Risen: Shatterverse

The Ascendency Reforged

I lifted my head to find Hannibal looking at me, a somewhat impatient expression on his metallic face.

"Well, Two?" he asked, brow lifting. "It's been a couple minutes. Can you contact them or no?"

In response I looked over to one of the mini-forges currently laboring to produce replacement armor and weapons for our rescued comrades. Holding up a forestalling hand before he could ask what I was doing, I took the couple steps I needed to reach it.

- T'sang inside, do these t'sang AI have a body design included in their intelligence matrix? -

- To craft them a body should the need arise? Yes. Each unit has an artificial set of genetic information attached to their persona that will, in the presence of the correct technology, create a matching body, - my passenger replied, sounding almost smug.

Yeah, congratulations. You gave the AI that you feared would rebel against you, its own DNA. Way to think ahead on that one.

- Awesome. How do I use that machine DNA to trigger a micro-forge into crafting such a body?-

The micro-forge immediately paused in its armor crafting as I felt the t'sang reach into it. There was a flicker of energy across its interfaces and, almost before I could catch it, I saw a stream of alien information race across the status display. Including what looked like the double coiled helix of a DNA strand.

- This device has sufficient technology to replicate bodies for the rescued AI, - my passenger reported. - I have already downloaded the necessary parameters into its database and programmed in the assembly algorithms. All you need is to take each AI and channel them through the forge via the I/O interface and the algorithm will pick up their digital DNA and begin assembling them. -

- How long will it take? - I asked.

- Just one of your minutes after you stop wasting time, - the T'sang tartly replied, eliciting a sigh from me.

"We are good to go here, General," I finally answered Hannibal's question out loud. "I've re-established contact with the rescued AI and they are still willing to take bodies and fight Garolan with us." I looked at him.

"You just need to say the word."

Hannibal smiled thinly in satisfaction. Then the smile was gone.

"The word is given, Two." He then looked at Naveaia. "I'll need some space. Can I count on you to organize this chaos?"

The mecha drake immediately nodded.

"Yes, you can, General," she added and, with a look and a nod in my direction, she turned to the chaos filling the greater part of the cave. "Alright, everyone," she said in a voice loud enough to nearly shake the cave's walls.

"I need you to listen up!"

Confident the drake would give us a space shortly, I turned back inside.

- Okay, Captain Teal, - I began. - We're ready for you out here. Are you ready to begin the transition? -

- We're ready, newcomer, - the AI quickly replied, sounding a bit more energized now that they were about to taste true freedom.

- Very good. You'll feel a sensation pulling at your senses. That's our search algorithm locating and isolating your individual intelligences. From there we will transfer you in a data stream to an energy-to-matter microforge which has been programmed to upload your individual digital DNA and craft you a body. The crafting should take no more than approximately an old Earth minute. -

- Sixty seconds to craft. Copy that, newcomer. Or do you have an actual name I can call you? - Teal asked. - If we're going to be shaking hands in the next minute or two, I'd feel bad just calling you 'newcomer' the whole time! -