EverEpic

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 49.1(101)

Drashina Thornburn visited him at the estate, sexy and efficient in a jumpsuit with slim boots and a pouch dotted belt. She came in a sleek four wheel drive rough-speeder, a 4x4 rough road car. Estatefolk mostly looked upon her with wariness and distaste but had no good reason to stop her coming into the estate. Samson warned them not to touch the car such as 'accidentally on purpose' scratching it's expensive paintwork.

Estatefolk ways were good in many ways but in others not so good. There were too many Estatefolk too quick to judge 'Outsiders', as being bad, just from appearances.

Drashina met him in the tower, sitting on a couch with a puppy in her lap. “There is a traitor amongst your ranks being one amazingly close.”

Samson nodded. “One of my projections, perhaps, be that Samtha or others like her or is that you or others like you?”

She had unzipped her jumpsuit to show a good deal of cleavage. Now she leaned forward and smiled. “Perhaps one that you do not know about.”

“Perhaps! How did you learn about the traitor?” He admired her but his main focus was on the information that Drashina could provide. “I doubt any locals would know of such things?”

“I suggest you do not underrate 'locals' so much.” Drashina smiled. “Much more is known about you, and your activities, than you might guess. The stories do not tend to be totally accurate but have in them surprisingly deep insights at times. Your amazing new wealth has attracted much attention, of course, but so has your amazing generosity that is often aimed at good causes and those who are worse off. Your letting go of your inheritance rights, to the Foremale Estate, sent ripples of shock through the whole area and fueled much speculation.”

Samson nodded. “I am not surprised but I have been isolated from... well almost everything of the Estatelands and Estatefolk. I have not gotten back into the habit of interacting with either, not really, except on the Foremale and Brownlingo Estates.”

Drashina nodded right back. “People have been carefully observing what has been going on around here, that is those from the local alms-tramps right up to some powerful local factions. Those Matriarchs are busy rebuilding the Estateclans, that favoured women as leaders, and plenty of Estatefolk Patriarchs are worried. A couple of alms-tramps, having gained some alms from a local charity temple, were off to buy some bush grog and camp roasted spice-potatoes, when they observed 'you' moving quietly through the bush. That was close to the Gambo Estate.”

Samson was surprised for he had not been near the Gambo Estate for over 10 years. Yet he 'sensed' truth in the words, that somehow some kind of extension of himself had been seen by the two alms-tramps. Was it a dark projection of himself, a projection from his dark side? Or was there some other kind of answer?

The woman spoke on. “The 'Samson' they saw was hauling the dead body of a woman over his left shoulder. Perhaps we should go and check the story out. We would be best to make it just the two of us so as not to attract attention.”

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 49.2(102)

Samson smiled at Drashina. “What did he offer you, the other 'Samson', to help draw me into a trap? Was it money, status, land or?”

Drashina gave a nervous laugh and then shrugged in an off hand manner. “No, it was freedom! I am ceasing to be a villain and becoming an antihero at worst. I find the change to be most disturbing. Still, I am strangely glad that you saw through my falsehood.”

Samson shook his head. “What has happened to the real Drashina Thornburn, your half-sister?”

Dariarna Thornburn shrugged. “She is safely locked up in a back room in a seedy casino in Hopeville. I do not like Drashina but she is my half-sister and I would not have any real harm come to her.”

Samson smiled. “Some of my people have just rescued her. She wants to pay you back for a few bruises that you gave her. You are not a projection of myself, at least not directly. I have feared the existence of another 'Samson' for some time now. Have glimpsed him in my nightmares but have only more recently began to realise that he exists, though not as I do. Who was the dead woman that you spoke of, if there was one?”

“She wasn't dead!” Dariarna grinned mildly. “I altered that bit to make the story more dramatic.”

“And thus made it easier for me to 'sense' your general falsehood.” Samson grinned right back. “Your half-sister has always been smarter than you, in some ways.”

The young woman lost her grin. “You do not even know how he came to be?”

“He was born from my mother, as were Sambie and myself, but emerged as a kind of quasisolid, quasi-energy being.” Samson spoke as another memory emerged in his mind being a continuation of the one he had of his birth, in the Foremale Estate Darkjover Temple. “The truth is starting to me as many truths are, some being quite painful. Did you know that Dariarna Thornburn never actually appeared directly in any of my novels though she was mentioned as part of the background story and was due to appear more directly?”

“Well I hope you do write me into a novel, more directly that is.” She shuddered softly. “I do not like that other 'Samson' who is both you but not you. What are you going to do with me?”

He snapped his fingers and she shimmered, changing though not visibly so. She frowned softly at him. “You have made me into a much nicer person; how annoying of you!”

Samson smiled. “You will gain much more from me than you would ever from the other 'Samson' including money, new shoes, equipment, supplies, a place to live and protection.”

Dariarna began to take off her clothing. “Very good then but I always pay my way!”

Samson smiled some more!

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 50.1(103)

The expedition went down through the slide-inverter-entrance, the transdimensional disturbance having more effect on some than others. They slid for just about a minute but went through many layers, barriers, and over two kilometres down. They came sliding down from a slide-inverter-exit and into a huge metallic and super-concrete chamber.

A small army of security robots, chunky humanoid protectrons, stood ready to attack as did some sentrybots on three wheels, but all were long deactivated. There were also some wheeled trolleybots that would carry equipment and supplies, two medibots and some other specialised robots.

A short, fat man stood there quietly working on a robot, a panel open to show some inner workings. He wore an odd blue purple jumpsuit with many pockets and pouch-pockets along with gumboot like rubber boots.

He radiated amazing confidence and warmth, turning to face the expedition led by Samson. There was Jack Harkness, Scully, Rhonda Rhodes and a few others from the TPMI-SIRIO Taskforce including Patty Vandis the CrystalMage.

The man smiled. “I am the LittleFatMan! I have fixed up and enhanced these robots to assist you. This place was built by the VaultTek Corporation but is not one of their vaults. Those all exist in the Forbidden World. The eight trolleybots are filled with spare equipment and supplies along with some important items. I can only interfere to a very limited extent in the affairs of mortals. I did so already by fixing up the stuff in the big storage chamber in Fortress Freedom. Yes, it was me who fixed up and enhanced the landships.”

The LittleFatMan turned to Jack Harkness. “You really should not exist but since it was done to you and not by you, since you did not want it to happen, you are left to survive. GodGoddess will have a very good reason for your existence. So far you have managed to do a great deal of good and comparatively little harm.”

Jack Harkness went to say something clever but then he shimmered and stood there with an odd look on his face.

The LittleFatMan smiled. “GodGoddess has 'stabilised' you, Jack Harkness, so you will do less damage to the Multiversal Balances and be safer in yourself. You will take some five hours to fully adjust to the changes but new abilities will come to you. I hope you use them both well and wisely.”

Samson felt oddly exposed before this entity who seemed somehow familiar to him. Had they met before?

The LittleFatMan turned to Samson. “You were once an AncientGod but you were amazingly ancient even before the first of them emerged into existence. Always changing but always the same, you are part of the very backbone of existence that is the core of the Great Cycles even as it transcends the Great Cycles.”

Samson frowned softly. “I feel very opposite of such a grand state.”

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 50.2(104)

“Not such a 'grand state' of existence and you know it, Samson. We have met countless times, in countless ways and in countless places.” The LittleFatMan was slowly starting to fade away, to become increasingly transparent. “There is fate, there is karma and there are always an element of free will.”

Then he was gone but even as he vanished a tiny pulse of energy shot out from him to strike every single member of the expeditionary group. Yet not all noticed that it happen. Samson, Rhonda, Patty, Jack and some did. Five supersoldiers might have done. None seemed to sense any change.

Samson moved past the robots that were becoming active, were starting to stir. Beyond them was a great multiple purpose space with rows of parked electric vehicles like fully enclosed, lightly armoured golfcars, armoured modular buildings made from modular sections carefully sealed to each other, along with a great neat row of slanted sleeper-capsules each with a human or animal inside. Some of the humans were not standard. The animals were working pets, by the look.

Everywhere were the markings of something called the TripleProject as sponsored by the United Nations Special Research Development Agency, the Umbrella Corporation and the New Hope Scientific Foundation.

Rhonda Rhodes looked around and sniffed the air. “Kind of stale as if the LittleFatMan has fully activated the atmospheric regulation network-systems.”

There were neat stacks of cubecanisters, box-drums, drums, sacks and covered mounds along with bigger machines in special storage state.

Plans were made to send for reinforcements, to bring in people to make that chamber a kind of 'bridgehead'. Even as the decision was being made, they kept exploring the area. They entered the modular buildings and found largely what was expected.

But then came a surprise!

The chamber, and those in it, were not of those who had been originally inside the complex. No, they were of an expeditionary taskforce sent to investigate what had happened there, why all contact had suddenly been lost with the base. The chamber was an outer one and there were huge VaultTek designed and built wheel-doors firmly closed and locked. These led to the inner complex. The expedition had failed to get into the complex and then had come the Great Breaking. The expeditionary group had put themselves into status in full expectation that some day soon they would be rescued.

That rescue had never come!

Samson spoke. “We will bring the occupants out of the sleeper-capsules. I think that the LittleFatMan healed the sleepers for those capsules were not designed to hold people so long in status-sleep.”

And so they did!

Edited August 4, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

EverEpic Zero

Story Directions

*Introducing the Fatesanctim and Fatetorium of the Fatevator. The Fatesanctim as run by Sammas and the Fatetorium as run by Samsam.

*Samson, in the Fatedomain, comes to new conclusions about the cause of the effect that is pulling demonic, plus other kinds of entities, through to the mortal realms.

*Samson gets the first black-gold envelope in the Fatedomain. On the inner side of the envelope is an important diagram of data on demons. Inside are ten Fategamecards and ten Fategamedisks.

*He goes to the recently appeared FategamecardCube where he uses one Fategamecard and gains a small copper sphere and a semitransparent globe with a very small tractor inside, complete with trailer.

*Samson learns that he has been coming slowly to terms with the existence of the Fategame and that this is no accident.

*Samson, Samtha and Phanto enter TriImperiarna via the Fatevator. They find themselves in the basement chamber of a big house.

*Samson materialises some goods and supplies.

*Samson, Samtha and Phanto meet local Unity children and ghosts. Some ghosts become transformed and go to the Fatesanctim with the Unity children plus a puppy. One child, Francine, returns after doing so to go further with the expedition.

*TriLegionaries have gone mad, in the super city of TriImperiarna. They are fighting each other. The true 'nature' of the TriImperiate is being exposed in the city being death, life and undeath. Undead, unlifen and living TriLegionaries, along with other elites clone-linked to the TriImperiate, are ever fighting each other.

*Sezshia, the Sezshoco and the Sezshilli are in TriImperiarna but they remain harmless and are often victims of demonic entities like them, but bigger and more savage, called Sazeshia. The more harmless demons, along with mortals, are taken off to a great project deep beneath the city.

*Samson speaks with the ghosts who remain about the 'sudden insanity' of the TriImperiate and its cloned followers. One is willing to cooperate and is test-transformed into a solid person while others fail the testing.

*The TriImperiarna Undercity is introduced.

*More dark convolutions of TriImperial history are revealed.

*Francine returns and the group departs.

 

To be completed

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 51.1(105)

The expeditionary group, in TriImperiarna, had found itself slowed by the need to rescue groups of refugees, including groups of Unityfolk. Unityfolk were mostly very young adults, teens and children including babies but some were young adults in their 20s. They had gone into the open for short periods of time, once crossing a semi-open area and twice moving down laneways.

Once they edged a close battle between weird wraiths of TriLegionaries and undead TriGuardians, the bodyguards of the TriImperiate. The fighting was incredibly savage and yet bizarrely impersonal as if done robotically. Power armoured figures used powerful weapons but just as often fought each other more directly as wrestling, kicking and punching metallic hulks.

Small aerofighters shot the air above, sleekly fast and agile machines dogfighting each other.

They reached the address of Professor Hoggins only to find that the terrace building had obviously been abandoned for years except for some occasional caretaking and cleaning. Even that had ended with the outbreak of bizarre violence. It was there they met another group of ghosts, again somehow trapped from leaving the mortal plains to move on.

They gathered together in the basement chamber where the ghosts were happy to feel the warmth of some heating units. They had trouble with feeling cold at times, some being more troubled than others. Samson did not point out that those more troubled were more likely closer, spiritually, to the true Hell of the Blue Ice Realm.

One, an elderly woman, knew of Professor Harold Hoggins. She had been another scholar though not a professor though she had been close to gaining that status when the troubles had begun. She gave an ironic grin. “Two days later and I would have been Professor Patrice Phantane. Those killers had terrible timing when it came to my career.”

Samson noted that there were many books stacked up, untidily, near some armchairs and small tables. The ghosts had spent some time, at least, reading the books but he 'sensed' that they had difficulty focusing sharply on the words.

“When was the last time you saw the professor?” He frowned softly as he read the titles on the book covers. “Was it here?”

“No, it was at a local university campus of the TriImperiarna University, not to be confused with the much bigger TriImperial University but I suppose you know that already.” The woman looked as if she was having difficulty remembering the details but memory problems were common with ghosts. “He seemed most vexed and kept going on about the coming of something terrible would happen that would defy the very 'nature of nature'. I am afraid I was not impressed and gave him short shift. That is something I now regret deeply, especially as it turned as that he was right in that something did happen that has seemingly defied the 'very nature of nature. Those books on the floor are his publications and now, having read them, I realise we should have listened to him more.”

“The TriImperiate did for he was one of their consultants.” Samson answered and the almost professor looked stunned. “Hoggins had a Post Office Box at the local university campus, did he not, though he did much of his work here?”

Edited August 8, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 51.2(106)

Patrice responded with a tone of little certainty. “He may have done but so did many academics.”

Samson shook his head. “You are lying! You knew what Professor Harold Hoggins was up to for you were spying on him for the PaxIlluminati. Do not lie to such as I for it brings forth unwanted exposure.”

The woman shrugged. “The fight between the PaxIlluminati and the TriOrder has become rather meaningless given the current events that having nothing to do with that fight. At least nothing I know of for I have never been important in the ranks of the PaxIlluminati. I suspected that Hoggins might be linked to the TriOrder of Guardianship, the prig, but he always did think of himself as being morally superior. Why, because he did not plagiarise the efforts of students as was the natural order of things in the TriImperial University. He kept me back from being a professor until he vanished and gave me a chance; if only he had died earlier and then...”

All of the ghosts vanished with a sparkling shimmer except for three of them who were solidly living and given another chance. The almost professor was not amongst them.

The Fatevator appeared and the former ghosts were sent off to the Fatesanctim, that had been slowly but steadily expanding along with the demand on it.

How it happened, Samson was not sure but he became certain that he had to go on alone and so the others, including Samtha and Phanto, went into the Fatevator. This was not a permanent change and it was intended he would call for others, again in future, to assist.

As a hybrid of life-death-unlife-undeath he was able to face powerful threats such as others who were also of the distorted hybridisation. He was intending to confront at least one of such.

He set out to the local campus of the TriImperiarna University that was not to be mistaken for the much bigger, much grander, TriImperial University.

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 52.1(107)

Samson fed a second Fategamecard into the FategamecardCube and from it rolled a copper sphere and a semitransparent sphere with a large defense tower inside complete with gun turrets, detection systems and communications systems. The towers would need to be more carefully placed than had been the tractors, of course.

Why the defensive towers? Was it an indication of more trouble to come?

1.000 copper ingots were sent, at once, to be used by the rising Estateclan Industries under a recently formed agreement.

Samson was also off in the Foremale Estate proper, was beneath it in the outskirts of the PreBreaking base area and was in TriImperiarna. Yet there was at least one shadowy Samson out there that 'Samson' was having difficulty finding.

The Fatedomain was expanding and it came to Samson that, despite appearances, the Fatevator, Fatesanctim and Fatetorium were actually part of the Fatedomain.

Samsha, Sampha and Samtha came to meet Samson and they sat in a big room where there were many odd bits of furniture, fittings and decorations along with plants and animals. The Fatedomain was expanding expanding slowly and steadily.

Sampha smiled, as she looked around. “It is wonderful here. I wish I could spend more time here.”

Samson gave her a sad, warm smile. “You came to spy on me.”

The younger looking version of Samsha, and Samtha, did not try to lie. “Samshado sent me who is you but not you, who is darker and more troubled, who was born when you and Sambie were born. I think he tried to take possession of your body when you were... at the temple where you were transformed into something 'different'. Upon meeting you, all the influences of Samshado were gone. I do not know how, or why, that happened.”

Samson sighed. “Samshado has kept spying through you but here, in the Fatedomain, he can not do so. Please remain here where you can assist. I am gaining a stronger 'link' with Samshado. He reminds me of Samvil in many ways. They could almost be twin brothers.”

“Then remain here!” Samson frowned softly. “This place will welcome you!”

Other: “Samshado may try to get into the Fatedomain through Samsha!”

Samson: “Samshado knows that he would become trapped here in a place that I have much influence over and that he has no real influence over. I like Samsha! Perhaps she was designed for me to like so that she could slip beneath my armour.”

Samtha spoke then with a tone of concern. “The strange happenings, through out the TripleEmpire, are becoming numerous enough to disrupt the normal functioning of the empire. What will you do about it? Could you not make contact with various leaders of the Hopelands?”

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 52.2(108)

 

Samson frowned. “I am not sure how I could assist. I do what I can on a local basis but my resources are much limited despite the Fategame.”

 

Rhonda Rhodes came into the chamber and was followed by Rosie and Rachel who all came in light power armour and with light weaponry. They looked a bit dirty and slightly battered. They had been scouting the maze on the Foremale Estate.

 

Rhonda spoke even as the three sat down. “There were some nasty tricks in the surface maze but nothing designed to be lethal. Before we got to those there were ones designed to frighten off foolish children and others. We also checked that shelter, on the Brownlingo Estate, that Samvil wanted you to go into when he was shapeshifting as Matriarch Kiasha. The shelter is a fair sized complex that was well fitted but looted some time ago. If there was something there that could threaten you, it was long gone before we went into that place.”

 

Samson snorted with annoyance. “Samshado was there! I can now 'sense' that this was so. I doubt that he was alone. He is cowardly and selfish!” He went on talking. “Soon I will enter the Foremale Estate Maze, with companions, and begin to try to find a way into the great underground temple deep beneath the Brownlingo Estate.”

 

Alarms began to ring in soft tones, indicating a less threatening situation, and there was the yellow flashing of special indicators that were normally green but which could also flash amber or red or even purple. Purple meant that a threat was detected of exotic, unknown form that could not be more neatly categorised.

 

The Fatedomain was under some kind of transdimensional attack, which was logical for it was a transdimensional domain.

 

Then, as quickly as it had started, the attack ended.

 

The 'Voice' mind-spoke to all there.

 

Other: “The assault, on the Fatedomain, appears to have been a probing attack designed to test the defences of the Fatedomain. The attack was easily deflected but little data was gained by the Fatedomain Network of Network-Systems, FDNNS.”

 

Samson: “Are we not supposed to be hidden away from such possible attacks?”

 

Other: “Yes, we are, which has many implications.”

 

Sampha: “It is not me for I am divorced from the darkness that is Samshado.”

 

The Rhodes Sisters did not have to speak up for they were bound by something called the Rhodes Sisters Program Contract.

 

Samtha: “It is not I and you know that, Samson!”

 

Samsha shrugged and spoke physically. “It has always been me but not totally so.”

Edited August 10, 2013 by Maharg67

[Maharg67]

EverEpic One 52.3(109)

Samson also reverted to physical voice. “Samshado has been influencing you?”

Samsha sighed deeply, with much melodrama. “No, you have, a deeper darker side to you and not your exotically dangerous triplet! Yet that one is not who I truly fear or Samshado either. There is another who was pulled through the barrier by the forces that pulled through the demons and others, that are causing increasing turmoil. This other tried to influence me to help it attack the Fatedomain and I went along with it to some extent. I made sure the attack failed for it was supposed to be more than just a probing attack to test the Fatedomain defences. The real culprit is....”

Samson stared into mid air and did not seem all surprised. “We hurled it into the realm known as the DemonicLimbo where chaotic demons, of monstrous crazy power, are often locked away. Mostly they are thrust into the DemonicLimbo by other demonic entities, especially those of ordered evil. It, often known as he-it-she, was the dark creation of the dark subconscious of the GeniusThirteen of which I was one and Samvil another. Its official name was GeniusHub, the linked secondary mind of all of the thirteen. We called it Samhub but only while we trusted it and even loved it. Then we began to call it Samfane. Samfane seduced Samvil, Samkie and Samlal but also other traitors that I never learned the identity of. In theory there were three with identities hidden from me but I never fully accepted the idea that it was only three.”

He frowned. “I killed Samlor and imprisoned Samkie. Problem is that we do not tend to stay dead and I do not know if Samkie remains imprisoned. Question is, did Samfane reach through transdimensional barriers to start what has happened so it would draw him into the mortal realms or did he-she-it take advantage of what happened?”

So there was the Shadow Samson, Samshado and Samfane as part of the puzzle along with Samvil and the TriImperiate.

Samson frowned hard, focused. “It is time to change tactics and to get more active, even aggressive. We are going to seek out more truths, to hunt down certain individuals such as... well the list is quite long.”

Other: “You have impressed the GameLords for you are now gaining two fatecredit per second along with a large enhancement, augmentation, expansion of the Fatedomain. There is now the Fatesanctuary that is a great domechamber big enough to be a land in its own right. It is one thousand kilometres across but has already begun to expand slowly, steadily, at one metre per day.”

An odd shimmering, shivering, went through everything for some seconds but no alarms went off and Samson 'sensed' no danger.

Edited August 10, 2013 by Maharg67