(Content Warning: This chapter contains descriptions of gore, and parental abuse)
Nazira plucked a single dandelion from the sandy field that overlooked their humble lake. The sun was glittering over the water today and beating down on her own skin harshly. She pulled her hood up, keeping her olive skin covered. Bright green, nearly yellow eyes trailed over the oasis, and the old stone buildings that surrounded it. It was a lazy day today, and everyone was moving slowly.
She moved into the shade so she could remove her cloak, the thick garment making her hot. Under the simple fabric was a long, silken dress of burgundy that sat low on her shoulders. Golden jewelry adorned her hands and her neck, and on her arm, hugging her supple skin, was an arm bracelet in the shape of a golden cobra. That one, she kept close.
Her long, black hair pulled out of her face by a silk headband, Nazira's snake-like eyes scanned the bright streets and took in everything she saw, filtering it through a mind programmed to assess combat, to never stand still. Majority viper, nearly half the population. Sociable. Interacted with the other species. Hard to isolate. Easy to communicate with. Next, human. Surprisingly small population, unsurprisingly unpredictable. Easy to talk to but hard to communicate with. They really liked the snakes. Use that. Less than 10% former ADVENT troopers. Exactly one Muton, named Ginnethoi. Shot in the jaw, had a speech impediment, could communicate via rudimentary sign-
Nazira sighed, squeezing her eyes shut as she leaned against the ancient stone wall. She wished she could be like her brother, but even then, she knew how hard he'd had to work to be able to turn his brain off, to get some semblance of peace.
Speaking of.
She made her way down the long narrow pathway towards the small, almost indiscriminate temple that sat a ways away from the main village. Despite its unassuming features, as she stepped up to the opening she found the walls covered in graffiti: drawing made in ancient Egypt, runes depicting the Theban triad of Amun and Mut and Khonsu. The inside was swathed in darkness, and she found as she stepped inside, it was cool, a blessed respite from the sun. Smokey incense filled the air, and nearly inaudible breathing echoed from within.
Nazira tapped loudly on the rock wall. "Ding dong!" She sang, and laughed at the grunt she received in return. No other sound followed, so she stepped farther into the darkness. "Are you awake, Zafar?"
"Unfortunately." Her dearest brother's voice came to meet her, and with that, her snake-like eyes finally adjusted to the darkness. He sat cross legged on his mat, facing the back wall of the temple where the stone shrine had been crudely rebuilt, and the weathered stone statue of Khonsu would be unrecognizable were it not for the inscription above him. Zafar had lit a candle before the altar, and his wavy black hair was loose from it's ponytail, and looked wet after the anointing from that morning.
"I saw a suspicious vehicle above our little village." Nazira cooed. "You know what that means."
"That it's time we come out of hiding." He agreed, getting to his feet slowly. His chest was bare, and she quickly handed him his shirt and coat. "...You really think they'll accept us?"
"I'm sure of it." Nazira put a comforting hand on her brother's shoulder. "If they embraced the Skirmishers, they are meant to help us."
"Humans were meant to do many things, Nazira." Zafar's golden eyes met hers, pupils wide in the low light. "And each time they failed."
"Not every time." She punched him lightly. "You're so melodramatic."
"I am pragmatic." He scolded her as he began to button his shirt. "Something I wish you had inherited, Nazira."
She surged forward and planted a light kiss on his cheek. "You worry too much, it will wrinkle your pretty face." She fastened her own cloak again and took her brother's hand. "I believe it is time we reveal that face to the world."
.
.
"Well, I guess it is only a skip and a hop away from Carthage."
Jane sighed at the analogy. "Can you just say yes or no like a normal person, Commander?"
"Oh but Jane, I'm not normal~" Senuna giggled. She began to toy with the stack of papers on her desk, flipping through them absentmindedly. "Hm...and you said…?"
"They're not registered with the Resistance Council." Jane said. "Of course, it's not entirely unusual. But they're also...not human."
Senuna raised a brow at that. "I didn't realize there were other Skirmisher colonies."
"They're not Skirmishers. Well, not in the way we know them." Jane crossed her arms. "...It seems like some of the other species imprisoned by ADVENT have followed suit."
"The others?" Senuna mused. "Well if Verge managed it…who is the leader?"
"They have two leaders." Jane clarified. "Zafar Ba'al-Peor, and his sister, Nazira. He doesn't show himself often. She's a little bit more forward." She cleared her throat. "I'm told."
Senuna nodded slowly, her eyes seemingly glazing over as she contemplated this. "...This could be a trap."
"It could be." Jane admitted. "Could be ADVENT."
"Or it could be a group of people who want to help."
"Whatever your orders are, we'll follow." Jane confirmed, nodding as she did. "You haven't led us the wrong way yet."
"That's the spirit." She stood and patted Jane's cheek. "My dear girl~"
"I'm not a child, Commander." Jane looked away.
"Sweetheart, I held you as a baby, cut me some slack~" Senuna giggled and tossed the files back onto her desk. "Okay. Call Bradford in here and let's see what he thinks."
"You've already made up your mind." Jane protested.
"Yes, I have. But Bradford made me promise to at least consult with him first." She winked. "And convincing him I'm right isn't that hard."
.
.
"I think you'd be really pretty if you curled your hair." Malinalli said as she collapsed back on the booth. Her hair was still damp from the beach, and Pangu waddled up to her and sat at her feet, sniffing her slippers.
The Shrinemaiden stopped combing her hair briefly, looking back at her human friend. "...Really?"
"Mhm." Malinalli picked up Pangu, who snorted and settled on her chest. "It's already got some curl to it. If you used a bit of styling product to enhance it, it would look incredible."
Kon-Mai stared at her for a moment, her eyes falling away as she considered those words. "...I suppose…" She conceded, finally, going back to running the comb through her tangled white locks. The strands were so fine, it was hard to untangle them without ripping them out of her head.
Her brothers were both dressed in their sleeping clothes: Gur-Rai was lounging across the booth, wearing sweatpants and a t-shirt with an illustration of Courage the Cowardly Dog plastered across the front. Dhar-Mon was sitting much more politely, wearing both his silk pajamas and a very comfy looking robe. Firebrand had made him some hot chocolate as well, and it all looked very cozy.
"If we are all maximizing our comfort…" Verge came over, wearing a very large t-shirt and nothing else to cover him "then I should be able to remove this."
"Absolutely not." Kon-Mai said.
"Why?"
"We are in public, you cannot go nude."
"I do not have genitals!" Verge exclaimed as he crossed his arms.
"If the other soldiers see a naked Sectoid on board, who's to say they won't mistake you for an enemy and shoot you?" Gur-Rai cut in. "We're keepin' you safe, Verge."
"...That is one of the better excuses I've heard." He admitted, crossing his arms. "Still an excuse."
They heard footsteps, and Kon-Mai looked up to see Jane enter the room. The two swordswomen locked eyes and Jane nodded.
"Hope you're all comfy." She said. "We're on the move again. The Commander needs you three up bright and early tomorrow."
"Why?" Gur-Rai asked as he plucked Pangu from Malinalli's lap. The possum let out a squeal, then settled around his shoulders.
"Another settlement needs our help." She chuckled. "A nearby haven has cropped up, and they're asking to make contact."
"I thought the Templars were our regional contact." Malinalli asked.
"The Templars…" Jane blew a strand of hair out of her face. "Well...Molly, you've seen them interact with normal soldiers. Would probably be best if we had a contact that didn't try to fight everyone we were trying to make peace with."
"Fair."
"Hm." Jane nodded in satisfaction. "The Commander wants you three to greet them personally. Thinks it'll ease negotiations."
"How will three great, grey monsters make negotiations any easier?" Dhar-Mon spoke up, taking another sip of his hot chocolate.
"These people aren't... " She hesitated. "...They're not...I...hm." She shrugged. "Commander's orders. Believe me, it'll make sense when you get there."
"In that case, we should turn in for the night." Kon-Mai got up from her heat and pulled her sweater on, covering all exposed skin. "We must sleep well and early, greet the world with a fresh face."
"Our faces? Fresh?" Gur-Rai laughed.
He meant it as a joke, but Kon-Mai felt the sting in her chest when he said that.
.
.
The night in the desert was unusually dark. The Avenger drifted lazily through the sky, like a bird floating on water. But despite the peace, sleep did not come easily.
At first Kon-Mai felt that the pricking on her skin might have been a sunburn, but soon she realized that the heat was not coming from her skin, but inside of her. As she laid back on her bed and tried to sleep, her breath kept coming in shorter and shorter bursts, cutting her esophagus with each movement. She sat up and noticed she was shaking, and she needed to do something but was unsure as to what…
She laid back and closed her eyes, deciding that if she wasn't able to sleep, she could at least rest. It was better than nothing.
The night passed much more quickly after that, and soon Kon-Mai felt the prickle of red light gracing her eyelids. She opened her eyes, the bright orange sun cutting into her window. She wondered if she had managed to fall asleep. Her bones still felt so tired though…
She stood and dressed in her armor, noticing how utterly quiet the ship seemed to be this morning. Around this time, she would usually hear Bryni banging pots and pans together as she cooked breakfast, and alarms going off to wake the first round of morning duty soldiers. But there was none of that today. She didn't even hear the ship's engines, and that was a constant.
Kon-Mai power walked to the door, not bothering to pull back her hair or even to tie her yukata properly, and swung it open to reveal a sudden burst of cold, purple light.
As she darted out into the hall, calling for her brothers, a wave of fear came over her. The door behind her had disappeared, as had her armor, though instead of being left unclothed she looked down to see she was once again clad in her old, torn ADVENT armor, the chestplate half cracked and discarded. Around her the Avenger morphed into the pillars of the inner sanctum.
She tried to turn around and run back to her bed, to hide like a child from a monster, but the door was gone and an infinite drop off the walkway was all that remained.
She looked to either side, analyzing the unfortunately familiar surroundings. At one end, she saw the metal path extend far off into nowhere. She had never been down that way before, and the emptiness of it terrified her.
At the other, not 50 feet away, was an apparition, glowing red, in the shape of an alien woman she knew all too well.
Abyzou.
Kon-Mai wanted to run, to turn and sprint down that hallway until she faded into shadow and nothing. But her feet brought her forward, out of her control. She stood before her mother, a demon glowing crimson, and dropped to one knee.
"My sweet girl." Abyzou's voice dripped with malice. "What is THIS?"
Kon-Mai looked up, only briefly. This conversation felt familiar to her somehow. "I am so sorry." She whispered.
"What was that?"
"I am so sorry, Vox Abyzou." Kon-Mai said, louder, her voice shaking. "I could not help it."
"Look at you…" Abyzou raised one long, gnarled finger, also dipped in red, and yanked Kon-Mai's head to attention, grabbing her by the chin. "Look at your face."
Kon-Mai didn't dare look, but she brought one hand to her right cheek. It stung, and her fingers came away bloody. Her lip felt numb.
"It will not leave a scar." She tried to assure her. She knew it hadn't: the cut had healed and the scar had faded and even then, she was later "killed" in an explosion and brought back fresh and clean once again.
"Look at your body." Abyzou hissed. "Your calloused hands. Your bony hips. Look at you."
She looked down now, and like a magnifying glass she saw every flaw, every bruise and cut and bone. She was not as thin as her brother, but her hips were wide and protruding, and the skin under them dipped in like a crease before moving to her fleshy thighs. Across her belly, there was that long scar she had given herself, inflamed and red and oozing purple and green. Even in this nightmare, she could smell that nauseating sweetness.
"There is so much wrong with you." Abyzou ripped her hand away. "How could my precious blood have birthed something so utterly deformed?"
The words stung. "I won, Vox Abyzou." She rasped out, knowing this conversation by heart. Every word was burned into her memory. "I destroyed the entire convoy. All the soldiers. The train is safe. You are safe."
"And you expect praise?" Abyzou made a sound that could have been a laugh. "You were simply making up for your many, many shortcomings. A train? As if that will save us from our demise. As if that will help." She clenched her fist, and Kon-Mai flinched. She could feel her heart racing, the temperature in her body growing hotter.
"Mother…" Kon-Mai collapsed forward on her hands, writhing in agony. She tried to keep silent, but couldn't help the whimpers as Abyzou's infernal magic cut into her cells and stripped her of her life. "Please have mercy…"
"Be SILENT." Her mother's booming voice echoed on the chamber's high walls, and with it, the pillar of purple light slammed into Kon-Mai. "THAT is what I want from you. To be silent. Be STILL. I wanted a beautiful jewel to look upon, and all I have is broken glass! That's what you are." She hissed, wringing her hand so hard, glowing ichor dripped past her fingers. "You are broken."
Kon-Mai gagged as she felt her heart burst, her ribs break and her lungs pop. Her vision was fading fast as she desperately tried to get her breath back, driven by nothing but a primal, human need to survive. Her body was crumbling around her and as she let out a scream…
She sat up in bed. The sun was barely up, and the distinct shades of yellow and pink met her eyes. She heard the gentle hum of the ship's engine, the bustle of soldiers in the bar, talking and laughing…
Kon-Mai put one hand to her chest, her heart still racing, but definitely still beating.
.
.
The Avenger touched down on shifting sand. The heat and light in the distance gave the illusion of a sea of water, vapor rising in the air, but anyone who looked out onto the dead landscape would see that it was dunes alone.
The bridge came down, and there they stood: XCOM's pride and joy. The Commander in front, clothed in sheer white, glowing in the sun. Beside her, Bradford, Zhang and Jane, at attention, like always. And behind them, towering like pillars, the Chosen were clad in their armor.
Kon-Mai felt like she was floating, perhaps because of the lack of sleep or the heat. Her brothers stood on either side of her but she dared not lean on them, for the heat was bad and they both had enough to carry as it was.
For a while after they landed, the sand remained empty and barren, a deserted landscape with no one in sight. Jane looked over to Bradford. "We didn't get stood up, did we?"
"Look." Zhang answered instead, pointing out into the sand. At first, there was nothing, then Gur-Rai craned his neck.
"Someone's coming." He said.
Kon-Mai squinted against the bright sun, and slowly but surely, she saw a figure drawing closer and closer, moving gracefully and lithely like a snake. As it approached the ship, the figure of a woman was distinguishable, her head covered by a loose, pink hood, partially obscuring long black hair. She was tall, and her body was thinner than Kon-Mai had ever seen in a human, almost suspiciously so. Her long tunic was a soft burgundy color, and under her hood, Kon-Mai could feel her green eyes scanning over them.
The woman stopped just short of the ramp, eyes landing on Gur-Rai, and a smile of absolute delight came over her face. "My dear!"
Gur-Rai blinked, meeting her eyes in confusion. "Me?"
"You don't remember?" The woman smiled warmly. "I had heard the rumors...but I never thought I would see you again!"
He blinked, narrowing his eyes for a moment. "...No way." His face broke into a wide smile. "Nazira?!"
"It is me!" She took down her hood and shook out her long, silken hair. "In flesh and blood!"
Gur-Rai shoved past Jane, almost knocking her over, and ran down the ramp, practically tackling Nazira in a hug. It was then that Kon-Mai realized she was nearly as tall as he was, though still light enough that he was able to pick her up and spin her around like he was dancing with her.
"It's been so long!" She cried, her voice muffled from her face being buried in his shoulder. "There were rumors you had left the Elders, but I dared not let myself hope!"
"But hope is what brought us here, my dear~" He pulled away, turning to the confused group (and the very annoyed Jane). "Brother, Sister, you never met Nazira, did you?"
"Was she one of your many liaisons?" Kon-Mai descended the ramp and bowed to the strange woman, who was still shorter than her, but not by much. It was a weird feeling. "I cannot say I remember you, Nazira. I am sorry."
"Well, you wouldn't even if we'd met before." Nazira chuckled. "I have changed quite a bit."
"I'll say~" Gur-Rai let out a wolf whistle. "I didn't know you set up shop out here in bumfuck nowhere."
"Oh, this place is actually quite lovely. You just have to find it." She turned away from the Chosen and looked up. "Hm. I wonder which of you is the Commander."
"That would be-" Bradford began, but Nazira cut him off.
"I was kidding." She extended her skirt in a curtsy. "Commander Senuna. I have heard so many stories about you."
"All of which are true, I'm sure." Senuna said with a giggle. She began to descend onto the sandy plateau, beckoning her present company to follow. "Is it just you?"
"My brother awaits your arrival back home." Nazira replied. "He's a little bit paranoid—too paranoid if you ask me. But he insists." She turned around, staring out into what they thought must have been empty desert. "Come come, follow me."
.
.
As they drew deeper into the heat, the vapor of mirage began to dissipate, and before their eyes emerged an array of stone houses, rising up out of the sand and dust. Around the houses, like a ring, were fields of green grass and flowers that sat as a barrier between it and the harshness of the world around. Within that ring of green and the maze of stone, a glittering blue lake sat like the pupil of an eye.
Nazira led them in through a stone archway, which opened up to winding stone paths and dry houses made of clay, decorated with colorful cloth and looked around nervously. "Why are there so many snakes here?"
"Snakes?" Dhar-Mon looked at the ground and staggered, scared he was going to step on one of these mystery snakes.
"He means the vipers, Brother." Gur-Rai chuckled. As he gestured around, the other two Chosen did notice the multitude of serpentine women, some wearing head coverings and holding back their hoods, some cloaked in modified human clothes, but not a single one holding weapons.
"The snakes are here for the same reason as everyone else." Nazira deliberately turned and stared Bradford down. "To escape from the tyranny that is ADVENT."
He said nothing, but Gur-Rai saw his hand move to his gun.
They came to one slightly larger house near the center of the small town, shaded by intricate red rugs that looked similar to ones they had seen in Nuwa's room at Vorontsovo. Nazira pushed aside the cloth that blocked the door and stood to the side. "Brother, I'm home and I brought friends!"
As they stepped inside, the surprisingly cool air hit their skin first, causing most of the company to shiver. As her eyes adjusted to the low light, Kon-Mai saw that the inside, though made of the same clay, was neat and swept clean, with more colorful rugs covering the bare concrete floor. At a low table on the other side of the room, she saw a man with long, wavy black hair sitting with his back to them. In his hand was a steaming cup of tea: she could smell the peppermint and it gave her some vague comfort.
"Ah." He said as he rose to his feet, straightening up to reveal his tall, thin, lanky figure. He turned, and greenish-yellow eyes scanned the room, landing on Senuna. "And so the mysterious Commander shows herself. Welcome to Dakhla Oasis."
"It is an honor." She smiled, and her teeth flashed pearly in the low light. "I assume you are Zafar Ba'al-Peor?"
"Yes, I was the one who sent word to you." He confirmed. He scanned the room, and Kon-Mai could see his mind processing everything at a mile a minute. His gaze fell on Gur-Rai and…
"Damn it." He sighed. "You again."
"Oh come on now." Gur-Rai walked right up to him and socked him in the shoulder. "You missed me~"
"I will miss the peace and quiet more." He growled, but Kon-Mai saw just the hint of a smile on his face. "Please keep your unholy transgressions with my sister to an indoor noise level."
"Oh, I'll be quiet as a mouse, Zafar. I'll make no promises for Nazira~" Gur-Rai snaked one long arm around Nazira's waist.
"Stop that, you dog~" She giggled.
"Yes, stop it please." Bradford snapped. "You can play later. It's time we got down to business."
"Of course." Zafar sat at the narrow end of the table, and Senuna plopped down criss-cross-applesauce across from him. She leaned forward, a smirk on her face.
"What do you need from me?" She asked.
.
.
The afternoon seemed to drag on, in that way it does when one is experiencing something unpleasant like a class lecture. Or, in this case, a debate gone very, very awry. While Jane, Bradford and Zhang stood behind their Commander, backing her up in the event that Zafar foolishly tried to attack, the Chosen hung back: Dhar-Mon and Kon-Mai relaxed by the doorway, and Gur-Rai was sprawled across a nearby couch one of the only pieces of furniture in the room. Nazira sat beside him, laying back comfortably on his chest.
Senuna raised her cup of tea to her lips, eyes unmoving as they met Zafar's golden gaze.
"Well?" He pressed, his tone anxious.
"You're asking for a lot." She admitted.
"It is nothing short of what we need." He assured her. "We have access to supplies; food and water and there's an Elerium deposit in the mountains of Al-Wahat." He was trying to maintain a calm demeanor, but from the tapping of his finger on the table, she could see he was anxious.
"I know. But 100 soldiers is too much for us to spare." She shook her head. "As it is, we only carry about 75 with us on the Avenger. The rest are stationed at other havens, and they're already spread thin. Most don't have more than a few."
Zafar chewed on his lip. "We are being targeted by ADVENT." He elaborated. "I only ask for what we need, and I would never ask this of you without offering all I could in return."
"I can spare 50, at most." Senuna said.
"It is not enough!" He snapped. Before Senuna could react, or Bradford could draw his weapon though, he sighed and sat back. "I'm sorry…"
"It's okay." She looked at him sympathetically. "...How have you been sleeping?"
"Poorly." He admitted. "It is not me I fear for. I may be taken back to ADVENT. I will suffer, but what is the suffering of one man? It is my people I fear for: the Vipers have eggs here, and many are already nesting. At least one human couple has children. Besides them, the denizens of this oasis simply want a place to live in peace, and if ADVENT finds us they will all be dashed under a trooper's boot."
Senuna sat back, and Bradford spoke up. "What did you do that makes you such a hot commodity?" He said with resounding snark. "I kind of doubt you're more important than the Commander."
Zafar turned his golden eyes on Bradford. "It is not what I did, but who I am. Who…" He gestured to Nazira. "Who we were. Our mere existence could incite rebellion. You've seen it with the Skirmishers."
"Indeed." Nazira rose from her seat. "Imagine if the Elders old forgotten pets suddenly rose up and usurped them."
"Old forgotten…?" Bradford narrowed his eyes.
"You really don't see it?" For the first time since they arrived, Zhang spoke up. "Look at their eyes, Bradford. They're snake eyes."
All of a sudden it clicked. The tall, lanky bodies, the black hair, the eyes, "You two are Thin Men!"
Zafar nodded, almost in relief, but Nazira crossed her arms, her confident smirk just a bit tense. "You'd be right, although 'Thin Man' is hardly the appropriate term for me, at least nowadays."
"I don't recall any female infiltrator units." Zhang looked at her sideways. "There was only the Thin Men, was there not?"
"I'm well aware of that." She fiddled with her tunic as she searched for the words. "The Elders changed us into the image they saw fit, with no regard for who we truly were. They stole us away from our home, molded us to their liking, and assigned us an identity. An identity that I knew was not mine." She met his eyes with confidence. "I'm a woman now, I always was, and I always will be."
"That is fair." Zhang nodded. "That does leave the question of how you two escaped."
"Each ADVENT unit has a chip." Jane said. "I assume yours malfunctioned, like the rest?"
"Perhaps. One of the human engineers assumes it's some kind of hardware rot." Zafar spoke up. "Nazira's broke before mine did, but mine followed suit quickly after."
"Rest assured, Commander, we are chip free." Nazira settled back into the loveseat, leaning back against Gur-Rai's chest.
"That's quite a story." Senuna laced her fingers together. "You truly think ADVENT is hunting you? Don't they have better things to do? Like hunt me?"
"I would have hoped so...no offense, Commander." Zafar cleared his throat. "But before coming to Dakhla, Nazira and I were accosted constantly by ADVENT soldiers and troops. I would very much like to believe we are safe here in hiding, but I can't be sure. I can't take that risk."
Senuna seemed to ruminate on this. "I'll see what I can do to help you, Zafar. I can't promise anything, but...maybe I can call in a few favors."
Zafar's face seemed to relax immensely. "...Thank you, Senuna."
She nodded. "In the meantime, would it be possible for my soldiers to deplane and relax for a bit? Your city is lovely and they'd love to explore~"
"After what you've agreed to? Please." He took a sip of his now cold tea. "It's the least we can do."
.
.
"So what is it you do for fun in this lonely little town?" Gur-Rai asked as Nazira took his arm in hers and dragged him through the streets. His siblings followed behind at a distance, walking slowly to give the two a wide berth.
"Farming, fishing, guard patrol…" She sighed and flipped her hair. "It is incredibly dull here, but maybe dull is what I need."
"Really now? Haven't found someone to replace me yet?"
"Replace the Chosen Hunter?" She cackled. "A few have tried. None can measure up, figuratively and literally."
"Thank you…" He trailed off. "But I don't go by 'Hunter' anymore. XCOM calls me Darkstrider."
Nazira was silent for a moment. "Hm. I always figured your name was the one thing the Elders gave you that you liked."
"It's not bad…" He shrugged. "But let's face it, I was never good at hunting."
"Well, you found me." She giggled.
"Yes." He nodded. "And then I let you go."
"You made the right choice." She assured him. "I would have suffered a slow demise in the Elders' grasp. Out here, people know who I am and actually respect it."
He brushed a lock of long, black hair behind her ear. "I am glad you regret nothing, Nazira."
"I only regret not knocking you out and taking you with me." She said. "More for your sake than mine."
"My sister would have hunted you down."
"Maybe she would have actually found us."
"Not likely, she can't see six feet in front of her own face~"
"I can hear you!" Kon-Mai snapped behind them.
Nazira broke into a laugh and led them farther down the narrow streets, towards the oasis in the center. To one side, one of the houses was topped by a tall, magnificent tower with a makeshift satellite atop it. She stopped for a moment, pointing up at it. "That's what we used to call your people."
"They're my people now?" Gur-Rai chuckled.
"They always were." She beckoned them toward it. "Come, let's get out of the sun. I am burning out here."
"I agree." Dhar-Mon sounded hesitant. "But perhaps one of us should check on the Avenger?"
"Didn't I just say that's a radio tower?" Nazira raised a brow. "We can call them in there."
"I…" He blushed, turning briefly purple. "Yes...you did."
"His girlfriend is on the ship~" Gur-Rai leaned over, barely bothering to whisper.
"She is nothing of the sort!" Dhar-Mon was blushing so hard, he looked like a grape. "I am worried about all of the personnel! Not just Malinalli!"
"Girlfriend or not, she sounds lovely." Nazira used her shoulder to heave aside the huge stone door that marked the entrance to the tower. "Come, we can place a call to them inside if you are so desperate to see her~"
The inside may have been narrow, but it was far from empty. The stairs leading up top were but an addition on the side: in the center was a maze of stone shelves that held various books, from fiction to technical know how, including a very worn out "Radio Communication for Dummies".
"Are you not worried this will start a fire?" Kon-Mai asked.
"Not at the moment. All the electrical gear is at the very top." She looked over the two. "I assume you know how to operate a radio? Or would you like to browse our collection?"
Dhar-Mon began to open his mouth, most likely to take her up on that offer to read books, but his brother cut in. "They'll be fine, right guys?" He gave them a look. "Why don't you go upstairs and put in that call."
"But I do not-" Dhar-Mon was once again interrupted, this time by Kon-Mai sighing.
"Of course, Brother." She sneered. "Protect yourself down here."
"Oh I will." He winked as Nazira pulled him into the maze of books.
Kon-Mai took her older brother by the arm. "Come. They want some time alone."
"Well that is fine." He grumbled. "But I still do not know how to use a radio."
"I have some experience." She assured him. "If we put our heads together, we can most likely figure it-"
Dhar-Mon snapped his fingers. "That is it! Psionics! You are a genius, Sister."
Kon-Mai smiled. "Is that all I am?"
"No." He put a hand on her back, both as comfort and to protect her from what was becoming a steep drop. "You are kind and beautiful as well."
Summary: At the beginning of the chapter, we are introduced to a character named Nazira, who examines her hometown while reflecting on it's inhabitants. The haven is made up of Vipers and humans at least, with one notable Muton. Suffering from a headache, she abandons her current thoughts and joins her brother, Zafar, in what appears to be meditation at an ancient temple, dedicated to three Ancient Egyptian gods. Nazira tells Zafar she saw the Avenger today, and the two agree that it is time to make contact, though Zafar is nervous in doing so.
On board the Avenger, Jane informs Senuna that Zafar has made contact, and Senuna agrees to meet with them at their home. Jane goes to the Chosen, who are relaxing after their day at the beach, and inform them that Senuna wants them present for negotiations, to which Dhar-Mon and Gur-Rai comment that their faces may only serve to scare them away. That night, Kon-Mai has a nightmare about Elder Abyzou, who made several disparaging comments about the former's appearance in the past, which Kon-Mai still holds onto.
Landing in the desert, the group meets Nazira, who is revealed to have been one of Gur-Rai's old flames, and they are excited to see one another. She leads them to Dakhla Oasis, where she introduces them to Zafar and negotiations begin. Zafar wants 100 soldiers to guard the oasis, and Senuna informs him that that is not a possibility. Zafar is adamant, saying that as he and Nazira are escaped Thin Men, the Elders accosted them regularly, and he fears his people will be caught in their wrath. Zhang expresses some confusion towards Nazira, who clarifies that she is a woman, despite the gender the Elders assigned to her while she was in their service. Impressed with the story of their escape, Senuna agrees to call in some favors, but makes no promises as to whether they'll be able to help. In return, Zafar allows the Avenger's crew to rest and relax at the oasis.
(Well, I meant to wake up earlier to post this but I hit snooze too many times and now it's late afternoon! Oh well, at least it's out, and I'm quite proud and excited for this arc of the story. Thing are about to get very, very exciting.)