Chapter 3 Hun

"Oriel, I…"

"Do not worry about me." Oriel waved a graceful hand and smiled though her eyes were still clouded with tears. "My desire was never my destiny. You however, thank the goddess you are still young and human. Human's are so easy to be loved and love."

"I think it's more of a species obsession." She smiled weakly and began to fumble her fingers in a clenched embrace.

"Nonsense. You are… unique in your social abilities." The asari suddenly leaned in close, biting her bottom lip delicately. "You could attract a lover easily if you tried a little. Those clothes would have to go for a start, and your hair leaves much to be desired. I suppose there is nothing but drastic surgery we could do about your … assets but there are other means. Have you ever worn a… what are they called… wonder bra?"

"I… er…"

"Of course you haven't. I can see that naïve disposition in your eyes. Some men go wild for that strain of innocents, normally the powerful ones. Do you have an issue with being controlled?"

"Uh… I really don't think…"

"Nonsense. With a little training I'm sure we could make a respectable woman out of you." The blue woman chuckled daintily into a soft azure palm.

"Oriel, are you… are you making fun out of me?" She hunched back, drawing into herself, eyes downcast.

Oriel paused, letting her eyes wandered over the sunken form, realizing she had perhaps taken a step to far with the small human. Reaching forward the asari wrapped her fingers around the woman's hand leaving a gentle wake of electricity on the human's skin.

Looking up slowly in response, to the ghostly sensation, she saw the look of sincere apology in the asari's clear eyes and allowed her lips to upturn in a placid gesture of acceptance.

"Never do anything you do not desire, young one." Oriel sighed. "But sometimes we all need to step out of the skin we feel comfortable in or we will never experience the Galaxy we are apart of. That is a sad way to die."

Looking up at the asari with a perplexed understanding she nodded accepting the advice given and waited expectantly as the alien retracted her hand and stood. Circling the table, with a demeanour possessed of calm, solidarity and beauty, Oriel paused her graceful stride in order to tease a fingertip along the crease of the woman's timid smile.

"You should smile more." The cerulean woman beamed, allowing the joy to flow from her eyes, then turned vanishing through the doorway.

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She awoke groggily; her cheek plastered to the sticky table, and pushed herself back into her chair wincing briefly at the strain in her back and neck. It had been some hours since Oriel had left her alone in the permanently twilight mess hall. The orange glow over the table had begun to flicker; which was what had finally awoken her or perhaps it was because the humming that had swarmed her senses, and caused her to drift into a peaceful sleep, had averted.

For a brief time she had thought the humming sound to be musical, almost feminine, and a feeling of fingers running through her dishevelled mane had only caused the sensation of another's presence to persist. As the young woman looked around the room, with bleary eyes, rubbing the back of her tense neck with a tired appendage she could see the room lacking in any other souls. The sound and sensation had passed anyway; perhaps her visitor had only stopped in passing though the presence had left the human with an unconscious sense of familiarity.

Shaking her head, possibly to dislodge the air pockets lodged in her ears, the woman stood popping her back with a long stretch and halted a yawn with her palm before manoeuvring her waking form from the dull room. As she moved into the hallway the lights flickered on, in response to her movement, causing her to groan as bright white bombarded her unaccustomed eyes and shot an uncomfortable throbbing through her temples. Creasing her eyes, and shielding them with an over turned hand, the young human continued her way back to the bunkroom.

As she entered the now vacant area more lights illuminated stunning her to the spot as her eyes washed over the place she had lived for some weeks. It looked different in the light, almost liveable, she noted something green clinging to the wall and brushed a thumb against it. It was spongy, mould like but with the texture of wet seaweed.

"I wouldn't eat that, earth clan."

"Hun?" She pivoted around to the voice and furrowed her brow in confusion.

"A friendly warning." The volus remained fixed in the corner of the room, hidden lightly by shadow as if he would vanish under too much light. "Kekvich weed. When it gets big enough it'll make spores and implant its seeds into whatever it comes into contact with."

"Huh? Is it deadly?"

"Depends."

"On?"

"If you get treated."

Looking down at her hands the human began rubbing them viciously against her thighs, eager to get rid of the plants microscopic presence.

"It wont hurt you at this stage, earth clan." Hun shook his head and huffed a sound that almost sounded like laughter. "Unless you eat it."

"I won't." The young woman looked back at her reddened hands before glancing at the plant and then back to the volus. "Have you… uh…"

"Have I what?" The volus folded his stubby arms and watched the woman with an unreadable look.

"You know… talk about things?"

"Talk about something, yes." He watched her scuttle nervously towards a lower bunk and deposit herself on the creaking mattress.

"Well… where would you like t-"

"Not me." Hun shook his head. "I am here to talk about you."

"Me?" She squeaked, shocked at the declaration, and coughed timidly into a lightly clenched fist. "Why would you want to talk about me, Hun? I mean you're the … um… lost soul."

"Am I? Or do you just assume I want to be saved from something?"

"Well, most, in my experience, need to let go of something until they can… move on." She smiled weakly. "What reason is there to linger in a place like this?"

"So you think it's your right to save us?"

"I-uh… no I'm just … here and can I suppose."

"You 'can' you 'suppose'? Not very convincing, earth clan. Just because I can by stocks in Devlon industries doesn't mean I should. Their credits report this year was abysmal."

"Um… you can buy stocks? As a…" She paused at the look he was giving her, something a kin to a death threat and trapped wind. "Yes ... I'm sure you could find away."

"Are you done changing the subject, earth clan?" Hun titled his head to the side and waited for her reluctant nod of submission before continuing. "You cannot save us all. Some of us have no legitimate reasoning. Perhaps we like it here doing whatever interests us. Do you know why your little talk didn't work on Oriel?"

"I-uh… she …"

"Don't make excuses." He hushed the woman back into silence. "Oriel is living more now than she ever did in life. She has a passion and all the time in the world to dedicate to it. Why would she want to leave that behind? Why would she want to leave those she knows now in more detail than those she knew in life? Why should she not be allowed this chance?"

"Hun are yo-"

"Quiet I am not finished." The volus growled before shuffling uneasily. "You cannot save her and you cannot save me."

Now staring firmly at her hands planted stoically on her knees she winced as every word replayed in her mind. It frightened the young woman that the volus was making sense, even if she could find fault in some of his arguments, there was no come backs that sprang to mind.

"I-I suppose you're right." She sighed a whisper of words.

"'Suppose'" He shook his head. "That summaries your problem in one word, earth clan. You suppose I am right, you suppose you are right, you suppose what you say and do rather than putting your whole self into it. How do you expect to save anyone when you cannot even save yourself?"

Looking up she opened her mouth to question this last statement by the volus but closed it again as she watched him move away from his corner. Within a few steps he settled abruptly by the pile of dirty rags, occasionally snoring, on the floor and pointed a stubby arm at the mass.

"What do you suppose this is?"

"I-uh… its nothing." A sudden pang of fear rose up in her throat like the acidic taste of bile.

"Then lift it up and look."

"No that's-"

"Look at it, earth clan!"

"NO!"

"You're shaking."

"I'm fine."

"What are you afraid of?"

"I'm not afraid."

"Then look at it if you hold no fear."

"I don't want to."

"Why?"

"Because I do not want to."

"I'm giving you a chance here, earth clan." Hun sighed. "A chance to save yourself."

"I don't see how looking under a pile of rags is going to help me." She laughed nervously.

"Then do it."

"No."

"LOOK!" He barked severely.

"N-I-I…" She stuttered taken aback by the volus' order. "I-I-I can't.

"Yes, you can." He nodded then spoke softer. "I am here with you."

Dipping her head in silent acknowledgment the young woman stood cradling her hands and took a pain-staking step forward. With every inch she came closer she shook increasingly violently at the proximity between herself and that of the pile. The stench of death that reeked from the mass made her want to run away and gag but Hun's steady gaze kept her moving on until finally the toe of her shoe lightly bumped a browned clothe.

"You are almost there." He reassured.

Taking a deep breath the human woman closed her eyes, steadying her form, and squatted beside the rags. It felt as if time was slowing down as her trembling hand shifted closer to tease a slice of fabric away from the pile uncovering what lay beneath like unwrapping a birthday present. As the pile began to shrink in size her nerves began to calm though the anticipation started a new surge of adrenaline to thud dully through her ears and bring a sense of heightened awareness.

It was at the final hurdle, the last pieces of clothe to remove, she was sure her heart would burst from her chest but instead the thrum beat stopped at the sight of a fragile hand. Now eager to discover whether its owner was alive and in need of assistance she ripped the cloth away to reveal the wrinkled form of an old woman naked to the world.

"M-Miss?" She queried the foetal body. "Miss, are you alright?"

The old woman neither responded or moved though the younger woman was reassured as she noted the rise of the others chest signalling life. Without hesitation she leaned closer and gently touched a wrinkled cheek gaining the response of the owner turning to face her.

"Are you hur-" She paused as an eerie familiarity struck her soul.

Those eyes, so sad and cold, penetrated her with their gaze. It was easy to become lost within them though what she saw in them she could not describe.

Blinking she released the breath she had been holding before inhaling deeply again as the vision in front of her changed suddenly from that of a hag to a child. A child she knew very well.

Tears flowed steadily from the child as it sobbed quietly, not sure what to do the human woman dropped to her knees and slid her hands under the small form pulling it up to her chest.

"Don't cry." She hushed the child cradled against her breast. "I'm here."

Closing her heavy lids, as she soothed her younger self, she took a deep breath feeling the warm sensation of her own salty tears breach the corners of her eyes and crawl down her cheek. Opening them once again the young woman was confronted by a sheet of glass and empty arms, though her chest felt warmer than it had in a long time.

As she breathed calmly and assessed her whereabouts the glass panel suddenly lifted with a mechanic hiss and a man moved into view. Checking the readings on a control panel besides the sleeper pod he nodded in satisfaction before offering his hand to the disorientated woman.

"This is your stop miss."