Chapter 39


Waking upside down and strapped still to his seat made Casnar realize Panos's suggestion had been wise….Nausea swept over him, and then acid moved through him as his arms dangled upside down towards the ceiling—which was now the floor and soon covered in his retching….Then he was on the ceiling, in his mess, the straps of his seat having suddenly freed him to fall.

Trying to lift himself off the ceiling, out of his bile and stomach contents, he groaned….Someone helped him to stand by grabbing his arm and tugging upwards….This caused Casnar to stumble into said aide, "….Easy there," a familiar rasp—a familiar "tongue" of language—and as Casnar got his bearings back while leaning into the sturdy body supporting him, he noted that the scent of this individual was not one belonging to any of his companions.

He pushed away, "….Who….who are you….What happened to….What happened…." Blinking to clear his foggy vision, Casnar looked up and straightened to his height, moving even farther from the individual, the tall burly figure in front of him whose crests and clothed shoulders were visible under the flickering emergency systems of the Berthana in Crash Mode, "….Kala," he fell backwards, onto something hard but soft at the same time, and when he landed and was able to look at what was poking him in the back and side, he saw other seats that had fallen out of the floor from their holders, learning that his had been the only one to stay intact with the floor above.

"Take it easy," it wasn't Panos speaking to him to calm him down, not that the dredger was really much comfort or help….Likely something had happened while the Berthana had been on approach to Rakhana, and the dredger with Pio was nowhere to be seen….Casnar had not seen this Drell before who was speaking, trying to get him to relax, "….Your friends have been removed from the vessel," he went on, "….You've been involved in a crash….Somehow you survived but the ship didn't hold so well on impact….We saw you come down from the sky a day ago. Took us a while to get in here, but we've been successful at pulling everyone out alive…." Casnar could understand the drell for he was speaking in Rakhïken, and the accent he had heard before, pulling forth what he had in his memory from long past….which meant the ship had landed somewhere close to Nualavera, or within the neighboring regions of his homeland….He had no idea who this Drell was or what treasach if any the drell might be from, "….Your friends are with us. We found at least five, and a strange creature we had to sedate….It was very upset, moreso than the others when we started to move everyone out, so much that it made it impossible to render to the others what was needed in terms of aid, the care they—"

"Was there a woman?…." Casnar's Rakhïken came out fluently, the drell relieved he had assumed correctly he could understand, "….Black, short hair," Casnar got up slowly, seeing the knife now in the other's hand, and the symbolic uniform of an organized barra burrell, "….a slightly darker pigment on her face….Humans call them 'freckles'…." The other drell gave Casnar a quizzical look, "….She's pregnant, she also might have been swearing and cursing at you—"

"Ah," the drell smiling knowingly then, "….that one," and Casnar could hear his deep inner chuckle from his chest, "….Yes, that Human put up a fight when she was removed from her seat," he pointed to the chairs laying scattered and broken on the floor, straps all noticeably slashed now, laying limp like discarded, flat tongues, some with clips still attached to their counterparts….Casnar looked about, seeing no other signs of the others that had been strapped and harnessed into the chairs before Panos initiated the Berthana's jump that led to….This….Where is Panos?

"Who was hurt, how badly," and the drell shrugged, sliding the large knife into its partnering sheath of metal and leather across his chest, much to Casnar's relief, the same knife the drell must have used to cut Casnar free and drop him into his mess.

"I'm afraid I'm no doctor, so I can't say, but most I saw were nicks and bruises," the drell offered Casnar his hand, which in the flickering light was violet and grey, "….Come on your own, or take my hand, we should go," Casnar looked at it and shook his head, "….Name's Ylyssis, by the way."

Casnar ignored the hand again and Ylyssis shrugged once more, turned and made his way over the ceiling towards the wall, which he climbed to the opening hatch into the passenger seating area, hand over hand. Panos had explained to Casnar and the others it was for their "forced guests"—who required "secure harnessing", which might explain why the straps had had to be cut by Ylyssis's knife—or others'—what with Panos not present to free the missing and himself, Casnar, caught inside the Berthana.

He wondered if the other dredgers in the containment pods had survived the crash intact, and if maybe they were more fortunate to have been inside the chairs meant for prisoners rather than the travel pods….But only Assembly men and women could use those anyway….He decided not to mention anything about the dredgers and let that come up on its own time. "Where did we land," Casnar made the climb himself, pushing off some of the broken boxes attached to the Berthana's inner doming, minding the sharp edges of equipment panels exposing their spiraling cables and glimmering circuits, wires sparking still. He reached the hatch-opening after Ylyssis went through this, and pulled himself into the next dark neck of the ship.

"You are within the Horn and the Wilderlands, between Nualavera and Karmuta," came back Ylyssis's voice, bouncing some off the walls of that space, more flashes of light and spits of fire lighting the corridor of the ship for brief moments at a time, in no order, "….I am from Karmuta myself. This is….a decent area to crash in," he heard Ylyssis chuckle with amusement at their good fortune, "….Our medicine is good. We do not see many Humans, but we have traded with smugglers from the skies, and know something of their needs."

"Are you to tell me my…." He did not say "wife" as they were not married, though Braith was the mother of his unborn son, "….the humans I arrived with will be well-cared for, since you have knowledge about treating them, wherever you've taken them to?…." He was also not ready to reveal who he was to this Drell….A Soterios hiriwa inside the Wilderlands could be captured and held for ransom by anyone….He did not need that to announce his return to his parents in Nualavera. He also needed to know what conditions the rest of his party were in, and whether where they were to be taken would be able to provide the proper care….particularly for Braith and Karin, one pregnant, one elderly….Not that the others may or may not have needs too.

"I'll tell you what I know," Ylyssis turned ahead, "….Since they are Human, all but for you and the creature you brought that we had to control, they will be handed into the care of Karmuta's largest patron—Nualavera." Casnar felt relief to hear that, but not entirely, "….You and the other—"

"He's a banton….His name is Sieis, but go on," Ylyssis's profile was darker here in the corridor but occasionally Casnar could see his brighter features and clothes whenever the electricity in that space sparked and spat near them.

"Yes….You and this Banton friend of yours will be sent to either Umay's Kerhasi, or to Coriuntias."

"I cannot be separated from the others, please."

"It's not up to me," Ylyssis's tone was firm but empathetic, "….You are certainly a drell from off-world, and Karmuta must report all emigrating Drells to one or the other. You will need to take it up with the barrin, Tu'leyn, as he is the one in charge of such orders to be followed….and that's according to the national agreement for refugees among the nations of the Birutise'aha's Central and East Shore Alliance."

Casnar stared at Ylyssis in the flickering darkness, "….What? Central and East Shore Alliance….When?…." He'd have to think about that later—Now he had to squirm out of being separated from the rest, and hopefully help the banton receive an exception, too, "….What if I told you my last name were Soterios."