Beyond The Impossible

Argos, 100 light-years from Earth

The starship Callisto approaches the planet’s orbit, after slowing down below lightspeed. Seen from space, Argos is very similar to Earth: the only visible difference is the presence of only two large continents, surrounded by countless small islands.

<I never get tired of this> Max Black a.k.a. Quantum comments, using the cellphone to take a picture of the planet through the bridge’s viewscreen.

<Would’ve been cooler if I was the one driving> Kari pouts, crossing her arms and sinking slightly into her seat. Max rolls his eyes, and the answer comes from the holographic raven perched over one of the consoles:

<There is no cause for concern, miss. I am fully integrated into the ship’s navigational systems.>

<Oh shut up ODIN> Kari says to the artificial intelligence, sticking her tongue at it.

Vesta isn’t enjoying the banter or the trip. She’s standing next to the captain’s chair, where Noriko Null is clasping her hands with her silver eyes lost in the distance.

<Don’t worry, everything is going to be fine> she reassures her.

<I know. That’s what I’m afraid of> Noriko answers. Vesta has known her for enough time to recognize her body language: she’s nervous.

 

The view is quite stunning. Argiva, the planet’s capital, is a vital city with a booming population and a fast-growing economy: thousands of vehicles are moving in its sky, above large buildings that even at first glance appear far more technologically advanced than Earth’s skyscrapers.

As it’s the style of most cities of interplanetary fame, the skyline is dominated by impressively huge statues… but unlike the rest, they don’t represent gods.

They show a man and a woman, both wearing ragged loincloths and with broken chains dangling from their wrists, embracing and looking into the distance. Their stare is directed towards the largest building, the impressive Argos Parliament.

The Callisto is larger than an airbus, too big to land in such a populated area: it hovers above the crown, releasing a Valkyrie from its cargo bay.

Noriko Null is the first person to step out of the Valkyrie and is predictably greeted by cheers from the crowd. Alexer Syzar is waiting for her; Noriko doesn’t recognize the old man on his left, wearing the uniform of the Mortal Liberation Front. But the woman on his right, the one wearing green clothes and bowing down to her knees, makes her hate this trip even more.

<Ganos Lal? What’s she doing here?> Kari whispers to Noriko.

<I intend to find out> Noriko answers, increasing the speed of her walk.

<Lady Null, it’s good to finally meet in person. Welcome to the Alliance’s capital> Syzar greets her, obviously playing to the audience: there’s a robot camera hovering right behind him.

<Mister Syzar. I thought I’d check how things were going> Noriko answers, extending her hand; Syzar seems perplexed by the gesture, shaking her hand somewhat awkwardly. If he noticed Noriko’s disapproving look towards Ganos, he didn’t let it become obvious.

The crowd begins shouting Null’s name, but Syzar is a close second. They both address the crowd, followed by the rest of the Vanguard, but their styles are wildly different.

Syzar waves like a seasoned politician, Quantum shakes his fist like his team just won a game, Kari bounces and waves her arms like hers just won the Superbowl, and Vesta timidly raises her hand barely up to the shoulder, taking care to stand behind everyone else hoping to disappear.

Noriko attempts a smile that feels almost as forced as her barely existent wave, as she says through her teeth to Syzar:

<Never make me do this again.>

Suddenly she misses Todd. Avoiding crowds is the kind of stuff she pays him for.

 

Pyongyang, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea

Kayla Black lands on Yanggakdo, the small island inside the Taedong river. Since it’s the middle of the night, the blue energy that surrounds her body is the only source of light in the sky.

Of course she’s not here as Kayla Black: there wouldn’t be any reason for an African-American security guard to be in North Korea. But as the government-sponsored superhero Blue Star, she’s overseeing the military occupation by the joint forces of Japan, South Korea and Russia.

There’s only one person on the island; Kayla doesn’t know her well, but Kari Zel’s purple hair is easily distinguishable anywhere. She’s looking at the stars.

<Looking for your home planet?> Kayla asks.

<Yeah, with no luck. Nice uniform, by the way> she compliments her, blatantly checking her out. While not designed to show off her body, the blue costume is rather tight in the right places.

<Helps me regulate my powers. Why are you here, Kari? My superiors won’t like this.>

<I heard you were here and I wanted to get your opinion on the whole invasion thing. I know this isn’t my planet, but I’ve read some stuff about this country and it’s really, really hard to believe everything went as smoothly as it did.>

<I know what you mean. I’ve talked to a few soldiers that were stationed in the region for a long time; they didn’t expect Pyongyang to surrender at all. And the speed at which Minister Tanaka convinced both South Korea and Russia to come along for the ride… let’s just say a lot of people are worried about her, and they’re wondering if the Vanguard’s going to do something about it.>

<That’s what my duplicates from other countries are telling me. This invasion is basically against Japan’s constitution, and while there’s significant public backlash against Leiko… no one’s really doing anything. It’s like she’s untouchable.>

<Is Tanaka working with Null?> Kayla asks, going straight to the point.

<What? No! Why would they work together!?> Kari asks back, shocked at the question.

<We both know none of this would’ve happened without China’s permission… and these days China doesn’t do anything if it Null doesn’t want it. The power suits that White Star, Red Star and I wear? Based on Null’s technology. Tanaka’s worked with Null before: they commercialized the plasma reactors together. Everything adds up.>

<That’s ridiculous. How would invading North Korea benefit Noriko!?>

<Another country to rebuild from scratch. It worked for China, didn’t it? Look, I know we’re on the same side…> Kayla says, coming closer and lowering her voice: she’s practically whispering now.

<…but the Government thinks Leiko Tanaka is the Empress of Shadows.>

<What!? Then why aren’t they arresting her!?>

<Because they believe Null is trying to take over the world, and Tanaka is the only one who can stop her. Think about it, Kari: the US government thinks that the person responsible for a military assault on the Capitol is the lesser of two evils.>

<You can’t possibly believe that! After what we went through…>

<I fought Abyss, Kari. I know exactly what Null is capable of. The only reason I’m telling you this, the only reason I haven’t said a word to my superiors about her secrets, is that my brother believes in her. I want to give Null the benefit of the doubt: you should do the same for Tanaka.>

<I think I’ll stick to the one that’s cured AIDS and given billions of dollars to charity. Honestly, what does she have to do to earn this planet’s trust!? Gods, I can’t believe I was actually considering having sex with you> Kari says, crossing her arms and pouting.

<I, uhm, what?> Kayla responds, utterly baffled; not just because she didn’t know Kari was bisexual, but because the comment came completely out of nowhere.

<I’d rather go back to Hell than having to deal with this planet’s politics> Kari concludes, walking away towards the Valkyrie leaving behind a visibly confused Kayla.

 

Argos, 100 light-years from Earth

The Senate is technically still called the Argos Parliament, since galactic elections haven’t been called yet. But from the President’s Office it’s already possible to see the hundreds of seats of what will eventually become the Mortal Senate.

<You’re running for President of the Galaxy?> Quantum asks Syzar, sitting down next to him at the round table; the meeting also include the rest of the Vanguard, Ganos Lal and Zenon, the old man that Noriko didn’t recognize. The symbol of the soon-to-be-born Mortal Union is etched on the table; tree concentric circles, joined by a cross. Quantum thinks it looks like a crosshair.

<President of the Senate, actually.>

<So you’re going through with your original idea of an unicameral parliamentary system without separation of powers? I specifically advised against it> Noriko recalls.

<It was part of an agreement between the Argos government, the Mortal Liberation Front and the Guild. We tried to add you to the discussion, but you did not respond> Zenon argues.

“Because I was in Hell… just my luck” Noriko thinks, preferring to keep this point a secret.

<As much as I enjoy discussing politics, guys, shouldn’t we talk about Selene?> Kari asks.

<Yes, of course> Syzar nods, pressing a hidden button to make a holographic map of the Galaxy appear. It’s increasingly familiar, but with marked differences.

The area controlled by the Talos has expanded significantly, just like the one claimed by Selene. Furthermore, the sector controlled by the Alliance has been split in two, with half of it labeled “Guild”. And there’s another change: there’s a new sector that’s taking space once assigned to Ares and Artemis, and it’s labeled “Enyo”.

Noriko notices the last change, recognizing the name of a war goddess, but decides to ignore it to address more pressing matters.

<That’s a lot of changes in a very short time. Why is the Guild shown as a separate territory? I thought they were part of the Alliance.>

<Technically they are, but the Scribe has decided he will only assign his resources to the sectors directly under his supervision. That’s why Aura isn’t here with us: I sent her to secure the borders, in case the Guild gets any wild ideas.>

<Aura. The Hunter Pirates work for you now?> Kari asks, still bitter after her encounter with them when they served under Elytra.

<They are a considerable asset, and Aura is in command of the Alliance fleet> Syzar explains.

<What about the Front? Or the, what’s it called, the Blue Rose?> Quantum asks.

<Our resources are limited: we have been operating as a resistance movement for thousands of years, transitioning to an interstellar government is a difficult task> Zenon justifies himself.

<Both the Mortal Liberation Front and the Blue Rose are slowly being integrated into a single intelligence agency that will be under direct supervision of the Senate> Syzar concludes.

<So let me get this straight: the Talos have turned against us, the Guild is about to, you have taken control of the Hunters, the Front and the Blue Rose… am I the only part of the Alliance that hasn’t turned its back on the others?> Noriko asks, already knowing the answer.

<And now Selene is attacking. Right when you are most divided and vulnerable> Vesta comments; everyone notices the “you” instead of “we”, which is not a good sign.

<Null will be the unifying force that we desperately need: once she kills the false goddess, all mortaldom will rally behind her> Ganos Lal explains.

<Oh shut up. I don’t even know why you’re here> Noriko dismisses her.

<Actually, she raises an interesting point. Can you kill Selene?> Zenon asks, and it’s clear from the tone of his voice and by the way nobody makes a single sound that this is the question on everyone’s mind. Noriko answers by making her silver eyes twice as bright as usual:

<Just tell me where she is.>

<She was last seen on Megaris, about 17 thousand light-years from Argos> Syzar answers.

<That’s almost a month and a half on the Callisto. Do you have a faster ship?> Null asks.

<I have something better. A new member of the Alliance.>

Syzar gestures to his right. As he does this, a teenage girl appears in the blink of an eye: red hair with a blue streak, blue robes and a halo of fire floating above her head.

<Hello, sunshine. It’s about time we meet> Tyche introduces herself, with a wicked smile.