+1 King of Asgard

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor really should have no right to be as cheery as he is right now. Mjolnir destroyed, his father dead, his eye ruined, Asgard exploded, the last of his people crammed together onto a single spaceship on their way to seek aslyum on Midgard, one cannot really say they've been having a good day, to put it mildly.

But it could be worse.

It's taken him years to fully understand what it means to sit on the throne of Asgard, and now that kingship falls to him at last, the lack of that throne doesn't bother him at all. Asgard isn't a place to rule, it's a people to guide. And even if they couldn't save all of them, those who remain are precious to him. A new start awaits them all on Earth.

Or so he hopes.

Thor strides down the corridor of the Statesman, cape billowing behind him as he navigates his way towards the bridge. Hmm. Or was it this way? It's so easy to get turned around in this blasted thing. But ah, the sound of a multitude of voices; surely this is the way.

It takes him a moment to realize that he's no longer surrounded by Asgardians, or even Korg's crew. No, the people here are of all shapes and sizes, and the sky above him suddenly opens up, wide and blue. Not on a spaceship anymore. How very strange to find himself suddenly transported across the galaxy - again - without so much as being shot through the Bifrost. His attention is caught by a familiar voice, and despite his confusion, a delighted grin lights upon his countenance to see his good friend Rogers giving prerecorded messages in his battle regalia.

Perhaps this is Midgard, then? But no, the more he listens, the more he understands. A place between the worlds, hmm. A place to seek counsel, and befriend countless warriors from across the universe. Thor crosses his arms over his chest, and contemplates what question he should ask. Something somewhat relevant to his current situation, perhaps. "If you were put in a position of power, what would you first command?"

Comments

[ottershawastronomer]

Ogilvy's nervous smile turns into an outright grin. "I'm not an expert on mythology, I'll have you know, but I read a lot when I was a boy. The tales of Asgard weren't unfamiliar to me. Never knew about the part about you coming from space, though."

[pirateangelbaby]

"Yes, that part seems to have become forgotten over the centuries," Thor agrees easily, pleased to see the nervousness leave Ogilvy's posture. Having people awed of him is one thing. Fear is an entirely other matter, and after seeing what evils Hela reveled in, Thor never wants anyone but his mortal enemies to fear him.

"Or perhaps it was not understood in the first place. Midgard's come a long way since the Jotun War, as have its people."

[ottershawastronomer]

"It's 1900 in my world, when I left," Ogilvy explains. "We've come some way, though we're nowhere near as far along in technology as you must be. I'm assuming your magic has a physical basis - I'm a scientist. Until recently, I didn't believe in magic at all." He still wonders if there's a more down-to-earth explanation, but he isn't sure how that would work.

"Jotun War?" Ogilvy's curious again at the unfamiliar word. "Who are Jotuns? Are they from space, too?"

[pirateangelbaby]

An unsurprising conclusion to draw - Jane had been much the same, and Thor gives a similar answer. "What you call science, your ancestors would have called magic." It may not be a satisfactory answer, but Jane was never satisfied with his explanations either, her frame of reference too different from his own to fully reconcile happily.

It's quaint, isn't it, how humans so often refer to things as being 'from space' as if their own planet was not. Thor smiles at the thought, not so much at the subject of discussion. "Frost giants, from the realm of Jotunheim. They invaded Midgard fifteen centuries past, starting with a land called Norway. My father led the charge to repel them from your borders."

[ottershawastronomer]

Ogilvy didn't understand the Martians' technology, either, but maybe humans would get a chance to study it in the future. He had hoped they would choose to share their wondrous technology with humankind, but that didn't happen, of course. It was a terrible disappointment, since Ogilvy had believed humans and Martians could teach each other.

"I suppose your ancestors must've made an impression on us if we wrote stories about you and thought you were gods." Ogilvy wonders if there was only one interacton between Thor's people and humankind. Probably more than one - Thor seemed familiar with Ogilvy's people. "Before the Martians came, we hadn't met people from other planets in my country." He was honestly surprised the Martians chose Surrey. His guess was that it was chance, though they easily could have landed in the Channel or the Atlantic Ocean instead.

[pirateangelbaby]

"I should hope so!" Thor says with a laugh. "Having legends to reference, misinterpreted as they might have been, made proving my identity much easier several years ago. Our long absence led many to believe we never existed, but I don't think your people would have advanced so far with us looming over them." No, that kind of direct rule is far more dictatorial than Thor's liking.

[ottershawastronomer]

"I only hope we can handle the Martians on our own. I fear their intelligence and technological prowess are far greater than anything humanity is capable of." Ogilvy has no family or children, but he knows people who do, and he's afraid for their safety if the situation in his Surrey escalated. "They came to my planet in huge metal cylinders, and they have heat-rays that can light things - people, too - on fire from a distance. That's what they used on my diplomatic team."

[pirateangelbaby]

"Energy weapons." One of the more dishonorable ways to subjugate a civilization that has no defense against it, but then, Thor has seen plenty of dishonorable things done in war. It's never as clean and clear-cut as the stories make it seem. "Perhaps in this place, you might find technology to mount a defense. If it truly connects to as many worlds as Rogers says, the possibilities are quite open."

[ottershawastronomer]

Ogilvy isn't a soldier. He's a scientist, and pretty close to a pacifist. The last thing he wanted before the invasion was a war with Mars, but it looked like war would be inevitable and it was the Martians' fault. Ogilvy and the others wanted peace, and Ogilvy especially did everything he could.

He sighs. "I don't have a military background, so I'm not sure how useful I can be, assuming I can even get home. Who is this Rogers character? A friend of yours?"

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor's eye goes to the large video screen overlooking this part of the Plaza, Captain America endlessly giving his speech on loop, and he nods to it. "Steven Rogers, a friend and ally of mine. Though who can say if he is the one I know or not," he adds, still weirded out by the idea. "On several occasions, we have defended the Earth together. If you can find him here, he may be of great help - he knows your planet and its people far better than I."

[ottershawastronomer]

"Where I come from, our moving pictures are still in black and white, like our photographs." Ogilvy turns to the screen, figuring that the man in strange clothing in the moving picture must have been Steve Rogers. He seemed friendly enough, even if his choice of dress was unconventional. Then again, Ogilvy's formal clothes probably were more than a little strange in the Nexus. "The advice he gives has certainly been useful. I'm very grateful for the kindness the people here in the Nexus have shown me, yourself included. Makes me a feel a little less lost."

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor smiles at the gratitude, though he doesn’t revel in it quite as much as he would’ve a decade or so ago. “We’re Avengers. Helping others is part of the job.”

[ottershawastronomer]

Ogilvy thinks over the name. "Avengers. Not a terribly friendly-sounding organization, but you can't judge a book by its cover, pardon the cliche."

[pirateangelbaby]

"Hmm, no, you can't," Thor agrees thoughtfully. "But a first impression helps. Our first battle as a team was defending New York City against the Chitauri army - another species you would call alien," he adds, fairly certain Ogilvy won't have heard of them.

[ottershawastronomer]

"Chitauri. They sound a little like our Martians." Ogilvy raises an eyebrow after sounding out the name. "They invaded New York City? As in America?" He's never been to America, but he's talked to some American astronomers. "And you fought them off?"

[pirateangelbaby]

"Yes, through a great portal in the sky. We Avengers fought together to dismantle their army and close the doorway so no more could come. There were only six of us at the time," he adds, "all humans except myself."

[ottershawastronomer]

"A portal in the sky." Well, that was different from the Martians' invasion methods. "The Martians came in huge metal cylinders that they fired off of Mars, like bullets from a gun. I was the first one to see one of their craft."

[pirateangelbaby]

It's not Asgard tech, but Thor's familiar enough with the type of technology Ogilvy describes. "Missiles, yes. Primitive but effective, far more easily accessible than our propulsion magics. Earth uses similar techs at the moment, though Stark has probably made leaps ahead in that area."

[ottershawastronomer]

Ogilvy has some questions. "Who is Stark? Is he another friend of yours? I don't believe I've met him." From the sound of him Stark is more of a technician or inventor than a scientist, a field that is not Ogilvy's. His invention skill doesn't go beyond telescopes and star maps.

[pirateangelbaby]

Thor nods, totally at ease discussing his brothers-in-arms. “Tony Stark, though when the Avengers are at work, he is called Iron Man. An Earthborn inventor of extensive means and advanced intelligence. He is responsible for a great deal of recent advancement in Earth technology, including the flying suit of armor he wears into combat. You would know him if you had met,” he adds, a note of humor underscoring his words. “He enjoys being a noticeable presence wherever he goes, and often succeeds.”

[ottershawastronomer]

"A showman, eh? There was a gentleman from my world named Sir Raymond Stent, and I think he wa a little like your Mr. Stark. He had an, uh, presence, and was a brilliant scientist. The Astronomer Royal." Ogilvy wonders if this Tony Stark fellow and Stent would get along, or if their larger-than-life personalities would clash. Stent wasn't unpleasant or anything, but he did like giving orders.

But Stent didn't fight, and he didn't wear powered armor. As far as Ogilvy knew, armor wasn't really used in battle anymore. Maybe in the future it would be back in vogue.

[pirateangelbaby]

"An interesting title," Thor says, curious. He's known an astronomer or two, but royalty was never a part of the picture. Far from it, in fact. "He worked for your king then?"

[ottershawastronomer]

"He worked for our Queen, Victoria, and then for our King when she died. He was a young man. Late thirties, lanky, blond hair." Ogilvy wonders what Stent would make of Thor. The late Astronomer Royal was a smart man, but also a skeptic.

[pirateangelbaby]

It takes Thor a moment to remember what late thirties even means for humans. For an Asgardian, that's still well into childhood... but no, a Midgardian that age is an adult, right?

"I know little of Earth's understanding of astronomy," he admits, "but I understand it's considered a complicated field of study."

[ottershawastronomer]

Ogilvy nods in response to the question. "It is. It took me years to learn the basics, and we're learning more every day. Do your people practice it differently?"

Astronomy is the one thing Ogilvy considers himself good at, so he's invested a lot of time and studying in making himself very good at it.