Beyond The Impossible

Infirmary of the N01-Ragnarok

The ship is orbiting the planet formerly known as Eden, and there are two women monitoring the medical equipment: the goddess Vesta and the Egyptian Shabti, reborn without her cybernetic implants. The patients are Noriko Null and Max Black a.k.a. Quantum, and after several hours of sleep the latter finally wakes up.

<Oww. What the heck did I even drink last night?> he wonders, his head spinning once he tries to stand up. Besides his vertigo, he’s stopped by Shabti rushing to hug him.

<Thank the gods you’re alive!!!> she exclaims, her eyes filled with tears.

<Shabti? What the… how are you alive!?>

<Null resurrected me.> she says, pointing at the girl that is just now waking up.

<If I’m naked again I’m gonna kill someone.> Noriko says, but for once she’s wearing clothes underneath the sheets of the medical bed.

<Lady Null! I am forever in your debt!> Shabti says, kneeling before her bed.

Noriko looks quite confused, as she stares at Vesta and Quantum with her brown eyes.

<You’re… welcome? I think? Who is she and what just happened?> she wonders out loud.

<Don’t you remember fighting the Eden?> Vesta asks her.

<I remember we were in their inner sanctum or whatever.> Noriko admits.

<Yeah, I don’t remember either. Since we’re not golden, I assume we won?> Quantum wonders.

<Your souls fused into one, Null activated the Nexus, you defeated the Eden and resurrected all their victims!> Shabti tells them.

<Seriously?> Quantum reacts, excitedly smiling.

<I also helped. I broke the Heart of Eden, fulfilling the whole prophecy and everything.> Vesta adds, speaking softly, as if she’s embarrassed about taking credit.

<Since I don’t understand any of this, I assume I used my golden eyes. What do you mean by “our souls fused into one”?>

<You’ll have to ask Torn about that. He believes you absorbed Quantum’s energy and used it to power the Nexus.>

<Oh that is SO cool!!!> Quantum exclaims.

<And I… “resurrected” you?> Noriko asks Shabti, uncertain about the term.

<Not just me! Now that Eden is gone, their planet has been converted into a new afterlife for all the innocent lives they absorbed since their return!>

<Alright, I’m… 99% sure that wouldn’t make sense even if I still had silver eyes…>

<It is quite simple.> is the answer coming from the being that is just getting inside the infirmary.

Shabti cowers behind Vesta as the large humanoid jackal enters the room; there are no cybernetics visible on the body of Anubis right now, but his glowing red eyes are still the stuff of nightmares.

Vesta gets into a battle stance, Quantum is ready to jump into action, and Null sighs.

<Can it wait? I’m not in the mood to kill any god right now.>

<You have nothing to fear from me, Slayer of Gods. You and your servants have cleansed my galaxy from the blight of Eden: as a reward, the God of Death shall let you live.>

<Seriously, dude!? You tried to murder me!!!> Quantum objects.

<And I succeeded. But now you have your life back, and so do the hosts of Eden.>

<But… how!?> Noriko wonders.

<The Nexus took control of the Eden’s collective mind, forced them to use their ability to manipulate their atomic structure to recreate the original bodies, upload the memories they stole into their new forms, and completely erased the Eden’s memory from existence.>

<So… the Eden are still alive?> Vesta asks, confused by the explanation.

<With the destruction of the Heart of Eden, their new forms and new memories are now permanent: for all intents and purposes, they are not Eden anymore. It will be interesting to study their development over the next million years or so.>

<Then… you are not going to rule us again?> Shabti asks.

<This galaxy is mine and mine alone. I hoped to uplift it to new heights of perfection with my necrobots, but Eden and Null showed me this was a flawed plan. Perhaps the natural evolution of your species holds more potential than I realized… I shall let mortals live as they wish. As fair Vesta has taught me…> he says, pausing to stare at the goddess <Mortals eventually die on their own. As long as you don’t challenge my position as the God of Death, I have no grudge against you.>

<I… I don’t know what to say.> Shabti admits.

<Your words don’t matter. Death does not listen to anyone.> Anubis boasts, walking back towards the door but first stopping by Vesta.

<You are welcome to return to my realm at any time, Lady Vesta. But any mortal from the Olympian Galaxy will not be allowed to stay alive in the Naqada Galaxy after tomorrow.>

And just like that, the jackal god just politely leaves the room without much fanfare.

<I could never read the Egyptians.> Vesta comments, puzzled by his new demeanor.

<Are you buying this?> Quantum asks Null.

<Not entirely. We’ll probably need to keep an eye on him. But for the moment, I think it’s about time we figure out a way go back home.>

<You mean… you’re not staying with us?> Shabti asks.

<It’s not my place. I don’t know anything about your galaxy or your culture.>

<But… we have lived under Anubis for as long as history recalls. Now that he has forsaken us, who will lead us?>

<Nephthys was ruling this galaxy until a few months ago.> Vesta points out.

<She never cared much for the living, as long as they paid their tribute in death. The Naga had their own society, but… planets in the Anubis sector only had him as a ruler. Without him…>

<Weren’t you basically his second-in-command?> Quantum asks her.

<I was his chief slave.>

<Close enough. Without your cybernetic implants, how much do you remember about the galaxy’s infrastructure?> Noriko asks.

<Everything. Too much.> Shabti answers, looking away, her stare lost in decades of witnessing the enslavement of entire civilizations.

<I think I have an idea.> Noriko says, with her eyes briefly returning silver.

 

Boreas, 30,000 light-years from Earth

The Winter Palace is several thousand years old, having been restructured countless times over across many dynasties.

There will soon need to be another renovation, because half of the immense building is now in ruins, with many irreplaceable artifacts and precious technological marvels annihilated by a fierce battle that has left no witnesses… except one.

The Ice Queen stands victorious over the ashes of her castle and before the body of Amaterasu.

Beneath the Winter Armor, Leiko Tanaka is exhausted: she’s not used to prolonged fights, and this particular goddess was quite the challenge. She’s out of breath and the armor’s power is nearly depleted, but she survived a heated battle with Amaterasu.

Now that they don’t risk being scorched alive, her lieutenants rush to the area where the battle took place.

<Your Majesty! Are you alright!?> one of them asks, quickly brushed aside by the sovereign.

<Of course I am. What happened to the enemy forces?>

<They… they vanished, Your Majesty. They turned into dust and every Lar that had become a slave to their will is now free.>

<Isolate anyone who has been infected. I wish to study this…> the Ice Queen commands, stopping when the rubble begins to move: it’s Amaterasu, seemingly uninjured but visibly exhausted. Her body is surrounded by a dim solar glow.

<Wh… where am I?> she wonders, looking around and fixating on the Ice Queen.

Leiko pauses as well. Now that she can see Amaterasu clearly, without her solar power obscuring the details, her face seems strangely familiar.

<Who are you and where did you come from?>

<I’m Amaterasu, Goddess of the Sun. I’m not sure how I got here… I was helping aunt Null with…>

<Aunt?> the Ice Queen repeats. The helmet of the Winter Armor opens, revealing the face of Leiko Tanaka… and a certain family resemblance.

<Mother?> Amaterasu whispers.

<You seem tired, my dear, and these ruins are no place for a goddess. Why don’t you join me in a more relaxing environment?> Leiko asks, extending her hand towards Amaterasu.

<I don’t… I shouldn’t… my… my friends probably need me.> the goddess hesitates.

<I have already spoken with them. They say that you can stay with me for a while.> Leiko lies, immediately recognizing that despite her physique and her power she’s dealing with a child.

<They did? Do you know aunt Null?> Amaterasu asks, taking Leiko’s hand.

<Oh yes, I know her very, very well. In fact, I’m starting to think that we are far more alike than I originally believed.> Leiko says, escorting the goddess away from the ashes.

 

Naqada Galaxy, 17 million light-years from Earth

Shabti is sitting in one of the Ragnarok’s many scientific labs, and she looks quite uncomfortable.

There are several electrodes connected to her scalp, and her head is surrounded by a holographic net that is constantly shifting and changing.

<Is this safe?> she asks.

<Absolutely. I think.> Noriko answers, doing her best to sound confident as she works on her holographic console; she hasn’t completely recovered her brain power, but she has to complete this within today or risk the ultimatum Anubis gave them.

<I think we’re good to go. Emissary?> she calls.

The holographic interface of the artificial intelligence appears, as usual taking a form that only Noriko recognizes as a twin to Diomedes.

<I advise against this plan. It exceeds my programmed parameters.> it says.

<And what were those parameters?>

<Defeat Anubis and Eden at any cost and prevent them from reaching the Olympian Galaxy.>

<Eden is gone and Anubis doesn’t have any reason to invade us anymore. I’d say that your parameters are obsolete and that you need new ones, don’t you agree?>

<It is a fair assessment.>

<Good. Then you can start downloading your new program.> she says, pressing the last button to initiate the loading sequence.

The hologram of Emissary stands still for a few moments. Then the lights around Shabti’s head are transferred inside it, and the interface changes form into a translucent copy of the Egyptian woman.

<New parameters loaded and integrated. New personality core is active.> she says.

<Fantastic. What are your new parameters?>

<Preserve life in the Naqada Galaxy. Assist the reconstruction of the local civilizations prior to their assimilation. Report any sign of Eden or Drylon technology to Null.>

<How… how does she know how our civilization was before Anubis?> Shabti asks.

<She learned it from you. You don’t have implants anymore, but your brain still has all the necessary connections. So I based her new personality on you, Shabti.>

<And she will be our ruler?>

<You will rule yourselves. But she’ll be here to help you along the way. And in case you ever need my help as well, she knows how to find me.

<Does she have a name?>

<I have not been assigned one. I used to refer to myself as Emissary.>

<No, keeping that name would mean giving credit to Diomedes. Let’s keep things simple and go with Eve, alright?>

<Eve. New designation accepted. What are your commands?>

<Load a copy of yourself into the other ships and delete yourself from the Ragnarok. Then set a course for Earth… it’s about time I go back home.>