~ as they approach Uranus ~
Nocturne - "This is actually where I met our benefactors. I-ron-eee ..."
Nix - "Mm-hm ! Correct definition."
Hector - "You met our benefactors on ..."
Dork laughter ...
Nocturne - "Sh. Yes. I was riding around on a really nice narwhal when ..."
Mishil - "Stop. Did that actually happen ?"
Nocturne - "Mmm ... my memory is kind of poorly drawn on the incident, but it is definitely how we met."
...
Nocturne - "but ... the teddy bears were real though right ?"
Hector - "Yes. I think sooo ... who the hell's 'Nix' ?"
Mishil - "Look. Whatever the hell you people are talking about, I'd better not see any of it on Uranus."
...
They all break out laughing ...
~ 秋 (Qiu) ~ a persimmon tale ~
('Positivity' by Mavis Staples and the Steeles with Prince)
~ Qiu (historical) walks a path in bloom, ancestors dancing around her and in her wake.
The ships enter atmosphere over a deep blue ocean, heavier than water, a thin layer atop, a mist over that.
~ They spin and twirl into and from the mist, in time distracted occasionally by men in the bushes and peering from the wood.
The shuttle flips slowly to view the approaching platforms strung along, ships coming and going, taxi vessels meeting to take to the central structures.
All in pale marble tones, open and simple. A view across show them spanning from a greater central hub, then another greater still, past that a high spire.
~ Men block the path with intent, the ancestors spin to circle behind as a portal begins to appear in the ground.
The ships rise high along the obelisk sides, passing platforms with other vertical landers coming and going, an occasional horizontal snuck in, one passed getting ticketed.
~ The men step forward grinning. In the portal, two concentric circles around a diagram, surrounded by symbols beginning to glow. A light follows the diagram in center.
As Hector lowers over a broad platform for multiple landings, Sally flies above, the cockpit angling down looking over the platform as she slows ascent.
~ As the light completes the diagram, the circles pulse a heartbeat, turning red. Clouds move over behind the men.
Sally's head fixed on the platform, the body turns, boosters to back. Her wings turn over and flap a bit to stabilize gust as she begins a slow descent. Arms and legs extend from form.
(With the engine cap, the feet being the tail split, the feet kind of look like high heeled boots, which is accidental, but would honestly be more complicated to avoid in structure than to keep.
Otherwise she's be walking on her rockets. Overall inspiration is a harpy with a rocket-pack, the cockpit unchanged as the head).
The landing in smoke.
(song over)
The sky grows stormy behind as Qiu's demon rises behind the men.
________
On Hectors side, landed upright, a flush rectangular panel slides out, turns once with a decompression sound, and sinks back in, flush. A door drops opens beneath to a smooth ramp.
Nocturne and Nix slide out "! Whoo !"
Mishil watches from inside Sally's turning head as they chase each other in circles then into the spire. She slams her fist on the panel and drop rappels from beneath the head, rope falling. She loads and checks while the rope draws back in and heads for the spire.
Sally looks around, then at Hector, still a rocket looking back up. Around again, then does a little sideways dance off the edge. He watches as she rockets off, looks around, leaps to bot off the pad after, lifted with booster blast.
________
Qiu - Stops walking. "You do not know. You never do or will."
________
The inner airlock slides open, Mishil sees Nocturne and Nix cartwheel crashing into an elevator along a wall filled in an empty room. The door closes, it drops down it's transparent tube.
Another pops up, the door opens.
Lightning strikes in root like crackles, striking the liquid outside as the tube drops. All around the fluid glows, the roads between spires outside flip covers from beneath, meeting at the center as peaked eastern temple roofing.
Complete structures from beneath landing pads, those on spires covered by hanging panels arcing out from the center. Panels slide beneath to meet in an octagon.
Diamonds begin to rain from the sky before the elevator submerges, charged fluid flowing and dissipating beneath the strikes, meteoric gems sparkling as they fall alongside in plunges.
The sound of Qiu's demon whispering names ...
____
Qiu opens her eyes, rain falls hard, washing the road.
____
The door slides open.
(I've been wanting to use this song to introduce an alien bazaar since the first second I heard it)
('Kill This Love' by BlackPink)
Bazaar guards seen from behind in red robes, headpieces with diamonds hanging, fan out from their captain into the crowd, all parting before them bowing.
Mishil nod to her crew members distributed, Nocturne and Nix run around crossing the path back and forth ahead. A crewman looks at Mishil with raised brow, she rolls eyes and shakes her head.
Past merchants and celebrants, hookahs and smoke the view from crew to gurd to Mishil to the captain walking through the center from behind. A wide path before her she examines.
Dancers on stage and drunkards cheering, working through the crowd, occasionally Nocturne and Nix somewhere running around.
The shoulder strap of Mishil's rifle is cut and her pistols drawn from behind and pointed at her head by two guards, the captain examining the rifle. Mishil's arms slowly go up.
Captain - "Welcome to 天王星. Where is the demon ?"
('Tiānwángxīng', what China calls Uranus behind your back)
Mishil - "The last time I was here I planted explosives at perfect places. My ship will get me before I drown."
____
Hector and Sally stand arms raised in the middle on an arena, roaring crowd, surrounded by robot parts.
Sally - Shouting over the crowd, "Wanna make a baby ?"
Hector - "Kinda !" He reaches down and rips out the core of a twitching bot on the ground.
She tears the head off another, they convert and fly off.
____
Mishil - "Your move."
Crew works toward and ready arms. She slowly turns, wrist computer showing the map of the area marks.
Mishil - "Qiu ?"
Qiu - "It was your crew who did that. And I do not know you. You'll not speak my mannered name again."
Mishil and crew drop to static charge, she gestures to the points she noted on the blanked out map.
____
In a junkyard, Sally and Hector look down at a little 50's style flying saucer with a single seat under a central clear dome.
Hector - "Oh now that is fucking adorable."
A torch pops from Sally's forearm.