Gretchen jolted awake, panicking as she looked around. Her patients! She had to- she froze as she realized she wasn't in the infirmary. In fact, she wasn't even in the base, she was… in some sort of closet with a bed in the floor? How- how had she ended up here? Gretchen frowned as she slowly pieced together the memories from yesterday. A lot of them were blurry, since she hadn't really slept for… a while. For some reason she remembered some kind of smoke person? Monster? God? Gods? There were- four? And she was angry at them for some reason… because… Gretchen's eyes widened. They took her patients! She leapt to her feet, rushing out of the closet and into-

"Oh, Gretchen, you're awake!" Annie waved at her from a nearby couch.

"A-Annie?" Gretchen blinked in confusion. "You're- you're okay?"

Annie cocked her head. "You don't remember?"

"I-" Gretchen grimaced, clutching her head. "No, sorry. Yesterday is just- fuzzy. You- someone healed you? But- it's bad for some reason?"

Annie rolled her eyes. "It's not bad, you just have the Empire's stick up your ass."

"The Empire-" Gretchen's eyes widened, pointing at Annie. "You- you betrayed the Empire!"

"I did not!" Annie snapped. "The Empire abandoned us and I found someone else to work for! That's not a betrayal, that's just- changing jobs!"

"You joined people who are against the Empire! How is that not a betrayal?!?" Gretchen retorted, more and more memories of the previous day coming back to her.

"They aren't against the Empire, they just aren't beholden to it! What right does the Empire have to govern gods?!?" Annie countered.

"What right do they have to judge the Empire!?!" Gretchen exclaimed.

"They're gods! What rights don't they have?!?" Annie scoffed.

"Rights are an illusion." Thomas muttered blearily as he walked past, heading for the kitchen to get breakfast.

Annie perked up, hopping to her feet to follow him. "Hey, Thomas~ Did you sleep well last night?" She asked.

"Hey!" Gretchen protested. They were in the middle of an argument! She couldn't just leave!

Thomas blinked at Annie, who was clearly ignoring Gretchen to completely focus on him. "I- didn't sleep." He replied, frowning slightly. He rarely slept anymore, since he could use points to replace it. He just wanted to get breakfast before he spent them or the points would replace his hunger as well, and he still enjoyed eating.

Annie blinked. "You- oh, of course. You wouldn't need to sleep, would you?"

Thomas paused. "No… I still need to sleep, I just spend points to get around it." He yawned. "Only Greg doesn't need to sleep, and that's only when he's smoke." He paused again. "On that note, can we talk after I get breakfast? Brain's a little fried at the moment."

"Oh, you're getting breakfast?" Annie asked. "Could I join you? We're going to be working together, after all, so we should probably get to know each other, right?" She smiled, batting her eyelashes at him.

Thomas frowned, giving her a bit more of a serious look, drawing on a few of the things he'd learned from his Design Rune. This woman was interested in him? That was… interesting. She was cute… plus the whole cat girl aesthetic was definitely something he was interested in. Not that he'd sleep with her just because of that, but if she was down… He supposed the question was what exactly she wanted out of it. Him? Power? Position? Something else? He didn't really have an issue with ulterior motives as long as they didn't foster dependence. And as long as it was clear what was and wasn't on the table. He wasn't about to screw up their entire organization just because some girl was sleeping with him. He paused. Of course, maybe she really did just want to get to know him better? Thomas shrugged as he let out another yawn. "Sure, I don't mind if you join me." Might as well just see where she takes it and go from there.

Annie beamed, practically skipping after him, while Gretchen rolled her eyes, watching them go. Annie was always like this. She was… Gretchen frowned. There really wasn't a better way to put it. Annie was a slut for power. Gretchen wasn't even sure why because she didn't really try to get anything out of it, she just enjoyed being with powerful people for some reason. In the months that they'd been working together at the Northern Base, she'd managed to sleep with both the Heads of the Engineering Department and the Programming Department, as well as four of the senior members of the Legion forces stationed at the base. It was her life, so Gretchen wasn't about to judge her for it, but it did get annoying sometimes. Particularly when she just abandoned her to go chase her latest interest!

"Oh, hey, did you sleep okay?" Greg asked as he entered the common area, heading to get breakfast himself.

Gretchen jumped slightly, suppressing a yelp as she turned to him. "I, uh, yes, I slept fine." She gulped. The others made her nervous, but Greg was the one that actually scared her. Just something about him screamed dangerous.

"Oh, good. I was wondering how well that'd work out." Greg chuckled, causing Gretchen to shiver. "You passed out on the floor, so I had to just kinda make a bed around you. For future reference, you have a room down that way. Has your name on the door and everything."

Gretchen blinked. "You- you made me a room?"

Greg cocked his head, giving her a weird look. "Of course, why wouldn't we? I mean, you're staying here, aren't you? It'd be pretty weird if you were always sleeping on the floor. Honestly, you could have at least used a couch…" He trailed off, shaking his head.

Gretchen hesitated. "But- I'm staying to resist you! Why would you just be okay with me living here?!?"

Greg's lips curled slightly in amusement. "Sorry, but- I think you still don't quite get who we are and what our purpose is. We don't pretend we know everything. We're not omniscient or anything. We simply have these abilities and we're doing our best to use them in the right way. So when someone like you comes along and tells us we're wrong, we actually appreciate it! I mean, it may not change anything, but at least it shows us a different side of things, you know? And who knows, maybe you'll convince us and we'll avoid making some huge mistake. But it'll never happen if we just tossed out everyone who disagreed with us."

Gretchen frowned. "That's- you- you want me to argue with you?!?"

Greg chuckled. "Like you wouldn't believe. Arguing is half the way we talk around here." He paused. "Possibly more than that… eh, just try not to take it personally when we disagree, you know? Part of the premise you have to buy into is that you may not be right either. Getting all butthurt just because someone suggests you might be wrong really puts a damper on the whole argument."

"I- huh?" Gretchen muttered, confused. That- made sense? If they were really just trying to do the right thing, then multiple opinions would help with that… that didn't mean they were right but- at least they were trying? "So- uh, if- you know that the Empire is the only reason why the monsters can't freely raid the noble races? Without a unified defense, the monsters would be able to slip by and get to defenseless villages!"

"Okay, I didn't mean I wanted to argue now." Greg coughed awkwardly. "However… How many times do we have to tell you we aren't against the Empire? We oppose one policy, not the entire Empire as a whole. So no matter how many times you insist the Empire is good, it won't change anything because we already believe that. We also happen to believe that just because the Empire is good, doesn't mean it can't do awful things. Honestly, in any large nation, it isn't really a question of whether or not they've done horrible things, but whether they're trying not to do horrible things… nations are people, and people fuck up. It's just a matter of whether you're getting better or worse. And using nukes to wipe out half the population of your entire world definitely seems to fall on the worse side of things, so we're invested in convincing the Empire to not go that direction."

Gretchen scowled. "But the monsters are evil!"

"Eh?" Greg shrugged. "I mean, they aren't great, I'll give you that, but I can't say they're evil. Selfish, maybe? But does that really mean they all deserve to die?"

"So we just have to let them prey on us?!?" Gretchen protested.

Greg shook his head. "Again, that's not what I'm saying. It isn't one or the other. You can defend yourselves without destroying all the monsters. Though, I suppose, if you perfectly defended yourselves, that would essentially wipe out the monsters… but there's a difference between not giving someone what they need to survive and actively killing them. Like, if you had a loaf of bread to feed yourself, and someone else attacked you for it, you could defend yourself, even knowing that it would doom them to death if you did so. However, if you actively sought them out to kill them because you think they might attack you for your bread, that's a step too far. See, I've been thinking about it, and even though the monstrous races do need to attack the noble races to survive, until they actually do it, there's no guarantee they ever will. In fact, I'm pretty sure the majority of them never attack the noble races, because if they all have huge litters every time they breed, then all of them preying on the noble races would mean that their population would have to be huge, right? Like, enough that they could probably just swarm over everything, and there would be nothing you guys could do to resist. And that means that like ninety percent of the people you want to kill have never hurt you. Does that seem fair to you?"

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"But they support the people who do hurt us!" Gretchen retorted. "Even if they aren't actively hurting us, they're still benefiting from it!"

Greg paused. "True… still, does that mean they deserve to die?"

"Yes! Yes it does!" Gretchen exclaimed.

"Well… I'm not so sure." Greg shrugged. "I mean, can you really blame people for not wanting to be miserable all the time just because some parts of their culture that they may or may not even support do horrible things? I wouldn't say it's good, but I can't say it merits a death sentence either. I'm not exactly an expert on your culture, but I can't imagine the Empire is completely squeaky clean either. Are you sure there aren't any horrible things they're doing that you're benefiting from? Do you think you deserve to die for that?"

"The Empire doesn't kidnap people and torture them!" Gretchen snapped. "And even if we did, we can change! The monsters can't!"

"Why not?" Greg replied, cocking his head. "They're people, capable of higher thought and consideration. They could absolutely decide to never harm another person ever again. I'm not saying they will, but it's definitely possible. Plus, part of our plan is literally to change them so that they don't have to prey on the noble races anymore."

Gretchen scowled. "But you don't know when you'll do that! It could be hundreds, possibly thousands of years before that happens! Do you expect us to just put up with the monsters until then?!?"

Greg paused. "Well… yeah?" He frowned slightly. "Though we should probably figure out some kind of solution in the meantime… maybe we could design a mindless race that technically counts as noble? Anyway, no matter how long it takes us, that delay is temporary. Wiping them all out… that would be permanent. A mistake you could never take back. I just don't think that's a good idea."

"Well maybe if it was your family in danger of being taken by a monster raid, or kidnapped by slavers and sold to them, you'd think differently." Gretchen sneered.

Greg nodded. "Maybe I would. But that doesn't mean I'm wrong."

*

Thomas chewed his eggs, blinking at the woman sitting across from him as she rambled on about a… Well, he couldn't tell whether it was a tv show or a book. It definitely seemed interesting, some kind of sci-fi epic about a group of rag-tag resistance members fighting against an evil empire, which… Well, it wasn't exactly original, but what was? But what really drew his attention was the red lightning in her mind. It was- a lot more active than usual, as if it was responding to her interest in the show/book somehow.

Annie paused, flushing. "Ah, sorry, I've been rambling, haven't I? I just- well, it's so rare to meet someone who's never heard of the Caldaran Rogues before! We have to watch it together sometime!" Ah so it was a show. "Or you could read the books…" Or both… that works too. "But I always recommend watching the show, then reading the books. Less disappointing that way."

Thomas blinked. "I- actually never got why people had to compare different media like that. If it's a good show, it's a good show. Why does it matter if it isn't exactly like the book?"

Annie cocked her head. "Well, isn't it disappointing if the show doesn't get things right? I mean, they're trading on the popularity of the book, so if they mess it up, it's just- well, it's like they don't actually care about the book, and they just care about money, which is disappointing, isn't it?"

Thomas shook his head. "There's a difference between a money grab and trying to add your own artistic bent to something. I mean, think about it. The people who write tv shows and whatnot didn't get into it to copy other people but to create something for people to enjoy. If they just transcribed the book word for word, what would be the point of their skills? You could just feed the book into a computer to replace them. So as long as the show proves that the people involved put in the effort to try and make something worthwhile… I don't mind it. I may not enjoy it, but it won't be because it isn't the same as the book, but because it isn't actually good."

"Huh… I never thought about it like that." Annie grinned. "You have a pretty interesting mind. Not that I'd expect any less~" She winked.

"I am a Multiversal entity." Thomas chuckled. "It would be rather disappointing if I wasn't at least a little interesting, wouldn't it?"

Annie giggled. "So what's it like? Being… you?"

Thomas paused, considering it for a moment. "Convenient in a lot of ways… annoying in a lot of others. I mean, there's a lot of things I get to basically ignore, such as-" He hit the restore button, all his exhaustion melting away. "-never needing to worry about a bad night's sleep." He grinned. "But in exchange… I have to worry about making mistakes." His expression twisted slightly. "I have to wonder if I've done too much, or too little, or if I should have done anything at all. Take this whole issue with the monstrous races. We have a solution. If I spread the system, all the monstrous races can change into noble ones. However, if I spread it now, there's a serious chance the entire World will be destroyed. But the longer I wait, the more people will get hurt in this stupid conflict. So… what do I do? Wait? Go for it? Or find some other solution altogether, one that possibly won't lead to the destruction of the entire World? And ultimately… I just don't know, but I have to do something, and I have a two-thirds chance of making a mistake, possibly more, since it's probably some combination of all three, so… it's annoying." Thomas finished with a sigh.

Annie blinked. "That- does sound more complicated than I would have thought… I thought one of the benefits of power was that you didn't have to worry about things anymore."

Thomas cocked his head. "Well… it is, in a way. If I just decided to say fuck it and ditch, leave everyone to deal with their own shit, I wouldn't have to worry about anything. I could find myself a nice, cozy little spot and survive doing an hour or so's worth of tasks a day. Hell, I might be able to get by with a few minutes… food is actually really inexpensive points wise. Though admittedly there are some factors that would make doing something like that difficult… Anyway, practically, the real benefit is that I get to choose what I worry about. Because honestly, would a life where you never had to worry about anything, never had to care about anything, really be worth living? It's a nice idea as a vacation, but after a while it'd just get boring."

Annie frowned. "So you think it's good for people to worry?"

"I think it's good for people to care about things, and worrying is a natural consequence of that." Thomas replied. "I think it's a problem when people are forced to worry about things they shouldn't, like where they'll get their next meal from, or how they'll afford clothes. But worrying about your loved ones being happy? About making the world a better place? That's a good worry, and something you should focus on."

"That- is a very interesting way of looking at things." Annie shook her head, grinning slightly.

"Really? What do you think then?" Thomas asked.

Annie blinked. "Me? I- well, I've never really thought about the difference between a good worry and a bad worry. I've always been more focused on the fact that I'd really like to not have to worry about how I'm going to pay my rent, or what this weird project in the middle of nowhere is about and whether this disease will really kill me or not. The fact that you actually have thought about the difference between a good and bad worry is what's interesting. Though… I suppose that's probably a benefit of your position."

"Yeah… worrying about worries is really only a luxury for those who can pick and choose their worries." Thomas nodded. "How'd you get into that project anyway?"

Annie shrugged. "The military needed techs who were desperate or loyal enough to sign binding confidentiality contracts and… well, I was desperate." Annie sighed. "The shop wasn't exactly paying the bills, and if I showed enough promise and impressed the right people, I even had a shot at an Academy! But… that's not really an option anymore."

"Well, you are connected to Chris's world now… your options aren't exactly limited." Thomas pointed out.

Annie paused. "That- is a good point." She grinned.

"Oh, right, also the system." Thomas added. "You can improve your skills with points, which is at least as good as an Academy, don't you think? Plus, you know, free attribute and skill points." He paused as Annie stared at him, wide eyed. "Uh… we told you that, didn't we?"

"You mentioned the skills, but you never said anything about attributes and skill points!" Annie exclaimed. "The pamphlet only said points could increase Energy!"

"Well, most Worlds don't have a system, so attributes aren't really a thing…" Thomas frowned. "I guess Chris forgot to add it here."

Annie blinked. "Wait… Other worlds don't have the system? But- how do they know what they're good at?"

"They do it and see?" Thomas shrugged. "It's actually kind of a thing for people to fumble around looking for what really drives them in most Worlds." Thomas chuckled.

"Wow… that sounds rough." Annie shook her head. "I mean, I may be struggling, but at least I love what I do."

"Gotta say, that's definitely a plus for this World." Thomas nodded. "Though the fact that no one needs to eat in Greg's World is a big plus too… Well, at least the mages don't. Plus the Runes from my World are pretty great. And in Andrew's World, they're naturally immortal. Man, if we could just combine all these systems, that'd be a pretty great World."

Annie cocked her head. "What about Chris's World? Anything good there?"

"Oh, no, his World sucks." Thomas smirked. "The worst power system, they all live underground, humans are at the bottom of the food chain… just a shitty, shitty place."

"Just humans?" Annie frowned.

"Oh, right, you're not… well, we haven't actually been to the surface, but-" Thomas blinked. "Huh… am I racist?" He'd just kind of automatically identified with humans, so even though the Elves were also a sapient race which was perfectly viable for hanging out with… he just didn't register it as an option. "I wonder if they have beast folk up there…" He muttered to himself.

"Do you have a thing for beast folk?" Annie asked with a smirk, wiggling her eyebrows at him.

Thomas coughed awkwardly. "Well… maybe a bit."

Annie grinned, playing with her food a bit. "So… still interested in watching Caldaran Raiders?"