01-27-2016, 04:07 AM
Amaterasu sat in the back of the Transporter, calmly leaning against the cold metal behind her. Her calmness was oddly unsettling for the two Stormtroopers that held their pistols ready to fire at any sign of aggression from her – should a criminal Prime who had before resisted arrest in a rather violent manner not be attempting more than this? Was she so confident in that she would escape? Though really, the likelihood of her making any escape was next to void: the handcuffs she was wearing were rigged with a powerful explosive that would blast her body to pieces the instant that she tried anything, and they had several detectors trained on her which would raise the alarm at the least sign of her attempting to use magic or any such thing. She was in the safest possible custody; besides of if a group of Space Marines had taken her, perhaps.
“Excuse me”, Amaterasu spoke up after a while, politely addressing one of the men. Immediately they both raised their pistols and aimed at her, but the Sun Goddess remained calm. “May I ask a question?”
The two Stormtroopers exchanged brief glances. They weren’t forbidden from speaking to suspects, in fact they could perhaps get some incriminating information out of her if they played their cards right. “Speak,” one of them eventually gave the okay word.
“Where are we now? I have only heard your leader speak of an Emperor individual, and mentioning something by the name of Coruscant.”
“Don’t play innocent. We know you have been here before, Minnie Mouse.”
Amaterasu sighed, but kept her calm, sunny attitude. “There has been some confusion, I believe – I am not, and do not know, this person you speak of, Minnie Mouse… but let’s leave that subject aside. I would be interested in knowing about what I asked about. Can you please tell me?”
The Stormtroopers frowned under their helmets, then the one Amaterasu had initially addressed spoke. “There’s no harm in sharing what’s public knowledge, I guess. If this is really just a mistake, we might as well share. But don’t think that this will help you anything, suspect – we have ways to prove your identity if you are a criminal with a bounty on their head, that not even a Prime can resist.”
Amaterasu bowed her head a bit. “It will all clear up in due time. I just would like to know what you can share that’s “public” anyway, as you say.”
“Very well… the white space that we have left behind that is known as the Nexus, the central hub-world that links the remaining parts of the Omniverse together. We have moved through a portal to our home-verse, Coruscant, home to the Empire, the strongest faction in the Omniverse. Coruscant and the Empire are under the leadership of the God-Emperor, the strongest Prime in the Omniverse. The Prime Minnie Mouse which we suspect you to be has been issued a bounty after assaulting a number of Imperial soldiers and escaping Coruscant to the Nexus, where we found you.”
“I see. So I am to be held captive until you can confirm my identity and, depending on the results, bring me before a judge to decide my sentence, or release me?”
“Correct.”
“Okay… hmm. I thank you kindly for sharing this information. I certainly understand this… Omniverse place a little clearer now.” She brought her head to one of the walls to scratch herself, whilst the Stormtroopers kept a close eye on her. But still, she showed no sign of aggression or using magic, so after a while of tension they eased back down. The two troopers kept speaking to each other, using their vox channel and sound-suppressing helmets to keep to each other without allowing Amaterasu to hear any of it.
“Do you believe it’s her – Minnie Mouse? It’s been a while since I saw her picture, but now that she’s here before us I feel like she looks different.”
“She’s probably changed her appearance. Remember, Primes are able to do that, and a great deal more things than we can.”
“Well, what about her way of speaking and her questions? She sounds like a freshly arrived Prime or Secondary with no clue about this place. And I really don’t want to upset another Prime against us.”
A third voice, that of the Stormtrooper leader, cut into their conversation through vox. “You two, quit your chatter and focus! If the suspect escapes because you allowed her to lure you into thinking she’s innocent, you’ll be facing disciplinary court before you know it.”
“Ah. Yes Sir! Apologies, Sir. We’re focusing on the suspect.” With that the talking was over.
The two troopers exited, first one, then Amaterasu, then the other one, always keeping their guns aimed at the Sun Goddess Prime. With one in front of and one behind her, Amaterasu was led through the bay where the Transport vessel had parked and brought through a set of security gates, past a number of guardsmen and finally to a gray cell with a table and two chairs, all three bolted to the floor, and a one-way mirror on one of the walls. A standard interrogation room, really. A man dressed in gray, an imperial interrogator, was already waiting on one of the chairs and examined Amaterasu as she was brought in, pushed down onto the chair and had her hands cuffed to the table surface where they were plainly visible.
“I trust that your trip has gone smoothly, Miss Mouse?” he asked in a friendly but inquisitive voice.
“I must inform you, as I have your colleagues, that you are mistaking me for this Minnie Mouse.”
“Are we now?” he smiled slyly. “Well, that would certainly be a terrible mistake indeed.” His tone was condescending and meant to infuriate Amaterasu into giving herself away as Minnie Mouse, whom they still suspected her to be. But, the Sun Goddess kept her calm.
“Surely you have some way of identifying me as who you believe me to be, or as someone else, free of errors? Pictures as made by the description of eye-witnesses who saw this Minnie Mouse last, for instance?”
“Pictures? We have much better than that, our security cameras have clear footage of you and your accomplice, Mister Mickey Mouse, and we have conducted identity scans through the visors of the troopers you and your accomplice fought, which allow us to see past any changes of appearance you may have gone through. We have already requested a Vita Compass to be brought to this room to obtain proof. I am telling you this because I wish to make something clear, Miss Mouse: we have the most advanced technological means to find out who you are. It is of no use to play innocent.”
“So, by speaking to me now you are hoping to accomplish that I, if I were indeed to be the suspect you are looking for, revealed myself as this Minnie Mouse? And I suppose that you would ask me to inform you about the whereabouts of my accomplices in order to be judged less harshly in court?”
“I am glad that we understand each other, Miss Mouse. All you have to do is to tell me the truth now and that you reply to a few questions that I ask. Then I will ensure that you are assigned a comfortable jail cell and a short sentence.”
“I would be lying if I claimed to be the one you look for, stranger. If you don’t mind, I will remain silent until you can assure yourself with these technological means you have spoken of that I spoke the truth.”
The interrogator sighed and leant forward. “Miss Mouse, please. I want to help you. I am not your enemy. You have to trust me on this. If you make this more difficult on us it will doubtlessly be held against you in court – Judge Dredd tends to be merciless when he is displeased. We will uncover the truth anyway; you are not helping yourself by delaying us.”
“…” Amaterasu remained silent, folded her hands on the table surface and spoke no more.
The interrogator gritted his teeth, but seeing that the suspect was going to be stubborn about it, sighed and nodded. “Have it your way then, Miss Mouse. If you have anything you wish to add you have but to press this button and I will return.” He placed a button attached to a cable right in front of Amaterasu’s hands where she could easily reach it, and left the room. On the other side of the mirror a group of Stormtroopers remained, looking through it as on their side it was a one-way glass panel allowing for clear sight into the room. They kept the detonation button at the ready if Amaterasu were to try fleeing, and recorded the events in the room as everything that had been spoken between the Interrogator and Amaterasu had been recorded too. All of it would be evidence, after all.
And as the interrogator had warned Amaterasu, within some ten minutes of having left her alone in the containing cell a specialist group arrived with one of the available Vita Compasses as well as potent Identity Scanners. Even shapeshift-capable Primes had certain details about them that never changed no matter what form they took on, little details that allowed the Imperial law forces to successfully identify an individual as who they really were.
Well… the shock was quite big when the Vita Compass revealed that Minnie Mouse wasn’t even in Coruscant, the scanning devices were only able to identify Amaterasu as an “unknown Prime” – someone with no entry into the Coruscant database, as opposed to the mentioned criminal – and only vague similitudes in appearance when comparing her to the Wanted Poster that they finally had gotten their hands on. It was no surprise to anyone that the director of the prison was infuriated.
After twenty further minutes – Amaterasu had still not moved an inch – the Interrogator came in with a tray with a cup of coffee and a key. He put the tray down and unlocked Amaterasu’s shackles while speaking. “In the name of Judge Dredd and of the Empire, I want to present you with our sincerest apologies. It appears that there was indeed a great misunderstanding, Miss… I believe I have not caught your name yet?”
Amaterasu smiled a bit and stroked her wrists where the cuffs had been, though she barely had any pressure marks. It felt good to be able to move them freely again though. “I have many names, stranger – if you have to know a name, you can call me Shiranui. But a friend of mine told me that giving my real name away might reveal too much of my identity to those familiar – if you don’t mind I would rather keep it to myself.”
The interrogator frowned. “I… understand, Miss… Miss Shiranui. If you wish to stay in Coruscant any longer than it takes you to take any of the portals to the other verses, you will however need to sign yourself up on one of our terminals – purely formalities, of course.” He cleared his throat. “As I was saying… the Stormtroopers who have erroneously arrested you will be reprimanded for their over-hastened procedure.”
“They were just doing their job; I understand that they did what they had to.”
“I’m glad that you view it this way. By the way – please, help yourself to a drink! You are a free woman, Miss Shiranui, you have my word that the coffee is not laced or that I am trying to trick you. All scanners and tests have revealed that you are indeed not the person we are looking for.”
Amaterasu reached for the cup and sniffed the contents. “That is a curious tea blend… I cannot say I have ever smelled anything quite like it.”
“You mean… coffee? No, that’s a different beverage. You must be from a curious place if you are unfamiliar with this drink; it is quite common even in the Omniverse.” The interrogator was a bit offset by Amaterasu’s behaviour but sat down opposite of her.
Amaterasu put the cup back down. “Oh, I am only freshly arrived, I believe. The people, Stormtroopers I believe they are called, took me into custody only around half an hour after my arrival.”
“I see, well… I know it is not much to make up for the treatment we have put on you, Miss Shiranui, but in this case I would offer to answer any questions you may have about the Omniverse, the Empire and such, within reason. I hope that you understand I cannot spill any imperial secrets or the like.”
“No, of course not, I understand that. But I would have a few questions indeed… first of however, I would like for my Yasakani-no-Magatama to be returned to me – the Prayer Bead Chain that was confiscated from my friend when I was taken into custody?”
“Oh. Most certainly…” He pulled out a small communicator and requested for someone from the prison personnel to bring the box with Amaterasu’s belongings to them, then put his hands on the desk and folded them. “So, Miss Shiranui… what questions can I answer you?”
Shiranui lowered her head and thought for a while, before speaking up, looking back at the Interrogator. “I have a number of questions, actually. First of… who is this “Omni” individual? I understood little more than that he is the one who pulled me here. Next, the friend I mentioned to you believes that we may be in what she called a Holy Grail War, a fight over a grail relic. Do you perchance know if that is true? And third, that same friend mentioned a Phone, an item to speak to people from afar; does this exist in the Omniverse as well?”
The interrogator waited until Shiranui was done speaking, then replied: “The individual named Omni is… little is known about him, save for that he is some form of God who has brought all Primes to the Omniverse. It is common belief in Coruscant that he is not a benevolent God however as he has brought several evil and very powerful Primes too, which have brought quite a challenge to all inhabitants of this world. We don’t know much about him at all though.
As for this Holy Grail War, I have never heard of such a thing. Neither of a relic named the Holy Grail, nor of any wars waged in its name. If you wish to investigate further I would recommend that you pay the Coruscant library a visit or that you use one of the publicly available Dataverse terminals to access the databases there.
And phones…” He produced the item he had done a call with just now. “They are called Communicators here, and allow you to speak to other people who have such an item over long distances, even from one Verse to another. There’s also Mobile Dataverse Devices which allow you to access the Dataverse on a screen. They come in all sorts of shapes and looks; this here is one such Communicator, a standard issue in Coruscant. As a Prime you ought to be able to summon your own.”
“I see… another question then: this Dataverse thing, what is it?”
“It’s a special verse in the Omniverse, consisting entirely of data. It is possible to access it through a Mobile Dataverse Device, or transfer your conscience or your physical self into it using special devices. The Coruscant Dataverse terminals are one such device, though they only allow people to transfer their conscience.” He put his Communicator away again and Amaterasu hummed, nodded and remained quiet until the door opened and one of the prison guardsmen came in with a metal box which she deposited on the table before leaving again. The interrogator reached out and opened it, revealing the Prayer Bead chain within. “Take it, Miss Shiranui. It’s yours.”
“Thank you very much.” She stood up and took the chain, carefully placing them around her neck once more. “Well… with this taken care of, I believe that I have no further questions either. I sincerely thank you for the assistance.”
“That goes without saying. Like I said, Miss Shiranui, the Empire deeply apologizes and hopes that you hold no grudge against us.”
“Of course I do not. I was treated very well when taken into custody and escorted here. There is no reason for me to complain.” She bowed a bit and smiled. “Now, I would like to take my leave… could you indicate me the way out?”
“A guardsman will await you outside and escort you to the entrance, with directions on how to find the Nexus portal. I wish you the best of luck in your travels. And I hope that you return to visit Coruscant sometime in the future – it’s a pity that you have had such a bad first impression of it. The Empire has a very powerful hold in the Omniverse with many Primes in our ranks, and could be of great aid if you were to join us.”
“I will certainly give it some consideration.” She promised and exited the room, meeting the guardsman the interrogator had pointed out about, and following her out of the prison into Tier 1 of Coruscant. The Sun Goddess needed a moment to take things in, looking left and right with wide eyes and an open mouth. She had expected this place to be huge, but she had not seen anything behind the iron doors of the transport vessel on her way here, so it all struck her without preparation. She marvelled at the enormous buildings, the strange architecture, the lights, the people… it took her a while before she had everything soaked up enough that she could take a few steps forward and leave the palace behind. She did however take notice of the numerous Stormtroopers everywhere, their characteristic white armour stuck out and the items that she now realized were weapons always in their hands, ready to fire at any sign of crime. An interesting place… she would need to take a look into the history of this place when she got the chance.
When she had walked a few steps, a strangely familiar feeling overcame her, but she kept walking on. Everything turned darker with every step, yet it was not a creeping, overwhelming darkness that made someone afraid – it was a fresh, embracing darkness, one promising safety and rest, like a summer night under the stars, sitting by a campfire. The streets of Coruscant were deserted where there had been bustling activity moments ago, and the buildings were just faint outlines. No, this was not Coruscant anymore... at least not where she had been a minute ago. This was more like an afterimage, an illusion. A shadow dimension overlapping reality, and she was there now. Yet, Amaterasu was not afraid - she knew this feeling. She lifted her eyes to the sky which was unnaturally dark – as if it was night time, even though she remembered that it had been day in Coruscant when she had left the prison – and completely clear of clouds. And that was not the only thing unnatural about it: there were a number of stars that glowed much more brightly than the others.
Where the average person might not have seen more than a number of unnaturally bright stars, Amaterasu saw the lines between them... and the Celestial Brush kami that was sealed within. The Rat, Tachigami? She reached for her hair and raised the ink-coated tip to the sky, then began to draw. Following the paths of the invisible lines between the stars, it took her just a few seconds to complete the celestial sign, and when she lifted her brush and the magic ink lighted up, she smiled brightly.
“Mother Amaterasu, it is you again.” A high, squeaky voice spoke, filling the air around the Sun Goddess. The world turned white, everything around Amaterasu disappeared. It looked as if she was back to the Nexus, but this was more the white of a fresh, untouched piece of parchment, rather than the absence of everything. The star formation fell from the sky and shaped into a white rat with red markings just like Amaterasu’s, that carried an enormous sword in its maw and floated in the air before her.
“It has been a bit, Tachi. I didn’t expect to encounter you here.”
“Nor did I, Amaterasu. I had no idea where I was, until you’ve arrived. A peculiar place indeed.”
“The Omniverse? It seems so. I have only just arrived myself.”
“As have I... the other Celestial Brush kami must have been pulled here too, as was I. I can faintly feel them, they are scattered all across this place. One above an endless sea, one in the frozen lands... one behind the clouds of a volcano, another in a blank sky... you must find them, Mother Amaterasu.”
“I will, Tachi. It appears that, upon my arrival, you were taken from me and scattered across these lands. You just so happened to be the first one I came across.”
“So it looks like. With that however, allow me to bestow the Power Slash upon you once more.” Tachigami then exploded into dozens of small orbs with kanji signs on their surfaces, which swarmed around Amaterasu before flying into her. The white all around Amaterasu faded moments later, leaving her in darkness for a few seconds before everything lit back up and she found herself in Coruscant again.
“So it appears that my journey is beginning freshly here...” Amaterasu said and looked to the sky, now in daytime and clouded by thick smoke clouds from the industrial parts of Coruscant. “I had better find the other techniques soon if I am to return to my old strength. Not to mention the Yata no Kagami and the Kusanagi no Tsurugi... well. All in due time.” She took a deep breath, then approached the nearest person that she could find – a Stormtrooper. By now she was familiar with their looks, and easily recognized them.
“Pardon me? I am searching for the portal towards the Nexus.” She requested. The trooper looked her over without speaking a word, then pointed down a road. Amaterasu bowed her head in thanks and followed the path as indicated. Soon the portal came into view and Amaterasu approached it. “I’ve recovered the Celestial Brush technique that was in this place... I wonder if I will return here some day, now that I have it. This place is weird... I wonder if it’s a place like this where Arthuria came from?” Speaking of her new friend! She had to meet her again... and that Communicator thing? Something to speak to people from afar... she liked the idea of such an item, a magic scroll perhaps, imbued with the power to remotely contact other scrolls. Then again, what the man in the prison had shown to her didn’t exactly look like a scroll. But perhaps it would fulfil the same purpose. Hmm, hmm, hmm. She’d need to take a closer look into all of this. For now, her priority was to return to the Nexus. Tachigami had mentioned one of the kami to be residing “in a blank sky”, right? Could it be the Nexus? She had to find out...
“Excuse me”, Amaterasu spoke up after a while, politely addressing one of the men. Immediately they both raised their pistols and aimed at her, but the Sun Goddess remained calm. “May I ask a question?”
The two Stormtroopers exchanged brief glances. They weren’t forbidden from speaking to suspects, in fact they could perhaps get some incriminating information out of her if they played their cards right. “Speak,” one of them eventually gave the okay word.
“Where are we now? I have only heard your leader speak of an Emperor individual, and mentioning something by the name of Coruscant.”
“Don’t play innocent. We know you have been here before, Minnie Mouse.”
Amaterasu sighed, but kept her calm, sunny attitude. “There has been some confusion, I believe – I am not, and do not know, this person you speak of, Minnie Mouse… but let’s leave that subject aside. I would be interested in knowing about what I asked about. Can you please tell me?”
The Stormtroopers frowned under their helmets, then the one Amaterasu had initially addressed spoke. “There’s no harm in sharing what’s public knowledge, I guess. If this is really just a mistake, we might as well share. But don’t think that this will help you anything, suspect – we have ways to prove your identity if you are a criminal with a bounty on their head, that not even a Prime can resist.”
Amaterasu bowed her head a bit. “It will all clear up in due time. I just would like to know what you can share that’s “public” anyway, as you say.”
“Very well… the white space that we have left behind that is known as the Nexus, the central hub-world that links the remaining parts of the Omniverse together. We have moved through a portal to our home-verse, Coruscant, home to the Empire, the strongest faction in the Omniverse. Coruscant and the Empire are under the leadership of the God-Emperor, the strongest Prime in the Omniverse. The Prime Minnie Mouse which we suspect you to be has been issued a bounty after assaulting a number of Imperial soldiers and escaping Coruscant to the Nexus, where we found you.”
“I see. So I am to be held captive until you can confirm my identity and, depending on the results, bring me before a judge to decide my sentence, or release me?”
“Correct.”
“Okay… hmm. I thank you kindly for sharing this information. I certainly understand this… Omniverse place a little clearer now.” She brought her head to one of the walls to scratch herself, whilst the Stormtroopers kept a close eye on her. But still, she showed no sign of aggression or using magic, so after a while of tension they eased back down. The two troopers kept speaking to each other, using their vox channel and sound-suppressing helmets to keep to each other without allowing Amaterasu to hear any of it.
“Do you believe it’s her – Minnie Mouse? It’s been a while since I saw her picture, but now that she’s here before us I feel like she looks different.”
“She’s probably changed her appearance. Remember, Primes are able to do that, and a great deal more things than we can.”
“Well, what about her way of speaking and her questions? She sounds like a freshly arrived Prime or Secondary with no clue about this place. And I really don’t want to upset another Prime against us.”
A third voice, that of the Stormtrooper leader, cut into their conversation through vox. “You two, quit your chatter and focus! If the suspect escapes because you allowed her to lure you into thinking she’s innocent, you’ll be facing disciplinary court before you know it.”
“Ah. Yes Sir! Apologies, Sir. We’re focusing on the suspect.” With that the talking was over.
Quote:Some half hour later, in the Imperial Prisons under the Palace…“Open hatch! We’re here. Escort the suspect to interrogation room D-14.”
The two troopers exited, first one, then Amaterasu, then the other one, always keeping their guns aimed at the Sun Goddess Prime. With one in front of and one behind her, Amaterasu was led through the bay where the Transport vessel had parked and brought through a set of security gates, past a number of guardsmen and finally to a gray cell with a table and two chairs, all three bolted to the floor, and a one-way mirror on one of the walls. A standard interrogation room, really. A man dressed in gray, an imperial interrogator, was already waiting on one of the chairs and examined Amaterasu as she was brought in, pushed down onto the chair and had her hands cuffed to the table surface where they were plainly visible.
“I trust that your trip has gone smoothly, Miss Mouse?” he asked in a friendly but inquisitive voice.
“I must inform you, as I have your colleagues, that you are mistaking me for this Minnie Mouse.”
“Are we now?” he smiled slyly. “Well, that would certainly be a terrible mistake indeed.” His tone was condescending and meant to infuriate Amaterasu into giving herself away as Minnie Mouse, whom they still suspected her to be. But, the Sun Goddess kept her calm.
“Surely you have some way of identifying me as who you believe me to be, or as someone else, free of errors? Pictures as made by the description of eye-witnesses who saw this Minnie Mouse last, for instance?”
“Pictures? We have much better than that, our security cameras have clear footage of you and your accomplice, Mister Mickey Mouse, and we have conducted identity scans through the visors of the troopers you and your accomplice fought, which allow us to see past any changes of appearance you may have gone through. We have already requested a Vita Compass to be brought to this room to obtain proof. I am telling you this because I wish to make something clear, Miss Mouse: we have the most advanced technological means to find out who you are. It is of no use to play innocent.”
“So, by speaking to me now you are hoping to accomplish that I, if I were indeed to be the suspect you are looking for, revealed myself as this Minnie Mouse? And I suppose that you would ask me to inform you about the whereabouts of my accomplices in order to be judged less harshly in court?”
“I am glad that we understand each other, Miss Mouse. All you have to do is to tell me the truth now and that you reply to a few questions that I ask. Then I will ensure that you are assigned a comfortable jail cell and a short sentence.”
“I would be lying if I claimed to be the one you look for, stranger. If you don’t mind, I will remain silent until you can assure yourself with these technological means you have spoken of that I spoke the truth.”
The interrogator sighed and leant forward. “Miss Mouse, please. I want to help you. I am not your enemy. You have to trust me on this. If you make this more difficult on us it will doubtlessly be held against you in court – Judge Dredd tends to be merciless when he is displeased. We will uncover the truth anyway; you are not helping yourself by delaying us.”
“…” Amaterasu remained silent, folded her hands on the table surface and spoke no more.
The interrogator gritted his teeth, but seeing that the suspect was going to be stubborn about it, sighed and nodded. “Have it your way then, Miss Mouse. If you have anything you wish to add you have but to press this button and I will return.” He placed a button attached to a cable right in front of Amaterasu’s hands where she could easily reach it, and left the room. On the other side of the mirror a group of Stormtroopers remained, looking through it as on their side it was a one-way glass panel allowing for clear sight into the room. They kept the detonation button at the ready if Amaterasu were to try fleeing, and recorded the events in the room as everything that had been spoken between the Interrogator and Amaterasu had been recorded too. All of it would be evidence, after all.
And as the interrogator had warned Amaterasu, within some ten minutes of having left her alone in the containing cell a specialist group arrived with one of the available Vita Compasses as well as potent Identity Scanners. Even shapeshift-capable Primes had certain details about them that never changed no matter what form they took on, little details that allowed the Imperial law forces to successfully identify an individual as who they really were.
Well… the shock was quite big when the Vita Compass revealed that Minnie Mouse wasn’t even in Coruscant, the scanning devices were only able to identify Amaterasu as an “unknown Prime” – someone with no entry into the Coruscant database, as opposed to the mentioned criminal – and only vague similitudes in appearance when comparing her to the Wanted Poster that they finally had gotten their hands on. It was no surprise to anyone that the director of the prison was infuriated.
After twenty further minutes – Amaterasu had still not moved an inch – the Interrogator came in with a tray with a cup of coffee and a key. He put the tray down and unlocked Amaterasu’s shackles while speaking. “In the name of Judge Dredd and of the Empire, I want to present you with our sincerest apologies. It appears that there was indeed a great misunderstanding, Miss… I believe I have not caught your name yet?”
Amaterasu smiled a bit and stroked her wrists where the cuffs had been, though she barely had any pressure marks. It felt good to be able to move them freely again though. “I have many names, stranger – if you have to know a name, you can call me Shiranui. But a friend of mine told me that giving my real name away might reveal too much of my identity to those familiar – if you don’t mind I would rather keep it to myself.”
The interrogator frowned. “I… understand, Miss… Miss Shiranui. If you wish to stay in Coruscant any longer than it takes you to take any of the portals to the other verses, you will however need to sign yourself up on one of our terminals – purely formalities, of course.” He cleared his throat. “As I was saying… the Stormtroopers who have erroneously arrested you will be reprimanded for their over-hastened procedure.”
“They were just doing their job; I understand that they did what they had to.”
“I’m glad that you view it this way. By the way – please, help yourself to a drink! You are a free woman, Miss Shiranui, you have my word that the coffee is not laced or that I am trying to trick you. All scanners and tests have revealed that you are indeed not the person we are looking for.”
Amaterasu reached for the cup and sniffed the contents. “That is a curious tea blend… I cannot say I have ever smelled anything quite like it.”
“You mean… coffee? No, that’s a different beverage. You must be from a curious place if you are unfamiliar with this drink; it is quite common even in the Omniverse.” The interrogator was a bit offset by Amaterasu’s behaviour but sat down opposite of her.
Amaterasu put the cup back down. “Oh, I am only freshly arrived, I believe. The people, Stormtroopers I believe they are called, took me into custody only around half an hour after my arrival.”
“I see, well… I know it is not much to make up for the treatment we have put on you, Miss Shiranui, but in this case I would offer to answer any questions you may have about the Omniverse, the Empire and such, within reason. I hope that you understand I cannot spill any imperial secrets or the like.”
“No, of course not, I understand that. But I would have a few questions indeed… first of however, I would like for my Yasakani-no-Magatama to be returned to me – the Prayer Bead Chain that was confiscated from my friend when I was taken into custody?”
“Oh. Most certainly…” He pulled out a small communicator and requested for someone from the prison personnel to bring the box with Amaterasu’s belongings to them, then put his hands on the desk and folded them. “So, Miss Shiranui… what questions can I answer you?”
Shiranui lowered her head and thought for a while, before speaking up, looking back at the Interrogator. “I have a number of questions, actually. First of… who is this “Omni” individual? I understood little more than that he is the one who pulled me here. Next, the friend I mentioned to you believes that we may be in what she called a Holy Grail War, a fight over a grail relic. Do you perchance know if that is true? And third, that same friend mentioned a Phone, an item to speak to people from afar; does this exist in the Omniverse as well?”
The interrogator waited until Shiranui was done speaking, then replied: “The individual named Omni is… little is known about him, save for that he is some form of God who has brought all Primes to the Omniverse. It is common belief in Coruscant that he is not a benevolent God however as he has brought several evil and very powerful Primes too, which have brought quite a challenge to all inhabitants of this world. We don’t know much about him at all though.
As for this Holy Grail War, I have never heard of such a thing. Neither of a relic named the Holy Grail, nor of any wars waged in its name. If you wish to investigate further I would recommend that you pay the Coruscant library a visit or that you use one of the publicly available Dataverse terminals to access the databases there.
And phones…” He produced the item he had done a call with just now. “They are called Communicators here, and allow you to speak to other people who have such an item over long distances, even from one Verse to another. There’s also Mobile Dataverse Devices which allow you to access the Dataverse on a screen. They come in all sorts of shapes and looks; this here is one such Communicator, a standard issue in Coruscant. As a Prime you ought to be able to summon your own.”
“I see… another question then: this Dataverse thing, what is it?”
“It’s a special verse in the Omniverse, consisting entirely of data. It is possible to access it through a Mobile Dataverse Device, or transfer your conscience or your physical self into it using special devices. The Coruscant Dataverse terminals are one such device, though they only allow people to transfer their conscience.” He put his Communicator away again and Amaterasu hummed, nodded and remained quiet until the door opened and one of the prison guardsmen came in with a metal box which she deposited on the table before leaving again. The interrogator reached out and opened it, revealing the Prayer Bead chain within. “Take it, Miss Shiranui. It’s yours.”
“Thank you very much.” She stood up and took the chain, carefully placing them around her neck once more. “Well… with this taken care of, I believe that I have no further questions either. I sincerely thank you for the assistance.”
“That goes without saying. Like I said, Miss Shiranui, the Empire deeply apologizes and hopes that you hold no grudge against us.”
“Of course I do not. I was treated very well when taken into custody and escorted here. There is no reason for me to complain.” She bowed a bit and smiled. “Now, I would like to take my leave… could you indicate me the way out?”
“A guardsman will await you outside and escort you to the entrance, with directions on how to find the Nexus portal. I wish you the best of luck in your travels. And I hope that you return to visit Coruscant sometime in the future – it’s a pity that you have had such a bad first impression of it. The Empire has a very powerful hold in the Omniverse with many Primes in our ranks, and could be of great aid if you were to join us.”
“I will certainly give it some consideration.” She promised and exited the room, meeting the guardsman the interrogator had pointed out about, and following her out of the prison into Tier 1 of Coruscant. The Sun Goddess needed a moment to take things in, looking left and right with wide eyes and an open mouth. She had expected this place to be huge, but she had not seen anything behind the iron doors of the transport vessel on her way here, so it all struck her without preparation. She marvelled at the enormous buildings, the strange architecture, the lights, the people… it took her a while before she had everything soaked up enough that she could take a few steps forward and leave the palace behind. She did however take notice of the numerous Stormtroopers everywhere, their characteristic white armour stuck out and the items that she now realized were weapons always in their hands, ready to fire at any sign of crime. An interesting place… she would need to take a look into the history of this place when she got the chance.
When she had walked a few steps, a strangely familiar feeling overcame her, but she kept walking on. Everything turned darker with every step, yet it was not a creeping, overwhelming darkness that made someone afraid – it was a fresh, embracing darkness, one promising safety and rest, like a summer night under the stars, sitting by a campfire. The streets of Coruscant were deserted where there had been bustling activity moments ago, and the buildings were just faint outlines. No, this was not Coruscant anymore... at least not where she had been a minute ago. This was more like an afterimage, an illusion. A shadow dimension overlapping reality, and she was there now. Yet, Amaterasu was not afraid - she knew this feeling. She lifted her eyes to the sky which was unnaturally dark – as if it was night time, even though she remembered that it had been day in Coruscant when she had left the prison – and completely clear of clouds. And that was not the only thing unnatural about it: there were a number of stars that glowed much more brightly than the others.
Where the average person might not have seen more than a number of unnaturally bright stars, Amaterasu saw the lines between them... and the Celestial Brush kami that was sealed within. The Rat, Tachigami? She reached for her hair and raised the ink-coated tip to the sky, then began to draw. Following the paths of the invisible lines between the stars, it took her just a few seconds to complete the celestial sign, and when she lifted her brush and the magic ink lighted up, she smiled brightly.
“Mother Amaterasu, it is you again.” A high, squeaky voice spoke, filling the air around the Sun Goddess. The world turned white, everything around Amaterasu disappeared. It looked as if she was back to the Nexus, but this was more the white of a fresh, untouched piece of parchment, rather than the absence of everything. The star formation fell from the sky and shaped into a white rat with red markings just like Amaterasu’s, that carried an enormous sword in its maw and floated in the air before her.
“It has been a bit, Tachi. I didn’t expect to encounter you here.”
“Nor did I, Amaterasu. I had no idea where I was, until you’ve arrived. A peculiar place indeed.”
“The Omniverse? It seems so. I have only just arrived myself.”
“As have I... the other Celestial Brush kami must have been pulled here too, as was I. I can faintly feel them, they are scattered all across this place. One above an endless sea, one in the frozen lands... one behind the clouds of a volcano, another in a blank sky... you must find them, Mother Amaterasu.”
“I will, Tachi. It appears that, upon my arrival, you were taken from me and scattered across these lands. You just so happened to be the first one I came across.”
“So it looks like. With that however, allow me to bestow the Power Slash upon you once more.” Tachigami then exploded into dozens of small orbs with kanji signs on their surfaces, which swarmed around Amaterasu before flying into her. The white all around Amaterasu faded moments later, leaving her in darkness for a few seconds before everything lit back up and she found herself in Coruscant again.
“So it appears that my journey is beginning freshly here...” Amaterasu said and looked to the sky, now in daytime and clouded by thick smoke clouds from the industrial parts of Coruscant. “I had better find the other techniques soon if I am to return to my old strength. Not to mention the Yata no Kagami and the Kusanagi no Tsurugi... well. All in due time.” She took a deep breath, then approached the nearest person that she could find – a Stormtrooper. By now she was familiar with their looks, and easily recognized them.
“Pardon me? I am searching for the portal towards the Nexus.” She requested. The trooper looked her over without speaking a word, then pointed down a road. Amaterasu bowed her head in thanks and followed the path as indicated. Soon the portal came into view and Amaterasu approached it. “I’ve recovered the Celestial Brush technique that was in this place... I wonder if I will return here some day, now that I have it. This place is weird... I wonder if it’s a place like this where Arthuria came from?” Speaking of her new friend! She had to meet her again... and that Communicator thing? Something to speak to people from afar... she liked the idea of such an item, a magic scroll perhaps, imbued with the power to remotely contact other scrolls. Then again, what the man in the prison had shown to her didn’t exactly look like a scroll. But perhaps it would fulfil the same purpose. Hmm, hmm, hmm. She’d need to take a closer look into all of this. For now, her priority was to return to the Nexus. Tachigami had mentioned one of the kami to be residing “in a blank sky”, right? Could it be the Nexus? She had to find out...
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undoge: Credit & Hugs to Ruby for the sign, and to Guu for the smileys! undoge:Hide your chicken nuggers, hide your heads, the Sundoge is coming and she'll hat everyone!
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