Chapter 82: Meeting
Ranger
Chapter 82: Meeting
By Wanderer D
"Anything from our team in India, Central?" Chrysalis asked, watching with some amusement as a young female engineer shyly passed a completely oblivious Bradford a pad with updates, before walking out of the Commander's Quarters, presumably to resume her duties.
"Nothing yet, Commander," Bradford replied, scanning the documents. "They are still well within the estimated deadline, so there has been no cause for alarm."
He scanned the document. "First Lieutenant Dash dropped them off as planned at Angel's Point, where the local leader, Fluttershy took over. It is my understanding that they had a volunteer ready to help lead them to the first contact point, and from there they would find the final destination of the equipment, prisoners and mecs we've been following."
Chrysalis nodded. "With some luck, we'll finally find the location of the Assassin's base," she sighed. "I have to admit their constant badgering on communication lines is starting to get annoying."
"Missing the days when all the aliens did was shoot, Commander?" Annette quipped.
"Yes, the days when military protocol demanded respect for your superiors," Chrysalis said, leaning back on her chair.
"Times have changed."
"Indeed." Chrysalis shook her head with some amusement. "Anything from the lab?"
"Yes, Commander," Tygan spoke up. "As you requested, we have started working on reviving the Psionics training for XCOM. We have met some success on that front, as well as with the Thaumic defenses."
"The what now?" Shen asked.
"Magic," Annette clarified.
"Oh." Shen raised an eyebrow. "Why the fancy name?"
"Because Dr. Tygan can't stomach the word, apparently, unless it's said ironically," Annette explained.
"Yes, well," Tygan cleared his throat, pressing a couple of commands and showing up several diagrams and wavelengths.
"What are we looking at, Doctor?" Bradford asked, leaning forward.
"With Miss Sparkle's insight, we have taken tremendous steps into creating what we like to call 'dead areas' for Psionic energies," Tygan said. "It would take some doing, and some effort from Twilight and possibly Sunset herself, but we believe we can create something similar to EMP grenades, but with the sole objective of nullifying psychic powers, and possibly creating a feedback effect."
"That would certainly be helpful," Bradford said gruffly, "just recently one of our agents was subjected to the mind control powers of a Priest. Fortunately Deadwood was able to kill the Priest before he forced our soldier to commit an atrocity, but if we had devices like these…"
"I believe Geist had mentioned a similar power from the Templars," Chrysalis said after a moment's thought. "A specific type of mental feedback that will damage the psychic trying to control our troops."
"Indeed," Tygan said, "but unlike effects like those, as far as we are aware, the aliens have little to no defense against thaumic attacks… and they have very extreme reactions to contact like that. Miss Sparkle accidentally killed a Priest simply by being herself."
"That somehow sounds worse than what it really is," Shen pointed out.
"Yes…" Tygan rolled his eyes.
"The only problem is if the troops carrying those devices are accompanied by any psychics," Annette pointed out. "We can detonate an ADVENT trooper's grenades from a distance, but so could some of ADVENT's troops as well."
"Well, we need all the help we can get," Bradford said.
"Speaking of which," Chrysalis said, dismissing the scientific report, "Volk and Geist are both pressuring me into acting against the Hunter and the Warlock. But other than encountering the Hunter that one occasion, we haven't met either in battle."
"From the recordings it is clear that the Hunter is Sonata Dusk," Annette said, crossing her legs and looking thoughtfully at the hologram of Earth that had popped up. "Which is a shame… she wasn't exactly a gentle soul, but she was at least… not murderously psychotic. I never expected to see her turned into something like that."
"Well, from what the Reapers tell me, she's certainly keen on killing," Chrysalis said. "Any ideas on the Warlock?"
"If we draw the logical conclusion, then the third sister, Adagio, would be the Warlock, completing the set," Annette said.
"I hear a 'but' in there," Chrysalis droned. "I don't like those."
Annette sighed. "From my conversation with Aria, and from what Sunset and Twilight have told me… I have some doubts," she confessed. She summoned a picture of a shadowy figure, crouching down on top of of a building, like some sort of gargoyle. "Not only are there conflicting reports from the Templars that have faced the Warlock, but my instinct and thoughts are leading me to believe that Adagio is not in fact the Warlock."
"Conflicting reports?" Tygan asked, adjusting his glasses. "What type of discrepancies?"
"Some Templars have fought the Warlock… most have not survived, but fewer have actually been in the Warlock's direct presence. None of them have made it out alive, but they have sent psychic impressions to their peers.
"When Geist fought the Warlock on a psychic battle, he did so remotely, projecting his will through his peers and through the Psychic Network. Geist thought he was fighting a powerful woman… well, female alien, but the reports from the Templars at the location talked about a towering, powerful male.
"In addition… whenever the subject of her sisters was brought up by myself or Twilight, Aria clamped up and reacted defensively. I could sense a surprising deep seated sense of regret from her, for just a second…"
"So what are you saying?" Shen asked.
"I believe that Adagio is not the Warlock," Annette said. "Either they betrayed her, or she betrayed them… she could be dead for all we know, but it is a sore spot for Aria, affecting her opinion of loyalty to the extent of immediately reacting to it."
"Hm." Chrysalis raised her pad. "This might bear some investigation… if this Adagio is their enemy now we might glean some useful information if we find out what happened to her and she's willing to talk."
"I'll send word out to the Resistance," Bradford said. "We'll have to do some digging and see if we can get a picture."
"Good luck on that," Annette snorted. "But if ADVENT kept some EXALT records, you'll find it there."
"Shen?"
"I'll get on it Commander."
Chrysalis stood. "Very well. If there are no more items in the agenda, this meeting is adjourned."
Chrysalis waited until they were all gone before she summoned the map of India once more. Somewhere there was Sunset…
She glanced at the safe where the Element of Magic was stored. The night before it had shone brightly… perhaps she needed to have another talk with Twilight Sparkle.
o.0.o End Chapter 82 o.0.o
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The element reacted even from that far away? Hmm. Connection to sunset is stronger than first thought?
This was an interesting change of pace. I want to know what happened to Adagio now.
Wow, lots of things confirmed this chapter. And here I thought you'd keep us guessing until the very last possible moments.
Look at it this way, you made your post for today so now you don't need to make one until tomorrow.
+1 for the D I guess.
8902175
Twilight had mentioned that the Element was reaching out to Sunset to comfort her before. It probably sensed the danger she was in.
Nearly 80 chapters a day only to miss by 4 minutes ain't a bad record.
8902187
I bet that thing will be crucial in dealing with the negative effects of blood magic... there's no moral reason it should be giving her those issues, after all...
It would be fun if they were somehow able to acquire Adagio as an ally, though that may be a long shot.
A psionic-activated thaumic resonator device? Could be useful...
huh how about that, the implication is the warlock isn't adagio
Reading through the chapter with the hunter, they certainly didn't showcase the warlock at all. So this is going to be interesting on that matter if she will help, hurt, or be something else entirely.
You earned your Rest. And i Love that ability useful and Fun.
than?
Phew, finally caught up with this, I was wondering if I'd ever get there.
It seems that I keep getting ensnared by good XCOM stories, and you're doing great with this one.
.... can't WOTC go on sale soon? This story is making me want to play it.
Hmm. Interesting data, especially the Element's reaction. I'll have to file these tidbits away...
So more evidence that Adagio is not the Warlock. The question now is if not Adagio, who is the Warlock?
Anti-psyonic magic grenade. Sounds useful, but quite the double edge sword for psychic allies.
The element react that far to help Sunset. Impressive.
........ The Warlock is Sombra?
8902984
Thats a very scary possible.
Starswirl managed to banish the three.
Its very possible twilight banished part of him back. Just as the sisters sent him here so long ago.
Ah dammit, now it's partly confirming a theory I've been letting stew. As it's revealed in the series that the Elements are conceptualized templates that each of the Pillars valued made physical, and we saw how quick they are to take to the most extremes when dealing with threats, even "traitors". Then this might mean that the Magic Element, in its pseudo-sapience, is using Sunset. Through her it sees the threat of the world across the mirror, how eager it is to give her magic to achieve her goals despite the dangers it'll cause to her blood magic's encroachment. How it was "angry' upon Twilight's capture due to betrayal and that it took Sunset herself to sever the link as it poured near limitless magic into her.
It knew she died, it knows her corruption won't let her, and it most likely gave what was needed to bring her back. It will help, eagerly, willingly, to the point that her destruction will probably be assured, for her deaths are a sacrifice to ensure that the xeno threat never reaches Equestria, if all it took was to turn one pony into a monster. I wouldn't be surprised if it put some counter-measures in her, like rendering her weak or open to attack to the Elements if she goes through the portal again. It won't care, Sunset's already resolved to never return but if it's her corrupted self, then she's fair game.
8910677
i have been nursing a similar theory, but not so much for the element to be psudosapiant, but more along the lines of the will of magic itself, the crown itself being nothing more than a tuned condite for interacting with it.
In equestra, its show that magic, specifically the magic of harmony while not sapient, is self directed. Be it by the passive collective influence of those it interacts with, or some sort of Genius Loci, ect ect. long story short, it influences its users. (cough - heartsong -cough)
On earth, the magic feals is stiff and weak as if it's hasn't been used for a very very long time. Sunset's arivial, and use of magic would be very noticed by magic, and I believe it would do anything to keep magic flowing as much as possible. Being non sentient, it would not have an innate sense morals, direction, law's, or any type of restraint naturally imprinted upon it from its symbiotic relationship with its users like the equestrian magic field.
Earth magic would have one direction at this point. Survive, no matter the cost. And that makes it very very dangerous.
( pre counter argument - twilight? well, she's realised she can really use her magic here, and thus far hasn't. she even commented on sunset not having any equestrian magic left at this point, leading me to conclude that twilight still has equestrian magic in her, so she's not drawing on the earth magic field much, if at all.. but its really only a matter of time till she does.)
Three sirens, but also an un-named male they were working with that was made out to be the leader of Exalt.
But only three chosen.
And the third one looks male when in person, but if fighting them with only a 'mind' to see they come off as female.
We also know that pigtails was waiting for a "he" to stop blindly following the elders.
I get the feeling someone (most likely the elders) went and mixed the fruit with the nuts when making their warlock
.
I guess the first Avatar that is incomplet will be her? I doubt we see her otherwise...
That was a magnificent turn of events before being revealed eventually.
The coming boss fight will be amazing.
Sunset mskes a interesting substitute user of the 'Element of Harmony - Magic'
I wonder if the Element is a huge mana storage slowly replenished over time or rather is directly feed of the Tree connection still in Equestria?