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

[videointhenoise]

Kent takes the bag and sits in his chair, making sure he has the briefcase and the pack with him as he does. "Maybe you should turn it off next time after you get out," he teases. "Might save you on fuel."

[getfeldsparred]

"Oh, so you're the expert now, huh?" Feldspar calls back over their shoulder, still grinning like an idiot. They start up the twin engines and feel the familiar rumble underneath their fingertips.

"We'll stop by the Attlerock and see Esker. They'll like that."

[videointhenoise]

Kent's stomach grumbles.

"And can we get something to eat? You don't even have astronaut food in here. And don't tell me your canned marshmallows are food."

[getfeldsparred]

"I have food! Some tinned veggies and fish." In case they crashed and were stranded. As rudimentary as anything else they have, but Feldspar is still kind of new at this.

"But yeah, Esker will have the good stuff. Gossan just shuttled some supplies to them last week."

[videointhenoise]

"I'll spare you the olfactory offense at canned fish inside a different can," he smiles. "And I can wait until we aren't moving." He wraps his hands around the straps again as he feels the ship rumbling to life.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar waits until they hear the telltale clicking of the belt being secured into place before they even try to move the ship. They lift off without any incident, careful to swerve around Hollow's Lantern and aim for the Attlerock.

"I don't mind the smell if you're really that hungry. Are you sure you don't want a mallow? I mean, no one likes 'em raw, but they hit the spot."

[videointhenoise]

He takes off his helmet and breathes in deeply, working on his gloves next. "No one eats them raw?" He snorts. "Feldspar, plenty of people eat them raw. At least my people."

[getfeldsparred]

"No one sane eats them raw," they snort. "They're best toasted, duh."

Though focused on steering the ship, they can't help but sneak a quick look over their shoulder at Kent as he removes his helmet. His hair's all askew and his face is a little red. It's cute.

[videointhenoise]

Kent runs his fingers through his hair, pushing it back from his face.

He really should cut it. And shave his face.

He works on his gloves next, taking them off and setting them to the side so he can reach out and dig into the pack and feel what Feldspar brought.

[getfeldsparred]

Inside his pack will be all sorts of little artifacts and samples of the rocks and soil, and of course that crystal. “There’s a weird little toy in there - well, I think it’s a toy. What do you think? Hatchlings would love to see something like that.”

[videointhenoise]

He takes out each piece, feeling the edges and ridges, bringing it to smell, even sneaking a small flick of his tongue against the grains of sand when he's pretty sure Feldspar is busy flying.

He comes across the toy and tilts his head, playing with it. "I think you're right. But that means there were children there," he sighs. "Those bones...some of them had to be kids. Hatchlings," he amends.

[getfeldsparred]

“Kids,” Feldspar repeats under their breath. What an odd term, but they kind of like it.

“From what it looks like the Nomai just sort of dropped dead right where they were,” they tell him. “Like something got to them. There are bones everywhere, like the ones we found sitting at the table. That doesn’t seem like they just went extinct gradually, you know what I mean?”

[videointhenoise]

"No." Though there's a chilling thought behind it. "I wonder if they knew it was coming. Whatever it was."

He sighs. "I don't know if that makes it better or worse."

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar doesn’t know much about the Nomai, but if they were living out their last moments of life it wouldn’t make sense not to spend it together, not scattered like they were. But it’s been so many years, who knows what evidence of any of that has been turned to dust?

“Better,” they decide. “I wouldn’t want to know it was coming, would you?”

[videointhenoise]

"I don't know. I'd want to be with the people I love, I think. Friends and family. But - I wouldn't want those moments filled with terror."

He brings the little toy close, against the soft skin of his cheek. "I think they were happy, though. I want to think that."

[getfeldsparred]

They quiet a long moment, thinking first of how lonely Kent must feel, not being with his friends and family right now. If the world did end, who would he spend it with? Would he be terrified and alone? Would they be enough?

Their mind drifts to their own end. They always assumed they’d get blown up or stranded or crash into something - a lonely death. Maybe quick, maybe not, but alone. Just them and the stars to keep them company.

“I want to think that too,” they admit quietly.

[videointhenoise]

Kent's quiet for a long while, sorting through the various artifacts and wrapping them lovingly back in the pack. By the time he's finished, the Attlerock is nearby.

"Hey, when we land, I have something for you. Before we leave," he tells them.

[getfeldsparred]

Something for them? “Is it a rock?” They try for one of their mischievous smiles, though it’s just a little flat.

But they quickly interrupt their own line of thinking as they start to circle the lunar outpost. “Oh! There’s Esker! Those trees are looking great! They’re not even wearing their EVA suit anymore.”

Excited by the idea that they’ve finally created a full-fledged lunar outpost - and with the thought of seeing their friend - Feldspar gently lands the ship outside Esker’s crater and plops their helmet back on their head.

“We’re outside the bubble so you’ll need to put your helmet back on, but while Esker gives us a tune-up we can sit without the suits.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent stuffs something in his suit before he throws on the helmet and locks it. "Perfect," he tells them. "I'll show them, too. And no, it's not a rock."

He snickers and unbuckles so he can stand.

[getfeldsparred]

They know Hornfels and Gossan have been keeping Esker updated, so hopefully it won’t come off as too much of a shock to see an alien at the outpost. They poke their head out of the hatch and then shove the ladder down, cringing as they hear the creak of the metal. Rusting already.

“Hey, Esker!”

“Feldspar! It’s about time you visited me - did you bring Kent? I can’t wait to meet ‘em!”

[videointhenoise]

Kent hears it, too. Not good, but maybe there's something he can do to help. There has to be -

Oh. He's alone in the ship.

"I'm here," he calls down and carefully picks his way down the ladder. He reaches out an arm automatically for Feldspar, even as he holds his cane.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar automatically extends their arm as Kent climbs down and orients himself. “Really light gravity here, so careful,” they tell him quietly.

“Stars and smoke, is that him! Hey! Kent, remember me? We spoke on the radio a bit! Real nice to meet you!”

Esker is a Hearthian of sense though, and wait until Kent and Feldspar get within the range of the trees to walk carefully over towards them. They still bounce, but it’s clearly been something they’ve been practicing.

“Lodge is looking real good, Esker. Can’t believe you got that up on your own.”

“Yeah, well,” Esker laughs, “it’s not like I’ve got a lot to do in between you and Gossan dropping by. Your crash really slowed down the program for a while.”

Their eyes land on Kent’s helmet and they grin. “You survived your trip with Feldspar, eh?”

[videointhenoise]

Kent is already charmed by Esker's enthusiasm, and doesn't mind that they are a little...lonely here. Really, he understands.

He walks alongside Feldspar, hopping lightly on his feet as he tries to get used to the gravity.

"I remember your voice," he assures them with a laugh. "And it's good to meet you. Feldspar is a much more careful pilot when they have someone else, I guess."

[getfeldsparred]

“They better be!” Esker laughs. “You can’t just go around doing stunts while you’ve got a passenger in your ship!”

“Unless Esker asks you nicely to do a barrel roll,” Feldspar chimes in, smirking.

“That was the one time. Anyway, welcome to the Attlerock, Kent! Glad to have you here. You can take off your helmet if you’d like - we’ve some of the best oxygen in the solar system.”

Feldspar laughs and clicks the latch on their helmet to reinforce the offer, pulling theirs off first and shaking their head in awe.

“Breathing without a helmet up in space. You’re a lucky Hearthian, Esker.”

“Don’t I know it, Feldspar. I got a good stew on the fire if you two are hungry.”

[videointhenoise]

Kent is a little more hesitant, but he makes sure he's close before he takes off his helmet and automatically breathes in.

"Oh. That's- that's really clean. And I could definitely eat. I brought something to go with it."

He takes a small package from his suit. "Graham crackers. Best space food you can ever have, minus the crumbs."