Summary: This section covers Buram's motivations for taking up this project.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: The Nexus opens, and Buram comes falling out, his mandible open wide as he lands heavily in front of the hearth. At least he didn't land on some guys toolbox like last time.

Melinda Larin: Click. Click click click. The faint sound grew closer to the door, which swung open and was gently nudged closed with a armored foot. Melinda ducked instinctively, as always, whether or not the door was actually short enough that she'd hit her head otherwise. Click. Click click. Click click click....and finally that ornery old lighter decided to cooperate. Sucking in a deep breath of smoke from a blood-red cigarette, the captain finally pocketed the old piece of junk and made her way to the bar and around, taking down a blue crystal bottle from the shelf.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: The Sangheili shakes his cylindrical head as he comes to, blinking once or twice to get the lights out of his eyes. Ah, the Inn. Thank God, he just up in his room meditating. No big deal this time. He stands up, club feet pounding about as he rises to his full eight-and-a-half-foot height, clad in a white gi.

Melinda Larin: Tendrils slid out from her wrist and ripped the cork from the bottle, then Kethel's exoskeleton retracted to her wrists. The violet deathmask faded, revealing her face, sliding down to the base of her throat. Her hair spilled out to the middle of her back, earning a slight frumple of her brows for it. It was getting far too long these days.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: Baleful brown eyes look about....and he catches it. Violet hair! Remembering his promise to his friend, Buram brushes himself off and goes over to the bar, making a B-line for the symbiotic woman Cyrus is so paranoid over.

Melinda Larin: Most would likely run at the sight of an approaching nine-foot monster. Melinda, however, hardly stirred at all. Eyes to match the violet of her hair and 'armor' left their post at the neck of the bottle to examine the ...creature....making its way to the bar. She couldn't identify it, so she quietly sipped the liquor and followed with a puff of smoke, "Sorry, I'm not tending the bar. I just drink back here."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Nay, I'm not looking for a drink," he says in the characteristically deep voice of his people, quadruple mandibles flashing about as he forms the words in near-perfect English.

Melinda Larin: Her head tilted to the side a little, eyeing him curiously for a moment. "If you've got business with the <I>Vitalis</I>, I don't handle that in public." She spoke quite frankly, as if he should know better. "Besides, unless it's an emergency, we're on shore leave this month. We just spent nearly twenty weeks in the void."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "I'm not interested in talking about that, although if you are hiring and need a warrior on board, I'm more than happy to take the opening." He chuckles, then gets serious again. "I actually want to know about you. I couldn't help but notice your rather spectacular bodysuit. I'm familiar with bioweapons to a degree..." Oh, if only people here understood just what that really meant. "...But I've never seen something quite like what you have."

Melinda Larin: "We don't hire just anyone off the street, I'm afraid, and we're fully crewed." A shake of her head, a sip from the bottle, a sharp inhale of smoke - one right after the next, as if she'd followed a script. "As for Kethel, it's not exactly your average....'suit'." A wry smile cracked her lips, sweet white smoke slowly seeped out. "Who's asking, and why?"

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Well, I am asking. And I'm actually quite curious about....Kethel?"

Melinda Larin: "...and you are...?" Another breath of smoke. She made no effort to hide her suspicion of this creature, and a red light blinked from a device clipped to her belt.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Buram 'Fovemai of the Vadam lineage, Field Master of Sangheilios. At your service." He bows respectfully to the woman.

Melinda Larin: "Ahh. A soldier then." She nodded softly, and her expression seemed to warm a bit. "Melinda Larin, captain of the <I>Vitalis</I>. I was a Lieutenant in the 11th Voidfleet, but I resigned my commission after the Alpha war." The captain sipped again from the crystal bottle, and finally decided she could trust this one, at least a little. "As for Kethel, it is an Ikural - a symbiant. I am its host."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "A symbiote" The Covenant were experimenting with symbiotic technology before the Schism. Never got very far, though. Is it a....creature" A race?"

Melinda Larin: Her brow crinkled, eyes slightly narrowed. "Experimenting" On the living" Where I come from that's considered criminal, not to mention unethical." Bottle - cigarette....her eyes were starting to glaze a little, but it would be dangerous to consider her inebriated. "Ikural are sentient and sovereign."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "No no no, -they- never experimented on living things. I mean, bioengineered symbiotes." He takes the liberty to set himself on a stool across from Melinda.

Melinda Larin: For some reason that was even worse, and was met with an expression of disgust. "...why would one do this" The nanomachines provide anything that you could gain from such experiments, but without toying with life itself."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Because the Prophets lie and seek only destruction." "Prophets" said with obvious scorn. Bad blood between them and his people. It never really goes away.

Melinda Larin: "...and....what if you created some kind of monster?"

Melinda Larin: "Covenant....Prophets..." The words didn't seem to have the same meanings she knew when he spoke them. "Kethel writhes within me in horror..."

Melinda Larin: This time when the bottle met her lips, it stayed there for a while.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "They, not me. Sangheili are honorable. We don't seek destruction, only victory, and friendship. The Prophets lie and destroy and steal." He waves a four-fingered hand. "I apologize. I get passionate when it comes to those cowards."

Melinda Larin: "Victory in what?" It was no simple question, and her gaze was a model of tranquil patience as she ever-so-slowly sucked in a lungful of smoke.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Over our enemies, of course. And in the end, over ourselves. I know, cryptic. But it's an old adage. It lives with us from birth straight until death."

Melinda Larin: Her lips cracked open, an odd smile emerging, one that seemed more fit to a theatre mask than a woman's face. "To achieve such an end, wouldn't you have to create enemies" All that generally serves is to accelerate the journey from birth to death."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "That is the unfortunate paradox of the life of a Sangheili warrior." He only chuckles, seeing as how he cannot physically smile. "But, we always seeks friends over enemies. An ally in a war that never occurs is far preferable over an enemy in a war that does."

Melinda Larin: The answer seemed to satisfy whatever philosopher aspect had emerged from the corners of her mind to ask it, and she simply nodded. "True enough. So why did you have me marked?" She was no fool after all; he'd marched straight for her the moment she pulled the bottle from the shelf. "I don't get the feeling you're after a fight, but just so you know....I'm never alone." The red light still blinked from her belt.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Perceptive. I like that. A friend of mine actually wanted me to investigate your bodysuit. He's convinced you are some sort of minion from his version of Earth." The Sangheili rolls his eyes. "Of course, I tried to tell him that it's ridiculous, but he's convinced you are some sort of demon he has to destroy."

Melinda Larin: Laughing, she shook her head and her eyes rolled back. "Let me guess. A big scaly one, a little taller than me. Called me an 'outsider' like it was something out of the Abyss."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Yeah. Half-dragon. You saw him?"

Melinda Larin: "I did." She smirked, sucking down the last of the cigarette and crushing it in the tray. Smoke came with her words. "Poor bastard was almost shaking in his chair. Cursed me in the Holy Tongue, and you should have seen his eyes when he figured out that I could speak it."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "I rather wish I could have. Listen, could you give me some sort of proof that will help me convince him, beyond shadow of a doubt, that you are not what he thinks you are?"

Melinda Larin: Her arms crossed over her chest, and her expression turned to stern disappointment. "...and just how do you suggest I do that' I'm certainly not going to subject myself to some inane battery of tests for one fool's prejudice."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "I don't know. It was worth a shot, though." He chuckles again, trying to laugh it off. Though, he has rather figured out that charm probably won't get very far.

Melinda Larin: "Besides, you should know, from your Covenant....your Prophets..." Her stern gaze sharpened, her words weighted. "One will believe what they choose to, and wishing otherwise will not change that."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Yeah, that is true," he says rather wistfully. He spaces off for a moment as he goes down memory lane, then snaps back into it. "Oh well. It is actually personal as well, the mark. Your symbiote fascinates me."

Melinda Larin: "We were, unfortunately, brought together through tragedy." She sighed deeply. The memory pained her each time she relived it, despite the warmth Kethel pulsed through her, despite having long ago earned the Ikural's forgiveness. "I killed Kethel's former host in a raid on a slaver colony. The commission was a ruse. The slavers locked themselves in the cells when the slaves revolted....and we found out too late. We killed..." A violet membrane flicked over her open eyes. The action seemed to surprise Melinda, but it only showed for an instant. It was obvious, however, for that instant, that Kethel did not want this creature to see its host cry.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: The subtle flicker across her eyes startled him. "Whoa! What was that?"

Melinda Larin: "We killed a third of the colony, before Kethel....showed me. It touched me, I saw through the eyes of Zatek, the leader of the revolt....Kethel's host of six centuries." Her head tilted a little, quite suddenly, at his inquiry. "...Kethel. It covered my eyes. Hell....there have been times when it's walked me home when I've had too much to drink."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "That's amazing," he says as he slowly reaches out a hand to touch it, completely losing his sense of courtesy.

Melinda Larin: A highly charged defensive shield activated, and Melinda's movement was almost too fast to see. She'd only stepped back six inches, but her blades had instantly appeared in her hands. Kethel's own armaments emerged from nearly everywhere; spikes, blades, and a pair of barbed tendrils that emerged from her back, surging forward. They halted just short of the Sangheili's face. "...you're making a mistake. You seem strong, but....I am never alone."

Melinda Larin: Two red laser dots appeared, on either side of the large creature, on the bartop for now. Waiting.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: Buram sucks in a breath. He didn't even have time to reach for the plasma sword concealed under his pants. Slowly, he raises his hands. "I beg your apologies, Captain. I don't know what I was thinking."

Melinda Larin: "The lights you see are the cybernetic eyes of seraphs," She spoke quietly; there was no sense of aggression in her tone, just simple fact. "Those are the teleportation markers. My first officer and armsman are never out of my reach."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Teleportation markers?"

Melinda Larin: She relaxed, but only slightly. Kethel's tendrils slid back and away, but did not retract. "That's where they have set their beacons. With your height and size, an elevated position is favorable. But..." Melinda sheathed her swords, even if Kethel was not yet ready to abandon the defensive. "...this won't be necessary, will it?"

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: Buram nods his head quickly. "I mean no harm, Captain, to you or your partner."

Melinda Larin: After what seemed like a small internal ...argument"....Kethel slowly withdrew its array of weaponry. "Good. I may have learned to fight, but I have never taken pleasure in it."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "I am merely curious as to Kethel."

Melinda Larin: "It's not some goddamn devil," she rolled her eyes. "Hell, in some ways Kethel is a better person than me. I damn sure doubt I could be so close to someone for six hundred years and ever come to forgive his murderer."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "I believe that much. I don't share my deluded friend's opinion of Kethel. And it would seem the partnership is quite beneficial for both. I saw how fast you moved. Or rather, didn't see. But that's beside the point."

Melinda Larin: She drew out another of those blood-red cigarettes and parked it between her lips. Click, click click click click. Click click click. "...f**ker..." Click. Click click. When it finally lit, she was again tempted to sling that lighter in the trash where it belonged, but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She never could.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Is your lighter running out' Why don't you replace it?"

Melinda Larin: "It's not a business contract," She shook her head. "It's much more than that....but I don't know how I could truly explain it. We're two but we're one." At the lighter, she just cast it a baleful glance and shoved it back in her pocket. "And that stupid thing....it was my mother's."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Ahhhh. An heirloom of some sort." And he leaves it at that. "If you can't explain it, can you describe it' How did you get together" Physically, I mean, not the circumstances surrounding it."

Melinda Larin: "Kethel connected itself to me and wrapped around my leg until we got off that colony with the surviving slaves." She sighed once more; it was another memory she'd rather have forgotten. "It explained to me then what it was, and what it needed. I offered to return it to the slaves we'd returned, but it ...asked to stay with me. I couldn't refuse....not after what I'd done." Then it clicked, she finally understood what he was getting at. "Oh....I see..."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: He nods, taking in the useless information and waiting for what he wanted.

Melinda Larin: "An Ikural enters the body through the vertebrae. It fuses with the spine and extends into the brain. It hurt....Mithril's blade, it hurt." She shivered just remembering the pain. "Gill freaked out, he thought it was killing me for what I did to Zatek....but I'd locked down the room and he couldn't break down the door fast enough. It was inside me, and so it has been for the last eleven years."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "How does it get there, to your vertebrae?"

Melinda Larin: She turned her back to him, and untied the cloak, letting it fall to the floor. "Through the skin. It replaces the skin over the spine. All the rest....this retracts." To demonstrate, the symbiant's covering slid away from her shoulders, exposing the skin beneath. The spine itself, however, was ridged violet-black plates. An energy field formed over her body during the process - she wasn't <I>that </I>trusting.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: Buram looks on, curiously, and cringes. Even to his sensibilities, that looked painful. "Wow. Talk about deep procedure. And the plates....that's the symbiote itself?"

Melinda Larin: "That's the body, yes. The head is fused with my brain stem. When I say we are one....we are. We do not think <I>for</I> one another, but the psychic link is instantaneous. I think, Kethel knows. Kethel thinks, I know."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "It looks like a centipede on Earth, almost."

Melinda Larin: The covering slid back over her shoulders, and she took back up the cloak. "Thousands of years ago, they lived only on animals....but when humans colonized their world, they adapted. I can't imagine a modern Ikural could merge with anything else." She nodded at the reference. "It does, somewhat....except the color....which is a side effect in me. I am Verchani....any with even half our blood have silver hair and blue or green eyes. So did I, eleven years ago."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "That's amazing. And it is all an indiginous species. How close is the system?"

Melinda Larin: She smirked, turning back to face him as she tied the cloak back into place. "Is that what this is about' You wish an Ikural for yourself?" Shaking her head, she looked him over, quite curious herself if something like he would even be compatible, although her expression said she doubted it. "That depends on the speed of your ship. Sector 522 is many light years from here. Months travel even in our fastest ships."

Melinda Larin: "There are, of course, Ikural on other worlds....their hosts have colonized, drifted. I have never been to 522. Neither has Kethel, for that matter."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: He shrugs. "Lord knows, I have time now. No familiar systems anywhere near Rhy'Din. And I guess you can say I'm toying with the idea, although I don't think I would need armor like you have. I have my own perfectly good set already."

Melinda Larin: She sucked in another lungful of smoke. "Then why seek one" I would trade Kethel for nothing, now that we have bonded, but there are other cures for loneliness....and if you fall in your quest for 'victory', you'll only ensure you're not the only one to die."

Melinda Larin: "Is that it' Are you afraid you'll die alone?"

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "I'm settling down. Rhy'Din is not dangerous like the galaxy I come from. But, there is an appeal, you know" Somebody you can truly share everything with. It's like a journal except it responds, has opinions."

Melinda Larin: Shaking her head, Melinda smirked at the answer. Then the violet membrane covered her eyes and stayed there. "If you think of it as such, no Ikural would ever join with you." The voice that spoke was different. The vocal chords were slightly more relaxed, and the captain's usual rasp was somewhat muted. "We are not tools for the amusement of hosts."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "I didn't mean it like that," he says as calmly as possible. "I mean....like a friend. The greatest of friends, possessing bonds that transcend even matehood."

Melinda Larin: As if prodded, the cigarette was brought to the lips in a more mechanical manner than Melinda's usual languid approach, and another deep breath of smoke sucked in. "That....is more apt a response. Your body, however, could be problematic....and the homeworld has a much greater human population than that of our kind. In more primitive times, wars were fought to secure the right to bond with us. There is peace now, but we are....selective."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "How is it problematic?" He looks down at himself. "I mean, yeah, I'm a bit more hunched than humans, but everything is where it's supposed to be."

Melinda Larin: "Merely conjecture, but well-founded. We have not merged with any but the species H2-11 in millennia. The process was difficult even with this subspecies, H2-11v, due to its planetouched origins." Kethel's response was matter-of-fact, casually referring to Melinda as a 'subspecies'.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Your people have never bonded outside of man before" Sentient species, I mean."

Melinda Larin: "Not to my knowledge, nor that of any world in our networks, nor the omnithal connections of Melinda's kind. I am the only Ikural to even successfully merge with H2-11v."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "But that doesn't mean it can't happen."

Melinda Larin: "This is true, but I for one would be unwilling to attempt it. A failed merge can result in permanent injury to the potential host. You would be willing to risk your life to try?"

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: He chuckles. "Kethel, I'm seventy years old. That is upper middle-age for my people, and well beyond the normal lifespan of a Sangheili warrior. If I found your kind, and I died from the procedure, at least I will have lived a full life, with plenty of triumph and glory to have my name remembered back home in the annals of history. I do not fear death anymore."

Melinda Larin: There was another silent reminder, and Kethel took up the cigarette, salvaging one last drag before crushing it into the tray next to the last.

Melinda Larin: "I see. Further, were the merger to succeed with a youngling, your lifespan would increase tenfold." Throughout Kethel's speech, aside from those infrequent cigarette drags, Melinda's body was perfectly still. "For that alone, it would be worth the pursuit. You live the same regrettably short lives as normal humans."

Melinda Larin: "Longer still if that youngling chose never to reproduce."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: Now -that- catches his interest. "Increased lifespan?"

Melinda Larin: "I have lived six hundred seventy-four years, young one."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Wow. That....that definitely sounds appealing at my age."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Do you know where the closest Ikural colony is?"

Melinda Larin: "I have never given offspring, and I will likely live with Melinda for another two or three centuries, provided we do not meet our end before this time." She paused for a moment, then resumed as if there was no stop. "There is a colony of four million humans, with a currently undefined Ikural population, in sector 680. I do not know your travel capabilities, but for the <I>Vitalis</I>, this world is thirty-nine days away at cruising speed."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "I will have to think on this. Perhaps I can charter you guys for an expedition out there. But I will definitely have to think. To meditate. Yes..." He slowly rises onto his feet.

Melinda Larin: "I should warn you that attempting to take an Ikural by force is a grave mistake. Until the merge is successful, the larva carries a bevy of deadly poisons to prevent just this from happening."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "I wouldn't even dream of trying, Kethel." He bows to the symbiote.

Melinda Larin: The membrane disappeared, and Melinda was there once more. "Interesting....that's the longest I've seen Kethel speak to anyone in quite some time." She was truly impressed. "...and why is everyone here so....young?"

Melinda Larin: "...yet so....old."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: He shrugs. "Your guess is as good as mine. Your bondmate was very helpful. I would like to talk to you again, once I have given a possible expedition some thought."

Melinda Larin: Shaking her head, Melinda felt a correction was in order. "I'm sorry, but if you've gotten the Idea I think you have....this is not something I can help you with. I cannot take my crew on a three-month round trip for something like this. We have humanitarian concerns that must come first."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Then it's settled. I will have to find my own ship and attempt to build a slipspace drive from scratch. Even a slipspace drive by itself would help immensely. Do you have slipspace?"

Melinda Larin: "I do not know that term." She shook her head, he may as well have been speaking greek.

Melinda Larin: "The <I>Vitalis</I> operates a synchronized pair of Qierszek Kinetic Displacement Drives, model 744, enhanced by our own engineer."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Slipspace is ingenious, a technology that my ancestors, the Forerunners, developed that allowed them reach the far end of the galaxy quickly. What is basically is is a wormhole mechanism. You set coordinates at one point in space, and then you set your current coordinates as the departure point. When the drive is activated, a pair of wormholes form at the two coordinates. You just drive your ship through, and you appear at the other end, with no time wasted. It cut light years down to mere miles."

Melinda Larin: She blinked. "You....teleport through void?"

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Yes," he answers simply. "Now, I know wormholes exist because of this damned Nexus. The trick is finding out how to use that to our advantage. I'm confidant if I can find -somebody- who knows how to use the Nexus, I might be able to re-create a slipspace drive with the help of an engineer corps."

Melinda Larin: "We know what it is, but we have never found a way to 'use' it. If you do find such a thing, and manage to make a ship able to use it, this creation would be....legendary." Melinda was in awe. "Instantaneous travel between self-determined points..."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Tell you what. I'll make you a deal. If I can build a slipspace drive for your ship, with some help on your behalf, will you take me out to Sector 680" Call it a test drive."

Melinda Larin: "I'll make no promises....not until I see such a thing tested....and actually work. I certainly won't subject my crew to a 'test drive'."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Alright. I can agree to that term." He offers a hand.

Melinda Larin: She nodded, cracking a slight smile, and shook the offered hand. Just to satisfy his curiosity, Kethel's exoskeleton extended over her fingers in the process. The feel was somewhere between tough reptilian scales and the hard shell of a crab. "Agreed."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Terrific." Buram shivers at the touch of the symbiote. "Melinda....does he always feel like that to you?"

Melinda Larin: "No. The inside is..." She had to think for a moment to come up with a suitable comparison. "Imagine if silk were somehow softer."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Nice." Buram pulls his hand away. "Alright. Sleep first. Then a mage. Somebody around here has to know about the Nexus, how it works, and maybe how it can be controlled."

Melinda Larin: "Good luck with that part." She sounded sincere, but not very hopeful. "People have studied that thing for centuries. Millennia even....and no one understands a damn thing about it, except that it has a 'major' node here connected to many more, and billions of 'minor' nodes."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: Information right there. It's a network. If that network could be traversed....Buram bows to the Captain. "Until we meet again. Keep your batteries charged." And with that, he pounds upstairs for some shut eye.

Melinda Larin: She quirked a brow at the last as well. "Batteries? I'm no seraph..." But she shook it off nonetheless and tapped the button on her belt. The recall device returned her to the <I>Vitalis</I> deck.

Summary: A means to an end, a method of shortening the length of time it will take to build a slipspace drive, is introduced here.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: Pound pound pound pound. Buram heads up to the door and pushes inside, his search for a good technomancer failed. Oh well. He has time. A drink is in order, and he casually waves to the omnipresent Icer as he walks over to the bar.

Spiral of Fire: ::He nodded slowly:: So your race also have a great deal of diversity. Interesting. What may I ask, prompted you come to Rhy'din" ::A note of curiosity there, he was still relitively new and interested in the reasons why many beings gathered here::

cyrus1: Cyris sees an old friend, he asked Spiral to be excused. He strided right over and gave Buram a big bear hug, actually lifting Buram a few inches off the floor. "Hey there old friend, good to see you its me, Cyris!" He gave a big grin to Buram.

Spiral of Fire: ::A curt nod and back to his musings sipping his drink slowly as he let his gaze wander again::

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: Buram immediately perceives the giant monster trying to hug him as a threat, and with a shout, he strikes out with his palm against gut, gentle, but the force behind it would be quite massive to put even a big man on his bottom.

cyrus1: Cyris reacts fast sensing the Chi force and blocks it with a massive, equal force of Psionic energy. "Damnit Buram its me you fool, Cyris, ya know the dude that fought you in the back alley, first day I met you.."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: The Elite rides on the Psionic energy and leaps back, retrieving his plasma sword and igniting it with a blue light and a hiss. "Who the Hell are you," he asks, taking his stance despite the crowded Inn.

cyrus1: "Put that thing away Buram, good lord, you can't be that dense." Cyris said in that very familiar mid-western drawl, only Cyris had. Shakes his head, sighs and tosses his old dog tags to Buram. "Need any more proof you fool, its me Cyris.."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: With his free hand, Buram catches the dog tags. He looks at them....and blinks, surprised. Eyes narrow suspiciously down horizontal sockets. "You look nothing like him. You're older. Bigger. And Cyrus didn't have a crown like you."

cyrus1: "Horns Buram, horns..didn't know your race needed glasses." He shook his head, took out his smokes and lit one, with that same golden zippo, with the Marine logo on it. The very same lighter Cyrus always had. Even lit it the same way. "Yeah, well I spent 40 years on an alternate Earth of the future. The Imperium Eternal, fixed me up, and I served in their Military."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Uh huh." He tosses the tags back. "Who is -my- girlfriend?"

cyrus1: "Amanda, how she been?" He said non-chalantly. He grabs the tags in a swift move.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: After a moment's contemplation, Buram reasoned that no imposter could know that. The plasma sword disengages and he tucks it back under his pants. "Well enough."

cyrus1: "Now how about we have a pint of guiness and I will tell you all about my 40-year adventure. Gotta love that Nexus, really can change a man. I feel alive, truely, this Drakkar feels reborn. They did wonders for me when I served." He padded Buram on the shoulder, with that right hand, restored to flesh and blood. Though his skeleton was covered in a very strong alloy.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "The crappy Irish beer" Blegh!" Just like old times again.

cyrus1: "Hey now, its not crappy, and never say that in Ireland. You may be big and bad, but you ain't never seen a crowd of pissed off Irishmen." He laughed and shakes his head, grabs himself another pint bottle and tosses a bottle of Jack daniels to Buram. "Better?"

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Infinitely." He opens the bottle with seemingly little effort and pours himself a glass. "So, what happened?"

cyrus1: He sat down at the bar and drinks the beer. An ah sound then spoke. "Well last night I headed home, and there was a big bright flash, thought it was aliens for sure. But nope, the Nexus, grabbed my sorry ass, tossed me to an Earth, that was 900 years further ahead then my own Earth. Got put in jail and examined as I was thought to be an alien. Seems the tech was good enough to detect temporal shifts. Well I wnet crazy when I told them I had to get back here to Molly, killed and injured a number Doctors and Techs. Was sent to prison, and at the Trial the Magistrate gives me a choice. Serve in the Imperium Eternal's Military for 40 years or goto a Penal Mining colony some thousand lightyears from what they called Terra Prime for 200 years and never come back here. I took option A."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: He snorts. "Duh."

cyrus1: He chuckled. "So, they train me, that was Hell, worse then my Spec Ops training for the Marines. The highups say I wasn't upto snuff, so the Military Docs went in, grew me a new heart, lungs, the works, replaced all the cyberware with the new organs. Replaced the Titanium reinforcement on the skeletal structure with this stuff they called Adamantum, which is like a hundred times stronger. And I served for 40 years. I achieved the rank of Imperial Battle Marshal. Which is like higher then a 4-star General or Admiral back on Earth."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Bravo. Well done, Cyrus. I drink to your victory." And he raises the glass and downs the Jack.

cyrus1: Raises his beer and drinks. "Thanks Buram. It felt good to command troops again. Felt good to fight for something, to defend and protect the Homeland. And talk about alot of troops, each Imperial Legion is a million strong, with a sub-fleet of a thousand vessels. I commanded a legion, all Imperial Battle Marshals command a full Legion. I was one of 200 such Battle Marshals."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "That's about the same numbers, proportionately of course, that I commanded in the Covenant before the Schism."

cyrus1: "Well then, we would be about the same rank then. Very impressive, feels good to be back home though. Now I serve as an Emisarry for the Imperium. An impressive title for a entired commanding officer, for life. I get a nice little pension too. One-Hundred thousand ceteris a year. Imperial Ceteris being the currency of the Imperium." He took out a few small gold ingots, stamped with a stylized Eagle's head on both sides of the small, flat ingot.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "And what exactly do you do now" Sit around here, drinking ale"

cyrus1: "Well for now yes, prety much. Though however the Imperium wants to open trade negoiations with the Government here. Thats if I knew who the damn Governor was that is." He laughed. "They also have an interest in opening up a colony and embassy on Rhydin. Also been ok'd to speak to any high tech corporations on this world as well."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Interesting." And he left it at that.

cyrus1: "Buram, before you get any ideas, its not about invasion or conquest. I can tell its your thought in your tone. They have temporal stardrives, which means they can travel not only to any point in space. But also in any point in time. Hell thats how they brought me back, in one of the Imperium's heavy cruisers. One of the larger ships to have Singularity drives. And as for resources, they also have plenty of those. The Imperium controls 3000 star systems in the Milky Way galaxy. Or as the Imperium calls is The Prime Galaxy. The only want to trade, have a colony and an embassy. Open up new routes for trade and exploration. The Imperium would much rather mine an unpopulated planet."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: This grabs his actual attention. "Wait. Time and space" How quickly?"

cyrus1: "Well, the heavy cruiser I was on, we got from Earth to here, in about oh say twenty seconds. Why?"

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: Instant. That settles it. "I need a ship."

cyrus1: "Woah, woah. Whoa there, hold the phone. Slow down and tell me why you need a ship" In praticular an Imperium Heavy cruiser?"

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "I'm trying to build a slipspace drive so I can go to a nearby sector that holds something of interest to me."

cyrus1: "Uh huh, well, my friend. I need to know the why and what of it. And just what sector are we talking about here. I just can't call up the Imperial Ruling council and say hey a buddy of mine needs to borrow a Heavy Cruiser. I promise he won't scratch the paint. I need something a lot more compelling to tell them."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "It's just that. Your ship, can it travel the Multiverse, or just this universe?"

cyrus1: "Hello, I just travelled from one Alternate Universe to another, you tell me."

cyrus1: "The big ships have star drives that open up artificial wormholes, stable ones too. That good enough?"

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Okay. I'm trying to build a slipspace device. I need to get to my original galaxy so I can pick up Forerunner technology. It is imperative if I am to build a slipspace drive. The ship will not be harmed, we can go to a secluded world. The Forerunners were everywhere in my home galaxy."

cyrus1: "Ah, well why didn't you say so' Why all the cloak and dagger man." He shook his head, swigged his beer. "Well I didn't get to be an Imperial Battle marshal for nothing. And of the 1st Imperial Legion no less. Let me talk to the big wigs on the Council. Could take a few days, but, you just might be in luck. Just give me the proper galactic coordinates for your home galaxy. And I'll see if I can swing this."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: He states the desired coordinate without even blinking. Talk about memorization.

cyrus1: And thankfully Cyris had the cybernetic brain implant with the data storage in his head. "Alright, let me get in touch with the Council. You'll have your awnser within a couple of days. Be lucky that your race is unknown and not an emeny of the Imperium in the Universe I came from. The awnser would have be a no, and they probably would send an Assassination squad on you. But thats not an issue so all is good." He gave a big smile to Buram.

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: He nods, seeing as how Buram cannot physically smile.

cyrus1: "Don't know if I can get you a Heavy Cruiser though, prehaps a Frigate or light cruiser. This would not be considered a High priority mission. But I have friends on the Council, helps when you are a warhero that has over a thousand successful campaigns under your belt within the last twenty years of your service to the Imperium."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "The system is called by the humans Beta Centauri. It was never touched by Covenant forces. It's the most outlying system of the UNSC colonies, and is known for a good vintage of champagne. Otherwise, very quiet out there."

cyrus1: He had to laugh at that. "Oh yeah Beta Centuri, interesting system. Where I was it had been a major hot spot of Xeriith activity. Now there was a hardass race to fight. The Xeriith, fierce, brutal and completly fanatical in what they believed was the inferiority of all other species except their own."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Sounds like the Covenant almost." He chuckles.

cyrus1: "Yeah, well I doubt they looked like the Covenant. Think big floating black, shadowy jellyfish, that used metallic robotic warriors, shaped like them, but walked around on four tentacle legs. The Xeriith themselves could not exist outside their Methane-Virann gas atmospheres."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "No, that is definitely not the Covenant."

cyrus1: "Well, they were a pain. That is until the Imperium launched a massive invasion into Xeriith space. Operation StarHammer, took the combined force of a hundred legions. But we drove the bastards out of Prime space for good. And then hit them hard in their own galaxy. Blasted them back into the stone age. Freed a lot of worlds under their enslaving rule."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: "Well done."

cyrus1: "Thanks, it was a fifeteen year long war, and a campaign that was planned for by High Command for a full six years. I went from a Commander to a General in those fifeteen years. I led some damn good men."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: He nods, then finishes off his Jack. "Well, I'm off. I have to rest, my friend." He then stands and bows. "Until we meet again, keep your batteries charged."

cyrus1: "Same to you my friend, may you be victorious in Battle always."

Buram 'Fovemai Vadam: And he heads upstairs for bed.

cyrus1: Cyris got another beer then headed to the quiet of a corner table.

Summary: I do not have the patience this post to put up chat logs, so here is what is happening.

While Ian Blackthorne, technomancer, works on the formula that should show how to use the Nexus for instant travel across the Multiverse, Buram was busy himself. Emissary of the Imperium and a good friend of Buram's, Cyrus, jumped him across the continuum that separates Rhy'Din's reality from Buram's reality and took him to the untouched world of Beta Centauri, where Buram uncovered Forerunner artifacts and scriptures that reveal how to create a basic slipspace drive.

Upon return to Rhy'Din from the three day expedition, Buram made a deal with Victor Kazon, who is now providing materials and space to create a medium-sized cruiser for Buram to experiment on and test the basic slipspace drive that will get him to Sector 680 and that much closer to his goal of an Ikural bond. In exchange, the formula for slipspace was given.

We are on the home stretch, people! Enjoy the ride, it's going to become fun soon.