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(Planet Othalla)
(SiphonTalvesh)
... Ariana found herself in a building that was, as Ksavir had put it, too small to house her ship. It was barely half the size her ship was, but it served it's purpose. Within moments they were walking down a long corridor, and she could see that outside was lovely, trees growing everywhere and plentiful blue skies overhead. A number of Asgard moved here and there, hundreds of them in fact. She might begin to wonder with the numbers she was seeing, if there was something more than dead end science leading to their imminent extinction. (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ariana blinked as she was beamed, still not used to the experience. Once through the gate, she walked with Ksavir, not wanting to let the crystal with Alberik out of her sight just yet, her gaze drawn to the scenery and the mass of other Asgard as they walked. "The last of your race is here, yes? Seemd like there's still a great many of you." She said, trying to make idle talk as they travelled. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Ksavir continued to walk as he spoke.
"Yes, there are a large number of us here, however the last attempt we made to solve our cloning degredation involved infusing some DNA from a preserved Asgard who lived at a time before the process became irreversable. Unfortunately, the process has backfired on us, and has left each of us with a rapidly progressing disease. If we can't get this option to
work for us, there is no other hope. Eventually the disease will destroy our bodies, It has become impossible now for us to simply transfer our minds to another clone body because the process has reached the stage that a new body will not be able to sustain us. We have taken great pains to ensure that if we do not succeed, the most important of our technology,
the most dangerous aspects for younger races is here, and will die along with us. We decided some time ago if it comes to that to gift our most recent technology to the Alverans, in the hopes that they can learn something from the mistakes we made in our evolution. We had planned to create a data core to be installed on one of their ships, however there isn't enough time for that. Thor is in the process of creating a series of data crystals that will contain a knowledge base of our entire history. As much as it pains me to say this, what happens here today very likely will determine if we continue to live on, or if our mistakes will finally be too much to over come." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ariana nodded, the weight of the moment foremost in her mind. Alberik had already known that, or guessed it at least, that's why he was willing to undergo the risk involved, however slight. "And what do you hope to gain from Al's participation? You want to know if the new bodies can hold that big of a mind, is that it? I'm not sure I understand." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Ksavir paused for a moment before answering.
"If the transfer works, we will have a base line guide of what we need to do in order to transfer our own minds. If it doesn't work, we may have to accept the fact that it may not be possible to simply transfer energy to something that isn't a flesh and blood body. Originally we were going to have another Asgard undergo the procedure as our test, however your
arrival changed much of that. Once we became aware of Alberik, and his plight of being confined to your ship, we decided that we could offer the chance for him to be free and have a physical form if this works, while accomplishing the goal we set out to do. If it works, we will know that any form of energy can be transferred into any type of body that can contain it. Ultimately this is not the way we wish to be forever, but rather a step in the direction of having the time to reverse things, potentially re-create our species to what it was before all of our mistakes. To give a possible future
for our kind that doesn't rely so heavily on technology to keep us alive. I must admit, I did not expect either of you to be willing for him to participate in this." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"I see. And to be quite frank, I am less than enthused about the idea." Ariana answered, frowning slightly. "But it's his decision, and I respect that. I don't know too much about the galaxy as you know it yet, but he does now, and he thinks you're worth saving, that means a lot." She finished, her expression softening somewhat. "Besides that, it will be nice to
get him out of the house, once in a while. As-is, closest he gets is living vicariously through my helmet camera." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
"In time you will learn many new things. Today is only a new beginning for you, a place to start."
He fell silent as they entered a gigantic room at the opposite end of the compound, a room filled with many different machines. This had to be the place she might think, why else would the room be this large?
And then she saw it. A suit that looked like it was armored to protect the body, this one decidedly made for a male. It stood almost six feet tall, and she didn't need to see it's schematics to know that once powered by something, it could be incredibly strong. Strong enough she suspected it could snap a normal humanoid being in half with little difficulty. It was a shiny silver and black color, with slight red tint to it, and the 'helmet' to it was partially exposed revealing a spot where the data crystal looked like it would fit. So this was it, this was the potential body Alberik could find
himself in. Despite the need for speed on this, it was clear the Asgard had taken the time to ensure this suit was a sight to behold, and would be something that would last a very long time. She could only guess that since there was no energy source readily visible to access and start up, that the energy of a mind was key to this working, which would explain why the Asgard hadn't gotten it working yet. In fact, given the size of their ships and what little she knew, she might doubt that a suit this small could be powered by any other means. She was snapped out of her thoughts as Thor came over to her.
"Hello again Ariana. I am pleased you were able to come here. I have something for you, if you have a moment." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ari raised a brow as the suit came into view, thinking the entire thing rather impressive, though perhaps a bit much, from what she knew of who was going to reside in it. Thor came up to her, and she offered a smile. "If you have the time, I'd like to see this through first." She said. If he pressed, she'd just nod and go along, sparing a glance back towards the experiment before they left. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
"Of course. We should know within a few moments after the process starts how this will turn out."
Kvasir handed Ariana the crystal, looking up at her with his big eyes.
"I thought perhaps you might like to set the crystal in place. The slightly lighter colored area in the forehead of the helmet is where it goes. Once you have it clicked into place, the suit will do the rest for us." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
The woman looked surprised, taking the crystal in hand and hefting it slighty. Felt like, for all she knew was inside of it. She nodded at the instructions, walking over and carefully setting the crystal in place, letting go and taking a few steps back once she felt it click. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Once the crystal clicked into place, there was a soft noise as the helmet closed seamlessly. There was another soft noise and then suddenly the visor of the helmet lit up with a blue swirling tint.
The suit took a small step forward, something that caused chattering in Asgard to flit about the room of about two dozen or so, and this was followed by a voice that was clearly Alberik's.
"I believe it worked." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
This time the chattering amongst the Asgard went on for what seemed like an hour. Kvasir ran a few tests from a console, before saying what Ariana probably had figured out.
"It worked just as he said. I'm not detecting any energy spikes that would be present with a feed back loop, or energy escaping from the suit. What's more, we only need to adjust the transfer rate by point zero three nine percent of what it normally is when we transfer a mind to a physical body for the process to work for us. In a few weeks, we can have enough
for every Asgard." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ari took another step back as the suit whirred to life, the thing under intense scrutiny until Alberik spoke from within it. "You sure?" She asked cautiously, and the suit gave a nod, a perfect imitation of the one Al's hologram had done so many times. "It will take time to run a full diagnostic, But I can't detect any errors in my core self." He answered, and
she nodded back, smirking. "We're gonna have to put a new seat in the ship." The Asgard milled around, checking readouts and confirming that everything was functioning perfectly. "I'll stay so they can run further tests. I beleive Thor wanted your attention, earlier?" Al told her, and she jumped a bit, surprised he knew. "Yeah. See you in a bit, then." She said, finding the diminuitive Asgard stationary in the midst of the milling crowd, the only reason she could tell him apart, since he wasn't speaking. "That should be enough for now, thank you for waiting. Shall we?" She asked, seemingly in a better mood. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor made a gesture that Ariana was coming to understand as a nod.
"Yes, I have a device to give to you, it is what you and Kvasir spoke about earlier. The lab with those devices is next door, so we won't be gone long." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
The woman nodded. "Lead the way, then." She said simply. Once they were in the hall and away from the bustle, she spoke up again. "That suit seemed a fair bit more than simply a replacement body. Do you know what all it contains? That metal musculature looked like it could fold me in half, for one." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor nodded.
"The suit was designed to be able to survive in extremely harsh environments if need be. It was also designed to allow us to be more physically adept than we are now. We wanted something that could both last a long period of time, as well as allow us certain advantages when it came to material lifting. Once you have read the database regarding the Bentari, you will understand why we felt the need for something that could handle them. It is made of neutronium, which is a substance similar to what the Stargates are made of, just not as potent of a super-conductor. Many amongst the high council felt we would be better served with a frame suited for anything, in the event it turned out to be impossible for us to recover what we once were. In a sense, it will allow us a measure of immortality to continue our work. The suits however are not invincible, and they can be damaged under sustained energy weapons fire." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"Impressive." Ari commented, whistling lightly. "Never heard of the Bentari, but I think I get the idea. Should be helpful around the ship at least, but Al is something of a pacifist, almost feels like all that is going to waste." She joked, trying to picture the soft-hearted old man she was used to seeing fighting and punching holes in walls. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor considered this for a moment, then spoke.
"He could simply use his strength to subdue anyone who would wish you harm, keeping them from attacking you until someone else could take them away for you. Just because one has the strength to fight doesn't always mean a violent approach is the best defense. Sometimes simply preventing someone from being aggressive while not attacking them directly works better. It would not be difficult for him to simply lift a person off the ground and keep them from going anywhere." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"I'm aware. It's just odd to think of him in a combat situation at all, at least on a personal level. His aid is already invaluable in dogfights." She said, nodding. "Having him on hand in something like that may even prevent some fights altogether, which would be nice." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor gently nodded.
"Indeed. There is something else I should mention. I've been doing some quick calculations based on what we've seen with the suits so far, and I believe it might be possible to create one for you that would better harness your psionic energies, help you focus them better until you learned to do so without any aid. If you would like, I can begin working on that once I am in a position where my body will no longer be ready to disintegrate on a moments notice." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"I... I'm not sure. That seems incredibly generous." She answered after a short pause. "Perhaps just spend a short while and give me an idea of it, I wouldn't want you to go through all the trouble of making one just for me to turn it down." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
"Very well. However the modifications I believe would only be slight, and we would likely have some left over in the event something were to happen to a suit here. You will have time to think about it though, as I do not expect that our entire race will have a suit for some time still. I believe I have kept you long enough, you likely wish to get back to your companion and see how he is doing." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"I'm not really an expert, but a suit a human can fit in, and an entire humaniform robot with a slot for a crystal in it's head seem pretty different to me." She said with a shrug and chuckle. "And yes, It's far more important to get your people into them before myself, so please, worry about that first." She said, giving a nod at his final bit, making sure to keep
pace with the smaller Asgard if he sped up their walk. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor made a sound that might have been a chuckle.
"It is a simple matter of changing the original design to not include the more robotic form components you saw. In fact, these suits are similar to a technology that we once used to sustain ourselves before we resorted to cloning, as you call it."
They entered a smaller room, and Thor reached out and took a small device out. It appeared to be similar to a crystal, but on some kind of strap.
"Once you place the device to your forehead, it will automatically activate. The device will magnetically attach to you, using the metals in your blood as a connector. You will be unaware of that however, as it is not enough to cause any harm or discomfort to you. In addition, you can remove it by simply wishing for it to come off, as you place your hands over it. The device contains many of our teachings in mental disciplines, some of which stem from contact with the Nox. It will help guide you through quicker than you could naturally. I do hope that it will grant you what you are looking for." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"I see." Ariana said, watching Thor handle the device. "What's it like to use, though? I admit, I don't have much experience with neural interfaces, I tend to like my stuff on screens nearby." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor thought for a moment before replying.
"It can vary from species to species, and person to person. Some describe it as feeling as if they have entered a meditative state, and experience everything in their own mind. Some simply claim they learn it just by having the device on, and that they sense nothing different. Others have stated that it feels as if something is guiding them, teaching them while allowing them to maintain control over their body. In short, it depends on how your mind best can process the information coming into it. Since it is not a natural form of learning, the mind will often come up with a way of
rationalizing it, something that subconsciously you believe is legitimate and possible. I'm afraid I can't better tell you what to expect, since every person can be different. You may experience one of the things I mentioned, or none of them and experience something new we've never heard of before." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ariana seemed to balk a bit at that, but took the device anyways, slipping it carefully into a pocket for now. "I see, thank you. Back to the experiment room, then?" (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor inclined his head slightly, before speaking.
"I assure you, the device will not harm you in any way, nor is it capable of damaging your mind. If you still have reservations about it, it is always possible to alter the way it works, to download all of it's contents and gently unspool them into your mind at a slow enough rate that your mind can handle it. It would not be the first time such a modification were needed."
He seemed to stop, waiting on her answer before moving. She might get the distinct impression he was offering to alter the device now, or had another one for that purpose. (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"I should be fine. Before finding those wraith in atlantis, I hadn't found much of anything I couldn't just glare at mentally to bully down. something meant for teaching should be easy enough." She answered, giving her pocket a light pat.
They got moving again after that, Ariana spending the walk thinking about shifting some of the cargo in her ship around to give her a practice space. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
"Very well."
Thor fell silent as they made their way back to the room they had been in before. Once back there, Ariana would find her companion up and about, seeming to test the newfound freedom he had. Thor was almost immediately called over to another console, and after a time, Ariana might catch something that sounded like 'ship', and 'orbit'. (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Thor left her for a console, and she strode up to Alberik, giving him a fresh once-over. "Everything is in perfect working order. Though... It feels strange, having to constrain my movement to inertia. Moving along without a body is much faster. There's a powerful transceiver in this, I should be able to interface with the ship at least as well as before." He told her before she had a chance to comment, making the woman smirk. "And haven't lost your ability to read my mind, I see." She joked. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the entire ground and building shaking. Somewhere in the distance, Ariana heard an explosion, and many of the Asgard fell to the ground, slowly getting back up. A charge filled the air, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as once again the building was shaken, the explosions closer this time, nearly tossing her to the floor. When she righted herself, she noticed many of the Asgard were gone, and there was a portion of the roof completely missing. (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ariana stumbled and frowned as the ground shook, righting herself quickly enough. "That doesn't seem good. Any idea-"
The second time, Alberik had to reach out and grab her arm to keep the woman from tumbling to the floor completely. Once she recovered, she saw the devastation wroght by the quakes. "Try and get anyone you can out from under there, I'll see what's going on." She said, Alberik giving a nod before starting to shift the rubble "I can reach your comms, keep in touch." He told her, the woman nodding as she rushed out for one of the open courtyards she had passed on the way in, looking for high ground or a roof access to get a better look at what was going on. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
She didn't need to go far before she saw the cause. Even as a dozen or so Asgard vessels closed in, she saw the source of the explosions, and the quakes.
A large, sleek and terrifying looking ship cut through the air with ease, energy weapons flying out, as well as what looked like bombs of some kind. The ship was huge, easily the size of the Asgard ships, if not bigger. It suddenly dawned on her that it was not alone, in fact more than thirty of them were in the sky, rushing down to join the one already laying siege to the area. The Asgard ships returned fire on the other one, but Ariana could see no visible damage. The marauder returned fire back on the Asgard ships, and must have already damaged one of them badly before she got here, for the Asgard ship exploded into a wall of flame, it's remains slamming into the ground about a mile away, shaking the ground yet again.
Alberik could only find a half dozen or so Asgard who'd been crushed by the roof when it collapsed, and were quite dead. What was more, his new senses could detect the vibrations of the marauding ship coming closer, and information that was stored in the suit's mainframe told him the source was not of any design the Asgard knew of. Once more the ground shook
(at the same time Ariana felt it elsewhere), and a larger portion of the roofing gave way. He was left unscathed, but the entire building was becoming unstable, and no signs of life other than himself could be detected. (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ariana watched the space battle with wide eyes, flicking about at each of the ships. Looked like the Asgard were having serious issues, and with the numbers she could see in the sky above her, things did not look to be going well. Alberik had given up by that point, following Ariana out and stopping beside her. "Those ships aren't in my database, I have no idea whose they might be, to match the might of the Asgard on their own world so effectively." He told her. The woman had a passing thought that at least his voice had remained the same, before answering. "Yeah, looks like pretty serious trouble. I don't see any way we can help, either. We should get back through the gate, I think." She concluded, Alberik nodding and leading the way towards the gate room at a steady jog. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
It didn't take long to reach the gate, though when they did they got a surprise.
A single Asgard was there, turning when he heard them enter. Quickly he spoke, handing Ariana a series of crystals.
"Take these with you, the Alverans will know what to do with them. Thor sends his regards and best wishes to you, but you must go, now. This place will not be standing for much longer, and there are more enemy ships inbound as we speak. They are appearing through spacial rifts, and we cannot allow our technology to fall into their hands. Go now, and do not
return unless we contact you."
After ensuring she had the crystals, the Asgard pressed a single button, and the wormhole instantly activated.
"You will return to Peltas. Safe journey." (SiphonTalvesh)
Ariana seemed surprised to be handed the crystals, but recognized the Asgard's sense of urgency, taking them and nodding at the instructions. "Thanks for the help. Good luck." She said, giving the diminuitive alien a pat and squeeze to the shoulder before taking the steps to the wormhole, stepping through quickly. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
The last thing Ariana saw of the Asgard planet was a sudden wall of fire racing towards her, and then there was that blackout moment ....
(End of Transcript)
(SiphonTalvesh)
... Ariana found herself in a building that was, as Ksavir had put it, too small to house her ship. It was barely half the size her ship was, but it served it's purpose. Within moments they were walking down a long corridor, and she could see that outside was lovely, trees growing everywhere and plentiful blue skies overhead. A number of Asgard moved here and there, hundreds of them in fact. She might begin to wonder with the numbers she was seeing, if there was something more than dead end science leading to their imminent extinction. (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ariana blinked as she was beamed, still not used to the experience. Once through the gate, she walked with Ksavir, not wanting to let the crystal with Alberik out of her sight just yet, her gaze drawn to the scenery and the mass of other Asgard as they walked. "The last of your race is here, yes? Seemd like there's still a great many of you." She said, trying to make idle talk as they travelled. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Ksavir continued to walk as he spoke.
"Yes, there are a large number of us here, however the last attempt we made to solve our cloning degredation involved infusing some DNA from a preserved Asgard who lived at a time before the process became irreversable. Unfortunately, the process has backfired on us, and has left each of us with a rapidly progressing disease. If we can't get this option to
work for us, there is no other hope. Eventually the disease will destroy our bodies, It has become impossible now for us to simply transfer our minds to another clone body because the process has reached the stage that a new body will not be able to sustain us. We have taken great pains to ensure that if we do not succeed, the most important of our technology,
the most dangerous aspects for younger races is here, and will die along with us. We decided some time ago if it comes to that to gift our most recent technology to the Alverans, in the hopes that they can learn something from the mistakes we made in our evolution. We had planned to create a data core to be installed on one of their ships, however there isn't enough time for that. Thor is in the process of creating a series of data crystals that will contain a knowledge base of our entire history. As much as it pains me to say this, what happens here today very likely will determine if we continue to live on, or if our mistakes will finally be too much to over come." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ariana nodded, the weight of the moment foremost in her mind. Alberik had already known that, or guessed it at least, that's why he was willing to undergo the risk involved, however slight. "And what do you hope to gain from Al's participation? You want to know if the new bodies can hold that big of a mind, is that it? I'm not sure I understand." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Ksavir paused for a moment before answering.
"If the transfer works, we will have a base line guide of what we need to do in order to transfer our own minds. If it doesn't work, we may have to accept the fact that it may not be possible to simply transfer energy to something that isn't a flesh and blood body. Originally we were going to have another Asgard undergo the procedure as our test, however your
arrival changed much of that. Once we became aware of Alberik, and his plight of being confined to your ship, we decided that we could offer the chance for him to be free and have a physical form if this works, while accomplishing the goal we set out to do. If it works, we will know that any form of energy can be transferred into any type of body that can contain it. Ultimately this is not the way we wish to be forever, but rather a step in the direction of having the time to reverse things, potentially re-create our species to what it was before all of our mistakes. To give a possible future
for our kind that doesn't rely so heavily on technology to keep us alive. I must admit, I did not expect either of you to be willing for him to participate in this." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"I see. And to be quite frank, I am less than enthused about the idea." Ariana answered, frowning slightly. "But it's his decision, and I respect that. I don't know too much about the galaxy as you know it yet, but he does now, and he thinks you're worth saving, that means a lot." She finished, her expression softening somewhat. "Besides that, it will be nice to
get him out of the house, once in a while. As-is, closest he gets is living vicariously through my helmet camera." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
"In time you will learn many new things. Today is only a new beginning for you, a place to start."
He fell silent as they entered a gigantic room at the opposite end of the compound, a room filled with many different machines. This had to be the place she might think, why else would the room be this large?
And then she saw it. A suit that looked like it was armored to protect the body, this one decidedly made for a male. It stood almost six feet tall, and she didn't need to see it's schematics to know that once powered by something, it could be incredibly strong. Strong enough she suspected it could snap a normal humanoid being in half with little difficulty. It was a shiny silver and black color, with slight red tint to it, and the 'helmet' to it was partially exposed revealing a spot where the data crystal looked like it would fit. So this was it, this was the potential body Alberik could find
himself in. Despite the need for speed on this, it was clear the Asgard had taken the time to ensure this suit was a sight to behold, and would be something that would last a very long time. She could only guess that since there was no energy source readily visible to access and start up, that the energy of a mind was key to this working, which would explain why the Asgard hadn't gotten it working yet. In fact, given the size of their ships and what little she knew, she might doubt that a suit this small could be powered by any other means. She was snapped out of her thoughts as Thor came over to her.
"Hello again Ariana. I am pleased you were able to come here. I have something for you, if you have a moment." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ari raised a brow as the suit came into view, thinking the entire thing rather impressive, though perhaps a bit much, from what she knew of who was going to reside in it. Thor came up to her, and she offered a smile. "If you have the time, I'd like to see this through first." She said. If he pressed, she'd just nod and go along, sparing a glance back towards the experiment before they left. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
"Of course. We should know within a few moments after the process starts how this will turn out."
Kvasir handed Ariana the crystal, looking up at her with his big eyes.
"I thought perhaps you might like to set the crystal in place. The slightly lighter colored area in the forehead of the helmet is where it goes. Once you have it clicked into place, the suit will do the rest for us." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
The woman looked surprised, taking the crystal in hand and hefting it slighty. Felt like, for all she knew was inside of it. She nodded at the instructions, walking over and carefully setting the crystal in place, letting go and taking a few steps back once she felt it click. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Once the crystal clicked into place, there was a soft noise as the helmet closed seamlessly. There was another soft noise and then suddenly the visor of the helmet lit up with a blue swirling tint.
The suit took a small step forward, something that caused chattering in Asgard to flit about the room of about two dozen or so, and this was followed by a voice that was clearly Alberik's.
"I believe it worked." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
This time the chattering amongst the Asgard went on for what seemed like an hour. Kvasir ran a few tests from a console, before saying what Ariana probably had figured out.
"It worked just as he said. I'm not detecting any energy spikes that would be present with a feed back loop, or energy escaping from the suit. What's more, we only need to adjust the transfer rate by point zero three nine percent of what it normally is when we transfer a mind to a physical body for the process to work for us. In a few weeks, we can have enough
for every Asgard." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ari took another step back as the suit whirred to life, the thing under intense scrutiny until Alberik spoke from within it. "You sure?" She asked cautiously, and the suit gave a nod, a perfect imitation of the one Al's hologram had done so many times. "It will take time to run a full diagnostic, But I can't detect any errors in my core self." He answered, and
she nodded back, smirking. "We're gonna have to put a new seat in the ship." The Asgard milled around, checking readouts and confirming that everything was functioning perfectly. "I'll stay so they can run further tests. I beleive Thor wanted your attention, earlier?" Al told her, and she jumped a bit, surprised he knew. "Yeah. See you in a bit, then." She said, finding the diminuitive Asgard stationary in the midst of the milling crowd, the only reason she could tell him apart, since he wasn't speaking. "That should be enough for now, thank you for waiting. Shall we?" She asked, seemingly in a better mood. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor made a gesture that Ariana was coming to understand as a nod.
"Yes, I have a device to give to you, it is what you and Kvasir spoke about earlier. The lab with those devices is next door, so we won't be gone long." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
The woman nodded. "Lead the way, then." She said simply. Once they were in the hall and away from the bustle, she spoke up again. "That suit seemed a fair bit more than simply a replacement body. Do you know what all it contains? That metal musculature looked like it could fold me in half, for one." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor nodded.
"The suit was designed to be able to survive in extremely harsh environments if need be. It was also designed to allow us to be more physically adept than we are now. We wanted something that could both last a long period of time, as well as allow us certain advantages when it came to material lifting. Once you have read the database regarding the Bentari, you will understand why we felt the need for something that could handle them. It is made of neutronium, which is a substance similar to what the Stargates are made of, just not as potent of a super-conductor. Many amongst the high council felt we would be better served with a frame suited for anything, in the event it turned out to be impossible for us to recover what we once were. In a sense, it will allow us a measure of immortality to continue our work. The suits however are not invincible, and they can be damaged under sustained energy weapons fire." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"Impressive." Ari commented, whistling lightly. "Never heard of the Bentari, but I think I get the idea. Should be helpful around the ship at least, but Al is something of a pacifist, almost feels like all that is going to waste." She joked, trying to picture the soft-hearted old man she was used to seeing fighting and punching holes in walls. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor considered this for a moment, then spoke.
"He could simply use his strength to subdue anyone who would wish you harm, keeping them from attacking you until someone else could take them away for you. Just because one has the strength to fight doesn't always mean a violent approach is the best defense. Sometimes simply preventing someone from being aggressive while not attacking them directly works better. It would not be difficult for him to simply lift a person off the ground and keep them from going anywhere." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"I'm aware. It's just odd to think of him in a combat situation at all, at least on a personal level. His aid is already invaluable in dogfights." She said, nodding. "Having him on hand in something like that may even prevent some fights altogether, which would be nice." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor gently nodded.
"Indeed. There is something else I should mention. I've been doing some quick calculations based on what we've seen with the suits so far, and I believe it might be possible to create one for you that would better harness your psionic energies, help you focus them better until you learned to do so without any aid. If you would like, I can begin working on that once I am in a position where my body will no longer be ready to disintegrate on a moments notice." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"I... I'm not sure. That seems incredibly generous." She answered after a short pause. "Perhaps just spend a short while and give me an idea of it, I wouldn't want you to go through all the trouble of making one just for me to turn it down." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
"Very well. However the modifications I believe would only be slight, and we would likely have some left over in the event something were to happen to a suit here. You will have time to think about it though, as I do not expect that our entire race will have a suit for some time still. I believe I have kept you long enough, you likely wish to get back to your companion and see how he is doing." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"I'm not really an expert, but a suit a human can fit in, and an entire humaniform robot with a slot for a crystal in it's head seem pretty different to me." She said with a shrug and chuckle. "And yes, It's far more important to get your people into them before myself, so please, worry about that first." She said, giving a nod at his final bit, making sure to keep
pace with the smaller Asgard if he sped up their walk. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor made a sound that might have been a chuckle.
"It is a simple matter of changing the original design to not include the more robotic form components you saw. In fact, these suits are similar to a technology that we once used to sustain ourselves before we resorted to cloning, as you call it."
They entered a smaller room, and Thor reached out and took a small device out. It appeared to be similar to a crystal, but on some kind of strap.
"Once you place the device to your forehead, it will automatically activate. The device will magnetically attach to you, using the metals in your blood as a connector. You will be unaware of that however, as it is not enough to cause any harm or discomfort to you. In addition, you can remove it by simply wishing for it to come off, as you place your hands over it. The device contains many of our teachings in mental disciplines, some of which stem from contact with the Nox. It will help guide you through quicker than you could naturally. I do hope that it will grant you what you are looking for." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"I see." Ariana said, watching Thor handle the device. "What's it like to use, though? I admit, I don't have much experience with neural interfaces, I tend to like my stuff on screens nearby." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor thought for a moment before replying.
"It can vary from species to species, and person to person. Some describe it as feeling as if they have entered a meditative state, and experience everything in their own mind. Some simply claim they learn it just by having the device on, and that they sense nothing different. Others have stated that it feels as if something is guiding them, teaching them while allowing them to maintain control over their body. In short, it depends on how your mind best can process the information coming into it. Since it is not a natural form of learning, the mind will often come up with a way of
rationalizing it, something that subconsciously you believe is legitimate and possible. I'm afraid I can't better tell you what to expect, since every person can be different. You may experience one of the things I mentioned, or none of them and experience something new we've never heard of before." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ariana seemed to balk a bit at that, but took the device anyways, slipping it carefully into a pocket for now. "I see, thank you. Back to the experiment room, then?" (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Thor inclined his head slightly, before speaking.
"I assure you, the device will not harm you in any way, nor is it capable of damaging your mind. If you still have reservations about it, it is always possible to alter the way it works, to download all of it's contents and gently unspool them into your mind at a slow enough rate that your mind can handle it. It would not be the first time such a modification were needed."
He seemed to stop, waiting on her answer before moving. She might get the distinct impression he was offering to alter the device now, or had another one for that purpose. (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"I should be fine. Before finding those wraith in atlantis, I hadn't found much of anything I couldn't just glare at mentally to bully down. something meant for teaching should be easy enough." She answered, giving her pocket a light pat.
They got moving again after that, Ariana spending the walk thinking about shifting some of the cargo in her ship around to give her a practice space. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
"Very well."
Thor fell silent as they made their way back to the room they had been in before. Once back there, Ariana would find her companion up and about, seeming to test the newfound freedom he had. Thor was almost immediately called over to another console, and after a time, Ariana might catch something that sounded like 'ship', and 'orbit'. (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Thor left her for a console, and she strode up to Alberik, giving him a fresh once-over. "Everything is in perfect working order. Though... It feels strange, having to constrain my movement to inertia. Moving along without a body is much faster. There's a powerful transceiver in this, I should be able to interface with the ship at least as well as before." He told her before she had a chance to comment, making the woman smirk. "And haven't lost your ability to read my mind, I see." She joked. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the entire ground and building shaking. Somewhere in the distance, Ariana heard an explosion, and many of the Asgard fell to the ground, slowly getting back up. A charge filled the air, the hairs on the back of her neck standing up as once again the building was shaken, the explosions closer this time, nearly tossing her to the floor. When she righted herself, she noticed many of the Asgard were gone, and there was a portion of the roof completely missing. (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ariana stumbled and frowned as the ground shook, righting herself quickly enough. "That doesn't seem good. Any idea-"
The second time, Alberik had to reach out and grab her arm to keep the woman from tumbling to the floor completely. Once she recovered, she saw the devastation wroght by the quakes. "Try and get anyone you can out from under there, I'll see what's going on." She said, Alberik giving a nod before starting to shift the rubble "I can reach your comms, keep in touch." He told her, the woman nodding as she rushed out for one of the open courtyards she had passed on the way in, looking for high ground or a roof access to get a better look at what was going on. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
She didn't need to go far before she saw the cause. Even as a dozen or so Asgard vessels closed in, she saw the source of the explosions, and the quakes.
A large, sleek and terrifying looking ship cut through the air with ease, energy weapons flying out, as well as what looked like bombs of some kind. The ship was huge, easily the size of the Asgard ships, if not bigger. It suddenly dawned on her that it was not alone, in fact more than thirty of them were in the sky, rushing down to join the one already laying siege to the area. The Asgard ships returned fire on the other one, but Ariana could see no visible damage. The marauder returned fire back on the Asgard ships, and must have already damaged one of them badly before she got here, for the Asgard ship exploded into a wall of flame, it's remains slamming into the ground about a mile away, shaking the ground yet again.
Alberik could only find a half dozen or so Asgard who'd been crushed by the roof when it collapsed, and were quite dead. What was more, his new senses could detect the vibrations of the marauding ship coming closer, and information that was stored in the suit's mainframe told him the source was not of any design the Asgard knew of. Once more the ground shook
(at the same time Ariana felt it elsewhere), and a larger portion of the roofing gave way. He was left unscathed, but the entire building was becoming unstable, and no signs of life other than himself could be detected. (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ariana watched the space battle with wide eyes, flicking about at each of the ships. Looked like the Asgard were having serious issues, and with the numbers she could see in the sky above her, things did not look to be going well. Alberik had given up by that point, following Ariana out and stopping beside her. "Those ships aren't in my database, I have no idea whose they might be, to match the might of the Asgard on their own world so effectively." He told her. The woman had a passing thought that at least his voice had remained the same, before answering. "Yeah, looks like pretty serious trouble. I don't see any way we can help, either. We should get back through the gate, I think." She concluded, Alberik nodding and leading the way towards the gate room at a steady jog. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
It didn't take long to reach the gate, though when they did they got a surprise.
A single Asgard was there, turning when he heard them enter. Quickly he spoke, handing Ariana a series of crystals.
"Take these with you, the Alverans will know what to do with them. Thor sends his regards and best wishes to you, but you must go, now. This place will not be standing for much longer, and there are more enemy ships inbound as we speak. They are appearing through spacial rifts, and we cannot allow our technology to fall into their hands. Go now, and do not
return unless we contact you."
After ensuring she had the crystals, the Asgard pressed a single button, and the wormhole instantly activated.
"You will return to Peltas. Safe journey." (SiphonTalvesh)
Ariana seemed surprised to be handed the crystals, but recognized the Asgard's sense of urgency, taking them and nodding at the instructions. "Thanks for the help. Good luck." She said, giving the diminuitive alien a pat and squeeze to the shoulder before taking the steps to the wormhole, stepping through quickly. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
The last thing Ariana saw of the Asgard planet was a sudden wall of fire racing towards her, and then there was that blackout moment ....
(End of Transcript)