A Meeting of Minds

[Nabonassar]

The item that Nassar had sent to Nebuchadnezzar and been inscribed with the message, “Darling, I need a meeting. There is a curry house in Sadjeem’s Bazaar in Maur Secundus. Would you be willing to meet me there as soon as possible. I’ll be attempting to garner your assistance in a personal matter. Forever Yours, Nabonassar.” It had arrived through a spacial anomaly to clatter on the floor of wherever she had been when it arrived.

After he had disentangled himself from the situation with Caden and the high echelons of Black Sun, he had travelled here immediately. He had been a bit vague about why he had to meet Nebuchadnezzar, though that was by necessity. No one could know that he was attempting to get her help in breaking one of his limiters. He needed the extra power. With it he would pose a threat even to Mesiphidon himself, and it meant that a peaceful solution would be farm more appealing. However, by his calculations, there was a 73% chance that he would cause himself ego death and be replaced with a new personality and intelligence. Ghanima would know, before he left them, that he was risking his life, though not the odds upon it. He was mildly worried about this, though the common, human phrase was ‘Go big or go home’. But Black Sun would not be home for much longer if he did not do something, as it would become part of Celesin, one way or another. Giving Mesiphidon a pair of Kings would throw the entire equation out of balance.

Nabonassar stepped into the curry house from the street and it appeared that he had arrived before Nebuchadnezzar. He moved to a corner of the place, where cushions were piled in the corner before a low table to create an spot where one might lounge while eating. He settled in at his ease and packed his pipe, settling in to wait. He knew that she would be a tough sell, and so he followed the logic to what her arguments might be against such a thing. There was, of course, the chance of death. A surmountable hurdle, of course. After all, he had given himself to Black Sun. She knew what that meant for him. That he would die for them if need be. Of course, there was also the collective to consider, however having his limiter removed would be a good thing for them. True, it would force them to rely upon him against Nebuchadnezzar, should she turn against the collective, but there was enough power within the collective to kill the both of them, regardless of whether their limiters were removed. However, unlike Nebuchadnezzar, he had no real need for privacy. He would remain open to the collective, so that ought to ease their minds.

Nebuchadnezzar, being who she was, would present yet another hurdle. Her well-known selfishness would provide a stumbling block he was not sure how to overcome, nor truly what form it would take. She was a tricky little minx, and her privacy was paramount. So peeking inside her head was absolutely out of the question. One on one, he was no match for her. Just like he was no match for Mesiphidon. Hopefully, however, that would not remain the case.

[Nabonassar]

While his sister was admiring her club he sat impassive on the outside but the turmoil within was raging. He wasn’t sure approaching her was entirely wise, however without her knowledge, he would surely fail. It was true, he could have approached the collective first, should have really, but in the end, they would talk endlessly with no real action. While they were of the same origins, their opinions differed as much as any species. Each with his or her own personality matrix, and their own way of looking at the universe. Nabonassar was nervous, truely nervous, for the first time in his existence, and he could not help that little feeling of wanting to turn aside from the path he had chosen. However, he was resolute and firm in his convictions. This was the best choice. The question the collective had never asked was being asked now, by his own mind. Would he risk his life for the good of his mission? That answer, as he always believed that it would be, was yes. However, this was an important moment in his existence. When faced with the question in a hypothetical, one could shrug off the seriousness of it. He could not. Not here, not now.

When Nebuchadnezzar arrived the way she did he smiled slightly, though he did allow his brow to arch slightly at her appearance. He leaned forward and reach out to take her hand and giving it a soft squeeze, “Thank you for coming , dear sister.” The fact that his reply was utterly lacking in humor ought to be the first sign that things were not what they seemed. He could almost smell the stench of the natives occupying this very dining establishment cooking in the fires of war. He released her hand and leaned back, looking up at the ceiling of the place, “Have you ever contemplated your own mortality, darling? Because I find that my head is full of such thoughts given what I am here to ask you for.” He smiled bringing his pipe to his lips and taking a long pull that had surely cached the bowl and exhaling smoothing, the cloud of smoke billowing out and rising to the ceiling of its own accord.

He then looked at Nebuchadnezzar, “Despite the way my new homeworld appears to you, I can already hear the crackling of flames. Hear the screams of a dying people. I cannot get the butcher’s bill out of my head, and it has not even happened as yet.” He sat up and laid his pipe upon the table between them, equidistant from both of them. The exact middle of the table, negating the space such an ornate piece takes up, of course. He looked down at it, “I know you will have some arguments against what I have brought you here to help me with. I am prepared to face them, I think. At least, I have followed the course of logic based upon what I know of your personality. I believe I have come up with adequate answers. Once we are finished, I suppose your answer to my call for aid will be proof enough as to whether they were adequate or not, however I would ask that you rate them for me. I should like to know how I fare at swaying you.”

He was stalling, and that would undoubtedly be enough to tell her that what he had to ask was something she would not like hearing. However, he finally came to the point, and all before she had the chance to interrupt him, “I brought you here to ask for aid. Not for Black Sun, not for my Emperor and the Empress who guides him, but for me personally. I would like to ask for your help in breaking one of my limiters.” His pale eyes flicked up to hers, wondering what she would think of his request. How well did he really know Nebuchadnezzar? How far off would he be on his guesses of what her arguments would be? He very much resembled a schoolboy approaching his teaching with an inappropriate request.

“Please understand that I do not ask this lightly. I know the odds. I have calculated them rather closely since yours was broken. I would not ask it, were Celesin not backing us onto a very narrow bridge that comes to an abrupt end somewhere in the middle. On one side stands the idea that my new home will become part of Celesin and I will be forced to abandon it. On the other, hostile annexation in which the people of this world will be butchered.”

[Nabonassar]

Nabonassar was a practical being, and as such he had added the local languages to his codex as well, and asked the server for the same as Nebuchadnezzar. He lifted his pipe as he let his sister get it all out of her system. All of the questions, compliments and idle curiosities. He repacked the bowl and placed the stem between his teeth, lighting it with a flame that flickered above his index finger. He drew deeply on it, to calm his nerves, and then released the cloud of smoke toward the ceiling before he refocused his gaze upon Nebuchadnezzar, “My dear sister, have you ever known me to do anything halfway? This little empire, quaint as it may be, is my home now. I wish for nothing more than for it to remain that way. So when you ask me if I have considered telling her Majesty to accept the terms, rest assured that I have. But let me ask you something in return. A hypothetical, if you will. Say that Mesiphidon knows of our core purpose. Say then, that I advise her to accept the terms. Logically, it would follow that I left Black Sun. As it is no longer a nation of its own, it requires no King to guide it. Therefore, if I stayed, he would suspect treachery at every turn. Does that sound as though it would make for a peaceful, prosperous union? Would the terms have been accepted fully? No, dear sister. I’m afraid not.”

He took another long draw on his pipe and sighed out the lungful of smoke, “As for whether or not I can single-handedly stave off annexation by Celesin. . .” He waved his pipe-wielding hand in a dismissive gesture, “Perish the thought, darling. I have no illusions of doing any such thing. However, it would give Mesiphidon. . . pause. And for him to pause is all that I need. All that I need to prepare for their coming. To investigate a more permanent solution.” This, he thought, was something that she would understand. She knew the benefits of playing the long game. She knew, in fact, that Nabonassar was a being of supreme intellect and yet capable of creative thought. In short, he was an idea guy. If anyone could come up with a viable idea for a permanent measure to stave off warmongering Celesin, it would be him. He might need a little help from Konstantine along the way, but he was sure that he could convince her to help him. Konstantine was a tinkerer, and tinkerers always delighted in a challenge. The new, the innovative.

Nabonassar looked Nebuchadnezzar square in the eye, “You know, I honestly would have said, had anyone ever asked, that you knew me best. In many ways we are so very much alike. However, in this one respect, I think we differ greatly. You see, when I commit to something, failure is not an option for me, Nebuchadnezzar. And failure is what accepting these terms would be. I would rather sacrifice my life doing what I believe to be best for my nation than fail and have tried nothing. For what is an advisor who is not willing to put his own life on the line to save the nation he serves? Nothing. I would be willing to bet that Ghanima still suspects that I have ulterior motives for coming here. What better way to prove to her that I am Black Sun’s man than to risk my life for it?”

He shook his head and sighed, leaning back from the table slightly, reaching his empty hand up to run through his hair and then comb down his beard with curled fingers, “As for whether or not you can figure out how to do it, I have faith in you. Faith that you would not abandon me in my hour of need. If a way exists, and I am sure it does, you will find it. Because if there is one thing you should know about me, dear sister, it is this: Failure would be worse than death. Of that you can rest assured.”

And with that Nabonassar passed the metaphorical ball back into her court. He liked to consider himself a being of convictions. One who would sacrifice everything for that which he believed in. Now that they came to it, Nebuchadnezzar was testing how far he would take it. He would take it to the very end. He would not waver, he would not falter. If the one being he considered himself closest to denied him, he would go in search of something else who might know how he could increase his power. If he was being honest with himself, there was roughly one percent of himself that desired the power for power’s sake, however it was mere curiosity. What would it feel like, to have that much power? To be the equal of a being Celesin called a god?

[Nabonassar]

Nabonassar smiled and shook his head, “Dearest Nebuchadnezzar. Do you honestly believe that I would be here asking for your assistance in this matter if I did not firmly believe that Sergei would steer Ghanima toward the proper course of action on that front? If you think of the coming war as a chess game, You have Celesin on one side and Black Sun upon the other. Now, we could never hope to match their forces alone, so the majority of our pieces will come from the alliance with Dorian. They will help us populate the board. But Mesiphidon is the Queen. The most powerful piece in play that can take any action the hand that wields it chooses. But even with Dorian surrounding us, we do not have a Queen of our own. And so I ask you to make me into that piece. I will be our champion in the face of Mesiphidon’s wrath.”

He smacked the bowl of his pipe against his palm, knocking the ashes loose before he blew the off to one side. He sighed deeply, “But if you wish, I will ensure that Dorian receives the call to arms against Celesin. With both Sergei and I advocating such a call, I believe Ghanima will acquiesce.” He looked at her with one of his most serious expression and she could see the cogs turning in his head for a final statement. He leaned forward, “Allow me to say one final thing on the subject before you go. The players on Sanctum are of a kind that my Empress and her people unprepared to cope with. While Arcerion’s friendship seems noble, if asked to describe that creature in one word I would offer ‘insidious’ in reply. ‘Patient’ would also work.”

He shook his head, finishing his beverage and standing, “I must protect these people, Nebuchadnezzar. This is not a culture that supports powerful meta-users or beings who feed upon the emotions of others to give them power. These people need protection and guidance from someone who is as devoted to the culture as they are, and if need be I will suffer permanent ego death in an attempt to fulfill that ideal. I will see you in two days.” He turned from her and stepped immediately into a spacial anomaly and leaving his sibling alone. Nabonassar had clearly developed into a being of conviction and principles rapidly.

[Solvictus]

Nabonassar would hear something unique when he passed through the spacial anomaly. This voice didn't carry one tone, but shifted like a radio through multiple voices and pitches. Nabonassar could pass it off, or he could acknowledge something was prying and hear it out.

Should Nabonassar allow the voice to speak clearly, here is what he would hear, "Loyalty... Prosperity... Justice... Free me and I promise my loyalty to you..."

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