Finding Fights

“Bloody sand.” Lore had to nearly completely disassemble their Breacher to find the last pesky grain but as soon as they could, they left the dustbowl Famine called home. Landing in the park, their eyes were forced to adjust to the comparatively non-existent summers sun of the O’Raes home world. The tunnel vision was taking its time to fade but they eventually made their way over to Brian and Alodrass’ impromptu picnic spot. The damp green grass gave them the perfect place to empty their shoes, concealing the stolen sand.
“You two ready to head out?” Lore held out their arm for Brian who nearly jumped out of his skin.
“Woah Lore! How long have you been there?”
“We just got here, why were we gone long?” Alodrass held up her watch to Brian.
“About an hour. All sorted?”
“Famine’s backing off. Believe it or not, she’s not a fan of the changes in management either.” Tay picked the sand from under her nail.
“Death’s Paragons are Rebelling?” Alodrass shot to her feet.
“It would seem so. Death issued new orders to kill everything that wasn’t Quatarrian, Aetar, Soloss or Human. Hasn’t gone down well with the workforce.” Tay smiled. “I doubt our luck will hold out though. I’ve seen War’s handiwork first hand.”
It took them a while to take the hint but after a more direct suggestion, Brian and Alodrass cleaned up their spot and joined them on their way back to The Destiny. Honing in on Sky felt like their best choice given that they would likely be the only human anywhere near the Valhelderen Horizon. Their logic was sound but their guess was flawed as Destiny highlighted two human life signs. Given their proximity, aiming for either would yield a positive result but still, the existence of a second human intrigued Lore. Before their jump, both Lore and Char were sure to double check Destiny’s systems but found nothing wrong. Their jump catapulted them deep into Vakrael territory and close to the opening of the black hole at the system’s centre. Understandably, there were fewer developed planets than at the fringes but the planets and asteroids that had been built on were in far better condition than their Emraeh counterparts. They set The Destiny down between the two humanoid signatures.
“I have to say, bit odd that War’s here and not out there with the Emraeh.” Tay looked towards the black hole before pointing in the opposite direction. “I doubt the Vakrael have any interest in fighting after the talk I had with them.”
“That human signature, it isn’t you is it?” Brian slipped his weapon from its holster.
Tay and Char both shook their heads. “Even though Lore’s my parent, that’s not quite how interspecies Quatarrian births work. It’s a bit like a pick and mix. Lore and Char’s DNA is the sweets and I’m the bag. The best parts of both of them get put into me. What was human in Lore is mutated to become Quatarrian. There isn’t a drop of human blood in my veins.”
“Oh.” Lore looked somewhat offended.
“It’s alright though. My blood cells look human enough.” Tay smiled. “Unlike mum, I bleed red.” Lore nodded in reminiscent agreement.
“Quatarrians have copper based blood.” Char clarified to a confused Brian.
With Tay struck off of the suspects list, they continued to search for Sky or the other human. Their markers had led them to a refinery of sorts with pipes weaving over and around the wide roads on which they walked. There was a distinct metallic tinge to the air and the smell of ozone was more than offensive. Lore’s tracker indicated that the closest human was in the building in front of them. Without being able to read the signage, their best guess was that they were about to enter a canteen or restaurant. This was confirmed first by Tay but then by a visual examination of the room ahead. As with most of the compound that they had explored, the canteen was nearly empty. Sat at a bench in the corner of the room, encircled by steam, a bearded diner raised their sandwich.
“Not from around here are you?” They beckoned the group over. “Would I be correct in thinking you’re here for the same reason as I?” They were about to take a bite when Lore’s party entered the lit portion of the canteen. “Never mind.” Lore looked the bearded individual up and down. There was something familiar about them. This didn’t go unnoticed. “The name’s Varkral.” He dropped the sandwich and raised his left hand. After shaking, it hit them.
“Emm?” Lore sat opposite him.
“My apologies, you must have me mistaken for someone else.” He adjusted himself before returning to his dinner.
Lore stroked their own face while staring intensely at his; while they may have issues with recognising their own face, their duplicates were another matter. “Must have.” Lore looked to Char as if for confirmation. “We’re looking for another human. A middle aged individual, likely travelling with two Soloss men.”
“Soloss?” Varkral paused. “I’m guessing you mean the two blue figures I saw earlier. Yes, if you mean them then I know about your human.” He smiled, crumbs falling from his mouth and into his thick bush. “They seemed to be heading towards the fight.”
“What fight? Where?”
“Yesterday, an elderly woman was attempting to rally her fellow workers to follow her to war. Her movement was small at first but grew quickly. Within a day, half of the factory was prepared to follow her to war, after two, she had somehow attracted more personnel than this refinery employed. Right now, she has a rather sizable force at her side. Your human went to investigate and was captured for her trouble. I assume her two blue friends were also captured trying to get her back.”
Lore rolled their eyes. Varkral’s speech was grandiose and eloquent but far overstayed it’s welcome. “Ok. So where are they keeping them?”
“Their base of operations is the well from which they extract their fuels. Tactically sound. Covered and protected from orbital bombardment and extremely difficult to enter given the average travellers weaponry.” He pulled out a short wooden rod with an ornate metal crown. “Perhaps our goals have aligned after all. During my travels, I found myself in that very well. While there, I lost something rather irreplaceable. Assist me in my quest and I will ensure yours is completed too.” A brief handshake sealed the deal. Higher Ground.