Session 311: Asteroid C Reborn
Location: Asteroid C
It's been a busy period on Sriker Station as technology is refreshed and systems are fine tuned; Airym, Jelly, Gor and Taiga working separately but complimenting each others abilities. Taiga's recent task being the engines though has ended in failure, a strange gunk has clogged up the mechanics and she can't even burn it off. With several Dragoons and partners present, a couple of them volunteer to go out and see what they can do, it's also decided that this is a perfect opportunity to introduce several of the youngsters to the use of Gears.
While several of them take to the gears naturally, there are others who appear overwhelmed despite the fact that they have been joined by Si'Chii and Gor in their Mech form. when they arrive inside the engine, amidst comments and hopes about nobody turning it on even briefly, they find that they are clogged with a massive almost tar-like substance. Having tried to burn it initially, they attempt beam sabers which also fail to damage it...and even are surprised when what little damage was done seems to heal itself. As they consider the possibility that this object may be sentient, it is confirmed when Valen's gear is almost swallowed by the mass.
After a bit, a plan of attack is made, the Gears and Mechs inside the engine will target the various weaker points of the mass that have attached to the engine while the Aquarius will attempt to tractor it away. With Hess inside using ripples and Bad Luck against the gigantic living stomach blob, the Gears and Mechs shooting it with lightning and other types of attacks, the mass literaly gets crushed to microscopic bits.
Once Asteroid C's engines are operating and they're under way, the teams confer about their destination; a resort planet in Cartel Space. With Pepper scolding Cookie about her use of her precognitive abilities, Airym and Jelly bantering about 'butts' and impulse control, and debate about what the holodecks are being used for by whom; it's revealed that Lorelei believes one of the resurrected Tareh Gods is on the planet and there they also hope to gather information about the Cartel leadership who may have been replaced by shapeshifters.
Timeline: 10-637.8.27 - 7 to 9 years on Yggdrasil ago
Location: Yggdrasil
The children under Lorelei learn how to train themselves, going from various ages of 8 - 12 (or 4ish in some cases) all the way up to the ages of 19 - 21 (or 13sih in some cases), so that they may prepare to deal with the Tarehian Gods that are slowly being reborn in human bodies, taking over the hosts, resulting from a chance encounter with Harbinger after the first Yggdrasil/Destiny incident. Harbinger, the god of time and prophecy, is known to be the herald of the ultimate Tarehian God, Garterah. If, and when, Harbinger returns, it is likely Gartareh will not be far behind, so Lorelei has decided that the tree will be the fastest way to prepare the children over a year and half period, and get 9 years training in that period. Selena Hapian and her grandfather join them so that she can get proper training while her grandfather is still around and to prepare her for the challenges to come, and over a seven year period the children train hard.
And while Lorelei decides to keep the children around the same age, pulling many of them out around 7 years before the 9 year mark if they are hitting the 21 year old mark, she also pulls Rachael Hilund out at the 7 year old mark at 19 years of age, so that when they set out on the Aquarius, she is 19 years old, when she could be 21 year old like the rest of them. While the reason is between her, Lorelei, and likely Valen, not many notice due to so many being pulled out at the 7 year mark. For the rest, they remain until the 9 year mark, and Selena is one of them, as is Sia and Lia, being the youngest and a few others, receiving the extra years training under Durt and Selena's grandfather, while Lorelei herself exits two years early with the other children to help train them for the six months off the tree and get things ready.
Now in present day, the team is searching for 11 of the 12 Gods, with Aschae staying behind to watch Lenneth in case she turns into the 12th God once more. The 11 Gods are:
Garterah - Father/Creator of the Tareh Gods,
Di'Mantha - Mother of the Gods (Spring Goddess),
Harbinger - God of Time / Prophecy,
Amazo - God of Fighters, Battle, and War,
Angelus - God of Royalty, Worship, Templar God,
Phoen - Goddess of Healing, Fire & Summer,
Solistice - Goddess of Winter, Harvest,
Manus Dei - Goddess of Art, Culture, Celebrations (And Secretly Pain & Torture),
Yeger - God of Death and Anti-Socialness,
Autumn - Goddess of Nature & Fall Seasons,
Dusk - Goddess of the Night.
And finally Lenneth - Goddess of Heroes, who they hope Aschae will deal with, leaving them the other 11.
Meanwhile, Taiga's group plan to go to the 3 main groups - Cartel, Erusian, and Tsivrixsh and free them of the shapeshifter control to return the regions to normal once more.
Location: Asteroid C
With Asteroid C flying on a 'natural' trajectory to keep it from raising suspicion, the teams decide to head out in the Aquarius and use the guise of being tourists to start their surveillance of the resort planet Jarivan. With the usual antics about beer, punching things and amazing less than the usual amount of flirting they arrive in orbit and are charged immediately for a high profile landing area and there's discussion about whether they're actually going to blend in or stand out.
After landing, and amid comparisons to Kumen's old Pleasure Dome before it was destroyed, they're bombarded by advertisements for which hotel to stay in...they're all outrageously priced but come with amenities you couldn't ignore. With Taiga and Lorelei paying for the rooms for their teams, Gor and Si deciding to have their own private room, the groups split off to their abodes...Lore's team getting two rooms, one for the girls and one for the boys. Being warned that she feels there is a God here, she also forbids them from going off on their own to have hanky panky. Once settled in, Lore goes over the various Gods and what they were the god(dess) of. Deciding that for the afternoon they'll go enjoy what Jarivan has to offer and search the next day, the group goes to get changed for the beach...those that hadn't already been in relaxing wear.
Taiga's team however is set with their own respective rooms and after settling in they muse about the prospects of gambling as they wait for Lore's group to join them. As the rest of their team joins them in bikini's, boardshorts and the hormones start to fly Lore and the kids arive. With few worries the two teams head out to the beach, some sunbathing, a couple taking some leisurly strolls, Cookie and Pepper stay to gamble, some swimming and others oogling the exposed flesh like Jelly. Some of the kids seem to try and rekindle their past lives relationships from Tareh but for Rachael and Leruste it seems that that past life won't repeat itself.
Location: Jarivan - Fancy Hotel
Lorelei wakes her team up while Taiga's team is still asleep, summoning down to the lobby to have a meeting about their plans for the day - after defeating Kellin who tries to pull her into bed in his sleep. The team notices Taiga is up early, watching Hess and Kitty doing morning jogging laps, as they all gather for breakfest in the lobby; Taiga and Kitty saying goodbye to go wake their own team. Lorelei splits the team up to look into day time clubs, then after lunch, they will look into night clubs, hoping to see if they can find any leads with the God, feeling that they might run into one of the Tareh Gods here. With most of the team old enough to get into the clubs, outside Rachael and Zegretta - Rachael having left the tree early despite the fact she could have remained on it 2 more years - and Zegretta being on the young side to begin with despite 9 years. Lorelei and Durt decide how to split up the two teams with a certain number of boys and girls divided between them and both teams set off.
Location: Jarivan
Durt's team - made up of Durt, Kaelan, Leruste, Rachael, Kellin, Zegretta, and Orihime, walk along the street toward the spot that Lorelei has marked as their first location, while being told to feel out for a God. They arrive at a Jazz Club and each of them wonder if Lorelei really understands what a day club really is as they order a few drinks and enjoy the music. As they feel nothing, Kellin does some hip hop dancing, getting some looks from the jazz patrons, while Zegretta cracks some soul jokes.
Meanwhile, Lorelei, Kaori, Hess, Valen, Moira, and Michelle are joined by Rada, who meets them out of being MIA for some time, apparently knowing where to meet them out of nowhere. Lorelei takes them to a high class, gentleman's type club, much to Hess' dismay since she wore a bunny's outfit, chiding Lorelei since she said "day club". Lorelei, dismayed to learn how many types of clubs there are, does mention this club did asked for bunnies girl, pointing at the club asking for playgirls. Since the membership is 1 million credits, they decide to go the bunny girl route, and Lorelei and Kaori put on the bunny girl outgits, and Lorelei decides to put one on Valen as well, for some reason. The servant, depressed at the idea of taking Valen in, does take them all in, leaving Rada, Moira, and Michelle outside, who then see a limo driving up to the club - where Moira gets a brief god ping from the limo before it is cut off. A woman emerges in a suit surrounded by servants and enters the club, leaving Moira wondering if she will need to go inside to rescue the others, since the God Sense apparently is being blocked.
The other team meanwhile is now at a japanese tea club, with many of them wondering if Lorelei really knows what clubs are about, despite being 55. While Kellin shouts a greeting in Japanese as he enters the club, getting stares back as they order some food and tea. Durt tries to contact Lorelei but gets sent to voice mail with a message about bunnies, which Kellin finds amusing. Rachael tries using the mark link and cannot reach Valen, but does manage to contact Moira, who lets them know that they have found a hit with the God at their location. When Rachael learns the location is a gentleman's club, she assumes it's a place that makes women have sex with old men, then when she learns Valen is inside, she sheds fake tears saying that Valen's first time will be with old geezers, apologizing to her older brother for failing him. Durt has Orihime teleport them to the location so they can help the other team.
Inside the club, the servant measures them all, then has Valen stand off to the side while they wait for someone to pick one of them to bring to a private room. Inside, they find 4 other bunny girls, who engages them in conversation, assuming they are there to steal business from them at first, until Hess lays the verbal smack down and ripples one onto the other. When an old geezer comes to bring Valen to his room, Lorelei does a pressure point to knock him out to save Valen's virginity. Meanwhile, outside, the two teams are reuinited and Moira puts on the bunny suit, preparing to go inside to try to warn Lorelei and the others. As she heads in, Rada follows and speaks with the servant at the desk and before Moira can be escorted to the others, Rada announces Moira is with him, to her chargin. Rada uses his manifestation to fake his thumb print, claiming to be a relative of Erica's, they are led to a privacy room after the scan with some paperwork. Once inside, Rada tells Moira to head inside while he acts like a decoy; meanwhile outside, cops are showing up, making the team hide and observe them.
Lorelei, Hess, Kaori, and Valen, as well as the bunny girls are suddenly assaulted by drugged servants who try to assault the group sexually, even tearing Lorelei's top off and pin them. They work together to defend themselves and after a few moments, security comes in to help defend them from the servants, pepper spraying them, led by a beautiful dark haired woman. Valen goes off, threatening to sue, and Hess lets the woman know what might have happened if not for them holding them off until security shows up, and she reveals the servants got into some exotic materials meant to be used in minor amounts. Valen demands a kiss and they will be square, actually making the woman look surprised and thrown back, when Moira shows up at that moment. The woman decides to repay them she will make them members of the club, though she is not sure they will want to come back, and Moira eyes the woman hard - but she is wearing something to cover her face; despite that it is highly likely she is the same woman who got out of the limo earlier. As Valen whines about the kiss, the woman mumbles if he truly wants one, she might give it to him - on the cheek.
Rada during all this uses the distraction of the cops to sneak upstairs to the rooms and searches them, finding a locked door. After a few failed attempts to open it, he practically blows the lock open, making it obvious he was there, and enters the room, searching it. He finds documents that the woman owns one other club, a birth certificate and bank statements from the past few months, as well as travel passes, and some drugs that are not overly illegal. After that, using his shard, Rada warps out of the hotel with none the wiser before being caught. Valen later meets with the woman alone, learning her name is Vesper Dupree, and vents to her about some stuff; she surprisingly listens and gives him some life lessons, despite only being 6-7 years older at most. Having dinner and showing off the club, such as horses and some other stuff, they spend the evening together on a semi-date.
Location: Jarivan - Fancy Hotel
With Lorelei and her kids off doing their own things, Taiga gets her team woken up for their own investigation; after climbing in a rented bus, commentary ensues about Taiga possibly having memory issues when it appears that she has forgotten how to drive. While Kitty takes over they're surprised to find Jelly climbing out of somebody's baggage; this leads to a heartfelt discussion about lacey underwear and living under beds, as well as Airym considering going out to buy "lacy stuff" since she doesn't wear any underwear. As they arrive at what is considered the Corporate center for the planet, and Taiga threatening to break Jelly's legs, they note a wierd magical energy seeming to surround the building.
While they consider this and run scans, they watch as a flying girl rockets towards the building only to seemingly bounce off of an invisible shield around it, careening off to crash almost half a mile away. Getting there before any of the Jarivan police or medics arrive due to Gor and Jelly slowing the response down, they find an apparent 12 year old girl climbing out of a crater mumbling about Evil in the tower before passing out against Kitty. Figuring that they should leave before they're found, they quickly return to the bus via ripples. Even so they are almost immediately followed by a car which Airym disables with quiet efficiency.
Returning to the hotel, they set the girl up to rest with a Foxy-Jelly watching over her so that under cover of darkness the rest of the team can return to investigate the company more. With Gor disabling cameras, Yuki splitting off a copy of herself and knocking guards out. They're able to find an actual Maka-Jamming device near the top of the building as well as a guided tour for select VIP's in the basement; deciding to split up, Gor, Cel, Si and Yuki-1 head upstairs while the rest head for the suspicious tour.
At the top of the building, they find the machine is guarded by three men; Yuki-1 draws their attention in order to let Gor deal with the machine as Cel and Si calm things down with a fourth guard. Once the machine is out of order they head back to join the others. In the basement, they find that their suspicions were correct as evidenced by the arrival of Sabrina the magical girl crashing through walls; when they converge on the basement they find three guards who turn into tentacle Dark One like creatures. With blasters, fire, ripples, Sabrina's magic and even a hyper fox darting around they dispense the guards to find a final Dark Shapeshifter trying to implant a worm-like creature into the frightened politicians.
After turning the last Shapeshifter into a pile of goo that Airym takes samples of, they download the company's database and head out with Sabrina in tow as they head back to the hotel to rest and go over everything they've learned and gathered.
Location: Jarivan - Fancy Hotel
Lorelei gathers everyone once more down to the lobby after breakfast though the atmosphere seems to be a little different today, with SUVs patroling the area as if they are searching for someone on Jarivan, making the team surmise tthat Taiga's team must be behind it. Strangely, Moira is wearing the bunny outfit from the previous day, thinking it provides more armor stats like in the holovid games that Lorelei gave them when they were kids, until she is corrected and changes, much to her embarrassment. While at first they wonder if the woman from the club busted them out, Valen defends them, making Rachael wonder just how far the date went, and alerts the others that Valen ran off the night before to see Vesper. Fate appears and gives the same warning to them that she did the Earth Team about the Yggdrasil Tree being locked by Cheryl, and while they debate the implications, Fate leaves them to wonder about it.
Lorelei redirects the conversation back to the club owner and states that Vesper Dupree means night, so she believes it is Dusk they are dealing with. Going through the information that Rada managed to get, she states that Dupree opened a beach club, using the funds from that to open her current one a few years later, and then 9 months ago began to act strangely. Valen reveals that Dupree is also planning to open a third club as well, which Lorelei verifies, saying it will be called Nightlife. After Rada makes an offhand comment, Moira shoots him a look and the two make some light banter while the team debates seeing if they could get Dupree herself to take them to the new club. Misunderstanding the banter, Lorelei tells Moira to tell her where Rada touched her.
Location: Dupree's Gentleman's Club
The team passes several more SUVs on the way to the club, making wonder just what did the other team do as they arrive at the club, entering with their membership. Moira pats Valen, trying to help him relax as the club's activities are listed, getting the interest of Kaelan - especially with the horses - while Lorelei overhears something about 50 is creepy, since she is that age, despite looking 30 at most, making her fox ears droop. Vesper shows up to see what they think about the place - being told it is a quaint place by Durt - then when Rada repeats it while showing them to the horses, those with the mark gets a brief ping when she shoots Rada a look that has some bloodthirst behind it. When Valen brings up the new club and wanting to bring everyone to see it, Vesper tries to dissuade them from the idea, but after everyone seems rather dead set on the idea, she gives a resigned look and gives in.
Vesper takes them out to one of her limos, with her driver driving them to the location, and the team gets into the large back seat with drinks and other accomodations. Rachael, apparently not liking the cramped space with so many of them, opens the window on the roof and sticks her head out to get some air. After many turns and some distance, they arrive in another part of town that seems to be more party focused, with a large warehouse that is being transformed into a new club. Giving Valen the keys, Vesper lets them go in with her driver, staying out to makes calls on her communicator strangely. The driver stands around and answers questions and the team finds nothing on the main floor or top floor, Valen hands the keys back, when they remember to check the basement door, which is locked. Valen manages after two tries to get the door to open while Durt "accidently" breaks bottles, making the driver eye him in annoyance and debate breaking his neck.
After the loud noise of the lock breaking, the driver inspects the area despite Durt breaking a second alcoholic drink, making Valen hide while Rachael is caught when the lights come on. With their being blood and stuff on the floor, the driver reveals the purpose of the floor down here for VIPS and the booths - this is a club for vampires and customers into the pleasure of being bit and drained. A win-win, the vampires do not go crazy and the customers get the orgasmisc pleasure of the bite. The driver finishes explaining, then leaves, showing vampire fangs - apparently having been a vampire driver the entire time he guided them. Rada thinks the driver was a bit too forthcoming with Vesper's secrets and there is something else there.
Returning outside, the team talks to Vesper about the place and seems impressed with everything they saw, gushing and Kaelan ready to see the horses now. Everything seems fine now until Valen busts out with asking if Vesper is a vampire herself, making everyone freeze and even Rada go wow. Vesper listens to Valen's spiel, so she admits she is one of the Tareh Gods, and that they are they are the Hunters looking for them. Vesper explains about their 'other life' but to her it is more like a dream, while circling the limo carefully, telling how Gartareh made each of them into Gods. She gives a hint that she mainly remembers at night and she chose to be reborn as Dupree, but some of them will definitely come after the team to destroy them, then throws the limo at the team to distract them. The team feels a little depressed that Dupree has fun off, and decides to try to talk to her one last time before she flees entirely, so they move to her club, while Rachael lets Valen run off to look for her, without telling the others. Lorelei taking note quietly.
Location: Jarivan - Fancy Hotel
With Jarivan Police and security patrols roaming the streets, Taiga and her team have returned to the hotel to take stock and consider their next move. The local news reporting that the building they had infiltrated had experienced a gas leak and explosion, and it seems that the Politicians who were being prepped for replacement by Shapeshifters are going along with it. Amidst discussions of kinks and cosplay, Sabrina gains a disguise and new insight about some of the team like Si and Gor.
Deciding to go talk with one of the Politicians directly the group makes their way to one of the politicians homes where after an awkward introduction they’re allowed inside. After a bit, a portly fellow enters nervously and sits; with a bit of coaxing he opens up about the incident in full and confirms the truth about the resort planet. With the aid of expensive whiskey the Politician directs them towards the Cartel’s behind-the-scenes representative on Jarivan. With word from Lorelei about their God-Hunt progress, Taiga and the others head out to search for their Cartel contact.
By mid-afternoon the team is approaching an isolated beach house; worried that Sabrina may trigger alerts if she goes into her magical form, they continue and use Airym’s sensors to scan the area. Moving to the back deck of the house they find a locked door that Pepper quickly picks and inside is the slowly gooing remains of a shapeshifter that had taken the appearance of the leader of the corporation they had entered the previous night.
In the back of the house they find a highly anxious Cartel representative who claims to have killed the shapeshifter by pure luck. Inquiring about other potential Cartel figures who have been acting oddly, Sabrina leaves them to speak with Airym who has been analyzing the shapeshifter body. Getting a list of planets together with suspected shapeshifters as night approaches, the Cartel rep heads off to what he calls a safe location, and the team gathers to consider whether he was truthful or another shapeshifter. They suspect that the information they’ve been given could be a trap targeting actual Cartel members set by the Shapeshifters...
Session 318: Night Falls on Jarivan
Location: Dupree's Gentleman's Club
Working on the theory that Vesper gets stronger at night, the team hurries to uncover clues to learn more about Vesper at her club, with Lorelei trying to get into her room, while Kaelan goes to enjoy the horses, wanting to enjoy more of her past life where they rode them, and Moira goes to get an oil massage. Using a ripple by Hess, the team searches the place while Lorelei gives her theory that she does not believe Dusk took over Dupree by force, due to how Vesper was acting, but something definitely happened around a year ago to a year and a half ago when the gods began to reawaken due to their encounter with Harbinger. Kellin finds some medical bills tucked away and Lorelei goes over them: it seems to be expensive medical bills on a tumor that could not be removed from Vesper's brain and was killing her, but then around a year ago her final scan showed the tumor was no longer an issue. They surmise that Dusk turned Vesper into a vampire to help cure her tumor and in return she was able to be reborn - unknown to the team, meeting in secret at a coffee cafe, Vesper was confirming much of the same thing, and that when Dusk reached out, she readily accepted the deal given to her, but in return the night was Dusk's, with Vesper only faintly remembering the activities as dreams. Assuring Valen that Dusk only wanted to be left alone and be allowed to make a club of her chosen to do with as she wished.
Lorelei meanwhile, feeling she has given Valen enough time, has been tracking him through the mark, rounds everyone up and uses Ori and Hess' foxholes to follow after him, knowing he will lead them to Vesper, showing some Cheryl in her using him. By the time they arrive, the sun is beginning to reach the coastline and the area does not have a lot of people, a more quiet area of Jarivan, making it feel like they are being led to a trap perhaps. The marks are finally beginning to tingle as the sun is going down, showing that Dusk is beginning to wake up as they head toward Valen, with Kellin suggesting they send any unmarked ahead with the hopes that Dusk will not detect them. Durt, Kaori, and Hess go ahead toward, with the rest of the team following behind them, and they notice the SUVs are no longer driving around looking for people. The place seems to be very 80s Earth retro style, perhaps made to be a holiday resort for people once upon a time, as they move along.
They soon find Vesper and Valen emerging from a coffee shop, with Rachael spying on them, having left the team to watch over her brother. Heading toward the shuttle port, she promises to Valen that she will turn into Dusk before her ride arrives. Moira wonders what will happen to Dusk once she is space, since day and night is not really a thing there, and Lorelei and Durt ponder that as long as she is in sun light she will probably be Vesper, but in the darkness of space she will probably be Dusk then. By the time they near the port, Vesper mumbles she had hoped that Valen would have left before now, but she goes to sleep finally, her eyes have only had been going red, and after a bit her hair goes white, and her aura increases in strength and she holds herself more dangerously, turning into Dusk before the team. The team emerges and questions Dusk finally, to learn about her and see if they are truly enemies, and Dusk explains how they were reborn - a voice speaking out while they were in oblivion, fanning the embers of their lives and to seek out people they were compatible with and to take them over to help be reborn in their true forms once again. Dusk heard Vesper cursing life and liked something about her and despite not being entirely compatible nor taking her completely, she gave some of her power to her, so she will never reach her true power like the voice said. The team decides to make a peace pact with her, and in return Dusk warns them that they are being hunted right now and should becareful.
Meeting back at Dupree's club, both teams are now together, with Taiga's group having finished their stuff and been rushing to try to help Lorelei's team - but seeing there was no need. Dusk, throwing back whiskey and making Pepper edge away at making buddies with the "bad guy", still seems a bit wary of others as she tells Durt that she really only likes Valen since Vesper is making googly eyes at him. Dusk explains what type of creature is hunting them: it can take shapes like the normal shapeshifters, but it's more of a monster than the regular ones. It will even kill normal shapeshifters if it means getting close to it's target to make it lower it's guard. She notes that it seems to be made of an animal and person, like a scorpion, to make it tougher; the team makes note of the dangerous Shapeshifter Hunter they are now dealing with and decide to go back to the hotel and pack up, so that they can continue their mission now that both are done.
Location: Jarivan - Fancy Hotel
By the time they reach the hotel, it is late at night and mostly quiet, with the guests either out partying or asleep; Taiga pays their bill with one of Erica's credit chips while the others go upstairs to pack their stuff. The room looks empty as they arrive, but with something feeling off, Airym scans the room while the others sniff and search it, but are coming up with nothing outside Airym picking up faint Dark One traces. The team also finds traces of their hair brushes missing hair and panties/underwear from both groups. While some of the team blames Jelly for snatching their stuff as a panty thief, the others pack up quickly, with Valen the most skeeves at his underwear being taken and picturing a shapeshifter made of his juices. While Moira promises Valen a kiss, Sia and Lia are missing with the crab that Kitty found on the beach, threatening to cook it, when suddenly the crab turns into the Shapeshifter Hunter, attacking the two, to Kitty's dismay. As Harrison tries to leap off the balcony and fall 13 stories, the team either leaps after him or fires after him, turning him into a puddle upon impact and move for the ocean. The puddle is then scattered into pieces and Ori and the other fire uses blast the beach turning into a glassy mess, no doubt going to piss Jarivan off, but also trapping the Shapeshifter Hunter under it for the time being.
Taiga, knowing that they will get in trouble for what they have done, basically drags the team to the Aquarius before they are arrested for the damage. Once on the Aquarius, they are already hit by inquries about the beach but thankfully Yuki and Erica manage to get them into space and away from Jarivan in time. During all this, Moira gives Valen his reward of a kiss, making him even more confused about his feelings toward Vesper, while Yuki announces that they will be going to Geyze to deal with a family matter they learned about from Mireille (See upcoming Royals Arc 320 - 322). Taiga meanwhile sits about and muses about Kitty, having been trying to move their relationship a little futher, either due to missing Ouka who has been doing something that she has to do alone, while Taiga is dealing with the Strikers mission, or because Taiga/Kitty have unresolved feelings since childhood and Kitty too has Jade missing. As the team heads for Asteroid C, the teams are not one step closer to each of their objectives.