Intelligence: On Ice!

[Amber Veritz]

The duo slipped through the gate, Kelly nearly slipped from the ice. Amber jumped into the snow eagerly. Nothing like the chills of half frozen water to get your spirits up. Although Kelly couldn’t disagree more.

“How can you stand being in the snow like that?” He asked, waiting her to finish whatever it was she was doing.

“Like I said, born and raised on ice. You tend to develop a certain fondness to the cold.” She replied standing up out of the snow and dusting herself off.

“I see.” Was the only response could offer at this point.

“So, tell me about yourself Kelly. Where do you come from, what's your angle?” She asked taking off down the snow covered trail. “It's not far til the fort, but the cold can be taxing if you're not used to it. Try to stay warm.”

[Kelly MacAryn]

Kelly hurried to follow, suppressing a growing sense of irritation.

It wasn't the grindingly bitter arctic temperatures, or even Amber's cheerful enjoyment of the biting cold that bothered him - it was the fact that he was certain he should be used to this, that he should understand what she meant. The sharp, almost metallic scent of the ice and the searing tingle of the wind were triggering pleasant, hazy associations: pride, determination and a nostalgic sense of community, the details shrouded in an almost mocking haze. 

The traitorous reality, however, was just plain awful. This weather was sheer misery. Whatever experience he'd had in places like this, he was getting no benefit from it now. Stomping along behind his feline-featured guide, the traveler clenched and unclenched his fists, forcing blood through his fingers. He scrunched his nose, worked his jaw, and wiggled his toes inside his boots. For the second time since arriving in the Omniverse, he felt like he'd been robbed.

Out loud, enunciating carefully to keep his teeth from chattering, he said, "I think I can manage. As for where I'm from... everywhere, I suppose. I traveled a lot, for a very long time: fighting, learning, meeting people. Other stuff. It's all a bit of a blur, honestly. And my 'angle'... well, once I've found out more about this place, I'll let you know. I'm still working a lot of things out." 

It was a simple reply that, while true, managed to contain very little information without seeming evasive or incorporating any actual lies. Kelly tried to take some satisfaction in that, but with the cold stinging his eyes, and the oppressive sense that something monumental had been stolen much harder to banish with the cloying smell of winter all around him, it was a small comfort. 

Better to look to the future.

Soon, he would know more, and knowledge begat purpose. Once the traveler had a more-than-short-term goal, the roots of a real strategy tree, he could sit down somewhere safe (so as not to stroll obliviously into more passersby) and attempt to delve into the mysteries in his head. Right now though, the short-term was all he had, and in the short term he was freezing and upset, so he kept the conversation going in an effort to remain productive. 

"What about you, Amber? I'm guessing you don't usually spend your time leading lost strangers through the snow. What do you do?"

[Amber Veritz]

Amber's ears perked up at Kelly’s question. She should have assumed he was going to ask about her, though she was wondering if he really even cared about her past, or present.

“It's a bit of a long story, but I'll try to shorten it up.” She said, looking up to the sky as snowflakes dropped to her bare face. The wonder of how she could stand this rigid cold was a mystery, even if she was born in it. “Most people in the Omniverse are drug from different world, and where I come from people aren't exactly fond of me.”

“You seem a decent enough person, I couldn't see why people would dislike you.” He replied.

“Thank you but the faunus really on equal terms with humans in Remnant.” She said turning her head back to make sure she was not moving too quickly for him. Kelly was looking for an answer, if not just for pleasantries, but he only wound up with more questions about her.

“Excuse my ignorance to the topic, but what is a ‘faunus’?” He asked. Amber pointed took her helmet off to portray her kitty ears. They flicked to the cold air after having been shut up in a helmet for hours.

“A faunus is race of people born with a distinctive animal trait. People resent me for having different ears than them. The humans had once enslaved the faunus, and even still we're treated unfairly. To humans, we don't mean much, or at least a lot of the humans in Remnant. Growing up I was sort of a wuss, but instead of being a doormat, I decided to grab a sword and show people what I was worth. Maybe then the faunus would be more appreciated. Now I'm stuck here with dead dreams and new horizons.” She expressed her emotions through her arms as she spoke. Throwing her arms out add expression, or looking up the sky with hope. “My focus is to bring a civilization here that will one day grow to be prosperous. Maybe then I'll have contributed something in an otherwise meaningless life.”

“That’s a lot to take in. My condolences.” He offered his own way of comfort. If only Amber was witty enough to understand. She paused for a moment confused on his words.

“If you mean you feel sorry for me, thanks. I've been doing what's best for me and my crew.” She said pulling out the red diamond she had found at the oasis, examining further. The thing was really shiny for being in a desert oasis, and it looked beautiful reflecting the snow through its prism.

With a few dozen yards of travel left, the two could finally see fort Amber in the distance. Its icicle walls shined in the whiteness of the snow.

“Welcome to my home.” She said as she walked up to the steel door and waving into the camera.

”What’s the password?” A young man's voice beamed through a connected stereo.

“Open the fucking door?” She guessed. Kelly could tell these two were good friends if they could joke with each other in that caliber.

”Actually the password is ‘Amber is a badass’.” He replied as steam ejected from the pressurized door.

“You really know how to flatter a lady ‘Saki.” She said waiting for the door to slowly open up.

Only with you Ms. Veritz. Welcome home.” A short beep tone sounded to signify the ending of the transmission. The faunus turned around to Kelly and said simply.

“Welcome to Fort AMBR.” She then led Kelly inside the courtyard.

[Kelly MacAryn]

The smells of sweat, soap, unwashed clothes, leather, plastic, metal and fried food combined into the pungent people-scent of a trading market. It hit Kelly like a physical blow, wafting out of the open door on a tide of warm air. With it came the clamor of people haggling, bartering, arguing, settling, lying, or making a deal. Metal and dishes clattered. On either side of a central path, tent-flaps whispered and goods thudded on wooden countertops. At the far side of the courtyard, a wide hole in the permafrost, apparently man-made, led down into the earth. 

A trading post? I guess that makes sense. A permanent structure of this size in a frozen tundra, especially one located so close to a crossroads, is bound to draw a lot of traffic.

Kelly's estimation of Amber rose a couple of notches. She hadn't been exaggerating, in the Nexus, when she'd said it was her fort. The honorific at the door hadn't come across as entirely in jest,  and her proprietary attitude towards the place was impossible to miss: It wasn't just her home, it was her home. Also, the name was kind of a big hint. 

It followed that, assuming the choice of location was her decision and not a happy coincidence, she had some strategic sense. Combine the ability to spot an opportunity with her willingness to do things other people wouldn't necessarily do, like bringing him here, for instance,  and her obvious self-assuredness with a certain natural charisma... that would make her an effective leader, intellectual titan or not. True, the nihilistic streak seemed at odds with her apparently can-do attitude, but a search for meaning could be a powerful motivator. He knew that better than most.

Amber ignored the tents, and the traders, and they ignored her as she led the way across the yard, making a beeline for the burrow on the far side. Kelly took passing note of the activity around them, but he thought at this point that the odds of an ambush were extremely low. He was more interested in what awaited them underground.


"I'm impressed," the traveler said, keeping pace beside Amber and pointing at the burrow ahead of them, fingers tingling as his extremities thawed. "It can't have been easy to tunnel into permafrost. How exten- ... that is, how big is the underground section?"

[Amber Veritz]

The faunus could hear slight admiration in the man's voice. He was rather impressed with Amber’s accommodations in her castle. She knew the answer to this question would only improve his opinion on her, or rather it could make her seem like a braggart.


“Not counting the courtyard, our tunnel systems span further than the walls and down the stories if compared to a building. The first floor is deeper than the adjacent floors. This is to safeguard the first floor from an ‘upward attack’. If anyone should try to dig their way in, they would not be able to do it stealthily, or quickly.” She explained motioning him down the stairs into the cave. As they stepped off the stairs, they could tell a huge difference in temperature. It was much warmer underground. Before heading any further, she led Kelly into the tavern. Many shades of figures from brutes to shadows sat at their tables, enjoying their freedom to drink til they drop. Amber approached the barkeep who got her drink ready before she even made it to the counter.


“Amber! Glad to see you back. Murasaki said you were having a bit of trouble with the latest mission, but you brought something back right?” Said the busty lady behind the bar.


“Yeah,” she replied pulling out the spoils of her adventure. It was a red diamond shaped jewel that radiated some weird power. To Bianca, it looked like an ordinary gem, but Kelly could feel its power. There was something amazing about that stone, but otherwise it was just a rock. “Looks kind of like a refined diamond. I need to show Murasaki as soon as possible so I can’t stay and chat.”


Bianca had to restrain every fiber of her being to snatch the diamond from Amber. “Aw, do you have to take it. It's gorgeous!”


“Sorry, Bianca but it’s more than jewelry trust me.” She said turning around with a can of soda in her hand and motioning Kelly to follower her again.


“Alright Amber, good luck!” Yelled out Bianca as she watched her friend walk out. The duo made it down to the second floor. This was a special area for the guards of the fort. Kelly could see many armed people down here, odd for what he had seen already. This must be the barracks so to say. Another girl crossed paths with the two. She was much less developed as a lady compared to the one in the bar, but that sniper on her back made her look serious.


“Yo, Amber. What’s the word?” She asked as she approached them from the opposite direction. They stopped to talk.


“Nothing much, powerful artefact.” She said waving the diamond around in her hand in front of Rose.


“Sweet, hopefully it can help us gain a foothold in this arctic land. If you really want to bring some order to this sad place, having power is our first step. We need trust now. Allies.” She said.


“I know, don't worry. I'm brushing up on my social skills.” Amber replied, replacing the gemstone in her pocket.


“We're counting on you sister.” The young woman passed by without even asking who Kelly was. Perhaps they trusted her judgement. Amber turned to Kelly with a slight smile.


“That’s my team. Back in my home world, we have an association of heroes called ‘Hunters’ or ‘Huntresses’. They are the protectors of evil in Remnant. Anyways, when I lived there, I was a Huntress-in-Training and those other girls we met are apart of my team. We were called Team AMBR. It sounds upsizing on my part but really, our names were just lucky enough to coincide. Amber, Murasaki, Bianca and Rose. See its an acronym.” The faunus explained. “So Fort AMBR doesn't really belong to me, it belongs to us. Anywho, our tech room is right down stairs. When we get there, our resources are open to you.”


The duo walked down another short flight of stairs, where another steel-plated door blocked their path. The cat girl knocked loudly on it with her fist.


“No games this time Murasaki. Open up, it's important.” Without another word, the door depressurized and opened slowly. A boy of age eighteen stood in front of the opening door. A ginormous computer towered beind him, emitting the only light in the room.


“Welcome to Casa Del ‘Saki.” He said laughing. Amber nodded to him with a smile and turned to Kelly.


“Our grandmaster computer is yours.” Murasaki approached Kelly as well.


“Hey, Amber sent message ahead. You can use our information database, but note we don't have much other than maps and general information about every verse and some on the types of things primes should understand. Whatever you need, it will be on there.”

[Kelly MacAryn]

The trip down into the depths of the fort had been interesting enough, and had provided him with new information about Amber. Put in context as a part of a four-person unit she was marginally less impressive.  Still, Kelly was certain he had been right about her being the leader.

All that however, even the glowing gem with its taunting promise of power, was secondary to the realization of his goal.

Data. At last, I'm going to have some understanding. 

"Thank you," he said, sliding into the chair in front of the main terminal, "I sincerely appreciate it."

The interface seemed simple enough. While Amber and Murasaki headed back down the hall, discussing her latest adventures, the traveler called up the search function, marveling at how much they were trusting him, and he began his education. 

Three hours later, Kelly finally dragged himself away. He'd taken a ten minute break to summon an integrated wrist-computer and multiband communicator as soon as he had found out that there was a wireless data-network accessible from anywhere in the Omniverse, but that newfound source of information had only supplemented his headlong plunge through team AMBR's data archives. He'd exhausted himself, analyzing continuously as he read, barely even blinking, until finally he sat back in his chair and rubbed his bleary-red eyes, snorting the smell of hot electronics out of his nose. 

Lit by the glow of that massive screen, he didn't know whether to grin savagely, scream in anger or burst out in mean-spirited laughter. The madness, the opportunity, the potential, the sheer bloody-minded incompetence! 

The Omniverse was, depending on where you were, either a near-lawless frontier, a collection of city-states separated by wilderness, a wasteland, an actual nightmare, or a barely-disguised mess. The biggest offender in the latter category was the Empire, and the Kingdom was only better by way of a more benevolent social character. Both were, in Kelly's view, horribly mismanaged to the point of being actually offensive on both an ethical and a professional level. 

Professional...?  That's interesting. 

Even disregarding proxy-conflicts between the two big fish in this multi-fishbowl continuum, The other 'verses all had problems, factions, struggles of their own... Kelly had only gotten the most general layout of the major players, only begun to scratch the surface of his new home.

There would be nuances that nobody talked about, things that had to be seen to be understood, unspoken social norms and institutionalized invisible prejudices. There would be powerful people moving behind the scenes, other Primes, with their own agendas. Some, like Amber and her team, might have goals that broadly aligned with his own. There would be new tools to learn, new methods and strategies. There would be alliances to make, resources to gather, and yes, things to do. 

Nobody asked to be brought here. They don't need fools and monsters making their lives worse.  So, so much to do... I'll have to break it down into small, manageable goals, at least until my powers come back, and I've set the groundwork for targeting a major problem. Of course, when it gets to that stage a lot of things will start happening very quickly. It's best to wait until I know what resources I'll have at my disposal before I start seriously contemplating the endgame. There's still so much I can't predict, and so much I don't know. 

The first order of business, he decided, was to establish useful contacts inside the Empire while remaining a free agent, at least to start. Kelly wanted to begin outside of the existing power structure, both because there would be less scrutiny that way and because he was certain that any official career he tried to build would eventually conflict with his long-term goals. Unfortunately, this meant that he was limited to the criminal element, the politically undesirable, and the private sector. It would be hard, considering there were things he was simply not willing to do, but he'd figure something out. 

After the Empire, he'd do the same in the Kingdom. He'd have to keep his eyes open for opportunities elsewhere, as well. The traveler would need a base of operations, powerful resources and tools on which to draw, allies among the other primes...

Kelly also wanted to know more about the Underverse. The fact that people here had 'solved' the problem of Prime immortality by sending powerful troublemakers into an unexplored hellscape ruled by the most potently evil Prime ever known made him very, very nervous. 

He stood up and stretched, popping his back, his elbows and his knees. The traveler had been sitting for so long, just reading, that his joints had begun to lock up, but now it was time to go. He turned away from the terminal and opened the door, only to collide with the door-frame on his way out and nearly lose his balance. Kelly was eager to begin, to establish himself as a force for progress and sanity in the boiling mass of chaos into which he'd been thrown. Sadly, it seemed that before he did anything else, he was going to need a nap, or at least a strong cup of coffee.

Do I even drink coffee?

He had no idea. Concentrating on walking a straight line in spite of his tired brain, he set off in search of either a place to catch some sleep before he left, or Amber, or anyone who would hopefully be able to point him in the right direction.

[Amber Veritz]

The two friends walked out of the room while their guest made himself comfy with the free computer services. Amber knew he would be there for quite some time, and she needed some time alone with Murasaki. She led the boy to her room, where they close the door and took a seat on her bed. Amber first removed her armor. It was time for some relaxation and her room was the next best place from the intelligence room for privacy.


“So this is what I found.” The faunus said as she pulled the red diamond from her pocket and handing it to the dark haired boy. He examined it by holding it up to the light. He seemed content as he looked at.


“It's odd that you find a diamond of this color completely refined in an oasis. Not to mention it just randomly appeared in your hand?” He asked for clarification. The details were confusing. Amber replied with a gentle nod as he looked her way and back to the jewel. “This place keeps getting weirder and weirder Amber.”


“Yeah, I know. Am glad, at least, we have each other. You, me, Rose and Bianca. We're inseparable team despite our differences. I digress though, this diamond thing is fucking weird. I can feel energy being emitted from it. It's like raw aura is shoved into it.” She said trying to explain what she meant with hand gestures. It was not working very well for Murasaki to understand.


“You think this thing is made completely out of magical energy? Maybe it's a dust crystal.” He said handing it back to his leader. She returned it to her pocket.


“No I don't think so. I've practiced with dust a little and the energy this thing is putting off is more than dust.” She replied.


“So you think it’s dangerous?” Murasaki asked trying to poke Amber on her thoughts of what this crystal was. He knew she had been getting a bit obsessed with her prime super powers, but she did not want her to go insane over it. Amber stood and began to pace back and forth slowly in front of Murasaki.


“Maybe in the wrong hands. The energy it radiates is kind of soothing and warm.” She explained slowly, trying to think of the words as she felt the gem in her hand. “And, the energy pulsates. It’s kind of slow but steady too. It never changes, like a small inviting flame to a cold traveller, or a beat heart when you're getting hugged.” She was trying to put together the words as she spoke, constantly pausing as she spoke to think of an explanation.


“That is actually kind of majestic.” Murasaki said, odd that he used the word majestic. Amber had hardly heard him use vocabulary like that. In any case though, it was time. She needed to tell him how she felt about him. Confess her feelings and change this slump she was in for the better.


“This gem reminds me of you Amber.” He said just as the faunus was about to speak up. The girl was tongue twisted at the least. He had completely caught her off guard, something that was nearly impossible.


“Of me?” She said confused. Murasaki held out his hands, signaling her to toss him the diamond. She did as signaled and three it to him. He caught it and held it both hands, focusing deeply on it.


“It's faint, but I can feel the warmth you're talking about. It soothes your aching bones, and it pulsates slowly like a sleeping human heart. You Amber, you have that fierce fire in your heart that shows people who you are. Though you look rough on the outside with a temper that matches this diamonds color, looking deeper you can feel that warm presence just by being near you. You're a diamond in the rough Amber, and that’s why I love you.” Amber’s heart skipped three beats. Did he find out what had happened in her mind? No, he there was no way he could have gotten any of that. She had not told anyone of the dreams she had to get the crystal in Murasaki’s hand. That could only mean he had been waiting for the right time.


“You know I'm not good with the details or how this stuff is supposed to begin but if you want, I'd like to stand with you as your partner for life.” He said holding the crystal to his heart. “I don't want to be friends anymore, I want to be more. I want us to know our love for each other.” Amber’s face has flushed red at this point. It was how Murasaki knew she had feelings for him.


“I do love you ‘Saki. You'll always be my best friend, no matter what, but I can't sate my fondness for you with just friendship. I want to be special to you, more than anyone else in the world.” At this moment, Murasaki stood up and threw his arms around the short cat girl. She returned the favor in the same gesture. No more words needed to be said after that.


Another hour went by and the two had decided it was time to check on Kelly. Great timing too, because he was just stumbling out of the control room. He looked like he was about to pass out from exhaustion, which was weird considering he went in there perfectly fine, and sleep was not a necessity for primes in the Omniverse. She stopped him as he walked down the hall.


“Yo Kelly, I assume you're leaving since you have what you wanted. You look a bit ragged. You might want to get a room and take a nap before heading out.” She said. “Talk with Bianca at the bar, primes get free services since their summoning could really screw up the economic state here. Also, take this, and if you ever need me, don't hesitate to shoot me a message.” She pulled out a piece of paper and scribbled a number on it with her name. “Hopefully I'll see you again soon.” She called out as she continued down the hall, waving goodbye. The newly found couple went into the control room, shutting the door behind them.

[Amber Veritz]

The love birds retreated to the intelligence room for some privacy. They were a new couple as of this day. Murasaki sat down at the computer chair and swirled around to face the screen. Soft clicks came off the keyboard as he pulled up the map of the Frozen Fields.

“Alright, so let’s get down to business.” He said zooming in on Fort Amber. “You now control an extremely small portion of the icy tundra here, but we aren’t the only settlement here. As far I can see, besides us, there are the Dwarves of Dwarfholm, and the dragons living in the mountains we have no info on them though.”

Amber stole the screen from her boyfriend and slid the map over to Dwarfholm. It was much bigger than the Fort. “Then I say we try to make some friends there if we can. Get in good with the dwarves.” She said pointing to the city as she explained.

“Well, your plan is coming down great so far. You’ve become much stronger, you hold a powerful item and now we need allies in the fields. Soon, people will know the name Amber Veritz and respect it.” He said flashing her a short grin. Amber patted him on the shoulder and turned to leave.

“Then let’s get started, Love.” Pressure released from the steel door as it opened slowly. “She you when I get back.” The faunus made her way back out to the courtyard and through the giant metal door. It slid open releasing steam as the metal creaked against the hinges.

“Time to rip it.” The teenager said sliding her omnilium orb out of her pocket, it glowed brightly with power. After a few minutes of concentration, a snowboard appeared in front of her. She hopped on to it and waved the orb over it. With a push kick to get her started, the faunus slid through the snow on her board, gaining speed despite the fact there was no declining slope. Her next destination was Dwarfholm.

[Kelly MacAryn]

By the time Kelly walked into the tavern on Fort AMBR's first sub-level, his fatigue was already beginning to fade. He'd thought he was tiring himself out concentrating, but now he didn't know whether his exhaustion been brought on by absorbing so much information, and thinking about it so hard for so long, or some other factor. He felt odd, like the inside of his skin was buzzing, and it took him a moment to figure out what was going on. 

The traveler's psychic powers were stirring. 

There was nothing concrete yet, no haptic telekinetic feedback, no heightened awareness or exotic perceptions, but the power, at least, was there now. It was just a little bit, a tiny glow like the pilot-light on an old stove. Kelly doubted he'd be able to manage anything more complex than a crude force-bolt, and certainly nothing as sophisticated as actual telekinesis, but it was better than nothing. He'd have to experiment again when he got back to the Nexus.  

So do I still want a room? 

On the one hand, this was an opportunity to rest for while and pull at the threads of the tangled tapestry of his mind. On the other hand, he would certainly be able to get a room in Coruscant as well, and he was eager to get started on his plan. In the end, convenience and a sense of curiosity won out. He just wouldn't be able to concentrate until he'd at least made a token effort at achieving some clarity. 



Getting a room was exactly as easy as Kelly had been led to believe, just a matter of asking politely at the bar. Once inside, and certain he was alone, he locked the door. The traveler didn't pay a lot of attention to the furnishings. There was a chair suitable for tripping intruders, and a bed with a frame hard enough to be useful in fight. Behind the door was the most tactically advantageous hiding place. That was the extent of his interest.

He sat down in the middle of the room, breathing air tinted with the smell of alcohol and a pleasant subterranean musk, closed his eyes, and began to think. 


Start with what's promising. 

The Empire and the Kingdom are both frustrating to me on a very deep level. I don't just feel like they're mishandling both their domestic and foreign policy: I feel like I could do it better - like I have done it better. They wound my professionalism. 

I was in government. But what government? Think. 

Think of having that responsibility. Think of doing it right, every day, as hard as you can. Think of... belonging. Think of...

Dominion.

...What?

There was a flash, not just a memory but an experience, so vivid it was disorienting. Around him was a grand hall, with red velvet carpets and brass furnishings. The ceiling was so high it was barely visible, and was supported by a veritable forest of semi-opaque columns fashioned out of what looked to be solid crystal sapphires. The room smelled of nutmeg and ginger, and the complex odor of a crowd of thousands, and his mind was awash with... nonsense-sensation, input from senses he no longer had. 

In this vision, Kelly was perched atop a complex chair made of burnished gray metal and refined fabric, far more comfortable than it had any right to be. There was a circlet on his brow. His legs were crossed, one ankle resting on the opposite knee, and there was a ceremonial long-sword resting across his lap. Six lordly figures were kneeling in a semi-circle at his feet.

The first was a giant of a man, even taller and broader than Kelly, with fiery red hair, and a beard that could swallow a family of four without a trace, dressed for a fight in a suit of jade-inlaid technological armor studded with golden jewelry. His head was bowed low. Beside him was a squid-like blue creature with a bulbous cranium and enormous black compound eyes, lit from inside by a piercing blue light, it's many tentacles covered wrapped in five silver wire. Next was a transparent, sinuous, feminine cloud the color of moonlight that shifted and flowed with a subtle rhythm. A powerfully-built old man in fine yellow robes knelt beside her, staring up at Kelly with silvery metal eyes with a face covered in runic tattoos. An egg-shaped drone with a blue carapace and a single inset camera-lens hovered at his side, at an angle suggesting deference.  Lastly, there was... a penguin. It had a yellow and red crest of feathers above its eyes, a little silver chain around its neck, and its head was bowed. 

Behind them, filling the hall as far as Kelly could see, was a crowd. Most of them weren't human, either squidly, or avian, gaseous or even stranger forms. All were totally silent as the six began to speak in unison, a harmony of human voices, sythesized monotone, subsonic vibration, cephelapod hissing and an avian hum.

Kelly was ejected from the memory as though he'd been fired from a cannon. His eyes snapped open, and if he hadn't already been sitting down he'd have fallen over. 

He'd been a king. How the hell had that happened? 

Think it through. 

There were feelings and associations, still fresh from his vision, complex ones. The throne was Belonging. It was acceptance, reward, and finally, after centuries of searching, purpose, glorious purpose, the kind that lifted men up and brought them to a place outside of themselves, where anything was possible. Kelly closed his eyes, and he grabbed onto that feeling, and he could feel an entire era bubbling towards the surface, but looking further was like banging his head against clouded glass. There had been... wars? A big one and a little one. Both were important... and had he still been traveling? A wanderer-lord?

He concentrated so hard his eyebrows hurt, and heard his own voice, as though from far away, tell somebody that he never wanted to be a god, but he didn't think he had a choice. It felt like the start of another vision. 

...

No. 

That was all. 

The more he tried now, the more it slipped away. 

Kelly made a serious effort not to be furious. He knew, now, what it was that had been taken from him, the thing of incalculable value. It wasn't the crown, not exactly, not the power or the authority - it was his purpose. He had felt, sitting in that throne, looking at that sea of infinitely diverse people - His! People! -  like he knew exactly who he was, and why he was, and who and what it was all for. Service and Dominion: one and the same.

And now he couldn't remember anything about them.

That time, the events of his reign, even what and who he had reigned over - the memories weren't like pawing at mist, not even as clear as his hazy centuries of aimless wandering between worlds - they were like looking through cracks in a concrete wall. He didn't know where his kingdom was, what he'd done to earn such a place, or why it felt...

Why it felt so perfect.

Kelly stood up. He paced his small, rented room several times, then he sat back down. His mind was doing painful somersaults, only forced into logical productivity out of long, long habit. He felt like a gyroscope, spinning at a perfect angle on the edge of the mouth of Hell. 

He clung to the fact that this new information didn't change his circumstances, or his near-long-term plans. No matter where he had come from, he was in the Omniverse now, and he had to deal with what Omni had wrought.

And if Omnilium can really be used to create anything...


He paused, suddenly strike by an idea, and concentrated. He imagined a portal, and the feedback from the sheer shortfall of Omnilium nearly knocked him unconscious.

Right then.

Even if Kelly found another way to leave, which would certainly take a very long time, he couldn't return to his people.  He didn't remember who they were. Besides, even if he managed to put his mind in order, he didn't know where the Omniverse was. By the time he got back, if he found a way back, there would almost certainly be a new king. 

Whoever it was I left behind, they're going to have to learn to get along without me. I would have had a plan for this, an anointed, competent successor - any good King would, and I don't think I was a bad one.

Kelly's eyes felt damp. His chest hurt. Deep inside him, on the other side of a wall made of misfiled recollection and lost history, part of him was screaming. 

Out loud, he croaked, "I'll be okay." 

The traveler stood once more, and unlocked the door, leaning one hand against it and staring at the floor. "I'm okay," he said again, sounding like he believed it this time. He left the room, and shut the door behind him.



The air outside Fort AMBR was still frigidly cold, but as he made his way back to the Nexus gate, Kelly wasn't bothered by it the way he was on the way in. It fit his mood. One unexpected thing he'd learned today was that his past hurt. The traveler had known already that there had been hard, painful times, times when he'd had to claw his way back from the very depths of death, but it turned out that his fondest memories could also cut him to the core. The echo of his past-self's secret heart hung broken in his chest, and he didn't think it was going to feel better any time soon. 

Trekking across the icy tundra, Kelly considered his plan. Somewhere in between the room at the inn and now it stopped seeming like the most ethical course of action, or even a matter of pride, or of enlightened self-interest that he make the Omniverse saner and safer. It felt like a duty, like a standard he had to live up to, even if it meant smuggling and robbing and quite possibly murdering in order to build.This was his place now, and though its people weren't his people yet, part of him felt like they could be if he let them.

Forcing himself to think about the future, feeling the spidery-leg tingle of unrefined, latent force skittering across the nerves under his skin with every move he made, he stepped through the gate out of the Frozen Fields and into the less natural white of the Nexus.