Hope Rides Alone

[Proto Man]

Within a few minutes, Proto Man could tell he was lost in the winding pseudo-sidewalks of Corusant. Fortunately for the android, he’d managed to connect to the Omniverse’s equivalent of a wifi signal, which meant he access to their version of the internet. Through the Dataverse, he was able to properly update all of his GPS software, which provided him with a working minimap of his surroundings. The program was still unable to run properly, as it would usually also inform him of all the persons, robots, or creatures in his immediate vicinity. When he attempted to find an Omniverse-version of this update, his HUD informed him that he lacked the omnilium to create such an application.

So I guess Omni wasn’t lying...omnilium is the key to everything around here.

Which then begged the question: How did he acquire it? Was it a tangible material or something metaphorical that represented achievement? As he mused over the question, an indicator popped up on his HUD. It was an attachment that his system had automatically seeked out and downloaded from the Dataverse labeled ‘Omnilium 101.’ From a quick glance over the document’s contents, it seemed that the Omniverse’s strange currency was both things Proto Man had theorized it to be. He could find physical deposits of it, or he could attain it through hard work or impressive feats.

Well that certainly simplifies things just a little…

As the android rushed across an invisible crosswalk, an icon shaped like an envelope light up and displayed a red circle with the number one in the center. Despite only having an active connection for less than five minutes, someone had managed to send him an email. Further investigation showed that it was a somewhat automated message from Judge Dredd, which detailed an upcoming event that celebrated the Emperor and the founding of the city. Attached to the email was an audio message from Dredd that contained some veiled threats toward anyone who might risk interfering with the parade.

Was Corusant not as unified and peaceful as Bradley had made it out to be? Proto Man had known at the time that the politician was probably embellishing to draw them toward the service of his boss, but for the first time, the android realized he genuinely knew nothing about the ‘Empire’ that he found himself a resident of. Had he made the right decision? Or did the shiny towers and beautiful streets of floating cars serve as some sort of glamorous facade? What lurked in those other six tiers?

Now more than ever, Proto Man realized how alone he was in this city. Looking at that email, he knew that the Jubilee would serve as the easiest way to collect some genuine intelligence about Dredd, Bradley, and the Empire.

For now though, he had the location of the library and needed to get there as fast as his metal feet would carry him.