//------------------------------// // The Beanstalk // Story: Worlds Apart: The Chosen of the Prognosticus // by GMBlackjack //------------------------------// “No, seriously, why are you guys back?” Jenny asked. “So this is where you were…” Tippi said, ignoring Jenny and taking a look around the miniature Heart pillar in front of her. “Um, hello? I’m standing right here, technicolor bug?” She waved her arms rapidly as if needing to draw attention to herself. “Oh, uh, right!” Tippi fluttered up to Jenny. “We are searching for your universe’s Pure Heart.” “You just left with one!” Vivian moved in front of Tippi. “That was from a different universe. When we plugged it back into our machine, it led us here, which means this universe is the last one with a Pure Heart.” “Oh.” Jenny tapped her fingers against a wall. “Well, I’m going to be about as helpful finding it as jack-diddly-nothing. This was the only structure I knew about that had anything to do with the Heart. And I’ve been studying it all day, and haven't gotten anything new.” “Then we’ll do what we’ve done in every other world,” Caspian said, smirking. “Have a look around.” “In that case…” Jenny extended a hand. “In the name of Dracogen Enterprises, I, Jenny, welcome you to the Ninth World.” “The… Ninth World?” Tippi fluttered slowly. “Clearly this isn’t the world described in my databanks—Gaia—but there are only eight worlds.” Jenny shrugged. “We call it the Ninth World.” “Why?” “Not really sure.” “An intriguing mystery,” Data said. “However, Tippi, are you able to sense the location of the Pure Heart?” “No,” Tippi said. “And I’m not sure it’s because it’s offworld. This universe has so much… buzzing in the air that I almost can’t sense anything.” “That would make it difficult to locate Twilight by the Element of Magic.” “Oh, that’s right, we should look for them too…” Jenny snapped her fingers—how she did this through the gloves was anyone’s guess. “I might be able to help you after all!” She reached behind her back and pulled out a small metal rod. With a flick of her wrist, it extended until it was a full-sized staff, complete with a blue icosahedron-shaped crystal. “Behold—the staff of holding!” She flicked it forward, prompting a round, black object with a large “8” on it to drop into her free hand. Vivian cocked her head. “A magic eight-ball?” “A what?” Caspian asked. Data lit up. “A toy invented in 1950 by Albert Carter i—” “This isn’t a toy,” Jenny interrupted. “The eight-balls are connected to the Datasphere in a way no other cypher ever has been. You ask a question and shake it and it will always be right. It generally only likes yes or no questions, though, so this may take a bit. Luckily I have a ton of these. Ahem. Do you know where the Pure Heart is?” Jenny shook the ball and looked through the window. My sources say no. With a shrug, Jenny tossed the eight-ball over her shoulder. Flicking the staff again, another eight-ball appeared. “All right, let’s try this again. Does the Pure Heart exist in this universe?” Without a doubt. She dragged another one out of the staff of holding. “Is it outside the standard reality?” Signs point to yes. “That’s not very commital,” Vivian said. “If it doesn’t know it’ll give me some ‘ask later’ nonsense,” Jenny explained, pulling out another one. “Is it in another dimension?” Ask again later. “See? There. Datasphere has no idea if it’s in another dimension or some construct or what. That actually narrows our options quite a lot since the Datasphere knows what’s in most of those. And…” Jenny flicked the staff again, but instead of getting an 8-ball all she got was a ruby statue of a rat skeleton. “...I’m out? I always carry more than that in the staff! Uuuugh…” She sent a beam of light out of the staff, absorbing the statue back into it. “Guess what this means?” “Exploration?” Caspian suggested. “Nope! We’re going back to the Beanstalk to look at the archives!” She clapped her hands together. “Well, I’m going back, you’ve all never been there.” Data nodded, tapping his communicator. “Data to Enterprise, we are going to be moved to an area called the Beanstalk. Do not be alarmed.” “Acknowledged,” came Picard’s response. “Oooh, you got contact with your boss?” Jenny smirked. “Nice.” “Yes. The Enterprise should be directly above us.” Jenny clapped her hands, and suddenly they were all on the surface again, in the shadow of that strange spidery tower. Sure enough, the Enterprise was floating in the sky a fair ways up, likely performing scans. “Huh. Spaceship. Sweet.” Jenny rubbed her hands together. “Wait till you see what I’ve got…” This time she didn’t bother clapping her hands when teleporting them. They slung around the world, appearing with a flash of light on a road made out of blue, cracked stone. Further along the road was a city, though it was unlike any city Vivian and her group had ever encountered. Buildings seemed to be thrown together from completely random situations. There were those that looked like normal human settlements, while other structures were made of pure crystal, blue metal, or some unidentifiable material. A red tower burst with magical energy while a cubic building sparked with electricity that it pumped to the rest of the city through traditional power lines. A mixture of fantastical and technological objects occupied the skies: massive iridescent butterflies, hovercraft, floating gyroscope contraptions, dragons, and a number of things that were unrecognizable. However, it was the center of the city that drew the most attention. A tower constructed seemingly of marble and amber plating, it was relatively thick at the bottom but soon gave way to a blue-gray pillar of metal that went higher and higher and higher until it vanished into the sky. It seemed to have no top at all. “I take it that’s the Beanstalk?” Vivian asked. Jenny nodded. “Yep!” “Fascinating,” Data cocked his head. “Am I correct in assuming it’s a space elevator?” “That’s generally what we use it for. If the prior worlds built it for something else, we haven’t figured it out yet. Come,” she gestured for them to follow her. “Let’s get you all acquainted with my city.” ~~~ The Enterprise had completed its initial scans of the local area. The sensors were absolutely baffled by the sheer number of bizarre structures lying around, including the spidery tower. Picard decided that, fascinating as they were, they had no indication that further research into every little curiosity would get them any closer to their goal, so he ordered them to lift out of the atmosphere. Entering orbit, the Enterprise took a few minutes to scan the entire planet from a distance. What they found was rather bizarre. Picard couldn’t believe what he was looking at onscreen. “Was this planet… engineered?” “Sure looks like it,” Tails said. The planet in question was covered in ocean on one side and had a diamond-shaped supercontinent on the other. Furthermore, the supercontinent had large, circular mountain-like formations near every corner, a clear indication that this planet wasn’t naturally formed. “We aren’t alone up here,” Picard’s new tactical officer said—a cream-coated earth pony by the name of Sweetie Drops, though she apparently preferred to be called Bon Bon. “The planet has several ships in orbit, though most are congregated around one point. ...It appears to be the top of a space elevator.” “Hail it. Request permission to dock, if you can.” Bon Bon nodded, doing as said. “We got an automatic response. The top of the ‘Beanstalk’ is open for public use by ‘Dracogen Enterprises.’ We’ve also received docking procedures. They apparently have an adaptable port.” “Make it so. Gathering information is almost always simpler from spacefaring people.” “Captain, I’ve identified some of the ships. Metarex. Quite a lot of them, too.” “This is a public location, yes?” Picard asked. “I do not believe they will fire on us here. But prepare to raise shields just in case.” “Yes, sir.” The Enterprise banked, moving toward the top of the Beanstalk. It appeared more or less like a metallic pinecone with several long metal tendrils sticking out to dock with the various ships surrounding it. As they approached, no fewer than seven ships came and left from the tethered space station. “It clearly serves as a sort of travel hub,” Riker observed. “This will certainly be fascinating,” Picard mused. “All the other worlds have had minimal or no interstellar government to speak of. I’m looking forward to speaking with some relative equals.” “We’re being hailed by the Metarex,” Bon Bon reported. “Onscreen.” A humanoid Metarex appeared, though it wasn’t Dark Oak. This specimen was much more slender and had elongated glass ovoids instead of spheres on his body. His metallic form was almost black, though he was somehow less intimidating than Dark Oak himself. “Ah, Captain Picard! I do not believe I’ve had the pleasure. I am Black Narcissus, one of Dark Oak’s generals.” Picard nodded. “We were aware of two generals, but we had not seen either of you. It is good to finally meet one of them.” “You mean good to know my whereabouts so you can plan for them,” Narcissus said with a chuckle. “And I know your whereabouts too. Now, as you have no doubt guessed, this little Beanstalk is considered open to the public of any spacefarers whatsoever. If I attempted to destroy you I would be in for a world of hurt from the authorities.” “And our backup.” “Ah, yes, your fleet…” Narcissus chuckled. “I do look forward to engaging it in combat one of these days, but that day is not today. Just know, Picard, that you are safe while in orbit around this planet. Leave… and you will suddenly find that these cosmos aren’t quite so welcoming.” “I’ll keep that in mind, General.” “See that you do. Oh, and if you’re interested in having a little chat face-to-face, I will be on Beanstalk Station in one of the recreation halls for the next few hours. Do stop by for a game, I would quite enjoy it. A great opportunity to get to know one another, wouldn’t you think?” “I shall consider it. Picard out.” They cut the channel. “Hmm. It appears I’ve been invited to dine with the enemy.” “Obviously a trick,” Riker said. “Quite. He wishes to get to know me so he can find and exploit my weaknesses. I think I’ll accept.” “Sir?” “It would only be fair game to turn it around and examine and exploit his weaknesses. Plus…” Picard adjusted his uniform. “We rarely get to speak to our enemy in a civilized fashion. This could provide great insight.” “Be careful,” Tails said, frowning. “He lives up to his name. He’s a narcissist who likes to experiment on people.” “Duly noted, Commander. Take us into the station. I’m curious what it has to offer us.” ~~~ The city surrounding the Beanstalk was even more remarkable and baffling up close. Beyond the fact that every building and street appeared to be made out of whatever exotic material the architect could get his hands on, the people were shocking. It wasn’t just that they were unusual; though there were a few strange humanoid fish things and dwarf-like creatures with purple growths on their back. The majority of people within the city were humans, which was to be expected… but there were also what appeared to be Mobians, ponies, fairy people, goombas, and even what Vivian was sure was a Klingon. The streets almost looked like… the streets of Flipside, if Flipside had been built out of whatever construction the people who visited had thought up. “You like it?” Jenny asked as she led them along. “Are you certain you have not had contact with other universes?” Data asked. “Nope!” Jenny said with an exaggerated shrug. “It could have happened, I may even have visited another one, how am I supposed to know? Almost all the information I get about the other planes comes from the University of Doors, and they talk soooo muuuuch it’s hard to pay attention to them.” Vivian watched as a pegasus purchased a Klingon relic from a creature made out of slime and LED lights. The pegasus turned around and scanned the device with a digital screen before shooting fire out of her wings and teleporting with a pattern not unlike the Enterprise’s transporter. It’s like everything’s been smashed together, and everyone thinks it’s normal. “Anyway…” Jenny led them into the center of the city, right to the Beanstalk itself. “Welcome to the home of Dracogen Enterprises! It’s a company I… inherited a few decades ago. We’re entirely responsible for making the cosmos accessible to the world once again!” She marched up to the main doors, which were made out of silvery vines and guarded by a massive, silvery robot. “Yo, Dintin, how’s it goin’?” “My garden isn’t getting watered properly,” the robot droned. “I’ll get the water spirits to sprinkle it for you when I’m done here.” Jenny flung the doors open, leading the group into a large hall that, at first glance, appeared to be adorned in gold on every surface. However, upon closer inspection, it wasn’t gold at all, but rather some kind of bright yellow circuitry that covered every surface that didn’t have a carpet or banner laid over it. The symbol of Dracogen Enterprises hung above their heads: a large “D” with black smoke wafting off of it, a red thumbs-up in the center ringed by a golden nine-toothed gear. “The archives are in the basement,” Jenny said. “As well as the Numenera Duplicator.” “Numenera?” Caspian asked. “Oh, that’s just what we call any relic of the past that’s clearly not natural. Come on, we’ve got a lot of research to do!” A humanoid made entirely of blue crystal appeared and held out a hand to stop Jenny. “You have meetings to attend, Jenny.” Jenny let out a childish groan. “Ivan! Can’t you see I’m busy? The fate of the world hangs in the balance!” “That hasn’t stopped you before.” Jenny threw her hands in the air. “I’m taking an hour here to show these folks the archives, then I can go to my meetings with… I don’t even know, who am I meeting?” “Yvnd wishes to speak to you concerning the moon colony.” “Tell him I’ll be with him later!” Jenny called, already walking down the stairs. Ivan looked after her and let out a deep, exasperated sigh. The sigh of a man who had been putting up with her antics for an effective eternity. Vivian and the others followed Jenny down into the depths of the Beanstalk, soon coming to a wide, open room with dim lighting. Every surface was hard, gray metal. In the center of the chamber was a large cubic machine composed of glass and crystal currently printing more magic eight-balls. On the edges of the walls were dozens if not hundreds of shelves all lined with technological knick-knacks, magical artifacts, and some things nobody could even hope to identify. “Woah…” Vivian said. “I… well, I’m impressed,” Caspian managed. Data took out his tricorder. “I have never seen such a variety of technical implements in one place before.” “Your guys’ worlds are boring, then,” Jenny said with a chuckle. “Archives are through this door.” She threw it open, arriving in a much smaller room with smooth, black walls. There was nothing in the room besides several rows of chairs, arranged like they would be in an elementary room classroom or meeting of some sort. “What is this?” Vivian asked. “The archives.” Jenny lifted a hand. “Computer! Recognize Jenny, authorize database search for all present in room.” With a beep, the black walls came alive with an image so real it appeared to go on into infinity. A swirling logo of blue, green, yellow, and red appeared in front of them before shifting into text that said Welcome! “Just ask it things, it’ll try to answer,” Jenny said. “Here, how about we start with… Pure Heart.” The computer displayed dozens of images of hearts and their connection with purity rituals and prevalence of the symbol across the Ninth World. The introductory paragraphs of several texts were generated and displayed on the walls, though only one of them had anything to do with the Heart pillar they’d already found. Vivian frowned. “Oh… this is going to be hard to absorb…” “Not at all,” Data said. “I have already cataloged all of it. Computer, refine search in relation to this document here.” He pointed at the Heart pillar report. Immediately, the search refined and displayed more data on the area around the Heart pillar, its curious architecture, and the spidery tower next to it. “There’s probably not much reason for you two to stick around through this,” Tippi told Caspian and Vivian. “We’re the researchers. Go, enjoy the city, we’ll let you know when we have anything.” Jenny placed her hands on Caspian and Vivian’s shoulders. “That means you can come with me to my meeting! Isn’t that great?” “Er…” Vivian began. “Great! It’s decided, you’re coming with me!” She winked and teleported both of them away. “Computer,” Data continued, not concerned in the slightest, “give me more information about the architecture, and cross-reference with other Numenera structures in the world.”