Weeks passed as the plan went into motion. Gondo had received a coded message from Moriah notifying him of her safety and informing him that though rudely interrupted, their conversation wasn’t finished. He wasn’t about to plan any get togethers soon. Now that Krueger was aware of Gondo’s involvement he would stop at nothing to eradicate them. Gondo’s team was powerful, but the A.E.C. had a global army at their disposal.

Utilizing a series of disguises and physic glamours he was able to venture out in search of intel on the developing situation between Ouroboros and the A.E.C., but no big breaks yet. There had been a few more skirmishes that were shown on the news feeds, but nothing substantial.

His recent forays into deep space had been more fruitful than his corporeal investigation. For so many years they were only able to bring back snap shots of these areas, now they were recording full video straight through Gondo’s brain. He had gained more control with every attempt, and after each cast Lowell would analyze and refine the Moonshield. They finally had a stable form. Once again Gondo opened the neon door. The universe was alive around him.

He was floating in a space filled with color and action. He could see blazing comets lazily performing their celestial travels, massive black holes feasting on interstellar gas and whatever else crossed their paths. Even latent energy trails from what Lowell had surmised may be signs of life travelling between star systems. There was so much to behold and document, it was hard to figure out where to start.

Gondo decided his first step was to create some clothes. Nobody wanted to see his blue space dong floating around in the ether anymore.

As real as everything seemed he was aware that he was not physically present in this area of space. That meant that what he was seeing was just his perception of self. He imagined himself in his normal attire, including his cloak. He added his spikey hair and beard. He was still glowing blue but at least he was no longer nude.

Just then a massive cat leapt towards a distant asteroid and started trying to bat it playfully like a ball of yarn. Gondo was alarmed for a second, then he recognized the tabby. Matisse was with him here in the void. “Hey buddy.” he said gently to the apparition, who turned to him and squinted his eyes in a display of affection. He suddenly felt much less lonely, and the Pull wasn’t as strong.

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It was still there mind you, like an ever-present tide stretching his soul outward in every direction. While the long silver cord still trailed from his astral body back towards wherever the Earth was, it didn’t draw him like the Pull did. What was it that called to him? He suddenly remembered Calcio’s last recording. He still hadn’t mustered the energy to review it.

Lowell contacted him via the comms. “I think today we should try some movement. I want you to imagine yourself traveling from your current position to somewhere that you can see.”

This random spot in the universe had been picked for its relative normality. No special asteroids to chart and mine, no celestial anomalies to investigate. Just your average planetary system, one of over a quadrillion like it.

The amazing part was that he could see each of the planets. The Moonshield turned his vision into an ultra-powerful telescope. He could easily scan the area and zoom in on any the massive floating spheres that circled the nearby star.

He picked a bright moon orbiting the closest planet. As he focused on its distant light the planet became clearer until finally it took up his full vision.

The surface of the moon was alive with fire.

He looked down and his form was already there, floating like some ancient astronaut in front of the massive sight of the blazing moon. By bending his focus toward the moon his astral form had traveled directly to it. Amazing.

He focused again and cast himself towards the surface. This time he was aware of his astral body flowing with him as he reared upon a volcano spouting lava into the atmosphere of the moon. He could feel the heat, no he could tell that there was heat, but he wasn’t effected by it.

Ignasius was going to be so jealous. He bent his form to the surface itself. As he proceeded, he morphed through a cliff sized sheet of exploding magma. It was the brightest thing he had ever seen. And just like that he was through, not even steaming. He was completely unscathed.

He was floating slightly above the incline of the gargantuan volcano. He imagined himself touching down on the actual surface and he did. His astral form landed; one leg higher on the mountain than the other but both feet placed on the surface.

He started thinking about how immensely powerful the human brain was. How could his mind have even gotten him here, let alone simulate a body and react to various stimuli...

The silver cord behind him suddenly started pulling him back in at a tremendous rate. It was like some cartoon bad guy had shot him with a suction cup gun a barely quantifiable number of light years away and had begun reeling him in at such speeds that his brain correctly decided to shut down, and he saw no more for a great deal of time.