[AnT]

"Open up basic information about the Life Sphere, Nicole."

"Accessing, Sally."

"Bring up mission ads, and Life Sphere's government from these files, Nicole."

"Accessing, Sally."

In the Busy Bee Lobby, one lone Mobian chipmunk in a blue hooded vest sat along on a bench, texting on her phone. But from her phone, holographic windows beamed out of the screen for her to see. The basic info about the Life Sphere, and the planet Li, ads for missions, and especially the governments of the Life Sphere and the Starvia virus. There're some concerns that even after the pandemic is over, the planet might be left inhabitable to live in. Sally Acorn, princess of Mobotropolis in Christmas Island...can understand these concerns. Long ago, Dr. Ivo Robotnik, commonly known as Dr. Eggman (a name Sally still can't understand why the evil doctor is proud of over Robotnik) took over her kingdom and turned it into an industrial nightmare. She and her small group of Freedom Fighters joined with Sonic the Hedgehog to overthrow the tyrant.

But even after all those years of rebuilding, the kingdom still has its visible scars. They're still trying to remove the factories from the city and clean up the pollution.

That was why her father sent Sally and her friends around the world to establish their former independent nation and form allies, and maybe they can help with the rebuild. Being a small kingdom on a remote island allowed Robotnik to take over and ruin their kingdom. It was hard to form allies to help them rebuild since they were so obscure, but Sally managed to make some alliances by helping with their own problems. There might be other civilizations out there that might've found a way to survive the virus. Anything to help find the cure.

"...Nicole, bring up I.O.N. mission summaries."

"Accessing."

Absolution. It was like Sonic the Hedgehog took a page out of Robotnik. He built, not only a gunship but a bomb powerful enough to destroy the world?! This was a total 180 from the actual Sonic she knew, and that's because he was a fake all along, named Mephiles. The real Sonic wasn't even on Li until after that event. A lot of people, and even his own friends, don't trust him much. But she wonder how long this info was, and if Sonic managed to regain trust by now

"Shall I try searching Sonic's location, Sally?"

"What?! N-No. Belay that." Why would she even ask that? Sometimes, it's like she can read her thoughts.

From what she read about this world, there're many of the same people from alternate worlds co-existing in this strange world, like the Zeldas and Links. And there was once a taller Sonic around, whose current location is now unknown. For all she knows, the Sonic here is different from hers...

...who probably doesn't even know her.

Sally shook her head, refusing to let such doubts slow her down from planning some sort of mission to help this world, or at least find a mission that suits her skills.

[Amy Rose, Yours Truly~]

Amy's ears perked up at a familiar name. Her heart immediately shifted up a gear and picked up the pace as she jumped to conclusions. Someone was talking to Sonic! He was right around here somewhere, so all she had to do was zip around at the speed of fast and find whoever was talking about him! A light breeze could be felt against some people's knees as Amy rushed into Busy Bee lobby, doing a quick scan of the room for a familiar face. And while she didn't find Sonic, a pretty blue did catch her eye! And they were mobian too, by the looks of it. Amy slowed down to a bouncy jog and made her way over to Sally, beaming up at her with a curious demeanor about her.

“ Hi!! Were you talking about Sonic just now? ...Weird thing to ask, I know. I've just got really good ears. ”

.............Wait no, that didn't make it less weird. Amy second guessed herself and giggled nervously in embarassment.

“ Anywaaaay, how're you doing? Did you just get here? ”

[AnT]

”Wha?!?” Sally startled, her phone slipped out of her hands. Her phone kept bouncing off her hands when she tried to catch it until she stopped it between her hands. A sigh of relief, “…yes, I just got-“

And before her eyes was none other than the infamous Amy Rose. The pink hedgehog never made it a secret, from the world, about her love for Sonic. So that’s a red flag for any girl who even talks to him, let alone have history with him...at least in...

”Oh, uh…you’re Amy Rose, correct?” Sally asked, trying to be polite as possible. She’s afraid that this might be nerving than dealing with a group of political senates.

[Amy Rose, Yours Truly~]

Amy cringed a little in empathy as she observed the near dropping of the phone, freezing up and holding her breath for a moment until it was caught. “Phew! That was a close one.” she breathlessly remarked. “Take good care of your tech, okay? It can be really hard to find replacement parts here, and finding anything brand new is almost impossible.” Amy lamented. What with the Life Sphere's lack of large scale mining operations going on and poor economy, reliance on salvaged parts was pretty heavy and getting one that worked with your specific model tended to be the hard part. Or at least, that was what she'd been told. ...Say, how did this girl know her name? ...Eh, probably wasn't that weird she guessed. She just hoped it wasn't from her involvement in the Absolution incident. That'd be an awful first impression.

“ As for me... You got that right! Amy Rose, at your service~ Sorry for sneaking up on you like that; I didn't mean to scare you so bad. Can I buy you lunch or something...? ”

Food was of course free in the Life Sphere, ...if you were comfortable subsisting on meager rations that weren't very good and didn't fill you up very much that is. So-called luxury foods cost money, and Amy reasoned that offering to buy someone a proper meal in the middle of a famine was a pretty surefire way to break the ice and make friends. A little kindness could go a long way...

[AnT]

"...." Yes...VERY hard to find replacement parts for this specific computer, but she did all she could to not lose her cool. It didn't help that she's not very good at social interactions. Dealing with political business with people is a different story. She's not trying to be their friend...in a personal sense. She'd try to make her own kingdom look good, not just herself. Bunnie was the social butterfly, and boy, she wish she was here. "Uh, yes, um...thank you but...uh, I'm not hungry. I'm uh...just trying to learn how things work around here."

And she still had holographic windows open, mostly concerning the government of Li, and mostly about Sonic and information about the Absolution incident. There were lists concerning questions, like where parts for the gunship came from, and where this Mephiles came from.

"Oh uh, my name's Sally Acorn." She almost forgot about social interaction 101, and good manners, right there. Bunnie would bop her head for that. Her father would, too.

[Amy Rose, Yours Truly~]

“  . . .  ”

Amy was briefly stunned by the refused offer. If she could take a hint, she'd probably take that as a pretty clear sign Sally didn't want to be near her. ...Instead, she took it as a funny coincidence and shoved the part of her brain that recognized discomfort in the corner! Don't you mess this up for me--I need friends my own size dangit! As she was thinking about how to react to that, she caught sight of Sally's screen and her chest tightened with anxiety as she recognized the subject matter. Oh no. She knew. This time when she spoke, there was a discreet hint of panic in her tone as she all but blurted out her words, like she was trying to keep her composure together and failing slightly.

“ Uh... I can help you with that, Sally! I've been here for a while a-and I learned a lot from experience. And um--... Please don't shun me because of anything you've heard about me. I know I've made my mistakes, a-and had my moments, but I can be a really caring and passionate friend if you give me a chance! ”

...Amy squirmed a bit as she finished having all but begged for Sally's company in a slightly pathetic fashion. Girl was a nervous mess, her paranoia having gotten the better of her.

[AnT]

"Whoa, uh...! What is...?" That sudden reaction from her was not what she expected. She didn't realize that word about her obsession with Sonic bothered her this much. Given the rumors about Amy's jealousy and rage tell her that she should be cautious with her, they never said that she can be kind outside of her obsession...

...and she should know better than to listen to rumors. How could she be so childish? That's not how a princess should behave. That's not how her father...

Shaking out her doubts, she quickly brought out a smile, trying to be as calm and mature as she can be...and as she was raised to be. "I'll be very appreciative of your assistance, Ms. Rose. And I apologize if I caused you any worries. But I know that, from what I heard about you, that you're more than your feelings for a certain someone. After all, your involvement with the Resistance, against Robotnik, is very impressive."

[Amy Rose, Yours Truly~]

Amy just continued chuckling nervously in response to Sally's bewilderment, silently cringing at her own behavior as she found herself at a loss for words, the crushing pressure of her own awkwardness weighing down upon her. Perhaps she ought to retreat somewhere private and sulk until she felt a bit better... 

Before she could commit to that thought though, Sally took her entirely off-guard by not only switching tones completely, but completely brushing off her fears, taking several steps beyond what she'd asked for by validating her feelings and commenting on her often forgotten role as leader of the resistance after Sonic's apparent defeat. The fact that Sally had addressed an entirely different insecurity from the one she was so worried about flew over her head. It made her day just to hear an inviting tone in the other's voice.

As she next spoke, Amy went and helped herself up in a seat, beaming fondly at Sally from the other side of the table, a magical heart manifesting close to her head and drifting away slightly, seemingly without her noticing. 

“ --Awwww, thank you~! I was just following my heart, y'know? And that's okay. I'm not upset or anything like that. Anyway, what do you want to know more about? The city... the starvia... the land outside the dome..? ”

[AnT]

Well, mostly because she misinterpreted what Amy was worried about, thinking it was about her most notable flaw: her obsession with Sonic. Okay, technically she was right, but her recent mistake was more than that. Anyways…

“Well, I’m just trying to learn what I can to help improve the progression of Li. I hear computer and machinery resources are rather hard to come around. A huge reliance on salvaging for parts, which I can relate to.” She then emitted a hologram of the gunship, Absolution. “I’m curious as to where this Mephiles got the resources for his ship. Were they from this Mother Brain?”

[Amy Rose, Yours Truly~]

It's alright~ What Amy doesnt' know won't hurt her, after all. Amy thought about it for a good moment. Had they uncovered any conspiracy with Mother Brain? She felt like she would've heard about it if something that big had been uncovered. She eyed the hologram of the gunship as she spoke, reflecting upon the battle there.

“ ...I don't think so. Back then he was the leader, so he had access to all the resources of the Life Sphere. He was the leader for a really long time, before I even got here. So I guess he just accumulated resources until he could pull it off! I guess that's why so many absolutionists were upset to see the ship destroyed. ”

[AnT]

"Oh no." Your own technology in the wrong hands is bad in many obvious ways. A waste of resources, for one thing, which might explain why the sphere is lacking in technological assets. Robotnik did the same to her kingdom long ago and it took a while to gain back what he took away and used for his robotic empire. The only thing she hopes for this place is if they can salvage what they lost because they can't lose such mechanical and computer wealth. It’s no wonder why the officials were angry that a lot of their resources were destroyed. "Have you guys salvaged anything you could grab from the gunship, at least? That can't just go to waste, you know."

[Amy Rose, Yours Truly~]

“ Oh yeah! We salvaged the metals and stuff. We even managed to recover a few of the food processors that were supposed to keep us all fed in space. The stuff they produce barely qualifies as edible, but it sure beats starving, and we've got a lot of that... ”

Amy paused for a moment as a rather grim thought occurred to her. Her mildly distressed expression become one of blunt annoyance as she continued.

“ ...Also we gave the keys to the life sphere defense system to Dr. Eggman for some reason... so there's a good chance we're going to see a repeat incident similar to this one where our own resources are used against us once it's no longer convenient for him to play nice... ...Or worse, if he figures out a way to use the virus to control people. ”

Except Amy definitely wouldn't be on the bad guys side this time. ...Right? It probably wasn't worth the effort tricking her. Mephiles getting one over on her had just been a coincidence. After she made her frustrations with the Life Sphere's political situation rather clear, she leaned back a bit as another thought occurred to her.

“ Thankfully the doctor in charge of Starvia Research is a lot more trustworthy. Still, we should probably start thinking about what we'll do if another high ranking official starts acting evil or something. Maybe we need to start gathering our own resources and organizing so that we can say no if the life sphere wants them for something we don't support. ”

[AnT]

Well...this feels like deja-vu if she ever felt one. Robotnik earned her father's trust when he helped them deal with their issues with the humans, and got rid of their former royal wizard turned rogue, Naugus. When Robotnik gained access to the kingdom's resources, he staged a coup before her father knew it. It sounds like, despite this Robotnik might be a different version, is trying that tactic again, but he's not going to get away with that again.

"I agree, and that high-ranking officer will most likely be Robotnik. Trust me, he did the same thing to my kingdom; gaining my father's trust by solving his biggest problems. The second he had access to the defenses and resources, he took over. We're still fixing up the damages he made, and that was a long time ago. I don't want the same thing happening here."

Gathering their own personal resources will be tough, not to mention gaining allies that won't let word spill to officials, thus Robotnik. It should also help that they can find any of Robotnik's agendas for the Life Sphere and the virus. As they speak, he might be finding ways to controlling it. Maybe making the virus turn people into robotic zombies.

[Amy Rose, Yours Truly~]

Amy beamed slightly at Sally. Things might look pretty rocky right now, but with the real Sonic finally arriving on Li and the first member of the New Resistance, she felt like she had some friends looking out for her. ...Don't ask why she didn't feel like Sonic was looking out for her. That's NOT important~! Haha. Their not-actually-complicated relationship aside, she had a feeling they'd be working together when things got rough. In fact...

“ ...Well, I bet I can get Cream and Sonic on board. All we have to do then is find a place to store our supplies and start working to build it up! It'll take some time, but since Egghead hasn't started anything yet, we've got that. I've been staying at the Magical Girl's Society, so I can probably convert my old house into temporary storage. If you want I can give you a key.  I don't mind sharing. ”

[AnT]

"Oh...Cream and...S-Sonic..." After reading up on everything she could of Li, especially her world side of things, some of the info suggested that she's from an alternate reality, because nothing about her kingdom was in the history info of Sonic. Just to see Sonic and have him say that he doesn't remember her, let alone know her...would be a stab in her heart. She doesn't know if she's ready to see Sonic if it means that-

"Alert, Sally!" A female robotic voice spoke from her phone. "Mission signup, involving Dr. Robotnik, has been opened."

"Really?!" Quickly, Sally brought up the signup via hologram.

Nov 28, 2021 7:21:20 GMT -8 Coolshaymin said:

Rescue
Corroded Death Egg
Mission Creator: Silver
Mission Brief: "I saw the younger Sonic heading to the Death Egg where there is a... weird amount of non-corrupted Eggman Robots. I still don't really trust Eggman so I think we should go help him out and see what he's doing there."

Objective: Find out what Eggman is after and rescue Classic Sonic

Sub-Objective: (Will be revealed later)

"Oh, Amy! There's a...your friend, I think, Silver...he opened up a mission that involves investigating Robotnik." And also look for Sonic, though a different version of Sonic. As much as she's a bit scared to see Sonic or any Sonic, this could be their chance to find any vile intentions the evil doctor has.

So Sally quickly texted her request to join the mission.