Marek Sen's Story

The Ambassador slowly sat up from her chair, then reached down to a small refrigerator under her desk, pulling out an ice cold bottle of 'Caprican Spring' water. The label adorned with a picture of a lake and forest, with the words emblazoned in Anquietas across the top.

"Here you go." She said, placing the bottle in front of him. "It's Caprica City tap water, but it's all I've got right now." Tarthus explained. Though the comment was somewhat insulting, what Tarthus didn't go into was that there were rigerous drinking water standards applied to cities in the Aschen Empire. Caprica City tap water was vapor distilled from the mountain glacial runoff, with minerals added for taste, and was regarded as some of the best tasting water in the Aschen Empire. The water itself had a crisp, pure and refreshing taste.

As Marek explained who he was, and the situation that brought him here, Tarthus was querying up the datalink to review the facts for herself. The Aschen Datalink being an expansive, highly advanced and extremely well encrypted subspace network which allowed the Empire real time information dissemination as soon as reports were written.

A second passed and Tarthus pulled up the report from the Vigilanti Eternas, her eyes moving back and fourth as she read the text before her.

"I see, you were part of one of the unidentified alien fleets in the sector, the other being the Pandorian Alliance." Tarthus affirmed, nodding in understand.

"There seem to have been no entries in Commander Magus' report other than a possible threat indicator submitted for further review. We planned to seek your people out and make contact, but it seems you've made that job a bit easier for us." Tarthus said, querying up the datalink some more. "But I don't think you came here solely to settle any misconceptions, otherwise you could have contacted the Empire directly. You see; the Empire maintains a very precarious relationship with this planet, it was once under our domain, before they rebelled. The Empire's fought two wars against this planet, the most recent ending in peace of course." Tarthus said, frowning. "Personally I believe this planet is primitive and backwater. Which, I'm going to be very blunt and fourthcoming, Mr. Sen." Tarthus said, leaning forward.

"The United Aschen Empire holds one tenet above all else, that humanity, specifically Aschen humanity hold supremacy over all things, we are the sole remaining superpower in this galaxy since the disappearance of the Scatterrans." Tarthus said, before she remotely activated a holocron projector, the lights in the room darkening and a large map of the Milky Way Galaxy appeared before them. The majority of one galactic arm in particular, the Cygnus/Outer arm was shaded blue, and bore the seal of the Aschen Empire.

"This is our domain, and we take the security of our borders very seriously." Tarthus added, interrupted by the small figure of a woman that suddenly flickered into view, the shimmering hologram inclined her head respectfully, before speaking.

"Ambassador Tarthus, forgive my intrusion, I have received a response from your data-link entry regarding our guest, you have clearance to proceed with further negotiations, additionally Lunatea will arrive via Bifröst in one millicenton to assist in negotiations."

"Thank you Trinity, signal my response if you could." Tarthus replied, while Trinity nodded. "Very Good, Ambassador." She said before she disappeared.

Tarthus nodded her head slightly. "Sorry about that, That was Trinity, she's the Embassy's AI Assistant. Trinity is responsible for all the day to day operations of the Embassy, she also submits timely reports to the Datalink. She's an old Reverence AI that was re-purposed for this Embassy. I'm surprised how smart and how quickly they adapt." She said, gesturing to the model ship on the desk.

"The ship you encountered is an Iconoclast Battleship, they're meant to replace the Reverence II." She explained, picking up the model on the desk when she said 'Reverence II', to emphasize that was what the model was.

Tarthus took down a few notes, before she looked up. "We'll be meeting with another one of our AI's, Her name is Lunatea, and she serves the Emperor directly. Lunatea will be able to more capably handle any negotiations, as well as any scientific or technological questions you might have. Lunatea, is probably the most advanced construct ever created." Tarthus added, before she leaned back.

"I don't know how long you've been on this planet, but the Aschen Empire is by far much more technologically advanced, in almost every field, than anything you could find on this planet."

"Which brings me to question, if there's ever trade between our nations, what would the C'ran have to offer? Likewise what could the Aschen offer the C'ran?" Tarthus asked. "If Logistics between your two galaxies is a concern, you may benefit from our Bifröst system."

Marek's eyes followed Tarthus as she reached over to retrieve the bottle of water from the small refrigerator. A bottle of water. How quaint, thought Marek as the Aschen returned to her position and handed him the aforementioned item. Bowing his head, he muttered a small thanks before twisting the cap off lightly. Touching the edge of the bottle's mouth to his own, water flowed through the thin opening and down his throat. Recapping the bottle, he placed it down and proceeded to explain himself. Following that, he glanced at the bottle. Perhaps not as bad as I thought. Unaware of the Aschen's standards, he held no real way to judge the quality of the bottle compared to fine water of the nation.

As Tarthus continued to talk, Marek examined the various topics she spoke of mentally, although without connotation some of it would not be entirely clear. As the map projected itself into the air ahead of him, Marek saved the image with his eye, adding another file to the ones already embedded in his cybernetic implant. An official mapping of the boundaries of Aschen space would be useful to have when conducting any dealings in the Milky Way galaxy.

Trinity's appearance caused Marek to raise an eyebrow questioningly at the figure, its holographic figure intriguing him. Another AI perhaps? Projection of a physical body appeared a common trait if two examples counted as common. Who was this Lunatea she spoke of? Slightly more useful would have been a relative measure for the millicenton. Not knowing the timing of something could be devastating in some situations.

Lucia excused herself and Marek shook his head following her apology. At the least her answer confirmed his thoughts as to the nature of Trinity. "No trouble, Ambassador Tarthus. An interruption such as that is nothing to cause complaint," he responded before allowing her to continue speaking once again, assigning a name to the two ship models stored in his brain. Reverence II and Iconoclast. Perhaps further study would be necessary. Not perhaps, most definitely. Hearing Lunatea was another AI, Marek took note that such constructs were utilized quite frequently in technological space. Similar to the psychic super-conscious yet different, as had been shown by PAIA during the meeting with Ereb.

The Aschen superiority complex which had been described by Lucia shortly before surfaced itself in her statement of technological superiority. With such a claim, how had the Terrans beaten back the Aschen. This small ball of blue and green hid much more than it appears, Marek thought.

Upon her question, he sat straighter. Down to the heart of the matter, the dealings itself. Collecting his breath, he began to speak, "This Bifrost system you speak of interests me. I assume it is some form of faster-than-light transportation or teleportation but how would it benefit intergalactic travel? As to what we have to offer, that depends entirely on what you have. I do not know how much knowledge your nation has as to the nature of quantum uses but that is a route that could be explored. The melding of some organic features into our technology is another path to explore. As to what you can offer us, what is there to offer?"

Tarthus offered a nod as she took in a breath to answer Marek's Question. "Well, I don't really understand the particulars of how it works, but what I can tell you is it's a system that allows a person, group of people, or cargo to travel great distances in mere microns without the needs of a starship."

Tarthus took a piece of paper, drawing two black dots on either corner of the paper, before bringing them together by folding the paper. "That's how they say it works, folding space and using stable wormholes." Tarthus explained, before she was once again interrupted by the ground suddenly beginning to shake, followed by a deafening thunderclap and rainbow flash of light that filled the windows of Tarthus' office.

"That's the Bifrost..." Tarthus said somewhat quietly. "Never gets old." She said, chuckling before the office door opened up, revealing a strange figure before them. Her attire was consistent with the Aschen Empire, a dark grey and blue trimmed uniform adorned with various awards and commendations. Something was different about this woman though, her skin was pale, and her eyes bore a strange silvery quality, her silvery-white hair tied neatly into a well kept bun on the back of her head.

Her movements were fluid, almost organic as she stepped through the office towards Marek.

"Marek Sen, from the Meritocracy of the C'ran, I am Lunatea, you may also call me Selene if the name suits you better, I am the Primary Adjutant to the Emperor, Isambard Prince, peace be upon him." She said, inclining her head.

"Trinity has appraised me of the negotiations so far, I must advise you that it is unlikely we will be able to offer you use or any in-depth knowledge of our Bifrost system. The System itself is reserved exclusively for authorized, military, and high level personnel. What I can tell you is the Bifrost System is capable of instantaneous transit of a person, group of people, or small amount of cargo anywhere in the observable universe, provided a set of accurate coordinates, Bifrost node, or central Bifrost hub." Lunatea explained.

"It's Military applications are classified."

"We are authorized, and prepared however to offer you technology that is otherwise public use, or easily acquired, this includes our medical technology, decommissioned weapons systems, computron technology, cybernetics, Augmented armor systems, and a multitude of other technologies. I also noted your confusion at our measurement of time, I apologize, we use a base ten measurement. A Micron is 0.6 Terran Seconds, to give you a starting point, a Centon is One-hundred Microns, a Centar is one hundred Centons, a Millicenton is roughly ten terran minutes. A Secton is one hundred Centons, or roughly one week, with a Sectar, or Quatron constituting ten Sectons, and a Yahren constituting twelve Quatron or Sectons. You will hear these terms interchangeably with Terran ones depending on the individual you're dealing with."

Lunatea seemed to speak all that in a few well placed breaths, which was strange for a machine to breathe. "I myself am Lunatea, the Aschen call me the single most advanced Artificial organism ever created, a Cybernetic Life Form. You may percieve that as plastic, circuitry, and silicon, but i am in fact quite more advanced than that. I am what you can call a "Meta-Cognitive Calx Based System, with Calx utilizing a quantum plane to perform computations at speeds and efficiency beyond any conventional system. I surpass entities such as EGO, PAIA, Aiyanna, and all current Aschen shipboard AIs by a large margin, if I calculated that margin, we'd be here for some time." Lunatea explained, clearing her throat and shifting, moving slightly closer to the empty chair.

The AI had been watching Marek, taking every subtle movement in, recording an analyzing it at mindbending speeds, while maintaining a constant link to the Emperor, whom was watching the entire exchange from the Palace in Caprica City. Lunatea's notations scrolling across the screen.

"The Aschen Empire is working with multiple quantum concepts, ranging from the Bifrost System, to power generation and improved computation, melding organics though, if I may be so bold is primitive and inefficient, you would be better served exploring crystal based computron technology, in addition to our psionic technology, and though I am not permitted to allow you access to our Bifrost technology, we have commercial FTL Capable of intergalactic travel that I can make available." The Android said, pausing as she sent several more notations back.

"The Empire is currently seeking resources to study magical and psionic phenomena, If your race is knowledgeable in these aspects, they may have something to offer the Empire." Lunatea explained, sliding into the empty chair.

"I am prepared to travel with you to your people if you'll allow it, so I may better understand your civilization, and provide access to Imperial information. I can answer any question you can possibly present to me regarding the Empire. I am after-all a compendium of all Aschen knowledge."

The Android finished her small spiel, and sat there with a soft smile, her eyes on Marek.

As Lucia explained the concept of the Bifrost system, Marek related it to the technology utilized by C'ran FTL. By folding space in front and then creating what was known on Terra as an Alcubierre metric, they were able to travel much faster and further with smaller expenditure of energy than other forms of FTL, yet across the vast gulf of intergalactic space it had its disadvantages. Perhaps with the assistance of the Aschen that previously daunting distance would be reduced to something much less hazardous.

The rainbow flash and crack of thunder caused Marek to turn his head slowly towards the door as Lucia identified the event as an effect of the Bifrost system. Upon Lunatea's entrance, Marek stood, adjusting his coat as he did so. The material transmuted slightly on its own, expelling dust on its surface via micro-vibrations while other larger particulates were more forcefully expelled, leaving Marek looking slightly cleaner than before although the difference would be almost undetectable. To a human eye that is.

Marek bowed to Lunatea as she introduced herself, with him responding, "It is an honor to meet you, Lunatea."His eyes, cybernetic and real, watched her attentively. Such an interesting system to encounter. A being- no not a being, however much more powerful it may be computationally, simply a construct- a construct inhabiting a synthetic body. Even here did the arrogance of the Aschen surface. Perfect in appearance, flawless in movement, vain in nature. He did not doubt that Lunatea was more advanced yet...

Upon her comment on the organic melding, Marek took on his own small smile. Primitive and inefficient was it? Perhaps when the Aschen had encountered such a technique but the C'ran technology bore no trace of such detriments. "I assure you, we have survived these thousands of years with such organic techniques. This tablet," he remarked, displaying the small item as he withdrew it from his coat, "is one the few computer-like systems in C'ran. Part of the reason for the semi-organic nature of our constructs is, and this ties into my next point, psychics and psionics. You say you need resources; that we can provide. Not on the scale that we utilize such abilities but certainly in smaller quantities. The same can be said of quantum studies which we would be more than willing to aid you in conducting."

Taking his seat once again Marek crossed his hands in his lap. Taking a brief breath, he continued, "Magical studies we could also provide if you are comfortable with having a 'non-humanoid' among the group as they are more proficient in the art then others in C'ran. As to your intergalactic travel, what benefits would it present? We have means of arriving here via gates but would your technology enable us to send ships via their own drives? As to your final offer of traveling with us, that I would accept as long as you, Lunatea, display common decency. You said you take the security of your people very seriously, Ambassador Tarthus. I do as well. With that discussed, do you have more questions as to C'ran?"

Gabriel smiled as Marek expressed his enthusiasm. He gestured to Agares, who sidled into the background, before returning his attention to his guest.

"I believe it would be wise to begin our business relationship on a small scale." he said. "Perhaps our subsidiary, Ereb Medical, would be a good start. Your people can contact my people and they can work out the specifics, but I propose sending a complimentary package of diagnostic and operational equipment with you upon your return to your home. It will be enough to outfit a single hospital wing. Think of it as a trial run. If your physicians find our products to their liking, we can speak of a more large scale deal."

Observing as Agares slipped away from the desk and towards the position he had previously occupied, Marek began to nod in agreement to the words which Gabriel was saying. A 'trial run' certainly would be useful in evaluating the effectiveness of the technology provided by Ereb, and allow them a chance to consider C'ran's technology.

"I accept your offer for this trial period, Gabriel Ereb. A smaller initial trial is certainly more cost efficient, requiring less resources and providing an initial base to study from rather than overloading the other side with new technology. Perhaps we in C'ran could do the same, if you so desire. Affiliates of mine will be arranging the specifics, but for the moment is there any technology in specific you would like to evaluate from C'ran?"

"There are a couple of things that have caught my immediate attention." Gabriel replied as he stapled his fingers with his elbows planted on his desk. "The first is your research into molecular recombination. I see astounding potential in the fields of engineering with this kind of technology. There is also potential in implementing aspects of your neural network with that of my Alpha Troopers' Quantum-Comm. It would make collecting data and collaborating information much more efficient."

"Currently, the molecular structuring technology is but in its earliest stages of development. I have the honor of field testing a prototype of such devices, but with your input, I am certain that more advances could be made into this field. I am glad that you see it's benefits as well," Marek spoke, extracting the data pad he carried towards the end of his speech. Slightly gnarled fingers swiped across the air, a light shimmering into existence between thin metal rods. Mental signals brought the desired images and information forth, data that would be safe to reveal for the moment. Lifting the device, he lay it on the table and projected it upwards.

Portrayed was a device not much larger than a printer in size, yet visually it was distinct, resembling a lattice of crystal more than anything else, a small strobing multi-colored light taking respite in the center. "This, Gabriel, is the device that has been given to me. Smallest of the prototypes, most advanced currently, it is the only recombinator that can create objects around itself rather than only inside the production carriage. If you desire a demonstration, I can have it brought in. However, I do not understand its workings well enough to describe them to you in detail."

A hand snaked out and slowly pocketed the data pad once again, light and images fading together at the touch of his command; the folds of his coat consumed the last of the small metal device and with that Marek returned his attention to Gabriel and Paia. "As to the neural network, I would have to learn more about this 'Quantum-Comm' of yours. Compatibility is an issue that might need to be addressed, in addition to the need for unique augmentative procedures to enable the use of the neural network. Which area would you desire to interact with more at the moment?"

"I believe that the molecular recombination technology would be most beneficial for us at this time." Gabriel said after Marek placed the projector in his pocket. The device was fascinating, alien, and had fanned his scientific curiosity. "If you have time, I would love to take a look at the prototype and take notes."

"Now unless there is anything else you feel we need to discuss I believe we can conclude this meeting." Gabriel rose from his seat. "If you send me the paperwork sometime today I can organize a shipment of our medical technology to arrive before you leave. I dearly hope that we can continue this friendship of ours, Marek."