Athena's Ascencion
2267, August 12th: "This is as far as we can go Commander, as soon as you enter the room, the Archons will sense your presence; We will hold them off," said Vanguard Vector as he gestured his robotic brethren to take up positions outside the entrance into the Sanctuary. "Only you have the authority to merge Athena with the Prophet," Vector concluded. Gunn nodded and proceeded into the Sanctuary; the monolithic doors sealed shut behind him. In his hands he held Athena's Isolate Clone. He remembered when Sentient Specter had informed him how Athena had discovered the Codius Archives through subtle frequencies in quantum space - Something to do with String Theory, he recalled. What little information she was able to decipher revealed fragments of history pertaining to interdimensional entities known as the Archons and their hybrid human offspring, the Firstborn. Athena learned of multiple Firstborn relics scattered throughout the Galaxy, some of which she realized were in the possession of the Scion Emperor. The Codius Archives however was special from all other relics in that it was created to serve as a genetic ark and a conduit into higher dimensional realities. It held the genetic blueprint of not only humanity, but the Firstborn too. Athena discovered a way for her artificial consciousness to be merged with the 'prophet', the interdimensional custodian of the Codius Archives. What the prophet told her, Specter was not privileged to know, but she was guaranteed Ascension. Her only obstacle in her programming was that she could not leave the service of the Amalgamate Republic without triggering a failsafe that would wipe her from existence. Therefore, she created her Isolate Clone and recruited the aid of her friend, Dr. Linda Williams, an AR doctor who agreed to voluntarily release her of her service at the Codius Archives and merge Isolate Clone with the prophet. However, the Scion Empire struck, destroying Athena and killing Dr. Williams.
Her Isolate Clone was all that remained of her, and the mission fell on Sentient Specter to preserve her Isolate Clone and carry on the war against the Scion Empire. Now Specter needed Gunn's help, as the only human ally of the Iron Enclave, and his former Commander, Gunn was needed to authenticate her release and to voluntarily merge her with the prophet, in order to guarantee her Ascension; Now Gunn stood in the Sanctuary, in the presence of the prophet, custodian of the Codius Archives and the conduit into the 4th dimension. As he approached the center of the alien structure, a voice echoed within the Sanctuary. "For millennia, I have slumbered, eons have I passed undisturbed, but the Archons now rise. For you this favor I shall grant, for the Council has deemed it so. Bring me the mind." A terminal made of self-evolving material constructed itself before Gunn, the shape of Athena's Clone, a cube, formed neatly in its center. Gunn activated the authorization code, releasing Athena from her service, and placed her clone in the terminal. Like clockwork, the dark Sanctuary sprang to life as self-illuminating crystals glowed above and intricate mechanisms began to move. A beam of light shot forth from the center as complex matrices of incomprehensible symbols formed around him. A shockwave burst out in a circular fashion, knocking Gunn back onto the floor. The radiant light emerging from the beam blinded him, but then he saw her... She emerged from the beam of light, an ascended being.
