For the next couple of hours, the crews were divided up, though the Vulcans did want to follow the militaristic rules where couples did not work on the same ship but they had little ground when their commanding officers were couples.

They ended up dividing the crews into a three-shift rotation with a fourth set to step in for emergencies.

"Alright guy, I want you to take the next week and a half to get settled working together, once you are comfortable we should be ready to meet with the people of Earth, we still do not know where it will be held, so be prepared for the possibility head to Earth," Alex told them as he noticed the everyone was satisfied whit their choice of crew members.

Sam brought out the holo-emitter Karen used to look at images of planets while traveling hyperspace and used it to bring up a current map of the galaxy provided by the Asgard taken after adding a new planet to the protected planets treaty.

"Now, we want you guys to learn to work together so, for now, avoid these areas as much as possible," She highlighted nearly seventy-five percent of the galaxy in red, "This is goa'uld space, luckily this planet and earth are outside that space for now," she then highlighted several planets in blue, "Now these planets are populated by advanced populations, most are near the level where they are nearing the ability to use hyperspace travel, it's up to you to contact them but do not share technology with them, we do not want to influence their development," finally she highlighted three neighboring solar systems in yellow, "these people are on the no contact list, they are the Ashin and they are trying the slow way to take over the galaxy by sterilizing the populations of the planets they come across," she finished.

"These maps will be added to your navigational computers and a warning protocol to inform you should you get too close to the systems you shouldn't go near for now, once we finish our talks with the Earth people you guys will be deciding which galaxy you'll be working in, for those going to the pegasus galaxy you'll be meeting the people prosecuting the war with the Wraith, we currently do not have any maps on who holds what sections of the galaxy, the leading group will be expecting the crews that will help them," Alex let them know, then he began to pull out charged potentia and lining them up on a table Sam provided.

"Two per ship, managed right and between them and the neutrino ion generators and they can power the ships well beyond the ten-year agreement, especially considering your spaceports all have a maintenance and charging function," Sam told them as she indicated the brightly glowing devices.

After the engineering teams took the potentia to the ship to install them, Alex, Sam Kira, and Karen went to where Athena was waiting for them, Hermiod, standing on the loading ramp.

"We are ready to go," Hermiod announced.

'Are you sure you want me to be so far away?' Athena asked a bit of concern in her voice.

"Yeah, I know it's not something you want to hear, but you stand out as a unique ship something the goa'uld would try to take to learn how to make more like you or possibly try to take over your systems with a symbiote, if that were possible there is no telling what would happen," Alex told the living ship.

"We also want you to look after Hermiod, she is going through some changes almost like puberty, and the same will happen with the Asgard," Sam said then bopping herself on the forehead, "We need to go speak with the Nox, they may be able to help the Asgard through this."

Alex looked up with a smile; what little he knew of the Nox said they were helpful people while strictly nonviolent.

"Do you have the location of their planet?" Alex asked Sam.

"No, somehow they have kept their planet from being monitored; they may have satellites that erase the data from any probes," she answered, shoulders slumping.

Sighing, Alex nodded, " I'll go give the SGC a call and see if they will give me the address."

Walking to the Stargate to dial Earth, when he got to the DhD he found a group of Vulcans scanning the device with their omni tools.

"This device is powered by a micro fusion reactor, the materials used in its construction consist of a metallic crystalline material," one of the Vulcan spoke into his omnitool.

"It's called naqahdah, it is the primary material in ships and power systems, I'll have the mining and other data for working with it sent to you later," Alex said as he joined them, then began dialing the address for Earth, "This device is the control systems use that big ring over there," he said pointing to the stargate, "It generates an artificial wormhole," when the event horizon settled he used his omnitool to send a signal to whoever was manning the dialing computer.

'How can we help you mister Alex?' came the voice of General Hammond.

"I need the address for the Nox homeworld," Alex said into his omni tool.

'They have closed their gate as far as we know nobody can travel through to meet with them,' the General said as the symbols for the gate address to Gaia scrolled over the screen of the Omni tool.

"We know but will not be gating there we'll be going by ship," Alex answered.

'I see; I should also inform you they are pacifist; they will not allow weapons on the planet. Also, I have an update. If there are no changes, we will be able to meet with you in a week, but my superiors are requesting to meet here on Earth.'

"That's fine; our side will consist of twenty-five people, two of which will be children; just know that while we will not be armed, we can and will defend ourselves should someone on your side attempt anything we see as a hostile action."

'I understand, as do my people,' Hammond said just before the gate closed as Alex hit the red dome in the center of the DhD.

He turned away from the DhD to face the Vulcans, "Study it as you wish, but be warned that most of the people out there are primitive or hostile, or both, so if you send teams, go armed to defend yourselves."

They nodded, then turned back to their scans as he walked away to rejoin the others near Athena, "Alright, I've got the address. We should be able to use it to find the Nox homeworld." he told them as he approached.

Sam led them up the loading ramp, "The symbols are just corrodents using constellations; the Asgard map accounts for that, so it shouldn't be any trouble to get there; it's just a matter of them meeting with us."

Everyone walked onto the bridge and to their seats, except Alex who ushered Hermiod into the captain's chair, "You are going to be her acting captain so this is your place until it is time for her to return to us," he told the Asgard scientist then took Karens usual seat and put the girl in his lap to give her a better view.

Sam at the station for navigation to input the address symbols for Gaia, "Alright, I've set course to the Nox homeworld."

'Ready when you are,' Athena told them, awaiting orders from her acting captain.

Hermiod sat there for a few moments, while she knew how to command a crew as it became required during the war with the replicators, she had never in her long life assumed she would ever take such a position, "Al-Alright take us into orbit and when ready take us to Gaia," she ordered her hands automatically moving to positions in front of her as if she were moving control crystals like she would have done on a Asgard ship.

Minutes later they reached orbit and flew away from the planet below when far enough away from the planet a window for hyperspace opened in front of the ship closing behind it as soon as the ship entered, the trip was short less than two hours, marking the fact they were not far from Gaia on a galactic scale.

When the ship shot from the exit point, Hermiod called out a few orders, "Ensure all weapons are powered down, and only our navigational shields are up; once those systems are as ordered, take us into orbit and hail the surface."

'Entering orbit now, hailing on all channels,' Athena answered after she did as ordered, 'I am being scanned from the surface, I am also receiving an answer from our hails,' she reported as the scan stopped.

"Alright, let's speak to our old friends, open the channel," Hermiod ordered.

'Unknown ship, please identify yourselves and state your intentions,' a strong but calm voice came through the hidden speakers throughout the bridge.

"Greetings, I am Hermiod of the Asgard Science Council, I am here to renew contact with your people as well as ask for aid in a matter I wish to discuss with the Nox elders," Hermiod spoke up at Alexe's gesture.

'It is gratifying to hear from our old friends, we feared your people had followed the Alterans in ascension,' the voice answered, 'Please land at these coordinates,' Sam nodded as a set of coordinates flashed across the screen in front of her.

"Thank you. We shall land at this location; please inform the people we are to meet that we may not be able to detect them if they can render themselves invisible; we would not wish to harm them." Hermiod told the person she had been speaking to.

'Understood, we notice your ship is organic, we did not know your people were able to create such a ship, as you seemed to prefer purely mechanical ships.'

"We do use pure mechanical ships; I am acting as the captain of this ship for a time both to allow myself to study her as well as protect her from the goa'uld," Hermiod answered as the ship moved to the land where indicated.

'Her?'

"Yes, this ship is a biological ship named Athena by her true captain who is allowing me to study her."

'Interesting would this true captain allow our scientist to study her as well?'

Alex shrugged and then pointed to the ceiling, indicating that it was Athena's choice, "That will be up to Athena; her true captain sees her as an individual able to make her own choices."

'I don't mind as long as whoever is sent follows my directions should I request them not to enter certain rooms,' Athena answered, allowing both sides to hear her reply.

'Thank you, Athena, our emissary will meet you soon,' the person said before ending the connection just as the landing struts touched the ground.

"Alright, let's go await our guides," Alex said, standing, then moved Karen to his hip.

They moved to the loading ramp as it lowered, and when they set foot on the ground they looked around marveling at the forest surrounding the place they had landed, after five minutes of admiring the beauty of nature around them a short man with wild hair that looked as if it had leaves and other pieces of nature growing atop his head.

Once he was sure they had seen him, he crossed his arms over his chest and gave a short bow, "Greetings Hermiod, I am Opher; please follow me."

Hermiod returned his actions, "Greetings Opher, these are Alexander, his mate Samantha, their daughter Karen, and their companion Kira."

Opher smiled at them, noticing Samantha resembled the female from Terra, but kept his peace and gestured for them to follow him to the camp where his family kept watch over the Stargate for those that came from time to time hunting for the creatures most sought to harm believing they were naturally able to render themselves invisible.

They moved through the forest, all the while admiring the plants and a few animals that moved through the forest without fearing the humanoids; Alex and Sam had noticed they had walked in a circle several times but said nothing, knowing that this was a test the Nox used to judge people they met with.

For nearly thirty minutes they followed Opher who used his mental abilities to scan the group until he brushed Alex's mind after touching Hermiod's to know that she was indeed of the Asgard, 'Nothing more than a brush, myself, Sam, and Karen have natural mental barriers that can and will harm someone delving too deeply,'

Opher indeed felt the three minds were protected beyond anything he had felt before. Not even the collective minds of his people could generate a mental shield, he felt; the last mind he felt was that of Kira, and while she did not have shields like her companions, the speed at which her thoughts moved made it nearly impossible for him to glimpse more than fleeting images.

As they neared the camp Opher sent all he gathered to the others, Lya, Anteaus, and Neferyu, and warned them to not try to read their minds, after his roundabout way to the camp to test their patients he was satisfied that none showed inpatients, smiling he introduced his family, both group giving and receiving the traditional gesture of greeting.

After pleasantries were exchanged, they spent several hours explaining why they had come; Alex let Hermiod explain the recent troubles the Asgard had been through, and she finished by saying.

"While my people have been or are being healed we have been informed by Alex here that we are going to be entering a puberty-like state, he suggested we ask you the Nox to help in a fashion, I am guessing he wanted to know if your people can help us learn to handle our returning emotional after so many years with them being muted," she finished.

Opher exchanged glances with the other Nox, and then he looked in the direction of the Nox city that hovered over the giant forest; he spoke after giving a slight nod.

"We will help in any way possible, would the Asgard allow some of our people to reside in the forest?" Opher asked.

"We would welcome those that would come to our aid," Hermiod answered after sending a message to the council to inform them of the offer and request and receiving an answer.

"You should know that Othala is also housing another race known as Vulcan, although they are an advanced race they are not as technologically advanced as both your races, but they do have space travel just nothing on the level you both have if you wish you may aid them but I ask you to allow them to develop with just a nudge here or there, I must warn you that they are a logical people but try not to delve too deeply into their minds for they can and do have some very violent primal minda that they lock away behind the mental discipline called Kolinhar, most only reach the level where they can suppress emotions and a few can fully purge themselves of emotion but even then a foreign assault could shatter their discipline, so if you wish to establish mental contact let them lead the process as they know their minds best on an individual level," Alex told the Nox knowing it was their nature to read the minds they meet to know how the people they do interact with will act.

Opher again nodded, "We shall follow this advice, though I must ask if they are not as advanced, why do you interact with them as you appear to be from a race similar to the Alterans?"

Alex smiled, "We, " he gestured to himself, Sam Kira, and Karen, "Travel realities as easily as stepping through a door when visiting a reality

for something I thought useful, a being similar to the ascended Alterans asked us to establish a colony for the Vulcans here; there are two colonies; one is on Othala, and the other is here," he told them while using his omnitool to show the gate address of the planet he had chosen as a base.

Lya then looked at Sam, "You resemble a woman that came through the astria porta recently, Does the ability to travel between realities explain this?"

Sam nodded, "Yes, I am Samantha Carter, but I am different than the one you know of," she then explained her situation, only keeping that she was a clone out of the explanation.

"Do you intend to supply advanced technology to your' sister'?"

"Nothing too advanced, at most what we are going to help them with things no more than ten years more advanced than they have now, and most of that is in defensive things such as armor and a new energy production technology that uses the immense pressure of the core of a planet to convert the pressure to a form of electricity,"

"Are you not concerned that you will disrupt their growth by doing this?" Lya asked.

Sam shook her head, "No, what we are offering to give them is nearly out of the research stages; we feel they are ready for these things; the most advanced we may give them will be a ship, but it cannot travel beyond the solar system."

"Will that not influence them?"

"No, though they do not travel by ship anymore they did for thirty years travel beyond their home planet via ship until they decided that it would be too expensive to send people beyond their moon but they do have probes that have gone beyond the edges of their solar system, what we will give them will at its highest speed take days to travel to their nearest planetary neighbor, we are hoping that giving them the ship it will keep them busy exploring their solar system for a time."

"Why would you slow their advancement traveling space although they have the Austria porta?"

"Do you know a planet named Argosia?" Alex asked and received a nod.

"We know of that planet, such a beautiful people to live such short lives," Lya said with a sad smile.

"That group that came here visited the planet recently and found what was causing them to live such short lives and removed it, now they have normal lifespans which was nice of them but they did not help them transition, those people are children in adult bodies, this is another reason I wished to meet with the Nox, would your people be able to spend the time to teach them what it means to live beyond one hundred days and age slowly along with childcare," Alex explained.

Again Opher looked into the distance, "What aid are you asking from us on their behalf?" he asked after a few moments.

"Nothing above their current level of development, while you may have some trouble teaching the adults as their minds are what's considered above the age to learn the children will learn faster, and eventually within maybe twenty to thirty years they will no longer need your teachings as the now children will be able to pass on the knowledge themselves, mostly they need to know how to grow their food items more efficiently it's mostly the child care I'm concerned of," Alex to them.

"So you do not wish us to raise them beyond farming, child care, and self-education?" Lya asked to clarify, and Alex nodded his confirmation.

He then turned to Hermiod, "I would recommend some Asgard to join in the childcare classes, then spread it among yourselves."

"We will send some as I understand we will be needing it soon," she said with a laugh in her voice as she read the answer to her query, " It appears some of my people who have gone through the healing process fell prey to their urges and are now pregnant."

This shocked the group, "How? I would think it would take weeks for that to happen." Alex exclaimed.

"The first group to study the device you loaned us to heal our damaged DNA remained inside the room with a matter converter to supply food and water, while observing the process several fell to their hormones, the first natural born Asgard in over a thousand year will be borne in nine and a half months," she answered with a smile.

Alex was shocked at her answer, "Well that's good to hear," he said.

Hermiod nodded with a smile, "It is a great day for my people we were beginning to prepare for the end and now we will grow as a people again, though the future children may slow our scientific growth I doubt that will depress my people in any appreciable way considering we now have a future."

Opher smiled, after hearing that another of their old friends was close to disappearing just as the Furling and Alteran people had millions of years ago he and his people felt a deep sadness, but now the Asgard had a future, the elder of the Nox had agreed to aid their old friends as well as the people of Argosia.

"Our elders have agreed to aid the Asgard as well as the Argosians," Opher told them after the council sent their message.

"That's great, now onto why, I and my group are here," Alex explained about their traveling and that they sometimes took jobs to uplift a people or depose tyrants, when he got to the part about where they were going to be working against the goa'uld the Nox kept a strictly neutral expression; he knew they disapproved of interfering with other people, but even the goa'uld had recently begun to push even their patients, especially after the death of Ra a few years ago.

"We can not and will not aid in such actions, teaching the Argosians and helping the Asgard will be pushing the neutrality we hold, the reason we will help is that you have not asked us to uplift the Argosians and we are bound to old agreements to aid the Asgard, and though we dislike how the goa'uld have been acting no Nox will help in causing the loss of life no matter how we detest their actions," Anteaus stated as Opher continued to confer with the elders over the things Alex told them and what they will be doing with the goa'uld.

"We know the Nox tries to stay strictly neutral, and we will not ask you to break that neutrality beyond being teachers or healers," Sam said with a smile.

Lya nodded, "We can agree to that,"

When Alex noticed the sun was setting, he turned to the group, "We must be going soon. The group we have put together to help with the goa'uld, as well as other extragalactic threats may be good people, but they are still learning," he told the Nox standing followed by the others.

"Will they need our aid in learning?" Lya asked.

"Not for some time, they are adjusting to some changes, in time a few months a few may come to you to learn from you on energy manipulation as well as your healing method, nothing more than healing we are from a culture that believes in death being a path to a new life so I will ask you not to teach any of my people the revival method you use," Alex told the Nox woman.

As a group, they left the camp, Kira carrying the sleeping Karen, "Do your people have a power source to allow you to dial an extragalactic address?" Hermiod asked while they walked.

"We do, though we rarely use the Stargate to travel, preferring our ships. We can dial Othala," Opher answered as they reached the clearing Athena had landed in, to find her in her resting state.

Hermiod picked up a piece of fallen bark and used a piece of twig to score the inside of the bark with the address for Othala on it until the dark of the bark was visible through the lighter inside.

Opher took the bark, nodding with a small smile, "We shall contact the Asgard in a few days; a small group is being gathered to travel to Argos. They should be ready by the morning," Opher relayed the message from elders.

"Athena will be with Hermiod either on the planet we are using as a base or on Othala; you will need to schedule the time with her to study Athena," Alex said as he handed over a piece of paper with the address he created as well.

"We look forward to meeting a new race," Lya said as she took the address this time.

"They will appreciate meeting the Nox as well, they are vegetarian people by choice just so you know that you will not offend them by offering them fruits or vegetables if you wish to trade with them, which reminds me I need to put together some greenhouses both for foodstuff and flowers and bees for honey," Alex told them as well as remembering that the Vulcans preferred fresh over replicated.

Sam smiled, "You can see if the Earth people can provide the materials during our meeting with them, the colony on Othala can provide supplies to last a week or so."

Alex nodded, "Yeah, we'll ask them when we get back to base," he said, then stopped to let the Nox watch as Athena shifted from rest mode to flight mode.

"Impressive, although our ships are organic they do not have the functions capable of allowing to shift forms," Anteaus stated in awe.

"She comes from a race that are shapeshifters as well as psychics; they statted similarly to you with their ships, growing them like coral until their bioengineering reached a point where they created living ships with intolerance and the ability to morph on a whim to suit their captains," Alex told them.

"We have not needed to advance our ship growth in centuries, would it be agreeable to study her biological components to see if they can be added to our ships?" Opher asked, showing his interest in the living ship, considering in his youth, he once traveled the stars on a ship but that was nearly four hundred years ago.

"That is up to her; while she is our ship, we do not truly control her. She has free will like any free-living being," Sam answered as she took Karen from Kira to give her arms a rest.

'I don't mind as long as nobody tries to harm me in their study,' Athena said through a speaker near the loading ramp.

The Nox nodded in agreement as harming any lifeform was abhorrent to them, "That is understandable," Lya said.

"Well we will be going now, you have our addresses feel free to send a delegation to us to meet whenever you wish, while we won't always be there the Vulcan people will be there," Alex told them as Sam with Karen in her arms followed by Kira and Hermiod walked up the ramp.

"We look forward to meeting them," Opher told him. Then the Nox gave their customary crossed arms and bow, which Alex returned before turning to join the others on the bridge.

The four Nox watched as Athena lifted off with barely a sound or disturbance in the air until she was above the trees, where the ship shot into the sky and out of the atmosphere with only a sonic boom once she was in the clouds.

On the bridge of Athena Alex watched as Sam opened the door to the house to put Karen in her bed, "Well that went well but I feel that if we asked for more than help with teaching the Argosians or the Asgards need of help in raising the next generation as well as understanding the changes you all have forgotten, the Nox would have refused to help," he told Hermiod as he took a seat and watched the skies as athena took off into outer space.

Hermione nodded from the captain's seat, "I agree; where are we going now?"

"Back to the base. Like I said, those people aren't bad, but chaos follows some of them like puppies looking for their master's attention, Xander is a good example of that," Alex answered as he watched the stars grow brighter in the view screen, as he explained how chaos seems to follow Xander, " well at least it did before he joined us."

As Athena took over navigation and set course, she spoke to them, 'The Noc seem nice. Do you think they can create a ship similar to myself?'

"It is possible with the help of the scans I have already taken, they were second only to the Alteran people in bioengineering, we Asgard failed to reach their level even though we were best amongst the Great Alliance with technology our cloning was based on shared knowledge, the Furling people were best to seek when it came to weapons," Hermiod answered adding a few details about the four races of the alliance.

Coming out of hyperspace twenty minutes later Athena entered the atmosphere slowly, as usual allowing them to look down on the large continent that held the Stargate, it was a beautiful world that had been reclaimed by nature after the replicators either killed or drove off the humans and went into hibernation, Alex had Athena fly over the Vulcan settlement to see how it had been set up and was surprised to find large plots of land set up to grow food vegetables within walking distance from the settlement.

"Well, I guess we won't need as many greenhouses as I thought, I'll still get one to use to house a few bee hives for honey," Alex said as he watched several dozen Vulcans working to plant seeds or roots to grow their food.

"I think they were able to contact the colony on Othala and ask for some aid without our help," Kira said as she, too, watched a line of Vulcans walking toward the location of the Stargate.

At the Stargate stood the groups of otherworlders and their crews, along with a group of healed Asgard who were talking as a small group worked on the DhD. Alex assumed they were adding a power source to allow intergalactic dialing.

Athena landed near the ten ships, allowing them to see a few teams studying them as well. Luckily, none were standing in the spot Athena used as her landing spot.

Sam joined them as they landed, "Karen's in bed, not sure how long she'll sleep, but Misty will come get one of us when she wakes up."

The four exited Athena to allow her to return to her resting state, then walked to one of the groups of Asgard studying the ships, one of the Asgard turned at their approach, "Greetings, we have been contacted by the Nox council, they will be sending a team to help us adjust in two days."

"That was fast but welcome news," Alex said then pointed to the ship they were standing under, "Do you think they will stand up to a goa'uld pyramid ship?"

"Most definitely, though we were surprised to find the ship's systems were hybridized between some of our technology and that of the Alterans," the Asgard answered then he looked back up to the ship, "In some ways they are more advanced than our ships the only item of concern we see are the nacelles that appear to be part of the propulsion systems."

"They are the main propulsion systems, these ships are designed from an Earth fiction about explorers who designed those to aid in the creation of a gravimetric bubble to warp space to reach FTL speeds if they are damaged beyond repair they eject themselves from the ship should they be deemed a possible source of destruction of the ship but with the systems I've put into the ships they now act as heavy phaser platforms," Alex answered pleased that the Asgard did not seem displeased that he had used some of their tech in the ships.

"Would it be agreeable to have some of our people study these ships when in action?" the Asgard asked.

"You need to speak to their captains about that. While I am essentially their commander, they are who choose the crew members or who will board their ship."

"I see we shall inquire about that soon. We've not boarded the ships as of yet, but our scans give us some indication that the hybrid systems may outclass some of our own."

Alex nodded understanding that with the war lasting so long, the Asgard had not improved many of their tech beyond weapons or armaments to a degree to combat the replicators.

"What of the ships I left with Thor, some of the systems on those ships are similar to what are in these ships but use different technology trees?" he asked.

"While we are studying them we do not understand them enough to test them as of yet, but these ships use the technology we are familiar with."

"Ah, that does make sense; as I said, talk to the captains about allowing some of your people aboard; just remember that these ships will be going into possible hostile space soon," Alex reminded him of the fact that the captains were brought here to combat the goa'uld and wraith threats soon.

Nodding, the Asgard returned his attention to the scanning device he was using to study the ship, shrugging Aex led his group to the group of otherworlder's Vulcans and Asgard.

"Thanks for upgrading our Stargate to allow intergalactic dialing, we know you've done this to allow the two Vulcan colonies to remain in contact with each other but it will also allow us to send our teams to help with the wraith problem in Pegasus," Xander was saying when Alex and the rest neared shocking them as they hadn't know he could speak with a formal tone.

"We are glad to help. Alexander has saved our people twice already, and we fear we, the Asgard, will never be able to repay the debt we owe," the lead Asgard said with a respectful nod of his head in Alex's direction.

"I was glad to be able to help your people, I've seen universes where the Asgard fell to the replicators now allowing you to find a way to fix their DNA, without the Asgard holding the replicators back they spread throughout the local galactic cluster destroying everything in their way," Alex told them as he came to a stop beside Xander.

After that they spoke over their plans, Alex telling Xander to spread the word to the others that some Asgard would want to join their crews to study the ships and their systems.

"I don't see that as a problem for the ships that won't be going into battle like Hermione, she and her sister's captain will most likely take on a support role as well as research and development I'll recommend the Asgard seek them out," Xander said with a nod.

"Okay, well you guys have five days to train with the ship before I want to go to Earth a day or two before we meet with the SGC, I want to use that day to scout a location where we can use a base to set up a company to build and sale things just better than what they currently have," Alex told them receiving nods from the Milky way captains.

While Alex was speaking with Xander, the Asgard spokesman went to speak with Hermione and her sister's captain; from what Alex saw from the corner of his eye, they were able to reach an agreement on allowing some Asgard to join their crews to both help when needed as well as study the ship.

Once everything was settled they all split up into their respective groups to retire for the night, Karen who had woken up sometime earlier was with Sam and Cordelia who were playing with the baby, which caused Alex to mentally facepalm as he still had not asked the childs name was, he turned to ask Xander only to find the young man had moved away to speak with one of the Vulcan science officers that would join his crew.