TTM & WM Chapter 33: Entry 33, a private fanfic

[08.01: Anabasis]

[Echoes of the coming madness]

"…and jump complete" Barbara announced as I frowned at the displays "We are back in realspace"

"No contacts on sensors" Jonathan confirmed further "Jump point…system showing….that's a lot of wreckage"

"Yes" I murmured as the drone feed was now replaced by the far more powerful sensor systems of the Chance and the Carrier working in tandem "It is"

We'd emerged within a star system…

Or at least the remnants of one, through what had 'felt' like an existent breach-point into reality. What we were seeing on the displays now seemed to indicate that was the case after a week of travelling through three breach points to get to here, in largely quiet dimensions. Quiet in the sense of no active civilizations showing up on the sensors through the regions we'd travelled, but also concerningly high energy. This one had the same 'high energy' readings when it came to its 'reality settings', and the debris field didn't indicate good things as I surveyed it along with the rest of the bridge crew.

This breach-point had been fought over at some point in the past. It was why it was a good spot to enter and hide amongst as the Carrier slid into the dimension, engines hot and ready to jump again if we had to. There were the wrecks of starships around us, along with what looked to be two 'cracked' planetoids, one likely the moon of the shattered world. Whatever had happened here had been very violent and very terrible when it had occurred, and the planet had either been destroyed by the breach in reality, or had been destroyed after whoever had entered this reality had arrived. Considering the breach-point's location I was leaning towards the first, at a glance, but there was no information other than making a guess.

The molten core of the planet was…there, in a way I was finding hard to describe as it was pulsing with energy somehow. Other power sources, old and faded, were showing up on the sensors, then translated unto the holographic displays showing great swathes of shattered orbital wreckage here and further out in clumps throughout the system. Whoever had been here had been an advanced spacefaring civilization before whatever disaster, or invasion, it looked like to me. At least before whatever had happened here. Though even Babs had the same opinion as me as she came over, frowning at the images loading up.

"So….alien invasion?"

"Inter-dimensional invasion, yeah, I'd guess that as well"

She nodded "So, did we just follow the invasion route?"

"Yeah" I admitted "Yeah, I reckon we did. Though I doubt it happened quite some time ago. But, still, yeah, we're going to leave here as soon as we can and setup in a system that isn't here and therefore on someone's breach in reality"

I looked towards Jonathan "How are we looking on faster-than-light?"

"Mimic drive is still analysing Captain…another half-an-hour before we have minimums"

"Good, let me know when it does" I instructed standing beside the wheel of the Chance, Babs at my side as the Carrier carefully drifted further in-system, moving into the debris field of the shattered planet and moon, along with drones deploying to scan the wreckage "I don't think it'll be good to linger in this dimension"

"Ya'think?" she murmured back, good humoured but as concerned as I was, then nodded, voice back to being serious "Your right, we need to leave here as soon as we can. This is the first indication of activity around these breach-points, but, my opinion…"

I nodded, waving my hand that there was no need for an 'I-told-you-so' from her "No, I agree, I'd just rather it wasn't the case. Quinn's view we're at the edge of a Babylon 5 cluster still…I agree with your concerns"

"The Thirdspace Aliens"

"Yeah" I nodded back to her, sighed "Yeah, or whatever they called themselves. They were clearly multiverse travel capable, and odds were the Vorlons failed in at least one dimension. If it is them?"

I shook my head "That's a power level beyond us, and best avoid running into more dimensions with them around"

She nodded, slowly "They didn't leave a presence here, we can hope, so, investigate?"

Then gestured at the star-chart "That would be Sol?"

I frowned, looking towards the glowing image she was pointing at "Ye…ah, that would be earth assuming star chart positions stayed the same. Looks like we'd be in either Minbari or Centauri territory based on the star-charts we had from Starfleet…" not that such things carried over much even in active dimensions "…and Earth wouldn't an insurmountable distance if the mimic drive functions as it should"

"It'd probably be our best bet for seeing about historical records, if there are any" she noted, motioning at the sector "And we could hide out in Sol while you do your magic thing and try figure out the destination we need to travel to"

'And you're hoping there'll still be active earth there, one with answers, maybe' I thought for a moment, nodding as I considered. It was highly unlikely, but this place was showing major energy levels, and what might be other breach-points in the fabric of reality in the 'distance' so to speak. And that was after only a short while in-dimension too, just a surface level scan – though not necessarily a good sign potentially either. Largely as multiple breaches in reality like this graveyard of an unknown species wouldn't hint at a positive position for things.

'Then again…' I reminded myself firmly '…you are making assumptions based on one system, with one breach, and not seeing anything else beyond jumping at shadows for two dimensions already'

"Fine" I said after a moment, smiling "We'll aim for earth, and try and stay as stealthy as we can…all things considered"

Because, yeah, hiding the Carrier was not an easy task, even if the 'high energy' or 'loose reality' rules were allowing us to affect a low-level cloak of sorts. I very much doubted it would hold up anywhere up close to anyone even 'low' advanced spacefaring civilization sensors, but, at a distance, it hid us from visuals along with energy and heat emissions. Everything was funnelled back into the pocket universe powering The Carrier, and the fact our learnings in the 'variant' dimension with Starfleet were viable backed up my own theory this was still at the fringes of a multiverse cluster.

Sure, we'd travelled quite a long way from that place by now, a long, exhausting, way, but the past week might not have got us far enough. Travelling took time, and time was relative as well, and I had to study each dimension when we arrived to try locating the next step on a path back towards the Bleed. Well, towards home, but the Bleed was where the Carrier considered home, and therefore the Monitor based systems were much more inclined towards that. Anyway, it was safer that way in that the Bleed had defences in built, and returning direct to League territory was one of those things we tried not to do,

'Not that it's exactly easy to do this' I admitted as Babs pointed out various routes we could take as Jonanthan reported the drives were ready ahead of schedule. Seemed this dimension was much like the previous ones, save with slightly higher energy thresholds yet again. After a dozen jumps it was apparent now, and that was good and bad, all things considered. Right now, though it meant we'd have decent faster-than-light travel ability, and that this wasn't the dimension we were going to get marooned on like a ship on shoal. That was always a concern so far from anywhere 'Should really have rehired that Pathfinder team. Too late to worry on that now anyway'

"Three days to reach this dimension's version of Sol?" I asked after a little while as Jonathan brought up transit times and displayed them after Barbara's query "That's quite fast"

"Existent hyperlanes" he explained "But there's no beacons…faster than warp drive though, but there is a system here we can follow with the mimic drive. We'd be faster with the Fortune's Chance alone…"

'Good, and bad, much like many things' I thought, nodding "True, but we're not separating the ships. We'll follow the route you've laid out and we'll see do any colonies exist along the way based on the data we have of other dimensions. There are several potentials sites we can investigate as we plot our next target dimension…"

[08.02: Anabasis]

[Rats in the walls]

"Is everywhere dead here?"

"Probably" I voiced back to Kara's question as we looked upon another dead planet, yet another dead earth, from the bridge of the Fortune's Chance "Very probably in fact, and likely quite some time ago from the looks of it"

Earth had clearly never gotten to the stage of an industrial revolution, let alone the status of the Earth Alliance and interstellar travel with settled colonies. I'd expected as much after the scans of four systems as we'd headed towards here, and there'd been no sign of any human settlement, though there had been plenty of signs of destruction. Of whom we didn't know, but like the first world we'd arrived in there had been a mass of shattered hulls and a dead world, though, at a distance, it hadn't been broken open at a glance. Long ago it seemed, though I suspected this whole dimension had been 'purged', system by system, over an extended period if this earth was anything to go by.

Quinn was studying things in his own, special, way "Why did they kill the biosphere?"

Rather than being horrified by the idea, he seemed more perplexed than anything "That seems really energy intensive and wasteful. Look, they blew off the atmosphere and most of the oceans!"

…and the funny thing was. He was right.

When you looked at it that way, the dead orb laying before us, had been destroyed in oddly specific ways, and there was a weird destruction pattern here and there in-system. Earth's civilization had existed but had been wiped out thousands of years ago in ancient times, probably, as the destruction had likely been massive and sudden. Whatever had happened had simply killed everything on the planet, from animals, people, and birds all the way down to the lowliest bacteria. Earth was, literally, dead, and a wrongness seemed to cloak it due to that fate.

But that was…strange in of itself. There were clear destruction patterns on the planet, here and there, that had occurred either soon afterwards, or during the 'wipe all life out' part, and as there were impact craters where…whatever had happened. Small, highly focused, craters, that were only visible because there were residual energy readings the Chance's sensors were detecting. All of this to wipe out a pre-industrial civilization that this humanity had to have been?

And why had they blown up spots on the moon?

Let alone who had done it?

As we still didn't have an effective answer there, beyond our suspicions of it being the so-called Thirdspace Aliens the Vorlons had faced in other dimensions. Not that I wanted to blunder upon them if it was, but this level of destruction was concerning with us a planeswalkers in a ship now potentially facing a planeswalking civilization that was exterminating other galaxies. Proceeding further indicated travelling close to whatever route whoever had come to this dimension had been on…which was a concern. But we could investigate it, a little, as we used this time to recharge and prepare for the next leg of the journey. I doubted there'd be answers, but it was worth trying.

"Yeah, a frozen moment in time. Death" I murmured, frowning at the displays. Earth was like the Moon in many ways, albeit not the same colour, as whatever weapons had blasted off the atmosphere…or vanished it, and flash frozen the oceans. Frozen, but they were reduced in size as well, even if the continents were still visible even to the naked eye. Even from high above there were the ruins of what would be cities on the surface, here and there, though post Whatever The Fuck Happened volcano events were apparently a thing. Geology was looking wonky to me "Well…I don't think this changes our plan if the system wasn't developed"

Kara looked at me, frowning "Really?"

I let out an unhappy sigh "Not…entirely, we can't restock, and this is creepy, but we've got time to recharge from the sun, and our wannabe starfighter pilots can train in space now they've practiced on the simulators"

'Making them barely above threats to themselves, yes, but at least we aren't being attacked here like we were everywhere else' I didn't say about the handful of brave, bored, and potentially suicidal men from the Carrier who'd been training on the Earth Alliance simulators from the day after we got them. If pirates could fly the Starfury, then this lot thought they could too…and it was best to do so here, where we weren't being actively chased for 'real-time' testing. Idiocy I thought, but the Science and Engineering teams thought the support systems should help them use our purchases.

"Hmm" Kara was frowning some more, arms folded across her chest "So we…stay here a week or two and get everything ship shape and all that?"

I shrugged "Possibly? Look, we're best resting while we can, get any materials we can, and generally make sure we're ready for another round of running. I doubt there'll be anything to learn here, even if I'm inclined to investigate, but we do training in a relatively safe environment"

Quinn nodded "It'd be for the best. We need to do some proper scans as well, recalibrate the drives if we have need after running so hard"

Kara smiled, throwing hands in the air "Fine, I'm outnumbered, and I don't disagree. Let's do the survey we planned and see about next steps…"

{The next day}

"This is fucked up, you know that right, Captain?" Nathan voiced to me as we, along with four others, stood in sealed exploratory suits on the atmosphere-less earth "Just saying"

I toggled my own comms back to him, the suit feeling as odd as even now we'd exited through the door from the Carrier to a spot had once been in India "I'm aware, but you are the one who wants to train here, so, here we are. Investigating that option, along with seeing is there anything to be learned here"

There likely wouldn't be, but this was curiosity at work, and safer than trying to investigate the ruined worlds we'd passed by. I was taking the next week to allow the crew to 'rest', along with train in relation to certain people from the Carrier in both the Star Furies and as Nathan here wanted with spacewalks, and handling horror, for infantry. And this place looked the horror movie, with skeletons still in existence, bodies of the withered dead covered in a layer of dust in what must have been a great long ago. By…Iron Age? Bronze Age?...standards I didn't know, yet, but it was fucked up looking certainly.

'What…why…do this?' I wondered idly as Nathan's voice came back "Aye Boss, still, seeing is as unpleasant as expected"

"Tell me about it" I admitted in a murmur as I surveyed they outer, stone, wall of the city through my suit's visor, then speaking more clearly as I waved the sensor device in my right hand "Well, nothing to be done there. Stay on guard while we do the survey, just in case there are ancient booby-traps left by whoever did this, or the ground is more unstable than we reckon. We'll head inside and see what got blasted"

Death had been sudden as I expected, skeleton-husks, in preserved, but dusty covered, rags scattered about as I led my small escort in through what was likely the city's main gate. An earthquake, or something else, had collapsed much of it, but a simple application of the light armour's jetpack had allowed us to get over that blockage without much trouble. It was surreal moving like this behind no-sky, the sunlight illuminating everything in radiation and brightness only our suits were shielding us from. Even if it was causing nasty looking shadows to form on the ruins, and clearly freaking out the two newest members of the squad as I explored.

'Which is the point after all' I thought as Nathan chastised both, and then having both men test out their phase rifles handling as studied writing and general architecture. I didn't recognise it, nor the architecture to be honest, as the city felt…off…somehow, from the street layout, to what might be artwork etched into the brickwork as I brushed off layers with a small bit of magic. It made me uneasy for some reasonIt make me uneasy for some reason as I studied it, then walked on towards the impact site Quinn wanted readings from. True, I did as well, as this whole method of destruction hinted at a cruel and insane species – one whose territory we had to cross through potentially to try and get back on the road home.

'So…let's assume then that's a palace complex instead of other options' I mused as we entered a large square and I glanced over a large fortress like building amidst the dead city, walking towards the almost pinpoint destruction of a site in the centre of the city. I couldn't hear the device, though it was likely quite noisy as it was certainly very active as I motioned my escort to hold as I approached allowing the device to scan as it used my other hand to cast a spell of my own 'What then would it make this big ol'hole in the ground?'

Why bother with this…insanely surgical attack after literally wiping out the planet?

'Ok, humans….granary? barracks? Temple possibly?' I wondered as I studied the readings, frowned as put down the sensor and focused on my spell…

'Stranger and stranger' I mused after a few minutes, watching the now glowing edges of the destruction as my spell highlight parts to me. Squatted down and frowned as I rested elbows on knees as I glanced at the sensor device of Quinn's, and then back at the hole in the ground 'Dimensionally active maybe? So they….either were trying to make it active, or were aiming to patch over a weakness in reality? Proto-magic…no, that wouldn't make sense either…'

I stood back up. This was all very strange…

[08.03: Anabasis]

[Redacted]

"They are not doing a great job of it" I muttered, comms disabled as I did so while I watched the bobbing and weaving done by our Star Fury team on 'overwatch' as we did further explorations on the planet. The trainee Star Fury team's performance was…less than desired. Two damaged already in the six days we'd been in-system, and the flying above the atmosphere-less earth was…bad…even to my untrained eye. Four were up, and it felt to me like a case of simply being glad they hadn't crashed into each other. The sad part was that was what I was expecting; - professional military forces were not created overnight, not with complex machinery like the Star Fury was for its dimension.

Unfortunately, we were increasingly looking like we'd need such little things in the near future, and so things were being tested out now, while we could, in relative peace. Even if that time was going to be very limited in duration even at the best of times. Like the modified drones that Chief Engineer Sanchez had drafted up with Quinn, which were now flying above us doing an aerial survey, and generally proving they could actually function over a dead world like this. Or in space generally. That was always the problem with our situation – we could build our own stuff, or copy designs, but testing was still needed.

'The Monitor drones might be insanely superior, but we can't afford to lose those' I thought as I looked away from the starfighters in the distant night side sky of earth. It was easier to work in the 'dark' than on the 'light' side of earth over the last few trips down to earth as I looked into this mystery. Just like the rest of the arcane team, along with some of Quinn's scientists, as it was both important to our plotting our course, while also a shiny mystery to the curious magpies amongst my crew. It kept them busy I supposed as I trudged along in my spacesuit, the ground around us illuminated by drone lights from above, and from the two armoured personal carriers behind us modelled on the obsolescent United Earth model the Androsynth had on taken files.

My focus now was on this third 'city' I was visiting on this dead planet, again with its oddness, and again with the horror I was getting far too used too. This location was in the middle of the North Sea, or at least where the North Sea would have been, but clearly Doggerland hadn't flooded when this place existed. Which meant the extinction event was further back than I'd thought, and therefore humanity had advanced a bit more rapidly than in some dimensions, or geography had been somewhat different. With the 'frozen in time' effect as I thought of it…well, dating things wasn't exactly easy. Not with other concerns like the dimensional energy signatures I'd been trying to figure out.

Like the one in this place, which was very, very, weak, but this place hadn't been nuked from orbit, and seemed somewhat intact, with a number of 'towns' and 'cities' indicating this might have been a settled area. Maybe even a nation. Whatever the case this was a port city it looked to sensors and aerial surveying as I walked through the dead streets and looking back and forth to my map on the datapad. The architecture here was…more normal?

Or perhaps more organised, albeit more towards circular patterns, with high stone walls, and what had probably been heavy fortifications when this earth lived. Ringfort-esque in design, with lots of etchings on the ruined walls that meant nothing to me but didn't have the uneasy effect of the cities we'd hit in India and Black Sea area. There were hints in those cities of human sacrifice, or maybe cannibalism, but that was only broad guesses based on the pictures etched and painted unto walls. Either that or both of those cultures had been extreme morbid, unlike the sun glyphs on these walls that I'd been seeing the last hour as I made my way towards what had been a citadel I'd suspect.

'No…' I thought as I used my magic, carefully, to clear an area and then restore it a little to what it had once been, Debbie helping with her shadow magics '…I don't think that's what this place was. Temple? No…those are blacksmith's tools? Destroying statues?'

It was hard to figure at a glance, as there was so much ruin, and it was hard to tell as the roof had fallen in, and only the 'outside' part in the centre was still there as I brought my light around at the walls. Lots of things etched into the walls around the place, and what might have been tools. Broken stone, what looked like statues, along with bodies. Bodies that indicated they'd died doing….whatever the fuck they'd been doing…

"Found the energy source?"

Debbie's voice over the comms interrupted my thoughts, and I glanced to my datapad, looking at the blinking icon a few steps away "Yes, appears so. And it's largely not covered under tons of brickwork. Can you hold this while I?"

"Of course" she answered taking the datapad off me and giving me use of my two arms "It's recording?"

"Yes, just let it do it's thing" I replied back as I walked ahead to where the very, very, faint energy readings had been coming from "I'll just clear here a bit and….let's see"

Rubble and dust were easily cleared away by one of the Mister Handy's in my squad, and I directed it away so I could use Prestidigitation to 'restore' some basics to highlight the source of the…

'Okay. Not a metal container, stone…a statue maybe?' I mused as the area took shape, cleaned in its way as what was generating the mildest dimensional energy readings and looking at a broken….thing. A stone statue of some sort, and clearly in the middle of being broken up when everyone died if I was reading the dead bodies with…

Sledgehammers and armour on them?

'Hmm. Giving credence to the proto magic theory' I mused, then waved Debbie back after having her cast a protective spell on the area I was looking at. One had too much experience with necromancy not to be wary of playing around with identificion style spellcraft around a mass grave city, let along in what might be either a temple or a prison, or a templars 'burn the heathen idols' style barracks. Using a scroll, while in a light armour spacesuit, on a place with no air, was awkward, but it was feasible as my now awkwardly gloved fingers got the scroll open and I spoke the words, along with infusing a faint bit of magic into them. The scroll ignited as if catching fire, despite the lack of air, and then turning to ash and flying to the spot…

{Identification; - Basic Outline. Is a Statue. Is a Statue of a [Redacted] Entity…}

'What?' my mind got in horror as barriers rippled {…in a humanoid shape. Statue emits [Redacted] emissions of a [Redacted]….}

My right hand moved, words silently uttered, and cut the spell even as it had barely done anything, accepting the backlash and pain that slammed into me for breaking my own spellcraft. Winced in agony as it hit, stumbling and catching myself, hands going to my knees as I starred at the dust and rubble covered earth below with wide eyes. Old self-protection spells, orcish as much as netherese, had ignited. The first levels of training when dealing with summoning, and expanded upon by my nature of as, even a bizarre, Shard of my God. Protections to ensure a mortal mind DID NOT LOOK BEYOND ITS KEEN….

"Callum what…"

I gasped out, then had my hand raised to cut Debbie off "Stay back! Stay back! Nobody use magic or…scanners off! Recorders off! Now!"

"Captain?" came into my comms from Babs on the bridge "Problem?"

"Cut all active sensor feed of this location and any similar energy readings until further notice!" I rasped out…

[Redacted] fucking [Redacted]. That…that indicated very bad things. Most likely…

"Infohazard and contagion protocols. Everyone off this rock and into screening NOW! All training is over till further notice!"

"Boss?" Debbie asked in concern "What did you see?"

I stood back up, pointedly not looking at the wreckage of a broken statue "Nothing. I saw nothing, but my protective wards are acting as if it's An Elder Evil or an Old One…."

'This whole dimension is..,.was…fucked' I thought in growing concern, suddenly seeing the problem of all the energy readings across the galaxy, and what that meant if here, on a backwater I was getting *this* from such a minor thing "I doubt we're in any danger. Yet. But….we need to readjust plans. We need to be very, very, very, fucking careful right now. Whover purged this galaxy did so…well, there was something else here as well…"

[08.04: Anabasis]

[Don't stop, thinking about tomorrow…]

M'gann Outis hummed contentedly as she rested into Kalum shoulder, his hand on her belly and doing the 'magic baby thing' to make sure her child grew safely and healthy. It was…nice, very nice in fact. Warm and comfortable, and like a family as Kara rested on the other side of Kalum, hands on his other shoulder and murmuring something as the old movie played. Kalum needed the break they'd both decided, especially with how stressed he'd been, and using the 'healing time' as a rest break for him was as good an excuse as any. She wasn't going to complain as it the whole situation was almost divine in comparison to the panic of finding out she was pregnant with Connor's baby.

Across from their couch Jennifer, the weird thinking white-silver hair human sorceress was curled up on a chair, half-sleeping, half-watching the film and them. M'gann wasn't sure about Jennifer, the woman had strange thought processes and Kara didn't have the best impression of her, but M'gann could tell Jennifer was well-meaning…if strange. For now, M'gann could ignore her, instead holding her hand over Kalum's as magic 'tingled' against the slight bump of a belly, the weird runes and circle there probably glowing beneath his and her hand. It was a strange feeling, hot and cold at the same time, but not painful either…just 'tingly' as she like to think of it.

"Calm yet?"

"I'm perfectly calm" she heard Callum huff back to Kara "It's just been stressful…we are in danger. I don't like that"

"No" Kara murmured back "We're not in danger right now. You admitted that yourself. The danger is ahead, but now it's just a problem we have to work around"

"Hmm-hmm!" M'gann found herself agreeing with a hum before speaking "Yes, you said so"

"I have to stop saying things then" he huffed back them "Because apparently I get outnumbered"

M'gann giggled at that "No…but you did say it's not dangerous…yet"

"Yet" he replied with a sigh "Yet, and it's the magpies crossed with lemmings over on the carrier that I'm most worried about. Also, the whole memory wipe thing we're going to go through for bridge crew at a minimum"

M'gann smiled in sympathy as Kara emitted one of those almost familiar sighs she and others had with John back when…when they weren't clones "We all listened to your speech Callum, and we all agreed with it, even the leader of the crazy wizard people. Lorelei even seemed to be convinced by your hammering on the point of memetic dangers, Waver certainly did. Everyone is going to follow the protocols you, yourself, established…."

She poked Kalum's face "Running around panicking is not going to help buster. Nor will stressing yourself out during relaxation time. WE…" Kara motioned a finger back between her and M'gann "…are supposed to be relaxing I recall. Something about Doctor's and lover's advisory?"

"Maybe" he admitted "Maybe someone did…it's just, Kara, this is not going to be easy. I have some of the toughest, or at least most focused, mental protections against such thing on the ship, and it worries me. This is us going into a region where you look at the wrong thing, at the wrong moment, and then your dancing naked, covered in self-inflicted wounds and babbling about the end times"

"Well, we can tolerate the dancing naked part, but not the rest" she heard Kara mutter "And, yes, Callum, we are being serious. Filters, Monitor ones, are going into place, we're having a team monitor the bridge crew, ie us, so we don't start acting crazy, and then we've got anyone doing either agreeing to memory wiping. Which is going to be weird for me let me tell you…and Megan too, that right?"

M'gann frowned, then nodded as she recognised that her belly would be getting bigger, but she'd likely forget large parts of the next few weeks at best. Maybe months even "Yes….yes that'll be weird"

Then smile snuggling up against him "But…that's okay. Better safe and weird than not safe"

"Basically, and I know it's a big ask, but it's a threat we can't ignore" he agreed "The hours with that lot"

"I can agree with that sadly" Kara voiced with a groan "You have no idea Megan how hard it is to deal with that lot. Callum's right in that they are hard to deal with"

"What…what was down there Callum?" M'gann asked "Not…the details, but…the whole thing?"

"Hmm…truthfully? I don't know. Which is, in many ways, the point of my defences" he answered after a moment's thought "At a guess this dimension's barriers are weak, or were weak in the distant past, and if you…pushed, or pulled, at the dimensional fabric…things came through"

She felt him sigh deeply "Again, at glance, at a guess, Earth was in the time before the last ice age. Can't say when exactly, or if whatever it was causing it to advance faster than normal. Often the climate changes at the end of that period wipe out civilization above hunter-gatherer levels as the sea levels rise and the Sahara turns to a desert. Sorry, rambling, but I'd think there were civilizations that worshiped…whatever it was, and that was granting potential greater advancement. Maybe. Or powers. Who knows, but it would have brought slow, steady, corruption with it"

He hummed into thought, sighing again "I'd…guess the place we found the statue was a civilization opposing such things. Bleed over like that can lead to differing responses from species by what knowledge I have. Some fall easier, some respond violently to the species wide threat…I'd expect those dead cities were opposing it in some manner"

M'gann closed her eyes, resting "That's…good, isn't it? That some people resisted it?"

"Resistance to such things….takes a very long time, species-wide" he answered "If it ever happens, and, well…whoever wiped them out, and wiped out the more advanced species, indicates other bad things. They could have fallen since, as this happened…thousands of years ago I think"

"Not that they were good guys anyway" she heard Kara muttered "They genocided all these people…"

M'gann felt herself nodding, not wanting to think on the horror "How could they…"

"I won't judge them on that" Kalum admitted unhappily "I have opinions, but…things like this, no, best not to start considering the horrors that could be even without a full manifestation. No. The real concern is either way these supposed Third-space Aliens are going to be hostile to us. So, lots of running, hiding, and not looking at things very clearly"

"And then we'll get home" M'gann said firmly "Safe, and not crazy hopefully"

"One hopes so, yes" Kalum hummed back as M'gann felt him finishing up the healing thing with her belly, withdrawing his hand "All done"

"Hmm, that's nice"

He snorted in amusement at her tired reply "Busy day?"

"Yes, I know not like you…but I feel tired lately and practicing with Azula is hard" she huffed back listening to the explosions on the screen. Feeling his amusement "Well…she is!"

"Azula's….intense, Callum" Kara backed her up "Oh, come'on, she's not nuts anymore….but, she's, ahh…"

"She's not nuts, I know, but she's energetic I know. Let's go with that. We're still rounding off the rough, dictator-ish, tendencies" he admitted "But don't over do it either M'gann, your not…"

"We're pregnant Callum" Kara huffed back for her "Not invalids"

"…and I'm not say you are, but…"

"But it feels like you are?"

He pouted and M'gann giggled at his sigh of defeat "Fine, fine, doesn't listen to me then!"

But she did make sure he wouldn't worry about her as she stopped giggling "I won't overdo it, don't worry. Asa was very clear on limits. I'll be good, okay?"

"Fine" he admitted "And I'll try not to keep on about work either"

"Good" Kara pointed out with an amused tone "Now, movie, I'm getting a drink, who else wants one? Or some popcorn or snacks…"

[08.05: Anabasis]

[On the horizon, the sound of thunder]

"You got us Kara?" I asked as the bridge crew made ready to depart, somewhat of a skeleton crew compared to full activity, but arcane runes shimmered everywhere on the bridge. The Fortune's Chance was now the 'primary' bridge, largely as we couldn't afford anything infecting the Carrier itself, so all sensor data was being rerouted here instead into the quasi-alive Carrier. Yes, it had its own defences, but I wanted to be careful here, and information containment would be priority now as Monitor drones were deployed as eyes and ears around the massive ship. Jenny was aboard the Carrier with M'gann to help ensure the Carrier understood that as we powered up its engines once again.

"Yes, we're monitoring from the ritual circle protections" my lover replied into the comms "Ready to go?"

I nodded, though that was largely to myself "Ready to transit. Checklist complete"

Beyond the ships lay the void of deep space beyond the outermost limits of the Sol system. There weren't any 'natural' breach-points here, but that was a good thing in my view. 'Natural' breaches in reality in a dimension like this…were best not trusted in my view. Not with whatever cosmic horrors were pushing at the boundaries of reality in the distant past, nor the group trying for galactic level purges. No, we were doing this the 'safer' way as arcane rituals matched with the various Planewalking tools available to us in preparing a deliberate breach of our own. One protected by our spellcraft and the Monitor systems and aimed at NOT jumping into a dimension beyond our means. One of the advantages of arcane travel means over purely technological ones in at least trying to put a level cap on our endpoint.

"Okay" Kara voiced back "Careful you guys"

"We will be" Barbara replied for me, coming to stand at my side as Debbie cast her own final protections unto the bridge as I ordered "As best we can. Ready Boss?"

"Ready" I muttered, nodding "Drives up, drones deploy in formation. Initiate the runic engram generation"

'Good thing for Monitor scary tech levels, eh?' I thought to myself as I folded my arms across my chest, watching the slow deployment of the drones. Energy arced between them, forming a runic circle wide enough for the Carrier to pass through at its maximum extent after a beam of energy emerged from the front of the Carrier itself. It was slower than the slide drive, minutes drifting by slowly but surely as the massive circle started to glow faintly, and then start to look like mirror, reflecting our image.

At first at least, then it turned murky as time passed, a swirling morass that I could *feel* as myself and the other spellcasters alternated chanting through the far distant drones. It was an exhausting process, minutes, then into hour, maybe two or more, as the murky 'whirlpool' beginning to clear once more as the Celestial Etherscope did its own violent rainbow of etheric energies on the bridge like dancing multi-coloured shadows on the walls. Equally slowly it too began to slow in its mad rotations, helping my 'senses' seek out the Bleed along with the Monitor systems. Hard considering I couldn't 'look far', but mindless systems helped and soon a doorway was formed through to another starless seeming void.

I let out a breath, 'sensing' the other side "Bringing us through, all hands man your stations"

"Aye-aye Captain" Babs replied to me, taking charge of others on the bridge as I submerged myself into the spelljammer, hands on the ship's wheel. Directed by the Fortune's Chance the vastly larger Carrier began to 'sail' forward towards the breach-point, then sliding through as if washing through a liquid as the 'wake' of the ship pulled the 'liquid' forward with it. It was a bubble forming from the outside perspective, if there was anyone nearby to see at least, 'pulling' the drones and runic defences with us through the event horizon. Then….

Popping.

That was the best description to my senses. Where the breach point had been behind us…was now a sealed dimensional portal, reality reaffirmed as the drones when from 'there' to 'here' in a formation at the rear of the Carrier. Still forming a protective rune as I carefully brought up our sensors, ensuring filters were active, both mechanical and arcane, and watching as far more than the local 'environment' took shape. As I'd feared 'energy' readings were high…very high, a dimensional active dimension, with vast paths of faster-than-light flashing into existence, along with immediate 'observations' of energy spots.

"We are through…" I called out, seeing with my other senses rather than looking directly at the universe, watching as the systems began to collate things and form images deemed 'safe' for our minds. Blurrier images than usual, slightly slower feedback, but a star-chart formed quickly as I spoke "…same location as departure point. No nearby memetic hazards. Energy readings high…this was a long jump. No detection energy systems as…."

I paused, changing course slightly "No. Energy readings from Sol and from nearby systems. I'm keeping us running as silent as we can"

"Do you want to continue approach to earth?" Babs asked looking at me as I redirected the drones back into landing bays on the carrier now, we were moving again. The high energy bleed through of the dimension was at least allowing the Carrier to hide itself far more easily than in other dimensions, an invisibility cloak even being viable here despite the massive size. That made my mind up to some degree, along with the major energy blooms in this dimension further out, and I nodded.

"Yes, we'll slowly approach and see what's there from a distance. We can, very, very, carefully, try see what civ-level they're at considering those energy levels, along with listening to comms chatter if we can" I replied firmly after a moment's thought. We were getting clear readings of massive energy blooms despite…not really looking very hard, and the star-charts indicated this was still, possibly, within the range of a Babylon style multiverse dimension. Odds, and we were playing those, indicated Earth was likely to be less advanced than others…and even if they weren't, the level of advancement and corruption was likely easier to identify.

'Hells, if we're lucky they might even be on the level of dealing with' I thought as I directed the massive ship into the general direction of Sol once more. This had been the original plan after all, and the sluggish approach into this dimension had hopefully cloaked us from the locals. At least those at levels of Starfleet anyway, though likely not the Elder Races levels up close, but as the minutes turned to another hour, then another, and no attack came, I took it as a positive. So far. One had to where one was as the speed remained good and my 'compass' began to find its readings on this plane. I even tried to keep my hopes up.

"Long range detection…"

Which lasted till we got into range, very, very, distant, range, of a space station. One at the edge of the sol system, one of those 'waypoint' systems that the species of the Babylon multiverse seemed to favour. Ships were there too, but the designs…

Oh, there was a thing about them, even at a glance. Humanity tended to have a very broad range of designs true, but there was that…

Off feeling off these to my mind instantly. Something inhuman in the design. Something wrong, and that was without looking closely at them, or listening on the comms. Bioships that writhed were not normal for most verses. And that was without the fact wards were screening the image, however weakly, even now. I frowned, hands gripping the wheel "Well…that's a bad sign"

"Yes" Debbie voiced "It is Captain. Can you feel it? The stars…"

I looked out beyond, where she was, at the blurred images, at the….things….there, blocked from sight beyond protective images. That was always the problem with such dimensions. You struggled to see the things in dark till you blundered over the first illusion cracking even. Barbara, with the protections but lack of arcane training and general 'levels' that could guess at such things, was the first to speak.

"Boss…are those tentacles?"

"Yes"

She shook her head "But…that's a star…."

"Yes" I admitted at the view of a [Redacted] where it had [Redacted] an entire star system far, far, far distant from where we lay. Within what had been Vorlon territory if this dimension held right. It was waiting there, and in other places, whispering nightmares amongst the stars…

"Yes, yes, it would be. Best not to think too hard on it. Well…this plane is fucked clearly" I admitted turning my attention to the space-station way-point location, and the ships there. Nothing we could do about the distant horrors beyond stay far, far, far away "Right. Let's…see can we figure out what the hells is happening here, and then work towards getting out of this dimension as soon as we can"

I glanced at the star charts. At clearly shattered stars in comparison to the 'canon' plane, and matching destruction patterns in our last dimension of residence "I think the invasion is on here as well. We need to find a hidey-hole and then find a way to escape…"

[08.06: Anabasis]

[Records without recording]

[Trader's Journal: Day 2478]

[Current Dimension]

Not discussable. Non-negotiable on that future me.

[Current Location]

Fortune's Chance, docked the Carrier

[Trading Report]

Obviously not.

[Diary Entry]

Right, you won't remember this, and one must admit going to be pretty bloody vague future-me. Tough luck I say, tough luck. For which of us is debatable. Medical logs for Kara and M'gann, along with Courtney Whitmore for the Chao harem, are with Asa, all preparations have been completed to date, safely, and everyone is healthy and sane as of the above date. Information control has been functional, and, yes, we've already hit some of the fucked-up motherlode we worried about. Also, a sane-ish plane – in that the certain things are almost rational and not everything is completely fucked. Kara and the superhero members disagree, but, just to let know, their wrong.

Right. Humanity exists here, and it closely resembles an Earth Homo Sapiens version to count as 'normal', and it does not have tentacles or other such things. Their ships do, and that's a bad sign, but they don't. And their language is, quite, at the level of insane black speech. Also, time seems relative linear, and consistent, which is good to know. Especially when some stars are clearly eldritch horrors. Sol isn't. The nearby stars aren't, but there's at least two visible ones that ARE. Not-tentacles and all. Living stars. Horror stars. Whatever the fuck you want to call them.

So, yes, not a good place, could still be worse. And, well, is. In that it's the frontlines in a war between.

Well, can't use Names. That might be bad as we well know. Basically, this whole cluster of dimensions is a battleground between what can only be noted as Elder Evils/Horrors and a Psionic Omnicidal Hyper Advanced Elder Race. The important part here is. The Not Horrors are NOT sane either. Orto be fair, they are what can be classed as differently rational as some species are. Like the Mind Flayers. Or Daemons. Or Elementals. It's not Good or Evil with them, it's Blue and Orange to most mortal species. , They are NOT the good guys here, nor are they anything but hostile. Not that we got close enough to check, their psionic echoes are not, in any way, friendly.

As if the killing everything that moves wasn't a hint.

Okay. Not that wiping this place isn't uncalled for, but, well, that's likely just pure luck they came up against this hell-hole. I suspect that big nexus we passed through?

Yes, don't follow that again. Ever. It doesn't exist. It's a trap for outsiders. Funnelling those with 'Elder Race' levels away from the core cluster it was likely protecting. We hit the fringes, then came here. This whole multiverse cluster is a death-trap. We cannot risk anything coming here. Or find a way back. Hells, here we are being wary of assigning Names to things for fear of such things. This place's Earth, this place's Humanity, which is sufficiently vague I know, hint that corruption is slow and resistible even here. Or perhaps the barriers between reality were stronger in the past. This was a Babylon dimension, and some of the races seem to exist, still, in some form.

Hells, there even civilization. Centauri. Orieni. Narn No Minbari though. No Vorlons. No Shadows. Or maybe there are, and the locals just haven't seen them yet?

Oh, yeah, its civilization by fucked up Elder Evil influence though. Insanity is rampant, just, not quite at species extinction levels as best we can tell. Not for resilient-ish species anyway. Those that can, somewhat, curb their addictions, as well as pump out replacement generations. That's because of losses from the blatant murder cults that seem dominant in 'popular culture', along with the blood sacrifices, slavery, constant warring, constant horror movie instincts. I'm pretty sure the Centauri Court are either vampire-wannabes, or some Red Court level shit judging from their own broadcasts. Earth's fucked up too. Everyone's fucked up, even if the memetic threat isn't quite there in transmission. Maybe built-up resistance to some degree amongst the locals?

We have to assume so, as there's visible dimensional horrors scattered about the stars and that's after only two days here!

There's written instructions for tomorrow, which is now for you Mr. Future-Me, on zones checked and very, very, basic, summaries of what's known. Along with the bridge crew list. I know we don't remember any of that, but we need to maintain rest. It also has the next plan. Good luck. We'll need it.

[Trader's Journal: Day 2496]

[Current Dimension]

N/A

[Current Location]

N/A

[Trading Report]

N/A

[Diary Entry]

It's been near three weeks now. I know, I know, it does not feel like that. But it has been. The joys of memory tampering and arcane protections. Yes, it feels like waking up and only a day has passed by. Get over it is the only advice to give. Progress is being made, safely even, all things considered.

That 'all things considered' part being the current location being the intersection of eldritch street and sci-fi horror avenue. Staying hidden has been achievable, not overly far from Sol, but the system is uninhabited, or at least undeveloped enough, to hide away and carefully, very carefully, study the celestial etherscope and the Monitor systems readings. Written summaries are included and have been screen with arcane wards. Do not repeat those surveys. Time is limited, and we need to leave here as soon as is feasible.

Unfortunately, findings and indicators are not good. While we haven't exactly 'run aground' as it were like a ship at sea, these are deep waters after all, the getting out of these kraken and leviathan infested waters is not going to be easy. You are not going to like it. I don't like it. We agree we don't like it, but we don't have options that are easy. Here's the basics – we're in a multiversal cluster like two bashing whirpools or blackholes of various nightmares bashing into each other. We can't risk going deeper into it. That's basically fatal, or insanely risky at best.

The logical path away from the interdimensional horrors, or at least into shallower waters – that has the obvious problem of if it's shallow enough to keep out such beings, it can be shallow enough to keep out the likes of the Chance, let alone the Carrier. So, we're going to have to planeswalk parkour. Throw a rope or 'bridge' behind us after we cross dimensions and then it a dimension the Carrier can travel too. It, sadly, is the best option available after near a fortnight of shifting through planes nearby and generally getting nightmares we don't have to remember. The short list left are still all bad, but they at least allow us to get close to an 'exit' dimension, and three should have dead earths to serve as bases from it looks like.

Cut of sensors, cut off comms, and assemble teams from there. Nothing around these parts will be pleasant I'll point out. Yes future-me, I know, but what the hells can we do?

We're in a bad neighbourhood and we need to sneak through. Things will notice us the longer we linger here, and running has already been hard. This place is a fecked up haven of cannibal, angry, lunatics that are just barely sane enough to maintain civilizations. It's still sickening. Anything nearby is blocking due to local powers, and they are Black to put in Planeswalking colour terms. That's where it's anywhere within realms of 'sane' for us mere mortals at least. But, it HAS TO BE done, and that's still a long way – pick a dimension, get the Carrier there, and then start prepping a team to push through. Those mentally resilient and trainable.

May the Boss be with us. May the heavens bless us.

[08.07: Anabasis]

[Doors, and doors, and doors, and merry little doors…]

[Trader's Journal: Day 2514]

[Current Dimension]

N/A

[Current Location]

N/A

[Trading Report]

N/A

[Diary Entry]

Today's notes for tomorrow.

You are on another dead earth. The skies are poisoned, and the galaxy is horrible. It's the fifth jump we've made by best safe note keeping, and everywhere here is just as bad. It's starting to feel surreal, I know, but the stars are occasionally alive it seems to be, and these places are cavalcades of dangers now. This dimension is largely dead judging from sensors, but we'll admit we aren't looking very hard – for obvious reasons. We've set up a guard-net with the Monitor drones, and this earth is dead in nuclear and chemical holocaust, also probably magical. Skies are toxic, and awash with wrongness, and, most importantly, energies that hide us. That's the important part. We are very well hidden.

This is important. Things are hunting here. Us, albeit not specifically it appears. Further into the cluster time and space are getting wonky looking on the etherscope. Do not look again. Do. Not. Look. Again.

Repeat after me. DO. NOT. LOOK. AGAIN.

There are escape contingency routes written out. Drives are prepping. This dimension is not the worst, but one of the previous ones was awash in info-hazards and mind corrupting effects. Barbara. Jonathan. Rose. They are all off the bridge for four days as per the left reports. Everyone is Okay, but they need rest. You need rest. Two days minimum. Kara and M'gann have had daily treatments. They are in perfect health. The babies are also in perfect health.

You will recover for three days, minimum, with no mind wipery or other activities. This is strict orders. Mediate and prayer. Lockdown on bridge to only current staff outside of an emergency jump. We need to prepare for exploratory operations. Memories are fine as long as we don't look beyond the confines of the Carrier and the Chance – follow the schedules laid out. Regain memories. That will reduce the surreal feeling of late that are complained of in the last two entries. That I have. That you likely have future-me. Same with the rest of the non-bridge or non-observation crews. Burt is currently Bridge Chief. Medea is currently Observation Chief.

Relax. Rest. Study. Prepare for the big trip things you'll have to do. This dimension is hitting 'shallows' so to speak, and we have to test them out. Good luck.

[Trader's Journal: Day 2520]

[Current Dimension]

N/A

[Current Location]

N/A

[Trading Report]

N/A

[Diary Entry]

Today we've done investigations. Or exploratory work?

Yeah. Let's go with that. We've a rift site established in the mountains below the Carrier. Not Antarctica, just to confirm. It's a natural breach that isn't reeking of eldritch horror like the rest of everything. Or less of it anyway, since it's what's relative here would be flee the dimension in other places. Now, the entire site has been warded from end to end, though by site I mean very small community building sized, and protective ward after protective ward on it. Technically it's sanctified ground now, as clean as we can get the cave area, and it's sealed thanks to Quinn's tools.

Layout is sketched out on the map with the exploration logbook. Yes, it's blood bound. Yes, it's also warded – for obvious reasons.

Listed out are the eight prospective dimensions we might be able to breach into as a small team. Memory wiping is back, so, last few days again. Checklist and notation. Vital. May the Lord bless us in our efforts.

[Trader's Journal: Day 2523]

[Current Dimension]

N/A

[Current Location]

N/A

[Trading Report]

N/A

[Diary Entry]

Portal Option 01: - High energy levels, drone shows forests, time distortions detected. Negative on that.

Portal Option 02: - Wards are freaking out. Scrying not hinting at good things. Another no.

Portal Option 03: - No. Just. NO. I've scrubbed this from the logbook beyond indicating where NOT to check again.

Resting now.

[Trader's Journal: Day 2524]

[Current Dimension]

N/A

[Current Location]

N/A

[Trading Report]

N/A

[Diary Entry]

Portal Option 04: - Data inclusive. Too risky. Something actively fighting the system. Portal collapses rapidly.

Portal Option 05: - Black Plane. Highly charged magically, leaning towards Divine. Drones don't function entering the portal, nor direct energy machinery. Scry forward shows forested mountains, old ruins. No spacial or temporal distortions. Monitor systems marking as 'positive'. Viable option.

Portal Option 06: - Another Black Plane as the colour chart would put it. It's a beach, with a sea, a normal looking sea. High energy. Drone shows more sea and some woods. Lots of static though. Had to recall fast. Viable option, but Plane seals fast, and lesser than 05 I think.

Portal Option 07: - Not viable. Heat and low arcane levels. Portal won't stay stable.

I do believe we're best going for trying on options five or six, with five looking better than six. But we can spend a few days testing that out. So far there's been no alerts or detections from our sensor net, and Jenny as been helping reinforce the Carrier into a 'slow time' scenario so that they've only had a day versus a week till now. Yes, problematic, but memory wiping is too. Everything is, so we work with what we've got. You've promised to have a member or two from them on the exploration team. This is useful for us, much as we dislike sharing. We need could use extra manpower with skills, and the crew, our crew, needs to focus on keeping everything safe.

People are stressed even as we are, and I can't afford to risking many lives out here. Hells, we can't even afford to put more workload on everyone without upsetting the rest and relation time I've mandated. Kara agrees, as does Quinn even. Even down to the likes of Jinx, or even Azula, needing to keep spirits up considering the disorientation of all this situation.

So, logbook has the two prospects. Look them up. I'm doing a memory burn now, so we won't remember, so, rest a day, then focus and see.

[Trader's Journal: Day 2528]

[Current Dimension]

N/A

[Current Location]

N/A

[Trading Report]

N/A

[Diary Entry]

Gods its good not to have to wipe my memories for a few days. It's needed unfortunately, especially with rotation of bridge crews and me not being available due to what's to be done. This sadly might be a fallback point, so, just to make myself aware on why we do things certain ways and noting choices on what's to be done. As the logbook should indicate the portal choice is five, it's more stable than six, despite mechanical restrictions, and the fact of it being dangerous still. It's a 'normal' earth like environment, but there's a lot of dark magics there, an ominous presence everywhere – but it's better than other options sadly. Be aware there's a magic drain even at distance, so, careful usage and storage crystals.

Kara and M'gann have had their treatments. Everything is fine. I've prepared scrolls for usage if we aren't available due to extended options.

Lack of assaultron support and drones is a concern, but I've prepared the trader's pack as best can be, along with a team. Protective gear too, charms and all against everything from disease to nanotech, though I'm fairly sure nanotech wouldn't function all that well on this plane. It's hard sealed to many degrees, but there's a crack here, and a crack further on that I can detect with my tools. In part that's why it's the chosen option, in that it's the better option to find another crack and then passing through. Once we go through, then we start getting into hard to contact, or no contact, levels till we can setup a beacon.

The team is going to be;-

Myself obviously.

Deborah Delphi, our dear Debbie. Arcane support and she's travelled with me before.

Weryl from Engineering. I need an engineer and he's got Order Mastery as well. Chao agreed. In writing.

Eric Rommel as the Ranger Squad leader, along James Dunne from said squad.

Sister Ciel from the Church delegation, along with her apprentice Sister Sugata.

Lord El-Melloi, Mister Waver, from the Magus grouping.

Tirdelk and his Blue Rose mercs are our support team, on standby should we send up a 'flare' as it were.

I'd take more, but that has its own risks, and we're travelling relatively light. For now. The initial plan is to survey the immediate area, start trying to find the exit, and then go from there. Basic scrying, very carefully done, indicates an active biosphere, and indicators of humanity existing, along with other species, but I don't want to meet anyone if possible.

The goal is simple – find a way through this dimension to the next, and the next after that if we have to, and then try get the Carrier to its next safe harbour. So, off to rest. Slán for now.

[08.08: Anabasis]

[Midnight]

The woods were pleasant. Earth-like. The skies filled with a moon, but its light was…dim, and the stars were barely visible against a blackened vista after we exited the portal into overgrown ruins. It was late at night I guessed, assuming this world had an Earth-like rotation as scrying indicated as Eric and James, our rangers, took point, weapons scanning the surroundings till we sure they were clear. Yet for all that pleasantness of seeing a living, uncorrupted, biosphere, I could already feel the…wrongness…in this plane as I drew out my Celestial Etherscope along with tracking tools.

Arcane ones as technology was….struggling with the passthrough, Eric Rommel complaining of the night-vision goggles not working, and having to switch to the rings granting the slightly lesser darkvision. I didn't mind, my own eyes were half-orcish, and the darkness here was bright enough to see. Securing the immediate ruins were the two nuns, or, well Executors, of the Church who'd come with us, while Lord El-Melloi and Debbie joined me in the centre of what had likely been a very nice building long ago. Now it was overgrown with vines, in a forest, and snow was covering much of the area outside the canopy I was told, breath steaming on said cold night air. Winter maybe? Or a colder environment?

"You feel it?"

I sighed, looking at the readings of the plane, looking back at the hidden portal, and then back to both of my arcanely inclined party members to answer Debbie's statement "Yeah, I think that confirms the drain we detected. Not just electricity but magic too, but it's fairly minor there"

'Waver' nodded "Yes, it's very minor, but…"

I nodded "It's there, yeah. We'll have to be careful then with spellcraft then, and apparently its less the event horizon screwing with the electrics than the plane itself"

He nodded, looking at the ruins around us "Fascinating I must say, and good to see they are not…tainted as you put it"

Then looked to me "We proceed as planned?

I nodded. We were committed now, even to just scouting out the immediate surrounds as I focused on locating another break in reality. Which could be a short distance from here…or a whole continent. Right now, it looked to be distant, but we did get a decent reading on the surroundings we had. Mountains, forested mountains, with ruins in those mountains where we had exited. Looked up, motioning at the peaks "Yes. I think we need to ascend here as…"

A gesture at the scrying map, crude and flickering, showing the surrounding landscape "...that peak has a view hopefully, as those look like old buildings"

"Dangerous"

I nodded again "Yes, the joys of walking the planes and having to run. Everyone on this time has the capacity to get up there. Get Eric and we'll prep…"

Because saying 'lets climb the mountain' wasn't exactly an easy task, not when we wanted to be careful with magic and we were still feeling out the dimension. Especially with the background…offness…I didn't want to attract attention, and instead the next two hours were the slow, careful, climb up the ruined mountain with only a small bit of magic used. No flying up and risking spell failure, but walking, climbing, while also being on guard for any dangers. This place didn't feel wrong in the way….everything back through the gate had…nor anymore than the rest of the dimension, but getting up what had probably been an ancient, abandoned, watchtower as night slowly began to lighten towards a dawn.

There was animal life, not much, and most was asleep it seemed, but threats were always feasible in places like this as our four guards rotated, and I held my old Enfield-looking enchanted Ternathian Imperial Army Rifle (whoever that military was) that I'd acquired and tinkered on from years ago. Sure it wasn't the modern assault rifles with silencers of the two soldiers, but I could only make so many alchemical rounds, and the weapon killed better than theirs. Or it would if I used it, it being now slung over my shoulder, beside the trader's pack on my back, as the last sweep of the tower overlook was confirmed clear after another lengthy period of time. The light of dawn creeping up against the mountains. Just in…we case defensive wards, in case the sunlight dangerous in some way, taking the extra precautions as Eric and Sister Ciel took watch as we settled down for a temporary camp.

It was only when that sunlight was proven safe, and the distant lands were illuminated a little, did I pull out my binoculars, heading over to the ruined, but still sturdily built, overlook. It was less a tower than a tower-shaped outcropping from the mountain itself, and the design felt…dwarven maybe?

'Or just my imagination' I mused, coming over to the edge, but a little back, and getting a….

Well, a frankly breath-taking view of mountains, and mists, and valleys as far as my eyes could see, all giving off a faint glow of golden hue as the dawn's light sparkled over them. Pretty, but doing nothing to reduce the gloom that also seemed to hang invisibly over this whole place. Joys of magical senses I mused to myself as I pulled back out my planeswalking tools, while behind me Debbie was settling up a small campfire to prepare a much-needed meal. Opening up the 'dimensional compass' as I thought of it at times, I began to scan the horizon, then brought the binoculars to see what lay out there. It was cold up here, the snow not having helped on our 'easy' journey up to this point, and the high, spectacular, mountains were covered in snow, though the misty lands in the valleys were green rather than white.

First, I followed the guidance of the etherscope, along with some scry stones, looking for whatever was the source nearby that was distorting thing. Also hoping that it would be a new portal mere hours or a day's walk or climb from here. What it showed though…wasn't much, large chunks of the valley below hidden by the heavy morning mists, and the dimension was….locked somehow. Even the heavens seemed to be closed off, and there was a disturbingly high level of necromantic energy permeating the air. Not…excessive levels, but it was very high, and the fact so many planes above and below were…

Blocked? Warded?

…indicated a Power in motion here. Here and there I could pick out ruins, not much, and only my enchanted gear allowed me to easily pick it out. Or where something had once been, judging from blackened patches in the forest. But the problem was spotted about fifteen minutes into my efforts, and I placed down my hand of other tools and began to concentrate on studying an area of living beings. An active ruin. And it was a ruin more than a true settlement, not even a proper warband camp, but a barely restored ruin slightly up from the bottom of a mountain, near what were probably villages. Across the valley from us, many, many, miles as the crow flies, but I had magic binoculars and the knowledge to use them.

"You're frowning, that's not good" Debbie greeted me, the faint smell of cooking meat in the air within the protected zone of our camp "I was just about to summon you for food, but, trouble?"

"We have morons…sorry" I paused, shaking my head and studying the collection of fuck-wits far away that were irritating me by their behaviour as much as their existence "We have orcs. Goblins too. Savage, stupid, orcs led by…humans maybe? Knights? Let's go with armoured fellows, but they aren't orcs clearly"

"Orcs" she asked "Like, ugh…"

"Me? No, and the few minutes of behaviour I've seen right now sets my teeth on edge" I muttered watching as these barbarians fought each other over…something…all while armed with scary, but mildly impractical, swords and axes that were probably shitty in manufacture. Of course I was making assumptions now I reminded myself, and would NOT make mistakes in underestimating such, but I'd seen this before. Not this bad on Toril or most dimensions, but this sort were ones my Patron loathed, and was inclined to 'fix' wherever possible amongst our species "Sorry. We have a large warband over there, and that's not a good sign. They are dumb looking, but the fellows in charge are not. Don't recognise the banner, but it doesn't exactly scream friendly"

"What's it look like?"

"Black, with an intricate silver weave that's either supposed to be a predatory bird, or a flattened demon or dragons head with horns. Or maybe a knight's helmet with horns? It's hard to figure" I muttered studying the camp, and more importantly a black slab in the centre of it. Something that REEKED, even seeking from here, of Unholy Energies. I knew Unhallowed Ground when I saw it, and this was a source of the 'eating magic and energy' feeling at a guess "More importantly there's a…slab or obelisk of black stone that's evil in our terminology at the heart of the camp…oh, and that looks like a blood fountain. Great"

I lowered the binos and sighed deeply "Well, we're going to have to avoid the likes of them"

"It might not be everywhere" she offered, and I nodded as I studied the horizon.

"Probably isn't, but…as expected sadly" I grumbled, then nodded again "Right, let's have food and discuss with the team. I think we need a few birdies to be captured and used as scouts. The destination is rather far off in that direction…." I pointed to a point over a mountain "…out of sight, but we best figure out the local situation as those towns or villages down there, some might even be active if those are roads through the valley…"

[08.09: Anabasis]

[Look and jump, look and jump]

"…and this is the anchor point of the secondary boundary field" I instructed Tirdelk and his merry band of lunatics amidst the ruins of this old fortress "Everything understood? Need any further clarifications?"

"Nah Boss orc, we good" the mad goblin replied, the female wizard-rogue Yraeda nodding in agreement but staying silent "We got this. We good. Sit here, eat, watch, and wait if ye need us rescue ya. Got it"

Say what you will about the team of goblins, and now goblins plus a not-Chinese human woman Martha Ye-Jin who'd sworn to them since they'd rescue her from that Kromagg rape camp, but they were a team of experienced Planeswalkers themselves. Also, ruthlessly pragmatic when you came down to it, and an understanding of the dangers – I had issues with them, but I could trust them on this. Things were not going to be easy or immediate, and what we'd seen so far didn't give me happy feelings. Fallback positions and a support team then were just something that had to be done as I'd planned before we started.

"Right. I'll update as we travel, and notify Kara and Quinn, and us in case of emergency on that side" I replied with a nod "Along with the instructions. These lands look not to be pleasant"

"Nicer than the other side"

"That's not much to judge by Tirdelk" I answered with a snort "We are in a cluster of not great looking planes, and you can feel the…"

I pointed at the skies "Cage this place is?"

"We understand Boss Orc, ye get goin, sooner we get back to civilized planes the better we say"

…and he did understand, as did his compatriots, and I didn't want to overdo trying to ensure understanding the gravity of the situation. Stress on my part perhaps. So, with a polite farewell I turned back and ascended the now cleared stairs up to the 'balcony' as we'd named it, where the others of my party were waiting along with Weryl joining us. An Order Mage, or Sorcerer in his case, along with a trained engineer, was too valuable not bring along, especially since we'd have to use far more magic than I'd like to pull this off. The distances were far more than a few days hard travelling, as I'd feared, and that meant Point to Point, Line of Sight, teleportation to speed things up.

"All ready?" was my immediate question, and the answer was yes, so I didn't waste time drawing it out as I handled the teleportation along with empowering support from Weryl. Debbie, and Lord El-Melloi II served to shield the spell from detection as best they could as I used my binoculars to study on a mountain many, many, many, miles from where we stood. This was a tried and trusted technique, at least from my memories of a place called Illusk, and only viable as I had a skilled mage heavy party. So, with a chant and loss of yet another hard written scroll, I transported us from our 'forward operating base' to another mountain area far across the valley, startled grunts and oaths muttered as we 'landed' on the snow-covered earth. I grunted, balancing myself with my walking cane that was now in the form of a staff-like walking stick.

"Everyone okay?"

Seven varieties of 'Yes' came back to me even as I adjusted my cloak again, light armoured camouflaged travel clothes beneath, but the outer later mildly medieval in looks. Debbie let out a breath as the two nuns, and two rangers, moved about, scanning for dangers as I used by binoculars too look back to where we'd teleported from….

Then waving back to the goblin bard looking back at me like a tiny speck despite the enchantments to both of our far-seeing gear 'Well….that's done, everyone okay'

"That….is an experience" 'Waver' muttered sitting down on a rock that was snow free inside a natural shelter, Debbie doing the same beside him "But, ah, recovery time might be needed"

I nodded resting on my false staff, looking at the paths we'd need to use to 'get around' to where we'd need to, and then the expanse of land off to the west we'd need to travel towards "Aye, don't I know it. Still, has to be, so we'll rest a few minutes, then work our way to the next viewing spot and then plot out our next teleport. I know shielding it is hard, but has to be done I'm afraid"

There were potential sources of portals….far away from where we were, across nations or continent sized distances potentially. If we didn't do it this way it'd be months of trying to travel through alien, likely hostile, territory, before we'd even see such things. So, learning on the job it was going to be…

{Later that day, as the day darkens to night…}

"I see the sea, but let's hope the sea doesn't see me" I muttered tiredly as I sat, cloak wrapped around me for warmth as my mind used a few captured crows to scout ahead after a hard day's spellcasting for us mages in getting to this spot. Travelling like this was…hard, draining as well, but we'd travelled hundreds of leagues in a day…

To bring us to the edge of a freshwater sea it looked like to me, from the smell and general readings off my 'travel tools', meaning 'fast travel' might be problematic for a bit. Scouting along the way had not shown pleasant things either, especially from the sky with a bird's eye view, or from simple scouting with the binoculars to make sure to avoid patrols of locals. Of which there were quite a lot, and all seemingly under that demon-dragon-helm banner. Made worse by a large number of those unholy magic eating slabs of whatever-the-fuck being in various locations and needing to be worked around…all without a perfect lay of the land either…

"We need a map I reckon"

"I doubt maps are very accurate here" I replied to Eric, my senior ranger as he came over to me "Scouting's the best I can do for now, but, we'll have trouble tomorrow as the flat land ahead means we'll have to…physically traverse lands"

He gave a faint snort at that "Won't complain about that Captain, today's been pretty short for me, James, and the nuns. Think you and the wizard squad need the rest magic wise. What're we facing considerin what you've seen so far Sir?"

I sighed, easing myself out of the spell and opening my eyes, my own eyes, once more looking out into trees and rocks, damp trees and rocks that as the rain started to come down even as our small, temporary, hidden, shelter was finished for the night "Not much good I'm sorry to say. There's a war in the mountains to the south I'd estimate, or at least lots of things moving in that direction that'd hint at sieges. But the banner people clearly rule all the lands we've jumped over, and they are not friendly I expect"

The offered coffee was gladly accepted as I got to my feet again, glad of the shelter of the trees as I watched Sister Ciel 'stand watch' in a concealed spot up in the trees, looking very relaxed despite being clearly alert and ready "Orc warbands are everywhere, along with those…black slab-things and people who can only be priests, evil ones I expect. Towns and villages we've passed over have seen better days clearly, trying to…fit in…without cultural context would be not a task we're able for. General oppression and savagery seem to abound"

Sipped the coffee, then sighed "Good and strong"

He nodded "Yeah, we all needed the warmup. It's been cold for most all day"

"Hmm, true, unfortunate, but high places with long views tend to be cold" I replied quietly as he gave a nod of agreement "Luckily tomorrow we have to travel by ground, so, warmer…probably. We're going to be actively trying to avoid so-called civilization"

"How far are we away from our destination?" he asked motioning back towards the way we'd came in a day "Considering?"

"Considering the length of Spain in day?" I shook my head, sipping again "Days minimum, and we'll have to scout out the location the closer we get. If we're lucky it's not in city, or heavily settled region. If we're not, then we'll have to find a way in"

I frowned, then sighed "Not that I think it will be in one with those maybe temples. They eat magic basically. Portals would struggle to function. But, whatever the case, you'll need to be alert and be ready for anything…and if you have an idea, let me know. Sketch it out. I don't want to get locked into any one approach, or overlook any danger"

"Got it, Captain. On that note we need set the watch schedule for the night…"

[08.10: Anabasis]

[Slaves of the Shadow]

Weryl almost collapsed back against a tree trunk as they, finally, came to a stop after several hours of 'fast walking' as the captain put it, and as 'nearly running' as Weryl would call it. His black staff plopped back against his right shoulder as he slumped down, catching his breath as the almost golem-like endurance of the two rangers continued as they kept up watch. One of the 'nuns' too, the older one with blue hair was doing the same, though the younger blonder, Sunao, slumped back beside Weryl, looking exhausting as he felt. Sounding it too as she whined to him.

"These people are machines!"

"Ugh, I know!" he agreed with a soft groan "This pace!"

"Unnnn!" she agreed "I signed up to fight monsters not…run marathons every day!"

"Yeah, tell me about it" he muttered drawing in a breath, glad of the rest as he took out a bottle of water from his pack, drinking down a careful amount like Chao instructed, and then offered it to his party member "Drink?"

"I…" she paused, then took it "Yes, oh, yes, healing water good"

The water, blessed water at that, helped a great deal in restoring energy, along with taking one of the 'stamina pills' that Chao and Gloria-Amelia had cooked up for him. Aches faded away, and energy levels were restored as he watched Captain Callum, Lord El-Melloi, and Miss Deborah talk quickly amongst themselves before the captain took out his far-seers and moved to climb a tree. This was a very backwards dimension and avoiding all the rather locals was a difficult task now that they couldn't magically teleport across vast distances by mountains. Had to be done too, as Weryl hated the feeling of even those distant 'black pillars' when he'd viewed them yesterday through the far-seeing gear.

"Aren't you supposed to be standing guard?"

'Sister' Sugata pouted "I am! Look!" she motioned about with a finger, showing she could look around after gesturing at her eyes "Watching! Waiting! Conserving my strength!"

Elbowed him weakly "Guarding you! As per the instructions of the very scary chef-lady"

"Chao isn't…." he trailed off, sighed "Okay, but…"

He got no further before they were being waved forward as the captain did only the briefest of surveys, and then 'jumped' down from the tree as Miss Deborah motioned them to assemble, but both rangers still standing guard, just now within 'soft speaking' voice levels. Weryl struggled with that level of awareness, beyond his own Order senses 'feeling' anyone that might approach, but instead stood near the captain as he came amidst them looking unhappy. Lord El-Melloi, one of the mad wizards as Chao called them, even if 'Mister Waver' seemed quite friendly, all things considered, asked the question on Weryl's mind "Ah, I can guess from the expression we have a problem?"

"Potentially, though potentially more positive in other ways I suppose" the captain replied sighing, and then opening his own drink bottle to sip at whatever liquid was within "It's good news bad news in many ways"

He sighed again, glancing to their right, seeming to look through the trees to somewhere beyond "Good news is I'm very certain I've locked a nexus we can access. The bad news is its out at sea"

Lord El-Melloi frowned "Hmm, that might be an issue. How far out to sea?"

"Several dozen miles at least" the captain replied placidly, shaking his head "That's the nearest I can locate, but there are potentially others. So, we need to try get out there…which, all things considered means a boat of some sort because we'll need to use our magic to either be quiet or help me finding the exact spot. That…or we need to get a map and try do a scrying survey with said map"

Weryl paused, frowned "Is that because of…local energy or such?"

Captain Callum nodded "Partly. Ideally, we'd have a survey, but, again, we have don't have the ship, and we can't be as active as we need to be. We're lucky in that we've tools to help us find such locations, but a map….a map we could use to speed things up"

"That might be hard Callum" Miss Deborah offered "Considering the….well, the slavery everywhere, the indications of destruction of anything library related, and the Churches of Unholy Feeling Evilness and Blood Sacrifice"

"Yes, I know" the captain admitted "Either way it means we might…no, we need to try get into a settlement at some point, figure out how to do it. I'm pretty sure they've witch hunters, or at least inquisitor style clerics, which makes trying to magically fly out there a problem"

"Those winged things from yesterday?" Weryl asked, and he nodded.

"Mini-wyverns or whatever they were, yeah" was the response "Hence we've been moving as we have been…I'm sure someone's aware of magic use. Thankfully for us that's now several hundred miles away from here"

Ranger Rommel nodded "So, finally, you agree with my plan Boss?"

"Yeah, fraid so" the captain agreed folding arms across his chest "We need to get answers, though we're not knocking out any patrols of soldiers or orcs if we can avoid it. Much as I'm loathe to do it, we need to…"

"Mind control some locals"

"Yes Eric, put crudely, yes" was the captain's muttered reply, Lord El-Melloi nodding, as was both Sister Ciel and Lady Deborah. Weryl didn't like such things either, even if he was 'very, very resistant' to such things himself "But we will have to be very careful, and very gentle, about the subject. We can do low level charm and convince some poor farmers to give us a run down on local cultural mores…."

"…and write the situation off as travellers or distant kin visiting" Lord El-Melloi finished off for Captain Callum, who gave a weary nod "That's what you were scouting out?"

"More a fishing village, and specifically the tavern…or what looks to be the local equivalent of it or of a meeting longhouse. None of those black slabs, and they aren't going to stop us with so few fisherfolk if we need to flee. No orc patrol there currently…probably too out of the way for a regular garrison hopefully. We go in, we stay the night and ask questions, get a lay of the land, and then move on quickly after some hypnosis to have us all forgotten afterwards"

Weryl nodded, slowly, not liking it, but after the horrors they'd forced themselves to forget it was the best of a few bad options "Disguises then?"

"Physical ones first, little magic as possible" Captain Callum stated "Thankfully we several groups over the last three days, so we have an idea at least. And, well, I'm half orc, and I look orcish. We are traders of sorts if our best guess for entering that village, as there something resembling those around still. Weapons seemed very limited here, likely only to supporters of the evil overlord, so we'll…"

Weryl listened to the plan, and then was soon getting dressed up in turn with weird peasant-like clothes going on over his skin-tight tunic and leggings protective gear, and then the cloak. He had nod idea if it was the right look beyond the captain's and Miss Deborah's words, and he carefully avoided looking at the ladies dressing, even if they too had on protective underclothes. Old habits from in Recluse died hard after all, even if the three ladies in his life were rather blatant about themselves at times. Thar brought up a worry about Courtney and the baby…but he pushed that back down as he shouldered a visible travel pack and leaned on his staff as they were hustled out unto a 'road'.

Of sorts anyway, for it was more a dirt track, well worn, and heading down towards a small village as the sun began to set. Captain Callum looked…well, very different in the chainmail, and sword at his belt, and a little savage looking as their group walked quickly down the track. They didn't look very impressive in Weryl's view, with no horses or wagons, but nervousness was there till the captain greeted an old man at the edge of the buildings, hand motioning, the feel of magic in the air. The old man relaxed a little, nodding, and giving a friendlier reply, answering simple, friendly, questions in that unnerving way…