Eclipse Transit

[Tearen Wover]

Nealaphh emerged once more into the blank eternity that was the Nexus. Simultaneously infinite and relatively minute, the paradoxical space between worlds was aesthetically pleasing to the God-Mind. An un-etched slate, begging to have history carved into its ashen face. The Enigma had a fair amount of time to ponder the possibilities of such an area as it rocked slowly back and forth upon the back of one of the Gorons' hulking Dodongo lizards. The beasts were silent and concentrated, and their singularly focused minds served as a pleasant buzz to the constant plinking tremors of the Goron psyches. Being that it was in what could ostensibly be considered a public area of the Omniverse, the Enigma had assumed the form of a crow, as usual, and was perched patiently on the saddle on which Tom Riddle rode. 

The Gigaton Hammer had been secreted away inside the covered hutch of one of the caravan carts, though a Goron had to be holding it at all times, or the overwhelmingly massive weapon would prevent the poor lizard pulling it to break its comparatively frail spine. Despite their otherwise warm demeanor, the Gorons were actually surprisingly dismissive of their beasts of burden as emotional beings. Still, this didn't mean their inherent sense of pragmatism would permit any harm coming to the Dodongos.

So it was that the caravan proceeded through the Nexus at a crawl, with all eyes plastered on the ineffable horizon for any signs of trouble. The route was to give a wide berth to the Fountain of Infinity, as per the two Primes' previous expedition. Nealaphh knew for a fact that there was, even as they sat watching, a terrible brawl occurring in the immediate vicinity of the the Omniverse's central hub. Tom seemed to detect where the God-Minds thoughts were focused and brought up the subject in his cool voice.

"I saw that Colonel was participating in some sort of lynching. You authorized such a thing?" Tom asked, tapping the butt end of his wand against his chin as he stared down at some haphazardly scribbled diagrams. Based on what Nealaphh could discern, it was an exploration on the applications of the alchemical substance Tom had devised for the Hammer.

I did. Okor as well.

Tom hummed slightly.

"That seems like it would be in opposition to your ideal of a unified Omniverse." Tom said with a wry tone. Nealaphh's avian eyes squinted slightly. The wizard was clearly saying this in jest; he knew that the maxims set forth in the Monotruth were devices for controlling the weak minded. What the wizard was really after was a glimpse into Nealaphh's ulterior motives. The God-Mind knew when it was being played, but in this instance, if might be worth testing the boundaries of Tom's trustworthiness. The boy would still be forced to jump through a series of carefully selected hoops, however.

Politics and ethos are rarely tangential.

Much like Nealaphh's sense of manipulation, Tom also knew when he was being strung along, but trying to make demands of the God-Mind would result in a wall of silence. As tedious as a game it was, the wizard would humor Nealaphh's obfuscations as long as it got him what he wanted.

"Politics? Where does that sordid arena feature in this?"

Sasuke Uchiha, the target of this mob. He is an ally of New Babylon and evidentally betrayed the trust of your Security compatriots.

Tom scoffed.

"Surely there's more to this than petty revenge."

The crow bobbed its head. This was where it would be required to divulge a piece of intelligence that was slightly more sensitive than usual. But, again, this was a trust exercise, and the God-Mind was curious to see what Mr. Riddle would do with it.

There is. I had the interesting opportunity to meet Sasuke Uchiha's brother. After some negotiations, the man made me promise to keep his location a secret. I do not know the significance of their relationship, but...

Tom filled in the rest, a knowing tone flowing from his every enunciated syllable.

"...but the fact that the brother wishes to remain hidden inherently indicates Sasuke's interest. Simple enough. But why put it in play now?"

Aggressing against Sasuke serves as disincentive for future transgressions, but this information presents an opportunity to forestall any direct retribution.

"...you're dangling a carrot. This is a dominance display...you're trying to passively enslave Uchiha."

Optimistically. At the very least it will give us leverage in dealing with New Babylon. Considering their entire faction is destabilized...

"It's an avenue to assimilate them completely. Well played, Nealaphh."

The God-Mind glanced towards the distant fountain once more, where distant booms echoed across the flat, ivory landscape. The outcome of all of this was still up in the air; Nealaphh simply needed to have faith that Okor and Colonel would deliver.

We shall see.