Beyond The Impossible

Argos, 100 light-years from Earth

Ever since they’ve met her, Vesta’s friends have seen her react to her family with mixed feelings: she wanted to see them after 25 hundred years of exile, but they mostly wanted to kill her.

Now that Tyche approaches to hug her, Vesta takes a step back and simply shakes her hand.

<Aunt Vesta, you haven’t changed a bit!>

<But you’ve grown; you were barely 3,000 when I last saw you. Guys, this is my grand niece Tyche> Vesta introduces her. Considering that Vesta looks to be in her late twenties and Tyche not even old enough to drive, hearing her use the term is rather strange.

<As much as I enjoy family reunions, we’re here for a reason> Noriko says; from the tone of her voice, it’s clear she’d prefer being anywhere else.

<Relax, I can bring you to Selene just like that> Tyche reassures her, snapping her fingers.

<She’s the daughter of Hermes> Vesta explains quietly to Quantum and Kari.

<So you’ve inherited your father’s ability to warp spacetime. Did he also teach you how to backstab the people you’re pretending to help? Because he was great at that> Noriko comments.

<I see she’s already met the rest of the family> Tyche says to Vesta, than takes her seat at the table… by flipping the chair 180 degrees, having the backrest facing the guests and resting her arms on it. Despite her formal blue dress, complete with cape, she seems very informal.

<Okay, here’s the deal. On Olympus, I’m a nobody: I don’t own any territory, I don’t have any Oracles, and I’m not particularly powerful. With Daddy out of the picture, I have to take allies; and since my family is a bunch of psychos, I figure I need mortal allies.>

<Let’s say I believe you. What’s in it for us?> Noriko asks, her silver eyes shining. There’s something about Tyche that doesn’t feel right… she’s a little too similar to her father.

<Well, as much as you don’t want to admit it, you need me too. The Alliance was a nice idea, but it wasn’t built to last. Some of the most liberal planets will stay loyal to you, but many mortals won’t even consider following someone who isn’t a god. And you need someone who can push for your interests on Olympus: these guys won’t listen to you, no matter how many gods you kill.>

<We have Vesta. And Dionysus, and Aphrodite, and Athena> Kari reminds her.

<Sure. But Vesta is still technically in exile, and do you really trust any of the other gods to stand up for you when it really counts?>

Tyche and Noriko look at each other for what feels like an eternity, until the latter closes her eyes and takes a deep breath. Three voices whisper inside her head, talking at the same time.

“This is a good offer. Take it, we can always take her out later”

“Why wait? Shoot her with the God Eraser! It’ll make the others afraid of us!!!”

“Don’t we have, like, enough problems to take care on Earth as it is? This isn’t our fight!”

Noriko shuts them up when her fist hits the table. Tyche gives her a puzzled look.

<What’s going on?> she asks.

<Shut up, I’m thinking> Noriko answers abruptly, them immediately sending a telepathic communications by means of the Neural Transmitter.

“Let’s put this to a vote. What do you guys think?” – she asks.

Only Quantum, Vesta and Kari can hear her, and they look at each other in astonishment.

“Since when do you ask for our opinion!?” – Quantum asks.

“I don’t know. I trust your judgment on this, Nori” – Kari shrugs.

“I don’t really know Tyche, but if she can help us save lives, let’s go for it” – Vesta says.

“I don’t know, I have a bad feeling about this. I’d say no, but it’s up to you” – Quantum answers.

<Well? I’m immortal, but I don’t have all the time in the Galaxy> Tyche comments, nervously tapping her fingers on the table. Syzar and Zenon seem to be equally preoccupied by Null’s unusual indecisiveness: this is truly unlike her.

<If I may speak on the subject…> Ganos Lal starts to talk, immediately shut down by Null.

<No, you may not. I have made my decision.>

“Vesta is yes, Black is no, Zel abstains, so the Vanguard vote is inconclusive. I say yes, Eve says no, and you cannot listen to Fury since she is certifiably insane”

“Try to say that to my face and I’ll shoot your head off!!!”

“We have the same face, you sociopathic maniac”

“Everybody’s staring at us, say something! This is so embarrassing!”

<Alright, Tyche, welcome to the Alliance. Take us to Selene and I’ll kill her.>

The young goddess responds with a sincerely warm smile.

<I knew you’d come around!> she exclaims, snapping her fingers.

 

In orbit above the planet

The transition is sudden and unexpected: all the present members of the Vanguard are now suddenly in a completely different place. Null draws the Genius Gun, Kari summons two duplicates and arms herself with a staff generated by her bracelet, and both Vesta and Quantum are ready to unleash vast amounts of power from their fists.

<Whoa, don’t blow up the ship, I just had it cleaned!> Tyche tells them, waiving her arms to get their attention. It’s immediately clear that they’re on the bridge of a spaceship, and they’re not alone: they are surrounded by guards, anachronistically wearing loincloths but wielding laser guns.

<Next time, give us some warning> Noriko complains, putting away the gun.

<Yeah, I’d have brought my camera> Kari comments, clearly admiring the view: the guards are extremely fit and attractive, and their “uniforms” aren’t covering much.

<Welcome to the Talaria, my friends, the fastest ship in the Olympian Galaxy and perhaps the universe.  It’s not as fast as my father, but it’ll take us to Megaris in a single day.>

<That’s more than six million times the speed of light… three times faster than the theoretical upper limit of an Olympian warp drive. I’d like to study it> Noriko thinks out loud, approaching one of the control stations and studying it intensely. Both because she’s genuinely intrigued, and because it’s less awkward than staring at the guards.

<I’m sure you would. And I’d like to learn how your God Eraser works, but unless you’re willing to give up your tactical advantage, I think I’ll keep mine> Tyche responds.

<Fair enough. I assume you also brought the Callisto on board?>

<Of course. But as we have a long journey ahead of us, I would be honored to have you as guests at today’s dinner and orgy?> Tyche casually asks, taking her seat on the bridge’s throne.

Her proposal is met with three simultaneous “what!?” and a single “okay!”, after which all the members of the Vanguard slowly turn their heads towards Kari.

<What?> the Myridian asks innocently.

Noriko just shakes her head and rolls her eyes.

 

Later, inside the cargo bay of the Talaria

Vesta floats inside the room, her bare feet hovering an inch above the floor, holding a white container in her hands. She looks at Noriko: she’s working on the God Eraser again, with the ODIN’s holographic avatar perched on her shoulder while she messes with the internal wiring of the device. Vesta asks timidly:

<Can I come in?>

<Sure. I’m just trying to get the bandgap of the nanocrystal cells below 1.7 eV.>

<I brought you some food> Vesta says, not even trying to understand what Noriko is talking about while handing her the container, but the girl raises a hand to stop her.

<I’m not hungry. Try setting the modulator to 48 phase shifts at 2.45 terahertz.>

<Yes ma’am. Running diagnostic, please wait> the raven answers. Only now Noriko notices that Vesta is staring at the God Eraser as if it’s about to eat her alive.

<It’s turned off. You’re safe> she tries to reassure her.

<I still don’t understand how that thing works.>

<It’s fairly simple, actually. It’s basically a specialized linear-beam vacuum tube that generates electromagnetic waves by the cyclotron resonance of electrons through superconducting magnets.>

<Yeah, I figured> Vesta jokes, smiling warmly.

<You know, you don’t have to keep me company. It’s not the first time I have the fate of the entire galaxy on my shoulders.>

<Maybe. But that’s what friends are for, isn’t it?>

Noriko nods, quietly continuing her work. She doesn’t want to admit it, but she’ll need the help.

 

Kythera, 950 light-years from Earth

When this planet belonged to the Aphrodite Queendom, it was one of its biggest sources of revenue: a planet-wide brothel entirely populated by Lampyrians was a popular destination.

Now that Aphrodite has officially given away the planet to the Alliance, nothing has really changed… except the number of clients has increased substantially, making Kythera essential to the Alliance’s economy. The Galaxy’s oldest profession is one of its few constants.

Still, former space pirate Aura hates her assignment. As she looks at the planet from the bridge of the Supreme Scorpion, she feels nostalgia for the old days.

Sure, she’s the de facto military leader of half the Galaxy, but instead of engaging in epic battles and planetary raids she’s been reduced to guard a glorified w##rehouse.

She doesn’t even like Lampyrians. Stupid weak aliens, with their blue skin and wings, useless in a battle and too servile in the bed. What she’d give for a good old-fashioned planetary raid…

<Ma’am, the sensors are picking up an approaching vessel> one the crewmen warns her.

<Please tell me they’re hostile> Aura says, rubbing her hands.

Something hits the Supreme Scorpion with enough force to overcome the gravity generators for a moment, making everything inside it suddenly tilt to the right.

<I believe they are, ma’am> the crewman answers.

<On screen!> Aura orders, taking back her seat. It could be anything… there are hundreds of planets with the technology to build warships, and not all of them under Alliance control.

But this is unmistakable. As far as Aura knows, it’s the only ship shaped like a pyramid, barely visible in space due to its ink black surface, broken only by the ominous red glow of the engine below it. The famed Dark Pyramid, the legendary capital ship of the Guild.

The viewscreen’s image changes rapidly, from the Pyramid to a poorly lit room inside it: there’s a man on the other side of a table, his face obscured by the shadows of candlelight.

<The Scribe. Didn’t picture you as a Lampyrian lover> Aura mocks him.

<Kythera is yours, but you will surrender all space beyond this sector to the Guild and you will abandon the Supreme Scorpion. If you do so, your lives will be spared.>

<Never going to happen. All weapons, open fire!!!>

At Aura’s command, the Supreme Scorpion unleashes all its devastation: plasma bombs, laser blasts, antimatter torpedoes. It’s enough to vaporize a mountain each second.

There should be a dense cloud of debris and pulverized metal surround the ship, but nothing happens. Everything thrown at the Dark Pyramid simply disappears before touching it.

<You have chosen… poorly> the Scribe comments, before cutting down the transmission.

Aura wants to pound her fist against the command chair, but she’s prevented from unleashing her anger by the flash of light that accompanies the teleportation.

The effect is extremely disorienting, but all space pirates are trained to minimize it. She’s ready to fight her captors… but she doesn’t need to: she’s not in prison.

She’s on the surface of Kythera, on a green and lush garden. The gigantic statue of Aphrodite is visible in the distance, as is the glow of the Supreme Scorpion activating its faster-than-light engine.

Aura looks around: her crew has been teleported on the planet with her, scattered around the fields. She’s not injured, but a quick check confirms that all of her weapons have been confiscated.

<Don’t just stand around like idiots, scout the area! And find me a tachyon relay> she orders.

<Yes, ma’am!> the nearest officer responds, reaching the rest of the crew to coordinate a response.

Aura clenches her fists. She didn’t get her fight today, but she won’t have to wait for long.

<Somebody get me Syzar and Null. We are at war.>