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middleofsomewhere2022-10-25 04:21 am
voidtreckermods) wrote in middleofsomewhere2022-10-25 04:21 am
We Approach Our Final Hour
The days after the celebrations are filled with helping those from system #1015 get settled, or just by resting and recuperating after what was a difficult battle.
A couple of days later however Void Minister Till once again calls all the voidtreckers, scientists and other interested parties to a meeting. She looks a lot less grim this time.
To Return Home
"We are now able to see the way to return you to your non-travelling selves. This will untether you from both the Voidtrecker Express and the void. Your bodies on your worlds are, for the most part, well. Tethering is a powerful thing so even those from places that do not have the technology to sustain an unconcious person for a long period of time will find themselves well, though feeling some lingering fatigue. Time has passed in all your worlds and I know it will be difficult to explain your absence." She smiled softly.
"We don't ask you to keep the void completely secret, but especially those from places with a low level of technology should use their discretion when talking about their adventurers. You will not be voidtreckers anymore. You all come from non void active worlds and so until those worlds join the void network you must remain on them. Those from the void can always visit you and we will endeavour to pass on messages between worlds if there are those you wish to remain in contact with. This is the option we expect most of you will take."
To Remain
She lets the any comments or discussions about that bubble for a moment before she presses on. "However, we are very aware that there are those of you who do not have homes to return to. Some of you were tethered on the brink of death. Some of you come from places now destroyed. Some of you have physical places to return but have found family and friendship in the void far greater than anything you had in your lives before." She paused.
"For you we offer another option. You may remain. We believe that as we detangle your tethers from the Voidtrecker Express we can tether you, properly tether you, to this void base." She looked around. "I won't mince words, this option means that your non tethering selves will be no more, your bodies back on your world will die. You will be like those of Osiga and now those of system #1015. You would not be able to return to live on your world." She paused, to let the gravity of that sink in.
"You will always have a home on this base and from here..." She smiled warmly. "You can do what you wish. There are many mission craft that would happily take you on if you have found you have enjoyed assisting worlds in need. Otherwise there are other craft, scientific voyaging craft, tourist craft. We will help you find a place. Though you are free to go your own way, this would be your base but you would not be obligated to remain here. You would be welcome to visit those who return to their worlds, though we would ask that you limited visits to your own, to avoid complications." Again she gave a moment, for the discussion around that to die down before she spoke again.
To Go Back
"Finally. We are aware there are some of you in very difficult situations. Where taking you from your world has led to your whole world, or large parts of it in grave danger. We are aware worlds have fallen, for lack of you. For you we make another offer. We do not make this lightly, it is risky and we ask that those taking it have very good reason.." She looked around, silent and serious.
"We believe that using what we learned of anchoring through time we can return you, not only to the place you were brought from, but the moment. You would remember all that has passed but to your world it would be as if you were never gone at all." A pause.
"Because of the grave risks associated with this, we will be sealing the worlds of those that return in this way. These systems will never become void active and no void craft may enter those systems. As I say, it is not an option we give lightly."
The Choice is Yours
"Whatever you choose we will support you in it. We are also aware there are many of your number not with you. Please be assured that we are working through their tethers. We will do our best to give them the same choices and at the very least we will return them all to their homes. I understand there is a lot to think about. We believe we can hold on to your tethers for a couple more days and so please take this time to talk it through and to say your farewells."
She falls silent and steps back, letting people talk and discuss, whilst remaining close.
A couple of days later however Void Minister Till once again calls all the voidtreckers, scientists and other interested parties to a meeting. She looks a lot less grim this time.
FINAL CHOICES
"Thank you all for gathering again. As you know we have been working on figuring out what was happening with your tethers, trying to untangle them from the Voidtrecker Express and find you a way home." She gave a tired smile.
"However with the resolving of the time paradox surrounding system#1015 it seems much of our work is out of our hands, your tethers seem to be detangling themselves and so our work quickly moved to keeping you all stable enough to remain here, because we are very mindful that you deserve a choice in this and a chance to say your farewells. You were brought here without your knowledge or consent and despite that have done a great service to the void so before I say anything else I wish to thank you, on behalf of us all."
To Return Home
"We are now able to see the way to return you to your non-travelling selves. This will untether you from both the Voidtrecker Express and the void. Your bodies on your worlds are, for the most part, well. Tethering is a powerful thing so even those from places that do not have the technology to sustain an unconcious person for a long period of time will find themselves well, though feeling some lingering fatigue. Time has passed in all your worlds and I know it will be difficult to explain your absence." She smiled softly.
"We don't ask you to keep the void completely secret, but especially those from places with a low level of technology should use their discretion when talking about their adventurers. You will not be voidtreckers anymore. You all come from non void active worlds and so until those worlds join the void network you must remain on them. Those from the void can always visit you and we will endeavour to pass on messages between worlds if there are those you wish to remain in contact with. This is the option we expect most of you will take."
To Remain
She lets the any comments or discussions about that bubble for a moment before she presses on. "However, we are very aware that there are those of you who do not have homes to return to. Some of you were tethered on the brink of death. Some of you come from places now destroyed. Some of you have physical places to return but have found family and friendship in the void far greater than anything you had in your lives before." She paused.
"For you we offer another option. You may remain. We believe that as we detangle your tethers from the Voidtrecker Express we can tether you, properly tether you, to this void base." She looked around. "I won't mince words, this option means that your non tethering selves will be no more, your bodies back on your world will die. You will be like those of Osiga and now those of system #1015. You would not be able to return to live on your world." She paused, to let the gravity of that sink in.
"You will always have a home on this base and from here..." She smiled warmly. "You can do what you wish. There are many mission craft that would happily take you on if you have found you have enjoyed assisting worlds in need. Otherwise there are other craft, scientific voyaging craft, tourist craft. We will help you find a place. Though you are free to go your own way, this would be your base but you would not be obligated to remain here. You would be welcome to visit those who return to their worlds, though we would ask that you limited visits to your own, to avoid complications." Again she gave a moment, for the discussion around that to die down before she spoke again.
To Go Back
"Finally. We are aware there are some of you in very difficult situations. Where taking you from your world has led to your whole world, or large parts of it in grave danger. We are aware worlds have fallen, for lack of you. For you we make another offer. We do not make this lightly, it is risky and we ask that those taking it have very good reason.." She looked around, silent and serious.
"We believe that using what we learned of anchoring through time we can return you, not only to the place you were brought from, but the moment. You would remember all that has passed but to your world it would be as if you were never gone at all." A pause.
"Because of the grave risks associated with this, we will be sealing the worlds of those that return in this way. These systems will never become void active and no void craft may enter those systems. As I say, it is not an option we give lightly."
The Choice is Yours
"Whatever you choose we will support you in it. We are also aware there are many of your number not with you. Please be assured that we are working through their tethers. We will do our best to give them the same choices and at the very least we will return them all to their homes. I understand there is a lot to think about. We believe we can hold on to your tethers for a couple more days and so please take this time to talk it through and to say your farewells."
She falls silent and steps back, letting people talk and discuss, whilst remaining close.
So sorry for the delay! I got sick and I didn't expect to reply so late .__.
Curled up into the hug, it's just a little easier for Esteban to calm his running thoughts, to let them settle and blanket the fear and tension that still want to run amok. The sound of dripping rain tapping gentle fingers against the glass, the crackle of the sputtering flame nearby and Romeo's soft, slow breaths are a pace he can follow, a hand that he can hold to slow him down. It takes him a long time to form words at all, sorrow-burdened from far too many things. But he tries anyways.
"... I thought--" Words stumble over his own lips, unable to say truthfully any of his thoughts, for how tangled they are. It stalls him for a few moments more, quiet in the soothing comfort of his friend, of the familiarity of this place. The calm silence that lets him take whatever time he needs to form his thoughts. He tries again.
"I didn't think I'd lose everyone so soon." It takes... more out of him to say this much, uncertain how much he wants to say to his friend, to the tiny child that he holds in his arms. The tiny child who'd died and somehow was here.
He has to wonder what it means to Romeo. This. The-- the train and the returns and the losses they represent.
is okay <3
"I know... I didn't think we had to say goodbye so soon either. But I think..."
He frowned, trying to make a way for his thoughts to make sense. "When I was in the heavens, lots of people vanished like they vanished from the stations here. But before I came here lots and lots of people vanished, nearly everyone and then I did... And I didn't get to say goodbye to anyone and I don't know where any of my friends from there are..."
He sighed. "So even though it's really sad to say goodbye it is better than not getting to say it at all."
no subject
Esteban's arm tightens around him, a little squeeze of comfort, as the fire cracks and crackles by their side, sharing their warmth in an otherwise cold world.
"I always think--" It hurts a bit to talk about this. Esteban doesn't like to think about the gaping wounds left behind, the emptiness of a person missing from him. But he does hold onto this. He has to hold onto this. "-- that I want people t' be happy. That them bein' happy is more important than them bein' with me."
A cold empty room, with herbs drying from the rafters, and a hearth stone so wide for such a small fire. With the world beyond it non-existent behind the sheets of pouring rain. With the old cushions where he'd once sat at the dinner table, sharing a meal with people he loved, and the people that he'd lost since. Lost, and he misses them.
"That even 'f there's no goodbye, or I lose them without knowin' why--" Words have to force their way through the iron in his throat, cinched too tight around his lungs. It's so hard to speak. "-- then 's long as they're happy... That's all that matters?" There's another wet chuckle on his lungs, something too heavy on his heart, but he still speaks of hope, he still speaks of love, because these are the only things he can offer to the ones he's lost.
"Ev'ryone sh'ld always aim for that. Aim for their own happiness. Not 'nly for their own sake, but also for the ones they love. They sh'ld do what they like when they like, an' fill their days with joy. Eat d'licious foods an' lay down an' sleep in the sun when they feel like it." Another deep breath gets squeezed into his lungs, and Esteban sniffles a bit with the tears that still trickle down across his cheeks.
"An' that way, even 'f I meet--" 'Dians, words are hard to get by. "-- 'f I meet Amaya, someday else, somewhere else... I get to tell her. I get to tell her the joy I've seen, an' I get to listen to her own happiness. And if not-- 'f I never do... I can still think that she's had a good time." He would never find out regardless, in that later case. How would it help help anyone for him to worry about someone perhaps suffering, when he might never, ever see them again? When he does not have the means to help them, and might never be able to?
Best to hope and wish, and nudge whatever guardian they have by their side to watch over them. To send just a little luck. The smallest seeds of joy. And that his friends manage to grow them into brilliant flowers.