(The soundtrack:
Song 1: "Arabian Nights", from Aladdin.
Song 2: "One Jump Ahead", from Aladdin.)
Written by Tanith
Oh I come from a land, from a faraway place
Where the caravan camels roam
Scene: Seth lands on one of the Rabiahs. A few planes over, a mercenary known as kontrol lands on another.
Split Screen: They each check their handheld sensor readings in eerie syncronicity. Then look off into the sandy deserts before them with looks of grim determination. In unison, they move forward into the desert.
Where they cut off your ear
If they don't like your face
Scene: CBY is standing in the city of Cairo in yet another Rabiah, waiting for the troops to get in. He suddenly turns around and his expression turns from one of cold calculation to one of exasperation. He starts to rub his temples.
The camera pans to reveal Gir being chased by a lynch mob of native deizen of Rabiah.
It's barbaric, but hey, it's home
Scene: Z-woman heads toward where CBY is, but is accosted by a drunk thug trying to make a pass at her. She beats him unconscious and continues on her way, looking slightly disgusted.
When the winds from the east
And the suns from the west
Scene: On board the Andromeda, Yeoman looks at the sensors in mild alarm as the ship reports that the Dominion fleet had reached their current plane.
And the sand in the glass is right
Scene: In the City of Brass, Tanith's group is trying to sneak around a courtfull of brassmen, dodging a flyby djinn every once in a while.
Come on down
Stop on by
Hop a carpet and fly
Scene: After searching the City and reconferring, Tanith's group decides against returning to Rabiah and instead move into Wildfire in search of another City of Brass to connect back to another version of Rabiah.
To another Arabian night
Scene: CBY stands in yet another Rabiah as he listens to the reports coming in. From the frown on his face, it seems the news isn't good. Z-woman walks into the camera view, holding a map with an X on it marked "The City of Brass".
Arabian nights
Like Arabian days
Scene: Fatima, the planeswalker who created the city, is frowing as she looks out of one of the Cities of Brass. She senses disturbances both inside the city, as well as a stronger disturbance approaching it.
More often than not Are hotter than hot
Scene: Armies of the Overlord begin to invade many of the major cities of Rabiah. Smoke can be seen rising from the cities.
In a lot of good ways
Scene: Nailah, the sorceress ruler of multiple planes of Rabiah, gives a cry of outrage as reports of the invading Dominion forces come in.
Arabian nights
'Neath Arabian moons
Scene: CBY, Z-woman, and a small army of Dominion soldiers enter a City of Brass at night. They are immediately beset on by brass men and djinn. Using their powers, Z-woman and CBY (with Gir) use their powers to slip in unseen. A group of stealth capable specialists also slip in with them.
A fool off his guard
Could fall and fall hard
Scene: In orbit around multiple Rabiahs, the Overlords fleet, plane by plane, meet the fury of a sorceress capable of taking on planeswalkers. Ships explode and cities crumble as the fighting goes on.
Out there on the dunes
Scene: Tanith and co. notice a large swarm of the higher djinni approaching them. Meddler suggests that now would be a good time to run. Rune informs them that the swarm is the least of their foreseeable problems.
***
(Aladdin) Gotta keep
One jump ahead of the breadline
One swing ahead of the sword
Scene: As they run and hide from the swarm of djinn, Tanith's group is ambushed by another djinn carrying a chaos orb. The djinn throws it toward Meddler's minions.
Scene: CBY, Z-woman, and co. encounter the third group of brassmen so far. They defeat them easily, only to be ambushed by a ball lightning spell, which wounds several of their soldiers.
I steal only what I can't afford
Scene: Elsewhere, Kontrol steals a box supposedly containing a legendary orb from a black mage, only to find it a Winter Orb, and useless to him.
One jump ahead of the lawmen
That's all, and that's no joke
Scene: Rune casts a slow time spell, freezing the chaos orb in midair. She then rifts it away... somewhere.
These guys don't appreciate I'm broke
Scene: Seth tries to get information from merchants in Baghdad. He is either rebuffed or ignored each time.
(Crowd) Riffraff! Street rat! Scoundrel! Take that!
Scene: Nailah suceeds in driving off fleets from several planes, but the exertion is showing on her. Meanwhile, the major cities in those planes lie in blackened ruins.
(Aladdin) Just a little snack, guys
(Crowd) Rip him open, take it back, guys
Scene: In Dominaria, Taysir senses the danger to his homeplane, but grounds his teeth in frustration because he's barred from Rabiah. He starts casting scrying spells to find out just where the danger came from.
Scene: On Phyrexia, everything is in a frenzy. They wait for an opportunity to invade a weakened Rabiah.
(Aladdin) I can take a hint, gotta face the facts
You're my only friend, Abu!
Scene: A large swarm of djinn descends on CBY's group this time. They start hacking through the swarm in earnest, losing a few of their men in the process. Gir, on the other hand, is actually being of a help this time.
Scene: Meanwhile, Fatima is looking on the scene through a scrying mirror with a look of insanity in her eyes.
(Ladies) Oh it's sad Aladdin's hit the bottom He's become a one-man rise in crime
Scene: Seth finally loses his cool and accosts a merchant for answers.
Scene: Kontrol is seen looking at a map with "City of Brass" marked out prominently.
I'd blame parents except he hasn't got 'em
Scene: Tanith and co. find an newly written inscription on a dilapidated wall that might give them a clue regarding a "mystic orb".
Scene: CBY and co. break free of the swarm and continue on.
(Aladdin) Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat
Tell you all about it when I got the time!
Scene: Tanith and co. reach the indicated chamber. A huge brass door stands in their way. Slowly, they force it to open a crack. Tanith and Mg step in, followed by the Meddler.
One jump ahead of the slowpokes
Scene: Inside the room, we see a glowing Static Orb. The three who had entered the room become frozen in time. The stasis spreads outward, also claiming two of Meddler's minions.
Scene: CBY and Z-woman happen on the same clue that had led Tanith's group to the static orb.
One skip ahead of my doom
Scene: Rune holds her hands up and starts casting another temporal spell. The stasis field slows... then stops. Stalemate.
Scene: CBY and Z-woman wait impatiently for the clue to be translated. CBY has to stop Gir from trying to lick the message off the wall.
Next time gonna use a nom de plume
Scene: Meta pulls out a blaster and starts shooting at the static orb just as the Meddler's remaining minion casts destructive spells at it. The orb flashes, then explodes, releasing the victims in its stasis field.
One jump ahead of the hitmen
Scene: CBY and Z-woman hear an explosion somewhere in the city. They exchange knowing looks.
One hit ahead of the flock
Scene: Rune informs the recovering stasis victims that they're gonna have visitors soon. Tanith gives the order to leave immediately. The Meddler suddenly gets a thoughtful look as he looks toward Rune.
I think I'll take a stroll around the block
Scene: Tanith's group can be seen sneaking out of the city into the desert night.
Scene: CBY's group approaches the closed large brass doors that Tanith and co had confronted earlier.
(Crowd) Stop, thief! Vandal! Outrage! Scandal!
Scene: Meanwhile, Taysir is picking off the Dominion forces outside of Rabiah, such as in Wildfire and Dominaria.
Scene: More backup ships from the Domionion appear in the MtG-verses.
(Aladdin) Let's not be too hasty
(Lady) Still I think he's rather tasty
Scene: Nailah, extremely exhausted, nevertheless stands defiantly against the Dominion forces. The look of rage has not left her face.
Scene: Fatima growls as the group that had just left one of her Cities has reentered another.
(Aladdin) Gotta eat to live, gotta steal to eat
Otherwise we'd get along
Scene: Kontrol arrives at a City of Brass. He ponders his strategy for getting in, finding the Orb, and getting out.
Scene: Seth sneaks into a House of Healing, only to find that the "miracle orb" the house supposedly had was a mere Zuran Orb.
One jump ahead of the hoofbeats
One hop ahead of the hump
Scene: Tanith and co. enter one of the last remaining Cities of Brass they've visited.
Scene: CBY and Z-woman open the large brass door... only to find a chaos orb suspended in midair by a stop time spell that had been connected to the door... which they just triggered.
One trick ahead of disaster
Scene: CBY and Z-woman exchanges a look of "oh no". Gir starts singing the Doom song.
They're quick, but I'm much faster
Scene: With a blur of superspeed, Z-woman and CBY (with Gir) hightail it out of there. The soldiers that came with them weren't that lucky as the Orb touches the City.
Here goes, better throw my hand in
Scene: Meanwhile, as he evades a djinn, the Meddler suddenly stops to look at something beyond normal ken. He smiles an evil smile. Rune looks uncomfortable.
Wish me happy landin'
All I gotta do is JUMP!
Scene: CBY and Z-woman are almost out of the City of Brass when...
BOOOM!!!
Written by Yeoman
CBY: Well, that was unpleasent. *He uses his commnicator again* Captain, call for another few troop ships.
Written by Yeoman
The Chaos Bringer swept aside the cobwebs inside generic ancient temple #953. Behind him Gir's head had ben used to prop up the ceiling that had suddenly dropped and almost crushed him.
In front of him, sitting in the middle of the room, was the Orb of Power.
CBY: Finally, I can get this thing and get off this world. It feels like I've been here for months.
However, just before the Chaos Bringer's finger's touched the orb, it vanished.
CBY: The universe hates me. I just know it.
Written by Tanith
"It's gone," the young girl whispered as she looked off into the distance at something no one else could see.
"What's gone?" Even as Meta asked the question, the Meddler cursed from behind him, having used his own clairsentience to peer around.
"The Orb," Rune answered absently. "It's not here anymore. Nothing is obstructing my foresight now...." She paused, then gulped. "I... think we should leave now. I really think we should..."
"The Overlord's forces didn't find it first, did they?" Tanith couldn't help but ask as a cold shiver ran down her back.
"No." Rune shook her head. "They definitely don't have it. Which is why we really, really, should leave now."
With a curt nod, Tanith tilted her head and zoned out herself. Within a few moments, the sound of hoofbeats could be heard far off. Suddenly, the mounts that the group had left behind at the first City of Brass seemingly appeared out of thin air. They were led by the two elvensteeds, who had the magical ability to go to their riders... even through dimensional barriers.
Quickly hopping onto their mounts, Tanith gave a nod to Rune, who began to chant a rift set-spell. When she finished, the small group began to move away from the City, slowly disappearing from that plane into the folds of Shadow.
Moments after they left, the set-spell that Rune had left went off, generating a large and *very* visible beacon of rift magic. A few planes away, on the Andromeda, Yeoman jumped to his feet as sensors went off.
"That's the signal," Rommie informed him as her holo image suddenly appeared on board.
"What? What signal?" Yeoman had little time to sort things out before Rommie pressed him into the pilot's seat and pulled out a readout on the screen.
"Just focus on that place and start focusing your luck powers," she told him. "You've piloted through the slipstream before. We need to move fast before the Overlord's fleet can spot us."
With a nod, Yeoman looked onto the monitor as he reached for the VR pilot goggles.
*****
Meanwhile, on board the Jinnai's Folly, Chaos Bringer Yeoman snarled at the officers as they scattered out of his way. He was NOT in a good mood at the moment, and was actually feeling quite homicidal. Under his breath, he was muttering about wild goose chases and fleet losses.
As he reached the bridge, his eyes fixed onto the image of the plane of Rabiah floating there. A wicked gleam came into his eye. Now was a chance for him to blow off some steam... and exact repayment for everything he and his fleet had suffered in the fruitless search so far.
Written by Yeoman
A wicked smirk crossed the Chaos Briger's face as the Jinnai's Folly disappeared into the space between worlds. In it's wake a thousand object's fell towards the planet. And if there was sound in space, one could hear one word, repeated endlessly.
"Doom doom, doom. Doom Doom."
