The armor’s faceplate was roughly humanoid and blue, the other colors green and purple for some reason that had to indicate a dearth of common sense. His attitude was arrogant and poised as his image settled on the screen, and stiffened in an instant when he saw who was waiting there for him.

“You-!” he blurted out, leaning forwards hastily. “Why are you on Otherworld?” he demanded in shock.

“Kang-177,” Briggs rumbled in a voice not at all friendly, staring at the time-traveling conqueror. “I admit that we didn’t leave many tracks behind, but do you know what we did to 13, 269, and 41?” He let that hang there for a moment as the Kang facing them processed that.

Sama grinned from next to him. “They were stupid enough to actually come to our world. You... wherever did you get the balls to start sending universe-ending threats at us, thinking we wouldn’t track them back? Did you think that just because you had the help of a Chronatrix that we wouldn’t do something about it?”

Clearly unsettled, Kang still managed to sound smug and aloof. “I have no idea what you are talking about. I regularly make contact with my temporal peers so as not to intrude on one another.”

“The Chronatrix’s memories are all the evidence we needed of your joint activity and duplicity,” Briggs rumbled out. “Granted, you’re a number of timelines away, and Sama and I don’t like to travel. If Otherworld weren’t so heavily trafficked, we wouldn’t even have come here.”

“So be it. Yes, I removed a number of threats to my timelines and sent them into yours. You are uniquely suited to disposing of threats of that level and caliber, as you standing there is evidence of.”

“And we might even have allowed you to do so, in return for suitable compensation,” Sama agreed cheerfully. “Unfortunately, you weren’t willing to take the chance, and you seem to have a chip on your shoulder, so you just conspired with Chronatrix Saturnyne-3BQ here and went ahead and started sending potentially universe-ending threats our way. It took us a while to track them back to who was responsible, and them coming from two different temporal dominions was irritating, until we verified the people in charge of each set of timezones.

“Without our agreement, what you sent can only be construed as an attack on our universe and timeline, Nathanial Richards of Earth-177-AAc12.” Her smile turned feral.

The Kang stiffened despite himself. Few people knew the core Earth the Kangs hailed from, and furthermore the precise alternate version where he had split from the other Kangs. That they did bespoke an incredible awareness of dimensional and temporal reality.

“You are welcome to come here and discuss further terms with me,” he said dismissively, absolutely certain that neither of them could truly time-travel. “I’ve reason to believe that might be as difficult as myself paying a visit to your timeline,” he noted dryly.

“Especially now, for you!” Sama nodded at him, her grin growing even wider.

“Even now... for me?” he repeated after half a heartbeat, an ominous feeling rising inside him.

“It’s something of a misnomer that we can’t time travel. We can certainly go up and down a timeline, we just can’t enter it; we have to stay in the timestream. However, it is remarkable what can be done from the timestream, without even involving Limbo or the other temporal crossroads.”

Kang felt a trickle of cold sweat going down his back at Sama’s words, his mind racing. He didn’t know the precise powers of this pair, but they had basically locked down the entire 1832 timeline completely; there was no temporal give in it at all! Any form of successful interference from outside the timeline, i.e., by a time traveler, was nothing but a temporary illusion which broke as soon as it was left behind, along with all memory or items from inside it... and that was if one could get inside it in the first place!

1832’s timeline was absolute and unbreakable, and these two were the ones responsible!

“What did you do?” he whispered, knowing he was not going to like hearing the news.

“I ran the entire length of your lived-line, from birth to death,” Sama stated calmly. “Finished up about an hour ago my time. I used your last communication with the lazy bitch who worked here as the key point.

“Your timeline is now irrevocable and unchangeable. Most splendidly, from that contact point on, you can’t leave that timeline or break causality.”

“No!” Kang blurted out in horror, and immediately started pushing buttons and checking on things offscreen.

“That’s right, your temporal empire has already shattered, because there are no further communications crossing time coming from you. You can’t even speak to another Kang, because that would violate your absolute lived-line.

“You are alone, isolated, and trapped in that timeline until your lived-line ends.” Sama leaned forwards slightly, her eyes glittering. “And I know exactly when that point is. Welcome back to the real world. As soon as we sever contact here, you lose all ability to communicate across alternities, and you are going to grow old and die there.

“You can try the cloning thing, but it won’t work. I made sure there’s enough aberrations in your lived-line that it destabilizes if you try to shift to a new body. You’ll just commit suicide.” Her eyes glittered again. “But then again, maybe that’s the way you end. You’ll just have to see. I know your fate and your whole life now.”

“No! NO! I am Kang! I have no fate but that which I make myself!” he howled at her, and she Laughed back at him, the high, shrieking discordance of a Hag, making his teeth knock and legs shake at the sound of it.

Briggs just smiled grimly. “I’m sure some of your alternates will be trying the same thing... but maybe not, after they see what happened to you. Maybe they’ll be smart enough to negotiate and be able to pay some compensation... but probably not. They are just as arrogant as you, after all.

“Goodbye, Master Kang.”

“No! Do not do this-” the time lord protested, even as Briggs’ big finger hit a button, and the screen went dark.

---

Sama dialed through several timelines of communication, calling back. Her teeth gleamed when there was only static, as if that timeline was no longer there.

“That was very well-played, Master Briggs, Lady Sama,” a polite voice complimented them, as the tall and regal Lady Roma, Guardian of the Multiverse, Ruler of Otherworld and Avalon, stepped forward from beyond the camera’s range. “It could be said that you killed him the most torturous way of all, enslaving him once more to time.”

“The temporal map of his Lived-line is here, Lady Roma.” Sama pressed another button, and brought up a four-dimensional rendition of the life of that Kang, and the various timelines he’d gone in and out, and when. “The timelines of his empire are going to be immutable until the last point he leaves them.” Glowing points stretched across various alternities, showing where his absolute temporal influence stopped. “Other Kangs may step in and take them over. It is your call if you care to extend Avalon’s writ there.”

“The Kang Imperium is arrogant and unreasonable. We shall monitor the lines for signs of their activity, and if none are forthcoming, dismantle the Kang forces in place.” Roma turned to the woman escorting her, clad all in flowing whites and almost like her opposite, with dark brown skin and pale silken hair contrasting Roma’s own black hair and fairy-like complexion. “I regret the actions of Crystal Rae Saturnyne. Many of her alternates are employed by Avalon, and they are noted for their cleverness, ingenuity, and management skills. This one’s actions were certainly quite extreme, and not within her level of authority to undertake.”

“You will find, Lady Roma, that none of her actions actually exceeded regulations. She merely undertook negotiations with a Kang over her timezone, which was within her remit, and all direct actions were undertaken by him, with her merely providing targets, opportunities, and silent approval,” Crystal Munroe replied in a rich voice, obviously fully confident in the details. “Indeed, the fate of 1832, having gone rogue from Otherworld, was of no importance, and a little bit of a lesson in leaving the safety and security of Avalon’s grasp was even to be expected.”

Roma just sighed. “1832 has a Magenta-Violet Rating for a reason!” she shook her head. “Again, my apologies for this oversight, Lady Rantha, Master Briggs. I see you have made certain that the actions will not be repeated.” She tilted her head at Crystal.

“Will there be any issues with leaving her here?” Sama asked calmly. “I can guarantee you will find no issues with her personal prowess or abilities.”

“The Saturnynes are extremely ambitious and possessive of the positions they and their alternates have claimed. You may well find... difficulties in the undertaking of your duties,” Lady Roma said to Crystal carefully.

“How wonderful! I have more sisters who wouldn’t mind serving Avalon in this manner. I’m sure Avalon could use a breath of fresh air every now and then, and removing some Saturnynes sounds like a reasonable way to do so.” Crystal was quite clearly unworried about how she would deal with the other Saturnynes who had flocked to the top of Avalon’s hierarchy, with Opal Luna clinging steadfastly to the number two position beneath Roma herself. “They seem to think themselves above others, unable to be touched as they perform their duties. There may be some hierarchical changes in the near future, Lady Roma,” Crystal bowed slightly.

“You have the Chronatrix position with my approval. There will definitely be attempts to prove you unfit for it and have you removed. Are you confident in keeping it?” Roma asked her calmly.

Crystal’s teeth gleamed white in her dark face. “Oh, my Lady, I am looking forwards to the excitement, and the promotion of my sisters to follow.”

“As you will, then.” The ‘Guardian of the Multiverse’ disappeared in a swirl of motes, leaving the three of them alone.

“Very polite, letting her leave so easily,” Crystal noted in amusement to the two Forsaken.

“She’s a well-meaning, very powerful, exceedingly competent, ditzy artiste,” Sama snorted. “It’s the empire underneath her which is the ruthless thing, and she can thank her prick of a father for that.” She gave Crystal another glance. “Any problems?”

Crystal shook her head calmly. “They are dual-tranche witches at best. Opal Luna is the only Saturnyne to break Twenty. Most of the rest are Ten to Twelve, with the Chronatrixes usually Fourteen or Fifteen. Opal sees any of them who are more adept as threats to her position, and gets them reassigned to dangerous universes to oversee things that usually get them killed before too long, ‘noble sacrifices for the health and safety of the multiverse’.”

“She definitely likes being Omniversal Majestrix, or whatever,” Sama huffed.

“I’ll have Prime status as soon as I finish the Unimerge. From a functional standpoint, she’s retained her position, gotten away with things, reestablished contact with 1832, and is more powerful than ever.” Crystal smiled slightly, and the two Forsaken just rolled their eyes. “I’ll be able to bring in ten Dupes and a Clone as soon as that happens. If they are reassigned elsewhere, well, that’s just asking for more Primes to come about in those locations.”

“Your position is absolute, and the Munroes coming in will have to rely on it to some extent, I imagine. Do you want me to pay a visit to Her High-and-Mightiness?” Sama asked directly.

Crystal considered that very seriously for a moment, then slowly shook her head. “Opal is very sharp, and she’ll read between the lines about what has happened very quickly. She’ll let the politics play out among her alternates, but won’t consider me a direct threat unless I actually start making plays for her position... which I won’t. She’ll use me to thin out her alternates, I imagine.”

“Is she a threat to you?” Briggs asked, just to be sure.

“She’s a Twenty-One or Twenty-Two, with access to multiverses of tech and magic. Personally, no, I can totally handle her; she’s a functionary and academic, not a soldier or warcaster. If she goes armory-raiding, she’s a threat to anyone and anything, however.”

“Stay in touch, then. Sama and I need to get home.” Crystal gave both the armored brute and the lethal hag warm hugs of farewell, and stepped back as Briggs snapped up a Portal out of there.

Then, looking around with eyes that found everything every bit as familiar as Crystal Rae Saturnyne had, she turned and strolled out of the room. Her emergency promotion to Chronatrix should be hitting the gossip waves about now, buxom blue-eyed blondes from dozens of alternate Earths gathering to discuss what had happened and how to take her position.

She had some witches and sorceresses to impress and warn off.

All in a day’s work... or several years...