Foreword:
As its title implies, this chapter is unassuming on the surface, but has some pretty important revelations lurking beneath the surface... Not that I expect anybody to be fooled. :P I don't know if anyone besides me is keeping track, but this is actually Nayeli's first appearance in the story since chapter 7. Translated into story time, that's the first time we've seen her in four years. #_# Poor thing... No wonder she's feeling lonely. :(
"Better is open rebuke than hidden love."
— Proverbs 27:5
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Alister eased up on the helm and sighed thoughtfully as Planet Lumos came into view. Hard to believe he'd spent the first eighteen years of his life here and almost didn't recognize it from space. In truth, he had only come to and from the planet a few times in the past, and most of those times he had been too preoccupied with other things to pay attention to its appearance. Now that he was returning for sentimental reasons in a serene frame of mind, he paid closer attention to what it looked like. He was surprised to find that he thought it was beautiful. Even from this distance it was obviously a desert planet, but its abundance of mountains, canyons, and rolling hills gave its face an array of textures in all shades of gray and brown, while the few spots of water and swirling clouds added soft splashes of white and blue to the picture.
Alister smiled as he entered the landing sequence and began his descent. This place might not be home anymore, but it sure housed a lot of memories... and one in particular was his whole purpose in coming here.
"How is she doing?" he'd asked Kaden during one of the many conversations in which the young engineer mentioned his estranged wife.
"All right, I guess..." Kaden replied with little conviction. "Nayeli doesn't like me having to spend such a long time away from home. She never complains, though... When we talk she doesn't ask me when I'm coming home or why I can't come visit—just says, 'I miss you...' Makes me hate myself."
Alister landed his ship out in the unclaimed desert several miles away from the Lumos settlement. He wanted to avoid the hassle that would certainly follow if he landed in the official port where they would want to know his name and what he was doing there. This visit was meant to be casual and informal, and most definitely quiet.
He hopped out of the ship, ignited the hoverboots that he now wore almost everywhere, and blazed a fresh trail toward his old stomping grounds, drinking in distantly familiar views that filled him with warm nostalgia. Once in town it took him a while to find Kaden's house, since, even though he knew where it was, he'd never actually seen it before. When they were kids Kaden had practically lived in his workshop, and Alister still wasn't completely clear on whether he had a house before or after getting married. When at last Alister located the place, he had to stand back and look at it for a few minutes. It wasn't exactly a mansion, but it was no shack, either. The idea that spunky, street-wise Kaden lived in such a nice place was amusing somehow.
Presently Alister stepped up to the front door, and took a deep, thoughtful breath before knocking. A few seconds later soft footsteps sounded from inside, and the door swung open to reveal a damsel with deep blue eyes and cream-colored fur.
"Alister?" she greeted, her face lighting up with welcome surprise.
Alister had to blink a few times and let the sight of her sink in before he could answer. "Hello, Nayeli."
In fact, Alister thought she looked almost exactly as he remembered her from his teenage years, except a bit more—mature? She had always been pretty, but now she looked less like a girl and more like a woman, and a gorgeous woman, at that. Apparently the girl still favored simple, modest dresses, and the one she wore now graduated from a dark purple at her shoulders to a pale lavender near her ankles, accenting her natural beauty without need of fancy embellishments. Alister kept himself from taking too careful notice of her other features by turning his focus instead to the ring on her finger. He was glad to see that she was wearing it.
"I'm so surprised to see you!" she exclaimed. "Come in, come in!"
One look at the house's interior, and Alister could tell that Nayeli handled the decoration. Everything was very tasteful and neatly organized, and there wasn't a gadget in sight. Nayeli led him into the living room and they sat across from each other on a pair of comfortable chairs.
"So, what brings you here?" Nayeli asked. "I haven't heard from you since you left Lumos."
"Well, now that Kaden and I are back in touch, I thought I'd come see how you're holding up. He's worried about you."
Nayeli smiled halfheartedly. "It seems like he doesn't worry about anything except me," she muttered in a forlorn voice. "I wish he'd worry about himself a little..."
Alister didn't know how to respond to that, and ended up just staring wonderingly while the next few seconds passed in silence.
"I'm sorry," she said, returning to herself with a shake of her head. "Can I get you something to drink? Do you still like wormroot nectar tea?"
"You remember that?"
"Of course," she said with a smile, and promptly stepped into the kitchen. Alister couldn't help but watch her as she went about her task, so graceful and meticulous, and such a contrast to Kaden. An image of Kaden preparing tea popped suddenly into his mind, almost causing him to laugh. He had to rein it in for fear of having to explain himself. A few minutes later Nayeli returned holding a steaming cup in either hand, and she gave one to Alister before returning to her seat.
"So..." she muttered awkwardly, "how are you doing?"
Alister smiled and said, "Nayeli, you can go ahead and ask me what you want to ask me."
Nayeli looked surprised and embarrassed at first, but shook it off and compliantly said, "H-How is Kaden doing?"
"He's the same as always," Alister replied. "I was surprised... I thought three years of being married would be enough to—mellow him a little."
"You mean tame him?" Nayeli offered with a knowing grin.
"Well, I wouldn't put it so bluntly."
Nayeli giggled, and then her expression grew serious as her eyes wandered to the floor. "Kaden is a free spirit," she said. "No one can tame him, and I'm glad for that. If I had that kind of power over him, I would hate myself for it... It's still hard, though—always wondering if he's safe, or what kind of trouble he's gotten himself into."
"Now you know what it was like growing up with him," Alister interjected, trying to lighten the mood. "I thought I'd never forgive myself for introducing him to Hoverball."
Nayeli questioned through a genuine laugh, "Was he ever mellow?"
"Only around you."
"Oh..."
The silence returned. Finally Nayeli asked, "How long did he... you know, before—?"
"Since the day he first saw you—when he was fourteen, I think."
"Why didn't he ever...?"
Again she trailed off without finishing the question, and again Alister intuited the answer. "He didn't think you needed him. He would never pursue a relationship with you if he couldn't contribute something to your life. That was his resolve. It's just the kind of guy he is."
Nayeli stared at him for a long moment, her eyes wide. "Wow... To think, all that time I never noticed..."
"Nayeli," Alister ventured gingerly. "This is really none of my business, and my better instincts tell me I shouldn't even be asking..."
Nayeli just smiled and said, "You let me ask what I wanted to."
Sighing uncertainly, Alister murmured, "Did you have any feelings for Kaden—before he asked you to marry him?"
Nayeli was silent for a few seconds before answering. "No," she admitted. "I liked him as a friend; I had never even considered that he might be more... But when I saw how much he was willing to do for my sake, and without expecting anything in return, I just... I mean, how could I not? How could I reject someone who cared about me that much? So, feelings aside, I decided I was going to love him because he loved me, and just hoped that the feelings would come in time..."
Alister waited a moment for her to continue, and when she didn't he carefully prodded, "Did they?"
Nayeli looked over at him with a mild frown, like she was surprised by the question. "Of course they did," she said, "That's the problem..."
"What do you mean?"
At that moment Nayeli clammed up worse than ever before, and appeared to be biting her lip as she closed her eyes and turned to face the ceiling. Alister watched her worriedly, but hesitated to speak. She was not the type to skirt around an explanation that was so clearly in order, and there was no need to press her any further when it was obvious she was troubled. Finally she opened her eyes and began to speak, still staring up at the ceiling as though her memories were being projected onto its cold surface.
"When Kaden was told he'd been selected for that program, he was more thrilled than I've ever seen him before. It made me happy to see him so excited... but then we found out that he had to spend two years in training on Fastoon, and that pretty much killed our enthusiasm. The first thing he said to me was, 'I don't have to go.' As if I would let him just throw away such an amazing opportunity..." She paused and let her gaze fall down to her hands clasping the teacup in her lap. She gripped it a bit tighter as she went on. "I didn't realize how attached I'd become to Kaden until I didn't have him with me anymore. I was okay for a while, but after the first month it started getting hard, hurting worse every day... I don't know if I can take another whole year of this..." She choked back a sob and sniffled loudly, raising her head with as much dignity as she could muster. "But I have to, for Kaden's sake, because he's always been so good to me."
A tear rolled down her left cheek, and she immediately reached up to wipe it away. At last she turned to face Alister, and he stared at her in dumbstruck wonder.
"Nayeli, I—I don't know what to say..." he shamefully admitted.
"It's okay..." Nayeli muttered. "I shouldn't be dumping all this on you, anyway."
"You should be dumping it on Kaden."
"No!" she snapped worriedly, "Please, you can't tell Kaden I said any of this!"
"Relax; if I can help it, he won't even find out I came to visit you."
She inhaled deeply and sighed in relief. "Thank you."
Alister smiled, but followed up with the charge, "I still think you ought to tell him how you feel. Kaden loves you very much, Nayeli, and there's nothing he wants more than for you to be happy."
"I know that... which is why I have to be careful what I tell him. If he finds out how much I'm hurting over him, he'll feel terrible."
Alister followed Nayeli's lead and stared down at the surface of the untouched tea stagnating in his cup. After a long, thoughtful moment he softly challenged, "Would it really be so terrible for Kaden to know how much you care about him?"
Nayeli didn't respond, but she looked at him thoughtfully, and Alister could tell she had at least taken his words to heart.
After a short while during which little was said, Alister felt it was time he took his leave. At the door he bid Nayeli a gentle goodbye, and she thanked him for coming. Her smile as she waved was genuine, even though her eyes were sad, and she serenely retreated inside the house just before the door closed.
Alister fell deep into thought as he made the slow journey back to his ship on foot. He could have used his hoverboots, but chose not to as he wanted to leave himself the capacity for quiet reflection. When he'd set out to visit Nayeli, he hadn't been sure what he hoped to accomplish. Even now he wondered what, if anything, his little sojourn had changed. But at the very least, he was assured that the foundation of Kaden's marriage was far stronger than he had feared.
« « « « « ж » » » » »
"What component stabilizes energy flow from the primary reflux coil?" Corvin asked.
"Hmm..." Kaden stroked his chin for a few seconds, then snapped his fingers and exclaimed, "A three and three-quarters centicubit hexagonal washer!"
"Very good," Corvin complimented with a smile. "I don't suppose I should even bother asking you about the function of the top spires."
"Honestly, I'm more interested to know the function of the boxing glove."
Corvin laughed heartily and said, "Now, I can promise you there is a very important reason for that boxing glove. That's a lesson for next month, though. I think you've done more than enough for one day. Go get some rest. You have live training in the morning."
"Okay."
Kaden got up from his desk and headed for the door. As of the past hour the lonely classroom had been deserted except for him and his teacher. Corvin had been kind enough to stay late with him and help him review, and his kindness did not go unappreciated. The good-natured old geezer didn't seem to think it was necessary, but every time Kaden thought about how young he was compared to the other candidates, he felt like he must be horribly behind and needed to make up for it somehow. Before he got close enough to the door to trigger its automatic opening mechanism, he took a curious glance back at Corvin, who was still gathering together his teaching materials at the desk.
Taking a deep breath, Kaden respectfully called out, "Um... can I ask you something?"
The engineer looked up at him with soft old eyes and said, "Go ahead."
"Why did you pick me?"
Last year, when all the candidates had first arrived, they were each paired with one of the original builders for individual mentoring between periods of group instruction. For some reason, Corvin had singled out Kaden right away, which both honored and perplexed the young Lombax. He was the most inexperienced of all the trainees. Ergo, he had expected to be the last one picked, not one of the first.
Corvin looked into his pupil's eyes with mild surprise in his own. But then he smiled and simply answered, "Because you are a prodigy."
Kaden almost gasped in surprise, then shook his head and tried to laugh it off. "I wish you wouldn't joke with me like that."
"I'm dead serious," said Corvin, and the look in his eyes proved his words sincere.
Kaden's smile disappeared, and he could only stare at his teacher for a long moment while the old Lombax appeared to enjoy his astonishment.
"But—how can that be?" he muttered at last. "I'm just a kid compared to all the others."
"And yet you were recognized as one of the eight most promising engineers of our present generation."
Kaden had nothing to say to that. Corvin just nodded approvingly and said, "Good night, Kaden."
« ... »
The young engineer's thoughts were a jumble of questions and second-guesses as he wandered toward his room in a trance-like state. He doubted his ears, his memory, his sanity...
No way, he thought to himself. I'm a... prodigy?
Whether or not it was true, he was at the very least certain that his mentor, one of the original builders of the Dimensionator, held him in such regard. That in and of itself was enough to boost his self esteem and make him smile. Reminding himself not to get cocky, he went ahead and indulged in the sentiment that, maybe he deserved to be here after all.
He approached his first junction in high spirits, but the spring in his step disappeared when he saw the face waiting around the corner. Had he not been instantly frozen in his tracks, he might've plowed right into him.
"Oh, pardon me," said the—person—standing in front of him, in a cold voice that sounded bizarrely both reptilian and robotic.
Kaden recognized this stranger, even though he'd never met or even seen him before. There could be no mistake for any Lombax, except perhaps one who knew nothing of his own species' history. It was Percival Tachyon, the only remaining Cragmite in the Polaris galaxy. Several years following the defeat of the Cragmite empire, a frozen but still living Cragmite egg was discovered by Lombaxes in the trillium mines of Kreeli Comet. What was to become of it had sparked great controversy, but ultimately it was decided that the unborn Cragmite, having had no part in the crimes of his kind and no choice in the matter of his origins, should be given the chance to live. Kaden agreed wholeheartedly with that decision, but was unsure whether it had been a good idea to raise him on Fastoon among Lombaxes, especially so soon after the Great War. Kaden could only imagine how such a growing environment would have affected the Cragmite's psyche—and he had sincerely hoped he would never have to find out first hand.
Tachyon looked him over with his beady yellow eyes and said in what Kaden could only assume was meant to be a friendly tone, "Well, now isn't this a pleasant surprise? You're one of the Dimensionator trainees, aren't you?"
Kaden swallowed on pure instinct. "You—know about the Dimensionator?"
"Indeed, I do. I was told of its place in my history when I became a researcher here. The device is an object of great fascination to me—as an inventor, you understand."
"Of course..."
Kaden wasn't sure how he felt about Tachyon being entrusted with that sort of information, but he could understand why it might be deemed necessary to tell him. If he was to become a respectable member of society, there needed to be some level of trust between him and the race who had taken him in. And in any case, Kaden couldn't imagine he'd been told much more than the Dimensionator's name and basic function.
"What I wouldn't give to be in your position," the Cragmite muttered longingly. "Naturally I could never be trusted with such an important machine... but I consider it an honor to be trusted at all. Perhaps one day I will be able to prove my loyalty enough to convince those who still doubt me."
The perturbed young Lombax tried not to stare, nor either to look away, but it proved difficult as he couldn't find a single feature of the poor wretch's appearance that was attractive in the slightest. Tachyon's head was a bulbous mass of pasty purple flesh with three odd protrusions that looked somewhat like a fin on top and antlers on either side. Several teeth stuck out of his mouth even when closed, apparently growing right out of his lips. His wormy body sported three sets of insect-like legs and a single pair of stubby arms that ended in tri-fingered hands which were more like claws.
Kaden sensed the awkwardness building in the wake of his inability to offer any sort of positive reaction, and muttered, "I'm sorry..."
"No need to apologize," Tachyon uttered dismissively. "I am accustomed to strange looks. It's only natural, considering my appearance and my—background. I am a Cragmite living among Lombaxes, after all."
"It doesn't bother you?"
"It has nothing to do with me. I cannot help the fact that I was born a Cragmite any more than I can help the fact that I was found and raised by Lombaxes. I do not resent your kind for their disgust toward me. Why, if it weren't for Lombaxes, I would not be here."
Kaden wasn't sure why, but just then he felt a shiver rush down his spine. He felt guilty for how coldly he was behaving toward this person who obviously deserved his utmost sympathy. It wasn't his intention, but he couldn't help the sad fact that Percival Tachyon was just plain creepy. Everything about him was repulsive—his face, his voice. It wasn't his fault, but it was the unfair truth nonetheless... And then there was the way he spoke, which had an unnerving effect on Kaden that he couldn't explain, and that caused all his defenses to rise against his will.
"It must've been hard for you growing up," Kaden said, speaking from the genuine compassion in his heart.
Tachyon's ugly face twisted into an expression that couldn't be read. "I was a loathsome child," he stated bitterly.
Kaden wondered if he'd heard him right. It was possible, with the bend of his voice, that he had actually said he was a lonesome child... but it sounded like he'd said 'loathsome.' He added in a milder tone, "But it's behind me now. I intend to rise above the circumstances of my upbringing."
Kaden's skin was crawling, and he was certain that he couldn't stand to be in Tachyon's presence for another minute. As politely as he could, he said, "Well, I—I wish you luck." And with that Kaden dipped his head in farewell and continued on his way, trying not to let his departure seem too hasty. What was it about Tachyon that made every red flag in his head go straight up? Was it simply the fact that he was a Cragmite? The fact that Cragmites had long oppressed every race in the Polaris Galaxy? Or just the fact that their very appearance was the stuff of nightmares?
Kaden shook his head in an effort to put the whole business out of his mind. He would simply head to his room as fast as possible, get some much-needed sleep, and try to forget all about his strange encounter with Percival Tachyon. For certain he pitied the poor creature, but secretly hoped that they would not cross paths often.
Author's Notes:
- Young Tachyon— *shudders* Okay, I'll admit: writing a young, low-profile, feigning-loyalty-to-the-Lombaxes Percival Tachyon was a bit of a challenge. Hopefully I've managed to portray him in a way that shows why most Lombaxes are suspicious of him (particularly Kaden), but also why he's allowed to work in such a prestigious place as the Center for Advanced Lombax Research. I'll also admit that I felt exactly the same as Kaden when I was writing that scene: totally creeped out.
- Tachyon's History— I tried to follow the canon as much as possible with this, but the games are a wee bit vague about the details of Tachyon's upbringing. I think he was found in the Kreeli Comet, but I'm not sure... I did my best, at any rate.