Null Tower, New York City
Noriko Null appears on the roof of the skyscraper, in the arms of a bare-chested god.
<You can put me down now, Hermes.> she says, uncomfortable at being so close to him.
<But I didn’t even get the chance to thank you properly for saving me from the clutches of the Goddess of Death, sunshine.> he flirts.
<You mean for saving your butt after failing your mission. Down, now.> she orders.
Hermes obliges, but he still wraps his arm around her shoulders.
<I mean it, sunshine. You could have left me there to die the most gruesome of demises, but instead you came to my rescue. And to think I almost believed you forgot about me, after all the times I helped you, by locking me away like those gods who don’t acknowledge you as Empress!>
<First of all, Hermes, I wish I could forget about you.> Noriko replies, carefully moving his arm away from her.
<Second, you were “locked up” because you tried to kill me and conquer the galaxy. Several times on both accounts, I might add.>
<So has Enyo, but you put her in your government’s cabinet.> he points out.
<Because Enyo follows orders. Something you do only when it suits you. Speaking of which: how did Ereshkigal capture you, exactly? You were just supposed to survey her galaxy and report back… please tell me you didn’t stop to propose an alliance with her.>
<It would be beneath me to either confirm or deny such an accusation, sunshine.>
Noriko sighs, rubbing the bridge of her nose between her eyes. She really doesn’t need this.
<What should I do with you, Hermes?>
<Well I hear you’re single again, so there are multiple pleasurable things we could…>
<Drop it. I keep you around because your powers are ridiculously useful, but never forget you’re on a leash with me.>
<Promises, promises, sunshine… you’re such a tease.> Hermes replies, then leaving the solar system in the blink of an eye.
<I freakin’ hate that guy.> Noriko comments through her teeth.
Null family apartment, on a lower floor
Noriko is explaining the events of her latest adventure, with her father Bob and his companion Catherine Kalama sitting on the sofa in front of her.
Her half-sister Nalani is sitting on the floor, staring at her with a transfixed expression on her face.
<…so unable to use the Ichor and unable to use her own version of the Final Abyss against me, Ereshkigal signed her surrender.> she concludes.
<So my chemical agent worked???> Nalani asks excitedly.
<Can Ereshkigal be trusted not to attack us again?> Doctor Kalama asks, not acknowledging her daughter’s question.
<She’s currently busy fighting Inanna. I’m sure she’ll try something new, but when the time comes I’ll be ready for her.> Noriko reassures her.
<Because of my chemical agent, right? Did it work did it work did it work?>
<Nalani, please calm down.> Bob tries to restrain her enthusiasm.
<It’s alright Father. I had to make some adjustments to increase its potency, Nalani, but the weapon I deployed was partially based on your work on how to prevent Ichor from affecting…>
<It worked! I saved the universe, daddy, did you hear that!?> Nalani exclaims, now practically jumping up and down from the excitement.
<You helped save a small part of the universe.> Noriko corrects her.
<Do I get a medal for that? Do I do I?>
<I can’t see why…> Noriko starts to answer, pausing when she notices the doctor’s disapproving look and then correcting herself:
<I mean, you’ll get one when you’re over eighteen.>
<But that’s ten years from now! Moooom, tell her I should get a medal!> Nalani complains.
<You were very smart and very brave helping your sister, Nalani, but don’t let it get over your head. The Vanguard don’t get medals for being heroes.> Doctor Kalama tells her.
<Actually… some of them are getting medals for this.> Noriko awkwardly corrects her.
<See? I deserve a medal just as much as they do!>
<How about instead we go out for pizza tonight?> Bob proposes.
<I guess. Can Noriko come too?>
<Sounds lovely, but I’ll have to pass. You have no idea how much paperwork is involved in finishing a war; in fact I have to rush back to the Imperial Palace now.> Noriko answers.
<You’re the Empress, can’t you just say you don’t want to do homework?> Nalani complains.
<If I did that, there wouldn’t be a point being Empress.>
<I don’t want to be Empress if it means doing homework.> Nalani pouts.
<Noriko, before you leave, can we talk a minute?> Bob asks her, to which naturally Noriko nods in agreement. She waves goodbye to her sister and to her father’s partner, and the two move to the next room to talk privately.
<Something’s wrong, Father?>
<That’s what I wanted to ask you. For someone who just won an intergalactic war, you seem worried about something. Anything I should know about?>
<It’s fine. I just have a lot on my mind… as usual. I wish I had more time to check how the war affected Earth… after my upgrade I can’t just absorb the planet’s information anymore. How’s Earth taking things?>
<People are nervous. We were cut off from communications with the rest of the Galaxy for quite a while, and Ereshkigal resurrecting corpses as an undead army… I’ve heard a lot of people say we were targeted because Midgard City is the Empire’s capital.>
<But that’s not true. The entire Galaxy was affected; if anything the capital being on Earth has shield it from the worst. Poseidon’s ships didn’t last a minute against the planetary defense system.>
<That’s not how it felt at the time, especially with both you and the Vanguard disappearing. Earth might have been relatively safe, but it felt abandoned.>
<I was a little busy saving two entire galaxies; I didn’t have the time to babysit Earth!>
<You might want to talk things through with President Devane, Noriko. She’s suggesting the country might leave the Global Defense Organization.>
<President Warden lost re-election? Dammit, I didn’t realize I relied so much on being automatically updated on Earth’s business. William Devane was Keen’s Vice-President and I didn’t even notice he was the other candidate.> Noriko admits.
<He might not be as bad as Keen.> Bob shrugs.
<On the list of my priorities Earth politics don’t even break into the top one fifty… but I’ll find the time to look into it. I really have to go now, but dad? Please keep Nalani out of trouble.> Noriko pleads, before activating her teleporter.
Imperial Palace, Midgard City, Antarctica
This is a meeting of the highest order. Divine Empress Hebe is technically presiding, with Prime Minister Lyra Syzar sitting between her and Noriko: together they represent the highest offices of the Olympian Galaxy.
Also sitting at the table are several members of the Olympian government: Minister of Defense Enyo, Minister of Foreign Affairs Vesta, Minister of Galactic Security Shaina and Minister of Administration Eunomia. To complete the attendants are the four vassals: Athena, Helen, Aphrodite and the latest Winter King.
The latter is barely aware of where he is, but despite his brain damage it was symbolically important for him to be present.
Noriko has just finished giving her report of Ereshkigal’s surrender, at which point Enyo says:
<She can’t be trusted to keep the peace. And Inanna can’t be trusted either, after betraying our alliance. We should launch a retaliatory strike, taking advantage of their current squabble.>
<We lack the means to project sufficient power in their galaxies.> Athena corrects her.
<Through conventional means, yes. But are we forgetting that the Mortal Empress has revealed to possess a superweapon that can launch black holes by the thousands? A weapon whose existence was not disclosed to me, I should add.> Enyo says.
<The fact you’re so eager to use Yggdrasil is exactly the reason why I didn’t tell you about it, and why the Prime Minister and I are the only people who can fire it.> Noriko replies.
<The Olympian Senate is not happy about that. They want the weapon to be under their direct control, not subject to our unilateral decisions.> Lyra informs her.
<If we had to wait for the Senate’s approval, Hades would have conquered Olympus by the time they made a decision.> Helen comments.
<I’m sorry, why are we talking about starting another war? We just won one!> Vesta says.
<We must be ready to protect ourselves to avoid a new attack.> Athena replies.
<From whom? We were attacked by three galactic empires and we won so thoroughly that one of them lost its emperor and the other one doesn’t exist anymore. Ereshkigal was the last openly hostile member of the Nine Gods, right?> Vesta insists.
<Do we still call them Nine Gods now that Hades is dead? Is it Eight Gods now?> Shaina asks.
<Make that seven. We received information from the Naqada Galaxy… Rei has conquered it.> Noriko reveals, activating the holographic projector. It shows a woman looking exactly like her.
<She’s cute.> Aphrodite comments.
<Another clone of yours?> Athena asks Noriko, raising an eyebrow.
<Sort of. She’s a duplicate created in an artificial reality… long story. She has all of my intelligence, all my powers, and enough ambition to threaten the Twelve Ga… uhm, the Eleven Galaxies.>
<Does she have an Yggdrasil of her own?> Enyo asks.
<For the last time, we are not carpet bombing another galaxy with black holes!>
<What is even the point of owning such a weapon without using it?> Enyo complains, crossing her arms and almost pouting.
<Is Anubis dead?> Hebe asks.
<No. She’s controlling him in some way.> Noriko informs her.
<Then we should come to his rescue. Anubis signed an alliance with us.> Hebe reminds her.
<I’m honestly more interested in taking down Rei than saving Anubis, but we’re not in the shape to immediately start another war.> Noriko says.
<Even at the height of his power Anubis would not have been able to pose a serious threat to the Olympian Galaxy. I find it unlikely that this Rei would attack us directly. Given her choice of exploiting the absence of Anubis, her most logical course of action would be taking advantage of the power vacuum in the Aegian Galaxy to annex Atlantis first.> Athena comments.
<It does sound like something she would do.> Noriko nods.
<How can you be sure?> Helen asks.
<I wouldn’t exactly call Rei “logical”, but she’s very methodical. And… if I wanted to take over everything… that’s precisely the plan I would use.> Noriko admits.
<Then you suggest that our priority should be assisting the new Atlantis regime.> Hebe says.
<Yes. Calypso inherited a third of Poseidon’s territory, and she’s willing to allow mortal rule. I suggest we formally endorse Kestral as the new leader of her sector… you know, the merman leader of the Atlantis Uprising. We’ve fought together and I’d trust him with my life. As for the other two leaders, I have some plans on how to influence both Despoina and Rhodos.> Noriko explains.
<Wouldn’t it be much easier to just annex the Aegian Galaxy to our Empire?> Athena asks.
<I am not in the business of territorial expansion. And if the universe has learned anything from this war, is that every galactic empire that attempts to conquer another will get its ass kicked. Now, if nobody minds, I’d like to move the discussion to how to handle the Hades trial.>
As she continues the conversation, Athena is instead lost in different thoughts:
“The one lesson learned is that you no longer have a monopoly on overthrowing gods, and yet you are more concerned in building a wider alliance. What threat have you uncovered that scares you so much you won’t tell us about it, Noriko?” the goddess of wisdom wonders.
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