EliteCommander

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Kareet of Arcaeda

---

For Kareet, even just those few days of waiting gave her no small measure of frustration. She understood the plan. Gar’Tan was going to assist them with some means they had of translating their language. Kareet did not exactly understand how, but the Humans seemed confident it would work. She would just have to hope they were right.

Over the course of a few days, Kareet did manage to get detailed sketches of the Jotunheim from just about every angle, as well as the strange metal golems that seemed to stand guard around the ship. However, there was only so much she could do from outside, and she hoped the irritation would be worth the wait.

---

Finally, the time seemed to be coming. It was early morning, four days after their first real conversation, and both Vigdis and Itxaro had emerged from the Jotunheim. Kareet stayed back at first, but she was close enough to hear the exchange between Vigdis and Nellara. There was some object on her arm that actually seemed to be speaking S’toric. Presumably, it was speaking aloud what Vigdis said in her own tongue, and did the same in reverse when Nellara replied. That alone ignited a flurry of questions within her mind, but at this point, it was just more to add to the list. However, there would certainly be no more waiting for Kareet.

As quickly as she could, Kareet gathered what she felt she would need: her notes, of course, and a few pens. She also grabbed the book that Itxaro had gifted her. She could not read it, so she had just tucked it away as she focused on other matters, but now if she could speak to the Humans, she might be able to learn more about it. Vigdis was speaking with Nellara, and Itxaro appeared to be approaching Shirik. Either way she was going to have to intrude on someone, but she truly did not care. She was not waiting any longer.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Ultimately, despite the drastic improvement in their communication, the two sides required a few more days before they could truly communicate unhindered. Thought magic, as useful as it was, still was as unnerving to the Human visitors as it was to the locals themselves. However, it did provide a means by which they could accelerate breaching the language barrier. It was decided that Wodan would cooperate with Gar’Tan to quickly gather data for the translation algorithms to form a usable translation package between Human languages and S’toric. Gar’Tan himself may not have understood the details of how this would happen, but he understood the intentions of the Humans well enough to know that they were confident it would work. It did not take much discussion for him to agree, despite the fact that it would substantially reduce his own role in all of this. Gar’Tan also mediated a brief meeting between Silbermine and a Human representative to explain their intentions, arrange a meeting in about a week’s time for further negotiations, as well as to extend the same offer to him as to those in Nellara’s camp to meet and share knowledge, on a small scale.

Wodan’s plan to isolate the translation algorithms from his core databanks did seem to work, insofar as he found no evidence that it did not. These abilities that the natives possessed were still entirely an unknown. Being that they appeared to defy any modern concept of the universe’s physical laws, speculation on their exact capabilities were inherently unfounded. At some point, they simply had to accept that they could only do their best based on what they knew. Aside from such concerns, the translation itself went smoothly. The algorithms Wodan used were designed to be able to detect patterns to piece together meanings even from fragmented, vague hints. For them to be able to directly convey intent to one another made the algorithms exponentially more efficient.

It took barely more than three days for Wodan to be able to produce a program usable on any compatible implant or personal computing device. It would, when prompted, listen for S’toric speech to translate into the chosen language, either aloud or in text format. The same worked in reverse, and there were multiple settings that could be changed depending on the needs of the situation, such as restricting it to only translate the words of specific speakers in a conversation. Tentatively, Wodan declared the software to be in beta, but he was confident it would be functional.

---

On the fourth morning, copies of the software were distributed among the crew, as well as permission for certain crew members to have some interaction with the locals. Naturally, there were restrictions on what they could and could not do, but it was judged that it would be useful for certain experts to be able to question the locals to try to determine the viability of obtaining what they needed. Food and water sources to sustain the crew, potential sources of power to jump start their reactors, raw materials for needed repairs, and of course, some cultural knowledge of the natives to give them some helpful context for the upcoming negotiations.

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

“I trust in her, just as I trust in you. I know the strength of her spirit. There is no doubt in my mind on how she will persevere.” Meesei answered.

There was another, brief moment of hesitation from Meesei. She knew there was some unpleasantness to what she had to say next, but there would ultimately be no ignoring it. “There is…one other thing I wanted to tell you about. Warn you about, really. I imagine that in the coming months or years, after the effects of the war have started to fade, some of the more devout of Hircine will come to warn you away from the path our people are on now. They will tell you that it defies the purpose that Hircine has for his lycanthropes.”

Meesei sighed. “And they will be right. Lycans represent both halves of Hircine’s sphere: Hunter and hunted. When his power flows through our veins, hunting under the moonlight, there is no predator more fearsome. But the people of Tamriel are powerful in their own right, and when we are hated and feared by them, we must always struggle to survive. But with the deals and alliances we have struck, the notion of living in peace is an actual possibility. It may take decades, but Hircine would not tolerate that forever. To be his hounds, we must be hunted as well as hunter. I do not know what form it will take; he could leave those deals in place and find some other means to test us, but one way or another, lycans will be challenged again. You should be prepared for that day.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Science Lab

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The man hummed lightly. “Well, I am no expert on piloting, but I believe that may have had something to do with the missiles.”

With a brief laugh, the man shifted somewhat in his seat. He seemed to consider standing for a moment, but with a glance down to his leg had second thoughts. “Dr. Edward Fortin.” He extended a hand, offering to shake hers. “I take it you haven’t been fully briefed? I suppose I’ll give you the short version. We weren’t ready for takeoff, but there was an attack. We don’t know who was responsible, but it was like special forces started storming the facility. The Captain made the decision to let any civilians nearby onboard and launch then and there. From my understanding, a missile struck just before they activated the FTL drive. They didn’t intend to leave the solar system, or even the atmosphere. Just a quick jump to get us out of there, but…something happened. I won’t be so irresponsible as to wildly speculate on exactly what, but I can say what situation we are in now. We’re not on Earth. We don’t know where we are, exactly, but we are on a planet that is not in our solar system. The transition from there to here seemed almost instant, even though the ship should have had considerable travel time between solar systems. The crash was rough, to put it mildly. I got away with just a broken leg, but not everyone was so lucky. The planet is habitable. Inhabited, in fact. Multiple intelligent species exist on this planet, and have already made contact. They seem primitive, but…we have observed some phenomena we cannot explain.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Wodan (Huginn and Muninn)

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<Huginn: This ability defies logic.>
<We are not meant to be heard, and the natives possess no other signs of such technological prowess.>

<Muninn: The only thing that would be more irrational would be to deny what is right in front of us.>
<We can look for a rational explanation later.>
<Everything we can see right now points to the fact that this reptilian can communicate into our mind directly.>
<This could be dangerous.>
<It could also be useful.>

<H:We must look to explain this in time, but I can find no fault to your argument.>
<The ability to have direct communication would be of drastic help to our translation efforts.>
<However, we do not know enough about the process to know if he would be able to access sensitive information.>

<M:Then we copy our personality into an isolated partition with the translation algorithms and no other sensitive data.>
<If anything would allow us to proceed safely, that would be it.>

---

As requested, Wodan had stopped saving the recordings from the bridge momentarily. Though, he continued to maintain his presence in order to continue carrying out his own duties. Ideally, Wodan would have allowed the Captain the time needed to recover completely, but the situation in general demanded more immediate decision making.

Once Dr. Feng was finished for the moment and the Captain was alert once more, Wodan took the chance to address her. “Captain, I believe we would be able to learn more by having experts question the natives, rather than civilians. It may be possible to do so safely. This reptilian native, by some means, can convey his thoughts even to my mind. With such direct communication, I could complete a translation program in days, rather than months. We would no longer require his presence in order to communicate.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Shuttle Bay

---

To both sides, it would be obvious that Gar’Tan was having to focus considerably to facilitate communication between the two sides. Not only were there multiple minds all thinking at once, including an AI with thoughts unlike anything he had felt before, but there were also limits on what even he could understand. Much of what Vigdis had said and felt, especially technical details regarding the Jotunheim, simply went far beyond any subject he had studied before. Just reading the intent behind her thoughts did not even come close to conveying what he needed to understand them.

Gar’Tan did convey every word faithfully, but with how this conversation was proceeding on both sides, Gar’Tan’s mandate to neutrality did compel him to speak up. The thoughts he intended them to hear, he placed into the minds of every Human present, as well as the mind of Wodan looking on through the cameras.

Gar’Tan believes it necessary to caution the Humans against making judgements too hastily. The words of warning against Mythadia are not outright lies, but they are also not the full truth. They accentuate only the worst aspects of an entire people. The Glen, who hold the majority rule over Mythadia, are a people who have always valued freedom, and fought for it with all their heart. They are not a rigid and uncompromising people, in any respect. The founding of Mythadia, and its neighbor Acanata, was marred by the fact that they were remnants of Kolodon, a S’tor Empire that dominated the continent until about three and a half centuries ago. It is not a lie to say that they inherited some of the legacy of Kolodon, in their government, in the families that still hold power among them, but they are not outright warmongers. They are not beyond reason. You may still find that the Ascendancy is a better ally for you, but try not to color your assumptions too greatly before these negotiations.

---

While Kareet did not hear what Gar’Tan conveyed to the Humans, she still could not help but to speak up as soon as he was ready to convey her words. “If I may, for a moment, I would say that it is not my place to be involved in politics. It is irritating, and I have no interest in it. But to speak of understanding, of knowledge, that is my place. I am a scholar. If you are planning on negotiating in a few days, then permit me to start my studies of you right away. I wish to learn of you, your physiology, your history, your culture, everything I need to write my encyclopedia on you. In return, I can share any knowledge you want to help you prepare. Knowledge, for knowledge. Make the same offer to Silbermine, if you need. I simply think it would be a waste of time to delay learning from one another over this. In fact, it may end up helping us both.”

Call of the Hunt [EliteCommander and Muttonhawk]

For a moment, Meesei laughed. “Maybe it is true that I ruled during a time of war between gods, but that does not mean you will not grow to greater heights. My fight, my struggle, was to ensure we could survive. Your fight will be to make sure we can thrive. Do not underestimate the importance of that task. Stories of war make better songs for bards to share around a fire, but if you can succeed in your trials, you will do more good for more people than I did.”

Her attitude was very much composed and encouraging for most of what she said, but she did eventually pause, glancing away. This time, it was her who struggled to find the words momentarily. “I can, well…I can speak to most of the others myself, but it is because of your innate connection to Hircine that I can do this. There is one person close to me without that connection. If you could tell Lunise I…” With another pause, she glanced away briefly. “…I am sorry that I could not keep my promise.”

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Science Lab

---

In its present state, the science lab was, speaking generously, underwhelming. It had been cleaned up to a degree, but combined with what Dr. Lambert had been told already, it would not take much deduction to take a good guess at what had happened. Almost nothing in the room had been properly secured before takeoff, so there was a good deal of equipment that had either been subjected to impacts from loose objects, or had been the loose objects. If the state of the ship on the way here was any indication, it was a problem that had not been restricted to the science lab. It did look like someone had gone through and stuffed most everything that had been flung around into boxes, though even a cursory glance would show that there was no organization to it. Broken, undamaged, and salvageable equipment had all been thrown together into the same crates.

At the moment, there was just one other person present. He was a middle-aged man, fair skin, mostly bald, and wearing an officer uniform. Notably, his left leg was in a cast, and he had crutches propped up next to him against his seat. He appeared to be going through one of the crates, cataloging its contents with the tablet beside him, and organizing it all into different crates based on their function, or if they were damaged.

---

Shuttle Bay

---

Amid all of the chaos and confusion, the thoughts that Gar’Tan conveyed to Itxaro still came into her mind calmly and clearly. Minds are not nearly so easy to read as the words on the pages of a book. Even in the most normal and collected of minds, unwelcome thoughts can invade in a moment like a malicious spirit. A Thought mage can feel it all, but it takes experience and effort to be able to discern true intent from such a sea of chaos. The Humans have been stranded in a place they do not recognize, and are soon to be forced to make decisions to potentially take sides between political entities they know nothing about. What followed for a moment beyond that from the S’tor was a feeling of sympathy.

“Please, give me one moment. I must focus myself on these new minds I feel.” Gar’Tan said aloud. Trying to communicate effectively while also translating between the two sides required him to split his attention in many places at once. The Inquisitors’ Guild, which Gar’Tan serves, is a neutral entity between all of Kanth-Aremek’s nations. Its purpose is to enforce the responsible and approved uses of Thought magic, and to hunt and destroy any rogue Thought mages. The Inquisitor Guards around him would defend Gar’Tan’s life with their considerable talents if he were attacked, and would equally slay him without hesitation if he were to abuse his power on anyone around him. Gar’Tan could not say if Castigator Nellara was lying, because he was not permitted to use his abilities on anyone but the Humans. He was simply speaking aloud to convey the Humans’ words to them.

Gar’Tan could only give them advice based on his knowledge of the nations involved. Mythadia is a place that finds their religions more important than in the Ascendancy. That they might see the Jotunheim as a religious symbol is believable. Though, he is not so sure that they would go as far as holding the Humans prisoner. Mythadia is not so violent as the Kolodon Empire of old. Still, they would not want the Ascendancy to claim advantage from the Jotunheim, just like the Ascendancy would not want Mythadia to have it. Gar’Tan doubts that either side is going to act selflessly. However, he is also sure that neither side truly wants war. They might be willing to fight over something like the Jotunheim, but both sides know how costly it could be. There are threats from S’tor on their northern borders which could certainly take advantage of their armies being occupied. If the Humans were to negotiate, they might use that fact to their advantage. They might be able to avoid a war by treating peacefully with both sides.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Though the Captain was otherwise occupied, Wodan had been keeping her appraised of the developing situation in the shuttle bay. There were still no shortage of mysteries, but what was readily apparent was that no one could afford to simply sit aside at the moment. She arrived at the bridge without a word of warning. She appeared tired, most certainly, and perhaps irritable by her expression. However, she gave no complaint. Indeed, there was little emotion in her words, so it was hard to say exactly how she felt. But, her orders for Mallory were clear: head down to the shuttle bay himself and see what was happening with the locals while she took over on the bridge.

The Eye of the Needle (where Fantasy and Sci-fi collide)

Through the interior cameras in the shuttle bay, Wodan observed this meeting at its entrance. He could hear what was being said, but it was still difficult for even him to process what was transpiring. Itxaro and Vigdis were speaking in English, and a bit of Spanish, while the natives were still speaking their native tongue. Yet, everything about their words suggested that they were somehow understanding what the natives were saying, and vice versa. Wodan double-checked his audio equipment, but there was no fault he could detect. He had no information on how either side could have learned the other’s language so quickly.

For Gar’Tan, the arrival of the large machine was unnerving, but his companions were not panicking, so he kept an appropriately calm demeanor. Besides which, peering inside revealed the presence of another mind: a Human mind, at that. It was not a machine, but must have been armor of some sort.

Yet, as Gar’Tan opened his mind to those around him, he could not stop feeling another presence. More eyes on him, more minds aware of him. He followed the feeling, and ended up gazing straight up into one of the cameras looking down on them.

<Huginn: The reptilian appears to be observing the security camera.>
<I do not have any data to suggest that it would know of its significance.>

<Muninn:Maybe it just observed some glare from the lens?>

I am observing you.