|33|


There was turbulence as the hauler made downward through the atmosphere and into a dark cloud cover, rain spattered the sides and drummed the windshield as Wrex held the descent steady as he could, "…Old bird doesn't like cloudy weather," he whispered through his teeth, "…Hold on for me and we'll land…" A few glimpses of something yellow and white below….The clouds smeared by, whipping over the view.

Waking from sleeping on the floor of the bay, Casnar rolled and looked across the paneling to see Sieis staring back at him, Catherine tucked under his arms…Braith stirred beside Casnar, sat up and yawned, Miranda and Kasumi grunting at being knocked by Braith's knees and protesting the departure from sleep, "…Is it me, or is the ship losing altitude," Casnar said, his tenesses having popped….He jumped up, felt the tilt in the floor level, and ran carefully towards the connector, down the declining floorway, and into the hold with Wrex.

From over his shoulder, Wrex announced that he was landing somewhere on Rakhana, "…I'm guessing we're a few miles from the mountains," he said, "…Hard to tell with all the clouds…."

"Have you ever landed this through cloud cover?"

"Not really…What's the difference, everything goes down—"

"Did you even check the stations for flight requests!"

Braith and Miranda came into the cockpit, avoiding falling into Casnar whose back was blocking the way, "…Where are we—" The ship shuddered violently….Wind and rain began to push on the nose of the ship, Wrex feeling an effort out of his arms to control the sudden shift in vibration.

"This is probably not the best time," Kasumi came down the connector, holding onto the sides of the way with her cape floating up behind her, "…But is there anything to eat?"

"Kasumi, tell the bantons and Cat to grab onto something if they haven't already, I think I saw some netting in the back," Braith called to the woman balancing in the connector, "….Casnar, where are we, can you tell?"

Casnar was beside Wrex, trying to make sense of the console, and pulling up several switches, the cockpit filled with the buzz of static, a high whine, and a guttural reporting in of some language Braith didn't recognize, "…There's a control tower somewhere below this mess," Miranda said, "…They don't speak English—"

"Or krogan—"

"Quiet," Casnar growled, speaking away from the mic, then turning his eyes to the windshield and straining to piece together what snatches of land they were seeing through the rain and gray, "…This ship needs docking in Nualavera," he cursed, having spoken in the wrong language, then switched into the Rakhïken of his home, "….This ship requests permission to dock in Nualavera…We are experiencing unfavorable conditions in regard to visibility, I have legal citizenship and request a response for Sered Casnar Soterios-Sousan of Mu'kalien and Suanna Sousan-Soterios treasach—please comply."

"Weapon armaments have been disengaged," came the reply in Rakhïken, "…Tarmac is open for landing…Mind the wind, sered, we have a storm blowing in from the east. A greeting party will be sent to authorize your return to the city."

"Well," Wrex said, glancing from his handles to the drell, "…We good?"

Casnar said something more into the com-piece and laid it back on its hook cradle, "…Get us through the cloud cover….Storm is coming from the east so counter best you can…There will be a tarmac you need to find….A greeting party will be sent out—they'll be checking to make sure I'm who I claim I am….But we've survived entering Nualavera's airspace without being shot down so far," he looked back at Miranda and Braith…

"Your city's armed with missiles?"

Miranda answered for Braith, "…Their city's protected by rachni…They would have sent out ships to destroy us had we tried to land without contacting them first," she gave Wrex a shake of her head, "…They're probably already escorting us in."

"This ship has shit for sensors," Wrex growled as Kasumi came down the connector with Catherine, who was opening her zonepad for a feel, "…And I can't see well with all of this cloud cover—It would be hopeful to think we'll find that tarmac in time to not crash into whatever else might be—" But Catherine offered her display for them all to see…Hovering above the zonepad's center was a view of the entire hauler from nose to tail and wings, and on six separate points from their orientation of the ship's travel downward, above the dunes lower down and the flattening terrain, ships were maintaining a growing distance from their own. "Great…" Wrex grumbled, "…Rachni ships…How nice of them not to knock us out of the air just now."

"Be grateful they waited until my call-in," Casnar nodded to Catherine in appreciation, and she grinned back, "…They not only won't fire us out of the sky, but they'll escort us in…"

"Must be pretty nifty to have your own rachni support team," Braith said, and Casnar gave her a considering look, "…We had a few helping us out with the Crucible during the Great War….I wonder if your rachni may know me."

"Didn't you actually free that queen who helped with the Crucible," Miranda reminded her, and Braith nodded.

"You freed a rachni queen…Where?"

First time was on Noveria," Braith nodded to Wrex, "…Second time, Grunt helped with that one over between the Krogan DMZ and rachni territory…We had a hard fight to get her out…"

"Grunt's a good krogan to have at your back," Wrex sighed as he cranked some on the steering to balance out another buffeting lean, "…I hope the big runt's found something worthy of him—"

"Cut it out, Wrex," Braith slapped her hand on his arm, leaning around to look him in the eye, "…We'll get him back, too, once we've figured out a solution for your troubles." Wrex went into his silence again as he focused more on the matter at hand, and Catherine came to sit next to him in a passenger or copilot seat…She waited with him for the display to show any hint of a tarmac, or a change in the terrain.

"We'll have those rachni ships with us until we land, then they'll likely go back to their colony, or remain above us in case someone gives them the word to fire."

"How do they communicate with your city?"

"The dust," Casnar said, glancing at Braith, "…We mine durril…It has telekinetic properties and those who are around it for a long time have basically taken it into their systems…I…Have been away too long, but those below us will recognize me and give the signal…It's a matter of biology," and Catherine turned her face up at him, "…Which is why I think you'll be welcome here." She nodded and held his gaze a little longer before turning back to the display.

"Tell me more about this dust, Casnar," Braith called his attention back, "…What does it do that makes it so special to mine for?"

"It's in everything we create…It fertilizes the crops, helps synthesize our machinery, provides us with an ability to communicate with the rachni…We've had it since longer than I've been alive—my ancestor was the one to learn of it….And supposedly he set up the alliance with the queen that lives here to this day."

"That sounds like a remarkable relationship…" Catherine looked up at him again, "…Will we be able to meet the queen?"

"Maybe…" He didn't want to commit to that right then and there, "…Let's see if my father and mother will allow it…Meeting a rachni queen as old as N'ynnyaw isn't without some formal requests…Otherwise you could be killed if they aren't open to the idea."

"Will your parents be happy to see you….That could affect our chances of being accepted here, yes?"

Casnar smiled halfheartedly, "…Are parents ever happy to see the prodigal son returned…I don't know, Cat, but I have some pull here…We'll at least make it to the ground and unless I'm assassinated on the spot, we'll get into Nualavera." Turning, he climbed up the connector on the balls of his feet, moving his hands over the bars and walls to make towards the bay.

Braith tilted her mouth towards Miranda, "…Why is he such a target on the ground—"

"His father's an asshole, the other leaders of the neighboring countries wouldn't mind holding him as a hostage for ransom, and he's got so much power, anyone will try to fuck him to get his share," she tilted her blue eyes back to Braith, "…And I'm not so sure he's safe even from those among us." Her eyes flicked behind Braith's head to the Assembly woman on the floor now with the zonepad set down between Wrex's seat and the other, and she was helping guide him in towards a defining strip of land for lowering the hauler onto…Braith and Miranda went down the connector to find the others.

Casnar glanced at them returning to the bay as he spoke with Sieis, "…Yes…But it's easier if I have one of you to tell the others what to do….We land, I'm not sure if I will be separated or kept with all…No, I understand you're worried about how they'll be treated—just stick together and have one—preferably you or Catherine, deal with any questions…I'm not the expert on your species…Cat can explain things easily," he paused as Braith came to his side and waited. "A moment, please," and he stepped over to Braith, the smile coming up on his face, "…What?"

"You're making me worried, Casnar," she leaned in to confide, "…If it's such a ridiculous task to get you to see your home without being murdered or something, why don't we just get the hell out of Rakhana and go back to Earth?"

"I'm just tense, Braith," he took her hand and held it between both of his palms, "…I'm probably acting over-cautious….I've never wanted to come back here and the last time was to bring my nephew….So we'll just be careful and take soft steps, Braith…It's mainly me who's worried—"

"Yes, Mister Doom and Gloom, and I want to know what we can do to help…" She looked at Kasumi sitting on the ground cross-legged and holding onto a strap from the wall nets, "…Kasumi could go anywhere with her cape—"

"I highly advise against enlisting her to do what she's intending to try, Braith, and if you could perhaps command her not to set foot anywhere without me or someone she knows…Never mind the permissions…." He filled his tebris and ruffled it, "…This is all becoming too much for me….Do me a favor and just tell Miranda and Kasumi not to leave your side?"

"I can't wait to see what Nualavera is like," Kasumi said as Miranda and Braith joined her, "…I mean, the excitement of a new place, exotic valuables—"

"Casnar's afraid you're going to get in trouble…So you're to stick with me, both of you," Braith informed the woman's disappointed pout, meanwhile Miranda just sniffed with an offended twistup of her mouth.

"I'm not going to steal anything," Kasumi murmured out the side of her lips, "…I just want a look around…See if there is anything worth stealing on another day."

Braith shook her head and massaged the bridge of her nose, "…Now I'm getting Casnar's anxiety dose…Kasumi, just keep your hands to yourself and don't go doing anything that will involve me saying, 'I Warned You Not To….'"

"Kasumi," Miranda handed the woman a charged chit card from her wristdevice, "…If you happen to find anything worth noting, here's an advance on the share," to which Braith moaned and rolled back to lay down. Both woman turned to look at her as she closed her eyes under her hands.