I stopped at the cluster of rocks I'd used last time I was there, notable for the cairn of rocks I'd constructed on the tallest one, and made a sit down gesture at Ruuel. My goal was there, fortunately: I spotted them straight away and pointed and then just watched.
That's going to be a memory I'll keep forever, even without my log. Dawn, the water glinting ever brighter, the sky mixing pastels. Birds starting to call and sing as the mist dissipated. And the otters which live in that stream dancing in the water as they dug little crayfish out of the rocky bed. I only snuck a single look at Ruuel, and while I have no idea if he enjoyed any of that outing, he at least was watching the otters attentively. Maybe he was thinking of the best and most efficient ways to kill them.
And then the
Litara
showed up, which most effectively destroyed the mood. As spaceships go, I expect it's relatively quiet, but it sure can freak out the wildlife.
"Are called otters, on Earth," I said, standing up. "What is range interface transmission, when not on Tare?"
"About five times further than this, when there's a relay." He was watching the
Litara
rotating for a landing position out above the lake. "Without a relay, not quite this far."
We started walking back, not hurriedly, though the
Litara
was well ahead of what I'd thought was its scheduled return. I thought of quite a few things I felt like saying, but kept them to myself, and Ruuel disappeared with a nod when we got back to camp.
Spaceships are an even better wake-up call than shrieking Earthlings, so there were a ton of people up and about. I'm sitting in the mess hall writing this and eating an extended breakfast while I wait to find out what's going on.
Construction Project
The
Litara
had returned early because the research techs wanted to try out a simulated security pass. So back to the platform. The Ddura turns up reliably once someone starts fooling with the platform, but must have been at a fair distance this time because it took a while. The techs got impatient with me for that, like I have any control over what the thing does.
What does the Ddura think I am? I can hear it and I guess it can 'hear' me when I'm touching the platform, but it knows I'm not Muinan and when the Taren Muinans are around it's just not that interested in what I'm 'saying'. When it finally showed up this time, it reacted to the drone with the simulated security pass in a confused sort of way – anxious and uncertain but not hostile. It can tell there's something not right about it, but the fake pass makes it familiar enough that it doesn't attack. That made everyone happy, including me in a "I'd smile if my head stopped hurting" way. They're still cautious, but they think this means that the Ddura probably won't go exploding all the equipment, and they'll be able to get new visitors to the platform without having to worry about the Ddura killing them on the way. They brought with them two small 'shuttle' type aircraft and they've staked them out as bait. One has the fake pass and one doesn't. They're on the east side of town on the crests of two different hills, so everyone can enjoy the show if they explode.
I wish it meant I could go back to Tare (I nearly wrote 'home', and felt awful), but I'm stuck here at least until the end of the original mission, even though they're probably not going to involve me in the moonfall. I wouldn't mind so much, except they swapped out Second Squad for Fifth Squad.
I guess Kajal must be stable and not completely stupid if they made him a squad captain. Just because he's a prick and treats Zan and me as if we shouldn't exist doesn't mean he's not good at his job. He's still doing the completely not acknowledging my presence thing, which suits me well enough, and it's not really obvious since there's so many people here.
Third and Fourth have been off most of the day exploring the near-space and surrounding spaces; a task made easy by the Ddura's hunting. Fifth and Eighth are assigned to guard duty, split up in pairs around the entire camp, in case something shows up to attack. Fifth is on now and Eighth has night duty. Having Setari squads guarding in shifts seems a real waste of their abilities. You can sure as hell tell that's what Kajal thinks, anyway.
Tomorrow night is moonfall, and they're in a huge rush to set up before then. There's nowhere good to hide away from all the activity. Before Third headed out Taarel mentioned that I shouldn't leave the area of camp, so it doesn't look like I'll get away with another excursion. I spent the bulk of the day in the infirmary recovering from my Ddura headache and the afternoon sitting on a rock down at the shore wishing that if I'm not allowed to leave, everyone would be quieter. I'm not even allowed into the 'old town'.
Cloudy today, but then windy. It'll probably be clear for the moonfall tomorrow.
Sunday, March 23
Boom
One of the shuttles exploded last night.
The right one, fortunately, and I could hear the Ddura being all happy about it afterwards. Funny that people could be pleased that a perfectly good piece of equipment was destroyed. I was in the infirmary, having carefully hung around the medic's tent in the evening looking tired and headachy until Ista Leema, the settlement's main medical person, started running tests on me and kept me in for observation. I have an assigned 'bunk' in with the Setari, which I didn't mind when my neighbours were Second and Third Squad, but found less amusing when it involved Fifth Squad one row over. Even the prospect of perhaps seeing Ruuel asleep wasn't enough to outweigh my dislike of Kajal.
I was reading when the shuttle went boom, and in a bit of a mood, so pretended to be asleep when I heard the noise in case they wanted me to go talk to the Ddura. Headaches are making me less than cooperative. I was thinking that it was useful to be able to read books with my eyes closed when I remembered that the interface would also show them I was awake, if they looked.
Oh well. Now that they've confirmed that the fake security clearance will work for their machines, I'm pretty sure that I'll be sent back to Tare tomorrow. Less important again, thank everything. I can start thinking about cautious 'going home' experiments without feeling guilty.
Male Posturing
Late afternoon, and everyone's keyed up about the moonfall. It's been a good day for me, since it didn't involve a headache, just a couple of private attempts to see if I have a path-finding ability by trying to locate Ista Leema. Otherwise, I found a great spot where I could sit on the lakeshore and read: snugged down between two rocks, out of the wind and almost out of sight.
Eighth Squad, who had been asleep all morning, came down to the water's edge with Fourth Squad and practiced the martial art which is the basis of their close-combat. That was a lot of eye-candy for me, heh. In terms of fire power, Ruuel's one of the weakest of the Setari, but knowing his talent set I wasn't the least surprised that he seemed able to avoid the blows of anyone matching with him. Eighth's captain, Kanato, had him breathing hard though, which I greatly appreciated.
They'd kept a businesslike atmosphere during the training session. Ruuel was his usual tersely-efficient self, of course, and both captains only made suggestions for improving weaknesses, gave the occasional nod of approval, and then dismissed their squads. They were standing together talking when Kajal, trailed by Nise, strolled down to the grassy bit of bank they'd been using as a practice ground.
"Sticking with the easiest targets still, Ruuel?" he asked, that really rich voice making every word double-mocking. "Why not try a real challenge?"
Ruuel barely spared him a glance. "You're on duty, Kajal."
"Is the complete absence of threat here a real concern? These continuing excuses begin to smack of cowardice."
"Take it however you like." Total indifference.
Ruuel walked off, and though Kajal looked really pissed he didn't do anything about it. Drama falls flat. Doesn't surprise me in the least that Kajal's like that, though I'm not sure why Ruuel refuses to spar with him. I expect Kajal wouldn't care unless Ruuel had beaten him in the past. Who knows? One thing I've never been is competitive – I'm too lazy – and I don't really understand the people who are.
Monday, March 24
Machismo redux
Moonfall started out as a real non-event for me since I wasn't involved in it at all. The greysuits had set all sorts of instrumentation monitoring and scanning different parts of the village, particularly the rooftops, the amphitheatre and the platform.
Third Squad had been sent into the near-space to observe from there, which was considered the most dangerous facet of the experiments, so they'd sent Eighth Squad to support them. No-one was allowed in the town during the beginning of moonfall, and then they were going to send in a few test subjects and Fourth Squad. Theoretically Fourth Squad were going to avoid getting drunk, though I had my hopes up.
The moon rose late and I was tired of sitting around in the chill. But it was pretty to watch from a distance, and I was very glad that the night hadn't gone the way I'd expected it to when we set out on this mission: me getting extremely drunk while everyone watched. After a while I bored of the light show and sat at a table outside the mess tent reading until people started to trickle back; greysuits and greensuits, Third and Eighth Squad, and then a disappointingly sober Fourth.
All in all I don't think they learned anything momentous. Certainly not how the whole thing works. People started to drift off, Eighth heading out to take up their guard posts while Ruuel and Taarel did their usual stand together talking quietly and looking like they're very much on each other's wavelength. I was busy trying not to watch them, and also realising that I hadn't arranged an excuse to spend the night in the infirmary.
"You've managed to be awake all day," Taarel said to me, coming over as Ruuel started off. "Quite out of character."
"Trying to make habit of it," I said. Taarel somehow always makes me feel a bit young and embarrassed.
"Working with the night-day cycle here is very interesting. It makes it considerably more difficult to keep shifts."
I was looking at Taarel, and didn't see the start of it, just the way her eyes went wide. I turned because there was a scuffling noise behind me, and there was Kajal taking a kick at Ruuel, who simply leaned out of his way, and did the same again when Kajal aimed a blow to his face, before moving abruptly backward out of reach.
"Report to the infirmary, Kajal," he said. "You've inhaled too much aether."
"Fight, you cursed gelzz," Kajal spat. "Are you so afraid I'll prove the better?"
"I haven't the faintest interest in measuring myself against you." Ruuel looked and sounded supremely bored. "The only thing you're proving is your own insecurity."
Kajal went all out then. And he was fast, really good (in as much as I am feebly able to judge, which is not at all). Ruuel just kept moving out the way. Quite a few of the Setari and random green- and greysuits had noticed but kept back. Taarel looked irritated, which is unusual for her, but she didn't interfere. Finally, there was a blur too fast for me to follow and then Kajal was sailing through the air and twisted to a landing just in front of the tables. The grass is trampled muddy there, and he didn't come down too hard.
"Give up this game, Kajal," Ruuel said, his voice incredibly cutting. "I won't hold back if you try to play it again."
It was a pity Kajal was facing in my direction when he stood up. I saw the change in his face when he realised who I was. Taarel saw it too, and said: "Don't be an idiot," but it was too late; she wasn't quick enough to block him. His hand to my shoulder knocked me into the table and then he really was a blur.
Ruuel rolled with the blow to his face, not fast enough to avoid it altogether. Nor the kick to his stomach, the smash to his knee. And yet the second bout ended the same way, with Kajal sailing through the air and this time slamming hard into the ground in front of the tables. Ruuel walked over to him, and it was very easy to remember that the Setari were trained killers as he stood looking down at Kajal, face haughty as hell. But all he said was: "Infirmary," and walked off that way himself, limping.
I don't know what the fall-out from that's going to be. It's not like the greensuits came and marched Kajal away. Does aether effect count as enough of an excuse? I decided not to mention the really nice bruise on my arm where Kajal pushed me into the table, and this morning everyone was acting as if nothing had happened.
I'm just glad to be heading back to Tare. Eighth Squad have been left behind as guards, taking it in pairs since there's been no sign of any Ionoth attacking the settlement. They think the Ddura is 'based' there and thus keeps it far clearer than the rest of the planet. I'm listening to the faint change in the hum of the ship as we prepare for take-off and trying not to be too obvious in watching Third and Fourth Squad in their pods.
Ruuel has the
best
black eye.
Out of the box
We had a side-mission before we returned through the rift gate. I didn't find that out until we were on the way there and Taarel started the mission briefing. We were going to look over the second of the towns with 'circle roofs' which the satellite had found. I was assigned to Fourth Squad, who were going despite Ruuel's slight limp. Sefen from Third toted a drone which floated along behind him like a kite.
This town was on a river, not a lake, and the
Litara
didn't land, but sent us out in a small flyer-shuttle-thing and then, I guess, flew around in a circle. The town looked so similar. Almost the same plants, a similar layout, central amphitheatre, blockish houses. But at the same time, very different.