Dark Galaxy, 10 billion light years from Earth
The Garden
It’s been millions of years since Utnapishtim has witnessed any technology more advanced than his gardening tools.
He’s more surprised to see a spaceship appear in the middle of his wheat field, than the fact that a few moments ago that spaceship was a woman. Or rather, something that appeared as one.
<This is satisfactory, yes?> the ship asks, with the sound coming from within its hull.
<It’s a start, Siduri. Are you also able to create your own fuel?> Noriko Null asks.
She’s positively tiny next to the ship, but it’s clear who is in charge here.
<No need for it. I can reach beyond this sphere on my own, yes?>
<If I may ask, youngling, what happened to the lady with no face?> Utnapishtim asks.
<You’re looking at her. The “lady” you saw is just a form Siduri took to interact with regular matter… she’s a Celestial, she doesn’t have a physical form unless she creates one.>
<And she can be a vessel?>
<Kind of. When she absorbed the Athenian fleet, back when we were fighting Abyss, she kept the memory of its shape.> Noriko explains.
<I assume it would be best of me not to ask about this “Abyss” fight, is it not?>
<A wise decision.> Torn concurs, approaching the duo.
<Well, I am glad you found a way to return to your home.> Utnapishtim admits.
<If only it was that simple.> Noriko sighs.
<Please excuse my husband. He forgets not everyone is immortal like us, and you must be a long way from home.> an elderly Ur woman interrupts, taking Utnapishtim’s arm.
<Distance is only part of the problem, ma’am. Celestial beings have one weakness: they can’t travel faster than light. Even if I drew her the schematics of the Ragnarok, my ship, Siduri wouldn’t be physically capable of taking us back to Earth.> Noriko adds.
<And we will be targeted by Baal the moment we leave this planet.> Torn reminds her.
<Not exactly; I’ve thought of a workaround. Utnapishtim, are you still okay with me taking you and your wife off-world for a while? I swear you’re not going to get hurt.> Noriko promises.
<I agree. But don’t trouble yourself too much, youngling: the gods themselves have sworn that no harm shall ever come to me, to my wife or to my garden.> Utnapishtim answers.
<That’s what I’m counting on. Whenever you’re ready, Siduri: energize.> Noriko orders.
Bridge of the HDS Polymetis, a second later
Utnapishtim and his wife didn’t expect to be teleported, much less to find that their feet are still touching the same ground: the floor of the whole bridge is covered with dirt and grass teleported with them.
<Welcome to an exact replica of the HDS Polymetis ECD-1947.> Noriko announces.
<The what!?> Utnapishtim exclaims.
<Her Divinity’s Ship Polymetis, Erechtheion Class Destroyer, registry number 1947, 82nd Fleet of the Athenian Navy.> Siduri’s voice clarifies through unseen speakers.
<That doesn’t tell me anything.> the Ur old man admits.
<Just know that this is a fine ship. It’s no Ragnarok, but it will do.> Noriko says, sitting on the captain’s chair.
She’s impressed by Siduri’s ability: while she hasn’t seen this particular ship before, she’s been on several Athenian ships and the similarity is absolutely remarkable… if she didn’t know better, she would swear that this is the actual Polymetis.
Although examining the captain’s chair highlights a major difference from the bridge of the Ragnarok: Noriko can’t pilot the ship from this position.
<Hmm, Siduri, can you drive yourself, or do you need a pilot?>
<I have full control over this form, yes?> the ship responds.
<Take us off-planet then. Let’s do a test run to see if we’ve taken enough soil with us to shield us from being detected by Baal.> Noriko instructs her.
Torn leans towards her chair, asking quietly:
<Why this ship? She’s been on the Ragnarok. She could replicate that.>
<This one does have its advantages, but replicating the Neutral Matter hull or the Negative Drive would be pointless: Baal has proven to be powerful enough to bypass all defenses, and Siduri can’t travel faster than light anyway.>
<This is very impressive.> Utnapishtim admits, touching one of the consoles just to make sure they’re actually solid and not some sort of illusion.
<But if this ship is not fast enough to take you home, what is the point?> he wonders.
<The point is that the Polymetis, while overall technologically inferior to my own designs, does have something in its favor: its communications range exceeds the Ragnarok’s.> Noriko explains; once she sees from the viewscreen that the ship is now in orbit, she stands up to look for the communications station.
<Siduri’s replica might not be able to travel faster than light, but its communications array is sensible enough to track extremely specific signals from a much greater distance. If anyone from the Vanguard has been trying to locate us, this will pick it up.> Noriko explains, while using the only hand she’s left with after the amputation to provide very detailed instructions to the system.
After a couple of minutes, a completely different voice is heard from the speakers:
<The Vanguard still stands. Let’s put the band back together.>
Recognizing Quantum’s voice, Noriko’s face glows with joy after days of certain doom.
<Fascinating. I would have expected Kari first.> Torn observes, raising an eyebrow.
This revelation seems to push Noriko into a frenzy, and she starts to furiously input new instructions into the computer as she speaks.
<Based on the phase degradation of the signal, the message must have been sent from outside the Ragnarok’s communications range; which obviously means Quantum must have used a rapid tachyon burst to boost the signal. If I could re-route the ship’s emitters to scatter the tachyons into a quantum resonance and bounce them back to the source…>
<Good sir, do any of these words mean anything to you?> Utnapishtim’s wife whispers to Torn.
<No.> the Demon admits.
<This is Noriko Null, can anyone read me?> she spells clearly.
<Noriko? Is that really you?> Quantum’s voice replies.
<We don’t have much time. If you’re on the Ragnarok, is L.O.K.I. still online?>
<I am and he is, but not for long. Where are you?>
<I’ll tell you later. L.O.K.I, gimme full access to the Negative Drive, I will attempt a remote takeover and bring the ship here.>
<I cannot do that. The Negative Drive is currently 85 kilometers away.> is the answer from a separate voice, clearly mechanical in nature.
<Dammit. I didn’t want to do this, but… Max, listen to me, this is incredibly important: are you currently in an environment suitable for a human?>
<Yes, for a few hours at least. Wait, are you going to teleport here?>
<Not exactly. Will you need to go to the bathroom for the next two or three hours?>
<What!?>
<Just answer the question! This signal won’t last much longer.>
<No, I don’t think so. What kind of question is that?>
<Sit down, turn on your Soul Relay, and trust me. Null out.> she cuts off the message, but still keeps the communication systems on as she sits back on the captain’s chair.>
<Torn, I’m going to be out for a few hours. Do not move the ship from this position.> she instructs, taking a deep breath as she also activates her own Soul Relay… the microscopic communicator installed inside the skull of every member of the Vanguard.
Her silver eyes shine, and a bolt of lightning is emitted from her body into the ship’s computer.
Engine room of the N01-Ragnarok
Three and a half hours later
The last thing Max Black a.k.a. Quantum remembers is his conversation with Noriko, sitting on the captain’s chair on the bridge.
He doesn’t remember traveling to the engine room, and as he stands up from the floor the first thing he notices is that he’s tired enough to have been working non-stop for several hours.
The second thing he notices is that the Negative Drive is nearly unrecognizable: it’s been turned upside down by how many cables have been extracted and re-routed.
In fact, he can see additional parts have been added to it; a trail of scattered materials can be traced back to the Star Drive, the secondary engine of the Ragnarok typically used to travel at much more limited interstellar speeds.
<What’s going on? L.O.K.I.?> Quantum calls, looking around for answers.
The only thing he sees is a massive surge of exotic particles coming from the Negative Drive, so bright to obscure even his own vision.
Bridge of the HDS Polymetis
When Quantum opens his eyes, he’s even more confused. Not only he’s on a different ship, but the floor is covered with dirt and grass.
There are two complete strangers, an elderly couple with bronze skin, but at least there’s something to reassure him: Noriko Null is waking up on the captain’s chair, Torn is right next to her, and Kari Zel is now on the bridge sharing his confusion with much more enthusiasm.
<Noriko!!! Thank gods you’re alive!!!> she exclaims, running towards her friend to embrace her… and stopping short of it, noticing she’s missing her right hand.
<It’s fine. I’ll grow it back when we’re finished.> Noriko dismisses her amputation.
<I’m happy we’re back together, but I have so many questions… the most important one being, WHAT JUST HAPPENED!?> Quantum shouts.
<I apologize for doing this without your consent, but it would have taken me weeks to teach you how to dismantle the Negative Drive and reconfigure it into a Portal Generator. Doing it myself was the quickest option available.> Noriko says.
<What do you mean? What exactly did you do?>
<Projected my mind into your body through a backdoor connection between the Soul Relay and your nervous system.>
<Since when can you do that!?> Kari exclaims.
<Since a couple of years ago. After Roxiana taught me how to project my mind out of my body, most of the work was done.> Noriko admits.
<And you never thought to mention it!? That’s so creepy!> Kari expresses her disbelief.
<Look, there isn’t a non-creepy way to say “I could possess your body without your consent if I really wanted to”. But it’s not like we had many chances here.> Noriko defends herself.
<Wait, is that why you asked me if I needed to go to the bathroom? You didn’t want to do it while using my body?> Quantum asks.
<Okay I take it back, there is potential with this stuff.> Kari comments.
<Can we move past the mind transfer thing?> Noriko says, rolling her eyes.
<Where did you take this ship? Looks familiar.> Kari asks, looking around.
<This is not a ship. We’re inside Siduri taking the form of a ship; I need your help to integrate the Ragnarok parts into her, giving us a chance to look for Gilgamesh, Vesta and…>
<Wait wait wait… did you just Star Trek us to the other side of the Galaxy… to upgrade a Transformer!?> Quantum exclaims.
<I’ve missed you too, Max.> Noriko smiles.
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