Seal of Sedna(IC)

[Ari]

GM

October 5th, 2011, the inner edge of the Asteroid Belt, the main docking bay of Lor vessel Resplendent Discoverer.

The ship orbiting the lonely chunk of rock floating in the inky void was a mass of brightly-colored curves, exciting swoops, and hardly a sharp corner to be found, the Lor designers excusing this as a way of allowing it to maneuver in a planetary atmosphere. Of course, it most likely would never get beyond the limbo of a planet's atmosphere, but it was good to be prepared nonetheless.

Onboard, the Captain Verlee Mirta tapped her foot quietly in the blazingly-bright room, watching a monitor of the energy readings the teleporters gave off like a hawk for the arrivals sent up from the Freedom Hall's teleportation system(good thing they have Daedalus, or contact with Earth would be tediously difficult she thought to herself). Three of them were, according to the message sent her by the Freedom League, of the unpredictable and dangerously powerful types so frighteningly common on Earth. Two of them had the power to break things with their bare hands at a level far beyond what even their muscle power should allow them to do, three of them could self-propel themselves through the air, one had some sort of connection to the Preservers, another to the power of the Terminus, and the fourth had power over quantum mechanics the humans barely seemed to have discovered. The one she felt would do a great deal to put her at ease was the third, a mechanical genius whose powers were derived from the magnificent technology she wielded. Cpt. Mirta desperately hoped she could convince that one to act as primary liaison on the mission. The League had agreed(after a while) to permit the Lor to teleport them up to the ship that would take them to the small fleet in orbit of Neptune, upon which rendezvous they would proceed to Sedna. It had taken a while to explain the significance of the names the humans gave the planets, and she still wasn't sure she could rattle them off as fast as would be needed. Nonetheless, as the signals on the transporters began to intensify, she came sharply to attention, wondering how they had been approached, and what it had been like to be chosen for the mission...

[Paragon]

Quintessence was out on a routine patrol through the Fens when the representative of the Freedom League flew down and waved him over. Quintessence had never run into anyone from the Freedom League before. He stopped in mid air a few feet away from Captain Thunder with a smile on his face and waited thinking I hope I don't make a fool out of myself, this guy is seriously famous!

All thoughts of fame and other frivolous things fell away as he listened to what Captain Thunder had to say. Apparently there was an interstellar mission that needed a few people with the appropriate skills. The Freedom League had come up with a list of people that might be suitable for the mission. With my Knowledge of Astronomy and my history with extraterrestrial contact I was one of the people they thought might be right for the job. As soon as he was done explaining what the job entailed I said Of course I will go. This is a matter of global protection. All other concerns are secondary. Of course this also gives me a chance to maybe find out something about the Preservers who gave me my powers and what caused the accident that caused the death of my parents. After Captain Thunder gave me the information I needed for the departure I had to think up a cover story for my sister.

I went straight home after my meeting with Captain Thunder. My sister was still up because I had cut my patrol short. Early Night at the Observatory? Just a bit surprised to see me home earlier then three in the morning. I got some excellent news tonight. There was a last minute cancellations on the trip to the new super telescope in Colorado. The only bad thing is I have to leave in the morning. I will be gone anywhere from a few days to a couple of weeks. I have to pack fast and get some sleep before the group picks me up at five in the morning. I hate lying to her, but it would be too dangerous if she knew the truth. That is Fantastic news James, congratulations! I will miss you while your gone. I gave my sister a quick kiss on the cheek and went to pack, I still had a lot to do before I met the other members of the group for departure.

[Supercape]

Supercape was in full costume. His enormous cape and blue-white patterned cloth was impossibly clean and actually sparkled slightly. He had decided to make an extra effort to look resplendid for the Lor.

His costume was, of course, made up of a lattice of quantum string-molecules that he could manipulate as he chose fit. It had taken some time to design and even longer to "stitch" together, using mathematics more than matter. But it certainly served its purpose.

He had grown considerably more accustomed to becoming a "superhero" since arriving in Freedom City, but he still could never quite shake off the idea that it was slightly ridiculous for a quiet academic professor who was approaching middle age. The enormous cape still served to compensate for that nagging doubt in his mind.

He could, of course, quite easily have teleported himself, folding two points in the multiverse together and stepping through the entanglement. It was rather hard work and left him a little disorientated every time. And in any case, he viewed that as a rude. Best take advantage of the offer.

So, arriving on the teleport beam in front of the Lor, in full Supercape garb, he proceeded to give a salute. "Supercape, at your service!" he said with a smile.

[Raveled]

Jessica Parker was surprised to be contacted directly by the Freedom League. Normally if the League needed some technical help, Daedalus supplied it, and if they needed contract work done that was handled by the appropriate employees. She quickly realized, however, that this wasn't a business matter; they needed her personal experience and combat capabilities in deep space.

A few days passed and the appointed day came around. After some internal debate she decided not to drive to the League headquarters, and flew there in her armor instead. She set down on the sidewalk in front of Freedom Hall and folded her armor into its interdimensonal storage space with a blaze of light. She entered the pyramidal building with a spring in her step and humming cheerily. Perhaps some folks would find it disconcerting to be sent into who-knew-what dangers, but she was determined to look on the bright side -- she got to go into space!

[angrydurf]

The costumed hero Phalanx hadn't worked with the league since the Gorgon invasions, even then he had acted primarily as support in moving material and helping with the refugee situation on Sanctuary. Needless to say he was rather surprised, and slightly disconcerted, to be approached as he finished his shift at the firehouse. He at first was concerned that the well dressed g-man types were from AEGIS or some other government agency, since his childhood in the Astro Labs special school he always was a little worried opinions would turn against him and his fellow 'Terminus Babies'.

When he discovered it was instead the freedom league requesting his aid he was quite relieved. The task at hand seemed straightforward enough, at least to his young mind unfamiliar with galactic politics. He was of course happy to help and called in some vacation time to free up his schedule. Suiting up in the blue and gold that had become his trademark he bid a reluctant farewell to his fiance and shot off to Freedom hall taking care to stay subsonic and not cause any damage on the trip. He had seen some of the others in news clips over the past few months and greeted them with a quiet politeness before they were all shuffled off to the transporters and underwent the always disconcerting sensation of being shunted through space-time in a way nature never intended.

Stepping off the transport pad he greeted their hosts, "It's a pleasure and an honor Captain. You have a fine ship and I'm sure we all appreciate you going out of your way to come pick us up." he said confidently glad that He'd managed to get a few tips from Mark on how to speak to the Lor before he had to leave.

[Ari]

GM

Phalanx's compliment on the vessel she commanded and Supercape's cheerful enthusiasm did a lot to reassure Captain Mirta that the humans weren't likely to start flipping out and punching holes in the ship, an all too common stereotype that unbeknownst to her was started when Daedalus put an armored fist through the wall upon learning that a Grue fleet was inbound to the same sector as a battle he was directing between the Lor and the Star Kahn. At any rate, human tempers were assumed to be highly volatile, and strict instructions had been given not to anger them.

Smiling peasantly, she said "Thank you, and I thank you all for agreeing to assist us in this endeavor. As the Freedom League may have informed you I am Captain Verlee Mirta, commander of this vessel which shall carry you to the scientific fleet in orbit of Neptanus-" she stopped abruptly, murmured to herself and resumed quickly "-Neptune, excuse me. I have been advised to proceed with a reduction in speed, for the sake of those unused to the distortions caused by Lor space travel technology. As a result, we shall arrive in orbit by the end of Earth's current revolution instead of the seconds it would normally take. Your quarters are assigned to the fore of the ship, and a crewmember has been tasked with informing you of the various technological amenities it comes with which you may use at your discretion, though I ask that you not use them in a way contrary to their intended purpose. I've already had someone lose their hair to the matter replicator, and I'd prefer it didn't happen again. Before you retire or explore the ship, I request that you follow me to the Mission Hall to discuss what is being asked of you all. Are there any questions?" the teal-haired captain asked politely, though smoothly enough to let slip that she often made short speeches like that. The rest of the technicolor crew in the docking bay were at present standing at attention in imitation of their commander, though a soft sound like the rush of traffic in a city through yards of brick made plain that the ship was in motion.

Through the windows, the heroes could see that the ship was banking away from the distant Sun, heading now towards the outer edges of the solar system, leaving the vast chunk of rock it had previously orbited far behind in the endless void of night.

[Paragon]

Quintessence looks around the ship like a country bumpkin in the big city for the first time. He tries to take it all in, every last detail. I can't believe I am finally having contact with some aliens. Maybe I can get some kind of answers. This place is amazing! Taking a step forward trying to look confident and friendly at the same time Quintessence says Captain Mirta I thank you for your hospitality and for the transportation you are providing. I hope we may learn much about each others cultures. I find this ship an amazing sight. More so because I have never left my own planet before this. Quintessence offers his hand to the captain with a sincere smile on his face. He hopes to make allies of as many alien races as he can while here. This is a singular opportunity for someone who studies astronomy.

[Ari]

GM

Cpt. Mirta gladly accepted the handshake, relieved that her schooling in general human etiquette had been so thorough. The intricacies of bodily contact among humans had taken more than a twelfth of the Earth's rotation to comprehend even in part. Quintessence was hot property in the Lor scientific circle she operated in, thousands of biochemists, biophysicists and the like champing at the bit to be the first in investigating the rumor that he had been 'upgraded' by Preserver technology, which if true would be the chance of the millennium to unravel many nagging secrets of the mysterious precursor's abilities, not to mention the martial benefits the Lor navy would derive from whatever changes had allowed this human such power.

She kept such thoughts from her face, however, saying genially "Well Quintessence, I'm happy to have you aboard! The magnificence of this ship is only a small result of the many advances the Republic has made, consider it and what it hold s a forecast of what your people can expect when you're ready to join us. Our two races have rarely had a chance to meet, and learning things second-hand isn't the best way to experience another culture, I'd be happy to tell you anything you wish to know about me and my people" the fact that he had never left Earth was a common thing among humans, only a small handful of which had ever possessed the means or ability to do so with any safety "Your lack of experience in space will hardly serve as an impediment, it will give you a sense of the wonder and grandeur the universe has that people who have been in space almost all their lives like me have sadly lost" she allowed a small measure of genuine regret into her voice, mainly because it hardly seemed that a desire for lost joy would be an unknown thing among humans.

[Supercape]

"Nice little ship you have here" nodded Supercape, appreciatively. "Thanks awfully for your hospitality, jolly good show. "

He patted the earl grey tea bags in his cape. Experience had taught him he could never get a good cup of tea - well, anywhere. He always came prepared these days. And now he had an urge to sit down with a good brew.

"And pleased to make your aquaintance" he added, offering his hand to both the captain and Quintessence. "My name is Supercape. On, err, account of my, err, Super...cape..." he said, with a trace of embaressment, and a slight swish of his cape.

He was rather surprised at the journey time - he could have reached anywhere in a matter of seconds himself, but it was as well to do things there way. Seeing as he didn't really know what the mission was.

"And, er, whats the plan when we get to...wherever?" he asked, politely.

[Ari]

"The dwarf planetoid you call 'Sedna', near the edge of your Sol System, is our destination" came her crisp reply as Verlee shook Supercape's hand. "We've found something there, that we need assistance getting to, something made by the Preservers" at that last she couldn't help but watch for whatever reaction Quintessence would have out of the corner of her eye "It is a pleasure to meet you and behold your namesake attire, Supercape. I've read all of your published articles on quantum theory, and it meshes well with what we know where it does not exceed it by leaps and bounds in terms of theories of practical application. I'm glad the ship meets with your approval, new 'Illumination'-class science cruiser"

[Raveled]

Jessica Parker proceeded smoothly through the Hall's security systems. Her reputation as a public superheroine and her work at the Lab meant that there was little doubt as to her identity, and the teleport was a scheduled event. She met her colleague Supercape just outside, and they chatted while the rest of the heroes assembled.

There was a blaze of light, a moment of disorientation as their senses adjusted to such a rapid change, and they were standing on a spaceship. On an alien spaceship! She could feel the pulse and buzz of data in alien dialects all around her, and outside the window there were actual, hard, unblinking stars. She almost missed the briefing the alien captain gave them. "Excuse me," she said, stepping forward. "Why do you need our help? This is a warship, yes? You must have marines, or the local equivalent."

[Paragon]

At the mention of the Preservers Quintessence stiffens visibly and leans closer to hear every detail. With a look of intense concentration he tries to soak up every detail. Quintessence had hoped that his first foray into space would let him find some information about the Preservers from the aliens databases, but never in his wildest dreams did he think he would get so lucky as to be on the team sent to find actual preserver artifacts. Well Captain I can give you my word that I will do everything in my power to recover these artifacts. All smiles gone from Quintessences' face he was all business now. Hopefully I can learn something about the Preservers before I have to turn the artifacts over to the Lor.

[Ari]

GM

"We certainly have ships that would smash the danger on the planet to atoms, Ironclad the Second, but this ship isn't a dedicated warship, it serves as both a platform for war and research. Besides, we want the technology as intact as possible" the captain replied gravely, "And yes, we have soldiers, but the number we can spare from the blockade don't have the sheer power you can bring to bear in the close-quarters of the ruins we've discovered below the surface. Besides, this is still your people's territory, even if only by right of proximity. So, basically, we have to have a witness from Earth to make sure we respect your property rights, and we can't spare the soldiers to match your efficacy. You've all been chosen to grant us the power to get at the artifacts past the security system which has claimed the lives of eleven Republic soldiers already, and to serve as credible witnesses to make sure we don't overstep our bounds and take all the secrets buried there for ourselves. Additionally, the League wants us to inform them immediately if we find any weapons of mass destruction hidden anywhere in the solar system that might threaten Earth, and we can't guarantee we won't find one that needs to be..forcibly disabled. And odds are we will need people who can do so without access to our ships' firepower" she shrugged at the last item. She still believed she could pull off the mission without outside assistance, but Fleet Command had insisted on this for reasons she couldn't fathom. Yet... she amended to herself.

Quintessence's reaction neatly fitted with what she had hoped, his interest sparking in her mind the possibility of using that to encourage him to permit tests to be performed on him to tease out whatever evidence of Preserver methods could be found from his improved biology.

[angrydurf]

Phalanx looked quizzically at Ironclad's sudden question. It wasn't really something that had occurred to him but given the technology the Lor clearly were in possession of it seemed that they would be able replicate most of what this group brought to the table. Then again galactic politics were a mystery if they were anything like politics on earth it was no surprise that the locals were involved in this research. He did wonder if the whole thing was more political exercise than vital mission but in the end it made little difference, if their aid was required then it would be give whether that be physical or diplomatic.

He nodded along witht he others as the discussion began, "What sort of artifacts do you believe are down there?" he inquired. Not having Mark along meant some forknowledge certainly was in order before they dived into this.

[Ari]

GM

Captain Mirta gestured for the heroes to follow her "The Mission Hall has the equipment to explain everything, just step this way, please" she called over her shoulder as she walked rapidly towards one of the tens of rectangular glowing doors of varying size scattered throughout the transport/reception room. The door she went through gave a flash of light, and led into a large, curving hallway that apparently ran along the side of the ship according to the right wall being transparent, giving an uninterrupted view of the gleaming hull of the Resplendent, not to mention the far-off grey gleam of Uranus. As they walked along it, the captain answered Phalanx's question as best she could "I'm not certain what specifically, the security the Preservers set won't let us close enough to figure out what it is. As far as we know the entire structure is in the form of an astronomy telescope, but that's assuming a lot about the ancient race, mainly that they used the same kind of long-distance technology as you and I do. There's a lot of other machinery and such inside the main compound, but we can't get to it. Force fields, turrets, electricity traps, the works; whatever it is it must be either very important or dangerous, perhaps both" she led the group into a cool, low-lighted oval room with a series of floating screens surrounding an octagonal table. "Please, be seated. The mission will be explained in full" the screens shone to life, showing an image of the red rock of Sedna, with a regular indent on the southern hemishpere highlighted in green...

[Supercape]

GM

"There's a lot of other machinery and such inside the main compound, but we can't get to it. Force fields, turrets, electricity traps, the works; whatever it is it must be either very important or dangerous, perhaps both]Please, be seated. The mission will be explained in full"

"Sounds quite a jaunt!" said Supercape, brushing aside his cape and taking a seat. Besides the other heroes. He didn't know Phalanx or Quintessence, but of course he had a day to familiarise himself with the two other heroes. And from the sounds of it, it would be a good idea to do so.

"Walking into a death trap then?" he said with a smile. "Tally ho, and all that. And not knowing what we will find at the end of the tunnel, so to speak. Well, if its a weapon of mass destruction, then best to find it. We don't want some stellar ignition device pointed at the sun, for instance. " Unfortunately, he knew only too well the possibilities. The theoretical possibilities anyway. Alter the level of quantum tunnelling threshold for fusion in the sun and hey presto, instant supernova. Not that he knew how to do it. Well, not on that scale anyway. He could do it a molecule at a time.

"Well, if nothing else, I hope I can pick up any of these traps. The old noddle..." he said, tapping his head "...is sensitive to all sorts of electromagnetic jiggery pokery!" he concluded, giving a wink to Ironclad. The two lab-scientists had of course discussed in far more technical terms his ability to sense all sorts of esoteric effects, but he kept it succinct and easy for his current audience.

[Paragon]

Quintessence waits until everyone is seated then says Captain if I remember correctly Senda It is a small planet roughly the same size as our Pluto. It has a reddish coloring due to a layer of Hydrocarbons on the surface. It travels in an elliptical orbit and has no moons. The surface is composed of mostly methane and H2O. What I would like to know is this, is there any indigenous life on the planet? Has there been any activity on the planet that would suggest there is still Preserver activity down there? And is there anything you can tell us about what we might find down there no matter how insignificant you may think it to be? After firing those several questions in rapid fire Quintessence leans back in his chair and waits to see what the Captains response will be.

[angrydurf]

Phalanx followed quietly behind as the more scientifically minded mused about the possibilities and known factors of this Sedna planet, planetoid, whatever. He took his seat as the breifing looked set to begin and carefully folded his hands in his lap, "Well We're happy to help out." He just hoped this leftover was less dangerous than the only other preserver artifact he'd encountered... Of course if it was anything like the gorgon then they had way bigger problems. He shook his head at the thought. The Lor had been one of the first to warn earth of the Gorgons approach it was doubtful they would be unleashing anything of that nature. Luckily he assumed the Lor knew much more than they probably did and he himself knew substantially less of what technology like the preservers may be capable of.

[Ari]

GM

"We are not sending Earth citizens into a death trap, Supercape" snapped the captain with more heat than she had shown earlier, something about the term 'death trap' evidently being anathema to her. "We've already begun work disabling the security measures for the first two floors of the complex, but the other twelve or so are proving considerably more resistant to our hacking. We're hoping you can get past in ways we can't from our ships, either through subversion-" she glanced over at Ironclad "-brute force-" Quintessence and Phalanx "-or even turning them to some other state of matter(perhaps her gaze turned back to Supercape)"-thereby deactivating the security systems for that level. Some of the floors appear to be radically differently-protected, the first few are so difficult to crack it took us most of the last few of your weeks to break through, while the others can be traversed without any protection at all" W

hile she spoke, the map zoomed in on the circled area, changing from a ship's camera picture to an image taken from an apparently ground-level viewpoint, showing a large black dome covered in a shimmering, semi-transparent energy field. Zooming in on that, it changed to a glowing neon schematic of the complex beneath the dome. "We've outlined the levels and rooms that are safe to travel in green, ones with light security that can be avoided with blue, and secured areas with red and black, and the areas that are utterly impossible to enter are black. As you can see" she continued, tapping the invisible buttons on the black tabletop that governed the display "almost all of the facility is off-limits. We believe that either this is a safety device, and something dangerous is inside that the Preservers want to protect others from, or there's something very powerful and valuable deep within that they didn't want anyone to take or use. With your help, we can discover which, if either, is correct. Until then, this installation is a potential danger to life in your system, and we would be remiss to not investigate it for your protection, also-" she stopped abruptly at Quintessence's question about life on Sedna.

"I have no idea. There aren't any of the signs I would associate previous habitation with, but it may be buried in certain parts of the planetoid. I have no way of knowing"

She bowed politely to Phalanx, saying silingly "Your help is deeply appreciated. Hopefully this will not be the last time our people assist each other" she turned to Ironclad "Do you have any questions? I have been informed your knowledge of computers and other technical matters"

[Raveled]

Jessica had followed the group quietly, taking in all the exotic sights. During the briefing she was literally on the edge of her seat, almost quivering with excitement. She was on a spaceship, talking to aliens, about to visit ruins very possibly older than human civilization! It was a personal fantasy come true. The fact that was about to head into deadly danger did little to hamper her spirits -- she did that every day anyway!

She'd stayed quiet through the briefing, absorbing information and filing it away, but she did sit up straighter when the captain addressed her directly. "No real questions," she said, "unless you know what O/S the Preservers used" She flashed the group a smiled to show that it was just a joke, but after a moment the expression went glassy as her mind raced a million kilometers ahead. "Actually," she added, "has there been any sense that the defenses are organized or reactive at all? And have other Preserver sites been protected by AIs?"

[Ari]

"They are almost nothing but reactive and organized. Certain sections, even the ones in black, we can move about as we please unless we attempt to interact with the surrounding computer banks and doors. Simply put, it appears to be trying to guide us in every direction except towards the center of the complex. Several teams have reported(and the scanners of our ships confirm)that there is some kind of coherent energy wave that directs the use of the various security measures" another tap of buttons, and the schematic was overlaid with pastel yellow tentacles that pulsated slowly, moving at incredible speeds through the complex, changing the danger-levels seemingly at random as five red dots trekked comparatively slowly through it. "This is a recording being made in real time several days ago. Note," she continued, as the dots moved through a red corridor on the fifth level unhindered in the direction of a strange throbbing purple mass on the very edge of the display "observe what happens when you try to approach the center"

The red dots approached one of the doors, and a floating white lock symbol appeared above it. With lightening movements, the yellow tentacles filled the outline of the hallway, and the red dots disappeared. Captain Mirta turned back to the heroes "Those were the first soldiers we lost. The rest perished in an attempt to retrieve their bodies once we learned that the field that protects it prevents us from telelporting things out as well as in. The door to that hallway was locked and they blasted it open. They died instantly, at least" she sighed and sank down into the tall-backed white chair behind her, which activated and floated up against the table "As you can see, the situation is rather beyond us. The field..repulses any kind of attack we could make on it from our ships, and besides, we don't want to risk activating a weapon if that's what this is"

[Supercape]

"Call it what you will" replied Supercape, face full of caution and a note of sternness in his voice. "It looks like a death trap to me. Not that I will shirk from this - and I doubt my fellow Terrans will either. " he added, indicating the three other heroes beside him.

"But the danger looks real enough to me. As can be seen by the tragic loss of life. We need to be as cautious as possible when we enter the lion's jaw. That is, unless you have some concern about timing?"

He sat back, pressing his two index fingers together against his brow.

"Is the clock ticking?"

[Ari]

"Is the clock ticking?"

The question hung in the air for almost a full minute before captain Mirta's reply. In the interim, her now-steely face showed not the slightest hint of what was passing through her mind, her earlier casual demeanor now seeming almost a kind of front or disguise.

After what felt like around ten minutes, she said at last "We have no idea"

Resting her chin on her knuckles she continued "There is no sign of energy build-up that would signify it was going to fire some kind of weapon, there's no distortion around it that would indicate it was warping space, there isn't even a change in the drift of nearby asteroids or meteorites. Nothing it is doing can be interpreted as being offensive in any way. But the simple fact is that we haven't a clue what it would look like if it was. It follows no known pattern of construction that the we know the Preservers used, only the materials used and the technology used by the security systems. As far as we can tell, they have an incredibly rudimentary AI for most of the facility that we can overpower in the unsecured regions of the complex, which that energy thing seems to be able to override. It shows no sign of understanding the idea of attacking, it just locks doors it doesn't want you to go through and kills you if try to deviate from the course it sets" she threw up her hands in exasperation "There is no way we can discern to defeat the energy source, only work around it, and that leaves us with a frankly sub-standard planet-side base with minimal amenities or resources worth stationing a research team there"

Her dark orange eyes flicked between display and the semi-circle of heroes "Preserver technology is actually fairly easy to use once you learn the programming language, and I've been authorized to give each of you one of these" she took a sleek white briefcase-like object out from under the table and placed four small rectangular objects on the table, one in front of each of the heroes. "These will allow you interact with the complex's computer system, just insert it into the slots you'll find at about shoulder-height, they have a blue ring around them, nowhere else is that color used for some reason. They will, if you use them right, bring up a holographic keyboard and monitor that you can use to input commands in English that will be translated back into Preserver. Please keep in mind that it is a very stupid AI, and will do ANYTHING you tell it to immediately, so make sure to ask for the go-ahead before doing anything like turning off life support"

An abrupt jolt in the very bones of the four seemed to be felt by the captain too, as she stood up and tapped a yellow button on her belt. A short burst of beeps seemed to satisfy her and she said simply "We've reached Neptune, if you have any further questions please ask them, I'm wanted on the bridge" the sight of the blue giant out of the nearby windows seemed to bear her words out, as did the distant gleam of two other Lor starcraft.

[Supercape]

Supercape had no more questions. He sat back a let out a small sigh. The realisation hit him that whilst the Captain and her crew had done their research, and made their investigations, the archeology of Sedna was a mystery to them.

Nobody really knew what was out there.

And it was the heroes job to find out. It could be harmless, it could be a weapon of unfathonamble destruction. Or anything inbetween.

Or something else completely... he added to himself. The technology of the preservers was beyond human comprehension.

He stood up, and swept his cape behind him, striding to the porthole.

"Nothing more from me" he said. "I'll just take in the view. Neptune always looks stunning, I think..." he concluded, peering at the magnificent planet.

[Raveled]

Jessica took the computer from the captain, turning it over and over in her hands like a new toy. There was a blaze of light and when it faded Ironclad was standing there, studying the alien device intently. After a moment the suit's helmet folded back to reveal Jessica's blonde head. She rotated one writs and several short, metallic rods popped out; she plucked them free and set them on the table, next to the interface. The chestplate rose up slightly, exposing the wiring and circuitry underneath, and Jessica pulled out a long cat-5 cable. With deft motions she stripped off the head and exposed the bare wires. Before long she was using the slender rods (which unfolded into all manner of tools, like a magician's trick) to try and forge a connection between her armor and the interface.