Beyond The Impossible

25,000 light-years from Earth

The weather on Aquilia is generally pleasant: while it’s not a paradise planet, the skies are generally clear on most days. So it’s quite a bit unusual for the entire sky to be filled by the presence of a gigantic green-skinned goddess who is much bigger than the entire world.

And since most of the population of Aquilia is concentrated on the side of the planet where it’s currently the middle of the day, nearly everyone can see this… and panic spreads quickly.

Kari Zel is observing this from the balcony of one of the many Temples of Hestia: one of her duplicates is looking down at the crowd, generating more duplicates as needed to attempt the bare minimum of crowd control.

The main Kari keeps her eyes firmly at the sky: the goddess is so enormous that she could easily keep Aquilia on the palm of her hand, and she’s not even looking at it.

<Friend of yours? She’s hot.> Kari admits; even from this weird perspective it’s abundantly clear that the goddess is ridiculously well-endowed.

<That’s my grandmother.> Vesta awkwardly replies.

<That’s Gaea!? I should’ve known from the green skin. But that’s some kind of illusion, right?>

<No, that’s really her. Why?>

<If she’s that big, shouldn’t just being this close to her destroy the planet?>

<Grandma likes planets. She’s a Primordial Goddess, reality just bends around her… even if she showed up in her original form, she would only cause destruction if she wanted to.>

<“Original form”?> Kari repeats, confused by the term.

<Gaea is over five billion years old; she predates multicellular life, why would her real body be that of a humanoid woman?>

<Fair point. I have to ask though… how big is her original form?>

<I wouldn’t know, I don’t think there is a god alive who has witnessed it. But I have seen her become at least a hundred times bigger than this.> Vesta replies.

Kari has seen some incredibly things in the Vanguard, and this is far from the first time she has been made aware of just how removed from reality gods are. But she’s never felt this insignificant when comparing her life to the gods.

 

Far away, in orbit around Gaea

Quantum is understandably nervous: the goddess in front of him dwarfs even the largest planets he has ever seen. It’s quite unnerving to be stared at by eyes whose pupils are the size of a continent.

<WHAT CREATURE ARE YOU? I DON’T REMEMBER CREATING YOU.>

Even in the vacuum of space, her voice is a deafening echo reverberating into Quantum’s mind.

<I’m from, uhm, I’m from Earth.>

<I RECALL THE ATOMS IN YOUR BONES. YOU COME FROM THE PLANET OF TINY LIZARDS, BUT I SENSE THE POWER OF THE DRYLONS IN YOU.>

<Yes, I’m… wait, “tiny lizards”?> he repeats.

Gaea turns her head in a direction that seems random to Quantum, but she’s looking at Earth.

<THEY SEEM EXTINCT NOW. A METEOR. I DID TELL HYPERION TO STOP PLAYING WITH ROCKS IN THAT SYSTEM, BUT MY CHILDREN NEVER LISTEN TO ME.>

<Are you talking about the dinosaurs!?>

<WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE, CREATURE, AND WHY DID YOU DAMAGE MY BEAUTIFUL GARDEN?>

<Your plants were absorbing power from Hell and… nevermind. I’m a friend of your granddaughter, do you know if she’s in this sector?>

<YOU SHOULD BE MORE SPECIFIC. I HAVE SIXTY-NINE CHILDREN AND UNTOLD THOUSANDS GRANDCHILDREN.>

<Vesta. You probably know her as Hestia… have you seen her?>

<THE FIRSTBORN OF KRONOS. SHE RULES THIS SECTOR; THAT IS WHY I PUT MY GARDEN HERE. SHE’S CURRENTLY ON THAT PLANET.> Gaea says, pointing at Aquilia.

<That’s great! I’ll go there right now, if you don’t mind.>

<IF YOU DO, YOU WILL STAY THERE FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. I HAVE DECREED THAT NOBODY, EXCEPT RHEA AND ZEUS, CAN EVER LEAVE.>

<And why did you do that?>

<ZEUS ASKED ME TO. HE HAS HIS REASONS, WHICH DO NOT INTEREST ME.>

<Any chance you might make another exception, just this time? I know for a fact that Vesta doesn’t want to stay there forever!>

<YOU BURNED MY GARDEN. YOU ARE IN NO POSITION TO MAKE DEMANDS.>

<Yeah, I’m sorry about that. I know people who can probably help you fix it, though!>

<YOU SPOILED IT. RESTARTING IS MUCH EASIER.>

Without showing any emotion other than mild discontent, Gaea just closes her hand… and within it she crushes a planet fifty times the diameter of Jupiter in a swift, effortless motion.

Then she opens her hand: the remains of the unnamed planet bask in the green light emitted from her skin, and a completely new world is rebuilt from scratch in a matter of seconds.

<THERE. GOOD AS NEW. AS FOR YOU, CREATURE, YOU ARE FORBIDDEN FROM SETTING FOOT ON MY NEW GARDEN.>

<No arguments here.> Quantum concedes, awe-struck by the most extreme demonstration of power he has ever witnessed. But perhaps the most terrifying thing is that Gaea was not even looking at the green planet while doing this… she’s looking at Earth.

<YOUR PLANET IS DOING WELL. PERHAPS I SHOULD PAY IT A VISIT.>

<You shouldn’t bother, really. We’re doing just fine.>

<IT’S NO BOTHER AT ALL: I AM THE MOST POWERFUL GODDESS IN THE UNIVERSE.>

If his body wasn’t currently made of pure light, Quantum would be sweating profusely: the thought of such a monster anywhere near his planet is simply terrifying.

<PERHAPS ANOTHER TIME. I WAS IN THE MIDDLE OF SOMETHING WHEN YOU DISTRACTED ME; I SHALL RETURN TO MY DUTIES. IF YOU FIND HER, PLEASE TELL MY GRANDDAUGHTER I WILL COME BACK TO HER.>

Spacetime warps itself around Gaea’s astronomically gigantic body, and as she disappears Quantum has little reason to doubt her boasts.

 

Phlios system, 45,000 light-years from Earth

A significant commercial hub in the Hebe sector, Phlios has been able to withstand the innumerable political changes of the Olympian Galaxy without receiving much damage.

That’s because, when Hermes used to rule this part of the Galaxy, he made sure Phlios would be an asset too valuable to be compromised. But centuries of Hermes rule have also normalized the habit of shady dealings and secret backstabbings.

The Callipygian Nymph is officially a refueling station for the numerous ships that pass through this system, but it’s just a minor function. It’s well renown within the system for its numerous taverns and its brothel, but it’s also the place where you can easily come into contact with every single criminal organization in the Galaxy. Especially after the fall of the Guild.

Nobody would ever suspect to meet a queen here. Leiko Tanaka knows that nobody would recognize her if she showed her face, but she still opted to hide her identity beneath the hood and cowl that are the standard attire of any customer of the Callipygian Nymph.

She sits alone at the table of the tavern, with a glass of cold nectar in front of her. In the rowdy crowd visiting the establishment, she’s the only one who noticeably isn’t having fun.

<Can I bring you something else?> the waitress asks her, since Leiko hasn’t even touched her drink; even with the hood covering most of her face, she obviously isn’t having fun.

<No.> she simply answers.

<I know you paid extra to be left alone, but… those guys over there think you’re cute. They’ve asked how much you want.>

<For what?>

<To sleep with them, what else? They’re not going to pay full price, obviously, otherwise they’d go to the brothel, but if you have an orgy discount…>

<I’m not a w##re. Go away, I’m waiting for someone.>

<Is it because you don’t do guys? Because I think you’re pretty too.> the waitress flirts with her.

Leiko is just about ready to leave when something unexpected attracts the attention of the entire tavern: space warps itself in the middle of the crowd, marking the appearance of another woman hiding herself beneath a cloak. And everyone, drunk or sober, immediately stops talking.

<Move. Or you will be removed.> Skorpios says, lowering the cowl to reveal her bald head covered in scars.

She doesn’t have to explain further: panic erupts immediately, with both customers and the staff running away from the tavern leaving behind shattered bottles and dropped drinks.

Only Leiko Tanaka doesn’t lose her cool, staying at her table until everyone else has left. Once they are alone, Skorpios looks to her side: another wormhole is generated with a simple thought, and a bearded man with unruly red hair steps out of it.

<Thanks, Skorpios. That will be all for now.> Ulysses tells her. Skorpios glances at Leiko with suspicion, but she ultimately follows orders and vanishes.

<Your Majesty. It’s been a while, but I have to say you are ever more beautiful. Eternal youth suits you.> Ulysses says, joining Leiko at the table.

<I heard you were dead.> are her first words.

<I did the same for you. I’m sorry for the loss of your kingdom.>

<No you’re not. What do you want, Ulysses? Why meet in this filthy place?>

<You’d be surprised of how much the history of the Galaxy has been shaped by secrets spilled at the Callipygian Nymph. Besides, if I let you decide where to meet, I’d be dead for real… you may no longer be queen, but you’re far from defenseless.>

<Get to the point, Ulysses. What do you want from me and what are you offering in return?>

<Are you aware of a planet called Aquilia?>

<Never heard of it.>

<It’s a well-guarded secret, but Skorpios has its location.>

<Is there something of value hidden there?> Leiko deduces.

<A treasure of sorts. More important to me than anything else in the Galaxy.>

<Then send your guard dog to steal it. Can’t her Drylon device get her anywhere in the universe?>

<The problem is that anyone setting foot on Aquilia is stuck there forever: even gods are forbidden from ever leaving it. And as powerful as Skorpios is, her Manifold would not be able to overpower the decree of Gaea. But you, on the other hand…>

<I have the Vial Of Destiny. Divine powers don’t work on me.> Leiko boasts.

<Exactly. Skorpios can get you there: once you get the treasure, you’ll be able to leave.>

<Assuming I don’t keep it to myself, which is why you are not telling me what it is.>

<I see where Null got her smarts.>

<If you are trying to forge an alliance with me, Ulysses, bringing up my daughter is unwise.>

<You don’t have the luxury of being picky, Leiko: your treachery is well-known. Nobody in their right mind would help you after you have backstabbed every single ally you’ve ever had.>

<I still have an alliance with Hera.>

<And you trust her to validate your claim to the throne, now that Harmonia has given it back to Dionysus? She likes you, sure, but she will never accept mortal rule. You know that, and don’t tell me you weren’t planning to overthrow Hera herself one day.>

<Fair enough. But I still haven’t heard what I would get for stealing this “treasure” for you.>

<Harmonia now rules the former sectors of Ares and Apollo. I will give you her throne.>

<And why would I trust you?>

<Because I was the one who liberated Harmonia. I knew she would eventually dethrone you, considering you were holding her grandson Dionysus hostage; this would give me the chance to offer you revenge.>

<I was under the impression that Athena freed Harmonia.>

<She thinks it was her idea. Or she anticipated my moves and approved them… even I can’t always tell with her, to be honest.>

<Have you ever been honest with anyone in your entire life, Ulysses?>

<Have you?>

Leiko considers her options. Ulysses is playing an immensely risky game: whatever the treasure is, it must be worth everything to him if he’s willing to seek her help. She can definitely exploit that.

<I accept your proposal.>

<Wonderful. Welcome to the Zenith, Leiko.>