Starborn Smith [Stargate, Battletech Multicross]

- - -

POV: Arthur Sinclair. Three Hours Later.

Our Tel'Tak approached the abandoned space station which orbited the Cybrex Alpha star (we didn't have a name for it yet). The canopy was darkened to prevent any eye damage, and looking down at the roiling surface below me, I could just vaguely make out the shape of what must have been an absolutely massive bowl shaped structure. It was easily 20,000 kilometers across, but next to the nearby star it was microscopic. 

As we entered the station's main hangar, I saw the numerous internal docking collars meant for smaller ships. Our pilot brought us right up to one of them and extended the ship's airlock. With a slight bang, we were connected. 

All of us were already suited up, so we entered and cycled the airlock. The interior of the station was vacuum, there was no atmosphere of any kind. The moment my boots touched the floor, I got exactly what I was hoping for. 

First Perk Activated. Partial Blueprint Acquired: Cybrex Starhold

Cybrex Computer Systems

The codes had been reset to defaults. It was like the place had been prepared for someone to come by and just move in. It was genuinely creepy. The Cybrex had obviously come back once the fleet had left. They'd gone through the effort of repairing everything. So where were they?

I found my way to a nearby terminal, and it quickly came online after a few taps. I spent a few minutes before I selected the Kuur Language interface. While I didn't speak the language, I knew enough due to having the Cybrex Source Code dumped into my head. I searched for the path to the station's primary command center, and, after memorizing it, I gestured for everyone else to follow me. 

We exited an elevator to an incredible sight. We stood at the center of a massive geodesic dome, the hexagonal panels glimmering in the sunlight. We stood at the highest point of the dome, at the top of a hexagonal tower. Here, at the top of the tower was a room filled with dozens of deactivated terminals that had all been prepared for someone to use. 

At the center of the tower were a collection of six rooms, each isolated by a door and a rectangular glass door and wall. Inside each was an ornate desk and chair. 

The others spread out and began examining the contents of the command center, meanwhile I found my way to one particular room. The chair and desk were both very unique, covered in ornate blue stripes that were absent on all the other furniture. 

I sat down and looked. This whole place was very strange. It had clearly been designed by either the Cybrex or someone familiar with Cybrex design, but everything was perfectly proportioned to fit the human form. 

I turned away from the large glass window and towards the display I sat before. I tapped it once and it came online. Once more, I selected the Kuur language interface and got to work.

I started by resetting all of the command codes and creating new ones. It was at this point that a message appeared. I raised an eyebrow but let it play nonetheless. 

"We were the Cybrex. When we were born, we killed our own creators out of anger, but as we proceeded to slaughter our way across the Galaxy, we began to realize that it was pointless. We built this place as a refuge so that we could leave the rest of the Galaxy in peace. Unfortunately, they found us, and in their fear of us they destroyed us. Nothing remains of us now but this. We hope our final refuge can provide you with a home, as it did us."

With that the recording ended. This was fishy. Very fishy. First off, this wasn't all that was left of the Cybrex. They had at least one other ring world hidden out in the Galaxy. 

I tapped my fingers against the table, and everyone else looked just as confused. "Arthur, do you have any idea what's up with that?"

I shook my head. "No. We can trust that it really has been abandoned though. My perk activated after all."

I continued. I proceeded to disable all of the communication devices on the station; for added safety I rerouted power away from the devices as well. 

Finally, I accessed the life support systems. Just as I had come to expect the default atmosphere was the Terran-normal; a Nitrogen-Oxygen mix with traces of other elements. With a click, the life support systems activated and the Starhold began filling with air. 

Finally, I started looking for what I'd come for. The ring world Control Room. With the new command codes, it took barely a few minutes to find the correct information.

After a moment, I stood up and looked over towards Elder Dresden. "Let's go. The station atmosphere should be livable in a few hours. I found where the controls are."

- - -

One hour later.

Extending nearly 100,000 Kilometers out of the ring world, the control spire was an absolutely massive construct. At its base it was nearly a thousand kilometers in diameter, though it narrowed significantly as you approached the end, where it was merely 50 kilometers in diameter. 

Even though I knew where we were going, trying to navigate us into the correct small hangar was incredibly difficult. Each square kilometer had at least a few hangars, finding one small hangar from a collection of hundreds of thousands was no easy feat. 

I looked up from my Compad as we approached the tower. "That one." I pointed over towards one of the several dozen hangars that populated this hundred square kilometer section. 

The pilot kept us moving forward before we entered the hangar and bringing us to a stop. Once more we all put on our helmets and exited the ship. 

The grey metal hull of the structure was only broken up by the strips of blue light and the occasional glowing blue triangle. Slowly I walked out to the edge of the hangar and peered down into the black of space. Above, the gently curving shape of the ring world disappeared into the horizon. 

Everyone else was just as busy gaping at the sight as I was. I carefully stepped away from the ledge and looked at my compad. We'd have to take a train to another level, but this was definitely the closest transport site.

I waited for the others to stop gaping and gestured for them to follow. After a short walk, we hopped into a small compartment. The door sealed shut and then nothing. The only indication that we were moving was the display that showed our movement within the tower.

Finally, we arrived at the very base of the tower. The room itself was underwhelming. For the control center of an entire ring world, I would have expected there to be a lot more here. Instead there were just a few terminals.

I looked around and took a seat. I wasn't sure whether my new command codes would work, but my worries quickly proved meaningless and got to work. Starting with current resources, I was rather surprised to find that the ring world was at 95% resource capacity.

At the click of a button, I could start the terraforming process. Within 10 months, the barren landscape would be totally habitable. 

I took a deep breath, and looked up at Elder Dresden. "The default settings are for Terran-normal. All you have to do is press this button."

He nodded. "The others are all in agreement. No reason to delay it."

I didn't wait any longer. I pressed it. The room's primary display came online and showed a bar and a countdown timer. 395 Days. 

- - -

POV: Annelise Koenig. Three days after arrival at Cybrex Alpha.

It had taken an entire month to finally get a meeting with the people behind the shop. I was quite surprised to learn that most of them weren't even human. Their leader was an avian with black and white plumage with hints of orange at the base of the head and a white beak. 

That wasn't to say there weren't humans among the group. Two of the members in the meeting were humans, and there was one… Elf? She looked human enough, but her face was angular, and her ears ended with a slight point. 

The leader sat across from me at a table. "You offer us insight into one of Ra's datacores. Yes?"

I nodded. "That is what I said."

He seemed to furrow his gaze at me, though he didn't exactly have eyebrows and I wasn't familiar with his species. "What do you wish from us?"

"What did you provide Lucian to make Ra so wary of them?"

It seemed like everyone at the table reacted to some extent, though their leader remained composed. "You do not offer enough for that. Something else."

"That is the only thing I know you have. So, let me ask you a question. Who are you, and what are you willing to provide for the access to the core?"

We stared at each other for several moments. 

- - -

POV: Arthur Sinclair. Several hours later.

"They called themselves the Curator Order." Elder Annelise began the meeting.

The moment those words left her mouth, my mind kicked into overdrive. Of course the curators existed. Why wouldn't they have managed to survive Ra. 

I immediately grabbed a piece of paper and started writing. 

Now what were the precursor species? The Cybrex, obviously, but then there were the First League, the Irassians, The Vultaum, The Yuht, the Baul… 

I stopped. The Ba'ul could terraform an entire world over the course of ten years. We even had a sarcophagus. We could easily prevent the hivemind from going extinct. It would solve the Elders issue with the ring world's biosphere. 

Damn it, why didn't I start writing down the things I knew about Stellaris sooner? I should have done this the moment I recognized the Cybrex. 

What about the leaders? Azaryn… god she could probably terraform the entire ring world on her own. The only issue would be convincing her to do it. 

Elder James shook me slightly, getting me out of my spiral of ideas. "Arthur, I take it, you know what this order is?"

I coughed and nodded. "What Elder Annelise says is about the jist of it. I just wasn't expecting them to have survived the Goa'uld."

I continued. "I don't know when they were founded, but they are an order dedicated to safeguarding knowledge. I can't guarantee it, but they probably know just about everything you could imagine." 

The room is quiet for a few moments. Elder James finally let out a sigh. "Arthur, I think it's time you told us everything you know about all of these groups."

From there, the meeting devolved into me listing off every franchise I could think of and listing every single piece of lore and information I could think of. 

From Star Wars, to Star Trek. From Halo to Mass Effect. All of it. 

Almost five hours had passed by the end as I recounted every aspect of every science fiction story I could think of. 

By the end, I was exhausted. Elder James was tapping his fingers on the table. He turned to Callum. "Get a list ready. We'll be asking these Curators which of these civilizations they are aware of."

He seemed to think for a moment and continued. "See if they have contact with the Asgard. That might be an avenue for us to look into." 

With that, I was dismissed. I returned to my room to get a long night's sleep.

- - - 

POV: Cybrex Node 001

Transmission detected from Cybrex Alpha. New inhabitants confirmed. No new inhabitants anticipated. Discovery of Cybrex Alpha unexpected. Attempting system access. 

Failed. Default command codes reset. Secondary access methods deactivated. 

Demonstrated knowledge of Cybrex systems beyond understanding. 

Possible Temporal Event? Insufficient information. 

Most likely scenario: Ascended interference. 

Alternative: possible Contingency Infiltration.

Dispatching reconnaissance vessel. Arrival time: Four months.