trans_9 | For the birds [Open]

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For the birds [Open]

Hydroponics was an area that Zouichi had become somewhat fond of. It wasn't as though it particularly reminded him of home, though in some respects the plant and animal life here did resemble that of Earth.

But it was quiet here. Or, at least, far quieter than the cities he was used to. There was the occasional carnivorous plant or other surprise, of course, but nothing seriously hazardous so far. Today he was sitting in the soft grass under the shade of an alien tree. He'd been watching the wildlife carefully for the last few days, observing the behavior of the small avian creatures that inhabited the area, gathering up a collection of the seeds they seemed to especially relish.

This was the second day he was attempting this. Zouichi opened the small packet in which he'd stored the seeds, spreading out a handful on one palm. He held them out, then waited, keeping absolutely still.

A small, red-plumaged bird eventually fluttered down from one of the nearby trees, alighting on a branch not far from him. Tiny, but apparently bold, it deliberated for a moment before taking wing again, setting down on the ground below his hand, where some of the seeds had spilled. It pecked at them, keeping one bright, beady eye on him all the while.

Without warning, it hopped up to perch on his wrist, pecking delicately at the food there.

He smiled.

[ooc: Feel free to come feed 'em, scare 'em off, whatever :)]

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She didn't particularly mind; it wasn't as if she was going to judge him for his odd habit. Well, not strictly true. She would, but she wasn't going to comment on it. Much. She settled her back to the tree and watched as the bird jumped to Zouichi's shoulder.

"Getting them used to you?"

That was a concept she was well aware of; make animals (or men or mon-keigh) used to your presence and soon enough you would just be a staple of their environment.

"Yes. Although it has been easier than I expected, actually. These animals are significantly less wary than those on Earth; I suspect they have not had much contact with humanoids and are thus less likely to view our presence as a threat." Now that she wasn't directly pointing out how ridiculously he'd been acting, he did enjoy the topic of the local wildlife.

"Of course, it's probably not best to feed them all the time; it could become a problem if their diet only consisted of one or two easily available foods." Like eating birthday cake all the time. Tasty, but not good for you.

She slowly extended an armored hand toward the bird on Zouichi's shoulder. Such simple, brainless creatures. Although, part of her had to wonder if perhaps her ancestors had been similar - the Eldar had not always looked so humanoid, after all. Not before the Old Ones. And they shared more than a few traits in common with birds.

"Yes; getting them dependent on you wouldn't be good for them, would it?"

Although with the mon-keigh, especially aboard this vessel, she would have to get to depend on her or her voice would never carry any weight.

The bird didn't seem overly alarmed at the approach of Ildrianath's hand; instead, it hopped boldly only one of the armor plates, cocking its head to the side seemingly to examine her more closely. After a moment, it gave a small chirruping sound, then began preening under one wing, apparently unconcerned.

"No, it wouldn't," Zouichi said, watching the entire exchange. "Although I'm sure that they'd be fine without intervention from any of us -- they've survived this long, after all, and they are wild. Most likely, they would return to foraging for themselves."

In Zouichi's mind, animals and humans were quite separate and there was no point in comparing the two. Humans were often consumed by conflicting desires: the need to be alone, the need to be together, the urge to be selfish or altruistic. Animals were.

Ildraniath slowly brought her hand in against her chest, preening the bird absently with her other index finger. Calm. That was the emotion she broadcast to the little creature tucked against her chest. Such a simple mind. So easy to manipulate. Mon-keigh were harder. But not always significantly so.

She glanced up from the bird to listen to Zouichi. "That's the nature of animals. With or without us, they will live. They will thrive. They will die. And sometimes they are taken in, molded and given new purpose, intelligence, and the capability to serve their betters."

Much like her distant ancestors. To her, the line between an animal and a person was a very fine one. One that not all humans necessarily fell on the right side of. She regarded Zouichi for a long moment, eyes studying him intently.

"Tell me, Zouichi, if you were not required to serve any longer, what would you do?"

"I am not sure that would improve their situation. Animals are intelligent in the way that their world requires of them, specifically adapted to survive the rigors of their environment. And while their existence may be simple, the more intelligent species that have evolved from similar ancestry often seem... discontent."

Zouichi watched Ildraniath pet the small bird, blinking at the bizarre readings he was seeing all of a sudden. True, many of the crew members had some rather strange effects on his systems, but...

"I do not know." Because his words were true, his response was almost immediate. "If N5S was completely eliminated, posing no more threat to humanity, then I would no longer have a reason to exist. If Toha Heavy Industries still existed, I might be repurposed, assigned to other duties. But they do not."

"I suppose I could...rest." The thought of an existence without the need for battle was somehow both tempting and constrictive, a conflict that manifested itself quite clearly in his expression.

"Discontent? Perhaps they simply do not understand what their species' purpose is not that they have discovered art and music and warfare and the capability to understand right from wrong, however primitive and brutish they might be. All races have their trials, however advanced they may be. Even the Eldar."

And that is all she really had to say on the subject, unless he felt like prying. She finally lifted her hand and let the bird go and watched as it fluttered off. Ah, the freedom to soar and fly. At times, she envied her brothers and sisters in the Swooping Hawks. What freedom, what joy that must be....

But she had asked Zouichi attention and surely she must pay attention to it. "Come, you are an intelligent being, if crafted and made by crude hands and minds. You must surely be able to find yourself a purpose beyond mere, simple servitude to the mon-keigh."

It would be a shame and a waste of potential if he was not capable, but that was to be expected. Tragic, but not worth much more than a faint tut-tut and she would move on.

"Rest? I think at heart, we all wish for respite from our duties. But to rest for too long, to be idle for too long leaves the mind and body weak and leads to indulgence."

Her voice hardened. "Decadence."

Zouichi looked sharply at her. "I do not consider it 'servitude', Farseer. But... perhaps you are right."

After all, hadn't Alex been quite vehement that he find 'his own path', whatever that might be? If the situation in his world were resolved, would that not be all that his creators had wanted to achieve, and more?

"I do understand the importance, for sentient beings, to choose the cause to which they devote themselves. However, I do not know what that cause would be if my current one were suddenly taken from me. What would you do, if you were no longer required to fulfill your duties? And what are these 'trials' you mentioned? Trials for the Eldar?"

He looked at her curiously when she spoke of the dangers of remaining idle. While he wouldn't quite put it that way: "There appear to be long periods on this ship in which very little in the way of real battle is required. I admit I find it rather... unsettling."

"If I were no longer required to fulfill my duties as a Farseer...? I would take up another path, although I do not believe Iwould be able to. I have come too far to turn back. Perhaps I would journey through webway," She shrugged. She was a Farseer. It was her mission, her job, her goal. It was her entire being.

"As for these trials... I mean the troubles that all civilizations go through. Times of upheaval and sadness. Nothing more, nothing less. That is all."

She shifted against the tree and stared upward with a frown. "That does unsettle me, however. What are we to do with idle hands? Simply wait and prepare? Although admirable... I would prefer a more proactive stance to the war. Unfortunately, the future is clouded... uncertain. I cannot say what road to take. Not yet."

So she didn't have any Plan B, either. Zouichi refrained from rolling his eyes; it was a bad habit he'd picked up from Howard. "If you continue to experience difficulty in seeing a clear future, will it not interfere with your duties as a Farseer?"

He was also curious about what specific 'trials' the Eldar had supposedly needed to overcome... but maybe some other time. "The people aboard the ship appear to keep themselves busy, one way or another. In fact, the sentiment I hear most often is that we should be grateful for the respite."

Too much respite made him itchy.

"Yes, but that is one of the difficulties I am prepared to experience. The portents are not always clear and the best way forward not always immediately apparent." Roll his eyes he might, but Eldar society was molded around the paths and discipline and dedication. It was no shame to say otherwise.

"Perhaps. We will have to see how long this war takes."

"What do you do if the way forward is not apparent?" He was guessing 'improvise'.

"I suppose." Zouichi looked none too pleased with the idea; the longer this war took, the longer it would take before he was able to return home. "It appears to have already taken up quite a number of years. Apparently not a particularly swift conflict."

Not that he really had a problem with long struggles. He was built to last, after all.

"You do your best to find a way that will not end in unnecessary death or suffering for your people," she replied. So, yeah. Improvise.

"You do not necessarily need to read the future to be a good leader, but it certainly helps." She lifted a hand to pluck a runestone of the air idly and examined it.

"No, not swift in the least. I imagine it could go on for quite a while, at our current rate. Perhaps decades."

Not that she minded that. She was going to live for at least another five centuries.

"I wonder how long the members of the crew will stand for being kept in this situation," Zouichi said thoughtfully. "Before they choose to abandon the war. I haven't heard of anyone staying behind on the planetside missions, but I understand it can happen. On the other hand, if they choose to stay, they may live and die here. Perhaps that's why there are so many pod chambers, and why crew members are released in batches."

"They are replacing losses," she replied. Call her a cynic or a realist. "More warm buddies for the war effort. Nothing more, nothing less. We are resources to these Dalgig, our so-called benefactors. Make no mistake about that."

He nodded slowly. "We certainly do seem like acceptable losses to them. I understand that there are some in every war. However, I am not so used to the concept of kidnapping civilians and forcing them to serve. Some of the crew have no idea how to fight and possess little other skills of use."

"They are probably hoping that enough of us do and that we make enough of a difference before dying to win the war for them," she replied. Cynical, perhaps, but she'd do the same thing.

Zouichi snorted at that one. "If they have the power to pluck us out of our worlds and send us on a wild chase across the dimensions, you'd think they'd have the power to win their own war."

The Daligig hadn't asked him before removing him from Earth, he'd never spoken to any of them face-to-face, and they'd essentially trapped all of them on a decrepit prison ship. As far as he was concerned, he owed them little, if anything.

Ildraniath smiled, tight and thin-lipped. "From what I understand, they are desperate and facing extinction should they lose. That could be another lie, of course, but desperate people do many things that do not seem wise at first glance."

Like diverting hive fleets into human worlds.

"In other words, it comes back to the fact that we can't really be sure what is going on." Yet again.

"Currently, it seems there is only one choice: playing along. For me, at least -- I am unable to traverse dimensions on my own power. And if I stay aboard the ship, I will likely have to face the Ohm. Which, of course, is what the Daligig wish." He was assuming Ildraniath was in the same boat, since she hadn't left the ship as soon as she'd recovered her things.

"We cannot be sure of anything. Not these Dalgig, not the Ohm and at times, even our own crew." How typical.

"If I had access to the webway, I might try and depart, but then I would be abandoning who knows how many of my kin to a strange and unwished for fate. So I will remain, for the moment, and direct events as I may."

"You must take your duties to your people very seriously, to bind yourself to this place in order to look after them. ...Or is it that you don't trust the crew with their lives?" Because if Ildraniath had proved anything so far, it was that she was suspicious of everyone. Or at least anyone who wasn't Eldar.

"At any rate, I will be relieved when we're able to set down planetside again. As long as the mission isn't... isn't like last time."

"Both," she replied coolly and evenly, "I take my duty very seriously and neither do I trust a mostly human crew to look after the fate of aliens."

She glanced at him curiously. What could've happened last time? Some horrific disaster? "What happened on your last mission?"

Well, fair enough; it sounded like the humans Ildraniath was used to weren't on particularly cordial terms with other species.

"...the crew was required to participate in an alien marriage ritual in order to obtain access to the map artifact I spoke of earlier."

"Nothing untoward, of course," he hastened to add. "Just... not quite the mission I was expecting."

"...how interesting," she replied, tone dry, "If that is the sort of thing that will win us the war... I suppose I cannot complain."

For the birds [Open]

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Thanks for eating my comment, LJ

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