Nox Home World

[SiphonTalvesh]

Posted by Me:

Soon enough they had arrived at the appropriate room, Lyra standing near them, but with seemingly no interface available, how would they access anything?

Lyra answered that a moment later, at least partially.

"The interface in this room operates off of thought. It was originally designed for only our people, however over the years we have made some modifications to allow visitors a chance to work them. Given what we're looking for here, and that I'm the only one who knows what to search for in this case, I'll operate it, and that will at least give you an idea what to expect. When you are all ready, I'll begin."


Posted by Copper:


Allowing the one who knows the system to run it seems the most prudent, so for the time being, neither Kaidan or Mordin have objections to that. "Suppose a good place to start would be any logs or recordings you have of --"

"Telnar Melvar," Mordin supplies to Kaidan as he's making the suggestion.

"And his findings." He glances over to Mordin for confirmation and the Solarian inclines his head slightly, obviously on track with Kaidan, given he's not interjecting anything else at the moment. "Your interfaces work off of brainwaves?" Kaidan seems intrigued at this, even if he's not 100% correct in his observation.

[SiphonTalvesh]

Lyra paused a moment to consider the question.

"I suppose a simple answer would be to say yes, although it is a bit more complex than that. If you'd like later I'm sure we could make arrangements to have you learn the intricacies of this particular technology."


Meanwhile she stepped onto a small raised platform, bringing up a large holographic image of what appeared to be one of the anomalies. There was a lot of information there surprisingly, though some of it seemed speculation with no real proof.

Some of it however clearly was data on the anomalies themselves, such as a specific magnetic frequency, and the odd reading that the anomaly seemed to have it's frequency match that of the planetary poles it was on at the time it was opened. There was also a specific, standalone radial frequency as well, a powerful enough one that it seemed likely it would scramble any communications device with little trouble.

An image of a tall, balding man appeared, and he began talking in technical terms regarding the anomalies. It seemed his theory was they somehow had ties into the very fabric of the universe itself, and that somehow Earth was a center piece for all the activity, though he didn't know how or why. His other theory was that the anomalies represented an unraveling of space/time itself, and that they would, over time, grow more frequent in appearances, eventually leading to space/time and possibly dimensional barriers falling. He stated his theory could mean ships from other dimensions could, in theory, arrive in this universe by accident through temporary cracks in the barriers, arriving by sheer bad luck to engage their hyper-drives or FTL drives at the wrong moment when the barrier was at it's weakest. Eventually, those barriers would fail, and all realities would begin pouring into a single one, leading to complete chaos.

[Copper]

(Knowing Mordin the way I do, he's probably already accessed all the information Peltas had on the anomalies as well, so I am going to run off of a few assumptions. If not, let me know.)
"I think that might be interesting," Kaidan replies with a slight smile. "Provided we have the time, of course."

Mordin, meanwhile, has activated his omni-tool to record the entry, though it's clear to anyone watching him that, should there be text, his eyes are flicking back and forth almost as fast as the words are appearing before them.

"Interesting. Individual anomalies tied to specific frequencies, yet connected together. Planetary orbit and positioning could be key to determining destination of anomaly. Have to cross-reference data with any information on anything that passed through." His fingers tap at the glowing keyboard. "Theory could also explain why dinosaurs appearing on non-Earth planet. Would disprove drive theory, however, if expended energy is what is needed to break through the barrier. Hmm. Could already be at weakened state. Drive energy not needed. Problematic."

"The unraveling of time and space and all he says is 'problematic,'" Kaidan mutters under his breath, fingers pinching at the bridge of his nose. "Well, you don't need the Collectors or the Reapers in this universe. Let's see if we can work to fix the problem."

"Will require more data on anomalies. If possible, means to report when one or more active to watch for all-reality theory."

"Mordin, you're talking about monitoring space and just about everything in it."

"No means of interplanetary communication?"

Kaidan shakes his head. "He doesn't think small."

"Regardless, theory would explain Normandy's arrival. Drive core engagement coupled with nuclear energy likely enough to trigger expansion of crack." He doesn't seem to like the word but he runs with it. "Duplication of phenomenon ill-advised, even for testing." Kaidan facepalms listening to him. "Any other information available on anomalies or similar phenomenon?" Mordin continues.

[SiphonTalvesh]

Lyra shook her head.

"I'm afraid this was all we managed to get. The few readings we got ourselves recently suggest these anomalies have an extremely high magnetic presence to them, enough to distort most communications methods, even outright block some. We also know that it isn't just dinosaurs coming out of them, you should look at this image sent by one of the Tokra's ships."


She reactivated the device, which showed them an image of an open anomaly. What was different was the anomaly was in space, and not on a planet. As they watched, several powerful looking ships emerged from it, and moments after doing so, they made the jump to hyper-space. Moments after that, the anomaly closed.

"The Tokra ship was cloaked and wasn't detected. They were lucky to be right in that area and get this. Unfortunately, this anomaly was less than three hundred light years from Earth."

[Copper]

((Any chance I can get a pic of what the ships look like?))
Mordin grows quiet and for all intents and purposes, looks like he's thinking. "Anomalies would suggest presence of parallel or alternate realities. Again, amount of energy needed to breach from one to another is likely staggering, though current evidence suggests otherwise."

"Mordin, we have evidence of alternate realities," Kaidan interrupts. "We had it the moment we realized none of the Council races exist here. Or at least haven't been discovered yet."

The Salarian ignores him for the time being, still tapping at his omni-tool. "Current data also suggests anomalies happen at random, however...Klarnell seem to have means of utilizing them. Suggests either means of detection or potential origin for anomalies, even if they aren't the ones creating them. Hmm. Limited data on other side of anomalies." His eyes narrow in what seem like annoyance. "Make proving that theory difficult as well. Fact that Klarnell do not get stuck here suggest means of monitoring anomalies which suggests they have the time to study them."

"Speaking from a military perspective," Kaidan cuts in, "Those ships. Are they Klarnell? Or some other race you're familiar with? There was absolutely no hesitation on their part when they came through that rift, which suggests either familiarity or purpose. You stumble through something like that like we did and you're not going to just hop into the nearest relay and hope for the best. You're going to analyze your surroundings and figure out what your next move is. These guys," he gestures to the image on screen, "knew right where they were going."
((This may change if the ships are at all recognizable to Kaidan or Mordin, though the gist of it does remain the same: those were invaders, not hapless victims, like the Normandy.))

[SiphonTalvesh]

  ((We'll use that one for now.))


Lyra shook her head.

"We can only assume it is a Klarnell ship, it matches nothing I know of in our own records.  Those of the Ancients though ...  you'd have to cross reference them with anything the Ancients had stored in Atlantis.."

[Copper]

"I'm just going to assume that Mordin's already copied the file and we can do so when we...wait, did you say Atlantis? Like...city beneath the sea? Sank under mysterious circumstances? Or is that just, like, the name of a base or something?" Clearly someone's up on his mythology, limited as it is. And given that he's seen a city appear out of thin air and traveled here from another dimension, he's not ruling out the former answer, even if the latter seems the more plausible one.

[SiphonTalvesh]

There was a pause before Talok responded.

"A bit of both you could say.  The Ancients constructed Atlantis long ago.  However, it's more than just a city or a base, like Alverus, which you haven't seen yet, it's also an inter-galactic space craft.  They built it millions and millions of years ago, and somewhere around 5 million years or so ago, they packed up and left Earth for the Pegasus Galaxy, 3 Million Light Years away.  We know enough now about the Klarnell to know that they are the reason the Ancients intentionally sank and submerged the city and returned to this galaxy, where the overwhelming majority of them died off.  Some ascended, but only a small portion.  Much of what remains of their technology is scattered throughout at least four different galaxies.  Atlantis though had a very powerful shield, one that was still running when we found it some years ago.  By that time, the city had sat under the ocean of it's home planet for roughly 10,000 years."


((Holy fuck Blue text is impossible to read on this background))

[Copper]

(The purple isn't much better, but doable.)
There's a flick of Mordin's eyes toward Talok, so he's obviously listening and what was being said has caught his attention. It's Kaidan, though, who keeps up the commentary.

"I just...Even everything I've seen regarding the Protheans," he pauses and then amends, "Our Ancients, I guess you could say, hearing that this is a functioning millions of years old space ship sounds really improbable. Obviously not impossible, since you're talking about it, but it just blows your mind somehow. Dr. T'soni is going to be really sad she stayed at the Shadowbroker base instead of coming with us, I think."

"Would not be able to have one's cake and eat it, too," Mordin comments. "Liara seemed quite happy with current arrangement."

"Yeah, but she's an archaeologist at heart. This'd push all her buttons." He shrugs. "Is there anything else you think might be pertinent to the anomalies? Or have we exhausted our resources here in that regard?"

[SiphonTalvesh]

Talok shook his head.

"I think we've done all we can here. Now it seems we may need to check inside of Atlantis itself, there has to be something there. We should ..."

He trailed off looking at Lyra who had suddenly stopped moving, and had her eyes closed, head tilted to one side as if she was trying to sense or hear something. Evidently the length of time she'd been doing this wasn't normal, because Talok finally cut in with, "Lyra, is something wrong?"

There was a long pause before she replied, and when she did, she seemed slightly shaken.

"Your options may have increased by one. I believe one of these anomalies just opened near the Stargate. I can sense a disturbance with the animal life around that area. Something has them terrified, a rather unfamiliar sensation to say the least."

[Copper]

"It's on the way out, right?" Kaidan asks. "So we're headed that way anyway."

"Possible predator, if local fauna are reacting in such a manner," Mordin observes. "Second Tyrannosaurus, perhaps?"

"Grunt's going to be so disappointed if he misses another one."

Clearly both men are ready to head out, though, since this bears investigating and it's also blocking their way back to the station.

[SiphonTalvesh]

Lyra made a move that may have been a shrug.

"I am uncertain. However something is out there, something alien to this world that exudes hate and hostility. I can feel it."


They began making their way towards where they had come in, left to speculate as to what she was sensing.

[Copper]

"Hmm. Not predator, then," Mordin amends. "Instinct would be feeding, not hostility, unless threatened."

"Not to mention 'hate' is more of a higher-functioning brain emotion. I think we'd best prep for a fight."

Mordin seems to be in agreement though neither of them will prep weapons while in the confines of the city.

"There a way to get us out of here without giving yourselves away?" Kaidan asks. He likely thinks 'yes' but obviously it bears checking.

[SiphonTalvesh]

Lyra nodded, and moments later they were just simply near one of the locations they had passed when coming in to the city. It was unclear if it had been a transporter beam, or something different. The moment they were there though, Talok's head snapped up and his eyes narrowed.

"We're being watched. Something is out there, just beyond the brush. More than one."

[Copper]

Kaidan wasn't going to question, not with there being enemies so close by. At the mention of there being someone watching him, there's a not-so-subtle shimmer that ripples across his armor as he takes up a position in front of the salarian. "Doc?"

"Scanning." Mordin's seemingly ever-present omni-tool looks to have something of a radar up, trying to get a read on whatever might be lurking in ambush.

[SiphonTalvesh]

The scanner would detect, with some degree of difficulty, the presence of at least ten life forms in close proximity to them, as well as a single unexplained energy reading, possibly the anomaly from which these things had come from.

Whatever they were, they were circling, as if sizing up their prey, but with a level of intelligence that seemed more than that of a simple beast driven by instinct.


Then, suddenly, a shape was visible for a moment as something darted by them. In that moment, they would see what appeared to be a four legged creature. It was powerfully built, but incredibly fast, gone in a moment. It's flesh was a blue-grey color, with large teeth in it's mouth. Roughly the size of a human if it were to stand up, but built more slender, yet muscular like Talok was. The wraith himself had seen it too, blinking once or twice.

"What in the hell ..."


He had started to look in Lyra's direction, however the Nox was already shaking her head.

"They are not what I am sensing. Something else is with them, nearby. I can't ... pinpoint it."

[Copper]

Mordin will relay the information, including comments on pack mentality, one that only gets repeated as the 'test pass' happens.

"Damn, that's fast," Kaidan mutters, doing his best to keep an eye on their surroundings. "Maybe you ought to head back to the city," he suggests of Lyra, given she doesn't precisely strike him as the combative type, mental abilities aside.
(He's ready to 'Lift' any of the predators that might lunge at them. If they're close enough together, he can probably get more than one at a time.)
Both he and Mordin also withdraw their pistols, the weapons 'expanding' from the blocks that were previously attached to their respective armors.

[SiphonTalvesh]

The Nox froze for a moment, surprise registering on her face.

"I'm not able to. Something is blocking that ability. I believe it may be related to ..."


Abruptly a blast of energy came flying from beyond the trees, striking Lyra in the chest area. Almost instantly she crumpled to the ground, making no sound at all. Clearly. there was something intelligent out there along with the predator creatures.

[Copper]

"Mordin!"

"Scanning."

The Salarian is, first and foremost, checking Lyra's life signs. If she needs stabilized, that's what medi-gel is for. If she's simply stunned, he moves on to trying to pinpoint both the creatures and the shooter.

Kaidan, on the other hand, is using the more tried-and-true method known as looking around, muttering under his breath about how it's like geth jammers. He's hoping to catch sight of the shooter before they can fire again, given he's not entirely sure what the blast was and whether or not it's capable of punching through shields or armor. Lyra, near as he knew, had neither but that didn't make him any less cautious.

[SiphonTalvesh]

A quick scan revealed Lyra was simply stunned, with seemingly no ill effect outside of the fact she was out cold.

Kaidan found it extremely difficult to pinpoint the shooter, considering the fact the other predator creatures had begun moving about, seeming to provide distraction. Just when he thought he saw a faint distortion in the air, roughly the size of a humanoid, three of the creatures made a lunge for him, coming in three different attack vectors. Two of them he could maybe get, but the third would be out of his range ...

Except Talok seemed to be a much faster reflex than one might expect. As fast as the creature was lunging for Kaidan, the Wraith was faster. Some kind of red energy bolt from a pistol like weapon flew out and struck the creature in the midsection, dropping it to the ground with a smoking hole where it's chest cavity had once been. Clearly it was not getting back up again.

Moments later another blast came flying towards them, likely from their shooter. Talok evidently had seen the same thing Kaidan had, for as the bolt appeared in the air, the Wraith was already returning fire. He narrowly avoided being hit himself, however his blast definitely hit something.

There was a snap of energy in the air, and suddenly what appeared to be a weapon simply became visible. A few more crackles, and suddenly a behemoth of an alien creature simply appeared.


It took a moment to realize that it had been cloaked. After that, they realized what they were dealing with was a massive alien, and a very angry one.

It stood close to eight feet tall, massively built, the size of two or three humanoids. Muscular, and clad in some kind of armor, with a face mask over it's face, hiding what it truly looked like. And it now had it's sights set upon that who had destroyed it's gun and cloak.

[Copper]

Given the creatures are attacking, Kaidan rounds on them the best he can and yes, manages to catch two of them and throw them back with what looks like some sort of energy blast, although no 'origin point' can be readily seen coming off of him. It almost seems more of a reflexive move than anything else. Stop them before they hit you. Of course, the third would have proved problematic had Talok not been there. There's also a flare from Mordin's omni-tool and instead of the screens it previously had been running, something seems to shoot out of it, targeting one of the creatures that Kaiden threw. Time to see if they're flammable, it would seem.

Once they had their opponent actually in sight, Kaidan's attention goes to it. "You have any idea?" he asides to Talok, his weapon at the ready, though he's not firing. Yet. Obviously the size and look aren't exactly a deterrent. Mordin seems inclined to watch their backs for more of the creatures.

[SiphonTalvesh]

Talok shook his head no. The assumption they might have would be Klarnell given what little they knew of them, but there was no way to know for sure.


The shot fired did in fact set the creature on fire, however it seemed that wouldn't immediately kill it as it got back up and tried attacking again, only to get shot down by Talok.


The creature stood there for a moment before abruptly withdrawing something shiny from it's 'belt'. This object suddenly opened to reveal some kind of star shaped throwing weapon, which quickly was tossed in the general direction of Kaidan's midsection.

Even as this was thrown, the creature was on the move, making a beeline to attack Mordin, seeming to ignore Talok for the moment.

[Copper]

Mordin seems inclined to try and put down the third creature with tried-and-true weapons fire rather than incineration, at least until he can get it to a point where the fire might finish it off. Kaidan's reaction to the star is to dive out of the way. Design dictates it's either meant to punch through his barrier or entangle him and he's not about to find out which. And despite his attention initially being focused on the creature, Mordin shifts it to the other one, the glow of the omni-tool shifting to something cooler looking as he attempts to hit the thing with a cryo-blast.

[SiphonTalvesh]

The blast struck the beast dead on, slowing it down for a moment. Oddly though, it seemed to shrug off the freeze effect, albeit not completely. It was slower, but not completely frozen as it should have been. Still, it's movement was, at least for the moment, hindered somewhat.

The star whizzed past Kaidan's head, slicing right through a small tree like it was paper and vanishing off into the woods. This clearly angered it, and it began moving forward again, it's huge fists clenching as it unrelentingly pressed forward.


Talok opened fire on the creature, however the blast seemed to have no effect on it. It's armor might have dampening properties then?

[Copper]

Kaidan works on regaining his footing, having dodged the projectile.  The fact that it might return, like a boomerang, isn't wholly out of the question but for the moment, he's got bigger things to worry about.  With the creature slowed, he takes the opportunity to snag it with his biotics, a lift that will, in theory, pull it off the ground and hopefully make it a better target for Talok and keep the thing disoriented.  Provided it works, Mordin will put his attention on keeping an eye out for the beasts or more intruders, intending to keep them off the backs of the others.

((Falling into the camp lately that Kaidan could do 'lift' and 'throw' in ME1 and you don't actually ever *unlearn* a skill, really, when you think about it.))

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