Beyond The Impossible

Midgard City, Antarctica

Once Ganos Lal gets out of the cab, she shivers in the coldness of the icy continent: she was told to expect the new capital of the Olympian Empire to be cold, but they definitely undersold it.

She blows into her hands in the vain attempt to warm them, using one of her duplicates to carry her bags. She’s not the only Myridian here: Kari Zel is waiting for her on the sidewalk.

<First time in Antarctica?> Kari asks her.

<I have been here before, but not in the open like this. Don’t worry, I have the memories of my duplicates who lived on Boreas, so I can adapt to the cold.>

<You could’ve sent duplicates here as well.>

<Oh I disagree, Miss Zel. Myridia is still the center of my Church, but I feel I can better serve Lady Null by staying as close as I can to her. Speaking of which…>

<Let me guess: you want me to arrange a personal meeting?> Kari asks.

<You sound like you hear such requests frequently.>

<Because I do. You have no idea how many people want to talk to her.>

<Well of course. Even leaving aside matters of faith, she’s the Empress.>

<Co-Empress.> Kari corrects her.

<And as her personal friend, not to mention the leader of the Vanguard, you must have unprecedented access to Lady Null: I can’t imagine you have to navigate bureaucracy to have her attention.>

<Sure, if there’s anything of vital importance, I have Noriko on speed dial.>

The two women have been walking side by side. When Ganos Lal doesn’t immediately reply, Kari turns towards her and awkwardly stares for a couple seconds.

<What?> she finally asks.

<As Supreme Pontiff of the Church of Null, I have some important things to discuss with Lady Null. If you could arrange a meeting, it would be greatly appreciated.>

<Define “important”.>

<I would rather do so with Lady Null herself. It is not something that should be discussed with someone who doesn’t share my faith.>

<Ah, see, that’s the problem: Noriko doesn’t think she’s actually a goddess, so no wonder she doesn’t want to talk to you about that.>

<Unless her personal friend, and leader of the Vanguard, convinces her it’s in her best interest to…>

<I’m gonna stop you right there, Ganos. Is anyone going to be hurt if you don’t talk to Noriko?>

<No, but…>

<Could it possibly lead to civil unrest or threaten the peace?>

<Very unlikely, but…>

<Then go through the proper channels, Ganos. If it doesn’t qualify as an actual emergency, I’m not gonna waste Noriko’s time, okay?>

<It certainly isn’t “okay”. This is a grave show of disrespect towards my faith, Miss Zel.>

<Really? Then make sure to complain about it whenever you get an appointment. Also you can stop following me: I’m going to the Imperial Palace, but the nearest hotel is that way.> Kari replies by pointing Ganos Lal in nearly the opposite direction.

The Supreme Pontiff swallows her pride and a few curses.

<Very well. I shall find an accommodation for myself.>

<Good luck with that, I hear every hotel in the city is booked for like the next decade already. But hey, I hear it’s a free planet, so see you around.>

 

Imperial Palace

The former Null Tower of Midgard City has been reconfigured into something more impressive: it’s no longer a secondary hub for Null Technologies, but the seat of government of the Olympian Government and the official residence of the Mortal Co-Empress.

One of the upper floors is in fact Noriko Null’s office, where she’s having a meeting with one of the members of her government… Eunomia, the minor goddess serving as Minister of Administration… and her former boyfriend Todd Slate, in his double function of Secretary of Homeworld Security or the United States and representative of the Global Defense Organization.

The meeting’s been going on for over three hours, and they’ve barely scratched the surface of the amount of details they need to cover.

<Then there’s the issue of… security? Haven’t we talked about this already?> Noriko asks flipping through the pages of her holographic tablet, already knowing the answer.

<Yes, but multiple members of the GDO are having trouble securing enough funding, so the discussion’s been brought up again. If you would just allow access to Olympian technology…>

<You know I’ll never do that, Todd. Olympus will provide security against invasion as long as the sovereignty of Midgard City is recognized by its member states.>

<That was supposed to be based on the Empire pledging to never interfere on the internal affairs of the countries of Earth. A pledge you have refused to make.> Todd reminds her.

<I can pledge neutrality in political affairs. But if they expect me to give them an excuse to return to starting wars, they can forget about it.>

<It’s not just that, Noriko. Let’s be clear, right now the only guarantee Earth has that you’re not going to take over the planet and rule like a dictator is your word. For a lot of people, it’s not enough. And I’m not talking just about government officials.>

<So you want me to make some kind of grand gesture to get everyone’s trust? I’ll keep that in mind the next time I have to murder a god to save everyone’s butt.>

<You shouldn’t take this personally, Noriko, not everyone knows you like I do. Maybe if…> Todd starts to explain, before Eunomia interrupts him.

<Excuse me, Lady Null, but your next appointment starts in ten minutes. Perhaps we should schedule a follow-up meeting?>

<I’d rather continue this one.> Noriko replies.

<Actually, it’s not a bad idea: I have to get back to Washington within the day, and I doubt we’d have enough time to discuss everything anyway.> Todd says.

<Very well. Shall I escort you to your vehicle, Secretary Slate?> Eunomia asks.

<If you don’t mind, I’d like to talk in private with Noriko.>

<I do mind. As Minister of Administration, I should be present during all official meetings of the Olympian Government.>

<It’s a private matter. Just five minutes, tops.>

<Well it’s highly irregular…>

<It’s fine, Eunomia. Just wait outside, the meeting with Clio can wait a couple minutes.> Noriko instructs the goddess. Eunomia doesn’t seem convinced, but still excuses herself with a bow.

<As you wish, Lady Null.>

Todd watches her leave, then Noriko stretching her arms to relax a little.

<“Clio”? New minister?> he asks.

<Yep, Minister of Education.>

<Mortal?>

<Goddess. She’s one the Muses. The muse of history, in fact.>

<Doesn’t sound like someone with a urgent meeting…>

<Oh you’d be surprised of how many people thing they have something urgent to discuss. She’s been bothering me from day one the whole calendar thing and eventually I had to humor her.>

<What calendar thing?>

<Zeus never really bothered coming up with a consistent calendar, so the Galaxy is all over the place. Turns out the one used by the Church of Null is both the most widespread and one of the most precise, so we’re using it as a standard for the Empire. You’d think that would be a minor thing, but apparently we lose hundreds of billions of vorons per year because nobody can agree what day it is.>

<That’s the “After Null” calendar, right?>

<Yeah I hate having a whole calendar based on my birth, but it’s too late to change it. But I thought you wanted to talk about something private?>

<Yes, sorry, I guess I’m a little nervous to discuss it. I haven’t gone public with it, and I thought you’d want to hear it from me first.>

<Is it about your incoming candidacy? Because I’ve already figured out you’re running for President.>

<I’m getting married.>

Noriko doesn’t like to show herself being taken completely by surprise, but she was utterly unprepared for this.

<Con… gratulations? Who…>

<Kristen. You haven’t absorbed information from Earth for a while, isn’t it?>

<No I have, but I’m more selective than I used to be. You mean Kristen Lynn? Your ex-girlfriend? I thought you two broke up before she got with Max!>

<We got back together two years ago.>

<I can’t believe I completely missed it.>

<Well, you were dead when it happened. It was when Earth was isolated during the Ares war.>

<We’ve met a dozen times since then, you could’ve mentioned it once. I know it’s been a while since we broke up, but still…>

<It was five years ago, Noriko. I’m only bringing this up because, well, the media’s going to talk about it. Trust your former public relations manager: you want to get in front of those things.>

<I suppose. But why would the media care? I mean you’re a public figure now, sure, but still…>

<Noriko, for the smartest person in the universe you can be so naïve at times. People know that we used to date, do you really think people are not going to speculate about you?>

<Not this again.> she sighs, rolling her eyes.

<I’ve seen the media from other planets, Noriko. And Earth has access to those too, now that you’ve destroyed the Palladium. It’s practically the only thing they want to talk about.>

<That’s only until the campaign starts. The election of the first Prime Minister of the Empire is going to gather more interest than a marriage that’s never gonna happen, right?> she asks.

Todd doesn’t have to answer. His unconvinced stare is enough.

<Yeah I guess I really am naïve. I thought you wanted to discuss about that election, you were always more interested in politics than me! Now wonder you want to run for President.>

<Actually, I’ve reconsidered that. I’m thinking of running for the Imperial Senate.>

<Earth’s not a member of the Empire: Midgard City is the capital, not Earth. It’s still an independent planet.> Noriko corrects him.

<For now. If I become President I won’t have any chances of later representing the entire world; but I believe it’s inevitable we’ll join the Empire within my lifetime.>

<If I could make you Emperor I’d do it in a heartbeat, Todd. I absolutely hate every moment of this entire job.>

<Then why did you take it?>

<I had to. Someone else might’ve screwed it up. Thankfully, once I have a Prime Minister I won’t have to be so hands-on with every single minor issue!>

<I hope you’re vetting the candidates. You don’t want another Syzar, or to find out the winner is actually Ulysses or Hermes in disguise.>

<Oh I’m taking my precautions, trust me. There are so many things I’d rather be doing than running a government! Speaking of which… as much as I’d like to talk about this rather than discussing how to run a calendar, I really should take that meeting.>

<Sure, I’ll leave you alone. Oh, I almost forgot: I won’t take it personally if you refuse, but Kristen and I would really like you to be at the wedding.>

<I’ll see what I can do.>

Todd nods and stands up from his chair, walking towards the door before he hears his name.

<Todd… if we hadn’t broken up… would you have…>

<Married you? If memory serves, you broke up with me.> Todd answers, before leaving the office.

Noriko doesn’t comment on that, only reminding herself that having a perfect memory is one of the worst aspects of her power.