Lieutenant Alira Venn: It's So Beautiful
Isara Aleron
((Unity Cortex, Central Dorsal, Narhelion))
Alira could feel the tears start rolling down her cheeks. It was love she seemed to be sensing from Narhelion. Narhelion loved them, even if she didn’t know it. Or maybe she didn’t have the words for it. And to her surprise, she felt the same. Narhelion was willing to sacrifice herself for them, and she would be willing to do the same for her. The beauty of it was enough to strike an emotional response from her. But the certainty that Narhelion was dooming herself to save them really sent her over the edge and the tears had begun streaking slowly down her face.
Venn: Narhelion is on a collision course for a destroyed vessel. Brace for impact.
There was a slight shudder as she plunged through the broken shell and continued toward Tiny Predator. As she closed, she saw Narhelion emit a tractor beam and snatch the Ronin, her weapons firing on their own now.
Venn: oO Or is that T’Fearne? Oo
Narhelion was now back on course for the fissure and swimming faster. The Sheliak vessel hunting her was now building power, most likely to fire the Sencha weapon, but Narhelion was only three minutes away.
T’Fearne: ~ No. That was entirely Narhelion, friend. ~
Friend. She liked that. It would probably take a while for her to accept that as a reality. She’d come aboard with what seemed like a lot of resentment and anger toward her. This crew, or at least several on this crew.
She could feel T’Fearne trying to fire more quills, but they’d stopped firing.
T’Fearne: ~ We are out of tricobalt quills. Narhelion, what has happened to your quills? What other defenses do you have? ~
Narhelion: ~ Depleted. Narhelion does not have the strength to keep all systems maintained. Too many wounds. Not enough sustenance and all power is going to the most important parts of Narhelion. ~
Raga (optional): Response
Venn: ~ Go, Narhelion. Don’t let it fire at you. Swim faster!! ~
Close
T’Fearne: ~ We have to go through. There is no time to stop and disembark. The Ronin is in no shape to survive an encounter with that ship. Whatever is on the other side...we face it together. ~
Venn: ~ I don’t believe she’s paying us much attention, anymore. We’re there. Just hold on, T’Fearne, because I think this is going to be a close one. ~
Alira could hear through the mindlink the song of Narhelion as it reverberated not just in her mind, but throughout the entire being. Also, through the mindlink, she saw the Sencha weapon fire with deadly, destructive force, lancing out toward Narhelion.
NO! Narhelion will not lose any more Caretakers!!
The Sencha weapon struck Narhelion just as Narhelion’s song struck the fissure, tearing it open and allowing her to enter the rift. She began to roll to try and minimize the damage, but it hurt so badly Alira thought she was about to die.
PAIN
Narhelion slipped into the fissure, pulling Tiny Predator along behind her, shielding it from the deadly attack. As she entered, she could see the vibrant lights streaking through the space, creating a most spectacular and breathtaking view, even as the door closed behind them. Alira was awed at the sight and wondered if she’d entered the celestial home of The Artist. She wasn’t exactly a devout Dikkenist, but her mother had taught her about the belief in the Artist. She was too human to fully understand that, but seeing this magnificent sight, maybe she needed to reconsider those beliefs. Maybe.
Between the majestic sight, and sheer relief that not only had they survived, but that Narhelion was alive. There were other cosmozoans here, similar to Narhelion, but not exactly the same, and she was just beginning to imagine the report she was going to have to send back to Captain Anderson. The thought brought a smile to her face, along with a tinge of worry. But, for the moment, that was one worry she could set aside. They were safe, and Narhelion was alive.
Venn: ~ Thank you, Narhelion. You’re safe, and we’re safe. Rest now, you’ve earned it. ~
She took this opportunity to disentangle herself from the mindlink. T’Fearne was correct, they’d become too connected. She could see the blue lines and the glowing blue eyelashes of the other woman and looked at her own hands to see that they also had taken on the glowing blue lines. Fortunately, those seemed to be receding now that she was disconnected.
Venn: T’Fearne. It’s time. You were correct, we were too close. And…
The next part was hard for her to say, because in many ways she still felt like an outsider despite the connection they’d shared together in the mindlink. But she’d called her friend, and to Alira that meant something.
Venn: And, thank you for your encouragement when I was getting overwhelmed. It helped.
T’Fearne: Response
END Scene for Alira