[h2][i]Second Chance[/i] Team[/h2]
[h3]On Board the [i]Resurgence[/i][/h3]
[hr]

Tu Lee frowned for a second, trying to digest the new information.

"Alright. Let's set the, erm, 'godlike, post-singularity, transdimensional beings controlling whether or not we get sent home' hypothesis to the side for the moment." She patted the table in front of her. "If... if this 'Anubis' character [i]did[/i] make his way here on his own, then presumably he still has the tech or know-how to get back. So, whether or not we want to act as 'antibodies', Anubis might control the one thing in this galaxy that can get us all back. That's worth looking into. We need to go on a recon mission and find out if he has the tech. If he doesn't -" she glanced at Eri "-we negotiate with him if he's friendly; we'll capture him, interrogate him, etcetera if he isn't. And if he [i]does[/i] have the tech... we steal it before we stop being his own, personal, out-of-context problem."
"The Second Great Wormhole Heist!" Keiran quietly said.
"[i]No.[/i]" Tu Lee admonished. Turning back to the group, she said, "At the very least, we need to find out if he has the tech. We can decide later what to do about it."

"Another thing," Keiran started. Tu Lee glanced at him, surprised. "I've been enjoying sitting cooped up in these Mists as much as the next guy: paying 'taxes', surviving off of half-arsed raids, eating rationed food, breathing stale air..." - he paused as he registered Tu Lee's gradually tightening glare - "But, I'm sick of hiding. We can live better than this. We're more than rats cowering away from cats. We have technologies and wonders nobody in this [i]Universe[/i] has ever seen or heard of! We can cure diseases, improve manufacturing, make better bombs, create better artificial life, revolutionize transportation, and whatever else you lot have up your sleeves. What if we weren't sent here to defeat Anubis? What if, instead, we were sent here to make this galaxy [i]better[/i]? What if we were sent here to create a thriving society using advances from dozens of timelines to solve problems none of us have even thought of? We shouldn't be afraid of leaving the Mists. We shouldn't be afraid to change the timeline or... whatever. For Ozzie's sake, Anubis has already changed the bloody place! Let's leave our own indelible mark on it."

Tu Lee was frowning deeply.

Keiran continued, "And, of course, we would all profit [i]wildly[/i]. Sure, let's take on the big bad in his... probably stereotypical, billowing black cloak or whatever. But let's do it on top of a pile o' money and combined resources and then retire to Nzega!"
"...Nzega?"
"Whichever equivalent tropical paradise, then!"
"Kieran, if we choose to 'embed' with the locals, we loose whatever tactical advantage we have over Anubis."
"Fuck it! Better we have a pile o' money and spaceships then a couple handfuls of very fragile surprises. If any of our ships get destroyed, we just lost an [i]entire universe's worth[/i] of knowledge."

Tu Lee turned back to the room. "Please tell me I'm not the only one who thinks this is a terrible idea."
Keiran rolled his eyes.