Post by Patches on Jan 15, 2009 13:59:53 GMT -5
Clara paced nervously back and forth in front of the Crusader apparatus, glancing at it and checking her watch every few seconds. Now in her thirties, it was obvious that much had changed with her--even if she did only look barely over twenty--her once striped skin was now just pale, and under her hair were human ears rather than the tiger ears that had once been present. Only her eyes remained magelike--bright violet in place of any normal color. She wore an outfit much like her mother's, save with no hat and coat, her tunic covered in a red and gold vest. On each wrist was a heavy, starmetal bracer. Her hair was just as orange, wild, and untamed as before, going down all the way to her waist now, at which there was no tail anymore.
"She should be back by now." Clara muttered. "Something must have gone wrong. She should have just been there and back."
"Because you're an expert on time travel." Her mother murmured sardonically, putting a reassuring hand on her daughter's shoulder. Josetta Hart had aged well, ignoring the scarring on her right cheek and the way she limped very slightly on her artificial left leg. Only a hint of grey was visible in her hair. "Relax, pumpkin. Patches knows what she's doing. Probably. The Crusaders did build both her and this contraption." She gestured to the apparatus, a sparking dias made entirely of starmetal.
"Right....you're right." Clara sighed. "But I should have felt something, right? When things changed. They are gonna change, right? I mean, your leg, it's gonna get better, right?"
"Hopefully. But if it doesn't, remember that no one blames you for what happened, sweetie." Hart said comfortingly.
Clara nodded, but turned away, self-blame obviously still plaguing her. Josetta sighed. Another LeValle trait--luckily more her aunt than her father, however.
The dias began to suddenly spark heavily, and a floating white image appeared above it, obviously a hologram. It looked like a wolf-girl, dressed in a well-tailored victorian suit.
"Well, that was not entirely unpleasant." The hologram said, making sure every light particle was in the right place. "I delivered the message, as ordered."
"And? Did it work? Are things going to change?" Clara asked eagerly.
The hologram sighed, which caused Clara's pale face to get even more pale as the realization sunk in. "Terribly sorry, Captain. But if there was to be a change, it would most likely have already happened."
"But...but we can try again!" Clara said, getting a bit frantic. "We can try again and stop it this time. No one has to die. I never have to..."
"We were lucky to be able to get the time we did, pumpkin." Hart interjected. "Maybe there's a reason that the Crusaders never use this thing. We shouldn't push our luck."
"I must say I have to agree with the esteemed Admiral, Captain." The hologram added. "Some times fate is best left untempted. Besides, our efforts must now be in the present. If we cannot retroactively avert the invasion, we should use all of our resources to stop my creators before they can achieve their goal."
"...right." Captain Clara Hart replied. "No, you're right. Patches, can you get us ready to move out soon? We might be able to catch Reed at the Venus Federation if we move fast enough. She probably has some information she'll be able to give us. She usually does."
"I just need a moment to reintegrate myself with this timeline and I will be ship shape...if you pardon my pun, ma'am." Patches replied.
"I'll see you on the bridge soon, hon." Admiral Josetta Hart said to her daughter who, a bit dejected, nodded and made her way there.
Alone, Jo turned to the hologram. "You did it like Willie and Dag said it happened, right?"
"What do you take me for? Of course I did. Things should progress as they did." The hologram replied. "The Revolution will go as it did. The same people will die, the same upheavals will upheave, and our timeline will stay as it is." She then added with a slight wince, "And eventually the Crusade will still reach our solar system."
Hart sighed and reflexively patted her leg. "It was tempting to have you change something, you know."
"Oh, I imagine it was." The hologram replied. "This is for the best, however."
"Yeah." Jo said, looking off into nothing. "I just hope some day Clara can see it that way."
"She should be back by now." Clara muttered. "Something must have gone wrong. She should have just been there and back."
"Because you're an expert on time travel." Her mother murmured sardonically, putting a reassuring hand on her daughter's shoulder. Josetta Hart had aged well, ignoring the scarring on her right cheek and the way she limped very slightly on her artificial left leg. Only a hint of grey was visible in her hair. "Relax, pumpkin. Patches knows what she's doing. Probably. The Crusaders did build both her and this contraption." She gestured to the apparatus, a sparking dias made entirely of starmetal.
"Right....you're right." Clara sighed. "But I should have felt something, right? When things changed. They are gonna change, right? I mean, your leg, it's gonna get better, right?"
"Hopefully. But if it doesn't, remember that no one blames you for what happened, sweetie." Hart said comfortingly.
Clara nodded, but turned away, self-blame obviously still plaguing her. Josetta sighed. Another LeValle trait--luckily more her aunt than her father, however.
The dias began to suddenly spark heavily, and a floating white image appeared above it, obviously a hologram. It looked like a wolf-girl, dressed in a well-tailored victorian suit.
"Well, that was not entirely unpleasant." The hologram said, making sure every light particle was in the right place. "I delivered the message, as ordered."
"And? Did it work? Are things going to change?" Clara asked eagerly.
The hologram sighed, which caused Clara's pale face to get even more pale as the realization sunk in. "Terribly sorry, Captain. But if there was to be a change, it would most likely have already happened."
"But...but we can try again!" Clara said, getting a bit frantic. "We can try again and stop it this time. No one has to die. I never have to..."
"We were lucky to be able to get the time we did, pumpkin." Hart interjected. "Maybe there's a reason that the Crusaders never use this thing. We shouldn't push our luck."
"I must say I have to agree with the esteemed Admiral, Captain." The hologram added. "Some times fate is best left untempted. Besides, our efforts must now be in the present. If we cannot retroactively avert the invasion, we should use all of our resources to stop my creators before they can achieve their goal."
"...right." Captain Clara Hart replied. "No, you're right. Patches, can you get us ready to move out soon? We might be able to catch Reed at the Venus Federation if we move fast enough. She probably has some information she'll be able to give us. She usually does."
"I just need a moment to reintegrate myself with this timeline and I will be ship shape...if you pardon my pun, ma'am." Patches replied.
"I'll see you on the bridge soon, hon." Admiral Josetta Hart said to her daughter who, a bit dejected, nodded and made her way there.
Alone, Jo turned to the hologram. "You did it like Willie and Dag said it happened, right?"
"What do you take me for? Of course I did. Things should progress as they did." The hologram replied. "The Revolution will go as it did. The same people will die, the same upheavals will upheave, and our timeline will stay as it is." She then added with a slight wince, "And eventually the Crusade will still reach our solar system."
Hart sighed and reflexively patted her leg. "It was tempting to have you change something, you know."
"Oh, I imagine it was." The hologram replied. "This is for the best, however."
"Yeah." Jo said, looking off into nothing. "I just hope some day Clara can see it that way."