Difference between revisions of "Sovereigns game"

A fragment of the Garden of Remembering
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== The Job ==


Reset. Where are we even going with this?
The job: heist, some item/artifact
* held by powerful folks with lots of resources in vaults/with securtiy, need to infiltrate things, can get in past open floors of museum/casino/staging area/whatever
* folks might be the Magi, but probably aren't, because that would really complicate things later and also they really like keeping things in-house and thus would be rather hard to infiltrate. Probably some random other gang or corporation, or an operation by a specific bureau.
* have plan for getting past security, need to get crew/get rest of crew back from random holidays or out of prison or another totally random job they were already doing, or stuff, and figure out the details of everything else
* job is kind of sudden and high priority and they need to beat anyone else there


== 0 ==
The opening: planning and all the stuff to actually do the heist
* They do the heist. They make it in. There's some unnecessary drama about all the over the top security, and some conflict with head of security guy.
* The item is already gone, head of security guy shows up absolutely pissed and everyone expects him to arrest them, but then he turns out to have been their totally adorable mechanic Khalemi, and their other inside source all along. Is absolutely pissed that she fucked up the security, because she was actually trying to make it good specifically so this ''wouldn't happen''. Everyone is a bit surprised, because the security guy was actually some pretty good acting on her part, and also why was it a guy?!


Instantiate. The wide room. The grand hall. Visitors Center to the right, gift shop attached. Some cafes, probably; this is civilisation, after all. Hallways leading off. Wide doors. Staircases. The entire second floor is a conference venue. This is the base floor of the Atlas Tower of the Magi. There are five towers in total, rising above the great city covering the plains, between the forested mountains. Seres, Gorgon, Torrent, Calcutta, and at their center, Atlas, the main one. The tall one. There are other floors below this, but they are not typically open to the public. The floors above vary. Most of the libraries have hours. The restaurants, the overlooks, the gardens, these are all open when they are open. Anyone could probably walk into one of the meditation chambers at any time, if only they knew where they were going, and as long as they didn't make trouble, nobody would likely mind.
Ensue: the plot. Hunting down the folks who stole the item. It's important, yo. Brains of their opperations, criminal mastermind Cithandra, won't say why, but it is, and they need to get it back. Things go sideways at some point. Comnen, usual point guy, talky person, swagger and all that, gets taken out of the running, and Cithandra has to take direct control of everything and more than being a general mastermind, turns out to be really, really scary as direct boss. Also really suave and sophisticated. But scary-like.


Nissa is in the base now, getting coffee, or whatever their local equivalent is. Whatever ''her'' equivalent is. Something sticky and unpronounceable. Boba. She's that kind of student, not that most of the folk around her would take her for a student. She's not really dressed like one, but nor is she dressed like a master. Mostly she's just dressed like a random person, surrounded by random people, and chatter filling the space.
Somehow they get Comnen back. Hijinks ensue throuhout. Sokar does his thing taking random side jobs all the way through, which turns out to be a really good cover at least two times in a row when security people ask them just what the ''fuck'' they're doing here.


She finds a table, sits down, pulls out a tablet, pulls up some spells. Their forms hover over the table, the accompanying text appearing on air, backed in opaque white. She reads them carefully, mouthing the forms, trying to shape them in her mind. There are rooms set aside for exactly this higher up. Quiet rooms. Fireproof rooms. Rooms with serene views and carefully constructed soundtracks and no distractions, painstakingly designed to facilitate learning and retention.
Ending: they get the item.
* Item is a key to a vault of scary group ..., which they open, and find... an alien girl?!
* Having no idea what the hell else to do, they take her with them as they head out into the stars for their next adventure.
* Also said alien girl probably wasn't at all what Cithandra was expecting either, but whatever.


Nissa doesn't want facilitation. She wants the real world. She wants to learn in the same chaos and cacophony she'll be using it in. She wants her damn boba.
=== Setting organisations ===


Her fingers spark, and she shakes it off onto the table. That wasn't even remotely related to the spell she was trying to do. She peers at the notes, flicking through the pages - has she stumbled upon something else, perhaps?
Somewhere in the background there's references to at least some of the three main scaries, which may or may not show up as clients hiring the crew at some point or other:
* The United Worlds, the massively bureaucratic galactic republic where everything mostly just goes through random bureaus regardless of what the politicians from all the random systems actually say
* The Magi, a quasi-religious guild of space wizards that basically force all magic-capable people they find to either join them or die (or maybe just be cut off from the magic, which is also horrible for them?)
* The ... which turns out to be this horrible mysterious organisation that experiments on monsters (aliens) for ''reasons'', and is a good chunk of why so many of the aliens are humanoid (or elven?), because they actually started out as humans/elves or were previously much more alien and then engineered into hybrids. This is definitely not commonly known and will not come up for awhile. Is probably known as a major source of biotech through some front, and is in fact possibly really only known for that at all, publicly.
: Probably run by a group of dark wizards, or something.


The problem is, Nissa is brilliant. Among the Magi, she's considered a prodigy, a sensitivity to the Source unlike anything they've seen before. But it's not true. She might be good, rather better than average, even, but her skill is not talent, and she isn't some sort of magical nexus. It's all skill, trained by an intellect ever seeking answers, with a focus born of practice and discipline. If it were the same discipline employed by the Magi, it would be fine. But it isn't. She made it all up as she went, following the mathematical patterns of the physics of the rest of the universe, assuming there would be parallels with the magic of the Source itself.
Other random groups that occur:
* Citheldryn: a myserious organisation that has embassies on random planets and isn't entirely clear what its purpose is, where it came from, or anything. Also very unclear where any of their money, of which they seem to have a lot, comes from. Is generally suspected of just paying off the UW bureaucracy to ignore them.
* Syndicate: a major crime guild that somehow has never actually been connected to any crimes, officially. But everyone knows they do crime. They do crime.
* The Right People: not exactly a group so much as just random people who think the UW/Magi, in particular, are dumb, and do their own thing. Gnerally includes any gangs/other unlawful factions not actively at war with each other, as well as quite a few underground non-Magi wizards. Syndicate is not really a part of this, but sometimes involved.
* Various other guilds, gangs, corporations, cabals, and planets doing various things throughout
* The border worlds, which may or may not have any seat in the UW itself, and often go totally ignored by its bureaus/forces, and thus may wind up ''really'' doing their own things


And, though she doesn't fully understand it yet, she was right.
=== Crew ===


* Comnen - probably actually owns the ship, boss as far as everyone is concerned, prefers smuggling jobs but also has history as a merc and will do heists etc if someone else figures out the details. Presents himself as a ball of swagger and confidence, and puts all this swagger and confidence to use to hold the crew together, along with just generally being awesome.
* Cithandra - suave, sophisticated, and above all, absolutely gorgeous and elegant criminal mastermind behind a lot of the jobs, sometimes tells the crew the full plan, sometimes... not. Also generally doesn't actually come across as particularly criminal or mastermind, and usually just suggests random things offhand, and then finances random parts of it, as the rest of them put the details of the operation together...
: Overtly, she's just this rich lady who hired the ship to take her with and finances them because she was bloody ''bored''.
* Sokar - main pilot, keeps taking on these totally ridiculous side jobs whenever they get to a new system, much to everyone's annoyance. Possibly turns out that this tendency was ''precisely'' why Cithandra hired him.
* Khalemi - medic, tech handler in general, bot operator, very good with security systems and distributed operations, completely lost whenever she has to do anything hands-on. Also apparently a pretty good actor... when acting a man. Can't act out other women for the life of her.
* Jonas - some sort of 'public relations'
* Torkora Ma - wanton thief, possibly another sort of 'public relations'
* Nissa - young underworld wizard with a very peculiar view of how magic works, uses it to fix random stuff, very nonchalant about absolutely everything, with a particular skill for going completely unnoticed as she just walks right into pretty much anything unquestioned




Instantiate. Elsewhere. Ciphreya: another city, another world, another galaxy. Civilised, but differently. This is much smaller, and isolate. A sanctuary in crystalline architecture, away from the troubles of the rest of the universe. They consider themselves the apex of development, here, the heart of a monumental organisation. They're right, to a point. Their influence is huge, and spans across the local clusters. Beyond that point, they're not so right. It's too far away. They don't even know what's out there. The void. The abyss. Dark beyond of the known universe. Other civilisations, perhaps, with other apexes. They haven't made contact, and the gods have been vague to a fault.
Several of them really don't get along with each other, but do have the professionalism to keep overtly expressing it to a miniumum while actually doing the job (well, usually). Will get very annoyed when they have to fix things for each other, but generally make a point of doing it precisely so the other survives/makes it out/whatever so they can actually berate them about it...


But their gods back them. Their gods are among them. That makes it all right. Right?
== Screenplay? ==


Rahah doesn't think so. She wants everyone to just leave her alone, let her grow up, play, make friends and be ridiculous. She's only six. She's a god, or at least the reincarnation of one, or so everyone keeps insisting. She doesn't want to be a god. She wants to be normal.
<screenplay>


She's incarnated as a Deresi, but passes for Nissai: an elf apparently in her adolescence, adult proportions, but lanky, short. Her control over her magic betrays her most of all. A teenager would be able to cast a light without setting it on fire. A teenager would actually know how to cast in the first place. But everything Rahah tries comes out wrong. She can't shape the spells at all. Mostly she can do tricks with force, pushing and pulling at a distance. Sometimes she manages to control the flow of raw energy: not magical, but kinetic, thermal, magnetic, or perhaps simply the very processes behind them. There's no shaping this.


So mostly she doesn't. She pretends not even to be a caster at all. It's easier than to admit the truth: as Deresi, her connection to the Source is different. She is her own source, her own nexus. And so the general hatred and mistrust of Deresi passes her by, but so, too, do opportunities. Opportunities to learn and grow. Opportunities to understand.


NISSA
There's a magus here.
(she gestures in a direction)
Somewhere thataway. We should be careful.


SOKAR
How do you tell?


The Source. One of the lingering mysteries of the universe. Every great civilisation has, if they progressed far enough, tried to tap into it at some point on a global scale. It is, after all, a source of power, a connection between worlds, the exception that makes Darstaddian physics work. Like the ambient matter that holds galaxies together, it is the ambient energy that pulls all forces together, and so it is used to power entire civilisations, to reinvent travel, to rebuild the foundation of the very concept of existence. The downfall of many, in time, has been taking this too far. The cenva, the first ones, remade their very selves upon this, and thus unmade themselves. The gods were reborn of these fragments. The Artiil, the humans, launched themselves into the cosmos on the tails of their own destruction, losing their homeworld, but not, at least, their own being.
NISSA
They're practically glowing with power.


To engineers and architects, it is but another tool, another constraint, to use and work around.
Sokar gives her a sudden, worried look.


To casters, those born with an innate sensitivity who choose to pursue its more personal application, or who have it engineered into them later in life, it is a wellspring of power and madness. Most remain at the surface, only pulling small amounts of power, for simple things: to ease the day to day, complement other skills, perform some tricks, but stick to the known, written spells, and never go too far. But some delve deeper. The madmen, the visionaries, the sorcerers. These are inevitably the pioneers, those who discover its applications, who write up the theorems that form the basis for new spells, and for the more global applications of the civilisations themselves. Some of them become gods. Many destroy themselves. Others skirt disaster at every new reach, only to find themselves changed no matter how careful they were, for it always changes its users, the more so the deeper, the darker, they go.
NISSA
Oh, don't worry. They're very bad at what they do, totally uncontrolled, so it's really easy to sense them. I'm much better than that.


There are speculations as to how deep it goes. There are speculations as to there being another side: a dark side, an existence far stranger, that mirrors our own, perhaps, or something else entirely. But these are only speculations. There are no hypotheses, not that can be tested.
SOKAR
If you say so, kid.


Even the gods don't know, save, perhaps, for one. The biggest one of all. The Spirit of the Universe. She's not even a god anymore, not really, but she was, once. Long ago. Before she changed. Maybe, just maybe, she reached that other, darker, side. Maybe this was what changed her. The Deathgods, after all, call her their ''Dark'' Sister. But she doesn't speak with mortals. She doesn't even speak with most gods anymore. The Deathgods act as her liaisons on the rare occasion she deems anything worth communicating, and she doesn't accept questions.






The man sits down across from her, and Nissa looks up in surprise. It's Damorin, one of the Magi masters. "I missed you today," he says. "You need to practise."


"I do practise," Nissa replies. "I'm practising right now."


"What?" Damorin asks. "The lessons give structure. If you don't practise the key foundations..."
JONAS
Shit, how old are you, anyway?


"Your key foundations don't work," Nissa says, cutting him off. "There's structure here, but it's all arbitrary anyway. Isn't it more important that I have a structure, rather than conflicting it with contradictory bases?"
NISSA
Mmm, I dunno. Maybe 10ish?


"You're a Magus," Damorin says. "You can't just make up your own basis. It doesn't work that way."
JONAS
What...
(turning and yelling toward Comnen)
BOSS! The kid is really a kid!


Nissa stares at him, dropping a half-shaped spell in a small flash of colour. She doesn't know what to say to this. She's already said too much. Unaffiliated magic is illegal in the Commonwealth, but it's hardly safe in the Union, either, the neighbouring militaristic state with which an uneasy truce is maintained purely out of necessity: an all-out war would devastate both parties, and leave the galaxy in ruins. So, being from the Commonwealth herself, she'd joined the Magi, the Commonwealth mages, and tried to get along with their particular approach. She'd thought it'd be freeing, to openly practice magic. Instead she'd found it utterly stifling.
COMNEN
(showing up)
Yeah? So?


"What I mean to say is I can do all that already!" Nissa says, feigning incredulity. "Why do I need to go to these lessons? They're pointless."
JONAS
So... she's like, really, really young!


"Really?" Damorin asks. "Show me a common star."
Nissa just smiles, looking vaguely cute.


Nissa holds up her hand and a pinpoint of light appears above it.
COMNEN
Yes...?


Damorin nods. "Make a purification."
JONAS
Like... a ''kid''. Why're we puttin' a kid in all these... situations?


Nissa gives him a slightly surprised look, and then pulls up the spell on her tablet, before shaping it out, mostly according to the instructions, adapting it slightly to her own manner of casting. She drops it over the table, and it immediately sparkles, clean.
NISSA
Is it really ''you'' putting me in these situations? Is it?


"You need to know the spells," Damorin says, frowning. "That won't work in the field."
COMNEN
She's a fucking squid, man. They're weird.


Nissa tries to hide her own surprise, and apparently pulls it off. He hadn't noticed the difference. Had he? "Why would I need to clean something on the spot without time to look it up?" she asks. "What possible situation could mandate that?" What she also doesn't mention is that she already has another cleaning spell that she knows well - a much less pristine version with a more variable scope. Hers looks natural, unlike this. Like cleaning by hand, it takes multiple passes, multiple castings, to make anything sparkle. She uses it daily when no one's looking, to avoid having to clean things up by hand.
He turns and leaves.


"I can think of a few," Damorin says.
JONAS
But... but...


"Okay, fine," Nissa says. "What do you want from me?"
NISSA
(now looking a bit annoyed)
Squid. Yes, that is... ''exactly''...


"Come to the lessons," Damorin says. "Practice with us, and complete your basic training. You're young yet, but with patience you'll get the independence you crave."


"Okay," Nissa says. She's not as young as they think, but what they'll forgive of a twelve-year-old is far more than they might of seventeen. And she doesn't look her age. She'd always resented this, when she lived on her own. Now, though, here, it's her armour, her saving grace whenever she goes too far, says the wrong thing. She's just twelve. Doesn't know what she's talking about. That's all there is to it.


Damorin smiles.




SOKAR
I got us a new job.


Twenty yaks. Twenty yaks had stampeded the corridor when they opened the portal. Rahah stares at the mess below, dumbfounded. She's perched atop a doorframe, clinging to a bit of wall trim. This wasn't what she'd expected. Jerindal, hanging from a light fixture further down, also stares. This wasn't what he'd expected, either.
COMNEN
What... the fuck?


Two yaks, all that's left, stand around amidst the mess. They forage a bit at it. They chew on the potted plants.
KHALEMI
...again?


Two yaks is enough for the two young elves to remain clinging to their perches above them, afraid to make a sound.
TORKORA MA
Are we stealing something?


The much older elven man who marches in a moment after, however, is not afraid to speak at all. "What, in all the worlds, happened here?" he demands loudly.
SOKAR
Naw, naw, this is just a strict pick up, drop off.


The two yaks stop munching to watch him yakily.
TORKORA MA
You say that like that's not exactly how stealing things works...


"Don't!" Jerindal squeaks. "You'll spook them again!"
KHALEMI
What's the catch?


"Really? That's all you have to say for yourself?" the man says. "And you, Sovereign," he goes on, turning on Rahah. "I would have expected better of you."
SOKAR
No catch, just passengers.


"Er, better than what, exactly?" she asks. "This was all an accident."
COMNEN
How is that not a catch?!
We're already sitting on stolen cargo, and we still have to catch up...


"Yeah, dad, this really wasn't what we were trying to do." Jerindal says.
KHALEMI
Yeah, that does sound a biiit dodgy.


"So what exactly ''were'' you trying to do?" Jerindal's dad asks.
CITHANDRA
And passengers will be a very nice way to ensure nobody checks for stolen cargo when we stop off. Isn't that right?


"Er," Jerindal says, starting to panic. "You know. About that? Yes."
SOKAR
Uh... is it?


"Leave," Rahah says.


"Leave?" Jerindal's dad asks.


"Leave Ciphreya," Rahah says. "We were trying to get away. I mean, I was. Trying to get out of here. Anywhere but here. So we opened a portal. Jerindal was helping me because he's really good with magic, but it's not his fault. I talked him into it. It just... it worked, sort of, but then a herd of yaks came out and... um..." she shrugs blankly, looking sheepish, trying to cover the lie. Jerindal is basically the only friend she has. He'd insisted on going with her, just so she wouldn't be entirely alone, even though he was actually fairly happy here. And she'd needed it enough to not say no. "It didn't really... work?" she finishes, lamely.


Jerindal's dad stares at her. "Jerindal," he says, still looking at Rahah. "Room. Now."


Jerindal drops off the light fixture and runs away, giving the yaks a wide berth.
The passengers turn out to be: two magi and a kid, a priest, a random couple, and three guys they're all mildly certain would also fall among the Right People.


Rahah drops down as well. She stares up at Jerindal's dad defiantly, mostly just because she is so short, and that's the easiest way to look when looking up without looking totally pathetic.
Comnen glares at Sokar.


His name is Jerdalim. He's a member of the Hadris Citheldryn Arbitration Committee, the closest thing they have to a ruling body here. Or the closest thing in lieu of her, the supposed Sovereign. Not that they'd listen to a child. Maybe when she grows up they will, but somehow, naggingly, she suspects they'll to find a way around it then, too. It's been a very long time since the god has ruled here, and it's a far different organisation now.
COMNEN
''These'' are the passengers you managed to come up with?!


"Why?" he asks.
SOKAR
You know, maybe I am starting to think this wasn't such a good idea.


"Because it's absolutely stifling here!" she says. "I can't do anything, I can't have friends, whenever anything goes wrong it's always their fault and they take the fall, even when it's not! I'm the sovereign, the god, so I have to be perfect, and yet I'm a child and you won't even listen to me or let me do anything or anything! You can't even make up your stupid minds!"
NISSA
Well, I'm going to need to be careful.


"That's not how it is at all," Jerdalim says. "You just need to grow up, that's all."
COMNEN
What exactly happens if you aren't?


"You won't let me grow up!" she yells.
NISSA
Depends.


Jerdalim gives her a somewhat confused look, and starts to say something.
COMNEN
On?
 
NISSA
Depends.
(quietly)
We might need that priest.


Rahah turns and runs away.
SOKAR
...what for?


It's the wrong way. The way the rest of the yaks went, full of damage... and yaks. But she keeps going anyway, stubborn anger and fear and confusion driving her on as they hop away in surprise at the tiny ball of bushy hair and tears rushing past them. Why did she actually say all that? She doesn't know. She does want to get away, of course, but it's not that important, is it? They respect her so little already, and she knows this won't help, but... but she doesn't even know. It's all a mess, her whole life, and she doesn't know how to deal with any of it. She doesn't even have a dad, like Jerindal does. He lost his mother when he was very small, but she'd never had any parents at all. Been born from a seed of her own creation, she was told. Something she'd set up in a previous life.


She doesn't remember any of it. Previous lives, being a god, any of it. And yet that is the entire cause of everything wrong now - her past selves setting it all up for this - and so she resents them terribly. That they were all ''her'' only makes it that much worse, somehow.
</screenplay>


She curls up in a dark corner, past the destruction and yaks, past the people going on about their lives as they pass from place to place, and winds up amidst the dust of the empty rooms beyond. She cries into her knees, not knowing what else to do.
== Old stuff ==


Possibly some stuff that happens later...


{{ hidden |


The Arbitration Committee of the Hadris Citheldryn does more than arbitrate. They also review proposals, among other, even more boring, tasks. Most of the proposals up for consideration now are fairly standard, and this one, submitted by a member they don't know, probably some recruit from the galaxy of Edo itself, fits right in with the rest.
LATER STUFF, I DUNNO.


The proposal is essentially thus: establish formal diplomatic relations with the Magi of the Edo Commonwealth. It makes some solid points. The Magi are organised, and generally peaceful, unlike their Union counterparts, a loose consortium of warring warlocks who basically run the Union. The Magi safeguard various powerful artefacts, and it would be valuable to ensure these artefacts remain in good hands. The Magi are relatively enlightened, unlike most of the very competitive factions even in the Commonwealth itself. It would be worthwhile to share knowledge and practices, and learn from each other. There's little to lose from a diplomatic mission as a cover for a more thorough evaluation.
Reset. Where are we even going with this?


The committee deliberates. They don't bother to meet up, just read through it as they get to it and submit their comments online, replying to each other as need be. Standard practice. Consensus is established tricklingly, until nobody has anything more to add, and the proposal is put in the approved queue.
The Hadris Citheldryn reaches out to the Magi of the galaxy of Edo for the overt purpose of establishing relations between like-minded organisations. The practical reason is slightly different - they have no agents among the Magi, and yet they are the pushers behind the Commonwealth. They do have agents among the Union. Becoming a Lord there is easy.


The Citheldryn is an organisation of watchers and keepers, dedicated to the preservation of knowledge, protection of the cosmos, and on a smaller scale, enabling travellers from more advanced societies to more safely interact with those that might otherwise be considered unwise. They rarely get involved in local politics, but if they do show themselves, it is as a mysterious local faction, a neutral country, a group of charter houses. Maybe they present themselves as interested primarily in hunting monsters and curtailing the supernatural, maybe they are nothing more than a local embassy for some foreign power that's basically completely forgotten about the local presense, and never does anything.


Edo is one of the artiilie settlements gone wild, a galaxy primarily inhabited by humans and the humanoid aleakin, with populations of saakma and kriss thrown in. Few elves.


Rahah gets a notification, and pulls it up warily on her handheld. Strangely, it's nothing bad. A proposal she submitted almost a year ago under another name, almost as a joke, just to see what would happen, has been approved.
* Artiilie: ancient humans.
* Aleakin: anime girls with giant eyes, tentacles for hair, and four arms. Technically not actually girls as they're all hermaphroditic, but they ''sure look it''.
* Saakma: octopus-like things. Have tentacles instead of legs. Have tentacles instead of arms. Have tentacles on their heads. Eat pretty much everything, especially the more decomposed it is. Related to the aleakin, vaguely. Also hermaphroditic.
* Kriss: giant spider mantid crab people. Have way too many growth stages that all look totally different to keep track of, and nearly as many genders. It makes sense to them; nobody else even tries to keep track. Generally when others run into an alien thing they don't recognise they just assume it's a kriss at some random stage.


She stares at it blankly and wipes her eyes, the glow of her handheld illuminating her face, and the dust, and the empty room around her. She hadn't expected this. And yet she'd had a plan with it, sort of. She'd chosen Edo specifically: it was a big galaxy, heavily populated, ''not'' of the elven worlds, and not Artiilie, and yet full of magic. Somewhere, perhaps, that she could disappear. Or be someone else. Or... what? She doesn't remember. It was a half-baked plan from the start, and now it's almost entirely gone.
Three primary factions:
* Commonwealth - republic of worlds with stupid politics, policed by the Magi. Relatively more representation of the common folk than in the Union, but mostly run by various corporations in practice. Control the left half of the galaxy.
* Union - feudal dictatorship run by the warlock Dark Lords, who constantly feud. Progression among the Lords generally achieved by being biggest bad in general vicinity, and constant backstabbing. For common people it's just tiresome and for the most part they just ignore it. Control the other left half of the galaxy.
* 'Right People' - not really a faction, so much as a loose assortment of criminals and people who just don't care about the stupid feud between the two empires. Grey Systems in the neutral zone between the two left halves sometimes claim to be 'among the right people'. Some Commonwealth corporations also officially involved. Also connected via dark net, etc.


She marks the proposal for further notifications. Now that the committee has apparently finally looked at it, something should happen fairly soon.


== 1 ==
== 1 ==


Nissa attends the lessons, even the ones conducted by the masters she ''really'' doesn't like, and goes through the motions, casting the spells. She doesn't even try to do as the masters instruct anymore, simply casting them all her own way, translating them to her own understanding of magic, but even still, none of the Magi seem to notice the difference. She's not sure why: she can see it plain as day. But they simply applaud her apparent talent and tell the others to look at how she's doing it, follow her lead.
The main character of the story is small, not like how a child is small, although she is a child, but like how a half-size statue of a full-grown adult is, as a half-size statue, smaller than a full-size statue. Today, she's in disguise: firstly as a person who is simply not nearly as small as she actually is, and secondly as a person who is simply someone else who isn't her.


And it seems to work. Somehow some of the other students ''are'' learning by watching her. Or do they only think they are, and this is still enough to inspire them to succeed regardless? A sort of magical placebo effect? Nissa isn't really sure, but the Magi approach does seem very much based in feeling, so it would make sense. Hers is more about mapping the perceptions to predictable patterns, like the mathematics of music, playing out in impeccable beauty.
Her name is Rahah. She's an elf, she's very, very young, and she is, to her considerable irritation, apparently the reincarnation of a god. She doesn't want to be a god, she wants to go to other planets and hit monsters with a sword. But instead she is, and as a result, people won't leave her alone or let her do anything dangerous or go anywhere where dangerous things might happen. They tell her this is because she's too important, because she could get hurt, or, her personal ''lease favourite'', because 'hitting things with swords is uncivilised'. But really, Rahah just wants to go hit things with swords anyway. She doesn't want to be civilised. Civilised is boring.


It's in her physics classes that they show surprise. She's very good, a very quick study. She's doing her best to not betray the fact that she knows it all already, of course, but this is very basic stuff. Mechanics. Simple energy. Introductory fields. She wiles away her time mapping more complex concepts back to the Source, and the Source to the very same mathematics as the rest, and sometimes they glance over her shoulder before she realises, and see the equations on her screen. Usually she's just staring blankly, thinking, and so they take the blank stare to mean she doesn't actually know what she's looking at and ignore it. But then someone catches her making some connection, writing down a counterpoint or progression, finishing a proof.
So today, she's changed her appearance and put on a pair of hoverskates that make her at least appear to be at eye level, maybe, to a merely ''short'' person. Her name is now Sjerdami. And Sjerdami is signed up for a 'diplomatic mission' to another galaxy. There probably won't be any opportunities to hit things with swords on this 'diplomatic mission', but maybe she'll get lucky, right? She hopes she'll get lucky.


Nissa isn't even sure what it's for. She just followed the maths to the logical conclusion, intending to test it out later. She's just about to go back to staring blankly at it when she realises she is being watched, someone is standing over her, and she looks back suddenly, up.
At very least it'll get her out of this place and away from her overbearing guardians who only want the best for her.


Master Callas is staring down at her screen in wonderment. "I don't believe it," he whispers. "You've solved Alacro's Theorem."
Sort of.


"Huh?" Nissa says blankly. She has, genuinely, no idea what he's talking about, but then she runs a search and pulls up the theorem itself. It's familiar, all right. Not exactly what she was working on, but very close. This isn't something she'd counted on at all, someone recognising what she was doing.
Rahah - no, Sjerdami - gets to the hangar where the ship is to find everyone else apparently already there, and getting yelled at. Some of them are wearing uniforms like hers - dark and glittering and masked - but a lot of them are just wearing random clothes. She scoots over and hangs behind the bulk of the group, not trying to draw attention. Not show her guilt. Sjerdami's real. Of course she is.


"Do you mean to say," Callas says slowly, "that you came up with all of that, start to end, on your own?"
The woman in charge, Tersulles, doesn't seem to notice, and continues to try to yellingly coordinate the group, getting progressively more tired-sounding as she directs folks about, loading the ship, sorting out roles. Most of them aren't actually doing much and just sort of stand there regardless.


"Uh," Nissa says, pulling up her version again. "I just found this on an image board. It's not even the same..." She starts to point to one of the differing bits and then stops, realising her mistake, as usual, all too late. "Oh."
"Stop, stop, stop!" Tersulles says loudly, "Everyone just stop."


He's not even looking at her tablet anymore, just her. "Come with me," Callas says.
Everyone just sort of stops, aside from the people who were already stopped, who continue doing exactly what they had been doing.<ref>Nothing.</ref>


The rest of the class is staring, watching, trying to figure out what's going on. They're oddly quiet.
Tersulles takes the opportunity to count heads, winds up short, looks a bit concerned, and then comes around and spots Sjerdami.


Nissa gets up, follows him. The class watches in utter bemusement as they leave, tense with anticipation.
"Oh, stars, would you not stand in back when you're that short?" she says exasperatedly.


He takes her to his office. "All right," he says. "Let's put it up on the board."
"Sorry!" Sjerdami says.


Nissa glances between the board and her tablet, considering how best to connect them, and then doesn't. There's something amiss with this, something niggling that she can't quite place. She grabs a stylus instead, and starts rewriting it out, referencing the tablet, trying to figure it out as she goes.
"Is this your first mission?" Tersulles asks, marginally more kindly.


It's fairly normal, as far as she can tell. Straight maths, mapping into the Source.
"Er, maybe," Sjerdami says.


And then it occurs to her, all at once, why all their science is stuck. Why the stagnation, why none of the maths have moved on past a point, for so long: that's where the theorem stopped. It's leaving out the Source. They are leaving it out of all of it. Magic is as much a part of mathematics as force or energy, and yet nobody is using it.
The woman turns back to the rest of the group. "Anyone else new too?"


She's quick enough to not say anything, maintaining her blank expression, just pausing as she goes, glancing back up at what she's already written. There's no way she could be the first person in a thousand years to realise this. Not in a galaxy this big. Not on both sides of the divide. What happened to all the others?!
"Is that a problem?" a guy says from somewhere in the middle of the lot.


She writes out the next line, changing one key thing from the proof in her notes.
"No, just... who are you?" Tersulles asks, shooing people out of the way.


She changes the following line to be a progression from that, and continues on, propagating the change through the rest of it, until she gets to the end, and closes the proof. She steps back, pressing her tablet to her chest, screen inward.
The guy, now visible, waves.


This doesn't make any sense. It's utterly insane. And yet that feeling in her gut, that great seeping dread, it tells her that she's right, against all logic.
"Right," she says. "You two, make a note. If we ever pair off, don't pair with each other. Make sure you wind up with someone more experienced."


Callas nods, reading through it, and then just stops. "Wait," he says. "How'd you get this? From Sade's induction to..." he points between the previous line and the one Nissa had changed. "That's not right."
"But she's so cute and tiny! Why can't I?" the new guy asks.


"Er," Nissa says, trying to sound as clueless as possible, "you can't do that?"
Sjerdami glares at him.


"No," Callas sighs, but he chuckles regardless. "Still, this is very good, especially at your age."
"And how would you like to be called 'cute and tiny'?" Tersulles demands.


"So what... can you do there?" Nissa asks.
"Well, uh," he says, "it's okay? I mean, people do it all the time."


Callas write out another line, slightly different from the changed line, and then just stops. "That's it. That's all you can do. That's the problem," he says. His replacement matches her original. Except unlike his, hers had continued right on from there.
"And you're just straight up admitting this?" someone else asks.


"Oh," Nissa says. Apparently she'd only barely caught it in time. Or something. In time for what, though, really? What is the deal with that feeling, that terrible dread about all of this?
"Okay, I did not need to know that," another person entirely says.


The Magi talk about following their feelings often, speaking of the Source guiding them, and up until now Nissa has always just sort of nodded along, not really understanding, figuring it went hand-in-hand with their weird casting in general. But is this what they meant? Is the Source guiding her now, keeping her away from something terrible?
"Er, why do you assume we know what we're doing even if we have done this before?" another woman asks in the middle of all of this.


She gives Callas an uncertain look, masking her fear in confusion.
"Everyone, please!" Tersulles shouts, putting up her hands. "Stop. You're like cats!"


He shrugs. "We should get you some proper maths classes," he says.
"Cute and fluffy?" someone suggests, and receives a withering glare for his comment.


They get back, only to find the rest of the class gone.
Finally everyone stops, and Tersulles conjures up a console and activates overlays on everyone. Suddenly all their names are hovering above their heads for everyone to see, colour-coded in blue, purple, and red, with a small amount of status data as well.


"I suppose this is why you don't leave a pack of twelve-year-olds unattended," Callas says.
Sjerdami looks up worriedly, but hers just says 'Sjerdami' like it's supposed to.


"Well, not without an explanation," Nissa says.
"Now we know who everyone is," Tersulles says. "So if you want to continue making annoying comments, I ''will know who you are.''" She goes on, losing the threatening tone, "Colours mark your general roles: red's guards, blue's aids, and I and Keke Ama are apparently purple."


"Relax, child," he tells her. "I got overly excited, that's all. You didn't do anything wrong."
"So what's purple?" a guy named Varras asks.


Nissa isn't so sure about that. She isn't so sure at all.
"We're the ambassadors," Tersulles says slowly. "Which you should know if you've read the brief." She pauses. "How many of you have read the mission brief?"


Three agents raise their hands, including Sjerdami and the other newbie, whose name is apparently Lhorys. Then, very hesitantly, another hand goes up as well. This hand belongs to Keke Ama.


Tersulles stares at the other ambassador worriedly.


A call for participation is announced, like any other. Diplomatic mission to the Magi of Edo. Primary roles: two ambassadors, three assistants, five guards. Secondary role for all: investigation. Rahah signs up as a guard, under yet another name, this one with agent clearance. She has a knack for names, and the access required to add them. She covers it up by adding a bunch of others, too, going through the request queues and performing evaluations like it's all totally normal. The guidelines are straight-forward enough. She's pretty sure she's doing the real ones right. Nobody has sent her anything complaining, or done any mass reverts.
"Wait, so there was a brief?" Varras says.


She changes her form for the occasion, pushing herself to the limits of her shapeshifting abilities, which are, admittedly, pretty limited. She changes her facial structure as much as she can, which turns out to be slightly, makes her skin paler, her hair sleek and black and long, no longer the bushy brown mess that had stood out so much. The addition of horns and a tail mark her as Unezca now, a demonic elf, and the deep blue scales pointing her arms and legs and framing her face only solidify the look. She's still short, a patent midget, but a pair of hoverskate boots adds a few inches, even when they're turned off. On, levitating her rather off the ground, they add well over a foot.
"Usually is," an elderly elven woman, Tull, says.


She won't be able to change her form again for a few weeks, at best. But it should be enough. Now, with her boots and black Ciphreyan guard uniform, weapons on her thighs, hair pulled back in a tight knot and swinging braid, she doesn't even recognise her own reflection. The girl in the mirror, she looks too adept, too organised. Too old.
"But you didn't read it either?" Varras asks her, looking a bit relieved.


"Oh, I am surely mad," she tells herself, plonking her mask on top of her head. Her voice is different, too, deeper, raspier, changed with the rest. It's all little things, really. Easy things, adding up.
Tersulles sighs. "I must honestly wonder," she says, "What those who hold our organisation in high regard would think if they saw this."


She puts on a shield, affixing the small blue gem to her forehead, right above her brows, like a piece of jewellery, and a faint glow spreads over her form before disappearing. It doesn't look utilitarian, but it is. That the colour of the gem perfectly matches her scales is entirely by design.
"Oh, we're totally professional," Tull says. "We just need to put on our professional faces first. Isn't that right?"


She goes to the hangar, meets the rest of the party at the ship, kind of hanging behind the bulk of the group, not trying to draw attention. Not show her guilt. She's real. Of course she is.
"Unequivocally," an Amanstani says. "Arbitrator, come on. Tell us what we need to know to pretend to be professionals."


Stuff is coordinated. The woman in charge gets progressively more tired-sounding as she directs folks about, and Rahah realises it's Tersulles, a member of the Arbitration Committee.
Tersulles gives everyone a moment just to see if they care to continue to irritate her before going on. "As you all would know if you had actually read the brief," she says irately, "this is a diplomatic mission to the Magi of the galaxy of Edo. I will be acting as primary ambassador, with Keke Ama as secondary. You all will be our assistants and guards, and generally pretending to be real professionals." She glares around at the group. "You all remember which you signed up to be, right?"


"Okay, okay, fine," Tersulles says loudly, "everyone just stop."
The agents nod.


Everyone just sort of stops, waiting for Tersulles to do something else. She takes the opportunity to count heads, winds up short, looks a bit concerned, and then comes around and spots Rahah.
"Sure," Amanstani says. "I'm a guard, right?" Her name is in blue, though, clearly marking her as an aid.


"Oh, stars, would you not stand in back?" she says exasperatedly.  
Tersulles ignores this. "Because if not, again, you're coloured accordingly," she says. "The main thing you'll be doing aside from that is observing the Edo while we do this. See what stands out. See what feels off. There may be undercurrents in their worlds that we do not yet know, and it is your job to follow up on them." She pauses. "That being said, this is a low-priority mission. Should things go... awry, simply get out. Retreat to a safehouse. ''Don't everyone get killed or come pester me about it, or pester me about getting killed.'' Any questions?"


"Sorry!" Rahah says.
An apparent Tenenbaume raises a hand slightly.


"Is this your first mission?" Tersulles asks, marginally more kindly.
"Yes?" Tersulles asks.


"Er, yeah," Rahah says.
"Awry how?" Tenenbaume asks.


Tersulles turns back to the rest of the group. "Anyone else new too?"
"Awry," Tersulles responds slowly, building up almost unto hysterics, "Wrong. Problems. Catastrophic failure. Anything from and up to rabid squirrels to imploding planets. Completely overreacting regardless of the situation is fine, as long as you remember your fellow agents and don't get them killed. Please, do not get them killed. Or me. I will be very upset if you get me killed on what is supposed to be a low-priority, low-risk mission to peaceful words."


"Is that a problem?" a guy says.
Tenenbaume raises his hand again. "How completely is 'completely overreacting'?" he asks.


"No, just... who are you?" Tersulles asks, shooing people out of the way.  
"Like if we implode the planet in reaction to rabid squirrels," Tull suggests.


The guy, now visible, waves.
"That seems excessive," a guy whose name is apparently just 'Aa' says.


"Right," she says. "You two, make a note. If we ever pair off, don't pair with each other. Make sure you wind up with someone more experienced."
"Exactly!" Tull tells him.


"But she's so cute and tiny! Why can't I?" the new guy asks.
"We do want to avoid excessive loss of life, damages, or anything up to or including starting a war," Tersulles replies, regaining her composure.


Rahah glares at him.
Tenenbaume raises his hand again. Tersulles just stares at him.


"And how would you like to be called 'cute and tiny'?" Tersulles demands.
"Define 'excessive'."


"Well, uh," he says, "It's okay? I mean, people do it all the time."
"Gods take me now," Tersulles mutters. "You're not cats. You're... somehow worse. I'm herding something ''worse than cats''."


"And you're just straight up admitting this?" someone else asks.
== 2 ==


"Okay, I did not need to know that," another person entirely says.
They finally get all the pre-launch stuff sorted out, load themselves into what turns out to be a much bigger ship on the inside than on the outside, and launch it, rather lazily, into space.


"Er, why do you assume we know what we're doing even if we have done this before?" another woman asks in the middle of all of this.
They drift vaguely away from the planet. Rahah... er, Sjerdami, stares vaguely, and quite literally, off into space out the large window. Aa is in a poofy armchair piloting. Tersulles has locked herself away in an office where nobody can bother her. Mostly everyone else is just sort of hanging around.


"Everyone, please!" Tersulles shouts, putting up her hands. "Stop. You're like cats!"
"So we getting going, or what?" Keke Ama asks.


"Cute and fluffy?" someone suggests, and receives a withering glare for his comment.
"You wanna drive?" Aa says, getting up. "Here, you can drive. But when you accidentally take us sideways through space into another universe, don't go blaming me..."


Finally everyone stops, and Tersulles conjures up a console and activates overlays on everyone. Suddenly all their names are hovering above their heads for everyone to see, colour-coded in blue, purple, and red, with a small amount of status data as well.
Keke Ama gives Aa an uninterested look. "No, I just want to know if we're getting going or not at some point."


Rahah looks up worriedly, but hers just says 'Sjerdami' like it's supposed to.
"Yes, Ama," Aa says. "We are. At some point."


"Now we know who everyone is," Tersulles says. "So if you want to continue making annoying comments, I ''will know who you are.''" She goes on, losing the threatening tone, "Colours mark your roles: red's guards, blue's aids, and I and Keke Ama are apparently purple."
"Okay," Keke Ama says. "When?"


"So what's purple?" a guy named Varras asks.
"After I sort out the calculations?" Aa says.


"We're the ambassadors," Tersulles says. "Which you should know if you've read the brief." She pauses. "How many of you have read the brief?"
"Okay," Keke Ama says.


Three agents raise their hands, including Rahah and the other newbie, whose name is apparently Lhorys. Then, very hesitantly, another hand goes up as well. This hand belongs to Keke Ama.
Aa and Keke Ama stare at each othe for a moment, and then Aa sits back down.


Tersulles stares at the other ambassador worriedly.


"Wait, so there was a brief?" Varras says.


"Usually is," an elderly Nisai woman, Tull, says.


"But you didn't read it either?" Varras asks her, looking a bit relieved.
{{ setup |


Tersulles sighs. "I must honestly wonder," she says, "What those who hold our organisation in high regard would think if they saw this."
== 0 ==


"Oh, we're totally professional," Tull says. "We just need to put on our professional faces first. Isn't that right?"
Instantiate. The wide room. The grand hall. Visitors Center to the right, gift shop attached. Some cafes, probably; this is civilisation, after all. Hallways leading off. Wide doors. Staircases. The entire second floor is a conference venue. This is the base floor of the Atlas Tower of the Magi. There are five towers in total, rising above the great city covering the plains, between the forested mountains. Seres, Gorgon, Torrent, Calcutta, and at their center, Atlas, the main one. The tall one. There are other floors below this, but they are not typically open to the public. The floors above vary. Most of the libraries have hours. The restaurants, the overlooks, the gardens, these are all open when they are open. Anyone could probably walk into one of the meditation chambers at any time, if only they knew where they were going, and as long as they didn't make trouble, nobody would likely mind.


"Unequivocally," Amanstani says. "Arbitrator, come on. Tell us what we need to know to pretend to be professionals."
Nissa is in the base now, getting coffee, or whatever their local equivalent is. Whatever ''her'' equivalent is. Something sticky and unpronounceable. Boba. Her daily fix. Others around are doing much the same: workers, visitors, those with business and those touristing. The workers and the ones on business pass through quickly, but the tourists linger, milling around in one great mass, and Nissa lingers among them, fading from notice.


Tersulles gives everyone a moment just to see if they care to continue to irritate her before going on. "As you all would know if you had actually read the brief," she says irately, "this is a diplomatic mission to the Magi of the galaxy of Edo. I will be acting as primary ambassador, with Keke Ama as secondary. You all will be acting as assistants and guards, and generally pretending to be real professionals." She glares around at the group. "You all remember which you signed up to be, right?"
She doesn't need to do this anymore. For once she's ''supposed'' to be here, sort of. But old habits die hard.


The agents nod.


"Sure," Amanstani says. "I'm a guard, right?" Her name is in blue, though, clearly marking her as an aid.


Tersulles ignores this. "Because if not, again, you're coloured accordingly," she says. "I also want you to observe the Edo while we do this. See what stands out. See what feels off. There may be undercurrents in their worlds that we do not yet know, and it is your job to follow up on them." She pauses. "That being said, this is a low-priority mission. Should things go... awry, simply get out. Retreat to a safehouse. ''Don't everyone get killed or come pester me about it, or pester me about getting killed.'' Any questions?"
Instantiate. Elsewhere. Ciphreya: another city, another world, another galaxy. Civilised, but differently. This is much smaller, and isolate. A sanctuary in crystalline architecture, away from the troubles of the rest of the universe. They consider themselves the apex of development, here, the heart of a monumental organisation. They're right, to a point. Their influence is huge, and spans across the local clusters. Beyond that point, they're not so right. It's too far away. They don't even know what's out there. The void. The abyss. Dark beyond of the known universe. Other civilisations, perhaps, with other apexes. They haven't made contact, and the gods have been vague to a fault.


An apparent Tenenbaume raises a hand slightly.
But their gods back them. Their gods are among them. That makes it all right. Right?


"Yes?" Tersulles asks.
Rahah doesn't think so. She wants everyone to just leave her alone, let her grow up, play, make friends and be ridiculous. She's only six. She's a god, or at least the reincarnation of one, or so everyone keeps insisting. She doesn't want to be a god. She wants to be normal.


"Awry how?" Tenenbaume asks.
She's incarnated as a Deresi, but passes for Nissai: an elf apparently in her adolescence, adult proportions, but lanky, short. Intellectually, she learns quickly, and speaks well, but moments betray her age frequently. Her control over her magic betrays her most of all. A teenager would be able to cast a light without setting it on fire. A teenager would actually know how to cast in the first place. But everything Rahah tries comes out wrong. She can't shape the spells at all. Mostly she can do tricks with force, pushing and pulling at a distance. Sometimes she manages to control the flow of raw energy: not magical, but kinetic, thermal, magnetic, or perhaps simply the very processes behind them. There's no shaping this. It's like making poetry out of Assembly; it's simply not what it's for.


"Awry," Tersulles responds. "Wrong. Problems. Catastrophic failure. Anything from and up to rabid squirrels to imploding planets. Completely overreacting regardless of the situation is fine, as long as you remember your fellow agents and don't get them killed. Please, do not get them killed. Or me. I will be very upset if you get me killed on what is supposed to be a low-priority, low-risk mission to peaceful words."
So mostly she doesn't. She pretends not even to be a caster at all. It's easier than to admit the truth: as Deresi, her connection to the Source is different. She is her own source, her own nexus. And so the general hatred and mistrust of Deresi passes her by, but so, too, do opportunities. Opportunities to learn and grow. Opportunities to understand.


Tenenbaume raises his hand again. "How completely is 'completely overreacting'?" he asks.


"Like if we implode the planet in reaction to rabid squirrels," Tull suggests.


"That seems excessive," Aa says.
The Source. One of the lingering mysteries of the universe. Every great civilisation will, if they progress far enough, try to tap into it at some point on a global scale. It is, after all, a source of power, a connection between worlds, the exception that makes Darstaddian physics work. Like the ambient matter that holds galaxies together, it is the ambient energy that pulls all forces together, and so it is used to power entire civilisations, to reinvent travel, to rebuild the foundation of the very concept of existence. The downfall of many, in time, has been taking this too far. The cenva, the first ones, remade their very selves upon this, and thus unmade themselves. The gods were reborn of these fragments. The Artiil, the humans, launched themselves into the cosmos on the tails of their own destruction, losing their homeworld, but not, at least, their own being.


"Exactly!" Tull tells him.
To engineers and architects, it is but another tool, another constraint, to use and work around.


"We do want to avoid excessive loss of life, damages, or anything up to or including starting a war," Tersulles replies.
To casters, those born with an innate sensitivity who choose to pursue its more personal application, or who have it engineered into them later in life, it is a wellspring of power and madness. Most remain at the surface, only pulling small amounts, shaping them according to established templates, for simple things: to ease the day to day, complement other skills, perform some tricks. They stick to the known, written spells, and never go too far. But some delve deeper. The madmen, the visionaries, the sorcerers. These are inevitably the pioneers, those who discover its applications, who write up the theorems that form the basis for new spells, and for the more global applications of the civilisations themselves. Some of them become gods. Many destroy themselves. Others skirt disaster at every new reach, only to find themselves changed no matter how careful they are, for it always changes its users, the more so the deeper, the darker, they go.


Tenenbaume raises his hand again. Tersulles just stares at him flatly.
There are speculations as to how deep it goes. There are speculations as to there being another side: a dark side, an existence far stranger, that mirrors our own, perhaps, or something else entirely. But these are only speculations. There are no hypotheses, not that can be tested.


"Define 'excessive'."
Even the gods don't know, save, perhaps, for one. The biggest one of all. The Spirit of the Universe. She's not even a god anymore, not really, but she was, once. Long ago. Before she changed. Maybe, just maybe, she reached that other, darker, side. Maybe this was what changed her. The Deathgods, after all, call her their ''Dark'' Sister. But she doesn't speak with mortals. She doesn't even speak with most gods anymore. The Deathgods act as her liaisons on the rare occasion she deems anything worth communicating, and she doesn't accept questions.


"Gods take me now," Tersulles mutters. "You're not cats. You're... somehow worse. I'm herding something ''worse than cats''."




{{ hidden | 1=
The Magi of Edo are casters, tapping into the Source and bending it to their will, and as much, bending themselves to it. They remain at the surface. They speak of distancing themselves from fear, letting go, and yet they fear its depth and do not let go. Those who do are deemed fallen, to the deep, to the dark side, and they are hunted down. The Source must be regulated. Its casters must be regulated. This is the mandate of the Magi, and they enforce it mercilessly within Commonwealth space.


{{ Maths | 1=
Beyond, in the Grey systems, they exert their influence in other ways. Beyond those, in Union space, they have no influence at all. There, deep casters reign as Dark Lords, creating order and progress out of controlled chaos as they each delve further into their own power and madness, fighting each other, each trying interminably to come out on top, united only by their common hatred of the Magi.


"That's the problem," Nissa says. "Nobody in Edo knows these maths. They're not published. They're not used. They doesn't exist, as far as we're concerned."
Throughout it all, on either side, are the Right People, the underground, the dark net. Thieves and smugglers, unaffiliated casters, undiscriminating traders, and ubiquitous problem solvers. Those who consider themselves not so much above the law, as simply... to the side. Both sides, as it were, in many cases. For the casters, it is a precarious position - safer than openly taking a stance as a Lord in the Union, and more free than joining the Magi of the Commonwealth - but to be discovered is usually a death sentence in either case. To the Lords, the unaffiliated are all potential enemies (as opposed to other Lords, who are simply enemies), and must be purged. To the Magi, they are undoubtedly fallen, and must be purged.


"So?" Aa says.
But they do it anyway, because the options are all terrible.
 
Nissa did it anyway because it's all she'd ever known.
 
And then one day a friend had said, "I wonder what we could do if we could get inside the Magi."


Nissa shakes her head incredulously. "So it's been over a thousand years since anyone's made any progress, and nobody's come up with any of this? That's just... it's statistically impossible."
And Nissa had said, "How? They'd kill us the moment they knew what we were."


"What are you saying?" Rahah asks.
And her friend had said, "Only if we tell them. Just fake an awakening. They'd probably make you join."


"I don't know!" Nissa says desperately, but gestures back to the board. "But I mean, this is right, isn't it?"
"And what about you?" Nissa had asked.


"Yeah, looks solid to me," Aa says, reading over it again. "I'd have to reference it back to manuals to be sure, but..."
"You know I'm just kidding, right?" he had said.


"What's it used for?" Nissa asks.
"But could it work?" Nissa had asked.


"Looks a lot like... some of the shield mechanics stuff?" Rahah suggests, though she isn't quite sure herself. She's used some of that before, but using something and actually learning it are entirely separate matters. She frowns. "Actually if you're starting out with this..." She writes out a different line next to one of the earlier ones, setting it all up. "Continue in the same vein..."
He'd nodded, slowly. "You look the part," he'd said finally. "Just act like you're ten years younger and I think everyone would buy it. Need some creds to back it up, but..."


They all stop and write out the progression together, filling in various bits.
"I can get those," she'd said.


"Yeah," Aa says when they're finished, stepping back. "This, I recognise. This is what you do to make an invisibility field. Plug that into the energy matrix, that maps the flow of magic in order to negate perspective on everything behind it."
"Don't I know it," he'd said.


"And this stuff," Nissa asks. "It all involves magic?"
He sits down across from her now, slipping into the table, pulling out a newspaper, not really paying Nissa any apparent attention as she stirs her drink absent-mindedly with a straw.


"Yeah," Aa agrees. "I'd... say so, based on what we've looked at so far."
"How's it going?" he asks, still looking at the news.


Rahah gives Nissa a confused look. "Are you suggesting there's some sort of conspiracy in Edo to keep magic and technology separate?" she asks.
Nissa snorts and covers it with a quick drink. "Well enough, I suppose," she says, not looking up. "What are you doing here?"


Nissa shakes her head. "I'm not..." she says. "I don't know, but in the Commonwealth... but I mean, whatever is going on..." She looks desperately between the two agents, totally confused.
"Just checking the news," he says.


"We need to get to the bottom of it," Aa says.
"Mmm," Nissa says.


"Yeah..." Rahah agrees. "Whatever it... is."
"Not very good at noticing what's right under their noses, most folks," he says.


"Well, yeah," Aa says. "That's why we get to the bottom of it."
"Nope," Nissa says. "You know that paper's two weeks old?"


"To figure out what it is," Rahah says.
"I'm still catching up on recent events," he says.


"Yeah," Aa says.
"Anything interesting?" Nissa asks.


"Yeah," Rahah agrees.
"Well, there is one thing," the old human says, finally putting aside the paper and leaning forward, and Nissa does the same, the tentacles on her head perking attentively. "I hear they've got a new batch of apprentices around here," he says dramatically. "Some of them might even be... the right sort."


"Yeah," Nissa says, relieved.
Nissa rolls her eyes.


"And we all just agreed with each other agreeing with each other," Aa points out.
"But no, not really," he says, leaning back. "Just the usual."


"Hey, boss lady!" Rahah yells at Tersulles.
"Tease," Nissa says.


}}


{{ arbcom (original) | 1 =


Veloriun Comb - guy with bubbles
Twenty yaks. Twenty yaks had stampeded the corridor when they opened the portal. Rahah stares at the mess below, dumbfounded. She's perched atop a doorframe, clinging to a bit of wall trim. This wasn't what she'd expected. Jerindal, hanging from a light fixture further down, also stares. This wasn't what he'd expected, either.
Masassa Anali
Tersulles
Shichiri Miusuke
Hadallis Ran Akore
Naije - a cat
Kanunn
Jerdalim


Two yaks, all that's left, stand around amidst the mess. They forage a bit at it. They chew on the potted plants.


<screenplay>
Two yaks is enough for the two young elves to remain clinging to their perches above them, afraid to make a sound.


INT. Ciphreya: Arbitration Committee chambers - day
The much older elven man who marches in a moment after, however, is not afraid to speak at all. "What, in all the worlds, happened here?" he demands loudly.


It's a wide room, with more windows overlooking the city, but from higher up, here. A large horseshoe-shaped table takes up most of the space, the opening facing the door. At it (or on it) are seated the Committee, of various species: VELORIUN COMB, MASASSA ANALI, TERSULLES, SHICHIRI MIUSUKE, HADALLIS RAN AKORE, NAIJE, and KANUNN. Several other seats are empty. A few of them are talking. Others are working at data pads. Masassa Anali is at the head, looking imposing and somewhat irate at her pad. Tersulles is staring off out a window, tapping a pen on her nose. Naije is a cat, and sitting on the table. Veloriun Comb has what looks suspiciously like a bottle of bubbles in front of him.
The two yaks stop munching to watch him yakily.


Jerdalim goes and takes his seat. The others glance at him enquiringly, and he sighs and gestures toward the door.
"Don't!" Jerindal squeaks. "You'll spook them again!"


Rahah enters a moment later, and stops uncertainly at the opening of the horseshoe.
"Really? That's all you have to say for yourself?" the man says. "And you, Sovereign," he goes on, turning on Rahah. "I would have expected better of you."


Masassa Anali stands.
"Er, better than what, exactly?" she asks. "This was all an accident."


MASASSA ANALI
"Yeah, dad, this really wasn't what we were trying to do." Jerindal says.
Sovereign. On behalf of the Arbitration Committee of the Hadris Citheldryn, welcome.


RAHAH
"So what exactly ''were'' you trying to do?" Jerindal's dad asks.
Hi. Sorry I'm late and smell like a yak.


MASASSA ANALI
"Er," Jerindal says, starting to panic. "You know. About that? Yes."
(sitting)
I am pleased to inform you that your proposal to initiate formal diplomatic relations with the Magi of Edo has been accepted.


RAHAH
"Leave," Rahah says.
(brightening up)
In full?


MASSASSA ANALI
"Leave?" Jerindal's dad asks.
There are matters to discuss, of course. Questions to be answered.


NAIJE
"Leave Ciphreya," Rahah says. "We were trying to get away. I mean, I was. Trying to get out of here. Anywhere but here. So we opened a portal. Jerindal was helping me because he's really good with magic, but it's not his fault. I talked him into it. It just... it worked, sort of, but then a herd of yaks came out and... um..." she shrugs blankly, looking sheepish, trying to cover the lie. Jerindal is basically the only friend she has. He'd insisted on going with her, just so she wouldn't be entirely alone, even though he was actually fairly happy here. And she'd needed it enough to not say no. "It didn't really... work?" she finishes, lamely.
Who will lead this venture?


RAHAH
Jerindal's dad stares at her. "Jerindal," he says, still looking at Rahah. "Room. Now."
I covered that in the proposal. I'll be taking a team of agents-


NAIJE
Jerindal drops off the light fixture and runs away, giving the yaks a wide berth.
(interrupting)
You?! You are a child.


Veloriun blows some bubbles. They drift colourfully over the table. Nobody acknowledges them.
Rahah drops down as well. She stares up at Jerindal's dad defiantly, mostly just because she is so short, and that's the easiest way to look when looking up without looking totally pathetic.


RAHAH
His name is Jerdalim. He's a member of the Hadris Citheldryn Arbitration Committee, the closest thing they have to a ruling body here. Or the closest thing in lieu of her, the supposed Sovereign. Not that they'd listen to a child. Maybe when she grows up they will, but somehow, naggingly, she suspects they'll to find a way around it then, too. It's been a very long time since the sovereign god has ruled here, and it's a far different organisation now.
I am a qualified agent of the Citheldryn.


Naije snorts a laugh.
"Why?" he asks.


SHICHIRI MIUSUKE
"Because it's absolutely stifling here!" she says. "I can't do anything, I can't have friends, whenever anything goes wrong it's always their fault and they take the fall, even when it's not! I'm the sovereign, the god, so I have to be perfect, and yet I'm a child and you won't even listen to me or let me do anything or anything! You can't even make up your stupid minds!"
You lack experience. This would be your first mission.


RAHAH
"That's not how it is at all," Jerdalim says. "You just need to grow up, that's all."
Because you won't let me go on any!


KANNUN
"You won't let me grow up!" she yells.
(talking over Rahah)
She raises a valid point. She passed all her qualifications. We have little reason not to let her go.


NAIJE
Jerdalim gives her a somewhat confused look, and starts to say something.
She is the reincarnation of the sovereign. Her endangerment is reason enough even besides.


KANNUN
Rahah turns and runs away.
Bring her as an agent. Protectors will accompany her, and can sequester her in the voidship if needed.


Shichiri shrugs.
It's the wrong way. The way the rest of the yaks went, full of damage... and yaks. But she keeps going anyway, stubborn anger and fear and confusion driving her on as they hop away in surprise at the tiny ball of bushy hair and tears rushing past them. Why did she actually say all that? She doesn't know. She does want to get away, of course, but it's not that important, is it? They respect her so little already, and she knows this won't help, but... but she doesn't even know. It's all a mess, her whole life, and she doesn't know how to deal with any of it. She doesn't even have a dad, like Jerindal does. He lost his mother when he was very small, but she'd never had any parents at all. Been born from a seed of her own creation, she was told. Something she'd set up in a previous life.


HADALLIS RAN AKORE
She doesn't remember any of it. Previous lives, being a god, any of it. And yet that is the entire cause of everything wrong now - her past selves setting it all up for this - and so she resents them terribly. That they were all ''her'' only makes it that much worse, somehow.
I see no harm in it.


NAIJE
She curls up in a dark corner, past the destruction and yaks, past the people going on about their lives as they pass from place to place, and winds up amidst the dust of the empty rooms beyond. She cries into her knees, not knowing what else to do.
I suppose...


A bubble lands on Naije's nose. She hisses at it.


RAHAH
But...


SHICHIRI MIUSUKE
The Arbitration Committee of the Hadris Citheldryn does more than arbitrate. They also review proposals, among other, even more boring, tasks. Most of the proposals up for consideration now are fairly standard, and this one, submitted by a member they don't know, probably some recruit from the galaxy of Edo itself, fits right in with the rest.
Who do you want to head this up, then?


JERDALIM
The proposal is essentially thus: establish formal diplomatic relations with the Magi of the Edo Commonwealth. It makes some solid points. The Magi are organised, and generally peaceful, unlike their Union counterparts, a loose consortium of warring warlocks who basically run the Union. The Magi safeguard various powerful artefacts, and it would be valuable to ensure these artefacts remain in good hands. The Magi are relatively enlightened, unlike most of the very competitive factions even in the Commonwealth itself. It would be worthwhile to share knowledge and practices, and learn from each other. There's little to lose from a diplomatic mission as a cover for a more thorough evaluation.
Tersulles?
 
The committee deliberates. They don't bother to meet up, just read through it as they get to it and submit their comments online, replying to each other as need be. Standard practice. Consensus is established tricklingly, until nobody has anything more to add, and the proposal is put in the approved queue.


Tersulles glances over at him enquiringly, twirling her pen.


JERDALIM
You're our best diplomat.


TERSULLES
Rahah gets a notification, and pulls it up warily on her handheld. Strangely, it's nothing bad. A proposal she submitted almost a year ago under another name, almost as a joke, just to see what would happen, has been approved.
Oh, very well. But since you volunteered me, you get to sort out the paperwork.


}}
She stares at it blankly and wipes her eyes, the glow of her handheld illuminating her face, and the dust, and the empty room around her. She hadn't expected this. And yet she'd had a plan with it, sort of. She'd chosen Edo specifically: it was a big galaxy, heavily populated, ''not'' of the elven worlds, and not Artiilie, and yet full of magic. Somewhere, perhaps, that she could disappear. Or be someone else. Or... what? She doesn't remember. It was a half-baked plan from the start, and now it's almost entirely gone.


{{ party |


INT. Voidship: main chamber - night


They eventually get going, piling into the main chamber. Aa is in a poofy armchair piloting.  Tersulles is seated at a table pointedly ignoring everyone else. The others are mostly just standing around, the walls around them acting as windows to the city falling away from them outside. The chamber is otherwise full of sofas and tables of very random heights, with some screens floating midair.
Nissa goes. She plays the game, starting over, continuing by her own rules. She attends the lessons, even the ones conducted by the masters she ''really'' doesn't like, and goes through the motions, casting the spells. She doesn't even try to do as the masters instruct anymore, simply casting them all her own way, translating them to her own understanding of magic, but even still, none of the Magi seem to notice the difference. She's not sure why: she can see it plain as day. But they simply applaud her apparent talent and tell the others to look at how she's doing it, follow her lead.


They quickly get out into space, and Rahah stares out at the dwindling planet in fascination.
And it seems to work. Somehow some of the other students ''are'' learning by watching her. Or do they only think they are, and this is still enough to inspire them to succeed regardless? A sort of magical placebo effect? Nissa isn't really sure, but the Magi approach does seem very much based in feeling, so it would make sense. Hers is more about mapping the perceptions to predictable patterns, like the mathematics of music, playing out in impeccable beauty.


A moment later, the stars blur and disappear.
It's in her physics classes that they show surprise. She's very good, a very quick study. She's doing her best to not betray the fact that she knows it all already, of course, but this is very basic stuff. Mechanics. Simple energy. Introductory fields. She wiles away her time mapping more complex concepts back to the Source, and the Source to the very same mathematics as the rest, and sometimes they glance over her shoulder before she realises, and see the equations on her screen. Usually she's just staring blankly, thinking, and so they take the blank stare to mean she doesn't actually know what she's looking at and ignore it. But then someone catches her making some connection, writing down a counterpoint or progression, finishing a proof.


KEKE AMA
Nissa isn't even sure what it's for. She just followed the maths to the logical conclusion, intending to test it out later. She's just about to go back to staring blankly at it when she realises she is being watched, someone is standing over her, and she looks back suddenly, up.
(miming utter horror)
Oh gods what is this we're in space how how how is that even whaaaaat?


She flails a bit to emphasise her point.
Master Callas is staring down at her screen in wonderment. "I don't believe it," he whispers. "You've solved Alacro's Theorem."


Tull just stares at her.
"Huh?" Nissa says blankly. She has, genuinely, no idea what he's talking about, but then she runs a search and pulls up the theorem itself. It's familiar, all right. Not exactly what she was working on, but very close. This isn't something she'd counted on at all, someone recognising what she was doing.


KEKE AMA
"Do you mean to say," Callas says slowly, "that you came up with all of that, start to end, on your own?"
(stopping)
You people are no fun.


AA
"Uh," Nissa says, pulling up her version next to it. "I just found this on an image board. It's not even the same..." She starts to point to one of the differing bits and then stops, realising her mistake, as usual, all too late. "Oh."
This'll be a few hours, kids. Get comfortable and stop freaking out our resident Tersulles, please.


Tersulles looks up, and then hastily goes back to her pad.
He's not even looking at her tablet anymore, just her. "Come with me," Callas says.


}}
The rest of the class is staring, watching, trying to figure out what's going on. They're oddly quiet.


{{ heist (original) | 1=
Nissa gets up, follows him. The class watches in utter bemusement as they leave, tense with anticipation.


INT. Gorgon Tower: training room - afternoon
He takes her to his office. "All right," he says. "Let's put it up on the board."


A class is going on. It's a large room, but they're not really using the space: several apprentices are standing around a master Magi, DAMORIN. One apprentice, NISSA, is off the side, leaning against a wall.
Nissa glances between the board and her tablet, considering how best to connect them, and then doesn't. There's something amiss with this, something niggling that she can't quite place. She grabs a stylus instead, and starts rewriting it out, referencing the tablet, trying to figure it out as she goes.


MASTER DAMORIN
It's fairly normal, as far as she can tell. Straight maths, mapping into the Source.
Hold the shape in your mind - picture it, know it, feel it.


A few of the apprentices look confused. A couple start making the shape of a ball with their hands. Nissa just remains as she is, watching.
And then it occurs to her, all at once, why all their science is stuck. Why the stagnation, why none of the maths have moved on past a point, for so long: that's where the theorem stopped. It's leaving out the Source. They are leaving it out of all of it. Magic is as much a part of mathematics as force or energy, and yet nobody is using it.


MASTER DAMORIN
She's quick enough to not say anything, maintaining her blank expression, just pausing as she goes, glancing back up at what she's already written. There's no way she could be the first person in a thousand years to realise this. Not in a galaxy this big. Not on both sides of the divide. What happened to all the others?!
(nodding)
Now make the shape with your hands. Feel it fill them - guide the energy to become.


The apprentices shape out a ball. Some of their hands fill with light. One of them draws his light up and tries to throw it at the ceiling, but it fizzles out first. Another, ZHANA, has nothing happen for a bit, before her hands suddenly catch fire. She shakes them out, trying to get rid of the fire, and then starts screaming for help.
She writes out the next line, changing one key thing from the proof in her notes.


APPRENTICE ZHANA
She changes the following line to be a progression from that, and continues on, propagating the change through the rest of it, until she gets to the end, and closes the proof. She steps back, pressing her tablet to her chest, screen inward.
Agh agh ow agh get it off get it off!


Damorin hurries over to the burning apprentice and grabs her hands, putting out the fire and healing them.
This doesn't make any sense. It's utterly insane. And yet that feeling in her gut, that great seeping dread, it tells her that she's right, against all logic.


APPRENTICE ZHANA
Callas nods, reading through it, and then just stops. "Wait," he says. "How'd you get this? From Sade's induction to..." he points between the previous line and the one Nissa had changed. "That's not right."
(staring at her hands)
Ow.


MASTER DAMORIN
"Er," Nissa says, trying to sound as clueless as possible, "you can't do that?"
(turning toward Nissa)
Nissa?


Nissa holds up a finger and a point of light appears over it.
"No," Callas sighs, but he chuckles regardless. "Still, this is very good, especially at your age."


MASTER DAMORIN
"So what... can you do there?" Nissa asks.
Good.


He turns back to the others.
Callas writes out another line, slightly different from the changed line, and then just stops. "That's it. That's all you can do. That's the problem," he says. His replacement matches her original. Except unlike his, hers had continued right on from there.


MASTER DAMORIN
"Oh," Nissa says. Apparently she'd only barely caught it in time. Or something. In time for what, though, really? What is the deal with that feeling, that terrible dread about all of this?
Let's all try that again. Know what you want, and form the shape in your minds...


The Magi talk about following their feelings often, speaking of the Source guiding them, and up until now Nissa has always just sort of nodded along, not really understanding, figuring it went hand-in-hand with their weird casting in general. But is this what they meant? Is the Source guiding her now, keeping her away from something terrible?


She gives Callas an uncertain look, masking her fear in confusion.


He shrugs. "We should get you some proper maths classes," he says.


They get back, only to find the rest of the class gone.


"I suppose this is why you don't leave a pack of twelve-year-olds unattended," Callas says.


"Well, not without an explanation," Nissa says.


"Relax, child," he tells her. "I got overly excited, that's all. You didn't do anything wrong."


INT. Gorgon Tower: training room - late afternoon
Nissa isn't so sure about that. She isn't so sure at all.
 
== 1 ==


Nissa turns around in surprise. Damorin has a hand on her shoulder, looking concerned.


The other apprentices are all gone.


MASTER DAMORIN
Are you well?


NISSA
Yeah, sure. What...
(she looks around)
How long was I...?


MASTER DAMORIN
Nissa investigates, but finds nothing. She searches for common Source algorithms, and finds nothing. She writes exploratory comments on discussion boards, and comes back to find them deleted. She starts to be more careful, doesn't write up her own where anyone can see, only when she's alone, or somewhere safe. She pays precise attention to exactly where the accepted maths cut off.
The class just ended.


NISSA
}}
Oh. Uh...


MASTER DAMORIN
}}
What were you doing?


NISSA
{{ hidden | 1=
(turning bright red and looking away)
Nothing. I... nothing.


Damorin frowns.
Are these always so... disorganised?


MASTER DAMORIN
Naw, this one's just starting out a bit bad because it was put together so quickly. You didn't hear this from me, but I hear Tersulles needed an excuse to get offworld, something about her mother in law? So she just kind of rushed it along, and hasn't even slept in several days, on top of everything else.
I understand your desire to move on to more advanced magics, but the rules are the rules. You must complete your basic training.
And everyone who showed up, well, nobody takes low-priority missions that seriously to begin with, and I guess the timing must have been a bit weird because nearly everyone's a smartass for some reason.


NISSA
How would the timing do that?
Why? I can do all this already. It's just... basic stuff. I could not show up at all and still ace the tests.


MASTER DAMORIN
No idea, but this isn't normal, is all I'm saying.
But you do. And you must. For control.
You should get some sleep yourself, you know. There's no telling when we'll get there.


NISSA
I have better control already than some of the advanced apprentices.


MASTER DAMORIN
{{ Maths | 1=
True. But your impatience does you no credit, either.


NISSA
"That's the problem," Nissa says. "Nobody in Edo knows these maths. They're not published. They're not used. They doesn't exist, as far as we're concerned."
At least you understand. Some of the masters just get so mean about it. It's not my fault this all comes so naturally!


MASTER DAMORIN
"So?" Aa says.
You are a Magi, Nissa. Your power is your burden, and you must shoulder it as such. If your power is greater, then so your control must be even more so. Where others may scrape by with acceptables, you must exceed, or you place us all at risk. Do you understand?


NISSA
Nissa shakes her head incredulously. "So it's been over a thousand years since anyone's made any progress, and nobody's come up with any of this? That's just... it's statistically impossible."
Uh...


MASTER DAMORIN
"What are you saying?" Rahah asks.
You don't need to follow the lessons exactly. But show up. Witness how the others learn. Practice yourself. That will still be worthwhile.


NISSA
"I don't know!" Nissa says desperately, but gestures back to the board. "But I mean, this is right, isn't it?"
For things I could do in my sleep? How can that...


An explosion shakes the tower, and a somewhat horrifying creak rumbles through its frame a moment after.
"Yeah, looks solid to me," Aa says, reading over it again. "I'd have to reference it back to manuals to be sure, but..."


Nissa nearly falls over before quickly recovering herself. Damorin sticks out a hand to steady himself, and cocks his head.
"What's it used for?" Nissa asks.


NISSA
"Looks a lot like... some of the shield mechanics stuff?" Rahah suggests, though she isn't quite sure herself. She's used some of that before, but using something and actually learning it are entirely separate matters. She frowns. "Actually if you're starting out with this..." She writes out a different line next to one of the earlier ones, setting it all up. "Continue in the same vein..."
What was that?


MASTER DAMORIN
They all stop and write out the progression together, filling in various bits.
I don't sense anything.


NISSA
"Yeah," Aa says when they're finished, stepping back. "This, I recognise. This is what you do to make an invisibility field. Plug that into the energy matrix, that maps the flow of magic in order to negate perspective on everything behind it."
Warlocks?


Damorin gives Nissa a look, and then hurries off toward the door. He sweeps a hand in a circle off to his side, summoning a disk under him, which lifts him a bit off the ground.
"And this stuff," Nissa asks. "It all involves magic?"


Nissa runs up and hops on the disk as well as it carries him off.
"Yeah," Aa agrees. "I'd... say so, based on what we've looked at so far."


Rahah gives Nissa a confused look. "Are you suggesting there's some sort of conspiracy in Edo to keep magic and technology separate?" she asks.


INT. Gorgon Tower: exploded area - late afternoon
Nissa shakes her head. "I'm not..." she says. "I don't know, but in the Commonwealth... but I mean, whatever is going on..." She looks desperately between the two agents, totally confused.


The area is somewhat exploded, with chunks of things and various whatnots around, but nothing terribly structural seems damaged. Wounded people are also around, with Magi healers tending to them. A few are outright dead.
"We need to get to the bottom of it," Aa says.


Master Damorin and Nissa fly in through a window, Damorin standing confidently in place and Nissa sitting next to him clinging kind of desperately to his legs, totally ruining the effect.
"Yeah..." Rahah agrees. "Whatever it... is."


Damorin glides over toward some folks who don't seem so busy as the others. One of them is a bit singed.
"Well, yeah," Aa says. "That's why we get to the bottom of it."


MASTER DAMORIN
"To figure out what it is," Rahah says.
(stopping in front of them)
What happened here?


Nissa stops clinging to his legs as soon as the disk stops.
"Yeah," Aa says.


SINGED GUY
"Yeah," Rahah agrees.
(gesturing really big with his arms)
Like boom.


NISSA
"Yeah," Nissa says, relieved.
We figured that much out already.


SINGED GUY
"And we all just agreed with each other agreeing with each other," Aa points out.
Well, like, I dunno. Everything was normal. And then boom.


MASTER DAMORIN
"Hey, boss lady!" Rahah yells at Tersulles.
No sign of anything amiss prior? Anyone acting suspicious?


SINGED GUY
}}
No, man, it was normal. Normal!


NISSA
{{ arbcom (original) | 1 =
Someone could have put an explosive down before and...
We're in the wrong place. This was just the distraction.


Damorin guides the disk on away from the others.
Veloriun Comb - guy with bubbles
Masassa Anali
Tersulles
Shichiri Miusuke
Hadallis Ran Akore
Naije - a cat
Kanunn
Jerdalim


Nissa barely manages to avoid yelping and clinging to his legs again.


MASTER DAMORIN
<screenplay>
I agree. But from what?


NISSA
INT. Ciphreya: Arbitration Committee chambers - day
I dunno, if you were blowing up Gorgon Tower, what would you be trying to distract from?
What's rather distant from here and generally full of magi?


MASTER DAMORIN
It's a wide room, with more windows overlooking the city, but from higher up, here. A large horseshoe-shaped table takes up most of the space, the opening facing the door. At it (or on it) are seated the Committee, of various species: VELORIUN COMB, MASASSA ANALI, TERSULLES, SHICHIRI MIUSUKE, HADALLIS RAN AKORE, NAIJE, and KANUNN. Several other seats are empty. A few of them are talking. Others are working at data pads. Masassa Anali is at the head, looking imposing and somewhat irate at her pad. Tersulles is staring off out a window, tapping a pen on her nose. Naije is a cat, and sitting on the table. Veloriun Comb has what looks suspiciously like a bottle of bubbles in front of him.
Many things, I fear.


NISSA
Jerdalim goes and takes his seat. The others glance at him enquiringly, and he sighs and gestures toward the door.
What is all that and has anything warlocks might be after?


MASTER DAMORIN
Rahah enters a moment later, and stops uncertainly at the opening of the horseshoe.
Why do you suspect warlocks?


NISSA
Masassa Anali stands.
You don't sense anything, I don't. No intent, no malice. Nothing. Aaaaagh.
(she cowers down on the disk a bit, clinging to the edge)
It's like there's nobody here, and the only way you get that is if you're actively shielded. Why would anyone not magic shield themselves?


Damorin nods, but Nissa is not paying any attention whatsoever to him, and instead squeezing her eyes shut and barely managing to avoid panicking.
MASASSA ANALI
Sovereign. On behalf of the Arbitration Committee of the Hadris Citheldryn, welcome.


MASTER DAMORIN
RAHAH
Very good.
Hi. Sorry I'm late and smell like a yak.


NISSA
MASASSA ANALI
(opening an eye)
(sitting)
So that leaves a few obvious options, right? The council, the archives, engineering, that thing nobody ever talks about in Seres Tower.
I am pleased to inform you that your proposal to initiate formal diplomatic relations with the Magi of Edo has been accepted.


MASTER DAMORIN
RAHAH
Let's take a wild guess and check the archives.
(brightening up)
In full?


He zips the disk back out anther missing window.
MASSASSA ANALI
There are matters to discuss, of course. Questions to be answered.


Nissa shrieks and grabs his legs again.
NAIJE
Who will lead this venture?


RAHAH
I covered that in the proposal. I'll be taking a team of agents-


EXT. Magi compound - evening
NAIJE
(interrupting)
You?! You are a child.


They fly out over the open air between towers, headed for an even taller, bigger tower, rising quickly to regain the height they'd previously lost. All of the Magi towers are much taller, fancier, and bigger than the surrounding city, but this one, the Atlas Tower, is the tallest of all.
Veloriun blows some bubbles. They drift colourfully over the table. Nobody acknowledges them.


It's a bit like Nissa's dream vision, but much windier, and for this she spends the entire time clinging to Damorin.
RAHAH
I am a qualified agent of the Citheldryn.


Damorin raises a hand as they approach the Atlas Tower, and then opens a portal through the wall. They zip in through it and the portal closes behind them.
Naije snorts a laugh.


SHICHIRI MIUSUKE
You lack experience. This would be your first mission.


INT. Atlas Tower: archives - evening
RAHAH
Because you won't let me go on any!


The archives look normal enough: shelves of books, scrolls, and other things cover the walls. Tables with terminals take up much of the rest of the space.
KANNUN
(talking over Rahah)
She raises a valid point. She passed all her qualifications. We have little reason not to let her go.


Damorin and Nissa glide in through one of the side rooms out into the main room, before Damorin finally dismisses the disk and drops back to the floor. Nissa falls on her arse and just sits there in relief for a moment, looking around.
NAIJE
She is the reincarnation of the sovereign. Her endangerment is reason enough even besides.


NISSA
KANNUN
Well, nobody's here.
Bring her as an agent. Protectors will accompany her, and can sequester her in the voidship if needed.


DAMORIN
Shichiri shrugs.
Shh. Listen.


They stand and sit, respectively, in silence for a moment. The soft buzz of the terminals fills the silence, covering other sounds in the structure of the building: a vague creak as the structure shifts, sounds of mechanical parts, and plumbing. Footsteps in another room. Breathing: one heavy, one rapid, one perfectly, deadly calm. Another, slightly less calm. Heartbeats. A voice. The rapid one.
HADALLIS RAN AKORE
I see no harm in it.


LIRIEN MAYASU
NAIJE
We're in, master.
I suppose...


Nissa glances up at Damorin inquiringly.
A bubble lands on Naije's nose. She hisses at it.


MASTER DAMORIN
RAHAH
They're here. Three of them.
But...
(he glances down at Nissa, smiling slightly)
Warlocks.


NISSA
SHICHIRI MIUSUKE
(starting out kind of happy and then just sounding disappointed)
Who do you want to head this up, then?
Uh... oh.


MASTER DAMORIN
JERDALIM
You may follow, but stay back, and keep a shield ready.
Tersulles?


Damorin heads off toward the sounds.
Tersulles glances over at him enquiringly, twirling her pen.


Nissa follows after him, brightening up considerably.
JERDALIM
You're our best diplomat.


TERSULLES
Oh, very well. But since you volunteered me, you get to sort out the paperwork.


INT. Atlas Tower: collections - evening
}}


{{ party |


INT. Voidship: main chamber - night


Lirien Mayasu is opening a case.
They eventually get going, piling into the main chamber. Aa is in a poofy armchair piloting.  Tersulles is seated at a table pointedly ignoring everyone else. The others are mostly just standing around, the walls around them acting as windows to the city falling away from them outside. The chamber is otherwise full of sofas and tables of very random heights, with some screens floating midair.
 
They quickly get out into space, and Rahah stares out at the dwindling planet in fascination.


Yoishe is kneeling by the wall, holding herself perfectly still.
A moment later, the stars blur and disappear.


Dazroth is holding a glowing blue sword to Yoishe's throat.
KEKE AMA
(miming utter horror)
Oh gods what is this we're in space how how how is that even whaaaaat?


Horgon is standing a bit off to the side, holding a very large gun like a cherished child.
She flails a bit to emphasise her point.


Damorin stops at the doorway, and Horgon cheerfully points his gun at him.
Tull just stares at her.


HORGON
KEKE AMA
(grinning)
(stopping)
Looks like it's a party!
You people are no fun.


YOISHE
AA
Damorin...
This'll be a few hours, kids. Get comfortable and stop freaking out our resident Tersulles, please.


Dazroth silences her by moving his blade slightly closer. A tendril of smoke rises off the edge.
Tersulles looks up, and then hastily goes back to her pad.


DAZROTH
}}
Shhh, my sweet.
(to Damorin)
You would be wise to come no closer. Let us finish what we came to do, and there will be no more suffering.


MASTER DAMORIN
{{ heist (original) | 1=
And what is that, exactly?


Dazroth smiles slightly.
INT. Gorgon Tower: training room - afternoon


Nissa pokes her head in around Damorin.
A class is going on. It's a large room, but they're not really using the space: several apprentices are standing around a master Magi, DAMORIN. One apprentice, NISSA, is off the side, leaning against a wall.


NISSA
MASTER DAMORIN
Hi. Can I watch?
Hold the shape in your mind - picture it, know it, feel it.


DAZROTH
A few of the apprentices look confused. A couple start making the shape of a ball with their hands. Nissa just remains as she is, watching.
Of course.


MASTER DAMORIN
MASTER DAMORIN
(warningly)
(nodding)
Nissa...
Now make the shape with your hands. Feel it fill them - guide the energy to become.


NISSA
The apprentices shape out a ball. Some of their hands fill with light. One of them draws his light up and tries to throw it at the ceiling, but it fizzles out first. Another, ZHANA, has nothing happen for a bit, before her hands suddenly catch fire. She shakes them out, trying to get rid of the fire, and then starts screaming for help.
Hey, if he's fine with it...


Nissa scoots inside and stops a short distance from Lirien Mayasu.
APPRENTICE ZHANA
Agh agh ow agh get it off get it off!


NISSA
Damorin hurries over to the burning apprentice and grabs her hands, putting out the fire and healing them.
Whatcha doing?
 
APPRENTICE ZHANA
(staring at her hands)
Ow.


Horgon gives Nissa a considering look, and then points his gun at her, instead.
MASTER DAMORIN
(turning toward Nissa)
Nissa?


LIRIEN MAYASU
Nissa holds up a finger and a point of light appears over it.
These cases are rigged to remove all items if they detect improper opening. I need to find the correct methods working backwards and then execute them exactly.


NISSA
MASTER DAMORIN
By scoping it out with magic?
Good.


LIRIEN MAYASU
He turns back to the others.
Yes.


NISSA
MASTER DAMORIN
Cool.
Let's all try that again. Know what you want, and form the shape in your minds...


</screenplay>


}}


{{ Credit (original) | 1=


<screenplay>


GUY
Sovereign. This may be of interest to you.


The guy holds out a golden card.


RAHAH
What is it?


GUY
INT. Gorgon Tower: training room - late afternoon
Currency. Credit, specifically.


He hands Rahah the card, and she turns it about, catching the light on it.
Nissa turns around in surprise. Damorin has a hand on her shoulder, looking concerned.


GUY
The other apprentices are all gone.
You just tap that to pay, most places. Spend it on whatever you want. We have plenty.


RAHAH
MASTER DAMORIN
How much is plenty?
Are you well?


The guy smirks.
NISSA
Yeah, sure. What...
(she looks around)
How long was I...?


GUY
MASTER DAMORIN
Plenty. Just... if you want to buy a planet or something, do let us know first, okay?
The class just ended.


Rahah looks at him in surprise, and then the card.
NISSA
Oh. Uh...


Tersulles sighs disapprovingly.
MASTER DAMORIN
What were you doing?


NISSA
(turning bright red and looking away)
Nothing. I... nothing.


</screenplay>
Damorin frowns.


}}
MASTER DAMORIN
I understand your desire to move on to more advanced magics, but the rules are the rules. You must complete your basic training.


{{ Pick up job (original) | 1=
NISSA
Why? I can do all this already. It's just... basic stuff. I could not show up at all and still ace the tests.


<screenplay>
MASTER DAMORIN
But you do. And you must. For control.


INT. Somewhat seedy restaurant - day
NISSA
I have better control already than some of the advanced apprentices.


Rahah and Nissa sit down at a free table and look around a bit in bemusement.
MASTER DAMORIN
True. But your impatience does you no credit, either.


A HOLOGRAM of a generic waitress pops up on the table.
NISSA
At least you understand. Some of the masters just get so mean about it. It's not my fault this all comes so naturally!


HOLOGRAM
MASTER DAMORIN
Anything to drink, ladies?
You are a Magi, Nissa. Your power is your burden, and you must shoulder it as such. If your power is greater, then so your control must be even more so. Where others may scrape by with acceptables, you must exceed, or you place us all at risk. Do you understand?
 
NISSA
Uh...


RAHAH
MASTER DAMORIN
Uh, yes. We'd like... drinks.
You don't need to follow the lessons exactly. But show up. Witness how the others learn. Practice yourself. That will still be worthwhile.


NISSA
NISSA
Yes.
For things I could do in my sleep? How can that...
 
An explosion shakes the tower, and a somewhat horrifying creak rumbles through its frame a moment after.


HOLOGRAM
Nissa nearly falls over before quickly recovering herself. Damorin sticks out a hand to steady himself, and cocks his head.
Could you please repeat that?


RAHAH
NISSA
Drinks.
What was that?


HOLOGRAM
MASTER DAMORIN
Item is not found on the menu. Would you like a list of all available items?
I don't sense anything.


NISSA
NISSA
Are any of them full of bees?
Warlocks?


HOLOGRAM
Damorin gives Nissa a look, and then hurries off toward the door. He sweeps a hand in a circle off to his side, summoning a disk under him, which lifts him a bit off the ground.
Could you please repeat that?


A well-dressed but somewhat scarred man, COMNEN, slips into the spare seat.
Nissa runs up and hops on the disk as well as it carries him off.


COMNEN
I understand you have a job for me.


HOLOGRAM
INT. Gorgon Tower: exploded area - late afternoon
Could you please repeat that?


COMNEN
The area is somewhat exploded, with chunks of things and various whatnots around, but nothing terribly structural seems damaged. Wounded people are also around, with Magi healers tending to them. A few are outright dead.
Shut up.


HOLOGRAM
Master Damorin and Nissa fly in through a window, Damorin standing confidently in place and Nissa sitting next to him clinging kind of desperately to his legs, totally ruining the effect.
Could you please repeat that?


COMNEN
Damorin glides over toward some folks who don't seem so busy as the others. One of them is a bit singed.
Bottle of vodka and five glasses.


HOLOGRAM
MASTER DAMORIN
(brightly)
(stopping in front of them)
Coming right up!
What happened here?


NISSA
Nissa stops clinging to his legs as soon as the disk stops.
Five?


COMNEN
SINGED GUY
You have anyone else coming?
(gesturing really big with his arms)
Like boom.


NISSA
NISSA
No?
We figured that much out already.
 
SINGED GUY
Well, like, I dunno. Everything was normal. And then boom.
 
MASTER DAMORIN
No sign of anything amiss prior? Anyone acting suspicious?


COMNEN
SINGED GUY
Oh. Well, whatever. You looking to hire me or not?
No, man, it was normal. Normal!


NISSA
NISSA
Well, yeah, maybe.
Someone could have put an explosive down before and...
We're in the wrong place. This was just the distraction.


RAHAH
Damorin guides the disk on away from the others.
You any good at transporting... questionable items?


COMNEN
Nissa barely manages to avoid yelping and clinging to his legs again.
You know that's basically my entire job description, right?
A totally legitimate transport enterprise, of course, but sometimes with problems. Solved. In the process.


Nissa nods skeptically and looks at Rahah for help.
MASTER DAMORIN
 
I agree. But from what?
RAHAH
Er, we don't really get out much.
 
COMNEN
And what exactly did you want me to do?


NISSA
NISSA
Pick up and transport.
I dunno, if you were blowing up Gorgon Tower, what would you be trying to distract from?
What's rather distant from here and generally full of magi?


COMNEN
MASTER DAMORIN
And the problem?
Many things, I fear.


RAHAH
NISSA
The pickup is from the Atlas Tower of the Magi compound, and the transport is kind of in... Union space.
What is all that and has anything warlocks might be after?


Comnen stares at them blankly.
MASTER DAMORIN
Why do you suspect warlocks?


COMNEN
NISSA
(finally)
You don't sense anything, I don't. No intent, no malice. Nothing. Aaaaagh.
What.
(she cowers down on the disk a bit, clinging to the edge)
It's like there's nobody here, and the only way you get that is if you're actively shielded. Why would anyone not magic shield themselves?


NISSA
Damorin nods, but Nissa is not paying any attention whatsoever to him, and instead squeezing her eyes shut and barely managing to avoid panicking.
We'll get the item to you. We simply need a pickup after.


COMNEN
MASTER DAMORIN
Wasn't there a... situation there not a few days ago? Some sort of robbery then too? Did that have anything to do with you?
Very good.


NISSA
NISSA
Why? Does this worry you?
(opening an eye)
So that leaves a few obvious options, right? The council, the archives, engineering, that thing nobody ever talks about in Seres Tower.


COMNEN
MASTER DAMORIN
Yes?
Let's take a wild guess and check the archives.


RAHAH
He zips the disk back out anther missing window.
It's okay. They like us there.


NISSA
Nissa shrieks and grabs his legs again.
No they don't.


RAHAH
(giving Nissa an annoyed look)
Well, they like ''you''.


NISSA
EXT. Magi compound - evening
(uncertainly)
Er...


Rahah gives her a worried look.
They fly out over the open air between towers, headed for an even taller, bigger tower, rising quickly to regain the height they'd previously lost. All of the Magi towers are much taller, fancier, and bigger than the surrounding city, but this one, the Atlas Tower, is the tallest of all.


RAHAH
It's a bit like Nissa's dream vision, but much windier, and for this she spends the entire time clinging to Damorin.
Okay, look. The initial thing wasn't us, wasn't even related to us. This is just another thing. You show up, pick us up. If we don't show up in an hour...
(she turns to Nissa)
It is an hour, right?


NISSA
Damorin raises a hand as they approach the Atlas Tower, and then opens a portal through the wall. They zip in through it and the portal closes behind them.
Huh?


RAHAH
The parking permits. They're an hour, right?


NISSA
INT. Atlas Tower: archives - evening
Oh, yeah.
(to Comnen; catching on)
You'll have a permit and stuff. Just show up, park, and we'll come out to you. If we don't come out before it expires, just leave.


RAHAH
The archives look normal enough: shelves of books, scrolls, and other things cover the walls. Tables with terminals take up much of the rest of the space.
Perfectly legal.


COMNEN
Damorin and Nissa glide in through one of the side rooms out into the main room, before Damorin finally dismisses the disk and drops back to the floor. Nissa falls on her arse and just sits there in relief for a moment, looking around.
How are you getting me a parking permit, exactly?


RAHAH
NISSA
Let us sort that out.
Well, nobody's here.


COMNEN
DAMORIN
No, really. Not everyone on my crew is strictly legal, if you know what I mean, so it's going to have to be a real permit.
Shh. Listen.
 
They stand and sit, respectively, in silence for a moment. The soft buzz of the terminals fills the silence, covering other sounds in the structure of the building: a vague creak as the structure shifts, sounds of mechanical parts, and plumbing. Footsteps in another room. Breathing: one heavy, one rapid, one perfectly, deadly calm. Another, slightly less calm. Heartbeats. A voice. The rapid one.


NISSA
LIRIEN MAYASU
No, no, it's real. We're Magi. Sort of. It'll work. I mean, it might be stolen, but...
We're in, master.


Comnen sighs.
Nissa glances up at Damorin inquiringly.


COMNEN
MASTER DAMORIN
(skeptically)
They're here. Three of them.
Do you even have credit?
(he glances down at Nissa, smiling slightly)
Warlocks.


Nissa looks at Rahah uncertainly.
NISSA
(starting out kind of happy and then just sounding disappointed)
Uh... oh.


RAHAH
MASTER DAMORIN
Yes.
You may follow, but stay back, and keep a shield ready.


COMNEN
Damorin heads off toward the sounds.
I'll need 50 thousand.


RAHAH
Nissa follows after him, brightening up considerably.
Okay.


COMNEN
Half of that up front.


RAHAH
INT. Atlas Tower: collections - evening
That's fine.


Nissa gapes.


COMNEN
(surprised)
Well. Then I suppose we have ourselves a deal.


</screenplay>
Lirien Mayasu is opening a case.


}}
Yoishe is kneeling by the wall, holding herself perfectly still.


{{ Pickup (original) | 1=
Dazroth is holding a glowing blue sword to Yoishe's throat.


<screenplay>
Horgon is standing a bit off to the side, holding a very large gun like a cherished child.


INT. Atlas Tower: collections - morning
Damorin stops at the doorway, and Horgon cheerfully points his gun at him.


HORGON
(grinning)
Looks like it's a party!


YOISHE
Damorin...


Dazroth silences her by moving his blade slightly closer. A tendril of smoke rises off the edge.


EXT. Atlas Tower: lot - morning
DAZROTH
Shhh, my sweet.
(to Damorin)
You would be wise to come no closer. Let us finish what we came to do, and there will be no more suffering.


Comnen is standing outside his ship, having a smoke. A ROBED MAGI approaches him.
MASTER DAMORIN
And what is that, exactly?


ROBED MAGI
Dazroth smiles slightly.
Evening.


COMNEN
Nissa pokes her head in around Damorin.
Hey.


ROBED MAGI
NISSA
What brings you here?
Hi. Can I watch?


COMNEN
DAZROTH
Job.
Of course.


ROBED MAGI
MASTER DAMORIN
Oh?
(warningly)
Nissa...


Comnen shrugs.
NISSA
Hey, if he's fine with it...
 
Nissa scoots inside and stops a short distance from Lirien Mayasu.


COMNEN
NISSA
Didn't ask.
Whatcha doing?


The Magi nods and goes a bit past to look out over the view. There's a view.
Horgon gives Nissa a considering look, and then points his gun at her, instead.


The door to the Atlas tower opens and Rahah and Nissa run out, Nissa manhandling a large floating crate, and Rahah lagging a bit behind.
LIRIEN MAYASU
These cases are rigged to remove all items if they detect improper opening. I need to find the correct methods working backwards and then execute them exactly.


The door closes behind them, and then reopens a moment later.
NISSA
By scoping it out with magic?


A RUNNING MAGI comes out after them.
LIRIEN MAYASU
Yes.


RAHAH
NISSA
Shit shit shit shit shit!
Cool.


Rahah runs faster, getting ahead of Nissa, and then, weaving her arms over her head, casts to hurl the crate up and over them at Comnen.
</screenplay>


The running Magi chasing them throws a ball of lightning, which Rahah ducks.
}}


COMNEN
{{ Credit (original) | 1=
(backing up)
What the...


The crate nearly hits a the ground a few meters in front of him, before its levitating supports get it back up again, and it slides toward him.
<screenplay>


RUNNING MAGI
GUY
Hey!
Sovereign. This may be of interest to you.


The robed Magi stops the crate with a wave of his hand, draws his sword, and advances on Rahah and Nissa.
The guy holds out a golden card.


ROBED MAGI
RAHAH
Stop.
What is it?


NISSA
GUY
(slowing)
Currency. Credit, specifically.
Oh crap...


Rahah pulls out one of her weapons and makes a sword with it as well, not stopping.
He hands Rahah the card, and she turns it about, catching the light on it.


Comnent pulls an earpiece out of his pocket and hastily puts it on.
GUY
You just tap that to pay, most places. Spend it on whatever you want. We have plenty.


COMNEN
RAHAH
Sokar. Sokar?
How much is plenty?


He fiddles at the earpiece a bit.
The guy smirks.


COMNEN
GUY
(backing toward his ship)
Plenty. Just... if you want to buy a planet or something, do let us know first, okay?
Sokar!
...fuck. Right.


The robed Magi stops and gestures a symbol in the air in front of him, and a beam of light spears down out of the sky at Rahah.
Rahah looks at him in surprise, and then the card.


The running Magi chasing them nearly grabs Nissa, but she twists away and retaliates with a blast of pure force, shoving the Magi back.
Tersulles sighs disapprovingly.


NISSA
(recoiling)
...oh gods. I just did that. I just did that!


Rahah holds her sword up over he head, turning it into a shield, which absorbs the force of the beam as she runs through it.
</screenplay>


COMNEN
}}
(yelling at Nissa)
Hey, girl! Get your crate!


Comnen turns and runs into the ship.
{{ Pick up job (original) | 1=


Nissa startles and recovers herself, finds the crate, and runs for that, instead.
<screenplay>


The robed Magi moves to block Nissa's path, but Rahah jumps at him, drawing her other weapon too, attacking all out with two double-bladed swords, forcing him to fend her off instead. He parries and ripostes with his sword, and then knocks Rahah back with a blast of energy when she blocks with one of her swords.
INT. Somewhat seedy restaurant - day


Rahah shoots at him instead, and dances around him as he whips a chain of crackling lightning at her, still guarding with his sword.
Rahah and Nissa sit down at a free table and look around a bit in bemusement.
 
A HOLOGRAM of a generic waitress pops up on the table.


ROBED MAGI
HOLOGRAM
Stop this nonsense. I have no wish to harm you.
Anything to drink, ladies?


RAHAH
RAHAH
Yeah, well...
Uh, yes. We'd like... drinks.


Rahah jumps back, swinging the swords at him and turning them on and off as needed, but he deflects each attack with a flick of his fingers.
NISSA
Yes.


Nissa gets to the crate and shoves it back toward the ship, and then gives chase after it.
HOLOGRAM
Could you please repeat that?


The robed Magi jumps toward Nissa, and Rahah jumps in front of him, blocking his path, swinging her swords in tandem. He knocks the blades aside unnaturally quickly with his own sword, and turns it into a thrust right at her, which she blocks with one, but only barely. He presses the advantage, pushing both his sword and Rahah's plasma blade closer to her face. She turns off her spare and braces it against the other in attempt to push back.
RAHAH
Drinks.


Nissa shoves the crate up the ramp into the ship, just as it starts to take off, and jumps onto the ramp after it.
HOLOGRAM
Item is not found on the menu. Would you like a list of all available items?


NISSA
NISSA
Rahah!
Are any of them full of bees?


Rahah dodges to the side, letting the sword fall past her, and then swings back at the Magi as he comes around for another one-handed swing as well, black flames tricking down his free hand, and a series of impossible swings and parries and blocks ensue as the flames begin to build.
HOLOGRAM
Could you please repeat that?


Nissa gathers up a ball of swirling energies in her own hands as the ship continues to slowly rise.
A well-dressed but somewhat scarred man, COMNEN, slips into the spare seat.


NISSA
COMNEN
(insistently)
I understand you have a job for me.
RAHAH!


Rahah jumps up, sailing into the air, and the Magi throws the black flames after her. She casts her swords out to the sides, forming the blades into a shield around her even as she continues to rise, and the flames hit a moment later, exploding over this bubble.
HOLOGRAM
Could you please repeat that?


Nissa hurls her own ball of energy down at the Magi, and he drops to the ground, covering himself in a shield. The running Magi hurries toward him.
COMNEN
Shut up.


Nissa grabs Rahah and yanks her onto the the ship's cargo ramp as well, and they run inside.
HOLOGRAM
Could you please repeat that?


COMNEN
Bottle of vodka and five glasses.


INT. Shades Softly: cargo hold
HOLOGRAM
(brightly)
Coming right up!


Nissa and Rahah find themselves in a cargo hold full of random stuff, past an inner door for the airlock. The crate has bonked into a heap of stuff and stopped.
NISSA
Five?


COMNEN
COMNEN
(over the intercom)
You have anyone else coming?
Are you idiots on? If so, shut the door and get up here!


RAHAH
NISSA
(putting her weapons away)
No?
What?


Nissa bonks a large button by the door, and the door closes and the ramp retracts.
COMNEN
Oh. Well, whatever. You looking to hire me or not?


NISSA
NISSA
(sounding resigned)
Well, yeah, maybe.
This way, I think.
 
RAHAH
You any good at transporting... questionable items?


COMNEN
You know that's basically my entire job description, right?
A totally legitimate transport enterprise, of course, but sometimes with problems. Solved. In the process.


INT. Shades Softly: cockpit
Nissa nods skeptically and looks at Rahah for help.


The cockpit is a cockpit with windows, screens, and consoles. A pilot and copilot seat are in front, with two seats behind them. Comnen is in the pilot seat, taking the ship rapidly up into the upper atmosphere.
RAHAH
Er, we don't really get out much.


COMNEN
COMNEN
Nice of you to join us. Now strap yourselves in before things start to get interesting, eh?
And what exactly did you want me to do?


NISSA
NISSA
(taking the seat behind him)
Pick up and transport.
Interesting how?
 
Rahah takes the copilot seat and tries to figure out the buckles for a moment before getting it.


COMNEN
COMNEN
No way your Magi friends aren't reporting that. We have a few minutes, maybe, but... ever run from cops, girls?
And the problem?
 
RAHAH
The pickup is from the Atlas Tower of the Magi compound, and the transport is kind of in... Union space.
 
Comnen stares at them blankly.


They slip into a lane of ship traffic headed offworld.
COMNEN
(finally)
What.


NISSA
NISSA
Er... no?
We'll get the item to you. We simply need a pickup after.
 
RAHAH
Is it fun?


COMNEN
COMNEN
(yawning)
Wasn't there a... situation there not a few days ago? Some sort of robbery then too? Did that have anything to do with you?
Tremendously.


They get further out into space without much issue over the next few minutes. Comnen mostly just sits there letting the ship drive itself.
NISSA
Why? Does this worry you?


NISSA
COMNEN
Rahah?
Yes?


RAHAH
RAHAH
Hmm?
It's okay. They like us there.


NISSA
NISSA
How screwed are we?
No they don't.


RAHAH
RAHAH
Well, as much as my people aren't going to be terribly happy about this, we did just formally break off all relations anyway. Yours are probably going to be double annoyed.
(giving Nissa an annoyed look)
Well, they like ''you''.


An incoming transmission causes something to notify, and Comnen flicks the button to turn it on.
NISSA
(uncertainly)
Er...


TRANSMISSION PERSON
Rahah gives her a worried look.
Transport address e695.db43.2158, you are witnessed and registered for illegal activities. Return to port now for proccessing.


COMNEN
RAHAH
(bonking at the button)
Okay, look. The initial thing wasn't us, wasn't even related to us. This is just another thing. You show up, pick us up. If we don't show up in an hour...
Ah, shut up.
(she turns to Nissa)
It is an hour, right?


TRANSMISSION PERSON
NISSA
Transport address e695.db43.2158, excuse me? Return to port, or you will be disabled. This is your final warning.
Huh?


COMNEN
RAHAH
Oh, I'm sorry, did I hit the wrong button? What I meant to say was...
The parking permits. They're an hour, right?
(he leans really close to the mic)
GO FUCK YOURSELF. WITH A FISH.


Comnen hits the correct button this time, silencing the comms.
NISSA
Oh, yeah.
(to Comnen; catching on)
You'll have a permit and stuff. Just show up, park, and we'll come out to you. If we don't come out before it expires, just leave.


NISSA
RAHAH
(scrunching up a bit, uncertainly)
Perfectly legal.
Er... that... shouldn't we do what they say? They know the ship, there's not...


COMNEN
COMNEN
(leaning forward and shooting them out of traffic)
How are you getting me a parking permit, exactly?
Nah, this happens sometimes. Rejig the paint, set a new registry address and they'll never know it's us. Course we need to get out of their worlds first, buuut...
 
RAHAH
Let us sort that out.


The police boats start shooting at them, and Comnen dances the ship about, evading.
COMNEN
No, really. Not everyone on my crew is strictly legal, if you know what I mean, so it's going to have to be a real permit.


NISSA
NISSA
What, it's that easy?
No, no, it's real. We're Magi. Sort of. It'll work. I mean, it might be stolen, but...
 
Comnen sighs.


COMNEN
COMNEN
(sarcastically)
(skeptically)
Sure, if you know what you're doing! And can even get really unlucky...
Do you even have credit?


His words are punctuated by an explosion as something actually on the ship gets hit.
Nissa looks at Rahah uncertainly.
 
RAHAH
Yes.


COMNEN
COMNEN
(wincing)
I'll need 50 thousand.
...and wind up with a registered bad one.


A crew of some sort, CITHANDRA, pokes her head in as Comnen wheels the ship about in yet another direction.
RAHAH
Okay.


CITHANDRA
COMNEN
Boss, did I just hear a...
Half of that up front.
(she notices Rahah and Nissa)
Who are these... people?


COMNEN
RAHAH
(yanking the ship in another direction)
That's fine.
Job, Cith!


CITHANDRA
Nissa gapes.
(barely clinging to the doorframe)
And you didn't think to possibly consult your crew before endangering us all?


COMNEN
COMNEN
They had a parking permit. Didn't seem that dangerous.
(surprised)
Well. Then I suppose we have ourselves a deal.


CITHANDRA
</screenplay>
(sarcastically)
Oh, well if they had a parking permit...


COMNEN
}}
(he glances at the monitors before choosing the next dodge)
'Sides, I didn't want to wake you.


Comnen is still flying very erratically, while the police boats continue to try to shoot them down.
{{ Pickup (original) | 1=


Cithandra loses her hold momentarily and winds up half-sitting on Nissa. She grabs onto Comnen's chair instead.
<screenplay>


CITHANDRA
INT. Atlas Tower: collections - morning
You really thought this flying, and I shudder to even call it that, you thought it wouldn't wake everyone on board?


COMNEN
Dammit, Cith, can we have this conversation some other time? Say, when I'm NOT trying to keep us all from getting killed.
And sit down, for fuck's sake. Inertial dampening's only so good.


He drives them on in squiggles, vaguely approaching another large planet.


Another crewmember, JONAS, yells from somewhere further back in the ship:


JONAS
EXT. Atlas Tower: lot - morning
Ey, what is going on?!


Someone else yells something incoherent.
Comnen is standing outside his ship, having a smoke. A ROBED MAGI approaches him.


Cithandra manages to get herself into the remaining seat, and activates the ship-wide intercom.
ROBED MAGI
Evening.


CITHANDRA
COMNEN
Everyone, please remain calm and strap yourselves in. It seems we've taken a job, and as long as we don't all die from it first...
Hey.
(she shoots Comnen an irate look)
 
...things should calm down shortly. And then we'll get paid.
ROBED MAGI
(turning off the intercom)
What brings you here?
Also we should probably pick up the rest of the crew before we leave, yes?


COMNEN
COMNEN
One thing at a time!
Job.


He takes them into the planet's rings, dodging hunks of rock and ice and... other things at very alarming speed. Stuff blurrs past as they zig and zag between things.
ROBED MAGI
Oh?


NISSA
Comnen shrugs.
How are you not hitting everything?!


COMNEN
COMNEN
(pulling his hands off the console)
Didn't ask.
Magic!


CITHANDRA
The Magi nods and goes a bit past to look out over the view. There's a view.
That's not him. That's the Shades doing it.
We solid, boss?


COMNEN
The door to the Atlas tower opens and Rahah and Nissa run out, Nissa manhandling a large floating crate, and Rahah lagging a bit behind.
If we see anything big enough, yeah...


RAHAH
The door closes behind them, and then reopens a moment later.
(pointing a bit to the side)
There.


COMNEN
A RUNNING MAGI comes out after them.
What? Where?


RAHAH
RAHAH
You just need something bigger than the ship, right?
Shit shit shit shit shit!
47 seconds, 18 degrees off, no, 23 degrees off...
 
Rahah runs faster, getting ahead of Nissa, and then, weaving her arms over her head, casts to hurl the crate up and over them at Comnen.


Comnen gives her a skeptical look, but directs the ship in the general direction.
The running Magi chasing them throws a ball of lightning, which Rahah ducks.


COMNEN
COMNEN
Ah, I see it.
(backing up)
(gesturing)
What the...
On my mark, hit that button.


They squiggle a bit around things, and then a rock slightly bigger than the ship suddenly looms up in front of them and they rapidly slow.
The crate nearly hits a the ground a few meters in front of him, before its levitating supports get it back up again, and it slides toward him.


COMNEN
RUNNING MAGI
Mark!
Hey!


Rahah smacks the button, and the rock explodes in front of them.
The robed Magi stops the crate with a wave of his hand, draws his sword, and advances on Rahah and Nissa.


Comnen yanks the ship to a stop.
ROBED MAGI
Stop.


Cithandra pulls a lever, and the ship suddenly goes dark, everything turning off all at once. Even the artificial gravity goes off, though a few minor things stay on.
NISSA
(slowing)
Oh crap...
 
Rahah pulls out one of her weapons and makes a sword with it as well, not stopping.


KHALEMI
Comnent pulls an earpiece out of his pocket and hastily puts it on.
(over the intercom)
Boss? What in the world is going on?


COMNEN
COMNEN
(replying)
Sokar. Sokar?
Oh, nothing, my dear, just evading the law of the worlds.


Cithandra unclasps her seatbelt and heads back into the rest of the ship, guiding herself along expertly.
He fiddles at the earpiece a bit.


KHALEMI
COMNEN
(over the intercom)
(backing toward his ship)
Should I put out some bots?
Sokar!
...fuck. Right.


Comnen sighs, considering.
The robed Magi stops and gestures a symbol in the air in front of him, and a beam of light spears down out of the sky at Rahah.


COMNEN
The running Magi chasing them nearly grabs Nissa, but she twists away and retaliates with a blast of pure force, shoving the Magi back.
Yeah, give us a full scrub. Let's go with... Destiny's Reach.


KHALEMI
NISSA
(over the intercom)
(recoiling)
I'm on it.
...oh gods. I just did that. I just did that!


Comnen turns and starts typing at a red screen. The ship is totally dark around them.
Rahah holds her sword up over he head, turning it into a shield, which absorbs the force of the beam as she runs through it.
 
RAHAH
So... now what?


COMNEN
COMNEN
Now we wait. Khalemi's going to put out some bots to scrub the hull, make us look like a different ship, and I'll reset the registry address, and then...
(yelling at Nissa)
(he gestures vaguely with a hand)
Hey, girl! Get your crate!
Sooner or later someone not cops'll come near here, we follow them out, essentially.


NISSA
Comnen turns and runs into the ship.
Sooner or later? So how... long does that usually take?


COMNEN
Nissa startles and recovers herself, finds the crate, and runs for that, instead.
Usually under a week. Give or take.


NISSA
The robed Magi moves to block Nissa's path, but Rahah jumps at him, drawing her other weapon too, attacking all out with two double-bladed swords, forcing him to fend her off instead. He parries and ripostes with his sword, and then knocks Rahah back with a blast of energy when she blocks with one of her swords.
What?!


RAHAH
Rahah shoots at him instead, and dances around him as he whips a chain of crackling lightning at her, still guarding with his sword.
We really don't have that kind of time.
 
ROBED MAGI
Stop this nonsense. I have no wish to harm you.


COMNEN
RAHAH
That's how long it takes. If we want to get out of this system, we have to look legitimate, and that means not randomly coming out of these rings right after the ''same kind of ship'' just illegally went in and supposedly exploded.
Yeah, well...


NISSA
Rahah jumps back, swinging the swords at him and turning them on and off as needed, but he deflects each attack with a flick of his fingers.
(standing up)
I have a better idea.


Nissa gets to the crate and shoves it back toward the ship, and then gives chase after it.


The robed Magi jumps toward Nissa, and Rahah jumps in front of him, blocking his path, swinging her swords in tandem. He knocks the blades aside unnaturally quickly with his own sword, and turns it into a thrust right at her, which she blocks with one, but only barely. He presses the advantage, pushing both his sword and Rahah's plasma blade closer to her face. She turns off her spare and braces it against the other in attempt to push back.


Nissa shoves the crate up the ramp into the ship, just as it starts to take off, and jumps onto the ramp after it.


NISSA
NISSA
Hidden. They will not be able to find us with their technology, or their eyes.
Rahah!


Rahah dodges to the side, letting the sword fall past her, and then swings back at the Magi as he comes around for another one-handed swing as well, black flames tricking down his free hand, and a series of impossible swings and parries and blocks ensue as the flames begin to build.


Nissa gathers up a ball of swirling energies in her own hands as the ship continues to slowly rise.


NISSA
(insistently)
RAHAH!


Rahah jumps up, sailing into the air, and the Magi throws the black flames after her. She casts her swords out to the sides, forming the blades into a shield around her even as she continues to rise, and the flames hit a moment later, exploding over this bubble.


COMNEN
Nissa hurls her own ball of energy down at the Magi, and he drops to the ground, covering himself in a shield. The running Magi hurries toward him.
(over the intercom)
New plan, kids. Get the basic scrub done and make sure you're all on floor in ten minutes, and we're heading out.


KHALEMI
Nissa grabs Rahah and yanks her onto the the ship's cargo ramp as well, and they run inside.
(over the intercom)
Have you been eating those beans again?




INT. Shades Softly: cargo hold


Nissa and Rahah find themselves in a cargo hold full of random stuff, past an inner door for the airlock. The crate has bonked into a heap of stuff and stopped.


COMNEN
(over the intercom)
Are you idiots on? If so, shut the door and get up here!


RAHAH
(putting her weapons away)
What?


Nissa bonks a large button by the door, and the door closes and the ramp retracts.


CITHANDRA
NISSA
(to Comnen)
(sounding resigned)
And you didn't think it was perhaps relevant that the ones hiring you were Magi? That that might make things a little more dangerous?
This way, I think.


COMNEN
Why would that possibly make things more dangerous in Commonwealth space?!


Cithandra just stares at him.
INT. Shades Softly: cockpit


CITHANDRA
The cockpit is a cockpit with windows, screens, and consoles. A pilot and copilot seat are in front, with two seats behind them. Comnen is in the pilot seat, taking the ship rapidly up into the upper atmosphere.
You mean besides what just happened?


COMNEN
COMNEN
Well I didn't exactly expect that.
Nice of you to join us. Now strap yourselves in before things start to get interesting, eh?


NISSA
NISSA
(holding up a hand)
(taking the seat behind him)
For the record? Neither did we.
Interesting how?
 
Rahah takes the copilot seat and tries to figure out the buckles for a moment before getting it.
 
COMNEN
No way your Magi friends aren't reporting that. We have a few minutes, maybe, but... ever run from cops, girls?


RAHAH
They slip into a lane of ship traffic headed offworld.
Honestly had me or that Magi not been trying desperately to not actually kill each other, one or both of us would probably be dead.


NISSA
NISSA
Er, what?
Er... no?


RAHAH
RAHAH
I mean, I'm totally rubbish in a real-life fight, but flailing madly has won me a few even in-game, so...
Is it fun?
You got two dumarses attacking each other with magics and swords and weird-arse other things, how in the world could that possibly end well for either if they're actually trying to kill each other? Think about it.


NISSA
COMNEN
What were you trying to do?
(yawning)
Tremendously.


RAHAH
They get further out into space without much issue over the next few minutes. Comnen mostly just sits there letting the ship drive itself.
Distract him.


NISSA
NISSA
And him?
Rahah?


RAHAH
RAHAH
Stop me from doing something really regretable, probably.
Hmm?


NISSA
NISSA
So basically we just pissed off the good guys. For no real reason.
How screwed are we?


RAHAH
RAHAH
Possibly. We'll have to see what's even in the box first, of course...
Well, as much as my people aren't going to be terribly happy about this, we did just formally break off all relations anyway. Yours are probably going to be double annoyed.
 
An incoming transmission causes something to notify, and Comnen flicks the button to turn it on.


TRANSMISSION PERSON
Transport address e695.db43.2158, you are recorded and registered for illegal activities. Return to port now for proccessing.


COMNEN
(bonking at the button)
Ah, shut up.


Union space
TRANSMISSION PERSON
Transport address e695.db43.2158, excuse me? Return to port, or you will be disabled. This is your final warning.


COMNEN
Oh, I'm sorry, did I hit the wrong button? What I meant to say was...
(he leans really close to the mic)
GO FUCK YOURSELF. WITH A FISH.


Comnen hits the correct button this time, silencing the comms.


NISSA
(scrunching up a bit, uncertainly)
Er... that... shouldn't we do what they say? They know the ship, there's not...


COMNEN
(leaning forward and shooting them out of traffic)
The fuck you hire me for? This is normal. Rejig the paint, set a new registry address and they'll never know it's us. Course we need to get out of their worlds first, buuut...


They open the box. A glowing, not quite right object is inside. It looks a bit like a glassy seed.
The police boats start shooting at them, and Comnen dances the ship about, evading.


They all sort of stare at it a bit.
NISSA
What, it's that easy?


COMNEN
COMNEN
So what is it?
(sarcastically)
Sure, if you know what you're doing! And can even get really unlucky...


RAHAH
His words are punctuated by an explosion as something actually on the ship gets hit.
I have no idea.


NISSA
COMNEN
It's a seed.
(wincing)
...and wind up with a registered bad one.


JONAS
A crew of some sort, CITHANDRA, pokes her head in as Comnen wheels the ship about in yet another direction.
A glowing one.


NISSA
CITHANDRA
A glowing seed.
Boss, did I just hear a...
(she notices Rahah and Nissa)
Who are these... people?


COMNEN
(yanking the ship in another direction)
Job, Cith!


CITHANDRA
(barely clinging to the doorframe)
And you didn't think to possibly consult your crew before endangering us all?


COMNEN
They had a parking permit. Didn't seem that dangerous.


</screenplay>
CITHANDRA
(sarcastically)
Oh, well if they had a parking permit...


}}
COMNEN
(he glances at the monitors before choosing the next dodge)
'Sides, I didn't want to wake you.


{{ Infected hand (original?) | 1=
Comnen is still flying very erratically, while the police boats continue to try to shoot them down.


<screenplay>
Cithandra loses her hold momentarily and winds up half-sitting on Nissa. She grabs onto Comnen's chair instead.
DAZROTH
Don't touch him directly. The contagion may spread.


RAHAH
CITHANDRA
Right. But if it's magical in origin, could not magicking it do the same?
You really thought this flying, and I shudder to even call it that, you thought it wouldn't wake everyone on board?


DAZROTH
COMNEN
Do you not use safeguards?
Dammit, Cith, can we have this conversation some other time? Say, when I'm NOT trying to keep us all from getting killed.
And sit down, for fuck's sake. Inertial dampening's only so good.


RAHAH
He drives them on in squiggles, vaguely approaching another large planet.
(a bit surprised, but quickly covering)
They may only work against known vectors.


SANTANA
Another crewmember, JONAS, yells from somewhere further back in the ship:
That's a good point, really. We still don't know how the plague was spreading.


The others start discussing this.
JONAS
Ey, what is going on?!


RAHAH
Someone else yells something incoherent.
(quietly)
Comnen, were you shielded?


COMNEN
Cithandra manages to get herself into the remaining seat, and activates the ship-wide intercom.
Yeah. I thought you said this would protect me? That stuff went right through it!


RAHAH
CITHANDRA
What happened? Was there a flash or anything?
Everyone, please remain calm and strap yourselves in. It seems we've taken a job, and as long as we don't all die from it first...
(she shoots Comnen an irate look)
...things should calm down shortly. And then we'll get paid.
(turning off the intercom)
Also we should probably pick up the rest of the crew before we leave, yes?


COMNEN
COMNEN
(shaking his head)
One thing at a time!
It went all dark. Just all over. And then my hand...


RAHAH
He takes them into the planet's rings, dodging hunks of rock and ice and... other things at very alarming speed. Stuff blurrs past as they zig and zag between things.
Hrnng...


Rahah takes his affected hand at a distance, holding it up by magic, and inspecting it, indirectly, with more of the same.
NISSA
 
How are you not hitting everything?!
The discussion around the rest of the cubicle dies down a bit as folks watch.


COMNEN
COMNEN
Well?
(pulling his hands off the console)
Magic!


RAHAH
CITHANDRA
I... have no idea.
That's not him. That's the Shades doing it.
We solid, boss?


DAZROTH
COMNEN
Not related to the plague?
If we see anything big enough, yeah...


RAHAH
RAHAH
It's unlike anything I've ever seen.
(pointing a bit to the side)
There.


Comnen manages to avoid snarking at this, but only barely.
COMNEN
What? Where?


RAHAH
RAHAH
It's like...
You just need something bigger than the ship, right?
47 seconds, 18 degrees off, no, 23 degrees off...


But though she clearly recognises something, she doesn't finish the thought, instead hastilly dropping Comnen's hand and leaning away.
Comnen gives her a skeptical look, but directs the ship in the general direction.


</screenplay>
COMNEN
Ah, I see it.
(gesturing)
On my mark, hit that button.
 
They squiggle a bit around things, and then a rock slightly bigger than the ship suddenly looms up in front of them and they rapidly slow.
 
COMNEN
Mark!
 
Rahah smacks the button, and the rock explodes in front of them.


}}
Comnen yanks the ship to a stop.


{{ Hopeless (original) | 1=
Cithandra pulls a lever, and the ship suddenly goes dark, everything turning off all at once. Even the artificial gravity goes off, though a few minor things stay on.


<screenplay>
KHALEMI
(over the intercom)
Boss? What in the world is going on?


COMNEN
COMNEN
(turning to the guy behind him)
(replying)
Agh, these people are hopeless.
Oh, nothing, my dear, just evading the law of the worlds.
 
Cithandra unclasps her seatbelt and heads back into the rest of the ship, guiding herself along expertly.


The guy behind him turns out to be Dazroth.
KHALEMI
(over the intercom)
Should I put out some bots?
 
Comnen sighs, considering.
 
COMNEN
Yeah, give us a full scrub. Let's go with... Destiny's Reach.
 
KHALEMI
(over the intercom)
I'm on it.
 
Comnen turns and starts typing at a red screen. The ship is totally dark around them.
 
RAHAH
So... now what?
 
COMNEN
Now we wait. Khalemi's going to put out some bots to scrub the hull, make us look like a different ship, and I'll reset the registry address, and then...
(he gestures vaguely with a hand)
Sooner or later someone not cops'll come near here, we follow them out, essentially.
 
NISSA
Sooner or later? So how... long does that usually take?
 
COMNEN
Usually under a week. Give or take.
 
NISSA
What?!
 
RAHAH
We really don't have that kind of time.
 
COMNEN
That's how long it takes. If we want to get out of this system, we have to look legitimate, and that means not randomly coming out of these rings right after the ''same kind of ship'' just illegally went in and supposedly exploded.
 
NISSA
(standing up)
I have a better idea.
 
 
 
 
NISSA
Hidden. They will not be able to find us with their technology, or their eyes.
 
 
 
 
 
COMNEN
(over the intercom)
New plan, kids. Get the basic scrub done and make sure you're all on floor in ten minutes, and we're heading out.
 
KHALEMI
(over the intercom)
Have you been eating those beans again?
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
CITHANDRA
(to Comnen)
And you didn't think it was perhaps relevant that the ones hiring you were Magi? That that might make things a little more dangerous?
 
COMNEN
Why would that possibly make things more dangerous in Commonwealth space?!
 
Cithandra just stares at him.
 
CITHANDRA
You mean besides what just happened?
 
COMNEN
Well I didn't exactly expect that.
 
NISSA
(holding up a hand)
For the record? Neither did we.
 
RAHAH
Honestly had me or that Magi not been trying desperately to not actually kill each other, one or both of us would probably be dead.
 
NISSA
Er, what?
 
RAHAH
I mean, I'm totally rubbish in a real-life fight, but flailing madly has won me a few even in-game, so...
You got two dumarses attacking each other with magics and swords and weird-arse other things, how in the world could that possibly end well for either if they're actually trying to kill each other? Think about it.
 
NISSA
What were you trying to do?
 
RAHAH
Distract him.
 
NISSA
And him?
 
RAHAH
Stop me from doing something really regretable, probably.
 
NISSA
So basically we just pissed off the good guys. For no real reason.
 
RAHAH
Possibly. We'll have to see what's even in the box first, of course...
 
COMNEN
You don't know?!
 
 
 
 
Union space
 
 
 
 
 
They open the box. A glowing, not quite right object is inside. It looks a bit like a glassy seed.
 
They all sort of stare at it a bit.
 
COMNEN
So what is it?
 
RAHAH
I have no idea.
 
NISSA
It's a seed.
 
JONAS
A glowing one.
 
NISSA
A glowing seed.
 
 
 
 
</screenplay>
 
}}
 
{{ Infected hand (original?) | 1=
 
<screenplay>
DAZROTH
Don't touch him directly. The contagion may spread.
 
RAHAH
Right. But if it's magical in origin, could not magicking it do the same?


DAZROTH
DAZROTH
Now you know how I feel.
Do you not use safeguards?
 
 
COMNEN
RAHAH
Er... sorry.
(a bit surprised, but quickly covering)
They may only work against known vectors.
 
SANTANA
That's a good point, really. We still don't know how the plague was spreading.
 
The others start discussing this.
 
RAHAH
(quietly)
Comnen, were you shielded?
 
COMNEN
Yeah. I thought you said this would protect me? That stuff went right through it!
 
RAHAH
What happened? Was there a flash or anything?
 
COMNEN
(shaking his head)
It went all dark. Just all over. And then my hand...
 
RAHAH
Hrnng...
 
Rahah takes his affected hand at a distance, holding it up by magic, and inspecting it, indirectly, with more of the same.
 
The discussion around the rest of the cubicle dies down a bit as folks watch.
 
COMNEN
Well?
 
RAHAH
I... have no idea.
 
DAZROTH
Not related to the plague?
 
RAHAH
It's unlike anything I've ever seen.
 
Comnen manages to avoid snarking at this, but only barely.
 
RAHAH
It's like...
 
But though she clearly recognises something, she doesn't finish the thought, instead hastilly dropping Comnen's hand and leaning away.
 
</screenplay>
 
}}
 
{{ Hopeless (original) | 1=
 
<screenplay>
 
COMNEN
(turning to the guy behind him)
Agh, these people are hopeless.
 
The guy behind him turns out to be Dazroth.
 
DAZROTH
Now you know how I feel.
 
COMNEN
Er... sorry.
 
</screenplay>
 
}}
 
{{ End thing (original) | 1=
 
<screenplay>
 
A courier hands a package to Rahah and leaves.
 
Rahah opens it. It's some sort of note, and she skims through it quickly.
 
Nissa leans over.
 
RAHAH
It's from Dazroth.
 
NISSA
What is it?
 
RAHAH
(handing the note to Nissa)
An invitation.


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{{ End thing (original) | 1=
<screenplay>
A courier hands a package to Rahah and leaves.
Rahah opens it. It's some sort of note, and she skims through it quickly.
Nissa leans over.
RAHAH
It's from Dazroth.
NISSA
What is it?
RAHAH
(handing the note to Nissa)
An invitation.
</screenplay>
}}


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Latest revision as of 23:52, 27 August 2018

The Job

The job: heist, some item/artifact

  • held by powerful folks with lots of resources in vaults/with securtiy, need to infiltrate things, can get in past open floors of museum/casino/staging area/whatever
  • folks might be the Magi, but probably aren't, because that would really complicate things later and also they really like keeping things in-house and thus would be rather hard to infiltrate. Probably some random other gang or corporation, or an operation by a specific bureau.
  • have plan for getting past security, need to get crew/get rest of crew back from random holidays or out of prison or another totally random job they were already doing, or stuff, and figure out the details of everything else
  • job is kind of sudden and high priority and they need to beat anyone else there

The opening: planning and all the stuff to actually do the heist

  • They do the heist. They make it in. There's some unnecessary drama about all the over the top security, and some conflict with head of security guy.
  • The item is already gone, head of security guy shows up absolutely pissed and everyone expects him to arrest them, but then he turns out to have been their totally adorable mechanic Khalemi, and their other inside source all along. Is absolutely pissed that she fucked up the security, because she was actually trying to make it good specifically so this wouldn't happen. Everyone is a bit surprised, because the security guy was actually some pretty good acting on her part, and also why was it a guy?!

Ensue: the plot. Hunting down the folks who stole the item. It's important, yo. Brains of their opperations, criminal mastermind Cithandra, won't say why, but it is, and they need to get it back. Things go sideways at some point. Comnen, usual point guy, talky person, swagger and all that, gets taken out of the running, and Cithandra has to take direct control of everything and more than being a general mastermind, turns out to be really, really scary as direct boss. Also really suave and sophisticated. But scary-like.

Somehow they get Comnen back. Hijinks ensue throuhout. Sokar does his thing taking random side jobs all the way through, which turns out to be a really good cover at least two times in a row when security people ask them just what the fuck they're doing here.

Ending: they get the item.

  • Item is a key to a vault of scary group ..., which they open, and find... an alien girl?!
  • Having no idea what the hell else to do, they take her with them as they head out into the stars for their next adventure.
  • Also said alien girl probably wasn't at all what Cithandra was expecting either, but whatever.

Setting organisations

Somewhere in the background there's references to at least some of the three main scaries, which may or may not show up as clients hiring the crew at some point or other:

  • The United Worlds, the massively bureaucratic galactic republic where everything mostly just goes through random bureaus regardless of what the politicians from all the random systems actually say
  • The Magi, a quasi-religious guild of space wizards that basically force all magic-capable people they find to either join them or die (or maybe just be cut off from the magic, which is also horrible for them?)
  • The ... which turns out to be this horrible mysterious organisation that experiments on monsters (aliens) for reasons, and is a good chunk of why so many of the aliens are humanoid (or elven?), because they actually started out as humans/elves or were previously much more alien and then engineered into hybrids. This is definitely not commonly known and will not come up for awhile. Is probably known as a major source of biotech through some front, and is in fact possibly really only known for that at all, publicly.
Probably run by a group of dark wizards, or something.

Other random groups that occur:

  • Citheldryn: a myserious organisation that has embassies on random planets and isn't entirely clear what its purpose is, where it came from, or anything. Also very unclear where any of their money, of which they seem to have a lot, comes from. Is generally suspected of just paying off the UW bureaucracy to ignore them.
  • Syndicate: a major crime guild that somehow has never actually been connected to any crimes, officially. But everyone knows they do crime. They do crime.
  • The Right People: not exactly a group so much as just random people who think the UW/Magi, in particular, are dumb, and do their own thing. Gnerally includes any gangs/other unlawful factions not actively at war with each other, as well as quite a few underground non-Magi wizards. Syndicate is not really a part of this, but sometimes involved.
  • Various other guilds, gangs, corporations, cabals, and planets doing various things throughout
  • The border worlds, which may or may not have any seat in the UW itself, and often go totally ignored by its bureaus/forces, and thus may wind up really doing their own things

Crew

  • Comnen - probably actually owns the ship, boss as far as everyone is concerned, prefers smuggling jobs but also has history as a merc and will do heists etc if someone else figures out the details. Presents himself as a ball of swagger and confidence, and puts all this swagger and confidence to use to hold the crew together, along with just generally being awesome.
  • Cithandra - suave, sophisticated, and above all, absolutely gorgeous and elegant criminal mastermind behind a lot of the jobs, sometimes tells the crew the full plan, sometimes... not. Also generally doesn't actually come across as particularly criminal or mastermind, and usually just suggests random things offhand, and then finances random parts of it, as the rest of them put the details of the operation together...
Overtly, she's just this rich lady who hired the ship to take her with and finances them because she was bloody bored.
  • Sokar - main pilot, keeps taking on these totally ridiculous side jobs whenever they get to a new system, much to everyone's annoyance. Possibly turns out that this tendency was precisely why Cithandra hired him.
  • Khalemi - medic, tech handler in general, bot operator, very good with security systems and distributed operations, completely lost whenever she has to do anything hands-on. Also apparently a pretty good actor... when acting a man. Can't act out other women for the life of her.
  • Jonas - some sort of 'public relations'
  • Torkora Ma - wanton thief, possibly another sort of 'public relations'
  • Nissa - young underworld wizard with a very peculiar view of how magic works, uses it to fix random stuff, very nonchalant about absolutely everything, with a particular skill for going completely unnoticed as she just walks right into pretty much anything unquestioned


Several of them really don't get along with each other, but do have the professionalism to keep overtly expressing it to a miniumum while actually doing the job (well, usually). Will get very annoyed when they have to fix things for each other, but generally make a point of doing it precisely so the other survives/makes it out/whatever so they can actually berate them about it...

Screenplay?



NISSA
There's a magus here.
(she gestures in a direction)
Somewhere thataway. We should be careful.
SOKAR
How do you tell?
NISSA
They're practically glowing with power.
Sokar gives her a sudden, worried look.
NISSA
Oh, don't worry. They're very bad at what they do, totally uncontrolled, so it's really easy to sense them. I'm much better than that.
SOKAR
If you say so, kid.






JONAS
Shit, how old are you, anyway?
NISSA
Mmm, I dunno. Maybe 10ish?
JONAS
What...
(turning and yelling toward Comnen)
BOSS! The kid is really a kid!
COMNEN
(showing up)
Yeah? So?
JONAS
So... she's like, really, really young!
Nissa just smiles, looking vaguely cute.
COMNEN
Yes...?
JONAS
Like... a kid. Why're we puttin' a kid in all these... situations?
NISSA
Is it really you putting me in these situations? Is it?
COMNEN
She's a fucking squid, man. They're weird.
He turns and leaves.
JONAS
But... but...
NISSA
(now looking a bit annoyed)
Squid. Yes, that is... exactly...





SOKAR
I got us a new job.
COMNEN
What... the fuck?
KHALEMI
...again?
TORKORA MA
Are we stealing something?
SOKAR
Naw, naw, this is just a strict pick up, drop off.
TORKORA MA
You say that like that's not exactly how stealing things works...
KHALEMI
What's the catch?
SOKAR
No catch, just passengers.
COMNEN
How is that not a catch?!
We're already sitting on stolen cargo, and we still have to catch up...
KHALEMI
Yeah, that does sound a biiit dodgy.
CITHANDRA
And passengers will be a very nice way to ensure nobody checks for stolen cargo when we stop off. Isn't that right?
SOKAR
Uh... is it?





The passengers turn out to be: two magi and a kid, a priest, a random couple, and three guys they're all mildly certain would also fall among the Right People.
Comnen glares at Sokar.
COMNEN
These are the passengers you managed to come up with?!
SOKAR
You know, maybe I am starting to think this wasn't such a good idea.
NISSA
Well, I'm going to need to be careful.
COMNEN
What exactly happens if you aren't?
NISSA
Depends.
COMNEN
On?
NISSA
Depends.
(quietly)
We might need that priest.
SOKAR
...what for?

Old stuff

Possibly some stuff that happens later...



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I want to believe.