p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Louise and Montmorency found themselves glues to the Observation deck window. The stars, and specifically the planets had a strong hold over their gazes, and the more they watched them while they could the more it rally hit home that hey were entire worlds to their own. They could see the shield around them, cloud and storms, moving as clouds would, and even as Marila talked about them they heard none of it, far to engrossed in merely watching the great marbles in the darkness that had untold numbers of people on them./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"After a while though, the two planets no longer could be seen, the ship having moved to such a place where the observation deck could not longer watch them, allowing the two girls to span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanfinally step back from the window, wonder still filling their faces./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Do, do you think Halkeginia, looks like that?" Montmorency asked first as she continued to stare out into the blackness of of space, toward the bright light straight ahead of them./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""It should, right?" Louise replied quickly. " I wonder, if it would look like the maps we have seen?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Well, most cartographers are wind mages and have flying Familiars, right?" Montmorency asked. " They would be ale to fly high to help make the maps, so maybe?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Louise stared for a moment before a thought crossed her mind. "Do, you think anyone will believe us?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"" . . . . . .i, would hope our parents would, and I'm sure that Mr Colbert will. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI just . . ."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""What?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""What, do I do if I see him again?" Montmorency asked./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Louise understood the question immediately. "I, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanthink that will depend on how you feel at the time," She admitted. "Though I also think he should be told how much of a spineless fool he is."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""But . . .what if, what if we take a long time to get back? What if, he's forgotten me?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Then forget about him in turn," Louise said seriously,. " He only cares for himself, so he's not worth caring about."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""That is a very safe view sometimes."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Both girls turned around upon hearing a new voice to find that the bear woman Marila was nowhere to be seen, and kneeling on a small square of carpet was another creature they had not yet seen. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt had blue skin and strange short stubby horn on the sides of its head. Four arms came away from its body, two to each side and held together in front of it as it sat on the ground in a cross-legged position, as if meditating. Perhaps the most interesting thing though was that the creature was barely, if even, as tall as the two girls. It was small in that regard./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""What, who . . .where is the other one?" Louise asked in confusion. Every creature on the ship seemed the size of a human or even larger, yet this one was smaller./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I am a Worlanisi, and my name is Talcu," The creature said without opening its eyes. " As for Marila, she was called away while you were busy enjoying the view."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""But where did you come from?!" Montmorency asked in confusion./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I have ben here since before you arrived. I merely have stayed silent while I have been meditating."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""So, we interrupted you then," Louise said, suddenly feeling bad. She tried meditating once at the suggestion of Cattleya, but it had been so hard to clear her mind she gave up on it in a mere minutes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""You need not worry, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanit is harder to interrupt me than a mere two humans who are enjoying a sight for the first time." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I understand, uh, may I ask why you were meditating?" Louise asked. "I tried once, but it was, kind of pointless at the time."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Meditation is a powerful tool, but it is not something that can simply be done. It takes, practice, and a great amount of concentration, foresight, and great amount of emotional control. As for the purpose, I meditate to consider ways to improve my mystical abilities to better assist my allies."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Wait," Montmorency spoke up before simply staring at him for a few seconds. " You, know magic?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Of course,"Talcu said as he raised a hand and flames formed in his palm. "Did you thin magic was something solely available to one world or peoples?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Well, in Halkeginia, the ones with magic are all Nobility. The common folk can't learn or do magic," Montmorency said simply enough, finding it much easier to talk to the creature before her when it wasn't five times larger than her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Ah, so it is hereditary lineage based magic, curious," Talcu said with a nod as he opened his eyes, revealing them to be a strangely bizarre green in color. " The only ones I have heard of with lineage based magic are the Nobility of the Azlanti Empire. What forms of magic do your lands have if I may ask?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Well," Montmorency and Louise said as they began to simply explain how magic was classified to Talcu, the pentagram of elements, and even how elven magic existed outside of it. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Curious, the classifications of magic are much more varied in most of the galaxy. I wonder how much you could use?" Talcu wondered aloud before his face twisted into a smirk. "I could teach you if you would like?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""What like, the magic you know?" Montmorency asked warily./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Yes, though I am not forcing the matter,"Talcu said with a nod as he moved a bit and stood up, proving that he was indeed shorter than either of the girls. " I merely thought you might like something to do if the hunt for your home takes a little longer is all."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Um, well, there isn't much point in that as im a failure of a mage," Louise said in a defeated and accepting tone. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Is that so?" Talcu asked in span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanodd tone. "Because I feel you have both have much potential."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""The professors at the academy gave up on me, they couldn't teach me regardless of how hard I tried,"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Then you simply need to try a different way no?" Talcuspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spansuggested before waving a couple of hands. "Regardless that can be looked into at a later time, perhaps when we arrive at Absalom. Which is soon."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""how do you know?" Montmorency asked, finding the entire conversation a bit odd./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""There are many reasons. I can feel the faint humming from the Starstone, but mostly because I can see the station ahead of us," Talcu said as he pointed between the two girls./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Louise and Montmorency turned around at once and found their eyes going wide and their mouths falling open. There sitting in the blackness of space, was a city. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHuge towers rose up from a great disk, a massive dome covered the spires and cities above and below, almost glowing a pale bluish green. They could see what they assumed were ships all around them, some heading toward the city alongside them, others heading towards and past them, and all in shapes that defied description to them./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""A city, in the sky?" Montmorency managed to say in surprise. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Absalom station actually," Talcu corrected./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""How, how big is it?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I am not sure of its size, but its pretty big. Enough to comfortably hold the over a million people that live upon it permanently."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Is, that a lot?" Louise asked as she turned to look at Talcu. " Marila mentioned something about population but-"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Don't trust what the bear says if it is in regards to numbers,"Talcu said quickly, cutting Louise off from continuing. "She could not count her way out of a shoebox and told you drastically wrong numbers. Not surprising since she is literally a bear, but that isn't gather point," he sighed and walked over to the window by the girls. "The entirety of the Pacts worlds system has over a Trillion souls in it, but that is spread over all of the planets, stations, ships, and habitats that are in the system. As for how big the population is. . . . . it is not something easy to explain to primitive cultures but . . . . imagine the largest, grandest city you can imagine. How many people would live within it?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Well . . . many thousands if we think of a city like Romalia?" Montmorency suggested./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Okay. Now imagine that many people being doubled in number," Talcu said, making the girls go slightly pale. " Now do that, ten more times at a minimum, and you almost have an idea of just how many people live on Absalom station."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""That. . . . how?" Was all Montmorency could say. Cities like Tristania and Roma required a huge amount of space, and substantial amounts of trade and transport of goods just to keep all of their populaces fed. The amount of food and money alone often was the deciding factor in how large a city could get without it becoming unsustainable. The idea of that many people, the food and space required for them./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt was utterly inconceivable./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""The Starstone makes Absalom station a Trade hub for almost the whole of the galaxy. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHundreds of thousands of tons of trade good move through it on a daily basis, and that is how it supports all of its people alongside recycling and the like," Talcu explained before turning away from the window. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"You will see soon enough."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Right Musashi said, we needed to go there," Louise said as she recalled his words, now realizing it was likely not as simple as just going to a city. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Yes, in fact – "/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Would Louise and Montmorency please come to the loading bay, and anyone nearby them, please escort them." /span/emspan style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Came Musashi voice from somewhere in the ceiling./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Ah- it appears the captain would wish to embark soon, " Shall we head down and get you to Absalom to begin your travels home?" Talcu asked as he gesture toward the door./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"It took both girls a second to realize what he meant, and then they smiled. "Please!"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"After a while though, the two planets no longer could be seen, the ship having moved to such a place where the observation deck could not longer watch them, allowing the two girls to span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanfinally step back from the window, wonder still filling their faces./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Do, do you think Halkeginia, looks like that?" Montmorency asked first as she continued to stare out into the blackness of of space, toward the bright light straight ahead of them./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""It should, right?" Louise replied quickly. " I wonder, if it would look like the maps we have seen?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Well, most cartographers are wind mages and have flying Familiars, right?" Montmorency asked. " They would be ale to fly high to help make the maps, so maybe?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Louise stared for a moment before a thought crossed her mind. "Do, you think anyone will believe us?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"" . . . . . .i, would hope our parents would, and I'm sure that Mr Colbert will. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanI just . . ."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""What?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""What, do I do if I see him again?" Montmorency asked./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Louise understood the question immediately. "I, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanthink that will depend on how you feel at the time," She admitted. "Though I also think he should be told how much of a spineless fool he is."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""But . . .what if, what if we take a long time to get back? What if, he's forgotten me?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Then forget about him in turn," Louise said seriously,. " He only cares for himself, so he's not worth caring about."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""That is a very safe view sometimes."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Both girls turned around upon hearing a new voice to find that the bear woman Marila was nowhere to be seen, and kneeling on a small square of carpet was another creature they had not yet seen. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt had blue skin and strange short stubby horn on the sides of its head. Four arms came away from its body, two to each side and held together in front of it as it sat on the ground in a cross-legged position, as if meditating. Perhaps the most interesting thing though was that the creature was barely, if even, as tall as the two girls. It was small in that regard./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""What, who . . .where is the other one?" Louise asked in confusion. Every creature on the ship seemed the size of a human or even larger, yet this one was smaller./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I am a Worlanisi, and my name is Talcu," The creature said without opening its eyes. " As for Marila, she was called away while you were busy enjoying the view."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""But where did you come from?!" Montmorency asked in confusion./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I have ben here since before you arrived. I merely have stayed silent while I have been meditating."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""So, we interrupted you then," Louise said, suddenly feeling bad. She tried meditating once at the suggestion of Cattleya, but it had been so hard to clear her mind she gave up on it in a mere minutes./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""You need not worry, span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanit is harder to interrupt me than a mere two humans who are enjoying a sight for the first time." /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I understand, uh, may I ask why you were meditating?" Louise asked. "I tried once, but it was, kind of pointless at the time."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Meditation is a powerful tool, but it is not something that can simply be done. It takes, practice, and a great amount of concentration, foresight, and great amount of emotional control. As for the purpose, I meditate to consider ways to improve my mystical abilities to better assist my allies."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Wait," Montmorency spoke up before simply staring at him for a few seconds. " You, know magic?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Of course,"Talcu said as he raised a hand and flames formed in his palm. "Did you thin magic was something solely available to one world or peoples?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Well, in Halkeginia, the ones with magic are all Nobility. The common folk can't learn or do magic," Montmorency said simply enough, finding it much easier to talk to the creature before her when it wasn't five times larger than her./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Ah, so it is hereditary lineage based magic, curious," Talcu said with a nod as he opened his eyes, revealing them to be a strangely bizarre green in color. " The only ones I have heard of with lineage based magic are the Nobility of the Azlanti Empire. What forms of magic do your lands have if I may ask?" /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Well," Montmorency and Louise said as they began to simply explain how magic was classified to Talcu, the pentagram of elements, and even how elven magic existed outside of it. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Curious, the classifications of magic are much more varied in most of the galaxy. I wonder how much you could use?" Talcu wondered aloud before his face twisted into a smirk. "I could teach you if you would like?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""What like, the magic you know?" Montmorency asked warily./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Yes, though I am not forcing the matter,"Talcu said with a nod as he moved a bit and stood up, proving that he was indeed shorter than either of the girls. " I merely thought you might like something to do if the hunt for your home takes a little longer is all."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Um, well, there isn't much point in that as im a failure of a mage," Louise said in a defeated and accepting tone. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Is that so?" Talcu asked in span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanodd tone. "Because I feel you have both have much potential."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""The professors at the academy gave up on me, they couldn't teach me regardless of how hard I tried,"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Then you simply need to try a different way no?" Talcuspan style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spansuggested before waving a couple of hands. "Regardless that can be looked into at a later time, perhaps when we arrive at Absalom. Which is soon."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""how do you know?" Montmorency asked, finding the entire conversation a bit odd./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""There are many reasons. I can feel the faint humming from the Starstone, but mostly because I can see the station ahead of us," Talcu said as he pointed between the two girls./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Louise and Montmorency turned around at once and found their eyes going wide and their mouths falling open. There sitting in the blackness of space, was a city. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHuge towers rose up from a great disk, a massive dome covered the spires and cities above and below, almost glowing a pale bluish green. They could see what they assumed were ships all around them, some heading toward the city alongside them, others heading towards and past them, and all in shapes that defied description to them./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""A city, in the sky?" Montmorency managed to say in surprise. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Absalom station actually," Talcu corrected./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""How, how big is it?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""I am not sure of its size, but its pretty big. Enough to comfortably hold the over a million people that live upon it permanently."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Is, that a lot?" Louise asked as she turned to look at Talcu. " Marila mentioned something about population but-"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Don't trust what the bear says if it is in regards to numbers,"Talcu said quickly, cutting Louise off from continuing. "She could not count her way out of a shoebox and told you drastically wrong numbers. Not surprising since she is literally a bear, but that isn't gather point," he sighed and walked over to the window by the girls. "The entirety of the Pacts worlds system has over a Trillion souls in it, but that is spread over all of the planets, stations, ships, and habitats that are in the system. As for how big the population is. . . . . it is not something easy to explain to primitive cultures but . . . . imagine the largest, grandest city you can imagine. How many people would live within it?"/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Well . . . many thousands if we think of a city like Romalia?" Montmorency suggested./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Okay. Now imagine that many people being doubled in number," Talcu said, making the girls go slightly pale. " Now do that, ten more times at a minimum, and you almost have an idea of just how many people live on Absalom station."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""That. . . . how?" Was all Montmorency could say. Cities like Tristania and Roma required a huge amount of space, and substantial amounts of trade and transport of goods just to keep all of their populaces fed. The amount of food and money alone often was the deciding factor in how large a city could get without it becoming unsustainable. The idea of that many people, the food and space required for them./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanIt was utterly inconceivable./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""The Starstone makes Absalom station a Trade hub for almost the whole of the galaxy. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /spanHundreds of thousands of tons of trade good move through it on a daily basis, and that is how it supports all of its people alongside recycling and the like," Talcu explained before turning away from the window. span style="mso-spacerun: yes;" /span"You will see soon enough."/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Right Musashi said, we needed to go there," Louise said as she recalled his words, now realizing it was likely not as simple as just going to a city. /span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Yes, in fact – "/span/p
p class="MsoNormal"emspan style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Would Louise and Montmorency please come to the loading bay, and anyone nearby them, please escort them." /span/emspan style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"Came Musashi voice from somewhere in the ceiling./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;""Ah- it appears the captain would wish to embark soon, " Shall we head down and get you to Absalom to begin your travels home?" Talcu asked as he gesture toward the door./span/p
p class="MsoNormal"span style="mso-ansi-language: EN-US;"It took both girls a second to realize what he meant, and then they smiled. "Please!"/span/p