"Yours. Not mine" -Jaren Ward
The piece of Eliksni tech was heavy in Meren's hands. While not unlike her own datapad in form, it felt alien somehow. All its angles were too smooth, its weight off-center. Like some hoarding Dreg, she clasped her prize to her chest. She couldn't afford to drop it - it was her only chance out of this mess.
"Keep up," Petra snapped as Meren trailed behind.
The Queen's Wrath had led them both from the Prison. Dodging Yasmin and going off on her own hadn't been the best plan, Meren thought. The foolish move would doubtless only serve to erode any trust the Awoken had in her.
Meren made an effort to match Petra's stride. The Awoken woman's eyes were on her.
Petra shot a disapproving glance at Meren and the alien thing she was clutching. "Why the Fallen?"
"Why?" Meren didn't quite understand what was being asked of her.
"Why do you study them?" Petra tried again.
The question didn't come as a surprise to Meren. It was a one that so many had asked her over the years. For that reason, Meren had several practiced responses already worked out. Petra was a woman of few words, and Meren wagered that the Queen's Wrath wouldn't want the long answer.
"I find them fascinating." Meren replied.
"That's all?"
"I wrote a book on it if you want the long version," Meren replied coolly.
Petra hummed in response. That seemed to be the end of it.
Meren took the chance to ask a question of her own. "How's your Wolf hunt going?"
The Queen's Wrath exhaled sharply, weighing her response. It was obvious that she didn't trust Meren.
"The Guardians brought in seven more Wolf nobles today. That should keep Variks busy for a while." Petra conceded after a moment.
"And Skolas?"
"You ask a lot of questions, Professor Hale." Petra's reply was curt.
"Like I said earlier, I find it all fascinating," Meren explained.
They walked together in silence before a thought occurred to Meren and she spoke again. "You think I'm a spy, don't you?"
"The thought had crossed my mind…" Petra began, "...but I have since arrived at other conclusions."
"What made you change your mind?" Meren asked.
"The Queen trusts you," Petra humored her, "and Variks does not. Were you a spy, I'd expect quite the opposite."
Meren raised an eyebrow. "How do you know Variks doesn't trust me?"
"He told me as much," Petra's reply was cold. "Variks and I have an... understanding."
Meren wasn't sure what to make of that and nodded slowly in response.
It wasn't long before Petra and Meren arrived at the Prison's transport hub. A shuttle from here would ferry them back to the Vestian Outpost, from there they would make their way back to Meren's quarters. It wouldn't be long now. The professor was filled with a sense of urgency, the datapad weighing heavy in her grasp.
But Petra, it seemed, had other ideas. She continued on through the transport hub, past the shuttles and twisting girders. Meren balked and fell behind again.
"Where are we going?" She asked, puzzled.
Petra didn't answer, but Meren felt her unspoken command. Keep up.
Meren trailed as they left the transport hub behind. Over tangles of long-abandoned wreckage, Petra's detour led them down a path that few ever walked. The trek took them through a gash in the hull of some Golden Age frigate. Its inner workings must have been quite a sight once, but Meren could see nothing at all. The lights had gone out centuries ago.
Petra seemed unaffected by the dark as Meren floundered after her. By the time her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness, they were already at the ship's forward command. The bridge's expansive viewport loomed before them.
"Where are we?" Meren asked flatly.
"Why don't you see for yourself."
The viewport seemed to beckon her. Meren walked past Petra to get a better look.
The vast abyss of space stretched out before them. Fragments of stone and twisted metal hung motionless in the void. Beyond it all, enveloped in a roiling sea of brilliant clouds, an ivory parapet stretched endlessly upwards. Meren's eyes followed it to its pinnacle nestled among the stars.
The Dreaming City - the Awoken's shining gem - loomed in the distance.
"This is as close as you'll come." Petra's words were a warning.
Meren hadn't forgotten Petra's original stipulations on her visit. She couldn't help but wonder what the purpose for this detour was. Gazing out at the city for a few moments longer, Meren was reminded just how far she was from home.
"Why did you bring me here?" Meren finally asked.
"I thought you might find it 'fascinating'." There was no humor in Petra's voice.
"You thought right." Meren conceded after a pause, "Thank you."
She idly turned the datapad over in her hands as she took in the view of the Awoken city. A moment passed before Petra spoke again from somewhere behind her.
"I'm ready for the long answer, now." the Queen's Wrath posed her original question again.
Meren looked over her shoulder at Petra. Petra hadn't cared earlier, and didn't care now. She was merely the messenger.
Meren's reply came without hesitation. "If the Queen wants to know so badly, she should ask me herself."
Petra raised her eyebrows. "You're bold. And very perceptive," she replied grudgingly, "I'll give you that."
"You just spend too much time around Guardians." Meren chided, "You should raise your standards, Petra."
Petra laughed, then.
"Let's get you home."
Home.
My real home is a long way off, Meren reminded herself as she took one last look at the stars before turning to follow Petra back into the darkness.
The City would be there waiting for her, after all this mess was over. But she couldn't go home. Not yet. Meren tightened her grip on the piece of Eliksni tech on her hands. She had made a deal, and now it was time to uphold her end of the bargain.
The unplanned detour had taken a long time, and Meren had momentarily feared that Petra was never going to take her back to the apartment. But now, safely back in her room behind a locked door, she pushed aside the memories of Petra's strange questions. There were more pressing matters at hand.
The stolen datapad sat at Meren's workstation as she made a cup of coffee for herself. She let the caffeine work its magic before she finally sat down to take a look at the alien thing.
She turned Variks' datapad over in her hands, searching for a way to bring it to life. This wasn't Meren's first encounter with technology of this kind. Much like the Eliksni themselves, their tech had often proved to be finicky.
As expected, the device wasn't being very forthcoming. It hadn't exactly come with instructions, either. She tapped the screen, shook it, turned it upside down. Or maybe that was right side up. The thought occurred to Meren that maybe she needed more hands.
Letting out a heavy sigh of defeat, she let her palm fall heavily to rest against the alien thing. After a moment of contact the screen flashed to life, Eliksni characters cascading across the display.
Meren jumped. She didn't have a chance to make out any of what it said before it had redirected her to the main interface. It wasn't unlike her own datapad in that respect, but everything was backwards, laid out in Eliksni script.
This was her chance. She tried first selecting Prison Roster/ from the interface, curiosity getting the better of her. A notification filled the screen that read /Error: Biometric signature not recognized/.
Meren furrowed her brow, and tried again with Ether Rotations/ . The same message appeared: /Error: Biometric signature not recognized/.
Shit .
Feed/, Configure/, Sync/, Contact/. Every access point from the main interface told her the same thing.
/Error: Biometric signature not recognized/
Meren stared at the thing in defeat, she wasn't sure what she had expected. Of course Variks would ensure that he was the only one who had access. It was his datapad, after all. He couldn't have prying eyes rifling through his private communications.
One last option stood out on the screen titled solely Encryption/. It was there to taunt her, Meren knew. She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all, but tapped on it anyway.
/Redirect: Biometric signature recognized/
Meren blinked as more script cascaded across the screen. Meren barely had time to make out the words when another message appeared.
/Transfer complete/
From somewhere across the room her datapad chimed. Meren nearly upended her chair as she dove across the bed to retrieve it from where it lay among the covers. The display lit up immediately upon her touch.
Meren chewed her lower lip as she stared at the screen. A notification materialized, and she dismissed it. House Spider/ had appeared under her communication channels.
Was this another one of Variks' tricks? Meren didn't care. Without hesitation, she scrawled a message in Eliksni script, tracing out the characters on the screen. Go get your own damn Servitor, she thought as she wrote. Her words were brief - to the point. At the end of the message, she attached the coordinates.
Filled with determination, Meren let out a long breath and hit Send.
AN: Thank you to Keltoi for the edits
