"Demigod James!" Jacksons called out to me as I walked into the large room filled with holo-displays and various techs and engineers that were going through the Rif'nay'fex data. "Thank you for coming to see me so quickly. When we found this, I knew that you'd be very interested in knowing about it."

"You were right," I told the Head Engineer. "If this is something we can replicate then it will allow us to drive our Scourge killing abilities to a new level and make us less likely to lose people in the field."

"Over here," he said, leading me to one of the displays and the tech examining the data. "Carr was the first to notice what this data represented, and as such is the most qualified to explain what we might need to work toward recreating it."

"Demigod," the tech, Carr, greeted me. "This appears to match with the theorized stability matrices that Dr. Nandrin proposed. As I'm sure you know, if we're able to remake these studies we'll be able to mass produce stable plasmic containers that we'll be able to use in a weaponized fashion."

"Plasma guns," I nodded. "I'm very aware of what this means."

"Of course," he said. "Unfortunately, it's going to take time for us to replicate the conditions and technology level we'll need to get to that point."

"How much time?" I asked him.

"Over two hundred years at all estimates I can make with the current data," Carr told me. "This isn't a matter of refurbishing the matrix calculations and creation devices the Wardens have, those only work to make superstable plasmic matrices. We'll need to completely recreate Rif'nay'fex technologies and devices to get close to the point that we need to be at to make the least stable forms of these containers. Then, it'll be a matter of stablizing them so that they don't constantly explode in our faces, once that's done we'll need to adjust our formula and calculations to make weapons that are sturdy enough to suvive being used in a combat setting."

"And it won't go faster with more researchers or engineers to help?" I confirmed.

"Too many cooks in the kitchen then," Carr said. "If there's enough to make different teams working on the same project in tandem, that's going to make things go faster, sure. Only if there's no blueprint to work off of and recreate. Working under these conditions will be better for one team., they'll be able to focus on working through any issues that pop up without having another group distracting them with any new data they find."

"Okay, I want you to focus on finding all data that pertains to recreating these plasmic matrices and any technology we need to do that," I told him. "Once you have that data, come find me and I'll set you up with the team that you'll be working with to make all of that a reality. I'm counting on you for this."

"Yes sir, thank you, sir," Carr said with a quick salute before turning back to combing the Rif'nay'fex data.

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"Jacksons, have you had any luck with finding your 'divinium alloy' recipe?" I asked as we walked away from the tech and his mission.

"Unfortunately not," Jacksons told me. "I don't know what the Rif'nay'fex called it and I can't search for any mention of 'divinium' and hope that the right thing shows up. I'm personally looking through all the data concerning the creation of the obelisk. So far all I've found is that they called it 'The Gift.' Nothing on how it was made or what went into making it and the shell armor that protected the interior. I haven't even found anything that speaks to the greater alloys they were likely capable of creating."

"When you find it, let me know," I told him. "If you don't find, don't worry. It just means that you'll have to work hard on reverse-engineering it from the pieces we have available."

"If you'd let me dismantle the rest of the armor shell, then I'd have much more to work with than a few scraps," he complained.

"We don't know how delicate the interior is," I pointed out. "For all we know, what we've got know is just the surface of what's available and we don't know it. If I let you take the rest of it apart right away and there's still data left in it, then we're risking losing all that data."

"I still say that there is no more data left in the relic," Jacksons argued. "We hooked a few more storage servers to it and there was no reaction; that usually means that it's empty."

"Or it means that the artificial intellect inside the obelisk is spoon-feeding us information as it thinks we can handle it and it's not giving us anymore at the moment until we've gone through what we were already given," I said. "Another option is that the whole thing's out of power and needs time to recharge."

"Respectfully, sir, that's ridiculous," Jacksons said.

"Maybe," I agreed. "That doesn't mean it's not a possibility."

"So how long until we leave for the next fight?" Carrie asked as we ate lunch together.

"No telling," I told her. "Could be tomorrow, could be in another year."

"Why are we sitting around now?" Sarah demanded.

"I want to make sure that the Principaility I leave in charge can handle it," I told her. "Orricks may be a mean bitch that doesn't take shit from anyone, but this is still the single most important planet in all the four galaxies we have a presence in."

"It's going to take you up to a year to make sure she's up to the task?" Bunny asked.

"When we first started out, I stayed put on each planet for another year to make sure that the Principailities weren't going to lose it all as soon as I left," I told her.

"Good thing we did that too," Carrie said. "Rickshaw found more than a few that were nuts and incompetent. We started to put them in charge of clearing planets too, so that we could evaluate them faster and faster. Lost more than a few to the bad choices they made."

"I remember that," Sarah said. "I remember Atlantis the most. When the one in charge said that the best way to take care of the Queen was to charge in head-first. He died the fastest of all of them."

"And then, Rickshaw and I went to help you clear out the oceans," Carrie said with a smile. "I still give Rickshaw shit from that one."

"Was it really that bad?" Bunny asked.

"Nah," I told her. "Carrie just likes to remind me about the fact that aquatic combat isn't our forte. Sarah and her Order were using hand-held thrusters and harpoon guns with explosive tips, and Carrie and I were using the armor's thrusters and a trident and harpoon pistol."

"Without explosive tips," Sarah added with a smile. "Took both of them nearly twenty minutes to swim up to something and kill it when my Order and I did it in more like two."

"Why didn't you guys have explosive tips and hand-held thrusters?" Bunny asked.

"That's not important," I said. "All that matters now is that little issue has long since been taken care of."

"That's just code for 'I made my personal shuttle carry around an armory filled with everything I may need for all kinds of combat.'" Sarah told her with a giggle.