Unfold

§ 2020-04-12 01:54:52

[01:56] The title helped. Lekchel Valcen was notably better-received by the Nayabaru than simply Valcen. They still looked at him with obvious disdain, but there he was no longer challenged whenever he had something to say about the value of what to do or not to do to kavkem captives.

Since they could not tattoo Lekchel all over his body as they might have wanted to, he now frequently wore a custom banner that declared him as such – it formed a thin purple and black scarf draped across his mane, hooked into the back of his tool necklace, like a decorative ribbon. For formal occasions, he even remembered to wrap the drooping ends of it around his arms.

To Baishar, they gave a small loop of the same banner, enough to mark him, presumably, as the Lekchel's personal property.

That there were two masters of equal rank seemed to bother none of the Nayabaru – they seemed to accept that the Valcens had worked coherence out amongst themselves and would always present a unified front.

Life went on. Eventually, both Valcen-sha and Baishar had two fully functioning cybernetic eyes.

One afternoon, Baishar was sunk in a pleasant dream involving his master's touch of his soul, gently shaping it to his whim, perfecting what it meant to be Baishar – when Valcen-sha manifested in reality, gently stirring him awake. "Baishar," he said, that dangerously sweet voice a gentle beckon.

§ 2020-04-19 02:25:04

[02:25] In his dream, a metallic creature halfway between spider and Torunyema held him in its clutches; sturdy limbs ending in whiplike strands wrapped around his wrists, ankles, torso and neck. Valcen was there, his eyes bottomless voids of starless night, his gloved hands covered with wires that ran directly into the hollow eye sockets. Baishar's skull was open, plates of bone visible at the periphery of his vision, as the coral of thought sprouted from the seeds of his mind. Valcen moved with care and precision, trimming the branches he found unnecessary, connecting and reshaping his thoughts, his very soul. A deep pleasure swelled within him, each motion reshaping what it was to be Baishar — what it was to be Valcen's assistant.

The sound of his name stirred him from his dream, eyes opening to look up at the sight of his master. Baishar smiled, a low rumble of satisfaction sounding from his chest. "Valcen," he addressed, tone filled with deep respect. He yawned, then pushed himself up into a sit, his head bowed. "How may I be of assistance?"

[02:34] "We have visitors," Valcen-sha commented, dipping his muzzle for emphasis.

But as though it were already clear that the statement was bound to be misunderstood, he ended up repeating it. "We," he said, raising his arms to sweep them outward as though to gesture all-encompassingly. "Have visitors," he completed, gesturing into a sky hidden beyond layers upon layers of concrete.

There was an energy to his air, as though he were subduing both enthusiasm and anxiety. "And because I speak their language, I will go meet with them, and I would like you to come along."

It was a deceptively casual observation – this comment of a shared language. Another whiplash, like when Gazhil had come and gone, a backup of Valcen he had never interacted with directly after he had even known it existed. Here was another one of Valcen's mysteries, presented as an established fact.

...Threadwielders, then? Given the threat the Karesejat was to them, surely not?

[03:20] 'Visitors' at first sounded like Nayabaru, possibly bearing kavkema for Valcen to 'interrogate'. Yet the broad gestures didn't quite make sense with that — nor the fact that Valcen 'spoke their language'. ...From the sky? From space? Threadwielders? But it didn't make sense for them to come here. The Karesejat would devour them, as she had to Valcen. And surely she wouldn't allow Valcen to speak to them.

Baishar's response was somewhat slow in coming, perhaps still a little addled from recently waking up. "...Of course, I will follow you if you wish me, but... I do not understand what you mean. What is the nature of these visitors? What brings them to Katal? To... Nekenalos?" There was uncertainty on that last word, born of perhaps misunderstanding the scope of what Valcen meant by 'visitors'.

[03:40] 'sha closed his eyes for a moment, as though having to force himself to step back from the circumstances, to find and search for the threads that were obvious even to this shadow of his former self.

"To Nekenalos," he confirmed. "The stellar system Nekenalos has settled into orbit in," he explained with an air of one lingering on memories of a time when he was free to physically explore such geometries of his own accord. "Is natively home to a sapient species of bipedal, hairless mammals.

"In many ways, they are more advanced than the Nayabaru, in others they are lagging behind. In temperament, they are more like the kavkema; they to have the innate curiosity that the Nayabaru lack," he summarised. There was much else he could have remarked on, of course – the strange, external nostrils, the vertical face, the absence of a tail – but it would do as an introduction.

"Now pair that curiosity with an ability to do space travel and the recent appearance of an entirely new planet in their home system," he prompted Baishar's imagination, but continued. "In truth, while we remain in this orbit, it was inevitable they would come.

"They are here quite a bit sooner than I anticipated – they must have laboured at a break-neck speed to make this date – but they are here. They are here, they have found the message I left for them, and the Karesejat considers it wise to send me to them to represent the Nayabaru."

There were still many things to unpack: He'd left a message. He knew their language. The Nayabaru wanted to be 'represented' to this species, suggesting there was something to gain. The Karesejat was involved and evidently strategising on a level where the risk of losing Valcen-sha – and Baishar – to physical freedom was acceptable.

To Baishar, this meant one thing first and foremost: Something grand was happening, harrowing for its suddenness.

[04:10] Bipedal, hairless mammals. Baishar's lips pressed to a thin line, trying to imagine it — coming up with a grotesque image, something like a giant, pinkish rat, stood up on its hind legs, with oversized and misshapen teeth, tiny beady eyes, and enormous ears. Though on second thought, Valcen hadn't said how large these creatures were — maybe they were in fact quite small, like their Nekenalosan brethren.

Curious, and more advanced than the Nayabaru. And able to travel through the vacuum of space. Via anchor points? How else did one travel in space? It was a terrifying thought — these technologically advanced rodents coming from the sky. And apparently Valcen had left them a message — had known they would appear, and prepared for it. The Karesejat knew as well, of course. A million questions swarmed in his mind, but one stood out as much more important: "...Are they dangerous?"

And then, the implication sunk in that the Karesejat wished to send them. "...Send us where?" Obviously to meet with them, for Valcen to speak with them. Then, quieter: "...And for what purpose?"

[04:25] Privately, Valcen-sha wished Baishar bridled his curiosity enough to ask one question at a time – but it was to be expected. "Come," he prompted, taking a step back and swerving his muzzle toward the exit of the Den. "I'll explain as we travel – but the sooner we rendezvous with them, the better."

He lingered for a moment, waiting for Baishar to begin to push to his feet. "Imagine the kavkema as they would be if they were free and left to innovate. It would be quite remarkable. A peaceful culture, perhaps, as you once were. Yet nonetheless, they would remain, inherently, predators and thus a mortal threat to anyone that might cross them.

"These visitors are the same. But I have a powerful advantage in gaining their trust: I speak their language." He opened his mouth again, letting syllables of an impossible, foreign tongue spill out, a jumble of sounds that seemed a poor fit for a kavkem mouth. "It grants us an edge in appealing to kinship."

With Baishar on his feet now, Valcen-sha began to trot to the Den's exit, carrying himself with a strange purpose, those mixed tensions of euphoria and worry still woven into his body language.

"They have landed at the edge of Sinukaaj," he explained. "At the equatorial end of Idiishi, far from both Nayabaru civilisation or the heart of the kavkem organisations." He reached up with his hands and pushed at the Den's door, then kept it ajar by pressing his flank against it, glancing back at Baishar.

"I seek them as allies," he said, softly but firmly. Anyone listening might have mentally extended the phrase to end in 'for the Nayabaru', but to Baishar it was quite clear Valcen had a more personal alliance in mind, to whatever degree he could get away with under Nayabaru supervision.

§ 2020-05-31 03:13:18

[03:13] Baishar rose into a stand, brushing the last bits of sleep and the fading pleasure of his daydream aside, and began to follow his master. Kavkema if they were free. It was almost impossible to imagine; their lives had been defined by the threat of Nayabaru since ancient times. A world without Nayabaru.

Apparently these bizarre mammals were like kavkema — at least, more than they were like Nayabaru. It was strange to imagine predatory mammals; they certainly ate whatever they could, but none were dangers. (Perhaps these mammals had claws to hunt their prey?) But if they had the technology to travel through the vacuum of space, they could certainly be a threat.

Their language was unlike Kendaneivash and Naya both; a strange jumble of sounds. Still, Valcen could speak it. He could speak it and the Nayabaru couldn't understand it. And he sought them as allies.

Just as Baishar got to the door, there was a moment of hesitation. Sinukaaj. It would take days to reach. He would gladly follow his god to the ends of the world, but there was one thing that he needed to be sure of first — a task Valcen had given him, that he should not neglect. He glanced over his shoulder back into the den, to the bundle of feathers curled up on the floor, not far from where he'd slept. "...Is Ryrha to join us? Or will she stay here with 'za?"

[03:29] 'sha kept his flank pressed to the door, keeping it open. His gaze followed Baishar's, lingering for a moment on that empty husk. Yet if there was any lingering emotional connection to Ryrha as she was now, to what the Nayabaru had made him do to her, his voice betrayed nothing; instead, he spoke with distance, gently but matter-of-factly: "No. If we took her along, she would slow us down considerably. 'za will tend to her in our absence."

[03:49] Baishar hesitated a moment longer, his eyes lingering on the soulless husk that had once been Ryrha. Then he let out a soft exhale, swerving his muzzle in acknowledgment. "Of course." He tore his gaze away, stepping out the door and past the Lair of the Torunyema. She'll be confused when she wakes up, a part of him thought, before he buried the thought. Valcen-za would take care of her.

Sinukaaj. After so long trapped in the Pens, it felt like an absurd privilege to be leaving, to be going to Sinukaaj. To feel real wind and see the night sky in photonic vision. He turned to 'sha, smiling, lowering his muzzle in respect. "Thank you for bringing me with you."

[04:13] The statement of appreciation seemed to confused Valcen for a moment, as though it had been the last thing he would have expected. It wasn't that he wasn't fond of the statement – it was a pleasant surprise, that much was clear, but it was a surprise.

"But of course," he said, finally. "Surely you realise I would be lost without you." Judging by his tone, he meant it. "Can you imagine what it would be like if I had only the Nayabaru to advise me on my journey?" he grinned toothily.

And of course, bringing 'za instead of Baishar was out of the question – if something happened to them on their quest, it was far too likely to affect the entire party, and if all copies of Valcen died it would rather run afoul of the entire point of redundancy.

§ 2020-06-06 22:31:03

[22:31] The response struck into Baishar's heart, blossoming into a wave of elation. 'I would be lost without you.' Valcen trusted him; Valcen saw value in him; Valcen respected him — at least, to the extent that he deserved Valcen's respect. A previous version of Baishar would have equated this with love; but that had always been just a simplification. A bridge, to get him from where he'd been to where he was now.

He was useful to Valcen. Truly, genuinely useful. Intellectually speaking, this wasn't a surprise — he knew all these things already. Indeed, Valcen had specifically made him useful, it was no surprise that he'd done so successfully. Still, to hear it from the mouth of his god brought an incredible joy.

Again, he bowed his muzzle. "Thank you, Valcen." He took a step closer, rubbed his muzzle affectionately against Valcen's neck. "I... had never expected to set foot outside Katal again. I look forward to it." He stepped back, smiling, his posture shifting to indicate he was ready to follow. "And I look forward to meeting these... strange visitors."