Emperor Lotor (
trickking) wrote in
nexus_crossings2018-06-08 01:01 am
+1 Space Cat-Elf
There was a great deal of aggravation attached to this. This whole 'I was just trying to walk across the hall and get to the map room and instead I've ended up in the middle of an alien planet' thing. That was obnoxious.
Also, being unable to contact help. Reaching past obnoxious into the land of Frankly Very Concerning. Thank goodness there was no laser fire, explosions or Giant Angry Not-Dead Sendak about the immediate area or this would definitely have to be upgraded to Real Bad Time.
As it is, things are currently mired in Concerning, though one might never guess what level of Concern Lotor was hitting, his expression as he stood in the plaza nothing short of deeply unimpressed. If there was any fear to be had, it was quite expertly concealed, the former renegade spending a few moments examining the area in general, inspecting the computers with an apparent sense of idle ease, before finally moving to hail a passerby.
"Excuse me, if I may have a moment of your time? I'd like to know how to leave."
Also, being unable to contact help. Reaching past obnoxious into the land of Frankly Very Concerning. Thank goodness there was no laser fire, explosions or Giant Angry Not-Dead Sendak about the immediate area or this would definitely have to be upgraded to Real Bad Time.
As it is, things are currently mired in Concerning, though one might never guess what level of Concern Lotor was hitting, his expression as he stood in the plaza nothing short of deeply unimpressed. If there was any fear to be had, it was quite expertly concealed, the former renegade spending a few moments examining the area in general, inspecting the computers with an apparent sense of idle ease, before finally moving to hail a passerby.
"Excuse me, if I may have a moment of your time? I'd like to know how to leave."

no subject
"Generally one returns the way they came, or else acquires a device called a PINpoint. The difficulty of the latter is that they do require you to have appropriate, ah, co-ordinates for your destination already. They are better for returning here than escaping in the first instance."
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A warrior was a warrior nevertheless though, ergo, someone Lotor was more than used to talking with. If anything, he only seemed to relax a touch.
Answering his question without argument was usually a pretty good sign.
"I have the exact coordinates of my prior location. I'm sure returning shouldn't be an issue, in that case?" As long as he had the aforementioned PINpoint of course.
"Do you know where I might find such a device?"
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Still, his answer to the latter question is simply to nod and beckon the elf to follow him. All the better to buy time while he asks, "Where is it you arrived from, if I may ask? You seem less disoriented than many new arrivals."
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He could see that.
"There's no point in becoming panicked, it won't help the situation." Clearly. Look, he politely asks questions, and he gets the answers he needs! Being a big mess wouldn't have helped with that.
"The Central Command System of the Galran Empire." The man had shown no knowledge of who, or what, he was. Anyone else would have had a weapon out, or become terrified. He had quite the familial reputation to work with, after all.
He'd never have been able to blame them for it.
"My name is Lotor, I apologize for the lack of introductions before."
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They're each taking note of the other's ignorance: there's no sign the newcomer recognizes the Imperial uniform, nor any attempt to question or confront Stratos. He's also terribly polite for a foreign elf, which says a great deal about either his attitude or his cunning. Stratos is more inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt after he introduces himself, since it's looking less and less likely this man has anything to do with the enemies of his Empire.
"No need to apologize. I am Stratos Caelus." He pauses his steps as he speaks, bowing his head politely to the other man. "A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I must confess, I almost took you for one of the elves of my own realm, but your Empire is quite unfamiliar to me."
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No one helps an asshole.
The human himself had been nothing short of obliging, no matter what the mans internal dialog might be, and it was refreshing. He was, honestly, quite thankful for Stratos' assistance and general amicability here.
And indeed, Lotor had no clue, none whatsoever, of what Empire the man might serve, putting them on fairly equal footing here.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Stratos." He looked mildly confused at the term 'elves', so naturally, the comment came: "I'm afraid however that I've never heard of this species before." But clearly, they looked like him. "As is yours to me. How curious." He'd prided himself on his extensive travel and knowledge after all, but first and foremost:
"Could you tell me more of these 'elves'?"
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He's guiding Lotor across the plaza to a row of freestanding vending machines without any visible power source. One of them has rows of small gadgets stocked behind its front window. It also has a small crow clinging desperately to the main panel, hanging practically upside down as it tries to work its beak inside the coin slot. It cocks an eye up at the approaching men, and the next thing it's darted out of sight in a flash of inky feathers.
"These are PINpoints," Stratos explains with a gesture. The devices for sale have a variety of different styles, but they all look like basic things with a keypad and a small screen. "This is the swiftest way to acquire one, though it does require some coin."
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It was really a shame he felt he couldn't linger for long.
The bird got a momentary look of interest, before it darted away. Hey, he'd never seen one of those either, he'd never personally visited earth before. Back to the box though.
"What kind of coins does it take?" He had money. Granted, nothing was really in the form of physical cash. Not anymore. "I'm afraid we don't deal with physical means of exchange anymore, it may take a moment to find the appropriate compensation."
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"Oh... um. Well, that depends." She smiles at him hopefully. "Do you remember the path you took to get here? Usually, if you retrace your steps, you'll walk back through the portal that brought you here."
If not, she's going to have some disappointing news for him.
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In general? He could probably find the place he started. To a degree. Give him a bit and he could most certainly deduce which doorway he might have been standing outside of when the area shifted from inside a battle cruiser to outside a hat store.
But that was a lot more maybes, ifs and hopefully's than he wanted to admit to.
"... I'm sure I could manage to retrace my steps well enough." He'd be lying if he said he wasn't interested in... well all of this. This was pretty fascinating.
"If I may ask, what planet is this?"
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At least until he asks his next question.
"Oh!" She frets a little with the pen in her hand, scribbling out a small doodle in the corner of her notebook. "It's not a planet, it's called the Nexus. A kind of, um... interdimensional crossroads." She sits up a little. "There are pamphlets, if you haven't already gotten one. And, um, an informational video... I can queue it up for you, if you like."
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He noted well her fussing with the pen and the sudden, small burst of energy, a brow arching as she put out the claim that this... wasn't a planet.
Which didn't make much sense to him, even other dimensions followed the same rules to an extent, didn't they? A world like this couldn't extend forever. ... Could it exist within a self contained, isolated pocket though?
... This just got more interesting.
"I would appreciate this, yes, thank you. I apologize, I haven't introduced myself." One more little check, just to see how far out he'd really been flung.
"My name is Lotor. And you are?"
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Turning back to the monitor, she puts the bee video on pause and opens another tab in the browser. For an advanced interdimensonal hub, this particular terminal seems woefully out-of-date, but she navigates it easily enough. "My friend S-- ah, I mean, Captain America, he made a video for people who are new to the Nexus. People come here all the time, usually accidentally, so, um... it seemed like a good idea..."
A couple of clicks of the mouse later, and a video begins playing. Adia scoots her chair back so that Lotor can get a good view of the screen without crowding over her shoulder. When it's over, she looks up at him again curiously. "Was that helpful? Um... where are you from? Where were you right before you ended up here?"
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Getting shot at wasn't exactly in today's itinerary.
His brow quirked as the original movie was covered by another tab, apparently there was a question to be had here, but it was put on hold in favor of paying attention to this video instead.
"What is he the Captain of?" Not even questioning America, he doesn't know what the dingdangdiddly darn an America is.
... Also, question that might not get said: what the hell is this man wearing. He leans in for a better view, his brows furrowing in faint confusion at what he's hecking looking at. Okay no, ignore the... the everything else. Information was important.
... Humans are weird.
"... Quite helpful." Though it has now sowed so very many, many, many questions, but he might just have to deal with living with those. "Thank you.
I had been in the Central Command System of the Galran Empire. What I don't understand is how a portal could have opened up without displaying an energy signature of any kind. A sensor... many sensors, would have alerted us to the opening of a rift between worlds."
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She looks up at him again when he explains his point of origin, her expression brightening. So he is an alien. Unless he's an elf that happened to be in space...
"That's a good point. I was on my ship when I somehow ended up here, and it didn't trip any alarms, either." She shrugs thoughtfully. "I don't think portals here work the same way. The only thing I've noticed is that they tend to stabilize if they're used frequently, but other than that, there isn't a lot of rhyme or reason to them. Is that a common thing where you're from? Rifts opening?"
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"None of the rifts ever behaved like this..." How was he supposed to know when another portal would show up when he returned? He'd walked through that particular section of the station every day now, it had seemed no different.
"I would not say it's common, but it has been known to occur, very rarely. I've only seen it once personally myself." And even then he'd not been able to traverse the planes of his world to the next. He would have certainly been unmade in that very moment if he had tried.
"What I find odd is that everyone who has crossed into this place has made it through alive. By what we've gathered back at central command, without the appropriate defenses, any attempt to traverse from one side of the portal to the other would end in immediate atomization."
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It sounds as though rifts in space are a dangerous thing where Lotor comes from. His confusion makes all the more sense -- although who wouldn't be confused on their first visit to the Nexus? "It's probably a different phenomenon, then. Honestly, this place... it has its own rules, and even those rules can be broken on a moment's notice." At least no one's getting atomized. Yikes.
Once Captain America's video loops back to the beginning, she closes the tab, then returns her attention to Lotor. She has a number of questions, too, as he's the first alien of his kind that she's met, but she's reluctant to ask anything, not wanting to accidentally offend him. "Are you, um... is there an Earth, where you're from? Or humans?"
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"It must be, but the lack of an energy signature or a visible portal will make it far more difficult to study." Was there even quintessence to be found here? Did it exist in this strange little hub of worlds? Clearly, there were doors to other worlds, could he then travel to these places as well?
The universe just got a whole lot bigger, it was just a little overwhelming. "Are you suggesting reality here isn't stable?" He's not sure how to feel about that.
"There is, in the system X-9-Y. The Empire skirted past it once, but the planet and its inhabitants were deemed too primitive to interact with." Sorry, Adia. "There are humans that I've worked with before, however. They've proven themselves to be incredibly fast learners. It's highly impressive."
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"The portal on my ship vanished, so I haven't had much experience with them, but there are people here who create portals. They might know more." As for the subject of reality, she's back to fidgeting with her pen, her gaze drifting over the Plaza at large. "Well... that depends what you mean by 'stable'. There are lots of people who live and work in the Nexus, but buildings can sometimes move around... a store will pop up out of nowhere, for example, or a landmark might change position. There's an anti-violence field, but it fails on occasion... and there's a lot of magic. Stuff that can play fast and loose with the laws of nature and physics." She laughs nervously, as if apologizing on behalf of the weirdness of the Nexus. "It bumps up against my training as a scientist all the time, trust me. But you get used to it."
She looks up at Lotor again when he speaks, her curious smile returning. "How funny that your universe has an Earth, too. It was a myth in my universe for a very long time." She's not the least bit offended by being indirectly labeled 'primitive', assuming that Lotor's people are highly advanced as opposed to arrogant. His assessment of humans makes her giggle, more naturally this time. "Thanks, we try our best. What, um, species are you, then? What do you prefer to be called?"
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"It vanished?" Well that's... discomforting. "How do you return home if the portal there is gone?" Implying there must be another one that opened up, perhaps a far more obvious one. At least, it's the answer he's hoping to get, and not 'oh I haven't been able to get home in three years'. Everything else is very fascinating, and he's not quite sure what to ask questions about first. It isn't often he honestly feels like some starry eyed child again, but this conversation was doing it's best to awaken that part of him. Alright, first things first.
"Could you describe this anti-violence field? How does it work?"
Onto the subject of earths though- "Earth is the origin point for every human I've met." A beat. "Where were you born, if not earth?"
As for himself: "I'm a hybrid." A nicer word than another Galran might have used. "I'm half Galran, half Altean. If you give me a moment, I can show you what both species tend to look like."
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She puts down the pen and pulls out of her pocket what looks like a smartphone except that the Contact List includes places as well as names. "See? You can save where you've been and teleport back there. There are lots of different kinds, too, so it's easy to find one that blends in with your world's level of technology."
As for the anti-violence field, her uncertain look returns. "Ideally, it prevents anyone from being injured by anyone else. Weapons don't work, and you can't hit someone, either. The field is strongest in the Plaza. It can be spotty elsewhere, like in the Wilds. Unless you meant, um... well, I don't know the mechanics of it. Powerful enough magic can disrupt it. Once in a while someone tries to take over the Nexus, but it never ends well."
At least she can definitively answer questions about her origin. "Leonis. It was one of the Twelve Colonies of Kobol." She blinks when he refers to himself as a hybrid. Two kinds of alien in one! "Yes, I'd like that, thank you. I haven't met either of your kind before."
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It wasn't his after all.
"Do you know how it works?" Back to looking at the vending machine again, brows furrowed in thought.
Lord, that anti-violence shield sounds like something he'd like too. Probably should figure out how that works as well, his expression thoughtful as she described the nature of it, at least. "... We could use something like this in the throne room..." So he doesn't have to worry about getting goddamn shot.
"The stars in the constellation Leo, correct?" While the Galra had a different name for that particular collection, enough time with the human paladins had taught him what phrase to use with them. He removed a device from a clip at his belt, toying with it for a moment. "I would say that's surprising to hear, but considering our situation, I suppose that's understandable."
A ping, and two images crop up, small, shimmering, and holographic, standing upon the device in his hand. A woman, seemingly elvish in appearance, and a cat-like, yellow eyed alien, a large fellow by the look of it.
"The woman is an Altean, the male a Galran." Wildly different looking species, frankly.
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The fact that he keeps his hands to himself does not go unnoticed. So polite! She smiles up at him. "You know, I can go back to my research whenever. Would you like to head over to the vending machines so you can see your options? There's a coffee machine, too. Or, um... another machine has cold drinks, if you'd prefer that."
She pockets her PINpoint, her gaze only leaving him for a moment. "A throne room? Are you royalty? Or, um, in the military?" There's a definite regality to the way he caries himself; she doubts he's in the throne room polishing the floor or taking dictation.
When he mentions the constellation, she grins. "Yes. Well, sort of. The name comes from the same meaning." She's had enough time to get used to these sorts of coincidences, so she doesn't comment further. Instead, she looks over the two holographic images, noting their similarities and differences, then up at Lotor again. He seems to have inherited the Altean build, which is a good look for him. "Is it -- uh, I mean." She blushes a little, wanting to ask her question delicately. "How common are hybrids between the two?"
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Getting a coin shouldn't be too hard, he's sure. He could just ask for one, he's fairly certain he'll find someone willing to share. Though there is a question coming up, his expression mildly quizzical. It's not nearly as important as the PINpoint but still. "What is coffee?" A beat. "I'm aware it's a drink, I hear of it often from the paladins, but I'm curious as to what it is, exactly."
"Both would be correct." She'd not be wrong, he's certainly no janitor or secretary. "I'm the Emperor of the Galrans. Effectively, I am both highest acting general and king." May as well be honest with it, since she asked.
He doesn't question the blush, merely answers as calmly and as directly as he has been. "Perhaps, once. But not anymore. Altean's are all but extinct. At present, only two full blooded Altean's are known to remain. As for other hybrids, I wouldn't know." Unfortunately. He'd be lying if he said he wasn't keen to find more in the same situation as himself. Some sense of belonging would be... nice.
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But, anyway. How to explain coffee. "It's a drink made by roasting coffee beans and then grinding them into little granules and then brewing them with hot water. It's a little bitter, but if it's brewed well it's more mellow-tasting than anything. It has a chemical called caffeine in it that's a stimulant for humans." She frowns thoughtfully. "I'm not sure what effect it would have on you. How similar is your physiology to a human's?"
It's a question she kind of regrets asking, because lo and behold, he's an emperor. Nexus is the great equalizer, but even so, she worries if she's been asking him anything too personal. The fact that the Alteans are nearly extinct speaks to a greater tragedy that she can only guess at.
"I'm sorry to hear that," she says sincerely. "About the Alteans." It reminds her of Hera, a little girl on her island who is the only living human-Cylon hybrid. She wonders for a moment if he'd like to hear about her, then dismisses the idea. He's not asking her for any sort of sympathy. "So... what's it like being an emperor? We don't have any royalty on Atlantis."
In light of certain other threads here I couldn't resist
Steve looks up after only a moment and offers a small smile toward the stranger.
"Leave back to where? The plaza? Or do you mean the Nexus in general?"
WHAT KINDA NAME IS CAPTAIN AMERICA ANYWAY
He doesn't interrupt, just politely waits, until Steve has a moment to look up and answer. Hey, he gets it, no reason to get demanding.
"Yes, the Nexus. I'm afraid I was rather caught up in several things at the moment that I left, that are highly time sensitive." Which was a crying shame because this place was nothing short of fascinating. Maybe he could arrange an actual mission back here sometime for more information.
He's honestly somewhat at loathe to just leave now.
WWII propaganda mostly
"Oh. Uhm, well that sort of depends on where you came in from." Steve gives a slightly embarrassed glance around the plaza but that ostentatiously huge screen isn't within line of sight and that's probably for the best considering who Lotor's decided to hail for directions here.
"You're not from any Earth I know, so most any door I'm aware of won't do you any good. We'd have to find yours to get you back."
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"The Central Control System of the Galran Empire." A beat, and then a glance at the device Steve held. "A space station." It was hard to describe it as anything else, really.
"I see... I suppose that does make sense." At least something here did, and the obvious idea of a door always linking the same two areas together shouldn't have been as surprising as it was, even given the situation.
"I'm curious as to how I've managed to arrive in the first place, without any knowledge of the door existing in the station to begin with."
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"At the risk of over simplifying things, magic usually." Steve gives a bit of a shrug there. "It really does seem to be kind of random what doors lead here and when. You're taking it pretty well though. Inter-dimensional travel a thing much where you're from?"
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Yeah that does oversimplify things a bit, but then, needling for further explanation probably wouldn't pay off. Not for this. "Not truly a thing, no. It has been known to happen, but I've only ever seen it once. I've never visited another reality myself before."
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Trust the soldier to probe into things he may or may not want to know the answers to. He doesn't seem to have any duplicitous intentions behind asking though. The same eager curiosity from before still lingers behind every word.
"Well, you'll adapt quicker than most then. The Nexus is a kind of hub in between different times, dimensions, and worlds. Come on, you can't have gone far from your door. I can help you look for it if you think you can retrace your steps."
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"For the moment, earth, while rapidly progressing considering the age of the human species, is still far behind us."
He'd expected to adapt quickly anyway, it was one of the many, many things he considered himself exceptionally good at. The offer to help him search for his door prompted a smile, polished and friendly. "Thank you. I appreciate the help, I do need to return home as quickly as possible."
no subject
Steve's own initial trip to the Nexus had been jarring enough, and that was before he put a plane into the Arctic to snooze out half a century or more in his own world. Being out of place is pretty much Steve's entire lot in life.
"My name's Steve, by the way. Steve Rogers. I shoulda introduced myself sooner but I got distracted by the idea of space travel. Sorry." The man gives a sheepish tiny shrug of his impressive shoulders there.