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"We are currently being surrounded by multiple Aasteran warships."

"Any chance they can get through our shields or armour?" Michael asked as he activated the ship's defensive systems.

"Stop provoking my people. We're jumpy enough as is!" Srettia near shouted as the opposing warships began their scans.

"From what I can tell, that would be a negative. Their weapons could give us a good shaking, though."

"Alright. I'll keep the shields up for now. Any word from the Admiral or first tail?" Michael asked.

"None yet, partner. As we have interrupted their talks, I assume they will need time to untangle themselves before considering our message."

Srettia powered down the engines and looked over to Michael. "If Chrarada got our message, it wouldn't surprise me to see her floating towards us in an enviro-suit at this very moment. She is very protective of our people."

Leaning into his crash couch and relaxing, Michael returned Srettia's gaze. "That so? I'll have to remember that if we meet. She won't run away screaming when she sees me, will she?"

Palming her face in annoyance, Srettia exhaled a long breath. "Will you drop that you ass! I swear I'll never live that down."

"We are being hailed by the station."

Srettia shook her head and began to open the channel, It took a second, but when the screen came to life, she was met with an entire room of different people on her display. "Uhh, Hello?"

Taking over the frequency with a few taps of his fingers, Michael sat straight and threw a salute to the Admiral. "Sir! I have returned with the results of our first excursion into the surrounding systems."

Admiral Miles returned the salute and stood stoically. "Well done, Captain. Know that you are free to speak, those within this room are of the highest ranks among our new allies. We have promised to hide nothing from them, and we are on a secure channel."

"Sir! We have discovered what looks like some kind of alien escape pod. The system it was discovered in was decimated. Multiple planets have been destroyed, and the energy readings we took were similar to ones found around Acarro. The pod itself is still intact, the systems are all analogue, and we are unable to interface properly. However, we were able to recover some video data from it after restoring power."

Chrarada stepped forward and looked at Srettia. "Is this true... Pilot?"

"Yes, ma'am." Srettia answered. "The video captured a war between ships made from some form of light and some sort of metal half oval ships."

Chrarada turned to look at her council then to the Admiral. What she said next was a shock to all in attendance, but was something she seemed very intent on carrying through. "Admiral, I wish to amend a part of our agreement. I would like for you to bring your fleet and moon base into our system. Though the people may call for me to step down from my position as a result. I feel it is for the best."

Srettia stood up, nearly falling out of her chair. "Chrarada! First Tail, I think I can safely say that our people will understand your decision. Please do not think so little of yourself."

Michael was surprised to see the Admiral put his hand on Chrarada's shoulder, earning a scoff from another female in the room while he spoke gently. "I will call our fleet to the defence of your system. I would also like to invite a few of your scientists and engineers onto Leda. There we can tear apart that pod and learn its secrets. A joint project like this would be good for relations, no?"

Chrarada's eyes lingered on her shoulder for a few moments before laughing. "Of course, I'm sure we have someone in this very room who is wil-"

"I'M DEFINITELY GOING!" Viscia shouted, shoving her way to the front of the room. "There is no way I'm going to miss being on a Terran ship!"

"Miss Visica, you seem to misunderstand. The research will not be taking place on a ship. It will take place in a research facility." The Admiral stated smugly, watching as Chrarada let out a chuckle as Viscia deflated. "Though you may be excited to learn, the Facility is on our moon base."

Srettia and Michael watched curiously as the Blue female started jumping around like a child, making some unintelligible noises.

"Who's that?" Michael asked, trying not to laugh at the obviously young female.

Srettia shook her head and looked down at the beeping command console. "I think that's our counsellor of science. She's basically the reason we still have advances in science these days. She might be the most intelligent Aasteran ever to live, and she's only twenty-four."

"That explains a bit." Michael returned, watching as the Admiral got a handle on things again.

"Captain Michael. You and your charge are to dock with the station and prepare to receive Vicia. You are now authorized to reveal your companion to her. When the fleet arrives, you are also to retrieve Chief Engineer Tanda wherever he may be and drop all three charges off at Leda. Make sure she and the pod are escorted Safely to their destination. Understood?"

"Yes, sir!" Michael Saluted and cut the com.

"This is exciting, a new organic I get to speak with!"

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Tanda, now in good repair as Dr.Leviye had politely put it, was currently standing in awe. The sight before him had him nearly dancing in place, and he fought desperately to control himself. "Whoever built this was a mad genius!" Looking at the core up close and in person, Tanda couldn't help but wonder what would possess a man to think up something so crazy.

Dr.Leviye spoke in a warm tone as he watched Tanda gaze upon the core. "It was Dr.Aldon who envisioned this core. If you ever have the privilege of meeting him, you will show him the respect he deserves." Walking past the engineer, Dr.Leviye moved towards a control panel.

"As you've noticed, the fold core functions properly... If one could consider forty-six percent efficiency suitably performing." Motioning Tanda towards the panel, Dr.Leviye brought up the complete documentation of the fold core. "I would not dare to claim to be as intelligent as Dr.Aldon, but I do wish to make some improvements and increase the core's efficiency if only just a little. It would be... difficult to face him with little or no results. "

Tanda smirked as he nearly skipped towards the panel. "I'm all yours. I can't wait to get to work on this beauty."

"You will need to relearn some things, but I have faith you are up to the task. First off, The fuel itself is different from that currently in use. Secondly is the strange and dark matter reaction and how not to create a singularity within the core. Third, and the most important part that only Aldon has been able to understand fully-."

"The space compression and folding system? It's just like that paper fortuneteller game thingy kids play, It folds a bunch and looks complicated, but in the end, it's the same piece of paper. Here look."

Tanda took the consol and began creating a diagram of space in the shape of a cube, folding and compressing, he then decompressing into the shape of the same cube. "The hard part is getting the warp bubble to catch it. It's not supposed to do that. It's also where all the efficiency is lost. I have no idea how he managed either of these things."

"I did not know of this paper game you speak of. Your grasp of this topic is quite remarkable, if somewhat immature. We seem to agree on how the fold core works. Though I feel we are both are at a loss on how to fix the problem." Leviye returned.

Tanda tilted his head to the side while looking around the room. "I only see one warp core. Have you tried two?"

"Why would you need two warp cores? We are using the bubble to catch, not drive."

"Oh, please tell me you thought of using two bubbles to catch," Tanda asked, looking at his new friend with sadness in his eyes.

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"Of course. It was one of the first things we tried." Leviye retorted with a bit of sass in his voice.

"Good. How about three? Use two to catch and the third one to sorta cover the edges or something?" Tanda asked, starting to input new theories into a simulation.

"Next, I assume you will ask if we have used four, correct? Extra bubbles do nothing. We need to find a way to harden the main warp bubble or find a new way of catching the folded space."

Tanda let out a laugh as he caught up on the documentation. "You would be correct on the fourth bubble. I see no reason not to ask. It helps me figure out what we can try. How about you tell me what you've tried, and we can go from there then?"

"Very well. So far, we have tried reinforced hard light, warp bubbles, planetary shielding, and various styles of reinforced metal contraptions. Only the current method seems to show results."

"That's a real bummer. So we're either stuck with less than half efficiency or figuring out a way to catch something that should be impossible. Got it! Should be simple." Tanda replied with a laugh.

"I'll take your word for it, engineer Tanda. I have worked on this project for longer than you have been alive. I doubt it will be easy."

"Bahh, us young in's always have to show up, you old guys..." Tanda then paused and slowly turned to look at Dr.Leviye, his face showing none of the earlier playfulness. "Thank you, by the way. I just realized I forgot to say that this is truly an amazing accomplishment. Meeting you and Jack has been nothing but a privilege."

Dr.Leyive let out a smiled for the first time since the two entered the core room and turned to look at the organic. " You have no idea how happy I am that he has finally accepted a Terran name. He wouldn't let anyone name him for some reason." Leyive laughed as he looked at Tanda key in a simulation. "The facility on Eris had taken to calling him vaucs because of his refusal. Though, he didn't seem to mind. I think because he and I share personal names, only we can understand. Maybe he never sought out a human name because of this. But that fool pilot. He somehow managed to name him before they even left the Sol system."

Tanda looked at Leyvie and raised an eye. "You're rather talky."

"You would be to if you were left alone as long as I have been. Would you rather I only speak of our task?"

Stopping his sim calculations, Tanda turned to look at Leyive. "Nope, I enjoy this style of work."

Leyive walked over and started to add some calculations to the sim. "Good, I tend to ramble amongst friendly organics."

Both turned as the door opened, commander brown rushing over with a look of worry on her face. "You need to get the engine working now. We're moving into the Aasteran system."

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Hezexhel and Ethuci were standing in the hangar bay of the Gentle winds, watching as Andriet and her subordinates measured and fit their men with the new battle and enviro armour.

"So... They can just pop out, top of the line armour after just a scan... That's terrifying." Hezexhel commented, Standing off to the side.

Ethuci sighed as another one of Hezexhel's squad members was fit for armour. "No different from them making heating implements and food for the surface population."

Hezexhel scented the air and shook his head as a Terran waved at him. "And they're sharing all this with us because they want friends?"

Laughing in response, Ethuci took a step forward towards the fabricators. "Yes, also allies. Even with all their technology and exploration. Apparently, we're the first 'aliens' they've met."

The two were interrupted when a familiar man walked into the room surrounded by an experienced looking retinue. He stopped for a moment before waving and beginning to make his way over. "Commander Ethuci, Hezexhel. It's a pleasure to meet you face to face." Motioning for his team to begin some type of inspection, Finley put on a warm smile.

Ethuci stepped forward to prevent Hezexhel from causing any problems. " Commander Finley. May I ask what your team of 'experts' are up to?"

"Of course. First off, this is a dangerous mission. We should run a few sims so your men can get familiar with the new armour. Also, we should run a few emergency situation drills. I would also like your medic to talk to my team's medic, so both know what needs to be done if they're needed."

Hezexhel stepped forward and slammed his tail in anger. "You're not in command of this mission, Terran. This is our planet! You will follow our lead."

Ethuci put his hand on Hezexhel's shoulder in an attempt at calming the warrior. "My friend is right. This is our planet and our mission; all you need to do is follow our lead."

Finley Stepped towards the two soldiers. His friendly face warped in anger and was now gone. "I intend to. However, I will not allow you to send your men down there, thinking this new armour will keep them alive. It's strong, yes. Enviro sealed, also yes. But! What are you going to do if one of your men falls through the ice? What will you do if someone loses their footing and tumbles down a mountain? Have you ever had avalanche training? What happens if our GPS somehow goes out during a heavy ice storm? I'm not coming along because I want to steal your discovery, Ethuci. My job is to keep you alive. It always has been. If I have to train your men, watch from behind while you walk your cities for the first time in over two hundred years. Then that is what I will do. My only reason for being in this system, or any other system, is to save lives. And I will walk over anyone who tries to stop me."

Ethuci and Hezexhel stood stock while Finley walked away, headed towards where his team continued to instruct the Aasteran on how their armour worked. Hezexhel took a step forward and looked over to Ethuci with a toothy grin. "I like that Terran."

Ethuci scented the air and found hezexhel was being truthful and shook his head. "Well, I guess it was bound to happen eventually."

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Viscia struggled as she dragged a dolly loaded with her personal effects and custom implements towards the hangar. She was excited over the fact she'll actually get to see the inside of a Terran shuttle so soon.

"That's our girl, right?" Michael asked, opening the cargo hatch.

Srettia thinned her eyes at Michael before turning to look closely at the female. "Yup, looks like her. I can't be sure, though. I've only seen her on news broadcasts."

"I can confirm that that is indeed 'our girl' I am rather excited."

Michael studied the screen as Viscia struggled to move her dolly towards the ship. "She your type, Jack?"

"If you mean she is an organic and will most likely panic and run into a wall when I introduce myself. Then yes."

Srettia laughed and powered up her ship's engines. "Should I prep the med bay?"

"Unsure. However, I will need to increase the temperature to a more comfortable setting. You have not needed it this high in a while due to you sharing in Michael's warmth, Srettia."

Michael coughed. "Thanks, Jack."

Viscia noticed that the hatch of the ship was starting to open and tried to speed up. "I should have gotten a better dolly." She cursed as she finally reached the ship as the loading hatch hit the ground. It was then a familiar purple female greeted her. "Hello, I'm science councillor Viscia!"

"I'm Srettia. It's a pleasure to meet you. If you'll follow me, I'll take you to the lounge. You can rest there while we wait for the fleet to arrive."

Viscia pulled her dolly onto the ramp and looked around. "Can I take a tour of the ship?

Srettia flicked her tail in amusement and hit the switch to raise the ramp. "I'll be with my Terran partner, but I'm sure if you ask the ship, it'll be happy to give you a tour."

Viscia looked confused for a few seconds as the ramp finished closing up. "Umm... Okay." She returned, watching as Srettia walked away towards what she suspected the bridge.

Left alone, Viscia figured she'd ask the ship what to do next. "Hello, ship? Where can I store my equipment?"

"Hello Viscia, It is a pleasure to meet you. You can store your equipment in the storage area. Please follow the blue lights."

"Oh, why hello. You're very polite." Visca stated as she began following the flashing soft blue lights.

Continued her journey, Viscia couldn't help but marvel at how clean and precise things looked and decided to try complementing the ship. "You're a beautiful ship."

"The ship is quite pleasant. Its systems are very comfortable as well."

Arriving at the designated spot, Viscia stored her dolly and quickly decided to ask the ship for a tour. "Ship, can you give me a tour?"

"I would be my pleasure."

Viscia bounced from room to room as the ship guided her around. It began with pointing out the weapon and shield systems, then the fabricator that she used to print out what the ship said was a Terran Delicacy. "Wow! Terran ships are amazing. And this corn dog is spectacular!"

"We are arriving at the warp core."

Viscia nearly ran into the room, and upon entering, she stilled herself and took in the sight. "It's just how I imagined it would be! Can you tell me about it?"

"It is not my specialty, so I can only read the manual."

Pouting, Viscia decided to examine the engine room while listening to Jack explain what he could about the core. "I missed too much with my theory, but it all makes sense. Thank you, ship."

"You have been a pleasure to guide. You are very inquisitive."

Finishing off her latest snack, Visca decided it was time to move to the lounge. The walk was shot, but eventually, she entered the room and sat down on the highly comfortable couch with another snack in hand, figuring some Q&A was in order. "Do all ships in the Terran space talk like you?"

"No, I am unique."

"Well, the rest of the galaxy is missing out. It feels like I'm talking to a person."

"That is because you are."

Viscia froze and thought about her time on the ship and how suddenly Srettia had left her alone. "You're an AI?"

"You are correct. My name is Jack."

Viscia shot to her feet and excitedly began jumping around in response to the discovery. "Tell me everything! I want to know what it's like! Who built you, how they did it? How old are you? You not going to kill anyone, are you? Well, I'm still alive, and the colony is still active, so you must be friendly. Sorry about that! Do you have a central core, or can you just jump around from system to system?"

"This is a fascinating reaction. Most people fear my existence."

Viscia laughed and patted herself down as she took another seat. Pulling out a datapad, she started keying things into it. "Most people are dumb. Do you mind if I record our conversation? I want to prove that AI research is viable. You and your creator seem to be a perfect place to start."

"I wouldn't say that. My existence is still hidden, and my father is depicted as a maniac and taught in early grade school."

"Oh... Well, like I said. People are stupid. I'm sure your father is a brilliant and kind person."

"I'm sure he would love to hear an organic say that. Well, I'm still primarily classified and unable to talk about things. So let's talk about what I can."

Viscia got comfortable and laid her datapad on the table, leaning back as her recording commenced. "Tell me what it's like to see the inside of a network system."

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