The Conceptual Deck

Chapter 92: Realm eternal

It took an hour to get everyone and everything up into the Void Skipper. I dropped off everyone's stuff, stacking it in the entrance to the sleeping quarters in case we ended up staying on board. I directed the people to the cafeteria, where the Alfred bots had put out some snacks to keep everyone occupied. When I was done with everyone's stuff I quickly dropped back down to Earth and bought a couple of washer and dryer machines. I honestly had no idea how this was going to work, but I wanted to be prepared in case the Asgardians expected us to sleep on the Void Skipper.

When I was done with that I popped back to the ship and made my way down to the cafeteria to find everyone but Thor and Steve sitting down at a table, quietly talking amongst themselves.

"Alright, where did Thor and Steve wander off to?" I asked, Mr. Steiner and Ms. Hartford wincing.

"Thor wanted to see his brother, and Steve decided to go with him," Peggy explained.

"Well, at least he isn't alone," I mumbled.

Five minutes later the pair returned after I messaged the battle bots stationed outside Loki's cell. Thor thumped my shoulder as he entered the cafeteria, while Steve just gave me a shrug.

"Alright, thanks for hanging out while I did some last-minute shopping," I said, standing at the end of the table. "Few things before we head off. First, Thor, I assume Heimdall knows we are coming?"

"Indeed, they are no doubt preparing for our arrival," He responded with a smile. "I'm sure there will be a great feast to honor you."

"Sounds great. Do you think your father is awake?"

"In all likely hood he is already awake," He answered. "He strained himself to send me here but it has been ample time for him to recover."

"Great. Alright, so it's not like this is going to be a long trip, at least aboard the ship." I explained. "But there are some ground rules. This is an armed vessel, do not touch anything that I do not give you permission to touch. There are no safeties, and there are no 'are you sure' confirmations. You may come to the bridge to watch the portal, but do not touch anything. Further, there are boxes all over the ship labeled EVA. They contain sealed, vacuum-rated suits. You pull them over your head and press the button, they seal you inside a suite capable of surviving nearly indefinitely in a vacuum, as well as getting around in zero gravity. It's airplane rules, put your suit on first, then help someone if they are struggling."

I waited for everyone to nod their heads in agreement before continuing.

"Good! Now those of you who want to watch on the bridge, follow me, the rest of you can stay here. Your stuff is sitting in front of the sleeping quarters because I didn't know if Asgard would be providing accommodations-"

"Of course, we will! There is plenty of room in the palace guest quarters!" Thor assured us.

"Great, in that case, you can grab your stuff whenever you want," I said with a nod. "The last thing we need is the coordinates?"

"Of course!"

We made our way to the bridge, everyone following behind us. We stepped into the bridge, where Ema was waiting for us. She was sitting down in the pilot's chair and turned her head to look at as.

"Welcome back. It's good to see you Steve, Peggy, and Bucky," She said with a smile. "Ambassador Steiner, Councilwoman Hartford"

"Alright, I want everyone seated, please. And not in any of the seats marked as gunnery consoles."

The group quickly found their seats, most of them in the empty chairs around the back of the bridge, though Peggy sat at the sensors console and Steve sat in the Copilot's chair. I sat down at the Tesseract control console, sliding back slightly to make room for Thor.

I tapped to the right screen and the muscular Asgardian quickly entered some coordinates, the screen showing a massive floating land mass. It was just a basic model, but even like that it looked impressive.

"Alright, thank you, Thor, have a seat again, please. Ema, pull us away from Earth if you would."

Ema nodded and manipulated the Void Skipper's controls, pulling us away from our orbit around Earth. She engaged the thrusters and a low, vibrating rumble echoed through the ship as it fought the Earth's gravity, the silencers quickly compensating. We flew away into space, passing the moon in quickly. Eventually, we slowed down to a stop.

"Alright, opening the portal."

I selected a location a decent distance from the land mass, wanting to avoid just randomly appearing too close. With another button press and the portal was opening in front of the ship.

"Alright, everyone! Buckle up and hold on tight, it's about to get rough!" I say, bracing myself on my console.

Ema, like the perfect partner she was, didn't comment, and instead guided the ship to the portal, while everyone else suddenly looked very worried. The two civilians gave each other a look and held on to their seats tightly, looking around for their buckles, which the seats didn't have and didn't need. Ambassador Steiner let out a worried gasp as we entered the portal, the ship passing through as smoothly as could be.

On the other side was a wide open expanse of space, the only identifying feature beyond distant stars and nebula was the massive hunk of land that floated in the center of the forward viewscreen. It was hard to tell just how big it was from this distance, but it wasn't small. On the bottom was a singular mountain, partially obscured by a skirt of water falling from around the rim of the massive space island. On the other was a mountainous landscape surrounding the Asgardian city.

"And that's it, welcome to Asgard," I said with a smirk.

I got more than a few dirty looks, Steve and Bucky chuckling to themselves while Thor only looked confused.

"That was incredibly smooth. Even the Bifrost is normally more jarring than that," He commented, Bucky chuckling even more.

"Sorry Thor, I was just joking," I explained, taking pity on him as I stood from my seat. "Now, how would you suggest we get down to ground level?"

Ema guided our ship through space, focusing on the large floating space island in the distance. As we got the Void Skipper flew closer and closer, the view of the impressive landscape becoming more and more clear. Front and center was a massive golden building, a slowly curving structure formed of vertical columns, meeting up and growing higher and higher until it reached the central, highest point. It took a moment for me to realize the huge scale of the massive building.

Around the central structure was a sprawling metropolis, thinning out into sparser populated areas as it got closer to the mountain that framed the entire city, though even they bore various buildings. From the central structure, a bridge reached out, crossing the large body of water which formed a large bay. The bay fell over the edge of the massive island, dissipating into space like a massive waterfall.

It was honestly breathtaking, and it only got more impressive as we got closer.

"Thor, where should we park?" I asked, Peggy giving me a look from behind the large Asgardian.

"I believe an escort already approaches," He responded with a smile, the sight of his home obviously happy at the sight of his home.

Sure enough, the sensors beeped as three boats came into view, each with three people on board. They took up positions on either side and in front of us as Ema slowed down, the lead boat shifting and guiding us in. The boats lead us around the city and down amongst the mountains, where a large platform, one actually big enough for us to land on, was tucked away among the hills, valleys, and peaks. Ema expertly landed us on the platform, tapping a few buttons and shutting down the thrusters.

"Well considering the Void Skipper hasn't landed since it was launched and it's never landed in gravity That went pretty well," I said, a strangled whimper coming from behind me in the general direction of the Ambassador and Councilwoman.

I turned to find the Ambassador with his head in his hands, the Councilwoman looking at him worriedly.

"Uhhh sorry?" I said with a wince. "If it helps any, the seats and beds in this ship protect people from crashes. I'm pretty sure we could crash through the moon and we would be okay."

The ambassador just held up his hand, holding off on anything else I could say. I looked back at Steve, Peggy, and Bucky, the latter of which was chuckling to himself.

"Right Well, there are a bunch of ways to get off the ship, but the primary way would be from the garage bay. Ema, would you guide them all there while Thor and I get Loki?"

Ema nodded and the group departed, Steve, helping Ambassador Steiner up from his chair. I apologized as he left, slowly getting his feet under him. When they were all gone I gestured for Thor to follow me.

"Maker My brother revealed some disturbing facts about the restraint you have on his arm," He said after a moment of silence. "While I understand your anger for his actions, threatening him with brain damage-"

"That was a bluff," I assured him, stopping by the sealed doors of the detention center. "I really don't like the idea of creating something to force people to do anything against their will, even simply telling the truth. And even if I didn't I wouldn't make something with a side effect like that, it takes away from the flexibility. The restraint won't do permanent harm, the most dangerous aspect is the taser function, which is admittedly a little intense for a normal person but not for an Asgardian, or frost giant for that matter."

"...Do you swear it was a bluff?" He asked, looking at me intensely.

"Yes, I swear his restraints do not force him to speak, nor does it cause brain damage," I assured him, getting a nod in return.

"Very well, shall we then?"

Thor and I gathered Loki, who said nothing as we escorted him around the ship to the garage bay, where Ema and everyone else was waiting. Steve, Peggy, and Bucky were all dressed in the armored uniforms I had made them, though they were unarmed as far as I could tell.

Steve still had his shield on his back of course.

I left Loki to Thor and, after giving him a controller for his restraints, walked to the front of the garage bay, tapping on a control panel. The large, armored shutter doors that sealed the bay shut shuddered and slowly opened, letting the fresh, clean Asgardian air flow into the bay. I took a deep breath and let it out after a moment.

"Ema Remind me to get samples of everything," I said. "I need to combine some of this air with the life support systems."

Ema nodded and we all watched the bay doors finish opening. I tapped on the panel again and a ramp began to descend from the lip of the bay, transforming and unfolding as my armor did. Eventually, it touched down with a soft thunk, a gentle curve forming to smooth out the transition.

"Alright Thor, lead the way."

The Asgardian prince led the way down the ramp, a firm grip on his brother's arm as he led him along. Loki didn't struggle, though he did mutter under his breath. Thor stopped and looked over at me.

"Could you release him from his forced slowness?"

I nodded and pulled out my controller, tapping the shut off for the slowing effect, allowing him to walk at a normal speed. Thor nodded and continued, no longer having to force Loki to follow along. Eventually, we reached the bottom of the ramp and stepped onto the stone-worked landing pad.

Looking around the large platform, I could see that even though it was a simple space, it was still masterfully crafted. Ornate symbols were carved into the stone floor, some bigger than me, looping around and connecting together. There was a natural flow to the pattern, leading to an opening in the side of a mountain around two to three hundred feet away, as well as the general direction of another opening even further away. I could see several figures walking from that opening, making their way to us.

Eventually, as they got closer I could make out who they were. Sif and the warriors three made their way to us, as well as a woman I didn't recognize, a quartet of guards following behind her.

"Ah, mother has come out to greet us," Thor said, his smile only growing larger before he looked to his brother, his smile falling to a frown.

"My sons It is good to see you on Asgardian once again," The woman, Frigga said, stepping past Thor's friends.

She reached out and touched Thor's cheek, smiling as she did, before focusing on Loki.

"Loki We thought you dead," She admitted, reaching out to touch him as well, flinching when he pulled back.

For a moment I thought Thor would smack him with Mjolnir.

Frigga stepped back, before looking past her children and noticing the rest of us. After a moment her diplomatic smile broke through.

"Greeting, and welcome to Asgard, I am Frigga, Queen of Asgard. I believe Thor and I will be escorting Loki to his new accommodations," She said, casting a look at her adopted son before focusing back on us. "Sif and the warriors three shall guide you to the throne room, where my husband awaits."

"Thank you, Your Majesty." Ambassador Steiner said, stepping forward and bowing. "We apologize for intruding uninvited-"

"Oh Ambassador Steiner, if we did not wish you here you would not have been allowed to land," Frigga responded, though her smile seemed to be more teasing than aggressive. "We welcome the representatives and warriors of Midgard, as well as Maker of Luna, to Asgard. Now, if you will excuse me, I must have private words with my sons."

I winced as she called me Maker of Luna, my secret home on the moon now no longer quite a secret. Unconcerned about the reveal, Frigga stepped away, Thor and Loki following behind her, the guards following behind them. As they walked away, heading for the more distant archway carved into a stone face, I smirked at Ema.

"Do you think I should call some battle bots to act as an honor guard?" I asked, only getting an eye roll in response.

Sif stepped forward, smiling at me and holding out her hand, which I gripped in a warrior's handshake.

"It is good to see you again Maker," She said, releasing my hand. "You have built a mighty ship, far beyond what the rest of Midgard is capable of."

"Yeah, I've been working on my crafting, and made a few discoveries that pushed it forward by leaps and bounds," I said, opening my mouth to continue when someone behind me coughed.

"Oh, right, you wouldn't have met my friends yet, let me introduce you," I said, turning and stepping aside, gesturing to Steve, Peggy, and Bucky. "Three of our world's finest warriors, Peggy Carter, Steve Rogers, and James Barnes."

Sif looked over all three of them with a discerning eye, reaching out and gripping each of their arms in a tight shake.

"This is Ambassador Steiner and Councilwoman Hartford, the diplomatic portion of our temporary group," I explained. "I would attempt to describe their jobs but I'm afraid they would not enjoy me getting it wrong and having to correct me. Suffice it to say they and my friends represent Earth."

"And you do not?" Sif asked, looking at me with a raised eyebrow.

"No, I come here representing myself," I explained with a shrug. "Which I need to emphasize to His Majesty."

Sif looked curious, as did the three warriors behind her. Eventually, she nodded her head.

"Well, it's the business of King Odin to question your intentions, it is ours to guide you to him. Come, we shall take be taking a skiff."

Sif and the Warriors Three led the way across the flat and expansive, making their way along the same pathway they arrived through. All of us followed behind her, with Ema and I following behind the group. They led us through the opening in the side of the mountain, a massive archway decorated with murals, statues, and carvings set into the walls and floors. All of it was accented with gold, highlighting the wealth of Asgard.

On the other side of the pathway through the rock was a small platform that looked quite a bit like a stone dock. Moored to that dock were several skiffs, the same boat-like craft that had guided us in. Steve, Buckley, and Peggy piled into a singular craft, Steve and Bucky helping the ambassador and councilwoman into the boat behind them. When Ema and I didn't climb in, Sif looked at me strangely.

"Would it be rude if Ema and I flew in ourselves?" I asked, ignoring Ema's sigh from behind me.

"You have mastered flight as well?" Sif asked, surprise in her voice. "Perhaps I should have attended the discussions King Odin and Heimdall had about you Maker. Very well, I only hope you can keep up."

"I think we will be fine," I said with a smirk, getting only a shrug in response.

"Suit yourself," Sif responded, grabbing hold of the skiff's tiller, the bottom of the boat glowing for a moment before it pulled away, leaving it mooring behind.

I smiled and activated my armor, leaping into the air and activating my wings, darting after the skiff with a whoop, Ema following right behind me. I swooped down and flew beside the boat, flapping occasionally to easily keep up with its leisurely pace. I couldn't help but chuckle at the Asgardian's reaction to our wings.

"Impressive!" Sif shouted over the wind.

"Leaps and bounds!" I shouted back, laughing as I dipped, rolled under the skiff, and pulled up under the other side.

The skiff continued to arc through the sky, Ema and I following behind it as we made our way to the palace. I could see Asgardians below us, pointing up as we flew around the skiff, Ema staying alongside it as I looped, dipped, and dove around, eventually pulling back up. I couldn't help but laugh, enjoying the experience of flying through the clear skies of Asgard.

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