Beyond The Impossible

Bridge of the Destiny-One, in orbit above Earth

Noriko Null breathes a sigh of relief at the disappearance of Athena, but she can’t take victory for granted. Not after underestimating the goddess of wisdom before.

<That was too easy. Any other ships around?> she asks.

<Not according to the sensors. Looks like we’re the only one in this solar system.> Kari answers from one of the stations she’s manning. In fact, her duplicates constitute the only active crew, with six other Karis on the bridge alone.

<This doesn’t feel right.> Noriko says to herself, thinking about it while stroking her chin.

She’s lost in her thoughts for just a few seconds though, before abruptly turning towards Ganos Lal and asking:

<What the hell were you even doing at the Junkyard!?>

<We were praying for you to save us, Lady Null.> the Supreme Pontiff replies, kneeling before her goddess. Noriko’s tone was so harsh and Ganos looks so scared that even the normally aloof Shinobu takes her defense.

<It was Todd Slate’s idea. Your former lover was under the impression that you still cared about your birth planet; was he wrong?>

<I so don’t need this right now.> Noriko sighs, massaging the bridge of her nose in a vain attempt to prevent a headache from coming. Kari answers in her place:

<We had a whole plan scheduled a couple of weeks from now. We were going to take out Earth’s occupying force while carrying out sabotages in the neighboring fleets.>

<But forcing us to show up on Earth didn’t leave enough time for that. Now Athena will concentrate her forces on those planets and will likely organize a blockade of this entire solar system.> Noriko adds.

<So? This ship alone destroyed three of their motherships.> Shinobu points out.

<The Destiny-One is does appear to be the most powerful warship in this galaxy.> the Nullbot housing the O.D.I.N. program agrees.

<Powerful to defeat a fleet or two, sure. But even the Destiny-One can’t fight the entire Olympian fleet, which currently consists of every single ship in this galaxy… especially when Athena will also throw at us the gods still serving her.>

<But you are the Slayer of Gods. You can defeat any god in your way!> Ganos Lal praises her.

Noriko looks unconvinced. She looks at the stars on the viewscreen and asks Kari again:

<Still no other ships on the sensors?>

<Not a blip. You think this was some sort of trap?> Kari asks.

<No, not at all. I know it was a trap, I just haven’t figured out if we have escaped it.> Noriko answers, standing up from the captain’s chair.

<Kari, you have the bridge: keep the shields up and keep scanning. O.D.I.N., familiarize yourself with the ship’s systems, I will upload you into its servers. Ganos, I assume that you’ve kept track of what happened to the members of your Church during the occupation?>

<I certainly have.>

<Write me a report and a list of all the worshippers you can identify. Shinobu, you’re with me… I need someone who knows how to look intimidating.>

 

Detention center

One of the advantages of the Destiny-One employing dimensional technology is that it’s bigger on the inside than the outside. This provides a lot of opportunities for an incredibly flexible deck plan.

All the crew members of the Athenian ships were teleported into the Destiny-One before their vessels were destroyed, and they are now being kept in the thousands of holding cells on board.

Of course these were not originally designed to be jails, but accommodations for refugees: Noriko got the idea from the Worldships she had to escort back to the Aegian Galaxy.

But considering that the only way to enter or leave them is through the ship’s teleporter, converting them into a prison didn’t take much work.

One of the cells is currently holding Antigonus the previous Governor-General of Earth.

He’s still wearing his uniform, but the weapons on his person were disabled the moment he arrived.

Noriko Null appears in front of him in a flash of light, teleported together with Shinobu to her right wielding a plasma katana. Antigonus has read reports of how lethal that weapon is.

He stands proudly, declaring a well-memorized formula:

<Antigonus of Parthenos, High Strategos of the Athenian Fleet, service number 90Σ5-6513-9Ψ. In compliance with Article 5 of the Limenos Convention…>

<I signed that article, Antigonus, I know what your rights are as a prisoner of war. I’m not here to torture you.> Noriko reassures him.

<Is that your assistant’s job?> Antigonus asks, staring at Shinobu.

<My job is to remove your hands if you do any sudden moves.>

<Intimidation won’t work on me, Null. All high-ranking officers are highly trained to resist all manners of psychological manipulation.>

<I expected you’d be. Do you know where you are right now?>

<On board your ship, I would assume. I am surprised you even have one; we were quite thorough despising of all technology you left behind, and you can’t have had enough to build a new one.>

<I had it hidden in intergalactic space. I’ve been working on-and-off on a new ship class to replace the Ragnarok but you know how it is, there’s always something that takes priority… a kingdom to rule, a galactic war, an ally stabbing me in the back, that sort of thing.>

<Why didn’t you use it in your coup against Hebe then?>

Noriko and Shinobu exchange looks. This comment changes things.

<You actually believe Athena’s bulls##t story about me? I thought you were an opportunist, but you’re a true believer.>

<I believe Olympus will flourish more under the leadership of Lady Athena than under your flawed rule, if that is what you mean. How did you finalize the construction of this ship so quickly?>

<You would be amazed about what I can do when you piss me off, Antigonus.>

<Including allying yourself with other war criminals? We suspected you released Roxiana from her prison. A pity we couldn’t find evidence: I wonder what your worshippers would think of you if they discovered you’re working with the self-declared Angel of Death.>

<You are not here to ask questions.> Shinobu reprimands him.

<Then what am I here for?>

<Ever since returning to this galaxy I’ve had only two things to work on: building something that would kick Athena’s a##, and getting ready for whatever contingency plan she had in place. So imagine my surprise when it turns out that her contingency plan was… nothing.> Noriko says.

<My ship was stationed on Earth and fully prepared to…>

<NOTHING.> Noriko repeats, her silver eyes shining in anger. Despite keeping his stern façade, Antigonus suddenly realizes why she’s so feared by the gods.

<It’s one thing for Athena to not realize just how much I could improve my technology. But she would have had a backup plan in case Baal failed to kill me, and she had to know that I’d come for Earth at some point. Sure, she placed some ships here, to make it less obvious, but I’m certain they were just for show. There’s something else just waiting to kill me on Earth, I just haven’t figured out what that is just yet.>

<You are being paranoid, Null. If there was a contingency plan, as the Governor-General I would have had to be informed.>

<Congratulations, you just figured out why you’re here. Restrain him.> Noriko tells Shinobu.

Antigonus tries to resist when Shinobu approaches him, but the Japanese man is both several years younger and trained to obey orders without hesitation.

Noriko gets close enough to place her hands on the former Governor-General’s temples.

<I normally would have Torn helping me with this, but you don’t deserve a gentle touch. Soul Resonance!>

 

Weeks earlier, Athena’s private offices

Antigonus is standing before Athena, giving a report on the scheduled takeover of Earth.

A holographic map of the planet highlights the positions of major military strongholds and population centers, with a detailed list of projected casualties.

<After disabling the planetary defense network, orbital bombardment should produce 20 million deaths in military personnel plus 3 million civilians within the first six minutes of the attack. To prevent widespread uprising, I recommend an additional 500 million civilian deaths within the following twenty minutes.> the High Strategos explains.

<Civilian deaths are to be avoided at all costs, and military deaths are to be reduced to the lowest amount that will still allow a hostile takeover. How much is that?> Athena asks.

<That would depend on the nature of the operation, Lady Athena. To convert the planet to a stable base of operation, I would not go below 10 million.>

<I only need to station a couple of ships there for a few weeks, months at most, while keeping as many locals alive as feasible.> she reiterates.

<That could be arranged with as few as 20 thousand deaths, but I would require far more personnel than it has been assigned.>

<The number of non-locals should also be kept as a minimum. You will recruit the local population as a parallel law enforcement agency, working full time to expel anyone not native to the planet. I will assign to you resources from my propaganda and behavioral manipulation experts.>

<With all due respect, Lady Athena… I won’t presume to understand your wisdom, but I need to know what the objectives are in order to give you a governable Earth.>

<I don’t need to govern Earth. Not until Null is dead.>

<She isn’t?>

<Until I have definite proof otherwise, I will operate under two assumptions: that she is still alive, and that she will attempt to retake her home planet.>

<We have enough ships to blockade Earth for centuries, Lady Athena.>

<You don’t know Null like I do, High Strategos Antigonus. If you put an insurmountable obstacle before her, she will demolish it. That is her nature. If she wants to reclaim Earth, she will. And the only way to stop her is to let her win.>

<I must admit that I don’t follow, Lady Athena.>

<Null derives her primary power from the information she absorbed from her native planet. While she no longer automatically receives updates from the collective consciousness of humanity, she still has the power to absorb the knowledge of everything that happened after her last visit.>

<That is certain. I assume you have ways to stop her from doing that?>

<Quite the opposite, she must do that. We will allow the media from her planet to still function during the occupation: their transmissions will carry carefully studied subliminal messages, acting on such a scale to affect their global consciousness. The locals recruited into our law enforcement will act as boosters, receiving much higher levels of indoctrination. Removing all aliens, and limiting to a minimum the external occupying force, will prevent the effects from losing power.>

<Subliminal messages? You wish the locals to attack Null?>

<No, I expect Null to absorb the knowledge. By the time she notices, the psychic viruses deployed into humanity’s collective consciousness will destroy her brain from the inside.>

<I have never heard of information warfare of this caliber!>

<Of course not. It is a well-guarded state secret; one that will prove very handy in dealing with Rei Null after this test run.>

<I see. I thank you for the trust you have in me for sharing such high-level secrets, Lady Athena.>

<It’s not necessary. It’s the same technology that will allow me to erase this conversation from your memory, or to kill you instantly in case Null ever attempts to learn this.>

 

Detention center, deck six

Noriko Null snaps back to reality when Shinobu forcible separates her from Antigonus.

The Athenian is convulsing and foaming at the mouth, but he stops as soon as she collects herself.

<Is he still alive?> she asks.

<He has a pulse, but he’s unconscious. What did you do to him?> Shinobu asks.

<If I disconnected in time, I saved his life. If I didn’t, Athena might have killed him. Let’s take him to the infirmary.> she says, preparing the coordinates for the teleporter.

<Did you at least learn something important?> he asks.

<That Athena is even more ruthless that I expected… and not as smart as she thinks she is.>