Awakenings
Aug 19, 2012 4:05:27 GMT
Post by Musashi on Aug 19, 2012 4:05:27 GMT
For Musashi the shift in the world was like waking up from a long, pleasant sleep after a hard day’s work. Since giving up any role in Eden’s volatile, stateless politics the saiyan had taken a deep dive into family life, transitioning from a warrior monk to working dad on the go.
Days past quickly, working side by side with his wife and father in law at their research firm, applying his mind rather than his rather broken body. At nights, Musashi taught martial arts to a chosen few, mostly so he could have the joy of teaching his own very own children. They’d picked it up quickly, for they were bright, and Musashi taught well.
The night Eden changed was, for Musashi a night like any other. On the second floor of his Dojo, the family gathered around the table. Aquila, lively and fiery rambling on about school, and her sparring match the previous night. Quiet Cygnus, watching his sister chatter, and piping in occasionally. The meal was warm, and the night air floating in through their open windows cool, but not unpleasantly so.
Like every night since his return, Musashi walked his children down the hall through the well worn wooden floor to their bedrooms. It didn’t matter to him that they were thirteen now, soon to begin to chart their own courses in life. All that mattered to the warrior was that they were his for a while, and for that blessing, he gave thanks.
Returning to the family room, Celeste met him at the door with a playing peck on the cheek and a large glass of the local winery’s red wine. It had become their nightly custom to sit and drink, and read together, although the pair always ended up doing more chatting than reading. Musashi sipped deeply from his glass, savoring the flavor. He’d never admit it aloud it was a welcome relief from the steady aches and pains that caught up with him when he finally stopped moving for the day. A body has only so much use in it, and Musashi’s had seen more than its fair share of abuse.
”This is good,” Musashi said, ”It seems Xendien’s got a good grape harvest last year.
”I can tell,” Celeste retorted, ”You’ve almost finished your glass already, you hog.”
Musashi laughed. A pleasant hour passed and the two retired to their bed near midnight. Musashi wrapped his wife up tight in his arms, and began to drift slowly into dream.
His dreams were not to come. The clock struck midnight and Musashi was shaken from his bed. The entire dojo shook violently, as the earth quaked. Musashi’s ki senses lit up for the first time in year, massive spikes of energy everywhere around him. He dashed to the window and saw it in the sky, a massive planet, crashing down toward the surface of Eden.
”Celeste, get the children NOW, downstairs, lets Go.” he shouted, an edge of panic creeping into his voice.
His wife similarly startled from her sleep had already started to move toward the door.
Musashi’s moved with a speed and purpose he hadn’t felt in years. Celeste and the children sprinted down the hall, and Musashi met them half way. The building shook again, sonic booms cracked the sky, and the windows filled with a bright white light.
They stumbled down into the Dojo training room and Musashi shouted the password. “I hope this stuff still works.” He thought. Indeed it had been years since anyone had used the Dojo’s massive underground bunker and storage facility.
Barnibus Quentin’s work, however, was as good as ever. The cygil on the wall split in two as Musashi’s family scrambled into the safest place he had available.
“It’s not going to mean a damn thing”, Musashi thought to himself. He wanted to curse aloud at the unfairness of it. No warning, no time to get to a ship, to get off world. No time to get his family out.
”Musashi, what do we do?” Celeste asked, realizing the bunker wasn’t going to save them when the new planet collided.
”Hope,” he responded sadly, ”I’m going to try to shield this area with all the power I’ve got, this place is airtight, but there’s nothing much else I can do.”
The children’s faces were serious, both obviously in shock. Silent tears of fear streamed down their faces but neither cried. The family huddled together, pressing close. Musashi’s aura lit-up, white, then golden as he dug deep for power he hadn’t used, or accessed in years. He pumped energy into the walls around them, reinforcing them with his chi, hoping beyond hope that a miracle might spare his family. He waited for the inevitable.
fifteen seconds passed, then twenty, then thirty, nothing. Musashi wasn’t sure how long it would take but he knew the blast would come soon. Five minutes went by, then ten, then fifteen. The strain beginning to show in Musashi’s face, sweat dripping off his body. At thirty minutes, he dropped the shield.
”Computer - On” Celeste said abruptly, ending the eerie silence that had fallen of the group.
The screens filled with images from local access. The planet hung frozen in the sky, then, nothing. Massive chaos around the world, entire regions seemingly out of contact.
Musashi’s mind whirled, “Did someone use the orbs to do this?” he pondered. As far as he knew, only the Dragon Orbs could have caused such global change. “Why wouldn’t they waste a wish.”
Days passed and the family emerged from their bunker. Their city was relatively unscathed, but everything closed down. Musashi’s father in law moved into the bunker with them, where the entire family had taken up residence. They saw the reports stream in, chaos and rioting everywhere, family separated, people ending up continents away from where they had gone to sleep. It was as if some great being had reached out of the sky and shaken up the entire world.
Musashi brooded. Celeste’s company kept busy, running from inside the bunker. They shipped prototype rapid deployment shelters to the worst stricken part of the world. He busied himself helping, and stayed close with his family, but the urge to know what was happening ate at him. He did his best to suppress it, he’d given up that life long ago. “I’ll just have to wait to hear what happened, like everyone else” he thought, “My responsibilities are here”. And yet, in the quiet moments, with nothing else to do, it ate at him to sit and do nothing.
It came to a head that evening. Celeste took him up into the hall after dinner. ”Musashi, my love, if you don’t go out and figure out what’s going on, I think I’m going to have to kill you” she deadpanned.
”Is it really that obvious?”
”Only since the moment I met you” she said, ”It’ll be fine. Got to Karius. Take the children with you. You and I both know that with you, they’ll be as safe at the Lookout as they would be here. Even if he doesn’t know what’s going on, I’m sure he’d like to see you”
”Fine, I’ll take them in the morning then” he said. And it was settled, and their domestic harmony restored.
The next morning, they departed, flying toward where the Lookout used to be.
Days past quickly, working side by side with his wife and father in law at their research firm, applying his mind rather than his rather broken body. At nights, Musashi taught martial arts to a chosen few, mostly so he could have the joy of teaching his own very own children. They’d picked it up quickly, for they were bright, and Musashi taught well.
The night Eden changed was, for Musashi a night like any other. On the second floor of his Dojo, the family gathered around the table. Aquila, lively and fiery rambling on about school, and her sparring match the previous night. Quiet Cygnus, watching his sister chatter, and piping in occasionally. The meal was warm, and the night air floating in through their open windows cool, but not unpleasantly so.
Like every night since his return, Musashi walked his children down the hall through the well worn wooden floor to their bedrooms. It didn’t matter to him that they were thirteen now, soon to begin to chart their own courses in life. All that mattered to the warrior was that they were his for a while, and for that blessing, he gave thanks.
Returning to the family room, Celeste met him at the door with a playing peck on the cheek and a large glass of the local winery’s red wine. It had become their nightly custom to sit and drink, and read together, although the pair always ended up doing more chatting than reading. Musashi sipped deeply from his glass, savoring the flavor. He’d never admit it aloud it was a welcome relief from the steady aches and pains that caught up with him when he finally stopped moving for the day. A body has only so much use in it, and Musashi’s had seen more than its fair share of abuse.
”This is good,” Musashi said, ”It seems Xendien’s got a good grape harvest last year.
”I can tell,” Celeste retorted, ”You’ve almost finished your glass already, you hog.”
Musashi laughed. A pleasant hour passed and the two retired to their bed near midnight. Musashi wrapped his wife up tight in his arms, and began to drift slowly into dream.
His dreams were not to come. The clock struck midnight and Musashi was shaken from his bed. The entire dojo shook violently, as the earth quaked. Musashi’s ki senses lit up for the first time in year, massive spikes of energy everywhere around him. He dashed to the window and saw it in the sky, a massive planet, crashing down toward the surface of Eden.
”Celeste, get the children NOW, downstairs, lets Go.” he shouted, an edge of panic creeping into his voice.
His wife similarly startled from her sleep had already started to move toward the door.
Musashi’s moved with a speed and purpose he hadn’t felt in years. Celeste and the children sprinted down the hall, and Musashi met them half way. The building shook again, sonic booms cracked the sky, and the windows filled with a bright white light.
They stumbled down into the Dojo training room and Musashi shouted the password. “I hope this stuff still works.” He thought. Indeed it had been years since anyone had used the Dojo’s massive underground bunker and storage facility.
Barnibus Quentin’s work, however, was as good as ever. The cygil on the wall split in two as Musashi’s family scrambled into the safest place he had available.
“It’s not going to mean a damn thing”, Musashi thought to himself. He wanted to curse aloud at the unfairness of it. No warning, no time to get to a ship, to get off world. No time to get his family out.
”Musashi, what do we do?” Celeste asked, realizing the bunker wasn’t going to save them when the new planet collided.
”Hope,” he responded sadly, ”I’m going to try to shield this area with all the power I’ve got, this place is airtight, but there’s nothing much else I can do.”
The children’s faces were serious, both obviously in shock. Silent tears of fear streamed down their faces but neither cried. The family huddled together, pressing close. Musashi’s aura lit-up, white, then golden as he dug deep for power he hadn’t used, or accessed in years. He pumped energy into the walls around them, reinforcing them with his chi, hoping beyond hope that a miracle might spare his family. He waited for the inevitable.
fifteen seconds passed, then twenty, then thirty, nothing. Musashi wasn’t sure how long it would take but he knew the blast would come soon. Five minutes went by, then ten, then fifteen. The strain beginning to show in Musashi’s face, sweat dripping off his body. At thirty minutes, he dropped the shield.
”Computer - On” Celeste said abruptly, ending the eerie silence that had fallen of the group.
The screens filled with images from local access. The planet hung frozen in the sky, then, nothing. Massive chaos around the world, entire regions seemingly out of contact.
Musashi’s mind whirled, “Did someone use the orbs to do this?” he pondered. As far as he knew, only the Dragon Orbs could have caused such global change. “Why wouldn’t they waste a wish.”
Days passed and the family emerged from their bunker. Their city was relatively unscathed, but everything closed down. Musashi’s father in law moved into the bunker with them, where the entire family had taken up residence. They saw the reports stream in, chaos and rioting everywhere, family separated, people ending up continents away from where they had gone to sleep. It was as if some great being had reached out of the sky and shaken up the entire world.
Musashi brooded. Celeste’s company kept busy, running from inside the bunker. They shipped prototype rapid deployment shelters to the worst stricken part of the world. He busied himself helping, and stayed close with his family, but the urge to know what was happening ate at him. He did his best to suppress it, he’d given up that life long ago. “I’ll just have to wait to hear what happened, like everyone else” he thought, “My responsibilities are here”. And yet, in the quiet moments, with nothing else to do, it ate at him to sit and do nothing.
It came to a head that evening. Celeste took him up into the hall after dinner. ”Musashi, my love, if you don’t go out and figure out what’s going on, I think I’m going to have to kill you” she deadpanned.
”Is it really that obvious?”
”Only since the moment I met you” she said, ”It’ll be fine. Got to Karius. Take the children with you. You and I both know that with you, they’ll be as safe at the Lookout as they would be here. Even if he doesn’t know what’s going on, I’m sure he’d like to see you”
”Fine, I’ll take them in the morning then” he said. And it was settled, and their domestic harmony restored.
The next morning, they departed, flying toward where the Lookout used to be.