'Can you help me to contact with Loki?' I said telepathy. Heimdall’s soul extremely rapidly responded to my proposal.

'Please, expect a call.' I received response, and then something clicked in Heimdall’s head, and he turned off, finally hovering. To completeness of picture, there is lack of smoke coming out of his ears.

“Excuse me. It was another critical failure. Despite all his genius, Heimdal is quite often faced with this problem. He'll be ready to continue in half an hour.” I have been informed by the Deputy. In his sentence with yesterday speech coincided not only words, but also the slightest intonation.

“Certainly. I'll wait for a call on my ship.”

I teleported to hat’ak, and began to disassemble the technology of production of ZPM to spend free time. If I can't hang here, I'll have to go back to the Milky Way galaxy.

Three hours later, I received incoming radio call using the ancient defense protocols.

“I am listening.”

“I am Loki. I'd like to meet you.”

“Where and when?”

“As soon as possible. I'm giving to you the coordinates.”

I inspected the information about the rendezvous point. It was on the other side of the galaxy, and I had no fuel to get to it. I estimated my knowledge of ancient technology, and came to the conclusion that I need at least three more hours to create a ZPM.

"I won't be able to arrive until four hours." I answered to the interlocutor.

“I will wait” He answered and disconnected.

I mentally sighed and continued detailed study of relevant technologies and their testing in practice. The main problem was that I was forced use magic and chakra for moreover, to create fully technical device, working on technologies of Ancients. And this production technology does not always give the desired result from the first or even hundredth attempt.

Two hours later, Heimdall contacted to me.

"Imhotep, the Council of Asgard insists that you would outline your plan about developing weapon against the Replicators. Right now, our troops are suffering irreparable losses in the battle against them. Every hour of delay is too expensive.”

"I think I can tell you my plan in an hour or two. I need a little more time to think.”

“Nice. We're counting on you.”

I disconnected the video link and focused on fine-tuning the technology. I wouldn't want to cause an explosion here that could split the planet in half. I'll able to survive it somehow, but my ship will be completely destroyed. Along with the computer and the saved games of the 'Dungeon Keeper'. I can't let that happen.

Finally, I created the first ZPM sample and activated it. Nothing exploded anywhere, and the power source worked as expected. After that, I disabled it and disposed it, which was also not the easiest operation. After repeating this sequence a couple of hundred times, I was now fully confident that I had mastered this technology.

It took me another fifteen minutes to connect fifty ZPM to the ship. Let's go the limit. Many is not a little, I can throw away excess. So, now it was almost impossible to overload my shields. It will be necessary to do the modernization of the ship in my free time. I have many knowledge, but they are of little avail.

Finally, I fully prepared for the flight and contacted to the asgards.

"Heimdal, I regret to inform you that I see no point in helping you if you do not agree with my proposal to revive your race. Even if you don't get eaten by Replicators, you'll still be dead in a few years. So I'm off. I have other important business. And when replicators will gnaw you, remember - this fate you owe entirely to your Council of Asgard. Bye.”

With these words, my ship flew up into the air and began ascending to orbit. A couple of Asgard ships tried to block me, but they couldn't stop me. Asgards did not dare to open fire. Having gained the necessary height, I entered hyperspace and went to a meeting place with Loki.

I came out of the jump in orbit of a rocky planet with no atmosphere. The scans showed no signs of life or any artificial structures. While I was inspecting the planet, I was contacted by a small disguised probe in its orbit.

“Please follow these coordinates.” The same voice rang out.

"How many more jumps will I have to make to get to you?"

“One more. I'm sorry, but I have to hide from my brothers.”

“Nice. Wait.”

I went into hyperspace. This time the flight lasted fifteen minutes. It ended in the orbit of another lifeless planet. This time it was a planet slightly larger than earth, with a dense atmosphere in which hurricanes and thunderstorms were constantly raging.

A few seconds later, Asgard's ship slipped out of the clouds. It flew up to my pyramid, and contacted by video link.

“Greetings, Imhotep. I am Loki. Please forgive me for the inconvenience. Can you come to my ship?”

“Ok.” I nodded.

Concentrating, I sent shadow clone to his ship. I didn't have yet enough trust to this guy.

“Greetings to you, Loki.” My clone said, appearing right behind him.

Considering that the shields on his ship were up and the defenses were at maximum, it should have made an impression. Alas, the clone couldn't feel the soul, so I don't know, is this biorobot has soul or not. He looked like any other Asgard. A typical budget model, so to speak.

“Are you here? It… is surprisingly. You have very advanced technology. I've already read your conversation with Heimdall. Sadly, I have to agree with you. Our race has been destroyed by the Ancients thirty thousand years ago. Now, our last remnants of our heritage coming to end.”

So, I need to find out if this Asgard has a soul or not. I'm not going to go to his ship in my real body, so I need to drag him to mine. Without a word, the clone approached Loki, put his hand on Loki’s shoulder, and then sealed him in fuinjutsu seal. A second later, I retrieved him from seal in my ship.

A quick scan showed that Loki's soul interacts quite actively with his brain. Apparently, he somehow was able to disable the mechanism supposed to counter the 'critical failure'.

“Where am I?” Surprised Loki, looking around on sides.

“In my ship.” I answered, entering the room. “So, I see that your soul is actively interacting with this body.”

Loki head began sound a rhythmic clicking, but his behavior is not affected.

“Yeah. After countless years as a spirit, I was able to find a way to influence the carriers of a copy of my consciousness. But alas, by that time it was too late. Our race is degenerating, and I have not been able to create a suitable platform for a normal existence.”

“I can help you with that. And for another thing, I can solve the problem with Replicators.”

“What is your proposal?”

“Most part of your body are the computers. I propose to complete this line of evolution and make you a fully mechanical life form based on Replicators technology. It will give you the very immortality you have wished long time ago.”

“It... is an extremely unexpected offer. Do you think that restoring our biological body is no longer possible? Recently, we found information that may help us to create clones whose genetic material is almost not affected.”

“I think biological body is the source of many problems. I have long time ago disposed my weak flesh, replacing it with a much more practical polymorphic material.”

As proof of my words, I consistently took the form of a metal ball, an Alien, an angel with wings and a nanosuit from the game Crysis.

“Incredibly. What is this technology?” Loki admired.

“You can't do it as me. But you have replicators that, I'm sure, after a little refinement, will be able to give you bodies capable of the same tricks.”

“So we can rebuild the Asgard civilization?”

“No. It is impossible. First, it is difficult to call you as Asgard. And secondly, the numbers of representatives of your people will be equal to the number of souls that can be returned. Besides, I will disable your ability to reproduce, because otherwise you will invade this world and destroy all life.”

“You don't trust us that much?”

“I already had a sad experience. Intelligent beings are the same everywhere. One idiot would be enough to turn an over-developed technology into an unbreakable weapon that would get out of control and destroy the whole world. There is no need to go far for an example. Replicators have already taken over this galaxy and pose a threat to neighboring ones. So, the use of this technology should be limited.”

"Again, I can only agree with you.” Loki sadly nodded.

"Well, then, I suggest we move to a more comfortable world and begin the necessary research there.”

“What's wrong with this planet?” Loki surprised.

“There's no life.”

“Alas, in our galaxy there are no inhabited planets where we could settle. All suitable worlds are either captured by replicators, or they have a colony of Asgard.”

“Um... All right. All your equipment is on the ship?”

“No, I have an underground base on this planet. We can accommodate there.”

“Good. Then I'll follow your ship.”

I teleported back Loki to his ship, and then I followed him. On the planet we plunged into a sea of boiling acid. At the bottom of the reservoir was an underground base, larger than the Asgard’s ship. Loki parked his boat in a special hangar, and I had to leave my pyramid at the bottom. The ancient shields protected the ship from the environment, so it was safe.

I teleported to the base, where Loki and I began to studying replicators. The asgards could not understand the principles of their program, as I could not understand them before. What interested me now was whether it was possible to change the program and the Replicator block itself in such a way that the asgards could influence them with their disembodied consciousness.

In fact, the soul manifested itself in the material world in the form of special quantum effects. Replicator processors also worked at their level. All I had to do is changing the Replicator program to 'teach' them to listen to the asgards. And, of course, it was necessary to prevent the replicators from returning to work under the old program.

We did the first experiments with those Replicator blocks which I got on Thor's ship. But soon this was not enough, and we needed more. It would have been possible to fly to any planet captured by mechanical bugs, but I remembered several Replicator ships moving towards the mother planet of the asgards. In the canon their simply blew up. So, with minimal interference, I'll be able to capture the three ships of the replicators and even the the Asgard’s 'newest' ship, bearing the proud name of 'Jack O'neill'.

To begin with, I went on my ship to the vicinity of the asgards mother planet. There my clone has moved on to their planet, using magic portal. I pitched there enough magic and chakra beacons, so this did not pose a problem. Then the clone took an intangible form and under the disguise infiltrated to flagship of the asgards under construction. There I acted under the instructions of Loki, installed trojan to seize control of the ship. After that, all I had to do is waiting.

As I had hoped, Thor called the Earthlings for help. However, arrived to the planet not only Samantha Carter, but the full SG-1 team. Despite it, the essence of the proposed strategy has not changed. The asgards decided to use the flagship as bait to blow it up and destroy the replicators.

I intervened at the very end of this plan. Instead of exploding, the ship 'Jack o'neill' flew farther and farther, until it disappeared from the Asgards’ radar. Finally, flagship came out of hyperspace next to my ship, where the magic traps for Replicator had been already set. Three ships, infected with replicators, came out of the jump at the same point, and then stood motionless in the void of space.

This time I used a spell that didn't turn off the Replicator blocks, but broke the connection between them. After that, all 'bugs' scattered into separate elements, unable to act together. Then I had only to take the ships in tow and took them to the planet where was the base of Loki.

Having received all the necessary materials, I began systematic research. The main test subject was Loki, because he was to become the first Asgard, with a new body.

I was able to isolate the replicators from their common network by switching them to 'another wave'. After that, I began to change the program of a small colony, actually 'teaching' them to perceive Loki's mental messages.

In general, there was some result, but it could not be used to create an analogue of the physical body. Ghost need to maintain serious concentration to be somehow was possible to 'hear'. Still, the technology of replicators was quite different from the Asgard computers and their biological components.

After a week of unsuccessful attempts, I came to the conclusion that without special astral and etheric shells we can’t do significant progress. I didn't want give them ability to magic or chakra. Fortunately, in addition to them, I had the materials of the ascension research, which I decided to apply in practice.

I did not reproduce the standard 'body of light' of the ascended, but only used some of its components. In a result, Loki’s soul has been 'trapped' in a special astral constructs, which will clung to special field, produced by replicators blocks. By the same connection, the soul could freely transmit telepathic signals, which were deciphered by replicators and served as instructions for their actions. In the opposite direction was information from the computer 'brain'. In the event of the physical destruction of the 'body' of the replicators, the soul could contact an emergency supply of 'flesh' in a safe place.

The problem with the impossibility of reproduction of a new form of life was solved by the inability to copy their astral body. That is, the destruction of this energy shell could finally 'kill' Asgard, depriving him of the ability to affect replicators. I planned to give this shell only to those souls of Asgard who would personally address me.

However, there was still a problem with the restriction of reproduction of the blocks by themselves. On the one hand, I cannot allow to multiply uncontrollably. On the other hand, if I will completely disable this function, then quite quickly the body of such blocks will collapse. After all, each block had a chance to fail, and there would be no way to replace it.

As a result, I came to a compromise. Replicators could multiply, but only under the direct guidance of the astral body of Asgard. In turn, the soul could control the replicators only by focusing its attention on them. The more Replicator blocks he will control, the harder it will be to control them. And without control, replicator blocks went into a state of waiting, providing only the most basic functions of their program.