The thing about single-pilot Titans is that their life-support systems are meant to handle exactly one person. It was never a problem before, carrying one other person on a short flight, but that was Hakeber, who is relatively small. Fitting two adult male Karnors into the cockpit along with Tasha made not just for cramped space, but a lot of heat buildup. By the time the Gryphon landed in the Harmonia hangar, everyone was eager to get of Melchior and get some fresh air. There was also a lot of panting involved.
The domed hangar was conspicuously empty as well, with no sign of the toporgic samples or of Balthasar. Harmonia has, however, figured out how to collect water from the ice crystals this high up, and her Tasha-like avatar brings a pitcher of it and several glasses to her guests.
"Hello Harmonia," Tasha greets her AI friend as the avatar approaches, all the while fanning herself with a hand. "You know you don't have to wear that form if you don't want to; I just thought that's what you were trying to look like because everything trying to connect through my cybernetic firewall looks like a version of me until they supply details. Anyway, meet Gabriel and Eli." She gestures to the two men with her free hand.
Gabriel nods to automaton, while Eli actually bows from the waist. "It's nice to meet you in person finally," the scientist says with a grin.
Tasha accepts the water then begins passing it out to her fellows. "When we're ready we can head towards the bridge and get that done, then ... " The woman looks around a moment, then does so again, and finally asks, "Where's on Abaddon is Balthasar, anyway?"
"I hope you do not mind that I moved things to more secure locations," Harmonia tells Tasha, and smiles to Eli with a complex movement of gears. "I had to relocate the modified Magi to an isolation hold where it would no longer interfere with the stator fields."
"That's fine; to be honest any sentence containing Balthasar and "more secure" makes me feel that much better. It's a shame I'm going to be taking him out soon. But first thing's first." The young woman gestures to the flowing conveyor of programmable matter. "Ready?"
The trio (and puppet) proceed along towards the bridge. Eli seems the most curious about things they pass, while Gabriel is apparently more familiar with Khattan technology. "I'm not sure what level of control you'll be able to pass to us," he notes to Tasha. "We don't have the pilot interfaces and I doubt Harmonia can simply manufacture more."
"I've been wondering about that," Tasha notes as she watches the fanciful corridors pass, Gabriel quick to notice that she focuses on the shiniest parts. "There may be a few of the systems remaining somewhere in these worlds, but we can't really justify another trip back to Sinai just for an interface. And besides, I'd prefer Harmonia learn to make her own decisions about her future. That's what being a person is all about, isn't it? Decisions-" she pauses to peer down a darkened hall as it passes by, "-and uncertainty."
"And self-preservation," Gabriel adds. "AIs luckily don't get bored, otherwise they'd all delete themselves after a few seconds of real time operation."
"What a handy thing that must be," the young woman remarks as she looks back to her mate. "So, any thoughts?" She tilts her head, then adds hesitantly, "I hope meeting with Katherine and Mr. Invention wasn't too uncomfortable."
"I can understand why you would.. uh.. succumb to her charms," Gabriel says. "I'm more impressed that you didn't fall to Mr. Invention, assuming he showed any interest."
"Umm.. Well. I don't think he's interested. And well, he makes me feel safe, and like he's in control even though he can't possibly be in control of everything bothering me, but he's also very, um, passive. That's not to say I don't like him! But, well, it's complicated, and why am I talking about this?" Tasha grins, albiet forcedly, then notes (far, far too early) that, "Oh, we're almost there!"
The final turn is reached, and the flowing liquid floor brings them into the spherical bridge. Even Gabriel's eyebrows raise at the sight of it. "The Khattans are certainly.. secure in their egos," he notes, as they approach the pilot's seat on its floating platform.
"Siting in the throne- um, chair is something," Tasha admits as she leads the party towards it. Gesturing to the captain's chair and all its glory, she admits, "I'm not sure how this will go. If you don't need me, I'm going to go check on Balthasar and get ready for piloting him."
"Any official delegations of authority must take place via the pilot interface," Harmonia informs them.
"I guess that means I stay!" Chuckling, Tasha walks over to the command chair and drops in to it, crossing her legs and resting her head on a hand. "No jokes," she warns. "Remember: I am all powerful here!" Then, she smiles.
"Well, until you get a shower, your odor certainly is," Gabriel says with a grin. Then the interface arms unfolds from the back of the chair and connects, causing the gears-to-infinity display to fade out and be replaces by thousands of status windows. "I am ready for your commands, Pilot Tasha," Harmonia notes.
"Pinch Gabriel," Tasha commands in a far too calm voice.
There's a yelp from behind the chair.
"Now we can procceed! Alright, I, Joint Expeditionary Force Cadet Aldara Tasha Argentine, as captain of this ship, am hereby granting joint command of this vessel to the two men present here with me: Joint Expeditionary Force Commander Gabriel Tiberius Akkers, and Joint Expeditionary Force Chief Scientist Eli Zerachiel for purpose of captaincy and control, with the addded restriction they may not order me harm, including pinching."
"Query: are they to both be considered independent officers or is consensus between them required to enact an order?" Harmonia asks.
Tasha looks to her two fellows, ears perked. "What are your thoughts on that, you two? Oh, and come to think of it ..," the young woman's ears flick, "I'm rescinding the requirement tehy notdo me any harm. Still no pinching commands allowed, but teasing aside, if I'm going to be piloting Balthasar I can't rule out the possibility they may need to endanger me."
"Eli should have full authority over any scientific or technological decisions," Gabriel says. "Tactical or security would be better served by myself."
"Then let it be so. Anything else you need, Harmonia?" Tasha asks.
"Presets exist of Science and Tactical officers, I can use those," Harmonia notes. "I will need to discuss the creation of a remotely operated shuttle system with Dr. Zerachiel."
The red woman blinks, ears going alert again. "A remotely operated shuttle system? Oh, so that you don't need to use the Titans for transport? I didn't realize you had any working shuttles."
"I do not," Harmonia notes. "However, there is no other way for my Officers to reach me if Melchior is not available. It may be possible to create a simple platform utilizing the toporgic which I can activate and control via the maser array."
"That would also help us get a feel for how the substance may be used to create other vehicle drives," the woman notes. "I like it. Anythng else you need from me? I'm a bit anxious about Balthasar and would like to get to that before I lose my nerve."
"Do you wish the altered Magi moved to the hangar?" Harmonia asks.
"Please. I think Gabriel and Eli should remain here to monitor progress and become familiar with how they can interact with you, and also in case anything should go wrong," the cadet replies.
Gabriel frowns, but nods. "I'll need access to the stasis systems," he tells Harmonia, and a virtual interface and monitor appear in the air before him. Other sections of the dome display Balthasar as it is being conveyed from storage to the hangar.
Tasha watches the modified Titan moving through the ship with a mix of concern and apprehension, her ears canting back and a slight frown coming to her face. "To think, even the Savanite Empire feared him and they were the ones that built him. It's a shame we couldn't locate their construction notes, though. It may have granted some insight in to the dangers of interfacing with Sifran crystals and the means that they respond."
"I think we do fine with our own technologies," Gabriel says. "At least we can understand them."
"But isn't studying and attempting to understand the alien workings on these planets why we're here?" The cadet asks.
"Not the same as plugging your toaster into a crystal," Gabriel notes with a grin. "I want to learn about the creators of this stuff. The stuff itself is.. just stuff."
"I'm particularly interested in his drive system and the means he's drawing power," Tasha notes, lifting her free hand to point at an exposed area of the crystalline substructure present on Balthasar. "The way he arrived here, that should have required power on the level of capital ships or inter-system gates. And where is it coming from? Is Ser Herafiel right, and the Sifrans can act as a intermediary between the origin of reality and our level? Or is some other source? We're not exactly awash in working drive systems, and power generation is a problem as well. Our reactors won't run forever and we can't mount thermal generators on ships."
"Actually we can run our reactors indefinitely if we set up the appropriate fuel-production systems," Eli notes, then coughs into his hand.
"That's not to say I'm not interested in its creators," the woman notes as she watches Eli, sitting up. "It's just these are potentially very useful and the alure of travel is something I'll probably never get tired of." She studies the man for a moment, then asks, "I get the feeling 'fuel production' is going to be a resource, political, or engineering nightmare? Maybe all of those things?"
"Well, hydrogen is fairly common, and in theory it should not be too difficult to manufacture the fuel pellets," Eli notes.
"You're probably right. I'm not really of much use when it comes to complex engineering products. I'm a little afraid that when we start gathering people, I won't be good for much at all, relatively speaking." The blonde's gaze flicks back to the progress of the Titan as it arrives at the hangar, the sight of which causing her to take a deep breath and exhale before adding, "Except to rush in to danger and pilot the scary things, of course. Disconnect me please, Harmonia."
The arm retracts, leaving Tasha back to being just her biological self.
"I always feel empty when I disconnect," thewoman admits as she rubs the back of her head. "At least I won't be outside the pilot's seat for long." She stands, unnecessarily brushing her clothes down before looking up. "Wish me luck?"
Gabriel gives Tasha kiss, and tells her, "I want a time limit. How long before I come and pry you out?"
"It may take a while, so give me a few hours? I wouldn't recommend approaching Balthasar by anything resembling force, either. He may take it the wrong way, and if I'm disabled or otherwise not able to speak to him, I can't be sure of what he'll do," Tasha says before kissing her mate back. "Ser Herafiel has given me a final option, if worst comes to worst."
"What sort of final option?" Gabriel asks, looking worried. "Not a self-destruct I hope?"
"I can force activation of the neural interface system and supplant the Mind-of-Light's control over the systems, but I don't know if I'll be able to de-link the Mind from the artifacts. More than likely I would then need to physically destroy the Mind while I still have control of the Titan," Tasha explains in a sober tone. She then glances to Harmonia and says, "This may be uncomfortable for you to hear. I don't want you to get the impression we may destroy him because he's not useful to us. ideally I hope he choses a path of mutual assistance, or at least neutrality. But if he becomes hostile, we is capable of terrible damage and would be a threat to everything upon this world, including you, Gabriel and Eli. I want to help him, but I can't sacrifice everyone else's life just for his aggression."
"Don't hesitate then if you think you need to use it," Gabriel says. "A Mind-of-Light is still far faster than one made of cholesterols."
"Don't I know it!" Tasha knocks on her head with her knuckles. "Sometimes it feels like everyone I know these days is smarter than me, but I guess that's what happens when you aim for the top, aye?" She smiles, lowering her hand and glancing towards the exit. "Well, no use putting it off any more. I'd better get going."
The young woman gives everyone one last smile, then turns to head for the exit.
The trip back to the hangar is silent and lonely, but company comes at the end. For the first time since their creation, two Magi Titans are facing one another in the same room. The difference is striking, with Melchior being the sleek, pure face of technology - a godlike tool, but still a tool - and Balthasar being more of a work of art - a godlike statue, rather than a tool. The faces show no expression, of course, but still there's some odd sense of disapproval in the space between them. If Caspar were there, the dichotomy would be complete, given his organic nature.
"Well this is eerie," Tasha remarks to herself as she glances between the two Titans. It's like being in a temple hosting the statues of two opposing gods; a conflict between differing ethos in a religion of technology. She shakes her head, trying to shake the heavy sense of tension in the air as she walks not to Melchior, but to his brother.
Before the godlike machine, Tasha looks up at his face as she once had when she first found him. He makes her feel small and lacking, a feeling that partially extends to piloting. Insecurity being the most pleasant of the emotions associated with piloting the machine, she recalls.
Deciding she's hesitated long enough, she reaches out and lays a hand on the Titan's leg. Unlike Melchior, Balthasar's cockpit is accessed from the front.
After going through the procedures, Tasha finds the cockpit laid open before her, the pilot chair in place of the giant's heart. Some of the light-powered displays begin to glow in preparation.
After another deep, deep breath, Tasha ascends the stairway and lowers herslef back in to the Titan's control armiture. Here we go.
The layered shells of the cockpit fold back in like a flower going to sleep, leaving Tasha in darkness lit by the glow of the monitors. Unlike the first time, however, there's more activity being felt in the body of the Titan. A hum, sign of more mechanical systems coming online. Finally, a panel slides open behind her, and the familiar interface arm extends and gropes for a moment before finding the cranial contact points.
"Magi Systems Online," informs the electronic sub-brain, before the cooler sign-based 'voice' of the Mind-of-Light flashes, "Welcome, Pilot."
So it can sense the changes in SPF interference and is reacting accordingly. I wonder how far the Savanite Empire mages planned ahead when they redesigned this machine; did they ever expect he would leave Sinai or that his other technologies would be used again? And in what condition are they in? The woman considers as she awaits the system to complete it's startup. Whatever else she may feel about Balthasar's redesign, she has to admit that he is a true work of art unlike anything she's ever seen. Built by the hands savants, wrought from the union of the best of of both Silent-One technologies and Sinaian magic. Had she met him before she found the Fenris, first, she would have considered him a god. Even now, she isn't sure he doesn't deserve that title. A god of destruction.
Tasha hesistates a moment as the machine greets her, then pushes her mind to action, offeringher own, "Hello Balthasar, or would you prefer 'Seraph'?" in a friendly tone of mind.
"I will respond to Balthasar, Seraph or Enyo," the flickering hands of the AI respond.
A cold chill runs down the pilot's spine as she hears the word 'Enyo' in her mind. "Enyo?" She asks, having heard that word before from another machine that thought itself a god. "That is an interesting option; why Enyo, a female name?"
"I do not know the origin, only that I may respond to it," is the vague reply.
"/How very ... /interesting./ Does chosing that name come with any sort of reaction on your part?" Tasha inquires, unable to quite escape the bad unpleasant feeling in her gut.
"Unknown," the machine replies.. and then changes the topic! "Have you recovered the final Marker, Silver Spear?"
Now suddenly very worried, wills the machine to begin moving in preperation for launch, intent on moving it far away from Harmonia and the others. "Silver Spear ... I haven't heard that name in a long time, and I don't recall sharing my last name. I'm also surprised to see that you remain interested in the Markers."
"/They are the reason I was recovered,/" /Balthasar claims. With the interface, it's much easier to move the Titan - it responds just like /Melchior/. As they approach the center of the hangar, the AI notes, "/You no longer need the obsolete Gryphon./"
"I'm still quite fond of him, so I'd prefer to keep him around. I'm sentimental, don't you know?" Tasha points out, trying her best to hide her growing anxiety behind a mask of friendly discussion. "Plus you never know when something might break around here. We'll be launching now for a test run, are your flight systems still functional?"
There seems to be some confusion between the Titan's twin systems. "Flight capability is available," claims the Mind-of-Light, while the Magi system claims, "Diagnostics failure."
"Lets try a controlled hover check," Tasha reasons, meanwhile ehr mind races to try and figure out what may be going on behind the machine's twin minds. "Initiating two-foot hover above the deck. Balthasar to Harmonia: we are initiating a test of flight systems and evaluting other functionality."
The Titan rises to the desired height, while Harmonia replies on the channel, "Compensating! Stator overlap."
Tasha grimaces -- she needs to get the Titan out of here. "Hover stable, we are prepared for departure. Open hangar bay doors and prepare for stator shift interference increase."
Above, the petals of the dome retract to reveal the dark high-altitude sky of Abaddon.
"Accelerating to departure speeds, then turning to heading 035 and accelerating to cruising speed," Tasha sends, directing the machine to pass on her notice. Meanwhile, she asks, "If I had all three Markers, what would you think about that?"
There's no sense of movement, only of scenery passing. Harmonia vanishes below, and then the further off to one side as the Titan takes on the new heading. "If you had all three, then you should be seeking out the Hall of Souls now," Balthasar notes. "Have you located it?"
"Perhaps. Information is sketchy. Is that you, Ser Herafiel?" Tasha inquires as she watches the landscape sail below them. The eerie lack of engine vubrations, even masked as they are by Melchior's systems, makes the movement feel unreal to the Vartan. "Do you have speed restrictions I should be aware of?"
"Reference unknown," the machine replies. "Upper speed in atmosphere is only limited by power consumption."
"And how is your power supply? I'm unfamiliar with the limits of your current generation system," the woman inquires as she considers what to ask next, and just as importantly, how to word it. "How are you regarding reactivation and having a pilot once more?"
"Current energy reserve and 1013 gigajoules," the system reports. "Recharge rate is approximately 10 gigajoules per hour. Reactivation has revealed an auxiliary control system I do not as yet have complete interface control over."
"I assume that's the Sifran artifact system. Mind-of-Light, can you confirm that?" The pilot requests as she settles in, yet cannot feel at ease. She notes that the power charge is greater than standard Expedition batteries, but the recharge rate is less. "And please describe the system in detail if you are able to determine it's use."
"Gravity-control functions are available through Sifran sub-systems," the AI reports. "Other function interfaces are incomplete."
"Gravity control beyond stator functions? And can you give me any details about these other, incomplete systems? It would be nice to know more about them before risking a test," Tasha notes as she begins scanning the ground. She doesn't want to be in the air if something goes wrong -- it's a long way down.
There's lots and lots of nothing down below, as Tasha flies over the wastelands. "Other functionalities are unknown, as interface has not been successful," Balthasar reports.
"Interesting. I wonder what the ancients were so afraid of? So far, I'm not seeing anything out of the ordinary system wise," Tasha notes, leaving out her thoughts on the AI systems. "Let's land, and we'll try interacting with the gravity control system in more detail." As she says it, the woman wills the Titan down towards the barren surface, glad she decided to run the tests in far from civilization. She can picture the Pit of Himar's Titans on full alert, just waiting for signs of disaster. It's an unpleasant thought to realize she's making so many worry, but she doesn't regret her choice to be here in and of itself.
A few moments later, the Titan is on the red dusty surface of Abaddon, the edge of a canal off in the distance. The terrain is cracked and distressed, with large boulders strewn about.
"Alright. Lets try the extended functions of the gravity control system. Can you influence the boulder directly ahead of us? And how how are you feeling?" Tasha requests.
The indicated boulder.. vanishes! Or rather, has been crushed into something the size and shape of a marble. "Yes," the system replies afterwards. "I can influence it. Systems are nominal. You have not answered my question though: have you located the Hall of Souls?"
Tasha's brow raises at the condensed chunk of rock. I think I'm beginning to understand, she muses until the question shifts her attention away. "You're certainly more forward than your bretheren. I can only assume this is some function of the original Magi, and perhaps its embedded creator." For a moment, she hesitates on whether to answer or not. She could say no, but the machine may sense her lie, sewing distrust. Also, she can't learn anything by denying information exchanges, and she isn't sure what the machine could do with the information anyway. At length she decides to risk it in the purusit of deeper understanding of what she's dealing with. "Yes, I believe I know its general location. I've noticed you're a a lot more forward than your brother with your inqueries."
"I am a superior system," Balthasar replies. "Where is the general location? When will we be heading there? Where are the Markers being kept?"
"So I see. I will note that I am somewhat concerned with your interest in the artifacts, as I cannot determine all sourcs of influence over your systems. You have mentioned Enyo, and Silver Spear, monikers used by systems that suffered from external influence. As for the Markers, they are secure. The journey to Arcadia will need to wait until a sufficent record is taken for analysis of the objects, which is pending," the woman replies, feeling like she's on the edge of a razor holding a balance of scales. each exchange is the placement of weights, an exchange that feels like it could topple with the slightest mistake.
Meanwhile, she wills the machine forward so she can get a better look at the condensed rock, as much due to nervous energy as curisosity.
The marble is tiny. The boulder had to have been a dozen feet across originally, and now it's about an inch in diameter. "The Hall of Souls is on Arcadia then," Balthasar notes. "Arcadia is.. is.. the seventh world."
"The 'Seventh Heaven,' if you want to be poetic about it. We will need to search for the exact location, of course. While we talk, lets test your range. How far out can you manipulate the topography?" Thinking on the names used, Tasha recalls that the first MOTHER she encountered used that name, thinking her -- perhaps rightly so -- to be Nora Argentine. And then it tried to kill her. Enyo is what Harmonia called herself, making the blonde wonder if she learned it from Harmonia somehow, or if there is another source ... Abaddon, Tasha recalls, that phantom that haunted her dreams. A phantom Harmonia seemed to have also met, but she could never confirm any of it, spuring her to ask, "Are you recieving any external signal interfacing with your systems? In particular, check for Sifran probablity matrix-type interface."
"No external connections recognized," Balthasar reports. "How do you wish me to test my range?"
"Try to influence increasingly more distant boulders until you are unable to do so or until power less exceeds ten percent of current power levels," Tasha directs, even as she wonder to herself. Are you really out there, Abaddon? No signal, yet the hint ... Just how subtle is your influence? Or am is it just Harmonia's suggestion? I guess there's one way to know. "Also, Balthasar to Harmonia: Harmonia, do you recall mentioning the name 'Enyo' to Balthasar?"
"There has been no communication with the Titan to that regard," Harmonia replies.
In the distance, there is a bright flash of light. The ground shakes a moment later, a small mushroom cloud blooms over the desert. "Targeting system limits have been reached at 15 kilometers," Balthasar reports. "Target missed. Non-nuclear plasma explosion resulted from atmospheric compression."
"Thank you, Harmonia." What should I make of this ... It can't be pure coincidence, can it? Could he have read it from my mind? Harmonia said she recieved or discovered the name after contact with Abaddon, but we haven't heard from him since. And why Enyo, over and over? Harmonia I can understand, but Balthasar too ..?
The sudden mushroom cloud illuminating the dissolace snaps Tasha out of her thought. She watches the cloud slowly rise, very glad not to be staring at the face of a thermonuclear detonation. "/That was ... That was unsettling, to say the least. I think I can begin to see the extent of your abilities, especially if compression fusion is viable./" /Or even collpase beyond the Schwarzschild radius ... What a terrifying thought. "/I think does it for the gravity system test. Is interface with the other systems still failing? As I recall, you listed control over both gravity and electromagnetisim./"
"There is no fundamental difference between the two," Balthasar notes. "Further interface returns undecipherable data at this time. Although.." Oddly, the AI stops there in its reply.
"Although..?" Tasha prompts, ears perked out of reflex.
"Self-diagnostics engaged, possible logic intrusion and data corruption," the AI reports.
"I see. Put it on screen and update progression of intrusion and or corruption and check that safeties are in place," Tasha directs, tensing.
The cockpit displays fill with.. meaningless symbols. Although the ones that appear 'red' may represent the foreign data. It is currently confined to one area. Until the red marks begin showing up in other places. "Memory intrusion detected," the system warns.
The sense of something ominous lurking just out of sight, ready to pounce fills the young woman. She considers diconnecting, then she decides against it -- she would lose her only means to control Balthasar and abandon it to whatever influence now takes it. Whatever happens, she decides, Balthasar is her responsibility.
"Begin countering the intrusion. Isolate infected data blocks, and prepare emergency cutoffs at the line of no return. Do not allow it to spread to core systems, active memory, Sifran artifact control and the BCI system." Tasha directs, hoping the machine is up to the challenge. As she watches the digitial battle progress it strikes her one of those icons is herself. the battle, though abstract, is very real. And she is part of the battlefield. Unable to do more than act as general, she adds, "//Balthasar to Harmonia. We are experiencing an intrusion across data structures from the artifacts and are currebtly attempting to stop it. I will initiate the final safety if we fails ... And there is the possibility of BCI corruption. Stand by."
"Tasha.." Gabriel says.. or starts to say. He is interrupted by the world twisting around. Tasha finds herself in a virtual world, similar to the one in Melchior, except that it is more warm gold than bright white. A Silent-Ones warrior is next to her, clutching at his head in apparent pain. But what grabs her immediate attention is the burning, metal mirror-figure before her. "Hello, Enyo," Abaddon greets Tasha. "Are you ready to cleanse the world?"
A wave of stark terror strikes the woman as the world beginjs to turn. She begins to bark out orders in her mind, but nothing happens as the world goes mad and the system refuses her. And when it stabilizes, she screams, but no one can hear her as she's trapped in her own mind.
Seeing Abaddon before her, she begins to back away, but there is nowhere to go.