Preparations were not really necessary for the Nomad. Most of the work that had been necessary to get this far had already been made. Dozens of drones had been sacrificed in order to have one reach a suitable place between the galaxies to survey and make a directed hyperspace jump feasible. For the Vagrants who did not have a vast amount of resources to draw on and no real facilities to create more drones, this had been a tremendous waste of resources. Since the Vagrants had learned the way of traversing hyperspace, they had been relentlessly sending their drones in the general direction of Sirius in the hope that one in a hundred would make the trip. Those that had managed eventually settled on Moros, knowing that their brethren on the other side of the void between galaxies were still relentlessly throwing themselves at Sirius, compelled by their biological directive implanted in them by their creators: They must colonize Sirius.
The creation of the gate-bridge would allow their brethren to cross the supervoid and return home. Hundreds, thousands, of Vagrants, finally released from their torment of being outside of reach of their creators wish for them. It needed to work. It had to work. They had envisioned the scenario and found that it could be possible. However, the strain on the power cells could be too much for them to handle. It was a risk the Advisors were unable to not take.
Floating at the coordinates it had specified to the humans willing to help them, the Nomad waited for their arrival. Their speaker had entreated them for a private conversation. The sight of the Advisors was resting solely on the Vagrant as the small group of human ships approached it from Secundus Outpost.
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Four large vessels creeped up to the meet up point, one bustard, two transport vessels full of the goods required for the site, and one modified Bullhead.
The Keeper cautiously announced from the bridge,
"Vagrants, we have arrived with the goods. Incase of emergencies, we have extra supplies, fighters on standby and our accompanying Temple of Auge will act as a surplus beacon and hyperspatial courier should something go wrong."
One of the operators on the bridge looked at the Keeper with concern, very uncertain about the deal they're making. The Keeper would also share the sentiment of uncertainty, particularly about the fact that they were on the edge of Sirius, feeling a horrible noise happening in their mind.
"Ow-ow-ow... I don't want to linger around here any longer." They thought as their link was fracturing from the distance.
Off the comm, they noticed the concerned crewman and noted to them, "Do not worry, you'll be safe. I promise you. I won't let anyone get hurt here. No risk, no reward. Keep focusing on the sensors, please. We need to succeed here."
As the group of ships approached, the Vagrant remained unmoving in the distance, letting them cross the distance. It was quite possible that they were some of the rare few people who had been this close to one of these behemoths without a fight breaking out. From its perspective, there was a delicate balance to be struck here. On one hand, it knew of the anxiety of the ships' crews that approached it, and so it opted to not move overly much in order not to scare them. It'd only get in the way. On the other, it also needed to make itself known to them if they wanted to communicate.
Closer and closer they came until they were only about two hundred meters away from the Vagrant. Only then did it decide that it was close enough to try and brush their minds without being too intrusive, another thing that it needed to be wary off. It was easy to forget ones own strength when one was as old as it was.
We are glad you came. You need not be afraid. The dangerous part about this journey has already been undertaken by our explorers. May the sacred dead find their rest in the void. As for us, I will carry us as close to the site as I can. It is more than likely that we will need to travel the rest of the way with sublight speed. It should not take longer than a week. After our arrival, we seed the gateway, plant the material, and then I shall carry us back. You can be assured that no harm is to come to you.
Scans of the Vagrant would indicate that it carried two Nomad Power Cells, likely a deciding factor in what they intended to do. In less stressful circumstances, one could get the idea that they might be the first humans to ever venture that far away from Sirius, but it was ultimately a vainglorious achievement if anything.
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Bewildered by the appearance of the Nomad, Revenant calmed down and found fascination in seeing such a large creature closer than they usually can.
"So beautiful, so unreal..."
Revenant held their hands behind their back, briefly glancing over the operators on the bridge - ensuring that they're still documenting this mission, noticing them cautiously tapping in information into a console. Now that the Nomad has presented a more docile body language, everyone seemed calm down a bit.
"My apologies, my crew aren't usually used to being closer to larger varients of your kind, it has always ended in your 'distant brothers' manipulating us and trying to kill us. I must admit, I am in awe with your body - ehrm... you. "
On the internal comms, they called in to report,
"Keeper, this is Auge actual, transports are in formation. All checks are complete, we're ready to move out whenever. Scouts reported no activity near the jumphole. Over. "
Revenant replied to the comms then turned to look at the great Nomad out of the window,
"Acknowledged Auge.
Vagrant one, I mentioned the interest of discussing an idea of reimbursement for our assistance... Do you wish to hear our idea while we're still in relay range?"
Seeing as its behaviour had the desired effect, the minds that were watching them made the analogue of a mental note for reference in future encounters, as it had proved effective. Given that there were a great many minds aboard the human ships, it was difficult for the Vagrant to distinguish single voices from within the discordant chorus. However, there was one that seemed to be speaking to it directly.
Behold the ingenuity of the Great Creators that created life from nothingness. Through my form, you may glimpse a fragment of their splendour.
Through their connection, it was apparent that the creature was proud of what it was. Even though it tried its best to keep their connection as unintrusive as possible, some semblence of its emotion still slipped through, it seemed.
We may converse in the way you see fit. If you do not accompany the journey, then we wait. We cannot see any harm in that. Speak your mind so we may listen.
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Revenant still took in awe, impressed behind their mask, they took a seat on their commanders chair,
"I believe it of importance that I inform my council while we're still able to relay to them. I will be accompanying you on this task. We have come to inquire the possibility of attempting to connect the Inverness sector to the Omicrons, we have had the theories for some time about sustaining an anomaly for an extended period of time. Experimenting with anomalies isn't unknown to us, we have successfully managed to open up a connection in the New London sector forcefully, for reference, it is the large star sector the place that contains the 'red nebula' in the cluster. This anomaly we opened linked to an uncharted region bordering the outer skirts of the Sirius Sector, much to the dismay of the so-called 'Cultist' organisation - the same people that erected a fortress in this very system. We have... studied some of your kinds derelict jump gates to try and create a further understanding of this type of technology... "
Taking a minor pause as they began to write into a digital interface that was virtually displayed out in front of them on their chair,
"We've found it to be within our interests to do this because of linking our world closer to the ones of Gammu and to provide quick response and trade resources to each others home sectors, particularly when dealing with the Order, said group is also present in our home system. Within the Inverness sector, it should be noted that there is a low activity hive present in the system, should you wish to investigate that installation. All in all, for the purposes of experimenting, coordinating assaults and connecting regions, we would like to think that it would benefit all three parties. Any... thoughts?"
As the Keeper spoke, the Advisors were assessing the provided information and comparing it to the collective mind's experience. They remembered the Cultist fortress in Omicron Lost. Sadly, they had not been able to learn much from the encounter, as the foreign teck had mostly been unsalvageable.
You propose we create another tesseract to this place. It would certainly be possible. Is there not an inherent problem with this proposition, however? The main reason why we do not fight our shared enemies as one is that you cannot be seen with us lest you risk your reputation. Would this position not be compomised if you were seen handling technology as your own that is far beyond your knowledge?
The distance might be too large for a mere artificial jump hole, but it would require testing. Still, the proposition was not bad. As long as the pathway would not arouse the suspicion of their enemies, it would mean that one major barrier between them was out of the question. Given that the Advisors had reckoned with the Auxesians demanding something they could use as weapon, this was remarkably tame.
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They simply state,
"Of course, more thought and planning would have to be put towards the idea, if there was interest in it. We have always seen that poitn you have brought up as a common theme of concern. It could be possible to facade the exterior view of the object itself, or even hide it within the nearby nebulae. It is known to most that drones are not aware of your races' presence, though I'm sure we can find solutions somewhere. If need be, we can silence some people. Technology is that is seen as 'far beyond' one's own knowledge, well. I would like to think that we have challenged this concept many times, particularly when developing our ion propulsion systems. The Cultists were once seen as people of higher technology, to that of roaming gods, but we know their secrets too. Narcrahtite. Synthetic material. Very powerful focus crystals. Found in the unknown regions outside of Sirius. We don't quite know the formula for creating this ingredient, but regardless, I've sent an image to the relay, your agent should see the photograph of this replicated jump gate technology soon."
Tapping into the virtual console, the AI of the Eidolon, ERIDIAN, forwarded data to the nearby communication relay.
"A stable entry point, though, of course, from evicting the owners, it collapsed from neglect, decaying away. "
The information provided by the Keeper would need to be translated into something the Vagrants could visualize. To them it appeared as though the construction was more of a stabilizer, the intent of which was to counter the inherent fluctuations of a jump hole. Whoever had created this knew what they were doing, as it looked compact and portable. It was definitely a technology well beyond the reach of humanity at the current time. The only possible explanation was that they were some sort of alien influence that were not created by the same entities that had made the Nomads.
We believe that whoever is behind this Cult may not be human. They display no discriminatory behavior when it comes to fighting us or your kin. They are likely a third party masquerading behind a veneer of your technological appearance. They worry us greatly.
A degree of distress could not be suppressed over their link, as it was obvious that the possibility of someone with even greater technological prowess than them was something that posed an existential thread to the Nomads, who were used to everyone being against them, and not entirely undeservedly so.
If the Collective is to cooperate with you on this, then the Advisors are willing to create a gateway between your worlds and ours as long as it does not bear an overly large risk of it being turned against any one of us as a weapon by a third party.
As wonderous as their technology was, turning their own technology against them was likely the best way of fighting the Nomads, which the Vagrants realized. One of their jump gate was supplied with enough power to obliterate parts of an entire solar system, as the disaster of Omega-58 had shown.
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"That speculation may be true, but I have personally talked to one of their commanders of their religious cult, called "Saints" - they are Human in origin, and their kind seems to utilise older modified technology of Sirian origin. The reason for their behaviour in combat is because they employ drones. Non-sentient. Built for a role. We have some remains that we can spare you if you wish to analyse their architecture in the future. Although, for all intents and purposes, we have seen no evidence of them being linked to another species. "
Tapping into the console, they sent out a quick relay back to Elgin.
"I agree, we have noted the impact of one imploding a power cell, as we've seen Tau-117, but only a select few with deep knowledge on Nomadic technology would truly try to weaponise gate technology, such as the Order. I have informed my council of your thoughts. We can analyse our options when we get back. "
Leaning back from the virtual display, they relaxed. Chatter was heard from their internal radio.