trans_9 | That melt into spring [Open]

Zouchi stood by the blue-green waters of Faron Spring, eyes tracing the old, intricate patterns that covered the surfaces of the rocks nearby. The weather in this part of the City was a little cooler than usual, but he felt no discomfort; it was still well within his operational tolerances.

As he waited there, almost entirely still, a light rain began to fall from the sky. Artificial rain, of course, for an artificial city, but it was cool against his face and good for the plants. Zouichi closed his eyes for a moment; when he reopened them, the rain was still there... but it was accompanied by something else. Silvery numeric annotations swam through his vision, attached to each drop of water, too fast and too numerous for an untrained observer to make sense of. Speed calculations, trajectory and force projections. Each droplet of rain was a variable, a world of controlled chaos.

Some disappeared into the soft grass; others dropped onto the surface of the spring, sending up a cascade of secondary equations as it cast ripples across the surface of the water.

When it was time for battle, these same quicksilver calculations would help guide him in action: they'd show him the best way to destroy, the swiftest way to kill. But for now, there was no need to bend them to that purpose. Instead, he watched as they fell like phantoms through the sky.

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"If it's any consolation, I doubt that that Councilor on Galilee noticed the difference." Zouichi's voice had a hint of dark humor to it. He was allowed to feel a little schadenfreude every once in a while, right?

"I cannot say I can understand your predicament, or the extent of your frustrations..." After all, if he lost a limb or an eye, he'd simply have to accept the loss and move on. Only death would stop him from completing his appointed task; it was something he'd accepted a long time ago.

He hesitated for a moment, then continued, "...However, if it would help to have someone to listen to either, I would be happy to do so."

Zouichi had a feeling that Alendian, as respectful as she was of Ildraniath's abilities and position, might not be thrilled to hear that the person she looked to for leadership and guidance was experiencing frustrations of her own. But he might be mistaken, of course.

"My single, driving purpose in life is to lead my people and ensure that we will still have a future, even thousands and millions of years from now. Farsight is one of my greatest tools and although I can perform adequately without it... It is frustrating to be groping in the dark," Ildraniath mused, "As I said, I am not sure you will understand, but..."

She trailed off and shrugged, "...I am not sure speaking on my frustrations will drive them out, although you've already heard my particular troubles."

"I sincerely doubt that discussing your concerns will render them void, or you would be rid of them already. But, I don't believe talking about them can do any harm, either."

He paused. "What, exactly, is preventing you from making use of your abilities? Is it the ship itself? And if you can't see the future, why is it possible for that Tapestry artifact? Are the means by which you look into the future different?"

"It may be the ship. It may this... Bleed... that we travel through. It may be because our time-lines are so intermingled and our universes so destroyed that I cannot accurately predict a thing," Ildraniath frowned, brow furrowed.

"As for the Tapestry? I do not know its mind or purpose or even why it is or was meant for us. It is an alien artifact and I cannot quite comprehend it as of yet."

"I see. In which case you may have to live with not being able to see the future for as long as you remain here." He frowned. "If the problem is that our worlds have been destroyed, though, it seems strange that your other abilities would remain intact. And as far as I know, none of mine were affected at all."

Zouichi wasn't sure whether he should mention this next, but there was no point dancing around it. "And if your ability to predict the future depends on your world being restored... I'm afraid no one's been able to provide any sort of feasible plan or explanation for how our worlds might be recreated."

"...Can you tell for certain whether the Tapestry can, in fact, see into the future? Or if it's just some Daligig ruse?" Even if it was difficult or near impossible to understand the mechanisms by which the Tapestry worked, it would be meaningful if they could confirm that it had the power to divine the future. It would mean that not all methods for seeing into the future were unreliable, which might in turn point to some method in which Ildraniath might be able to take advantage of.

"It may be the Dalgig are blocking it for some unknown reasons. Or perhaps the ship merely suppresses them. I'll have to make an attempt the next time we make planet-fall..." Ildraniath folded her hands again as she thought.

"And the Tapestry... I will have to investigate. There must be a key somewhere. I will not allow myself to be controlled by these people or some artifact."

Just what he was about to suggest. "It wouldn't be unheard of. The Daligig have erased memories and, I strongly suspect, modified powers. An individual with the ability to see into the future would easily be able to determine the veracity of their story. A threat to their stranglehold on all information, both about themselves and the Ohm."

He nodded. "I can't exactly help you explore it through psychic means. However, if you'd like, I can question it for you while you observe its workings. It may be a little easier to decipher its nature if you don't have to do both at once."

Ildraniath dipped her head in a nod, "That would be very helpful. Thank you for the offer of assistance; I may have to take you up on it sooner than later, if answers continue to elude me."

After a moment another thought struck her, "Having the Dalgig aboard is another matter entirely. If I thought I would be listened to, I would suggest we wipe them out, take the survivors captive and interrogate them until we have the answers we need..."

He smiled slightly in response. "Think nothing of it. I think we could all benefit from more answers than we're currently getting."

"As for the Daligig, well... I understand they've a large number of shock troops aboard their ship, apparently ready to annihilate us at a moment's notice should we show signs of resistance." His smile turned slightly cynical. "Probably to eliminate the possibility of people doing exactly as you suggested. It appears they trust us about as much as we trust them."

If it was the Daligig that struck first, though, they'd be in for a nasty surprise. He wasn't going down without a fight.

Ildraniath sniffed, "They are no more threatening than the mon-keigh Space Marines. We could annihilate them, if we wished. There would be casualties, of course, but there are always casualties in war. And I would rather strike first than allow them free reign over us. Of course, the Council and the Captain are unlikely to agree, so I hold my peace for now."

Zouichi would have loved to try his hand at beating one of those Kessek, power staffs or no. But now, apparently, was not the time.

"And so we wait, hoping for the best." He didn't entirely agree with Ildraniath's plan -- after all, attacking one contingent of the Daligig and their protectors meant they had to be prepared to deal with all the rest. And with a fractious crew like this one, with many loathe to even take a life, that could be disastrous.

But taking a harder line with the 'allies' that had appeared out of nowhere to issue threats and orders? Making them answer questions, explain themselves, even through coercion? He felt that was more than justified.

That melt into spring [Open]

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