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Message: <blockquote data-quote="simmo" data-source="post: 1400180" data-attributes="member: 9744">chapter 3 Didn't We Meet at the Feinman Bar Mitzvah?Whilst Littleby was still making money ferrying travellers across to the other side of the river Malkir came sprinting around the corner. He waited patiently by the dock front for the dwarven scholar to float back across the placid river."Where's goblin?" the mystic asked his companion."He's at the back," the dwarven scholar replied as he gently floated over to the last of the travellers who'd paid to cross the river in relative speed and safety.The mystic moved to the end of the line where the fat, broad shouldered goblin was busy adjusting some tiny levers on the metal rings around three glowing crystals. He was so intent on his work that he did not notice the henshin mystic standing behind him until he blocked out the sunlight."Greetings," the mystic held out his hand. "I understand that you might be from my homeworld. Or at least have come from there.""What world are you from?" The goblin cautiously took the humans hand and shook it briefly."From Lammed," replied Malkir."Ah, no." The goblin thought briefly. "I'm not from there.""You came here in a flying ship..." Malkir said, leaving the end of his sentence hanging."Yes," stated the goblin whose attention was finally on the stranger instead of the three crystals."I'm trying to work out a route to where I'm going to be and I need to figure out where the nearby portal are and where they go to." Malkir tried to phrase his statement, but spoke too quickly to structure it properly. "The librarian was not very specific.""Ah, the librarian." The goblin nodded his head and smiled. "Yes. Where was it that you were trying to go to?""I'm actually trying to get to Sigil," Malkir replied relieved to hear that this was the goblin who'd visited the library. "But I'm interested in portals in general.""I'd like to be able to help you. We're going to the Outlands to follow the march." The goblin looked up in the sky and then back at the stranger. "There are bound to be some portals to Sigil there. But we're not really supposed to..." His eyes suddenly grew larger in recognition and smiled from ear to ear. "Wait a minute. Captain Malkir. Could it be?""Ah," Malkir replied somewhat apprehensively."You are Captain Malkir!" the goblin exclaimed having finally put his finger on what was bothering about this human. There was something about the human that he recognised and now that he'd realised that this was the famous Captain Malkir his demeanour became a lot friendlier."This is going to get very complicated." Malkir stopped for a moment to decide on how best to phrase his next sentences. "You are aware that there are many, many worlds.""But of course," the goblin replied, nodding his head sagely."And you are aware that in an infinite Multiverse it is possible that the same physical person may be born in different worlds simultaneously, as it were." Malkir hoped that the goblin's blank look did not mean that he'd not understood."Yes.." The goblin wished for a moment that his bladeling companion was present as this was his field of expertise, but he'd heard this topic of conversation enough to keep up with it."If the Prime Material Plane is infinite then it is possible that two people could be born on separate worlds who looks exactly the same." The mystic studied the goblin intently and saw that the creature was following his explanation so far."We've done some research in to that," the goblin commented. Calvun, the bladeling cosmologist on the ship had built a proto-type engine but the captain had not given him permission to test it."Well, you look like an intelligent sort.." Malkir began. He stopped before he finished his sentence with: 'for a goblin'. He quickly followed his statement with another. "What I'm trying to say is..""I've very knowledgeable," the goblin stated in an insulted tone. "I'll have you know. Top of my field." He added proudly."Right, exactly." The mystic tried to cover his mistake. "That is why I'm explaining it in detail. Rather than glossing over it.""Keep going, Captain Malkir." The goblin smiled and made a small adjustment to the crystals."That's the point that I am getting to," stated Malkir continuing his explanation. "There was Captain Malkir and then there was indeed a psionic warrior, a warrior of Tomeri and other Malkirs. Now there is me. I am aware that once there was a Captain Malkir and I am also aware of the fact that there is no longer a Captain Malkir.""We'd thought you lost, Captain Malkir." The goblin had followed most of the mystic's explanation, but did not want to sound stupid by asking for clarification."Yes, there was a Convergence." Malkir said the last word with a capital letter. The event had radically changed his life, as well as the other possible Malkirs. The repercussions of the event were still being played out. "I believe that this would be a good word for it.""That's your term for it. Hmmm, Convergence." The goblin mulled over the word and filed it away in his head. "We thought that your ship was lost. But this explains a great deal. I'll have to contact my ship of course. The Profiteer should be coming through here soon.""The what?" Malkir asked."The Profiteer, that's our Ship." Staring up at the sky, the goblin pointed beyond the hills around Haven. "My Captain would be most interested in meeting you. Well, be interested in meeting Captain Malkir. But since you're not him, perhaps you can stand in for him.""I could do a job of bluffing my way.." said Malkir not too comfortable with the idea."Oh no," the goblin corrected. "We can explain the situation to him. He'd be most interested to meet you.""There is a certain fascination in meeting..." The mystic responded, recalling several other meetings that he'd had with people who knew the different Malkirs. "I've found it a couple of times recently that my various prior incarnations were rather well known in some areas." He tried not to think about the version of him that was a blackguard to a new and dark power."Captain." The goblin held the crystal up to his ear. "You will not believe this. I've just met Captain Malkir." He paused for a moment as if listening for a response. "What? No, still in Haven. Yes I know that they do not want us here." The three crystals pulsed with different coloured lights, casting strange shadows across the goblin's wide and flat face. "OK, we'll meet you outside the city. We should have enough fuel for the modulus engine to take us to the Outlands. Yes, the ship should be able to take it.""Take what?" asked Malkir who'd tried to piece the seemingly one-sided conversation together."Uh, technical details, Captain." The goblin replied evasively."It's one of those things when someone says that 'it should be able to take it' in that tone of voice." Malkir had experienced travelling in flying ships before and knew how it felt to be a great height above the ground. Whilst it was an exhilarating experience, it could also be a very frightening one. "It's usually not a good thing.""It's an experimental engine." The creature stated by way of apology. "It creates a reality disjunction that allows us to pull the ship between planes. The engine has been under a lot of strain and we're going to the Outlands for repairs and may head to Sigil to get more items. The engine attunes itself to the plane that it travelling to. Hence the items. It's all a bit complicated.... Since you're not Captain Malkir. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to be telling you this.""I should really make my way out of the city." Malkir excused himself and raced to meet his companions.</blockquote>

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