Cagliostro starts working on Gil, and notes that the power level available to him is starting to decline. Cagliostro notes that the plant is drawing in all the power in the area. Mistress Janice notes that the times that she has noticed that has been during a major working, or in the planning stages of one. Cagliostro debates how to disrupt the magical working in a non-hostile way. Or not that hostile way. He realizes that the working could trigger very quickly - too quickly to defend against. Cagliostro decides to pull back the wandering crew, warns them that the plant is planning something, and wards the plant in a big donut with Cagliostro et al at the center. The plant doesn't appear to notice. Cagliostro creates a gate in the ward, and throws a magic-eating crystal inside. The crystal glows with power and shatters in an apparent overload. Cagliostro creates a second crystal, with a self-limiting power capacity. The plant shatters the crystal - the same way that the other one did. Which leads Cagliostro to wonder if in fact it did not shatter the initial one. The entire Garden (and possibly beyond) has started glowing with power. Mistress Janice has started glowing with power. Cagliostro opens a gate and starts creating magic-eating crystals. The crystals are quickly destroyed as fast as Cagliostro can create them, and the third or fourth new one is destroyed as soon as it was created. Cagliostro resolves to let the plant move first, and resolves to stop teaching it things. Roland says "Ware!" and reaches out and picks up a pebble. The pebble just appeared. The pebble appears normal, bauxite or pyrite. Oog. Metal. Cagliostro realizes that the plant's root system may have dislodged the pebble. Cagliostro suggests a bit of moving around the donut in the center of the ward, since the only plans he can think of to fix the problem are rather disruptive. More pebbles appear. Cagliostro draws the water out of the circle, creating a bone dry cylinder. No rocks appear in the pentacle, and there is no water underneath it. Mistress Janice has cast a simple metal detection spell, causing the pebbles to glow brightly. A crack appears in Cagliostro's ward - opening towards Mistress Janice. Roland throws two pebbles in, Cagliostro slaps Lexan over the ward. The plant catches the second pebble after the first pebble lands, and very carefully moves the second pebble away from the first pebble. Cagliostro looks at the broken ward - it's as if the tendrils of the plant have worked into the stones of the ward and pulled them apart without damaging the ward. Mistress Janice presses a great deal of energy away from her and collapses. Cagliostro tries to contact Brand, and fails. Mistress Janice is unconscious and looks drained, as if she did a magical working. The bulge in the ward stops moving. Cagliostro looks at Mistress Janice and the gap, and fails to find evidence of a spell. Roland suggests leaving, Cagliostro agrees and asks "Where?" Roland says "Down is out - how about up?" Cagliostro remembers the hoopiverse and creates a metal disk in space surrounded by a ward. Cagliostro Cemen asks why the swordsisters are "bringing up used food" - they are unsettled by feeling unbalanced. Gil is sensing what it's sensing - missiles, lots of missiles. Gil points out that it can probably sense what she's seeing. Mistress Janice wakes up screaming. Cagliostro comforts her as best he can. "Is this all that's left of the planet?" Janice is informed about Roland's suggestion to go "up". "Did it work?" "I don't know - what did you do?" "Oh - I restricted the plant." The planet under the starts to move away - rapidly. "That's not normal, is it?" "Ask Kepler." Cagliostro ponders the planet moving away. "It's hard for me to look at this as an unqualified success." Cemen points down - "What isn't that?" Cagliostro looks, eventually. It's some sort of living magical working, somehow reminiscent of Caelin. Cagliostro notices the planet shooting away at increasing speed, considers the working, and decides to follow the planet. He tries to anchor onto the planet, and Mistress Janice tries to help. Roland grabs the sisters and brings them close in to the cage wall. Cemen is inside Cagliostro's head - the creature wants the death of Cagliostro and Mistress Janice, and wants them both not to be. It doesn't know how to unmake, but it does -hate-. Cagliostro waits for the anchor to cast, and stalls. "It comes from below." "Below?" Hm. Cemen tries to explain using a five-dimensional galaxy squished flat, and something _below_ that. Cagliostro doesn't get it. Roland starts to drag his sword over the grid wall, carving a section of a familiar sigil. Gil says "They're not missiles - they're engines." Cagliostro fills Mistress Janice in on Gil's situation, as well as the creature. Mistress Janice suggests using the Creature's senses as an anchor - Cagliostro says to feel free, so she announces she's going to touch Gil and then touches Gil. Cagliostro rotates the disc to be more in line with gravity, and there is much rejoicing. Cagliostro considers the living magic creature - it is not there to any of Cagliostro's senses other than magical sight through the lens. Gil has noticed the great beast behind us. Cagliostro suggests it hates them. Roland suggests throwing rocks. Cagliostro suggests a magnetic accelerator shooting bits of metal behind them. Roland suggests creating the metal inside it, and The first explosion causes significant discomfort, the second distraction, it then destroys one of the three guns and one of the loads on the way. The third explosion impacts the creature, and causes more disruptions. There a shudder, and there is a Hole. Cagliostro's mind doesn't want to look at that hole. Cemen says "Uh-oh." "Suggestions? Ideas? Prayers?" Roland suggests that Up wasn't far enough. Cagliostro tries again to reach Brand, and Cemen places his hand on Cagliostro's shoulder. Cagliostro is in contact with Brand. Brand says it's "difficult" there. "We are among people who did not wish us well." Brand talks to Cemen about it. Cagliostro tells Cemen that it will be another test. Cemen says that he has found Cagliostro's calmness to be a most effective ward against tests. Roland asks for a large rock. "How large?" About head-sized. "Any particular substance?" "Something hard." Cagliostro creates a granite head of Corwin, from the famous bust by the blind sculptor Vale. Brand passes along Roland's amusement, and there is appropriate space on the other side. Cagliostro passes everyone else through, creates a quick note of apology, and goes through. Cagliostro appears in a metal room with a bunch of messily dead people, with various disfigurements. Roland is splattered with blood, everyone is splattered with blood. Cagliostro gives Roland a "was this really necessary" look, and Roland says "Yes". Cagliostro replies, "Very well". Cagliostro realizes that things feel different here, and Mistress Janice comments that her spells and workings are not available. Cagliostro tries to conjure, and fails. It's not painful like Hell, but conjuration just fails. Cagliostro performs a quick test with some flash paper and determines that alchemy still works. The bodies are wearing simple leather outfits and many of them have small hand weapons. Inspection reveals that the weapons are idiot-proof lasers, and that the bodies rejected the use of their lasers to close with Roland in hand to hand (hand to stone head, really) combat. Cagliostro pokes around the brains of the dead people, but can't find anything going on. The lens, Philosopher's Stone and the bottle seem inactive in this place. Cagliostro collects lasers from the bodies, and looks for a belt. He realizes that the 'leather' clothing is awfully thin, and seems like human flesh. Cagliostro decides to just take the guns and skip the belt, and revises his opinion of the natives further down. Cemen says that he'll stay behind during the upcoming fight. People agree. Roland opens the door. It takes a minute for the people in the room to notice that people have entered the room, and there is lots of subvocalized and guttural conversations. Cagliostro uses the lasers somewhat, but losing kneecaps and eyes doesn't slow them down much. They keep moving even after being killed, and appear to be the influence under some kind of drug. Cagliostro knows of several antidotes, none of which he has with him or can conjure. Mistress Janice rides piggyback on Gil as the blind Gil lays about with pipe and sword, and seems to be doing just fine, thank you. The locals don't seem to have technology other than the lasers, but they have lots of slashing weapons and hooks. They like hooks. Brand enters the room, limping. It takes him a great deal of time and effort to do damage to them, but he does. Falling on the hamster is bad, as he can break into ribcages and out of spinal columns. The lasers are designed for short bursts, not fanning. Cagliostro makes a note that he should try to figure out how to improve them. It strikes him that they seem designed as replacement for six-shooters and not designed as efficiently as they could have. Broken pistols reveal the pistols are not solid state, and include some sort of charging component. Time passes. They die. Everyone is covered in blood, gore, and bits of people. (Except Cemen). There is the sound of some fighting in another room. A new group comes in - organized, with armor and uniforms. A voice calls out "Surrender or be fired upon - fire at will." Lots of firing happens. Roland has found a weak spot from their armor from above, and is shooting into their shoulders. Gil is deflecting the laser shots with her sword, but retreating. Roland says "I've spotted their commander - can you take him out, sir?" "Soldiers halt - are there any who are not Reavers in the room?" "Damn skippy", says Roland. "I've not yet heard your order to stop fire - snipers, take out the people around the commander." Roland snipes a little with his off hand, banking the shots off of metal and hitting targets near the commander, who orders a cease fire. Cagliostro steps forward to negotiate. There are a lot of dead people - mostly soldiers, but some grarghs. The dead are facing this room, both graghs and soldiers (except for those who turned tail). The commander is in a two-body deep death zone in the middle of his troops. Cagliostro realizes that every single one of Roland's shots were banked, thus giving the impression of snipers. The commander points something that looks both more complicated and delicate than a gun. The commander says "You are not in our records - who are you?" Cagliostro introduces himself formally, and asks who the commander is. The commander introduces himself very militaristically. He is inquiring about Cagliostro's world. Various dickwaving and binding by law happens. Throwing up happens when two of the soldiers enter the room. Cagliostro scolds the commander on his lack of politeness and clue. A door slides open, revealing a young woman in front of many of the grarghs - all dead. The commander says "That's the target - open fire!" Roland cleaves with the head, Cagliostro grabs the commander and squeezes. The armor is more fragile than he thought. She asks about the little one, who Cagliostro says is well. The sword-sisters are beheading the grargh. Cagliostro collects the group, and they follow along. The girl says to Gil, "You aren't from here." Cagliostro introduces himself, she introduces herself as River. River's brother is on the other side of the door, Roland reports that the troops are dead, and large troop carriers are landing. There's a gentleman on the other side of the door with a katana stuck through him. He reminds Cagliostro of Roland in a number of ways - appearance, determination, etc. Cagliostro talks Malcolm into abandoning his ship and becoming a pirate. Malcolm is already flying the ship off the planet. The ships are very very polished, clean, institutional. Or, painted red, smoking, nasty looking edge of civilization ships. The edge ships are winning. River takes over piloting from Malcolm. Roland is actively staring over River's shoulder, trying to figure everything out. Zoe seems to know where she's going, Cagliostro follows her, Malcolm bleeds through other places. Zoe goes in and starts being efficient. Cagliostro watches. Inara clears her throat. Cagliostro introduces himself. River is apparently not normal. Cagliostro starts asking questions about the society and the ruling structure, which is apparently some sort of council with secret factions but the Council controls things, there are no external secret societies or power groups. "Decisions are never entirely uniform," says Inara. Roland announces that the ship will be taken "elsewhere", so hold on to your hats. Zoe worries about engineering, and Kaylee. Cagliostro continues, and runs into the crowd. Caglostro knocks three of them out. Roland says "hang on to your hats!" - Cagliostro finds a floor. There is dislocation, but still no gravity. Cagliostro feels better. Cagliostro creates ninjas to disable the remaining soldiers. Cagliostro runs back to the medlab and patches up Malcolm. Cagliostro notices again Malcolm's resemblance to Roland, and his mystic inertia is high. Cagliostro tries a quick experiment to bring back Wash, which fails. Zoe is not OK with the idea of the world changing around her. Cagliostro goes up to check with Roland about fixing the engines. Roland says not drifting is good. Cagliostro goes down and creates the parts that Kaylee is looking for. She asks for wire, Cagliostro goes off and creates some. She's using cobbled together tools. Cagliostro goes off and "finds" a toolkit, then acts as her hands. Gravity is restored. There is a woo-hoo from the bridge. Some of the pieces in the engine - the cobbled together parts - are actually conjured. Cagliostro is impressed. Kaylee asks for food, Cagliostro goes off to look. Inara is in the galley, a gate reveals. Cagliostro finds a computer, but it wants an "identicard". Cagliostro goes to the front and talks to River, Roland, and Brand. River refers to the grargh as "Reavers". Cagliostro examines River with the lens - she looks like Roland and Gil. Very mystically inert, more than Mal. Cagliostro notices that someone has definitely been fucking with her brains. Cagliostro realizes that River is hijacking his perceptions. Cagliostro tries to get out of a meeting with Malcolm, but River says the alternative is being Captain. Cagliostro goes to sickbay where Malcolm, Zoe, and Simon are. (Retcon - Zoe and Cagliostro fixed Simon earlier.) Inara is there with food, Kaylee is there reluctantly (and glancing at the engine room, as if she expected something to stop). Malcolm is sitting up, Simon is conscious but not sitting up. Gil and Mistress Janice, quietly in the corner, listen in to Mal's alpha male dickwaving. Roland explains that they should think of the newcomers as being from another colony of Earth-that-was, and that they are going to a third place. Therefore, they aren't really engaging in piracy because no one will have ever heard of the Alliance. Cagliostro tries to evade the "passenger or crew" question, but Gil shoots for "valued passenger" status. Roland suggests using the big ship to buy a smaller one that Malcolm and his crew are more comfortable with a smaller ship. River says that Jayne is in trouble, and various warfare types charge down the hall toward the area. Mistress Janice tells Cagliostro to let the troops handle it, and Cagliostro talks to Malcolm a bit about Cagliostro's crew. Roland contacts Cagliostro via card - Jayne has shot one of the ninjas. When the ninja entered Jayne's room to check on him, Jayne shot the ninja - Cagliostro's mistake. The remaining soldiers are outside in escape pods. Malcolm deals with things, Mistress Janice looks at how to get into the escape pods. Malcolm asks more about Cagliostro's healing ability - he's impressed by the reports of the healing from the katana, further impressed by a quick healing demo that involves a scalpel along his arm, and pleased that it doesn't require actual touching (so that his organs weren't fiddled around with). When asked, Cagliostro agrees to try to teach the doctor how to heal like that, but is not optimistic.