Even ceramic hulls settle, groan and creak when underwater. Normally noises like that don't bother Tasha - they're no different from the sounds of an airship - or a spaceship. Of course, the difference is that those things are moving. And the lack of movement, among other things, it making it harder for her to sleep.
It's a small miracle, perhaps, that Rushfighter doesn't snore. You'd really expect something like that from a Titanian. And Bumper is even quieter.. if she's even there. The hatch is open, and the squeals and clicks and whistles of the dolphins echo around as well. Someone.. maybe it was Bumper.. told her that dolphin poetry is considered a form of currency in some places. Mainly bars. Which is odd because how many people can actual understand the dolphin language?
Blearily, not to mention soggily -- something Tasha has begun to wonder is a word and, if not, she decides it should be -- the red woman sits up in her bed. After taking a brief look around, noting Nessa sleeping quietly, a fact which also wakes the dark feelings of envy in the hybrid, the young woman decides she's not going to make any progress and so finally rolls out of bed and moves to follow the noise. Dressing isn't a problem; She's had her choice of one piece or one piece since she arrived, with a rebreather as a mandatory accessory.
Donning the breathing aparatus, Tasha wades in to the water to see what all the noise is about.
The noise comes from the Dome, it seems. Brookida and Tkaat are trying to question Bumper, and not getting very far. "What will that device do, exactly?" the archaeologist asks, while the Titananian fiddles with a 'gizmo' atop the 'doorway' artefact. It's a familiar device: Tasha has seen it in use on the trip to Sheol, first as something that created a 'bobble' for launching to the moon and then again as shelter generator and antigravity device. It may as well be a miniature, hand-portable gravity stator.
"Pop a bubble," Bumper replies distractedly as she fiddles with the devices completely manual control nobs, no two of which seem to match.
"Breach the stasis field and expose the contents to light time?" Tasha ventures as she rises from the water, removing her rebreather.
Brookida swims up to Tasha. "Do none of you sleep?" he asks. "Stasis cannot be breached.. that is the whole point of it. What is she really doing? Is there going to be an explosion?"
"Then I have no idea," Tasha admits, giving an exagerated shrug of her shoulders. "Stasis is also static, but He Who Moves and I were having conversation. Dark time seems unaffected by light time stasis, but it may prohibt light time traveling and ... I don't know. This is outside my experience so I thibnk I'll just say so now, hokay?"
"And no," the young woman adds in regards to sleep. "I can't sleep."
"Silly, sillies," Bumper says. "Don't know how to open stasis field? Pfft.. is obvious.."
"Are you experiencing space-lag?" Brookida asks, only to be distracted by Bumper again. But it's Tkaat that asks, "What is it that is so obvious?"
"Oh?" Goes Tasha, who turns to walk over to Bumper, folding her hands behind her back and leaning in to watch. "Teach me!" She even wags her tail, sending water everywhere.
"Is obvious," Bumper says, and grins at Tasha. "Stasis is bubble of stopped time, yeah? So.. what happen if you put stasis bubble inside other stasis bubble?"
"Wouldn't they just ... No, I'm not going to guess. that never works. These are my ears and they're listening." Tasha points at one of them, which are both perked.
"Can't stop time twice," Bumper notes. "First field collapse under second one. Then you turn off second one. Poof," the Titanian snaps her fingers. "But.. gots to have a big enough field to cover first one. There other tricks, like collapsing a stator field, good for stopping ships and shields. But this big bobble, gonna take time to charge up enough to wrap it."
"F-f-Free-standing stasis fields are.." Brookida starts to say, only to be outwhistled by Tkaat. "Hush and listen," the archaeologist says, no doubt thinking of stasis bubbles in other ruins that previously were unbreachable...
"Um, so I was right?" Tasha's left eye twitches. "Well, hmm." She turns to give Tkaat a 'how about that' shrug, then turns back to Bumper and has a seat near her. "By the way, what does it mean to be dark touched? And the key? Does part of me move in dark time, and is that why I could have a discussion in D-Level space with a d-entity in stasis?"
"You gots a dark-matter shadow on you," Bumper explains, tweaking a nob back in the direction opposite that which she had just tweaked it. "Marked. Like.. you tag a nulldragon so you can see if it the same one when it comes back to eat your ship. Tag. You're It. Someone keeping track of you."
"That makes sense, as it's about what I expected," the hybrid notes, nodding along. "And so the shadow harmonizes with its native space, allowing me to communicate through it?"
"No, you just have smaller head," Bumper says. "Easier to push through. Hands were full out here.." The Titanian has a big grin as she says it though. "You helpful though, really. Key to finding proper dimensional resonance."
"Thanks. Smacking my head against things defines my career, really. It's nice to know people appreciate it." Tasha even wags her tail, smiling. "I like you. Can I follow you around and ask more questions? I'll help you accomplish your tasks by standing around more!"
"Hmmm, you should not be around when time to pop.. well, not too close anyway," Bumper claims. "And you pretty young for me. I have daughters older'n you. But they all stoopids. Caught one using a calculator. Terrible. What you want to learn, 'sides how often I gotta poop?"
"It's okay, I already have someone- ... -s." Tasha winks, then holds out her hands to the side expansively. "Learn? As much as I can! I can't promise I won't use a calculator, but as I am half-Vartan, I can promise if you need to fight a calculator then I can handle that. Oherwise, um, questions: Tell me about the types of hyperspace? How does that device work? Why can't I be here when time pops? Were you always on The Dainty Mauler?"
"Lots of hyperspaces, maybe endless levels," Bumper says, after giving the gizmo a final tweak. "Weird places. These guys give them.. uh.. letters," she notes, waving to the dolphins as if to indicate galactic civilization as a whole.
The younger woman nods, then turns her head towards the dolphins expectantly.
"We aren't leaving," Brookida claims.
"I was more wondering if you wanted to elaborate," the hybrid notes.
"Hah," Bumper laughs. "Hokay, talk about what they know, 'A' level to 'D' level. A-level is easiest, but only for information. Can send messages, follow quantum rules so no causality mucking. It the level particles use to talk, yeah, so they know where they are and stuff and reality works."
"It sounds orderly," the red woman nites, head tilting. She turns back to Bumper -- who to her surprise has been the more informative amongst the elders present -- and asks, "And the others?"
"B-level is what Terran's use. Carries the thermonuclear-flux virtual force. More quantum state stuff.. do right thing at point 1, come out at point 2. Between points? Gotta use normal space."
To this, Tasha nods. She recalls a little about the Terran method of hyperspace from talks with Gabriel, Fred and the two doctors. Given their uncomfortable memories regarding their past, she didn't try to learn more at the time; She rather doubts she'd have understood it then, anyway. "And C?"
"For ... Confederate?" The younger woman ventures after a moment of realization.
"C-level is twist space. Tricky to use, bats like it. Very dark, and.. dimensions different. Like up and down and stuff replaced by rotational dimensionality. Lots of energy to get in, then turn and rotate translates to linear distance in normal space. It's very picky, off a degree.. come out someplace unexpected. Also quantum space, so no causality stuff."
"Sounds complicated," Tasha admits, though what she really meant was, "Sounds even more complicated than the other complicated things I don't understand." "The drive systems needed are big, complex, and hard to make?"
"Expensive. Khattas sell them to the bats," Bumper notes. "Khattas use E-level. 'Executive Level', heh. Mostly normalish, no matter there, no light speed limit. Gravity manifolds to interesting spots."
"Are any of these recovered precursor technologies that are used ineficently?" Is Tasha's next question. She also decides that getting the JEF a FTL drive is going to be a nightmare, or more than a nightmare considering non-flat space already made it an intimidating prospect. We may be stuck with asking for a ride, she realizes.
"Mebbe," Bumper says. "Kitties want comfort and security, not care about efficiency so much. Don't want others to use their level. Lots of weird ones too, like D-level, all dark matter and energy but sharing gravity with normal space. Heard tale of Titanian make it to Q-level, claim it full of ideas." She makes a swirly motion with one finger. "Then there overspace, which is normal space just mushed up a bit."
"I never knew there were so many 'skies,'" Tasha remarks, then she holds up her hands, "and I know they're not actual skies -- I'm not that backward. So, D-Level is made up of dark matter, and it seems to also have dark time and dark biology? Are they all like our friend in the stasis chamber?"
"Only hear stories," Bumper admits. "Ships go, maybe not come back. Others get where they going before they left." She taps on the artefact, which.. doesn't make a sound. "Gopher here, he call hisself a Harrower, right?"
"Yes, like I explained later: Engine, Harrower, He Who Moves, shaper of land and space, mover of stars, controller of the doors," Tasha answers, glancing at the artifact. She had some time to think about the creature inside, and much to her surprise and with a vague sense of doubt, she's decided the being really isn't so bad. Part of her evaluation is instinct, but the rest is pure exposure: She suffered from the place, not the entity. It was peculiar to her, and unsettling, but it didn't try to hurt her, actively tried to understand, and showed concerns for her safety. She wonders if she's being naive, but after what Old Ma told her about her people, she's decided to trust her gut instinct more and go with it.
"Tales of the Harrowers," Bumper says. "Hear in space bars, from bats. Gods of D-Level. They always find you, and put you on the path. But time is different there, different for them. Get you where you wanna go, but the when is always slippery. D-Spacers say lost ships aren't lost.. just haven't arrived yet. Maybe came out in distant past, or distant future. Harrower decides. Having one on a leash.. really convenient for travel, yeah?"
"Yes, that would really help. You could end up anywhere reliably, or ... any time." Any time. Is that really possible?Tasha decides to ask. "Can you really, um, travel through time? I know traveling to the future is straightforward enough, though not from outside the universe. What about going to the past?"
Bumper holds out her hand flat and wobbles it back and forth. "Sorta yes sorta no. Even in normal space, there are two different sorts of time: quantum time and inertial time. Quantum time doesn't care about direction, just energy balance. Inertial time has issues with causality. Mostly issues for Celestials though, who use moving overspace warping, while spotties use fixed point overspace warping."
"I ... um, I don't understand most of that," the younger woman admits, ears canting back and giving an apologetic shrug.
"Hmm.. so basic is you can't travel faster than your own information," Bumper says. "But that depend on how you transmit information. It all pretty messy. If you get information through A-Level, it get to you almost instantly, from anywhere.. but that information also travels at speed of light, which is slower. Depending on reference frame, A-level is like getting information from the future, because in normal space you can't witness the event faster than the light that carries it.. but it all wash out, really, because of distance. Noise eats up causality."
"So long as you can't cheat stock market, nobody cares," the Titanian concludes.
"It like in your head," Bumper says, and pokes Tasha's forehead with a finger.
The younger woman rubs her forehead. "I think I understand now. Not well, but, I think I get the gist of it." "Gist" being one of those words Tasha picked up on Abaddon. "As long as the end result functions and the machine doesn't break, the details can be fuzzy. Oh: Why can't I be here when the stasis breaks? Is that unique to me? And what about my head?"
"You head.. well, you know light move faster than sound, yeah?" Bumper asks. "If that so, why you see my mouth move same time you hear me? You head makes it so. You see before you hear, but brain waits until it can all go together. Universe cheats like that too. And you got dark key in you, could cause instability if Gopher really go home. Don't want you sucked along."
"Sucked along?" Brookida asks. "What's going to happen here?"
"It'd pull me in to D-Level space?" Tasha asks, eyes widening.
"Maybe just part of you," Bumper says. "You look like you already using some spares as is."
"Do we need to evacuate?" Brookida asks. "We don't want the dome to implode!" he squeals.
Tasha grimaces, reflexively rubbing her Vartan hand with the other. "I'd prefer not to get any more. Putting me back together was difficult," she notes before wondering if she should have kept that a secret. As it's too late to take it back, she then asks, "How far should I be? Will the others be safe?"
"Squeak squeak squeak," Bumper complains. "Phins sound high-strung all the time.."
"Stand in doorway, be fine," the Titanian says, pointing the hatchway twenty feet away.
"Not so hard," the younger woman says, sounding relieved. "Will we be accessing the other parts of the ruins after we've completed the release?"
"Other parts?" Bumper asks.
"This is all that's been exposed," Tkaat explains.
"There's more to this ruin down below. Will we be going there?" Tasha elaborates.
Bumper shrugs, and says, "Depend.."
Tasha leans forward and inquires, "On if he takes the whole place with him?"
The Titanian nods and taps her finger to her nose.
Tasha looks down at her nose. "On the nose, huh? I guess we'll see. Well." She looks up, then around a moment. "I suppose I'd better let you focus then. I'm just going to find somewhere nearby and watch until I feel like sleeping, okay?"
"Show over for now," Bumper says, and then yawns. "Take few hours to build up stasis charge," she points out, gesturing to the gizmo. "No fiddle with it," she tells the dolphins. Terrans must have a reputation for fiddling with things, despite the dolphins having no hands that aren't plugged in."
Tasha grins at the warning not to mess with the device, a warning often made her way and thus t's gratifying for her to see it not directed at her this time. "I'll keep an eye on them. I'm sure they know how fearsome Vartans can be, and I combine the abilities of a Karnor too," she notes, winking at Bumper before settling back and folding her hands across her chest, getting comfortable.
"We could throw a stick," Brookida jokes, but the Phins leave the chamber, followed by Bumper. Then Tasha gets goosed from afar.
"Don't make me get up," the hybrid warns, eyes closed now that she doesn't need to keep watch. She's finally gotten comfortable, and would loathe to move.
"Are you really sleeping up against the artifact like that?" Kaa asks, swimming into range. "Won't you get nightmares of horrors from beyond time and space?"
Tasha's eyes open, the woman needing a moment to transition back in to full wakefulness and peering at the younger Phin groggily as she does. After a moment, she says, "Calling him a horror is rude," she insists, reaching back to pat the artifact. "I mean, sure, he's different, but he wasn't hostile, or even particularly unpleasant to interact with, except that the method and the space were very hard to endure. Difficulties aside, it was very straightforward."
"Ah, you like straightforward?" Kaa asks. "I go on patrol in an hour. Want to come with? Or stay in the cans?"
"Hmm, I'd have to stop keeping watch, but I think the scientists know better than to interfere with the artifact or the device. I'll go with you." Th younger woman then tilts her head in reaction to the question, saying, "Straightforward is nice. Understandable. So much of what I interact with, or learn, or think I learned, is wrapped in doubt and uncertainty -- or just a plain lack of understanding. Knwoing where I stand with something is refreshing."
"If you want to stand, we'll have to get you swimming weights," Kaa jokes. "Get some rest, I'll come back when it's time to go."
"Hokay," goes Tasha without any resistance, who closes her eyes again. "See you in a bit."
Tasha is awoken from her nap by a dolphin beak poking her belly. "Wakey. Still want to go for a swim?" Kaa asks.
"Awake now, so sure," Tasha mumbles, taking a moment to stretch afterwards. Pulling herself up, she takes a moment to paw her hair out of her face and adjust her swim suit before nodding to the Phin. "Trying to get me alone, huh?"
"We never patrol alone," Kaa says. "Too dangerous. Lots of unknowns still. You like swimming though right?"
"I don't think I've ever been swimming enough to know," Tasha admits as she follows along after the Phin. "I am good at fighting, though. Not the best, though. A lot to learn."
"Ever used a saser or speargun?" Kaa asks, as he leads Tasha to the armory. He uses an automated arm to start affixing things to his harness.
Tasha plants her Vartan hand on her hip as she examones the various devices, most of which 'look like a gun' to her, but vary considerably in how she understands their functionality beyond that. "No," she admits after a moment, then notes, "This one looks like a spear, and it's clearly a gun, so it's use seems obvious enough. I've never heard of a saser though; Which one is it?"
"The small pistol looking one with the big muzzle," Kaa notes. "Sonic laser, good for cutting underwater."
"Mind if I take both? I want to see how they work," Tasha asks as she picks up the sonic laser, turning it over as she checks for controls.
The saser has a pretty obvious safety switch and a trigger.. and a bunch of other functions on a display. Apparently it can be used for imaging and rangefinding as well.
"I had been wondering what sort of weapons you all had out here," Tasha remarks, turning now to pick up belt and sling to store the weapons on. The pistol goes in to a holster, and the spear gun gets slung over her back. "All set," she announces, turning to smile at the Phin.
"Follow me," the pilot says, after having the weird rebreather hose attached to his blowhole. He leads Tasha back to the moonpool, and down below the base. It's night, but the sea is well let by glowing critters and plants and things that might be either one.
"It's pretty," Tasha observes, some of her fatigue and generally reduced mood reduced by the sight of the swirling ocean and its strange, fascinating inhabitants. "I never knew the ocean could be so interesting. Maybe somewhere, there's a sky full of glowing creatures, too?"
"Yeah, Umbrecht 4 has that," Kaa whistles, and then heads for another part of the base, going slow so Tasha can keep up. "We need to link up with Keepiru."
"So many places I've never been ... " Tasha wonders allowed, taking a moment to look skyward and wonder if she'll even see Umbrecht 4. The momentary daydreaming causes her to fall behind, forcing her to swim faster for a moment to catch up. "Have you ever been to Terra, Kaa?"
"No, not yet," Kaa says. "Born spacer!" He lets out a high-pitched call, and a larger Phin appears and joins them. "So this is the not-quite-an-alien running with the Titanians?" the new Phin asks. He's darker on top than Kaa.
"I'm from D-Level space, here to learn your secrets and acquire Clients for the Harrowers," is Tasha's response to being called a not-quite-alien; She even manages to keep a straight face, which is mostly due to just being tired.
"Where are your tentacles then?" Keepiru asks. "Has Kaa been interrogating you?"
"They're not visible to the naked eye," Tasha replies, winking. She then reaches over to pat Kaa, noting, "Not Kaa, but your doctor did. Don't worry though: I'll answer. Of course, you'll have to figure what's the truth or not out for yourself."
"We have patrol first," Keepiru notes. "We work down here, unlike lazy Kaa who just floats around in orbit molesting the plumbing fixtures." Everything the Phin says sounds like a tease. Maybe it is. "So he gets to haul your biped butt!" And with a laugh, Keepiru is flying off through the water.
"Well?" Tasha gos, wrapping her hands around Kaa's dorsal fin. "Better haul my butt, or he'll get away and I'm sure he'll tease you about that, too!"
"Your butt is no strain for me!" Kaa says, and with a few apparently effortless flicks of his tail, Tasha is being dragged through the water at high speed. Phins seem to be ridiculously strong.
Given the strength of the current, Tasha has to use both her hands to hold steady. Her wings are no use down here and, as she quickly learns, more of a liability as he drag threatens to dislodge her on several occasions. "You're pretty strong for squeaky fish," she calls out as they move along.
"I'm not a fish, even if I do have an engineered gill-lung," Kaa claims. "I like me some mammal juice all that!" He begins to slow, as Keepiru has paused for them to catch up. "Keep ears and eyes open," the patrol leader says. "Not sure what is down here, wouldn't be surprised to find salamander Naga sneaking around."
"Don't worry, I'm sure there is no such thing," Kaa tells Tasha. "Water snake Naga though.. those must be real."
"Water snake Naga?" Tasha asks, her keen eyes inhibited by the water and the darkness. "Celestials? By the way, the doctor mentioned Celestial clients, do you know them?"
"More lizards," Keepiru notes. "Seen a few, but they don't talk much. Always running around on errands. Just.. lizard people. Some with lots of arms. A few really elegant looking types.."
"Interesting. Were they conquered or created with the Terran Trade Library?" Tasha inquires as she scans the murky gloom, guided by Kaa's swimming.
Kaa raspberries. "Stuck up dragons," he complains. "Just because I gotta buzz their bits to see if they're male or female, I get kicked out of the bar. It's not fair. They should come in different colors at least."
At that, Tasha's brow crinkles, ears going askew. "Buzz their..? Is that what you've all been doing to me?" She's amazed she understands the Phin's slang, but part of her wishes she didn't.
"The more familiar looking ones must be uplifts," Keepiru notes. "Not sure about the shiny dragons or the fuzzy sorts."
"Best way to learn about a new species," Kaa says defensively. "Not our fault skin is transparent to sonar. Just.. checking on blood flow and such.."
"I heard that the Naga used to be dragonlike entities, big golden ones before their DNA began to degrade past their ablity to recover it," the hyrbid notes. She then looks down to eye Kaa. feeling something needs to be done, she reaches over and bonks him on the noggin before contuining. "Me, I prefer looking."
Keepiru headbutts Kaa before noting, "You're part Karnor, yeah? You can smell another Karnor's mood. For Phins, we check to see what's engorged. All our stuff is internal after all."
"It's overdrive," Keepiru claims. "Space warping messes with their genetics I bet. That's what wore out their genes over time."
"So Silent-Ones gates use the same setup, nearly.. but I guess since they're almost all the same it doesn't worry them," Kaa notes, none the worse for bonkings and buttings.
"This is probably all more than I needed to know," Tasha notes, deciding that Nessa and the Titanians are entirely right about the Phin. "And smell ... yes, but I won't confirm I'm part Karnor!"
"They still use the gates? I'd, um, read about them, but I've never seen one. I don't have a lot of exposure to the galactics," Tasha explains.
"The spotties aren't dim," Keepiru notes. "Their Gates are secure. No dropping into an ambush. And no paranoia about their tech getting stolen. Can't steal a Gate. Cheaper to make ships if you don't have to include the stardrive, too."
"That does sound strategically useful," the younger woman notes, recalling the lectures of strategy and, in particular, the maintaining of supply lines and areas of importance by military as taught by the Winged Citadel educators. "And Terrans always arrive at the same points, making ambushes easier? The Confederates ... They could pop up anywhere, but their travel has its own dangers?"
"Well, the Confederates never appear within a gravity well, so that means they emerge at the edge of a system," Keepiru notes. "Terrans show up in the system, depending on which star they're coming from. Some of the transit points are actually inside the outer atmospheres of stars. I guess that's why the Terrans and Feds never had a war. But a Silent-Ones stargate is also a massively armed space station. Easy to protect that, versus some volume of open space."
"That makes sense to me. I've heard of space stations." Tasha risks letting go enough to itch her nose, still eying the darkness and wondering how, as a bird, she came to be patrolling the water. "The Khattans are the dominant power, aren't they? With the Celestials below them, then either the Terrans or the Confederacy, and the Star Empire below that? Is that right? Are there others?"
"Some of the older Clients can be considered major powers now," Keepiru claims. "The Vartans for one. There's a conspiracy theory that the Khattans have a whole other galactic group they trade with.. but who knows? We look around and find ruins all over the place from when the galaxy had a lot of spacefaring civilizations. If we stick around long enough, more are sure to rise up."
"Or they're already out there and just hiding," Kaa claims.
"I think so, too. It appears that our universe has seen several phases of galactic inhabitation and destruction, and that we're now in the fourth cycle and have a ways to go before we rival our predecessors -- but this isn't uniform. Others have gotten farther, or are behind; It depends in how you look at it and what you value. For this review, I'm speaking mostly of technological potential and the abilities to modify and use the universe," the hybrid explains, perhaps putting her 'backwater' nature in to a peculiar light. It's worth it though, she decides, I need to know as much as I can before I return.
"This planet appears to have been a First One base," Tasha then adds, tilting her head back the way they came. "They apparently cared little for life, or at least preventing damage."
"We Can Always Find Another Planet," Keepiru recites. "Of course, we don't know that many of the First Ones were organic life to begin with. A machine life form wouldn't really care about the animals and environment on Encante, but would sure like the minerals."
Kaa stops in the water, and pans his head around. "Traffic report?" he asks Keepiru.
"That seems possible. I know now that there were many First Ones, and that they were removed through some force. Before them the Old Ones. After: The Progenitors. Then us," Tasha discusses, though she becomes noticably more active in searching when they stop.
The other Phin mimics Kaa, then says, "Robosub, regularly scheduled supply run."
There's no indication of anything out there to Tasha's senses.
"I can't see anything," Tasha reports, figuring she should at least note her results, however useless.
"It's a few klicks out," Kaa notes. "Engine noise. I guess they make them deliberately noisy now?" he asks Keepiru.
"Where are the supplies coming from?" The hybrid asks, suspecting there's one or more other bases and possibily islands as well.
"Yeah, makes it easier. Each one has their own sound, so you can tell them apart," the other Phin notes, and takes them into a darker area. There's less biolight now, under the overhang of one of the metal mushroom islands.
"But you're still uncertain, so we're playing it safe?" Tasha asks, dropping her voice to a whisper which she hopes translates as one as well.
"Going to the Farm, probably fertilizer from Atlantis," Keepiru notes. "Earthlife has a hard time here without imported organics."
"How many bases are there, and are there islands as well? Populated?" The semi-alien inquires. "Atlantis is nearby?"
"No sense in us being heard," Keepiru notes. "Don't go too deep under the mound. We've been clearing out the tangler vines, but sometimes they grow back. As for how many bases.. well, that's classified, Miss Alien. Sorry."
A grin crosses Tashas muzzle. "You can't blame me for trying, right? I don't really need to know, I'm just curious, but I don't blame you for hidng it anyway." She pats Kaa, pulling closer to him lest she be vine-grabbed. "Do you think I'm a spy?"
"Keepiru thinks everyone is a spy," Kaa claims. "If you're a spy.. you're good enough to get tight with the Titanians, which is supposedly impossible. So, you're clearly too good for me to catch out anyway, so why should I worry?"
"Pilots," Keepiru curses.
Being called an excelelnt spy nearly makes Tasha laugh in her rebreather, a reaction she has to contain with some effort. Once she manages it, she explains, "The secret is my likable personality, plus we understand each other, I think. I've had people say that I'm almost a Titanian myself. I even have a hammer." She winks behind her mask, then adds, "Besides, I like them. I like you, too. And speaking of classified information I'm curious about: Do you know anything about that Moraeu character?"
"He was on the Terragens Council, got disgusted with having to bend over for the Khattans and Celestials.. and took off with all the work and specimens they'd been working on for the next Uplift," Keepiru notes. "Nobody's heard from him, so he's either still hiding or got caught and quietly dealt with."
"It sounds like he had a lot of internal support if he managed to single handedly take one of Terra's top projects and escape with them under everyone's nose," the half-Vartn observes, while also observing the distant waters. "I wonder if we'll cross paths."
"Well, if you do.. don't tell anyone," Kaa advises.
"Oh I plan to tell everyone. Why, I just met him in the lab a hour ago! And in space. In fact, I'm Dr. Moraeu." Keepiru can see her smile beyond her mask.
"Dr. Moreau is male, I'm certain," Keepiru notes. "And has brown fur. But then the Celestials have trouble telling Karnor's apart."
Keepiru leads them to the next checkpoint.. which happens to be another mound. At least there are fish here, sort of. They're shiny, anyway.
"An expert in uplifting should be able to modify any of those. But I see your point." Tasha is still smiling. "Anyway, if we're meant to meet, then we will. That is, if other secrets get out, or if he's close, then I suspect he'll at least be paying attention. Of course, I'd prefer to avoid too much attention, myself."
Tasha pauses to examine their new surroundings, the fish making her constantly lock on to them with her eyes, trace them, then switch to another as it becomes more prominent in her vision. It makes for a rather difficult watch, but it is, "Ooh, so very shiny!"
"That seems impossible," Kaa notes. "You are naturally attention-worthy." There's a pause, and, "Message over the link. I guess it's time to pop the jack-in-the-box."
"Is that so? Maybe I should wear a cloak." Though the Phin don't know it, the joke is self-deprecating; In the past, the young woman has tried to hide her unique appearance with the very same garmet, to various result. Tasha then tilts her head, askingm "Jack-in-the ..? Oh, the artifact. Well, lets get going."
"Try to keep up this time, Best Pilot In The Universe," Keepiru teases, and zooms back towards the base.
"It's Greatest Pilot," Kaa complains, and gives chase once Tasha has a good grip.
"What did I tell you. I'm glad you like hauling my butt better than winning though," Tasha notes as she's pulled along.
Several minutes later, Tasha is unmasked and on the platform just outside the dome, with Brookida and Tkaat in the water alongside it and Neesa still looking sleep-scruffy on the catwalk. "I wonder if they have bacon here," she says to Tasha. In the dome, it's just Bumper and Rushfighter and the artifact.
"Maybe fish-jerky?" Tasha ventures, her eyes focused down at the artifact. Fish jerky was one of many types of dried foods she had as part of her diet back on The Rake, and as a Karnor, she naturally loved it. "Are you ready for this, Nessa?"
"What is it I'm supposed to be ready for, exactly?" Neesa asks. "Is the Gopher God going to come out and eat us?"
"Well, it should be departing. How it does that and how dangerous it is to this facility isn't known. I required our safety, but not the safety of the ruins if damaging them was needed for its escape. He has agreed not to cause undue harm, however, and likely has my understanding of what harm is. Other than that, I'm not sure what will happen. Be prepared to evacuate if needed," the hybrid answers.
The Titanians turn and wade to the platform, with the gizmo still atop the artifact. "Hokay," Bumper says. "Countdown started, everyone turn away, all recording devices turn off."
"Don't look," Tasha warns Nessa. "I'm not sure what direct visual contact will do to you, but the one I met physically also avoided being directly observed." The hybrid turns away, then also closes her eyes as she doesn't trust them not to spot something and inadvertantly pull her focus away.
"Why do we have to look away?" Brookida asks.
"I'm curious too. The one I met wouldn't let me look upon it either, and I assumed that was to protect me," Tasha notes, eyes closed and facing the outter wall.
"No work if you looking, quantum stuffs," Bumper claims. It takes a few minutes to confirm that all surveillance is shut down, and the dolphins turn around as well. Seconds tick by, and then there's a small splash.
"Hokay, that it," Bumper announces.
"I shouldn't offer guesses," Tasha asides to Neesa.
And then Tasha asks, "Can we look now?"
"Sure," Bumper says.
Turning back around again, Tasha opens her eyes and moves to the rail, bracing herself as she looks down. "This should be interesting," she says to her traveling companion. "If there's no danger, I'm curious what the being will appear as in our space."
The dome is empty. The seafloor is there, uninterrupted, and the water looks undisturbed save for the floating gizmo. There's no sign that an alien structure had ever been there, not even a hole in the ground.
"Well, that's something too," the youngest of the women observes, leaning back and grinning.
Brookida and Tkaat swim around the area where the artifact was, and Bumper retrieves the floating and discharged gizmo. "All done," she announced. "It gone sideways, no be a problem now."
"There wasn't even a pop of air or rush of wat-t-t-er," Brookida says, sounding disturbed.
"Mission accomplished then!" Tasha vaults over the rail, using her wings to buffer the drop and landing with a splash in the pool surrounding where the artifact was. "Well, I did ask that he be careful and not disturb space unnecessarily. Or, is that normally how it goes, Bumper?"
"Remember what I say about time and the universe making things match up like in your head?" Bumper asks. "It like that. Artifact was never here, far as this place concerned."
"Gopher pulled the hole in behind him," Rushfighter sums up.
"So that isn't something your device did, but the.. uh.. Gopher God did?" Tkaat asks. Bumper nods to him.
"That's convienent. I never knew the universe and I had so much in common with how we do things. Well, I hope he's ... Um, probably not 'happy' but 'satisfied' is good enough of a word. He was very reasonable, really," the hybrid notes.
""All doors will leave with me," he said. I assume not only this one, but all the doors that it had maintained -- maybe even across the universe and beyond. There may even be other teams like ours, that suddenly found their artifact was no longer there," Tasha explains.
"Reasonable ones the most dangerous," Bumper says, and throws an arm around Tasha. Neesa looks sleepy still, but doesn't seem alarmed by something vanishing. Mages are either used to that or just trained to never looked shocked by weird things. "Prolly for the best. Now, speaking of reasonable gods.. tell me about your Yam God, hokay?"
"Yam ... Wait, Yam? You don't mean ... How do you ..? Did the Captain ..?" Realizing she's probably not going to get out of the questioning, Tasha simply gestures off towards their bunkroom, indicating she'd like to explain in private. She can't even run, certain that an escape attempt will result in a mom-level headlock that her sleepy body is too tired to fend off. After this, though, sleep.//