"Where's Eoli? She said that we were supposed to meet here at ten o'clock after she dealt with the mechanic regarding the levitation platform." Teinova was perturbed; the canteen had long become vacant with only them to claim supper. Despite this, they were well-rested and cleaned as they waited to satiate their hunger.
"Well, she said that she'll most likely be late." Yoskoe had cuisine in three white bowls that rested on his left arm before serving them. Afterwards, he regressed behind the polished marble countertop and poured some of his own concoction for consumption.
The cooked rations were a twisted mixture of grey and brown, its slime-like consistency an added flaw.
Their reluctance meant a tried and true method would have to intervene: adanan—a game of luck and limbs.
Durin placed his spoon next to his bowl. "Let's play adanan to see who will have to taste it,"
"Why do we have to play this game again?" Zazavin moaned in anticipation of their lacklustre responses.
"Because neither of us wants to do it," Durin replied casually.
"It's not our fault you don't have arms or legs." Teinova shrugged.
His teammates heckled him over his natural condition. In retaliation, Zazavin's long, thick tongue whipped the rear of Teinova's skull into her bowl of rations—her only cushion against full-frontal contact with rigid steel.
"Gais it taits grate." Her voice scrambled in the rations. The exquisite flavours that now flowed in her mouth quelled her probable fury.
Zazavin doubted this, but once she pulled her head out and swallowed the rations, Teinova confirmed its quality.
With their fear dispelled, they chowed down.
Zazavin's lips made love to the air. "This is the best thing I've ever eaten!"
Yoskoe cracked a small smile. His hairless, tanned body glistened pleasure to words of affirmation towards his culinary pedigree.
He saw that the projected time was surpassed by fifteen minutes. To reduce concerns, he asked, "You want more food or what?"
"Of course!" Zazavin echoed the benevolent sentiments of homemade rural cuisine.
You all go need it. Ram out your stomachs.
Seeing Teinova's condition, he gave her a damp rag to wipe the rations from her face. Her eagerness to resume eating meant this was brief; the food had enamoured her.
* * *
You all from outer space?
Yes. We're from space.
How space? It real pretty? What other planets be like? You get to meet plenty lifeforms?
Come nah, I wanna ask questions too.
Yeah Yan, she have to stop stealing all the attention for herself.
Pogorie, a Ehfnii distracted by thoughts of hours past, had to bring herself to concentrate on her imaginary cockpit at the roof of the Elder Residence. What happened earlier with Flezno left her unfazed. The foreigners from space were still her idols.
Her body was a slanted block. There were tiny holes around her base—about eleven—where she could shoot and retract tubes. Each also had bendable sections and hooks.
From her vantage point, Yoskoe's canteen to Ragga's health centre and Eoli's parlour shop were on display. Each helped tell a tale, a tale of her meagre existence.
Her eyelids rested over her large, jet-black eyes to zone out possible distractions. The dream she clung to replayed in her subconscious once more: to touch the heavens.
She wanted to ask them an important question: “Can I go to space with you?”, but fear and reluctance became hindrances.
In the first attempt, fear held her hostage. The second attempt, reluctance joined it in the canteen. Their union pushed her to her safe space. Her logic said 'naive', 'foolish', 'never going to happen', and her heart, even worse, but her very essence said 'DO IT'.
Pogorie had to follow her will because many beings never did. She took herself to the canteen to realize her stupid dream.
* * *
Eoli rushed into the metallic canteen covered in rust from roof to rectangular base. She entered with her white nightgown that hid and somewhat flattened her hairs of grey and black. Her huge eyes swiftly picked them out. From this, she seated parallel to the ravenous bunch. As a Pristal, her eyes sometimes spooked those who were not used to lifeforms that seldom blinked.
"Right. You all comfortable?" They were not bothered by her eyes.
Teinova hurried through the last of her meal. "Yeah. I’m ready.”
"And your belly full?"
"Oh yeah." Glee streaked Zazavin’s face from his bountiful eating. He became even rounder than before.
Durin already finished his bowl. He expressed quaint gratitude for being fed.
With everyone full, discourse could commence. Eoli was the first to speak.
"Where happened to your starcraft?"
Durin pushed away his empty bowl and said, "In some town called Oklaha. As soon as we went to trade our cargo, our ship was impounded by the army."
"That a catchment zone. They target high volume illegal trading communities to do stuff like that."
"Where do they take ships that are impounded?"
"To Leaflet. They used to keep impounded vehicles in the communities to scrap the snu-snu composite metal, to take cargo and currency hidden onboard, to make illegal trades, and the most valuable industry: retrofitting stolen criminal craft for export. But the Balmi War Troupe became such a threat to their operations, they had to move to Leaflet."
"It the only economic driver here.” Yoskoe decided to give more key information to the group. “Ships are essentially currency to other worlds because our currency is crap to everyone but us. You have to be lucky to see any local Starcraft flying about in the sky here."
They elaborated on other stuff like the civil war that gripped the planet for twenty years and the main opposition of the Planetary Defence Force, the Balmi War Troupe. After they well ran their mouths with questions and explanations, a sudden silence overtook the meeting.
It allowed melancholy to embed Eoli, compelling her to talk with great emotion. "It's a shame to go through this stupidness, boi. All the fighting and killing don't make sense. But even though it's plenty years of war and suffering, we'll get through someday."
"I'm not too sure about that. Call me a debbie-downer, but I feel this is our fate to always suffer like this." Yoskoe tried to humble her.
"Is easy to say that. I does tell myself that sometimes too. But in my heart, I feel we'll get through."
"Whatever you say. Them who hold onto hope stand the most to lose."
Pogorie tapped the door. The ability to automatically slide open was lost years ago. It was beyond repair.
"Who that?" Yoskoe awaited a response.
The Efhnii pushed the door ajar. "Is me, Pogorie."
"You want more rations? Sorry, all done."
"No. I wanna ask a question to the foreign people."
They all stared at her. This was her moment.
Flooded with determination, she said the words, "Can I go space with you?"
"It looks like I have to be the villain." Teinova got up, approached her, and bent to her level. The light around her glowed even more. "Little girl, sorry to ruin your dreams, but you can't come with us. You're too young."
Her determination flatlined.
"It's too dangerous for someone like you, but once you grow up you can go."
"I'm not sure. You destroy my dreams." Tears welled in her eyes.
"Just keep your dream alive and you will get there."
"Mmmm."
"Well do it for me. Do it for everyone in the room. Heck, why stop there? Do it for your community. Show them your resolve."
"What the word 'resolve' mean?"
"Don't worry about meaning. All you need to know is to never give up."
After a few seconds, she accepted her encouraging words.
Because of this, Teinova's light returned to its regular state.
Eoli took note of the time and realised that Pogorie was out too late. Beings as young as her should be indoors. "Who will take she home? We can't let she go home herself."
Zazavin promoted himself.
This got Yoskoe to get up. He understood that her father would prefer a familiar face to a strange one. "I'll do it instead but thanks anyway."
"I'll put Zaae, Brashlo, Ragga and the rest of the Village Council on holocom." Eoli was passed a tablet with buttons that enabled large digital meetings in the canteen.
"We're continuing without Yoskoe?" Zazavin wondered if they were impatient enough to start without one of their own.
"Her house not far from here. He'll come back soon."
On his return, Eoli activated a private virtual meeting. The others answered the call from their homely comforts. With their pixelated forms materialised
and Eoli at the head of the table, she said the words, "All right everyone. Let's start this meeting."
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