"Trauma is an unrelenting beast. It never quite leaves our side. But that doesn't mean we owe it a damn thing." -Eris Morn
"You really stepped in it this time."
Meren was caught off guard by the familiar voice before she noticed the dull green exo standing in the doorway of her office at the Academy.
"Stepped in what?" she mumbled, finally looking up to acknowledge her colleague's presence, her focus thoroughly broken. She wondered how long he had been standing there.
"It." the exo replied.
Hiro-3 held the auspicious position of Professor of Human History and Terrestrial Archaeology. He was probably her closest colleague at the Academy, a friend. They had lectured together on occasion and co-authored a definitive publication on the battle of Six Fronts. Meren had, on more than one occasion, wondered what befell Hiro-1 and 2, but had thought it impolite to pry.
"Word travels fast." Meren gestured to a chair across from her desk, inviting Hiro-3 to sit. "What did you hear?"
He took a seat and raised a mechanical eyebrow, "only that some Guardian made a mess at the Tower and there was an Academy professor in attendance who made quite a scene."
"I didn't make a scene," Meren stated flatly. Her thoughts flashed back to two days earlier - Brelor's blood splattered across the chamber walls, Meren shouting in Eliksni to Revys, Arach Jalaal calling in reinforcements. They had had to drag her out of the room. She really did make a scene, and she didn't feel like talking about it.
Hiro was quick to change the subject. "You're tenured. I thought you were supposed to be on a sabbatical. You know, taking a break."
"Yeah, a break," Meren said, tiredness creeping into her voice. She had taken a few months off from teaching at the Academy, but had never been one to really relax. "I've just been doing a little freelance work with the Vanguard."
Hiro-3 countered, "I wouldn't consider being a military consultant to be 'freelance' work." He leaned forward and adjusted the nameplate on her desk, straightening it. "Whatever happened to your disdain for the military?"
It was no secret that Meren Hale had a dislike for the City's Vanguard. The whole of the military stank of alien xenophobia. The Guardians had earned the reputation of being pompous asses and the elitist Commanders were no better. She preferred to interact with the organization as little as possible, if she could help herself. Recent budget cuts at the Academy had left her short on funding, however. Not to mention that she needed Vanguard permission if she was to have any hope of venturing outside of the walls. Eliksni weren't exactly welcome in the City, for obvious reasons.
"This was supposed to get me out into the field," she idly picked at something on the surface of her desk.
"Military consultant Meren Hale…" Hiro enunciated the words slowly, teasing her.
Her fingers stopped their assault of the desk and she met her colleague's gaze, "can we change the subject?"
The exo sat back in his borrowed seat and seemed to be pondering for a moment before changing the subject again, "I heard a rumour that they found something on the moon."
Meren didn't really care for rumors and she didn't have much interest in the Moon, but she took the bait, "I heard that what they found was a Hive Prince, and in typical Vanguard fashion, they killed it."
"How do you think this will affect your work with the House of Exile?" Hiro asked genuinely.
Meren weighed her answer for a moment, glancing at a relic alien banner on her office wall, "It won't. House Exile makes enough problems for itself. Lack of leadership tends to do that." She could have continued, but she knew Hiro was just trying to take her mind off things - he hadn't signed up for a full lecture on Eliksni politics. "What about your work? Are you getting anything out of that dig site at Palamon?"
Hiro-3 shook his head, "Pretty much everything outside the City wall is restricted lately. Everyone is having a hard time getting permits, for academic purposes, at least."
The conversation reached a natural lull, and a quiet fell between the two of them. As the seconds stretched on, Meren resigned herself to the fact that she would need to talk about what happened at the Tower. She broke the silence, careful to keep her voice even, "At the hearing...they killed him, Hiro. It wasn't an accident, it was murder. There was nothing I could do…"
"I'm sorry," he reached out his hand and covered hers with it. Meren was surprised by how warm it felt. "It wasn't your fault, Meren."
Meren let his hand linger on hers for just a moment before pulling away. As if on cue, a reminder illuminated her datapad. She glanced at it. "I should get going."
She stood, acknowledging the notification and putting the device in standby. Once the datapad was safely tucked away in her satchel, Hiro-3 rose to his feet now that the conversation was over.
"Important business to attend to?" he probed idly.
"Actually," she briefly considered keeping him in the dark, but thought better of it, "I have a summons from the Speaker."
If Hiro-3 was surprised, he hid it well. Meren could read no emotion in his illuminated eyes. She continued, unprompted, "I'll tell you about it next week. We'll get lunch. Maybe that ramen place in the Peregrine District."
He nodded, "Be safe... Professor."
The Academy on Earth paled in comparison to the splendor that was once the Ishtar Academy of Venus. While the City had built this new Academy with the intent of it being a bastion of knowledge, the Consensus had made it clear that scientific advancement was no longer a priority. That message was evidenced by the disrepair the building had fallen into in recent decades. Parts of the facade were crumbling, too few students lingered in the public spaces. Meren was reminded of how far they had fallen since the Golden Age as she descended the front steps to the street below.
It was afternoon, but the City's Core was bathed in shadow. The Traveler hung low overhead, obscuring the sunlight. Only extensive artificial illumination gave the residents any semblance of day or night. Occasionally the setting sun's long rays would touch the heart of the City, but the professor didn't have time to wait around. She was glad for her apartment on the outskirts, and the little bit of real sunlight she enjoyed there.
Meren hurried to the public transport hub. She wanted to make it before the afternoon rush. There was no private speeder waiting for her this time. She swiped her transit pass at the gate once and it beeped obnoxiously at her, the display flashing red. Meren blinked at it, annoyed, and tried again. The display flashed green this time and the gate slid open. Just ahead, the blue line shuttle was waiting. She took a seat in the already-packed car, folding her hands in her lap. Meren closed her eyes and reflected on the conversation with Hiro.
She wasn't sure if she had drifted off, but the next thing she knew, a loud, automated voice brought her back to the present.
"Core East, last stop for civilian access to the Tower."
Checking her satchel, Meren disembarked and stood for an idle moment on the platform. Glancing up at the brightly-lit signage overhead, she oriented herself and headed east. She knew she was headed in the right direction when a feminine voice announced over the station speakers, "Tower ingress 100 meters ahead, please prepare for security check."
The public transport station at the Tower was in much better repair than the one she had just left in the Core. As she made her way through the security checkpoint, the occupants seemed to be in better repair, too. She flashed her Academy and consultant credentials at the gate, and went on through. After a few minutes of wandering, she located the hospitality suite on the ground level and the bot seemed to be expecting her.
"Right this way, Professor" it prompted and led her down an adjoining corridor without further preamble. Meren had never been this way before. She didn't think she had ever been to the pinnacle of the Tower before, either.
She followed the little bot to a lift that was marked with the word Restricted. It was quick to type in an access code and the doors parted. Meren entered alone. The lift ride all the way to the top took merely a minute, but felt like an hour. When the doors finally opened at her destination, she was dumbstruck.
Stepping over the threshold and out of the lift transported Meren to another time. The Speaker's Chamber was nothing if not resplendent. It was as if she had traveled back to the Golden Age, every item had an aura of excess. Shelves stacked with books, their spines embossed in gold. Real candles burned on low tables near a gilded stairway. Silk tapestries lined the walls. Every trinket caught her eye, she couldn't even begin to guess the purpose of half of them. Meren stood, transfixed. The focal point of the whole chamber was a colossal piece of machinery - half gyroscope, half telescope. Maybe it was neither. She had never seen anything like it.
So thoroughly enchanted was she that she didn't even notice the Speaker himself descending a spiral stairway from his study above. He was robed in white, his face covered by a mask.
"It's good to see you again, Professor Hale," his soft voice pulled her from her reverie.
The two had met on one or two occasions. Public functions each time, and few words had been exchanged. She was just a teacher at the Academy, Meren had no expectations of him remembering who she was.
When she didn't respond he continued, "can I get you anything? A drink, perhaps."
"No. No, thank you," her voice finally found her. If this was some sort of setup, she wanted to have all her wits about her.
He gestured to a plush sitting room. She took his lead and followed him, taking a seat when offered. The windows treated them both to a sweeping view of the City, the Traveler hanging motionless above its center. The dying sunlight was turning the horizon a brilliant shade of ochre.
After taking a seat, he was the first to speak, "I wanted to extend my apologies for what happened."
"I appreciate the gesture, but an apology isn't going to bring back an extinguished life." Meren countered, feeling slightly emboldened.
The Speaker's voice was emotionless, "You speak truly. This deed was most... regrettable."
Meren didn't feel regret from him at all. With that damn mask on his face she wasn't getting, well, anything. She nodded curtly.
He stood then and walked a few steps to stand before the expansive window, back to her. "You were promised a chance to further your research in exchange for the services you provided to the Vanguard. It has come to my attention that our side of the agreement has not been…upheld."
She blinked, caught off guard. It was true that in exchange for her work the Vanguard had promised to let her outside the City's fortifications. She was promised contacts within the House of Kings, but over time it had slowly dawned on her that the Vanguard likely had no Eliksni contacts at all. Meren had, for months, provided the Vanguard Commanders with translations and tech breakdowns. Briefings on Eliksni weapons and social hierarchy. She had been subjected to unending stupid questions and, not once, had she been able to sit down and just talk with the Eliksni. Sure, Meren had been tasked with talking to the doomed and dying locked away beneath the Tower, comforting them as they faded away without a life-sustaining Ether supply. That had been mercy. It wasn't a part of the deal, and she loathed the Vanguard for it.
Meren dared to hope as the Speaker continued, "As of present, it is too dangerous for you to venture past the Walls," He turned to glance at her, his masked face revealing nothing, "but I have another proposition for you."
She was listening.
"The Reef has been opened to the Vanguard. Mara Sov has lost control of the House of Wolves, it seems," the Speaker trailed off.
Meren was very aware of the Wolves' ongoing rebellion and the prison break that resulted. The wolf Kell was making a fool of the Awoken Queen, and she had finally reached out, beseeching the Vanguard and their Guardians for help.
"What's your proposition?" Meren asked, finally showing her interest.
"The Vanguard will make all necessary accommodations for you. Travel to and from the Reef. You will be a guest of the Queen. Variks already knows you're coming," he offered, spreading his hands.
"Variks," she repeated. The name sounded familiar, but she couldn't place it.
Not wanting to look too eager, she pretended to weigh her options before extending a hand to the Speaker. "That sounds amenable."
He clasped her hand, then. The deal was done.
The sun had sunk lower on the horizon and Meren knew it was time to go. She thanked the Speaker for his hospitality, probably a little too enthusiastically, and went to take her leave. There was a lot of packing to be done. Standing, she adjusted her satchel over her shoulder and took one, last look around the Speaker's Chamber.
Her host acted the part of a gentleman and escorted her back to the lift. But, as the lift doors opened and Meren stepped in, he folded his hands in front of himself and asked one final, cryptic question, "What is it that you truly desire, Meren?"
Caught off guard she weighed his words, not sure how to interpret the question. "I want," she started slowly. But, in that moment, words failed her. What did she desire? Was he referring the Eliksni? She wanted something for the them, surely. Justice? Reparation? But she knew it wasn't her place to speak for them, not for her to decide. She couldn't decide for herself either. "...I don't know."
The lift doors closed, cutting her off from the Speaker, leaving his question unanswered.