[02.29: A Merchant's Dimensional long fhada]

[Good overnight rates at this Wizard's Tower, shame about the lack of privacy…]

"Hello! I'm Zatanna Zatara, but you already knew that of course! Now you have questions that need answering for me. Don't mind if I let myself in do you…Okay? Thanks!"

Greeted me as I was about to go to bed, and I brought my hand up to my face and gently squeezing the bridge of my nose as Zatanna, older Zatanna, strode into 'my' temporary accommodation like she owned the place. I sighed at that, as it seemed I really needed to work on the letter of my agreements with Nabu as it seemed 'safe and secure' did not cover the irresistible curiosity that could take hold of Zee when a magical mystery presented myself before her eyes. A mystery such as me, and knowing her apparently….and be damned little things like being polite, and me being in a t-shirt and boxers "Bloody hell Zee, did age not bring wisdom and polite things like manners to you?"

Pouting glare Other-Me knew well, arms folded across her chest as she paused in her stride, glaring at me "Are you calling me OLD?"

"Oh for fu…that's your take away from that comment?" I muttered sitting down on the edge of bed "Really? Not the whole breaking and entering thing and asking permission like in polite society?"

"I DID ask, and give a warning of my entering!"

I gave her 'Don't bullshit me Zee!' frown "Really now, is that you call it? This is why I had to put arcane enchantments on my Sanctum to hold down your…helping. I mean, Other-You's 'halping' magic…and, wait…" I gestured back and forth at her and me "…WE don't know each other. I know an alternate, younger, version of you. She quasi-earned the right to barge in uninvited and magically fuck-up my stuff, YOU certainly did NOT"

She…buckled, even a decade older and she buckled, blushing and giving that awkward 'I'm sorry' not-dance as she waved her arms about trying to alternately justify her actions while realising 'oh, yeah, I should probably be embarrassed by this' in her head "Well…see…you…and I had to talk…and Fate said it was okay to talk…and, well, you….punched me in the stomach…while…yeah, calling me Zee, and I read the reports…and Batman asked me to…"

I rubbed my face with my hands to 'wake' me up a little….nope, she was still here, babbling at me "Okay, since I know…you won't go away till curiosity is satisfied if you're anything like my Zatanna. So, Hello, I'm Callum Outis, and you are Zatanna Zatara. Nice to meet you Zatanna. Now that we're all friends, could you please leave my room so I can get some sleep?"

She blinked, pouting at me with suspicious eyes "But Fate said you're busy getting treated and training during the rest of the say, so won't be able to answers!" even more eye narrow "…you really are John's apprentice aren't you? So, No, questions….this is why Fate allowed my entry now isn't it?"

"Uh-huh, though I suspect he didn't think you'd plough right through not taking the hint as you always do, based on what I know of other you…" I answered honestly "…and yes, I had the misfortune to be John's student and minder for a period of time. My…original is still doing that as I'm sure those Bat-Reports you got access to stated. So, what'd the English jackass do here, fuck you over by killing a family member, getting you arrested, evil demon ritual, or worst of all by foolishly dating him?"

Zatanna stared at me, the let out a weary sigh "Worst of all"

I sighed shaking my head "Oh Zee, and I thought you had more sense than that…well, bad luck"

"Bad choices…" she muttered, almost to herself "…and how…how much younger am I?"

"Well since I'm not asking a lady's age, and I'm only guessing…" I answered telling her rather than asking as she tried to 'preen' or something "…I'd say a bit over a decade. Teenager basically, you were…sort of dating Robin, on and off, row dependent, essentially. Don't worry, seems a few people, like the Flash and a few others, are about a decade younger in my time as well. John Constantine doesn't…beyond a few years anyway as best I can tell at a glance through records. So, weird cosmic bullshit causing the divergence rather any one single point of change I'd say"

"Hmm….higher dimensional beings maybe…" the sorceress wondered standing there as if she owned the place once again, seemingly forgetting me for a moment as she took on a 'thinking pose' and muttered to herself before blinking and shaking herself after a moment, gesturing at me with a gloved hand "Oh, sorry, and what were you and I…young me? Other me?"

"We made out in the middle of a battle…" I replied and she blinked, then brought her hand up to her face, muttering about 'bad boys' or something "…once. But friends, we were friends, and you were the Cleaner, Prettier, less terrifyingly clad, replacement for little old me on the Justice League's youth team…sort of, for a while anyway till I came back…anyway, what you want answered Zee…"

I reached into my Trader's Pack nearby and pulled out a bottle of whiskey, glasses, and a tracksuit bottom to throw on"…but first, since you're intent upon annoying me you can drink with me"

Ideally because the Zatanna I knew was a light weight, and that would end the problem and get her babbling about things I might want to know. If not then I'd be able to get drunk at least while I dealt with this round of nonsense when my magic was weak….or temporarily on lock-down was the more accurate description. Fate was helping…deal with my 'problem' so to speak, and after the 'Doctor's opinion' that boiled down I was slowly killing myself by tearing my healing soul open every time I 'went overboard'. Well, at that point my band-aid solutions of rings and cane storage were only getting me so far…so a more 'organic' and 'permanent' fix was needed…

--

{Several hours later...}

"…wake up"

I sighed…groaned perhaps as I opened tired eyes to be greeted the blonde framed head of Kara "Okay, I'm awake now…what do you want?"

Kara was looking down at me with mild irritation as soft snoring came from nearby "Callum…why is Zatanna in your bed? And why do you smell of booze?"

I yawned as I lay on the spare bed, blinking away at the fact of being disturbed, again, by sudden, unexpected, visitors…then across at the source of the snores "Well…that's because she turned up asking questions, and there was much drinking involved in the answers. Hence why she's asleep there, and I'm, the gentleman that I am, am asleep here on my secondary bed"

"Hnnnn…." she growled somewhat inarticulately at me as she folded her arms across her chest and shook her head "…so are getting up, or are you just going to lay about all day?"

"I'm going to rest a while…"

"Because you're hungover!"

I rolled my eyes continuing to lay back in the bed "No, because I'm tired and people keep invading my personal space when I'm trying to sleep"

"Hmph! A likely story…" she sniffed turning around and sitting on the bed and shoving me over with her freakish Kryptonian strength "…and I betcha you were doing magic stuff. Like you're very much not supposed to!"

"Like I didn't do you mean…" I told her as I was made move over as I was somewhat trapped under the blankets with her on top of them "…otherwise I could have ejected her with said magic. So, what brings you here so early in the morning?"

"Why, don't you think I'd come to see how you…"

I gave her a look as she sat beside me, looking down "You were just here yesterday Kara, and it's bloody early…"

"Fine…" she huffed "…Kal-El is being huge jerk! I'm supposed to be watching the ship and he's treating me like his kid cousin still! It's infuriating!"

I gave a tired snort at that "You ARE his kid cousin, or little sister, in his mind at least. Also, I'd love to tell him otherwise, but I'm reasonably sure I'm not the favourite person in the world to them right now"

"I am not a little kid anymore!"

"Heh…I'm not going to argue that…" I muttered closing my eyes again with a sigh "…you did plenty team tech genius, wouldn't have gotten here without ya. Which means I wouldn't have got to see the good Doctor here…which'd mean a harder road for little old me I think. So, yay you!"

Kara gave an amused snort at that "Yay me, huh? Least someone sees it that way"

"Well, apparently I'm here to help…they are working on the ship aren't they?"

"Yes Callum they are"

"Good, that's good…"

Kara poked at my face "You're looking very green you know that?"

"I'm recovering Kara, and I'm not allowed use my magic to cover it up"

"And why is Zatanna here?"

I let out a groan "To ask stupid questions and get drunk apparently, didn't I mention this already?"

"Hmmm…" she murmured above me "…this was Batman's idea I betcha"

"Probably, he does tend to do that I find…" I answered as the world's worst detective snored away across from us after giving me her life story, ending in tearful 'whhyyyyy wonna he luv meeee' sort of way, though I wasn't sure if she was talking about Batman or Constantine. Batman I hoped, as that, disturbingly, was the healthier option in many ways "…but don't worry. All Will Be Well"

"Heh, heh, really now buster?"

"Gotcha home, gotta ship, getting fixed, yay….problems aside not to bad…"

Noise, loud snuffling and a groan, from a little across the way indicated that my unintended guest had awoken, and was staggering out of bed in a daze "Razza fraggin….shower…coffee…showa…showa first….ughhh….annataz sserdnu…"

More groaning "…hey, diz issnt my room?"

"Callum if you dare open your eyes I'll poke them out…" came the annoyed voiced of Kara as I heard footsteps staggering about, followed by Kara getting off the bed "…ugh, back in a moment, me and Zatanna are gonna have a girl talk"

"Yeah, good luck on that, I'm going back to sleep now, thank you…"

--

[02.30: A Merchant's Dimensional long fhada]

[Digging deep into the depths of the soul…]

--

[Trader's Journal: Day: 384]

[Current Dimension]

A Justice League Earth, not my one though

[Current Location]

The Tower of Fate

[Current Cash Reserves]

1,000 US Silver Dollars [Quinn's Earth[High Quality]

500 Gold Dollars [DC-verse, Exp-01[United States of America[High Quality]

1,000 Septims [Low Quality gold-mix]

1,628 Californian Dollars [Earth-04, Chain-2091, Disunited America]

2,621 Dollars [US Provisional Government] [Earth-01, Chain-2091, German-ruled America]

[Recent Trades]

N/A – well, more-so I haven't taken count yet. Really it's most of salvage from Dead World DC-land in exchange for getting my new ship fixed up. Still have the dead Green Lantern ring though. And can always get more.

[Diary Entry]

Well, I'm not dead, so huzzah!

Yes, small victories and achievements there, but one must consider being alive after recent madness something of a minor success. Especially when I'm making efforts to try fix my soul situation. Less so my body, though the problems are somewhat linked I'll admit, but Nabu, or Kent, has been most helpful, even if only in laying out the basics of what he, and his wife Inza {there's a difference!} see as the problem that occurred from my 'birth' shall we call it. Trustworthy feedback is important, as it's easy get locked into a set way of thinking, or in my case;- focusing on ad-hoc treatment over more long-term solutions.

See, this is a danger of wizardry combined with knowing a lot, but clearly not enough, about a given subject, and tunnel vision. So, there I was, after resting for a time, due to magical backlash due to overuse apparently, and Fate points out the obvious – I'm literally tearing open any 'healing' in my soul when I do all this fun-fun not-dying in battle. Yes, I knew this already and I had been trying work-around like prepared spells in the cane, the rings, and other items, but I'd sort of forgotten the part where I actually tried to solidify my current existence rather than simply deferring the damage. Something we've talked about in depth these past few hours, along with potential solutions to the situation.

For now that means not using my magic for a little while so I can let them get a baseline of my problems, or successes, and truthfully I could do with the break. The Tower of Fate is very much a place of High Magic Concentration, and of Order, obvious really, and that by itself helps me a great deal by the simple factor of said Order ordering things. Things like my fragmented quasi-soul. See, what the Boss God did was slam down a great deal of divine energy into me after I was created, along with all the detritus of the literal flashing cloning of Not-Mother. So, the current plan is to solidify all that energy, along with more arcane or divine energy if needed, into a 'soul shape' so to speak.

So, no magic for a one, outside of carefully controlled ritual-work towards that goal anyway – funny when I'm back at being half-orcish. Thanks to the Boss there, orcish divine energy, healing, etc, etc. Fun times. No matter, it seems to be my own fault as I've been fueling myself from the arcane, so I've dimensional energy all mixed in there as well. See, I'm barely over a year old, as Nabu explained it to me, and yet I've been acting and casting as my body was my original, which had years to 'learn' how to cast my spells, or organically grow into it. Treating a flawed clone body as the same…yeah, makes sense, so it's been a bad idea all around. If I can fix things up I can progress without burning myself out all the damned time.

Kara's been visiting me at least, and I've put her and Doctor Fate in charge of my affairs with the Justice League, namely fixing my new ship, and it's good to talk to her. Largely as I might go crazy if I was stuck here unable to do anything, like using magic, while worrying about what those people {like Batman} were doing with something I really value in that ship. Funny how getting hold of something makes you want to keep it when you can see its potential eh?

As to the other part; honestly, it's good to spend some time with Kara, since we'll be parting our ways in the days to come. I've to get back to ensure everyone's okay, though we've given the usual 'could be a month or two gone' status with them. It's like being back in the days of sail, or simply back before easy communications existed and you could just phone call across the word. Unfortunately that's the result of unusual circumstances and inter-dimensional communications really aren't to that level, nor will they ever once one gets beyond 'identical' or 'similar' dimensions. Eh, too used to twentieth-century and twenty-first-century earth standards really.

So, that's the way it's going to be, so I've some studying to do as well. Can't simply just go 'fix me soul boyz!' to someone after all, and I prefer to actually understand what I'm getting done before I do it. Thankfully Nabu has given me, albeit restricted, access to his library and it is pleasantly impressive on the subject matter. Though I admit that's somewhat concerning as it's a bit surprising to have so much knowledge on the matter of problems with the soul. It seems it must be a rather widespread historical situation or endemic failure along with demonic possessions. Concerning, but not for the here and now;- for now I must study.

--

[Trader's Journal: Day: 392]

[Current Dimension]

Justice League Dimension.

[Current Location]

The Tower of Fate, still – my current home away from home

[Current Cash Reserves]

1,000 US Silver Dollars [Quinn's Earth[High Quality]

500 Gold Dollars [DC-verse, Exp-01[United States of America[High Quality]

1,000 Septims [Low Quality gold-mix]

1,628 Californian Dollars [Earth-04, Chain-2091, Disunited America]

2,621 Dollars [US Provisional Government] [Earth-01, Chain-2091, German-ruled America]

[Recent Trades]

N/A [Room and Board is free, for once]

[Diary Entry]

Zee's been over a few time, awkward first night and row of some sort with Kara aside, and she's almost the spit of my Zatanna. Well, except older and less hyperactive, though she still goes for the whole fishnet quasi-trousers, quasi-leggings, except even MORE than her younger self does. Did. I'm unsure of the timeline as I likely never see that Zatanna again, since I'm banished from there, and I'm not Other-Me. Heh, now I'm making myself as sad and silly, so best not go that route.

So I've started my treatments, and it's helping, though, as usual, it's frustrating not having easy access to my magic as they say. Though I'm not the only one getting frustrated it seems, as Kara's been grumbling about her cousin and various other things like that; seems they ain't treating her with enough respect in her view. I can relate, and I'm probably partly to blame as I've been treating her as 'team leader' of sorts, or at the very least trusted confidante. Coming back home and not getting that respect, well, now she's talking about coming with me again. I'm worried about her; yes selfish self-interest argues she would be a big benefit to me, but I don't want her getting hurt out there when she's a home and people who care for her.

I'm not going to argue against her, it's her choice and she'd get mad at me if I did, but I did point out that we'd be away from here for long periods of time. In dangerous, and often backwards places – yet she still seems intent upon considering the idea seriously. If that's her choice, that's her choice and I'll support it if that's what she wants – Team Tech Genius after our Mad Scientist basically. Or the Nerd of Steel, though I won't dare call her that to her face obviously. I'm reasonably sure this will F things up with the Justice League though, so not sure how to handle that *minor* problem. For now though I'll have to focus on my healing, and other needed dealings.

For one sending on a detailed outline of SHIELD, what it was basically, along with potential threats and known defences against them, to one Amanda Waller, and in general the Irish and American militaries. Also a warning that the British government may be run by Satanists as several, horrible, horrible, things that we know got covered up seemed to have popped up here in said cover stories. Same people, similar events, and a whole pile of murders that reek of the demon possessed member of the Royal Family I treated in my Earth, but John Constantine must have on this one. Except worse, with more murders, more horror, and cover stories that are damned threadbare. Obviously I told Fate as well, and Zatanna, though she stared at me silently for a few minutes when I did.

I've to have an official meeting at some stage, but my treatment has largely kept me in the Tower of Fate, so I've spent my time being useful in writing down my general [non-secret breaking] knowledge. Between that, study, treatment, and visits I've been kept busy. Feel better too, much better, even if frustrated by not having access to my magic. Ideally now I could leverage my willingness to hand over some, but not all, this information free might win me some monetary [or simply physical goods] compensation for the rest. It's important after all since, apparently, I've Kara to keep on board, along with getting my tradeship running – all while finding a Manager, a Cook, and probably more crew.

That's always the danger of having time to think! You start worrying about stuff! Heh, anyway, I'm going to take a break now and play chess with a old/new friend. Slán.

--

[02.31: A Merchant's Dimensional long fhada]

[Nice hotel, nice meal….conversations are less pleasant, but not too bad…]

"I actually need the cane for once, yes…" I muttered as I walked a little slowly into the rather fancy looking hotel as Deborah, in 'civilian' garb rather than her Crimson Crow costume gave me an odd look as I walked forward using the walking cane "...recovery means limiting certain things I'm afraid"

'And wearing an illusion charm to hide the half-orcishness' I didn't bother saying, nor the mentioning that my cane and rings were my arcane defences and weapons as my more natural sorceries were on lockdown. Things were going well with Doctor Fate, but treatment was frustrating in its own, special, way and I was somewhat glad to the excuse to get out of the Tower of Fate and out and about. Deborah serving as my escort along with Zatanna, though I knew she was here as a part of the Justice League watching me; or, well, I suspected that was the case. Her being in the know, and putting on a show here in a little while, certainly helped getting us all a nice table at least.

"Yes, he's been rather childish about it actually…" said stage magician and quasi-bodyguard replied with an amused smirk as she shook hands with Deborah "…pleasure to meet you again Deborah. I'm glad to hear you managed to persuade the others…what you and Callum told us of wasn't very pleasant, and has to be put to rights"

"That and they seemingly robbed places around these parts as well. Dangerous folks, need law brought in to deal with'em" I muttered as I walked forward, leaning a little on the cane as my legs felt like lead weights along with my arms. The Fraternity had been pretty wide-ranging in their multi-dimensional shenanigans, though their 'raid' here had been a pretty modest affair, some high-end electronics that no-one had noticed till a comparison between the data I'd handed over and an actual robbery about four years ago. Bit daft on their part I though, and down a 'chain' of realities like I'd done, but it was just another reason to go ahead and deal with them for the Justice League.

"Indeed they do my young friend, though you seem the old man on this eve" Deborah chuckled back as Zatanna took charge and spoke to the man at the entrance to the restaurant, and we were guided to towards a private booth. I'd glare at her if I didn't feel it, though my illusion was of myself…well, full human Callum anyway, and both of them were a decade over my physical age…well, decades older, or decades younger, dependent on one's views of mind, body, and cloning. Right now though that didn't overly matter, as it seemed our other guests for the day had arrived, along with one of their own invited guests as I hobbled over to the table.

"Ah, it seems I'm late, Colonel Jameson, Mister O'Neil, Miss Waller…and General Eiling I believe?" I greeted before they had a chance too, or maybe they were just leaving it to me as Zatanna got all uncomfortable. Understandable, it seem Amanda Waller and the General had gone the whole Cadmus the Madness route in this reality, even if it was supposed to be dismantled. Still, they represented a portion of the US military military-intelligence community that it best to stay on the good side of, along with two representatives of my alternate reality home nation. Only those two stood up from the table, the two Americans remaining seated, to shake my hand.

"Indeed Mister Outis, a curious invite….if not for the concerning information you have brought to our attention"

I smiled back sadly as I took my seat, answering the diplomat from diplomatic service, though it was aimed at the table really "Hmm, yes, the devil worshipper problem exists in Britain like it did in my own…that's unfortunate to say the least"

"It's more than unfortunate…" yep, that's the angry demanding Amanda Waller I recalled "…as no one realised that situation existed, nor the extent of what was being covered up"

Mister O'Neill, barely noticeable accent indicating one of the wealthier parts of Dublin if things were similar on this earth as he cleared his throat "Yes…we're all quite concerned by this matter, even beyond your own unusual circumstances…"

"They have access to nukes and have insane plans of world domination apparently…" Waller stated as she drank her glass of water, clearing resisting slamming it down on the table "…how was the situation resolved on….your…Earth"

"The details I can't go into, but the general 'solving' of the problem involved a terrible nightclub fire in that vile club of theirs in London, followed by a sudden rash of fatal car accidents once the various middle ranking British intelligence organizations became aware of the problem…" I answered to the clear horror of Zatanna and Mister O'Neill as I sighed, taking a sip of my water "…and, well, various magical experts were brought in. I'm not sure how it is here, since Brendan Finn seems to have died for one, but Georgina Snow and John Constantine are your best bets for eyes on the ground along with…..though Zatanna here would know the local scene better than I"

"There are differences between the two Earths?"

I shrugged "Yes Ma'am, strange ones like some people being older or younger…"

"Like myself" Zatanna butted in, but I nodded in agreement towards her.

"Such as Zatanna for one, she's still a teenager for one, while one or two others seem to be either a little older, or younger. I can't say for yourself Missus Waller as you seem similar in most regards, but I will admit that beyond you were the Director of the North America bureau of SHIELD I didn't really have knowledge much beyond following orders or making reports when assigned there. So, basically, while it seems there are many overlaps, not everything is the same. The Justice League, for one, was a little smaller and under UN mandate on my home, while that isn't the case here"

Zatanna muttered softly at my side while Deborah merely listened with disinterest as best I could tell "This is why Batman doesn't like you Callum"

"Eh, Batman doesn't like many people Zee, and I am the bearer of bad news" and your protests about that were likely helping my case with the not so nice people who'd run Cadmus apparently. Yeah that meant that some degree of incompetence was associated with them, and both were officially retired….but still "…but, yes, I am happy enough to disclose details of various threats, along with engaging in any salvage or other operations in exchange for setting up some legal framework for me to trade here. The Justice League's lack of official sanction is a nuisance for one such as myself"

"And what about you're patriotic duty son!"

I sighed at that from the General "I've done my patriotic duty to Ireland by warning of at least three potential threats, this being the major one, all without charge. Hells below I've even given over a basic overview of what SHIELD classifications were on those threats…so, yeah, I did my time and since there was another me…well, I've got my time to do different things, build a new life, sort out some problems from that situation. I don't think I'm being unreasonable in what I want, for what I'm offering?"

Mister O'Neill smiled, in that oily sort of way at that, giving his head a slight shake "No Mister Outis, it does not seem so, and it is a pleasant surprise to see a….visitor…to Earth seek to deal with the situation through the United Nations and national governments…"

'And this is why Kara didn't want to come I suspect' I thought as we settled into the rhythm of 'I can give you this for that, but let's bargain it down' of me and my ship. My still to be named vessel I thought with amusement as I ordered the steak off the menu, and something I'd best get around to doing when I headed up to the Watchtower in a few days. Through Kara and Doctor Fate it seemed we were at the stage of wanting to run 'tests'…such as Bleed travel, and I was up for that after recent events, especially with Kara leaning towards wanting to keep travelling. I expected her 'private meeting' with the Kents was less fun than this…

In all honesty a true refit, and that's what I wanted, of the vessel was going to take some time if I wanted to get it right, so a 'shake-down' cruise using actual systems was a good idea. Especially since Deborah wanted to return home to her dimension and speak to her Justice Alliance as she'd gotten some agreement of support from the Justice League. And from me too, with the offer of repairs and upgrades for the ship in exchange for some 'haulage' and 'transport' in the coming months, when they wanted to 'liberate' the Fraternity's Earth, as my side of the deal.

Customers and work?

Too good and offer to turn down, and with some work and a 'friendly port' on this Earth I'd consider this a very successful journey…problems aside. I was healing, slowly but surely, and my talks with Nabu, his wife Inza, and with Zatanna as well were proving very useful and interesting. If I could do some salvage on the way during the Bleed drive and control system shakedown…well, all the better really as it'd give me ideas for the ship layout, and provide services to my benefactors of a sort. Of course I was also trying to play them against each other a little as well, but in the nicest way possible hopefully…

--

[02.32: A Merchant's Dimensional long fhada]

[Testing, testing…1, 2, 3…is this on?]

"Taa-da, all clean…and nearly shiny!" Kara grinned to me as the doors opened from the Watchtower's airlock into the one aboard our ship. She was correct in that, and even more impressively the lights on the ceilings were functioning along with the doors outside of manually using the locking and unlocking mechanism. I smiled back as I walked, a little sluggishly yes, but the cane was once again more of an affection rather than a necessity, so my smile was genuine now that the test run was about to begin. I wasn't overly sold with having a dozen odd technicians, some 'mercenaries' that I knew were Spec-Ops, and a handful of heroes….but that's what I got for playing factions against each other I guess.

"Heh heh, it is indeed isn't it…still very empty looking, but damned if it doesn't cheer me up. So lead the way to the Bridge, Project Leader, you've done an impressive job getting everything done"

"Yeah, well, empty can be filled up in time, even if it feels massive…but it's no longer that creepy dark horror movie empty…" she agreed as we walked along the corridors on the third deck, through a few open security doors towards the ship's Bridge. I'd have to do a bug sweep, eventually, I thought as I passed two Justice League staff working on the power conduits along with a man in the work clothes of Kord Tech, but it was the usual problem not having my own shipyard to do all this work "…so yay me I guess…"

She winced as the doors opened and I saw a Bat-like cowl and black cloak on the bridge along with the other dozen odd people there "…eh, yeah, sorry…Batgirl's here. But it's totally okay, we're besties, that right?"

"That's right!" Barbara Gordon, or Batgirl since she was on duty, replied equally cheerfully as she and Kara dutifully high-fived while the Bat smiled at me in a friendly way "And there were no restrictions on Batgirl being here"

"Gods-damned…I said not Batman, no Robins, no ex-Robins, no sidekicks…"

Batgirl smirked at that, arms across her chest "Bat~girllll…anyway, I'm not a sidekick, I'm an independent…"

I glared at the girl "If you say you're a strong independent woman my opinion of you will drop significantly let me say. I really should have expect this, and I've no one to blame but myself for not locking down the exact list of people barred from this place"

"Hey Callum…" Kara huffed at me, swatting my shoulder "…be nice to the nicest and most awesome of the Bat family!"

I rolled my eyes at that, shaking my head afterwards "That's the problem, Bat-family. She's a very pretty spy, but still a spy, a computer genius, a trained detective, and most likely a world class acrobat and martial artist"

Batgirl blinked at me, then leaned her head to Kara's "I like this one, can we keep him?"

I ignored the duo as I strolled over to the two lead 'engineers' on this little project; Blue Beetle and Mister Terrific, nodding politely to them and the three technicians they were a combination of helping and directing right now. Truth be told, ignoring the Bat-person on the bridge against the spirit of our agreement, the Bridge looked…well, beyond fantastic with functional holographic displays mixed in with large physical screens on the walls. It was all rather beautiful, and I could feel the arcane energy from Doctor Fate, Zatanna, and Crimson Crow on the wards and magical devices also laid out amidst the sci-fi bridge aesthetic.

"Ah, the man of mystery…Booster's been annoying me constantly about you ya'know?" the blue costumed man chuckled coming up and offering a hand "Blue Beetle's the name, crime fightin's the game….but tinkering comes a close second, so thank you very much for the opportunity to work on this little wonder"

I smiled, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake "No, I'm the one whose glad to have a professional, professionals…" I nodded at Mister Terrific and the staff finishing up their tasks "…working on getting my vessel up and running. That and it's a pleasure to meet you…"

An awkward chuckle greeted that as the hero rubbed the back of his head "Yeah…Bats showed me the report, dead huh?"

I shook my head "Yes…No, you're older there I think, you actually retired, injured in a helicopter crash, but still alive. I think Batman took me up wrong in not being around. We, well, your…business…did work for groups I worked for I remember"

Mister Terrific gave a curious look at that "But not with Wayne Tech nor LexCorp, they are leaders in the…."

I gave a snort at that shaking his hand "Yes, yes, and much the same reason I bared both of them from even considering repairing this think. I know there'll be….issues…but I'd rather not the more problematic ones, and its just habit I suppose. Both companies were on the Never Ever, Not a Chance, list of places we weren't allowed buy our equipment from. I won't go into why, end of discussion"

Both me nodded, Mister Terrific replying as he turned and gestured at the consoles ahead of us while I heard Kara chat away to Batgirl, and Deborah entering in her Crimson Crow costume "Understood. Now, I know you're most interested in what we've done here, so let me show you…"

I was all actually rather fascinating, and mildly worrisome, in that the ship was partially 'alive' or perhaps, techno-organic in nature. From what I understood of the duo's explanation was the ship was, in part, repairing itself when materials or 'repair work' was added to the Bleed Drive and other critical systems. It seemed things were very heavily 'black boxed' by the Monitors, and the ship had been designed with the idea of allowing radically different technologies, and magics, to be integrated into the vessel if needed. Then again the Monarch might have done that for his war on them, since he was raiding various realities most likely in preparation, but the bright side it wasn't 'alive' or 'sapient' either.

In the here and now they both seemed confident that the systems would function as intended, and that the 'test run' would be successful….but they'd still done as I'd asked and ensured enough supplies for a month based on the twenty or thirty people currently on board the ship. Sure the planned 'voyage' was looking at two days, five at the most…but best to be prepared, even if I'd like more really, just in case. Hope for the Best, Prepare for the Worst after all. So I smiled and nodded, making notes as they detailed out what they'd learned while the power and drives and were slowly brought online and monitored for power surges – no jury rigged laptops and magic this time around!

--

{One hour, ten minutes, and twenty-three seconds later…}

"…and that's the weapon test complete Sirs" the young woman standing at the controls for the vessel's 'tactical' display announced as I watched the results on the asteroid, and then what the system was telling me it had managed to do. It was basically close in defence lasers right now, nothing overly impressive, but at least there was a shield system and the armour was, supposedly, beyond the abilities of the locals to create. Not surprising since these things were meant to go up against superpowered beings and survive the clash.

"Excellent work Miss Anderson…" Mister Terrific told the young woman with a smile as I stood on the large, but somewhat crowded bridge, before the super-hero with the T –mask on his face glanced at me, Kara, and Deborah who'd been discussing the magic of the ship with Zatanna "…and do think that's all the basic tests done to ensure 'sea-worthiness' as they call us. Drives are at their optimal charge, we've got supplies and spare equipment…I think it's time to get underway. If you're okay with that?"

I smiled at Kara "K…Supergirl, you're decision? Onwards into the Void?"

She nodded hovering in the air before descending to stand at one of 'main' stations beside one of the other technicans "Yeah, let's go, let's show everyone what's on the other side"

"Hmmm, well, a dead world isn't all that exciting to see I suspect…" I answered with a shrug before getting a nod from Deborah as I turned my attention back to the superhero engineers "Well gents, you heard the Captain, time to get underway"

Blue Beetle nodded to Mister Terrific, who spoke into the communications mike that seemed to appear with a gesture from one of his spheres "This is Mister Terrific, we're about to engage the Bleed Drive and enter extra-dimensional space, so anyone encountering any problems report them immediately so we fix them before they become serious ones. Now everyone please relax and try and enjoy the ride"

For now I allowed them use a pure technological means…or at least Bleed-tech of the Monitors, to start the calculations and energy 'bleed' to enter the Bleed rather than my magic or the Amulet of the Planes. Having a functioning system was more important after all, and it was much about having backups should my magic be blocked as holding back a trump card here and now. There was a faint hum as the Bleed Drives powered up and then discharge…as the young technicians called out a countdown to its activation and the portal that briefly came into existence before we glided through into a crimson void…

"Getting chairs installed. Yep definitely" I told Kara and Batgirl, as Kara came over to me as the engines drove us silently through the strange not-space of the Bleed towards the Dead DC Earth. Kara rolled her eyes while the Bat gave me an odd glance before nodding, finger at her chin as if thinking on the matter deeply.

"Yeah, could get a bit sore standing around all the time if you were travelling everywhere with it"

"Uh-huh…" I agreed as the ships 'automated sensors' guided us forward to the place we'd arrived at prior to the strange station. Going there had been the other option, in part to bury the bodies, but we'd though it best to avoid potential active vessels, or automated defences that came alive in our wake "…best to travel in style and comfort when you can I say. So seats for everyone!"

"Hurray!" Kara mouthed in amusement "Lazy bones for the victory again!"

"Hey, we mere mortals get tired legs ya'know…" I replied with my own "...especially when told not to use my magic"

Batgirl shook her cowled head as the strange crimson-black-crimson environment sped by outside…but all looked the same somehow "Oh, yes, mere mortals. Some of us have to work extra hard at our abilities rather than taking the easy way out!"

"Easy way out?" I muttered "Hardly! You can learn it after all, heaves above, hells below, I'm fairly sure Batman knows a fair bit of shamanism and that thanks to Rash"

"Ra's, it's Ra's" Batgirl replied before sighing, arms folded across her chest "He's not happy with you, you know that?"

"What? The Talia and Catwoman thing? Or the fact Rash took a LexCorp built Chinese not-nuke to the face in my Earth? The Waller thing? The fact we killed that fucking clown? Or is that some of Irish Army Ranger Wing are on this ship right now?"

"All of the above and more I think…" Batgirl replied earnestly as readings were called out by the people on the bridge "…though the Talia thing has sent him into detective mode and made Wonder Woman practically stalk him these past few days"

"Well it's hardly my fault his alternates like bad girls" I told her back with a shrug "…look on the bright side, it's not like he'll repeat mistakes. Now, task at hand ladies, ship test, exploration and salvage…"

--

[02.33: A Merchant's Dimensional long fhada]

[Launch the longboats, we make camp on forgotten shores…]

It was Gotham…sort of anyway, and that was super creepy Barbara Gordon found as once again took to the, concrete and more hardened looking, rooftops of the city with Kara flying along beside her. Everything was so…dead, so silent beyond some animals, and there wasn't even much of that, as even those seemed to be few in number as well as feral. Despite that it was good to be on the move, using her grappling hook and skills rather than Kara's 'well I can fly both of us!' bridal carry option, as the whole 'see another dimension' thing was a major excitement, let alone the coolness of getting aboard that awesome ship.

"Wow it's so…" she started to say as she stood, coming to a stop on the rooftop of what had been GCPD headquarters as she overlooked a large chunk of the empty, horror-movie, version of her home city "…well, weird!"

Kara hovered beside her, nodding "I know right! So creepy, and when we first came here it was just me, Callum, and Crow….unnerving and freaky. Even more for me Babs, there's this odd static and crackling mixed in with what sound there is, same as the last time. So, Super-Freaky and Weird"

"Yeah, it's definitely, definitely, reading high up on the freaky and weird detector!" Barbara agreed as she balanced carefully on the 'safe' section of the surprisingly still structurally sound building and gazed out at the slowly descending sunset over Gotham Bay. It really did look the same she thought, though this place was more like the old GCPD Headquarters, though that hadn't been built like a fortress like this place was, rather than the newer building that should have been miles from here. Arkham was even there off in the distance, and the sudden urge to try persuading the others to use the place as a weapons test location filled her a moment, before she fought it down.

"At least we've a nice big comfy ship to return to, and other people this time…" Kara told her coming down to stand beside her, resting her arms on the….steel?...reinforced not-concrete of the rooftop walls just as Barbara had done. The dust could be brushed off after all, and it was a moment to rest and relax after a very energetic series of jumps and grapples to get up here….even if there was no fight at end of it, no rapid hunting down of a criminal while Batman growled about 'doing better' all the time. Honestly, if Bruce and Diana would just hook up then all that anger and frustration of late could work itself out in way that didn't result in her and Dick getting too much training.

She glanced at her friend "I know, but, no offence, you seemed to enjoy the travelling. That's something I'm curious off, how did your friend manage that before the ship came along?"

Kara shrugged "I dunno…he wiggled his fingers and mumbled some stuff, then poof! We're in another weird world"

Barbara gave her friend a firm look "That dumb blonde bit might work with the League or your cousin, but it won't work with me you know"

"Honest, it's magic Babs, I've only a vague idea of how it works. Zatanna or Doctor Fate would be better to ask as all I can do with it is use that Amulet of his to open a door back 'home' to our little base should he get knocked out. All of which amounts to voice activation of a dimensional energy system that I've been keyed to admin access, but I've absolutely no idea how it works….the ship though…"

Barbara gave an amused chuckle at the tone at the end of that "Yes, I heard, you have no idea how long Batman interrogated me about that. I've seen the coding, awesome work by the way"

Kara grinned proudly "Why thank you! Thank you! Someone sees my awesome brilliance for what it is!"

She rolled her eyes at that "Oh, don't get so bigheaded….Superman being Superman about you I'm guesing?"

"A little…more than a little…" came back the replied as the Kryptonian girl rested her chin on her arms "…but that's not the reason, well not the whole reason, I'm going to keep travelling between dimensions"

Barbara smiled "Yes, we're all backwards medieval peasants, or yeehaw human hillbillies with no proper tech-na-ma-log-agy nor workin' indar plumpin' ah tells yeah?"

"No it's not like that…" her friend protested a moment, then gave an amused snort "…wwwwellll, not totally like that, honest! It's just…I miss some things, I don't want to sound arrogant…it's just…"

Barbara smiled back, reaching over and patting her friend's shoulder "Hey, you're not, arrogant I mean, I don't think I'd like to go back to the forties and be stuck with that level of technology let me tell you. And I've seen the cool stuff on that ship, and what Bats let me see of freaky horror space station…vampires aside, its all super cool"

"You'll come with me then?"

"Kara!" she protested…weakly perhaps as the more she'd seen and heard the more she would love to just that, all things considered of late "Yeah, sure Batgirl could maybe, but Barbara…."

"Oh, don't be silly, Bats would find a way, college scholarship maybe? I'm sure I could get Callum as well, offer you a job, sailing the seven seas! I'm sure they can dress Nightwing or Robin up in a Batgirl outfit and pretend that you're still around"

Barbara huffed angrily at that "Hey! They can't even come close to the sexy awesomeness that is Batgirl!"

Kara continued to smirk away "Oh, come on, a wig, some padding, maybe have the chin stubble go….and lots of shadows and darkness would help too"

"Hnnnnn"

"You can't do the Batglare Babs…." Supergirl laughed back as Barbara glared even more furiously at the Kryptonian menace "….No, no…really, you can't. Please stop…"

'Okay, not quite there on the intimidating glare judging by the giggling' she thought miserably, letting out a defeated sigh "Fine, fine! So, what was it like, travelling? We've no big Boy Scout or Batman looking over our shoulder"

"Heh heh heh….ahhhh….oh, looking for the sales pitch to come with us? Or just fishing for information in the name of your Dark Lord of Broodiness"

"Hmph! Well we all can't fly around in a mini-skirt looking pretty. Some of us have to stick to the shadows to fight to the bad guys"

Kara grinned "Heh, I know, but it was…different. Better now with the ship, but its…strange, exhilarating…and disturbing and scary at times. Callum's really nice, and he cares….but he's like some murderous magical Batman when people threaten us, and it's SOOOO hard to rein him in. Quinn…oh, you've not met Quinn, right…"

Barbara watched her friend paused then shake her head side to side "…well, get ready to meet Quinn. He's like a super-genius…well, hmm…imagine if Lex Luthor had hair, *tried* to be a hero….but was still Lex, and didn't really understand there's more to the world than SCIENCE!"

She blinked at that "He doesn't say it like that?"

Kara shook her head "No, but I'm sure he *thinks* of it in that way. It's kinda scary that Callum has to rein him in, and we left the grumpy elf wizard in charge of him when we left in case he went off and…does Quinn things"

"Wow Kara, you really sound like it'd be awesome to travel with you, and you didn't mention the Crimson Crow woman…"

Her friend shrugged "I don't know her all that well, we saved her counterpart, and I know her pretty well, but the one with us is…like most of the League at times. Callum and Quinn…"

Kara sighed, looking off into the sunset framing the dead world in a beautiful orange-red illumination "They could have left me Babs, I was a complete stranger and….and I was weak. Couldn't fly, couldn't use most of my powers despite the sun…and swords could cut me too. So there I was, strange magic fantasy land, weak, no friends, and no local language….I was a burden, but they never once considered abandoning me. Nor act inappropriate, not Callum, not Quinn, even when sharing a tent and things got all super medieval...and I got home, tried hard too, both of'em"

Barbara blinked as Kara winced "Oh, yes, the others…well, just to warn they know our secret identities…"

"I know" Barbara replied with a groan remembering the sudden onset of 'Contingency Planning' she'd been forced to endure the day after Bat's and learned of that sudden bit of knowledge…

Kara shook her head "No, no, more than that….we've FANS"

"Ugh…yay?"

"No, not yay type Fans"

"Awww…." Barbara muttered resting her chin back down "…why can't we can get normal ones. I thought going dimension travelling would at least let me turn off the porn filter on my hero name"

"We can in some places, since…"

"….they don't have computers right?" Barbara finished for and they both laughed at that till Kara smiled standing back up.

"There not that bad, not really, came from a place with no superheroes…"

"Weird"

"I thought so too, but the multi-verse is super weird…" Kara agreed "…but they did have vampires and demons running around, and they aren't creepy about it once they knew….well, once I set Callum on them anyway"

"Be my bad boy, be my…" she started saying to her friend in reply, shaking her shoulders side to side before getting a gentle punch in the arm…

"Shut up Babs!"

…for an irritated Kryptonian anyway "Oww, hey, don't make me pull out the Kryptonite Kara!"

"Serves you right anyway, that's you're thing….and I hear a Bat-family thing"

"Oh God, please don't let that Al Ghul and Catwoman thing be true…" Barbara whined in defeat "…I am so Team Wonder Woman, hell Team Zatanna….basically anyone Team Not Supervillainess"

"Hey, could be worse, you could back up in the Bat-cave and find Harley Quinn there going 'Heya there Bats, I dumped Mistah J cuz Mistah B is so much bettah, he's still crazy but not a clown!' Or, well, they follow Callum's advice and let Waller loose and have that monster get the death penalty"

Barbara doubted the look of horror that she gave Supergirl matched the sudden feeling that welled up inside her as her friend did the crazy jester girl's voice spot on and the image popped up inside her mind. At least she tried to burn it from said memory anyway "Don't even say such horrible, terrible, nightmarish things!"

"Hey, you're not the one who has to worry about pink turning you gay or, worse, into a boy!"

"Yeah, well, that little tidbit…" Barbara answered as tried to not-think of the TERRIBLE THOUGHT "…does neatly explain Luthor's obsession with your cousin Kara. Apparently he DOES look too good in those tights for his own good"

"Frighteningly it does explain a few things…" Kara answered elbowing Barbara as their communicators buzzed faintly "…and hey, don't be ogling Big Blue like that. How you feel if I did that with the Bat?"

"That you were crazy, even more than usual. Now, answer the comms, we've salvage and exploration to do apparently…"

--

[02.34: A Merchant's Dimensional long fhada]

[Testing the waters so to speak….]

--

[Trader's Journal: Day: 405]

[Current Dimension]

Dead DC World {DC-verse, Exp-01} – need to start doing proper classification numbers!

[Current Location]

Several miles outside of Gotham City

[Current Cash Reserves]

1,000 US Silver Dollars [Quinn's Earth[High Quality]

1,200 Gold Dollars [DC-verse[DC-verse, Exp-01[United States of America[High Quality]

1,000 Septims [Low Quality gold-mix]

1,628 Californian Dollars [Earth-04, Chain-2091, Disunited America]

2,621 Dollars [US Provisional Government[Earth-01, Chain-2091, German-ruled America]

[Recent Trades – Salvage]

700 Gold Dollars [DC-verse[DC-verse, Exp-01[United States of America[High Quality]

- There was a lot of salvage, but that's not mine per se. It's more what's getting me this current very empty ship equipped.

[Diary Entry]

Sitting here in my, largely empty like the rest of the ship, room aboard the Fortune's Chance as I've decided to name the auld girl. It's been a busy day, long too, as we were several hours in the Bleed, and then arrived early enough during 'daylight hours' over the American seaboard here on the dead so we performed a wide variety of systems tests. Concerning ones at times as the sensors are working – and telling us of multiple warnings with words we don't understand, such as the weird whatever the feck it is over Metropolis. So, avoiding the areas with the flashing icons across the globe was very much part of said testing while some of us went treasure hunting out in Gotham. Or this Earth's version of Gotham anyway, as the city is long dead at this stage.

I merely took some gold coins to top up the current reserves as strictly speaking the voyage itself is paying for the continued repair and fitting of the vessel itself. There are plenty of other reserves back with Quinn on his Earth after all, so I'm letting others do all that work, for once, while I focus on learning ship systems and talking to the tech genius superheroes. It is certainly a pleasure working with Mister Terrific and Blue Beetle, even if I can't follow it all, and it's certainly helped understand the sensor and operating systems of the 'Destroyer' class vessel. Or Planetary Assault Troop Carrier – it gets confusing as the ship was created for one thing, then repurposed, then repurposed by this Monarch fella, and now being repurposed by us for trade and transport.

So, yeah, it's going to need a heckuva lot of customisation in terms of hardware, software, and magic in the months and years to come. Especially since I want to install an arcane dimensional drive, and Quinn's too, when I can. But for now the operating system is perfectly capable of accessing the Bleed to travel, the sensors are working internally and externally, and most importantly we're able to control the ship from the Bridge. Oh, and the 'camouflage' system works! Very important on a big fecking flying ship like this thing, especially when entering worlds with modern tracking systems. Sure it's 'small' by starship standards, probably, but it feels bloody huge went wandering halls, especially the forward 'holds' meant to carry soldiers, hovercraft and APC's I think. If I can I'll turn the hold behind that forward 'assault bay' into a workshop or manufacture bay.

There's two further bays on either side further up the ship, not large, but there decent enough to be small cargo bays, especially with some arcane storage…maybe. Much of it depends on what I can others to do for me, as I can't exactly refit the vessel myself after all. I've plans at least now, which right now consists of spending three days here, do research, exploration, and salvage before we return to DC-lands. At that stage they'll report their findings; we'll do some more tests, kit out the rooms with actual furniture, and then head over to Home Base and talk to/collect the rest of the team. From there we'll head over to Deborah's Justice Alliance Earth with a Justice League 'diplomat' and have some negotiations there about dealing with The Fraternity. I'll happily operate as transport in exchange for more work, on the Seltzer dimensional drive, as Crimson Crow promised.

Kara went off exploring with Batgirl, and Zatanna decided to bombard me with questions shortly after I'd stopped bombarding Mister Terrific and Blue Beetle with mine. Truth be told I don't know the answers to many of those questions, and I'm pretty sure tomorrow we're seeing what happened with this Earth's Zatanna and Giovanni Zatara for instance. I have theories of course, but nothing that's changed since the last time we were here. The fact of the system warnings, well, they backup my view that something bad happened here but the surviving population was 'evacuated' or, from the looks of it 'reintegrated' into a reduced or restructured new reality. We think that's what the system is informing us about this place anyway – though the temporal as well as dimensional breaches are a hard to know effect.

--

[Trader's Journal: Day: 406]

[Current Dimension]

Dead DC World {DC-verse, Exp-01}

[Current Location]

Base Camp, Lewis Airforce Base, just outside Gotham

[Current Cash Reserves]

1,000 US Silver Dollars [Quinn's Earth[High Quality]

1,200 Gold Dollars [DC-verse[DC-verse, Exp-01[United States of America[High Quality]

1,000 Septims [Low Quality gold-mix]

1,628 Californian Dollars [Earth-04, Chain-2091, Disunited America]

2,621 Dollars [US Provisional Government[Earth-01, Chain-2091, German-ruled America]

[Recent Trades – Salvage]

N/A

[Diary Entry]

Slight relocation of the ship to a US military base just a little outside Gotham City proper, resting on one of the runways. Place took battle damage it's clear, and all the fighters are rotted and rusted as those on the ground were clearly being loaded and prepped when everyone vanished. Been trying to get the computers up and running, along with those in the Batcave, but, sadly, little luck as they're all heavily damaged from the Event as we're calling it, along with over two decades abandonment. There are some written logs, but it's mainly quartermaster type entries, diaries and the like, and it paints a situation of one of the multi-versal crisis hitting hard, but seemingly being won?

Won it hints at, but clearly not as the world's devoid of sentient life, along with the rest of the solar system. The whole galaxy too I'd suspect, but we're not really at the trying out the FTL drives that far as yet – just in-system jump tests for the moment. Seems Zatanna was here too, born earlier in the timeline just like most everyone here versus my Earth or Kara's it looks like. Odd, but this is an 'active' multiverse, so there's people actually making efforts to ensure it 'works' and the like – at least they did judging by the Bleed ships and stations anyway. Zee has her own theories on this, as does Kara, Batgirl, Mister Terrific…basically everyone really; we all have differing but similar views on it.

Oh, yeah, note to self – setup a gym in addition to a study area on the ship. It'd be useful, especially if I get stuck with energetic people like Kara's friend. Even for myself I think I need it. I'm wearing a human disguise again, but my body is half-orcish and Nabu things I'll need to try fix my body separately. Or quasi-separately as my soul 'sets' into place, step one on the long road to recover as he put it.

Anyway, my passengers of sorts have spent some time poking around the ruined military base, and we're heading to Washington to investigate the Pentagon. There was some interest in investigating a nearby energy signature, low level, but it's clearly a LexCorp facility, and deeply buried one, so Mister Terrific, Kara, and myself argued against that for now. That would be bad if it's a bio-weapon or hidden nuke, or doomsday device storage, so I'm marking it down for another day – low lying fruit here and now. Same reason we're avoiding the 'dimensional mange' that is Metropolis, the swirling anomaly down where Bermuda, and whatever the hell those energy readings from China are.

--

[Trader's Journal: Day: 407]

[Current Dimension]

Dead DC World {DC-verse, Exp-01}

[Current Location]

The dead island of Themyscira

[Current Cash Reserves]

1,000 US Silver Dollars [Quinn's Earth[High Quality]

1,200 Gold Dollars [DC-verse[DC-verse, Exp-01[United States of America[High Quality]

1,000 Septims [Low Quality gold-mix]

1,628 Californian Dollars [Earth-04, Chain-2091, Disunited America]

2,621 Dollars [US Provisional Government[Earth-01, Chain-2091, German-ruled America]

[Recent Trades – Salvage]

N/A

[Diary Entry]

Atlantis is gone. There's a, honestly I don't know and I don't want to know, strangeness in the magical fields where the city was, but it's clear the place was destroyed when the barriers that preserved it failed or were taken down. Good news; ship can go underwater and travel just fine. Bad news; underwater magical city and its libraries be gone.

Or transferred Zatanna speculated, and I think she might be right. Where we are now, Themyscira, is also magically damaged, though that's more the Gods have left and therefore the protective wards have long since fallen away. Blackhawk Island is there, though it's clear munitions tore a chunk out of the vaults at some stage over the past few decades, and we only did a quick survey while travelling across the sea to Ireland. Somewhat backwards Ireland in this reality looks like, so we continued on over Europe – till we identified this island that isn't on the maps.

So, yeah, Man's World was finally victorious as our dirty male feet walked on the blah, blah, of the place. It's badly battle damaged here, and without the magic the scrolls have rotted in the weather, the artefacts are dead or inert, and the Gates below are sealed tight, and best left be. It's just – sad really. I'm kind of down about the whole thing, even if the ship testing has been a great success. All that knowledge lost, we don't even know what truly happened here. Crisis? Elseworld? Dimensional variation?

No matter. I'm going down to beach with some of the others and going for a swim. It's darkly funny but the place is still a paradise in terms of weather, even if the sea has eaten away at chunks of the island judging by the ruins out in the waters. The other places I could understand, but Atlantis and Themyscira I'd thought we'd have more success with as magic still exists. But I think some cosmic force simply ripped out the 'active' intelligences, wards, powers and the like and just poofed them somewhere else. It's utterly terrifying in so many ways, but it could also hint that the Gods and other Higher Powers were involved in the Event?

Something for another day, now I'm off to swim and drink some badly made cocktails on the beach. For then it is back to Justice League world, and then the journey begins home and then to bring others to war.

--

[02.35: A Merchant's Dimensional long fhada]

[Getting the party back together again…]

"You've a spaceship now?" was the confused question out of Quinn as I finished explaining to the assembled Sundydalers, Mages, former heroes, and people from Crimson Crow's home Earth "Did you trade Supergirl in for one?"

I frowned at him "NO QUINN I did not do any such thing, she's going to continuing helping us in fact now we know a way to get her home. What happened was, as I MENTIONED ALREADY, it's a salvage jobbie, and Kara's…"

"The Justice League eeeeee!"

I turned my glare to the two of the three nerds from Sunnydale who were sort of hugging each other while trying not to bounce in place "Please, no squeezing Jonathan, Brewster, as they are coming through with the Ship, and our ONE QUESTION RULE is currently in place"

It was the Skyrim mage, Faralda, the supervisor of this crèche of madness who stepped forward now, letting out a weary sigh "I suspect this indeed the reason that you have returned here alone, this….vessel….to follow along behind. So that you may….calm certain amongst us?"

"No actually, though it's an added bonus perhaps…" I admitted shaking my head "…since I'm essentially guiding the vessel through to here. Like a lighthouse for a ship on a pitch black see, albeit a temporary one in this case, I'll be letting it navigate through the inter-dimensional shoals and such by guiding it in. As I said the plan is to relocate to the ship, have you all here investigate it and work out what you need as it's very empty, and we'll negotiate terms as I want to keep open the current portals to your homes…but also, well, I think this would help with you Quinn"

"How…oh…" my mad scientist friend murmured before snapping his fingers "…because we can transport people back first to try and get things setup here now that I got the sliding device working?"

I nodded, and wasn't that a good bit of news to return too….along with the fact it was SAFE now thanks to the others tinkering at such things, rather than 'boom you're world is banished!' levels "That's what I'm thinking too, though the immediate use is that we can enter the dimension you think they were banished too with some degree of safety…and, honestly, some degree of authorithy"

Faralda nodded at that, rubbing her chin "Yes, turning up in a flying ship would carry more weight than a traveller with a walking stick when one claims they can move between the various Planes of the Aetherius, and what we have learned of Quinn's folk is that they were hard headed in their beliefs"

I shrugged as Quinn didn't seem bothered, shrugging like I had and looking uninterested rather than offended by the elf's comment "Harder reality dimension, magic and most powers being weakened here as we all well know, another reason I'm playing beacon to the ship. Essentially we're heading back to your people…" I nodded at Dr. Chen and the three technicians from the Justice Alliance's world "…with Crimson Crow, Deborah, and a number of heroes from the Justice League of that Earth. Good news, they'll help you out, we get to act as haulage and transport for this endeavour"

The resident Crimson Crow from the Fraternity's Earth nodded as she stood to the left of Burt, formerly Kid Raven, while the slightly more energised looking S'tella rest against his right as the trio formed their own threesome according to Faralda. Thankfully I was, technically, a priest of the Shrouded Lord of Nishrek so a wedding as they'd asked of the elf was perfectly fine for me to perform once we had the time to just that. For now though Debbie's main interest appeared to one next moves "Then you intend to travel, and for us to travel with thee, aboard this inter-dimensional galleon between the Justice Alliance and Justice League, then convey them to do battle with the Fraternity in time?"

"Essentially…yes. Then return here with a now functionally and fully kitted out tradeship so we can go to the next Earth over and attempt to see what the damage has been, and who we can approach in authority about trying get people home. In orderly blocks as the farms, oil wells, nuclear plants…basically everything let's say, has to be worked at for some time before mass migration can even be considered. Since I, and we, don't exactly have dry-dock facilities to restore the Fortune's Chance, that's its name by the way, this deal allows us to get it fixed up and nicely kitted out"

"Hahhhhhh…." Faralda groaned softly as she shooed away Breylna, Onmund, and J'zargo "…truly, you do enjoy making work for a Mer such as I. We restore the Legion base, you move us to this castle. We restore said stronghold and find ourselves to travel amongst the planar seas as soon as its finished"

"Ehh…" I shrugged back "…what do you expect? It's an improvement, and it's not as if I indeed to abandon this place and San Francisco, merely make use of the mobile nature of the vessel to conduct business and exploration more safely. Both for good and bad, it's a big ship by our standards, so it makes sense to concentrate us all aboard and expand from there back into these places. From your point of view it will dramatically incease your capacity to study dimensional mechanics…"

"Excellent, Excellent, then if we are done nattering…" Phinis interrupted in his normal 'I'm busy and annoyed' manner, cutting me off before turning away and moving towards the exit "…I have experiments to continue monitoring! Good Eve!"

'Friendly as ever I see' I mouthed silently to Quinn and Faralda, Quinn nodding while the elf gave a forlorn look at me "Yes, well, perhaps it is better that I shall now be able to spend precious time upon my own research rather than settle petty squabbles and the relationships of others. Now that bothersome and thankless task shall be yours my young friend"

"Joy" I muttered before letting out a sigh "…right, but first, let me get a quick coffee and sandwich before I get to work on guiding in the ship…"

--

{Kara's had a long and tiring few days….}

"Ughh….thank Rao"

"Really?" Barbara asked her as she collapsed back unto her bed within the castle "Lazy I say! Lazy!"

"Shush you!" Kara muttered back enjoying the big comfy bed beneath her and staring at the ceiling "Not all of us have the Bat workaholic thinking. That and I get tired here easier…"

"Yes, you mentioned, and no laser eyes either, boo-hoo-hoo. Why you'll just have to settle for being able to fly and be bulletproof! So cursed, so helpless!"

"Oh don't be such a smarty-mouthed jealous-puss" Kara teased back tiredly pointing at the other comfy bed available in the room "You're tired too, super Bat training and whatever aside"

Barbara actually did as she asked, letting out a yawn as she lay back on the bed beside her while still dressed in her Batgirl outfit "Kara?"

"Yeah?"

"Are all the worlds you visit dead? It's super depressing to think about"

Kara brought her arms under her pillow, under her head, propping herself up and kicking off her shoes "No there no, some are nice, and full of nice people. Some look nice and are full of awful people. This place is just…super empty because of some cosmic accident…" called Quinn Mallory "…and Callum and Quinn have a plan to try get the people that were here back, an' make sure it doesn't happen again somehow. Mad science is kind of Quinn's thing"

"I know, I just met him…" Barbara muttered "…can't say I like him much, but he seemed to having a very involved talk with Blue Beetle and Mister Terrific"

"Nerds!"

Barbara chuckled "You're a nerd!"

"I thought I was a flying cheerleader?"

"A nerdy flying cheerleader!"

That laugh got a pillow flung at Barbara's face as Kara let out an amused snort as Batgirl caught the pillow like it was thrown shuriken or something, all without looking "Fine! Whatever! But I can't wait till the ship gets proper beds!"

"Copy that sister!" came back from Barbara…along with a flung pillow that impacted Kara in the face "Hah! Back at ya!"

"Hnnnnn!" Kara growled back taking the pillow and shoving it back under her head "So….what'ca think of the others?"

"You've elves and a male Cheetah, maybe we should set her and this J'zargo up on a date? End her criminal ways by the power of love?"

"The Power of Love never stopped Star Sapphire now did it?" Kara mused back "…but they weren't too intense, Jonathan and Brewster can be…"

Barbara laughed "Oh, relax, they were ogling me….but in a friendly and polite manner, with the full understanding that look, but don't touch applies or they'll suffer mysterious accidents. Must come from the vampires you told me about, since they'd fit right in at home…in Gotham"

"Probably" Kara agreed to Barbara's apparent surprise "It's like a smaller, cleaner, version of Gotham, except there's no Batman, there's vampires and demons running around alongside the crazies, and a crazy girl who likes stabbing things is the only hero along with her school friends. So get ready to see all sorts of things now you've decided to keep me company"

"Not going to be all suspicious that B put me up coming?"

'Oh, we already know that, but keeping you away from Batman is a good thing in of itself' Kara thought but didn't dare say to her friend. Barbara had a HUGE, creepy, crush on Batman while also having a on-off-on-off relation with Nightwing, or Batman's apprentice and adopted son, and that would lead to pain for everyone involved if left alone. The worst thing was Barbara didn't even realise how jealous she got about the details Callum brought over, nor when Wonder Woman decided to aggressively resolve the situation with Batman by all accounts. In a perfect world a few months away from the Batcave would cure that problem, and BAM! they came back and the Bat and the Amazon were hooked up. Kara Super Plan Successful!

"Callum might be, but I think he views your stunning intellect as a bigger benefit than the problem of you being a 'Bat-spy' as he called it"

"Oh-noes, I must be getting rusty if he knows I'm a spy gosh-dangit!" Barbara came back with mock-shock over the clear amusement in her tone "I can't believe you live in a magical castle!"

"I don't live in a magical castle Babs!"

"What do you call this then?"

Kara paused "Um….temporary accommodation?"

"Oh my God are you trying to be a fairytale princess?"

"I still haven't got the pumpkin carriage yet!"

Barbara gave a snort at that "I'm sure Zatanna could arrange it for you if you ask. Now, what do thinks' going things will go this Justice Alliance…"

--

[02.36: A Merchant's Dimensional long fhada]

[Home for some, a friendly port of call for others…]

It was strange Deborah Delphi found, watching a frumpier, more awkward, and nervous of yourself, one who'd suffered years of misery…and feel jealous of her. Debbie as the others called her to differentiate hovered beside alternates of S'tella and Burt, having resolved their uncomfortable romantic situation in an…odd…way, but one without the failure and loneliness she had ended up with. Yes her alternate deserved happiness after the brainwashing and horror they had suffered…

'Still doesn't make it any easier to see though…' she admitted to herself strutting down the metal corridors with a confident stride to mask the momentary spark of uncomfortable feelings. She was just home after all as she came out unto the bridge were several of the others, those she had brought to aid them in their crusade against the foul Fraternity, as her heels clicked off the floor '…no more than many choices one has made in one's career and life'

The bridge of the 'Fortune's Chance' was now starting to look like what thought a ship's bridge, especially that of a spaceship, should look like – rather than the mass of capable and hastily assembled laptops and computers that young Kara had managed to assemble. That station had been a terrible place, but they had managed to survive and…honestly it was an impressive display of technical ability by the super-powered girl all things considered.

This Justice League that she had returned home too had done a much better job of course. Not surprising with access to a resource base versus scavenging an ancient abandoned space-station, along with a number of tech based heroes to do the work. Now holographic displays and hardened television screens, laced with arcane energies that she herself had added to as well, illuminated the large area as she came to stand behind the chair of young 'Captain' Callum, resting her hands on the back of it. On the central holographic display a globe came into existence showing 'her' Earth, icons flashing into existence for the Assembly of Justice and other 'nearby' power sources like Boltzmann Air Force Base.

"Excellent sensors upon the vessel it seems"

Callum nodded sitting in the chair under her "Yes, though it was more getting the systems to read the hardware as I understand it?"

"Indeed it was, indeed it was Crimson Crow…" one of the Justice League heroes, a man with a red T on his face called Mister Terrific, from his own very comfortable, yet sturdy looking like as Callum allowed her to come beside him and enter the signal codes to the rest of the Justice Alliance that they were friendly "…as Enchanter just said the systems installed on the ship are the heart of most of it, it was more getting software created that could understand what the systems are telling them"

"All thanks to our crack team of mad scientists, engineers and costumed computer girls…" the young dimensional traveller replied with amusement glancing at her as well "…and of course us humble mages with our unnatural powers as I've told it's called"

Deborah let out a soft chuckle at that "Oh, yes, more than most…"

Then cut off as the communications system beeped and the screen before her came alive with the face of Burt…well, not the Burt across the room, but the second iteration of Detective Dark, the man who hadn't chosen her in the way "Crimson Crow, it is good to see you have return safely. Have you been successful in the task you have assigned yourself?"

She nodded, keeping her face blank as always "Yes, it is good to return home once again Detective Dark, and I do believe some measure of success has been achieved. Our young friends Mister Outis and Supergirl, whose salvaged this vessel is, have returned with representatives of the Justice League of her Earth, led by a heroine known as Wonder Woman. I wish to arrange an immediate meeting with the rest of the Alliance, and to prepare equipment I have promised for this vessel to cover the costs of transportation across dimensions"

Detective Dark gave a curt nod "Understood. Follow the directional beacon data I am now transmitting and follow landing directions to…"

--

{A team meeting several hours later…}

"We have a conference room now?"

"Well, we will shortly…" I replied to Kara as I came back over to the folding table with coffee in one hand, and iced donut in the other. It really wasn't much of a 'conference room' but it had a cheap folding table to sit the even cheaper folding chairs at, along with a trolley with a coffee machine and some supplies at "…I'm calling it one right now, and it's somewhere to meet while the Justice League and Justice Alliance make friendly"

"Hey, we're Justice League you know…" Batgirl interrupted as I glanced at Jonathan and Brewster to keep their mouths shut about whatever squeezing nonsense they seemed set on saying. I waved Batgirl and Kara off as I took my seat beside Quinn, with the third of the Sunnydale group, Rose, merely elbowing Brewster in the side across the table from me. I could have included Frank, Bill, and Mia, since they were also technicians; but, like the Justice League staffers, whether they'd continue on with us was debateable. So, for now, I'd gather the 'tech team' together to see what they thought what needed to be done now they'd had some time aboard our new ship, and the lists for Tuam Castle and base in San Francisco.

"Yeah, sure, but you weren't invited by said Justice League leader…" I ignored the glares from both ladies as I sat back in my chair "…and you've promised to help work on my ship, so here you are for the What-Do-We-Need meeting and planning committee on ensuring this ship has everything ya'll need on it. So, I want to know, mostly from the others here, but your input is welcome, on that plan; so Quinn, your dimensional sliding drive for one?"

Quinn gave an absentminded nodded "Testing looked good, and it's currently setup as a handheld device….but we could convert the auxiliary storage and power area directly above the front landing bay. The sliding device works by creating a vortex that we would then enter through to the dimensional parallel. Putting it at the very front of the ship would project the vortex directly in front of us, so we can study it with sensors and then enter easily. It's only a matter of increasing the power out and making sure the scaling is done right….I want better electronics, from the future nuclear wasteland, and advanced California"

"Gerius-man's right…" Brewster agreed drinking a glass of orange juice "…we need better electronics, having seen what we've seen of the fancy stuff we really don't want to go back, and that stuff is better than even the Justice League ones…sorry Supergirl, Batgirl"

Kara grinned…or maybe smirked, mostly at a scowling Batgirl "Oh, don't worry, I totally agree with that assessment"

"Sure you do…"

I ignored Batgirl's mutterings as I nodded after taking a sip of my coffee "Right, I figured as much, so that'll be one…two…of our ports of call in the near future then. California-land we can probably do a simple travel in, but I think with the Wasteland we are best bringing in the ship, along with some means to defend ourselves when scavenging"

'Like hiring security…from somewhere, just like needing the cook and the medical staff' I thought to myself, but not mentioning it as the response of 'We have wizards and superheroes' didn't take into account that they weren't available to do everything. Nor was throwing Supergirl in exactly subtle, and the mages of the College of Winterhold didn't exactly sign up to be a combat team – they were researchers, and they, as much as my own desires, was the reason behind getting one of holds converted into a library. Having the team from Army Ranger Wing had been a huge, if unneeded, boon when scavenging and I really wanted that on worlds with dangerous wildlife and hostile people.

Sadly I couldn't simply hire them, and this current trip was merely based on self-interest for the US and Irish governments. I doubt I could trust them for months long extended contracts, as they'd have external loyalties that might conflict, as I didn't offer much outside of trade for their patrons. Not if they could simple grab the ship along the way. Perhaps a paranoid on my part, but hiring was a dangerous thing in this trade…at least I was reasonably sure it was going to be. Heading back to Sigil and dealing with the Professor, and perhaps doing some hiring might be a start?

Jonathan held up his hand awkwardly "Uhh, I know it's not a technical department request, but we get proper furniture and things like that first? We sort of used up all the available good quality stuff around San Francisco, then the Castle, and we didn't move it over to the ship. Like the conference room here…"

Brewster nodded in agreement "Yeah Boss-man, Jonathan's tellin' the truth…can we, like, customise our rooms if we're stayin' about. It's super star treky an' awesome, but I hate the bed, it's not comfy at all"

"Yeah I want a desk / Boss can I get a cabinet and… / Paint to…"

I held up my hands "Right, right, I hear ya. Write up a list of what you need, want, and I'll get it sorted. Justice Alliance will cover the cost within reason, and I'll say to you all to consider this the start of getting everything you want. But, right now, I want to know immediate technical requests so I can sort all that out in the here and now, then try convincing our new hosts of the need…"

--

[Trader's Journal: Day: 416]

[Current Dimension]

Justice Alliance Chain we'll call it for now, 2nd Earth over.

[Current Location]

Zagorski Naval Base, Justice Central {Yes, they renamed the city that!}

[Current Cash Reserves]

1,000 US Silver Dollars [Quinn's Earth[High Quality]

1,200 Gold Dollars [DC-verse[DC-verse, Exp-01[United States of America[High Quality]

1,000 Septims [Low Quality gold-mix]

1,628 Californian Dollars [Earth-04, Chain-2091, Disunited America]

2,621 Dollars [US Provisional Government[Earth-01, Chain-2091, German-ruled America]

12,000 US Dollars [Justice Alliance Chain, Earth-02] on Account [Bank of New England]

[Recent Trades – Salvage]

Some more help with the refit of the Forune's Chance from electronics to kitting out the rooms mostly. I've traded about a hundred gold bars as well, though that's more of a very expensive goodwill gesture

[Diary Entry]

So, there's been an alliance agreed between the Justice League and the Justice Alliance, along with two other Justice 'We're not very original at naming' Groups from two nearby realities the Fraternity raided. Good for them, and profitable for us, so all is well I find. This old refitted warship is starting to feel alive again, and also look presentable as she's receiving a very nifty paint job right now thanks to the Justice Alliance. Largely as thanks for bringing in the Justice League and agreeing to help them ferry people over in about a month or two whenever their operation begins. Also, it's supposedly radar absorptive, or resistant, I'm not 100%, but it supposed to reduce radar profile – technically useless with a tech and magical cloak, but the gesture is appreciated.

We've left the robots from the Wasteland maintaining the bases for now, though they could serve as crew in time, and I've intentions to try get more in the next few weeks. If possible of course, as there's a great deal to do by waiting around all day while others continue to work away on the ship. Honestly I'm playing supervisor right now to the various workings being done on the ship, and quality-control to ensure nothing is being planted without my knowledge. All while continuing the training regime as laid out by Doctor Fate, and monitored by Zee, the wonderfully annoying sorceress. I won't complain too much though, it's good to talk to Zee, and it's funny really;- we're friends through the oddest of reasons. She's also delighted to talk shop with Faralda and Breyla as fellow women mages apparently, fair enough.

Now, my suggestion, albeit at Kara's pressuring, is that we send a small team {including me, since planeswalker for quick exit} over to the Earth of The Fraternity and investigate what's occurred there. Not straight away obviously, but scouting out the place before any coordinated attack seems a good idea in my opinion, especially if I'm risking my ship. So, that's being discussed by others above my pay-grade so right now I'm focusing on getting in furniture and the like for my very picky members of staff. Frankly I shouldn't be surprised that one of the big things they want installed is a gaming system that allows them play games from multiple realities – but I was, and am now investing in that. Joy. Anyway, Slán for now.

--

[02.37: A Merchant's Dimensional long fhada]

[A working voyage across the dimensions…]

Ted Kord, currently in his role of Blue Beetle, was glad of the break, even if the breaks often fell into talking shop with Mister Terrific, or the members of this 'Justice Alliance' that had been assigned to help them. He personally got on rather well with The Scarab and Cybertron, and between working on the ship, and on the Dimension Gate several ideas had popped into his mind for future applications for Kord Industries. Young Mister Outis had wanted a rather design philosophy; modular and adaptive, with a focus on multiple future additions of differing systems. Efficiency be damned really, though it would have been nice, and it had been an interesting experience working with magic-users so far.

'Though I probably should talk to Booster…and maybe Batman if I get up the nerve…to see about installing these anti-memetics for info-hazards as the dimension traveller calls them' he thought drinking a beer after the long day's work as he sat with a group of the others in the ad-hoc bar/rec-room in the middle of the inter-dimensional ship. Not that he hadn't helped work on such anti-mind control filters before, but…these were on quite another level really, with an almost obsessive…Batman-like…focus on multiple contingencies and filter layers. All of which implied bad things about other parts of the multi-verse really.

"…design is very interesting isn't it?" he heard as The Scarab point around the room, though he meant the ship Ted knew "It's its own dimensional bubble of sorts, one that's internals seem adjustable I'm sure you've notice?"

Ted nodded "Hmm, yes, it's shielding…no a reality field is probably a better way to look at it I think. Even inactive the vessel generates a low level energy field, I hate to admit it, but it's almost designed to integrate technology like we are working to install. Unfortunate that we cannot quite grasp it, they Blackboxed the underlying systems rather well"

The cyborg Cybertron smiled "Well, there's magic mixed in, and dimensional energy, and then whoever this Monarch was…well, his engineers knew enough to rip out various controls and then install their own, so even I can't tell what original design is and what's been added on. The Dimension Gate that The Fraternity built is much simpler though, evil supervillains they maybe but they built good tech. Even if it's making our job harder with the jamming effect they should be able to induce according to according to the notes on their systems"

"Successful supervillains…" Ted agreed with disgust "…still, we've a way around with the ship and magicians I suppose…"

Mister Terrific nodded "Not an insurmountable problem, and it isn't like we shouldn't have expected double-cross prevention and built in kill switches with a supervillain"

"True"

"True"

"Yes…" Ted sighed after taking a sip. Technically this was more a Block than a Kill Switch, or a Divert, but it was still the same basic reasoning behind "…very true. I'm just thrilled we get to work together on such a project, and, with some tinkering, I think we can expand the frequencies so that we don't get others pulling off these raids of theirs on our dimensions"

The Scarab hummed in though, his own bottle of beer resting on the arm rest of the couch "That's the part I don't get? They've won, right? Got everything they wanted and more, and somehow didn't immediately start killing each other…"

"And that was certainly a shock…." Ted interjected, the other man giving an earnest nod "…hell, villain team-ups almost never last. This lot lasted near two decades, all while controlling the world!"

"I know, crazy isn't it?" The Scarab went on "…but, yeah, they'd won, got everything they wanted…and what do they do? Go around raiding other realities for things they don't need! It's just…daft if you get my meaning? If they'd left us all alone, and I TRULY do not like saying this, they'd likely have been left alone for quite some time, or till the populace rose up against them"

"Self-destructive man, it's just them being self-destructive…" Cybertron told his compatriot with a metallic shrug "…how many of those we've locked up just couldn't stop when they were ahead? Sure, they'd won, but with a lot of them…those urges just had to go somewhere. In this case into looking for fights during heists – something I've noted from studying the records since we became aware of them"

"My own analysis would hint at the same conclusion…" Mister Terrific agreed making his floating orbs perform a small lightshow for them, data-points and images of robberies and fights "…I doubt their even aware of themselves, or pass it off as necessity or some such. Not that it will make the task any easier you understand? Solving the problem will mean upsetting a world order that has lasted near decades since they took over?"

Ted watched as both Justice Alliance men gave grave nods, the more serious of the two, The Scarab being the one to reply "Oh, don't we know it. Pretty much everyone in the Alliance has an opinion on the matter, but we all can agree that simply flying in and dealing with the worst of the bunch will only be the start. Unfortunately leaving such a festering sore so close to our own universes…"

There was no need to say any further as they could all agree on that point, leaving a dimension continue to be led by a successful Legion of Doom….would be a disastrous idea. Especially if they themselves got ideas and started allying with their own villains;- and Ted had read enough of the reports on this villain ruled world to be horrified by that prospect. That they could be considered successful in their rule merely made it more frightening when placed alongside the fate that many of the alternates of the friends of these two men across from had suffered. It made rethinking where and how to imprison their villains a headache for people higher up in the League than Ted as well of course, but he wasn't worried about that right now.

"…would be even more disastrous"

"Indeed it would Blue Beetle, indeed it would…" Cybertron agreed in that almost hippie-like yet robotic voice of his "…and what do you think of travelling dimensions? Not going to sign up for the merry crew here?"

Ted chuckled "No, fraid not, yourselves?"

"No, certainly not, my wife would kill me…" The Scarab laugh back, Cybertron nodding in agreement with him it seemed "…and I think we've enough on our plates to worry about without inviting more trouble or work to be done! I think a few, simple, and controlled, links between our surrounding dimensions is for the best. I'm sure Captain Outis and his merry band will find some willing to go, but amongst the young, single, and adventurous…too much so for their own good really"

"Heh, heh…" Ted agreed with amusement of his own "…perhaps, though one or two of our own apparently fall into that category, lured away by the spirit of Supergirl. Though I can kind of see what would be the case…"

He pointed at Mister Terrific "…and don't tell Superman I said that either"

His fellow Leaguer chuckled "Oh, don't worry, I can see it too. She's done a damn fine job on these systems, and, truthfully, she seems happier gallivanting about the cosmos. Batgirl I understand to watch out for her, but Zatanna I am surprised at"

Ted shrugged "Magic learning apparently"

The Scarab chuckled again "Aye, our dear Crimson Crow, heart of sunshine that she is, has been positively glowing about what she has learned over her days travelling between realms"

Cybertron's organic eye gave his friend a *look* at those words "We are thinking of the same Crimson Crow Scarab?"

"Well…for Crow I mean Cybertron…" The Scarab clarified with clear amusement "…I'm still unsure if her face is flesh or somehow life-like granite that's permanently set in a frown of disapproval"

"That's just for you Scarab…" the cyborg replied with a deadpan ton "…though I blame the elves and cat-man…which is a huge letdown"

Blue Bettle glanced at The Scarab who shrugged with an amused smirk on his face "He wanted a Catgirl"

"I wanted to meet a sexy Catgirl…" Cyrbertron agreed with a sad undertone "…and instead the universe sends me a kleptomaniac Catman that uses magic not science…" armoured arms thrust upwards towards the ceiling "…curse you universe! Curse you!"

"Oh boo-hoo, the big robot baby didn't get what he wanted…" The Scarab muttered taking out another bottle of beer to replace his empty one "…but, yeah, magic. Not really my thing I'm afraid. I'm quite happy living in my modern technologically advanced civilization, with indoor heating, plumping, and tv, over a fantasy with elves and cat-people throwing fireballs around"

Ted nodded in agreement "Yeah, I'd vote aye on that motion. Few of the technicians seemed interested, between the chance to get rich and that seeing the sights, but it's not for me either outside of temporary trips. Being a hero is time consuming let me tell you!"

"Back at ya brother, back at ya…" Cybertron agreed "…and there's the added detail of universal constants changing between dimensions by various accounts. Let them collect the data, then we'll do the analysis and make sense of it afterwards. The work of scientists, not simple face-punching"

Mister Terrific grinned "True, though I think we'll see plenty of face-punching in a few days"

"Couldn't happen to a nicer bunch of people, so I think some face-punching is acceptable don't you?"

Ted's friend with the T-mask agreed with Cybertron, nodding his head as Ted sipped his beer and ate some crackers "No arguments here on that. Though the logistics of coordinating multiple versions of the League…Alliance for you…will be daunting"

The Scarab gave a snort "Eh, not too much I hope. We pack our heavies, Fallout, you're Superman, the Alliance for Justice's Superstorm and that other guy in the purple-pink into the ship here, they fly through, and then they fly out and take out the Dimensional generator of the Fraternity. Followed by the rest of us pouting in – bing, bang, boom, bad guys down, justice victorious"

Ted gave his own snort at that "Now someone's being far too optimistic"

"Well…yeah, but in a perfect world it could happen ya'know?" the other man in the red/gold costume replied with a shake of his head "Anyway, a man can dream can't he?"

--

[02.38: A Merchant's Dimensional long fhada]

[Turning Doctors into Cooks, and Heroines into Technicians…]

Doctor Lucy Chen smiled with amusement as she surveyed her new domain, even if it was an area of control that she wouldn't have planned to takeover, especially not on an dimension travelling ship. When the Justice Alliance had offered the opportunity she jumped at the chance to work with people, albeit the damaged alternate reality versions of them, that had been her heroes since she was a little girl. When the full nature of the job, on a temporary assignment till now, had revealed itself…it had been difficult at first, but now she had heard and seen what could be out there in the universe it appealed even more. Even if becoming the head of the kitchen staff of a ship had never been a career goal till now.

'Something to put on the resume; head chef and physiatrist on an inter-dimensional spaceship' she thought as she ran her finger over the, spotless, edge of the cooking station. One of several brand new and very impressive looking workstations, ovens, and grills filling the kitchen area of the ship all around her;- idly she wonder if it was the same standard as was in the Assembly of Justice. Certainly fancier than anything she had worked with in her college days, or as her hobby, but it would be a good environment for S'tella's treatment as her patient badly needed to feel useful again from the looks of it.

"To your liking I hope?" the voice of the young dimension traveller who captained this vessel, and now her employer, asked politely as he came through the security doors "All the power's hooked up and everything's been safety tested twice over"

Lucy sighed softly, but was perfectly respectable "Hmm, that's that somewhat concerning paranoia again Sir"

Callum Outis shrugged "I prefer to think of it as healthy paranoia in this business, can't have anything going wrong because of a silly mistake that turns a small problem into a large one. You can call me Callum by the way, I have mentioned that you know?"

"I could, perhaps in my off duty times..." she replied politely with an amused smile "…I do believe it is merely cultural differences. I have been raised to be respectful of authority, and it would not do to undermine yours be such informality. At least it would feel so to me Captain Outis, so perhaps you could indulge mine, and my colleagues, little eccentricities as you see them?"

The young man nodded after a minute, projecting that odd air of authority that felt older than he looked, one that she didn't tell him made her naturally incline towards respectful address regardless. Mildly strange but differing cultural backgrounds and education as best Lucy could tell, and it was going to be battle to adjust she suspected to more…deviant or unnatural cultural mores should they pick up other crew members. There was a great deal of similarity between the various iterations of the Justice Alliances across dimensions, but there was also some significant variations too. Lucy had always thought herself a rather progressive and ambitious woman after twenty-eight years of living in the city….and it was somewhat clear she was the prudish, awkward, one compared to several members of the crew. It would certainly be one important thing to note for future psychological and anthropology…xenology?...books she might write.

"Of course Doctor Chen, or Chef Chen in this instance I suppose"

Lucy chuckled at that "Indeed, heh heh, an unusual combination one must admit, and I apologise that I shan't be serving fine dining with our small staff"

"Ah, well, that's unexpected and having tasted you're cooking its rather better quality than we'd be able to manage the way we've been working so far"

It was a valid point, though Lucy agreed for other reasons as well "One find so Sir, though some formal structures will help with everyone now that we are to serve aboard this vessel. Structures and responsibilities are a necessity now I feel, and you're decision to setup some structured roles is a positive, though I would suggest a little more formality or duties placed in writing"

Her young Captain nodded "I actually agree, and that's, to a degree, what we're doing at the moment between myself Quinn and Kara. Systems need to have maintenance after all, and unfortunately we're all guilty of letting time slip away when other things crop up to distract us, so some structure is vital yes. Plenty of downtime too o course, and I'll be glad to have you're feedback as both a chef and a doctor in ensuring that the crew morale remains high as they say"

An understandable concern Lucy agreed, though the current crew were decent enough, even her troubled patients, as while some had lives to return too…none had desperate clinging to them. It was much like having a long term ship crew, perhaps from a past age, where communications were poor and months, years even, could pass between arriving at your home port once again. Having research those histories, along with various studies in recent years, Lucy hoped she was up to the task….as the stars, well, dimensions, awaited to sate her deep curiosity "Of course Captain, it's why one is here after all"

--

{Breylna Maron goes to the library…}

Showers were wonderful things Breylna thought luxuriating in the wonderfully hot water as it ran down her skin, washing off the sweet smelling soapy-mix from her body. It should get old…but it didn't, and the fact this one was better than the one in both the military stronghold, and then in the castle, only made the situation more enjoyable. Sadly it was one that had to come to end she knew sadly letting out a sad sigh after a few minutes and turning the knob to turn off joyous warmth so she could step out of the shower unit and grab a towel. A glance at the clock on the wall indicated she'd dragged it out….a little longer than she should have, and Breylna found her rushing to dry herself off and then get dressed into her robes.

'Silly, silly, silly' she scolded herself for wasting time like that, hurriedly striding out of her room and walking quickly down the corridors to where she was supposed to be. It was strange how wondrous thins could turn to mundane she found striding quickly forward, waving at the one or two Men who were finished up painting or working on making sure everything was ready when they set sail. To battle….or at least transporting others to battle, as Breylna had no intention of fighting in someone else's war, nor had any other the others from the College. Yes it was terrible what these empowered villains had down….and it had given her a few nightmares at thought of herself in the place of their victims…but there were clearly enough Champions to handle the situation coming aboard…

"Ah, Breylna…" the voice of her leader, something of a head of their strange Guild as she thought of it greeted her looking up from of those wonderful metal tablets filled with things to read and 'videos' to watch "…always in a hurry to be early for our meetings"

Breylna flushed a little in embarrassment, bowing, hands together in her lap "Ah, apologies Callum, I nearly bumped into you"

He was really nice, and friendly…and it was a little hard to forget how he'd handled Ancano before her eyes, and put that dreadful Thalmor in his place. Having grown up in the Houses, with Morrowind falling apart, dealing with a powerful mage like this, and a 'Hero' with such powers that Kara had, she still didn't know how to react around the two superior mages that considered her their friend "Oh don't worry Breylna you weren't nearly at that stage. Hey, we can walk together since we're nearly there. How are you finding the ship?"

"It's wonderful!" she replied before her brain caught up, smiling and gesticulating with her hands "Not that base wasn't wonderful…but there's so much to see and learn, and the showers are fantastic…"

"Oh yeah, no disagreement there…" Callum laughed back after she let out an awkward laugh as her brain caught up with her mouth "…I am so happy to have them on hand, and a comfy bed to sleep in. Certainly beats sleeping in the fields under the stars"

"Yes indeed, so much better!" Breylna agreed happily walking with the Guild leader towards the library…library!...aboard the massive ship "Even J'zargo is happy with his lot, and he complains about everything!"

"Heh heh, I'm glad to here. I was worried that the long journey might cause…"

Breylna waved it off, grabbing his arm with her right hand, energetically gesturing with her left "No, No, Lord, there is so much to learn! To see! It's scary…but so much to learn and so little time! And a library of my own! I shall build the finest Arcaneum of my own in all of Morrowwind! Even Urag in the College will be jealous of it!"

Callum chuckled happily "Well, I'll be competing with you on that front, but good luck on it. Seems making you and Onmund Assistant Librarians under Faralda was definitely the right choice. Oh, by the way, how are you finding working with the rest of the crew? Sunnydalers? Zatanna and Batgirl?"

Breylna shrugged "The Batgirl I have not spoken to, and…hmm, those of the Sunny Dale are nice, though I do not like females so I disappointed…"

"She hit on you?"

"No…she did not hit me…" Breylna replied in confusion, then blushing again "…no, ah, merely attempt to court me in their strange way. It was not bothersome…but I…well, like…not…you know…"

Then waved her hands in front of herself as Callum looked annoyed "No, no, it wasn't a bother, it is nice…to be called pretty and have lovely ears"

Callum smiled "Okay then, well, it's not like I'll interfere in those maters unless their bothering you"

"Oh no, everyone has been very nice….well, even Master Quinn…in his own way, like Master Gestor"

"Yeah, Quinn is….like that, so is Phinis, in their own special way…" the white clad mage replied with an exasperated sigh, then shook his head, clapping his hands together with a smile "Now, let's meet the rest of Arcane Research and Learning Team and get things sorted out about work shifts and all the other boring day to day things that come with running a ship. Oh, and the whole transporting a legion of heroes so they launch an invasion of a world ruled by evil villains thing!"

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