#(v. commander)

It was Mars's first mission, and Jupiter was assigned as the young Commander's shadow, her guide to Galactic's cruel, unrelenting incursion into Sinnohan life.

Floaroma's takeover was easy, but there was still much for Mars to learn. While Mars's footsteps hesitated, Jupiter trampled beautiful flowers without remorse. When the Windworks owners begged for mercy, Mars wavered--only to have Jupiter step in with Skuntank. And when certain people (a young blonde and her mother) dared to resist orders, only Jupiter threatened to set the meadow ablaze. And she meant it. Mars would learn soon enough.

[ The limit does not exist. ]

She had never known peace. Libraries were too small (suffocating) but the vastness of the cosmos was too infuriatingly vast. Play with the other kids. Come eat dinner. Please.

Instead, the girl who would become a monster shut herself away, already burdened with the limitations of time and space. How is the concept of ∞ not terrifying? How can people be so oblivious towards the hourglass sand, slipping endlessly through their fingers?

When asked for her favorite animal, the girl who would become a monster presented an alphabetized list of fifty-eight creatures: all deep sea anomalies with primordial origins, and unknown lifespans.

She was languishing in college when THE SHEPHERD first opened her reclusive mind. She had long debunked magic, but his words felled her under an immediate spell. The woman who was becoming a monster was suffering, and he promised her relief. Salvation.

I want too much, she had whispered. In my new world, there shall be no want, he answered back. And so, it goes.

It was difficult work. Blood quickly stained her hands, but she pressed onward, taunted by that tempting vision. The experiments and interrogations were particularly gruesome, but she was desperate, unrestrained, and oh so cold. Again. Again.

All for him. All for nothing.

Atop the mountain, the shepherd ascended alone--and she was forced to reckon with the weight of her folly, her imperfect humanity, alone. Jail was worse than hell itself, impossibly cramped, each grain of hourglass-sand thundering in her ear as it tumbled past into the yawning abyss. And placed beneath this crushing burden, the woman had no choice but to complete her transformation, and [d]evolve. (She had plenty of time to perfect her craft, after all.)

When the guards turned the key to her cell, they turned her loose upon the world once again. The monster donned her painted mask, smiled with her teeth, and melted into the shadowy corridors. An anomaly. She had long given up on cures and solutions for this agonizing hunger, but--

Deep in Oreburgh City's sprawling mines, Team Galactic has launched a brand-new offensive, seizing control of valuable machinery and other tools.

Creating the Red Chain takes a lot of power, and they are so close to their goal now. Galactic's ravenous hunger for energy--any energy at all--is causing them to make bolder moves as they near the proverbial finish line.

At the helm of Galactic's latest lightning raid, Jupiter stands tall, cold and confident, amethyst eyes merely watching as her wave of eager grunts overwhelm the unprepared miners, headlamps bobbing wildly in the dark. The late-night scene is chaotic, filled with shouts and flickering shadows, yet the commander remains unbothered, like a viper waiting to strike. Even now, she's thinking hard, Galactic's latest plan unspooling in her mind, plucking at various threads to see what thrums...

The burglary is priority number one. However, a part of Jupiter hopes that the commotion is enough to draw him out. She knows he's here, knows she swore a deal to leave Oreburgh alone, but she just can't resist the opportunity to raise a little hell within his supposed safe haven...

Volkner had all but quit out on his deal after the incident at the lakes, so she would make him pay. Insolence would be punished.

The invasion of Iron Island is going very smoothly.

It's to be expected, Jupiter thinks to herself with a smirk curling her lip. Eventually, everything will crumble before Team Galactic's perfect plans. And they're getting closer--so close--to realizing their absolute vision.

A new world order. The ruthless commander shivers just thinking about it.

Of course, to power such bold plans, Galactic is in constant need of energy, drawing from their own company and other facilities all across Sinnoh. Iron Island is just the latest domino to fall, with Jupiter's elite squad of Galactic minions already tearing into the rich mining ore like hungry Durants. For such a storied place in Sinnohan history, she had expected this place to be better fortified in the event of a takeover. Quick surrenders were so boring.

A few workers had staged a sad little uprising, and were quickly dealt with, rounded up into a corner of the cavern. Jeleva, Jupiter's spoiled Skuntank, stops leering down at a wounded Machop long enough to quirk her head towards the entrance with a grating whine. Someone is coming.

"Just conversations equate to wasted time. Especially at this stage in the plan," Jupiter retorts dismissively, her shadow looming in Mercury's doorway with an update. "The lake guardians have finally been captured, and we need you to oversee the installation of their containment vessels. Once that's completed, OPERATION RED CHAIN will commence. Cyrus will be overseeing the first extractions and your presence is required for the occasion, so put some effort into looking presentable before you arrive at the labs, please."

As Jupiter turns on her heel to exit, she offers a rare smile back towards her newest colleague, eyes glittering in the dim light.

The next stage of Galactic's grand plan is about to launch, and everyone in the organization is on edge. Grunts skitter around Veilstone in a rush, and--hidden in the heart of Lake Valor--Saturn, Charon and other brilliant scientists nervously prepare the team's greatest weapon yet.

THE GALACTIC BOMB.

And despite the plot unfurling right under their noses, despite the increased Galactic presence within the Valor area, Sinnohan citizens just go on living their daily lives. Oblivious. They'll all see soon enough.

On their way to the other regional lakes, Jupiter and Mars have been tasked with stopping any potential threats to the plan, a task that they pursue with equal parts cold calculation and glee. Ordinary trainers stand no chance, unlucky Pokemon ruthlessly plucked from defeated grasps.

Ever since joining Team Galactic, Jupiter had always found herself thrown off by the sheer simplicity of Cyrus's office quarters. Even now, with Galactic perched at the apex of its Sinnohan influence, the boss's professional domain lies nearly barren, its layout almost indistinguishable from the humble workrooms designated for grunts several tiers below his station. Yes, despite Galactic's aggressive rise to power, despite having a massive overflow of resources at his disposal, Cyrus never once appeared to indulge in the careful empire that he had constructed, his gaze never straying from that ultimate, unknowable goal.

Perhaps, Jupiter thinks to herself, standing beside her fellow Commanders in the unadorned room, that conviction is what makes him so admirable.

Cyrus speaks, and they all listen--his direct, unwavering voice seems to fill the uncomplicated space (perhaps by intentional design.) As he outlines the next steps of Galactic's rapidly unfurling plan, Jupiter twitches, a slight frown creasing her severe features. Ancient temples, old ruins...she does not care one iota for Sinnoh's crusty, outdated histories, but begrudgingly reconciles the reasoning behind this exploration with herself--sometimes you had to look back to move forward, even if you preferred to stay focused on the future...

Her frown flickers away, as quickly as it had arrived. She doesn't dare to bite the hand that has provided her with so much opportunity. Not yet, anyways.

" keep in mind that even the strongest ties to devon can not grant true immunity, here. " she doesn’t bother voicing the rest of her threat slash warning : while you are on sinnohan soil, every step you take --- every word you whisper --- will be closely monitored.

“ so if i may ask, what business brings you to the streets of hearthome? ”

Returning to her childhood home (still nestled within the glitzy neighborhood just off of Hearthome's central shopping district) had been an irrational plan from square one, and now ERIS EVANS is absolutely sure that she's committed a critical error.

Why had she deviated so far from Devon's set agenda--an innocuous meeting with Sinnoh's most prestigious shakers and movers? Perhaps, Eris had rationalized, a trace of her father would be around here somewhere--an ultimately illogical hope. (The resident maid had put a quick end to her dream: her father hadn't returned, and Mother was abroad in Alola, staying at some glamourous all-inclusive yet again. Thank Arceus for her absence, at least.)

And now, perched on a bench outside of Amity Square, the wandering scientist slash spokesperson runs into her. The very last person that she wants to see. Talk about horrid timing.