Capítulo 26: It’s good to be queen
Max Black enters the gym yawning. It's not easy to get some decent sleep on a planet with six suns.
It's probably still early in the morning, but Kari is already up. She's fighting her own duplicates, something that resembles kickboxing but is practiced with four opponents at a time.
<Hi Max; wanna join?> one of them asks while dodging a kick in the face.
<No thanks, I prefer to get my ass kicked after breakfast. Is, uhm, is any of you the original Kari?>
<Nope, we're all duplicates> another one answers. It's slightly unnerving trying to have a conversation with one person while another identical twin answers, but he's getting used to it.
<How would you know?>
<We just do. You can φινδ τηε οριγιναλ ατ νθλλ παλαcε.>
<I didn't get the last part. Man, I hate this translation thing> Max whines; when Vesta is present he can understand Myridian language without problem, but lately she's been too busy helping with the reconstruction. Another duplicate appears, trying her best to communicate.
<Στθπιδ τρανσλατιον τηινγιε. Λετ'σ σεε…Kari has…hm… ηοω δο Ι σαυ παλαcε? Home? Kari has far home. Stand under? To speak me okay?>
<I appreciate the effort but I have no idea what you want to say. I'll find her myself> Max answers, turning his body into light and disappearing.
It's been almost three weeks since the overthrow of the Oracle regime, and he hasn't picked up a word of the language. Kari has tried hard to learn English, though; her duplicates, at least, since he's never sure when he's talking with the original.
He turns human again on the roof of Null Palace, formerly the Oracle Palace. He knows from experience that trying to walk through the front door and try to talk with Noriko is a waste of time.
He's not alone on the roof: Torn is there, overlooking the city, duster blowing in the wind, leaning on an energy sword like a stylish cane.
<Hey red, have you seen Kari?>
<No.>
<Okay. Vesta?>
<No.>
<How come you can understand me even when she isn't around? You're not a god too, are you?>
<No.>
<Any chance you can say anything else?>
<No.>
<Sorry, I must be an idiot to expect a decent conversation from proud warrior guy.>
No answer.
<Oh come on, I served you that one on a silver platter!>
<You never served me anything. We don't eat together.>
<It's just a turn of phrase. Oh I get it, that was a joke right? So you do have a sense of humor!>
<How do you "turn" a phrase?> Torn asks, sincerely puzzled.
<Nevermind. Nice almost talking to you, Torn.>
Sitting in the throne room, Noriko Null is bored. It's not technically a throne room because she's not technically the Queen, but it doesn't really make a difference. For all intents and purposes, she's now the supreme ruler of Myridia.
It was a natural step: the Oracles eradicated any form of democracy and imposed a complex hierarchy where everything must have a direct superior with absolute power. This is how things have worked for three hundred years, and even Null can't change that overnight.
Still, she's bored. She's typing the draft of the new Myridian Constitution on an holographic keyboard using her right hand, while resting her head on the left hand.
The physical reconstruction is the easiest part. With their power to create ten thousand copies of themselves, Myridians never lack a sizable workforce. They are also extremely fast learners: each duplicate can dedicate all his or her time learning something, and then be re-absorbed by the original transmitting all of the knowledge acquired. The concept of doing one thing at a time is completely alien to Myridian mentality, something even the Oracles were never able to break.
Still, it's a lot of work. Laws need to be written, infrastructure needs to be updated, breeding camps need to be converted to less horrifying enterprises.
Myridia lacks industries, free press, health care, transportation and pretty much anything invented after the 19th century. Agriculture is even more advanced than Earth's, but defense is severely oversized, especially now that Anti-Oracle Devices have been installed all over the planet. And of course many are still loyal to Demeter, even though by her estimation Noriko can count on the support of over 90% of the population.
She's been directing the reconstruction, helped by the fact that she only needs to sleep one hour per night. There isn't a single action involving more than a dozen Myridians that isn't under her supervision. She's bored out of her mind.
<Where do you want this?> Vesta asks, lifting with one hand the green container where the Many is imprisoned. Dozens of hands press against the glass, unable to break it from the inside.
<Throw it into the Sun. Any of the six will do.>
<Are you sure? We could learn something from her. From it> Vesta clarifies; it's easy to forget that the Many isn't human.
<I don't have the instrumentation for a proper examination, nor the time to build it. Keeping the Many on the planet will only increase the chances of escape.>
<If you say so. Any luck with Talas Khanos?>
<He's not talking. Well, aside from proposing an alliance to rule the galaxy together. He's hiding something from me, I can feel it. Luckily I convinced the Provisional Council to commute the death penalty with life imprisonment for all Oracles; he'll talk, eventually.>
<I like that. There's been enough death already.>
<Vesta, we overthrew a planetary dictatorship with seventy-six casualties. I call that a miracle.>
<The seventy-six sure don't> Vesta replies, flying out of the window carrying the container with her. There's no anger in her voice…she doesn't hold the deaths against Noriko…just sadness.
<Was that Vesta flying outside?> Max asks, suddenly appearing in the room.
<You just missed her. She's throwing something into the Sun> Noriko answers, no longer bothered by his habit of never knocking.
<Cool. Speaking of space stuff, I was wondering…when are we going back home?>
<I'm working on it> Noriko answers, switching the holographic display from keyboard to a tri-dimensional model of the Myridian solar system.
<I knew you'd say that. It's like your catchphrase or something> Max chuckles.
<I don't have a "catchphrase".>
<Sure you do. When was the last time you didn't say "I am Null" at least ten times a day?>
<I don't say it nearly that often. Back to your question, this is the main star of Myridia; they just call it "Sun" in Myridian, but on Earth we know it as Castor.>
<Wait a minute, are you telling me you actually know where we are!?>
<Of course. I am N…Ehm. I've known for weeks; I just had to look at the sky. Although from Earth it looks like one star, it's actually six. It is the second brightest star cluster in the constellation Gemini, with both the star and the constellation named after the mythological Castor and Pollux twins. We are about 49.8 light years from Earth.>
<So let me get this straight, the planet where people can create duplicates at will has a star that is actually six twin stars, named after a twin, in a constellation that means "twins". What are the odds?>
<Significantly higher than the chances of an inhabitable planet orbiting six stars. Given the presence of Drylon technology, I assume Myridia was created artificially. Unfortunately for us, it also means that even you would need 49.8 years to reach Earth.>
<Don't they have any spaceship?>
<None to speak of, which is what worries me the most. Records show that Talas Khanos arrived with a spaceship shortly before the coup, which means it must have left the planet.>
<So no free ride home. Bummer. But I bet little miss genius here can build a new one, right?>
<Don't call me that. The Oracles don't have any records on how to build faster-than-light engines; I have some theories, but it would take me decades to build an Alcubierre warp drive. But that's not the worst part…not remotely.>
The hologram changes form again: it zooms out to show the whole Milky Way Galaxy, entirely covered in colored patches. Each patch has a name on it: Demeter is right between Hephaestus and Artemis, but it goes on until it covers everything.
<They don't call it the Olympian Galaxy for nothing. There are twelve main regions, and Demeter's one of the smallest. Earth is right on the border with Hephaestus, and according to Oracle records they've been at war for a thousand years. And the only goddess we might count as an ally, Athena, is literally on the other side of the galaxy.>
<Whoa. Kinda makes the whole "taking over the world" thing smaller.>
<There are about seven thousand hostile planets in the galaxy. Seven thousand, Max.>
There's something in Noriko's voice…something Max hasn't heard before. She looks like she's about to cry.
<You okay Nori?>
<I…I don't know if we can do this, Max. What Demeter did to this planet…Earth would be crushed. And there are seven thousand more! I…I thought I knew everything, that I was prepared to face anything the world could throw at me…Athena was right. We are ridiculously unprepared for this.>
Max places a hand on her shoulder. She can be extremely unpleasant at times, but he's come to consider her a little sister. A very bossy little sister, but still.
<It's alright Nori, the Vanguard is on your side. You even gave us a superhero team name, how cool is that? And the Myridians are free for the first time in their lives.>
<I know, but keeping her in check has become harder. She hardly ever lets me out, and you haven't seen the things she's building in her mind…antimatter power plants, robot armies, death rays…she dreams of invisible spy satellites and low gravity castles on the Moon…>
<Okay now you're creeping me out. Are you talking in third person again? Who is "she"?>
<My other…>
Before Noriko can say "personality", Vesta rushes back into the building; she's in such a hurry she bumps her head in the wall making a noticeable dent, but she's too upset to notice.
<Guys!!! Outside…it's a spaceship! They're invading us!!!>
Max is too shocked to say anything; Noriko grabs his wrist to move his hand away from her shoulder. Her eyes shine brightly, quickly suppressing any tears and any glimpse to the girl inside.
<Not if Null has anything to say about it.>
The spaceship floats right above Null Palace; it's big enough the cast a shadow on half the city.
<The sickle and the leaf. It's her> Vesta says, pointing at the large golden symbol painted on the bottom of the mothership.
<This is bad. Really, really bad…last time she was here, billions died> Kari adds; her happy-go-lucky attitude replaced with terror. Max approaches Noriko:
<Nori…about earlier…>
<Not now. I'm thinking> she answers; her eyes are already shining like never before.
<Think faster. We're easy targets> Torn says.
<It doesn't matter where we are, if this is really Demeter, she's gonna…she's gonna…> Kari stutters, interrupted by a thunder loud enough to make the whole Palace shake.
Demeter is floating in front of the building. The resemblance with Vesta is uncanny: if it wasn't for the green hair and eyes, they would look exactly identical. She just stands there, surrounded by green energy that keeps her long skirted green dress from blowing in the wind.
The mothership is floating above her, casting a mile-wide shadow.
<Hi sis. You didn't really think you and your pets could take away my toys, now, did you?>
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