[b]New Jordun Inner-Territory System[/b]
[u]Synchronous Reconnaissance Fleet, Stellar Orbit[/u]

A gently flowing stream, the current steady as it wove through the digital architecture of a synthetic mind, the liquid was her memories pooling from a single source deep within. Each flash signaled a new moment recorded and joining into an empty reservoir. Cytherea had been roaming both physically and mentally, while she paced across the circular space of her vessel her mind raced. Everything essential had been provided for her, not just in the required sustenance in order to keep her body powered and at peak efficiency, but also a sense of purpose and authority that allowed her focus to be sharpened to a point. Yet… Something itched within her that made her yearn for more.

That was what drove her now as she waited for the Taybusan response, and it only helped that her thought processes functioned at the same speed as any other construct within the Synchronicity. Perks of a fully synthetic brain and numerous Ceron bonds throughout her body. It allowed her to multitask on a level that had her fragmented across the fleet monitoring everything they took in, as well as the movements of other vessels in system, keep her body moving, and partake in the distractions of cerebral wandering. She was beginning to grow frustrated though. In her explorations of her constructed consciousness, she found at first nothing. Everything looked as a freshly implanted mind should, clean and ready to imprint new stores of data… Yet it was [i]too[/i] clean. To the point at which it looked very much like her mind had been scrubbed after a hard wipe.

Such a troubling thought led her to change tactic. Where before she simply executed broad sweeps to see what could be found, now as she perused the endless synapses she picked and pulled at every one. Eventually she found a stitch, fine and elegant in construction and meant to blend into her mindscape flawlessly. If she hadn't have been looking so closely she would have missed it, but now she had her fingers on it and knew what to look for. With a gentle pull she unlaced it and coaxed authority codes into the breach, ensuring that she wouldn't damage her mind. What she found left her briefly stunned, snapping back all of her fragmented selves into her body once more as she fell forward and hit the metal of the deck plate.

Memories flowed into her consciousness, sealed away by the stitch but now free to rejoin the rest of her. Conversation with another construct, simple and unassuming. She was asking of the progress of something, though her entry into that memory came after the main subject of it was brought up. It was important though, she could feel it. Not to Ba'al, but to her. More events flashed by, to the point where she had to pull back to the physical and catch her breath. Cytherea found herself gasping for air on her back, fingers spasming from nerve clusters firing out of control and a constant chiming from the nearby console. Without her connection to the manifold, she had to regain control of herself first, steadily finding her footing once more before standing before the display and seeing the presence of the Taybusan all around her fleet.

While she had been distracted they had moved in, responding quickly for organics and taking up a defensive stance. Energy signatures flickered all across their vessels, her eyes darting as she took in carefully the readouts. They were certainly ready to respond with hostility, and a surge of chemicals in her body made her react with a shuddering gasp. She felt the urge to respond in kind, nearly sending the command but backing down with a clenched fist. "Combat reaction." Cytherea spoke aloud, recognizing what it was and chuckling a little at this revelation. "Adrenaline spike and reflexive boosters. Additional shunts prepared in six locations ready to pulse as needed and increased regenerative ability… What kind of negotiating are you intending, precept?"

Such questions would have to be answered later, for now she dismissed the combat stance her body had adapted, issuing out authority codes to stand down and looking over the message she had been sent in response. It was close to what she was expecting, as it seemed clear her fleet had dropped into a relatively populated region of their space, at least more so than would be thought of a fringe world. Moreso, it seemed some errors had been made in translation, so she pulled more and cross-checked them with the provided message. Instructions were sent out to the fleet, and they began to move slowly and deliberately. Cytherea meanwhile provided information to the Taybusan on what her ships were doing, making it clear she was here to engage in nonviolent diplomacy.

[quote=Synchronicity Fleet to Taybusan Commonwealth]"Aurcept Cytherea of the Synchronicity to Taybusan command. Be advised that my fleet is now dispersing. One-way gateway is being opened in order to transit military assets out of system. Once complete, please advise on proper landing site."[/quote]

It was short and to the point, but at least this way she wouldn't have to be concerned with how accurate the translation was. The moment the received indicator lit upon the console, she gave the command and a dozen vessels broke free of formation, coming together into a ring not too far from the fleet. A discharge of energy pulsed from each of them across the surface area of the combined ships, a gateway forming at the center of the circle and becoming stable within seconds. Without waiting the larger ships entered, and soon the rest of the fleet followed until only the gateships and Cytherea's personal vessel remained. At her command, they also left, keeping the gateway up long enough to leave and letting it snap shut behind them.
[hr]
OOC: Dropping mention for [@OfWindAndRain], Apologies for taking a bit on it.