He pondered and flashes of memories from a place he's been or studied in his past made him wonder if it would be linked. Perhaps something that he might reveal later to her. When she asked him to pursue this mysterious journey together, Dave was thrilled and felt a rush of joy and enthusiasm. Despite what he felt in the moment, he expressed it by simply keeping his smirk and answering in a playful manner.
"I couldn't let the cyborgs have the greatest time. But yes.. I'd really love that. It sounds to me like this is a very curious scientific journey." His smirk turned int a light grin glancing straight at her for a few moments. He then broke the silence. "I've seen the case of Knossos in our records. I even studied the material retrieval by some Technocratic drones entailed in mining operations. I believe it's yet again a remnant of some ancient minds, so alien to us that they're reasons might be... senseless or "magical" to us. And I believe a good example is these formations you've shown me."
He turned his glance to the various intricate materials and again at the one that looked like an intricate naturally occurred circuit board.
"I believe I might've seen that in another spot than Knossos. Years back really. Before the Technocracy even breached the atmosphere of Knossos. It's in the same system." He looked back to her, picturing again a grin at her, hoping to see a positive reaction.
Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding. - Sovereign
The spindly woman settled hands on her hips and raised her nose at the man with cold disinterest, saying: "The cyborgs are voluntarily neutered, if that's what you are implying. My personal preferences are hardly as basic as flesh would allow. Now," she lowers her face provocatively with a thin smile, "I'm interested. You said you studied the forsaken planet..." she snapped her fingers, her long index pointing to a hollow that used to be a wall until now, bathed in unnatural lavender light, a strange crystalline effigy inside, organic as if fossilized, and very clearly alien of origin. She spent a moment gazing it lovingly, and asks "Perhaps you can identify what this is?"
Her challenging expression returns to the Venator, full of expectation. She wanted him to win the quiz, and take this rendez-vous to a place of more adventure. But she had conditions, she wouldn't settle for a mere braggart. The ancient relic stood suspended in a weightless state before them, twisted in a sick harmony, hourglass-like and enticing, its purpose unknown. Its tip was coalescing in an orgy of single-minded direction, its opposite side a chaotic mess of protrusions, almost praying for recognition. Of insanity, knowledge, and ancient memories untold.
Nana's body both presented this cacophony of shapes and seemed territorial about it. Her posture made sure to demonstrate ownership and mastery over the artifact. The slightest lick graced her lips in anticipation of Dave's bid on its secrets.
Dave chuckled loudly at her remark about the cyborgs and then his gaze rested on the crystalline effigy she summoned. He shifted his glance between Nana and the artifact as he approached it. He already knew what she was trying to do and it was clear that Nana was very proud of her work and knowledge. On a moment his eyes flickered with a purple light from the ocular implants he had. Most likely he called the memory units from his cerebral implant to offer him instant access to the data he had on Knossos in order to make cross references. When he felt intrigued enough he went further and slowly raised his hand close to the artifact, but not daring to touch it. It almost looked like he wanted to see a "reaction" from it.
In a little moment he felt a certain tingle in his palm as he glanced at Nana back again.
"This is similar to something I've seen back in Omicron Pi indeed. I could be wrong, but I think this is part of a larger network of other crystalline constructs, which are basically energy conduits. Even the way the artifact is built, it suggests a point of emission and intake to take the flow of power further." He paused fixing his glance straight at her, then slowly picturing a teasing grin."But I am really curious about your insight, Nana."
Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding. - Sovereign
Nana smiled wryly and gave him a look. She had a feeling the man was taking her around for a loop, and pinched her temples, sighing: "Delightful. That's quite insightful to its function, and indeed this artifact and many similar litter the superstructure of the organism they enable. I take it you studied many similar?" She asked, her heels clicking in place, as she turned her body to join him closer to the exhibit. Her glistening black clad hand brushed his away, the push slight but unyielding. He had no right to touch it with this little to go by.
Her cold eyes glowed at the edge of the iris, a wisp of purple traversing the circle before fading away. Her blue eyes grew larger, the glow faintly visible inside. The warm color, obviously artificial, pulsed with the energy of a beating heart repurposed to a modem. She looked away, focusing on the subject of their conversation and crossed her arms, tapping fingers on her dominant side.
He offered little resistance at her gesture, but even then, he did not retreat his hand by his own volition either. He let her do it intently. When asked, he took a moment to take in the details of her eyes and was almost mesmerized by their artificial beauty. Obviously he wouldn't let her to see that. Funny enough, his own pair of eyes had a more natural blue color while three fine circles were around the sclera of it, betraying the fact that his own too, were ocular implants, or were only partial? He kept a smirk on his face as he glanced at her and when he broke the eye contact he nodded slightly taking a little cubic device from one of his inner pockets from the coat he had.
"Studied, my dear doctor?" He made a light chuckle at her remark. He then threw the little cube on the ground nearby as it started to detach its panels reforming themselves, firing up a very detailed holographic image. It contained the display of an asteroid that somewhere hidden inside there was this artificial construction attached to some old structures that resembled alien designs. As it looks like it, the image proved to show the stellar configurations and the space morphology of what it was known as Omicron Pi.
The inner construction was rather focused around a main chamber with some sort of pods that hinted to an interface. The energy core was below the said deck and it was fueled by the old alien structure's power resources. The link looked like a hybridization between alien technology and what looked like modified Order one. The designs were elegant but also raw in exposing technology. It was obvious Synk had help in making it work given the alien influences it had.
He took a long glance at that place. He looked for a moment like he was almost nostalgic. It was a view into his past after all.
"This was the Sanctuary. My own, for almost a decade."
Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding. - Sovereign
The woman licked her lips nervously, taking the sight in. She couldn't find a place to stop her gaze at, inspecting every detail on the holographic display, retaining it in her memory banks for speculation and analysis. Suffice to say it tickled her fancy, stimulated her imagination. She circled around it to get a better vantage and lowered her face, looking up at the Venator with a question hanging off her mouth. Time fleeting, she phrased it clearly and loudly:
"You dared leave this behind? Uncollected?" She asked with scorn.
Doctor Threadripper had few passions and even fewer material needs, but like a blackbird she would swoop in on everything that shone with the promise of scientific treasure. She gave Dave a calculating look, her greed held back in tension by rationality. An involuntary smirk appeared at the thought that she would have to negotiate access to this sanctum. After all only this man before her knew exactly where it was. She stepped closer.
"Do you want it back?" The once clear tone cracked vulnerably. She had her own bid to offer.
He attentively followed her reaction to the holographic projection. He seen that she was more than interested in this place. He took a mischievous expression as he circled around the projection and Nana. He observed her and took some conclusions of his own. Nana reminded him of his own persona from decades ago when he was just as thrilled and hungry after new scientific endeavors. Then with a motion of his hand, the projection vanished cutting Nana from her trance, like teasing her to want more of it.
"I want something specific from that place. That's all I care about it. I learned its secret in time. I only need the simulations that offered me company. They represent something for me. The rest... maybe it could be yours." He paused keeping a glance at her, finding her eyes.
"I don't need anything from you Nana. I just wanted initially to see how curious you are about things. At least for now. We will see how enthusiastic you are when you will reach that place. I wish to return there, but I require people. And ships. The space is treacherous there."
He extended his arm and like a piece of metal drawn to a magnet, the little cube went straight into his palm like a bullet. He kept an intrigue grin on his face patiently waiting for her reaction and response.
Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding. - Sovereign
She grew more thoughtful as he spoke, an eyebrow progressively more raised in bewilderment. It mattered not, her rationale argued. She collected herself and started thinking, the bio-neural chip circuits in her eyes blinking on fast repeat. Connected to the station, she could quickly access a lot of information that would otherwise take quite a while to sift through. And just as swiftly she came to a conclusion, facing Dave head on, a business smile hiding a predatory one:
"You will have your escort. Who would decline the proposition after all? Only a fool," she looked away spiteful, perhaps toward an absent third party. Looking at him again, she said in a more casual tone: "I suggest we hammer down the details carefully over an exotic beverage. There is a lobby more hidden from prying ears and eyes that I would recommend. Do join me, Venator."
She swayed past him, a casual wave of her slender hand trailing behind her to beckon him. He couldn't see her face, smirking to itself in satisfaction, anticipation of what was to come.
He expressed a lighthearted smirk on his face as he noticed her full reaction and curiosity. Seems she was to some extent a woman to his heart, or at least a potentially good scientist. For what he knows, he was at the moment interested to obtain the relevant pieces from his former place of refuge. Nobody asked why, and perhaps he couldn't express it properly. Nostalgia? Made peace with the past? Or perhaps an urn filled with the memories of better times. In that direction, Dave was an unknown. Even to some others in the Technocracy.
He followed her and the evening ended as they took their conversation further away. Now it was the time to plan and make the expedition itself.
Rudimentary creatures of blood and flesh, you touch my mind, fumbling in ignorance, incapable of understanding. - Sovereign
![[Image: rqQ0AjY.png]](https://i.imgur.com/rqQ0AjY.png)