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far from nowhere
"the trees rustle in the evening when we stand uneasy before our own thoughts."
With the events of Del Pascia behind the Moira, things are only now beginning to settle—and not very well. Through the combined efforts of some of the crew, D-E-L and her permanent residents were incinerated into the dust of space. While it’s not the most peaceful end, it is one, and not many are going to be thinking back on how nice Del Pascia’s facilities were for quite some time. Repairing what they could of the ship’s interior and putting as much distance between the Moira and the prison as possible, those aboard are informed by Navigation that they are approaching another planet. This means, of course, the potential for better supplies, as some things are beginning to dwindle, and the Captains elect to dock so long as the crew follows protocol. WELCOME TO AMISSIS-RE
Amissis-Re is an unregistered planet with no documented histories or signs of life. The Moira’s Navigation crew have scanned the planet for any usable resources and have discovered a faint signal emitting from beneath the surface of Amissi-Re. Using the transporters and any other crafts located in the Cargo Bay, the crew are able to travel to the source of the signal. Upon arriving in its exact location, they’ll find a small series of lakes that lead to a tower-like structure that appears to be in use. Crew must cross a poorly assembled bridge system that sways and dips when weight is applied to it in order to gain access to the entrance. Once there, a woman comes out to greet them and explains, excitedly, that she is so very happy that they have come to Amissis-Re.
Everyone can go home.
Their host insists that she has done the impossible and has somewhat fixed the Ingress that’s been built on Amissis-Re a long time ago, and what’s more, she can send crew home for short bursts of time. Upon following this woman inside, crew will find that the planet is not, in fact, barren at all. Diving deep into the underbelly of Amissis-Re, it’s like an eternal factory of machines, and while vast, for whatever reason, it also seems incredibly welcoming...
☄ LEAP OF FAITH ( 05.01 and on ) The barren planet of Amissis-Re is devoid of vegetation and organic life except for a lone woman, and the planet itself is an intricate honeycomb of machines that go for miles below the surface. Yet, that seems insignificant and unimportant in comparison to the news that the crew has just received. After Thán has looked at the Ingress, he tells the crew that he cannot say for certain that it is properly functioning, but Emiri native, Ben Link, will volunteer to test it out.
An elevator takes crew down to a glass platform that overlooks an inverted Ingress portal. In order to return home, the Moirans will have to take a leap of faith and jump in. Ben, in order to show his commitment to the crew and willingness to help get them home, takes that jump with Captain Thán seconds behind him. Jumping feels like dropping through wind; lights swirl, it’s warm, and a soft buzzing encompasses you as you fall. You don’t feel the landing. One moment you’re falling, and the next, you’re in a new world.
A few hours pass before a similar elevator rises from below and to the left of the Ingress, stopping beside the platform. Ben and Thán step out unharmed.
It works, and everyone can temporarily go home. Will you jump? ☄ COMBINE THE EXTREMES ( 05.01 and on ) The woman that greeted the crew and led them to the platform will allow anyone that wants to go home the opportunity to go. There’s only one catch: it’s not permanent. She’s worked for years to fix the Ingress so that she can return to her own home but hasn’t been able to make the trip an everlasting one. Everyone always comes back. Always. They go for a few hours, at first, but that amount of time increases with each visit.
The one guideline, she says, is that you can’t go alone. Each trip requires a partner, or it becomes too much for the mind to bear. These rules are simple: the world takes shape depending on who jumps first, but if crew go hand-in-hand and leap at the same time, the worlds combine. This new world will be populated with people that existed in both and may appear to be a jarring combination of both worlds. It may seem unusual, but if the woman is asked, she’ll explain that the combined world does exist as there are more universes than can be imagined. The Ingress tries to take the person to their own home, their original home, but when jumping together, it finds the closest possible match and deposits them there instead.
From that point on, you can travel the world together or split up, but remember, this world is a living, functioning world. It doesn’t matter if it’s the home of one crew member or a combination. You meet other people. You can get hurt. You influence and are influenced by others.
Be cautious, and enjoy your visit “home”. ☄ LINGER ON ( 05.05 and on ) The more times the Amissis-Re Ingress is visited, the more it seems that your trips last longer and the experience becomes even more vivid. More real and harder to distinguish from the current reality that you know. It’s difficult to explain why, but you get the feeling that maybe if you went without the aid of the host, that perhaps you’d be able to stay. Forever. It takes some subterfuge, but in time, you see your chance: she’s nowhere in sight, and you take it.
The world you are in now is completely your own, whether another crew member accompanied you or not. The people you know are there, everything around you is exactly as you remember. A few hours pass, and you don’t feel that familiar tug, that invisible hook at the base of your spine that signals that your visit is over. Even more time goes by, and you’re still in that world, your home. When the first day has passed, you begin to question if you’ll ever go back, or if life on the Moira was all a dream. The person with you won’t be able to convince you otherwise, and they’ll start to feel less real, a stranger that you used to know.
There’s only one way to go back to the Moira. Someone from the other side has to come in and retrieve you both. Once in, contact with a third will jump-start a link through the Ingress, and it will pull all crew back to the platform.
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thisavrou_log2016-05-01 09:04 pm
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"We understood each other in a way. But her only kiss was on my cheek, I only got to hold her close on the day she died. So, that's who she was."
It wasn't the best explanation but he hoped that Tali would understand.
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"I think..." There was a pause as she thought even more. "You two would have been good together. Should have been good together."
Maybe if she hadn't been murdered, and Niko hadn't been taken away, they could have helped each other, could have been happy together back on Earth. For one somber, strange moment she found herself wishing that could have happened - then had the sudden notion that maybe, a universe away, he was with Kate and they were happy. A universe where Tali didn't exist, or wouldn't for centuries to come - but that was just how things were.
...A moment later, and she finds herself smiling, letting out a breath in half a laugh. "So you loved each other, but you'd never even kissed? That's kind of cute."
And totally normal for quarians, but she could assume Niko and Kate didn't have suits in the way.
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But he shrugged somberly.
"Roman told me he was going to name his daughter after her."
It didn't take long at all, though, before they were before a large Catholic cathedral with stained glass windows. He stopped, emerged from the "borrowed" vehicle, and walked over to the spot. "She was standing here, and me there."
Oddly, he didn't look despondent, or bitterly sad. Just... accepting. He was bad news. Tali had survived him. Kate had not.
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She joined Niko around the other side of the car, eyeing him cautiously all the while. He talked about his past with such a flat sort of detachment that she didn't know if he wanted to be comforted or left alone.
'There' turned out to be where Tali had come to a stop, and she gave him a startled look before stepping quickly forward next to him. The touch was a little ginger as she reached out to slide an arm around him, but if he wouldn't stop her, she wanted to be touching him.
"Hey," she said softly, and she did sound despondent, like her voice was being weighed down by empathy. This was a beautiful place, and it was full of misery. "I'm really sorry."
She rubbed his back lightly, touch reassuring. "For Kate, definitely. But...you're still here. And I'm sorry this happened to you."
There was nothing more to do for Kate now except remember her - talk about her, name children after her, think of her as what she was before dying. But Niko still had to live with the pain of this.
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"I needed to show you this because the reason I am with you is that I guessed you were strong enough that this would not happen to you. Or else, I do not think that I could have taken that risk."
Which made her problem, the one with him, all the more perplexing. It was at that point he was able to step away from that invisible memorial.
"Come on. We need to go stalk my Cousin's apartment and see if he is there." Because that was what responsible family did for each other.
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Then she started forwards. "Hey, wait." She grabbed his wrist. "I'm not stronger than Kate - and none of this is your fault. None of it, OK? And if anything happens to me, it's not your fault either."
Craning up, she made to tug him down so she could touch their foreheads together, her nose brushing his. "Being with you isn't a risk."
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And he couldn't deny that if he hadn't done that, she would still be standing there.
"But I mean it as... I'm still afraid. But I have more faith that you would pull a gun and shoot an asshole back, but it does not affect you in being a good person."
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"You didn't kill her," she said it a little more firmly. "The bastard who pulled the trigger killed her." Her mouth snapped over the curse like spitting the sounds. "Not you."
But she let him go, and went to step back towards the car. "I'm going to keep telling you that until you believe it."
TIMESKIP
He had made the trip to see Roman brief. From the shore of the river he could see Roman depart his cab with a brown headed little girl in his arms, thankfully looking a lot like her mother so far. All curls and button nose. But she was on the chunky side- couldn't escape those Slavic genes. He liked to imagine one day she'd be stocky like him and her father.
But it was a brief sighting, before he disappeared in the apartment building. Just enough time for him to hand the scope to Tali to watch Roman and Mallorie briefly interact in their perpetually lovesick state before they vanished into their building.
Niko didn't mention any thoughts about that. Instead, he just hurried them over to the internet cafe in all of its ancient technological goodness. Sad part is, it was nearly abandoned too. No one came here anymore. It had a going out of business sign outside, so it wouldn't be long.
His email account could still be accessed, though, and he huffed as he sat down to start typing one last letter.
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For now, though, she did. Through the next car trip where she stared out the window, asked a dozen stupid questions about parking meters, subways and licence plates. Through stopping by a residential building and watching Niko's family, the couple she recognised from pictures and their chubby, happy daughter. They looked so unbearably happy together that for a moment she had to swallow back acid jealousy that bit her throat as she and Niko watched from the shadows, two people who might never get to have anything like this, whether they wanted it or not.
But when they reached the run down, ancient looking shop full of what Tali could only think of as antiques, she was hiding a bemused grin as Niko sat down.
"These are computers?" she mumbled so no one would hear, and her staring at the row of flickering contraptions was nothing short of fascinated. Leaning her head on his shoulder, arm slung around him, she watched what he was doing interestedly without understanding a word on the screen.
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And he started from there.
Dear Mother.
It is a long time since I wrote you. And I am sorry I could not do so sooner. I am back at sea, and have been busy. While I was at sea, I met a pretty girl and she really likes me. She is interested in starting a family one day. She's very intelligent and good with engines. One day we will make our own business.
It will probably be a long time before I write you again as I have no computer where I am at. But I love you and I miss you. Everything has been fine, I have been in no trouble. This may be hard to believe, but try to. I want you to know that your son has managed to do a good thing.
Good luck, mother. My girlfriend will be telling me something for me to add onto this, so you will have spoken to her too. I am sending my bank account and pin number. Give them to Roman. He will have money for both you and him. You will live comfortably now, because I did a very big job that paid well. You will both be happy.
Niko
He looked over his shoulder at Tali after silently tapping out that email.
"Okay. I am ready for yours."
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For a few moments the place was silent, but for the whirring of fans and the clacking of plastic on plastic as Niko typed. It was a little painful to watch at first - it seemed slow and painstaking and noisy, and there were occasional moments where she wanted to reach over and shake the keyboard like that might somehow make it respond more quickly.
She had zoned out a little watching when Niko spoke again, started a little, standing up straight for a moment behind him and taking a quick, nervous glance around the shop. Part of who she was now seemed to be the occasional obsessive need to check spaces, even when nothing was happening in them.
"Right." This time she leaned on the desk next to him, back on the barrier between Niko's computer and the empty one next to him. It was a longish process. She stopped and started, changed her mind about sentences in the middle of saying them. But eventually they got somewhere.
Dear Milica,
I wish we could have met under more normal circumstances than this - or met at all, really - but I'm glad I get to say something to you all the same. I'm Tali. I've known Niko over a year now, and I want to tell you how he's been there for me the whole time we've known each other, and how he's my family, and that I love him. I'd love to go into detail, because I'm sure you'd want to know. But you know how great he is, and he's probably embarrassed writing this in English for me already.
Don't worry - we'll keep each other out of trouble. He'll be fine. Please don't worry about him too much. He's told me about you, though - I know you will anyway. He's lucky to have you, wherever we end up.
She paused there. "If this was to a quarian I'd end with 'Keelah Se'lai', but... I guess you can just end with my name."
Her voice had been slowly taking on more of a faint rasp with the amount of talking she'd been doing, and now that the only sounds weren't her speaking quietly and Niko tapping the keys, there was an emptiness to the space around them.
"Is all that OK?" In the end her words had appeared on the screen as gibberish to her. She trusted Niko to have turned it into something legible.
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For a year now, he'd done this. It was what kept him going on the Nehada, and gave him time to work out his intentions on the Moira.
He stopped typing, looking at the bulk of the text. Smeared his hand down his mouth. This was the last time. After this, it would be over. Writing her would be useless, and he had to count on Roman to take care of her, that she would believe in him as she always did. Some things in the universe remained consistent, and his mother's good heart would be one of them. Breaking it? A sin. There was guilt in that, as much as there was hope in the words they just typed.
He took too long a span, like he needed to absorb this. Remember the moment. Or just triple check the words.
He typed Keelah Se'lai and hit send.