Beyond The Impossible

City-ship Naxos, edge of the Aegian Galaxy

Noriko Null hates swimming. She certainly knows how… it’s an easy skill to learn when you absorb all of humanity’s knowledge… but she completely lacks any affinity for it.

So she’s quite happy when Kestral transmutes all the water in his office into air, even though the merman is then forced to wear a breathing mask to avoid being suffocated by the oxygen.

<I’m glad you agreed to meet with me, Your Majesty.> he tells her, gesturing towards the seat in front of his desk. It’s a bit awkwardly shaped… it’s been built for people with fish tails instead of legs… but she obliges.

<Just call me Null. I hate formalities.> she admits, passing her hand through her hair to squeeze out the water. With a gesture of his hand and a glow in his eyes, Kestral makes the water disappear: she’s as dry as if she had been out of the water all week.

<That’s some power you have. Do many members of the Atlantis Uprising have Drylon powers?>

<Very few. Our Galaxy has fewer artifacts than your own, probably because Poseidon punishes any use of Drylon technology with death. So you can see why we’d ask your help to deal with him.>

<Straight to the point, uh? I like that. I’ve been told you want me to support your organization, but honestly… kidnapping my team and my sister is not a good way to get on my good side.>

<You have to understand my position, Null. Your Vanguard and my Atlantis Uprising are very similar: both organizations created to oppose divine rule. Except now you rule side by side with gods! I had to make sure you weren’t…>

<Selling out?>

<In a manner of speaking. My gut tells me your team can be trusted, but instincts can only get us so far. Atlantis Uprising needs more, and I believe you do as well.>

<And what exactly would you need from me, mister Kestral?>

<Sanctuary. We have appropriated several city-ships to house a substantial population, but we are still under target by Poseidon. Our people need a place to stay where they won’t be persecuted for refusing to worship a tyrannical god.>

<How many people are we talking about?> Noriko asks.

<Over forty million people. It’s a big request, sure, but you must understand…>

<Okay.> she interrupts him.

<Okay what?>

<I agree. The Olympian Empire will offer a planet for your refugees.>

<Just like that!?>

<It’s a no brainer. If those people are oppressed, someone needs to help. And I can.>

<That’s… well, to be frank, I expected you would need much more to be convinced to take care of so many people!>

<Kestral, I’m supposed to run a whole galaxy. If I can’t find a place for a few million people, I might as well quit my job.>

<As much as I need your help, Null, I have to be honest. This will get Poseidon furious at you.>

<Do I look like someone scared of a god throwing a temper tantrum?> she asks, her silver eyes shining. And Kestral realizes that the similarity between them only goes so far.

<You already had my admiration for what you accomplished, Null, but now you have my respect. If there is anything Atlantis Uprising can do for you…>

<There’s a lot. I will need the complete details of every activity carried out by your men: if I discover that your organization has targeted civilians or committed anything that could be considered an atrocity… I will still help the refugees, but your organization will be done. That is absolutely non-negotiable, are we clear on that?>

<Crystal.>

<Good. Now, on a purely voluntary basis… I would like access to any database at your disposal that covers the history of this Galaxy, particularly the Zenith and a woman named Roxiana.>

<The Angel of Death? What does she have to do with anything?>

<Apparently more than I… hold on, “the Angel of Death”!? Why would she get that title!?>

<You know about Roxiana but not about that?> Kestral asks, extremely confused.

<Looks like I’m really going to need a crash course on this Galaxy. But, well, your timing couldn’t be worse: I’m right in the middle of something big. Once I’m done with this Gaea business, however, you and I are going to have some serious talk.>

<Will this “business” delay the relocation of the refugees?>

<Not at all. Give me coordinates of the other city-ships and I’ll take care of everything in the blink of an eye.> Noriko boasts, taking a glowing Key of Heaven out of her jacket’s pocket.

<Sooner rather than later. This is the last time I’ll get to use the Key.>

<That’s easily arranged. Myrrinha can easily triangulate…>

<Myrr what?>

<Myrrinha, my right-hand assistant. Her Drylon device allows her to control any computer: she’ll ask the coordinates to the ships. She’s the whole reason we were able to have a fleet in the first place: very few of the planets we used to call home have developed space flight, but she can have existing technology to do most of the work for us.>

<She talks to computers, uh? That sounds like it could be useful.> Noriko considers, touching her chin and with a very pensive expression on her face.

<Myrrinha will be more than happy to assist your mission.>

<And what about you, Kestral? Ever wanted to fight a god?>

The merman smiles. Noriko sees a lot of her younger self in his enthusiastic response:

<I thought you’d never ask.>

 

Olympus, 26,000 light-years from Earth

Gaea barely remembers when she first set foot on Olympus. She never cared much for the menagerie of little gods Zeus kept around: she visited a couple of times out of courtesy, but she barely knows the place.

Still, as she sits silently on the throne of her grandson that is now covered in vines, she feels a second presence on the planet. The only kind of animal life in Olympus.

She stands up, her body disassembling into a tangle of leaves that melts into the grass covering the floor, and re-forming herself on the other side of the palace.

She finds herself in one of the hallways that connect the various rooms of the enormous building: specifically, one that leads out of the Great Library.

A woman is walking calmly towards her, the sound of her heels echoing in the emptiness.

<Well what do you know, this place does have a security system. Go figure.> the woman jokes.

<What is a mortal doing on Olympus?> Gaea wonders. She doesn’t recognize her, but she tries to judge from her appearance if she has any relationship with a god.

Her purple and black wetsuit doesn’t have any divine symbol in it, although the ball of water she’s constantly fiddling with her right hand as if it was a solid object suggests a connection to Poseidon, and the golden bracelet she’s wearing is strangely familiar.

But it’s the gold-plated book that she holds in her left hand that gets the Primordial’s attention.

<I thought I’d brush up on my reading. Thanks for transforming Olympus into an actual planet, by the way: sneaking in would’ve been a lot more complicated.>

<That book does not belong to you. Who would be so reckless to steal from the gods?> Gaea asks, and the vines attached to the walls come to life to ensnare the thief.

This should spell certain doom for a mortal, but the plants don’t come anywhere near the woman: instead they are stopped by an invisible force before they can reach her.

<The name’s Roxiana. And why are you upset? I don’t even think you can read; in fact, I don’t think anyone’s opened this book for thousands of years.> the brown-skinned woman comments.

<I’ve met too many mortals who think themselves worthy of the gods. They all end up regretting their bravado.> Gaea replies, intensifying the grown of the plants that redouble their assault. But none of them overcomes the invisible barrier.

<Oh trust me, you’ve never met anyone like me.> Roxiana says, her silver eyes shining.

She casually drops the ball of water on the floor and calmly opens the book, flipping through the pages. As soon as the water touches the ground, it turns into a pitch black liquid that spreads with uncanny speed, corrupting any plant Gaea summons… and then the darkness creeps towards the goddess. Roxiana doesn’t seem to pay much attention to this, immersed in her book.

<The Book of Mnemosyne, fascinating stuff. I’ve wanted to get my hands on this since before I died, but sneaking here was tricky between Haphaestus robots and the whole “built on a white dwarf star” thing. Null took care of the former and you of the latter, but then I had to wait again until she was out of the galaxy. You can never be too careful around Nexus hosts, am I right?>

<What is this abomination!?> Gaea exclaims as the darkness has now spread on the floor to touch her feet… and then it keeps on going, seeping into her green skin. And for the first time in a billion years, the Primordial Goddess of Life feels pain.

<Nothing much, just a touch of self-replicating necrotizing nanotechnology that consumes organic life down to the subatomic level. I call it Liquid Death.>

Gaea’s body breaks down, mercilessly attacked by the darkness: as soon as she reforms it, it’s consumed with renewed speed. The goddess melts down and resurrects multiple times in a row, with her lungs screaming in pain for the few moments they can maintain cohesion.

<That’s the funny thing choosing to only work with organic life, isn’t it? You have to take some of its weakness as well.> Roxiana points out, closing the book and proceeding her walk.

The darkness keeps its distance from her, and so does any plant Gaea tries to use against her. She stumbles only when an earthquake makes the palace shake, but she keeps her cool even when a gigantic green hand rips out the roof of this section of the building.

<Do you really think I have something to fear from the likes of you!?> another Gaea asks her: truly gigantic in size, and too distant for the Liquid Death to approach her.

<If I shared my successor’s passion for killing gods, yes, definitely. But luckily for you I’m only interested in knowledge: I’ll just take this book with me and leave.>

<I don’t think so.> Gaea replies. Her hand descends towards Roxiana to squash her like a bug: it’s large enough to completely flatten the hallway.

Even the walls of Neutral Matter are no match for her power: reality itself seems to warp around her, and walls that could resist the gravity of a star’s core are easily demolished.

When Gaea lifts her hand, however, Roxiana is entirely unharmed.

<Remember Aquilia? Got myself a little souvenir of that adorable planet.> the mortal says, pointing at the bracelet she’s wearing.

<It’s called the Absolute Defense for a reason. Nothing in the entire universe can breach its protective field, not even the power of a Primordial: you could blow up the galaxy and I wouldn’t even feel it.>

<We should test that!!!> Gaea shouts: her body glow bright green as she summons her divine powers for a blast of unprecedented violence.

<Maybe some other time: I have a book to enjoy. Give my regards to Noriko, though, if you manage to get out of this alive. Skorpios, I’m ready for extraction.>

Much to Gaea’s frustration, these are the last words from Roxiana before a spatial distortion makes her disappear from the planet… and as far as the goddess can tell, from this universe entirely.

 

Zenith base, location unknown

The woman called Skorpios is impressed. She was ready to use her own Drylon powers to bail her boss out of an unwinnable situation, but Roxiana seemed in control the entire time.

<You should’ve allowed me to join the fight. Together we might have been able to kill her!>

<Don’t be silly, Skorpios, there’s no knowledge to be found there, and Gaea will soon be too occupied with Null to think about us. Recovering the Book of Mnemosyne will prove more interesting, believe me. In time, you will realize what an opportunity this was.>

<You keep saying that sort of thing but you still haven’t told me what your end goal is, Roxiana. I’m loyal to the Zenith, but Null…>

<Has killed many gods, which you admire about her, although you still can’t trust someone who fights alongside gods… yes, yes, I know. As invaluable as an asset you are, Skorpios, you really do have a one track mind.> Roxiana complains, passing by her ally to reach the window she’s standing in front of: it leads to one of her many laboratories.

<I realize our goals don’t always coincide: I pursue knowledge and you crave the destruction of gods. But trust me when I say this, Skorpios… in time, we will both be rewarded with what we crave so desperately.>

Skorpios nods in agreement, as the two women stare at the manufacturing facility on the other side of the glass. And the vats of Liquid Death that stretch as the eye can see.