Earth

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Earth

Setting Ashana back onto her bed, Siphon glumly nodded.

"Let's just hope they're in time. There's been enough death in the last week with the Asgard and the Nox."



Trel Vah only nodded, and took off with her, his pace quicker than most Tokra she'd worked with. Then again, he seemed to truly understand that time was of the essence, so he probably was in a 'controlled' hurry.

After only a minute or two, they would arrive where Ashana was, who had, much to the chagrin of their Tokra representative, passed out again. One look over at her though, and he began setting up, a grim look on his face.

"Once Val Shara starts working, we can only pray. Her condition is far worse than we anticipated."

 

[Copper]

Re: Earth

"They were gettin' ready ta go when Ah disconnected with 'em. Just a matter o'dialin' in, Ah'd imagine."

Sho leads the Tokra along, keeping her pace matched with his as she guides him to the infirmary. "And we're out again. Probably for the best," she remarks. "Boys, this is Val Shara." She indicates the transport. "And Trel Vah." The Tokra carrying the transport. "Guess we didn't get a chance to ask if she was up for this." She'll move out of the way and allow the Tokra to do his job. "Forgiveness and permission and all that."

Ian actually sticks close to the bed, out of the way but ready, just in case there's the potential for flailing Ancient.

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Earth

Trel Vah only nodded.

"Based on her condition, I'm surprised you even managed to wake her to begin with, even for a few moments. I fear we may be too late."


Nevertheless, he got to work quickly, the view of the actual implantation of the symbiote being blocked from their view. Still, after a few moments, the convulsions had stopped at least, so something was obviously going on. Stepping back from Ashana, Trel Vah shook his head.

"Now all we can do is wait, and hope we're in time."


Nodding slightly, Siphon got back to work on the others, leaving Ian and Sho to talk with Trel Vah, or do what they would.

 

[Copper]

Re: Earth

Sho will move over to take a seat in the chair again, pushing it over to be a little closer to the bed once Trel Vah declares that he's done. Ian's simply remained nearby, leaning against the wall, arms crossed, his attention going to Ashana once the procedure was finished.

"What happens if it dudn't work?" The question is quiet and he seems to already know the answer as far as the Ancient woman is concerned. He seems to be more worried about the symbiote.

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Earth

It was Siphon who answered him, allowing Trel Vah to monitor freely.


"If it doesn't work then Ashana will die. The symbiote will then need to find another host, even a temporary one within the next few hours, or be returned to a pure liquid environment, or she too will die."

 

[Copper]

Re: Earth

"Eh, no pressah, right?" There's a faint bit of a chuckle to his words but the gravity of the situation certainly isn't lost on him.

"Chaos, mayhem, and lives on the line. Typical Tuesday," Sho quips. "It is still Tuesday, right? Or have I lost a day in there somewhere?" She'll push herself up and go to check on the resting patients, both for something to do and to give the Tokra quiet while he works.

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Earth

Siphon paused a moment before he answered.

"Actually I think it's after midnight here on Earth, so it might be Wednesday morning now. So technically you haven't lost a day yet."


He got up along with Sho to check on the others, and when they had finished, he stepped outside with both her, and Ian after beckoning him to join them.


Once outside the crew quarters, he spoke.


"We need to get a full hazmat team down here so we can be sure none of us are carrying this disease back home with us. Chances are we aren't, but I want to make sure that we aren't carriers first. Unfortunately, I don't have what I need here to be sure of that. The sooner, the better, because if this doesn't work, Val Shara will have at most 4 to 6 hours to live unless we can get her into another host, or back to the Tokra where they can immerse her in a natural water environment. Sadly, just any water won't suffice. Ian, would you see to that please, there's something I need to talk to Sho about."

 

[Copper]

Re: Earth

"Rhetorical question." She paces among the beds, just making sure everyone is okay, if anyone's waking up, and making sure no one's going to fall out of their bunk.

Ian'll arch a brow but join the other two. At the request, he chuckles. "Oh sure. Send the one they can't hahdly undahstand ta do the talkin'." He waves a hand at the two of them as he departs. "Ah'll ring up Julia. Have her get things inna works."

Sho will watch him wander off until he's out of safe hearing distance. Her gaze flicks back to Siphon. "She's not going to make it, is she?" The question is still quiet but comes out with Sho's general grasp of the situation. Less of a question and more of a statement of fact.

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Earth

Siphon shrugged.

"Honestly, I don't know. Her chances aren't good. But if you want my honest opinion, no. The damage done by that pathogen is going to be very difficult to heal. Truth be told, I'm not even sure if it were me in her position that between my own natural abilities and Talvesh that we could do it. That isn't why I wanted to talk to you though."

He paused, seeming to consider how to say this.

"You know about the periodic flashes of previous memories already. I've had a few more since we got here, and from what I can piece together ... well, Aya and I knew her. Not only that, there should be more to this outpost than what has been dug up. This was an outpost adjacent to Atlantis itself for a long time, which means it probably was a sort of supply station, and power station. I'm willing to bet there's a few more levels beneath the chair room as well, stuff that hasn't been found yet. But the thing that baffles me most is this. Was I really that different a person that it didn't bother me leaving one of our own behind?"

 

[Copper]

Re: Earth

Ian will head into the gate room and situate himself in front of the console. Dialing out with the proper precautions, it isn't long before Petlas is receiving another transmission from the Arctic base.

It's hard to tell what Sho's thinking in light of his assessment of the other Atlantean. As he changes the subject, though, her eyes flick to his face as she listens.

"Maybe you didn't leave her behind. Maybe she volunteered. Unless you've seen something different. Maybe it was a matter of someone staying behind to keep an eye on the place until the kids got old enough to borrow the keys and she wasn't prepared for what was out there." She'll incline her head a little. "I seem to recall the colonel saying something about her being found under the facility. Lends credibility to your notion that there's more down there. Until you know for sure, don't beat yourself up." There's a beat. "Or I'll smack you."

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Earth

Siphon paused for a long moment, as if the idea she'd volunteered hadn't occurred to him.

"Maybe she was supposed to be a contact back to this galaxy, to inform us of how things were progressing. I just can't believe if she's been buried down there that long that no one came back to try and find her. Or maybe they did and couldn't."

He snorted slightly at her comment about smacking him, but said nothing further. He did however seem to drift out again, but more like he was trying to come up with a solution to something than anything else.



Perhaps to Ian's surprise, it wasn't Julia who answered him, but Vanessa.

"Ian, it's good to see you. Julia is a little busy so she's asked me to handle anything that came up for now. As for what it is, I have no idea, but she did fill me in on what's going on where you are. Is there anything I can do that'll help?"

 

[Copper]

Re: Earth

"Exactly. Or maybe the war happened and no one contacted her because they wanted to keep this place a secret. There's a lot of variables in play, Siphon. We won't know until we're either able to ask her, we find some sort of archives, or either you or Aya remember what's going on. Want me to go ask Ian to put her on?"

Seeing the redhead brings a smile to his face. "Hey, Nessa. Ah feel ya. Ah'm stuck on com duty most'a the time, but then, with most folks bein' out of it, not much of a choice, aye?" As she asks what's going on, he sighs a little. "We're gonna need a haz-mat team. Full on and here in a hurry. Make sure we're not goin' ta bring nothin' beck, since we can't exactly stay heah forevah. That, and we've got a sym-bite on borrah'd time, if," there's a pause, "if she can't help her host pull through. Even if she does, we're oper'aitin' on forgiveness versus permission. Ashana might not want ta stay a host but's only way ta save her laif right now." Another sigh. "Get ahold of the Tokra for me? Let 'em know they might need ta prep a pure watah tank. Cause we'll have ta scramble ta get Val Shara back through if things go south."

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Earth

Siphon shook his head.

"Not right now, last I knew she was busy talking to Ayla and then had something she wanted to talk to Elissia about. Right now finding out why Ashana was left behind isn't top priority."



Vanessa blinked, passing on the primary message off comm, and then returned.

"Haz-Mat teams are being put together, but Ian ... they won't be able to get to you and clear anyone in time for that. Even if we could, the Tokra are all on their way to Atlantis now, it'll be days before any of their ships could get back here, or reach Atlantis. There's no way she'll survive that long ... unless ..."


She trailed off, and her features grew thoughtful. She took a breath, and then continued on.

"Unless she gets another host as an intermediary at the very least. Tell Siphon to be ready to zap me or whatever it is he does, as soon as I can tie up loose ends here, I'm coming through. If this Ashana doesn't survive ... at least Val Shara can."

 

[Copper]

Re: Earth

"Fair enough. Figured I'd offer." She'll incline her head toward the room. "Head back in, in case we're needed?"

Ian digs at his eye with the heel of his hand. "Right, right. The Anubis thing." There he does with his vast sense of understatement again. "Zap ya? Nessa, Ah don't want ya heah if there's a chance ya're gonna get sick. Defeats the purpose of it." He sighs. "Suppose Siphon can take care of ya, but..." He doesn't look too happy at the idea. Granted, she's as good a candidate as any, given the fact that she already was a host, but that still doesn't mean he has to like the idea. The next sigh is a lot heavier. "Ah know you. Ah'll have him meet ya heah."

If there's nothing further, at least for the time being, he'll sign off and go looking for the others, not that they're hard to find.

"Haz-mat's en route. Ah asked Nessa ta ring up the Tokra for me, just in case it doesn't take. Or it does and she wants no paht of it. They're movin'. Getting everyone ta Atlantis. Which means our friend heah's up the creek if Ashana can't hold 'er."

Sho will share a glance with Siphon, her look seeming to read that either Ian's more intuitive than he lets on or he's just playing devil's advocate, given how bad off Ashana was before the process began. "So," she starts slowly, "what's that mean for her? Can...one of us--?"

"Nessa's comin' through the gate." There's a lot of...unhappiness isn't quite the right word for it. "Not pleased" might be slightly more apt, or some blending of the two. "She wants ya ta meet her theah. 'Zap' her. Thinkin' she means so she doesn't get sick, or gets cured up right quick. She offah'd ta be the host in the i'terim."

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Earth

Siphon nodded to Sho, only to be interrupted by Ian's return. He seemed to be taking everything in stride, at least until Ian mentioned about Vanessa coming through the gate, and her offer to be at least a temporary host.

"She WHAT?"

He blinked rapidly several times, trying to process all of that. Finally, rather quietly he said, "is she sure that's what she wants to do? It's just ... it doesn't seem like something I'd have expected her to be comfortable with after Nirrti."


Trel Vah chose that moment to walk out of the room, coming over to them. Shaking his head slightly, he gave them the news they had all probably been expecting.

"Val Shara has done everything she can for Ashana. I'm afraid that the disease has progressed too far throughout her body though, there's just too much internal organ damage to overcome. Despite everything I've tried to do to help them, Ashana will be dead in the next ten minutes or so. Val Shara within a few hours after that. If there is anything you wish to say to either of them ... now would be the time. They are both awake."

 

[Copper]

Re: Earth

"Ah know, right?" There's a pause. "Hadn't thought of that, but, well, that's what she said. Dunno what gave her the idea. Guess you'll have the chance ta ask her once ya make sure she's not gonna keel ovah from the virus."

At the approach of the Tokra, the group fell silent. Sho will give Siphon a bit of a nudge. "Go talk to her, especially since you're the only one who can."

Ian clears his throat. "Ah'd like ta go, too. Much as Ah want ta meet Nessa when she shows up--"

"I'll take care of it. You two are running out of time. Go." Both men will feel a little buffet of air at the their backs. Once they're gone, Sho will put her attention on Trel Vah. "We might have another host for Val Shara. Vanessa, one of our friends, was a...temporary host at one point in time. She's able to get here and as long as Siphon keeps her healthy, she should be able to at least take care of her until things have settled down. Near as I know, she was going to be dialing in soon. Want to meet her?"

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Earth

To that Trel Vah actually broke his stride and calm demeanor for a moment.

"The woman who was forcibly taken over by Nirrti? That is a surprise, I would not have expected her to volunteer so soon, if ever."



Entering the room with Ian, Siphon knelt down next to Ashana's bed and began speaking to her. At first she didn't seem responsive, but then she managed a weak smile. She said something back to him, to which he nodded slowly, almost thankfully. Something else was said, to which he placed a hand on her shoulder and replied back to her in a tone that needed no translation. He was assuring her of something, probably to do with the symbiote.

Then he asked her something, to which she weakly nodded, wincing at the effort. Nodding back to her, he stood, and stepped to the side.

"Go ahead Ian, I'll translate for both of you. Whatever you want to say to her, be quick. Her time is almost up."

 

[Copper]

Re: Earth

"Ian thinks she needs some sense talked into her, but I'm more thinking it's because she wants to come here than anything else. But, I'm just relaying what he said she said. Guess we'll know more when she gets here."

Ian gives Siphon time with Ashana, stepping over once the other man was done. Laying one of his hands gently on top of hers, he angles around so she can see his smile. "Ah'm proud ta have known ya, Ashana. Ya did a brave, selfless thing fer a bunch of strangahs. Ah'll make certain nobody'll ferget that. We'll be all right, thanks t'you. So don't ya worry, okay?" He chafes his thumb lightly against the back of her hand. Siphon might catch the quick blink of Ian's eyes, but he stays beside her, keeping his expression and his touch as comforting as he can.

 

[SiphonTalvesh]

Re: Earth

Siphon translated almost as soon as Ian finished his sentences, and as he did, Ian might catch a faint glimmer in Ashana's eyes that she knew the two were friends, and that whatever Ian was saying, Siphon was repeating so she could understand.


She rattled something off back, looking at Ian as she spoke, the glimmer in her eyes telling him that even though she knew he wouldn't understand her without Siphon's translations, her message would still get to him, and she wanted him to feel that she was responding back directly to him.

When she had finished, her gaze drifted a bit, and her body relaxed some, but Ian could tell just by the look in her eyes that she was still trying to cling onto life, despite the fact her entire body was shutting down. Meanwhile, Siphon translated for her.


"She says she's sorry she can't stick around to get to know you better, that she had been looking forward to learning your unique view on the language we all speak. None of you asked for the disease she carries, and she felt she at least owed it to all of you to try and help, especially since you brought her back to life when you thawed her out. She wishes things could be different."

There was a pause as he took a breath, then added, "she knows exactly what's happening to her Ian. She also knows what we tried to do as far as the Tokra, and she wants you to know that she's OK with it. She doesn't want you to feel bad for not ever asking her permission, she says she would have done the same in your position."

She smiled weakly at Ian as Siphon finished, perhaps understanding from the inflection of Siphon's voice what had been said. She rattled off something else, grimacing several times as the pain clearly was beginning to become too much for her, but still, she finished what she wanted to say. At the very end, she spoke two words that Ian might recognize, since he'd heard them before many years ago.

"Aveo ... Amacuse."


Siphon quickly translated, seeming to realize what was happening now.

"She wishes you the best, and is glad you won't forget her. She's glad that the life on this world she tried to help create has turned out at least one like her, I think she means you Ian."

At the last bit, he bowed his head slightly to her, his face an unreadable mask. He repeated the two words, and her name in Ancient, resting a hand gently on her shoulder. A moment later, for Ian's benefit, just in case, he translated, "Good Bye, Ashana."

With one final weak smile, Ashana closed her eyes, took a final breath, exhaled, and became still. Ian wouldn't need to look at the silent monitor flat lined, or Siphon's confirmation to know that she was gone.

"That's it. She's gone Ian. She was desperately holding on so she could say good bye to you. More than that though, she knew about Val Shara and there not being another host possibly. She was trying to hold on to give the symbiote a chance to survive, even if she couldn't."


Reaching for a radio, he activated it, allowing his voice to come across the radio Trel Vah had taken when he and Sho had left to greet Vanessa.




Trel Vah merely nodded, his words sounding carefully chosen.

"I will conduct a brief ... interview with her when she arrives, to make certain she is aware of what she is getting into, and that she truly is prepared for this. While I am hopeful we may be able to at least save the information Val Shara has, I will not do so if mentally Vanessa is not prepared for this. I will not add to the nightmare Nirrti inflicted upon her, nor would Val Shara ever agree to do anything that could potentially cause harm."


Soon enough they had reached the gate, and they didn't have long to wait before it roared to life. Before it settled down and could allow anyone through though, Siphon's voice came over the radio clipped to Trel Vah's belt.

"Trel Vah, Sho? This is Siphon. I just wanted to let you both know ... Ashana's gone. She held on as long as she could, she knew we were trying to save Val Shara as well. There must have been at least a partial success in the blending despite the internal damage. Either way, our timer just started."


As he finished speaking, Vanessa emerged from the gate, looking fresh and ready for whatever, a stark change to when Sho had last seen her. Then again, she'd had some time to recover, so it wasn't much of a surprise considering Vanessa tended to bounce back pretty quickly from most everything.

 

[Copper]

Re: Earth

((You're an asshole, by the way. Making me all sniffly.))

Ian listens quietly to Siphon's words, though is attention remains on Ashana. His smile starts to wane a little, but his touch remains constant.

"Same heah," he whispers, letting his tone carry his intent, rather than expecting Siphon to translate for him. As she mentions her consent about the Tokra, he nods, the smile growing a little more steady.

"Aveo amacuse, dahlin'," Ian echoes quietly.

As the monitor grows still, he'll step away from her, glancing at it and finding the switch to flick it off, unplugging it as a last resort. No sense in leaving it to stream when they know what's going on.

Sho nods. "I'll head back and get Ian, if he's okay to leave Ashana. Having him here might help settle--" She'll listen to the squawk that comes over the radio. "Or there's that," she says quietly. She'll steal the radio from the Tokra and answer back. "Trel Vah wants to talk to Vanessa first. Make sure she's up for it." He can likely hear the 'whoosh' of the gate activating before Sho releases the talk button, coming back once the noise has settled. "You boys might want to meet us. Vanessa's here, but she's gotta give the password and secret handshake before she gets to join the club." She'll wave to the other woman with her off hand. "See you soon."

Passing the radio back, in case there's anything else, she'll go over and greet Vanessa. "I've got a feeling Ian's going to need to talk to you but we're on a time limit here." There's a bit of a sigh. "We just lost Val Shara's host. There's a window, but..." She gives her a wry grin. "Welcome to the madhouse, like always."