Risen: Shatterverse

Reinforcements

With the entire Risen roster pitching in, it didn't take us long to move all of our equipment and gear into our new space. Within the space of an hour, all that was left in the cave were the two entrances to the pocket spaces. Even the extra space gate and the Type 4 were brought inside, along with Lux, which quickly proved to be an attraction for the Unity as the light-bound AI found itself surrounded by whispering energy fields as they asked question after question.

A call over to the Ascendency base got one of their base modification specialists sent over to tune the base to our specifications And it was while I watched Hannibal, the Collectorverse entities and Naveaia walk the specialist through what they wanted, that my passenger was back talking inside my head.

- We have delayed long enough, dead man, - it said, oddly not sounding as much as pissed off as impatient more than anything, as if it had anticipated using the technique Garolan had utilized to create its Ascendency copies for the sim.

- I copy that, t'sang inside, but we need to ask Chohawk if he wants us to double, triple, or quadruple his asset load, - I said, pushing back.

- Did he not say his numbers were now finite, dead man? - the t'sang quickly retorted. - I am not an expert in human synthoid speak, but that sounded to me as if he wants more assets to work with. If only to stabilize the Ascendency's population base in this universe. -

- I'm not saying you're not making a valid point, t'sang inside, - I replied. - I'm just saying we need to warn the man first. -

- Then why are we still standing here? - my passenger said. - Request an audience and let us go speak with him! -

I held up an unnecessary finger to tell it to wait. Then:

"Intercom on," I said, followed by: "General Hannibal, this is Specialist Two. Are you reading me?"

"Five by five, Two. What do you have for me?" Hannibal quickly replied, again sounding as if he were standing right beside me.

"Sir, remember how Chohawk pointed out that he was working on building a non-combatant population to bolster the Ascendency's numbers on our side of Reality?"

"Don't tell me you've come up with a solution for that," the venerable ghost said without answering the question.

"Yes, sir. My passenger has reasoned out how Garolan managed to obtain perfect copies of Ascendency individuals to populate its sim, which, in turn, we freed to establish the Ascendency here."

"By the Earth Mother!" he exclaimed with no little astonishment. "The Ascendency population are copies??"

Nodding in an instinctual gesture, I quickly explained what my passenger had told me. When I fell silent after finishing, there was a pregnant pause while Hannibal absorbed what I had revealed.

"Earth Mother bless me," he finally spoke up to say, astonishment still heavily leavening his words and tone. "Just when I thought I had seen everything that was possible, you and your passenger surprise me yet again, Two."

"Yes, sir. It came as a bit of a shock to me too, to be completely honest," I confessed. "What should we do? My passenger is convinced we should immediately copy every individual in that fleet that was protecting Merkur Prime and bring them over. At first I agreed, because both it would resolve Chohawk's population concerns, and give us experienced fleet personnel that would be useful in our fight against the Collector. But now that I've thought about it, I'm not so sure..."

"Because we'd be copying over individuals without their permission," Hannibal finished for me, his astonishment being pushed aside by a grim realization. "Well done in hesitating, Two. This glimmer of hope for Chohawk's sliver of the Ascendency has a hefty cost. One we need to discuss with Chohawk himself! Meet me at his office, Two. I'll be there shortly!"