Beyond The Impossible

30 light-years from Earth

The Supreme Scorpion was built as a capital ship for a pirate fleet, but now most of the living quarters are empty. The soothing humming of the gravity generators under each floor is the only sound in most parts of the ship, including the captain’s bedroom.

Noriko can hear Todd Slate approaching in the corridor, even before he has a chance to knock.

<Open door> she orders, and the ship she personally reprogrammed obliges.

Todd carefully steps in, amazed at the room’s size and luxury. Noriko is sitting on a bed at least five times bigger than it needs to be, barefoot but otherwise wearing her usual clothes.

<I see you’re having trouble sleeping> he says, pointing at the wide array of technological equipment scattered on the bed.

<When I can’t sleep, I build. It takes my mind off things.>

<It doesn’t seem to be working> he notes.

<No, it doesn’t> she admits, throwing away the prototype for a new model of the Genius Gun. She pushes away a few more components, enough to leave Todd some space to sit down.

<So I guess this is the moment you tell me why you asked me to join this mission…>

<Please tell me this isn’t a mistake> she interrupts him.

<You’re the one who asked me to come in. I can leave if you want.>

<I’m talking about going back to Myridia.>

<Oh. Because it’s the place where you killed that woman?>

<Demeter. I’m not so sure I’m the one who killed her…not anymore.>

Todd doesn’t really understand what she means, but she’s clearly distressed. He sits down next to her, realizing why he’s here: she needs someone she can talk to.

<Her regime was horrible. The Oracles terrorized the planet, forcing men into slavery and women into… a different kind of slavery. When I used the God Eraser to connect to the Myridian collective consciousness, there was so much hatred towards her. We channeled it into her mind, killing her.>

<“We”? I don’t understand.>

<There so much hatred that I didn’t need it all, so to save my mind I locked it inside the same endless void where I stored the darkest part of mankind’s knowledge. I think killing Demeter created Abyss: trying to get rid of a monster, I gave birth to another.>

<Even if that’s true, which you have no way of knowing, you defeated her. Abyss is gone.>

<On Earth, maybe. But what if there’s still enough hate on Myridia to release her? I don’t have the strength to face her again.>

<That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard in my life.>

Now it’s Noriko’s turn to be completely taken by surprise. She looks at Todd, dumbfounded.

<What did you just say?>

<Why can’t you see all the good things you’ve done with your gift? You feel guilty about Abyss, I understand that. But you can’t obsess over it! You’re trying to change the future of humanity, and it’s working. Stop second-guessing yourself! Where’s the Null who had the confidence to face a goddess? Where’s the…>

Todd stops when Noriko wraps herself over his arm, resting her head over his shoulder.

<That’s why I need you here. We all need to feel human sometimes> she says.

<You are human, Noriko. You should stop telling yourself that you’re not.>

Noriko doesn’t answer that. Todd keeps waiting for her to say something, until he realizes from the way she’s breathing that she’s fallen asleep.

“I expected something weird when you asked me to follow you on a pirate ship, but you always manage to surprise me” – he thinks.

 

The mess hall

Vesta is floating in mid air, her legs crossed in the lotus position and her eyes closed. There’s a ball off fire in front of her; the flames follow her controlled breathing.

<It’s quite something, isn’t it?>

The voice of Max Black a.k.a. Quantum wakes her from her meditation. She opens her eyes to look outside: the endless stream of stars is interlaced with the colorful hyperspatial energy that pushes the ship faster than the speed of light.

<Beautiful, isn’t it? It’s one of the things I missed the most during my exile. Well, technically speaking I’m still in exile, but you know what I mean> she answers.

<You never told me how it works. You’re not supposed to leave Earth or what?>

<I’m not allowed to return to Olympus or to have my own domain; other than that, I can go wherever I want. What can I do for you?>

<We need to talk about the Palladium.>

Vesta doesn’t hide her emotions very well; from the look on her face, she would talk about just about anything else. But since she told Max about the Drylon, she knew this day would come.

<What about it?>

<I think we should tell Nori about it.>

<Absolutely not. The fewer people know it exists, the better.>

<I just don’t like keeping secrets.>

<You’re the only one on the team with a secret identity!> she reminds him.

<Yes, remind me again why you don’t have one? After all, you kept your powers a secret for thousands of years.>

<That’s different. Things have changed since then.>

<My point exactly> he smiles. As a member of Noriko’s team he doesn’t get to prove very often how smart he really is, so he revels every chance he gets.

<The galaxy is still ruled by egomaniacal gods that enslave every world they see, and the Palladium shields Earth from their sight. That hasn’t changed> she reminds him.

<That doesn’t seem to stop people from finding Earth. We had the Many, the Talos, Artemis, that Mist guy, and the Guild is even sending assassins now!>

<The Palladium just prevents anything inside the solar system from traveling faster than light. It doesn’t isolate Earth from the rest of the galaxy.>

<But what if it could? We wouldn’t have to worry about another Artemis mess. We could even give the same technology to other planets like Myridia.>

<It’s Drylon technology. Even Hephaestus never figured out how the Palladium works.>

<Are you willing to bet Noriko can’t?>

Vesta doesn’t have a good answer to that. She’s grown to trust Noriko like a little sister or a daughter, but she’s also aware of the consequences of dealing with Drylon technology.

<I’ll think about it. We’ll talk about it when we’re back from Myridia.>

<Actually, I have a plan. While we’re there, we send a message to the Mortal Liberation Front.>

Vesta is so shocked to hear these words that she almost loses her balance, which is quite something considering she’s sitting on air.

<What!?>

<Just hear me out. We ask them to send Lysia to Earth again. She has that Infinity Key thing, right? She can control Drylon stuff with it. Maybe if she works with Nori…>

<She can access Drylon technology with it. Sense it, even. But controlling it is another story.>

<You’re just against this plan because you don’t trust the Front, are you?>

<They exist to fight my family! How could I possibly…>

<Noriko killed your sister> Max reminds her, as bluntly as possible. It’s not like him to be so direct.

<I know> she answers, lowering her eyes. She accepted her sister’s demise, but it doesn’t mean she’s happy she had to die.

<The Front runs some shady business, I know. I’m not suggesting we throw them a parade. But you can’t deny that the Infinity Key is a tremendous asset. They owe us for killing two gods and providing the cure for the Lampyrians, and they definitely know more about the Guild than we do.>

<I don’t like this. Before we do something stupid, we should talk to someone who knows the Front more than we do> she decides.

<Yes.>

Vesta and Max are shocked to hear Torn’s voice behind them, mostly because they’re so used to him saying next to nothing.

<You really should> he adds, gravely serious.

 

Arcadia VII, 25.000 light-years from Earth

The crowd is cheering the gladiatorial fight in the arena. Calling it a fight would be generous, though: considering it’s a dozen humans fighting a single Harpy, it’s more of a slaughter.

Two goddesses are presiding the event. The guest is Athena, goddess of wisdom, in her traditional golden armor. The animalistic spectacle before her is disgusting, but she hides her disgust perfectly.

The host wants to be called Diana, which most of the galaxy thinks is just a new name for Artemis. While this is the body of the goddess of the hunt, it’s currently controlled by the essence of Eris, the goddess of discord. And she’s loving every moment of it.

Stuck into mortal bodies for an eternity, she’s showing off her renewed godliness: she let her white hair grow to her shoulders, with bangs covering the scar over the right eye, while here purple leather top and shorts cover only the absolutely indispensible and are very tight.

<So, have you told anyone yet?> Diana asks casually, drinking from the cup served by one of the children slaves she inherited from Artemis.

<You’re not going to pretend that you’re not Eris? A wise choice> Athena congratulates her.

<Deflecting the question. Nice. You know what I think? I think your hatred of me is not enough to overcome your need for order. You could tell daddy Zeus that I’m back, yes, but that would mean throwing away… what, five thousand years of careful planning?>

<As much as you like to think yourself a force of nature, Eris, you’re not a danger to me. I don’t have to do anything to stop you: you’ll overstep your role and fall. Like you always do.>

<Wow. I thought you carried your spear into battle, I didn’t know it was stuck so high up your…>

Athena gives Eris a stare that would freeze a planet. But Eris isn’t intimidated by her silver eyes.

<So why the visit, sister dear? I doubt the citizens of your precious Federation know you’re here.>

<I’m overseeing a battle in the Hekate sector. She has taken over some of the territory Hermes lost; I’m simply freeing the mortals there from her rule and giving them a chance to join the Federation.>

<Yeah, yeah, spare me the propaganda. What do you want from me, Athena?>

<Persephone. She rules large portions of the galaxy stolen from Demeter, Hephaestus and Hermes. With the control of the Drylon portal, she has the chance to take control of most of the galaxy.>

<Which really bugs you, doesn’t it?> Eris smiles. Athena’s thinly disguised hatred is gold for her.

<She’s unfit to rule.>

<Let’s say, for the sake of argument, that I do what you ask. What’s in it for me?>

<Officially, I will support your request to formalize the conquest of the territories you’ve stolen from Hephaestus and Aphrodite.>

<And unofficially?>

<Dionysus as well. Together, we will rule half of the entire Olympian Galaxy.>

<Interesting plan, but I see two problems. One, how do I know that you’ll be able to deliver the Dionysus territory? We both know it’s the Guild that calls the shots down there.>

<Leave the Guild to me. Just worry about Persephone.>

<Which was question number two: how in Hades am I supposed to kill her?>

<You forget that you have the body of Artemis now. You’re just as powerful as Persephone.>

<So are you. Why don’t you kill her yourself?>

<Father would never forgive me if I killed my own sister. But if you kill her then Zeus will forgive you, because you will have by your side his favorite daughter…me.>

<Sister, I didn’t know you had such a mean streak> Eris smiles.

<There is no meanness involved. It is simply the wisest possible course of action> Athena coldly replies, going back to watch the arena’s massacre without the slightest trace of emotion on her face.