Author Note
If you haven't seen the BBC show Merlin, I suggest watching the pilot episode at least as that will tell a lot of what you need to know. Even if you don't go do that you won't have a hard time understanding what's going on as this setting is basically a typical swords and sorcery setting that is based on the legends King Arthur, Merlin and Camelot, with a few twists. Merlin is a boy who has to hide his powers, Arthur is heir to the throne rather than the ruler, and Morgan La Fey (aka Morgana) isn't yet the baddie. Other than that it's not hard to understand, you've got knights, witches and warlocks, many kinds of magical creatures, a tyrant king, and some funky magic stuff. I'll explain some stuff as the story progresses as well.
Jump Chain Gothic 5 - Merlin
Part 1
Cosmic Warehouse
After spending some many years in a few different science fiction settings, which mostly involved flying around while trying to gather as much technology, power and allies, as possible, it was time for a change. Space battles and alien babes were great, but after so many years of that sort of thing I badly needed a change of pace. Which Jump Chain could allow due to the way it was designed.
So rather than head to yet another sci fi universe I was going to a magical fantasy land. A place full of knights, mystical wonders, strange beasts, and hopefully a few beautiful princesses who needed saving. However while I would get around to learning some magic, this wasn't what this Jump was about. Mostly I craved a more simple existence.
Which wasn't to say I wouldn't be taking a chance to learn more about magic, to collect cool stuff for my warehouse, or recruit a companion, it was just that I wanted to take things easy for the next decade, or at least have things be somewhat easier, until the next Jump. Then I could back to dealing with affairs on a massive scale.
In the last Jump, which had been the Stargate verse, I'd decided the fates of whole worlds, and even entire galaxies at times, and that put a lot of strain on a person. As did creating an alliance of worlds meant to elevate the quality of life for humans on many planets. Even having a harem of attractive and talented women only helped to a certain extent when building a galactic government meant to unite so many different human worlds.
For this Jump at most all I'd have to worry about was one kingdom. Besides this wouldn't really be my concern as it was up to Merlin and Arthur to protect Camelot, and unite the realm. As for me, I wanted to play the role of Knight and have some adventures without having to concern myself so much with the grand scheme of things.
Another tempting reason for this setting was my nationality. I'd not truly been British for many, many years, having not even lived on Earth for a quite long time, and I'd only visited a few times, as such I didn't consider myself a citizen of that planet, or any nation upon it. In fact given all my genetic alterations, to both my mind and body, and I might not even really count as human anymore. I'd advanced my development using Stargate to the point that I might be able to ascend, if I do desired, so I could be considered a type of Ancient, like the Alterrans or the Lanteans.
However despite all those changes and time spent away from Earth, there was a small part of me that felt I should show some pride in my nation of birth. As such I'd decided to spend a Jump in a setting that was British. You couldn't get much more British than King Arthur and Camelot.
None of companions were interested in spending the next decade in a swords and sorcery type world. But I'd made my desire to take a Jump of my choosing clear some time ago. Ironically I was the Jumper, but this was first Jump that was my choice. So it had been decided that everyone other than Cortana, Cameron, they were artificial lifeforms and counted as perks not as people, and I, would go into stasis within the Cosmic Warehouse, while I went off and had my fun. From their point of view no time at all would pass, and then once I was done with with the magical land, we could all get together and decide on the next Jump.
Which would most likely be the Star Wars galaxy as that place had a few bits of technology some of my harem wanted to mess around with, and it was a big galaxy so there was plenty of it to explore. Plus with our hyperdrive we could even see what was going in other galaxies within dimension. Perhaps we would even find the Earth of that universe, and see if it was anything like my world. Heck it could be my native Earth.
That could wait for a decade, for now I needed to focus on the next Jump and spend my CP wisely.
Budget - 1000cp
Age 17+d8 = 24
Gender (Fixed)
Origin
Knight - 900
Perks
He Went To The Tavern - 800
Knightly Skills - Free
Chivalry - 750
Authority - 600
Mystical Sensitivity - 500
The Lay Of The Land - 400
Knight's Gear - 400
Magic Ring - 300
Dragon Forged Weapon - 0
That had been simply enough. I'd been able to get some good items and perks by spending my CP in such a way that I got a lot of discounts.
"Nice set up" Jump Chan praised.
She'd appeared in the form a humble serving girl this time, well actually I'd call what she was wearing a tavern wench outfit, and while I'd not seen this entity for some time her presence here did not surprise me in the least. I suspected that she too was interested in a change of pace and would find my adventures in a sword and sorcery world to be a welcome change from science fiction setting.
"I've very carefully selected every item and perk" I said.
My background for this Jump should allow me to blend in, and from past experience I knew that the memories I'd gain from the chosen origin wouldn't affect my personality too much. There would no emotional connection to the memories, it would be live having watched a movie of someone else's life rather than having actually lived it.
At least that was how it had worked for me in the past, it might be different for other Jumpers.
The Perk called He Went To The Tavern, should allow me to excuse myself from certain events. And with the knight's training and gear, along with the other perks I'd chosen I should be able to do my job. Which would hopefully be fun.
"I assume that Mystical Sensitivity gives me enough magical power for some basic spell casting" I said.
While that wasn't really a question she answered me anyway.
"Yes" she said "But it will take years of study before you do anything other than the most simply of spells, and you'll never reach the level of Merlin, Mordred or Morgana".
That was fine by me as this Jump wasn't about me acquiring vast amounts of power. I'd already done that by becoming a near-ascend being. Those abilities would allow to me to go toe-to-toe with the big guns even without magic. And I had would have my own Excalibur. Plus I had weapons that could vapourise people, which wasn't something spellcaster and sword wielders would be able to counter.
"Which is why I picked the magic ring in case I ever need the extra voltage" I said to Jump Chan.
That would be something I would have to use sparingly, and while it had cost me some priceless CP, it was best to have it in case of emergencies. I might have near-ascended powers and advanced tech, but I could still be attacked in unexpected ways. For example I might need to cast a powerful spell to counter one that had been placed upon me.
"In case you were wondering I don't count as a minor god" Jump Chan told me.
She was referring to the sword I would soon have that could kill anything up to a minor god. What exactly counted as a minor god was unknown to me, but I figured that the weapon would serve me well enough should I face supernatural creatures in the future.
"Before you start your next Jump there's a couple of supplements to deal with" Jump Chan informed me "As a bonus for your wonderful work in the Stargate verse I'm giving you two bonuses. One big and one small. The big one is your own arena".
The terminal I'd be using to plan the Merlin Jump was now showing a new document.
Arena Supplement.
I quickly read through it and decided what I wanted.
Budget - 100
What If - 60
Extra Opponents - 50
Video Playback - 40
Spectator Seating - 30
Match Modes - 20
Terrain Adjustments - 0
"Done" I said.
There was a rumbling sound that I guessed was the arena getting added to Cosmic Warehouse just as the Space Dock and Vehicle Bay had been added in the past.
"I was going to give you your very own shipyard" Jump Chan let me know "But that can wait till the next Jump. An Arena will be more useful for you if you're going to be a knight".
The Arena didn't thrill me much because I could use the holodeck on my ship to train, and while the Arena could provide me with more challenging foes, and it was more durable, it didn't seem impressive when compared to the other supplements I'd gotten.
"We've got a little more time before Cameron's software updates are finished" Jump Chain was now saying "She's going to play the part of your maid servant, so that she can stay close".
A Knight should have a manservant or a squire rather than a maid, but Cameron's whole existence was centred around protecting me and keeping my happy, and she couldn't that while in stasis. As a Terminator she was designed to infiltrate, so she should be able to blend in and play her role. She might have an easier time of it she could chose to switch genders at the start of the Jump, as an AI gender didn't mean much to her, but I much preferred that she keep her female form as I very much enjoyed getting to use her physical form for my sexual pleasure.
"I noticed that you're having a little trouble with storing everything you need" Jump Chan said "This might help, just a little".
The terminal now displayed something new.
Jumpchain Inventory Bag Supplement.
I quickly read through the computer file and made my choices. The bag wouldn't be a great help in future Jumps, however it would useful the Jump that would soon start as I'd likely be spending time in the wilderness and not be able to access my Cosmic Warehouse.
Budget 1000cp
Pouch - 950cp
Material - 850cp (leather)
Capacity - 800cp (2 cubic meters)
Garbage Disposal - 700cp
Watertight - 600cp
Airtight - 500cp
Fireproof - 400cp
Preserving - 300p
Returning - 200cp
Security - 0cp
"Looks like you're ready to go" declared Jump Chan.
I nodded in agreement, knowing that I could sort out other arrangements after I started the Jump, and a moment later Jump Chan clicked her fingers, which caused everything to go dark.
(Line Break)
Camelot. Albion.
I woke up the sound of opening curtains, and sunlight streaming into my bedroom. Which was not the most pleasant way for someone to get woken up, even if it was quick. However as effective as that was I didn't fully become aware of my surroundings until I heard someone speak to me with a familiar voice.
"Master, you need to get up" Cameron said.
When I looked at her I had to smile as she was dressed in a simple, yet flattering dress, that showed off a lot more cleavage that should be proper for given the setting. The dress she wore had been designed to not only draw attention to the bosom, it also enhanced the sight of them. Even Cameron's modest breasts seemed larger in that outfit.
"You've never called me that before" I said to Cameron as she placed some food on a nearby table.
I was more hungry than I had been for a while, so I got up and went to the table, it took a great deal of willpower to stop myself from attacking the small breakfast she had set out. Somehow I was able to start eating without looking like an animal.
While I was sort of used to her serving me so this wouldn't be too strange, it was a little odd to have Cameron acting the role of serving girl. She was such a powerful being, unless someone stopped her with magic, she could slaughter everyone in this castle with ease of that I was sure.
"My memory banks are filled with detailed information about this setting" Cameron informed me as she started making my bed "As a serving girl my legal status is only slightly better than that of your horse. I'm bound to serve you".
Thanks to the new memories I'd been given I knew that I did in fact own a horse. It was part of the package I'd gotten when selecting Knight's Gear when doing the setup. It wasn't a great horse, just a fine one, which made sense as one of items I could have brought was a great war horse, and it wouldn't make much sense to get that, forking out the extra CP, if it was equal to the horse that came as part of Knight's Gear.
Since I'd selected a Knight's origin I also had a knight's education so I knew that Cameron was a serf, and that wasn't always the same thing as a servant. Unlike Knight and other nobles, or freemen, serfs did not enjoy property rights as did others. Serfs were restricted from leaving their lord's' land, and were more or less slaves. Were as Freemen, which was a rank a serf was able to obtain, could own businesses, and often had important jobs, like that of blacksmith.
Both male and female serfs had to labour as part of their services to their lords, and it was an inherited status. A serf woman would pass her serfdom status to her children, not that Cameron had to worry about that since she couldn't give birth.
Since a serf could gain freedom when released by their lord for their service by their lord. I could free Cameron from my service, however I wouldn't as she needed to play her role in order to help me stay safe. Besides she'd refuse the offer.
In return for their surface the serfs were entitled to protection, justice, and the right to cultivate certain fields within the lord's dominion to maintain their own subsistence. If these rights were honoured then at least serfs were somewhat better off than slaves. If not by much.
Freemen, or free tenants held their land by one of a variety of contracts of feudal land-tenure and were essentially rent-paying tenant farmers who owed little or no service to the lord, and had a good degree of security and independence, at least when compared to a serf.
"Well if it gets too much for you, we can always leave" I said to Cameron.
Camelot was just one kingdom on an island that was full of kingdoms, and that island was very small when compared to the rest of the planet. As such there was plenty out there to explore. Places were people with our skills could carve out a good living.
"I'm only concerned for your safety and happiness" Cameron stated "And in a sense I've always been your property".
While I saw her as a companion, in fact she'd been given to me as bonus for completing my second Jump, which meant she was a Perk more than person. Still that didn't stop me from trying to treat her like a person. She might not be human, but then in some ways neither was I.
Yet despite my good intentions the sight of her laying out my armour and weapons with great care did please me. I wondered if anyone would find it odd that I had a female servant doing these things rather than a serving boy, but I didn't care that much, and in my experience people just seemed to accept matters that had been arranged by the setup of a Jump Chain. Hopefully this would remain the case.
As I ate the simple food I'd been served I mentally went over what I knew about this kingdom and the people who lived within its borders. Which wasn't a lot when compared to what I knew of other settings. I had been able to put together some files, but they weren't very detailed, so I would have to add them.
Camelot was one of the kingdoms of Albion, the lands that would come to be known as England in later years. Like many kingdoms in this time Camelot was an absolute monarchy, one that was ruled by Uther Pendragon who made all decisions until he was deposed by his traitorous daughter, Morgana, and her half-sister Morgause. Arthur would then retake the kingdom, and rule even while his father was still alive. However I couldn't depend on that happening now as simply by existing here I could alter events.
In the middle of the city was the castle, which was called the citadel, this where the royal family (Uther, Arthur, and Morgana) and the nobility lived, including the knights like me, and where court is held. The castle was very large and constructed of some kind of white brick. It had several tall towers, and good strong walls, it was known to be virtually impregnable and as such unless an attacker had some sort of advantage he'd be a fool to lay siege to the citadel.
Also within the castle grounds are the quarters of the court physician, where Gaius and Merlin live, or would live. My new memories let me know that Prince Arthur, who I recalled spending many an afternoon training with, currently had no man servant despite his rank as they didn't tend to last very long in his service. Unlike Merlin they must not been able to withstand the verbal and sometimes physical abuse.
I assumed that Merlin would arrive soon, and I would keep an eye out for him. I would also come to pity him very quickly since I knew some of what he would be forced to put up with in order to keep his cover. Perhaps I would be able to ease his burdens somewhat or at least I could be nice to him.
In the show Camelot was shown to be a very wealthy kingdom. Proven by the fact that the kingdom could afford to offer as a prize a thousand gold coins for winning one of its tournaments. Because of this many kings and warlords wished to conquer this kingdom for its wealth.
Thankfully for the people living in the lands of Camelot, this kingdom had a large and well trained army, and the Knights of Camelot were fine warriors. I knew this because I could recall training with them, and seeing how well they could fight.
Within these lands King Uther, who conquered Camelot rather than inherit the throne, had supreme authority and that authority was not restricted by any written laws, legislature, or customs. Which made him a total tyrant, much like the Goa'uld.
Uther also dealt ruthlessly with any threats, and he considered all magic users to be threats regardless if they were evil or not, and I was sure that many of them wouldn't have been threats to anyone if he'd not gone after them. It was somewhat like the situation in Dragon Age two with the templars and mages only the mages were killed rather than enslaved, and then maybe killed.
About twenty years ago Uther pretty much went on a crusade of genocide against magical people after his wife had died because he'd used magic so that his barren wife could give him a son. Rather than accept blame he lashed out at all magic and those who used it, and now magic users lashed out at Camelot.
He hadn't been totally wrong to do so as some magic users were evil, and the man wasn't without some noble qualities, he did love his children at least and would place his own life in danger for them, however I did consider him a villian. Still I had no intention of killing him as I didn't want to become involved in the major events, at least not now.
Uther's son, Prince Arthur, would make a better king, but he wasn't ready to rule at this point, he was not experienced enough to take the throne. Not that anyone was really ready for a leadership role. I'd learned that for myself when building the Confederation.
Arthur was the once and future king, meaning that he would rule twice. He was suppose to return when Albion's need was greatest. Since he didn't turn up doing World War Two, when England faced Nazis invasion and was getting bombed in the Blitz, that meant something even worse might happen in the far future.
He was also a great warrior, brave, and smarter than he looked. Alas he was kind of a jerk, and a spoilt git as well. Sadly for me I'd have to be spend time in his presence, and wait for him to grow up, which could take years.
Another person of note who lived in the citadel was the Lady Morgana, who was Uther's ward, and unknown to nearly everyone, his illegitimate daughter. Uther had an affair with his best friend's wife and Morgana was the product of that affair. Finding this out was one of the things that would corrupt Morgana, and send her on the path to becoming a dark lady. But right now she was a sweet girl.
Now that I'd finished eating my simple but still filling breakfast, I got up from the table and took some time to inspect my equipment. I'd been provided with clothing typical of the time period, and it was thankfully made of good quality linen rather than itchy wool. I recalled that in this time period things like fleas were a problem for people so I would make sure that my clothes were replaced with stuff take out of the replicator rather than bought locally.
As for my armour, that was also of high quality. I had chain mail, which was regularly worn by knights for protection. It was made from small metal chains that were linked together to form a mesh. Even this primitive stuff was an effective defence from weapons such as a sword or other piercing weapons. It even offered some protection from weapons like maces and warhammers.
The cloak and shield were red in colour, and they showed the dragon that was the symbol of the Pendragon family. All the Knights of Camelot wore the same colours and used the dragon symbol. While King Uther wasn't worthy of respect, the symbol shown by the Knight of Camelot was worn proudly.
Hopefully I should be able to replicate my armour, and produce an exact copy of the stuff that was made from superior materials, while still looking like the normal stuff. My healing abilities, combined with my genetically engineered body meant that my meatsuit was more sturdy than most, but I was still mortal and could be killed.
I would be without most of normal protections, but none of them would have helped me against magic in any case, and the most sophisticated weapons they had in this world was the crossbow. So I was actually in far less danger than I had been in during other Jumps.
Bigger risks to my wellbeing, such as starvation, and disease, were no concern at all since I had the means to sort out such problems waiting for me within my Cosmic Warehouse. The tricky part would be explaining away any sudden recoveries.
Had I the skill I might even make armour from sort of mystical metal gotten via the Matter Furnace, and I might be able to do learn to do just that, but given where I was it too risky to use magical stuff. The ring and the sword were pushing it.
At least the ring was easy to hide, and as for the sword, well as long as I didn't go and use to vanquish some supernatural creatures in front of people then I should be okay. Otherwise it was just an ornate looking weapon. Sure it seemed very expensive and well made, but not mystical.
Uther used a sword just like mine to destroy an undead monster. Still I would have to be careful as Uther was a massive hypocritic, it was okay for him to use magic, but if anyone else did then they had to die. He'd have me killed without a second thought if he even an inkling of what I actually was.
Not that I would be in much danger I had plans to ensure my safety, and if worse came to worse I'd take Cameron and beam off to somewhere far away land.
"You have a training sessions this afternoon" Cameron informed me.
As a Knight of Camelot I was an elite warrior, well trained, armed and armoured with the best that could be supplied. My new memories, which I felt emotionally disconnected from like the ones from my Mass Effect origin, let me know what I required to know in order to pass as a knight.
I knew that people of Camelot, those that knew of me, thought I was the youngest son of some minor noble, who owned land no one cared about far from the city, and that the lord's holdings were meager. Despite these somewhat humble beginnings I was considered to be a decent knight, of good breeding, known to be wealthy, and as a man of intelligence, or at least that was the impression I had.
My training as a knight had taken place rather later than most nobles. This was because after becoming an adult, and my father sending me off into the world to make my own way in life (which was a nice way of saying he'd kicked me out) I'd travelled far and wide, obtaining wealth form some adventure, before coming to Camelot for my formal training.
Which not only explained why a son of a minor noble could be so wealthy, it would also help me if I screwed and mentioned something very odd. I could just tell people the oddity was from some far distant land I had visited. Most people in this sort of society never went more than few miles from their village so it wasn't as if anyone could contradict me.
This cover would be useful if I decided to introduce some more modern things and ideas to this primitive kingdom. Already my advanced mind was coming with some notions that could make more me influential within these lands, and beyond should I so desire.
"So my morning is free" I said while reaching for the key to Cosmic Warehouse, which was always on my person "We'll go to the Vehicle Bay and check out the MAKO".
The toilet facilities, which was a bench with a hole in it over a bucket, below an open window, weren't something I wanted to use, but it was behind a door that could be locked. So I could use it to open a doorway to the Cosmic Warehouse.
"We need to move quickly, I have chores to do" Cameron told me "I'll get punished if I don't get all my jobs done".
That didn't seem worthy of concern.
"You don't feel pain, get tired or become hungry" I said "So how can they punish you?".
I stood ready to open the door.
"They can't" she told me "But faking that stuff hurts or upsets me is a lot of work, and no one wants to be pelted by vegetables".
I was surprised as until now she'd never expressed pain or misery. She could fake other stuff, but not that.
"Well you're my serving girl" I told her as I opened the door "No one gets to punish you other than me".
I had a sadist streak at times, but I had no desire to witness Cameron in a stockage. Well okay that wasn't totally true, it could be kinda of hot if it was in private. Not that one would hold her.
"That wouldn't be a punishment" Cameron said "I like it when you do stuff to me".
Apparently her latest software update had turned her into a kinky little cybernetic killing machine. What fun.