Re: Peltas Five Space Station
((Due to wanting to move some stuff along at a close to same pace, Shrike and I played out a large portion of events that will have taken place while Siphon and Sho are gone, and while Ian has been waiting for Vanessa to wake up. Vanessa and Ian will be the first batch to find out what's gone on.))
(SiphonTalvesh)
Whatever peace Ariana might have had while talking with Alberik about the Asgard was broken when her sensors registered the same myserious energy surge that had preceeded what Thor had called a 'hyper-space' jump. Almost instantly, her sensors indicated the presence of another ship in the vicinity, this one similar in design to Thor's ship, clearly Asgard,
but of a different class of ship. A few moments later she would get a hail from Ksavir, asking for permission to beam aboard. (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike 7)
The woman was sitting in the pilots' chair, chatting amiably witht he hologram perched in front of her, when her sensors caught the energy spike. [Incoming transmission.] Alberik warned, letting her sit up. "Here? Of course. It's a little crowded, but you should fit well enough, come on over." She answered, a little confused. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
A moment later an area not too far from Ariana suddenly lit up with a brilliant flash of sparkling white light, the shape of an Asgard seeming to come through the roof over her head just before the light vanished, and Ksavir was suddenly just there. He was exactly the same size as Thor, and when he spoke, it was the same voice she had heard before. "Greetings, I am Ksavir. I know who you are, but I do not believe I have met your companion yet."
It was clear he was speaking about Alberik, and she might note he did not refer to him as a hologram or AI, but more as if he were a living being himself. (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ariana leaned over in the chair to watch the Asgard arrive, interested in seeing their teleportation tech from a bystander's perspective. "Greetings. I am Alberik. Pleasure to meet you, Ksavir." The hologram answered for her, the six inch figure making a small bow, still supported by it's staff. Ari just smiled, piping up afterwards. "Companion indeed, space would have driven me crazy if I had been all alone out there all this time. Or i would have run into something in my sleep, and never would have known." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Ksavir made a motion that might have been a nod to the both of them, remaining silent for a moment. Finally he spoke. "Thor has told me of how he met the two of you, he also was of the belief that you are confined only to the ship Alberik. If this is the case, I believe we all may be able to help each other. How much of our history that is available have you been able to sift through prior to my arrival?" (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Ariana sat back, letting the Asgard and her AI speak for the moment. "This ship and whatever systems I can reach wirelessly, though I'm courteous enough to ignore the latter, in most cases. I'm aware your species has relied on cloning for longevity for some time, and that the technique is slowly failing you. Your race has some of the most impressive technology yet discovered, though specifics on such is rather lacking, past names and general descriptions." He answered pleasantly, his tone giving no indication that he had just mentioned the looming death of his conversation partner's race. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Another motion that may have been a nod.
"Indeed. However the process has reached a critical point. We have recalled all of our people home because of this. I have been working on the only possible solution that has presented itself, however we are uncertain if it will work. I will be perfectly blunt with you both, and soon everyone will know. As a race, we are dying. If we cannot perfect the technology I am working on, we will all be gone within a matter of four of your months."
He paused to let this sink in, before continuing.
"As you might be aware, we have the technology to portably copy and store any data or holographic representation of a sentient mind, such as our own, or even yours. Normally, I would never have mentioned this to anyone, but I am left with little choice in the matter. I have devised a shell if you will, something made of a sturdy material that could become a
new body for our kind, something that wouldn't be limited by our current technology, or the frailties of what has become only a shell of our former bodies. Unfortunately, we are still working on a means of transferring the energy of an Asgard mind into one of these suits. I would like to ask if you, Alberik, would be willing to have a copy of yourself taken to our home world, and have a second copy of yourself attempt to be transferred into one of these suits. There would be no danger of your existence being terminated in this way, and it may give us both something we can use if it works. A physical body for yourself, and perhaps the key we need to prevent our imminent extinction. You must however feel free to say no without any fear. As I said, normally we would not ask this of anyone else, however we have reached the stage where we have little, if any other choice." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Both Ari and the hologram frowned at the admission. "That's horrible news, I'm sorry. "Ariana offered, letting Ksavir finish. Alberik said nothing for two or three seconds, a noticable gap for an AI, then spoke. "Since I was created, I have been loathe to create copies of myself. It was tried with previous incarnations, and it introduced... Instabilities, into the neural matrix, what passes for a mind for myself. I understand your desperation however, perhaps there is another option. If you truly beleive there is little risk to myself by the process, then I would offer to come with in my
entirety, to partake in this experiment of yours." He replied. Ari gave him an odd look, which he returned. She nodded, then sat back, remaining quiet again. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Ksavir was silent for a long moment, perhaps considering Alberik's words. Perhaps he was assessing if the risk were too large without a copy. Finally he spoke.
"I must admit, I had not anticipated doing this without a backup in place. If you are to do this, you must understand that the process may not work, you may not have anything happen at all. It may also cause a temporary feed back into the unit containing your personality, at which point we will need to return you here as quickly as possible to restore you. The risk of you being damaged or worse is nearly non-existent provided that we return quickly should anything go wrong. If that is the case, we will not travel by ship as I had planned, but rather by the Stargate. I will need to make a few
communications, but this can work out."
He turned to face Ariana so he could speak with her.
"If you would like, you are most welcome to join us yourself. I have already arranged for a neural device to be given to you. The device will help guide you through mental disciplines to improve your psychic defenses against an attack. It will be more beneficial to you rather than attempting to go through the original ways. In fact, by the time you could do so with the old ways, you would be long dead of age yourself. Prior to our condition, our species was almost as long lived as the Ancients themselves. These devices are simple to use, however I would recommend only a few hours a day at first, as they can be taxing upon your body. Our physiology is still close enough to one another for them to work, however it differs just enough that it isn't entirely compatible with a human body." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"Alberik nodded. "I feel it is worth the risk, so informed. My core in the ship is not easily moved, but I can move myself to another device with sufficient capacity for the trip, if you have one." He answered, the Asgard turning to Ariana after. She seemed worried, but answered Ksavir quickly. "Yeah, I'll come along. And I always thought of myself as a quick study, but I will try this device, if you think it best." She answered. "I don't have any real preperations to make, so we're able to leave as soon as we have something to take Al along with. Hmm... You've beamed the ship before, could you do so through an open gate? That would get him there easily enough, if it was possible." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Ksavir shook his head.
"Unfortunately the gate on our planet is located inside of a building, and the room housing it would be too small to allow your ship to fully re-integrate. I do have a device that will allow us to download yourself Alberik, however I must retrieve that from my ship. While I do so, I will contact my people and inform them we will be arriving shortly. I shall return in a few minutes."
With a flash he was gone, leaving Ariana and Alberik alone to talk for a short time. (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"That works." Ariana answered, both her and the hologram giving a nod before the Asgard disappeared. "You sure about this?" She asked once he was gone. Alberik gave another nod in reply. "It's a rather important cause, by all estimations."
He answered. Sighing, Ariana just leaned back in her seat, waiting for Ksavir to return. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
After a short time, Ksavir appeared again, this time carrying a slightly larger than normal crystal in his hand. He also carried what appeared to be a device that when he connected it, went right into the conduits of the ship to allow for the transfer. Once that was done, he disconnected it, then turned to Ariana.
"The transfer is complete, and we are ready to get going when you are. The Stargate has been made ready for us, and preparations are under way back home for the attempt. Are you ready to go?" (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
The pair watched the preparations until all was ready, Alberik's hologram disappearing as he was downloaded. "I have no other preperations to make. Let's go." Ariana answered the Asgard, standing up and looking at the crystal in Ksavir's hands.. She was expecting to be beamed to the gate, but she was prepared to walk, as well. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Ksavir nodded, and a moment later Ariana found herself standing near, but not too close to the Stargate, which activated almost immediately. The address probably had been keyed in, and activated the moment they were solid to make the process as quick as possible. Either that or Ksavir had a means of activating the wormhole without the need for dialing, which given the tech level of the Asgard probably wouldn't be a big surprise anyway. Once she stepped through ...
(It shifts away at this point, but picks up again here a short time later)
(SiphonTalvesh)
... And suddenly she was back on Peltas. Alberik came through a moment later, propelled forward by an unseen force, skidding to a stop with at least some dignity. The Stargate let loose a crackling sound, and suddenly the wormhole snapped shut violently. A moment later Ariana realized that a number of weapons had been pointed in her direction, and only now were they being lowered as the people around them recognized them as friendlies. Lights suddenly snapped back on, and Ariana might realize that parts of the power had been out here.
Julia came up to her, looking at her.
"What the hell was that all about? Something had to have happened there, the Asgard haven't done that trick in a long time. Johnson, run a gate diagnostic, that was one hell of a power surge."
(Shrike7)
Ariana jumped a bit when she noticed the weapons, putting a hand on Alberik's shoulder as he came through after, bracing him, though perhaps without real reason to. "They fell under attack, some ships nobody recognized. probably about score and a half, though i didn't get a good look for long. Looked like they were losing, and the one that send me through
didn't sound hopeful. I was given some crystals to pass over, and instructions not to return unless they called. Said you guys would know what to do with the crystals." She explained, motioning towards Alberik as well. "He's with me, as well." (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Things happened very quickly. Julia turned to two different people and started speaking rapidly.
"Johnson, forget the diagnostic, try to dial that gate back, see if we can establish contact. Bakers, send out a signal to Chapaun's ship, tell him to get a message over to his people and tell them to get there as fast as possible. Let's see if a half dozen Ori ships can help turn the tide."
As Bakers moved, sending out the communication, the gate began to dial. However when it reached the eighth chevron, Ariana noticed the gate glowed for a moment, then made a noise as power died from it.
Johnson simply shook his head.
"Eighth Chevron won't lock. All systems nominal on this end."
Julia simply stood for a moment, letting loose a sigh.
"Then the Stargate on their end is gone. There's nothing we can do except pray those Ori ships get there in time. I want to know the moment we get a message from them. Ariana, I want you and your companion to come with me, I want to know exactly what went on." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"I have a video feed I can upload, it should explain all we know in short order." Alberik volunteered. Ariana nodded as well, and they followed Julia wherever she lead. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Julia nodded slightly.
"There's a place you can upload that in my office. This way."
Within a few minutes they were in a mid sized room that had to have been her office, and she indicated a data terminal.
"We can view it there once it's uploaded. So these attackers, they just showed up suddenly with no warning? The Asgard have a huge system to detect ships coming from light years out, how the hell did they not see them coming and not intercept them?" (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"The one that met me at the gate told me the ships were coming through some sort of rifts." She said. "I recall one of them saying something about a ship a few moments before the attack as well. I wasn't exactly in the loop as well."
Alberik spent the time at the terminal, quickly connecting and copying the video over, It was complete with sound, from his own viewpoint, replaying the scene from the time of the first quake. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Julia fell silent as she watched the video, absorbing in Ariana's words. When the ship came into view, she shook her head.
"I've never seen anything like that ship before. You said the Asgard mentioned they came from rifts? I wonder if one of these crystals captured an image or reading from them. Might be time to start sifting through those. I don't suppose you got any readings of that rift yourself did you?" (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
Alberik shook his head. "Unlikely. I have a few scans of the personal area, but unless the rifts threw off background radiation far enough to reach the planet's surface, I doubt I picked up anything. I'll offer what I have to corroborate anything you find in the crystals." He answered, moving back to the terminal. Ariana retrieved the crystals as well, passing them over to Julia. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Julia nodded, taking the first of the crystals, marked with a specific character that she must have recognized, for she had looked at all of them carefully. Placing the crystal onto another terminal, she activated it, a large holographic page filling much of the space in front of her face. She carefully looked things over, then suddenly blinked, looking at a specific area again. After a few moments, she muttered, "son of a bitch." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"What is it?" Ariana asked. The pair moved a bit closer, watching the display intently. (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Julia shook her head, leaning back.
"The readings here, these are definitely from the rift the Asgard mentioned. They also have the same exact readings, albeit it a slightly different magnetic frequency to something I've seen already today. Talok, well Sinnve rather encountered a similar reading from a rift when they went to apprehend Nirrti. Siphon also encountered something like this before you went through to Atlantis to speak with him, it was included in his quick report. In both cases, the signature belonged to a rift, or anomaly that breached the boundaries of time. Considering what he told me earlier what they knew, and what Aya had told him, I think it's safe to say we know who attacked the Asgard." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"Of course, I saw one of those rifts as well. The Klarnell, then. And with technology to match the Asgard, no less." She answered, frowning. "I think my pond just got a little big bigger, but that's not as important right now. What can be done to help?" (Shrike7)
(SiphonTalvesh)
Julia shook her head.
"Most likely superior. From what Siphon told me with his own memories and what we've been able to piece together from what Aya has filled in, the Klarnell managed to stalemate and eventually all but defeat the Ancients, who were even more advanced than the Asgard. It's no wonder they couldn't stop those ships, and it looks like their design has changed. The
ones Aya mentioned they saw were more torpedo shaped, these are either new designs, or something they've taken to using from another species they've conquered. As for what can be done, I'm not sure much. There should be six Ori ships on their way there, but the battle could already be over. We don't even know for sure if the Ori can handle the Klarnell
either, especially since it looks like they came in full force. The Ori ships are incredibly powerful, and more advanced than what the Ancients had available at the time, more advanced than the Asgard were, but from the numbers I saw there, they would be drastically outnumbered."
A chime sounded at the door, and Julia yelled out, "Come in!"
A moment later Bakers poked his head in.
"Sorry to interrupt, but we just got a message back from the Ori ships. They've arrived at Othalla's coordinates. The ... they said the entire planet is gone. Nothing but a debris field of smashed rock, and a massive radiation signature. They think based on the reading that the Asgard ... self destructed the planet. No sign of the attacking ships, and no survivors." (SiphonTalvesh)
(Shrike7)
"That's... Wow. Could the Asgard have escaped, somehow?" (Shrike7)
________________________________________________________
"Unlikely given the massive scope of the radiation field. It would have prevented a hyper-space window from being opened, and any ship still in the area intact would have been detected. I'm afraid they're all gone. The Klarnell fleet might have been destroyed too, and the rift is certainly gone, but if their goal was to wipe out the Asgard, then they succeeded by all appearances."
Ian and Vanessa stepped out into the hallway, and into complete chaos. People were chattering about, some with stunned looks on their faces, and there seemed to be something major up. Vanessa picked up on it instantly, turning to Ian.
"Why do I get the feeling we just missed something major?"
Ian might spot a person he knew in the crowd, one with a stunned look on her face. It was Cassie, a woman they'd helped out a few years ago when something had killed off her entire planet, leaving her the only survivor. She'd since come to live with the Alverans. Perhaps he could ask her what had happened?
