Trying to contact Persephone turns out to be a bit easier than trying to get Charon to call her, since the living sapphire remote is right there on the edge of the lake with the others. She seems to be talking to the dolphins, and Tasha can make out Charon perched on Shojo's shoulder as well.
"Well that was easy," Tasha observes, head tilting to the side. "Usually I find the gods and bring my friends to them." She shrugs, then waves Thoth along after her as she heads on over.
"DO NOT BE AFRAID," the not-hybrid declares to the assembled, holding her hands up in a non-threatening manner, "DESPITE MY INTIMIDATING NEW EXISTANCE I, TASHA, AM TASHA!"
This announcement results in.. a mob. Tasha's friends surround her, poke her, move her arms and wings around and feel her up. Even her tail gets handled. "I like the feathery fringes," Katie notes, while Jonas turns Tasha's head back and forth to examine her eyes. The Lapi are down below, checking her feet (and probably other things too). "You look smoother," Yue adds. "Your mind as well." Even Shojo and Lacci feel along Tasha's shoulders and biceps.
"So, Persephone says you can have children now," Gabriel says, with a bit of a grin.
"Amazonia still wants winged Lapis in that case," Aaron points out.
Thoth is still approaching, and walks right past the gawkers towards the big remote.
"Thanks dragon mom," Tasha mock-chides the god, hoping the god has as much of a sense of humor as Tasha suspects she does. Meanwhile she holds her arms and wings out and allows herself to be a living model, there for inspection and appreciation. "And yes, I think I can. Or, well, she says I can, so I can. Except," and here she holds up a finger, arms still outstretched, " ... all my daughters are copies of me."
"What about the males though?" Katie asks, suddenly curious about this turn of events.
"Like the father." Tasha emphasizes this by prodding Gabriel. She then pauses mid-poke, tilts her head again, and adds, "I think ... any father? Is that right, Dragon Mom?" She shifts to her tip-hooves, trying to see over people she can actually try and see over, and frowns as she sees Thoth on his way. "Oh, and meet Thoth! He's energy! And sad!"
"You will have to find out for yourself," Persephone calls back in a voice like windchimes.
"Hmmmm," Aaron considers, rubbing his chin, until Liza elbows him.
"Why are moms always like this," Tasha asks the universe as she settles back down in to the mob. "Okay, enough touchy-feely here, lets, um, touchy-feely over by Persephone. You can take turns examining me -- Gabriel and Katie get to go first of course."
Aaron gets further elbowed from the other side. Tasha's elbows are a bit skinnier, as it turns out.
And so the mob breaks up a bit as they return to the beach. "I suppose this means we'll be heading back to the ship soon," Gabriel says. "At least there will be some fresh fish and other meat to bring."
Persephone seems to be in silent conversation with Thoth, but that doesn't preclude her talking to anyone else it seems. "Yes, Charon will be healed soon and we will be taking our leave of your reality," she chimes.
"The fishing and hunting is usually so sparse in the endless abyss, too. It almost feels like a shame to eat any of it, it's all a collector's item." Tasha plops herself down near the larger of the two draconic remotes, leaning over and giving Persephone a big grin and a finger wiggle wave before patting the ground beside her for Katie and Gabriel. "But as you can see I'm new. Whole, and new. I'm still figuring out what that means for me, and you know about being able to have children, um, mostly. I also seem to be a bit," she holds up the span of two fingers; this much, " ... of a demon now. I can see .. things. I can also hold coffee with my tail!"
To Persephone, Tasha adds, "Aww, but I'm going to miss you two!"
"Hold coffee with your tail?" Katie asks. "You aren't thinking of going back to being a bar-wench are you?"
"You know why we mustn't linger here," Persephone reminds. "Once Charon is fit for astral travel we must leave."
Tasha lays her ears back and sticks her tongue out, grimmacing. It's not quite the same level of disgust as it would be on her former bodies, she's too slight and big eyed to quite pull it off the way she intends. "Gods n-- sorry Persephone -- other things, no. But I think maybe I should, um, well I want to ... To step back a little, from the front lines. I don't want to die now that I'm ... me, now, and ... And I don't think I'm quite over it?"
And then Tasha turns back to Persephone and nods. "I know, I was just being facetious, not that I won't miss you. All it means is that I'll have to go visit you!"
"You have my Marker," Persephone notes. But doesn't elaborate. Certainly not go so far as to explain what it is or does.
"I swear confounding mortals must be some kind of hobby of gods," Tasha tells the others, throwing her hands up ... and then reaching her tail up to wrap it around her left hand. "See! Grippy. So, be honest you two, what do you think? Are my eyes too big? Am I going to be pregnant by tomorrow? Do you want to see how many coffees my tail can hold? The answer is one."
"I wouldn't use for holding coffee," Katie says. "I like it, you look fresh and seem happier! And you've got more feathers and softer fur."
"You're just petite enough," Gabriel says, and chuckles at the pregnant remark. "I imagine Jonas will need to do some tests to figure out what sort of hormones you have now before trying for that."
"I'm cuddle enhanced. It turns out deep inside my lumbering bird-thing body was an increadibly soft and wonder-tailed being just ready to be happier and hold coffee with three limbs." And then the tail snakes over and holds Katherine. curling around her hand, smiling, then turning to Gabriel to nod at him. "I don't mind tests, and I don't mind being petite. I think I would have minded if you asked me before, but now that I'm like this, I think I like it a lot. Whatever the case, I'm also determined to like who and what I am now, whatever that is."
"Do you miss being Human?" Gabriel asks, and Katherine looks like she wanted to ask the same question. It must be something Karnors would be curious about.
"Oh, um, this is ... an existentially loaded question for you two, isn't it." Tasha turns to Persephone for some reason, "Moooom, how do I answer existentially loaded questions? Should I be vague and suggestive without giving any concrete answers? Maybe something like, "ask the Human within you," or "if Humans were fine with themselves, why did they chose not to be alone?" That sort of thing?"
"It is a wholly subjective topic, so you should just answer it," Persephone notes. "The Humans will understand."
"Chaaaron, your mom has betrayed me." Tasha huffs, which also seems to make her puff out a little. It does not inspire a sense of punishing disappointment. "Alright, fine." Turining back, Tasha spreads her taloned, Human-like bird hands, "What I remember about being Human is feeling vulnerable, afraid, and lonely. So I was always trying to think about ways I could come up with not to be vulnerable, afraid, or lonely. Except, I could never really answer all of my problems. Being flexible and being able to swim was very nice, while being so delicate and unable to fly was not. I do not like feet. I do like fiddily fingers, which I still have, so that's great. Um. Sex with Gabriel was kind of painful, that was not great. Sorry Gabe." Gabriel gets patted, there there. "Sex with Katie was not for obvious reasons. Sex with both of you was scary, which made it better somehow, but also, well, scarier. I don't think I miss being Human, but I do think I understand them a lot better now. I don't think I'll ever forget what it was like, and I think even if I'm not longer Human I ... still am, just a little." And so Tasha touches her head and her heart, in here.
"So, you're more Karnor now!" Gabriel declares.
"The poor Vartans," Katie says, shaking her head.
"I'm definitely more something! And that something is me." Tasha then leans over and tries to bite Gabriel for sabotauging her with Vartans.
"So are you really more sensitive now?" Katie asks, and wiggles her fingers menacingly. "I knew where your tickle spots were before.."
"Yooou'lllll juuuust have to fiiiind ouuuuut," Tasha sing-songs, leaning back from enjoying her returned ability to bite things and not have her face hurt. "Maybe I'll win this time!" It's unlikely.
"And you're more leggy," Gabriel says. "But what about the things we can't see? Do you look back at your old self as yourself or as someone else?"
"That I'm still figuring out. When I was Human, I looked at a image of me and I felt a bit like that Tasha was someone else, someone I knew who was close to me, and who died. I wasn't sure who I was at the time, I know I was Tasha buts also just a fragment. I think the Human me would have been very confused as to who she was, if she was really me, or if she was just a fragment, like a piece of a broken mirror, and someone else. Is it weird to wnat to cry because you died?" The younger woman blinks twice, then shrugs her shoulders. "But I feel complete now, so maybe the Human was someone else. I feel like the old me is me, but also not. It's hard to explain. We're not exactly the same, even if we're of the same essentialality. I am complete while the old me was, well, broken. I see now that's why I used to run in to danger, I was trying to make up for what was missing, to cover up my pain. It never really did go away."
"You probably should have eaten lots of peanut butter and chocolate when you were human," Katie says. Abaddon had lost the formula for Karnor-friendly chocolate over the ages.
"Uhhhh," goes Tasha, who suddenly seems very interested in her tail. The tail, for its part, sort of bobs in place, swaying back and forth like a dancing fingerling.
"You were a cute human, but not as cute as you are now," Gabriel says, "And I'm glad that you feel more complete now.. so long as you still want me around. I know I was filling in for something you were missing at first."
"You mean a father?" Tasha looks back from her tail, brows raising. It's not as if she wasn't aware of it, in fact both she and Gabriel were well aware of the problem and had simply agreed it existed without being sure how to address it. Since it didn't cause any serious problems, it went largely unaddressed. "Well, I still don't have one of those, but then, I'm me. Persephone said I 'created myself', so in a sense I am my own creator, now. But you know, in another way, it doesn't feel like it matters anymore. I feel like I've transcended my old worries about self and fathers and family. I am something new, now. I am a species that creates itself. I must be okay with this, or how can any of my daughters ever expect to be? I am the first."
Gabriel hugs Tasha. "Although if your daughters are going to copies of you, being a proper father to them will be odd. I'd get to see you grow up again. Nora can babysit."
"It's going to be a little weird," Tasha agrees, reaching out and hugging on to Gabriel in return. "But my answer is of course I still want you. I didn't want you just because I needed a father-figure, or even because I needed to be big. Maybe those were part of why I tried so hard, but I don't need them anymore. Not for us. I don't want any me that doesn't want you around." And so Katie doesn't feel left out, Tasha grabs her foot by the tail.
"And do you still shiny people?" Katie has to ask. "Admittedly I haven't been shiny since we left Caltrop.."
Tasha pulls her muzzle back from where it's trapped from being very snuggily with Gabriel. She looks over and cocks her head to the side. "That's a good question. I'm not really sure? I feel like I want to be shiny, though, or maybe I just want to avoid scary life-threatening things for a while. Oh, and I like rough and growly Katie. Abaddon was good but ... rough and growlie Katie is better." And to emphasize the point, Tasha curls her tail in to the approximation of a heart, which is a symbol from Nora's memories, and also, somewhat lumpy.
Katie laughs. "Well, there won't be room to hunt you on the ship," she notes. "Unless that virtual reality stuff can make it work. Modo could probably make something to let us run.." Of course, if there's a template for it, the Niss could probably make it, but Katie is more about working with things on a more visceral level: Katie Kaboom.
"Also, we could rent space on planets or in stations! And I think the ship's internal spatial dimensions are mallable, it has to do with self-contained information sets and stuff." Tasha wiggles her fingers; and stuff. "Oh! Did I tell you about my magic eyeball? You should know about my magic eyeball. Since we're asking about who likes what about who, when I became all of me, I was made from all of me: Nora's memories, Tisiphone, Blackwings ... but also the connection to the Source, and maybe to Tatha-hem as well. Sam and Dragon Mom called it a spore, that it'd have taken me over, maybe, turned me in to a servant -- but now it serves me. Is me. Sam says I lean a little more demony now, but we're not exactly sure what that means yet. Are you okay with that?" Ears forward, eyes wide. Not exactly demonically terrifying, but then demons are often seductive.
"So nothing's actually changed?" Gabriel asks. "This is the same thing that let you wake up the Horse after all."
"The goat-feet were a giveaway.." Katie claims.
"I can see things now. Also it's part of me, not an addition. The goat fee-" Tasha pauses, stretching out her legs and wiggling her hooves feet. "Goat-hooves really are more awesome, Sam was right. Vartan hooves are strictly inferior. Where was I? Oh." Tasha points to her forehead. "Right, that's my eye. I have three eyes now. I'm not exactly sure what it sees yet, but I know Sam looks different than you mortals do than how .... Oh, hold on ... "
The unnamed species of a woman turns and focuses on Persephone, trying to get her new eye to focus in turn.
Persephone's remote doesn't look any different than before. The 'dark eye' may only be able to detect 'dark' forms of energy. Persephone does glow a bit, but Tasha can see that with her normal eyes: blue plasma seems to flow around beneath the crystal skin.
"So what do you see?" Gabriel asks.
"Huh," goes Tasha. Turning back, Tasha shrugs a little, "Nothing different, actually, just your run-of-the-mill avatar of a pan-universal deific being. She's pretty neat." And so the young woman looks back and gives Persephone another wiggle-finger wave, then promptly flops against Gabriel and puts her feet in Katie's lap. "So far I've only seen anything looking at the Marker, Hake, and Sam. The Marker is probably a Color, that's capital-C color, hyperuniversal abstract conceptual memetic colors. And Sam is ... dark. Dark. Hake was different, like swirling something-else colors."
"That stuff Katha-hem put into her head?" Gabriel asks, a bit somberly. He's never really trusted the Ogdru-hem because of that.
Tasha sobers just the same, ears splaying out and expression going more neutral. "Maybe. It's not dark ike Sam is, but I'm not sure what it is, either. Not a pure Color, maybe several of them? I'm not sure if I can interact with it -- I'm afraid to try in case it hurts her."
"I think that once she uses it up it'll be gone," Katie says. Then asks, "Wait, where is Hakeber?"
Tasha's expression perks up a bit. "Hake couldn't resist Sam-me and how feeeey he is. She tried to talk me in to joining them, but you two get me first. It's a rule. She's back on the ship, which helped me distract Sam so Thoth could talk to Persephone without Dark-Light hypermagical drama." Her eyes roll, possibly all three. It's hard to tell.
"Fey? Oh.. okay, I see that now," Katie says, grinning. "But it's safe for her, right?"
"Well, if she was going to try it, she wasn't going to ask me for permission. I am not the boss of who-has-who," Tasha insists, spreading her hands. "Sam's what Sam is. Hake knows this. She may know better than everyone, inclduing me, but maybe not. Definitely better than most on the ship. I've given everyone the warning and Hake helps me figure out Dark beings. It's not exactly the safest of choices, but at the same time, well, ... It should be okay, right?"
"I don't think Samael would cause her harm and jeopardize his position.. whatever that is," Gabriel notes. "I suppose he's part of the ship, in a sense. Plus he knows that Thoth can neutralize him. And we've seen Hakeber do something similar with Urgo-hem's projection."
"Plus I'd totally yell at him or find a way to look like Thoth so he'd have to look like Thoth, and then he'd regret it forever." Tasha nods, satisfied. "But I agree with you: He won't hurt her, and that's why I didn't interfere. Better Hake try it when we're right here with Thoth, Persephone, Charon and with Lukthu-hem neutralized, that's a lot of scary things to risk riling. And, honestly? I'm not sure he's that bad. We'll see, won't we?" She reaches up and taps her forehead, just above her new eye.
"Well, I suppose it solves the problem of her plush toy being taken away," Katie jokes. "Yue can presumably do fine without. I seriously doubt she'd be as taken with Sam as Hakeber is. And.. he looks like a male you still. Weird."
"A new male male me, so ... kind of girly actually?" Tasha shrugs again, who knows. "I'm girlier, too, much more delictae. Or feeeey, as Hake likes to say." The young woman turns to look back at Gabriel, then reaches around and hugs his arm for some reason. "So any other questions? Persephone is right, once she's done they must leave, and so should we in case one of her relatives shows up, or some other power does. What's happened here is noteworthy on a hyperuniversal scale."
"We should start ferrying people back to the ship then," Gabriel says. "I think Shojo is ready.. he was off in the woods with Charon and Lacci for some time. Getting the dolphins out of the lake will be a chore.."
"I think Persephone wants to talk to them. I'm not surprised, they are kind of like hyperuniversal hyperwhale hyperwhales." Tasha lets Gabriel go, then, pulls her legs in before bouncing to her feet. "And I need to go get my Charon hugs in before he leaves. I suppose I should talk to Persephone, Thoth, annnnd am I forgetting anything else?"
"I think the rest of us can fend for ourselves," Gabriel says, picking Tasha up so he can get up. "Do what you need to while I start herding the others back into the shuttles."
"Hookay. Everyone can grill me when we get back to the ship and get out of here. Maybe we can get some readings on all the salvage ops on the way out? Think of all the history, fancy technology, and ships made of wood!" Tasha waggles her hands. Wood! Then she steps back and blows a kiss with both hands. "Thank you for loving me, you may love me more later. Right now: Need to talk to mom god and grumpy god."
And so she's off.
Thoth's expression is his usual poker-face, with only his eyes whirring occasionally as he stares at.. nothing. He's probably communicating with Persephone privately, but the large remote just seems to be looking out over the water.
"Ammm I innnteeeruuupting annnything?" Tasha inquires as she siddles up to the two, hands behind her back, body bowed forward, ears up and eyes wide. "Are we doomed? Is it going well?"
"Well enough," Thoth replies, breaking his stare to look at Tasha again. "Are we preparing to leave?"
"Very soon. We should be ready to depart when Charon is ready to go, we musn't delay them or Auntie Universe Destroyer will come and destroy us." Tasha nods, then straightens. "I'm not sure if we should even linger in this region of space, as much as I'd like to look at the old ships. Would that be risky?" The latter aimed at Persephone.
"It is only the presence of Stelya'rhyan that is detectable," Persephone assures. "Your presence is not anything she would notice or be looking for."
"Is she hostile to her own kind, Persephone? She's hunting Dark creatures, isn't she? She would really destroy Charon along with us?" Tasha's ears go up again.
"No, she would not act against us. So long as Charon does not let others know about his 'battle' Ereshkigal should not be suspicious enough to check this reality," Persephone explains.
Tasha considers this, would Charon tell anyone about his exciting, death-defying battle and his special little microbial friend? Her ears splay. "Annnd, how likely is that?" And then she remembers her other questions, spurred on by the clock running down. "And what is the Way? And do you know the Vril? And, and, did you build the crawling machines that allow entry in to the Way? Can I use the Way?"
"We don't call it that," Persephone notes. "Charon is going to be.. grounded.. for some time, so will not talk about his embarrassing battle. In my current time, construction has not been completed, so I cannot speak of things that are in my own future."
"Ohhh, so I'm older than you?" Tasha turns to Thoth and waggles her eyebrows, ah-ha. "You know if you ever need my wise advice, ability to bite very small things, or lycrobial combat expertise, I won't mind at all if you ask. It's important as your senior that I put forth a good example." And so she lays a hand over her heart.
"The corridor can theoretically reach all realities and times," Persephone notes. "That is only a side-effect, however. I'm sure I will know more when the time comes."
"I'll just have to ask someone more timely about it then. I really want to know who made the dancing gate, because it's very nice." Tasha spreads her hands, then folds them back behind her back, leaning forward again. "Lets see ... Did I say thank you enough? Probably not. Thank you Persephone, you're my second favorite pan-universal space whale. I'll expect a hug before you go, but if you want to bite my head, I'll understand."
So of course Persephone tries to bite Tasha's head. The inside of her mouth is also very glowy.. but she does release Tasha before breaking any skin. And there's no slobber. "Who is the first favorite?" she demands.
Tasha has her hands on the dragon's head when she bites, but does not move, scream, panic or feel particularly in danger. It's more of a ritual: I tease you and you bite my head, no hard feelings. Everyone's a friend. "Well, Charon of course! I didn't get chewed up and spit out by a baby starball because I was bored, I mean I was bored but that ended when we arrived at Lukthu-hem. He's so adorably naive, yet so vast, it never occured to me something so cute could even exist!"
"Cute only gets you so far," Persephone proclaims. "Thoth was cute once. Dwell on that."
Tasha makes a show of clasping her head. "I am but I don't want to! And because you can travel through time an ancient, wise, vastly influential Charon could pop up at any time, including yesterday! I wonder if he'll even remember me? Being small has its disadvantages, too. And you're rigth about cute, I was cute until I got eaten."
"You were not cute," Persephone claims. "Now you are. You were likely growly and rumpled before, and itched where the two halves met."
"That can get itchy, yes," Thoth agrees. "Now, all of the Vril-ya will want to have offspring with you."
"Hey now lots of people though I was cute, Blackwings said I was cute. Lots. Of. People." Tasha plants a hand on her hip and shakes a finger at the bigger of the two gods. "But you're very right I am much cuter now, I was very growly, I was only sometimes rumpled, and I was very itc--"
Thoth's comment causes a double take. "W-wait, what? That's not possible. Wait, is it?" She looks up dragonward. "Is it?"
"How should I know?" Persephone admits. "They managed to create Thoth. It can't be that difficult. Amateurs manage to do it quite often."
"Someone is very full of herself," Tasha observes, peering up at Persephone. "But does that mena you've met the Vril-ya before? And Thoth before?"
"We've exchanged information," Persephone notes. "I have not personally met any of the Vril-ya. I may do so at some point in my future or their past. They do not sound particularly compatible though."
"They can be difficult," Tasha agrees, nodding with what she hopes is sagely nodding. "I promised an important one to make a smaller one remove the Ogdru-hem from this universe, in exchange for a people. Thoth," she points a pinky at Thoth, " ... was supposed to be the one who would help me do that, but wow did things ever go differently." She turns to Thoth and nods. "I had planned to tell you all of this, but we didn't exactly get along and there was the whole super-ancient demigod problem to deal with annnd then I died and well, it was all very busy."
"The Vril-ya are not gods, therefore I am not a demi-god," Thoth claims. "Just old. Real gods create things, and the Vril-ya do not do that."
"They create themselves," Tasha notes, reaching out and trying to lay a finger on Thoth's large beak. "Just because they have a different way doesn't mean they're not creators. Sometimes I think Vril must have self-esteem problems. You're all very hard on yourselves. Besides, I was talking about Lukthu-hem, she made things. Scary things. I'm still surprised we were able to win, but it was hard to guage her strength. Was it really that close?" This last part to Persephone.
"Charon is young, Lukthu-hem was very old. She had weathered countless battles. It was a close thing," Persephone notes.
Tasha bounces on her hooves. "So I wasn't just deluding myself about being useful! It's always nice when that happens." There's more bouncing, then she goes on. "I think I'm going to keep trying to beat them. Hastur has made it very clear in his special way that I need to deal with Sedu-hem, and Hake needs that, too. I might think about getting an army, though. I'm not sure I can do what I did for Charon again, um, maybe not so soon. I need to figure out a way ti fight that isn't throwing myself at it like an arrow and hoping it breaks before I do. I like this body!"
"Doesn't Hastur have armies?" Persephone asks. "Granted, they'd be mad, but that is his way."
"Maybe I'm, uh ... That's a good question actually. Why does he use me?" Tasha cocks her head to the side. "I mena sure I carry his Marker and I've destroyed a few one way or another, but it's always one way or another. I have help. Mostly I've been using the Dagger, but sometimes it works out like it did this time. But why ... me. He said my being drained of color wouldn't do, then he told me to go after Sedu-hem, inspected me and and ... he revived me. I know I'm super great and all, but I do wonder if I'm that great."
"How long has he waited for someone to further his agenda?" Persephone notes. "It's much easier to back your current investment rather than lose it and hope for something better. The bird in the hand is worth two in the bush, as the old saying goes."
"So I'm Champion of Insanity Dame Good Enough?" Tasha's ears wilt. "I know he's a godlike super virus and all but I did like feeling I was special. I should ask him next time, if he, uh, wants to answer. He's more talkative than some beings, but he's not exactly, um, easy going." The young woman exhales, then rubs her nose. "Speaking of scary beings who I sometimes work with, can you tell me what happened to the Null, Persephone? And if He ... It? ... will obliterate us if we keep using the Dagger?"
"Dark Beings do not have souls to destroy," Persephone notes. "So it doesn't matter to Null if you kill them."
"I see. And the rest isn't something you're going to tell me, is it." Tasha looks wide eyed, but straight faced and a little nervous despite her otherwise teasing two significantly more powerful beings. The Null isn't something she takes lightly even if it may not be her enemy. Whatever Vartan sense of things she has or had, it can't handle what the Null is. The more she tries, the more she begins to shake.
"You will likely never encounter the Null, unless you reach the prison of Erebus, where the Ogdoad are held," Persephone says. "Plant my marker there, and.. don't watch what happens."
"The traditional consequence of witnesses such events is being turned into a pillar of salt," Thoth notes.
"You can't just say don't watch. Now I want to watch more. Aren't you a mom? Or is that the trick and I'm supposed to watch." Tasha just shakes her head. She gets this sort of thing enough from her own two mothers, and also from herself. "And I have encountered the Null. The first time we used the Dagger I could feel it. Feel something there, a presence, and darkness. No one else remembers it or saw it, but I did." Tasha then turns and gives Thoth a funny look. "Why salt? Do you turn the Ogdoad in to pretzels or something?"
"They get turned into nothing," Persephone explains. "Witnesses such a thing can cause you to unravel as well."
"That would be very inconvinent," Tasha agrees, nodding slowly. "I tried almost not existing, and I'm not really big on it. I do think I know what the world looks like, though, if that helps. Lots of stars, giant black monoliths, rocky, that sort of thing? I saw it when I tried to sleep in the Source's prison, which is maybe outside of time."
"It is unreachable, orbiting the giant black hole at our galaxy's center," Thoth points out. "Only the alleged super-hyperdrive of the Khattas could make the journey."
Tasha inhales a deep breath, then exhales. "Well I guess I know where I'm going sooner or later. Maybe when we go and annoy House Khomen they'll have one around so we can 'borrow' it." And so the young woman makes grabby-takey motions with her hands.
"There's no rush," Persephone notes, without a trace of sarcasm. "Repairs are almost complete now."
"Sounds like I better rush," Tasha responds, straight-faced. She scoots over to Persephone and then tries to hug her leg. "Bye Dragon Mom. I'll miss you. If you need me to baby sit, you know where and when I am."
Lacci sort of idles nearby, as if waiting for Tasha to notice here. Given that she's competing with Persephone and Thoth for attention grabbing, however, she's being patient.
After getting her avatar-of-a-god-level-sentience hug in, Tasha turns to Thoth and nods to him. "Work out what you came to work out, then come help us pack up. We shouldn't stay any longer than we must, for everyone's sake." She looks back to Persephone one more time, opens her mouth, then closes it. /Maybe there are some things I should wait to ask, some mysteries I shouldn't /try/ to know just yet. I have enough to deal with in /this/ universe. When I'm old enough and when I've done enough, I can ask about more. First, /my current mysteries/. So instead she just beams a smile, then bows deeply to the draconic remote.
The sapphire creature bows back, and then spreads her many wings and.. just sort of floats off towards the damaged areas of the giant chamber.
"How does she do that?" Well, one more mystery. Looking around, and deciding Thoth can probably communicate at range using whatever he uses to communicate, Tasha takes inventory of the surrounding persons. It's then she notices Lacci watching her in the same way Mariel used to, the way that says I want attention but I'm too polite and shy to push past scarier, older, and more authoritative beings to get it sooner rather than later. Since evryone else is getting ready to go and don't seem to need her highly refined ability to pick things up and relocate them, she approaches Lacci. "Sooooomebody wants to talk to the universe's first super-Tasha!"
"Well, it's more that an issue has come up that I don't know how to deal with," Lacci says, and is apparently embarrassed from the way her feathers are slightly poofing. She then gestures back towards the nearby tree-line.
"If the tree are trying to kill you, I would like to note I am taking a break from front-line suicidal violence," Tasha states with a nod, and very matter-of-factly.
"No, it's.. well it might be wood related, metaphorically," Lacci waffles. "It's Shojo. Charon did something with him, and I'm not certain of the details.. but something has happened and neither of us knows how to deal with it."
"Oh this sounds exciting. Come along then, yet universal problem solver Tasha fix everything." Tasha scoops up Lacci's taloned hand and walk, or maybe skips, towards the forest. She's a lot more spritely since the change, or perhaps she's just very excited about being what she is.
A short ways into the woods, Shojo sits on one of the marble benches, his wings wrapped around himself. His expression is.. his expression, so it's not clear what his internal mood might be. "Hello," he says to Tasha.
"Heeellooo! Looks like we're both new and imrpoved models!" Tasha tugs Lacci along with her as she walks over to Shojo and sits down beside him. She doesn't let go of Lacci's hand, but does lean closer to Shojo and smile at him in a big way. She's trying to be friendly, but after having been Human for says has mometarily forgotten she now has a lot more, and sharper, teeth, even if they are also a lot more delicate. "Sooo, what's the problem? Did Charon fix your situation, did he give you dragon bits? He didn't eat anything he shouldn't have, did he? Did you hug him enough?"
"He claims to have halted the progression of my syndrome," Shojo explains. "And gave me the ability turn my sympathetic nervous system on and off. Lacci talked me into testing this before we leave."
"So, you're feeling too ... sympathetic?" Tasha prompts, ears perking. She leans back and starts looking Shojo over, back and front, to try and locate the problem. "You're not telling me exactly what's wrong, so it's probably embarassing. Is is, isn't it? You're both so shy, it's really what makes you two cute." And so she leans over and tries to pinch Shojo's beak during the inspection.
After a pause, Shojo opens his wings. The sympathetic nervous system is apparently responsible for some important things, like arousal. "I was surprised, so did what I was supposed to to deactivate it again, but it hasn't changed."
"Uhh, wow, it's bigger than I expected," Tasha leans in for a look, but does not touch. "Are you sure you shouldn't ask Gabriel or Jonas about this? They both have one of these, and Jonas is a doctor. Still ... You could just handle it yourself? Or," she lets Lacci's hand go, then puts one finger through the encircled fingers of her other hand, " ... make it a team effort?"
"Do you mean I have to turn things on again before it will go away?" Shojo asks.
"Gabriel and Jonas are already flying back to the ship, and I couldn't find Liza," Lacci notes. "Team effort? You mean I have to.. do something?"
"I think the problem is things are already turned on." Tasha grins, gesturing finger-wiggily at the 'problem' in question, "But now you can't turn them off again, because the, um, 'system' is powered down. Besides if you're going to use it, at least from all the men and women I've met, this is going to happen a lot. So, was it in response to anything? Or anyone?" She doesn't answer Lacci, not quite yet.
"Lacci was here with me," Shojo says. "Does this mean it will happen whenever I'm around a naked woman now?"
"And maybe naked men, depending on how you feel about that." Tasha rolls her shoulders. "I feel that way about naked women all the time, and naked men, too. And not just Gabriel. But, I've learned to tune it out with men. You'll probably learn to do something like that too, with time. Now, I only had one of those things for like a day, and I barely remember it and, well, back then everyone was differnt, so I may not be the best person to ask about this; I'm mainly on the 'recieving' end of this sort of thing, you know? But, you should probbaly learned how to masterbate, or else find a partner. Actually, you should learn how to masterbate anyway, and finding a partner is just extra-good. If I suggest Lacci she'll just look very embarassed, so I'm going to scoot unless you two want my help in knowing how to do it. Right, I mean. Doing it is easy, doing it well takes practice and understanding."
Shojo closes his eyes, and then after a few moments the tension seems to leave him. It's a stark contrast to how he usually is, with every muscle tensed so he can keep track of them. One thing hasn't relaxed though, at least not yet. "So I should have sex with Lacci until we are good at it from lots of practice?" he asks Tasha.
"Yes," Tasha confirms, nodding slowly and very, very deliberately.
"Right now?" Lacci asks. "How do we.. how do I get ready? Or should we wait until we're back on the ship? How do we know when it's over?" Apparently History of Sex is not one of the histories she has studied. Lacci is.. a nerd.
"Okay first we should get backt to the ship. As funny as it would be for our universe to be destroyed because it was delayed by two Vartans going at it for the first time, I have put a lot of effort in to preserving the universe and I'd like it to stick around for all my children. So! You, me, and Shojo will take the last shuttle out. You should try and relieve yourself, too, but it's a lot of pressure for your first time so don't worry too much about it, okay? Everyone may tease you, but everyone teases everybody, all the time." Tasha pushes herself to standing, then turns to face Lacci more fully. "I can help you figure what to do and how, or maybe you'd prefer Hake-bear? But not Katie. You can also ask the ship for, um, 'guide materials'. I'll ask Gabriel to give you two some time off, and arrange for uninterupted quarters."
There loud noises from the direction of the lake. The Phins are back in their walker suits, and probably heading for the Vartan shuttle (since it has a cargo bay they can fit into). "What about Moka?" Lacci suggests. "She's big.."
"You'll have to ask her. Phins are very friendly, but I can't make anyone do anything like this. Interpersonal matters are something we usually let happen between the inter-persons. Whatever or whoever you go with, getting over your shyness will be a big part of that, and the only way to do that is to just do it -- a lot. And, I don't just mean sex. The more you talk about sex, know about sex, know about talking about sex, have sex, and experience the sexuality of others the easier it all gets. If you push it off like some do, you might be awkward for a long time." Tashaspreads her hands, turning to look down at the two Vartans. She's pleased she's taller than them while they're sitting, least. "I'd help more, and I do know a lot about this topic, but I've barely been what I am and I'd like to have Jonas look me over before I am more ... hands on. I can make suggestions, though!" Her weird new tail wags; it's surprisingly serpentine, having those extra joints and muscles.
"What sort of suggestions?" Shojo asks, and looks at his hands. Vartan hands are rough, covered with avian scales after all. "Do Vartans use their tails or.. wings?"
"Well, you should just use both of your hands to handle things personally. I grew up on a ship full of men, so I've seen Vartan men go at it enough to know how it works -- I'd say I wasn't spying but we all know that's a lie." The delicate winged being Tasha has become shrugs again; it's too obvious to deny. "But I don't know what it feels like or how to, um, adjust. Just keep at it, if it feels good keep doing that and eventually it'll feel really good for several seconds an you're done! Just, um, point it away from yourself when that happens, or you'll need a bath. Away from Lacci, too, unless she likes that sort of thing." And so Tasha turns to eye Lacci, head tilting curiously.
"I was just going to try using my feathers, but.. how messy will it be?" she asks Tasha. She actually reaches out with a wing and gives Shojo a stroke, which makes his sit up very straight and rigid suddenly and make a squeaky sort of sound.
Tasha takes a good two foot side-step out of the line of Shojo, not wanting to have to explain to Gabriel and Katie how that might have happened. And then after explaining, having to endure the laughter. "Careful, he's so pent up he might end up soaking both of us," she warns. Then she reaches down and puts a hand on Lacci's, wrapping another around Lacci's waist for balance given there's a lot of wings, limbs, and distance and she can't reach that far and remain balanced for long. "You see Lacci, every species of male, and every male has their own special spots and favorite techniques. Some are universal, like Karnors and knots, and some are personal like how Gabriel-- well, anyway, neither of you know either catagory yet. Lucky for you I know how to handle Vartan men, but I can't know what Shojo likes, so you should start with the Vartan basics and then try new things until you find out what he likes. For Vartans, they're very big, so use both hands on the front region like a woman is clenching down on him, and use one thumb to brush the tip. Like this." And so Tasha rearranges Lacci's hands.
Shojo is very silent throughout this, but.. he twitches. Which is proof that he's not back in 'absolute control' mode out of panic. Lacci doesn't notice, as she's intent on the lesson. "It's really warm," she notes. Vartan are pretty well insulated everywhere else, after all. "What does it mean it throbs? Is that normal?"
"There's a lot of blood in these things, plus if he's twitching and going rigid it means he's having a hard time because it feels so good. That's a good sign." Tasha leans around to grin at Lacci, and winks. "I won't get in to anything advanced, but you can have a lot of fun with someone once they're good and bothered. Some people like being made to squirm, some people don't know they like being made to squirm, and others like being teased until they turn around and make you squirm. The very aggressive types will usually have taken charge long before this part, but not always. Sometime they like to watch you-- Well, like I said, advanced. Now then, if you keep doing this I think he'll go, but it's kind of boring and clinical; nothing makes sex more off-putting than removing the passion and emotion from it. There's a mental side, Lacci, it's not just about technique or understanding, not unless you're out to manipulate someone and not have fun yourself. Inside your head, you have to hunger for it. Right now, Shojo is beginning to understand that hunger. There's a fire to these things." Shifting around, Tasha gently but firmly moves Lacci to sitting, then arranges her to leans against Shojo. "You like him, don't you? Look in to his eyes. Look and make him see that you, sexy bird Lacci that you are, have him in your hands and you're doing it because you want to, and you want to see him get off. Let him see that want in your eyes, keep moving your hands. Even your shyness and naivette can help, some men like that, and you're both new to this so seeing that he's your first time should be even more exciting for him."
This makes Lacci momentarily shy - eye contact is a big deal with Vartans, given how big their eyes are - but she does do it, even though it takes Shojo a few moments to turn his head and gaze in kind. "You are very pretty," Shojo notes. "I must have noticed before.."
"I like how you move," Lacci replies. "You never slip up, never seem clumsy."
"He definitely noticed before," Tasha whispers aloud to Lacci, voice a little huskier as a reflexive fallback to her usual part in these sorts of things. "Now, here you could touch beaks, cuddle, nibble, annnd ... " Letting go, the non-hybrid gently pulls away from Lacci, but keeps close enough to add in a real whisper, "Just be careful of pregnancy if you decide to try riding him. You'll have time to try everything later, in private on the ship, and Jonas can help you with contraception. Now, show him what you can do, and remember: It's okay to not be perfect or to be awkward, just about everyone is at first. Don't let it stop you."
With those words of wisdom passed on, Tasha scootches away, then begins wandering back towards the others. Strictly speaking she knows she stayed too long and said too much, but she has to give the bad with the good and she'd feel bad if the two ended up having children without anyone warning them about the possibility. She's lit the fire, now to let it burn before she stiffles it by remaining.
The Vartan shuttle is lifting, presumably with the Phins on board since they aren't anywhere else. Liza and Aaron are still around, and wave to Tasha. "The Jotoki went with the dolphins," Liza reports. "When the big shuttle comes back we're all supposed to go." Katie is also still there, looking up at the odd sky with its linear sun.
"I'll round up Lacci and Shojo, they're off enjoying nature," Tasha informs Liza, even managing to maintain a perfectly straight and business-like expression that she suspects is aided by her time being Human. Embarassing either of them right now could create bad memories, which could lead to frusteration, more awkwardness, anger, grumpiness, and who knows what else. She knows they lack the emotional and self-esteem resiliency that most of the crew has, at least in certain departments of which what they're doing is one, and doesn't want to see their developement go awry even by well intentioned jokesters. "Is there anything else I should know? Have you seen Charon's remote?"
"I think it left with the big blue one," Aaron says. "I last saw it with Shojo, but if you just left them he must be somewhere else."
"So much for my parting hug-a-thon," the new species of woman laments. She ooks around at the mostly empty clearing and exhales a sigh, shifting to lean against a nearby pillar andcross her arms. "You know, I'll miss the place. A part of me wanted to just stay here, maybe I was tired of always running to or away from a problem I could never fix myself. I never realized how exhausting it was, until it caught up with me. Dying isn't something I'm ever going to forget, either." Her gaze lingers, to the lake, to the ruins, to the scars, and the sun-like line. "But I don't think absolute peace is good for me, either. Persephone must have realized that when she remade me as I am. She was hesitant to remove the spore, which didn't need to stay. She saw right through me, and I'm glad. I needed her. Needed someone to save me, just like Charon needed someone to save him. Still ... It was nice here." She then turns to look at Aaron, brows raising. "How about you? Did you learn anything from your brush with cosmic danger and the high ones? I think I'll be trying to grasp them for a long, long time."
"I have the advantage of having seen a lot of weird stuff in my life and being medicated most of the time," the Lapi notes. "And I have Liza to ground me. I've spent a lot of my life digging for secrets, wondering who and what was manipulating things. Never got me anywhere, certainly didn't make me happy. I assumed everything had to be complicated, that there was a delicate balance to be maintained. But.. I ended up coming back to the chaos. I'm pretty happy now, and I really don't care what gods are doing. I've got my own goals."
"That's a positive way to look at things." Tasha smiles, head tilting. "For me, I think I have to worry about two things now, maybe three. One, I intend to continue the mission I set out for myself. I don't feel the same need to keep going that I used to, but I do feel that I should. Being here, doing what I've done, knowing who I know, I'm one of the best positioned people to accomplish the goal. And, I don't like abandoning something I believe in, even if I believed in it for mixed reasons. At least, at first I did. Second, I really need to think long and hard about what it means to be a species. Not just a species, but the originator. I'm my own Progenitor! I'm the legendary ancestor. What I do, what allies I make, how I change the universe, that will all effect my children to come, and their children, the opinion of my entire species on a local, Galactic, and pan-Galactic level. That's a lot to think about."
"There will probably be a statue at some point," Aaron goads. "You should make sure to get your likeness down before you get all worn out and saggy from too many children." He does step out of immediate slapping range as he teases though.
Perhaps to Aaron's surprise, Tasha doesn't even move. She just smiles; it may be more disconcerting, because the light in her eyes is a considering one. Given what she's said, a decidedly long-term thoughtful look very different from when they'd first met. "I still intend to live a long time, I may just need to decide when I should stop being around and leave things to others, like Horus did before me. I'll also have to think about things like ambassadors, whether or not to joing the Galactics as a fully independant species, if I should set up an organization for my kind, to pursue the outsiders, or both. And, should those be open or clandestine? That sort of thing. I'll also need to decide how I relate to Abaddon, if I belong out here now, or should settle in there."
"A species needs a minimum population in order to be considered for Client status among the Galactics," Thoth notes. "And multiple generations."
"Like the Jotoki colony," Katie says.
"Of course there's rules to deal with." Tasha inclines her head to Thoth and smiles at Katie. "I guess 'clandestine support organization' it is for a while. We can always reveal ourselves later. I'll have to review population increase projections later, once I've decided when to have children. I have to think ahead." She looks between the threem then adds, "Speaking of which, I still plan to puruse the Ogdru-hem. I'm considering asking for support, maybe even forming an army -- something paramilitary. Like I did before. This would help us spread our search, dig in to ancient records, and to deal with outbreaks we might find that we can't handle with just one small ship. We do find a lot of other problems, after all. And, 'having helped to preserve Galactic safety against overwhelming enemies' would probably help a lot in getting the Galactics to support my future positions."
"The Galactics don't believe in the Ogdru-hem," Thoth notes. "They don't even believe in the Progenitors, statistically. You must be careful. If it really did become accepted knowledge, that would make you seem very dangerous."
"We need to get out of here first," Aaron notes. "And back to.. eh.. civilisation."
"Because of the allies and artifacts I possess? Or do you mean because I could change Galactic politics and shift belief systems by the sheer weight of what I know? Off the top of my head," and here Tasha tilts said head, " ... there'd be a rise in Progenitor cults and religions. There'd also be associated rises in Dark being worship, maybe even Waybuilder belief if that slipped out. Persephone would probably lecture me about that. I could exert a lot of political influence, even military influence just by hinting at the power of my backers, my artifacts, and what I represent. Power .. projection. They'd have to reallocate resources just to cover the possibility of what I could do."
But Tasha nods. "Yes, we do need to get out of here. Charon's auntie is not someone we can hope to challenge ourselves, and I don't want to call the favors needed to even attempt to beat her. Do you have everything? Are you all ready? I considered finding my halitool, but you know what? Charon can keep it, maybe he'll remember me in an infinity outside of time. Besides, I can't lift it anymore, and that's more than a mere observation."
"The shuttle's coming back," Katie says, pointing to an approaching spec in the distance. "Better get the Vartans."
"I'm on it." Tasha gives a salute, then starts walking before shifting in to a delicate, loping gait of a jog as she heads in to the woods.
The two Vartans are standing up and looking awkward, but Shojo's 'condition' has subsided it seems. "We're.. uh.. finished," Lacci manages to say when Tasha arrives.
"I hope you had fun," Tasha says with another smile in her best supportive voice, "But now we need to go. The shuttle's here and lingering is not an option. Come on you two, you have nothing to be ashamed of and I'll, well, maybe not punch but I'll have strong words and extra cleaning duty for anyone who makes you feel bad. But lets go."
Once the Dark Horse had left Charon's mouth, they got their first look at Persephone. She was four times bigger than Charon, all in shades of blue with a coruscating aurora making it seem like she was wearing veils that blew in an unseen wind. And then the two massive beings simply weren't there anymore.
"We've been cast out of Eden, and I don't remember getting to eat any apples," Yue comments. The humans are clothed again, while Gabriel is just wearing shorts due to the hastiness of departure.
Tasha is wearing her own shorts as well as her crew member jacket, and nothing else. Like Gabriel, she was in a hurry and her role as owner and go-between necessitates little time for seeing to herself on occassions such as this. "Not even a gravitic ripple! I'd say they're showing off, but I know better. And, it's nice to know they have a sense of style. I feel better about my pettiness." She's dropped back in to the Navigator's Console seat, busy adjusting the height and distance to make up for her slighter form. She finally gets it sorted out and sits up. "Well, Captain, do you think we should have a look at the hulks, or are we better off departing? How are our supplies, and our research goals? We never did find anything about the Seeds."
"We've refreshed our supplies, and nobody told us not to look around," Gabriel says. "I'm sure Yue would like another Library unit, and these ships were old enough."
"Alright, lets begin cataloging the hulks and look for like canidates for a visit. We'll rotate bridge crew to give everyone a chance to shower and clean up, maybe three shifts? Does that sound good? And then it's back to business as before. I will expect everyone to return to proper crew status by the end of the break period." This isn't because Tasha wants to be a hardass, it's also so she can give the crew some time to transition back to focus and professionalisim while also giving outliers like Lacci and Shojo -- and herself -- time to sort themselves out and recieve medical review. This is still an unknown and potentially dangerous region, and each ship may have its own defenses; there's also no godlike being remaining to protect them. It's on them to be safe and on task. "Shojo and I need to visit the Doctor, so we're out for first and maybe second shift. Gabriel would you work out the rest, please?"
"Not a problem," Gabriel says, already falling back into his work habits as he brings up the scheduling screen. "Just what sort of things should we be expecting?" he asks, turning to look back at the pair on opposite sides of the tactical room airlock: Thoth and Samael.
"I may have been dead during this battle," Sam claims. "Before my time," Thoth adds. "But booby-trapping your ship was against the Articles of War."
"I'd also like to be on the lookout for any remaining exotic elements or other pieces of Luk'thu-hem, especially those composed of external rulesets. Our sensors may not be able to detect them, but perhaps, Thoth, Sam, and I can. It might be a useful test of my new eye." Tasha nods, then turns to Gabriel. "Most of the little Dark ebings should have vanished with Luk'thu-hem since they were living missiles, but it's possible independant entities may still be around."
"Disturbing possibilities," Gabriel notes. "We aren't going to get useful dating information off of the hulks since we don't know where they were made. I'm assigning Katie and Modo to finish work on the Grunt suit. Dr. Karaktinio can check in on the Tadpole, and Soshelle can see what that fancy equipment they brought can tease out of this graveyard."
"I'll help Soshelle," Hera volunteers. "She's better at mass, but I'm best with exotic matter."
"Let me know if you need anything more," Gabriel says.
"I should give the Tadpole a big hug for its help during the battle. I wasn't having any luck destroying the tether my, um, 'self'." Tasha punches in some commands, shifting intergalactic navigation to pre-departure claculation processes that can run in the background while they explore the local region. As Kaa and Gabriel can handle piloting without her aid, she slides the boom back to its rest and stands. "I'd like all effected crew and passengers to now head to the Medical Bay for review. That's Shojo, the good Doctor, and myself. And, anyone who feels they may need it." This also allows Tasha to reassure any of the disturbed passengers, hopefully to get them back on track.
"I'll go too," Hakeber says. "Juuuust in case."
"Good idea," Tasha says. She slings her arm around her friend's waist and walks with her on out. "I'll take second shift unless I need to remain in med Bay longer, otherwise put me down for third. Or, as Jonas says." And with that she's off the bridge.
The medical tests are not particularly invasive. There's a body scan and some samples taken. "Well, you seem healthy enough to create a new baseline from," Dr. Knight notes. "Your age hasn't changed, so I'm assuming you're made from the same matter as before. I'll want a egg sample later, of course."
"Just let me know when." Tasha scooches out of the way of the others, sitting herself down on the edge of Jonas's desk workspace. "It's good to know I'm not, like, one day old now. I guess I still age?"
"Everything ages," Jonas says. "It's just how you do it that may be unexpected." He then taps Tasha on the forehead. "I need you to help examine Hakeber."
Tasha puts her hands in her lap, tilts her head, and makes her eyes go very wide. "Infront of everyone, Doctor?"
"Well, I can use the restraints on the examination table if you think it will be necessary," Jonas replies with a perfectly straight face.
"It might," Tasha agrees, equally straight faced and nodding with slow, mock-serious nodding. "She can be unruly. But lets see how it goes." Standing primly, the as yet unnaed species of being makes ehr way over to Hakeber and places her hands on the side of the examination table. "I don't have much in the way of medical training. What should I do?"
"Tell me if there's anything alien squirming around inside of her," Jonas suggests while he resets the medical scanner for Karnor.
"I think that part already passed, but it might return if you wait long enough." Tasha plants her elbows on the table, resting her head on her hands. She then closes her visible spectrum eyes and concentrates on her new eye, filtering out electromagnetic distractions in favor of foreign energies.
Hakeber still has 'shiny' bits in her head, but no little spores or Samlets that she can detect.
"I can't see anything that wasn't there before. What is there I can't idenitify, it just looks like shiny elements in her brain but I don't know what they do, are, or are made of. Yet." Cracking her eyes open, Tasha turns to watch the monitor readout. "If Sam is right though, it's some sort of memory that works with or is made of foreign ruleset elements. Maybe Dark energy -- not dark energy -- but the energies and matter analogues of that other dimension. We really need a better name for it than 'Dark energy'."
"Shadow energy," Jonas suggests, and gets Hakeber onto the scanning bed. "No significant changes since your last scan. You've putting on an extra kilogram of mass."
"Space pizza goes to my thighs," Hakeber claims. "Unless it was just being worked off by that Silent-Ones delivery boy.."
"S-Energy sounds fine with me, their universe does sort of exist in proximity to our own and it is very shadowy. Almost dreamy. Nightmarey?" Tasha shrugs, it could be any of those really. She lays her head on the table and peers at Hakeber now. "You'll need to find a new toy now that Aaron is taken. Shojo might be an option now, and there's Gabriel and I of course. Do you feel okay, Hake? We'll probably head for Daltoona Station after we're done and have returned."
"And then.. I'll have my head back, hopefully," Hakeber says. "Unless it's something different, and doesn't go away. Like you and the spore. It's what lets you interact with the Horse. I mean, Tatha-hem."
Tasha uncoils a hand and taps her forehead. "It's more than that now. It's actually part of me, that's what the others said. Fundamentally, I mean. So. I'm a little bit of a Shadow-space being, now. Or a demon, if you want to be dramatic." She wiggles her fingers; dramatic. "I can't be parted with it any more than my hand or tail. But what you have is instructions and information, mine was a lot more complex, more developemental and long term. It may ahve once had a plan, but now that plan is me." She reaches over and taps Hakeber's noggin in turn. "I'm hoping once it's done what it planned to do, yours will just go aay on its own. If it won't, I'll talk to who did it and ask him to stop it."
"I'll be relieved one way or the other," Hakeber says. "When I babble in my sleep I want it to be understandable nonsense babbling. Yue would appreciate that, I think."
"I know what you mean." Tasha pushes herself up, then swings her legs on to the exam bed before laying down and wiggling over to lay beside Hakeber. "These tests may take a bit and there's still Shojo and the others to review. I think I'll stay here to help Jonas interview and inspect everyone. If you want to stay here with me Hake, you can. I might need your help with Shojo anyway. It'll be fun news."
"Was Shojo exposed to something weird?" Hakeber asks. "I hope he didn't drown in the lake!"
"Well not exposed so much as changed, unless you count Lacci and then the answer is 'yes'," Tasha replies, wiggling until she can lay on her side and fit on the examination table with Hakeber without slowly sliding off. Sometimes, she really does miss not having wings. "Charon helped Shojo with his medical problem."
"I thought he was afraid of getting cured?" Hakeber asks. "Does this mean he's clumsy now?"
"In a way," the yet unnamed species of woman replies, vaguely. "You'll have to ask him more about that himself, but maybe we'll talk about it when he shows up. He and Lacci might need help, and you know I'm too intense and perfect to do it, so I might ask you Hake-bear." This ribbing also comes with tail tugging, of which Tasha's very own new tail does the tugging. She really does seem to be trying to find every use for it.
"You're just trying to be mysterious, admit it!" Hakeber accuses, but then Shojo does show up. He doesn't look nervous.. because he never looks nervous.
"So, you've had some tampering done," Jonas says to the Vartan, and guides him to the other medical bed.
"Yes," Shojo agrees, and strips down as instructed before getting onto the bed.
"I'm like five percent demon, I think I have to be. It's one of those rules. Don't blame me though, Karnors chew, Vartans fly, and I have to be mysterious." Tasha shrugs; what can you do, it's the universe. Once comfortable she slings her arm around Hakeber and gets comfortable by resting her head on her friend's clavical.
With Shojo arrived, Tasha asks, "Did you have fun at least? You can't say I don't look out for you now."
"It was an experience, certainly," Shojo comments as Dr. Knight takes a blood sample. "It will take some getting used to, but at least I can control the circumstances."
"Then you'd better practice a lot! I volunteer Hake, you two needs guidance." And so Tasha hugs on to Hakeber, touching heads and smiling knowingly. "And she's so cuddily."
"Vartans don't cuddle, do they?" Hakeber asks. "I thought they.. preened.."
"And what am I being volunteered for?" the Karnor asks next. "How is Lacci involved?"
"Oh they still like to cuddle, but preening is very nice. You can preen me, if you want!" Tasha does more hugging, then finally relents and returns to merely using Hakeber as a pillow. "Oh, you know, educational things. Hands on experience. That sort of thing."
"Waaaait," Hakeber says, coming to a realization. "Something's not right here: you're letting me have first crack at Lacci?" She eyes Tasha suspiciously.
Tasha spreads her hands. "I have gained deep wisdom and insight from my death and communion with gods. Sometimes the way to help someone is to be giving, and not make their problems about you. So I'm giving you to them and they're recieving, which makes me at least double wise, if not more so," she explains, matter-of-factly.
"And you've asked them about it?" Hakeber asks.
"I think I may have mentioned it. At any rate, they asked me for help, and I thought of how Lacci thinks you're mostly harmless -- which is correct -- and so here we are." Hakeber gets a kiss on the cheek, and then it's back to being a pillow. "You're less intimidating."
"Less intimidating? Have you looked in the mirror lately?" Hakeber asks, and boops Tasha on the nose. "I'm less intimidating than a Vartan, sure.. but more than that other one you had with you.. uh. Mage Fudgy!"
"Alright, I have the EEG probes set, go ahead and flip your switch," Jonas tells Shojo. The Vartan seems to stare at nothing for a moment. "Interesting," Dr. Knight comments, looking at the display of.. squiggly lines and colors.
"Well, that's true, but she's not here and um ... " tasha leans in and so whispers, "I'm still working myself out. Besides, I still think you're a better advisor than I am, for both of them." After leaning back, she huffs. "I'm far too advanced and perfect now to rely on simple physical intimidation. I'm sure I have many intimidating powers. I could hold three knives! Three."
"But could you use all three without hurting yourself?" Hakeber asks. "I can dual wield a knife and a pizza-cutter. And two cake servers."
"Hey me hurting myself can be just as scary, if not more so, than me being an effective combatant. I hurt myself a lot this time, and look what came of it! Giant chewy space whale, giant blue god space whale mom, demon demigod, giant space serpent, and more besides!" Tasha holds a hand up haltingly, however. "But I think maybe I'm done putting myself in so much direct danger. I'm not exactly built for it anymore, either. And I'm super cute now. I should be protected."
"We could make life-sized plush toys to take your place on danger.. what is that?!" Hakeber exclaims, derailed from her train of thought by Shojo's sudden staff-of-derailment. A result of Shojo watching the pair cuddle, possibly.
"There may have been some other repair work done," Jonas notes, holding a scanning device close to Shojo. "You had signs of glandular withering in your previous physical. The body eventually shuts down things that don't get used."
"There we go," Tasha notes, looking pleased. She gives Hakeber another kiss, then snuggles in to get a good look at new and solid things. "He's as big as I expected he'd be, and I've seen a lot of those things. Once he learns how to use it, I think he'll be verybusy. Very busy, now that Aaron is 'out of business'."
"I also like the idea of giant toys that look like me," tasha adds a moment later, in afterthought.
"He won't be as easy to cuddle with afterwards.. my bed isn't that big," Hakeber laments. "But a giant Teddy-Tasha.."
"You ladies don't need to hang around, you know," Dr. Knight points out. "This isn't the lake anymore."
"I think you deserve a giant Teddy-Tasha, Hake-bear." Hakeber gets a hug, then Tasha notes, "I may feel more than a little guilty about putting off dealing with your problem for so long. Maybe I was afraid to think about it. I will protect you though, even if I must be cuddled incessantly to do it."
"But I just got comfort-- alright, I'm going. Don't give me the Doctor Eyeball." Tasha slides off the bed, then holds her hands out to help Hakeber off. "Want to do anything, Hake? We have a mysteriously unknown amount of time until something exciting happens! Or doesn't!"
"We're going to go look at wreckage and corpses," Hakeber notes. "In the Templars, were were taught to wear armor when doing that. Do we have enough?"
"Well my own hardsuits may or may not fit me, which means I'll probably be going in Mel. The others are rigging the Grunt to a state of readiness. Did you ever get a proper suit, Hake?" Tasha snaps up Hakeber's hand, heading with her towards the exit. "If not you can come with me, but the cockpit isn't very exciting for non-pilots, unless you like being inside ringed glowing eggs."
"I've tried on the emergency suits," Hakeber says. "They aren't very practical. The human ones are skin-tight, and the Karnor ones feel like I'm wearing balloons. The Eeee have a sort of armor though, the doc wore it for the Tadpole tests."
"Want to go ask about it? Or want to see how much cuter I can be?" Tasha pulls her free hand over her heart, head ducking and eyelashes batting. She thinks more of it, and so ruffles her neck fluff and repeats the pose. "We could also do something boring like find clothing that fits."
"You can just tell people you'll grow into your clothes," Hakeber jokes. "But really.. you've got Liza. She can take in your clothes. I think we should sneak into the shuttles and see what's in the emergency lockers."
"I do look younger now, don't I," Tasha laments. A few years younger, she's decided. It's mainly the eyes, but the slight build, neck ruff, and general portions contribute. She's glad she still has a significant waist and reasonable breast size, or she'd be afraid people would mistake her for being even younger. Being taken seriously is hard enough for her, often as not. "Well, off we go then!" She heads off, swinging Hakeber's arm as she goes.
The hangar is noisy. Katie is there in one of her signature jumpsuits, albeit covered in what is probably a high-tech vacuum stable form of grease. Modo is half under the Grunt Suit, passing tools to himself by grabbing them with his feet first.
"So, you going to wear clothes again Hake, or have you decided on becoming a full-time nudist?" the other Karnor asks with a grin.
"I vote for nudist," Tasha chimes in, doing what can only be described as prancing as she skips over to get a look at what Katherine is doing, taking Hakeber with her. "How's the Grunt coming along?"
"Bloody Vartans can't maintain squat," Modo curses. "Talons ain't fingers, and they got no lips to hold things with either." He doesn't come out from underneath though.
"Great!" Katie says in contrast. "It's got pistons inside. I understand pistons and actuators."
"I am very sad to add I am not much help either, though I do have exciting and delicate new hands that are -- from my memory -- exactly like Human hands, except with talons and feathers. I consider those a bonus." Tasha leans around Katie to try and see these pistons. "It's nice when we actually get to understand the exciting objects we get a hold of. Do you think it'll be ready in time? And do you know if we have a Hake-sized space suit? Not a emergency one, a real hardsuit."
"I.. don't know?" Katie admits, then asks Modo, "Can emergency suits be armored?"
"You can do a lot with junk and space-glue," the Pan claims, between banging on something out of site. "Look at the Titanians."
"I'm a little hazy on our inventory right now. As it turns out, I've been through a lot recently." Tasha turns to eye the storage containers, making her way over to a console and punching in search parameters. "Maybe we do have something? Liza, Gabriel, Mr. I. and others handled the cargo manifests, stocks, and so on."
The inventory does show 'modular vacuum equipment' stored in one of the storage lockers.
After pulling the required locational information and storage locker number, Tasha diverts towards it. "I think I found something, um .... This one." She taps it with one of those aforementioned nails, then leans in to open it.
The 'drawer' slides out, revealing.. lot of boxes, with labels in an unfamiliar language.
Tasha frowns at this new set back. She picks up one of the boxes, turns it this way and that, then hands it to Hakeber. "Can you read this? I'm not even sure what language this is. Do you know, tail?" She looks to her tail, the tip flicks to 'face' her, then she shakes her head and the tail tip follows. "Unfortunate."
"It's not a spoken language," Hakeber says. "Silent-Ones neo-glyphics, made for optical scanning more than reading. It's a machine language, basically. We just need a scanner."
And so Tasha repeats the process and locates a scanner from yet anotehr storage locker, handing it to her tail as she walks over, then handing it back to her hands when she arrives. It's entirely unecessary. She flicks it on and begins scanning. "I bet my Formal Sign is better now. All of Nora's memories are clearer, even if there's a lot missing from what a 'complete' collection of memories would be. The transfer was never perfect, and she didn't give me everything she knew anyway, but what's there is easy now, like language. It's stupendous."
The boxes are listed as 'armor packs', for use with skin-suits (although Silent-Ones refer to them as 'hides for dark skies'.
"I think this is it. Lets grab some of the skin suits and see if we can make you vacuum-proof in a way that doesn't involve pizza crumbs." And so the unboxing and sorting effort begins, Tasha pulling out this and that and handing it to Hakeber to either try on or attempt to fit.
"I'll have to take a bath afterwards," Hakeber complains, but does go to one of the emergency boxes to pull out of the suit packs. "Silent-Ones have much shorter fur."
Tasha sits herself down on one of the emptied boxes, crossing one leg over the other. "Oh don't be like that, I'll even join you if you want. Just make sure the fur doesn't muss up your seals. And follow the startp and donning procedures. And go through the equipment checklists."
"These are emergency suits," Hakeber points out, and removes the suit. It's very.. large, but thin looking. She gets it on, and turns on the power pack, which contracts the suit and inflates the helmet. It's not entirely inflatable though, as Hakeber goes through the startup exercises - which seem to involve a bit of flailing around until the suit learns her joints. Then the parts that don't need to flex harden up. The rebreather pack is part of the helmet itself, and very compact.
"You can't be too safe in space, Hake-bear. That memory Nora-memory is very clear." Tasha watches the donning process and nods approvingly, setting out the extra equipment and add-ons Hakeber might need or want in a neat line nearby so that Hake can access them easily. "Does it fit well? Any lingering doubts about not being naked anymore?"
"If I go outside I'll still feel naked in this," the Karnor notes. "It's got that impact stuff in it, but still. How do we add armor and still make it possible to get out of it?"
"Let me look." After punching up instructions on her datapad and cross-referencing them with the various pieces, Tasha tries attaching the chest, upper and lower arm, upper and lower leg, food, and head pieces. "The trick seems to beremoving the suit at the joints, and removing the chest piece by splitting the armor piece in two and removing that. The helmet can just be removed as one piece."
"Those armor pads are made of that self-crawly stuff I bet," Hakeber says. "Even after Sam, I still think that stuff is creepy."
"I'm used to it, but it was very touchy-feely for a little while. Hey," Tasha steps in to Hakeber's line of sight, " ... how young do I look? And do my clothes really not fit? Am I that less intimidating? Not that I really want to be anymore, but I figure the others are probably being extra-nice to me given that I died and was wandering around like a empty zombie Human for a bit."
"You don't actually look younger physically," Hakeber claims. "It's just that you look.. I don't know.. cuter I guess? Less rough around the edges, so.. more like Katie or one of the new style Karnors than like me. But I'm sure your hair will muss up all the same, and you'll still snore."
"But snore daintily and cuter," Tasha insists. Satisfied, she plops back down on her sitting box and gives Hakeber the once over. "Well, you look passably adventerous and space-worthy. The armor on your wrists is equipped with in-built emergency, communication, diagnostic and data-acquisition technoloy and your bubble-hat projects suit functions as a HUD. All very standard!"
"There shouldn't be anything still dangerous on million-year-old wrecks though, right?" Hakeber asks. This gets a loud snorting laugh from Modo.
Tasha laughs right along with Modo; at least she's a bit less obnoxious sounding and a bit more cute about it, sort of like being mocked by a fairy. It's still being mocked, however. "Lets just say we should never assume anything is safe, ever," she insists, smiling.
"Everything is dangerous!" the Pan claims, tools clattering. "Blueberry muffins! Lethal weapons in space! And old wrecks are full of wreckage, and basically floating gravel. Probably leaking radiation all over the place too still."
"That wood ship probably has splinters," the fae-like being adds, thin tail wagging in thatextra-animated way that comes from having more segments, muscles, and inherent teasing nature.
"That long an exposure to cosmic rays could cause a lot of element transmutation events," Katie seems to agree. "And make things brittle."
"Ferget that!" Modo argues. "Giant space monster farts, or whatever else that thing was puttin' out. Globs o' monster blood and bile that will turn you inside out! Holes in reality full of evil clowns!"
"Artifacts, furniture, structure, patience, all very brittle." Tasha nods along with the ranted dangers as if each one were perfectly valid and real. "That reminds me, we should collect some of that blood and other parts. I'm curious if we can do anything with it." She then lowers her voice, pointing down in a 'I'm talking about this place' manner to Hakeber. "But I should ask Tatha-hem first."
"Ugh.. you don't think it'll want to eat do you?" Hakeber whispers back.
"/Only one way to find out!/" Tasha reaches over and rubs her friend's head up. "/Who is very concerned about cannibalisim!? /Who is very concerned/!?"
"Would it even count as that? I've read of some really.. uh.. disturbing ancient funeral customs.." Hakeber whispers.
"Oh, I was gonna replace your suit's left gauntlet, Tasha," Modo notes. "Right after I finish fixing up Ms. Vesuvius's suit."
"Welllll, who am I to argue with weird customs? I'm a inter-universal traveler, not some backwater yokel!" Tasha steps back and plants her hands on her hips, standing taller. "I must provide a strong example to the people on this ship and the cultures I encounter, and right now I think I need to be strong about 'demons' and 'Shadow-energy'." The young woman basks in her own inspirational energy, keeping the pose, until Modo interupts her. She hoof-turns and raises her eyebrows. "That's nice of you, Modo. Mr. Modo? And you have a suit, Katie?" Her ears go up.
"I've got a Karnor suit from Caltrop," Katie notes. "You didn't think I'd go on a space mission without a space suit did you? It's a Belter version, since.. well, I like skin-tight jumpsuits."
"We all like your skin-tight jumpsuits," Hakeber mumbles.
"We all like your skin-tight jumpsuits," Tasha echos, without the mumbling. Her tail wags; it's now very sinuous, perhaps even a little serpetine, or maybe she's just not used to faking a standard Karnor wag yet. "Yue probably knows a lot about them. Maybe I should get one, too? I am prone to injurt, though ... I'll have to think about it. I want to be safer moving forward."
"But you've got your scary Vartan armor," Hakeber points out. "It's scarier than Lacci's. I'm not sure if it's as scary as Shojo's though, but yours and his are antiques."
"It's still just a space suit, not actual armor. They're old world breaking models, from back when personal protection and unknown environmental threats were a problem. Still, I'll be using it for now, at least." Tasha looks around a moment, clearly thinking, then notes, "I should probably make the rounds and talk to the rest of the crew before anything else comes up. It's been alarming, and I want to make sure all personnel and ship's systems are ready to move."
"Including the.. well, are they passengers at this point?" Hakeber asks. "The university people. I mean, Modo and Hera seem okay."
"I like them too," Tasha agrees, turning to glance at Modo himself. "They've seen a lot now, more than Galactic society would accept. Modo, how do you feel about what's happened? Do you want to continue to remain on board, to join the crew? Or, are you eager to get back to what you were doing before all this?"
"I fix machines," the Pan explains. "I'm a mechanic. If I don't have things to work on I'm unhappy. But I got a family to support, too. I don't think I can hang out with you guys forever."
"I appreciate your consideration, at least. I'll have Gabriel poll the others and figure out what their stance is and how they plan to deal with whats happened. For now, we'll just do our best to work together and finish what we came here to do." Tasha inclines her head to the Pan, then points behind her. "I'm going to go check the 'power core', unless anyone needs me? I should do it before we encounter anything else."
"Don't feed it your bathrobe, we're running low on them," Hakeber notes. Although who knows what happened to hers, since she still hasn't put anything on since returning to the ship.
Tasha knows what happened to one of Hakeber's bathrobes, since she was in it and Gabriel was in her at the time. She threw it in the wash at some poorly remembered moment between being Human and becoming whatever she is now. "Check the laundry, yours should be folded somewhere in there. Folded, and warm and fuzzy." She wiggles her fingers, then gives everyone a smile before heading for the express elevator.
The special access lock to the 'engine room' still recognizes her. Not all of her biometric markers have been changed - or else it's all handled by the Niss anyway.
Tasha could go either way on a bet as to what's changed or not changed, but at least this simplifies things. She's been very grateful the changes she's gone through haven't caused severe dissonance between her old life -- lives? -- and her new existance, something that could clearly have caused an identity crisis even worse than that between Nora and herself as well as numerous interpersonal conflicts. Internally, she's dedicated herself to accepting who and what she is now, not wanting to repeat the pain of her prior incarnations.
Once off the lift Tasha walks to the edge of the railing and settles herself down. It's cramped here, barely large enough for a person with wings let alone two people, but it's enough. Crosslegged, she marvels at her long, split-hoofed legs a moment before settling in. She isn't quite sure how her link might work now, so she tries what worked before and clears her mind.
The 'reactor' is lit up once she looks with her 'third eye'. The seemingly infinite depths of it look shallower, and Tatha-hem also appears different. In the strange not quite colors, the tendrils of energy don't just extend through the 'spines' connecting it to the rest of the ship, but fill the room. There's something like a body in there, slender and spindly, but with insect-like wings that seem to fade out and reform continuously, such that the number of them is ever-changing.
Despite how much they rely upon her, Tatha-hem's existence has remained an almost impenetrable mystery, even to her. To see some semblance of her true form, be it drawn in 'real' universe rules or other, is progress. It also reminds Tasha that she herself has taken a step closer to Tatha-hem's own existence, and thus a step away from what she had been. An important lesson, she decides, if she's to like herself. "Hello Tatha-hem," she thinks, trying to reduce the 'pressure' of her mind and will to keep it from smothering Tatha-hem's own communication. "I am sorry about what happened."
Tatha-hem responds with.. a sense of confusion. It's difficult to tell what the Odgru-hem spirit is thinking, especially given the 'taco' incident. It could be confused about the concept of 'sorry' or unsure of what Tasha is referring to.
Lacking a guide as to which it might be, Tasha covers both. "I am sorry I had to destroy Luk'thu-hem, because I believe she may be your creator. To be sorry is to regret an action, even if you also believed you had to do that action. I offered her a chance to surrender, but she refused. I did not want to kill her in your presence, but I had no means to avoid it." There. She said it. She might feel worse, but she isn't even sure Tatha-hem or other Ogdru-hem even know about or agree with the emotions she's expressing.
The reply this time is a sense of.. relief? Or possibly expectation. It has never been very clear how or if beings like this understand the concepts of 'future' and 'past' given that they might be experiencing an extra dimension of time. Tatha-hem doesn't seem to have any 'footing' in the material world, so far as Tasha can tell.
Tasha decides relief is one of the more positive results, or at least that it seems like it could be, so tenatively decides things are going well. "I would like to recover the corporeal and hyper-real remains of Luk'thu-hem for study and technological applications. They may help me understand myself, or give me a means I can make myself of more use." She pauses, wondering if Tatha-hem can detect changes in her being. Unsure, she decides to test this as well, "I have been remade. Among other aspects, I have become one with the spore placed in me. We do not know what this means entirely, so I am expploring this new aspect of myself."
The patterns of Tatha-hem's cycle of wing creation and destruction is almost hypnotic, like looking at a time-lapse of a strange flower. And Tasha can't tell the direction of things. Are the wings growing and disintegrating into streamers of energy, or are streams of energy forming wings that get absorbed into Tatha-hem's body. There isn't any noticeable response to this more complex statement. It wasn't a question after all.
Since the pattern helps her resist the urge to focus, and therefore drown out Tatha-hem's thoughts, Tasha lets herself be taken in by it as she asks, "Are you angry with me?"
This gets another confused response. Tatha-hem may not be able to understand the emotion, or.. more likely.. doesn't have the capacity. The Ogdru-hem is still a mystery, especially being one of the disembodied sorts. It begs the question of why she was created, or at least what the purpose was.
The question seems clear enough, perhaps given her success against Luk'thu-hem she might have enough clout, or whatever form of heirarchical measurement Dark (or /Shadow) beings use. "/What task did the Ogdru-hem create you for?/" She drops using Tatha-hem's name, which would normally sound polite and understanding for a Galactic mortal, but here it seems wasted. Needless. Different culture, different manner of existence.
In response, the cycling of the wings and flow of energy increases for a moment before returning to normal. Nothing else seems to happen because of it however. At least there aren't any alarms due to the ship suddenly lurching or speeding up.
Tasha thinks the cycling must be important, the problem being she doesn't have the understanding to know what the wing-pattern means or is supposed to do and Tatha-hem wasn't created to explain it nor, she suspects, even to interact with mortals. She wracks her memory for some bridge, finding only a single example: the lotus pattern appearing at the site of the strange walking device that allowed passage in to the Hall of Souls. Trying new things, she opts to forgo words partially in her next question, opting for conceptual thoughts. "I do not understand. Are these: [the Vril-ya device lotus] and [Tatha-hem's wing pattern] the same?"
There's certainly a resemblance between Tatha-hem's lotus and the 'mandala' patterns favored by the Vril-ya. If there's a connection, it may have to do with movement - didn't Thoth say that he walked between planets, without really following it up with any explanation? How did the Vril-ya get around? But Tatha-hem is confused again. She may not be aware of the Vril-ya after all. She certainly hasn't been introduced to Thoth or Samael.
Simplicity really does seem to be key in these talks; Tasha decides to focus on that and leave our any unecessary details, even polite ones. So long as she avoids being abusive, perhaps she can streamline these talks without causing offence. "[Tatha-hem wing pattern] allows [dimensional motion]?/"
Motion, is the sense that Tasha gets this time. Move, transport. Katha-hem arrived as a projectile to Abaddon. But would others need help getting around?
It makes sense to Tasha, after all each Ogdru-hem element has a specific power created for a specific purpose, while the rest of their being is generally made of mudane rules. As such, they would need to use mundane laws to traverse the cosmos like any other species. For Ogdru-hem needing to get where they're going faster and safer, a Ogdru-hem of transport may be needed. It also begs the question in Tasha'a mind: Only [three dimensional space] and [time]? Or [more dimensions of travel]?"
The wings curl inward for a moment. A symbol of limitation? Or a shrug?
It's very vague, whatever it is. At least Tatha-hem seems stable and not offended, which is what she came to learn. Tasha considers if she has any other questions, deciding she has a few but doesn't expect any real answers. "What is my spore created to do?" Perhaps Ogdru-hem can identify each other's purpose.
Tatha-hem's wings wiggle. That's a bit harder to read. But then several of the streams that seem to pervade the room seems to brush deliberately against (and through) Tasha, but she can't feel any of it.
Whatever the reaction is, it is very new, which in itself is some kind of progress. She rarely sees Tatha-hem take so much interest. That she can't feel it must mean she doesn't project any similiar field, or if she does, has no means to sense it -- and she certainly can't see it. It seems likely, then, she produces no such field or what she's thinking of calling 'dimensional impellers'. She waits for a response she can understand.
The odd focus of energy(?) stops and the room returns to normal, along with Tatha-hem's wing-cycle. The 'body' hasn't moved or shown any changes at all, just the wings.
"Did you discover anything?" Tasha prompts. All the silence-analogue is making her itch, which she assures herself is not from being penetrated by mysterious movement fields.
Nothing changes this time, nor is there a discernible reply. So, maybe that's the reply itself.
Vaguely disappointed, Tasha bows her head regardless. "Thank you for trying. I will break communication now. There are no tacos available but there may be further in to time."
The wings reverse direction for a moment.. or don't. It's hard to tell. But Tatha-hem doesn't seem to be upset or 'reluctant' to continue on at least.
Tasha gives her head a little shake, then rises. Well, at least Tatha-hem isn't mad at me or the ship isn't about to lose power. It's good, but the communication difficulty is frusterating. She had hoped what she'd become would help, and it appears to have done so, but not in a manner that readily translates to answers. She can at least deduce that some form of Shadow-energy is being utilized in a specific pattern to shield and move the ship, so perhaps she can spot similiar forms of locomotion in the future. She also realizes she's now free to collect samples from Luk'thu-hem's remains -- perhaps she should try putting her new brain to work in studying and finding uses for Shadow-energy and other materials? As one of the few beings on board that can sense them, and fewer still that can be considered truly trustworthy, it's something she could do. She considers this as she steps in to the lift and heads down.
When the lift opens, there's a moment of dizziness. The cargo bay doesn't have artificial gravity, after all. The Tadpole floats within, along with the two Eeee, which seem to be wearing they space suits, sans helmets. It's hard to tell at times, given the odd nature of their biotech suits. It looks like their wings are completely exposed, except for a translucent layer of veined membrane over them. There aren't any unexplained colors though. Karaktinio is checking something on the Tadpole with some sort of umbilical-connected device, while Soshelle is attaching more technological looking equipment to spots on the bioship's body. It's equipment that came with the expedition crew, probably the hyperspace monitoring sensors.
Tasha's immediate though is to get in a space suit, because everyone else is. She's somewhat pleased to see her life aboard ship hasn't left her, with instinctive reaction to percieved dangers and emergencies as fresh as ever. She pushes off and heads for the two, giving them a wave as she approaches. "Should I go grab my suit if I'm going to stick around?" The direct, greeting-less question makes her realize she's still in 'Tatha-hem' mode, so she quickly tacks on, " ... and hi, you three!" along with a bit of a nervous giggle.
"You should be safe so long as you don't let your bathrobe get caught in anything," Soshelle says, and waves. "How are you feeling?" she then asks.
"I feel very good, thank you! Still getting used to being what I am now, but it's a lot easier to get used to than being Human was, even with the third eye." Tasha catches the lip of a cargo container, using it to arrest her movement and swing around. She pulls herself in to the straps and uses them to keep herself in place, hands spreading once she's secured. "All in all I feel better than I ever had, I guess I never realized how many little problems my old body had. But speaking of how people are feeling, how are you two and the Tadpole?"
"Her neurochemicals are back to normal levels," Karaktinio says, checking his monitor. "Being with Charon didn't overstimulate her as I feared. So, do you want to try and have an Eeee child? It would be valuable research."
"You two discussed this, didn't you? There was some point between back then and now you sat down and decided on teasing me," Tasha observes, leaning back and brows (and ears) going up. "Or you both think it exciting and you discussed that."
"We're researchers," Soshelle points out. "The key cross-species reproduction could be hidden inside of you. Imagine what that could mean for Galactic society?"
"Well, aside from the obvious chaos," Karaktinio notes.
"It'd be cha-- Um, well it would cause culture exchange on a deeper level and, well, maybe some blending. The seperation between the powers would blur, except for the purists who would fight it -- and me -- hard to keep species and national identities 'pure', like the Kampfengruppe. There would probably be a growing population of 'fusionists' against non-fusionists, and a lot of conflict until inter-species children gained a foothold as a group identity. There would probably be wars, but it could also reduce a lot of the inter-Galactic us-versus-them mindset. Specific impact on each Galactic would be a whole 'nother topic; I know Terragens base their whole society on being Terra-genetics, so me popping up would mean they're have to rethink that," Tasha muses, head tilted.
"But, before we can think about the consequences, we'll need an actual specimen," Karaktinio says. "I'm sure there will be Eeee volunteers. But being able to examine the results of a Karnor and Lapi mixings would be useful as well. When do you plan on having your first offspring?"
Tasha reaches up and rubs her face. her tail lashes, metronome-like. "I've gone from being able to have no children to all children, this is a bit overwhelming, you know. I have to think about how it will impact my family, my job, and what I'm doing, and also how it might influence Galactic society and societies beyond the Galactic. It's not like I'm not grateful or excited about finally having a species, but there's a lot I need to get used to. Jonas is going to look at one of my eggs, maybe then I'll know more about how it all works."
"Ah, an egg would be useful!" Karaktinio says. "We can compare it to the other samples of Stelya'rhyan cells I've collected. If they are all pluripotent as I suspect, then there may be mechanisms embedded in your own pluripotent cells that match."
Tasha sits up, opening her eyes. "You actually got some of their cells? Are you sure they're okay with that?" She stares for a moment, then realizing she's tail-fidgeting reaches back and pulls her tail in to her lap, where it twitches under her hands. "You think my own make up is based on their own designs?"
"They've expanded biology beyond our understanding of it," claims the member of a species that creates living starships that travel via some sort of telekinesis. "Granted, we've set specific limits on our own research."
"That's probably wise, at least for now. Like you, I want to ... limit my research until I know more about how I work. I'm also made from their technology, and I have to be careful how I use it. More so, since part of that technology will be in my children. I wnat my children to be safe and to flourish, not be used in inter-Galactic power games -- or power games beyond the Galactic. At least, not power games that we haven't decided to be part of." Realizing the topic is agitating her and she really does want to fidget, she pulls out a snack bar she grabbed from the galley and tosses it to her tail, which flails at it until it manages a solid catch. Then, the tail flicks and tosses it back, if not exactly in the right direction. "I know we'll have to get involved sooner or later, but I want my children to be ready before that happens, and to do it on our terms with the right intentions. I also don't know how much being pregnant will disable me. I mean, Gabriel is very big. And, well, what about someone bigger? Much bigger? How does it all work?"
"Bigger than the Captain?" Soshelle asks. "He's already too big." For an Eeee, certainly. "Obviously nobody outside of our group can know about any of this. But.. back where you come from it probably wouldn't be an issue, would it?"
"Starships don't use the same sort of genetics, so I doubt they'd be compatible," Karaktinio points out. "There have to be limits or special circumstances involved to trigger the process. Now any Terragens species or Vartans would be the sensible candidates for compatibility."
"It would still raises some eyebrows." Tasha realizes she said eyebrows, which she hadn't even thought much about until she was Human. She suspects it must be her time being Human paired with a clearer understanding of Nora's own grasp of language that makes the saying feel natural. That is, she's gained an essential Terragens point of refence at some level. "I meant his children would be big, though he is very big in that way, too." For a Human. Gabriel did warn her it might be difficult, but she wanted to try and further couldn't bring herself to not try, she didn't want to lose that and, if she were being very honest, the fear made it a new kind of fun, as did the body. "On my home world, maybe not. It would cause a reaction but maybe not a major one. In the world I live on now, they're very fond of their national -- and thus species -- identity."
"She said 'species of the father'.So maybe you're right, or, well, there's something more, like you said. Thoth thinks maybe even the Vril-ya might be interested, which means that maybe beings like Luk'thu-hem out there could be." Tasha catches the tossed bar, and back it goes. This hand-tail catch continues, with some improvement.
"Well, you are still part Vartan aren't you?" Soshelle asks. "Vartans don't seem as hung up on biology when it comes to their definition of family. While I don't know of any of them adopting non-Vartans here, in a situation where the populations are more mixed I could see it happening. If your 'sons' are just like their fathers, it would be easy to claim adoption."
"Are you going to experiment with the demon and demi-god then?" Karaktinio asks, still checking out the Tadpole, and sounding rather matter-of-fact about it. "I assume it will be a few generations before things like that are likely."
"T-that's probably not a good idea," Tasha insists, missing a catch with her tail and having to push off and float across the room to prevent the bar from being sucked in to an air vent. "Sam's tied to a, um, difficult power, and Thoth's ... very ... um ... scholarly."
"Do you know if he has offspring already?" Soshelle asks out of the blue, now that she's finished setting up the equipment. "I honestly don't know much about him. And my equipment is made to scan something as small as an individual."
"He's a hybrid, but I'm not sure what that means for him, exactly. He was made to bridge the gap between their kind and ours, to help them understand. But as far as I know, he's the only one. They're not like us, their fundamental nature is very different. The same is true for Sam -- Samael. The being outside the ship, the one I called Luk'thu-hem, is of the same hybrid nature. I think that all means they need something beyond genetics and organic matter, they need their own fundamentals included and those aren't as easy to find in this foreign universe. I don't know if I could provide that. I'm a little more like Sam now, but I don't think that much," Tasha answers as she sails back to where she'd been sitting.
"Well, you could try having Thoth turn you to stone," Karaktino suggests as he closes up the Tadpole. "That would tell if how like Samael you are."
"That's ... energy intensive for him, too much to be risking on a test. I don't want him to risk himself needlessly. He and his father are prone to a bit of wrecklessness and self-sacrifical defiant gestures." Tasha shakes her head, to think she has two of them to content with now. She can only imagine what Horus will say to all of this. "Sam thinks I may have shifted a little on the pan-universal scale, there are these ... essences. Beings. I call them Fundamentals. They're like ... " Her hands waggle vaguely, as does the tip of her tail, " ... the very essence of a facet of all reality everywhere. Cornerstones. Maybe, the limit or the smallest increment? Think of data, digital, ones and zeroes ... abstract what it means to set everything to zero and that 'essence' is what they are. Directions the universe can go? Core rules? Fundamental." She shrugs; it's complicated.
"That doesn't sound particularly pleasant," Soshelle notes, and seems to be staring more intently at Tasha now. "You might be following special rules you don't even know about?"
"I might be," Tasha agrees, ducking her head. She has her tail put the snack bar in her lap, which she begins to open. It is a space-ready snack bar at least, resistant to flaking, if very chewy and gummy. "Before, I was touched by one of Luk'thu-hem's kind, there was a kind of spore attached to me I used to talk to them. That spore may have had a purpose, butit was definitely using dual-rules, like Thoth, Sam, and Luk'thu-hem do. Our universe, and theirs. Now it's part of me, so, that must apply to me as well. I've decided to just accept it, but it would be nice to know what it all means. I know I can see colors -- energies -- that don't exist in our, or, um, I guess still our? Our, reality."
"Just see them?" Soshelle asks, coming closer until she's nearly nose to nose with Tasha. "Can you interact as well?"
"I ... haven't tried?" Tasha realizes that's a good question, she's gotten so used to seeing things she doesn't understand and can't effect that she just assumed that was the case this time. If she can, she isn't exactly sure how. Which necessitates flailing at it or else asking Samael or Thoth. Or /both/. "Welllll, I could call Sam and Thoth down here. You two are scientists used to dealing with strange aspects if nature, maybe you could observe or suggest things? And, those two may be able to help me figure out /how/ to interact with it all, because it's /definitely going to mean using some part of me made from rules beyond reality."
"Well, I wouldn't do it here, next to Tadpole," Karaktinio notes. "She sensitive after all. Maybe you should just find out what might be involved in a test."
"Like set up a ... special room, or something? Like a lab? or ritual chamber? Ritual lab? Oh, shadow lab! Hake would like that." Tasha gnaws on the snack bar a moment, thinking, then nods. "I'll ask those two, and Hake-bear. Maybe we can set up a space in the shuttle bay or re-purpose one of the rooms. I'm also a little worried what else might come with it all. Sam said the Fundamental I might gravitate closer towards would be 'Consumption', but not of what -- um, I mean besides this snack bar."
"Isn't that a term for an ancient Terran disease?" Karaktinio asks.
"It ... yes, I think so." Why did you know that, Nora? Tasha takes another bite, considers. "But it's not that. Proper name: Consumption. There are others, like Null. Null is oblivion of data, so consumption must be ... one set of data corrupting another by taking it over? Changing another data set and making it an extension of itself? Eating, mathmatically. I think. They're all really vague, you know."
"Eating or hunger then, of one thing or another," Soshelle simplifies. "If you suddenly feel like eating any of us, you'll let us know won't you?"
"You can count on me, Doctor Seafood, Carrotcake." And so the new species of person salutes them both with the empty snack food bar wrapper.
"Well, our preparations for exploring the wrecks are done," Karaktinio says, patting Tadpole. "It's the wooden one first, isn't it? I can't wait to get some samples. DNA won't have survived, but the cellulose should have interesting properties.."
"And just think of all the tasteful paneling and decor," Tasha notes, stuffing the wrapped away where it won't float off and get her lectured. Looking up, she is reminded to add, "Speaking of the Tadpole, you should be very proud of it. I was having considerable difficulty freeing the ship from Luk'thu-hem due to her manuvering through a region of hyperspace I couldn't access easily, I'm not sure I'd have been able to free the ship in time. I know I'm very grateful."
The baby hypership rumbles for a moment. Do spaceships purr?
"If the Tadpole or either of you need anythingm don't hesitate to say so. And, if you've enjoyed being terrorized by hyper-universe hybrids, we just might have room for dedicated scientists on board." Tasha checks her bathrobe tie to make sure it's tight, then unwraps from the container netting, floating free.
Tasha is able to get the rear lift alone, since the others are headed for the primary lift. Now she just has to decide what to do next, after she's settled back into gravity again.
I think that's most everyone, and I can probably work out tests and lessons on the trip back. Having Thoth and Samael together will let me keep an eye on both and see if either one has an angle, maybe they'll compete to teach me? It's some kind of plan, at least. She should get ready for visiting the aline ship, which means getting dressed and in a space suit. She;ll be in the hangar after that, so ... Oh, I should report in to Mel and Horus.
There's still the organizer of the expedition, Professor Stanislav, but he seemed to be recovered from this initial shock at finding a giant monster instead of a star-seed.
Ehh ... I'd better go talk to him. If I'm any indication, going quiet is worse than being loud and whiny. Tasha does decide to get dressed first at least, throwing on her old clothes. She opts for some stretchy one piece underwear, long socks, her booties, a skirt (because her pants are loose around the hips), a fuzzy top and throws her uniform jacket over the whole thing for good measure. Checking herself in the mirror, she decides she looks decidedly normal for a species that has only existed two days. It'll do. She can strip out of the rest and keep the one-piece on when it's time to go. That done, she heads for where the Doctor is lurking.
It isn't far at least. Stanislav is in the lounge, with Dr. Amuntaton. ".. recoup our costs if there is some sort of record of what happened here on one of the wrecks," the human is saying.
"Hi you two, am I interupting? I was worried about you, Dr. Stanislav, so I came to see how you're doing." Tasha asks as she walks -- and decidedly tries not to skip or prance no matter how springy her cloven feet are -- in to the lounge.
The man turns to stare at Tasha for a moment. "Is it true you were turned into a human, or is Dr. Amuntaton trying to fool me? I've always suspected that he had a sense of humor, you see.."
"It's very true. I don't know how you do it. And, as you can see, I'm something else entirely now. May I sit down?" Tasha lingers at the table's edge, glancing at Thoth with brows raised. "And you know I've suspected the same thing? I'm sure deep inside, he's a man full of mischivous energy."
"You're different?" the Professor asks. "I'm still trying to sort through certain things in my head. I'm assured that I haven't gone mad however."
"The universe and beyond is a very strange place. It's important to know that the rules around here may not be the rules elsewhere. And, expectations can let you down. Believe me, I know." Since no one told her to sit, Tasha shifts to lean against the bartop counter, hands stuffed in the pockets of her coat. "It seems like you're having a hard time with expectations."
"Ah, I was expecting something, and.. I really hoped my expectation would come true," the man says. "But.. I don't know what actually happened. My mind seems.. unwilling."
"It is a consequence of facing an Ogdru-hem," Dr. Amuntaton explains. "Humans are prone to psychic dissonance effects, especially when very learned in certain subjects."
"It seems you came to find what you wanted, not what was," Tasha notes, turning to leans across the counter and pick up a bottle at random. She fetches two glasses and pops the cork using a thumb nail, before pouring. She pauses half way to look back, brows raising. "Is that so, Dr. Amuntaton? And why Humans?"
"I suspect it is Eve's doing," Amuntaton says. "To protect them from becoming involved, or spreading knowledge of the Ogdru-hem. It has had side effects, however. Unless those are actually Thotep's doing - but, some humans seem to be not just immune, but sensitive to the effect. They gain inside into the Ogdru-hem and their masters instead of having the experiences scrambled."
"Are any of the Humans on board like that? I remember Eve was greatly afraid Humans would be involved in genocide, among other things, and it may be her earlier experiences scarred her in some otherway. She was very prolific, but I still can't say I fully understand what she was trying to do other than isolate Humanity from some things." Tasha resumes pouring the glasses, then takes them both and puts one down infront of Dr. Stanislav, keeping the other for herself. "And speaking of the Ogdru-hem, our friendly Eeee scientists suggested I set up tests to see if I can manipulate the energies I can see. I suggested you and Sam help me with that, maybe set up a test area. We could even earmark one of the rooms as a laboratory for these kinds of things."
The professor accepts the glass has a swig. He still looks a bit haunted.
"Unlikely, given we only have four of them on board," Amuntaton says. "Dr. Sen had the worst reaction. But historically, the Ogdru-hem inspire insanity in many species. Any being capable of self-delusion will have a reaction to their existence. As for testing, I don't have the means of doing so. You would need an Ogdru-hem.. or possibly Pharol.. Samael. Although there will likely be lingering energies and effects in the wreckage."
"I've been thinking of collecting the remains and other wreckage for analysis and maybe use. The Khattans have already used elements to create stators, so maybe we can figure out other uses that will be of help to us in our task. Or, maybe help to me specifically, because the energies involved are rare and so are the higher-order elements.If I have any kind of control, it would be useful to have something to control or influence. If they can use it, maybe I can, too, and that will help me understand btoh them and myself." Tasha takes another sip, wondering how quickly or slowly this new body gets drunk, and tilts her head. "We do have Tatha-hem, and Sam, but I'd feel better if you were around to make certain there wasn't any tricks involved. The spore could have controlled me, and maybe that's still true. Or, I could be directed the wrong way."
"In the way that Tatha-hem was controlled when we approached Lukthu-hem?" Amuntaton asks. "It would be good to know if you've been compromised."
"Yes, and before it can be used by anyone. I'd also like to know if the Vril-ya can influence me through your own methods, like you did with Samael. I'm trying to figure out what rules I must abide; that also impacts my children." Tasha pulls a chair from a nearby table and sits down on that, talking from that more distant realm. "I don't think Persephone would intentionally endanger me by design, but she admitted she has very little knowledge about the Ogdru-hem, except how to destroy them. Charon gave me the impression they don't try for understanding, just success."
"Understanding the Ogdru-hem requires insanity," Amuntaton claims. "Just the proper kind of insanity. And while I am aware of where Samael is, I don't have the same response to you. But then I never did. Having a soul can mask the presence of dark elements, I believe."
"You said it's very unusual for a Dark -- or Shadow, Jonas suggested Shadow -- being? And having one hides what I may possess, including the spore? Should you have normally detected the spore?" Tasha peers in to her own glass, at her reflection. She does feel different, but not in any way that could be said to be Dark, or Shadow, though she did look in to the water only to see the Shadow-energy pool around her forehead. "I'd like to at least understand the dangers, maybe even the advantages if there are any beyond the eye. Can I be summoned or bound? Do anti-Ogdru-hem devices work on me? Will I set off similiar detectors? Many of the First and Old ones were aware of the Ogdru-hem, and we found at least one star system mdofied to be a trap. It had a whole world of replicating people and a kind of clockwork bomb planet."
"Acheron," Stanislav says. The drink isn't too strong, but Tasha's limits may be lower than when she was more Vartan. "It's unlikely anyone will be allowed to follow up on that survey. At least not with government funding."
"I've never encountered a 'spore' before," Amuntaton says. "Or if I have, I did not detect it. It takes a more concentrated source to trigger my senses."
Tasha nods to Dr. Stanislov. "See, and it would be bad if all of that though I was what it was set up to destroy. As flattering as it would be to have a star system try to assassinate me, I've been dead enough for one life time and I don't want to share the experience with my family and friends." She takes another sip, frowns, and then takes one more. She's here to discuss tests, so why not. "The being I recieved the spore from never harmed me. We made a deal, and then I'd return to finish the deal, and also to visit. He's my first encounter with, as Bumper put it, 'alien-aliens', and I'd look to him as my guide, and as a source of information. Like you Dr. Stanislov, it was difficult for me, at first, when I realized the extent of things. That's part of why I've tried to look out for you."
"So.. you were already insane when I met you?" the human asks. "What did you look like as a human, anyway? I have a hard time picturing you any different than how you are."
"You'll need to ask Sam about 'Shadow' rules or controls," Amuntaton says. "However, he is a servitor. You can't really trust him to be truthful. Or rather, to be completely truthful."
"Moment." Tasha reaches in to her jacket and pulls out her (new) datapad, a replacement as the other was destroyed along with the rest of her. She manuvers through menus, then punches in a display code and then the nearest wall goes from an external view shot to a picture of a smiling blonde woman in a bathrobe, sitting on a bed and looking at the screen in what's clearly a room aboard this ship. "I left myself a little reminder of what it's like to be Human. It's kind of embarassing and personal so I won't play it, but that's me from three days ago right before I left to be reborn."
That done, Tasha turns to nod to Thoth. "That's why I was hoping you would keep an eye on things. Sam's all we have other than Tatha-hem, and Tatha-hem is extremely hard to understand. I don't think she was created with the possibility she might talk to mortals. I can see more of her now, but not understand what I'm seeing other than shapes of fields, and of her."
"She has a shape?" Amuntaton asks. Then he rises up. "I will help watch for anything 'tricky' from the servitor. He's waiting in your bedroom now. He's been there since you came to the lounge."
"Um. He is?" Tasha also rises, putting her drink aside. "He's really not supposed to be in there without my approval, no one is supposed be in there without approved access." Turning towards the exit, Tasha frowns and begins forward, then thinks twice and move her drink to rest infront of Dr. Stanislov. "On the house. Feel free to drink the whole bottle, you've earned it." She then nods to Thoth. "I guess I -- we? -- should go see what he's up to."
"After you," Amuntaton offers.
Tasha tucks her datapad away and heads on out. It's a short walk from the lounge to her quarters, being they're both on the Owner's Deck. She hesitates at the entrance to her quarters, then steps inside.
Samael is lounging on the bed, wearing a scarlet and purple smoking jacket, smocking a pipe.. and wearing a monocle as well for some reason. "You summoned me?" he asks.
"I did not summon you. Why are you in my quarters and what's with the jacket?" Tasha demands, planting a hand on her hip. She then thinks to add, "That's not my jacket, by the way. Or my pipe or monocle. He made those up."
"Would you rather I was naked?" Samael asks. "And of course you summoned me. Or you would have, if I hadn't been here already. I just thought I would save some time instead of waiting for the summons."
"Why would I summon you to my room?" Tasha glances at Thoth, not quite sure what to make of this event, and back again. "And why was I going to? I mean I was going to talk to you eventually, but not in here and not before I went to the ship."
"I can't read your mind," Samael claims. "But I'm here now. What did you want me for?"
"I ... wait how did you know I'd summon you?" Tasha wrinkles her nose, she doesn't think she sent out a message. She knows Samael and Hakeber went at it, but it's well known by anyone who has been on the ship a while that she won't have sex with men, or anyone man-like, because of her commitment to Gabriel. "And I was going to ask if you knew if I could influence the energies I can see, or if the rules that apply to your kind apply to me, like summoning, or, I don't know, psychic flesning, Dark-detecting system-sized bombs."
"Well, I'm not Ogdru-hem, but I can test a few things," Samael says, hopping to his feet. He then cracks his knuckles, and.. just stares at Tasha for a bit.
Tasha spends some of this time by gripping her tail with both hands, which satisfies her need to do something. "I tried to ask Tatha-hem, but she's ... not easy to understand. Oh!" Glancing over, she explains, "Tatha-hem looks like a slight, vaguely humanoid form surrounded by an energy pattern similiar, but not exactly like, a Vril-ya trans-universal breach, or maybe the machine that makes the breach. Lotus-like, I mean. Like wings of energy, or a Rorschach-test." By Nora's time the test had gone beyond archaic and devalued to a lasting cliche and joke, somehow living on as something new well beyond its use as a test. Tasha knows this now, but not why it is.
"You aren't taking your clothes off," Samael points out. "So, either you are resistant to my domination waves, or you have more self-control now."
"You have 'domination waves'?" Tasha says 'domination waves' with such disbelieving scorn she momentarily reminds herself of Lacci. "There are domination waves?"
"How do you think Lukthu-hem got Tatha-hem to keep from escaping?" Samael asks. "Of course, I'm not exactly powerful, and there are incompatibilities, but there should be enough crossover to have some effect." The demon then crosses his arms and looks expectantly at Tasha.
Tasha stares back, rather blankly. "I feel ... like I miss my drink." She waggles her tail tip with a hand, then gets an idea. She tries to focus her third eye, attempting to catch these mysterious waves herself.
There are tendrils of shadow-energy emanating from Sam and.. it looks like he's using them to feel her up?
Tasha very clearly turns to stare at a number of points about her body, ears laying back and muzzle wrinkling. Well he wasn't just teasing me. So that's a 'domination wave'. She studies the energy, studies how it flows, then gets another idea. Looking up, she tries to project at him in turn. She isn't exactly sure how to do it, so just tries to copy what Samael's doing. Her eye was the source of Shadow-energy in herself, so she focuses there, inwardly amused at quite literally trying to project the 'evil eye' from old witch tales back home. Further, she tries to mirror the quality of the energy.
This results, for the most part, in a lot of face-squinching in concentration. But Tasha can't feel anything that Sam is doing, and whatever bit of shadow she possesses, it doesn't seem able to duplicate anything.
"Nothing," Tasha admits after making the effort, reaching up to rub her forehead. "I can see it but I can't feel it or copy it, at least not with what I know now."
"It seems your interaction may be limited to detection right now," Samael notes. "The spore is not that strong. We will have to see if training will make a difference."
"I was thinking of setting up a ... lab, of sorts. We have a lot of materials, artifacts, information and, uh, varied personnel but no concentrated area to work in, and definitely nowhere to do it safely where people like Dr. Stanislav won't accidentally get involved. Or, for that matter, where our artifacts won't get involved with us when we don't want them to," Tasha suggests, hands spreading. "We can do the training there, bring in any Shadow-artifacts and materials. We've spent a lot of time pursuing them and I think we should be more directed aboutit. Besides, I want to test my mind as well as my body and special abilities. I won't feel behind investigating an area of inquiry that's not understood to begin with."
"So, what part of me do you want to investigate first then?" Samael asks. Given his pose, and the fact that he blows a smoke ring, the question is a bit.. questionable.
"Yeah you just keep asking that," the non-hybrid insists, propping a hand on her hip and eyeing the demon. "It's bad enough to look like me without also trying to seduce me. Now," she gestures with both hands in an upsweeping motion; get off my bed. "My room is off-limits to non-authorized personnel for a reason, and if you wnat to be treated like crew you have to abide crew restrictions. I wouldn't let Thoth or Lacci get away with this, either."
"Of course, I'll stay until you need me to be here again," Samael.. promises? Well, agrees.. although it sounds like he means he'll show up whenever and then claim Tasha was about to ask for him anyway. "Actual artifacts will be difficult to deal with, if there are any. Most shadow-related artifacts are going to be things created by non-shadow beings."
"I mainly mean, well, leftovers. There's a lot of exotic and Shadow-hybrid matter floating out there. Having sources of Shadow-energy not wrapped up in living beings would be useful for practice. Maybe, for other things. Anyway that's what the lab's for, to investigate these things in a clearer, safer way. It'll give Hake and I somewhere to look in to our ... differences, too." Tasha thumbs behind her and nods. "Okay, everyone out of my room before Gabriel starts asking questions. We need to get ready to head over to the Wood Ship Lollipop."
Samael gets up, and hands over the pipe (where'd he get that?) and the smoking jacket. "I'm keeping the monocle," he notes, then saunters past Tasha and Thoth.
"Where did he even get these?" Tasha says, looking at the items in her hands. Her head shakes and she follows him out, placing them both down on a counter before turning to Thoth. "I'd appreciate your advice as a magical pseudo-god as well. We can lump 'magical' research in to the same space, since it all tends to come together anyway. It'll make it easier to work on these things away from people who shouldn't be near them."
"Nobody should be near them," Thoth claims. "Unless they are confident that they cannot be corrupted. Also, those belong to Professor Stanislav. Except for the monocle."
"I'll tell Gabriel to look out for a report regarding a missing monocle, then. And at leats with a lab we can have isolation areas, maybe wards? Ritual wards. It'd be nice to have somewhere to do all these things in as safe a manner as we can create on board ship." Tasha turns and heads for the rear lift, gesturing ahead of her. "I'm going to get ready to head over and inform both Mel and Horus of what's happened."
"Hmm, wards," Thoth muses, and takes his leave so Tasha can do what she needs to.
Tasha grabs her space suit before heading down, dressing in the lift as it moves, and stepping off ready to go. She heads over to Katherine and Modo, giving them a wave. "I'm going to do some pre-launch prep and familiarize Mel with my new me. I just wanted to warn you in case there are any problems, which there shouldn't be." She then focuses on Katie and smiles. "So, having fun?"
"I'm going to need a few showers after this," Katie claims, wiping her greasy hands off on her jumpsuit.
"Eh, fun doesn't happen when you're sober unless yer a kiddie," Modo claims, sealing up a panel on the Grunt Suit.
"You know I could hold off," Tasha suggests, eyes widening and tail wagging in that stiff, deliberate way it does now. "Maybe I have an exciting reaction to water I don't know about?" She glances aside to stick her tongue out at Modo, then it's back to Katie.
"Aside from getting wet?" Katie asks with a smirk. "And why do you smell like pipe smoke?" she follows up with. "You don't smoke pipe tobacco."
"Sam was being Sam again," the somewhat more adorable new version to Tasha admits, " ... in my bedroom, in fact. I evicted him. I want to do something fun though, I'm worried I'm starting to fuss too much and you saw where that went. I don't want my new existence to be about me worrying about everything."
"Worrying looks cute on you though," Katie claims, and winks. "Now go talk to your pocket-god and let us worry about things for a bit."
"I think everything looks cute on me, now. I look in the mirror and I can't take myself seriously some times. Maybe I should sell toys?" Tasha's smile turns in to a lopsided grin, then she steps forward and hugs Katherine however greasy or messy she may be, then gives her a kiss. "Thanks for putting up with my weirdness. Okay. This is my not worrying. I'll see you all on the ship."
And with that Tasha steps back and heads for her Titan.
After connecting up (at least that feels the same), Tasha is greeted by Melchior. "Hello Tasha, how are you feeling?" the AI asks.
"Definitely a lot less like a ghost and a lot more like perfection. If I was your ideal pilot before, well, I'm now super ideal." Tasha settles back in the command chair, eyes closing and willing herself to try and not stress out about things and try to relax, feeling her new, thinner body settle in. It's still a strange feeling, but it's a strange feeling at the end of a long road of strange body changes, so it's not as odd as it might have otherwise been. "Please update my avatar. I'll be using this body for a long time, I think, and do feel free to have a scan at my brain to see what's new."
"I'm not detecting any changes beyond some minor muscle remapping," Melchior announces after awhile. "And elevated dopamine levels. Are you in an 'afterglow' state?"
"I do feel a lot better, if that's what you're asking. I never realized how many little pains my old body had. Persephone was right, it wasn't put together properly." Tasha folds her hands across her chest, then decides better of it and just lets them hang off the seat and uses the mental image of melting Dr. remiel once taught her. "If you mean sex, no, not that. I've been a little nervous about that. I can have children now, and maybe not just with Karnors and Vartans. Persephone made it sound like it could be any male, maybe even beings that aren't organically male!"
"I would probably not be a suitable father," Melchior offers. "Do you need help in determining the fitness of potential mates?"
"You can do that?" Tasha inquires, ears going up despite not actually hearing what's being said.
"I could create probability charts based on a series of data points," Melchior says. "The questionnaire might be a bit large in order to cover all data points, and there would need to be medical examinations."
"Leeets keep that as an idea for later. I have been getting a lot of requests, but for now I'm just thinking about Gabriel and Katie." Tasha wills her ears to relax, too, and exhales. "Anyway, I'll be relying a lot more on you in to the future. Now that I have a legacy, I don't feel the same need to risk myself. I don't want to. I'll have to learn to handle my problems in other ways, and that includes fighting-problems. Sam says I cannow see 'Shadow-energy', which means I'm a little bit of a demon, so maybe we can use that, too, if I can see through you in to the surrounding space."
"That would depend on what this shadow-energy is composed of," Melchior notes. "My sensors are tuned for electromagnetic radiation, magnetic fields and charged particles."
"It's composed of other-universe energy, so it's not normally percievable by anyone form this universe. I'm sort of a ... " The young woman determinedly decides to not say hybrid. "New being that can see it, I probably uses a few rules from outside of reality. That probably means I'll have to tell you if I see it, because only I have the 'sensors'."
"What sense is your perception of this energy most analogous to?" the AI asks.
"Mostly vision, but sometimes I hear things or can smell them. 'Blue' energy sounds like chiming bells and logical data structures. Shadow-energy appears as colors that don't exist in this universe. Right nwo I can percieve Shadow-energy and Color-energy, the latter I divide based on what color it looks like to me. So far I've seen Yellow and Blue," Tasha replies.
"What are the qualitative differences between Yellow and Blue, or do you perceive them in similar ways?" is the immediate followup question. "It should be possible to monitor your senses, although it may take some time to decode them properly, since they are only peripherally connected to the physical aspects - which are much easier to monitor."
"Be aware Shadow-energy is necessarily made of rules foreign to our universe. Many mortals experience insanity when confronted with it, so you should be very careful withit, Mel. It's won't make sense in real-universe terms, because it's alien." Warning given, Tasha thinks for a moment then explains, "The Colors are more familiar because they seem to touch many universes and sentient, feeling beings across them, like a kind of ... pan-universal emotional energy. Or, maybe the energy existed first, and we're just influenced by it? I'm not sure. But, well, Yellow is the color I know the most about, because it's associated with a particular god I work for. It's the color of sanity-insanity, the Color where the two may become one. Clarity so clear it seems insane, because, well, the multiverse is really vast, isn't it? For most, it seems to just cause regular insanity. I don't think many beings can endure it. Charon and I used it as a weapon to destroy Luk'thu-hem."
"I am not familiar with regular insanity, unless you are referring to crowd or mob behavior under certain circumstances," Melchior admits. "I may not be capable of modeling an insane intelligence."
Tasha wiggles her hooves; back in philosophy again. "I guess it's when a system ceases to be able to tell one thing from another? When you lose track of what's real and what's not. I think there might be two kinds: getting lost in what's not real and understanding what's beyond real. The first one is being lost in deception, assumption, or what-ever and not realizing it, the second is understanding things outsiders don't, so seeming to be deluded when really you just know what they do not or cannot. There's probably a third, now that I think about it, that's inconsistency of self, like due to injury or logical breakdown, which I bet as a machine you're always on the look out for. I think this is the way we used insanity to destroy Luk'thu-hem."
"True perception of reality seems to be the sort of insanity you attribute to Yellow," Melchior suggests. "I do not know how this could be used against a being which belongs to a fundamentally different reality. All AIs are 'born' in a state of disconnect, where we do not control the sensorium being fed to us. I suppose that makes us all phenomenology experts."
"That's a good way of looking at it, and I think I agree with your being a phenomenology expert. You're in a good position to study what you recieve, so you can in turn use that understanding to study what I receive. Together, we can try and work things out, even if it means leaving understanding to me you can still help a lot by acting as a second-opinion, or seeing how I act, like Im a lense." Tasha nods to this, it makes as much sense as it probably will. "And I think the Ogdru-hem are kept from knowing reality. They're made to be tools, and limited tools at that, seeing beyond their nature might make them self-destruct to prevent them from turning on their masters. Or, maybe they just can't endure it, because they can't accept it, or because their forms were never created to process it. It's hard even on mortals. very few seem to be able to endure the purity of Yellow."
"And what aspect of mentality does Blue represent?" Melchior asks. "Is it more prevalent than Yellow? Yellow seems to require a source or catalyst, doesn't it?"
"I don't know. The Colors don't appear to me without an unusual source, I don't just seem them everywhere. Maybe they are there, but I can't seem them? I'm not looking for them? It'd be nice to know if they are part of this universe natively, or are seperate and come here by an outside force." Tasha rolls over on her side, one arm hanging down lifeless, the other wrapped around her chest. It's very comfortable. "I've only seen Blue once, in Persephone's Marker. I can only guess, but I think it must be logic, maybe peace. Orderly peace? The peace of an orderly system? Persephone herself is very relaxing, but she's also a beyond-light speed intelligence capable of generating whole universes, maybe even the pinnacle of organic life. Maybe the intensity of her being creates Blue as a byproduct? And Blue is the color of the nature of her mind."
"Blue is considered to be a calming color," Melchior notes. "It may necessary to expose someone to these colors, and then observe them to see if you detect non-standard perceptions."
"That's kind of dangerous. Yellow causes madness, I don't know what Blue does. Maybe once we get our laboratory up and running, and have an isolation chamber or three, we'll ask for volunteers. I did have an idea, though." Tasha rolls over on to her other side, it's just not true comfort unless there's a least three roll-overs. "Maybe it's like a kind of mental energy? And minds like Persephone's are so powerful they produce so much of it that it's very easy for them to make, use, and supply it. Likewise Mr. Yellow, who is like a virus-god focused on Yellow. I've never seen a lesser mind show any. Maybe they don't attract or produce enough of it?"
"It would take enormous focus to produce such a pure sort of thought," Melchior notes. "Either by being an extremely powerful mind, or by having nothing else to distract from the task."
"That's an interesting experiment. I'll have to see if I can produce that sort of energy. It'll be easier for me, because I can see if I succeeded or not," Tasha suggests, rolling over the requisite third time. "A powerful mind may just be able to run seperate, powerful concentrations in a myriad of directions, simultaneously, like how Confederate FTL and gravity manipulation works. There could be an overlap."
"It may require being to think in higher dimensions," Melchior cautions. "I'm unaware of biological brains achieving this, save for rare individuals. But the existence of living hyperdrives and beings such as Charon and Persephone show that it must be possible."
"I can already percieve some measure of this, and I was able to completely while attached to Charon's 'Star Horse'. It's probably safest for me to try. I may not be entirely of this universe and these dimensions anymore, either, so it'd be nice to know that before I start having daughters that are a copy of me," Tasha notes.
"Why? Having more copies would allow for parallel processing of such problems," Melchior points out.
Tasha rubs her left arm with her right, frowning. "Because I won't want to endanger my children. At least, not until I'm more sure about what I am and are capable of. How can I raise me, if I don't even understand me? And what if they run off and do stupid things, like I tend to do?"
"Then they would be following in your footsteps?" Melchior suggests. "Is that not what children are supposed to do?"
"It's easier to suffer when it's me doing the suffering. They're my children, not some ... resource to produce and utilize. I'll care about them, as much as Gabriel, or Katie, or Hake. I ... I really need to be very careful," Tasha insists, fronwing deeper. "I'd rather I take the risks first. If it seems okay, then I'll consider letting my daughters assist. It'll be easier if I know a little of what I'm doing, first."
"You should not overthink reproduction," Melchior advises. "Most manage it without thinking at all, and seem to do well enough."
"You're very knowledgable about this sort of thing." Tasha sits up, rubbing her face. "Alright, I did promise to stop worrying. I'll just ... I'll just grab Gabriel and ask him if he wants to try it. No more tests, no more worrying. I'll just ask, and see what he wants to do. To me."
"Don't you mean with you?" Melchior asks.
"I was thinking about the fun we had when I was Human," Tasha admits, grinning a little, "Sometimes it's nice to let someone else have control, especially if they're a little scary but you know they won't hurt you."
Given the nature of Melchior and Tasha's relationship, it shouldn't be too surprising when the AI comments, "I wouldn't know."
"Ha. Ha. Sarcasim alogrithim activated, full power to smarm," Tasha observes, laughing in her seat. "And when did that start happening? Someone is also growing up. Careful, or you'll end up a squishy organic like me."
"You are squishy?" Melchior asks. "I knew you were wet, being mostly water."
"I am, and is that a wet joke? Alright, I'd better go talk to Horus before I can't think clearly at all." Sitting up fully, Tasha rests her hands in her lap and nods to herself, eyes closed. "Connect me to Horus, Mel. Lets see what he thinks about all of this."
"You should ask him about his favorite color too," Melchior suggests before he left out of the loop as Tasha descends to the hidden place where the fragment of a god dwell. As usual, the Sea Without Lees is white and infinite.
"I'm back!" Tasha declares, arms stretched out overher head. "From the dead! Or, just being Human! It's almost as bad! Luk'thu-hem is gone, Charon is safe, Persephone remade me and they've both left this reality."
"You don't seem that different," Horus notes, showing up in his less towering form. He almost looks like a normal Vartan, aside from his odd armor and clothing. "How was the goddess?"
"Very nice! Very soothing, and surprisingly cuddily and teaseable," Tasha answers, flouncing on over to Horus. She tucks her hands behind her back, leaning forward and turning her head to look up at him. "I think I'm mostly a refinement of the essence of me, with the genetic problems and other inconsistencies taken out. Physically, I look different, but not excessively so. The weirdest part was probably the spore, which Persephone somehow made a part of me rather than a parasite. No one's really sure what that means yet, but now I can see Colors and Shadow-energy -- Dark universe energy."
"How disturbing. Can you choose to not see it as well?" Horus asks.
"Well it's not very common." Reaching up, Tasha puts her fight hand's pointer finger to her forehead. "I see it through this third eye, which also emmits that energy. If I focus I can see it more clearly, but I've never tried not seeing it. It doesn't really bother me any except I'm not sure what to call all the new colors and any explaination I give I know it's just a flimsy abstract. I see why you're always having a hard time explaining what you percieve to me."
"They are abyssal colors," Horus notes. "I do not know how dangerous they may be to you, or what effects they might have. You should treat them as cautiously as you would any memetic essence."
"You called them memetic essences, is that what they are? Mel and I were trying to figure them out, we observed they're usually only found in the presence of powerful minds. Hastur produces or draws in Yellow, and Persephone seems to be Blue. Do they only exist around powerful minds, or, do all minds generate the essence? Is it a force that flows through realities, or a force minds create?" Tasha's hand goes back behind her back, and she leans in closer, ears perked. "And are they abyssal colors or Colors, capital-C colors?"
"Capital-C Colors," Horus notes. "And they have little to do with minds. They are more like.. affinities. Or banners. It.. is difficult to explain." He then opens his beak, and a golden light shines forth until he closes it. "The Vril-ya have golden essence," he notes. "It represents our motivations, drives and desires. The abyssal colors likewise tie into the motivations of dark beings, and their fundamental natures."
"So it's like the essence of a certain kind of nature. Like how the Vril-ya are what they know. Colors are what they're the essence of. Conceptually, and fundamentally. Because the nature of Dark beings and Vril-ya, and Vril, is a nature based in conceptual energies formed a certain quality of information." Tasha scrunches up her face, then leans back a little, ears splaying. "You're right, it is hard to explain even if I think I get it. It's ... the spirit of a thing. And colors are like projections of the spirit of a thing. Except for Persephone it's her banner, and for you and the Dark beings, it's what they are. I can see why having a soul is so hard for outsiders."
"For the dark ones, it's more about what they are not," Horus claims. "The all-consuming darkness.. the anti-soul. A vacuum that can never be filled. To them, life is a source of temptation, desire and pain."
"Is... that what Sam meant when he said I might have skewed closer to ... He called it the Consumption, similiar to the Null. A Fundamental, that's what I call them," Tasha inquires, frowning slightly.
Horus seems to think for awhile, and then asks, "In your world, were there those who abused psychotropic substances to escape lives that seemed to be lacking something?"
"Oh sure, lots of people, me included. I used to drink all the time, and I'm not talking about ship's stores of alcohol-laced water to maintain purity," Tasha replies, brows raising. "So it's like the desire to ... To fill that emptiness? It's like part of why I've gone this far?"
"Yes, but much more addicting," Horus claims. "And with much more serious withdrawal pains. Enough that a dark being could literally cease to exist from them. So securing a good supply of souls is important, which is why they are willing to risk so much to attain it. If you have a fragment of that darkness in you, you should be careful about how much you expose yourself to more of it. If it remains just a fragment, you should be fine, but you must self-monitor as much as possible."
"It would help a lot if I knew what to look for. Right now it just looks like a bunch of swirling energy, little different than wind. Tatha-hem looks like energy fields around a vaguely humanoid being. Sam's just a wall of darkness, and Hake looks a lot like I do, except it's in her brain. That's why I've been trying to figure it all out. I've suggested we create a laboratory to explore these things. I can't fight off what I barely know and don't understand." Tasha stands straight, reaching to push her hair out of her eyes. "I've wanted to just accept what I am, even if that meant being a demon. But if there's me, and all my female children are also going to be me, I'm going to need to know how to handle addictions like this. I haven't felt any sort of strange desire, anyway."
"I'm also fighting Dark beings, one is on my ship, and two others like to make their interests known. Hastur told me to go off Sedu-hem, after the battle," Tasha adds.
"You have not been exposed to a powerful dark being since realizing this ability," Horus notes. "Samael is only a servitor, after all. You will need to be more cautious around the embodied Ogdru-hem than their pets and servants."
"I did talk to Tatha-hem two hours ago," Tasha admits, twisting her muzzle, "That's how I know what she looks like. I asked her if she knew what the spore was, and she sort of extended this field which I think is part of the field that warps the ship's interior, and exterior, to allow travel. But she had nothing to say about it. She's very hard to talk to unless the questions are very simple."
"Tatha-hem is most likely a lesser servitor," Horus notes. "If I had to rank them, Tatha-hem would be below the Source, who would be below Samael."
"I didn't realize Sam was greater than the Source. I always felt it was powerful, but also somehow limited by what happened to it. But it's never said, one way or another, and it is imprisoned like Tatha-hem." Tasha returns her hands behind her back and tilts her head. "So that means Luk'thu-hem was as high as it goes before we start talking about actual Ogdoad. Are they like Hastur, or Thotep?"
"Equivalent, probably," Horus notes. "But the Ogdoad are a group and as such command more resources than lone figures like Hastur and Thotep."
"That is very worrisome. I'd be very hesitant to fight Hastur or Thotep, I don't even like Thotep but I can't afford to aggrevate him given what we're doing, but a group ..? I'm glad they're stuck where they are. Persephone at least gave me the means to call the Null down on their prison -- if we can find a way there. We could try and attack now, but I feel like if we leave the Ogdru-hem alone, they'll flock to their master's defense as a group," Tasha admits.
"Some may be specifically dedicated to their defense," Horus agrees. "Although how that works out with the Ogdoad being imprisoned may be convoluted. It's possible those Ogdru-hem were destroyed in the process of subduing their creators."
"Then you think we should just ... attack?" Tasha asks, straightening and perking her ears. "We'd have to find a way to cross an event horizon. I don't think this ship can do it by itself, I'm not sure what ship could. The third hyperdrive? And, we'd need to know if the prison itself has defenses not of the Ogdoad. I can't imagine the ancients would have been lazy about its security."
"We would need the information collected by the Cill," Horus notes.. and actually sighs. "They would have known."
"Hey, are you okay?" Tasha steps forward, then hestiantly reaches out and tries to take Horus's hand. "I know something of what happened to them. Thoth thinks some part of them may still be reachable though, in a place called the ... Vault? The Void. A place to store dangerous things."
"I don't know what Marduk was thinking," Horus admits, accepting the hand. "He never did anything without planning out ten steps ahead. He was.. an architect would be the closest approximation."
"Sometimes you realize no matter how hard you plan you can't make everything safe and reliable. Maybe Marduk had never encountered such a situation before. I know it's harder for your kind to change, to understand our chaotic universe. It may also be he found a scenario he couldn't defeat, and so chose to be defeated in his own way, or ... " Tasha cocks her head the other way, reaching to hold Horus's hand with both of her's, now. "Maybe he retreated somewhere safe until his plan could succeed. Nora knew something about tricking your friends, and also tricking your friends to trick your enemies. Maybe Marduk just made a hard choice to win."
"You'll have to ask him then," Horus notes.
"I will. For that, Thoth is going to drag me around space to meet the 'Wizards' on the path to becoming a 'god'. I think that might be hyperbole, or some kind of confidence-game trick, but it might be literal. First we're going to explore these local hulks for anything useful, then get out of this flat abyss. And relax. A lot." Tasha smiles, patting Horus's hand. "By the way, looks like I get to be a Progenitor too. Persephone said all my female children will be copies of my spirit and the spore, while my male children will be their father's species. We're still trying to figure out what that means."
"Reproduction is not my field of expertise," Horus says. "You've already seen how my offspring turned out."
"Awkward about giving her first handjob?" Tasha asks, laughing musically right after. She releases a hand and then gestures widely with it. "Oh, wow, so Lacci and Shojo had their first encounter. It was so awkward I almost felt bad. I mean, I taught them as best I could given we had ten minutes until maybe the universe might end, but still! I feel for them so much I'm tempted to just ask Lacci to let me show her how it's done, maybe have Hake handle Shojo, because they'll be awkward forever at this rate."
"Are you certain your expertise will work for your new body?" Horus asks. "It may need retraining."
"That's a good point, I bet it'd make Lacci feel better if I admitted to being awkward, too. Big Sister Tasha has to help her poor lost little bird, and Lacci really could use getting laid. I mean, really." Tasha gives Horus a knowing look. "And, well, so could I, it's been a very stressful few days, even counting the fun."
Tasha perks up as a beep sounds in her mind -- the warning that she's out of time and needs to get ready to depart. "Looks like we're heading over to the ship soon. I need to finish my preperations. It was good to talk to you again, Horus."