As was discussed earlier, a shuttle arrived at the Valravn Citadel hangar with the long-awaited delegation of those that almost never appear like this, directly, so this event attracted attention of almost all hangar staff (or even more). Soldiers, many engineers serving the hangar and representatives of the ruling echelon of Auxesia gathered in it to personally see the unusual guests.
The shuttle airlock opened and a group of four "humans" moved out to meet the greeters. it was three men and single a woman,
dressed partly in business suits, the other part in scientific overalls, they held themselves confidently, as if they were masters in this situation.
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Or at least, the guests thought they would be welcomed with a party...
As the guests offloaded from their ferry, they would be greeted by a drone that tip tapped over to them with its light feet. It appeared as a basic servant droid, skimpy, holding a datapad with its monocular red eye. It stood at the front of the vessel, tapping into it's little device. An odd choice for a greeting party, indeed!
"Your arrival has been recorded. Please state your identification for the records before proceeding. In addition, specify if refuel and rearming services are required before departure."
Ahead of the droid was an airlock chamber. It remained opened for the entry door, but the second door remained sealed. It was probably the arrivals scan and check in... It seems they like their security.
Among the four was a man, or rather a shell of one, now merely a puppet of a different being. Although this human shell was rarely used it presented own perks, such as being relatively inconspicuous and easy to blend in a crowd. All the looks of a typical corporate goon and there wasn't much to say about the appearance, nor any particular features that would give away the presence at a first glance.
The being however wasn't of the lost tribe, otherwise known as Vagrants, or their human puppets - Faes. In a rare occurrence the ancient dreamer came 'in person' to investigate the results of expedition to the ruins of Knossos archive. Despite largely indifferent facial expression the thoughts were tense and the other three were aware who or what tagged along. For now he simply followed the rest of the group.
Juliette exchanged glances with the other members of the delegation and handed to droid the infocards of the arrivals. These were the two scientists who were referred to the Cambridge Institute of Xenoarcheology, Commodore de Lorraine herself and the one who had already described himself.
- Refuel the ship and tell your Superiors that the Faes representatives have arrived. - said politely Juliette to the droid.
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The drone piqued up, tapping away into its little pad,
"Affirmative. Proceed to the arrivals processing. You will be guided to the meeting room after decontamination. "
It gestured towards the airlock behind itself.
Upon approach, you would notice a black window upon the wall. A feminine voice was heard through a tanoy, chiming in with a slight fizzle as it came to life, speaking to the guests.
"Hello! And welcome to the Citadel! Please stand by as we run the decontamination process. Don't worry, the air is just being cycled to the main atmospherics and your vitals are taken to make sure everything is alright, mainly to ensure that you are deionized and that you are well before proceeding. The process is entirely harmless. Please stand by, the door will open momentarily. "
The microphone cut out, ending with a fuzz of white noise for a moment. The door behind them shuts.
ARRIVALS - PRIVATELY BEHIND THE SCREENING OFFICE... 9:15 AM
Behind the scenes. The scanning technician was tapping away into their diagnostics console. A blip came up on their sensors, giving them an alert on their displays. The technician hovered their hand over to the silent alarm switch, commenting as they were reaching over to flip the switch. Their wrist was immediately clamped by their supervisor, as they were about to call in on their communication device.
"... Oh f-, we got a XB contaminant. Requesting imme-"
"Negative! Disregard. It's the Fae guests. Mark it as a null entry. "
The technician yanked their hand away, peering up to their comrade in confusion, "Fae? "
"Pay more attention to your PDA, the Directora-" the supervisor sighed in disappointment, "Just go inform Cohort on the comms' that their Fae guests arrived. Quickly now."
"Sorry Sir. So much for taking a toilet break. I suppose it does explain why we're on orange alert... " the technician grumbled, tapping away hastily into their terminal to their peers regarding the arrivals.
OUTSIDE THE SCREENING... 9:16 AM
The scan was quick and brief, the room had turned dim for a moment as the proceedure initiated. A heavy click was heard, the doors would open after the clamps released, grinding the heavy metallic doors open.
What awaited for the guests was a squadron of still figurines cladded in armor. They stood before the door, eagerly awaiting the new arrivals in tight formation, immediately standing at attention. It seemed that they only just arrived. One figure stood out in the middle of them all, their armor stood out differently from the rest. More cladded. They stepped forward, proceeding to speak out in a heavily synthetic voice.
"Good morning. I am Captain Myron, your escort for tonight. The Science Board did not expect you this early, we must extend our apologies for any delays. You must take these pass cards for clearance."
He would grab out several key cards on a lanyard, permitting the guests to opt for either wearing it around their necks or clipping it to their belt to display it.
"We will be proceeding to the meeting room now. "
After relinquishing the pass cards, he retained a grip upon his rifle. He lead the way, the first two soldiers fell in line, maintaining a column formation to encase the guests for protection. The last two rows mechanically fell in line, marching in synchronization behind, and beside the enigmatic new guests.
The interior of the facility, as they walked through the first few corridors and turns into a large courtyard complex, had appeared to be made for interests of a market place for visitors. It was relatively quiet, at least for comparison standards with a Libertarian commercial block. The odd few commercial crew can be seen trailing their container goods on a hover cart down another hallway. A few travellers can be seen entering the entertainment district, or a few weary travellers chatting to a vendor.
ONE LENGTHY WALK UPSTAIRS LATER... 9:28 AM
The group had traversed higher and higher up the levels, the interiors of the station became dimmer and more bleached of essence, appearing as a sort of a depressed dark blue, a rough metal surface upon brief inspection. A variety of subtle droning sounds could be heard throughout the levels, the signs of a synthetic heart beat of mechanical innards, the sound of electricity producing those soft hums. After what appeared to be an eternal ten minutes, they reached a new department. The shift of atmosphere was sudden. White walls. White tiles. Cyan accents. The stereotypical set up for a sterile environment. It was clearly a scientific department. Though the air was rather chilly than usual room temperature for some reason.
"Through here. "
Myron approached the frosted glass doors presented ahead of the group, waving his hand over what appears to be a scanner. He opened the doors, holding it open for them. Through there, was a conference room, where several persons were present at the table. An older man embellished in a white robe. A female, with their cybernetic right eye and navy blue jump suit. An android, encased in a white humanoid husk.
The female spoke up, leaning against the desk with their elbows rested against it, grasping her hands together. "Talk about an early bird in the morning, hm, Nympth?" - She jested, whilst dismissing the guards, waving them off. The Captain nodded, stepping out of the room.
When she spoke up, Juliette could immediately recognise her as Revenant. Though her skin complexion didn't appear as invigorating from the last communication. Something had clearly happened.
That something was entirely known to the illusive a man in a suit: It was the previous Guildmater from the other night. The Dreamer could see it as bright as day. Her "curse" was worsened by proximity of the Nomad major mindnodes. They were dying, the psychic scarring of a destroyed mindlink remained. Though the past connection with that Nomad was years gone, the scarring had left a sense of sympathy, a perspective of understanding, within her. Melia was also aware of this 'curse', it would not take much for the Vagrant delegation to put two and two together, if one was observant with a keen eye for detail.
She was compromised with a conscious bias without realisation, with the Technocracy's most dangerous enemy and the Nomads greatest tool: Cognitive Dissonance. The others at the meeting were not as relaxed as she was, or perhaps it was not relaxation, but apathy to fate. Despite this, a sensation of obscurity may be sensed within her as she subtly remained within a defensive state of mind. Some tension can be sensed with the others, for sure that there were thoughts of uncertainty. Despite all their philosophy surrounding controlling one's emotions, fear is still a motivator for survival.
She gestured to the chairs, "Please. Do take a seat. Allow me to introduce ourselves; I am Keeper Revenant, the figurehead of the Directorate. Beside me is Science Advisor Zaharias... "
"A pleasure to meet you." the older man spoke calmly.
"Administrator Audax." The younger Administrator simply nodded.
"...And lastly, Chief Science Officer Iossif" She gestured to the android. It briefly bowed its head in a cordial manner.
She continued on, analysing the new comers. For a brief moment, she locked onto the enigmatic indifferent male, momentarily tensing her only undamaged eye for those subtle few miliseconds to evaluate him and his body language, simply finding him odd. She returned her gaze to Nympth, inquiring,
Exchanging quick glances the man had no visible change to the expression. He took a seat by the far side as if saying he's just here to observe the proceedings.
Within the frame and elsewhere entirely the picture was different from the surface. The ancient dreamer had been gathering thoughts. Evaluating. Estimating the outcomes, what factors play a role and most importantly what could be exploited. For now he was content to let the Vagrants and their puppets do away with the small talk and perhaps earn their keep if all goes well. Performance expectations were set higher so he'd wait for his protégé to act bolder this time. On the other side of spectrum of possibilities rested the motion to erase the lost tribe, as his wrathful brethren had strongly advised so far. It would have been a simpler solution, however it was too blunt, distasteful even, it lacked certain finesse that the elder one would look forward to while reserving aggression for the time when it will be needed the most.
Recalling recent encounter with the Revenant, this former Core Guildmaster, it had reminded him of something.
Scientists from the Order had long theorized that cybernetic augmentations could negate some of the effects of telepathic abilities. A few attempts were made in a way confirming so, but where one's mind would get a little respite, and may even hold for a while, the other parts will struggle to cope with the increasing stress. When pushed harder eventually something had to give in and the severity had only increased with the strength of the link. The pressure builds up and finds way out eventually. Quite gruesome fate. Not to relish at plain sadism it was interesting to observe nonetheless. As for the Order in the end they chose not to pursue this path and rely on simpler methods. Here however was a glimpse of what could have been, a very different outcome.
Predictably the ancient dreamer did 'dislike' it. The very notion of inhabiting such body wasn't just repulsive - these forms were tainted and irrecoverable. All the mastery at genetic manipulation and organic technology would still take considerable effort to restore these broken shells and even then the result most likely will be incomplete. Regrettably the gift of enlightenment didn't seem like viable prospect for these 'humans' anymore.
That is not to say the nomads had no machinery of their own but in the view of the dreamer to purposefully maim the form was like a sacrilege, if such a word could be applied. Some of the examples witnessed in the past had only hardened convictions and seeing those 'augmented' humans again reminded him of that.
The Nymph all the way to the conference room kept herself like granite, not showing any emotions, but despite the outward calmness, on the mental level, she almost hummed, radiating some anxiety.
*** We starting to doubt what we're up to. Although we understand that this is a necessary measure. Don't you feel the same. Harbinger? You are among those whom you despise. And even if you are not afraid to lose this vessel of flesh, we cannot imagine that you do not feel the same anxiety as we do. ***
Thoughts in the mind of the Nymph did not find rest, as if she were pronouncing them aloud. At least that's how they were perceived by the rest of her group.
Entering the conference room, she sat down at a table between the representatives of the Auxesians and the Harbinger. The others sat down next to her aswell.
Her gaze slowly slid across the faces of those present, analyzing every emotion in facial features (where possible), voice intonation and gestures. Finally, she dared to speak:
- These feelings are mutual, dear friends of the Eldest. We greet you. My name is Juliette Pascal de Lorraine, but Ours know me as the Nymph.
She nodded politely to the crowd and then pointed to the girl that set right of her. - This is one of the assistants to the head of our R&D department, genetic engineering specialist Dr. Marie Gerard, also known as the Gorgon.
Then she pointed to her left. - To my left is Dr. Kevin O'Neill, formerly one of the leading experts on the Bretonian xenoarchaeological expedition to Sprague. Better known as the Hydra.
For a few seconds she paused looking at the "man" sitting to the side, clearly gathering her thoughts. - Ah yes... Our special representative. I'm afraid I can't tell his name before enlightenment. Perhaps he will introduce himself to you. Among us, he is known simply as the Benefactor. This gentleman is a representative of our external relations department.
The man simply nodded in acknowledgement when he was mentioned.
~ It's your shell that feels this anxiety and it's only because you're not in control. ~
For a few brief moments Nymph was taken into a vision. Unlike the experience prior to the conversion this felt different. The space around was mostly abstract and blurry with no discernable location to match. Nymph saw her human shell standing on what appears to be the endless water surface. Right in front of her was the figure of Revenant. All around them were massive clouds swirling in chaotic patterns, representing the moment in time, unpredictable and uncertain. From the depths numerous nomad vessels appeared while later giant obelisk-like structures began to rise from the waters at the horizon, similar to the ones dotting the surface of dyson sphere. As surreal as it was the vision conveyed one and only one emotion, overwhelming in its raw intensity and immensity. The will to power. Perhaps a taste of things to come or a reminder of the force her being belongs to, may be a boost in confidence or perhaps all of those things simultaneously.
With a blinding flash it was back at the meeting room.
For a split second, the Nymph even showed some emotions, from which she smiled a little slyly, again looking around on those present. The oppressive discomfort disappeared and indeed, her consciousness began to exude determination and steadfastness.
She leaned back in her chair as if she were the master of the situation and stared expectantly at the Revenant.
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The representatives remained mostly stoic, especially the android. But there was a certain nervousness undertone of anticipation to one of them. Are they hiding something? Are they expecting the guests to be hostile? Their words and actions were calculated, a tone of understanding. They seem to acknowledge that a threat can be made through a blind choice. It was hard to read. Their choices of delegation was deliberate calculation of resilience. The soulless life replicated automation, the pensive war veteran, and the apathetic technologist. They were all trained to resist mental intrusions to some degree.
But one weak link stood out. Audax, the younger science protége to the Advisor, his right hand of the department, was not as resilient as their elder counterparts. There was a certain discomfort regarding him - a sort of wariness, as if he was fearing something that may happen in the future. Was he terrified of their true nature? Inexperience with meeting with exotic beings?
Revenant dryly took a second glance towards the mysterious Benefactor, a smidge amused at the idea of him being their watchful parent on a day trip. She knew entirely what the implication meant. The others did not budge, showing only confusion at the refusal of him to announce himself, barring the automation. It appeared to remain docile, sharing a moment with Revenant to glance at him once more before returning their gaze to Nympth.
The elder Advisor, Zaharias, spoke up,
"Let us digress directly to the situation beforehand: We understand that you have inquired to investigate through the findings of the shared Expedition with Melia. We have relocated all of the findings and samples from that survey mission to this laboratory for your review, to find what you seek to grow your future war forms, as you have mentioned on our communications. "
The Android interjected, adding on to the Advisor's speech, "Before we permit you to roam, we have pondered upon our offering of scientific collaboration, primarily - what you would desire from us? Recently, we have acquired shares in hyperspatial technology in interests in expanding upon that region of science. If the Vagrants are still interested in the previously proposed project of gates, despite vacating Lost, perhaps we can start there. Are you still in contact with Gammu?"
Revenant folded her arms, leaning back into her chair, remaining silent for now as they observed the guests. They were trying to restrain a smile, but they remained relatively stoic. They were amused by their previous passing thought, the sight of seeing the Benefactor retaining an impassive deadpan presence over the Fae probably didn't help, giving her a thought of irony that they were no different from Humanity's struggles of trust, the lack of united minds. They were never evolved for independence. She rested her hand on her mouth to conceal themselves with an appearance of ponder, still listening attentively to the conversation... Relatively.