Chapter Text
THE OMNIVERSE.
The place where multiverses coexist, where universes with their histories, good and bad, continue on their paths and—
Yes, yes, I think you already know the story, the old reliable one of many writers.
So, let's get to the point of this story.
Within the universes that comprise it, there are some of the amagalma type, universes where aspects and stories from very different universes merge into one, creating a universe with its own very peculiar history.
In these universes, there is always a planet Earth, which is the main point where the aspects of universes become apparent.
But it also expands into the form of other planets throughout the universe, in its many galaxies, and our story begins alongside a couple of them.
IN A GALAXY FAR, FAR AWAY.
On a planet in a galaxy, there stood an enormous palace, surrounded by a majestic city teeming with life of all kinds—alien and human, organic and robotic—all coexisting.
Inside the palace, an old man was sleeping in a luxurious bed.
"No, babushka... I don't want any more soup..." the man muttered in his sleep.
His slumber was interrupted when an alarm began to blare.
Annoyed, the man began to stir and, blindly, tried to turn off the alarm, finally succeeding after several attempts.
Once it was off, the man groaned and, reluctantly getting up, began to stretch his muscles.
"(Groan)... Another day, another adventure," he muttered and, getting up, went to his bathroom.
Once there, he went to the sink and, turning on the tap, began to wash his face.
"Damn it, today's inventory day..." the man lamented. "That idiot Macheal is going to be such a pain in the as—" The man stopped when, looking in the mirror, he saw an old man.
Startled, he stepped back a little and, looking at his hands, saw that they were older and, contrary to what the interns thought, he wasn't that old.
"What the heck?" he muttered, confused and frightened, and, getting up, looked in the mirror again, seeing an old man once more.
Confused, he noticed how the man seemed to be imitating him and, after a few seconds, realized that it wasn't someone else, it was himself.
This was confirmed when he touched his face, different from the one he was used to, and, looking more closely, he realized that this face seemed familiar.
"No... It can't be..."
That face was Christopher Lee's, the actor from many films, including Star Wars.
The man was speechless. He was Christopher Lee. He didn't know how, but he was in his body, just like in that Being John Malkovich film.
"Am I... Christopher Lee?" he wondered, confused. It was impossible, since the actor had died years ago.
No, he was Aleksander Vaniski, 57 years old, born in pripyat before the... accident. Assistant manager of a shopping center in London and former biker.
And a huge Star Wars fan.
Confused, he looked around, now noticing the bathroom more intently. It was... strange.
He knew that wealthy people always had peculiar tastes, but this was more...futuristic. It looked like a bathroom that would appear in-
"No, no, no...Don't tell me that-"
Without thinking twice, he left the bathroom, noticing how he seemed to be in a room. It wasn't a conventional bathroom either; it had a very Star Wars style.
But what surprised him most was something he noticed: It was a lightsaber, and not an ordinary one, but the one used by Count Dooku himself, Christopher Lee's character in Star Wars.
"No...This must be a dream." Alek said to himself as he approached a window, removed the tablecloth, and what he saw gave him his answer.
Instead of the industrial city of London, he saw a beautiful futuristic city, where spaceships flew in the skies, and aliens and humans walked the streets.
The man, who recognized the city, watched the scene with his mouth agape.
"This... Is Serenno..." the man said, making it clear that he wasn't in Christopher Lee's body, but that of Count Dooku himself, the Separatist leader and Sith Lord.
Immediately, memories began to bombard the man, causing him such a severe headache that he fell to his knees.
The memories were of Dooku's life: his childhood in the Jedi Order, his training with Master Yoda, when he met his future Padawan, Quinhon, once he became a Jedi Master, the mission where he witnessed the Republic's most corrupt side, his departure from the Jedi Order and his encounter with Palpatine, his fall to the dark side, the founding of the Galactic Confederacy, and the Clone Wars.
But it was in the final memories that things changed.
It was then that Palpatine ordered him to eliminate his student, Ventress, a Nightsister who had served him as a future Sith. But something was different from what he remembered, because instead of obeying the Sith Lord, he decided to betray him and, faking his student's death, went to her planet, seeking help from the leader of the Nightsisters.
There, the matriarch transformed him and Ventress into shadow forms, and, going to Coruscant, the heart of the Republic, they killed Palpatine himself in a long and brutal battle, facilitated by a special poison they injected into him.
Without the Sith Lord, the war began to turn in favor of the CIS, who this time went all out, leaving the Republic's clone forces unable to keep up.
And the most devastating blow was the Battle of Kamino, the home planet of those soldiers, which ended with the total destruction of the place where they were "produced," thus wiping out the Republic's main army.
The Republic, already weakened by the power vacuum created by Palpatine's death, began to brutally lose the war, not only due to the overwhelming destructive force of the Confederacy, but also because of the endless battles caused by civil unrest.
And the Jedi? Because of the senator's mysterious death, many blamed the Jedi, as there was evidence that someone who used a lightsaber was responsible.
These accusations caused considerable problems for the Order, which suffered persecution and even pogroms, leading to its withdrawal from the Republic and further worsening the situation.
But not everyone left, as Anakin Skywalker himself, the 'Chosen One,' went to confront Count Dooku to avenge his father figure, the dark Palpatine who had instigated the war.
We can say that the battle did not go in favor of the young man, who, blinded by rage, was no match for Dooku, who this time was not lenient with him, as he saw no use for it.
The war finally ended in his favor, thus winning the war, exterminating a good portion of the scum that made up the Senate, and establishing a more just government.
His final memories showed that, despite some setbacks, the galaxy under Dooku's command became a better place, perhaps more brutal but efficient, bringing about the end of many criminal empires, even the Hutts.
Suddenly, his thoughts were interrupted when someone entered.
"Sir, are you alright?" A voice touched his shoulder.
When the man looked to see who was touching him, he saw a bald woman with gray skin and yellow eyes, like a Sith's.
"I'm fine..." the man replied, deciding to maintain the 'character,' since he knew that if she discovered he wasn't Dooku, things wouldn't end well.
"It's just a headache."
Ventress looked at him with concern, genuine concern. "Okay, if you say so, Dooku. The ship is almost ready; we'll wait for you at the Invertible Hand." She said and left.
Dooku stood there, utterly confused. What was she talking about? Questions that were answered by another wave of memories, causing him to kneel.
IN ANOTHER GALAXY.
In another, more distant galaxy, in the cold expanse of space, there was a massive space station in orbit.
In a room, someone was sleeping with a stuffed animal in their hands.
"Hmm... No, I didn't sleep with your sister... Was it your brother?" he muttered, until the sound of his alarm clock began to wake him. He punched the device, destroying it.
The man just got up, tired but still a little heavy.
"Another day... How did it end? Never mind." The man muttered and, getting up, went to a mirror.
"My horoscope told me this will be a unique day, I hope for what he wants—" Suddenly, upon seeing his reflection, he froze: Instead of a handsome man, there was a lean robot, purple and gray in color, with two creamy red eyes and a green head where some grains were stored.
"By Yoko's tits!" he shouted in alarm and looked down, seeing that it wasn't an illusion of his mirror.
"This isn't my body!" he shouted in alarm. "This isn't my voice!" he shouted even louder. "This isn't my room!" he yelled, realizing he wasn't in his apartment. "AND YOU'RE NOT MR. JIN!" he shouted, seeing a stuffed animal in his hands.
Alarmed, he tried to take a breath, then he calmed down and looked in the mirror again, analyzing his new body.
"Wait... I recognize this body..." he said, touching his face. He couldn't feel anything, but the sensation was still there. "I'm... Dr. Nefarious..."
No, he was Jung Si-Woo, a 29-year-old Korean of dual Korean descent, a disgraced singer who had stolen the hearts of all kinds of young people, the most handsome man in South Korea.
And a huge fan of video games, especially Ratchet & Clank.
Immediately, a flood of memories hit the young man, freezing him in place.
The memories were of Nefarious's life: his childhood, his horrific experience at school because of Captain Quark, his failures, his descent into villainy, his failed attempts to kill Quark and conquer the galaxy, his 'transformation,' the planning of his return, and the invasion of the galaxy.
That's where things started to change.
It was then that he kidnapped the famous agent Clank, a character who played Clank, but when he had sent the copy to his driver, or rather the great hero Ratchet, he had hidden an ion bomb which, once the two left the planet, exploded and killed the Lombax hero.
After that, realizing that he wasn't going to help him and that he wasn't a true agent, he destroyed Clank, thus causing the war against the galaxy to end in his favor, turning a good part of organic life into his loyal servants, killing all who dared to get in his way—
Suddenly, a slap brought the reincarnated man back to normal.
"Good morning, sir. You thought about Quark again, didn't you?" asked a robot butler. "Since you already eliminated him and did everything you learned in that crash course in torture, just thinking about him still gives you one of your attacks."
Nefarious just stared at Lawrence, surprised to see him and even more confused as to whether this was a dream or not.
Although he didn't know what to do, he knew he didn't have a great opinion about the doctor, though he didn't know how he would react if Lawrence discovered he wasn't Nefarious.
"LAWRENCE! How dare you enter my hallowed chamber?!" he shouted, trying to get into character.
Luckily, the butler only snorted. "Well, sir, I wanted to let you know that we will reach our objective in a few hours."
This confused the robot, and immediately, memories flooded his mind.
IN SERENNO.
In the hangars of the royal palace, there was an enormous spaceship, even larger than the standards of the Galactic Confederation.
In the corridors, the one who had awakened as Count Dooku was walking toward the ship with Ventress.
"...And we've already received the droid battalions you requested, plus three more fleets and the terraforming equipment. A few of my sisters and a few Nightbrothers also arrived as support..." the apprentice explained.
But the man wasn't listening; he was simply gazing at the skies, where hundreds, if not thousands, of warships of many types could be seen, ready to conquer another galaxy.
The reincarnated man remained silent, as the memories that flooded back to him gave him an answer to what was happening: Apparently, Dooku wanted to 'expand his ideology,' and after many months of research, they had apparently found a nearby galaxy teeming with life, as well as a way to travel within it.
This made the man's stomach churn, not with fear, but with an excitement he hadn't felt in a long time, a feeling of power.
When he returned from his reverie, he saw that he and Ventress were now standing before an enormous warship, which he recognized as the Invisible Hand, although it was very different from the original.
But that wasn't all. Before him stood a tall cyborg with a long cloak covering his body, only his face and yellow eyes visible.
"Count Dooku," the cyborg greeted him upon his arrival.
The reincarnated man simply gulped. He was standing before the familiar General Grievous, or rather, Supreme General Grievous. He was shorter than he had expected.
"H-hello," he replied immediately, trying to return to his character. "I hope my armada is ready."
"Of course, sir," the General told him. "All the droids and 'special forces' are ready; they are just waiting for you."
This made the man grimace; but he had to admit that having an armada was...exciting.
"Sir?" Ventress asked, noticing his distraction.
"I'm fine," Dooku replied. "We can begin our departure now." He said and entered the ship.
Ventress and Grievous exchanged a glance, somewhat worried about their leader, who seemed distracted and tired.
IN ANOTHER GALAXY.
Nefarious's base was now surrounded by thousands of warships of all types, in addition to several Bio-Annihilators, his most powerful weapons, which were further built after winning the war.
"Sir, the best S-class ships built with enhanced Raritanium are already in the area, ready for the grand plan you devised," said Lawrence.
While he chatted, Nefarious, or rather the reincarnated one, sat in a chair in the middle of the command post in his thoughts.
This was all madness. Just hours before, he'd been in a cheap apartment in the cheapest part of Seoul, alone in his cold bed, and now he was in space, on a space station, in the body of a video game villain, commanding a rather enormous army and ready to invade a galaxy.
It wasn't one of his strangest weekends, all things considered.
"Sir?" Lawrence asked, noticing his distraction.
Nefarious just coughed. "Yes, yes, yes! I heard you!" the reincarnated one replied. "Tell me, when will we arrive at...this galaxy?"
"In a few Mydrian days, sir. I know you're excited to expand your 'horror's' into another galaxy, but you must calm down, or you'll lose your temper."
Nefarious remained silent. This was madness. He was about to invade an entire galaxy, and he couldn't escape as he did with his other problems.
But inside, he felt a sensation he hadn't known he possessed, a thirst for power he had always longed to experience.
His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door opening. Turning around, he saw a tall robot with pincers for hands. Its head was a glass case filled with water, containing the head of a green creature and a humanoid female android dressed in revealing clothing.
"Hail, Lord Nefarious," greeted the newcomer.
"Oh, Lord Vorseon, Courtney Gears, I see you were able to come," said Lawrence.
"Of course, I wouldn't refuse a mission from our lord, especially one that involves conquering another galaxy," said the cyborg.
"Even though I had to cancel a galactic tour, I'll always be there for you, sweetheart," the pop star said, approaching the doctor.
Nefarious just gulped; no surprise, since something had stirred within him when he first saw her as a child.
He immediately coughed. "Okay! Now that we're all here, we can begin the attack." He stood up from his chair. "And when we arrive in that galaxy, those sacks of meat will have the honor of witnessing the true supremacy of robots! THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE WILL FALL BEFORE ME!" he shouted, getting way too into character.
The trio of robots just stared at him, making the reincarnated man sweat.
"I can't remember the last time I saw him so happy," Lawrence commented.
"Oh, sweetheart, you're so sexy when you're in conquest mode," Courtney said, moving closer.
This sent the reincarnated man into a panic, unsure of what to do.
"Okay... We'd better leave now, NOW!" he shouted, somewhat panicked.
And, as if by magic, the space station, like the enormous fleet, began to depart.
WITH 'DOOKU'.
On 'his' ship, the other reincarnated man sat in his chair, surrounded by B1 and the Count's two right arms.
He wouldn't lie, he was on the verge of soiling himself from the pressure, but he was also excited that something had finally happened in his life, besides being in his favorite franchise.
"My Lord." Grievous coughed. "Are you alright? You seem nervous."
This made the man even more nervous. "Well... I just have air in my stomach... I ate too much butterbrot."
"Butter-what?" Ventress asked, making the reincarnated man bite his tongue.
"Um... An old Jedi recipe, a quick and inexpensive meal."
The Night Sister just looked at him and simply nodded. "Intrigued... I'd like to try it."
Dooku just sighed in relief.
"Sir, the ships are ready," Grievous announced.
"Excellent," Dooku said. "Well, we can begin to depart now."
"At your service." The cyborg nodded and went to inform the fleet.
"Count, are you sure this is a good idea?" Ventress asked him. "Because, admitting it, this era of peace was boring me, attacking a galaxy we don't even know exists doesn't seem like a good idea."
Dooku lowered his gaze. She had a few stitches; he could still undo everything and find a way back home, or use the situation to his advantage in this new circumstances.
Or…
"I understand your fear, Ventress," the reincarnated man said. "But you must understand that if there is other life beyond our galaxy, we must bring order there. Governments like the Republic may have already been established there—corrupt and inept. They must be destroyed so they don't suffer as the citizens of our galaxy suffered under Palpatine's reign of terror. This is our mission."
Ventress remained silent, her master's words echoing in her mind.
"All fleets are ready for the jump," the cyborg announced.
This made Dooku smile. "Very well, let's depart."
Immediately, all the ships began their journey, their engines powerful enough for the voyage to another galaxy.
And so began the new life of two people from another world, who knew this was the start of an epic story, a story in which their paths would cross.