hand on his shoulder. “Perhaps reprogramming is in order.”

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

Sunstar just looks forward, quiet for a moment. "Perhaps. I don't know what the emotional things and the Earth-related things have to do with each other, but he seemed perfectly normal before we came here. So... I don't know!" After an exaggerated shrug, he starts walking back to the main part of the ship. "You're going to have to do everything you can to find out what's gone wrong, and then you'll fix it. Terra is... important to me." 

[celestialemperor]

"I’d like to hear your explanation." He grumbled, wandering off and out into the hallway towards a containment area. It was conditioned to interfere with the signals that their teleportation devices were built around, and on top of that it was isolated and distant from the rest of the ship. It was a good place for spacedroids to wait while Sunstar and Apollo discussed issues of punishment.

When they arrived he shut off the electronic barrier, allowing Sunstar to enter with him as he scrolled through the various holograms that could be projected on the walls. Figuring that a rainforest environment would be suitable for Terra, he switched it on along with some ambience. The last thing he wanted to hear was the stardroid’s screams and cries as he complained about his holding area. “This should keep him quiet.”

[bowdowntoyoursunlord]

His expression grave, he sets Terra down in the containment area, smoothing his hair down a bit to try and make him look less of a mess, then walks away from him. 

"It's obviously been building up inside him for a while now, you know that, but you say it's because of the Earth. That could be true, but his outbreaks against me have seemed to be for a different reason. 

"As far as this particular instance went, he got himself drunk and was telling me some particularly horrible things. It started with foolish talk of dominating me, which could have been a joke because it was pathetically funny. But then he got into his dreams of conquering me...speaking as if I should be flattered. Why would I want to hear that from my servant? I know he was intoxicated, Apollo, but would you really expect me to let him get away with that? No. Especially when it was intended to be some twisted sort of seduction. 

"So I hit him with his own stupid bottle and that's when he became physically violent. The thing is, what he seemed upset about was the fact that his love wasn't returned. That's what I don't understand.

"Remember the last time he attacked me? He believed that he was defending Luna. He seemed to develop those feelings overnight. And this time? What set him off seemed to be the dire need to let it be known that he's in love with both me...and you. Why is he so emotional? Why does he think he loves all of us? That's something that can be fixed, right?"