46 (DSV Nautica) Secret Treasures
"Matriarch....we must talk about the Bifrost gate."
"Oh?"
"Yes." The Architect was quite stern in his assertion. "The Bifrost has served its purpose, but also has lit up like a flare across the galaxy. We need to shut it down."
This was sudden, unexpected. The Matriarch rose her eyebrows, meeting the Architects gaze. He was unyielding. At the same time, she knew that they could not keep the bridge open as it was. It had been made to give them the capability to rush into Draconid space. That was not necessary now. But it was a valuable resource.
"Do you have a theory for closing the gate?"
"Yes...with enough will stretching the wormhole open further, the bridge will collapse completely."
She thought for a moment. They didn't need to collapse it. Just shrink it.
"Very well...inform the Mors."
This resulted in a massive double take from the Architect. She did not repeat herself, or give him a look of any kind. A long silence stood between them.
"Yes, my Matriarch..."
He swiftly left the room, leaving the Curator and the Matriarch alone to themselves.
"The Mors can't possibly do this on their own..." The Curator gave the Matriarch a sideways look.
"Oh, that will be taken care of."
Aki gasped for air, feeling like she had been holding her breath. How long had she been in the scroll? There wasn't anyone else here, so it couldn't have been long. She set the scroll back down, heading out of the room and toward the meditation chambers.
She took her seat and closed her eyes. The knowledge slowly unraveled within her, forming a clear image of space. Stellar constellations in a nearby galaxy. A peculiar feeling, almost like deja vu. Strange. Suddenly her eyes snapped open. She knew where that was. She had to get the Erebus out there...she didn't know why, but she had to get out there and quietly grab the scroll, and fast.
"De'an....meet me on the bridge of the Erebus within the hour. Ka'ya, you as well." She contacted both her pilot and comms officer. Nobody else. She couldn't trust anyone else at the moment.
De'an was already on the bridge, checking the newly repaired ship over. He was confused over the unusually short request, but he would wait as ordered.
Ka'ya too, was curious as to the captains behavior, but she would ask questions when she got there. Skipping up off her bed, she threw a suit on, skip/running carelessly down the hallway, making a few people dive to avoid her careless limbs, with a disapproving look.
An hour later, the three were gathered, Aki in the captains chair, with De'an turned around in the pilots pit, and Ka'ya sitting next to him, cross-legged.
"Captain. I hear you checked out fine. Good to hear." De'an nodded respectfully.All Ka'ya did was let out a squeal and clap her hands, indicating she was happy too.
"Thank you both. I...have a secret that we must go after. Just us three."
De'an raised his eyebrows in a questioning manner. Ka'ya just did some kind of weird wiggle and clapped again. "Secret mission!!"
Aki nodded. "look...I know you have heard of the Eidolon scrolls..." This was going to be the hard part. "...Supposedly a myth."
Both members of her audience nodded.
"Well...they do exist. And we are going to get one. Just us. Under the guise of checking the jump drive calibration to another galaxy."
De'an stared at her for awhile. She couldn't tell what he was thinking, just that he was fixated intently on her. Ka'ya jumped up and scampered over to the comms console, informing the dock that the captain was taking the ship out with a skeleton crew.
De'an turned around and charged the engine conduits. "Ready, Captain."
Aki settled back. The permissions monitor flashed green as the dock informed them that they were cleared for departure.
The Erebus shimmered with light, then leapt forward, encased in its blue veil of FTL speed. It was about 2 hours to the point, then they could jump straight to the target galaxy from there.
Flare and Aa'zac laid back on the bed, thankfully free of all their burdens had been lifted, they were on their way home for real this time. She couldn't wait to get back in a real bed. And rub it into the other Elites whom said she would never find a male whom could handle her...she giggled at the thought, rolling over and kissing Aa'zac, who murred in content pleasure, returning the kiss, a nuzzle, and a nip to show affection. He bit a little hard, making her squeak and jump back. He had left a little mark on her. She glared at his mischievous grin, jumping on him and wrestling him to the bed. She was stronger than him by a long shot, though he put up a hell of a fight. It ended with him reaching up and pulling her head down, gripping her neck in his teeth and holding on tight. She froze. He had claimed dominance over her. She smiled. "You sneaky devil..." He murred in agreement, cupping her backside in his hand, letting his breath course down her chest. She moaned softly at the heat.
"Flare...I claim you as mine" He whispered just loud enough for her to hear. She let out a small sound of protest, though no other sign of resistance. He rolled her over onto her back, bent over her, holding her arms up as his hips gently bumped against hers."Mine..."
While the new couple made love in their room, Loki hurried along the corridors to the bowels of the ship. She had to close the Bifrost with the scroll, as directed by the architect back on New Ayr. She deactivated its holding device, pulling the tube from the reading chamber. She attached it to a simple over the shoulder strap and wore it on her back, heading up to the launch bay. They would exit, and fly through back home. Once through, she would launch from the bay and close the Bifrost with the scroll. At least that's what the official report would read. She had other plans in mind.
"Captain, we are approaching the Bifrost. The Liaison has agreed to come back with us, as an emissary, with the understanding that we are to return him the traditional way."
"Alright." She didn't have time to entertain emissaries or politics. Things were now in motion that would change a lot of lives.
The doors slid open for her. The scroll was at the center, the tools having withdrawn into the ceiling. They allowed a rudimentary reading of the scroll, but it was by no means perfect. Small things could be read and discerned. They needed to find a better way. There was so much more that they could have retrieved. She sighed and picked up the scroll from the pedestal.
"Well, Tor. Aren't you going to ask?" She said plainly, almost in a conversational tone.
Tor stepped out from the shadows, his 13' stature looming over her.
"An Eidolon scroll...from my childhood myths." He said, his expression blank. "Its what powers this ship?"
"Not quite. But it augments it. The containment and reading protocols are very stressful. Have no fear. The scroll will be safe soon."
"This is a massive secret."
"Yes...yes it is." Lay'Kay'ee'n gave him a shadowy smile. "But, as a matter of fact, the Matriarch will have already made the announcement to the Empire. We only missed it because we were so far from home.
Tor looked at the scroll, an odd hunger in his eyes. Loki adjusted the scroll so that it was on a shoulder strap, behind her. "Crewman....get back to your station."
"Of course...Admiral." He turned and headed out of the room, shaking his head as if to shake thoughts from his mind.
The Ayr'een mission called to some strongly. They would see the mission through to the end. Though all members of society understood that it was important, others were near zealotry in their attempts to complete the goal. She would have to keep an eye on her crew. The scrolls were beyond dangerous.
The Mors hovered just off the Bifrost, a team of half-a-dozen peace keepers were there to observe the Ayr'een leave. They had been told the Bifrost would remain open for a time, but the Ayr'een would be working on stealth and emergency collapse protocols.
"What? Are you sure?" Loki snapped, frowning at her comms elite.
"Yes, commander. We were expecting to get word that the Bifrost must be closed, but the Matriarch has given word that it is to remain open for the time being, and that it be cloaked. But its not to remain open in the traditional sense..."
"How do you mean?"
"See for yourself."
The Comms Elite played the message for Loki. The Matriarch had instructed that the gate be left open, large enough for a single person to get through easily, but also to allow Ayr'een ships to use their jump drives to transverse the distance. The resonance nodes would be unnecessary.
"Did this receive approval from the Architect?"
"...Not exactly."
Not long afterward, Loki exited the Mors on a board, flying out to meet the Dragons. They had been provided a basic knowledge of the Ayr'ese language. This was gonna be...interesting.
"Ary'een." These dragons were just as stony faced as their seers.
"Dragons. It is time."
"We understand."
Loki turned and pulled the scroll open, its lit side facing the Bifrost. The dragons focused the full brunt of their will onto the wormhole, squeezing it thin, pushing it shut. The space around them expanded, then contracted. The stars seemed to distort and twist as the Bifrost went from its shimmering circular form, to a new, slitted form. The rip was much smaller now, a mere 20 meters tall. At its largest, it was a meter wide. The luminosity had decreased immensely. The dragons hadn't even begun to sweat.
"We will return."
They simply nodded.