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]

“Yeah,” Feldspar smiles. They’ve shared their excitement with Kent about finally seeing the ocean and high winds that he’d discovered through his radio - this trip felt like it was for the both of them.

Kent touches their hand and Feldspar feels their mouth go dry. They’ve learned that Kent is touch-focused for a lot of reasons, but the hand hold is still as intimate for him as it would be for any Hearthian.

“Really? That’s amazing. I can’t wait!”

[videointhenoise]

He's excited to hear about what they find on the big, watery planet. He's worried, of course, but Feldspar has proven himself time and time again.

"I want it ready for the next sap wine ceremony," he explains. "It will be perfect for the celebration."

[getfeldsparred]

“Yeah? You’ve been cagey about what’s in that container.” Feldspar’s been assuming it’s something significant, judging solely by Kent’s dedication to this project.

“Well, it’ll be Porphy next. I think they’re due in the next few months.” Though they’d been begging for their sapwine ceremony for ages now. Considering they spend all of their time with Granite, the old sapwine brewer, it makes sense that their interest is probably more than just in getting drunk.

[videointhenoise]

"Porphy?" He laughs, bright and musical, almost like a giggle. "Really? They're going to lose their mind. But at least they'll stop bugging people about it."

He takes his hand away and stands up. "Alright. I think I'm ready for the Ash Twins. Want to take a listen?"

[getfeldsparred]

“Maybe, I’m sure they’ll find another way to bug people,” Feldspar mumbles, getting up as well.

“Do I want to take a listen, what kind of question is that? Of course I want to listen!”

[videointhenoise]

He's fashioned some headphones for himself, but takes them out as he walks outside and plants his feet in the balcony.

"Alright. Come here."

He fiddles with the dials and waits. "Pull the trigger when you see them rising in the distance."

[getfeldsparred]

They get good and close to Kent, squinting as they look up in the sky for the red dots to pass over the crater. When they finally spot the movement they pull the trigger, initiating the radio.

[videointhenoise]

The sound is intense, like static through a radio. Kent flinches back, turning into Feldspar's shoulder as he reaches up to cover his ears. It's just the initial moment, though, and he's back on track, cackling. "Holy shit. What is that?"

[getfeldsparred]

They react with a jolt of their own, if only because Kent’s reaction, but they’re grinning wildly as well. They know exactly what that hissing is.

“Sand,” they say, trying to tamper down the urge to bounce. “It’s a giant column of sand. The twins pass the sand back and forth as they orbit each other.”

[videointhenoise]

"I thought that was just a theory!" he laughs. "But - holy shit. It works. It works!"

He takes Feldspar's arm. "This is the farthest I've gotten!"

[getfeldsparred]

“Theory confirmed!” they laugh, letting Kent shake them excitedly. They turn and gather him up in their arms, giving them a friendly, congratulatory hug.

“It works great! You did amazing!”

[videointhenoise]

Kent laughs as he's literally swept off his feet. "God, I have to tell...everyone, I think. Wow."

Once he's back on solid ground, his places his hands on Feldspar's shoulders. "This is - amazing."

[getfeldsparred]

“You’re amazing, Kent!”

Their excitement quiets as their sincerity takes over - it’s hard not to be genuinely proud of all that Kent’s accomplished since coming to Timber Hearth. Away from his people, his culture, his own technology, and he still managed to create something incredible.

They pull back with a sheepish smile. “You gotta go tell Hornfels.”

[videointhenoise]

He hesitates for a moment too long. "Yeah," he says with a smile. "Yeah, I guess so."

He doesn't want to leave them yet, though. He doesn't want them to go. But - Hornfels deserves to know. They do.

"I'll go get them."

[getfeldsparred]

“I’m gonna stay here and while and listen, I think.” The hissing of the sand sounds like hail, like a thousand pebbles hitting the roof of their cabin as a hatchling.

They want to see it.

It’s so close now they could almost touch it, and when Kent walks away to find Hornfels they sit on the wooden floor and close their eyes. They just listen, and imagine.

[videointhenoise]

Kent leaves them there with a squeeze of his shoulder, and then heads back down the stairs.

He continues to refine the scope, and when Feldspar leaves for Giant's Deep, Kent's calibrated it to scan for his ship.

He's on the radio with him and the others as they listen for his observations.

"Hey, do three complete orbits before you dive into that damn atmosphere," Kent warns them while Slate tries to get them to just head in.

[getfeldsparred]

“It’s fine, Kent! The ship can handle the atmospheric changes!” Slate argues back. “That planet is huge, it’s gonna take them forever to loop around three times!”

In the cockpit Feldspar rolls their eyes and turns the radio down. They’re not going to dive right in, but they’re not going to do three orbits either. There’s a weird space-station thing from the Nomai orbiting the planet that’s a lot more hazardous than anyone probably realized, and it comes on fast each loop because of Giant’s Deep’s heavy pull.

One orbit…two…they circle their ships lower and lower, pushing through the green atmosphere and wondering if the planet itself is going to be covered in the same, thick air. It suddenly clears and Feldspar feels their heart speed up -

“Cyclones! Giant cyclones!”

[videointhenoise]

Kent sighs. "You don't know if -" But he's interrupted by Feldspar's assessment.

"Oh shit," Hornfels mutters, leaning in close as Kent chuckles.

"We heard them up there," Kent reminds them. "But uh...how many?"

[getfeldsparred]

“A dozen at least,” Feldspar shouts, the wind howling in their ear and over the radio. Static pops and fizzles, cutting Feldspar off as they add, “-icked up an island!!!”

[videointhenoise]

An island?

He leans forward, closer to the radio. For a moment, he thinks of Ellie. For a moment, he thinks of her first ride on the Machine.

She says she's okay to go.

"Say again, Feldspar. What about the islands?" Gossan asks, giving room for Kent.

[getfeldsparred]

“Just ——— an —— island! A cyclone —— in the ——“

Feldspar lets the radio hang down so they can grip the controls with both hands, the ship rattling as they try to dodge the island as it crashes back into the ocean with an enormous splash.

“Islands falling out of the sky! Do you copy that, ground control? Gossan! Hornfels! Kent?” They’re not sure how much of that got through - if any of it, as a cyclone approaches the ship and tries to suck their ship in.

[videointhenoise]

The others start to chatter, and Kent waves a hand, shushing them in an instant.

"Wait," he says firmly, then turns the radio all the way up as he concentrates.

"They say - islands falling out of the sky. We copy, Feldspar, we copy!" he tells them calmly. "It's alright."

[getfeldsparred]

Oh, thank the stars, Kent’s heard them. It’s a small consolation though as the cyclone nears, the roar accidentally broadcasting over their radio to ground control.

The ship can’t avoid the cyclone, the strong, fierce winds taking in the ship and spewing it back up into the atmosphere with a roar.

[videointhenoise]

Kent wants to snap at Slate when they try and come closer, but he doesn't. He stays where he is, listening.

"Feldspar, come in. What's going on there buddy?" he asks as the noise from the cyclone almost abruptly cuts out.

[getfeldsparred]

Feldspar is left a little dizzy from being thrown up into space like that from the cyclone. The radio dangles and smacks them in the face as they try to right themselves ship, blinking quietly for a moment in shock.

That’s the second time a planet’s thrown them up into the air.

Slowly they begin to grin.

“Hey, can you hear me? I’m fine. I’m good. A cyclone sucked me right up and spat me right back into space. Those storms are no joke!”

They want to go again.