9218/Blue on blue...

Blue on blue...
Date of Scene:	22 December 2021
Location:	Earth Orbit
Synopsis:	Barda makes a new friend. Or is it a kitten? Hard to tell.
Cast of Characters:	Singularity, Big Barda

---

Singularity has posed:
There's a -ploink- far up in orbit, as there's several flickers of light that would be a small wormhole, popping out as there were a sparkle of stars and the rays of the cosmos. They would form into the figure of a feminine humanoid, made out of continuous flickering pulses of light. High in the orbit, she would watch and smile.

"Whee!" she would teleport over to the top of one of those passing satellites, landing on top of it and scrambling up along the curve of solar panels to get a better position to view the planet. Going to kick her legs over the side to sit down, Singularity would happily look 'downwards' towards Earth.

Big Barda has posed:
There's something odd about boom tubes. They boom. Hence the name.

But...

Here's the thing...

They boom everywhere. In space, for example, your screams may go unheard, but the boom of a boom tube will still be heard. This is because the "sound" is more a bodily reaction to experiencing the twisting forces of the boom tube as it wrenches reality in tortuous tangles to perform its task.

So...

*BOOM*

And out of the tube floats a gargantuan amazon, clad in ornate blue armour, standing on a pair of disks that act as a platform as well as a vehicle.

The boom tube closes and the tall woman stands astride her disks, hands on her hips, right hand close to a short rod at her hip, and stares down at the world beneath her feet.

"It really is beautiful," she says aloud. And that too can be heard. Somehow. Sounding as if in the ears, but in reality in the mind.

The rod beeps at her in a tone that seems to indicate agreement.

"Why couldn't home be like this?"

The rod remains silent.

It takes a while for her to notice the odd, feminine-shaped warp hole. With stars. When she does...

"HALT!" The rod is now in her hand and while not ... quite ... pointed at Singularity, it's clearly intended to be brought to bear at need. "IDENTIFY YOURSELF AND STATE YOUR INTENT TOWARD MY ADOPTED HOME!"

Barda is in a good mood. She's being diplomatic.

Singularity has posed:
There were a few moments where Singularity was looking down upon the void, the vastness between Earth and the coldness of space. At that point where one normally might have issues when depth perception would fade, not having the horizon as a frame of reference.

Humans, eternally planetbound, lacked the evolutionary visual grasp to automatically see it naturally. Singularity being -of- the void itself.. Has no such issues.

And then as the Boom Tube makes it's signature eruption in space, Singarulity would rapidly turn in that direction, despite facing upsides down from the arrival point. There would be a flicker of her as she would teleport to a better vantage point.

Then as Barda would fully come out, Singularity would wave cheerfully.

"Hello! I am Singularity. I am here because it is beautiful! The planet is gorgeous. I love watching it from up here. Nice to meet you!" there is something so earnest and sincere about her, at least to many that it is almost for some automatically disarming. The way the girl made of stars would just shift, her own body adjusting it's glows and syncing the stars within to match the flickering lights of the satellite she had just been upon.

Big Barda has posed:
"I am Big Barda of Apokolips, now of Dirt," Big Barda says, clearly nonplussed at the response. How could a being be so ... unhostile ... when meeting strangers?

Conclusion: the being is very powerful and must be watched carefully.

"Earth, I mean."

Important to clear that up.

The rod in her hand wavers and is moved very clearly away from Singularity. "I ... am pleased to make your acquaintance as well, Singularity."

There is a short, awkward pause as Barda shifts mental gears.

"Yes, it is beautiful. Much more so than my former home."

Singularity has posed:
Singularity would do a short range teleport, being about nine or ten meters away from Barda now, hovering paralell to her. "Hello Big Barda of Apokolips. It is lovely to meet you. Above this pretty planet. Can we be friends?" Singarulity having no fear, nor the concept of it, perhaps.

Her eyes would flash and flicker, turning into a pair of galaxies swirling, spiraling and twisting as her body would glow and glisten as suns would flash around it.

Big Barda has posed:
"Friend..."

Barda tries the word on for size as her Mother Box translates it for her into terms she recognizes using a sequence of pinging sounds (oddly audible through vacuum again) indecipherable to all but her.

Possibilities:
1. Person with similar goals and enemies in common.
2. Person with whom one is not in current conflict and in which conflict is either not recommended, or not desired.
3. Person who one feigns alignment with for later treachery.

She goes with #2.

"I would be happy to be friends," she finally decides. "And it is intriguing to meet you in return. I have not seen a being like you."

Singularity has posed:
Singularity would hover, completely still in orbit of Barda, the two high above the planet named Dirt below. Hearing the pinging and nodding her head politely at the sound, "Hello, it is nice to meet you Big Barda. I am happy to be your friend. And the friend of your friend." As her gesture would be indicative of the Mother Box at Barda's side.

Then there would be another blue plink as she would appear now a few feet away from Barda and offer her hand out to shake.

Big Barda has posed:
The hand to shake is the hand holding the Mega Rod and its integrated Mother Box. Now completely nonplussed, Barda stares a moment to process before thoughtlessly just putting her weapon back into its spot and extending her own hand for a hand-to-elbow clasp.

"That is my Mother Box," she says of the rod, leaving out the deadly weapon part of things. "She nurtures, guides, assists, protects, and heals me."

"You are new to Earth as well?"

Small talk in space. Not Barda's forte. Small talk in general isn't, really, come to think of it.

"What is your homeland?"

Singularity has posed:
Singularity would bobble her head, "Nice to meet you as well, Big Barda's Mother Box." she would shake the hand that Barda put out and look very happy. "It's always great to make new friends!" irises flickering over as Barda would ask her next question, and Singularity would hesitate.

A reasonable question, but one that was difficult to respond to.. Words were hard.

"Of space.. Not of this space." Choosing her words carefully, not in the sense of trying to hide anything but of one figuring out how to put the words to something when they did not really know the words themselves.

"I was in nothing, and I saw this realm. This galaxy of heroes. I wanted to be just like them. So I made myself."

Big Barda has posed:
Barda begins to feel like she is having the conversational equivalent of an out-of-body experience as Singularity talks. A quick glance down at her rod only elicits a flat beep of incomprehension.

At this she shrugs and takes it at face value.

"It is always good to have another in the battle against evil."

Unstated: evil like the former me.

"I am doubly pleased now to make your acquaintance." Pause. "Do you enjoy eating? I am learning to cook like the people of Earth and have made tremendous strides in it. I enjoy cooking for people. I would enjoy having you over to my home with Scott Free--also once of Apokolips--for dinner."

Singularity has posed:
There is no fear over in the.. Presence of Singularity at the mention of Apokolips. No judgement in them. "Thank you! I would love that!" Singularity then goes to deploy the maneuver that may make the situation worse or may make it better.

The hug. Going to if allowed move to pop up and in the air, teleporting close in and higher up (given the height difference) to wrap her arms around Barda. "That would be wonderful and amazing! Thank you so much!" With all the sincerity of a young child, that which knew things to be total truth.

All the galaxies and stars visible on Singularity's body twisting and whirring, in a panorama of the glories of deep space and the fates of stars.

Big Barda has posed:
~She's attacking!~ That's the thought that goes through Barda's head as arms wrap around her torso, trapping her own arms against herself. She begins to start counter-measures: widening her elbows to break the grip, reaching for her rod, preparing the aero disks for thrust as...

...the Mother Box beeps hysterically, then soothingly. This freezes Barda in place, half-ready to deal violence.

"Really?" she asks aloud. The Mother Box blips. "Oh."

Then she relaxes and endures the hug.

"I think Scott Free would like you. You seem as good-hearted as he is."

And not like she is.

Singularity has posed:
Singularity would float up to give a hug over to Barda. And then she would stretch out and look at Big Barda in the eyes, "Thank you Barda. It is always amazing to make new friends. I can't wait to get to know you better." Something simple about the proclamation. But also the total earnestness and sincerity of it. Brooking no resistance.

To Singularity, Big Barda was a good person. And a friend. That was all that there was to it. Simplicity.

Big Barda has posed:
This childlike innocence is an echo of what turned Barda against Darkseid, against Granny Goodness, and even against her old compatriots ('friends' isn't a word that has meaning) in the Female Furies. Barda's heart, touched by the naiveite of the sentient pocket dimension, finally opens.

And in her own almost childlike way, Barda decides: Singularity is a good person and a friend.

Of course she has no idea yet how that works.

"Have you seen the orb they call Jupiter? It is a mighty place that has stark, terrifying beauty of its own."

Well, it's a beginning, no?

"I can show it to you if you like. We can even wave at the cameras of some of the machines Earth has sent to inspect it."

Singularity has posed:
Singularity would smile with stars in her eyes. Stars as her eyes. She was a sentient star. A living reality. Going to quite happily flash up and go to float higher to be next to Barda, "I would like that very much, Big Barda, Mother Box. Can you take us there please? I would love to hear about it from you. That would make me very happy." The wonder and enthusiasm of someone seeing everything there was with joy and amazement.

There was only wonder out there for all of the cosmos to be seen.

Big Barda has posed:
*BOOM*

The swirling disruption of the multiversal order opens before the pair, forming a tube, courtesy of Barda's Mother Box. Barda starts sliding toward it.

"It is harmless," she reassures Singularity. "But be prepared for strong radiation and gravity. Jupiter is a mighty planet."

And with that she slides into the maelstrom, exiting it in a polar orbit around Jupiter, seemingly hanging over the north pole of the planet (but in reality streaking at high velocity).

She turns to await Singularity's arrival.

Singularity has posed:
Singularity would go to walk along with Big Barda, going through the portal with just a hop, skip, and a jump. Going to flutter along, looking about excitedly, "It is very bright and lovely." seemingly no tphased by the inhospitable atmosphere. Going to float along through the maelstrom and teleporting around as she would go to zip about, experiencing the storms.

Big Barda has posed:
Barda's Aero Disks struggle with the violent winds of Jupiter. Her progress is, thus, slow compared to Singularity as she lumbers along through the violent winds, the raging eddies, and the deadly gases.

"It is a good place for solace," she says, her Mother Box continuing to relay her conversational thoughts so that the impossibly loud winds don't snatch them away never to be heard. "Very few can come here, and those who could don't pay me much mind. It is a good place for quiet."

Spoken completely unironically.

Singularity has posed:
Singularity would nod at Barda, floating next to her and seeming to have no issues with picking up on her speech and her musings. "Are you lonely, Barda?" she would ask after a few moments. "Then why? You are an amazing person and a true friend." Spoken with the earnestness of a child that had known her for perhpas a half hour, with total trust.

Why would anyone not want to know such an amazing friend the likes of Big Barda of Apokolips? "And it is so beautiful here. Just floating, flying, buffeted about by the winds."

Big Barda has posed:
"I have Scott Free, so I am not alone," Barda says, smiling fondly, eyes focused into infinity. "But we both are new to Earth and Earth people. Sometimes I seek being alone so I can be left to my own thoughts."

Thoughts that are different from human thoughts.

"It is beautiful, yes, and in ways reminds me of my home. Only ... cleaner."

Singularity has posed:
Singularity would nod thoughtfully, "Then that is all you need. Someone that makes you happy and that you care for." The simple honesty and sincerity of a sentient universe that was so far childlike.

"Gas giants are lovely. With the storms.. They are always amazing to watch." Her eyes would now shift, turning into twin gas giants with storms flickering along them.

Big Barda has posed:
Barda stares for a while at the rampaging winds and whipping clouds, getting lost in the chaos. "Yes," she finally says. "I must invite you to dinner with Scott and me. How do I get in touch with you?"

She focuses her eyes on Singularity. "I have something called a "telephone" that Mother Box has taken over so that calls to it come to me. Do you have something similar?"

Singularity has posed:
Singularity would smile over at Barda, "I can find you sometime and check in on you friend! I'll just come around when I feel you and you can tell me when is good. I don't have a telephone." She would make a show of holding her hands as if she had no pockets, and was turning them insides out.

Big Barda has posed:
Barda nods, as if this is a perfectly ordinary thing to say and to be able to do. "Then I shall look forward to you coming by. Just try to be around dinner time so I can have food prepared. I'm sure you'll enjoy it!"

It's probably for the best that Singularity can't be hurt by cooking.

Less need for a Mother Box to keep life in a body.

Talking of which, Barda reaches for her rod and points it. *BOOM* "I thank you for being where you were when I needed cheerful thought the most. I look forward to sharing food and life's stories about the peculiarities of Earth with you."

Barda enters the swirly dimensional maelstrom and is swallowed up.

Singularity has posed:
Singularity would smile, "Thank you Barda! I will make sure to drop by and say hello so we can figure out when is good for you and Scott Free to have me for dinner." Then she would just happily look along the Jupiter storms, enthralled. Waving as Barda would depart. Then popping away herself a moment later with a -plink-