SoS B1 C1 X4: Phone Call
Allarah sat heavily on the bed. After a moment she curled up into the fetal position and forced the dread in her chest to dissipate. When she opened her eyes she could see his face again, just watching her. She rubbed her eyes hard and he was gone. Restless, she stood and went straight for the door. Flinging it open, she called out to a servant. "Hello, excuse me... is there anyway I could make a call off world? It's rather important."
The servant balked and took a step back, then muttered an apologetic, "Извините, я не понимаю." (Translation: I'm sorry, I do not understand)
Searching around in her head for the words, she asked again, in Russian this time, to see if the woman understood.
The wiry woman furrowed her brow at a misstep in grammar, but once she puzzled it out she nodded. “Yes. We have contact with embassy over planet. They can forward your call." Several minutes, corridors, and quick quips from servant to servant later, and Allarah found herself in a strange, cramped room, alone, with a dusty painting of an old ruler staring down at her as though disapprovingly. A comms panel filled one whole wall of the room; it seemed to have been jammed into place, and was at odds with the rest of the décor.
Allarah stood in the middle of the room for, what seemed to her, an eternity. She hadn't spoken with her friend in years. She had promised to keep in touch, but, it was hard. Finally she couldn't stall herself any longer, so she dialed in his information and waited for the call to go through. The Æthernet may have been instantaneous, but the relays between--which connected the lines--were not; Allarah was left to sit in a room loud with her own thoughts. Would this just be another failed call?
No.
The line filled with air, a cough, groggled mumbling.
K'skir's face formed from a nanoswarm. The bots were old, their colors faded and resolution twitchy, but it was him.
"Hello.. who's there? Why do you have video disabled?" The answer to that was plain. The camera had been unplugged, leaving bare wires in the console.
"Hi, it's Allarah. The camera was damaged, to answer your question... How are you doing K'skir? It's been... it’s been too long..." She held her breath in suspense. Maybe time had made him hate her, or maybe he had forgotten her in the 7 years since they'd spoken. Maybe calling was a bad idea after all…
"Allarah..." His tone was mystified, at least for a bare moment before the name caught friction and recognition clicked in. "Allarah? Allarah! By the Wheel! Did I inhale something in my last dig or has history found me? I'm well, very well, in fact. Marvelous." K'skir had grown up on a fringe world and spoke Ubiq as a third language. His accent flowed but his words were choppy, as though someone had carved little bits from them. "I just got back from a dig. Beautiful planet. But enough on that... is something the matter? Your incoming location is blocked." Worry had crept into his tone.
"I'm alright; better now to hear you are well. I'm on a planet named Saumai. I was thinking about you actually. I miss you K'skir. The castle we're in is beautiful. I wish you were here." her voice caught for a moment. "I... I was wondering how much you knew about the Somnancy. I ran into them today and nearly got my head torn off." She sighed. "Admittedly it was my own fault. I could have sworn one called me a blood traitor. You know how that gets to me." Allarah's laugh was forced.
His face darkened, even the bad nanoswarm caught it. "I don't know what you're doing within the reach of the Somnancy, but you need to be wary and get out of there." He rubbed his face. "To state it plain, and to speak ill of my kind: The Somnancy of today is like the Shejlt of old, and then some. Where Shejlt hated the Verin, the Somnancy hates anything that isn't human. You're lucky to be alive. Was it just some sympathizer? I can't imagine it being a soldier, and an angel would've probably killed you on sight."
"It was a small group of them. They were sent as a diplomatic envoy. Two Ireheart, a Gearheart, and two Firstheart I think."
"That doesn't mean anything to me, but I'm no expert on the Sapien. My experience is that an Angel landed in my city back when I lived in Kashir. She killed six thousand civilians. It took four Rajhshi working together to kill her, and two of them died during. I'm looking up Saumai. It's unaligned and a political hotbed, not a dig site... what are you up to?"
"Well I'm here on a diplomatic mission... officially. My team was assigned to help gain the allegiance of these people." Allarah shifted uncomfortably. "I'm worried about this though. Why would the Somnancy be here? Goddess, the thought makes me shiver. If it's as dangerous as it sounds, I'm glad you are wherever you are. It comforts me to know you're safe. Still, it would be nice to have my trusted friend here to keep me out of trouble."
The line was quiet as K'skir considered what had been said. "I am honored by your trust. I owe you a life debt, what little that's worth from an archeologist."
"You already paid me back when you testified on my behalf. I still feel like I owe you for that. Not many places to hide in prison." She laughed in an attempt to lighten the mood. It didn't have the desired effect.
"Allarah, I don't know how you wound up on that mission, but I hope you stay safe. I assume everyone with a possible stake in Saumai will be there whether you see them or not. Those missions can get hairy. That's how I lost my cousin. Keep safe, Torkjhbatant... and with the Somnancy... mind your dreams and trust nothing."
"I only dream of Farevel." She murmured. "I know I've said this, but I miss you my friend. Maybe I can keep in touch now that I've landed. I'll at least keep you posted and let you know I'm alive. I hope you do the same. Digs may not be as dangerous as politics, but... I still worry. Maybe after this is over I can join you on another dig."
"I would like that. You elevate the science to an art, Allarah, much more so than the string of lackluster 'academics' I've been stuck with of late." He chuckled, then winked. "Don't cling so strongly to the past, though. Ghosts have a way of causing us to trip at the most inopportune moment."
"I'll keep that in mind. It's so good to see you after all these years. Too bad you can't say the same, though you aren't missing much."
"We spent enough time together that I can imagine your expressions, even after all this time." After a moment he seemed to realize what he'd said, he ruffled his ears and cleared his throat. She smiled at him, even if he couldn't see.
"I pray your journeys keep you well K'skir. And I'm sorry about your cousin." A few uncomfortable moments passed before she continued. "Be safe. I don't want to call an empty line... if you're still in contact with the others, wish them well for me. I have a dinner to get to."
"I'll be careful, but I think you'll need to heed your own advice more than I will. May the Wheel and the Ladies keep you safe."
"And may the Goddess keep you. Goodbye." Allarah hung up with a heavy heart. It was so wonderful to speak with K'skir again. It was just what she needed to pull herself together. Yet his warnings weighed on her. If nothing else she needed to watch her back. Dream walkers were trouble.
Sighing, she exited the com room and headed back to her own. She needed to make herself presentable for the bureaucrats.
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