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]

“Moon’s a respectable goal. I’m sure Hornfels will want to hear all about those robots of yours. They’re trying to make a prototype for a scout, but they’ve gotten a little stuck on it.”

[videointhenoise]

"I've been - working on some radio signals with them," he admits. "Perhaps we can hear your planets," he explains. "But I'll talk to them about the scouts."

He pushes himself up. "I'm getting tired, though. You want to walk me back?"

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar smiles a little to hear that, but it’s a little sad too. The more useful he makes himself, the more ingrained in their village, the more far away his home will be.

They jump to their feet and extend their hand out to Kent. “Sure. Hand’s in front of you, if you want it. That stick’s working out well for you though.”

[videointhenoise]

"I have a cane at home. This works - well, not as well, but I've been using one since I could walk, so I can make it work."

He takes their hand and then slides it up to their arm instead.

"When's your next launch?"

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar shrugs gently, careful not to throw Kent off their balance. “Not sure. I was going to start planning another launch to Brittle Hollow, but my ship’s in a bad state. It might have to wait a while, or hope Gossan lets me borrow theirs.”

[videointhenoise]

"Then you're stuck here a while," he points out with a shake of his head. "And i told you, I'm not going with you in that barrel until you have seat belts," he adds with a laugh.

[getfeldsparred]

“Grounded for the foreseeable future,” they agree, grinning. “I know, I know. I think after this last crash we’ll finally get them installed. You know what Slate’s excuse was for not putting them in? That they’d throw off the weight!”

They snort softly, clearly amused by the whole thing instead of horrified.

[videointhenoise]

"That is a terrible excuse," he laughs, walking along the path with them, keeping close without tripping over himself. "Think I could talk to them about it?"

[getfeldsparred]

“You can try. You might be able to reason with them with your alien knowledge of science. They’d respect the opinion of someone of science more than a pilot’s anyway.”

[videointhenoise]

"A handsome pilot, even?" he says without really thinking of it. It's flirting but not. They're not even the same species, but he can't help but feel...close to them.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar laughs a little, face and ears going purple. “A handsome pilot, even! Slate and I tried dating, but I don’t think they were charmed enough by me. We’re better as friends. But if you could charm them…who knows!”

[videointhenoise]

He blushes as well, clearing his throat.

"I don't want to charm them. I don't know what I think of them," he admits aloud. "Hornfels, though. I like them."

[getfeldsparred]

“Yeah,” Feldspar nods, “yeah, I like Hornfels a lot too. I was hoping you’d get along. You’re a lot alike, and you can never have too many folks who think like Hornfels.”

[videointhenoise]

"I like them," he agrees. "And they're smart as a whip. It's just really nice to feel useful."

He can feel the path turning as they approach his little cabin. "Thanks for walking with me. And - keep playing. It's nice to hear music."

[getfeldsparred]

“Next time I’ll come play for you so you don’t have to make the trek.” They step away from Kent, letting him walk the rest himself.

“Actually…there’ll be a campfire in a few days. You should come. We’ll all be playing. Hearthian tradition.”

[videointhenoise]

"I will be there," he promises. "I wouldn't want to be anywhere else."

And then he gives them a wave, finding the door and walking inside.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar waves back out of habit, watching as Kent walks up the steps of the porch and into the cabin as if he’d been there forever. They smile a little more fondly - their alien is fitting in well, despite their own homesickness and grief.

They root for the harmonica in their pocket and sit on the lowest step on their porch, playing him one final song goodnight.

[videointhenoise]

Kent hears them playing outside of his porch, and as he gets settled for sleep, he gets an idea.

For the next few days, he practically lives at the observatory with Hornfels. They are even able to loop in Slate as Kent starts to set up their radios.

The planets are closer which makes it simple to start to bounce radio waves off of them, and there's the sound of actual cheering late ine night when they are finally able to listen to the wind and radio waves of Giant's Deep.

He sits with the hatchlings at the next campfire, telling them all about what they heard and promising to show them all the next day as long as they finished their chores.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar typically doesn’t spend too much time hanging around ground control, but they hear murmurings from Gossan and even Slate about Hornfels and Kent’s latest project. It seems hush-hush, or maybe that’s because as a rule the scientists are less noisy than the engineers or pilots, until one day Gossan comes running to find Feldspar. They excitedly, even breathlessly talk about hearing the wind and water on Giant’s Deep, and Feldspar can’t help but gape in astonishment.

That night they play with the orchestra, their harmonica quietly humming in the background of the melody. When it’s time for a break they find Kent with the hatchlings, and they pick up Gabbro by the back of the shirt and fling them up into the air, the little hatchling squealing in delight.

“Hiya, Kent. Hear you’ve been busy.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent jerks at the squeal, but Feldspar's voice assures him that there is no emergency.

"What are you doing to them?" he laughs, leaning on his stick. "You interrupted my story."

[getfeldsparred]

"Throwin' 'em," replies Feldspar, who is indeed tossing Gabbro around like a toy. The hatchling continues to giggle as Feldspar catches and then throws them back up into the air. "What are you telling them? I want to listen in!"

[videointhenoise]

"Mm, sorry. I have a one-retelling only policy," he explains to them with a playful little grin. "So you missed it."

[getfeldsparred]

"Then tell another one! You can't just have the only story to tell." Feldspar grins right back at Kent, even if he can't see it, and sets Gabbro back onto the ground.

"Kent has lots of stories!" Riebeck suddenly yells. They'd been practically buried in Kent's leg, refusing to untangle themselves, but their big eyes peer out from behind his trousers.

[videointhenoise]

Kent reaches down and puts a hand on Riebeck's shoulder. "I'll tell you a story later," he promises Feldspar with a grin. "After this. It's not fit for hatchling ears."

[getfeldsparred]

The hatchlings are too little to catch onto any of the back-and-forth grinning between the two adults, but all three do whine about being denied this particular story.

"I'm very mature for my age!" Chert argues. "You can ask anyone!"

"You're still a little pebble," Feldspar argues back, picking them up and setting them onto their knee as they sit down beside Kent. "Do you want to try my harmonica?"

"I do!" Gabbro yells, popping up beside them and holding their little hand out. Feldspar sets the instrument down into the palm with a chuckle.

"Have at."