Banned from sparing for at least a week, Anara occupies her time instead working on the ship's communication array, intending to use it, coupled with an Asgardian power source and amplifier, as a signal relay for communications with Midgard. Heimdal thinks that if they place it at the edge of the Bifrost, it should work.
Thor is never far from her side when she's not in the labs, something she does not mind at all.
A few days before she's cleared to spar with the Companions again, Gabrielle tells her the Master Armorer has asked for an appointment with her for a final fitting on her new armor. Interested to see what he and Thor have come up with, she has Gabrielle set something up for later that morning.
As she's getting ready to head down to the armory, there's a knock at her door. At her call, the door opens, and Thor peeks in.
"Good morning, my lady," he says as he walks in.
Giving her a kiss, he takes over braiding her hair from Gabrielle, who quietly disappears.
"Gabrielle told me you're heading down to the armory. I thought I'd escort you, if you don't mind."
Anara looks at him through the mirror. "Of course I don't mind. I'm looking forward to seeing what you have come up with."
He smiles at her. "I have some good news as well. Father says the Bifrost will be operational in a week. If the tests are successful, he's agreed to let me take you to Midgard to meet the Avengers."
"That is good news," she says to him, turning in her chair to give him a kiss. "I should have the communications array working by then as well. I look forward to meeting your friends."
As they walk down to the armory, they talk about the Avengers and Midgard: Anara trying to learn everything she can about the planet and its cultures before the trip.
They're met at the entrance to the armory by the head Armorer, Folkvarthr, who leads them to a large work room. The armory, like the labs, is built into the stone heart of Asgard. It is heavily guarded, and Anara has never been there unescorted.
Rough-hewn rock forms the walls of the work room. Smooth floors and simple lighting keep it strictly utilitarian. Her new armor rests on forms in the middle of the room. Folkvarthr walks over to a work bench and brings Anara a pair of inch-wide silver bracelets covered with intricate knot work. The Asgardians never do anything simply. Snapping them around her wrists, he checks for fit, then has her move her wrists around, looking for binding.
"You can wear these bracelets at all times in any environmental conditions," he explains. "They work just like your bracers, and I've modified those so that your bracelets will link seamlessly with them."
He moves on to the armor on the forms. Here is where she sees the most difference between this new armor and her ceremonial armor. The new armor, still silver and blue and decorated with chased knot work, maintains the fitted breast plate, but it's now segmented below the breasts, allowing for more flexible movement. The back plate is likewise segmented.
After donning the armor, Folkvarthr has her bend in all directions, and giving her space, asks her to do a few flips to see how it moves. Seeing that the workroom has high ceilings, Anara complies, flipping over the armor stands and executing a couple of somersaults. She finds only one place where the armor pieces don't quite slide smoothly over one another and points it out. Folkvarthr makes a note and etches a line on the offending section.
Basic thigh and shin guards complete the armor set. Anara finds them light and easy to move in. She secretly wonders how long it will be before she can ditch the leg armor during sparring bouts. She's never been a big fan of armor, always wearing the bare minimum even in battle, preferring to rely on her Jedi skills to keep her safe.
Done with the fitting, she moves to remove the bracelets. Folkvarthr stops her.
"No, my lady, keep those. As I said, they work like your bracers and will call your armor to you if you need it. Simply press this knot here and will your armor to you." Stepping back, he says, "Go ahead, try it."
She looks at him quizzically. "Do I not need to also be wearing one of the breast plates?"
He smiles. "No, you'll see."
She presses the knot Folkvarthr had pointed out to her and pictures her armor in her mind. Instantly scales start to build up on her arms, flowing across her chest and down over her legs. As the scales cascade over her body, those on her chest build a second layer and merge, becoming her original breast plate. The same happens for the other pieces, forming the back plate and leg protection. Anara is amazed. She looks at Thor.
"Does your armor do this too?"
Thor laughs. "Yes, but with a bit more… lightning."
Staring at her armor in wonderment, she asks, "So what do I do when the lighter armor is done? How do I choose?"
Folkvarthr chuckles and says, "You simply call for what you want or picture it in your mind. Some warriors name their armor, which you can do if you find that easier, but most just call for "light armor" or "heavy armor". You can do what you will."
Anara shakes her head, still in awe of their technology. Bowing to the Armorer, she says, "Thank you, Master Folkvarthr. I am honored to have such beautiful works of art for protection."
Folkvarthr returns the bow and escorts them back to the armory entrance, discussing with Thor the finer points of some piece of equipment she's not familiar with.
When they reach the entrance Folkvarthr says, "My lady, I will have your armor brought up to your chambers when it is finished."
Anara nods her thanks and she and Thor take their leave of the Armorer.
Walking back up to the palace through the maze of catacombs, a thought occurs to Anara.
"Thor, without a means to communicate with your friends on Midgard, won't they be alarmed if we just show up on their doorstep? From what you've told me of recent history, your sudden appearance may alarm them."
Thor considers what she's said for a moment before speaking.
"Hmmm. You are right. I had thought to have Heimdal send us straight to Stark Tower, but I see now that could be alarming to more than just Stark and anyone else there."
They walk for a while in silence, Thor still thinking about Anara's question.
"However," he muses, "SHIELD is monitoring the planet for my appearance. The one called Nick Fury said they would send a flying ship to me should I decide to appear in a more remote location. But that will still put them on guard. I suppose there is no getting around that."
Anara thinks for a moment, a flash of insight giving her an idea.
"What if there was a way to let them know we were coming and that there was no reason for alarm?"
Thor stops walking and turns to her.
"How would that be possible? We have not given them a communicator yet," he questions.
She takes his hand and starts walking again, leading him out into the sunlight on a garden path.
"I think I might have a way. I've noticed things about the ones called Hawkeye and Black Widow. You say they are human, with no special abilities like Steve Rodgers or Doctor Banner, yet my observations of them say otherwise. If they were in my world, I would think them Force-sensitive at the very least. Both exhibit skills you would find in any padawan-learner."
Anara can tell Thor's not quite following her, so she explains. "I believe I might be able to contact one of them, mind to mind, let them know we're coming and that we're not bringing danger on our heels."
Thor considers for a moment. "I believe it is worth trying."
Looking down at her, he asks, "What do you need to make this attempt?"
"I will need more time with Heimdal, observing them to determine who might be more receptive. Then I will simply need a quiet place to meditate."
"Done." Thor says to her. Taking her in his arms, he spins up Mjölnir and flies her to the Observation Tower.
Anara spends the rest of the week dividing her time between observing Hawkeye and Black Widow and finishing repairs and modifications on the communications array. She sees Thor only in the evenings when they all gather in the Mead Hall and Loki hardly at all and never at weapons practice. She's searched for him on a number of occasions using the Force, and has come up empty. When she's told Thor of her concerns, he's shrugged it off, telling her not to worry, that Loki is just sulking somewhere, still feeling guilty about nearly killing her.
When Heimdal tells her they've started final testing on the Bifrost, Anara begins her attempts to contact Thor's friends on Earth. Retreating to her favorite meditation spot, she leaves instructions with Gabrielle that she is not to be disturbed under any but the most dire circumstances. Gabrielle spreads the word to the household staff, and Thor stations guards in a discrete perimeter around her garden spot.
Settling down on her new meditation cushion – a gift from Thor, Anara takes a few deep breaths and pictures Black Widow and Hawkeye in her mind. Reaching out with the Force, she searches for their minds. Sifting past the minds on Asgard, she reaches further, looking for one of the dimensional pathways Heimdal told her exists to Midgard. Unsure of exactly what she's looking for, she decides to focus on the Bifrost itself and the testing they're doing. As she watches the Bifrost through the eyes of the Force, she begins to see how it builds the fabric of a dimensional portal and recognizes its similarities to hyperspace. Now knowing what to look for, she reaches out again past Asgard but still sees nothing. Frustrated, she abandons her search for a dimensional portal and returns to concentrating on Black Widow. Anara creates a series of images in her mind: Thor relaxing in the Mead Hall, she and Thor walking through the palace gardens, and finally, Stark Tower. Tying all of the images together, she impresses the feeling of "soon" upon them and concentrates all her will on sending them to Black Widow. Doing the same for Hawkeye, she repeats the "message" over and over, alternating between the two. Satisfied she's done what she can, she surfaces from her meditative state. The position of the sun tells her it's just past afternoon, but her other sense tell her it's at least a day later than when she started. Stretching, she moves through a quick set of forms to get her blood flowing again and heads back to her room, dismissing the guards on her way past.
Suddenly changing her mind about her destination, Anara asks one of the guards to inform Thor that she's completed her meditation and to ask him to meet her. She calls Gabrielle on her communication disk and tells her she'll be in the Mead Hall. Using the Force to find Thor, she chooses a path that will allow her to intercept him before the Mead Hall so they might have a moment in private.
Meanwhile on Earth, both Black Widow and Hawkeye have a restless night, plagued by strange dreams. They compare notes over breakfast the next morning. It doesn't take them long to realize they have had the same dream. They continue to talk about it, trying to analyze what they saw. The one thing that confuses them is the woman. They've never seen her before.
What's more intriguing to them is that she's not dressed like Thor or Loki in the over-the- top armor or medieval clothing they've come to associate with Asgardians. Instead, she reminds them of Princess Leia from the Star Wars movies with her long braided hair and simple Asian-style tunic and pants. Deciding that maybe the dream was just an odd quirk and that for some reason maybe they both miss Thor, they decide to keep it to themselves. When the same dream repeats itself over the course of the next few days, they reconsider. Something is going on, and the feeling that Thor may visit soon with the strange Jedi woman grows stronger. Natasha decides to call Agent Coulson and hope he doesn't laugh at her.