Into Darkness

“Tea anyone?” One of the figures emerged from the shadows. As they raised their hand, the light level grew. As soon as they saw Lore’s discomfort, they stopped and slightly dimmed the lights. They smiled as they gestured for Lore’s party to join them at the table. From the rocky surface below, three chairs climbed.
“Kind of weird to be on the other side…” Tay pulled out her chair.
“Well, when Paragons are doing what they’re doing, coming together is the obvious solution.” They poured five cups of tea. “I’m Sukal and this is Durien.”
Their eyes had adjusted fully to the room’s lighting allowing for a more thorough examination of the Paragons. By their species standards, both Durien and Sukal were short but they would still tower over Lore. That was where the similarities ended. Sukal, apart from his height was built similarly to the weapon salesman they had met on their way while Durien was thin with modest muscles; also unlike most males of his species Lore had seen, Durien sported a mop of seafoam hair at the peak of his otherwise smooth body.
“Drink please. It should be safe for the human.” A smile crept across his face as he watched for Tay’s reaction.
“Going to have to try harder than that.” She smiled before scalding her tongue. “That isn’t safe for me yet!” She set the cup down. “Look, Death’s up to something with her Paragons. You in?”
“I don’t think it’s our support you’re worried about getting…” Durien finally spoke. His voice was harsher than his body suggested.
“Oh yes. Whatever happened between you and Alodrass?” That garnered a reaction. He jumped as Tay’s leg struck him from under the table. “Touchy?”
“Ok. Come on, what happened between you and the Paragon of Life?” Lore went to sip their tea but decided against it after touching the cup. “It can’t be that bad, can it?”
“We were together for a few years while I was figuring things out. Promises were made by both parties and she broke hers.” Tay looked finished with the conversation but the other participants begged to differ. “I was a different person when we met…” She paused, looking to Lore and considering her words carefully. “I loved her, still do a little but, then I started working on myself, being more true to who I wanted to be, and she wasn’t a fan. She left me. Enough said.”
“In all seriousness, with everything between you, will she help us if you’re involved?” Sukal’s smile dropped quickly.
“If she doesn’t then she’s a liar and I win an argument so probably.”
“Good. Suppose you’ll be wanting to know where she is.” Sukal removed a small canvas bag from his belt. Inside were a handful of ornately decorated marbles. He spun them on the table before scooping them up in his hands and throwing them in the air. They hovered about a foot from the table and began forming a familiar pattern. The marble at the centre began to glow as the others arranged themselves and began orbiting it.
“That’s our solar system.” Lore blurted out forgetting that they were the only human. Tay smiled and nodded.
“Last time she messaged us, she was on Earth. We know not when. We can no longer see her but she dated her communication with these runes.” Durien handed them a piece of paper. The page was taken from a planner or a diary with the handwritten text being in the Soloss’ language. In the corner, next to Durien’s finger, six numbers.
“April the Seventh, Two thousand and Nine.” Lore narrowed their eyes. “Two thousand and nine…” Then it clicked. “It was the year I properly began my inquisitor training.”
“Any chance we’ll run into a little you?” Tay jumped at the prospect.
“Not likely. I was only there for a week. First rotation was on the Mars base in ninety six. Then you move back to Earth.”
“We’ll see if she’ll come back with us then we can start planning properly. If not, I’ve got a contingency almost ready.” Tay got up. “It’s been nice seeing you again.”
“You too.” They spoke in unison.
The return journey would have been short if they had been able to Breach back to the ship but without that option, they trudged back to the docks.
“For the amount of time we spent with them, we could have just hailed them from orbit or the other side of the galaxy for that matter.” Char’s legs were starting to tire.
“No.” Tay was blunt in her rejection. “Wheels and motion and all that.” And with that, she sped off ahead.
Back aboard The Destiny, Char made her way to the bridge. Tay held her arm over the staircase.
“I may have omitted a few details earlier.” Tay slumped to the floor. “Alo and I… Alodrass and I met before I began my transition. I was young, she was maybe three hundred. I also looked and acted like a bloke. She made me feel so comfortable, things started to make sense around her. I had been having second thoughts about living as a male, I even considered re-joining you down whatever path you forged for yourself but being a woman was all that felt right… That sounds weird.”
Lore shook their head. “If that’s how it felt, that’s how it felt. Nothing weird about that. I’ve felt the same myself.”
“Well, when I first told her, she seemed fine but the happier I got and the closer to being the real me I came, the more distant she became. Then it all came out.” Tay’s eyes started to water. Lore put their arm around her. “She tried to blame all of our problems on me and for a while, I believed her. She tried to reach out to me afterwards to apologise but… I wasn’t ready at the time. I don’t know how she’ll react and it’s terrifying.” Lore pulled her in closer and tightened the hug.
“We can’t always know what the future holds.” They stopped themselves but continued anyway. “We’ve just got to hope that we did our best in the present to prepare.” Tay laughed through her tears. She inhaled sharply causing Lore to jump.
“Talking about the present. Wheels in motion. I need that parking ticket that you totally forgot to pay.” Lore gasped. Earthward Bound.