No response was made, as the magical field intensified, and the Witch made no movement. 

"[i]Those who came before you were the same. They felt pain, fear and despair. So they used it against us, in an attempt to pry our secrets from us. And they failed, for the pain we feel is not physical. Our bodies we're lost long ago, long before your kind took to the stars. Our pain is that of a Disharmony with our Essence, a feeling of a shattered mind, broken and forgotten in the Void, a million realities screaming to be attended to. Your weapons, your powers can only hurt or destroy our tools... Nothing more.[/i]"

As Dr. Vahlen asked for the translation, the being's eyes narrowed. 

"[i]So, you wish to follow in the footsteps of those who came before you? Such an aspiration will doom your race, in ways you cannot comprehend. Once, we held that throne, a shrine to our hubris We were infinitely more powerful and wise than you. And we surely crumbled, our kind burnt to ash, much like yours will be in the End. Only a God can wield what is wrought by the Pieces. The Outer Lord, Crawling Devourer... And the next in line: Govra, Queen and Maker of the End.[/i]"

"[i]Our goals require the same path, but lead to different endings. So, perhaps, we should walk it together? I will translate for you, and in return, you forfeit my body? The Cathedral, Unrelenting Retribution, Destroyer of the HIgh Ol'tiu of the Perveus Arm? Then, we will see who indeed is the more worthy...[/i]"

[b]Facility A-1:[/b]

The cannon of the Cathedral was almost bare bones, just a smaller power generation setup and strange reflective crystals, four lined up in a row. They glowed, and seemed to absorb the light from the survey team's head torches, storing it in the center. It seemed to pulsate, and was otherwise inactive. It could be possible to understand it further if they were to begin taking apart the tubing and struts connecting it, but it was incredibly risky. It would be almost pure chance whether they could work out it's function, or detonate the entire ship.