Magi Nexus Read online

  “I was under the impression that there were more of you,” the woman said.

  “You are Lilitu, I take it?” Vine asked.

  Lilitu didn’t move to confirm or deny what her name was. Instead, she stood there and watched Vine for a moment before saying anything. “Where are the others?” she asked, scanning to her left and right.

  Rizar looked over at Vine, a knot of fear rising up within him. He’d never heard anyone talk to one of the Crux in such a disrespectful manner. Any Nomad or Magus would be killed on the spot for such insolence. But Vine’s eyes flicked over the group of Archons and then back to Lilitu.

  “You’re right, there are more of us. However, all but one of us are always indisposed, I’m afraid. Meaning that only one of our number might greet you here today.”

  “Is that so?”

  “I do, however, speak with the full authority of the Crux and our father.”

  “You speak on their behalf, and yet, they can’t be bothered to be here themselves?” Lilitu said, stepping forward, her tone and posture threatening.

  This was not going how Rizar had hoped or expected it would.

  “I think you misunderstand me, they physically cannot be here…” Vine answered. Was that fear in her voice? He had never heard one of the Crux express fear before. Maybe they would be fearful of their father, but Rizar had never seen him. Few outside of the Crux ever did.

  Rizar looked over at the Archons to see the others looking around them, at him, the other Nomads, and the surrounding dragons. Could they stand up to them all? They were powerful, that was for sure, but could they fight and win against Vine, himself, and their allies—a veritable army of Magi and Scions?

  “Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t kill you and take your place, right here and now?” Lilitu asked.

  For a moment, there was silence, and Rizar glanced between Vine, Lilitu, the Archons, and his fellow Nomads, trying to get an idea of where this might go.

  That’s when reality cracked open.

  Right behind Vine, the air split in a glowing white jagged crack that hit like a thunderclap, sending a shockwave of force across the asteroid. It kicked up dust and shattered stones as it hammered against Rizar’s Aegis. The blinding white light flared as energy flowed from the rent and coalesced into a figure. A humanoid figure made from light that was both difficult to look at, and to be around with the simply incredible energy that flowed out of it.

  Rizar thought he’d felt power before. He thought he’d been in the presence of gods when he’d met the Crux and Archons, but they were nothing compared to this.

  This was true power, true godhood, and it was both mind-blowing, and, frankly, terrifying. Rizar wanted nothing more than to run screaming from it. But he resisted and steeled himself. Glancing right, however, he could see some of the less powerful or resilient Nomads had been reduced to a quivering mess and were either curled up on the floor or running from the meeting already.

  Rizar focused his attention back on the figure of light, Vine, and the Archons, in time to see Vine drop to her knee and lower her head.

  “Father, had I known you were planning to visit…”

  The figure looked down at her and reached out its hand, touching her head. “Of course, my child, do not concern yourself. I sensed my presence was needed.”

  The voice of the father was just as incredible as its form and boomed around the plain, sounding both out loud and in his head.

  Vine nodded her head but said nothing. The Father turned to the Archons, who had taken a few steps back, no doubt sensing the Father’s power as much as he did. Lilitu looked at him for one moment longer and then dropped to her own knee. The other Archons did the same.

  “Welcome, Archons, grandchildren of my hated sister. We welcome you into the Crux. We have much to discuss, and much to do…”

  The Last Piece

  Procyon, Terran Alliance Space, The Nexus Arcadia.

  “What is it about government officials that leads them to throw us a party every time we show up?” Jinx asked.

  Amanda smiled at the gleaming silver and blue artificial body of the AI, complete with fins on its arms and thighs and a jetpack on its back. Jinx had adjusted well to life in this universe. Following Amanda’s visit to Cerka Station and the little adventure she’d had with Jessica and the crew of Sabrina. She’d struck up a bit of a friendship with Jinx while she was there. This had led to Jinx’s request to return back across the multiverse with Amanda.

  Amanda had wondered how Void would feel about her bringing Jinx back. Amanda couldn’t see the harm, and as it turned out, Void hadn’t been too concerned, either.

  “Government officials are human, too, yeh know,” Amanda answered with a wry smile.

  “Are you sure about that?” Jinx answered.

  Amanda shrugged. “No. No, I’m not. I’m not complaining, though. It gives me a reason to dress up.”

  “You sound just like Jess,” Jinx commented.

  Amanda smiled. “I’ll take that as a compliment, to be sure.”

  “What are you talking about?” Sabine asked. She was standing nearby in a slinky black dress with a generous slit up the side of her leg. Amanda looked over to the dark-haired girl with a friendly smile. Sabine had recently chosen to spend more time with Amanda on the Arkady and help out with things out here after hearing about her adventures from Maria. But Amanda hadn’t yet told her about her trips across the multiverse. That would be a long conversation, that’s for sure, she thought. Especially, the part about Cal, Splurt, and the crew of the Currently Untitled.

  How do you explain a sentient blob of green goo?

  “Well, that’s a long story. Suffice to say, this isn’t the only universe, and I have been known to visit a handful of the infinite number of ‘em from time to time,” Amanda explained.

  “Aaah,” Sabine answered in a tone suggesting it answered very little at all.

  “We’ll talk about it another time, I think. We are meant to be working here.”

  “Is that what we’re meant to be doing?” Rane asked. “Because it looks like your mind is elsewhere.”

  She wore a long ornate white dress with gold detailing and looked stunning.

  Amanda winked at her. ~Seeing you in that dress is certainly distracting me.~ Amanda commented through a private Link to Rane’s mind. ~I’m looking forward to ripping it off yeh.~

  ~Stop trying to distract me,~ Rane replied with a frown, followed by a smile that told Amanda that she’d actually like that.

  Amanda laughed. “So, who’s who in here again? I’ve met so many planetary officials recently that I’m losing track, so I am.” She grasped the railing that looked out over the room, leant on it, and scanned the crowds.

  ~Bend over any further in that dress and I’ll be the one ripping clothes off,~ Rane said.

  ~Get yeh mind out the gutter, Rane,~ Amanda said, glancing down at the metallic minidress she wore that shimmered between pink and gold. She’d bought it on Axia at Proxima Centauri when she visited there a little over a month ago. She loved the dress, but it came with memories of the attack on her that had happened in the shop when she’d been buying it.

  Her life was always destined to be interesting, she guessed.

  ~Will do, boss,~ she replied with a smile. “Okay, so the main guy we need to talk to is Governor Sol Geshik, and he’s… over there. The stocky guy with the buzz cut hair.”

  Amanda spotted the man right away. He looked a little out of place in this swanky party with everyone dressed up. He looked stiff and uncompromising. The kind of guy that could kill a party atmosphere just by turning up. He seemed to have a perpetual frown on his face, and his bottom lip couldn’t really be stuck out any further.

  “Ex-military?” Amanda guessed.

  “Got it in one,” Rane answered. “He served in the Foundation military for most of his life; rose through the ranks and enjoyed a fair amount of success, but eventually chose to leave that life behind and return here, to his
home planet. The story goes that he got back and didn’t like the direction the government was taking things, so he ran for election and got in.”

  “Admirable,” Amanda commented. She liked that he’d tried to make a difference.

  “He’s popular. The people like his no-nonsense, get things done attitude. There are rumours of corruption in his administration, though.”

  “Well, as long as he doesn’t cause problems for the Alliance, that’s his problem, not mine. He’s not a Magus, is he?”

  “No. He has plenty of Magi as advisors, though. There are concerns that his lack of Magical ability could be a problem, but so far, he’s not let it hold him back.”

  Through the use of her Aetheric Sight, she could see in the Magical spectrum, and see the Essentia in the air all around her, and the concentrations of it, such as in the Magi in the room. Her own body glowed brightly in her vision, as did Rane’s and Sabine’s. Jinx had allowed Amanda to cast a few enchantments on her mobile frame just to keep her safe from Magical attack, but had so far resisted Amanda’s urgings to change into a more Magically robust body. Valerya and Aris looked a little different in Amanda’s Magical sight compared to Rane and Sabine because neither of them were Magi. They both had Magical items on them, and enchantments cast upon them, so they could, in theory, stand against a Magus for a little while if need be.

  A woman in a modest black dress walked up to the group and smiled. “Ladies?” she said.

  Aris coughed at the back of their little gathering, catching the woman’s attention.

  “And gents, of course,” she said. “I’m Minister Frem. We’re proud to welcome you to Procyon and thrilled you could join us here tonight.”

  Amanda smiled at her. “To be sure, we always enjoy a good party. May I ask what this is in aid of?”

  “It’s just a little charity event and mixer. The governor is sorry he couldn’t meet you earlier, but your arrival did come at a slightly awkward time of the day. But he would very much like to make your acquaintance now, if you’re happy to do so? We have a little side room ready if you would prefer a less distracting environment to talk.”

  Amanda nodded. “That would be preferable.”

  “Alright, please, follow me,” Frem said, and led them off the raised platform they were standing on and through the room. Amanda spotted the burst of Essentia from Frem, who Amanda had noticed was a Magus, judging from her glow. Nearby, the governor began to move to the side room as well, which Amanda watched through a second set of senses she’d created to follow the man from afar.

  The governor reached the room before them and moved inside, and Amanda listened as he spoke with an aide who was telling him who he was about to meet. It was always interesting to hear herself being talked about by other people.

  Procyon was the last system that lay within the borders of the fledgeling Terran Alliance that they needed to visit and inform about their new place as a part of the new group. The previous four had each had their idiosyncrasies when it came to informing them of the change, with Sirius giving them the least amount of trouble. Tau Ceti, Wolf 359, and Epsilon Eridani had each been more difficult, but they had ultimately accepted the change in the status quo. There was nothing they could do anyway.

  “Just to make you aware, Governor,” the aide said to Geshik, “we are being listened to.”

  Amanda smiled. The Magus aid had noticed her scrying on them. She cancelled the effect and let the governor have some privacy for the last twenty seconds of their approach to the room.

  Minister Frem knocked on the door, and at a call from the aid, stepped inside, holding the door for Amanda and the others. The side room was of a good size, complete with comfy chairs arranged around a coffee table and a one-way window that allowed those inside to look out at the party.

  The governor stepped towards her as she walked in, and Amanda noticed his eyes study her up and down. He probably had a few preconceived notions about her based on her appearance. Her long bright burgundy hair fell over her shoulders, and the short minidress showed off her chest and legs. She didn’t mind, nor care, though. This was a party, and she was damn well going to dress up and feel good about how she looked.

  As she stepped forward to meet him, she silently admonished herself for that last thought. She often brought her twenty-first-century notions with her out here into space, but things were quite different out here. People were very accepting of people looking different or being much more body confident. You could dress however you liked, including basically naked, and few people would give you a second look. The issue of equality was not a thing out here, either. Women, if anything, were in more positions of power than men were, to be honest. The Magi community on Earth was always progressive, but out here, it took another giant leap forward. It was one of the reasons she was really taking to life out here in the stars and was finding going home, back to Earth and twenty-first-century life, less alluring.

  “Welcome,” the governor said with a smile and offered his hand to her. He wore a suit that was clearly tailored to him and fit him very closely. It seemed he didn’t go in for the usual popular mode of dress that most people in this part of the galaxy went in for, which was body hugging clothing, sometimes accented with loose drapes, cloaks, scarfs, and the like.

  But then, party clothing was often different than day to day outfits.

  Amanda took his hand in hers, making sure to get a good grip and give him a firm handshake. She could see through her Aetheric Sight that his body was augmented. Parts of him had been replaced with inorganic components, such as synthetic limbs and muscles. He also had an augmented brain, complete with a Neural Net. He would be a tough one, but Amanda was not intimidated by him at all. She might have a totally organic body, but it too has been Magically transformed so that her body was faster, stronger, and tougher than a vanilla human’s could ever be. Her bones were tougher than steel, and she was capable of superhuman feats of strength without any active Magic.

  So, she gripped his hand in hers and gave him a solid handshake. He seemed to notice it and smiled. He, like his aid and Minister Frem, and everyone else in here, sported an Aegis. These Magical shields were invisible, and Amanda wondered who’d cast the one on the governor.

  The Aegis the governor sported kept her from reading the man’s thoughts, but, based purely on his expression, she guessed he was pleased to see a firm grip from her.

  “Thank you,” Amanda answered him. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Sorry for dragging you away from the party, but I thought we should introduce ourselves.”

  “I am aware of who you are, Amanda-Jane Page, liaison for the Terran Alliance. Word has reached us here at Procyon about your organisation. I have to say, I’m not very impressed with Elden Tempus for just gifting our system to you, but I guess there’s not much I can do about that.”

  “I must admit, Elden’s generosity was unexpected,” Amanda confessed.

  Geshik nodded. “Very well. Come, sit, have a drink with me. I’d like to meet your friends.”

  Amanda smiled. “Of course.”

  “Sir?” Frem said from nearby. “I have an issue to attend to outside.”

  “Very well,” Geshik said, waving her off. She smiled briefly at Amanda, who noticed the tell-tale Essentia pulses of Link talk around her head before she left the room.

  Amanda returned her attention to the governor and proceeded to introduce her companions to him. He greeted each of them warmly and with more firm handshakes as they settled into the seating area.

  “So, tell me more about this Terran Alliance,” he said to them.

  Amanda nodded. “It stems from the Void Dragon attack that occurred on Earth nearly two months ago. The Crux sent a flight of dragons to Earth to liberate the Archons.”

  “Archons?” Geshik asked.

  “Aaah, okay. The Archons were ancient creatures around at the birth of the Magi in pre-history on Earth. They’re the original progenitors of the Scions and a force for evil that the Nomads of Ea
rth have served for millennia. They’re god-like in their power, but they were locked deep within the Aetheric Realm for around ten thousand years, only able to talk to the Nomads through Magic and dreams. That is until a Nomad called Yasmin freed them in a bid to take their power. Somehow, the Archons had contacted the Crux, who sent the Dragons to Earth. We can only assume the reasons, but if it’s to join forces, that means the Crux could well be a threat again.”

  “And what does this have to do with Earth’s ascendancy?”

  “The dragon attack on New York was enough to prove to us, the Magi of Earth, that we cannot rely on the Magi of the Nexus to protect us from threats coming from deep space. We needed to join with the galactic community of Magi, the Nexus Arcadia, and stand up for ourselves. Needless to say, this has not been greeted well by many of the Magi Dynasties of the Nexus. We wanted to join the Nexus, but in order to have a seat, we needed to have a territory that consisted of five settled worlds. Elden Tempus of the Foundation gifted us some territory, which included Procyon, so it fell to us to visit each system, ask for your support, and hopefully welcome you to the new Terran Alliance before we go back to the Nexus and join them formally.”

  Geshik listened to her as she spoke, clearly taking in every word and considering what she was telling him. “And… do we have a choice on the matter?”

  Amanda offered him a thin smile. “Well, I guess you do, but fundamentally, nothing really changes for you if you do join. It’s just that you report to the Alliance now rather than the Foundation.”

  “And who’s that exactly? Do I know any of them?”

  “I believe you know Rane Ormond here, of the Ormond Dynasty.”

  “I do. You’re based on Sol Prime. I’ve met your mother, I believe,” he said.

  “That’s right,” Rane answered.

  “Ylena Ormond is on the Assembly, the ruling body of the Alliance. Along with several others, including representatives from Earth, Sol Prime, and more.”

  The governor sat back in his seat. “I can’t see some of the Dynasties taking this well.”