nexus_crossings | (no subject)

"Our enemy is called the Valahgua. Their goal is the complete eradication of the Shontine and K'da, for reasons still unknown to us." Faris' tail twitches, catlike, as he speaks. This is not a pleasant topic for either of them. "We are outmatched, and have begun searching for a new planet to call home, far away from their reach. It is... considerably difficult to locate a suitable world. One with a tolerable climate, that is not already occupied, or far enough away from the Valahgua."

Edited 2017-07-28 23:35 (UTC)

She listens sympathetically to his plight, although his explanation of searching for a new planet to call home is so achingly familiar that she can't help but let out a soft gasp. "It's the same for us," she tells him animatedly. "Well, not a new planet so much as a forgotten colony, but we've also been searching."

Catching her breath, she gives herself a moment to think about his people's troubles in locating a suitable home. "We tried for a time to settle on a planet that was barely habitable... the Cylons found us anyway. I wouldn't recommend it... you can't settle on a planet that's already occupied? No one will take in refugees?"

It had been difficult to tell, trying to interpret alien facial expressions, but he'd thought he'd seen a familiar look about her, though they've never met before. And while he's never happy to hear that someone else has to endure the same kind of tragedy, it's oddly comforting to speak with someone who knows the same sorrows without having to explain.

"If we were to find a species willing to shelter us, it is still... logistically difficult," Faris admits. "There are not many civilizations prepared to accept nineteen million new inhabitants. And as we must travel beyond the reaches of known space to escape our enemy, the species we are encountering are unknown to us. Many have little reason to risk themselves for a stranger's sake." Something he doesn't approve of, but understands.

It is comforting for her as well, to know that they have this in common. It makes it easier for her to look beyond their physical differences. She relaxes into her chair, listening quietly to the logistical problems his people face in finding a new home.

There is a look of both envy and relief in her eyes when he tells her how many of his people survived the loss of their former planet. "I know it makes things more difficult... but you are blessed to have that number of refugees. My people..." She twists at the strap of her messenger bag. "There are less than 40,000 of us left. And I worry about that, too, that when we find Earth -- our lost colony -- the humans there won't want to get dragged into the mess we created."

They won't have a choice, though. The Cylons hate all humans, and they are just as inclined to find Earth, if only to destroy it. "Your enemy -- the Valahgua -- what are they like? How powerful are they?"

Faris' tail twitches when she tells him how many of her people remain. It is difficult to consider his peoples fortunate, but in perspective with her losses, he can see how it could be seen as such. And he takes it as a reminder that his tragedy is not the only one. A warrior must consider all sides. "So few indeed. My gravest sympathy. What were your numbers before the war?"

Her question is a reasonable one, both for sake of knowledge itself, as well as to prepare for the event that such a dangerous enemy may find its way here one day. "They are warlike and merciless. Physically they are uniquely repulsive, possessing both grasping hands and tentacles, and powerful legs too thick to cripple in combat. Their physical strength is not what makes them most dangerous." His voice is grim, and his tail stills as he describes his peoples' mortal enemy. "They possess a weapon known only as the Death, a projection weapon they use with their ships. It cannot be blocked by any known means, not even armor plating. Every living thing that enters its light field is killed instantly."

Edited 2017-07-29 15:26 (UTC)

"Fifty billion," she replies quietly, not quite meeting his sympathetic gaze. It's easy to become overwhelmed by the staggering loss her people have suffered, so she tries hard not to dwell on it often. Saying the number aloud is a painful reminder. "We had twelve populated colonies when the Cylons attacked. They turned our own defense system against us."

His description of the Valahgua is rather disturbing. She tries not to judge others based on appearance, but any species hellbent on annihilating another should be looked at with suspicion at the very least. "Their weapon sounds terrifying. Do you know how it works at all? Maybe there is a way to dismantle it."

Fifty billion. And only forty thousand remain. It truly is a staggering blow to her colonies' population. "There once were one billion K'da and ten billion Shontine," he says, his long ears laid back in sadness for both their losses. It isn't a competition of who has more reason to grieve; there are no words to describe such a loss of life, no value that can be placed on one life over another. Neither scenario is preferable.

He doesn't mind her not looking at him. Such things are difficult enough to discuss without involving strangers.

Faris isn't a fan of judging species by appearance either, but the Valahgua have earned his peoples' hate. "I do not know the physics of it. The Death seeks out the core of life that exists within all living things and destroys it." Her suggestion is well-intentioned, and he does not scorn her for it. "The weapons themselves are destroyed as easily as any other. The difficulty lies in getting close enough to do this. Valahgua ships are equipped with many Death weapons, and they always attack in great enough numbers that avoiding the Death is not possible."

No, it is not a competition, and she feels as keenly for his loss as she does her own. "I'm sorry," she says, knowing how inadequate those two words can be in the face of such tragedy. "Who are the Shontine? Are they your allies?"

That does make his enemy's offense sound rather impenetrable. "It only destroys biological matter? Or does it destroy your ships, too?" She frowns over the devastation such a weapon must bring. "Our enemies, they are robots, but biological in nature. They can resurrect -- download their consciousness into a new body after they die. But their weapons aren't any more advanced than ours... its their sheer advantage in numbers that's the problem."

"Allies and dear friends," Faris answers. Speaking of the Shontine is a little better than dwelling on their losses, shifting focus to the lives that yet remain. "My kind are symbionts. We cannot survive without a suitable host, and the Shontine have willingly partnered with us for generations. Our oral histories say that we were once enslaved together, and allied ourselves with one another to escape our captors. Our original host species, the Dhaghem, did not survive the uprising in great enough numbers to sustain their population, and so the Shontine took their place."

He does hope that doesn't disturb her. He's never had to explain it before, not when he hadn't already shown his symbiotic nature.

"Forgive me, I have not learned many of your scientific words," Faris says apologetically. "Perhaps I use the wrong words. It does not destroy the flesh, only the life energy. Ships are left intact, as are bodies, but the life itself is gone."

He listens as she describes her enemy, and he certainly hopes she isn't thinking about trying to get Death weapons for her people. Difficulty capturing one aside, they're abominations to him, unacceptable to use in war, or indeed under any conceivable circumstances. "A foe that outnumbers you is a threat indeed, even without superior capabilities."

The scientist in her can't help but be fascinated by this information. There were plenty of symbiont species on the colonies, but none of human-level (or greater) intelligence. "How does that relationship work, if you don't mind me asking? Are you okay here by yourself, or is your Shontine friend with you somewhere?"

She shakes her head. No apology necessary. "It's fine, it's..." She laughs, but it's not very happy. "There are all kind of horrible weapons out there, it's probably enough to know that it kills whatever in its path and leave it at that."

Obtaining Death weapons of her own is just about the last thing on her mind. Someone in her Fleet's military would likely consider it -- they weren't above biological warfare when it was a possibility -- but Adia holds out hope that her own war can end without repeating the seemingly endless cycle of violence.

"They're a little stronger than us, too, but that doesn't matter much. We do most of our fighting between ships." She twists again at her bag's strip. "They aren't... they don't all hate us, not the way your enemy does. But that's not much benefit to us now."

Heartened that she isn't put off by his nature, Faris is more than content to satisfy her scientific curiosity. "Chanath is still on the ship at this time. I can remain safely separated for six of your hours at a time. Before that time limit is reached, I must physically touch a suitable host and transfer onto the surface of their skin, appearing two dimensional to your eyes. K'da in this state resemble your human art form of tattoo."

He's attentive to her statements about her enemy, these Cylons, and their strengths and weaknesses. "There is no path to reasoning with your enemies?" he questions. "No peace that may be formed, or at the least, a cease-fire?"

Her eyebrows go up at the explanation. That is definitely not like any of the symbionts she's familiar with. Not unless you count the friendly microbes that live on human skin, but they certainly don't form tattoos...

"Do you then have to stay on your host's skin for a while? Can you, um... can you sense what's going on around you when you're in two-dimensional form?" She pauses a moment before asking, "Does Chanath know about the Nexus?"

She shakes her head. "Not so soon after they occupied our settlement. There are a lot of hard feelings left over from that..." Remembering her coffee, she reaches for it, a small frown on her face. "I'm hoping that after we find Earth, we'll have a little more leverage against them, and we can have a real truce. As equals."

"We require a minimum of one hour to fully recover, though a K'da may stay as long as they wish with no ill effect. The senses of touch, hearing, and sight remain intact, with restrictions if the host's clothing is in the way." His tail resumes its catlike movements, comfortable with this topic. "She is aware, yes. I was stranded here for a matter of months and had to rely on a temporary host before I could locate the correct door, so I had to explain my absence and survival. I continue to visit as a learning opportunity, and to remain in contact with friends I have made."

The K'da pauses, before deciding to share this with her also. "I am considering if it would be possible to relocate my peoples through the Nexus. Perhaps not stay here, but pass through another door to an uninhabited world. It may be the only way to guarantee that the Valahgua cannot reach us."

Her clarification makes sense, strategically and otherwise. "A sound decision. It is far easier to negotiate when one is not trapped against a corner unarmed. Warrior's luck to you and your people in this."

"She must have been so worried," Adia murmurs, but she tries not to let herself get emotional over their separation. He was able to survive and find his way back to her, and that's what matters. "What do the Shontine look like? Is there a limit to what other species you can use for a host?"

His idea for relocation intrigues her. It's something that has crossed her mind once in a while when thinking of her own people. "It's certainly possible... but you could only move so many people at a time. And portals aren't always stable. You'd need to coordinate everything in advance."

She takes a sip of her coffee, then nods quickly in response to his words. "Yes, exactly. And thank you. We're closer than ever to finding Earth, but it's still a tense situation." She pauses a moment herself, then asks, "Do all the K'Da and Shontine get along? That is... do you have a government? Do people generally agree on what to do when it comes to the war?"

"Yes, she was," Faris agrees, flicking his ears back for a moment as he recalls how surprised and relieved Chanath and their shipmates were to see him return. "The Shontine are very like humans in many ways. More varied in coloration and with broader backs and shoulders, from what I have seen of your people." Her other question is answered with a dip of the head, having picked up on human mannerisms a bit during his time trapped here. "It is unclear what makes one species suitable and another not, but limits do exist. I could not wrap myself around a living plant, for example, but humans are quite compatible."

He is also in agreement with her analysis of the relocation idea. "It would. It presents the same logistical difficulties of colonization, with additional problems. I am certain the fleet would wish to bring our ships along, as well."

Faris draws himself up a little, proud of his peoples and all they've accomplished together, despite the threat of annihilation. "There are minor arguments, yes, disagreements on battle plans or personal opinions, as with all species. But we are all in agreement to work for the greater good of the people, to do what must be done to allow us our survival. The K'da cannot live alone and the Shontine do not wish to, so together we reach for agreement between us all. Each ship is represented in council by a K'da/Shontin pair and one Shontin that is not a host, so that all voices are heard." He tilts his head slightly, and asks, "How is it with your people?"

"That must make it easier for you, then, to be in the Nexus. This place is full of humans." She grins briefly before mulling over his description of the Shontine. "Are there other humanoid aliens where you're from? What did your original hosts look like?"

She blinks when he mentions bringing along ships. "Some people have done that. A ship, at least. But the portals on the ground, from what I've seen, aren't large enough to accommodate entire ships... do you have faster-than-light travel? How long does it take you to get anywhere?"

It is a relief to hear that his people get along so well. That sort of unity is of utmost importance when facing an enemy. But when he asks of her own government, her expression turns to worry. "It's, um... not quite as harmonious as that," she admits. "We have a president, a commander of the military, and the Quorum -- that's a legislative body of twelve representatives, one for each former colony."

Her gaze drops to her coffee. "For the most part, we get along, but we've had some rough patches... our former president was on trial for colluding with the Cylons when we were under Occupation, but he was recently acquitted. That's stirred up some bad feelings. People wanted someone to blame for what happened."

"It is, but not all humans would be welcome to the idea, and it is not honorable to use another person against their will. I was fortunate to find a human who bore many tattoos and did not mind temporarily gaining another." The word 'humanoid' intrigues him, though he can see why she would use it. It makes sense to use one's own species as a basic point of comparison. "There surely are, though I have not seen them all myself. The Dhaghem may have been similar; the old songs are more concerned with honoring their heroism and sacrifice than what they looked like."

So many questions! It has been a while since he's answered this many, but a warrior is patient, and this human's enthusiasm for learning is commendable. It reminds him a little of the last breeding cycle, when the population had many curious cubs. "We do, though it still takes a great deal of time to travel. We have been traveling for two of your years, but I do not know your distance units well enough to say how far we have come."

Unity is in his nature, as one might expect. A K'da who doesn't care about others is a dead K'da, so cooperation is a matter of life and death, even without the Valahgua to worry about. Her human government sounds much more chaotic, though not surprising. "Though justice and vengeance often have the same result, they must not be confused for the other. Was the trial a fair one?"

Edited 2017-07-30 19:44 (UTC)

Well, it is a rather intimate relationship, to have a being that can still see, hear, and feel living on your body, but she likes to think that she'd be willing to be a K'Da's host if they had no other options. "People in the Nexus can be very generous, but all the same, I'm glad you now have a reliable way back to your host."

She'd be embarrassed to realize that she's asking a lot of questions, but it's not often that she gets to meet an alien, even in the Nexus, and considering how similar their plights are, she'd like to learn as much as she can. "We have FTL drives, too. They use a kind of teleportation technology, but it's very limited. I've often wondered if it would be possible to use those drives to teleport here, but I'm not an engineer. It would solve the problem of only being able to move a few people at a time, though."

It is fortunate for the humans that their enemy is not the united front that they present themselves to be, but Adia has only scratched the surface of this particular reality. For now, she takes a small sip of coffee and wonders if her people will ever learn to permanently set aside their differences. "I think so. The tribunal wasn't bribed or blackmailed. They said there wasn't enough evidence to convict him... treason is a death sentence. They took their deliberation seriously."

He dips his head against in acknowledgment and agreement. As interesting and sometimes fun as the Nexus has been, it was a relief to see his beloved Chanath again. The PINpoint clipped to his ear, like a Bluetooth headset, is small but simple, and priceless beyond measure to him.

Faris truly doesn't mind her asking so much. He has the knowledge to spare, and though he's never been a teacher, learning and bettering oneself is never a bad thing. She's different enough from the humans he's met too, sparking his own curiosity, and it's only fair to give if one intends to ask for something in return. "I am not an engineer either, but if such a thing is possible, it would save both time and resources. But we cannot attempt this until there is somewhere to go."

A death sentence... the idea of execution is a drastic one, from a K'da's point of view, but sometimes a necessary evil. Still, this person she speaks of avoided that fate, so there's little reason to say so. "That is good. Your people must prove guilt rather than innocence. A guilty party may yet be punished, but the innocent can not have their punishment reversed."

"Of course," she agrees, although her thoughts are partly elsewhere. Should she be trying to find a portal to an uninhabited world, too? She had considered, perhaps as a last resort, that her people could relocated in the Nexus. But maybe a more stable environment is what they need, too. "If you have your ships, you could also try a portal that leads directly into space, but that's probably riskier... and I don't think those portals are as stable."

Adia nods. "It's not an ideal that's always followed, especially in wartime, but it's what we strive for." She frowns at a recent memory. "The Cylons did not. At least when it came to humans. It's one of the reasons the coalition government they forced upon us failed. But, I mean... how can you trust a group of people who tried to kill you, and that you killed in turn? It's why I'm not hopeful about any peaceful resolution... at least until we find Earth."

"Yes, there is that risk," Faris agrees. "And our star charts may be useless after such a move, making navigation difficult. It is not without its problems. The risks must be carefully measured."

He has to admit that she has a point. If the Valahgua came to the Shontine and K'da and asked for peace, he imagines that his own peoples would dismiss the possibility outright for similar reasons. Especially with the Death still in the hands of their enemy. "Trust is a fragile thing, woven with the delicate threads of hope. It does not take a sharp claw to break it."

"Exactly," she replies. "I've spent a lot of time when I first came to the Nexus looking up star charts from Earth's perspective, but I'm not an astronavigator, and I'm not sure it would help, even if I were. Do you think there are any humans in your universe? You may even have an Earth, but you're in a completely different galaxy."

His statement rings true. She's often been told that she trusts too easily, but even she'd be hard-pressed to take a Cylon at his or her word after what happened. "Good thing you at least have that trust among your own people. My name is Adia, by the way. Thank you for answering my questions... I never thought I'd meet someone going through such similar circumstances." And a dragon, no less.

"I am told that some of our other scout ships have contacted humans," Faris admits readily. "I do not know if there is an Earth, or where it may be. It is possible."

He drops his lower jaw slightly in a K'da smile. "I am Faris. I must also thank you for answering mine. I also did not expect to find such close similarities with the struggles of my peoples." As sad as it is that those parallels exist, that more people should have to suffer, a shared burden is a lessened one, and he appreciates the opportunity.