4731/Ragnarok pt. 7: Reflection and Logistics

Ragnarok pt. 7: Reflection and Logistics
Date of Scene:	23 June 2018
Location:	Asgardian Ship in Earth Orbit
Synopsis:	Plans are made to deal with the transfer of the Asgardians
Cast of Characters:	Thor, Nuala Duvall
Tinyplot:	Ragnarok

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Thor has posed:
    The prior day had been trying, yet much had been accomplished. There were successes and some developments that would perhaps see fruit in the due passage of time, but for now there was little more to do directly beyond the focus of efforts and to wait...
    And Thor hated waiting.
    The tall blonde Asgardian was in the observation lounge, assuredly a place where the GrandMaster had spent his time looking at the beautiful sights to be seen beyond the half-bubble window that dominated one side of the large conference room. Only now that bubble showed the green and blue marble that was the home to humanity, slowly twisting in the cosmos below the ship, white clouds drifting across its surface.
    Yet that was unnoticed for now, his back was to that tableau and the King of Asgard was seated in one of those high-backed chairs. A myriad of scrolls, of all things, were spread out upon the tabletop, some opened and held down by a glass here, or a tray there, even a silvered dagger was stabbed through one corner of a list of names.
    Thor's lips pursed and he frowned. So many names.

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala only left briefly to take some Asgardian children to Wakanda. None of this is technically in her job description. Halal are exterminators, and her ship is ill equipped to deal with the level of needs that are present. It hasn't stopped her from trying. She informed Nova of the development, and nobody complained when she said she was going to spend time helping the Asgardians.
    She enters the deck quietly, though the pulsing lines of purple light on her form fitting armor make her hardly stealthy Her blonde hair looks like it hasn't been washed recently, and there is a smudge of grease on her face. She doesn't pay much heed to the observation window herself, but walks quietly toward Thor.

Thor has posed:
    She can see the furrow of the Asgardian's brow, the concentration. As she draws near he shakes his head but then becomes aware of her presence. That one blue eye meets her gaze and he gives a single nod as if a touch distracted. Then his voice lifts, "Lady Duvall." He lifts a hand and gestures towards the seat opposite him, offering it to her if she were inclined.
    "There is water should you so wish," His gesture to the chair shifts subtly to encompass it as he straightens in his chair and then pushes away one of the scrolls. His lip curves up slightly though it's a small thing yet offered with sincerity.
    "Word has reached me that you have made your presence known throughout the ship."

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    "Your majesty," Nuala answers. "I have never had such a title," she adds graciously. She takes the offer of the chair, but she has little ceremony sitting in it. She offers a similar smile in return. "I have done what I can to help, I have to confess that I only have rudimentary training in the area of disaster relief."
    She sees the pitcher, and reaches out to pour herself a glass. "Thank you," she offers as she raises it, and then chugs the entire glass at once before landing it on the table in a less than ladylike manner. Seems like she needed it. She takes a deep breath after, having denied herself while rehydrating. "I'm afraid there's only so much I can do to be of help," she admits.

Thor has posed:
    "It is understandable," Thor shakes his head again and rolls up one of the scrolls and sets it aside. Once she's done taking up the bottle he'll lean forwards across the table and take it up for himself. It's not the mead he would care to imbibe but needs must. He tilts the bottle on its side, the liquid gurgling faintly as it fills his glass and then he pulls it towards himself as he retakes his seat.
    "We are at that moment in time when there is naught save the potential, the elements apart of what is to come. There is naught to do for the moment save..." He shakes his head and takes a sip of the water even as his gaze distances, "Wait."
    But then he turns back to look towards her, "I am left here, I feel as if we are on the edge of a battle and yet I see not my enemy, I see nothing but... problems I cannot take in hand."
    There's a moment, a small snort that might be an exhalation of a laugh, or just the hint of one. "But I forget myself. This is not your burden to shoulder. You have done much already."

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala motions for him to continue. "Please, your majesty," she says through her distinctly Xandarian accent, "It is no trouble. I would not begrudge you to unload such things. I have little experience in being responsible for an entire race. I do not envy your position. I would not make so wise a ruler as yourself."

Thor has posed:
    For a time he looks to her, then away. But a small smile is there albeit slight. The Odinson shakes his head, one hand flaring to the side as he dismisses the notion, as if brushing her words out of the way. "It is no matter." And as quickly as that, the topic is closed, the final sign being when he shifts tone and then says, "Tell me what you have found in your studies of the ship? I would know your thoughts on how matters proceeds."
    There's a pause, then another thing occurs to him, "And have you received any words from your superiors regarding the protocol of our seeking asylum with Midgard?"

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    "I wish I had better news," the woman says. She drearily brings her arm up, tapping the interface on her suit to connect the findings to the observatory display. "You have hull integrity. Your life support probably won't fail. However, I am guessing you know where this ship came from. They aren't known for treating their equipment well. I'm surprised that the primary shaft survived the jump to arrive here. I wouldn't risk another. The engines are on borrowed time. It's hard to say how long they will last. The water recyclers are overloaded, they were never meant for this much use. The power relay was a good one, about a hundred and fify years ago. It's just worn out, and it's trying to shovel not enough power to too many locations on the ship. That will cause errors, it will cause software failure over time." She frowns, stopping her data dump. "In short, she's old and tired. To make this ship fly again, it would take a lot more than I have, and Earth doesn't even have a fraction of the technology needed to overhaul her. They are centuries behind in technology."
    She leaves the display up.
    "Regarding the Law, that's a lot more simple. Never thought I'd say that phrase." She smiles weakly to herself. "The humans are autonomous, that's the standard," Nuala says. It's one law that she is well versed in. "They can make whatever decisions they see fit to make. The pact only prevents people from arriving unannounced." She stops. "Well, that fits, and I hope you don't think I overstepped. I took the liberty of declaring it a racial emergency which was unavoidable. It sounds like everybody agrees."

Thor has posed:
    The way the man watches her, it's clear that he is following along though at points... she might get the feeling he is partially lost, only for him to pick up the trail at the end of her series of data points. His brow remains knit, his focus entirely on her and to some that level of consideration from a being such as him... it might well be disconcerting. Though he seems unaware of such.
    Leaning forwards, Thor takes up his glass and swirls the water a little. His eyebrows lift for a moment as he shakes his head, then he takes a sip and sets it down once again.
    "I just need the ship to survive however long it takes for the people of Earth to decide." The tendons of his jaw clench as he gives thought to something, then his blue eye lifts to hers again. "I am pleased at the least that we have not transgressed against you and yours, Lady Duvall," She may not have been granted the title formally but for some reason it fits in his mind when he says it. "That is one avenue I am pleased is strong. I spoke to Stark of what the word is on the speech I gave to the Earth's United Nations. He spoke little of it, and I am savvy enough to know that that bodes ill."

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala looks down, clearly not encouraged by what the news. "Humans are a very confusing race," she observes. "I don't know what to make of them. If you have a vessel that is not fit to leave, and if they do not permit access..." she trails off with a mild shake of her head. "Then what will you do? Your people can't survive up here forever, and I didn't see anything that would help you terraform another planet in the system." Her face looks remarkably worried realizing that there are few peaceful options that would remain.

Thor has posed:
    His fingertip lightly taps on the rim of the glass as Thor looks away and to the side, considering the window beyond. "There are countries that have offered asylum, and I would wish to take their offer if only to buy time." He then turns his attention back towards her, "But there are those who would consider such an act of aggression, or even might attack those who would seek to grant us shelter."
    He shakes his head, "I will not have us be the cause of another war. If worst comes to worst we shall find a way, another home from here. I may have to trade on what little we have left, or make agreements that I would otherwise find unpleasant. But..." He meets her gaze, "I cannot allow my people to suffer further."

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala is quiet for several seconds. "Your majesty," she starts. "I may be overstepping, and so you would be within your right to disregard what I am about to say." She glances out the observation window at the glowing blue orb below.
    "The one thing you have to offer is this ship." She looks back. "I would caution against that temptation. The humans aren't ready for this technology. They can barely escape their own orbit. Most of their governments are unstable. It would be like giving a knife to an infant in arms, and it could cause additional damage both to your people and theirs which could not be undone." She avoids looking him in the eye as she speaks, not out of intimidation perhaps, but because she knows that it is not her place to impose such an opinion.

Thor has posed:
    When she speaks on this matter he gives a single nod and then his eye lifts and shifts away, as he considers the ramifications of what such would mean to the people of Earth. He takes a moment to down the rest of his water and set the glass down with a resonant clink before pushing it aside and away. "It had been my intention to scrap the ship when we set down, to use it to give us some small... foundation from which a new Asgard would arise."
    He uncurls his hand towards her, "Yet of what little we still hold to us, what resources we can still muster, in truth the ship is the least of them. For there are still warriors of Asgard, great smiths and crafters, runecrafters and casters of rare equal that we count amongst our number. I would fear what impact our presence might have if such knowledge slipped into the world at large without our supervision."
    The Asgardian shakes his head, "No. Which is why if we do find a new home then we must on some level maintain our autonomy. And I fear that may be a bridge too far for the leaders of man to travel."

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    "I do not mean to further complicate the burden, your majesty," Nuala apologizes. "I only want to prevent unintended consequences." She puts her elbows on the table and her head in her hand. After a moment she checks her fingers, realizing the smudge of grease on her cheek, and takes a moment to wipe it free. It doesn't work, but only adds to it given that her hands are also somewhat dirty. She doesn't know this, apparently. "May I ask...what happened?" She still doesn't understand how such catastrophe has occurred.

Thor has posed:
    "That is a tale of some telling," Thor says to her as he looks back, a faint smile heralding his doing so. The high back chair he's in creaks faintly and groans as he rises from it, his right hand tensing and releasing as if he were feeling the remnants of something upon it. "But it seems we have little else save time. At the least for now."
    A few steps carry him away and into that half-circle deck around which the bubble window surrounds. Over his shoulder he looks to her and says, "Asgard has ever had enemies, some without, some within. Malekith was a being we thought long since vanquished. I know now he was but biding his time." Thor turns back fully, the Earth's brightness from far below casting the Asgardian in silhouette as he folds his arms over his chest. "My father passed, and when he did so it was taken as a time for Malekith and the svartalfar to strike. Their magics were powerful, dark things. One of their ancients was able to corrupt the very power of the great city, to channel it into their own incantations."
    He steps forwards, footsteps heavy upon the deck of the ship, then rests his hands on the back of the chair as he speaks, "They were able to create vile magicks, a seeming force that devoured all it touched and the longer they were upon Asgard the stronger they became." He exhales a small breath, a grimace there as he goes on. "They had plans to use it once we were conquered, to go forth and destroy the nine realms and all their people. I was left no choice."
    For a time there's some touch of hesitation there, perhaps searching for the right words, or perhaps lost in that memory. He looks back to Nuala and says levelly, "So I made the decision to trigger Ragnarok as we evacuated our people. To release Surtur empowered by the Eternal Flame, and the two great enemies of Asgard clashed upon the great city as their final battlefield. We were able to escape, but not before we saw our home destroyed, detonating into flames and then... emptiness."

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala listens quietly, remaining seated as she watches Thor pace. It's several seconds of silence that allows to pass, perhaps enough that it becomes awkward as she makes certain not to interrupt. "That is very sad," she says. "Your people are long lived, it must have been a truly difficult decision." She seems uncertain where to look, and after her eyes find many other locations, she eventually lets them settle back on Thor.
    "You seem to be a good king," she says. "To save your people while shouldering a responsibility that demanded such a heartbreaking decision. They believe in you. I hope the humans will accept your people. They could use more examples like yours."

Thor has posed:
    "We are very long lived indeed," Thor says as he nods and looks away for a moment, then turns back and elaborates. "It is feasible that if we are granted land, sovereignty, then we could recover in a relatively short time." He steps away and moves towards the edge of the table to take up the empty decanter. He takes it a few steps towards a display panel on the wall which in part turns out to be a storage bay that unfolds outwards. Within are emergency supplies of Earth's make. MREs, a few water filters, and some boxes of potable water that he now takes up from within and opens.
    The water is poured into the decanter as he looks sidelong then he sets it down upon the tabletop. "Six, perhaps seven hundred years."

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala nods graciously, taking the container and refilling her glass. "Humans won't share your perspective of a short time," she says with a faint smile before taking a drink, not nearly as agressive as her first glass. "Assuming their planet lasts that long. I thought I'd be bored stationed to one planet. This world is a magnet for disaster, they seem to be under constant threat of destruction. If your ship wasn't in such a poor disrepair, I'd recommend you find another spot to put down roots."

Thor has posed:
    Settling back down into his chair, the curshions compress with a faint exhalation of escaping air, but then he looks to the side with one eyebrow quirked. "I have e'er had a place for Midgard in my heart." He smiles a little as he waits for her to fill her own glass then he'll lean forwards and tilt the decanter on its side to fill his own. "They do seem to draw more attention than their fair share of attention from fate. But it gives rise to an astounding people."
    Another sip is taken from his glass and then he gives her a nod, "I should not detain you much longer, however. I intend to take what rest I can then stand my watch." Another sip from his glass, then he rises and sets it down. One strong hand is extended across the table towards her, "I bid you good fortune, you are very welcome amongst us to remain should you so wish."

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    "Nuala takes another drink, and places it gently on the table before standing. "Thank you, your majesty. It's good to be able to meet you. I had only previously heard rumor of you from a distance. I think the stories are not misplaced." It's clear that she is doing the best to avoid showing her exhaustion as she starts to make her way back to the door. "If you have any need of me, I have put my contact into your ships database," she notes. "I have deterred from my primary duties most likely longer than I should have. Earth currently faces a threat which I need to make certain is neutralized so that your petition to the United Nations will not be moot."
    It might be a joke that falls flat, her humor is dry in the regard. "And perhaps we can talk again," she suggests, "When the our own fates give us allow us more than a moment of rest." There's a hesitation in her voice, as if she is still a little nervous to make a suggestion.

Thor has posed:
    "With what you have given in the aid of my people?" Thor says as he walks over to the corner and takes up the heavy breastplate that had been set aside in the corner of the room. He pulls it on, slipping one arm through and then the other, then draws it down like some overly heavy sweater vest. A few tugs at the hem to make sure it sets in place, "Thor is ever at your service."
    He starts to the door that leads out, moving towards her as he reaches a hand to the side to trigger a small switch on the control panel, letting the blinds fall back into place around that view port. Moving towards the door he mentions, "Though I have spoken with Stark about this fungal menace. One lies in orbit relatively near and must be seen to soon. But Asgard will aid you in your fight against the others."

Nuala Duvall has posed:
    Nuala nods. "Your offer is greatly appreciated, and I hope I can avoid taking you up on it," she says, "I've been monitoring the growth in space, I hadn't told the people of Earth yet. It's going to be a serious challenge. I would be happy for your help, but would not want to pull you from your people while they are in such need."
    She opens the door, holding it for Thor. "We can find a solution, though, later. Like you, I must first get rest so that I can analyze our options. Never a dull moment."

Thor has posed:
    "Until then," Thor smiles a little as he steps through the door and then heading off to what tasks beckon. He does pause and turn to lift Mjolnir in hand as if offering her a small salute, "Fare thee well, Lady Duvall. And next time perhaps I shall have something better than water to offer you."

Thor has posed:
Thor says, "Zhao is so great, Zhao is so great, everybody loves him."

Thor has posed:
Thor thought he just was a guy that hung out with Tony.

Thor has posed:
Thor says, "Chat and have coffee with one hand, smash with hammer in the other."