It is difficult to measure the passage of time in the virtual world. The simulated Nora makes Tasha drill over and over, until she's memorized the hand signals needed to gain access to Mother, and a few of the vocal override and command codes for other functions of the ship and its machinery – especially the mechanical RoboDoc and the infirmary suspension chambers. Once Tasha can recall everything (and pronounce the words without her accent), the virtual Karnor smiles and says, "I think you are ready, unless you have any more questions."

"Oh, questions. Aye," says a somewhat melancholy Tasha. This virtual woman, imprint of a real woman, could have been the Vartan's friend in another time and place. As it is, she only has a few questions before she must say good-bye. Feeling her time is short, and that there's so much left to ask, Tasha wracks her mind for the important ones. "Oi, well, wha' is Mother? Is i' some kind 'o ghost? The ghost of this ship?"

"Oh no, Mother is… well, our backup brain," Nora says. "The Silent-Ones developed visible-light holographic crystals centuries ago, before First Contact. Because it's analog instead of digital – or because it uses visible light, we really aren't sure – it seems to be immune to the effects of Sifran probability field. We salvaged it from one of the Silent-Ones ships that was stranded on Abaddon, and it was… well, difficult to integrate, let's say. That's the reason for the name… it's slang on how difficult it was to get it to work."

Tasha's ears go askew at the mention of "visible-light holographic crystals," and she blinks at "Sifran probability field." Indeed, she ends up looking a little overloaded, and a little bit blank. After processing it all for a few empty seconds, Tasha asks, "Is i' … alive? Or, is i' … some kind o' magic?"

"It is a machine, no more alive than… I am, really," Nora explains. "You will need to shut it down when you're ready to leave the ship, since you'll be taking the memory crystals with you, I assume."

"Oi, a machine!" To Tasha, a machine is like a wheel, or at its height, an airship. That a machine could talk, think, and direct something of this complexity blows her mind. "Oi," she repeats, scratching her head. "Tha's some kind o' … " she graps for words, blinking dazedly, " … somethin' else, it is. I don' suppose you can' jus' cram all your knowledge in me 'ead with tha' brain trick o' yours? This all seems over me 'ead." She laughs a little.

"It really isn't set up to do that," Nora explains. "Besides, you still wouldn't understand it, it would just be confusing information. Language is easier, since you already have the referents in your mind, but other knowledge is… unstable. Even the scan mode isn't 100% effective – I'm not a complete 'image' of Nora, only the parts she deliberately encoded."

"Well, i' was worth a try, aye?" Tasha gives a little smile, not having really expected it'd be that easy. "An' wha's this abou' language?" She tilts her head, thinking while Nora answers. All this technology, all these machines, an' I don' un'erstan' a drop o' it. If I go to Abaddon, will there be more? More ships like this? More Mothers an' Robo-Docs? "Anyway, you ought an' know tha' the bunny-people are minin' the wreckage o' this ship. Righ' now it's just the pieces tha' fell off, bu' they reached the ship itself. Is tha' safe? I'm thinkin' of askin' they leave the ship itself be."

Nora seems to go 'blank' for a moment, before becoming animated again. "The nuclear batteries will only last another century or so. The reactor has been shut down since the crash, so any dangerous radiation will have faded by now. Once everything else is deactivated, there shouldn't be any danger," the simulation replies. "I don't know that they can salvage much of the material though. It is surprising that they can make use of the hull plating at all."

"They make arms an' armor, they're really strong, much stronger than me," explains Tasha. "One o' 'em threw a spear an' knocked off the 'ead of one o' your metal suits. Bu', I'll let 'em know it's safe to salavage. I'll ask they save anythin' that 'as sentimental value an' such, for burials, if need be." A pause, and Tasha asks, "Since it's all goin' to be taken apart anyway – which gets me right 'ere," Tasha pokes where her heart is, " … is there anythin' we can use to 'elp us reach Abaddon?"

"The Fenris is buried under a lava floe," Nora explains. "It will never fly again, certainly. You spoke of a means to travel to Abaddon before; a Gateway. I do not know if it will take you to the base on Sheol – the moon – or not."

"Oi, I don' know either, bu' if there's any way, I'm goin' to find it," Tasha vows, nodding her head with vigor. "Now tha' tha's said, I 'ave a question: you've been aroun' a bit, an' you came 'ere from … ," she points skyward, " … the heavens? An', all this to come 'ere. So I guess wha' I'm sayin' is … why? Did you know the Sifras? Wha' ARE Sifras, an' who were the First Ones?"

"The First Ones are not a single people," Nora explains. "There were many ancient civilizations that have left their mark on the galaxy, but the ones we think of as the First Ones had their day around a million years ago, and then just… vanished. Of them, we think the Sifras were the oldest, maybe the first. Some of their artifacts have been dated back to three million years, and a lot of their technology still works – even though we haven't figured out how it works or what it actually does for the most part. The Primus System is at the center of the region known as Sifran Space, which has some… odd qualities to it."

Tasha nods, ears perked and listening. She may not have had much use for history before, but this, she knows, is rare history. History only she may know, in all the world, the answer to ancient mysteries. It almost strikes her has funny, that she, just an airship crewman with no education and no real love of learning, ended up being told these things. I' mus' be fate, or Abaddon 'as a sense of humor, she muses. "Tha' … Sifran probably field, you mean? The warnin' from the memory you showed me, why the ship crashed an' such. I know the Temple of Rephidim forbids minin' of any Sifran crystals, an' requires people turn 'em over if they find any." Tasha bites her lip, then asks, "Does tha' mean the rest of heaven is differen' than 'ere?"

"Err, the heavens you mean? Outer space?" Nora asks for clarification. "If the latter… yes. Sifran space is artificially flat, without the higher topologies of normal space. But sometimes it changes, according to the oldest records of the Celestial Empire. When such a change was detected, and overspace travel became possible, various starfaring races combined their resources to launch the Primus Expedition. Even though spacetime had normalized and we could drop a Gate outside of the system, it turned out the planets themselves had altered probability and other effects that rendered our technology useless. By then we were stranded, with half of our motherships crashed onto Sinai. And then the Gate stopped working as well."

"Well I mean … heaven. The 'eavens. Up there," she points skyward, presumably to the stars. "You really came form … outer space? On big metal ships, like this? Sailin' through the stars … " Tasha looks up a little, staring off in to her own brand of space as she tries to imagine what it must be like. "Wish I could 'ave see tha'. To sail the stars … " The woman takes a deep breath and closes her eyes, asking, "So you came on … motherships? … Ships like this? Then tha' means … " Her ears shoot up, and her eyes widen, "The Temple! I knew I 'ad seen metal like this before, an' tha's where! The Temple, it's … a ship?"

"You'll have to describe this Temple a bit more," Nora says. "Only the Silent-Ones had Temples on their ships."

"Oi, well … its this giant structure … Lemme try somethin'." Tasha holds her hand out again, then squints her eyes closed as she strains to focus on what the Temple looks like from all the times she's seen it from the air. "An' … inside's … metal. There's technopriests, an' they work with … machines."

"Where is it?" Nora asks. "There were three motherships that landed on Sinai."

"On a sky island – you know sky islands, aye? Floatin' islands in the sky, wit' a bunch o' crystals on their bum an' their own weather," explains Tasha.

"Ah!" Nora says. "That would be the flagship, the one you probably know as 'The Ark'."

"THE TEMPLE IS THE ARK?!" The Vartan's jaw drops, and she stares, blinking. "THE ARK?"

Looking over the hazy image that Tasha conjures up, Nora nods, and says, "Yes, I think the outlines of the ship are still present, under all of this secondary construction. It carried the Trade Library, so… it had the resources to create these bunny-people and other Terran-based species, certainly. We always carry the Trade Library since our contact with the Celestial Empire."

Tasha reaches up to rub her head, worried her mind might explode at any second. The world, her world, seems to have just suddenly and irreversibly changed forever. "Oi, the Ark," she breathes, head shaking. "An' it 'ad a … Trade Library? … tha' made Lapi? An' they made … Vartans too? Or did you say someone else did? An' then there's you an' me … Jupani … who were made before the … the Ark crashed?"

"Vartans are part of the Confederacy, another alliance of space-going races… although I've always had my suspicions about the origins of the Vartans," Nora says. "After contact with the Celestial Empire and trade in Terran biodiversity began, the Humans of Terra had access to the Imperials' biotechnology, and were able to modify it to create… us. Karnors. I don't know why you call us Jupanis though."

"Jupani's wha' we call city-wolves like my father. I 'eard Karnor once, bu' it's not used. Might be an old word, or some-such. I'll 'ave to look in to it later," says Tasha. She tries to calm herself down, taking a moment to rub at her temple. "So there's … the Confederacy, the Celestial Empire, the Expedition, an' the … Silent-Ones? Silent-Ones soun' like Savanites, 'course our Savanites were slaves up until years ago. Who were the others?"

"The Khattan Trade Coalition participated as well," Nora says. "Fenris uses Khattan made environmental systems. The Khattans don't live on worlds, except for a few privately owned ones. They mostly live on giant city-ships."

"Khattan! We 'ave Khattan! There's a Khattan Emirate, an' they control the … I s'pose it's the Sifran Gateway Tower. I'll 'ave to talk wit' 'em to leave this world for Abaddon, even. Oi!" Tasha grins a little, imagining Khattans floating through space on giant, overly comfortable airships. "So, there's other motherships 'ere too? An' the Fenris is jus' a small ship? Where'd the others ships go? I don' remember anythin' like Rephidim Temple anywhere else in the world."

An image of Sinai appears in the air next to Nora, showing the continents. As it rotates, two bright pinpoints can be seen. And while Tasha isn't formally educated, there's no way to be crew on an airship and not learn geography. The dots appear right in the center of what Tasha knows as Nagai City and… Babel.

Tasha leans over to inspect the image, then jerks back with a gasp! "Tha's … tha's … " She points at the image as she tries to spit it out, " … tha's the capitals! Tha's Babel, an' … Nagai City!" IIf all the races came from Arks, an' they all crashed where they did … "Were those ships flown by Eeee an' Naga?"

"Yes," Nora explains. "The Celestial Empire of the Nagai sent two motherships. One crashed on Sinai, the other… sunk… on Ashtoreth."

"I don' know anythin' about Ashtoreth, bu' I'l keep tha' in mind. It's also reachable from the Sifran Gateway Tower." Licking her lips, Tasha ponders the new information, then asks, "And the Confederacy? 'Ow'd they do?"

"They were preparing a colony on Abaddon when the Fenris launched," Nora says. "All of the surviving ships converged on Abaddon. It is a hostile world, but our technology mostly works there – enough that we could survive."

"Then I might meet the original Vartans?" Tasha tilts her head at the idea, wondering what they might be like. "Oi, an' who should I find in Abaddon? Which one o' these factions ought I talk to abou' the Fenris an' the memory crystals?"

"If you can't get to Sheol… seek out the Terrans," Nora advises. "I have to warn you; the alliance was breaking down when we launched. The Gate failed long before predicted, and there were accusations flying around about sabotage. I think it was probably Titanian raiders that followed us that did it in, but I don't have any proof – the Gate was well defended. Still, I would rather have our data destroyed than fall into the hands of one of the other factions."

"Terrans it is, then. That'll be the 'umans and the Jup- … Karnors, aye? I'll protect your information with me life," swears the Vartan.

A pause, and Tasha asks, "Did you say 'Titanians?'"

"Big, brutish creatures," Nora explains. "They raid other races for technology and supplies. Not exactly pirates, but… I imagine the word 'Viking' doesn't mean anything to you?"

"No' a thing. Bu'," Tasha holds out her hand again, thinking of her version of Titanians. "Did they look like this?"

"Ah, yes, that would be a Titanian," Nora says. Another dot shows up on the globe of Sinai, in Nordika. "Their carrier went down here, and we didn't think there were any survivors. Nobody really knows how the Titanians came up with their technology – the popular theory is that they developed on a world that had a First Ones civilization on it and managed to get some of the technology working. Their methods are bizarre, and they use a means of space travel that lets them seem to pop up out of nowhere."

"Really? Come to think o' it, no one's sure 'ow Titanians build anythin' 'ere, either." Tasha blinks. "I s'pose some things don' change." Taking a moment to examine the globe, Tasha nods. "Tha's the Titanian 'omeland. I wonder if their ship is still aroun'? Or … Wait." Running a hand through her hair, Tasha ponders a moment. "I 'eard they 'ave somethin' called … the Titanic … tha' they made. I wun'er if tha's it?"

"Probably, if it's crashed," Nora says. "Given their nature, I don't even know if they crashed due to poor piloting or to technology failure. If their machines had still worked, it would be a big boost to the recovered-First-Ones-technology hypothesis."

Tasha nods a little, still lost on the matter of technology, except for the most basic grasp of it. A concern that brings her to ask, "Nora, would it be possible for … for me to learn any o' this? 'Ow to fly among the stars, an' crew ships like this? 'Ow your … nuclear batteries an' crystals an' all tha' works?"

"If you find surviving descendants of the Terrans on Abaddon, then they might be able to teach you," Nora suggests. "For all the good it would do, since the technology is all but useless now. After sixty-one centuries, I don't know what systems would still be working and what would have needed to be reinvented from scratch."

"I don't understand how the Fenris systems can still be working, for that matter," the simulation adds. "Some effect of the Sifran Matrix, perhaps."

Tasha's ears droop a little. There's this wonderful, almost impossible world of space and stars and ships of glimmering metal … and it feels like she was born centuries too late. "Sifran Matrix? Oi, wha' abou' mages? Can' they 'elp you? I don' 'ave much truck wit' 'em, bu', well, I'm startin' to doubt a lot o' things," she inquires.

Nora freezes again for a moment, and then asks, "Mages?"

Taska makes a wiggly finger gesture. "Oi, mages! Guys an' gals in robes, makin' with the magic an' the 'ocus pokus? Toss fireballs, raise the dead, tha' sort 'o thing?" Frowning a little, Tasha adds in an uncertain voice, "Me mum says they're all evil to the core,"

"Do they make coins vanish and saw ladies in half before an audience?" the long-dead wolf asks Tasha.

The Vartan shakes her head. "No, tha's … like … deception. 'And wavin' an' pullin' cards out o' your beak. Mages are … " Tasha frowns, trying to think how better to describe them, until she just decides to show Nora. Holding both hands out, she conjures up her best mental image of a stereotypical mage. "They're like this."

In a more monotone voice, Nora says, "Conjecture: Individuals capable of interacting with the Sifran reality-control system. Is such an individual in your group?"

Tasha is taken aback by the odd vocal change, but answers anyway, saying, "No' tha' I know of. I do know mages test people for magic talent, an' they used to do so on Rephidim. I'm no' sure wha' makes a mage a mage, bu' it's some sort o' … somethin' you can test for."

"Then I don't know if these mages can help," Nora says, sounding normal again.

Tasha nods a little, not knowing much about mages and not having any idea how these space farers delt with them. Which, brings her to inquire, "Don' you 'ave mages in … outer space?"

"No, there is no such thing as 'magic' outside of Sifran technology, which seems to defy the laws of nature as we understand them," Nora explains.

"So magic, oi, it's also abou' the Sifras?" All this talk of Sifras and their incredible achievements make Tasha wonder what they looked like, who they were, and what they wanted to do. She wonders if she'll ever meet one – then decides that may be more frightening than it's worth. Frowning, she adds quickly, "Then wha's in tha' room downstairs marked 'Sifra?' The one wit' the lock we can' open?"

"Artifacts," Nora says. "We brought several with us to see if they would do anything when brought close to the surface. Mother monitored them, but never reported any changes."

"Oi, odd. Well, wha' should I do wit' 'em? The buns 'ere are goin' to try an' take this place apart, sooner or later, an' be it this generation of a 'undred later, they're goin' to get in there," warns Tasha.

"Captain Akkers has the key-code," Nora explains. "I don't know if he's 'soup' or 'solid' out there, but if you can revive him or call up his Persocom on one of the terminals, he should give it to you."

"Callin' on the Cap'n is never comfortable," Tasha admits, grinning a little. "My Cap'n's Eyeshine, an' well … 'E's like me da, if me da yelled a lo' an' called me lazy an' such." She grins more, then nods. "I'll see wha' I can do. Oi, 'ow long 'ave we been talkin'? I don' wan' to risk anyone's life."

"A few minutes realtime, but the suspension procedure would have taken an hour to perform, and it will take twenty minutes to decant you again. You'll need to have the RoboDoc remove your life-collar too, and any it has installed on your friends. As soon as you can talk, be sure to call out 'Override Nora 75GC, reverse intubation procedures' to make sure the Doc doesn't tube the rest of your friends."

"Life collar?" Tash reaches up, rubbing at her neck. "I'll try an' be fast, then, aye." There's an awkward silence as Tasha's gaze flickers to Nora, and she takes a step forward, saying, "It was nice to meet you, Lt. Nora Argentine. In another time an' place, I think we coul' 'ave been friends. An', if I succeed, maybe we still will be, aye?" She holds out her arms, "'Ave a 'ug?"

The virtual wolf gives Tasha a hug that feels real enough. "Perhaps… who knows what this 'magic' of yours can accomplish, after all?" she says with a grin. "It's time for me to go though."

"We'll meet again, in this world or another," promises the Vartan. "An', I think I'll name me ship after this one. The Fenris, or maybe, The Argentine." Tasha hugs the virtual woman, then steps back and gives her a sad smile. "Aye, it's time for me to wake up, too. I 'ave people to look after – you too."

Nora reaches up and taps on Tasha's forehead, and everything blurs. Instead of going back to black, however, Tasha seems to have a rushing dream. She relives the past few days, although seems to be watching events as an observer. When she finally wakes up, she finds herself looking up from the bottom of one of the suspension tubes, soaking wet. A lot of tubes and cables dangle down from the cap at the top, and connect to a metal collar around her neck… and through it. There's a definite sense of penetration, and then she realizes her lungs are still full of fluid.

The first thing Tasha does is gag. She bends over on her knees, hacking and coughing out fluid as if she were just saved from dronwing. Where am I? Wha's in me neck, where's … The dreaminess of the last few minutes, which due to the replay of memories seems like days to Tasha, floods back to her. Nora said she'd wake up like this, though the Vartan wishes she'd had better warning about fluid filled lungs and tubes in her neck.

The gagging seems to go on and on, until the pinkish fluid is purged from her lungs and sucked down a drain in the bottom of the tube. There's a hiss of warm air, and then the front of the container starts to slide open. Tasha can just make out the forms of the Lapis stretched out on the infirmary beds, apparently unconscious, before the medical robot appears and starts reaching for her.

As the robot approaches, primal fear touches the Vartans heart. The machine, and she knows it's amachine now, still seems like some sort of zelak monstrosity. Eyes opening wide, Tasha blurts out in a wheezy, strained voice, "Override Nora 75GC … " a cough, and forces out the rest, " … reverse intubation procedures!" before doubling over and bursting in to a coughing fit.

The robot pauses, and then one of the arms with the hypodermic needles descends and pricks Tasha once more… sending her to sleep again! There are no dreams this time, and when she wakes up she's dry and on one of the beds, and can feel a bandage around her neck. A tray next to the bed has a metal collar on it, the two halves opened to reveal several catheters (some suspiciously oozing red fluid) and a bundle of hair-fine wires, also slightly bloodstained.

"Don' y-" Tasha's eyes snap open, and she suddenly finds herself lacking the fight she had seconds earlier. Rolling her head around slowly, she winces at her sore neck, and pauses to eye the collar. After an involuntary shudder, she calls out, "Anyone 'ere," in a weak voice.

There are wet sounds coming from nearby, and Tasha can see the robot working on Euphrosyne, who must have been 'tubed' right after Tasha. The big bunny is still naked and wet, and the mechanical surgeon is removing her life-collar. It isn't a pretty sight. The other Lapi seem to be untouched yet, just knocked out. Except for one: Layth makes a sound and starts to wake up.

"Grpmphgh," goes Layth as he shifts and sits up on the floor. Holding his head, he mumbles, "I don't get mad often, but right now I'm mad. I will break that monster in half… "

"Layth?" Tasha tries to sit up from the table she's on, feels dizzy, and quickly abandons that idea. Instead she sort of kicks a foot in his general direction. "Don' … don' break the robot … we … Oi, I'm sore … We need it."

Everyone's clothing and armor has been removed, and piled onto one of the unused tables. A wheeled cart rolls over to Tasha, apparently by itself. Atop it is a large glass of a straw-colored fluid. The cart beeps at the Vartan.

"Wha- … " Rolling her head over the other way to eye the beeping, Tasha blinks at the cart and its glass of mystery juice. She wonders how good several thousand year old drink could be, and decides if it's liqour it will be amazing, and if its anything else she'll be gagging again. She reaches over and picks up the drink, peering at it before sniffing and tasting it.

"Why do we need it?" grumbles the Lapi as he starts looking around for said robot to break.

The drink tastes… fairly awful. Therefore, it must be good for Tasha.

There is a 'clink', and Euphrosyne's collar is set on a tray, still oozing fluids and blood. The robot applies some sort of goo to the Warrior's neck that solidifies into a bandage.

Layth struggles to his feet and moves towards Euphrosyne. He stops to peer at the odd collar, and even picks it up for closer examination.

"Ugh, s'worse than I thought," Tasha complains, yet takes another sip. She slowly sits up, nursing her drink and grimacing with every sip. "The thing's a machine, it is. We need it to wake everyone up."

The metal collar has connection points on the outer edge, where tubes and cables plug into it. On the inside are blood-stained wires and catheter tips that must have penetrated her skin.

"But, we are all awake," Layth points out. "Or … at least waking." He sets down the torture device.

"Oi, we are now. Well, mos' of us are. We'll see 'ow it 'andles the others," says Tasha.

Aaron groans next. Apparently the 'smaller' Lapis didn't receive as heavy a dose of sedative as the larger ones.

"Would you explain what is going on? What happened?" Layth asks.

The robot injects something into Euphrosyne, and a lamp descends from the ceiling to bath her in warm orange light. The tube racks move again, bringing another Lapi-filled cylinder to the fore: this time an unfamiliar Warrior, likely one that was taken by the armor. The robot begins the procedure to wake her up, first draining out the fluid.

Setting her drink Aside, Tasha shifts so her feet tangle off the edge of the bed she was placed on. "Well, first the robot attacked us – s'wha' it is, a robot, a machine – bu' it wasn' really attackin' me. It thought I was Lt. Nora Argentine, an' it took me to this other world where I met 'er. She said a lot, bu' the importan' thing right now is tha' she told me 'ow to reverse all this, 'ow to access tha' room below, an' 'ow to deactive 'Mother.' Righ' now, it's tryin' to revive the crew." Another sip, and a bit of coughing, and Tasha adds, "The ship was tryin' to use your bodies to repair the crew's, I think. Like … people salvage."

"Are the others beyond saving, then? The ones we came to rescue?" Layth inquires next. "And … are any of the former crew … still alive?"

"I don' know. Nora wasn' able to tell me, bu' we'll know soon." Glancing at the robot, Tasha watches it work with grim interest. "Did you know, this is a ship? It's an airship. Or, oi, I s'pose it's a space ship."

"Given the story of how the gash formed, I thought it might have been some sort of strange airship," Layth notes with a small shrug. "What's a space ship?"

"Who's Nora?" Aaron rasps, sitting up finally. "And… where are my pants?"

"It's a ship," Tasha begins, as she points her a finger skyward, "from the sea of stars. From the space between planets. From far, far away." To Aaron, Tasha answers, "Lt. Nora Argentine! I 'ad 'er necklace, remember? We were in 'er room. Her memories are stored in this ship, an' the ship though she an' I were the same person, bu' since we're not it 'ad us talk to each other an' figure it all out. Lon' story short, I'm officially Lt. Nora Argentine, an' she's entrusted me with savin' 'er memories."

"That doesn't make any sense," Layth says as he starts looking for his clothing as well as Aaron's. "Did … she say how they got here?"

"Whatever it injected you with must be really good stuff," Aaron mutters.

"There was a great agreement among the people o' the stars, tha' this place, this Sifra world, should be explored. They sent many ships – called 'em motherships – an' something called a Gate, to get 'ere. Somethin' 'appened, an' their machines an' ships encountered problems," Tasha explains. She gives Aaron a look, insisting. "Oi, think I'm makin' it up, am I? We I know wha' the Ark is."

Once the tube has finished draining, the front slides open and the Warrior inside begins to gag and choke up the liquid in her lungs. Once she's breathing normally, the robot pricks her with a needle that makes her slump down bonelessly. Then its hands begin to carefully disconnect the tubes and wires from her collar. "Oh, I did not need to see that," Aaron says.

"Were they going to put us in there next?" Layth asks calmly as he watches the warrior be 'disconnected'. "And everyone knows complex machines do not work well. Of course their machines failed."

"Ugh," Tasha says after glancing at the Warrior. She pointedly starts looking down in to her glass, unwilling to test her stomach on further gore. "An' 'ow abou' this: there's somethin' called a Sifra Probability Field 'ere. S'why machines don't work – it's some legacy of the Sifras, the first First Ones."

"Sure it wasn't something they had in that 'Sifra' vault downstairs?" Aaron asks, and starts going through the clothing and armor piled on the table. He tosses Tasha her tunic as he sorts through it all.

"So, does that then mean the field could be removed somehow?" Layth inquires as he pushes back his lop ears. Spotting his pants in the pile, he picks them out and pulls them on.

Getting dressed, Tasha answers Aaron, "I know 'ow to get in therem bu' firs' things firs. As for the Sifra Probability Field, which I'm goin' to call SPF, I think it 'as somethin' to do with the 'ole 'Primus System.' I think, from wha' she said, the Sifras used to live 'ere, an' they came 'ere to explore it. Bu' somethin's wrong 'ere, somethin' the Sifras built broke their machines."

"So … the Sifras were gremlins?" Layth has to ask next, "And went about breaking machines?"

"Quantum Uncertainty, you mean?" Aaron asks. Once he's dressed, he goes over to watch the robot move the Warrior to a table. A purple light shines on the woman's neck as the robot starts to open the collar.

Layth joins Aaron to look after the Warrior as the robot 'tends' to her.

"I don' know," Tasha grows, sounding exasperated, "it's jus' somethin' they left behind. Somethin' tha's only 'ere, an' not found elsewhere. She said the Sifras vanished long ago, an' the First Ones included the Sifras. She said the Confederacy, the Terrans, the Celestial Empire an' the Silent-Ones – oi, an' the Khattan Trade organization – all came 'ere from the stars, bu' tha' they can't go home. 'Course, tha' was centuries ago."

"And are all of us then descendants of them? Or … are we people who were here before them?" Layth asks absently.

"What about the Temple?" Aaron asks, turning away as blood starts to dribble out of the collar. "Where do they fit into this?" The robot shines another light into the wounds that seals them up as the collar's catheters are withdrawn from the Warrior's neck.

Tasha leans forward, her eyes widening like someone about to impart a great mystery. "The Temple," she begins, adding a dramatic pause," … is a mothership! It was their flagship! It's the Ark!"

"It doesn't look big enough to have brought us all," Aaron points out. "I mean, the Temple isn't small, but… "

"Oi, it didn't," Tasha insists, leaning back. "It made some o' us! Like the Lapi, the Temple 'as some sort o' … wha'd she call it … a Trade Library, which they used to make more people once they were stuck 'ere. Originally, I think it was jus' the 'umans an' Karnor – tha's Jupani in our words – for the Terrans, the Naga for the Celestial Empire, Eeee an' Vartans for the Confederacy, an' I'm no' as certain about how the Khattans fit in. There were three motherships tha' landed on Sinai, an' guess where they all are?" The woman grins mysteriously, raising an eyebrow.

Layth just shakes his head, then leans down to examine the closed wound more closely. "I still do not undertsand any of this … but then I was raised a slave. It's not things that have ever … mattered. Well, you told us where one is, the Temple. Where are the other two? Is this one?"

Aaron blinks at this, and guesses, "Rephidim, Nagai City and the Tower of Babel?"

"Oh, an' somethin' about biotechnology. They used biotechnology to make Karnors first," adds Tasha. To Aaron, she nods vigorously! "Aye! The center of those people is also where their ships crashed. I bet if we looked, we could find the other two motherships. 'Course, tha's no' where we're goin' after this. No, we're goin' to Sheol."

"Well, those are the three civilizations that dominate the world, so it stands to reason," Aaron says, then blinks at Tasha. "Did you just say we're going to hell?"

"Whut?" Tasha blinks at Aaron, shaking her head. "No, oi! No' 'ell! We're goin' to Sheol, a moon of Abaddon! We're goin' to the Sifra Gateway Tower."

"Sheol means 'hell', Tasha," Aaron points out. "The land of the dead!"

"Well it's also a moon, isn' it," Tasha retorts, frowning.

"Ah, why?" Layth has to ask and glances over. "What would any of us do there? We are … this is … beyond us."

"Oi, why?" The Vartans blinks at Layth, then glances towards the tube holding structure. "It's 'cause I made a promise to Nora. You see, their memories are stored 'ere still. There's a place where they might get their bodies back, a base o' sorts on the moon Sheol. I promised to deliver it there, or if tha's impossible, to take it to the Terrans."

"Err, what about the bodies still here?" Aaron asks, pointing to the tubes. Another Lapi has rolled to the front, but there are Jupani shapes in some of the others.

Layth just shakes his head again. "I do not see how this is possible," he comments, "But, if that is what you wish, then I guess we can only try."

"They're pro'ly next," answers Tasha, and she sounds worried. She frowns at the suspended Karnor, ears laying back. "Thing is, they've been asleep a long time. She isn' sure any of 'em will survive, we jus' 'ave to see. Treat 'em well, would you? Give them wha'ever 'elp we can. They're … our ancestors, in a way, or at leas' mine. They're adventurers, an' they're brave men an' women."

Glancing at Layth, Tasha explains, "Oh, you don' know about Gateway Tower, do you? I've only 'eard of it through trade talk, bu' supposedly there's this tower in the desert where people can cross over to other planets. We'll need to find a way to get permission to go to Abaddon."

Layth frowns a bit. "What if they treat us, the Lapi, like animals," he asks. "If we were just creations to them … well." He sighs.

"That… will be difficult," Aaron notes. "The Emirate controls who gets to go, pretty much, and that means mostly traders and caravans… "

"There is me, my association with caravans, and the father of Aisha, whom I serve," Layth points out to Aaron.

"Then I'll talk to 'em. Layth," Tasha gives the Lapi a smiles, "the 'umans created the Karnor, they're no' goin' to look down on us." She then nods to his suggestion. "Good idea! We'll see abou' tha', and me Cap'n's a airship trader. Tha's two counts."

"And if all else fails, we simply sneak in and rush the gate," Layth says flatly.

Aaron groans, and says, "And Calli has her name on a trade agreement for the Emir for that wool, and… I have an Emirate exotic import-export license."

"You do?" Tasha blinks, giving Aaron a curious look.

"You are an exotic export," Layth notes to Aaron.

"I'm an Apothecary that provides materials for mages, I need to deal in some pretty… unusual stuff," Aaron notes. "I'm licensed everywhere that requires licenses… The Empire, Emirate, Babel, Saskanar, Rephidim, Xenea… even Paradys, but I've never been there."

"Do mages use things from Abaddon?" Layth asks.

"Well, yes, but not for magic," Aaron notes. "They use it for blocking magic."

"Then you have an official reason to go," Layth points out.

Laughing quietly, Tasha adds, "I know this is all very overwhelmin', bu' this is no' some lone ship. This is a piece of our 'istory. It's a relic of our forebeares, an' this information, it's the secret of our world's history." She glances at Aaron, and adds, "Nora was curious abou' magic users. It seems like magic doesn' exist in, wha's the term … 'outer space.'"

"It doesn't work on the Gateway worlds either," Aaron points out. "Only here on Sinai."

The little rolling cart returns, passing by Tasha with another big glass of nasty liquid – but it doesn't stop. It goes on to the bed Euphrosyne is now sitting up in, and beeps at her. The Warrior doesn't even blink at the cart, and just picks up the glass and downs it all in one gulp.

"Well, none of us use magic, so I don't see an issue," Layth notes.

"What are you gabbling about?" Euphrosyne rasps in Olympian. "By my mother's bowels, that was a horrible experience."

"Oi, Euphrosyne, you're awake!" Tasha hops down, carrying her glass with her as she walks unsteadily up to the Lapi warrior. "Wha'd you see? Did you meet anyone?"

Layth actually goes over to tend to Euphrosyne. Namely, he tries to make her fur look … a little less nasty. Probably impossible, but he tries.

The big Warrior rubs her head, and looks at the activity around her. "I had a strange dream about fighting zakis," she admits. "Nobody… spoke to me."

"Zakis? And there were people there? Did they look li' me," Tasha inquires. "I think the ship can' communicate wit' Lapi tha' don't speak Standard. Oi, which reminds me. Um," the Vartan glances upwards, and asks, "Mother? Nora 'ere. Where can I find a … terminal? … aroun' 'ere to access the Cap'n's persocom?"

There's no response from the ceiling at this request. "What's a terminal?" Aaron asks.

"People? No, just Zakis," Euphrosyne says. "A nightmare I used to have as a young woman, before going on my trial to defeat a Zaki."

Tasha gives Aaron a shrug. "It's somethin' I need to access the Cap'n's persocom, but Mother isn' respondin' like I expected. Maybe … " She drains the last of her odd orange drink, then puts the glass back on the moving table before heading towards the tube bay. "Now where'd I put tha' necklace … "

"In the tube, I think," Layth tells Tasha.

The problem is that the tube Tasha was in has rotated away now, replaced by the next Lapi to be decanted. A Guardian, clearly, from the bits that stare Tasha in the face.

"Hm, you may have to wait for it to come back," Layth observes.

"I guess I'm goin' to 'ave to wait for it," Tasha says with a sigh. She returns to the main room and takes a seat. "The next one tha'll wake up will be one of the missin' Guardians. 'E might be, rrr, a little off. Do your bes' to assure 'im 'e's okay."

"And what's a persocom, for that matter?" Aaron asks again, and goes over to Doreen, who is starting to rouse.

"I guess we were too flawed to insert into a tube," Layth muses, given it was mainly he and Aaron who were spared insertion. The buck then grows quiet to wait and assist any who are released next.

"I think Tasha just got the 'robot' to stop before it got to us," Aaron notes. "Looks like it was going by size… "

"As I said, we are flawed," Layth notes with a nod.

Tasha nods to Aaron. "Nora tol' me wha' was goin' to 'appen an' 'ow to stop it. I 'ad been in a tube for abou' an hour, an' it takes twenty minutes to put someone inside. When I left the, wha' she called virtual space, I gave the order to reverse the tube process an' begin releasing everyone. It was her idea," the Vartan explains. "If I 'adn't, it'd 'ave tubed all o' us, Nora'd take over my brain, an' all o' you'd be used to fix the crew's bodies."

"Fix how?" Aaron asks, leaving Doreen to peer into the next tube. "This guy doesn't look too beat up or… missing anything," he comments.

"Some'ow, it takes bodies apart an' rebuilds them in to other bodies," explains Tasha. "I don' know 'ow it works, jus' tha' it does an' it isn' magic, bu' machinery." She glances towards the tube, and watches it with nervous apprehension. "We've only been asleep for a short time. The next ones will 'ave been out longer, an' the crew … Longer than I can really imagine."

"That imples … the remaining crew might be possibly zombies, then?" Layth reasons out.

"They're jus' asleep," Tasha insists, giving Layth a odd look. "I think they all came 'ere when the ship crashed to try an' save 'em some'ow."

"Uhhh," Aaron says, looking to the other tubes with different shapes hinted at inside. Then the freshly decanted Warrior groans and tries to sit up, while the little robot drink tray tries to weave in and out of people and beds to get to her with the horrible drink.

"Zombies are just people who have been asleep for centuries, too," Layth points out.

"Le' the movin' table through," Tasha orders, waving people out of its way. After that's done, she looks back at Layth and Aaron and says, "Well either way, we're wakin' them up. The other option is leavin' 'em 'ere, an' if we do, we kill 'em. Nora said this place won' las' forever."

"Well, if bits start to fall off of anyone who comes out of the tubes, run," Aaron suggests, and looks to the newly awakened Warrior. "I have no idea where this one's armor or clothes are. I guess the armor got taken to some other part of the Fenris, if that's what those armor suits were after."

"But, is waking them up to this world a kinder fate than letting them pass on? Their world is gone, Tasha," Layth points out. "What will they do?"

"Who are you people?" the Warrior rasps. Doreen is already back into her armor, and the others are stirring as well.

"The Temple will take them, that's what they'll do," Aaron suggests, and looks to Tasha when the Warrior speaks.

"I'm no' sure abou' where his armor is, bu' I know the armor is made from parts of the ship's 'ull," Tasha tells Aaron. To layth, she answers, "They'll live on, Layth. It's a good worl', they'll fin' somethin' worth livin' for. It'll be their choice to live or die, aye? An' Nora asked me to revive them, so I think they wan' to live. I'll escort the survivors to the Terrans, or 'elp them find somewhere to live. If they wan' to die, well … I … " She frowns, then shrugs a little, "I'll see to tha', as well." She nods, then turns to the Warrior and answers, "We're an envoy from the Temple of Abbaddon sent to help you. I'm Aldara Tasha, the 'Erald, an' this is Euphrosyne, Layth, Xander, an' the others are … " Tash introduces people one by one, even explaining a little bit about the tubes.

"I… thought I was dead," the Warrior says. "I am Astrid. How long have I been… sleeping?"

To the explanation, Layth nods. "As you wish, Tasha," he says simply. To the Warrior, he says, "For a while. What is the last day you remember?"

"For a while, aye," Tasha agrees with Layth. "'Ow do you feel? Check your body an' make sure you're well."

Astrid rubs at her temple with the palm of her right hand, and says, "I… I'm not sure. I was in the Hall, and… there was this horrible wailing… the demon! It was the demon! And… I don't remember the day."

"The demon is gone. Without knowing the day, I cannot say how long you have been here. Perhaps a month at the longest," Layth offers.

"I feel horribly," the woman says next. "And this vile beverage is not helping. Have I lost much blood?" she asks, checking herself for wounds.

"Do no' worry abou' the demons or any other 'orrors of this place. I 'ave spoken wit' … " Tasha glances at Layth and Aaron, then continues with, " … the ghost o' this place, an' I 'ave control over it now. I will ensure it does no' 'arm us. I only ask you do nothin' to damage this place until we are done 'ere."

"I don't think I could damage a snowflake right now," Astrid says, still sounding groggy. The robot has begun decanting the Guardian now.

"Jus' rest, we'll be 'ere a bit. We're abou' to meet the past – if they survive," says the Vartan. She gazes past the Lapi to the tubes, frowning as she reflects on the day. The world's changed, even though it's the same. Aye, I'm the differen' one now. 'Ow can I go back to The Rake, knowin' wha' I do? I guess I jus' 'ave to keep followin' this, and see where it leads.