CHRONICLES OF PALACE

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN KIM POSSIBLE OR PALACE. THEY BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE CREATORS. SO THERE'S NO NEED TO SUE ME.

ARC 1

CHAPTER 1

It was just another normal day at the Freelance guild for an apprentice like the young redhead. She walked into the vast hall of the guild, and was amazed by the sheer view of the majestic hall. Great arches stretched over the dome of the hall, with grand chandeliers shipped from Tableau hanging from the structures. Solid metal columns surrounded the hall, giving off faint bluish light. Holograms of plants were set out, a clear indication of the endangered biodiversity here on Palace. Vidscreens hung off the white marble walls, a few were tuned to the Pansect Media news channel, others on the daily poll of the Government House, a few on interplanetary news while most focused on the guild's latest assignments and changes in ranking after a rank contest.

The guild hall was full with masters, journeymen and apprentices like herself. But one can always tell from the guild uniforms they were wearing. Apprentices like herself wore simple blue smocks, and had no medals on their uniforms to show off their achievements in the field. The journeymen wore dark blue uniforms, and had golden trimming on the cuffs of their sleeves. The masters wore more elaborated clothes. Instead of the jumpsuit uniforms, they had much more elaborated robes when they were not out on field duty. And golden medals were pinned to the breasts of their uniforms.

But Kim's eyes weren't on them. She was looking around for the other sapients. Hirrels, Leps, and even Garang Japat were among members of the guild, and that was Kim loved the most. Unlike the rest of the guilds on Palace, Freelance opened its doors to anyone who wanted to join and put in some effort to make Pinch a better place to live in. The other guilds on Palace were open to children of their own clans, or relatives. The Leps were even worse. After the Lep invasion on Palace fourteen years ago, Government House had forbid Leps from joining most guilds, and were fenced in Finance Sect, until Elizabeth Director came along and founded the guild.

"Agent Possible, my office, now!" Director said to her as she passed the young redhead in the hall. She didn't even bat her single eyebrow, and just continued with the conversation she was having with her factor before speaking to Kim.

"Yes, ma'am," Kim replied, and sighed. 'Such luck, to get called this early in the morning…'

Dr. Director was a formidable woman, to say the least. An average height brunette, one eyed, the other was lost in the Lep invasion fourteen years ago. Ever since the first step, the woman had faced obstacles from all sides, especially from Karlo Peronida, the First Citizen of Palace, and his wife, Vanna Makessa. They didn't want another militant force on the planet, and Karlo himself preferred his Kephalon fleet more than anything. Vanna was always on the line of thought that Betty would one day overthrow them, and even put them into exile.

Kim followed the director to the elevator, and stepped in, nodding at the director's factor, a dark skinned man who went by the name William Eli Du. He had black hair, and dark eyes. His body was toned from all the field duties that he had went to over the years. Despite being a factor now, the director still sent the man out to field duty whenever she could.

Will pressed a button, and the elevator began to rise smoothly without a sound. The man made his way to the director's side, scribbling something on his tablet, and listened to something on his earbud when the comm unit chirped.

"Kimberly," Betty said after clearing her throat. "Do you know why are you in my presence this early in the morning?"

"No, ma'am," she answered truthfully, and swallowed nervously. Not many people could make her nervous, and the director was one of those people.

She turned to face Kim, who was staring straight back at her, trying her best not to fidget. The brunette let out a low chuckle, and turned her lone eye back to the doors of the elevator.

"You've grown, Kimberly," she remarked. "Four eyes ago, when you first joined Freelance, you were so rebellious. I remember that Will had to literally put you on a leash whenever he had to lead you on a mission. Your current supervisor, Maryvessa, complained to me about the same thing," Kim swallowed dryly, finding the floor much more interesting to look at.

"Look at me, Kim," the brunette said, and the redhead lifted her head, olive green eyes staring into the single onyx one of the director's. "But, behind that rebellious nature, you have a rational and quick mind. Compared to most masters in the guild, your achievement on the field should be sung more than theirs. However, in order to create this guild, there are some rules that we have to abide by, and sadly, this is one of them."

The elevator came to a smooth stop, and a ding sound was heard as the door slid open. Kim continued to follow the director, but her eyes were counting the number of tiles she had stepped on instead of the front. Will had a hasty excuse, and turned left at a junction to head to his office. Betty led the young redhead down a few corridors, and stopped in front of a door. She raised her palm, pressing it against the panel. The system whined, and the doors opened.

Cool air caressed the redhead's face when she stepped into the office, and the doors slid to a close behind her soundlessly. Betty moved to the kitchenette, pouring herself some coffee, and Kim took the moment to admire the majestic office.

The office was spacious, and at the end, sat a hardwood table imported from Souk. The desk was topped with data cubes and data strips that reported any crisis and missions that her agents were sent to. Most were cases that she had yet to distribute to the masters, and some were work assigned by other guilds, including Government House. As much as Karlo hated them, he still needed them to make sure that Palace was safe. At least the man was smart, and knew that his Kephalon fleet would not be enough.

A data chair stood behind the lush desk, completed with a few input jacks for the director to get onto the Map and check out the Map status, as well as get in touch with her agents who were off planet via the Hypermap. A few vidscreens hovered over the table, updating on the current mission status of the guild's agents, as well as the poll on Palace. Kim could see one that was broadcasting news from Pansect, but the sound was muted.

A set of sofa sat to one side of the office, with a small tea table in the middle. They were imported from Souk as well, just like the soft carpet underneath her feet. A mapstation was in a corner, but Kim knew the director never used it, and instead programmed a hologram to cover its presence in the room.

"Sit," Betty ushered, taking the armchair and Kim plopped down onto the loveseat. The director set down a mug of coffee in front of Kim, and took a small sip of her own. "As I was saying, there are some rules that Freelance has to abide by, but we can always try to find ways to bypass them."

"Ma,am, why are you telling me this?" Kim queried, clearly puzzled. "Aren't you supposed to discuss this with your masters, instead of me? I mean no offence, I'm honoured that you will speak to me about these matters, but what do I have to do with any of these?"

Betty let out a soft sigh, and put down her mug, staring into those young, vibrant olive eyes. "Kimberly, I've run Freelance for fourteen years, and you are one of the few people who were there with me when I started the guild, even if you were just a child back then. I've seen the guild rise and fall, but not any of our agents retiring, yet. But, I want to see change as well, and only you can bring it to the guild."

"Me?" Kim nearly squeaked.

The director nodded. "I'm making you my heir," she stated as a matter of factly and the redhead swore the world around her was just turned upside down.

"You can't seriously mean that, director!" Kim said, and began to clasp and unclasp her hands. "I'm just an apprentice, what would people say if I take over your position in the future? Besides, I'm no member of the Director clan. If anyone, your brother should be the one taking over the guild, and not me."

Betty closed her eyes, and sighed deeply before opening her eye once more. "Kimberly, please, you're the only one who's right for the position. As what the Peronida has told me, or rather, by the law passed by the Council here on Palace, the position of the guild master of every guild must be passed to members of the clan. But I am not married, and have no child to take over my position. My brother, Sheldon, prefers to stay on that icy planet, Tableau, to do whatever planet domination plan that he's brewing up in that mind of his. Surely you can't ask me to hand over the position to a man like him. Sheldon is bound to just use the manpower and overthrow the Peronidas," she paused, taking another sip at her coffee. "That leaves the one other option which is open to us. Handing the guild master position to someone else in the guild with a master position, and has proved he or herself worthy of the position."

She held up a hand when she saw Kim was about to say something, and smiled at the redhead. "I know what you're going to say next, and I must say, that argument isn't going to work in the way you'd want. I've spoken to the masters in the guild, as well as guild masters from various other guilds such as Power, Import, Tech, Media and even Cyberguild. The missions you've been doing, as well as good words from most of our masters, has enabled you to be promoted to a journeyman. However, that's not enough," the brunette told her, and leaned forward. "Kimberly, you need to become a master in order to take over my position. That's another rule that I can't bend to my will. But a perfect chance has come up recently. I need you to take a team, and capture the Outcast. Even better, stop this UJU racist nonsense. It's past time the people of Palace let go of their hatred for the Lep race."

"A crime done by a few, but all the nine million Leps on Palace was blamed for the Kephalon plague," Kim whispered, remembering that day well, even though she was just a child back then.

"The First Citizen would never forget that day, when he saw billions on Kephalon died due to the plague. In fact, that biological warfare was never supposed to be used. The militants on Ri were foolish. It was a miracle that Karlo didn't just blow Ri off the map of Pinch, and another miracle that he brought his orphans in our direction to help us put an end to the war. With the Nimue AI down at that time, Palace was vulnerable."

"Orphan?" Kim echoed, blinking.

"Yeah, to put it in a bad way. They were orphans of war, and the surviving men and women on Kephalon are all on Karlo's fleet, commandeering the Military Guild. And things would get even worse if he makes the office of the First Citizen hereditary. If Wanito Peronida becomes the next ruling First Citizen, the first thing that he would do is to point his Kephalon canons at Ri, followed by the other lesser species here on Pinch, such as the Hirrels and Garang Japats."

"No, he can't, he wouldn't…" Kim started, shocked. "They are a dying race. If he really does that, then there would only be saccules and humans in Pinch."

"That's exactly what he might do," Betty said sadly. "Rumours are going around, saying that Wan has a mean streak in him, more than his own mother, Vanna. Vanna is a woman who can hold her grudge, and so does Wan. Have you ever seen the man's face after he's back from a hunt? He's a monster, Kimberly. Are you willing to let such a man rule Palace without someone to keep him in check?"

"I… I don't understand. What does keeping Wanito Peronida in check has to do with me?" Kim asked again, unable to understand the situation with her befuddled mind. "I'm a complete nobody in his eyes."

Betty smiled, and leaned back into her seat. "That's exactly what makes you a dangerous woman to him. You are a teen, someone who has just achieved her Not-Child status. What reason could he actually have, or Vanna, to actually suspect that you might be out to oppose him? I'll be frank, Kimberly, I have high hopes for you, and I do hope that you will agree to become my protégé. You're the only one I trust to accomplish all these impossibilities."

"Anything's possible for a Possible," the teen mumbled under her breath, not expecting the director to hear that. She had never hated the family motto, not until now that she realised that the motto had brought more troubles for her today than any other days before.

"I'll accept," the redhead finally gave in.

Betty beamed, and stood up. "Great, I was hoping that you would say that. Though from your expression, you seem to understand that the conclusion of this conversation has been set even before we started," she took a data cube from her desk, and handed it to Kim. "I'll have Will arrange your instalment on the Ten Gust, here at guild headquarters. He will also get your measurements for your new guild uniforms, as well as get you a new cubicle for you to work in."

Kim nodded absently, staring at the cube in hand. "That's just a week away. You're not giving me much choice, do you?" she asked, looking up at the single-eyed woman.

"I'm afraid no," Betty replied. "I need to get things running. And speaking of a new cubicle, I want you down at Cyberguild tomorrow. Guild master Jons will supervise over your second jack implant. Then, report to the Cyberguild medical team on Six Gust, and go through your cyberdrug trial. You need to be able to handle the drugs if you are to be my heir."

Kim's eyes nearly popped out. "Second implant? This soon? And cyberdrug? Didn't the genius at Cyberguild fell for it, and is now a drug addict wandering the streets in Pleasure Sect?"

"Arno you mean?" Betty answered, taking her seat opposite the redhead once more. "It's a pity to Cyberguild, especially to master Jons. Arno has always been a bright child, throwing a lot of shadow for other apprentices to stand in, especially his younger cousin, Rico. That boy has potential, and might turn out to be better than Arno. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if he names Rico as his heir. The boy is a member of the Jons clan after all. But back to our topic."

"Ma'am?" Kim queried, blinking once more.

"Kimberly, becoming a guild master means carrying the entire guild on your shoulders. And more so if you become a guild master in this guild. We are Freelance, not tied to any other guilds, or even the Government House. We are responsible for all life, on Palace, as well as those in the Pinch. Therefore, your current supervisor, Maryvessa will be unable to guide you in this aspect. I will personally oversee your achievements in the guild from now onwards."

Kim's mouth opened, and stayed like that for a few seconds before the redhead closed it, then opened it to try and get a few coherent words out, and failed. For Kim, too much had changed in such a short time, and her brain was still trying to absorb and accept everything. First, she was requested to become Betty's heir, then she was asked to bring in the Outcast, and stop the UJU organisation. And finally, a change in her supervisor, where she would be directly supervised by the current guild master herself.

Just when the redhead thought that things couldn't be more dramatic than it already was, Betty dropped the final bomb on the olive-eyed teen.

"Oh, and Kimberly, I'm assigning Sheridan Go as your new partner."

kpkpkpkpkp

Yes, yes, I know I should be working on my other stories, but I've had this idea bouncing around in my brain for some time, and like other stories, I want to see how this would turn out. So, something brief on this new story. Actually, this is an AU of Kim Possible, set in the world of Palace, a novel I love. It's set in a galaxy called the Pinch, and the main planet will be Palace. Various guilds, each specialised in different areas, form a connection and serve to support the Government House and keep the Palace up and running. Each planet has several AI, and the Nimue AI is a defence AI on Palace. Furthermore, I'm sure that you've noticed that not only humans were mentioned in this chapter, but other species such as Hirrel, Lep and Garang Japat are mentioned. Don't fret, they will be explained in due time. And, contrary to the original novel, where the superiors or authorities are called as 'Se', I decided to stick to our titles, and the names follow our naming system instead of the book, which includes the mother's family name. For example, the name Vida L'Var y Smid, L'Var is the father's family name while Smid is the mother's family name.

Another note, I wouldn't be doing any other updates for another month, starting from now, as finals are only a week and a half away, and I have to focus on my exams if I want to get a decent course in college. Hence, I wish you all an early Happy Halloween, and save some candies for me.

And please, reviews are very much appreciated.