It takes a few more days before the Dark Horse is ready to leave. First there was the matter of getting Dr. Windar to release the information he had on the Jotoki. The man was against any of the newfound aliens leaving their protected environment - but Gabriel pointed at they the needed to see what the outer world was like in order to make an informed decision about if and when they would want to stop hiding. And since there hadn't been any useful information recovered from the 'wreck' about the location of the Jotoki homeworld, there wasn't much left to do here.
Spinner helped to pick out two juveniles to accompany the crew. The first was a particularly long-limbed, predominantly female one dubbed Rainbow since each leg was of a different distinct color. The second was a sturdy mostly-male dubbed Rock, since his carapace was knobby and rough, and rock was one of the hardest (and rarest) materials in the Smoke Ring. Assigning quarters was relatively easy, since juveniles don't live on their own, but with their imprint-parent. Rainbow seemed attached to Moka, and living arrangements were just adding some netting to the walls and ceiling of the Phin's cabin. Rock seemed to prefer Gabriel, and his dark black and gray colors seemed to match the big Karnor's.
Since the biology of half the life forms was protein compatible, there was a day of fishing and using part of the ventral cargo bay as a gravity-free, air-and-water tank for the live captures. The fishing was mainly handled by the Phin and Jotoki, the latter being impressed by the former's ability to 'stun' fish with sound, even if their sonar was less effective in air than in water (but then the Smoke Ring's fish were a lot more fragile).
Finally restocked and ready to go, the Dark Horse made for the outer layers of the gas torus and into open space, where Kaa could pilot them the rest of the way towards Outpost Caltrop, at a more leisurely pace than his breakneck, exhausting run to the secret star system had been.
With everything having finally settled down, Tasha has taken a moment to reflect, think, and paint. To this end, she completed the construction of the special platform off the dorsol elevator, a small, open-topped, railed area with seats that can hold two people -- or three if they're close. And while its dimensions are unremarkable, even cramped, is the platform's view and position that make it memorable: It juts out in to what serves as engineering -- such as it is in a largely automated ship -- where the power core hangs in all its eerily glowing splendor. Beside her Horse, close to the heart of her ship, Tasha finds herself at most at ease.
As she goes about trying to depict Encante and the Ningyo, she considers previous events, and there's a mountain of it to consider. Galactic politics, slavery by another name, how to enter Vartan space, the trouble with the Jotoki and more besides. It all needs to be dealt with eventually, but one matter has come to the fore, a problem both increasingly salient and gnawingly uncomfortable for the young woman: The problem of trust, and loyalty.
With so much at stake, and with many of her crew with ties beyond her own life and mission, the unpleasant realization that Tasha can't simply base her crew choices on those she likes and feels are reliable eats at her heart and mind. In time, she just can't push it out any farther. I need to make a decision, she decides at length.
The brush is put aside and so Tasha looks up, saying, "Tasha to Gabriel. Gabe, are you busy?"
"Just teaching Rock how to play poker," Gabriel replies. "Not much for me to do while Kaa is piloting. What do you need?"
"I'd like to go over some details -- future plans and other things. Would you mind joining me in the new meeting room? Just you and me, and Eli if he's also free," the young woman explains as she goes about sealing her paints and checking her work to make sure it's drying properly.
"We'll be there shortly," Gabriel promises. "I've got Rock playing against himself at the moment anyway."
"Sounds like a game I'd lose, you know me!" Tasha blows a audible kiss in to the air, then turns around and proceeds in to the elevator. Painting will have to wait.
Minutes later, Tasha seats herself at the head of the new meeting table, which is appropriately located within the new meeting room located in the far aft of the owner's deck, port side. It has an impressive view of the shuttle bay, while the table itself is long, able to seat almost twenty people, with a holo-display and individual screens for each occupant of the chairs. Leaning back, she rests her hands on her lap and peers out the window and deep in to concern.
The two Karnors arrive soon after. For whatever reason, Eli is wearing a very loudly colored shirt with tropical-looking flowers printed on it. "Here we are, as requested," Gabriel says, and does a little bow before taking a seat.
Tasha arches a brow, but then spreads her hands in a particularly imperious sort of way and says, "Your obidience is noted." The hands fall, she winks, then she slumps back in her seat and puts her feet up on the table. She stares forward for a moment, then tilts her head.
"I'm worried about crew loyalty," she says in a quiet, though characteristically Vartan-blunt, voice. "We'll be heading in to Vartan space soon, to Dr. Moraeu. Then beyond that, to find the Progenitors. I didn't think about what this would all mean for crew loyalties -- and you know, I maybe didn't want to? -- but since we're about to take on more people, now's the time."
"Well.. the Phins are fine, I'd say," Eli offers. "I suspect Jonas is happy to be on a secret ship that isn't likely to be interacting with authorities as well. Dr. Sen is.. a valuable asset to have around, but her loyalty is towards the Terragens Council. Which isn't to say she can't be trusted."
"Dr. Sen's loyalties don't surprise me. I like her, and I think she'd be a great asset like you said, but I don't know if I want to be looking under my wings every time we do something. She's also a Terragen authority, and this ship has over half its crew as Terrans -- and there will be two more if I have my way. What if I decide to go against Terra? What if Terra decides to go against me? I wasn't concerned about it -- at least not as much -- until I spoke to Yue a while. She told me this: "Terra isn't interested in new Clients; Terra makes its own Clients. Terrans stick together. Terrans are a family, and family puts other family first." She said Terra would sacrifice to Jotoki to protect its own. Then I remembered the treatment I got from New Zion, and I wonder how much Terra can be trusted -- especially since some of us are not Terran. Even Jonas said it: He said I made him nervous, that Karnor and Humans have a beyond. It's not there for us," Tasha explains, turning her attention fully on
the two men.
"You're half-Karnor," Gabriel notes. "But you're worried about what-ifs - what if we need to act against Terra's interests - and so on, while overlooking the solution: you can just ask first. 'I need to do this.. is Terra going to be upset? Is there a way to work it out so we don't burn bridges?' It's that simple. Nobody wants to go against each other."
"Terra is allied with the Silent-Ones and Confederates and even the Celestials to a degree," Eli adds. "They all have their own interests. They make themselves aware of the interests of their partners, and usually warn them about potentially stepping on one-another's toes. It's how allies work."
"Is that it?" Tasha reaches up and scratches her nose, then shifts in her seat before slumping forward and resting her head on her hands and the table. "I was thinking of having a diverse crew, but that sounds better. Um, can Terra control you? The Karnor Elite, I mean? I really don't like asking, but since we're getting it all out. I know you said Karnor were designed to like Humans, and that there are worries about Human-Karnor dating and other situations where dominance is involved."
"We.. may be the wrong ones to ask," Gabriel admits. "For us, it was just three years ago that we left on the Expedition. Our loyalties are to the Terra that we knew. It's been gone for six millennia though. Without actually making formal contact and seeing how it goes.. we're a bit in limbo." Eli nods his head in agreement. "We had oaths of loyalty to the Expedition too.. but we don't answer to New Zion on Abaddon."
"Maybe Yue can find out. Or, maybe she does know. At least the worst is very unlikely, as this ship can't be taken by mutiny or even capture and sabotauge as far as we know. I'll look in to it." The young woman works her muzzle for a moment, then tilts her head on her hands. "What about sitting everyone down and telling them what we're planning? How much do you think I should reveal? Some of them may not want to be involved if they know how far we're going, but that'd also risk spreading out mission and and I've been told at least House Khomen will be after us if they become aware of our Progenitor mission."
"Do you actually have any specifics for the mission yet?" Gabriel asks. "The devil is in the details.. and it's the details that people will be comfortable or uncomfortable with, not generalities."
"This is what I know, told to me by the Last Thennenin: In previous galactic cycles, the Sifrans have turned on the Gaalctic powers of the age, and annhilated them. This has happened twice now. After the last cycle, the Progenitors arrived from another universe and were somehow able to defeat the Sifras, or at least combat them to a stalemate that favored the Progenitors. The Progenitors then made their children, interacted, warred, and then vanished -- some even /died/. He also told me he suspects the Sifrans are waking up again. The previous Galactics were far greater than the /current/ ones, so even at a faction of their strength the Sifrans would be extremely dangerous. I've been asked to find the Progenitors again, in the hope they'll help the galaxy once more. Of course I was chasing them /anyway,/ but now it's more /important./" Tasha pushes off, straightening and waggling towards the cargo bay. "Mel will help with all that. I also know House Khomen is why the Origin Marker of Khattas is in a /s
un,/ so, we can be fairly sure he's our enemy -- especially if he's aware of us. Beyond that, we need to locate the Progenitors, and that probably means reaching their sites: the homeworlds and ruin sites. /Preferably/ by invitation, /without/ if we must."
"Going to Varta has two goals: Locating Dr. Moraeu and seeing if he needs help, and locating Vartan Progenitors sites and other information to try and find some clue as to where Horus has gone," the young wman concludes.
"Varta will deny any ties to a renegade Uplift specialist," Gabriel notes. "Galactic governments can't be seen to be supporting those breaking Galactic law. I'm not entirely certain what the current Uplift and Client regulations are though. I mainly remember Karnors got through on a technicality."
"A technicality?" Tasha asks, ears perked. She doesn't stick to the interest though, pushng on to more important questions. "I suspect if he is there, he isn't there by Khattan support. But, he might be. And of course, if we aid him we're breaking Galactic law, but then we already do that by being around a crazy winged Titanian and her friends." She smiles, ovrsized teeth and all, then says, "I have no idea how to get there other than sneak in with the ship and then hope to locate him that way. It's a flimsy plan. The same goes for Varta, which is heavily populated unlike the colony. We'll need a plan."
"Getting to Varta is.. problematical," Gabriel admits. "We're all ghosts. To get into a homeworld, you need an actual traceable identity, citizenship or government issued visas. They'll have protected ports, and control all transfers between ground and orbit. They're fortresses with multiple layers of defense extending far out from the planet itself."
"I remember you said you didn't know what the Vartan homeworld was, that it wasn't found, so that must have changed since your time. Of course, the Celestials have now lost theirs!" Tasha shakes her head; She boggles at the loss of a world, let alone a home world. She might have boggled at it being possible, too, if she didn't know a god-like being who claimed capable of it. "But, hmm. That is a problem. The best option I can think of is Dr. Sen, unless you have ideas? I also plan to ask Hakebear, Katie and Shojo to join us up here -- any other suggestions?"
"If you're asking Yue for favors, a general primer on current Galactic power-politics would be useful," Gabriel notes. "I don't know where Varta is. But it's a homeworld. Earth and Zion are heavily protected. If you can't protect your ports from Titanian raids, you don't do much commerce, after all. And anything set up to stop Titanians is going to stop us too if we try to force our way."
"Eeegh," goes Tasha, having a strong idea of what being stopped would result in. She glances off for a moment, letting the idea fade, then looks back. "The only thing I have on that is the new Client primer I got alongside our database, with Titanian gold. I could aks Yue, but that'd be an even larger favor to ask."
"She's a xenologist," Eli points out. "Women like that love to lecture. Have a drink with her first."
"Drinking, finally my specialty as a spy becomes relevant!" Tasha rubs her hands together, then smiles. "I'll do that later. Anything else? Any crew suggestions? Should I be doing more?"
"Have you thought about where to stash the Dark Horse when we make the visit back to Abaddon?" Gabriel asks. "We'll need to take one of our shuttles, just to carry the supplies to Fred. But we can't fly the Dark Horse to the Primus system. We could leave it at Caltrop, but Kaa would need to stay aboard to keep it submerged, unless there's a hiding place inside the outpost itself."
"I haven't," Tasha admits, smile turning in to a frown. "We've only had the Dark Horse for, what, a few weeks? And, I've only been to Caltrop a few times. The best idea I can come up with is docking it at the mining colony, then sending a communication to have Kaa come pick us up. He could probably take it in to deep space as well, out of the usual traffic channels, and he and the Niss work to keep it safe until we return. If detected, submerge and relocate."
"The truth is, I'd prefer to stay with the Horse, but I need to be present for recruitment and maybe other things," the hybrid woman adds a second later.
"Everything about the Horse hinges on the Niss," Eli says. "And if the Niss can't enter Sifran Space, neither can the Dark Horse. I could stay behind if you want though. There's quite a lot of research to be done, especially if want to find the Jotoki homeworld.. and any Origin Marker they may possess. Yue seemed to have an idea of how to find it, but I haven't followed up on that."
"That sounds like a good idea, besides I think you need a vacation and this is as close as we can probably convince you." Tasha sticks her tongue out at the scientist, then settles back in to her chair and wiggle-wiggles until she's comfortable again. "We can depart from nearby space, board on the shuttle, and meet with the Titanians. We don't know when they'll be back, so we may need to wait a while. Speaking of which, they gave me an idea. I might want to return to Sinai to investigate the Titanic, for an artifact. That might help us with the Titanians. Otherwise, maybe I don't need to. I should talk to them though; I want to learn Hammersong, and I need to have another question answered."
"Don't you have some way of contacting the Titanians?" Eli asks. "You said they can track you anywhere.. or was it the ship they could track anywhere?"
"It's me. They can detect the part of me that's a Harrower, or, part of one -- I'm not sure how it works -- but they know where it is. It's part of why they trust me, becasue I can't betray them without being hunted by every Titanian ship in the Galaxy. There's, um ... another way ... " Here the young woman bites her lip, looks around a moment, then leans in a closer to near-whisper, " ... But I can't tell you. I think I know how to do it, but I was reallyhoping to ask them first, before I try. I really don't want them mad at me, or, for someone on board to figure it out and consider talking about it."
"I'm not very clear on your relationship with them," Eli admits. "But the ones we've been dealing with are traders. So what will they want in exchange for hauling our shuttle full of goodies halfway across the galaxy?"
"I have a sort of, um, I think the term is 'pseudo-alliance.' Like Gabriel has said, they probably use me, but I get something in return. They like me, but they still have their own agenda. Beyond that, well, I'm not really sure either! They've been a lot nicer to me than I expected; Maybe, like the Niss, they can detect something about me and are hoping to use it. Or maybe they just like me -- I'd like to believe they just like me," the Vartan hybrid exlains. She then spreads her hands and says, "As for what they want, who knows? They've asked us for: An holy symbol, fishing help, and to deal with a god. It could be anything in between, more, or less!"
"Maybe they will want pizza," Gabriel says. "Should bring them some anyway."
"What if it makes them gassy?" Eli asks.
"I've seen Titanians eat pizza on Abaddon. I'm not sure they can get upset stomachs," Gabriel points out.
"It couldn't hurt! I want a pizza -- and don't say it makes me gassy or someone is sleeping in his quarters." Despite the faux-threat, Tasha grins. "Anyway, it's important I maintain good relations with the Titanians. The truth is, if they decided to force me, or became an enemy, I have little way of stopping them from forcing me to do anything. That they're not shows they're willing to bargain, and just being careful. And, that's fine with me."
"At least until a new captain takes over who decides trading isn't as fun as raiding," Gabriel notes. "Do you have anything else to offer them?"
"I know that House Khomen can smuggle artifacts without being detected; Warloq's ghost explained that they could, but not how, and we were able to extract a contact and his passphrase. I've been intending to look in to it, but Ser Heraphel suggested we deal with the Hall of Souls first, before going against House Khomen," Tasha replies.
Then the Nohbakim-like woman adds, "I also look good in a Titan," in afterthought, shrugging and then grinning.
"You can't be seen when you're in a Titan, though," Gabriel points out.
"Titanians love Titans. They'd know," the young woman notes, grin turning in to a smile. "Call it mock-Titanian instinct."
"Want us to send Yue up next?" Gabriel asks.
"Please do. We'll go over the details for each goal when we get closer to them." Tasha stands up, then waggles her hand toward the door. "You are dismissed," she notes imperiously, ending as she began.
"See you at dinner," Gabriel says with a wink, and the two men leave, giving Tasha a few minutes at least before the Terran spy shows up.
Tasha lingers for a moment, deciding on what to do. At length, she decides to change in to something a bit more casual -- her tank top, shorts, and and booties -- and arrive first. In that way, she hopes to seem more genuine -- but inwardly she's gearng up for politics.
Yue Sen appears soon after, wearing a crimson jumpsuit that looks like it's made of Zolk and has cranes and flowers on it. "Ah, did you want me to coach your workout session, Tasha?" the small woman asks upon seeing Tasha's outfit.
"I bet Terran spies have amazing workouts, so of course I do." Tasha gestures to the empty chair across from her. She's chosen the main area of the crew lounge, which has been closed off for the meeting. The move isn't unsual by current ship standards, not yet; The crew lounge is still being populated and equipped, so remains largely empty other than a few tables, chairs, and the crude wet bar. "Don't like my outfit? I prefer to be comfortable when I drink, but some of my associates think I should change that. And, looks like I have one more, now."
"I surprised you haven't run dry already," the human notes, and goes to inspect the bar. "What're you drinking?" she asks.
"Black Hole Ale, some Titanians recommended it. By the way, never challenge a Titanian matriarch to a drinking contest," the younger woman replies. She stands up, joing the other at the bar and gesturing towards the large bottle with an equally large singularity-styled label. "I'm still getting used to mixed drinks and small glasses of things that aren't beer."
Yue plucks two of the bottles, and brings them over - handing one off to Tasha before sitting down with the other in her chair. "Interesting work out so far. Cheers!" she says, and pulls the cap off with her teeth before taking a swig.
Tasha blinks at the display, having expected more in what seems like a never ending stream of suggestions she become more civilizaed. Instead, she watches Yue join her on her level, then shrugs and does the same thing. When the bottle gos back down, she leans in and says, "Actually, I was hoping you'd help me understand Gaalctic power politics."
"I can try," Yue says. "But my knowledge is at least a few weeks out of date. So if there's a war going on that I don't know about, sorry."
"It's alright. My knowledge is what I pieced together in a few weeks, and the rest is six-thousand years old. I'm sure I'll learn something useful." After another swig, Tasha puts the bottle down and tilts her head. "How about Terra. What do you think Terra's real opinion is on this ship and its crew? What's the real story with Dr. Moraeu? And, how much influence can a spy like yourself exert over homeworld-level passport acquistion?"
"Wow, that's a lot of questions for just one beer," Yue notes, and slides down further in her chair. "I'm a scientist. Spying is just a way to pay the bills.. and get me to where the really good stuff is hidden. As far as I know, Terra doesn't know about this ship. And technically I'm not supposed to tell them either, since they really don't want to know about any illegal activities - just that tasks get done. Ever heard of plausible deniability?"
"No," Tasha answers, head shaking. "I'm new to being a spy. I'm actually an explorer and occassional warrior, though I prefer the exploring part -- it results in less lost hands and faces."
"Plausible deniability is the ability for someone to factually say, 'I had no idea that that was occurring.. I did not authorize that.. blah blah my ass is covered because my agent didn't tell me anything, and oh, what agent? I don't have any agents.."
Yue goes on to say, "This ship falls under the same heading as the Dainty Mauler, in other words. It's an anomaly. Something that could be really useful, so long as nobody ever has to admit to using it or knowing it exists. Because if they did know, and didn't blab to the entire Universe that there was a stealth artifact ship out there there would be repercussions - like immediately being accused of collusion and such."
"I can see how that would be useful in poltics, and more importantly, useful for us. So, you're under 'plausible deniablity,' and they don't know what they don't want to know. So, you don't need to tell them about us -- because we're illegal. I'm not sure what to think of being illegal the second I left Primus. But anyway, we're only useful if no one knows about us, because otherwise we'd be more of a political problem than a benefit. So no one will talk about us so long as they think we can be used, and will only reveal us if we make it clear we'll never aid them, to discredit the other parties," the younger woman asks.
"More or less, except for the last part," Yue says. "Nobody who knew would dare reveal you. There's no benefit to anyone. At least, not reveal you publicly."
"Well, 'not publicly' isn't so bad. The situation is better than I hoped, anyway. So, alright I understand your position and Terra's, at least on us. How about Dr. Moraeu? Is he like the Phins, or is he actually a renegade?" Tasha asks, then has another sip.
Yue takes another deep drink herself before answering. "I genuinely don't know," she admits. "I know about the Encante charade, but I'm an artifacts person, not an Uplift one. All I can really say is that I don't see a huge push to find the doctor, despite the whole 'theft of native presophonts' from Terra angle. I know enough Uplift folks to know they were really rankled by the Galactics pressuring us to stop Uplift work on gorillas."
"That's good to know," Tasha notes, having another drink before changing subjects again, "Do you think your abilities, contacts or other resoyrces could help us acquire a few IDs for accessing the Vartan colonies and homeworld?"
"That depends on how soon you need them and what you'll be doing with them," Yue notes. "Call it the price of getting them. I want to know why you want to visit Varta."
"I suppose saying I feel a strong desire to be with my people and see my homeworld isn't enough," the half-Vartan woman asks, then grins around her next swig.
"You aren't a Vartan though, are you?" Yue asks. "You smell like a Karnor."
"Still don't believe me? And I smell like a Karnor?" Tasha asks, eyeing the other woman -- she's never had a Human tell her she smells like anything before. "Another secret agent trick? I need to get some of those. Did you bring any?" She arches a brow, then exhales a sigh and leans back. "I'm half-Vartan. According to the medical scans, I'm mostly Vartan. I can use a Khattan neural interface designed for Vartans, for example. My piecemeal appearance is because my Karnor side can't heal easily from serious damage, because I'm really just a magic-modified Vartan. My mother is Vartan, by the way! My father was Karnor."
"Wow, that would give Khattans such nightmares," Yue notes. "Thing is though, you don't look like a normal Vartan. Homeworld Vartans are very.. image conscious.. I suppose you could say. You'd need to look fully Vartan to pass as Vartan there."
Tasha's expression falls, ears flattening at being described as not good enough for her own homeworld. After a moment, she asks, "Is there any way to do that? Your technology far exceeds what we havem even what we could scrape together. I haven't asked Jonas about any of this, because I'm not sure how deep I want him involved, for his sake."
Then something else occurs to her and she thinks to asks, "Nightmares?"
"Vartans and Karnors forming an alliance," Yue clarifies. "As for altering your appearance.. I don't know. The technology exists, since the Khattans have it. I figured you'd have some means of your own, given your magic spaceship and pet AI."
"I use what I find, but it's not spherical. There are always gaps. I could try employing Sifran technology -- magic -- back home, but that has its own risks. I'd prefer to use a medical approach Maybe our combined doctors can come up with something -- at least I have a reference." Tasha then cocks her head to the side. "Vartans and Karnors? That'd e nice, woudn't it? We have a lot in common -- and I don't mean just we as in me. Well, I'll save rebellions for later. Can you help with the IDs?"
"I can try, but I'll need DNA from everyone getting one," Yue notes. "I have no idea if yours will raise any flags or not. Like I said, you smell like a Karnor, but Vartans have a pretty weak sense of smell. Or it could just be Gabriel I'm smelling on you?" One eyebrow raises at the query, and she grins before taking another drink of ale.
"My mother isn't the only one who likes Karnors," Tasha answer in reply, tilting her head and sticking her raising her brows. "Gabriel and I have been together since all of this started. And you know, it might be him." She scratches her nose a moment, then leans back and sips before putting the bottle down again. "Well, you offered to help and didn't push me on knowing why, so either you can't see I'm lying or are hoping I'll offer betting on Vartan sentimentality -- so let me prove you right on the last bit. We're investigating. I'm an archaeologist myself, but I have my focus. I want to look in to some legends, some artifacts. And besides, I wasn't lying; I DO want to see my homeworld, though I'm a little afraid of it."
"Don't you have claim to two homeworlds though?" Sen asks. "I don't suppose you have a genuine Vartan who's been there to guide you, or at least know someone there?"
"I know of a Vartan who left the homeworld because he couldn't fit in. Sold his home, left his family. Maybe he could help guide us -- although it may take some convincing since he's not all that happy about being included in my 'spy business' -- I'm sure you're used to dealing with that though!" Tasha grins around her bottle again, taking a sip, them waggling a finger at the other woman. "Poor Kem! And do I? I get the impression Terra doesn't welcome me. On our world, that is, Abaddon, what became of the Terrans were very uncomfortable wehn I tried to join them. Then you said it yourself, Terrans stick together. I make Jonas uncomfortable, he says I'm not like the Karnor. No connection, right? Don't you all see me as just a awkward Vartan? I don't really belong with Terrans."
"Your Gabriel is a Terran," Yue points out. "I imagine with Dr. Knight it's more that he expects to feel a bond, because the part of you that actually talks is Karnor. Belters aren't like flatlanders though. Completely different society and economy and ideas of government."
"Really? That's interesting. But what does Gabriel have to do with it? I'm talking as a whole, not just my mate. The 'Terran Family,' like you called it," the younger woman notes.
"Here's a secret, Tasha," Yue says, and leans in a bit. "When it comes to people, there is no 'as a whole'. You never meet them. Just individuals. The whole is an illusion, a political and statistical construct because you can't factor in the beliefs and behavior of a few billion people with vastly different cultural backgrounds and hope to represent them all."
Tasha perks her ears, leaning forward -- and then she leans back and takes another drink. "I've heard that before," she notes, sounding non-too-pleased about it. "I guess I can just blame the Expedition then. That hurt, you know? It's hard being different, I don't need my halves telling me I'm not 'Karnor enough' or 'Vartan enough.' I'll just have to blame individuals, I guess." Another sip goes down, then she asks, "You're a artifact hunter, aren't you? A xenobiologist? Ever hear of a Progenitor?"
"Adam, Eve, Lilith, and that bunch?" Yue says. "Of course. There have been a few resurgences of Progenitor fever over the centuries. Usually when convenient to those doing the preaching. One is a belief that no species achieves space-faring levels of intelligence without outside help. A convenient argument for Uplift, as well as a religious call to support it."
"Eve ... and Lilith. And Adam. And Ahriman. Eve or Lilith, Progenitor of Humanity. Adam, the leader. Ahriman, Progenitor of Celestials ... What do you know about them?" Tasha places her drink aside, just out of easy reach. Instead, she perks her ears and watches curiously.
"Everyone has creation myths," Yue says. "The only reason the notion of the Progenitors had any traction was because of the Origin Markers. Although really, there's no evidence to suggest they indicate the marked races were created by a group of godlike beings. They could mean anything."
"Of course," Tasha says with a slow nod. "Have you ever seen an Origin Marker?"
"No," the woman says. "There are records of them, but no originals on display. At least not where anyone is allowed to actually see them. Now that we know about the Starseeds, the Progenitor theories mostly faded away."
"Starseeds?" Is the young hybrids next question.
"Know what a solar sail is?" Yue asks first.
"A spacecraft powered by solar winds?" Tasha ventures, her hand slowly sneaking back towards her drink.
"Close!" Yue says, waggling her bottle a bit. "Instead of wind, they're like mirrors that reflect radiation - light. Each photon that hits and bounces imparts a tiny bit of momentum. Over time, that builds up to a pretty high velocity. Starseeds are living solar sails, a thousand or so miles across. They migrate along paths that go from the galactic core out to near the rim along the spiral arms. A round trip of a million years at least. And along the way, spread packets of DNA to seed life on other worlds. It was always a mystery, how all the known lifeforms had the same fundamental building blocks. The Starseeds are why. And we're pretty sure someone made them. Maybe seven billion years ago."
"Wow! You should tell Eli about that, he'll spill his drink," Tasha remarks, eyes widenng and ears splaying out. "So, someone made a slow, but really robust method of continuing to repopulate the galaxy. Seven billion years ... Was that before, during, or after the last galactic cycle?"
"It was before Terra formed," Yue says. "They might be the oldest known organic lifeforms. The universe is only twice as old. It takes time to create enough carbon and other elements before organic life is even possible."
"So Old Ones, or even Ancients -- I've heard of them being called the 'true Progenitors' too. If so, they may predate the Sifras, although I don't know at what point the Sifras came to be sentient. So much life, so many ancient beings ... When I learned of what ws out here, even just the glimpse old Nora Argentine gave me, I never imagined it'd be this immense," the hybrid woman admits, head shaking in awe at it all.
"Whoever made them likely was not organic, in other words," Yue clarifies. "The oldest Galactic civilization we know of still arose just a billion years ago."
Tasha lifts a her brows again, pausing her next drink to say, "Non-organic? Creating organics? And all from somewhere near the core ... You think you've seen the oldest, scariest or most vast ... And then there's something new to take its place. Progenitors and Sifras are almost becoming quaint."
"Well, they're at least more contemporary," Yue says. "We peg the Sifras at about a billion years, the First Ones between five and one million years. Progenitors, supposedly within the last forty thousand years. No fossil evidence for them though, at least on Terra. No sudden, startling changes in human evolution. But Uplift isn't always needed.."
"I've heard they're outsiders, from another reality. I guess you could say I'm a believer, in other words. If you know more about them, I'd like to hear it," says Tasha.
"I can tell you were the Markers were found. Never on a homeworld of the depicted species though.. always nearby, usually in the ruins of a First Ones civilization. The sorts of places inquisitive space-farers were sure to explore," Yue notes.
"I've heard that before. Fafnir, for example," the young explorer notes. She then tilts her head and asks, "Do you know anyone who may have one? Or have a master list of species that are said to have had one, and their related Progenitor?"
"Nothing like that," Yue says. "Most of the Progenitor mythology comes from the 'finds' on Fafnir. Human mythology has thousands of gods. The same holds for the other Galactics. Take your pick as to who is a Progenitor, or go by the claims of the cultists on Fafnir. They say they have the master list.. but won't release it."
"The Book of Life, or, the Book of Ascending in to Light ... That might be it." Tasha plans her elbow on the table, then ehr head down on it. Her free hand twirls her booze in a slow, considering pace that matches her expression. "Hmmmmm."
"We know the Old Celestials were bioengineered, just not if it was a predecessor civilization that did it or if they did it to themselves," Sen says. "The Vartans are less certain. They seem engineered. Their Marker was found in the ruins of another avianoid civilization. There's a lot of focus on the Vartans right now."
"Want to help me steal a book?" Tasha suddenly asks after several seconds of quiet thought, ears perking at all the new information.
"I'm a spy dear, we don't steal things," Yue says, waggling a finger. "We copy them without anyone knowing."
"Well, think you could copy Lilith's book?" The other woman then asks, brows raising. "Because I think I know where it is."
"If it's an actual book, then it's just a matter of flipping the pages fast enough," Yue says. And she grins. "Would be nice to know if it's a real artifact and not some made up religious prop though.."
"It might be. If the Origin Marker of Humans is nearby, well, that's probably a good indication." Another sip goes down, then Tasha grins right back. "Come with me back to Primus. We'll visit the Kampfengruppe, seee about their book. They believe in the supremacy of Humans, right? And you're some kind of superior Human, so, that's pretty much the same thing as having a right to see it. I'll just tag along as your inferior but very curious ally to your very Human natural interest."
Yue's eyes go wide at the offer to visit Primus. "That's right, there was a Teuton ship that joined the Expedition, wasn't there? And a whole new system probably brimming with artifacts.. that I can't take home for study or ever really tell anyone about. Sounds like torture, but very pleasant torture. I'll have to report in about dropping off Herbie first though. Agents have a lot of free reign."
"That sounds good to me. We'll be headed home, soon. You'll probably take a lot of explaining -- my Titanian friends are going to look at you very closely. I'd suggest going wheer they tell you and staying there, because they're very clever and very dangerous. Other than that, well, it should be easy! I'm a minor official, I can handle everything." The young woman smiles, then polishes off her drink in one more throwback before slamming it down. "Ahh ... I'm going to have a hangover. Oh well! Where was I ... Oh! Primus. I'll introduce you to the other Terragen Agent I know, I'm sure you two have lots to talk about. Really, though, our goal might well involve invading a compound full of really unpleasant, full-of-themselves humans in ugly masks. It'll be dangerous, guns, bla bla bla political rammifications if caught bla. Sounds fun right?"
"Better than writing a paper on the Pak and then having to put into black storage for a century," Yue agrees. "And I can always go as luggage. Hibernation pods aren't hard to come by."
"Migth be a bad idea. Technology isn't that stable back home. You'll have to see what we can use, but, the hibernation pod should be okay as long as we wake you up before we land ... and maybe during other parts of the trip. I'll be on top of that, don't worry. Oh, and I'll have to tell Gabriel. He'll, um, he'll look at me funny when I mention this -- but I'll work it out!" Tasha waggles her hands, then slides the bottle she was drinking from far away from herself. "Sinister plans, entire bottle of Black Hole ... I think I like spy businesses."
After another bottle (or two) and more conventional talk (turns out Yue is a 'cat person' and it doesn't mean she has whiskers or pointy ears), the 'workout' session winds down. Yue doesn't have a lot of body mass to absorb the alcohol, and needs to get some rest as a result.
Tasha feels more than tipsy, but not too much more. She bidded the Asian womana fond farewell, with thanks and an excited remark about future endeavors. Now alone, she considers finding her bed and falling on it before her lunch gets angry and finds her floor, but decides she's good enough to handle one more task. To that end, she lays down on the couch in her quarters and projects.
"Niss ... ugh ... This is harder while drinky ... Um, Niss? Can you hear me?" She sends.
"Your thoughts are dim," comes the almost whispered reply. The connection always works better when physical contact is involved when it comes to the Niss.
"Oh fine ... Um, wow they are dim aren't they ... I should hurry ... I am falling asleep ... " Tasha gives her head a good shake, immediately regrets it, then rolls over and says, "Hokay ... Task, right. How did I lose to Bumper ... Oh well ... Focus. Can you make me look like a pure Vartan? Like Kem, but ... not Kem, that would be weird ... although ... " She pauses for a moment, then shakes her head. "No Gabriel wouldn't like it ... uh ... Oh! Like me. Like the, um, image of me he did. The painting. Should have been in database. A pure Vartan me. Physically."
"Yes," is the short reply.
"Well if you can't that's fi-" The young woman blinks, head lifting. "Wait, you can? Really?"
"The template is there," the Niss reply. "It can temporarily be always having been expressed."
"You can ... wait what?" It takes Tasha several seconds to process the response, then she just flattens her ears and begins slowly sliding off the couch. "How long? Should I practice before I uh ... Oh ... Varta."
"It will require 15.3% of our attendance," the Niss not-quite-clarifies. "Then we can make it always have been expressed."
"That ... uh ... Oh. Well." After sliding off her couch on to the floor, Tasha rises like so much goal-oriented ooze and clambers to her feet. Seconds later she's exited the Artifact Bay with the brain-like orb under her arm, the woman making a beeline -- in the sense that she isn't walking straight -- for her sleeping chamber. "Hokay ... do your thing ... I am going to sleep now. Wake me up ... When I wake up."