World Walker (Multicross Quest)

[X] You are an interdimensional traveller from an alternate Earth
-[X] offer your services in trading for resources across alternate earths and you can keep an eye out for what they could want from elsewhere

You stare at the catlike alien unemotionally.

You've already noticed that I can speak to minds. Would you believe me if I said I was a traveller from another dimension or universe?

Your words cause the incubator to stiffen and stay silent for several long moments.

That is an extraordinary claim to make.

You've already listed your evidence, why would I appear out of nowhere? Appear in no official database? Why would I wear clothes that are decades or centuries out of fashion?

You decide against showing the alien any magic. It is better to keep some cards close for now.

I can offer access to different planes of existence. New things your species has never experienced.

The alien thinks for another long moment.

Have you verified whether you travel between dimensions or universes?

You got him. You feel a smile start to form.

Not yet. The evidence is inconclusive.

"Alright, what is up with you?" Madeline's demeanour changes again. "No one can be that unaugmented or unaware. Why were you quiet just now, why were you asking about seeing the future, and why do you look like M-"

"I must confess that I've not been entirely honest with you." You feel you sound like one of those evil movie masterminds.

"Oh. Really." She takes a form that reminds you of a tense coil. You assume she is getting ready to defend herself. Well time for a different sort of surprise.

"I am not from here, or any of your colonies. I am a visitor from another dimension."

The look on Madeline's face is curious procession of emotions. First confused, then disbelief, then like someone looking at crazy person until finally settling on a false calm.

"Look I'm sure we can deal with this without getting Public Order involved. Take you to nice psychiatrist and sort out your issues."

Ha, the last shrink you saw labelled you with sociopathic tendencies. You're not making that mistake again.

The look of slight concentration on the magical girl's face no doubt implied frantic messages were being communicated to the incubator.

I believe her.

The incubator's words are enough to make Madeline freeze. A dumbstruck look crosses her face. She moves to argue with the alien before it speaks again.

This is essentially a first contact scenario.

A small 'oh' escapes her lips. The alien's opinion seemed to hold more weight.

"We should stop the recruitment pitch then." The other girl looks very pale. "I knew there were too many things off about you."

"Thanks."

"So uh… how is like where you're from?"

"Okay, I guess."

"The Freedom Alliance didn't win in your dimension, did they?"

"What?" That doesn't sound good.

"Nevermind… I'm messing this up ugh."

"You're doing okay given the circumstances."

"Thanks."

"What year is it here?" You ask, curious. The other girl looks surprised to be asked the question.

"2458."

Wow.

"What year is it where you're from?"

"2003."

"Oh."

You should have expected the reciprocal question. Half a millennium… that's a long time. A lot longer than you expected really. Things change a lot in that span of time. You try to imagine how your time would look to the average person from 1600AD.

"What do you do?" When you're not recruiting teenage girls into making wishes with dubious aliens/genies.

Wait, is like one of Arabian stories where you make a wish with a genie and it comes back to bite you in a narratively poetic way?

"I work a desk job at MSY Finance."

So nothing interesting then, at least pretend interest to keep things polite. "You make a lot of money then?"

"We don't have money like that. We're a post-capitalist society, the closest thing we have is allocs which are somewhat different."

So they're communists. Joy.

"Wow, that's a bit hard for me to understand." Hah, as if the equivalent of your time didn't fall in '91. Seems like Pax Americana didn't pan out sadly.

"Should we go back to what you wanted to talk about?"

"I want to create a mutually beneficial arrangement between your government and myself."

"Okay, um give me a minute. I need to call this in."

You smile and back away. Madeline does not appear to take out any cell phone or radio equivalent. Maybe it's built into her body? How crazy is that? How would you even recharge the battery? She seems to be concentrating and mostly silent if not for the occasional muttering.

Watch, they're probably assembling a strike team to take you down.

Metatron chips in now, you think it's been sulking.

That seems pointless, I've already established friendly contact.

Who has the experience dealing with interdimensional polities again?

"By the Goddess."

What you're saying doesn't make sense. Why would they do that?

That is exactly what the Empire would have done.

But these people aren't the empire. They haven't had any such dimensional contact before.

"I'm out of my depth."

It will happen.

Can't I just escape at the first sign of danger?

Probably…

The device admits with some reluctance.

I'm only sixty.

Then why worry-

Unless they take you out from long range with a sniper.

There is a fine line between caution and paranoia, and I feel that you're crossing it heavily.

I need to contact some Ancients too.

Oh really.

Yeah, look she's panicking. And three times my age apparently.

Probably a clueless pasty that will be co-opted or eliminated.

Maybe grandma as well.

They are going to cut you up to see how you work.

What brought this on?

You never thought he was one for vivisection.

Take out your brain and isolate the world walking gene.

That was awfully specific.

Stop being melodramatic.

I imagine the America of your time can do it with enough time and effort.

That makes you a little worried.

All this time the incubator has been staring at you silently.

Madeline approaches you, "okay I should be done, our local branch of Governance has decided to take you at your word for now."

Wow, that was fast. Their government works quickly.

Of course it does. It's all run by Artificial Intelligences, human involvement is superficial.

Isn't that a bad idea?

If this were a movie, the AI would rebel now or decide it best to cull the humans.

Of course it is.

The contempt is clear.

Wait, I thought you were an AI? Wouldn't you be for it?

These AI are cowardly wimps that hide behind back ups. They are not true intelligence.

AI snobbery now as well? You don't understand him.

Madeline continues in that script reading voice. "I have been authorised to tell you that we have a variety of things to trade if you help us in our war for survival. One example is our widespread proliferation of clinical immortality."

They have immortality!? Like an honest to God cure for old age, holy shit.

"You look really good for your age," you compliment. Now if she could only act like it.

"Oh thanks! That's actually from my puella magi body being immune to ageing though. It's a perk."

Thats interesting to know.

"Things like that require a lot of built up though. Of more immediate importance we are willing to share scientific advances from your near future."

That could be really useful.

"A few negotiators from Governance are on their way to discuss further terms. They'll be here in forty minutes."

Uh do we want that?

I already told you, these negotiators will be heavily armed and will try to apprehend you.

What if I just make them negotiate through Madeline? They obviously have a line of communication through her.

That would be marginally better, though then she'll be told to restrain you.

But she just admitted to being a desk jockey, a bureaucrat!

She does look out of shape and somewhat chubby.

You are distracted by the incubator moving.

My presence is not required anymore.

That's a bit surprising, you thought it would stay and observe.

You may make a wish now if that is your desire.

Your mind is immediately drawn to how much easier life would be if you could see the future. You could see the problems before they happened. Know who would betray you or stay loyal. Deal with the outcomes of events. It would significantly change your current lifestyle. Life would become a lot more complex. As for grief cubes, you imagine you could easily negotiate them from Governance in exchange for services. Or worst case, use any ability gained to steal them or get them before the MSY do. You'll treat this like an Arabic genie wish and try to be genre savvy enough to avoid the poetic pitfall.

And if I don't?

You have up to two years before you are out of the usual age range for contracting. If you change your mind before then contact an incubator.

What happened to the one-time deal thing?

That approach was adopted due to pressure from the human government to increase the number of girls contracting to help with their war effort. Utilising old advertising techniques the youth of this age have not been exposed to.

Well that explains those weird marketing terms they were throwing at you a while back. Strange that kids in this commietopia don't recognise such obvious messaging.

You look over the Madeline, it appears that whoever is at the other end is obviously still communicating with her. The expression on her face suggests she just wants this day to end.


[] Wait for the Governance negotiators to arrive
-[] Pass time talking to Madeline
--[] Ask her about herself
--[] Write-in
[] Make them conduct all negotiations through Madeline
[] Actually that's all for now. You've sent the message you wanted to send, leave.
[] Make a wish
-[] Wish for future sight
-[] To repair Metatron
-[] Mix the two
-[] Write-in

Negotiating strategy (if any of the first two options are picked)
[] Make yourself appear more non-threatening (mention the two earths, lack of advanced technology)
[] Make yourself appear more formidable (demonstrate magic, mention advanced tech/magic dimensions)
[] Write-in