02-05-2014, 02:26 PM
With her ship behind her, Samus approached Coruscant’s gate to the Nexus. Stormtroopers regarded her closely – no doubt her exeunt would be reported. She did not meet their gaze, but simply continued on. The whiteness enveloped her.
How long had it been since she’d arrived here at the Nexus? According to official time, it had been months, but it felt like far less. It was one part of the Omniverse she had yet to get used to. One part of many. She envisioned a heavy three-wheeler and began the summoning process. Five minutes later she was rumbling towards the fountain. Today it looked calm, peaceful compared to how she’d last seen it – twisted and chaotic. The military man and the green-skinned being were gone – for how long, she wondered? She slowed down as she came to it, looking into the twinkling waters.
“Are you there, Omni?”
No response. She drove on. The time would come when they would meet again. But she wasn’t ready to make that trip yet. Not when there were things to be done.
This would be the first time she’d been to any verse other than Coruscant. In truth, a large part of her had wanted to join Aragorn and the others who’d left for Camelot. Had she been right to join Dredd? No way of knowing, not much point thinking about it now. She’d certainly learned a lot about the city-verse. If it was true that the Empire was the most powerful faction in the Omniverse, then her small contributions might one day be worth something. But for her, that knowledge was the path to a method. The power that might one day bring the Empire down, or change it. Time would tell. She only hoped that her choices so far wouldn’t impede her in the adventure to come.
She caught a glimpse of something at the gate of Camelot, a figure who swiftly disappeared into the portal. A scout, perhaps. It was likely that the Kingdom did things a little differently than the Empire. Chances are they wouldn’t have a battalion stationed on the other side. But they would at least have eyes on the Fountain to watch for any new arrivals. She knew there must have been some in the time since her arrival, but how many? These things weren’t made public.
As she finally reached the gate, Samus stepped off her bike and placed a hand on it. The small amount of omnilium that had gone into its creation began to seep back up through her fingers, the bike itself slowly losing features as it shrank within a bubble of coloured light before vanishing entirely. She regarded the gate. It seemed as though these gates were like the Fountain – they, too, changed to their surroundings. This one appeared to be hewn from stone, and tiny, plain flowers poked out from the bottom. On the other side she could see grass and the bottom of a tall stone.
She took a deep breath and stepped into another world.
The smell enveloped her. She felt an urge to take off her helmet, to breathe in deep, and almost gave in to it. Instead she stepped forward and looked around her. It was far more beautiful than Coruscant, though perhaps she was biased. Samus had a soft spot for untouched worlds, places that embraced nature in their design, and the entrance to this verse had obviously been designed to give visitors a warm impression. It reminded her of Zebes, back when the Chozo had lived there. Happier times.
Samus formed a flying bike in her mind and in the very moment she tried to summon, she somehow knew it wouldn’t work. She tried, just to confirm, and felt a kind of jarring feedback, a tremble through her mind the more she tried to focus on it. She shook her head. That was that, then. She’d heard things to this degree about the limitations of summoning in different verses, but it was hard to take it seriously. It was one more thing about the Omniverse she had to get used to. She wondered if she could still summon upgrades to her suit here. Given that she’d used most of her omnilium upgrading it back in Coruscant, that thought would have to wait.
On the other hand, a mount should work. They’d summoned horses back at the Scramble …
Without warning, a powerful memory interrupted her train of thought. The planet of Z’nraksis, the home of her friend Mauk. She’d visited only once, and been subject to the questionable hospitality of his people. They were a raucous bunch – some would say primitive – but she’d enjoyed her time there. At Mauk’s insistence, she had ridden a creature known as a geshilin, or ‘bouncer’. They were hyperactive lizards the size of a small elephant, though shorter in height than a horse. If she’d seen it anywhere else, her first reaction would have been to shoot. But Mauk, despite his rough appearance, was not someone who would ever put her in danger. And so she had nervously taken the reins.
Its first movement was a jolt that had caused her to cling on for dear life. She remembered debating whether to jump off its back. It moved in leaps, hitting the ground with a slap of its tail and then pushing up, propelling itself forward headfirst. It was almost as though it rolled its body, jumping up with its forelegs in the same moment as its hind hit the ground. She’d gotten off after about ten minutes, but she’d always wanted to give it another shot. Perhaps it was because, despite her protests, she’d found it kind of fun. There was no doubt that the creature could hold the weight of her power suit.
She debated it for a few moments, then decided there was no time to spare. She pictured the creature in her mind. Tawny green scales, curious black eyes, the tail that constantly wriggled when it wasn’t otherwise in motion. As the summoning finished, she felt a surge of nervousness, but despite her better judgement finished her work.
The creature sprang into life. It was a carbon copy of the geshilin she’d ridden back then. The same curious face and padding feet. It turned to regard her and cocked its head. A long, pink tongue snaked out of its mouth and up Samus’s visor.
“Gah-get off!” exclaimed the bounty hunter, pushing it away. “Ahh … I might just regret this. Hold still, geshilin.” She patted its head as a distraction, then wheeled her leg around onto its back. It stood up straight the moment she did so, letting loose a garbled cry that could have meant anything. “Now-” she began. In response, the lizard leapt forward and out of the clearing.
How long had it been since she’d arrived here at the Nexus? According to official time, it had been months, but it felt like far less. It was one part of the Omniverse she had yet to get used to. One part of many. She envisioned a heavy three-wheeler and began the summoning process. Five minutes later she was rumbling towards the fountain. Today it looked calm, peaceful compared to how she’d last seen it – twisted and chaotic. The military man and the green-skinned being were gone – for how long, she wondered? She slowed down as she came to it, looking into the twinkling waters.
“Are you there, Omni?”
No response. She drove on. The time would come when they would meet again. But she wasn’t ready to make that trip yet. Not when there were things to be done.
This would be the first time she’d been to any verse other than Coruscant. In truth, a large part of her had wanted to join Aragorn and the others who’d left for Camelot. Had she been right to join Dredd? No way of knowing, not much point thinking about it now. She’d certainly learned a lot about the city-verse. If it was true that the Empire was the most powerful faction in the Omniverse, then her small contributions might one day be worth something. But for her, that knowledge was the path to a method. The power that might one day bring the Empire down, or change it. Time would tell. She only hoped that her choices so far wouldn’t impede her in the adventure to come.
She caught a glimpse of something at the gate of Camelot, a figure who swiftly disappeared into the portal. A scout, perhaps. It was likely that the Kingdom did things a little differently than the Empire. Chances are they wouldn’t have a battalion stationed on the other side. But they would at least have eyes on the Fountain to watch for any new arrivals. She knew there must have been some in the time since her arrival, but how many? These things weren’t made public.
As she finally reached the gate, Samus stepped off her bike and placed a hand on it. The small amount of omnilium that had gone into its creation began to seep back up through her fingers, the bike itself slowly losing features as it shrank within a bubble of coloured light before vanishing entirely. She regarded the gate. It seemed as though these gates were like the Fountain – they, too, changed to their surroundings. This one appeared to be hewn from stone, and tiny, plain flowers poked out from the bottom. On the other side she could see grass and the bottom of a tall stone.
She took a deep breath and stepped into another world.
The smell enveloped her. She felt an urge to take off her helmet, to breathe in deep, and almost gave in to it. Instead she stepped forward and looked around her. It was far more beautiful than Coruscant, though perhaps she was biased. Samus had a soft spot for untouched worlds, places that embraced nature in their design, and the entrance to this verse had obviously been designed to give visitors a warm impression. It reminded her of Zebes, back when the Chozo had lived there. Happier times.
Samus formed a flying bike in her mind and in the very moment she tried to summon, she somehow knew it wouldn’t work. She tried, just to confirm, and felt a kind of jarring feedback, a tremble through her mind the more she tried to focus on it. She shook her head. That was that, then. She’d heard things to this degree about the limitations of summoning in different verses, but it was hard to take it seriously. It was one more thing about the Omniverse she had to get used to. She wondered if she could still summon upgrades to her suit here. Given that she’d used most of her omnilium upgrading it back in Coruscant, that thought would have to wait.
On the other hand, a mount should work. They’d summoned horses back at the Scramble …
Without warning, a powerful memory interrupted her train of thought. The planet of Z’nraksis, the home of her friend Mauk. She’d visited only once, and been subject to the questionable hospitality of his people. They were a raucous bunch – some would say primitive – but she’d enjoyed her time there. At Mauk’s insistence, she had ridden a creature known as a geshilin, or ‘bouncer’. They were hyperactive lizards the size of a small elephant, though shorter in height than a horse. If she’d seen it anywhere else, her first reaction would have been to shoot. But Mauk, despite his rough appearance, was not someone who would ever put her in danger. And so she had nervously taken the reins.
Its first movement was a jolt that had caused her to cling on for dear life. She remembered debating whether to jump off its back. It moved in leaps, hitting the ground with a slap of its tail and then pushing up, propelling itself forward headfirst. It was almost as though it rolled its body, jumping up with its forelegs in the same moment as its hind hit the ground. She’d gotten off after about ten minutes, but she’d always wanted to give it another shot. Perhaps it was because, despite her protests, she’d found it kind of fun. There was no doubt that the creature could hold the weight of her power suit.
She debated it for a few moments, then decided there was no time to spare. She pictured the creature in her mind. Tawny green scales, curious black eyes, the tail that constantly wriggled when it wasn’t otherwise in motion. As the summoning finished, she felt a surge of nervousness, but despite her better judgement finished her work.
The creature sprang into life. It was a carbon copy of the geshilin she’d ridden back then. The same curious face and padding feet. It turned to regard her and cocked its head. A long, pink tongue snaked out of its mouth and up Samus’s visor.
“Gah-get off!” exclaimed the bounty hunter, pushing it away. “Ahh … I might just regret this. Hold still, geshilin.” She patted its head as a distraction, then wheeled her leg around onto its back. It stood up straight the moment she did so, letting loose a garbled cry that could have meant anything. “Now-” she began. In response, the lizard leapt forward and out of the clearing.
![[Image: 0bwAI3j.jpg]](http://i.imgur.com/0bwAI3j.jpg)