Prelude: Nemo A-003
Two monstrosities were fighting each other, shaking the ground with each step. Twelve feet tall with legs as thick as trees, the Kull caused quite a scene. To an onlooker not familiar with Urgals, it would seem that the two were fighting to the death. Rather, they were entertaining onlookers in the midst of a war. The Varden and fellow Urgals looked on, cheering for one hulking warrior or the other. Size did not seem to have much of an impact on the outcome, as the smaller of the two seemed evenly matched with his foe. Finally, the taller of the two beat the ground in submission. Roran Stronghammer declared Nar Thulqua the victor, and the crowd roared.
They were passing the time, waiting for the parley to finish so they could siege the city of Belatona. They would not have to wait long. They heard a loud THUMP, signaling the landing of the great dragon Saphira. Roran sighed and went over to his cousin's dragon, gripping his hammer. Saphira had carried Eragon, Nasuada, and King Orrin to the city walls.
"They didn't surrender." Eragon informed Roran.
"As was expected." He responded, gripping his hammer in anticipation and excitement.
"Prepare the men for battle, Stronghammer. You and Eragon will lead the charge." Roran nodded and turned to his warriors.
"TO WAR!" he yelled out, raising his hammer high.
"STRONGHAMMER!" came the reply as they scrambled to grab their arms, for they were already in armor. Orrin rode off to gather his Surdans. Eragon was joined by Arya to armor Saphira, and Nar Garzhvog was talking to Nasuada about something. Whatever she said, he didn't like, but he just nodded his head and scowled. Horst the blacksmith said something to the Urgal that seemed to put him in a better mood. They walked off to the camp's makeshift forge.
"What did you say to him?" he asked Nasuada, but he already knew the answer. The less people that knew about the alliance with the Urgals, the better.
"The usual." She replied as she mounted Battle-Storm, her warhorse. "Fight bravely." She rode off to lead a group of men to the gates. Roran held back, watching fascinated as Saphira broke through the gates. With a loud yell, he ran at the head of his column, and the men took heart around him. He struck down enemy after enemy, winning the city a stroke at a time. He did not stop fighting, even when the wall came down on top of him. As he passed out, he saw a white light…
First Traveler
Azmuth and Albedo groaned at Ben Tennyson's latest misuse of the Omnitrix: using his Galvanic Mechamorph form to hack one of his primitive video games. His female cousin Gwen was much more mature in Azmuth's mind, but he did respect the boy for his role in saving the universe. The children and their grandfather Max Tennyson were in Azmuth's laboratory, getting ready to go home after defeating the evil Mechamorph Malware and saving Galvan B.
"Well, good luck Max." the Galvan said, reaching out his small hand towards Max.
"And to you, Azmuth. By the way, what was it you were working on when we burst in on you?"
"A gift to your grandson. Don't tell him though; the new Omnitrix won't be ready for years to come."
"Don't worry; your secret is safe with me. Thanks again, Azmuth." The Tennyson's took off of Galvan Prime, heading back to Earth. Albedo faced his mentor.
"So you still trust the boy with the Omnitrix?"
"He hasn't given me reason not to. Besides, Max has him under watch. As a just in case, though, I've sent Tetrax, to teach Ben a thing or two about proper handling of alien technology." A white light began emanating in the middle of the lab. Azmuth drew a laser as Albedo stared at the pillar in awe. As the light faded, they saw a human standing in its place.
"Halt, Human! What is your business with First Thinker Azmuth?" the human looked genuinely shocked.
"Am I on Galvan Prime? My apologies, Azmuth, my teleporter was supposed to send me to Galvan B."
"It's my fault, First Thinker. I entered the wrong spacetime coordinates." the watch seemed to speak of it's own accord.
"Teleporter, eh? And you started from Earth? That is very impressive, for a non-Galvan."
"Another universe, actually. My name is Nemo, known by some as The Traveler. My malfunctioning friend here is Lily."
"I am not malfunctioning, this was a test!"
"It is my great pleasure to meet the First Thinker Azmuth and Albedo." Azmuth smiled.
"It is good to know at least some humans are on the right track. May I ask why you were going to Galvan B?"
"A Mechamorph companion would be able to help me transport others as well as myself across space and time. Like Lily said, it was a test, and we're unable to upgrade the watch without help. But as long as I'm here, I would ask for your valuable time." Azmuth thought hard, climbing onto this Nemo's shoulder and then to his watch to inspect the teleporting device. It looked very similar to the Omnitrix, except it had Lily's face where the selection screen would go. Before he said anything, Albedo shouted from across the room. Lily huffed impatiently.
"Azmuth, I think our scanners may not be working properly. This says that he has the DNA of a common Earth snail in his genetic code."
"It's no mistake, Galvan. In another universe, a race known as Andalites developed technology that allows transformation into any other species by thought, though it is a much more primitive technology than the Omnitrix."
"Really? Would you care to demonstrate?"
"Certainly." He removed the watch and his loose outer clothing before starting. Nemo's features became wet looking. His skin began bubbling, and his eyes moved to the top of his head. His back hardened and protruded out. Finally, he shrank down to half the size of Azmuth.
I am finished, Azmuth.
"Are Earth snails telepathic?"
No, this is but a side effect. Terribly useful. He changed back in less than a minute.
Azmuth's mind was spinning like a machine, as was his companion's. For once, the Galvan was bewildered by technology not his own.
"Wait, Azmuth. I don't trust him."
"Nor should Azmuth trust you, Albedo. Yet my code of conduct prevents me from telling him just why." The Galvan was silent. Azmuth himself shook his head. Lily tryed berating Nemo, but he activated a "mute" option, smirking as he did so.
"Why do you want to be able to transport companions? Is this ability you possess not enough?" Nemo was silent for a long while.
"In my universe, I am the sole surviving Human. Our system is the loneliest place, for war destroyed it. I aim to find peace in the cosmos, and somewhere in space and time I know I will find it. Oh, sorry Lily." She was frantically waving her arms at him.
"Our laboratory on Mars was destroyed in an attempt to cleanse the surface. I pulled us out of there with experimental technology, and we landed in the middle of a war. Fortunately, we landed in the benevolent side and they gave Nemo the technology to heal his injuries."
"Why not go back and fix what you did?"
"Changing timelines at some points on the continuum would be equivalent to you killing Malware at his creation. In doing so, you would spread his condition like a plague to all Mechamorphs. Some things are best untouched, like the Anihilaarg or Celestialsapiens."
"Nemo, would you let me examine your device, er, may I examine you, Lily?" The traveler removed his watch and handed it to Azmuth. As the Galvan examined it, Albedo began to inquire after Nemo's story. By now, several of Azmuth's staff had gathered.
"It was what humans would understand as a civil war, although it was a bit more complicated than that. Humans achieved unity two hundred years before I was born. By my birth, we had colonized every major body in the solar system and mined the asteroid belt to nearly nothing. With no differences worth fighting over, we spent our new existence pursuing science, philosophy, and mastery of the arts. Different factions arose, groups of politicians who disagreed on what we should ultimately devote ourselves to, and more importantly, if the ethics of opposing factions were worth warring over."
"Meaning what, exactly?" asked Albedo. Nemo sighed before answering.
"Meaning, the figureheads behind the factions wanted to control the others. It was power they were after. But they justified force with morality and ethics. For instance, I was part of the smallest faction, designated GENE. That stands for Genetic Enhancement and Necroscience Engineering. We were forced into underground strongholds on ten bodies, labs called cold stations. We were attacked by members of a faction called Ecological Collections and Organizations, Preservation Sciences and Inquiries. EcoPsi. They justified their attacks by claiming our use of our dead was wrong and needed to be stopped. More to the point, the Cold Station crews, five scientists each, entered cryotubes for the duration of the war. Lily woke me up three hundred years later, the sole surviving life form in my solar system. Like she said, we used the transporter once to escape the explosion, and once to come to this reality."
"So you've only used it twice?" inquired Azmuth as he handed it back to Nemo, who reattached it to his wrist, surprised that it latched onto his skin. Azmuth explained it was now attached to his DNA structure, bonded to his body.
"That way you won't have to take it off when you morph forms. I've stabilized the projection technology, so Lily can walk around with you and added to it's transportation abilities. You should now be able to carry at least one other being with you. If you don't mind, I'd like to store the tech in my database." Lily materialized next to the Galvan, grinning like a child on their birthday.
"I require a gift in return. The rebels that found me bought my loyalty with my life and morphing technology, and you fixed my device, but demand a gift I should not give."
"Name your price. Lily has been equipped with a subroutine that will warn you when you are about to cause destruction to the timestream." Nemo extended his hand to Azmuth and the Galvan understood. He gripped the human fingertip and went limp. The Galvans aimed their weapons, but a moment later Azmuth stood up. Albedo tried to hide smug satisfaction that Azmuth displayed a sign of weakness.
"What did you give him?" asked a portly Galvan guard.
"He gave me Galvan DNA. Azmuth honors me with his own." He looked around, somewhat sadly. "I am grateful for your assistance, First Thinker. I am sorry to go."
"Why should we leave yet? We've just gotten here, Nemo. Besides, he gave me a body. I want to at least repay him that kindness." Azmuth nodded at Nemo and Rose before continuing his work. Albedo and the others resumed their posts as well.
"I'll stay, but I doubt I could outshine you, First Thinker."
"You couldn't if you tried."
And so it was that Nemo A-003 began to stay with the Galvans.