Kent/Feldspar

[videointhenoise]

"Just once more," they had said when Ellie's team petitioned for it. She was busy with Palmer, falling in love with science while he fell in love with God, and Kent was left to pick up the pieces. He wanted another damn go at it. The Machine had a pricetag in the billions; it was begging to be used again.

But they wouldn't let Ellie go. They wouldn't let just anyone go. They wanted someone who knew how it worked, who had been there from the beginning, but someone who isn't completely taken in by Ellie's words.

That leads them to a dozen people and they end up with Kent. He's blind, but that's not what decides it. They claim that he wouldn't hallucinate the way Ellie did. That he has a unique perspective.

And, he's already proven himself steady and loyal.

He experiences it all the way that Ellie does, but something goes wrong on the other end. Maybe another terrorist attack. Maybe not. All he knows is that he's in the sphere and then, suddenly, he's floating, unable to find his footing until a great crash and he slams into the bottom of the machine.

He groans, pulling his helmet on with a grunt and a wince.

"Fuck this," he mutters, finding the edge of the sphere with his hands. There was a door there somewhere. He just - has to find it.

Comments

[getfeldsparred]

“I mean, you could wander off, but you probably wouldn’t want to. Might walk into a geyser.”

Feldspar chuckles and picks up the radio, calling down to Hornfels again. “Approaching the launch pad. ETA seven minutes.”

[videointhenoise]

"And launch myself back into space? No thanks," he laughs because that's an absurd thing to happen to anyone.

Seven minutes, though. He can do that. His heart is pounding in his ears and he thinks maybe he might faint, but the need to know is so much stronger than fear.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar shows far more care than he would normally in their descent, utilizing their thrusters and cameras and even pausing to hover when they weren’t quite aligned with the launch pad. It makes for an almost elegant touch down, which they know someone’s going to comment on when they get themselves out of the ship.

And surprise surprise, all of the members of Outer Wilds Ventures are standing there with various levels of worry.

Feldspar sighs and pulls their helmet off. “We’re here. My team’s waiting outside. Are you ready? Do you need a few more minutes?”

[videointhenoise]

He stands up and finds his footing, shaking his head. "No," he assures them. "No, I think I can walk out now."

He stretches his arms in front of him. "You can go first," he laughs.

[getfeldsparred]

With their helmet off they can get a better, more clear look at the alien space suit and anatomy. And really, nothing seems all that different except the fingers and the fact that their suit is neater and sleeker.

“Brilliant idea,” they reply, hopping off their seat and undoing the hatch in the center of the ship. They poke their head out, and much to their chagrin see a few of the hatchlings coming around to see the landing. Feldspar frowns and whistles loudly, catching a worried-looking Hornfels attention and waving them over.

“Get the hatchlings outta here, will ya? This is…this is big, and we can’t cause a scene.”

Hornfels frowns and tries to look around Feldspar - either at their spacesuit to see signs of an injury, or inside for some strange discovery. They’re blocked as Feldspar weaves around.

“I’m fine, but I mean it. I need a clear path to HQ.”

They’re rarely this serious, and Hornfels luckily picks up on it and nods quickly. “I’ll have Gossan take them back.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent leans down, over the hole of the ship, not yet going down the ladder. Hatchlings? How many are there?

Their security isn't all that strict, then.

He stays where he is, waiting for Feldspar's consent.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar sits back with a soft exhale. “Hatchlings love to watch the ships come back,” they mumble, “I’m sure they saw us touching down and dropped whatever they were doing to see if I brought back some artifact or a wild story.”

They pause, then chuckle softly. “I mean, they’d be right, wouldn’t they?”

Talk about a wild story, meaning and bringing home an alien! They’d love to sit around the campfire and brag about this one - except Kent. Kent’s a living, breathing being, separated entirely from their own kind. It must be incredibly lonely.

After another check they start down the ladder, finding that Slate also came up from whatever pile of tech and explosives they’d been working on to see why Feldspar had returned so soon. Feldspar waves slightly but doesn’t approach the small group, instead they wait by the end of the ladder to help the newcomer down.

[videointhenoise]

Kent swallows hard, his throat dry as he tries not to cough. The world around him is so unsteady but he descends the ladder with minimal effort, his breath a little ragged now.

He reaches a gloved hand behind him, trusting the flighty being to be there for him. He has so far.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar takes their - his hand and holds it with a tight squeeze, helping them step forward on the wooden platform.

“It’s alright.”

The look on the faces of the other Outer Wilds Ventures crew might say otherwise though. Slate is shocked, Hornfels looks faint, and Gossan is…well, clearly disturbed.

Slate’s the first to speak.

“Felds…”

“Not here,” Feldspar says, “let’s get him inside, okay? He’s already been through it.”

“He? So they’re not-”

Feldspar interrupts Gossan. “Not Hearthian. I’ll explain on the way. Come on, Kent, just up ahead, then you can sit down and we’ll get you some…uh…water. Water’s okay, right?”

[videointhenoise]

"Water's great," he assures them, sounding much braver than he feels.

"Not Hearthean," he agrees. "Human. But uh- Kent is fine."

He can't imagine what their reactions will be, but he hopes that he isn't dooming himself here.

[getfeldsparred]

Their reactions are more of the same when Kent speaks, but Feldspar can see a glint of curiosity in his friends’ eyes. There’s a reason they all wanted to go into space, after all. And Hearthians naturally have less of a fear of the unknown; Rutile always tried to explain it as an evolutionary trait.

Gossan’s the first to speak. “Kent,” they say, trying out the name for themselves. “Nice to meet you, Kent.”

Good ol’ Gossan. Feldspar smiles as their friend and continues down the path to ground control’s building.

Along the way they try to retell the story of how they came across Kent the traveler - the crash of their ship, their initial meeting, the technology that can only travel one way, how they decided that Kent should come back with them in the meantime. Feldspar does all the talking so Kent doesn’t have to right now, and it’s enough of a story that they’re all able to get inside by the time they wrap it up.

Hornfels quickly pulls closed the curtains while Slate locks the door, and Feldspar sets their helmet down and fetches a glass of water for Kent. Gossan motions to a chair, and Feldspar shakes their head.

“Chair two steps to your left, Kent.”

[videointhenoise]

He takes two steps and finds the chair, sitting carefully in it. He'd been listening, but grateful for the reprieve. Reliving it just seems so - strange. Overwhelming.

He hears voices and footsteps, but no other senses. No smells. No touch.

His heart is racing.

"Hey - can I get atmosphere specs and take the helmet off? Getting some oxygen warnings here that don't sound great."

[getfeldsparred]

Hornfels and Slate exchange glances. Feldspar imagines they’re thinking similar things - how do they know that this human can breathe their air? But the Nomai seemed to flourish in this solar system, and the jellyfish and angler fish do alright as well, so it’s likely this life form, so similar to their own, should be able to thrive.

Or maybe they’re like Feldspar, and itching to see for themselves what’s under the helmet.

“Should be breathable,” Hornfels starts, “78% nitrogen, 20% oxygen, minuscule amounts of argon and carbon dioxide. Do you…do you need assistance with the helmet?”

[videointhenoise]

Kent shakes his head. "No. They trained me pretty well with it."

He reaches up and unclasps the metal piece around his neck.

"Moment of truth," he says with a nervous chuckle, and he lifts it off of his shoulders. He automatically takes a deep breath, coughs, and -

And -

And breathes in deeply.

"Oh thank God," he mumbles.

[getfeldsparred]

All four Hearthians seem to join the human in taking a very deep breath. They wait, wincing and frowning at the count, and then breathe again with them. Him.

Feldspar openly stares. Two eyes. Pink skin. Fur on the top of his head. Mouth not as elongated, lips not at pursed. Bone structure…similar, but with some marked differences in the head and fingers.

Kent’s an alien all-right. They can see the others taking stock of the sight - Hornfels looking absolutely thrilled to be meeting an alien face-to-face, while the others look equally parts curious and cautious. A real-life alien! Not some long dead species that they’re still finding the bones of scattered across their solar system, but a living, breathing alien.

“Hey, Kent,” Feldspar smiles. “How’s that air treating you?”

[videointhenoise]

"Not bad. Smells a little like pine trees, though." Or maybe that's the equivalent of saying something tastes like chicken.

He starts to remove the gloves, setting them to the side. "Someone want to unzip me?" he wonders, reaching back to indicate the zipper on the back of the suit.

[getfeldsparred]

Gossan is closest and steps up to help Kent with his suit, Feldspar looking on with just a twinge of jealously. Kent is his alien!

“I know this is a sensitive question, but…can you see us?” Gossan asks.

[videointhenoise]

"Uh, no," he laughs. "Nothing sensitive about it. It's not common in my kind. I just - there was an accident when I was born. So I've never really had sight."

Under the suit is just his sweatpants and a t-shirt, something he threw on that morning.

...God, it was just that morning.

[getfeldsparred]

Gossan and Hornfels share a quick, worried glance, but it’s Slate that speaks up.

“They sent someone who can’t see into space? What sense does that make!” they exclaim.

“Slate,” Hornfels says quietly, “we don’t know anything about their species. Don’t jump to conclusions.”

“Hold on, hold on, we should - let’s introduce ourselves before we start in on this,” Gossan says quickly. “I’m Gossan, pilot for Outer Wilds Ventures. It’s our space program - and the whole reason you met Feldspar to begin with.”

“Hornfels, ground control.”

“Slate, engineer.”

“And you know me,” Feldspar chimes in. “This is Kent. He’s from a planet called Earth.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent bristles a little at Slate's words.

"I wasn't the first one, and they weren't certain I'd go into space," he points out a bit stubbornly.

But their introductions take up most of his attention and he memorizes their voices. He sits back down, knocking over the water he had been given.

[getfeldsparred]

Hornfels rushes to clean up the spilled water. “What do you mean, they weren’t sure?” they ask, softer-spoken as a point of apology for Slate.

“The craft wasn’t really a ship,” Feldspar explains. “It was round, and nothing for propulsion.”

“I’d like to see it,” Slate mutters to themself.

“It’s still up on Brittle Hollow. Slammed right into the surface. I didn’t see any windows either.”

“So what was it for?” Hornfels asks, looking to Kent to answer.

[videointhenoise]

"Ah. Yes. It was - well, we weren't certain. The first person who went through said it was a way of meeting them. That it was one step and, in time, there would he another."

He shrugs. "They thought it would be fine to send me. As a spare."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar frowns to themself. A spare. It’s upsetting to hear Kent refer to themselves that way. It doesn’t matter that he wasn’t the first choice - he was one who was sent! He was the one who met the alien race!

“Them?” asks Gossan.

“An alien race,” answers Feldspar. “Not us or the Nomai. The ones who contacted them.”

“No kidding, Felds,” Slate mutters.

“Maybe this is the second step, contact with a second alien civilization,” Hornfels says, getting that glint in their eyes.

[videointhenoise]

"Maybe, though they could have warned us before stranding us. They said it's the way things had been done for - well, forever.the Machine wasn't even theirs. They passed it along to us."

He leans forward. "It opens up an entire - wormhole. Do you have - starcharts? Maybe that I can make tactile? I can show you where my galaxy is if I can figure out where you are."

[getfeldsparred]

The glint becomes a full-blown explosion at the mention of star charts. “Yeah! I’ve been mapping the stars for years now. I suppose I could figure out how to adapt them, I’d need to project them on an appropriate surface…”

They continue on, and Feldspar fetches Kent a second glass of water and taps it against his hand. “Here. Hornfels’ll figure out something so you can get your bearings.”