Inside the Pioneer's main control room, Osiris listened to Grace's request via the real-time communication feed. He immediately discerned the true intent beneath the female scientist's superficial offer of cooperation: supervision and protection.
Had Jake Sully made a similar demand, Osiris would have refused without hesitation or even deployed harsher countermeasures. But toward Dr. Augustine, his approach was entirely different.
Grace was fundamentally distinct from Jake. She was not betraying humanity; she was merely an idealistic scientist whose core objective was to avoid conflict and seek peaceful coexistence, even remaining willing to pay with her life. Her obstinacy stemmed from a profound respect for knowledge and biology, rather than personal desire or a renunciation of her own species.
While this stance conflicted with Osiris's principles of absolute efficiency and human prioritization, it at least lacked malicious betrayal. Her motives were understandable to a degree. Consequently, Osiris harbored no animosity toward Grace, feeling instead a disagreement with her idealism alongside a measure of limited respect for her professional capabilities. Allowing her to join the research offered far more benefits than drawbacks.
Her expertise could accelerate the research into Hometree and Eywa's consciousness field. Simultaneously, placing her under surveillance would better contain this variable, preventing her from interfering with his plans from the outside.
"Granted," Osiris's voice transmitted into Rei Ayanami's ear over the encrypted channel. "Allow Dr. Augustine to participate in non-core phases of the research as an advisor. Grant her access to select external data that does not involve critical technology. Ensure all her activities remain under our surveillance."
Rei Ayanami received the directive and nodded to the waiting Grace. "Acknowledged, Dr. Augustine. We welcome your expertise. You may join as a research advisor and share select observational data."
Grace breathed a slight sigh of relief. This was at least a beginning—a first step toward safeguarding Hometree up close. "Thank you," she said, the vigilance in her eyes not entirely fading, but reinforced by a quiet determination to fulfill her duty.
Thus, a delicate research alliance was forged. Within the tightly controlled research sector of the exploration squad, the non-destructive analysis of Hometree officially commenced. Dr. Grace Augustine participated with the mindset of a protector, while Osiris calmly exploited her knowledge, ensuring everything remained beneath his absolute control as he advanced steadily toward unraveling Pandora's mysteries and reshaping its future according to his own will.
Hometree remained securely contained inside the pocket-dimension cube replica; Osiris did not release it to conduct his analysis. This technological artifact, sourced from his original body, was immensely powerful but possessed strict limitations: its stabilized internal pocket dimension could only be deployed once and could not sustain biological life. However, this did not impede his ability to perform an exhaustive analysis of the sacred tree.
Within a high-specification laboratory explicitly cordoned off inside the Pioneer, Osiris removed his signature Tartaros-pattern Terminator power armor. Utilizing his psychic power, he precisely compressed and altered his massive Astartes physique, reshaping his external appearance into that of a sharp-featured Asian youth around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with dark hair and dark eyes. Wearing a simple, dark laboratory uniform, he introduced himself as "Dr. Osiris." This alteration allowed him to integrate seamlessly into a scientific environment, mitigating unnecessary intimidation.
The faintly luminous dimensional cube rested on an isolation platform in the center of the laboratory. Osiris did not open the dimensional gateway; instead, he practicedly connected several slender cables woven from exotic metallic filaments to specific energy nodes on the cube's chassis. The opposite ends of these cables fed into a dizzyingly complex array of analytical instruments.
Dr. Grace Augustine was permitted entry to observe the laboratory operations. She watched Osiris's movements with an intense mix of curiosity and scrutiny. She noted that this "Dr. Osiris" moved with absolute precision and efficiency, without a single wasted gesture, appearing intimately familiar with a suite of technological equipment that operated far beyond her own understanding.
"We do not need to enter the interior," Osiris explained without looking up, his voice measured and calm—strikingly distinct from the deep, authoritative baritone he projected while armored. "By leveraging dimensional interface resonance, we can indirectly scan every structural detail inside, from macro-morphology down to molecular arrangements."
As he initiated the diagnostic sequence, torrents of telemetry surged across the primary display monitors. A remarkably complex, hyper-detailed three-dimensional model of Hometree began assembling at astonishing speed. Not merely the contours of the trunk and branches, but the intricate vein networks of the foliage, microbial colonies nestled within the bark fissures, and the core material compositions of the deeper root structures and suspended rock mass were being sequentially decoded and modeled.
Staring at the digital projection of Hometree—which appeared completely dissected yet flawlessly reconstructed on the monitor—Grace could not suppress a low gasp of astonishment. "My god... this is practically a miracle. I have never seen, let alone imagined, a non-invasive scanning technology with this level of resolution and efficiency. It completely eclipses any known quantum imaging or deep-penetration scanning arrays currently in existence!"
Her gaze turned to Osiris, heavily laden with shock and intense curiosity. "Dr. Osiris, who... what organization do you actually represent? Are you an offshoot of Earth's Weyland-Yutani Corporation? Or perhaps a black-budget research division of Titan Mining? A technological capability of this magnitude cannot possibly remain anonymous!"
When the name "Weyland-Yutani" left Grace's mouth, Osiris's fingers, poised over the input console, paused for a fraction of a microsecond. The designation pierced his consciousness like discordant noise. Within the memory fragments transmitted by his original body regarding various potential realities, this megacorporation existed in a specific cosmic quadrant defined by extreme xenomorph threats and grim, absolute cosmic dark. It had no business intersecting with this comparatively "temperate" world of Pandora.
Yet, his expression remained perfectly placid. He simply raised his head, looked at Grace, and offered a calm denial. "We do not belong to any Earth enterprise you just mentioned, Dr. Augustine. The 'Seekers of Knowledge' operate as an independent scientific entity." Deflecting the inquiry seamlessly, he shifted the focus back to the phrase he had just flagged. "However, the Weyland-Yutani Corporation you mentioned—do they maintain active operations on this planet as well?"
Grace shook her head, her focus successfully redirected. "Weyland? No. Their primary theater seems to center on deep-space exploration and advanced biotechnology. They show minimal interest in worlds like Pandora that harbor indigenous sapient life. Or rather, their specific interests tend to be far more... radical. At least to my knowledge, the RDA has never had dealings with them. Though I will admit, the synthetics they produce are of exceptional quality."