“Veritas Delegation Processing complete,” said a man at the crystalline control system.
“If you mean to say ‘they’re all clear’, Tim,” replied the woman with him, “can’t you just say that?”
“Reestablishing shield matrix, High Monitor,” continued Tim.
“Dear, I’m your wife,” said the woman. “We’re alone right now.”
“Yes, High…I mean, yes, Fran, Sweetheart.”
“Inform our glorious leader that the last delegation’s arrived.” Tim created a magic circle, then thrust it into a crystal.
“Lord Vice-President, this is Assistant Monitor Timothy Daniels. Veritas Delegation is awaiting your presence. Please proceed to Delegate Processing.”
“Much appreciated, Assistant Monitor Daniels,” replied an old man’s voice. Fran did the same as Tim.
“Ceremonial Escort,” she directed, “this is High Monitor Daniels. The Lord Vice-President is en route to Delegate Processing. Report there at once.”
“Confirmed,” replied the man on the other end of the call.
“The Lord Vice-President will handle the welcome. You just take the delegates to the Relaxation Suite. Yellow Route.”
“Yellow Route to Relaxation Suite, confirmed,” replied the man.
“After that, you and your buddies can go off shift and enjoy the conference. Out.” Fran ended the call. “Hardly seems real.”
“What, all the Gaian Powers assembled in the Capital?” asked Tim.
“Yes, that. …It’s not just our careers on the line. If we screw up, it’ll mean-.”
“The end of global civilization as we know it!” Tim said with a dramatic air. “…In all seriousness, they can’t still blame us for-!” A young girl with dirty blonde, curly hair then entered.
“Mom, Dad, we’ve got a problem with the Mana Pools again!” she warned.
“Oh no!” groaned Tim. “Pat, the readout crystal!” The young girl, Pat Daniels, handed Tim a crystal. Tim inserted it into a slot and put another magic circle into it. “…9.4…9.7, largest surge yet! You were right to come here, Pat!”
“Isolate cause!” directed Fran. Tim conjured an orb that only displayed wavy lines.
“Drat! Scan breakdown across all frequencies!”
“Engineering’s already at the Pools,” explained Pat. That was when the wavy lines in Tim’s orb calmed down.
“Hang on…they’re stabilizing,” he said.
“Did Engineering-?” asked Fran.
“Let’s find out,” replied Pat. Fran made a call.
“Engineering, this is the High Monitor. We’ve been briefed on the Mana Pools’ situation and now we’re registering stabilization,” she said. “Did you fix the-?”
“We didn’t even reach the control box, High Monitor,” replied the Chief Engineer. “I’m not sure there’s much we can do here. The readouts are well within normal tolerances.”
“Investigate anyways,” ordered Fran. “I want a full report. Out.” She ended the call. “Dratted things need a complete overhaul! Why will no one listen to me?!”
“The Lord Vice-President personally inspected the Readout Banks only yesterday, Honey,” said Tim.
“Come on, Daddy, we all know that’s not the source of the problem,” said Pat.
“Oh, hang on,” interrupted Fran. “Looks like Opal’s suited up and…wait…Patricia, you asked for your mentors’ help in this conference, yes?”
“Yeah, I did,” confirmed Pat.
“So who are those three with them?!” Pat saw the security footage on display.
“What in-?! Looks like Opal’s ready to swing that whip! I gotta get down there!” Pat then pulled out a purple Transformation Seed! “Purple Lady Rose of Gravity, I desire to bloom!” Her Seed grew and enveloped her, then turned into a rosebud, then it opened into a giant purple rose with Pat leaping out in an outfit like Ruby, Yazmyn, and Bethany’s, only the predominant color was purple! She pulled out her Comms Compact and called someone. “Gabi, suit up and meet me in the General Commons Area! Opal’s about to do something and our mentors are here with three strangers!”
“G-Got it!” replied a shy voice.
The Cosmic Roses of Earth and their mentors were face-to-face with a Cosmic Rose wearing predominantly orange with her hair in a braid and an elaborate whip in her hands. “Girlies, you’d better scram!” she snarled.
“Opal, steady!” protested Wilma. “They’re here at our request!”
“Miss, we’re Cosmic Roses and-!” urged Ruby.
“Like I’m gonna believe that!” scoffed Opal.
“Opal, put that away!” called Pat as she and a tall girl in a Cosmic Rose outfit with a predominant green color arrived. “Wilma, Belinda, Grace, welcome back to Gaia,” greeted Pat.
“I must say,” remarked Belinda, “Opal’s welcome of your fellow Ladies leaves a lot to be desired.”
“Wh-Who are they?” asked the girl in green shyly.
“Cosmic Roses of Gaia, meet the Cosmic Roses of Earth,” introduced Grace. “We invited them to the conference with us.”
“And you didn’t tell us?” asked Pat. “Grace, if the Lord Vice-President thinks we’re… reinterpreting etiquette during this conference concerning the Magical Limitation Treaty-!”
“What’s wrong with bringing some more help?” asked Wilma.
“My parents were only expecting you three, for a start,” explained Pat. “They need to be informed!”
“I can personally vouch for their presence here,” assured Belinda. “They took care of Lord Typhoon and scattered his minions, sending the Entroopers into a retreat.”
“…Is she serious?” Pat asked Ruby.
“Dead serious,” replied Ruby.
“He hijacked a church I go to,” explained Bethany.
“He made the mistake of underestimating Earthlings,” boasted Yazmyn. “We showed him what’s what and now our planet’s still the way it is, not a planet of eternal storms!”
“…Okay, maybe I DID get a bit too trigger-happy,” said Opal as she blushed.
“…Well, if you’re our fellow Roses,” said Pat, “maybe we should introduce ourselves.”
“We’ll start,” said Ruby. “I’m Ruby Kobayashi, the Rose of Fire.”
“Name’s Yazmyn Jacobson, the Rose of Lightning!”
“I’m Bethany Williams, the Rose of Water.”
“Nice to meet you, Ruby, Yazmyn, and Bethany,” greeted Pat. “I’m Pat Daniels, the Rose of Gravity.”
“Name’s Opal Garcia, the Rose of Sand!” greeted the girl in orange with the whip.
“A-And I’m G-Gabi Morales, the Rose of P-Plants!” stammered the girl in green.
“Well, with all that,” said Belinda, “perhaps you three should power down?”
“Come on, girls,” Pat said to her friends. “There’s no fight here.” The three then pulled out their Transformation Seeds. “Purple Lady Rose of Gravity…”
“Orange Lady Rose of Sand…”
“G-Green Lady R-Rose of Plants…”
“Let my petals fall!” finished the three Gaian Roses. Orange, purple, and green rose petals then surrounded the three and their outfits changed into their civilian identities.
“Come on,” said Pat. “Let’s get to Delegate Processing and have you six put into the guest list before the Lord Vice-President has a seizure and my parents go berserk. Speaking of…” She pulled out her Comms Compact. “High Monitor, cancel security alert.”
“Did you ascertain the three strangers’ identities?” asked Fran’s voice.
“They’re Ruby Kobayashi, Yazmyn Jacobson, and Bethany Williams of Earth,” explained Pat, “the Roses of Fire, Lightning, and Water respectively.”
“And your mentors didn’t think to check with us when they arrived!” groaned Fran.
“I’m taking them to Delegate Processing,” continued Pat.
“You do that, I’ll try and calm the Lord Vice-President,” sighed Fran. “Out.”
After being processed and added to the guest list, the Earthling Cosmic Roses, the Gaian Cosmic Roses, and their mentors entered a room. Fran and Tim were there ahead of them. “Welcome back to Gaia, Wilma, Grace, and Belinda,” greeted Tim. “Forgive my gruffness, but you’ve made this delicate situation more fragile.”
“For which we cannot apologize enough,” replied Wilma. Two more people then entered.
“Mama! Papa!” greeted Gabi. “R-Ruby, Bethany, Y-Yazmyn, allow me t-to present mis padres, Flora and Miguel Morales.”
“Belinda! ¿Cómo estás?” asked Flora.
“Doing well, Flora,” replied Belinda. “¿Y tú?”
“That’s Spanish,” remarked Bethany.
“…N-No, it’s Restandan,” replied Gabi.
“Translation magic,” explained Belinda. “The words being used are being translated to the languages you’re used to.”
“Ah,” said Bethany.
“Opal, where are your parents?” asked Miguel.
“They’re probably fashionably late as usual,” sighed Opal. The door then opened as two people entered. “There they are! Earthlings, meet my mom, Pearl, and my step-dad-!”
“Oh no, Malachite?!” complained Wilma as the Angelan Roses glared at him.
“Believe me, I’m not too thrilled to see you three again,” replied Malachite.
“You know him?” asked Ruby.
“That’s Malachite, an Angelan that used to serve Emperor Entropy but abandoned him before our homeworld was lost,” explained Belinda.
“Oh, a survivor like you three?” asked Bethany.
“NOT like us!” hissed Grace. “He’s a member of the Galactic Magic Authority, self-serving and avaricious!”
“He is here at my request,” came a voice. An old man with a cane then stepped into the room.
“Everyone, allow me to present the Lord Vice-President, the second in command to the Lord President of Gaia,” introduced Pat.
“Now that we’re all here, your sense of timing concerning a Cosmic Rose meetup is appalling, you three!” hissed Malachite as he pointed at the Angelan Roses. “I’m surprised you’d bring your Earth students at such a critical stage!”
“Yes, about that critical stage,” interjected Wilma, “since when did Gaians within Capitalis seek approval from the other countries?”
“There are weightier issues that concern us, Miss Lux,” replied the Lord Vice-President.
“Are there, indeed?” asked Wilma. “…Well?”
As the Roses were about to receive explanations, a woman made of stone smoked a cigarette. She blew out the smoke and sighed. “…It’s almost time,” she sighed with satisfaction. “…Banger, Rockette, Pebble, make preparations. We’ll succeed with Gaia where Lord Typhoon failed with Earth.”
“Yes, Dame Petrify!” replied two men and a woman. Stone shifted as they moved.