The Emperor's Jubilee

[Omni]

All Primes in city-approved accommodation receive a recorded voice message to their Dataverse inboxes.

"This is the Judge speaking. Next week is the Emperor's jubilee. Gonna be a lot of floats, a lot of people. There's been some things going around on the Dataverse. Some punks claiming they're gonna cause problems. Could be just a prank, but it never hurts to take a few extra precautions, and if you all want to prove your loyalty to the Empire, this is your chance. Just keep a lookout and don't cause problems. You get in the way of the parade, I'll be taking you down too.

Dredd out."

[Omni]

Dredd sat up, turned off his alarm clock. Today was the day.

He hadn’t gotten much sleep. All the possibilities had been bouncing through his head. But he was used to being tired. Back in his own world, he had a lot of responsibilities, but it felt simple. Here, he’d done the thing which had felt the most natural, and yet it felt like the weight was far heavier. He knew what he did was right. That’s what made it so heavy. He couldn’t not do it. He could only continue on.

It was early morning, but the city was already alive. Dredd’s patrol cars swept the streets. Nothing unusual. Of course there wasn’t. There probably wouldn’t be anything. But the possibility kept Dredd’s nerves alive, buzzing the way they’d been for the past several days. Part of him hoped to see the Primes show up, but mostly he hoped they’d just keep out of the way. He knew the Emperor wanted to see what the Primes could do, test their allegiances, but it made things more complicated. Dredd didn’t like complicated.

[Proto Man]

For the first time since his arrival in the city, the busy streets were empty, with floating barricades preventing any travel across streets adjacent to the parade route. Proto Man paused for a moment to look at the empty sky streets, and for the first time, he realized just how vacuous they appeared when they were filled with dozens of rows of cars and bikes.

As he neared the closest point of the parade route, Proto Man kept his eyes to the skies in some desperate hope to catch another glimpse of sunlight gleaming off a polished helmet or for another shadow ducking behind a window. By the time he reached the outskirts of the parade, he realized he wouldn’t need to be extra attentive, because the imperial military presence was already out in full.

The men in the giant suits of armor—Imperial Space Marines, so his CPU’s connection with the Dataverse indicated—were perched on every tall building and on makeshift observation platforms on the sides of taller structures. The rank-and-file troopers in the white armor could be spotted everywhere: Some where casually strolling through the crowd, while others could be seen accompanying the various parade floats.

From this distance, Proto Man could barely see the main thoroughfare which the parades were using. Unfortunately, the pathway in front of him clear for about fifty feet before it hit the edge of the fenced area designated as the parade grounds. Beyond the small metal fence, the street and sidewalks were choked with the various residents of Coruscant’s first few tiers. The android eyed the various balconies of building inside the parade grounds, but he wondered whether or not he’d be attracting unwanted attention if he just started jumping onto the sides of high-rises.

As Proto Man surveyed the sides of the structures, his computer began running a series of diagnostic scans of the crowd. By the time the preteen robot had abandoned his first scheme, an illuminated walkway popped up on his HUD that provided him with his best path through the mass of people milling about, along with additional routes that stopped at some of the assorted games and food stands set up by businesses on lower tiers. Proto Man had to appreciate that about his CPU, even though it knew he didn’t need it eat, it was still kind enough to factor in that he might want to anyway.

Following the indicators, he gave a courteous nod to the marine standing near the entrance to the parade grounds and made his way through. As he started toward the main street down the block, the pathway continued to update as people shambled and meandering about the area.

By the time he reached the stand selling some sort of off-brand of protein shakes, Proto Man couldn’t help but feel like the whole thing was pretty mundane. Most of the floats were either advertisements for businesses or some sort of reference to city history that he didn’t understand yet. More than a handful of the floats were dedicated to various detachments of troopers and marines who had fought against the Underverse, which seemed to be an analogue for the Bible’s Hell.

Although he was a sentient machine, Proto Man had never invested a whole lot into the notion of afterlives back in his home universe. He knew that machines didn’t have souls, so by virtue of their nature, they would just cease to exist upon cessation of their functions. Even with his sapience, he knew that he had been born from metal and synthetic organs. Anyone with religion he had ever spoken to had made him feel like he was less than a human being. And sure, he didn’t have a heartbeat, but he still felt and he still experienced everything they did, which to him meant they were on the same level, regardless of their weird beliefs.

But none of that mattered now that he was in the Omniverse. Based upon the cheers for the floats and how nicely they were decorated, it was clear that they were talking about real, actual events rather than ancient stories that had grown from oral traditions. That meant there was some sort of realm that existed beneath or outside or alongside the Omniverse where suffering and misery were the norm.

A quick search told him that the Underverse had been created by a Prime called Diablo, and that this self-proclaimed ‘Lord of Terror’ had sought to swallow up the rest of the Omniverse before he’d been stopped and his verse sealed for good. Proto Man’s computer was having some trouble accessing a few of the articles that detailed how exactly the demon was stopped, and it seemed that they had been blocked through some means by the imperial government.

Another Underverse-themed float passed by: This time, it was a stately-looking man grappling a giant demon and easily besting him. At first Proto Man figured it was King Bradley, but a closer analysis and cross-reference informed him that this was Palpatine, the ruler of this city and the entire Empire. Rather than the stern, soldierly appearance of the one-eyed Bradley, Emperor Palpatine had a far gentler look, despite his expression as he fought the monstrous Diablo. Judging on looks alone, the ruler of Coruscant seemed more befit to serve as someone’s grandfather than the ruler of a multi-verse state.

I’m sure there’s more to that than meets the eye… As the float passed, Proto Man continued his weaving through the crowd. The closer he got to the actual main street, the more soldiers he could spot. His processor labeled each of them with a red reticule and kept a running tab—it was up to three dozen. Did Judge Dredd really expect something sinister to happen at this parade? As he took another glance at the high-rises, the android wondered if the Judge had a command center somewhere in one of those structure’s that overlooked the entire route.

Or he might be concealed in this crowd. Proto Man frowned as he glanced around at all the nondescript people milling about. He had a few algorithms that could help him assess potential threats in the way people moved, looked, or acted, but the best he could make was a hypothesis with a significant margin of error. Need better tech. I need some scanning equipment or something. For all he knew, the stroller that woman was pushing had a bomb swaddled in a blanket. He’d never seen Dredd’s face, so any one of these older-looking men could have been the Judge in civilian clothes.

There were too many variables at play. If something was going to go down, it would happen, and the best case scenario was that there’d be enough time to react accordingly before too much damage occurred. Proto Man frowned once more as he looked up at a marine on a nineteenth story balcony. What someone with poorer vision probably wouldn’t notice was that the soldier’s firearm was concealed, undoubtedly to make him seem like his role was cursory rather than necessary.

In a civilization full of technology, Proto Man hoped that the Judge had more information to go off of than he did. Based on the soldiers, it seemed that they were opting more for the ‘Have enough guns to stop anything’ approach, which meant they were probably just as clueless as the android shuffling awkwardly through the throng of people.

As he reached the barricade that separated the viewers from the parade’s route, Proto Man leaned as far out as he could without attracting attention. A glance in both directions informed him that the floats stretched on in both directions without end, which meant there was probably a ways for this showcase to go before it ended. Leaning back over the barricade, the android eyed a nearby stand that sold ice cream in the form of cartoon characters with bubblegum eyeballs.

Well I have some time to kill…

[Nanoha Takamachi]

An eerie quietness greet Nanoha as she exited the apartment on the morning of the Jubilee. The sky streets above were entirely devoid of the usual jam of flying vehicles, and even the ground level street only had a few cars and pedestrians travelling towards the centre districts of Coruscant. Raising Heart had already looked up the route the flying parade was intending to take and planned a direct ground route to one of the many designated entrance points for the parade grounds. It seemed that the parade itself would travel down cordoned off streets, with sections of the ground level streets and various higher tier terraces set aside for viewing points and general festival gatherings.

Nanoha had quickly grown tired of the automated transport systems the city had set aside for use by Primes, and over the past few evenings had been working on a detailed plan to enhance the design of the motorbike she had summoned back at the Nexus to use for her own personal transport within Coruscant.

If Omnilium allowed her to summon anything she could think of, then summoning a bike adapted to integrate Raising Heart as an onboard AI would be no problem at all. The end result took a good half hour of careful manipulation to summon, but after giving the vehicle a thorough inspection, Raising Heart indicated she was satisfied with it.

Travelling along the long streets and angular corners, laid bare by the absence of barely any other commuters, Nanoha had Raising Heart run a final diagnostic on her most recently restored system. This Jubilee would likely prove to be an excellent opportunity to test that the system was properly reactivated.

Presently they had reached the entrance point her Device had selected earlier. The streets here were crammed with people waiting in line to be allowed through the checkpoint to the terrace above. There were a lot of people; the lines spilled over along the sidewalks. It was a veritable sea of faces, some strangely alien, others as familiarly human as any Nanoha had seen before. Regardless, Nanoha had no interest in waiting in the line; patience was a virtue best saved for more productive purposes.

Looking around, Nanoha could see groups of the elite Coruscant guard dotting the vertical landscape of the streets- small observations platforms hovering scores of metres above the ground or jutting out of buildings. These were supposedly called ‘Space Marines’, powerful genetically engineered warriors wearing massive powered suits. Parking the bike and dismissing it- absorbing the Omnilium used to create it back into her, Nanoha picked out one of the formidable looking soldiers among the crowd. He was bulky man wearing a slimmed down version of the heavy armour the marines above wore. Nanoha had no idea if Dredd had altered his soldiers to the possibility of the newly arrived Primes being at the parade. It would, perhaps, be prudent to find that out Nanoha mused as she approached the man to get his attention.

“What is it, citizen? The queues are clearly marked.” The man’s response was curt, if somewhat respectful. He was clearly busy enough trying to manage whatever part of the crowd he had been assigned to.

“This is the entrance to the twenty-third floor terrace, right?”

“That is correct. Again, the queues are clearly marked. Take your place in line if you want to get there before the parade begins.” He turned his attention elsewhere, having determined that he shouldn’t need to divert his attention to one person for any longer.

That was fine by Nanoha. Happy to be certain this was the right place and that there were no limits imposed by the authorities on her or her fellows specifically, she calmed walked a few paces away from the man while detaching Raising Heart’s jewel from the chain around her neck. Taking a deep breath and closing her eyes, Nanoha murmured the words that were as second nature to her now.

“Raising Heart, if you would please?”

Standby, Ready. Set up: Axel Mode

There was a tingling in the air, warmth spreading across the ground below foot, a crackling of mana infused energy that lanced through her very being. It took barely more than the blink of an eye for her Barrier Jacket to sprout across her form, but as always the channelling of mana seemed to slow down time, spinning her focus in ever-increasing circles of convoluted discipline built up over a decade and a half of training and combat.

A certain sort of serenity always encompassed Nanoha as her friend and companion came to result, fully formed, in her left hand. Some would say she was born to be a Mage, but it was only in this moment of unison between Device and Magi that Nanoha ever truly wondered if that was the case. The familiar weigh of Raising Heart’s staff gripped firmly twixt her fingers calmed her to the very depths of her soul, even if combat was the eventuality they had engaged for.

Predictably, she heard gasps and shouts from the onlookers nearby. Cries of “A Prime!” “What just happened to her?” “Is that part of the show?” and the like filled the area around her, but Nanoha ignored it. Opening her eyes, she carefully set her feet apart and bent a little at the knees.

“Raising Heart, Axel Fin!”

Affirmative. Axel Fin.

Two pairs of iridescent wings fluttered into existence about her ankles, glowing with the brilliant colour of Sakura blossoms. With a little leap into their air from her readied stance, Nanoha shot into the air above.

It didn’t take too long for the crowd below to merge into one unidentifiable mass as Nanoha steadily climbed in altitude, rising up above some of the smaller buildings around. The taller buildings that the festival terrace was set into soon came into view not far below her, and she manoeuvred to glide down to the terrace itself. Flying was as naturally as running to her, if even more so after years of experience, but Nanoha could feel that the drain on Raising Heart’s incomplete systems was somewhat more pronounced that either Device or Mage were used to.

All systems functioning nominally. Test result data acceptable, proceeding with landing at designated location is advised.

“It feels good to be back in the air though, doesn’t it Raising Heart?” Nanoha felt more cheerful up here in the air than she had in days. It would be shame to land already, but she didn’t want to raise too much attention from the powers that controlled Coruscant.

It seemed her elation at being able to fly again had dulled Nanoha’s reasoning, however, since they had barely begun to glide down toward the terrace when Raising Heart’s voice rang out suddenly.

Unit approaching on intercept course.

Nanoha slowed quickly, turning to see who was approaching her out of the blue. A trio of the armoured elite guard were flying up toward her from one of the nearby observation platforms, using some sort of crude-looking jetpacks. They had weapons trained on her, but didn’t seem to be intending to open fire. One of them called to her as they approached.

“Halt, Prime. You are in currently restricted airspace; state the nature of your intentions.”

She should’ve known, Nanoha inwardly cursed. Getting too affixed on getting airborne again, she should’ve realised that a day like this would have air restrictions as much as anything else.

Before she had a chance to respond, one of the other two marines reached down to his plated belt and grabbed a small device.
“Call from the Judge, Strike Leader. For the Prime.”

The marine who had addressed her took the transmitter from him and tossed it towards Nanoha. “Judge Dredd wishes to speak with you. I suggest you don’t make him wait.”

Deftly catching the device, Nanoha thumbed what looked to be the answer button while holding Raising Heart’s jewel up to the side of it. It took the Device a moment to interface with the transmitter and project a visual feed into Nanoha’s magical display vision.

She was greeted by the scowling, helmeted, face of Judge Dredd. She couldn’t see his eyes under the helmet, but it was plain as day that he was glaring at her.

“Since when the fuck could you even fly, girlie? And what the fuck are you even doing up there? I told you all to keep a look out and not cause problems, was I somehow not clear enough?”

Nanoha had to suppress a chuckle at the man’s seething outburst. He likely had intense pressure on him during an event like this, but the dramatic tone of his greeting was typical tough guy behaviour. Nanoha had little patience for such schoolyard attitudes, and Dredd had done little to give himself a good impression in her eyes already.

“Oh I’ve always been able to fly, Dredd, I am an Aerial Combat Mage after all. Maybe if you were one for chit-chat you’d already know that. Regardless, I don’t see any problems here.”

The Judge snorted, “Combat Mage? In those clothes? Don’t be ridiculous. All you’re doing is causing a scene.”

“Ridiculous is calling yourself law enforcement while wearing a helmet you probably can’t even see out of properly!”

A heartbeat before Dredd opened his mouth to reply, Raising Heart’s voice rang out loudly over both of them.

Aerial surveillance covers more observable locations than ground-based watch, Judge Dredd. There are more prudent topics to discuss, my Master, such as the library.

Nanoha and Dredd glared at each other for a moment before they both replied at once.

“I need access to the library-“
“Fine you can fly around-“

They stopped again. If Devices could sigh, Raising Heart’s response would have no doubt begun with one.

If it is acceptable, we will survey the area around the parade itself from a respectable distance. In return, we request access to the Libarary of Coruscant.

Dredd took a few moments to take this in, before visibly waving his hand dismissively at them.

“Sure, fine. It’s always handy to have a Prime who can fly, and you can go check out that stupid library if you really want to. Remind me after the day is over and I’ll send through approval. We’re done here, Dredd out.”

The transmitter went silent as Raising Heart closed the view screen. The lead marine jetted closer and accepted the device back. He gave Nanoha a small nod as the trio fell back into their formation. He saluted slightly before he spoke in farewell, his voice betraying a slight tinge of begrudged respect.

“It’s not every day a new Prime gets even a word in edgeways with the Judge. Good luck.”

The marines descended back toward the observation post as Nanoha began to glide down toward the terrace again. The parade appeared to be just starting, but she wanted to grab a bite to each of the festival fare before taking up a vigil in the air.

As she gradually approached the crowed terrace filled with gaudy coloured stalls and traders trying to sell wares, Nanoha looked carefully for a clearing where she could land. It didn’t take long to spot a small zone that had been opened up around a cluster of marines, and she deftly landed there. The marines paid her no attention; it was likely that Dredd had already alerted them to her decided upon status here.

She browsed through the stalls for a short while, before purchasing a small chocolate treated shaped to look like King Bradley, complete with a small sabre at the ready in one hand. Walking over to the edge of the barricade that separated the terrace from the parade route, Nanoha had barely bitten the head off the chocolate figure when she spotted a familiar figure leaning over the barrier ahead of her. It was Blues.

“Blues! Hey! There you are!”

The robotic kid turned suddenly, one arm coming up at the ready until he saw who it was that approached her. He seemed to sigh in a sort of confused relief before greeting her, holding out his hand stiffly toward her.

“Nanoha. I’ve been wondering when I’d finally find you; I didn’t expect to see you until I got a chance to visit the library.”

She took his outstretched hand firmly and gave it a little shake before letting go. The android had cleaned up a bit since she’d last seen him; the chips and flecks of dirt and oil that had previously marred his surface had been repainted or polished out, and his apparently trademark sunglasses reflected the sunlight above with crystal clarity.

“It’s a good thing you haven’t visited the library yet, that Judge character has barred Primes from access without his approval it would seem. I see you’ve cleaned up a bit though, looking good kid.”

It is good to see you, Proto Man. Your systems are running optimally, I hope.

He smiled a little; perhaps feeling happy that his efforts in restoring his shell to original condition were recognised by someone other than himself.

“Well, I thought it’d be a good idea to check out this city for a few days first, and yeah: I’m doing fine Raising Heart. What have you two been up to?”

Nanoha swallowed the rest of the chocolate in one bite and dusted her hands off before leaning against the barricade next to Blues.

“Well, the same mostly. I spoke with Dredd just a little while ago though; he agreed to give me access to the library if I keep a look out over the parade from the air.”

Blues did that thing where he seemed to be trying to furrow his immovable brows, “You can fly?” He whistled a little bit in curious respect.

“Well… I am an Aerial Combat Mage.”

[Samus Aran]

Samus had chosen to be in her Power Suit. Though her regular clothing allowed her to be incognito, there was no point risking a quick death when she had no idea where the enemy was, or even if the enemy was there at all. Despite her stature, parting the crowds was like trying to peel apart glue. It was slow, messy, and mostly pointless and frustrating. Every other person she scanned for suspicious behaviour was trying to sell her some trinket or deep-fried, jubilee-themed snack; the other half wanted to take a photo with the impressive new prime. The events of the Nexus had been broadcast to the entire nation, it seemed, so many people knew who she was. Her patrols across the city had helped to increase her presence, so that now she was fairly well-known. But nobody yet knew what she was capable of. Perhaps she’d have a chance to show that today. Despite outwardly wanting nothing but peace, deep down Samus knew she wanted some action. It was getting too dull, too easy, and the hunter didn’t thrive in comfort. She was at her best when she was on her own, and being in the midst of this heaving mass made her feel useless, debilitated. If anyone attacked right now, she’d have a hard time doing anything without hurting innocent bystanders. Dredd was right to be worried.

The Judge himself was out of sight, in a nearby building. The outlay of the city was being projected out from a table, and it was being surveyed by himself and several of his higher-ranking officers. Nearby, several Space Marines watched the city below from blacked-out windows.

“If they’re going to strike the city, it’s going to be here,” asserted one of the officers, a man with dark, grey-flecked hair and a well-kept beard that jutted outwards from his chin. “It’s where the largest mass of people are concentrated.”

Dredd said nothing. He knew that already. What he didn’t know was why they’d seen nothing so far. It was already halfway through the day. If they wanted to strike, they had to have something in place already. Yet they’d seen nothing, done nothing. The festivities had already peaked. His logic told him that it had all been a hoax after all. So why did his gut tell him something still wasn’t right?

His communicator lit up. Dredd held up a finger to the table, stepped aside, and clicked the Receive button. “Dredd,” he grunted.

“What the hell is going on over there?!” came a derisive bellow through the speaker. “Are you a moron?!”

The Judge’s scowl deepened into a snarl. “Gero. Speak English.”

“I’ve sent you seventeen emails!” screeched the doctor. “Do I have to use this primitive technology to get through to you?”

“What?” Dredd flipped open the Dataverse unit on his wrist. “You haven’t – shit.”

“Oh, I see you’ve noticed now,” mocked the robotic doctor. “How someone like you managed to rise to such a level of-”

“Shut up. There’s no emails.”

“No emails?” The Doctor scoffed. “I sent them. They’re right here.”

Dredd addressed his officers. “All of you, check your Dataverse terminals. Are they working?”

They all flipped open their devices in turn. “Seems to be,” said the closest. They all nodded in turn.

Dredd brought the communications device back up to his mouth. “Gero,” he growled. “What were you saying in those emails?”

“Oh, now you’re too busy to read a simple email? Mister-”

“ANSWER THE QUESTION!”

“For the love of … I can’t modify any of the city defense files. I know you’re a despot when it comes to your precious armed forces, but because of your thick-skulled tinkering I can’t access what I need to. You need MY genius in order to make sure all of the defense programs are running optimally, a fact you don’t seem to fully comprehend! Now if you’ll just--”

Dredd clicked the communicator closed. “Fucking moron.” He raised his voice. “Radio the troops, get those Primes over here right now! We’ve got a situation!”

[Samus Aran]

Samus reacted badly when the soldier came to find her. Given the speed and trajectory, she’d assumed he was an attacker, and done the only logical thing given the crowd. She’d leapt into the air and tackled him off his bike. They’d careened into a building and Samus had him pinned before he’d managed to stutter out that he had an urgent message from Dredd. Samus was very glad that the helmet covered her face. At least the crowd had scattered away from where they’d landed.

After an embarrassed apology, they were flying towards a wide, dome-topped building that seemed to be waiting for them, wings opening as soon as the air-speeder drew close. Samus hopped off the bike, striding through the building at the behest of several stormtroopers who pointed the way. The building she arrived in was very wide, flat-topped and had a large hologram showing the layout of the city. Dredd greeted her.

“How do you feel about computers?” he asked.

[Nanoha Takamachi]

Neither Prime had much chance to go into much depth about their exploration of Courscant before a nearby guard, his hand to his ear to dampen the noise of the crowd around him, approached Nanoha. He looked concerned, maybe a little afraid, as he walked up.

"Major, uh, Takamachi?"

Proto Man, his youthful size hidden from the guard's view by Nanoha's billowing Barrier Jacket, leaned back from where he rested against the barricade in front of them and stared at the man with his right hand habitually clenched at the ready. Nanoha patted his shoulder lightly as she turned to address the man. She wasn't really surprised to have someone from Coruscant's military speaking to her, considering her agreement with Dredd earlier, but why so soon was a little worrisome.

"Yes, that's me" she replied before firmly adding, "Proto Man is here too, another Prime. How can I help you?"

"Judge Dredd wants to see you immediately at the Observation Dome, this is a priority one request, are you able to respond?"

Nanoha frowned a little; Priority One? She obviously had no idea what that meant exactly, but it was clearly an urgent request. She turned to Blues and raised an eyebrow quizzically, "You coming along too? I assume he'll want any Primes that are available."

The robotic boy shrugged, he didn't seem to be that keen on being separated from Nanoha again since he had already been intending to come find her at the library.

"Not much else to do around here, really, aside from staring at the pretty floats. I'll come."

Nanoha nodded, glad to have some company and turned to speak again with the waiting guard. "We will come, can you give me co-ordinates to where this 'Observation Dome' is?

"I've been advised to escort you there personally, Major, but I will need to get another speeder to bring the other Prime as well."

Co-ordinates for logical location have been determined. It is not far. Flight would be faster than waiting for additional vehicle.

Nanoha knew she could count on Raising Heart to be quick with results. Flashing a smile at the guard, she flexed her arms and turned back to Blues as she replied to him.

"That wont be necessary, then, we have alternative transport. Tell Dredd we'll be there soon."

In one smooth motion she leaned down around Proto Man and picked him up as he hastily grabbed her shoulders in surprise. "Hold on tight, this might feel a bit weird... Axel Fin!", she told him before launching the two of them into the air.

If Blues was at all distressed, his immovable face certainly didn't show it. He had very quickly averted his head when he moved his arms down to her sides and she pulled him tightly against him, likely to avoid suddenly having it squished into her prominent chest. Nanoha had to suppress a chuckle; she was always amused by the reactions of youngsters to her brusquely decisive nature. He was very heavy, though, and she had to provide an extra influx of mana to her flight spell to lighten the load on her arms a little. Just part of being an android, she mused.

It didn't take them too long to arrive at the destination Raising Heart projected onto her view screen, and the dome itself opened like some sort of half-blooming flower to allow them inside. She could see Dredd and a number of stormtroopers, marines and other personnel clustered around a large holographic projection of Coruscant itself. There was another figure, one that looked out of place among the others, standing talking to Dredd. It took a moment for Nanoha to recognise the woman she had only met briefly, but Blues murmured her name right away; "Samus is here already huh?"

Nanoha landed deftly on the open floor of the large control room, lightly dropping her fellow Prime to the floor. He didn't seem too shaken by the flight here, but Nanoha could feel her muscles ache a little from the effort of carrying him after weeks of little heavy-duty physical training. Something she'd have to remedy, when next a chance to arose.

Dredd looked up from the hologram, where he was pointing something out to Samus, completely ignored Blues and stared levelly at Nanoha.

"Glad you could make it, Major. I hope your... Device is a capable as you claim it to be, that's something we could really use right now."

[Samus Aran]

“I’ll make it quick,” said the Judge. “They’re hitting the Dataverse.” He spoke through the reactions, before anyone could derail him. “All we know so far is that. Could be a distraction for the city. Could be that the city was a distraction. I want you to go in there and see what’s happening.” He looked from one Prime to the next. “You’re all capable with tech, I assume.”

There was a round of nods.

“Good,” he carried on. “In this building we have a number of Dataverse Uplink Devices. You may or may not already know this, but the Dataverse is not some simple network. It’s a ‘verse in its own right. And it can be entered. Same rule as any other verse applies; you die, you die. If you’re not up for it, that’s fine. But either way, you’ll be rewarded when you return.”

Samus spoke up. “I just want to be clear. I want to be paid in Omnilium.”

“Yeah.” Dredd’s expression read as though that was obvious.

The hunter nodded. It never hurt to be careful with new employers. It was shocking how many of them would try and rope you into a job with promises of ‘influence’ or ‘investments’. She always walked away from those. Government contracts were usually a safe bet, though. So long as you didn’t mind getting your hands dirty. The Federation had proven to her that, no matter how forward-thinking any society was, there was always grime hidden under the surface. Given what she’d seen of the Empire so far, she guessed she’d only just scratched that surface.

They made their way over to the lower floor of the building where the terminals were housed. “Safer here,” explained Dredd. “If anyone unexpected comes through from the Dataverse, we can contain it. If there’s any sign of danger, we’ll be shutting them down. If that happens, you’ll have to find your own exit back to Coruscant.”

“So,” Nanoha repeated for good measure, “Find the problem, diagnose it … fix it. That’s the mission, right?”

“Right.”

They all eyed the machines. Proto Man seemed the least phased, stepping forward without a moment’s hesitation. Nanoha and Samus followed. Each of them stepped into their own chamber.

And then everything vanished.

Continued here

[Samus Aran]

They left the Dataverse the same way they’d came. Less fanfare this time. No explosive welcome as they stepped out of the uplink terminals.

Soldiers came with a box containing omnilium. Samus regarded it for a moment. Then she took it, opened it, and absorbed the sphere of rainbow like a viscous fluid that became vapour, then simply an intrinsic feeling of being there. That was the end result.

Samus and Blues stepped out of the building and onto the street. The Jubilee was still going on, though the skies were darkening now. The vendors were beginning to close up shop. Kids laughed. The adults hurried into taxis and restaurants and filtered away. An electronic billboard was flashing headlines: Hydra releases new tank engine. A new film by Fadre Aped to star a non-human lead. Dataverse terrorists stopped by a force of Imperial-led Primes.

Dredd’s words rang in the bounty hunter’s mind. “I know you’re angry. But this is a good start. There are always more jobs if you’re free.”

Samus had said nothing.

Now Blues looked at her. There was disgust in his eyes. Samus turned to him.

“Say it,” she said.

“You’re okay with this?!” he shouted. Robotic digits trembled at his outstretched hands as he grasped for words. “The Judge offered you more work and you just … what?”

Samus held a hand up. “I know you’re angry. I’m angry too.” And as she spoke, the truth of her words was evident. “There was a time when I would have thrown down back in that warehouse, kill as many of those imperials as I could. I would’ve gotten pretty far, too.”

“And why didn’t you?” asked Proto Man.

“Because the moment that last soldier died, there was nothing more I could do for them. Nothing more you could do for them.” She placed a hand on the robot’s shoulder for a brief moment before turning away. “You’re a good kid, and you can change things. So don’t throw that away. We can still make a difference.”

“So … what?” asked the boy, caught between curiosity and derision. “You’re gonna change the system from within?” He scoffed.

Samus stared off for a moment in thought. “I don’t think so,” she said. “The system is too corrupt. And I’m not cut out for that kind of thing. But maybe when the right person comes along, someone who can change it … I’ll help them.”

“With guns?”

“Maybe with guns. Maybe not.”

“Really?” Blues snorted.

“Maybe. Maybe the system can’t be saved.”

“And then what?”

Samus shrugged. “I’ll destroy it.”

“Well that’s great. How is that any different from what you were telling me not to do?”

“Because,” said Samus. “Right now we don’t have that kind of power. But someday, maybe we will.” She saw the face of that white silhouette in the darkness. “I think I’m starting to understand the system.”

She turned her shoulder towards the boy. “Let me know if you find any jobs,” she said. Then she walked away.

That night, Samus lay in her apartment. Her armor lay in pieces across the floor, save for her helmet which sat on her lap. It spoke.

“I’m proud of you, you know,” it said.

“Artificial intelligences don’t feel pride,” she drawled.

A chuckle. “Really, Samus.”

“I don’t feel happy.” Her voice sank. “I wanted to kill them all. And I know they can probably hear me. And I know they won’t trust me.”

“And yet you still held back.”

Samus lay back and stared at the ceiling, and spoke as if reciting. “I would only succeed in removing the one obstacle to the galaxy’s ruin. Myself.”

“That’s right.”

“It sounds conceited when I say it.”

Adam laughed a short laugh.

Outside the flying cars of Coruscant rumbled in the night. The neon lights of the city glowed through the blinds, illuminating the pieces of armor on the floor. Samus lay with her neck to the side, staring out through the gaps and listening. She could smell the corruption out there.

“Adam,” she said after a long while.

“Yes?”

“Don’t let me fall.”

“What, Samus?”

“I said, don’t let me fail.”

The computer was silent for a moment. “Understood, lady.”

Samus stood up. One by one the pieces of armor vanished into light, and reappeared on her body. She donned the helmet and stepped out to her ship.