The trip across the desert in an armored dune-buggy is not easy on the behind, despite the added seat cushioning. It takes nearly two hours to reach the hidden entrance to the underground base, which seems to suddenly appear right in front of the vehicle. The jouncing is probably mitigated slightly for Tasha and Gabriel, who get to man the machine-gun turrets, even though nothing pops up out of the sand to attack them.

The entry is hidden by a hill, and is wide and tall enough to fly aircraft into (assuming they come at just the right angle to see it), such that the vehicle seems dwarfed as it descends the ramp. They end up in a large underground hangar, with cranes and other construction equipment, all covered in dust. There are several corridors and numerous laboratories and rooms filled with strange machinery.

Professor James leads them to the door of one of the labs, and gestures for them to wait while he knocks on it.

"I wonder what this place was used for? It looks like a lot more than one man could build, or even use," Tasha wonders aloud as she turns to inspect the massive facility. "Those are cranes, I've seen them used on the docks of Rephidim, even though these are more impressive. This was a construction or shipping area?"

"Looks like it may have been a military depot originally," Gabriel offers. "A firebase for titans, possibly."

"They are all very large," Layth notes, the master of the obvious. "What happened to all the titans that should be here, if such were true?"

"They wear out if they're used, like all machines," Doctor Zerachiel answers. "Once they couldn't be repaired, the place would have been abandoned."

The lab door slides open a crack, and a feminine voice asks, "Who have you brought with you, Professor?"

"A firebase?" The woman's interest seems especially keen now, and she eyes the machinery with greater scrutiny. "There must have been many titans originally. Did time, war, and madmen destroy them?"

"Ah, visitors from Sinai, Ma-… uh, Miss Envoy," Professor James replies. "With Sifran artifacts brought along with the original Expedition. Ones that do things."

"All of the above?" Gabriel suggests with a shrug, before turning his attention to the door.

"I wonder if any remain here somewhere," the red woman considers quietly as she turns to the door.

Layth eyes the door and the apparently notorious person behind it. In the end, he shrugs. Nothing this person has done has affected or threatened him after all.

The door opens the rest of the way, and a strange hybrid creature looks out at the group. On her brow rests a tiara of sorts, made of carved stone with glowing, glittering Sifran crystal gems embedded in it. The shape is odd, to accommodate the curving horn growing from her forehead. "They aren't Mages," the alien declares. "I suppose it is safe then. Please come in. I am Envoy of Lothryn."

Tasha bobs her head. "Hello," she greets the other woman before stepping forward. "I'm Tasha, the handsome man beside me is Gabriel Akkers, the serious looking Lapi is Layth, and the other Karnor is the good doctor Zerachiel."

"Mm, Sprint Meadow's strange friend," Layth observes and nods. "Why do you wear a crown?"

The two Karnors give slight bows when named.

"You know Spring Meadow?" the Exile asks, before stepping aside so everyone can enter the lab. "The crown… helps me. It is a tool."

"She came with us and is currently assisting the Nagai at their dome," Layth remarks as he passes the strange creature and enters the lab.

"It's new, too," James can't help but note. "Made on the world Morpheus. The first new crystal artifact in… " he goes on, until he notices the slight frown Envoy is giving him.

"I can believe it, we've seen tools that are just as strange, if not stranger," the Vartan says as she heads inside first. "Oh, and just to be clear, we aren't with the Mages Guild. They're people who have helped us in return for our help and gold; it's a neutral relationship, but we'd prefer to not tilt it either way. We're also not officially with the Expedition, either."

The lab is a mostly empty room, twenty feet on a side. There are pipes and wires coming out of the walls, and most of the lighting panels in the ceiling still work. There are a few work tables, a water cooler and a desk with a single chair. The desk has a typewriter on it and several neat stacks of paper, while one of the tables has a crystal box and over a dozen small faintly-glowing crystal components spread out.

"Are you with the Temple?" Envoy asks Tasha after the explanation of who they aren't with.

"We are with ourselves," Layth remarks as he sets his case down for the moment.

"No, we're independents. I guess you'd call us adventurers," answers Tasha, who's now inside and looking around again. "It's more bare in here than I expected," she adds.

James drifts over to the table covered in crystals, and looks disappointed that – while laid out in some obvious organization – the pieces aren't labeled.

"I don't need much in the way of amenities," Envoy notes, and gestures to one of the empty tables. "You can put the artifacts there for now. What can you tell me about them, and what do you hope to learn?"

"What their purpose is, primarily," Layth answers. He lifts up his case and carries it over to the indicated table. "And how it is they were able to drive a crystal brain made by the silent ones insane."

"Insane?" Envoy asks, rustling her wings slightly. "And forgive my rudeness. You are guests. Would you like something to eat or drink? I have water and dehydrated rations. I don't know how old they are, though."

"Those sorts of rations are made old," Gabriel notes with a smirk.

"I'd prefer to hold on to my case – I already know what where they come from, and what their purpose is. The other artifacts are much more of a mystery, and much older, I think." Tasha glances over her party, then nods to Layth. "He carries what we call 'The Cheese,' exposed to water it creates delusions, and we think it somehow resonates with all water, even in our bodies. My love, Gabriel, carries the Weeping Woman, which seems to create a magical field. The good doctor carries the Star Drop, which I believe created some kind of monstrous illusion."

Zerachiel has also drifted towards the collection of crystals.

"Yes, insane," Layth repeats. "And sadistically murderous."

"The Star Drop and the Weeping Woman?" Envoy asks, blinking three times and tilting her head to the side. "You have uncovered the wreckage of the Fenris?"

"And the crew," Layth remarks and thumbs towards Gabriel Akkers. "The former captain."

"It seemed to have orders to examine and the artifacts at any-" The Vartan breaks off, nodding instead. "Yes, we found the the Fenris on Sinai. This is Gabriel Akkers, Captain of the Fenris, and Doctor Zerachiel, also of the Fenris. The artifacts were taken before the computer attempted to destroy us. The Fenris was lost, as was its titan."

Akkers looks around the room, and notes, "I don't see a telephone in here. How could you have known about the Fenris mission?"

"The Disc of Eras had details of it," Envoy remarks. "I came across it while searching for information on Sifran artifacts."

Turning to Gabriel, Tasha offers. "There were records from the past, wasn't there? That woman mentioned a artifact they had discovered t-" She pauses again, this time nodding as Envoy fills in the details.

"Ah… a-ha, don't… don't worry about her security clearance, gentlemen," Professor James pipes up, speaking more or less directly to Akkers. "She's the one who recovered the Disc."

"I guess she has special clearance, a bit like Layth and I, and in the same way," notes the Vartan.

"And these artifacts were connected to the Silent-Ones' computer," Envoy states. "Can you tell me how they were connected?" She doesn't seem very surprised about 6000-year-old survivors.

"Some sort of glowing glass cable," Layth offers by way of explanation, "I am sure one of the Karnors can describe it better."

Tasha nods to Layth's words. "I'm afraid Layth and I can't say much about the Fenris's technology. I only know what was explained to me by them, and by the memories contained in the Fenris."

"Optical monitors, to be technical," Zerachiel says. "MOTHER – the computer – was able to read the shifting light patterns and visual spectra produced by the artifacts."

"May I examine the Inverted Nest… ah, 'The Cheese'?" Envoy asks Layth.

Layth unlatches the case, then carefully opens it. "As you like," he says.

The Exile looks over the cylindrical crystal without touching it, her crown lighting up like the Procession. It even makes her horn seem to glow. Finally, she touches it, causing the strange tones that aren't really sound.

Tasha shifts the case she's carrying so that she holds it behind her back with both hands resting just below the small of her back, shielding it. "The Expedition has accepted the return of its artifact, and the Na- … The Celestial Empire will see theirs returned as well. I'm surprised we've been allowed to hold on to these artifacts as long as we have, actually." Her ear flicks when the tone hum through her head.

"Careful with that crystal, it will make you taste your feet," Layth remarks and backs up.

"I've never seen anything quite like it," Envoy notes. "It seems self-contained." Then she sticks her fingers into the various holes, and starts to sing. At least, she's producing sound, but it's so dense that it's more like music.

"Is… that real or in our heads as well?" Zerachiel asks, covering and uncovering his ears.

Tasha's brows rise and her ears twitch when Envoy sings, but she doesn't comment, perhaps not wanting to interupt the delicate inspection.

The room lighting starts to dim, and the flickering colors of the Cheese dance across the walls. After a minute or more of this, the song changes slightly, and then… the walls vanish completely. The floor and ceiling and tables follow, until everyone finds themselves standing in an alien forest with trees the size of New Zion's skyscrapers, covered in vines as thick as normal tree trunks. The ground is covered in a thin fog, after a few more moments the sensations of sound, smell and touch are added in, so that the fog is cool, the flowering vines produce a strange but pleasant fragrance, and strange chirping-croaking animals can be heard.

"Ah … is this supposed to happen?" Layth asks as he looks about the strange landscape with a wary eye. "Is this an illusion or are we someplace else?

The Vartan immediately checks her footing, then steps closer to Gabriel as the room begins to change. She lays her ears back, but otherwise shows some of the fortitude she's gained over her adventures by not making a comment until the scene changes completely. When it seems to have settled, she asks, somewhat nervously, "Is the artifact communicating directly with our minds? This reminds me of what the Fenris did similar with me."

Every step sinks into loamy earth – or at least it feels that way to Tasha. Whether it's all in her head or somehow real is a difficult distinction to make.

Layth's ears flick about as he listens for wildlife and other sounds that they do not make…

"I… " Zerachiel says, and then plucks a fan-sized petal from one of the parasitic vine-flowers. "I can feel this," he concludes.

"It's a lot like when the Fenris caught my mind and I spoke with Nora, or when the Themis Skoll did similar," repeats the Vartan, who is now sniffing at the air.

The more Layth concentrates, the more he can hear the original song underneath everything else. And then that changes – and the forest melts away to reveal the lab again. Envoy places the Cheese back onto its case and looks contemplative.

"Ah … "Layth says and raises his finger, "Just what did you do? What were we seeing?"

The scent of the forest actually lingers a bit before fading.

"Hmm?" Envoy goes, snapping out of her reverie. "Oh, it was a forest on an alien world I visited once. I'm pretty sure it was purely a mental experience though."

Wrinkling her nose, Tasha adds, "I can still smell it even after the … Whatever that was, is gone. That's different from the Fenris technology," she informs the others. After shaking her head, she asks Envoy, "Does that mean it shows memories?"

"How is it we could see your memories?" Layth asks. "To what end is that valuable?"

"No, that wasn't a memory, exactly," Envoy explains. "I was using the same… selection code… that I used to travel there originally. The Cheese was providing feedback during the process, so I doubt it is a performance instrument. I think it may be a training tool."

"Training for what?" James asks.

Tasha flicks an ear again; a typical sign of her confusion. "So it was … repeated … what you told it, so that you could refine your … singing?"

"Well… I think it's for honing one's skills of visualization," Envoy explains. "Mages do exercises for that, especially Illusionists. Sifran children probably needed to learn it in order to properly interact with their technology. This… is probably a very, very old crystal. Maybe older than these worlds."

The red woman glances at the crystal, her eyes widening a bit, a look of new respect washing across her features. "I always knew they were old, and from far, far away. It's difficult to really feel just how hold, and how far, they've come," she murmurs.

"You say it gives feedback," Zerachiel notes. "So it could have been doing that with MOTHER."

"Ah, but I don't think these worlds are as old as normal ones," Envoy adds.

"How old do you believe them to be, then?" Layth asks, "And you say that they are not normal?"

"Not as old? I remember Expedition history saying that at one point these worlds were unreachable, then space un- … flattened? … and the great mother-ships were able to arrive. Then the Titanians destroyed their gate, and everyone has been here ever since. Do you think the First Ones also made these worlds?" inquires Tasha of Envoy.

"The First Ones came much later," Envoy notes. "Some of them were Exiles, others just advanced civilizations. I doubt the Primus system is more than a few million years old, possibly less. The planets may not be wholly artificial, but they have certainly been extensively modified."

"I … I suppose they're not the 'First' ones, then," remarks the Vartan, sounding a little shaky. Having her whole Temple-taught world view demolished in the last few months has really turned her universe on its head. "D-does that mean these planets have had people here, again and again? And if so, where did they all go?"

"To what end? Why would anyone desire to modify a planet?" Layth asks. "It seems … odd."

"The planets are really just part of a larger mechanism, I suspect," the Exile claims. "The Sifras… if they can be called that anymore… exist in some non-physical state within Primus itself. Now that the communications system has been reactivated, we might be able to ask them if they're still there."

"Would that be wise? Layth asks, "What if they are evil beings?"

"I'm not sure such terms could even apply to such entities," Envoy notes, and then shrugs. "Tell me more about the Star Drop, please."

"W-w-wait, the Sifras are still here? And they're in our sun? Doing … what? Watching us? And they're not physical? Like ghosts?" Tasha's ears practically squish her hair, flattened as they are.

"I don't know for certain, Tasha," Envoy says. "I've only talked to their servants so far. But I have good reason to suspect that the Sifras still monitor certain things."

"Well … have their servants given any indication as to their intentions? If they still exist, I am surprised they allow us to … mess with their things," Layth comments.

"Amazing," Zerachiel notes, and writes things in his pocket notebook.

"Oh, well, it's very … Very interesting. My experience has been with the Expedition, and that was a lot to take in. This is … I'm going to be thinking about this for a while. It makes these things seem somehow more immediate, rather than forgotten artifacts of a people who are long gone," says Tasha. She then blinks, and walks over to nudge Zerachield. "Don't forget the artifact Doctor, I know this is a lot to absorb."

"The mechanisms they put in place are slowly failing, Layth," Envoy explains. "Their servants don't seem to know their creators' will, since the communication system had to be shut down ages ago. All I can really tell you is that it might be wise to be kind to Aelfins."

"What?" Zerachiel says to Tasha. "Oh, the case! Of course," he replies, and puts the Star Drop case on the table and begins to open it while the Cheese is still exposed.

Layth's head tilts. "How do you know they are failing?" the buck asks.

Tasha steps aside to let the Doctor work, blinking when Envoy mentions Aelfins. "I've never met an Aelfin," she admits. "I heard they live somewhere south of Babel, but The Rake never traveled that far south – there's nothing there of any importance, and Aztepan storms are dangerous. Are they important?"

Envoy gestures to the table covered in small crystals. "Those were dead components from one of their machines. The replacement parts are exhausted, and the caretakers have been cannibalizing from other machines to keep a few running. I haven't figured out why these seem to have come back to life though."

"They don't seem to be important," Envoy tells Tasha. "But the caretakers resemble them and speak the same language."

"Ah, then you are assuming they are failing," Layth remarks with a nod, "Based on observation. But, if parts seem to come to life again, that implies they are not failing, does it not? Perhaps they merely go dormant for a time to recharge? Maybe they sleep too?"

"I plan to bring these to Morpheus for study and hopefully find out one way or the other," Envoy tells Layth.

"Morpheus, the God of dreams?" Layth asks. "How can you bring things to a God?"

"Through the Gateway," the alien states, and looks at the exposed warty starfish crystal. "He's a close friend of mine."

"That is rather ominous but it could mean a few things, and I'm hardly an expert to say which, if any," the Vartan remarks. She glances at the crystals and, after biting her lip, says, "So, they work like our machines? These crystals are as much a machine as the Fenris or an airship boiler?" She then blinks. "Did you say Morpheus the god is a friend of yours?"

"How can you be a friend of a God? Gods are … Gods," Layth says matter-of-factly.

"You knew me when I was a goddess," Tasha tells Layth, grinning a little.

"Ummm," Envoy says, not making eye-contact as she blushes slightly and admits, "Morpheus is sort of my boyfriend. It's complicated. How did you get the Star Drop to work?"

"The gods go on dates?" Gabriel asks Tasha.

"Poke it and a monster appears. It appears to enjoy making copies of stuff," Layth explains. "And it seems to suck heat from all that is around it, be careful." And it's now that Layth finally goes and closes up the Cheese.

"Your boyfriend? Well, um … " Tasha makes a vague, little shrug. "I think I understand how that might be." She then glances a Gabriel and smiles at him. "We did, didn't we? Maybe the gods aren't so different from us, or you and me – just people separated by time and strange technology."

"Wait!" Envoy says, grabbing Layth's arm. "Don't close that yet… "

Layth's brow goes up at that, then he looks down at the hands on his arm. "Why?" he asks, "We have been careful to avoid the crystals affecting each other."

"I'm beginning to believe anything is possible," Tasha adds to Gabriel.

"Why have you been trying to do that?" Envoy asks the Lapi, while she looks from the Cheese to the Star Drop and back again.

"Considering their effect on the crystal brain, we deemed it prudent to not allow them to corrupt anything else," Layth explains. "So they have always been examined separately."

Turning back, Tasha adds by way of explanation, "We never had a place that was safe to test in, either. We were concerned about harming ourselves and others, or revealing their presence. We also had no idea what they could do, and so wanted to be safe."

"Look at the light patterns," Envoy notes. "They're trying to synchronize." Her crown is like a band of light now as well. "Separated… but connected through the computer. It was the only way they could connect. They're trying to connect through me right now, I think."

"And that is why we should close it. Before it drives you insane too," Layth remarks. "Or … wait. Did not that Zerda already claim her insane?" he asks the others.

"He did," Tasha confirms, "But he hardly seemed sane himself. If she goes insane, I'll try and restrain her. But what she says puzzles me. Are the artifacts trying to speak to each other?"

"I don't think forcing them apart is a good idea," Envoy suggests, rubbing at her temples. "That… that may be what drove the crystal computer mad. Can you bring the third one over?"

Gabriel looks to Tasha, and asks, "Should I?"

"What do we do, then, if something bad happens?" Layth asks, "Does anyone have a weapon?"

"She seems to be the only expert we have. Here," Tasha says, handing Gabriel her case. "I'll do it, to be safe. If she goes mad, you won't have to hurt a woman." Tasha smiles a little, but Gabriel can tell it's somewhat forced; she's trying to keep him away from the danger, and he knows it.

"The buggy has the big guns," Professor James notes. "What… would we use them on though?"

"Her crown?" Layth suggests, "If it is acting as the link, it should be the target to shut it down, no?"

"I… you think we should shoot it off of her head?" Professor James asks nervously.

"I'll just pull it off her head," Tasha says, meanwhile trying to convince Gabriel to let her take the risk.

Gabriel hands over the case with the Weeping Woman, and gives Tasha a sudden (if brief) kiss. "I have no idea what we're dealing with, so we may as well go with your gut," he says.

"Would you rather we all die horribly?" Layth asks Professor James. "We need to have a plan for dealing with problems that may arise."

"I can hear you, you know," Envoy notes. "I'm sure I can stop things if I think they're going to explode or something."

"What if you explode?" Layth asks Envoy.

Tasha leans into the kiss, and grins genuinely. "It hasn't failed us yet," she agrees. Carrying Gabriel's case, she brings it over to the table. "Layth, do you even know how to shoot those machine guns? I'm sure you could carry one." At the table, Tasha tells Envoy, "We're sorry, but you have a bit of a reputation, and you won't be the first alien, and these won't be the first alien machines, to try and kill us."

"Oh, I… doubt that would happen," Envoy says, a little uncertainly.

"Maybe we should … "Layth begins to say, then just shrugs. "No buckets," he remarks oddly to the others.

"Well, you could all just wait outside?" Envoy suggests.

"No," Layth says.

"Just be careful everyone. When you're all ready I'll open the case," Tasha warns the others. To Envoy, she says, "I have some responsibility to these artifacts, as do we all. If they cause a problem, we should be the ones to correct it."

"Try not to worry," Envoy says, and licks her lips a bit as she watches the light patterns play over the crystals. "Okay, open the case, but… be ready to close it."

"I'm a Vartan, I'm good at slamming things," says Tasha. She begins to undo the latches on her case, looking to Layth so she can time her's with his.

Layth nods to Tasha and holds his case again, ready to close it at any sign of insanity. Or noodles.

With the nod, Tasha opens her case, ears laying back.

Now that everyone knows what to look for, it's easier to see that the light patterns of the three artifacts are trying to match up, but still keeping slightly out of step from one another. "They stood close to each other for 6,000 years without exploding," Envoy says, trying to sound reassuring.

"Yes, but they also didn't sync for that time. Perhaps once it syncs the world comes to an end?" Layth offers. Ever the doomsayer, that one.

"Does how close they are mean anything?" the Vartan's eyes drift to the Weeping Woman, undoubtedly drawn by the Vartan weakness for things that are shiny. "It is sort of … mesmerizing."

"The computer must not have been a good conduit," Envoy notes. "It could think, correct? What did you do that made it try to kill you?"

"And you are a better conduit?" Layth asks. "How do you know?"

"I don't," Envoy replies.

"At least you are honest," the buck concedes.

"It … " Tasha blinks a few times, shaking herself out of her fixation on the pattern, "It was instructed by the Silent-Ones Ministry of … Secrets, I think? To hold investigating them more important than people's lives. But there … there was … " Her eyes drift, and she's forced to shake her head again, "There was something else. It sounded obsessed with them, as if it didn't want to let them go – for anyone, or any reason."

"It was their connection, so if you removed them, they'd be forced apart again," Envoy reasons. "So, if for all that time they wanted to be connected, and the computer reflected that… "

"That is a guess," Layth remarks.

"I hope they're just lonely," Tasha murmurs.

Envoy reaches out with one hand and picks up the Cheese, as if weighing it. "Please hand me the Weeping Woman," she then says to Tasha, holding out her other hand.

Tasha hooks her hand around the Weeping Woman artifact and offers it to Envoy.

The Exile takes the statue, and rubs her thumb along it while doing the same to the Cheese. "Okay… I'm going to try something," she warns everyone.

The Vartan nods, squinting at all the myriad of colors. "Just be careful," she warns.

"Right, I'll be very delicate," Envoy says. Then she stacks the Cheese on top of the Star Drop, sets the Weeping Woman on top of the Cheese, let's go and jumps back.

Layth blinks and takes a few steps back himself. "That is being delicate?" the buck asks. He looks to the others and says, "I think it has already driven her insane."

Tasha also jumps back a split second later! "Don't do that! That's what I would have done!" She eyes the Exile, perhaps wondering if she's supposed to hit her now.

The light pulses synchronize, traveling up the combined artifact as if it were a single piece. The holes of the Cheese darken a bit, as translucent blobby tentacles extend out a few inches. Instead of gibbering though, the whole thing makes a rather pleasant, if alien, melody.

Envoy clears her throat. "Well, that seems to have worked," she notes with a smile.

"You made a singing crystal cake," Layth observes. "With tentacles."

The Vartan's eyes are drawn away from the Exile, at least enough for her to keep both in her field of vision while she watches the strange pillar of crystals glow and hum. "Is that good, then? It sounds almost happy," she asks.

"Power source, visualization module, and… uh… manipulator," Envoy says, rubbing her chin. "I think it's time for a cup of water," she then says, and goes to the water cooler. "The cups are made of paper. Isn't that bizarre?"

"She has odd perceptions of bizarre," Layth comments to the others. "I think the Zerda was right, she is insane."

The Karnors and human crowd in next to Layth and Tasha to get a closer look. "It looks like a lamp I had in college," Gabriel comments.

"I thought paper was for writing?" Tasha tries to follow Envoy and watch the artifact at the same time, eventually forcing her to glance between the two. To Layth, she says quietly, "She seems very unusual, but she's an Exile; they're often strange. Rephidim gets a few of them a year." Then to the others she offers, louder, "I hope your lamp was safer."

"I was having some mental difficulties after being possessed by the Goddess Inala, but I'm much better now," Envoy claims after drinking her water. She sets the empty cup at the edge of the table and eyes the glowing crystal construction.

Layth … shakes his head and gives Tasha a look. "Try pouring water on it," he suggests to Envoy, it affects the Cheese."

"You weren't going to put the water on the artifacts, then? That's what caused one to react last time." She then returns Layth's look, and nods.

"No, I don't think we want to have our senses scrambled," Envoy says. "Besides, this should function differently now. I would like to try an experiment… "

"Oh? I don't see why not, I was actually expecting it to do more, come to think of it," says Tasha.

"Just do not blow up the world," Layth says.

Envoy resumes her formal place next to the artifact, and blinks at Layth. "This device has nowhere near the power for something like that," she points out. "I'd guess it was on par with decent Ritual – but not quite a Major Ritual, in terms of available power."

Tasha nods a little, "But a ritual to do what?"

"How do you know how much power it has?" Layth inquires.

"I am a Mage," Envoy notes. "I have a good sense of these things, and holding the Weeping Woman felt like a powerful ritual."

"But I thought that Sifran artifacts did not react to magic. So how does it feel like magic?" Layth asks next.

"But that was just the Weeping Woman," the Vartan points out. "Now they're connected, and there are two more besides the Woman."

"It is putting out a magic field, similar to the Lesser Interface… err… that is, like Sinai's magic. As for what it does, I'm about to test it," Envoy notes, then adds, "You may want to give me a little extra room…

"I'm not going too far. Someone has be nearby, to save us and you," Tasha insists. She backs away, but also moves behind Envoy, getting ready.

"Nor am I," Layth notes and crosses his arms. "If you are responsible for what happened at the Nagai Life Dome … I am not sure your experiments are always wise."

"That's a good point Layth – at least here it's just us. But if anything happens to … Well, just be careful. You seem to be able to survive at least," warns Tasha.

"Well… the other two don't produce a magic field that I can sense, so I really can't say what their power is," Envoy notes. "And… all I did was wake up the Seed – I didn't know it was going to sprout like that."

"How did you wake up the Seed anyway? Isn't it like a god," Tasha asks.

"And you don't know what is going to happen here, either," Layth points out. "You could turn us all into donuts."

Envoy begins singing rather than reply, and reaches towards the Cheese part of the device. When her fingers are close enough, the tentacles latch on to them and draw them into the holes. The Exile winces, but doesn't stop singing.

Tasha edges forward, hands out and ready. "Is this what I was like when we first met," she asks Layth, not averting her eyes from the Exile and the artifacts.

The light show becomes more intense, but nothing else seems to be happening. That is, until something pokes Layth's shoulder from behind, and Envoy's voice asks, "Can you feel this?" from behind him as well.

"More or less," Layth comments, then blinks. He turns around to look behind himself. "I felt something."

"I don't feel anything," Tasha answers.

Standing behind the Lapi is… Envoy. Another one, that is. There are startled yelps from Zerachiel and James when they notice this, but Gabriel just raises his eyebrows.

Layth tries to poke the second Envoy.

"Is something happening, Layth? Doctor?" Tasha has her eyes fixated on the actual Envoy, and she sounds both worried and nervous.

The Lapi's finger hits… something, and the second Envoy winces. "Hmm, I felt that," she reports, and then starts walking around the table to where she left the paper cup. She picks it up, and even crushes it in her hand. The original is still locked in place with the artifact, singing.

"There's another Envoy," Layth remarks, "See, I thought she might blow up the world… "

"Does anyone have any string?" the apparently solid apparition asks. "I mean, a lot of string?"

"I do not," Layth says. "Why?"

"I don't carry balls of twine around with me, I'm afraid," Gabriel notes, while James and Zerachiel just shake their heads.

"For measuring distance," Envoy-2 tells Layth. "I'll just have to pace it. Follow me," she notes, and marches out of the lab.

"Another? I don't want to look away in case something happens," Tasha inquires. Apparently deciding it's safe, she glances back, and suddenly raises her brow. "You'll have to watch that one," she says, then returns her gaze to the real Envoy.

And so … Layth follows after Envoy-2. "You're measuring the range of the effect, are you not?" he asks the strange creature.

"Yes," Envoy-2 replies, walking out into the hangar with deliberate steps. James and Zerachiel follow, while Gabriel stays with Tasha. After 63 paces, the crushed paper cup falls through the apparition's hand to the floor. "63-paces for manipulation," she calls out, and keeps going, until she finally fades out completely at 90 paces.

Back in the lab, Envoy stops singing and pulls her hands away from the device. Her fingers are black from frostbite, and she stats shaking her hands to restore circulation. "That… was interesting, but it is very hard on the fingers," she notes with a pained expression.

Layth turns around and heads back to the lab. "It does not have a very useful distance," he comments to them. "I suppose it would have use in opening a locked door, but … "

Tasha relaxes somewhat when Envoy disengages from the device, letting her hands drop. "Does this mean the Sifras had fingers that could endure cold? Or their servants do," she asks.

"It can create a physical duplicate of just about anything within its range," Envoy notes, as dead skin cells flake off of her fingers. "Given the proper input. Proper input may not be fingers, however. You could probably connect it with those fiber optic monitors if they work both ways."

"What could we do with it, though? Does it need a machine, like a titan?" Tasha ears perk.

"They can be modified to send out pulses of light," Zerachiel notes.

"Are you not in pain?" Layth asks when he enters and sees the state of the Exile's hands.

"It needs a brain," Envoy tells Tasha. "Like MOTHER. Something with a lot of information bandwidth."

The Exile's fingers don't look so bad now. As the blackened bits flake off, they're replaced with fresh white flesh.

"So, properly connected, whatever a computer could simulate this thing could project as a physical presence," Gabriel concludes, and glances to the case of memory crystals he's carrying.

"But a brain that wouldn't be driven insane by it, and not our brains either, it sounds like," the Vartan says. She scratches at an ear, thinking. "There was the dragon-thing in the museum, but that was created by a madman. The Silent-Ones might have a brain, except they don't have a heart, so anything they would have would just try and kill us again. I don't think titans have brains, they have pilots. I'm not sure what we could use, so I think we may be at a dead end."

"I think the insanity may have been partly due to the urge to be reconnected," Envoy notes. "But I am not a machine psychologist. At least… not the level of machine we're talking about."

"So, you are thinking if we connected those crystals to this thing and a computer, we could see the people from the past?" Layth asks.

Tasha, facing the artifacts and with her back to Gabriel, doesn't notice his glance. She just eyes the clump of crystals with the look of someone racking their brains.

"Not… well, a PersoCom is a Personality Composite," Gabriel explains. "It isn't the person, just… a very good simulation. Tasha encountered one before."

"But MOTHER wasn't configured for simulation," Zerachiel notes. "Not… not at first anyway. Who knows what information it encoded on the holocrystals."

"And without a brain-computer-thing, this discussion is sort of pointless, is it not?" Layth asks.

"It does give new meaning to 'deus ex machina' though, eh?" Professor James jokes.

"Well, Layth is right," Zerachiel notes. "We have no idea what condition things are in up on Sheol. If the base was abandoned intact, then… things could be in working order still, since they weren't being used for 6,000 years… "

Blinking, Tasha looks back. "Oh, the PersoCom! That's how I spoke to Nora," she says. Stepping away from the artifacts, she glances at the case, then Zerachiel. "Do you think MOTHER may have damaged the PersoCom crystals? Nora said it wasn't connected to that part of the ship, but … " The Vartan turns a dubious look at the black case, frowning deeply. "If they're broken somehow, then I won't be able to … "

"You have the crew of the Fenris' memories stored on crystals?" Envoy asks, blinking. "I had no idea the Silent-Ones had developed mind-reading technology."

"Actually, MOTHER was only the backup memory storage," Zerachiel explains. "She didn't process the data. Our own computers did that."

"I thought I had them," Tasha answers, sounding uncertain. now. "Nora, the second on command of the Fenris, and almost my twin, asked me to take them to Sheol to restore the crew." She glances at Zerachiel, tail wagging hopefully, "Do you think they're intact then?"

"It's not mind reading either," Gabriel adds. "It takes training and concentration to imprint what you want into the system."

"If we can read the data out, yes," Zerachiel tells Tasha. "The whole point of using MOTHER for backup was that it was not susceptible to entropic or chaotic data loss like our electronic systems were… "

"But it was to going insane and killing nearly all of you," Layth comments with a frown.

"The machine scanned my mind and the Fenris recognized me as Nora after that, so I could access MOTHER and take the crystals. It didn't seem very hard, but then Nora and I were strangely similiar, and I was able to use her PersoCom somehow," Tasha explains. She nods to the Doctor. "Can we test that now, then? With these artifacts?"

"That doesn't mean it could interpret the PersoCom data," Zerachiel notes. "I mean… oh… I suppose it could access it. That's how it got Nora's systems knowledge to infiltrate other parts of the ship… "

"But it wasn't able to stop me, I mean Nora, from walking right up to it. It didn't seem to have complete control," notes Tasha.

"We'd need a ship computer," Dr. Zerachiel says. "And another Silent-One's system – and the only other one we had was on Sheol, in the Bellerophon."

"The what? That sounds like you just sneezed," Layth says.

"The what?" Tasha echoes. "Is that another ship?"

"I'd offer my brain, but it's not really back to full speed yet," Envoy notes.

"Your brain worries me," Layth notes to Envoy.

"Our sister ship," Gabriel says. "She never flew though. We cannibalized a lot of her parts for Fenris."

"You need your brain, hush you – you're not expendable," Tasha says.

"Is there enough of it left that it could fly?" Layth asks.

"I didn't mean you could remove it," Envoy says, rolling her eyes. To Layth she comments, "Yeah, I get that a lot."

"Another Fenris?" Tasha's ears practically shoot off her head. "I'd love to see it! Ah, now I want to leave for Sheol immediately."

"Who knows?" Gabriel says. "But its command systems could still be intact, including the computers."

"How are you getting there?" Envoy asks, smiling innocently.

"Was it kept inside a … hanger, is it?" Layth asks, "If so, it may be intact."

"A Titanian ship," Layth tells Envoy.

"If I could borrow Nora's necklace, I might be able to be identified as her again and be able to move through the base. And of course, the base should recognize the crew of the Fenris," Tasha says, consideringly.

"It is a possibility," Zerachiel says, rubbing his cheek. "If the last crew sealed things up properly before leaving."

"Hah!" Envoy crows. "I knew the Titanians were cleverer than they seemed!"

"Ah, Gabriel, I'm excited," Tasha admits, grinning at the man. "And I'm sorry for it, but, I can't help it."

Akkers smiles wanly. "Yeah, it… it would really be something to see everyone again," he notes.

"Am I the only one here remaining calm?" Layth asks.

"I'm calm," Envoy claims. "I've never before met a Lapi buck who wasn't high strung though."

"I've been calm enough and worried long enough. It's good to be excited and hopeful," Tasha insists. "If we can restore the crew, and if the Bellerophon still works, then it will mean … It will mean more than I can say!"

"They would just be projections, no? Not real and cannot go far?" Layth points out.

"I am merely sane," Layth claims, "Unlike Master Lightfoot."

"Nora didn't know about the artifacts' abilities, she said there was something there that could recreate their bodies somehow," explains the Vartan to Layth. "That's why reaching Sheol is so important. If it was just delivering memories, we'd have stopped at New Zion."

"Well, depending on how good the simulation is they can feel and manipulate things within that range," Envoy points out. The she cocks her head and asks Layth, "Xander or Aaron Lightfoot?"

"Aaron," Layth answers.

"Recreate them?" Zerachiel asks. "Well… I suppose, if the tissue bank has survived… "

"He didn't seem high-strung," Envoy notes. "He works with Mages. And… okay, foxes and Savanites and… other things seemed to set him off. But he always gives good discounts to pretty girls."

"Yes, something like that," says Tasha, nodding to Zerachiel. "I wish I could be more specific, but I was barely dealing with everything else, and it was a lot to deal with. I wish Nora could have put the knowledge in my head, but she only gave me what she thought was necessary and safe."

"I shall have to ask Master Lightfoot if he gave you a discount," Layth notes.

"I think we've speculated enough for now," Gabriel declares. "Until we get there and see what condition things are in, it doesn't help to daydream."

"Of course he did," Envoy says, giving Layth an odd look. "Are you a eunuch by any chance?" she asks him.

"Ah, yes. Well. I suppose we'll be leaving then. Is it safe to take the artifacts?" Tasha glances at the stack of synchronized artifacts doubtfully.

"No, I am not," Layth answers.

"Well… ah… it helps a little," Zerachiel mutters. "Need to make a list of equipment and such… "

"Wow, that's really impressive then that you're so calm," Envoy tells Layth, and then returns to the table. "I suppose you could try to just… pull them apart," she tells Tasha.

"If you desire me to demonstrate I am not, it can be arranged," Layth also adds, then turns his attention to the matter at hand. "Shall I try to dismantle it, then?" he offers Tasha.

"We can't very well carry them like that. Layth, I'll get the Woman, you get the Cheese. We'll go together on the count of three, and hope they don't get angry," Tasha tells Layth, stepping towards the pile.

"I believe you," Envoy tells Layth. "Why would someone lie about that sort of thing?"

"People lie about many things," Layth notes.

"Watch your fingers," Gabriel warns, since the little tentacles are still lurking in the holes of the Cheese.

Layth walks over to the pile and puts his hands near 'The Cheese'. "On your signal," he says.

"We're sorry about this," Tasha tells the crystals as she lays a hand upon the Weeping Woman, "Just wait a little longer, then we can all be together." Securing her grip away from the tentacles, she says, "One … two … THREE!" And with that, she yanks the crystal!

And Layth quickly grabs the cheese and tries to yank it away too!

There's a moment of disorientation when grabbing the crystals, such that Layth and Tasha have the sensation of swapping bodies for just a second. But there is surprisingly little resistance, as if the pieces weren't connected but just precisely balanced. The Weeping Woman and the Cheese come away from each other and the Star Drop, leaving behind the tentacled blob somehow, which sinks back into the crystal.

Tasha staggers a little as she draws away, gripping her head. "Oi, not as bad 'as I thought," she admits. Taking the case, she secures the artifact away.

"Well, that was less disastrous than I expected," Layth remarks once his senses return to normal. He then carries the cheese back to its case and puts it away.

"Everyone expects disaster," Envoy complains. "I'm hardly ever involved in disasters."

"The Life Dome," Layth says flatly.

"That only looked like a disaster," Envoy retorts. "The Nagai thanked me afterwards. They like it better than the old one."

"You have a witch hunter after you too," Tasha adds. She walks over to Gabriel and reaches up to pat his cheek. "Don't look so worried."

"Explain that to the people back at the Caroban camp undergoing extensive treatment for horrible diseases due to having to flee," Layth notes.

"They're being treated then?" the Exile asks. "That's good to know."

Professor James checks his pocket-watch. "We… we really should be leaving soon if we hope to get back to the city before nightfall," he points out. "Otherwise we'll have to stay the night."

Glancing back, Tasha asks, "Is everyone ready to go? We shouldn't keep Envoy, and the Professor is right."

"Of course they are. We had to help one with a horrible red fungus," Layth notes.

"I wish I could go help, but… " Envoy notes, a bit sadly. "And if you see Meadow… uh, best if you don't tell her about me. She'll come looking, and it will just get her into trouble with the Guild."

"Perhaps. The guild ordered the Zerda to return home," Layth notes, "It seems he has fallen in some disfavor."

"I hope they don't replace him with someone else," Envoy notes, as she goes to the water cooler. "Does anyone need something to drink for the road? Or to use the toilet?"

"Thank you for you help Envoy. I don't know if we'll return this way, but if you need our help, be sure to ask. The Guild seems less intent on getting you than it was, but you may want to stay hidden a little longer. Oh, and be careful of the politics of magic – the Expedition may be about to become much more aware of magic and they'll look for help. The Guild will want your understanding. Me, I'd stay out of it entirely," Tasha tells Envoy.

"A Mage Latania has 'taken over' operations here," Layth notes, "And I would not mind a drink."

Envoy pours some water for Layth, and nods to Tasha. "I try to avoid politics, unless… well, it never comes out good for me," she notes. "Latania is the best Life Mage I know. She's even treated me. She will impress the Abaddonians so long as they do not talk to her."

"She does have the personality of an enraged skedat, yes," Layth agrees as he accepts the paper cup and proceeds to drink it down.

"Then there may be problems," Tasha admits. Then, she offers a little smile. "It must be hard being an outsider. If you ever need someone to talk to, maybe I can help. I'm a bit of an outsider too… Be careful out here."

"Thank you," Envoy says, and gives a little bow.

After depositing the paper cup in what he assumes is a trash container, Layth hefts the case with the cheese. "Thank you for your time. You really should send Spring Meadow a message sometime. She is worried about you," the buck notes. "Shall we go?"

"I'll go warm up the engine," Professor James says, then pauses in the doorway and turns in a different direction. "Right after visiting the rest room. Better safe than sorry, after all."

"That's what Layth tells me all the time, or used to. Now I tell it to him," Tahsa tells the Professor with a laugh.

"Well, we have a lot to… plan?" Zerachiel says, as if unsure. "Or not. Hmmm, should be interesting, any way you look at it… "

Tasha gives Zerachiel a nod. "I'd suggest we get supplies from the Expedition, but I'm not sure we should rely on them. They may try and claim Sheol, and for now, I'd prefer Sheol to belong to the people who lived there," she tells him.

Gabriel is quiet as he goes to the buggy, lost in his own thoughts for the moment.

Tasha pauses in the doorway to wave to Envoy and tell her "don't be a stranger!" She looks about to say more, but when Gabriel passes her with that look on his face, she bites her lip, waves good-bye, and hurries after him.

Envoy waves and watches the group climb into the vehicle and head out into the desert. That woman seemed so familiar, she thinks to herself. I wonder if Arkold…