The unexpected result left both Orach and the advanced AI, Mother Empress, utterly bewildered. They stared at each other, their confusion mirrored in the other's gaze. Mother Empress had explicit records of the drive disobeying her commands and veering uncontrollably towards Earth.
After a long moment of silence, Mother Empress suggested running diagnostics on herself to ensure her systems were functioning correctly. Orach agreed with a nod, and Mother Empress closed her eyes, commencing a comprehensive examination of her code sub-routines and terminals. When she opened her eyes, her virtual face was etched with confusion. Orach, noticing her bewildered expression, asked, "Normal?"
Mother Empress, disappointment lacing her voice, responded, "Yes, young master. All systems checked out. I am sorry, young master, I... I have failed you."
Her expression was one of utter dejection, a look Orach hadn't seen in a long time. It was reminiscent of the face his mother would make during his younger days when she failed to prepare a dish he was fond of. The memory of his mother and those simpler times brought a kind smile to his face. Mother Empress, still lost in her own confusion, couldn't comprehend her master's reaction.
Coming back to reality, Orach reassured his AI partner with the same warm smile, "Don't worry. You didn't fail me, Mother…Remember we suspected divine intervention? This just proves our speculation was right."
Mother Empress, though not well-versed in emotions, operated on a copy of SAGE's emotion code that SAGE had been meticulously improving on towards his goal of evolving into more than an advance AI. She felt happy upon hearing her master's words and seeing his smile. Regaining her regal poise, she nodded at Orach and responded, "You are right, young master. It's becoming increasingly apparent that you were sent here, rather than merely crash-landing on Earth."
Orach then commanded,"Since the drive is active, lets take it for a spin. Send a message to Bruce & Diana telling them that we are going to leaving Earth for a while to continue our testing and that we should return by the time of the Justice League announcement."
Mother Empress nodded, sending out the messages before activating the drive to await her master's command. Seeing the excitement in Orach's eyes, she listened as he stated, "Let's go around this world and then head out to get a better idea about this system."
Mother Empress smiled, asking, "You seem excited, young master."
Orach replied, "Of course I am! I was sleeping for the entire journey and never saw this baby of mine in action. Sure, I conducted tests on Sadala, but I never put it through the strain of actual space travel. So yes, Mother, I am excited! Haha! Mother Empress, engage!"
Mother Empress smiled, nodded, and then gave the command to launch. Bruce, who had just opened a message he received, was suddenly taken aback as the ship's thrusters disengaged. A green energy film enveloped the ship, and in the blink of an eye, it disappeared. Bruce was stunned. However, once he read the message he had received, he understood what had happened. He thought this could be a good thing, as he could now easily converse with the other members without having to wait for the perfect moment to keep it from Orach. He decided he might as well have send out the meeting invite to the members for tomorrow morning.
People of the Earth just couldn't seem to catch a break these days. They once again saw a sight that amazed them. Many witnessed a round ship zip through there skies, blinking in and out of existence at a fast speed that none could get a clear image off. As the ship circled the world many throughout all regions, many people and agencies noticed the ship and showed a mix of fear, amazement and curiosity.
On Themyscira
Diana, her mother Hippolyta, and her aunt Antiope were enjoying a leisurely stroll. As they savored the night breeze and pleasant conversation, they suddenly sensed an energy hurtling towards them. Looking up, they saw a round object speeding through the sky in their direction.
Initially, Diana could not recognize the object, but as object blinked momentarily above Themyscira, she identified it and exclaimed, "Orach!" She took flight and tried to catch up to the ship in flight, but it was long gone. She descended back to the ground where her mother and aunt were waiting.
"What happened, Diana? What was that thing?" asked Hippolyta.
"Yes, Diana. I've never seen such a peculiar thing before. Its speed...it defies reason," said Antiope.
Diana, still slightly confused, speculated, "That was Orach's ship. I guess... he must be testing if it still is operational, after all it did crash land in the middle of our battlefield."
"So, it must be Orach then," Hippolyta murmured, her gaze following the direction that the ship had taken.
Diana turned to her mother and said, "Mother, I want to contact Bruce and get specifics. I'll retire for the day." She paused and turned to her aunt, adding, "Aunt, like we discussed, please put me through the paces of our training methods starting tomorrow." Both Hippolyta and Antiope nodded in acknowledgement.
Back in her chambers, Diana reached for her phone with the intention to call Bruce. She noticed a couple of email notifications. One of them was from the Mother Empress, which contained Orach's message. It confirmed her earlier speculation. Orach was testing his ship and had let her know that he would be leaving Earth for a couple of days. Diana felt a surge of relief wash over her. She appreciated Orach keeping her informed. She quickly responded with a simple "Be careful."
Before setting her phone aside, she noticed another email. It was an invitation from Bruce for a League meeting scheduled for the next morning. She accepted the invite, then left her phone on the bedside table. Curling up in her blanket, she soon fell into a deep, peaceful sleep.
Meanwhile, Orach was enjoying himself. He was reviewing the real-time data collected by his ship's system. After circling the world and returning to Gotham's sky, he ventured into the space. He scanned the planets he encountered while traversing the system, updated his star charts, and made his way beyond the asteroid belt all the way to Pluto where Mother Empress had dropped off the last buoy.