Continuing the Search

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"I'd say you're mostly useful. Yup." Grinning like a scoundrel, she finally released him - dreads and all. Legs lowered and she found herself on a floating platform. Which was only slightly better than water. Reaching around Armaud, she quickly gripped the ladder for stability.

"What. I didn't tell yah? A far off cousin of mine is wookie." It was obviously a joke.

Gaze flickered above them. It looked like the swarm was regrouping. And maybe coming down, their way.

"Uhh Armaud. You said you wanted to talk to the insects so now' your time. Unless you think we can just run?" Head titled, looking up the ladder.

 

[Armaud Eden]

His hand stayed at her side until she firmly gripping the ladder, uncertain of whether she had the sea legs for a rocking platform like this. Ripples from the impact still refracted back and forth from the fall, disseminating against the inner stone walls before reducing and drifting back towards them.

"No, you left that bit out..." He smiled as his gaze followed hers. He nodded, releasing his hands from her. "Right...uhh." He patted himself down and then looked over, realizing that his staff was still propped against the wall. "Well, shoot." His satchel was still on his side and as he felt for it, he breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that he packed enough gems for payment and utility.

Though they had never discussed payment for this adventure.

His expression narrowed, then his eyebrows lifted as he waggled his tongue, searching through the bag furiously. An expression of relief formed over his face as he withdrew a blue crystal the size of a grapefruit. The satchel fell to the floor and he took a deep breath. "Miss Starchaser...it's Miss right?" She didn't seem like the married type. He shook off the inner tangent. "Please keep all hands, feet, legs, arms, and other worldly appendages in the vehicle at all times..." He plopped down in the center of the platform and held the crystal in his right hand, just above his crossed legs.

"Might want to cover your ears. I don't speak their language yet. That might irritate them."

Just then, verdant gaze closed as he focused his energy into the Ankarres Crystal. It was meant for healing, for civility, and for a calming aura. But based on the sentience of this species, he was sure this would help to lubricate the transition.

It began to pulsate in a dull hue, back and forth between lavender and baby blue. Like moths to the flame, the swarm moved down like a lassoed tornado, tossing and turning over Maud. Despite how some might feel towards insects, he showed no sense of discomfort. More so, a slight smile formed on his face.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"Wow. So formal," she nodded along at the miss part and imagined him proposing to someone like that, large crystal globe in hand - a little off-kilter. Almost made her snort through her nose.

Looping her arm through the vertical ladder bar, fingerless-gloved palms pressed against her ears. She didn't trust herself not to fall into the water otherwise. Kinsey couldn't help but give the crystal a second glance. There was familiarity there. And as Armaud did his magic and she felt the affects much like the swarm, she realized she held a deeper connection to THAT.

It was one of the same healing crystals Avalore had used on Kinsey to purge the darkside sickness from her body. Or, atleast a sister to that crystal. Maybe a second cousin. Whatever. Details.

But she was experiencing shell shock.

But she couldn't stop staring at the pulsing energy of the crystal. At Armaud being lost in moments within the swarm.

Pulse.

FLASH: Sage Bane held her chin in his elegant digits. They were like solid clamps, unyielding. 'Pateesa. Why would you want to run off from my ship? We're just getting started.' She was surrounded by darkness. The kind that didn't have an end. Oily and thick. Her thoughts were her own but they weren't at the same time. She was being tugged along by something so much stronger.

Pulse. Pulse.

FLASH: She was trembling and the screams. Oh the screams. Someone was screaming. Strong arms held her down. There was a woman with brown hair. Kind eyes. A cool touch. Her name was Avalore. There were others too. She didn't know.

The trembling. Sleep and waking. Black and white.

Pulse. Pulse. Pulse.

The screams were hers.

Pulse.

No. They were insects. Buzzing. Not screams. Not screams this time.

Kinsey gasped and felt her legs wobble, sinking to her knees on the platform. Teeth grit and for a moment, her force signature unfurled and released as if joining a dance with the crystal. With the insects.

But what did they want?

 

[Armaud Eden]

He flared his nostrils, resisting the urge to open his eyes and see where Kinsey had moved to. He could feel the emotions coursing through her, racing through the crystal that had become a conduit within the small encapsulated pool. Taking a deep breath, he fought the desire to look into the origins of her feelings, the memories that laid the foundation of her dread.

That wasn't his place. His touch was intrusive enough. Instead, he let out a deep breath and brought his other hand beneath the crystal. It began to float, the crystal beginning to hum like the low growl of an engine in the distance of space. Her energy was strong but unfocused, like suddenly pulling the blinds up to let the sun up. Maud felt compelled to cover his eyes.

"Kinsey." He stated in a calm tone, keeping his lips as close to shut as possible - to keep the bugs out. He still wasn't sure what they were about. "Think of the stars. Don't dwell on things that bring you discomfort." Likely easier said than done.

The swarm began to congregate tightly around the crystal, as if forming another shell of the lattice structure. Moving with such uniformity, one might assume they weren't moving at all. He didn't move but he shifted his focus from the woman to the lattice being. We mean no harm or insult. What do you want?

If she had opened the door to her signature, she might realize that as she moved through it, other things could pass through as well. And who knows, maybe she could understand the conversation.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

The spacer heard Armaud's voice but it was muted, as if he was yelling from outside an airlock. Or perhaps she was outside in the void and he was yelling from within. But no. The insects. Though the pulse of the crystal was calming and alarming at once, she focused on the itty-bitty sentients. The girl still remained hunched over, kneeling on the platform, forehead pressed against one of the cool, metal rusted ladder bars.

Releasing her force signature was like coming out from hiding during a storm. Was it safe? Had the danger passed? Or would the storm seek her out in greater vengeance? She was cautious. Timid. Exposed.

Still.

Even though she couldn't hear Armaud talk about focusing on the stars, she was already getting there. And suddenly, she heard AND understood his unspoken words. Unmoving, keeping her eyes squeezed shut, she listened. It was like listening to a thousand voices speak at once all using the same cadence. Diversity but unity.

[Tresspass. No. No. They do not. Others come and take. Come and take. Help us. Help us. Our nests are in danger, above.]

Kinsey frowned, wondering what the danger was. Head still bowed and her grip didn't loosen around the ladder, though she was hunkered down.

 

[Armaud Eden]

He wasn't sure if he could pick up on her thoughts, quite yet, but he was sure he had heard a door swing upon that was previously so vehemently locked. The clack of a door knob, the sound of wind escaping through a new tunnel, the way a room sounded different with furniture in it as opposed to being entirely empty. She wasn't ready to jump full force into the nexus of power that lied hidden away behind oceans of blue, but she was on her way to taking those baby steps. He fought the urge to say something to her regarding Tetanus, given the way she was looking to that metal rung for cool comfort.

Another time. They'd have the opportunity to go over vaccinations.

Maud smiled quietly as his expression was lit up with the shadows of a thousand insects, swarming over the glowing crystal. He understood their words but even without it, he could understand the undertones. Concern. Concern for them, concern because of them, concern because of other things. The air was filled with it, the slightest tinge of despair that hung on the balance of things that could or couldn't be done. The entity was infinitely conflicted, equal portions hopeful and equal portions acquiescence for things that couldn't be controlled.

We mean no harm. Please, tell us of the danger...show us the danger. We will help...if we can.

He wasn't sure they could, finding the seeping of their emotions into his own. Where he was once confident, he felt the reflection of their uncertainty against his own spirit. And it only made him want to help more.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Blues opened as the bug natives began shifting and moving. Individuality moving as one. Toward Kinsey and then a shift up the disease-filled ladder. Maud sure had some exciting talks planned over caf and tea.

Grip loosened from the ladder and her head lifted. She was determined not to talk about anything that has just happened. Those vivid flashbacks. The burning beacon of her force signature. She knew Maud had felt some. Just hopefully not all.

Regardless, she wasn't talking about it.

Without any hesitation, the explorer began following the beacon of bugs. Up that ladder and thankfully, away from the water. It was a long way up. Looked like they'd be back at the surface. Hopefully the rungs would hold.

 

[Armaud Eden]

It seems they were opting for the showing them the danger route. He supposed that worked for their purposes, though this was hardly what he had planned for their visit to the planet. He imagined a nice afternoon lunch in the woods, maybe a picnic, a nice little hike while speaking with the insects and the trees. He would have wagered on something a bit more low-key than this.

Not something involving solving the problems of an insect community.

Kinsey was already up the ladder before he had the chance to say anything. Envisioning how that conversation would go, he felt like they had dodged a bullet for the time being. When it came to Kinsey, she didn't seem all too inclined on opening up regarding all of her insecurities with the force. And it suited Maud, he wasn't one for plying with unneeded questions.

He followed up the ladder, behind Kinsey, doing his best to mind where he gripped. The ladder was rusted, pocked with indents that indicated structural weakness, and fungi grew along the edges. He could see sunlight up at the top but it felt much further than they had descended originally. He took his time up the ladder, removed from Kinsey's pace. Feeling a prick on his thumb as a spike from the ladder cut his thumb, he struggled with the wound, accidentally kicking free a segment of the ladder.

Unbolting itself from the wall, it fell to the pool below and bellowed with a large crash.

"Huh..." He stated quietly, sucking on his bleeding thumb, as he gazed down at the ladder-less rock below.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Head jerked down at the sound, ready to...Well. Do what? React. Do something. "Chit, Armaud. You okay?" She paused, looking between her boots. He was still there, about ten rungs below her. Still hanging on. Sucking on his thumb.

Should've eaten some of those expired chips if he was hungry.

Head shook slightly and she shifted her attention back up. "We're almost there." And they were. About ten more rungs. She began climbing again, with more of a reserved pace. Didn't want to lose her partner. 'Sides, he owed her more honey by the end of this.

Definitely.

Up ahead, she scrambled through the open hatch, finding herself climbing through the floor and into a large, abandoned atrium. The insects formed in a circular cloud, swirling and buzzing above.

http://img14.deviantart.net/5226/i/2014/334/5/c/sci_fi_military_bases_concept_by_ha_min-d88a0jg.jpg

 

[Armaud Eden]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

"Mhm." He uttered as he found his holding again, chewing on the pierced skin of his thumb. Metallic taste coated his gums and he thought for a moment that it was getting worse. It always surprised him how profusely a finger could bleed. A nick from a vine, a slip of the hatchet, cutting from the wrong angle with his hand knife. The cuts were never bad, they never presented concerning affliction - but it had the potential to hurt more than anything else. Like a paper cut.

He continued to follow her up, guarding his thumb as he tucked into his fist. Gabe had taught him to never do that because if he were to use that hand, he had the potential to break his thumb. But it was hard to break an instinct like that, particularly without those eyes looking over his bony shoulders.

Coming up through the hatch, he pulled himself up after Kinsey and took a few moments to clumsily dust himself off. The bottom of his robes were soaked and he could already feel the coarse material clumping, awkwardly gathering moisture along the seams and jumbling up. He exhaled, rubbing his forehead, as his lifted his verdant gaze to the center of the room.

"Don't..." He tried to stop her, lifting his hand with fingers wide. He shook his head. "They're sick. They're..." He couldn't place it, nose flaring as he looked around the room. It was a metal catacomb of textured grates, metal scaffolds, and connected ladders and stairs. With every gust of wind across the surface of the roof above, he could feel the place breath. Like being stuck in the stomach of a sarlac, there was writing on the walls left by those who had once held this place for occupation. Bad deeds, bad. He bared his teeth as he focused himself, creaking softly shut the very door he compelled Kinsey to open.

He could smell it now. The walls were slick with the residue of oils, the air had trace yet pungent hints of benzene and oil preservatives - like a ship had crashed above and spent the past century bleeding out into the belly of this place. He was surprised he hadn't caught hints of it down below, wading in the pools. But maybe it was being consumed here, halting the progression down below.

He approached, slowly, and placed his hand on the roots that were girdling the tall growth chamber. It glowed blue and shot shimmers of white across the room. "Cover your mouth with something, we can't be here for long." He lifted his eyes towards the insects, expression confused.

You can't live here. It won't work.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

She nodded and pulled her grey chemise up around her nose. Blues squinted as she pivoted in a circle, standing in place. Yeah. She could smell it. It was like the air was stale. Not like in a ship - no, not stale. More like sour.

Heart dropped as she looked at the damage. The masses of bugs seemed to mourn and bemoan their situation. She knew right away it wasn't something she and Maud could fix. It would take much more people than them. Special kinds of equipment. Teams.

You have to leave. Go far away from here.

She frowned as she reached out.

There were waves of sorrow - mourning coming off the moving hive.

"I'm sorry," she murmured out loud. As if she could apologize for those that came before them. "Armaud," she looked to her friend. "We have to go." That sourness was only getting worse. "Maybe we can....maybe we can scout another place for them from the ship?"

 

[Armaud Eden]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

He drew the canvas bandanna over his mouth, immediately left feeling uncomfortable. There was something about feeling his own warm breath against his face, particularly when it was already warm outside, that left him feeling out of sorts. Like if it left his lips, it was no longer his, and now someone was breathing on him.

He nodded as he tightened his grip on the root. Not out of aggression, but instead out of reassurance - like the insects could feel the phantom notions of hope that now bound them. "I'm useless here." He remarked somberly out of character, quick to note that his abilities were muted in this place. "There's too much noise. I either hear it all or nothing." The latter was his preference, inexperienced with his abilities beyond what was latent and relatively untrained.

He couldn't get over the idea that these creatures chose this location. Which either meant that they couldn't discern the toxins in the air and water, or they were too desperate to find somewhere else. Traditions were part of a community, no matter how simple, and perhaps this culture had developed in believing that this was home - sickness not withstanding.

Reaching up to the container, he felt the warmth from the bulb that was emitting blue light from the interior base of the tank. Even from here, he could seen the sheen of oil across the bubbling top of the water that stood separate from the top lid by a head space of three inches. Tonguing his cheek, he began to chew on it as he contemplated the situation - nodding thoughtfully for what felt like an eternity. "Yeah, okay. Lets find them somewhere else to live."

He could sense the apprehension, as if the insects could understand these words. He released his grip from the tree limb and patted it. We'll be back. Promise.

Toxins and misdeeds hung thick in the air. He need to get out of this stale environment and to their left, there was another ladder leading up to a hatch. He started to heads towards it.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

Turning slowly, she followed her fellow free-spirit. For a moment, she just watched him quietly, endless blue eyes looking into those depths of verdant, across the map of freckles along his face.

"You're not useless," she finally spoke, voice muted by the chemise.

Brown-brows knit together. She'd seen greater men burnout at trying to solve less. Kriff. She'd seen lesser men burn themselves out for less as well. She'd wait for Armaud to go up the hatch and follow him out. Fingerless-gloved hands gripped the metal tightly as she gave one last look around the abandoned facility.

Follow us.

She'd nudge the bugs along, nit exactly happy about what she was about to do. They'd have to join them in her ship. Masses of bugs in her ship. HER ship.

 

[Armaud Eden]

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

If he were interpreting things literally, as he often does, then he'd agree with Kinsey. But in that moment, he couldn't help but feel the sting of futility. His carelessness and general dislike for training had left him in a place where, given these circumstances, he was incapable of using his powers to their fullest. But the world was filled with people who either lacked the power or lacked the will to use it - so he wasn't entirely unique in that regard.

Pushing the hatch open with a huff, 20 rungs of a ladder later, the room below was filled with light from the outside world. It felt like some time since he thought on his preference to climb mountains or go on hikes, as opposed to spelunking or going cave exploring. Pulling himself up, he offered a hand to Kinsey to help her breach the exterior.

They were standing on top of a cylinder of duracrete, extending from the body of this fortress by a good 30 meters. Like a finger standing up from an otherwise closed fist, he wasn't sure he could even spot the ship from this far away. On top of that, the ladder to get down was broken off and if he peered over the edge, he'd see the remains clinging to the branches of a broad leaf scrubby tree below.

25 meters down.

"Think Pibs can bring the ship over...not sure I can make this jump." She wouldn't quite know what he meant, not yet. But she'd know soon enough.

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

She took his hand without hesitation. Even as an avid adventurer, her muscles were starting to feel the fatigue of all their climbing. Plus all that stupid emotional scare with the water. And the stupid force. Well, the force wasn't stupid but y'know. A breeze, though humid hit her face and she breathed it in, chemise coming back around her neck.

Air was definitely better here.

The insects began coming out of the hold, swirling curiously around them. Still anxious and sad. Trepidation.

Taking a step, she leaned over the edge of the platform. It was high up but it was hard for Kinsey to believe Armaud couldn't make that. With the force and all. The girl only lofted a pair of questioning brows in his direction but didn't voice her opinion.

"Sure," she dug out her comm from her pocket. There wasn't enough room to land but they'd be able to jump on and get into the doors. "Pibs. Can you pick up on our signal?"

There was a series of short beeps.

"Yup. We've got some uh," she eyed the clouded swarm. "Extra passengers too. See yah in a bit." Comm snapped closed. There was a sound behind them and she turned, surprised to see the ship coming from that direction.

 

[Armaud Eden]

Her questioning tone, even if it wasn't verbal, wasn't missed by the young man. He simply smiled, answering her silent question with a silent answer. He could probably make the jump, he just wasn't sure she could. And he wasn't planning to just leave her stranded on the top of that cylinder after, low chances as it was, impaling himself on the brush below.

It occurred to him that that would be an embarrassing and unfortunate way to go.

He approached the edge of the cylinder and watched as the ship flew in.

"Ya know. I would have thought this planet had more water." He smiled as he avoided Kinsey's nervous glance, pulling the canvas bandanna down. "That's what they'll need. A clutch thrives when close to large bodies of fresh water." He just assumed, given their terrestrial encounter, that these things were reliant on a lack of salt.

The bugs congregated around him in agreement as the ship moved in towards the structure.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

"Of course they do," she muttered grumpily. There was a blast of warm air as her u-wing lowered down. The lone, side door slid open, the ship cozying up nicely to the platform. "Don't worry little insects. Uncle Armaud will find you a nice new home and help you move in near the water."

Lopsided grin flashed in Armaud's direction as she stepped across the dropping gap and into her ship.

There were about to be lots of little life forms inside. And actually, they were already following her in.

"Mind the cockpit. Please stick to the back of the cabin." Pibs booped as Kinsey took to the pilot's seat, fingerless gloved hands wrapping around the controls.

 

[Armaud Eden]

Uncle Armaud...he shuddered at the thought of one of numerous siblings having children. And on top of that, there was no way children weren't going to be raised thinking he was Uncle Mud. Particularly if Destin ever got around to showing interest in anything beyond the deep web and persistent melancholy.

He huffed as he strode into the ship and took a plop down on the crash webbing. The insects moved in and beyond a few curious stragglers, they seemed to form together in a ball on Maud's knee. She asked that they mind the cockpit so they did. Pulling out the crystal from his satchel, he rested that in his palm as he began to work on the continuing communion.

He was doing his utmost to tap into their dietary needs but it occurred to him that it probably wouldn't matter. The outside environment seemed homogeneous enough, teeming with life across the forest. Whether they consumed blood meal or rotting plants, or maybe manure - all and more could be found easily as they moved away from the compound. Particularly near water. Not only would it likely be needed for a clutch, but it would also be the nexus of other forest life. As far as this cycle went, it was often the case that life begets life.

"Can you do a quick scan of the 100 mile radius? We don't want to displace them too far..." Or disrupt the various established trophic levels. In truth, he was sure there were other hives about. But it was better to fend and survive than to continue to consume that poison and wither on the vine. "Substantial saturation or inundation will do."

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]

 

[Kinsey Starchaser]

[member="Armaud Eden"]

“Already on it,” she grinned, fingers flying across the controls. Better to get theee bugs out of her shop as soon as possible. Nothing against them. She just didn’t want to have to clean tons of itty bitty waste.

HER ship.

Pibs whistled.

“Looks like there’s a crescent lake about twenty clicks away. If she squinted, she imagined she could see it from the viewport. “Hold on everyone.” Palms pushed the throttle down. It wouldn’t take them long. Just a few minutes.

And soon enough, she was circling overhead. “Not really a good landing site. I can open the doors. Okay swarmy, you good for checking it out?”

There was a buzzing sound that felt like agreement.

 

[Armaud Eden]

Maud stood as soon as the ship stabilized over the body of water, letting his silence work as an answer. Or maybe it came through in the presence of his signature and he was simply curious. Curious if she was still open to that form of expression.

The door opened with a press of his palm against the red switch, maneuvering the glass covering out of the way. As the door opened, the hive moved out from the belly of the ship and descended towards the crescent lake. There was a presence of power within them that reflected gratitude, but knew all to well that this was the extent of help that could be provided by the duo. From then on, it was for the hive and colony to survive.

Maud narrowed his gaze, holding on to the bar of above the threshold, as he watched them drift downward in a chaotic flurry. It was never easy to be displaced as a group. In most cases, nomadic tendencies favored a type knit group or the individual. They would have trials and tribulations, strife paved the road ahead. But it was better than dying on that poisoned water and air.

Better to give life a try then to give up in stagnation.

"You know...this wasn't my plan when we came to this planet." He admitted loud enough for her to hear, unsure if she was coming back to watch. Blowing air out of his mouth, he allowed his cheeks to inflate comically as he lifted the cut on his thumb to his lips. "Maybe forage a nice meal from the wild, talk to some bugs, find your relic...whatever it was called."

The name didn't seem to matter. What matter is that this adventure had derailed from his initial plans, as vague as they were. Admittedly, that sort of tangential cycle of life was common place for him.

[member="Kinsey Starchaser"]