Touchstone 1 - Stray

is born to them. Without balance, without wisdom, they are twisting themselves outside nature.~ “You are something which appears perhaps once in ten generations. Not unique to Gaia.” ~Will you allow me to remove you from this place? You need only take my hand.~
    ~Are you Nuri equivalent of Setari? Protect Nuri from Ionoth?~ I was struggling to decide how I wanted to react, the idea of perhaps being able to go home shrieking at me, along with a great deal of resentment that they couldn’t just offer to do it openly. But I at least realised that he probably wasn’t going to be able to do what he planned. “Do you know why it is some talents I enhance strength, and other talents I make different?”
    He hadn’t expected it. He was Ruuel-level in terms of difficulty to read, but when he heard that he drew back his hands from where they had rested unmoving on his knees.
    “I first found out was enhancement talent when someone tried teleport me,” I went on helpfully, glad to be sticking to just out-loud talking for a minute. For one thing the in-my-head talking itched. “We ended up in totally wrong place. Fell down. Most talents, stronger, but some go very strange.”
    “The distortion inflicted on you by these,” he said, lifting his eyes past my shoulder. “Calling themselves Setari with no understanding of what that title means.”
    ~Even if could go with you,~ I told him silently while he gave either Ruuel or Maze a long survey, ~I do not think could accept offer. I miss my home, but it would be selfish of me to place homesickness above helping stop people be eaten by nightmares. Although I know Tare not place my interests above theirs, they mostly treat me as civilised people should. Also, I think Nuri not helping fix problem by acting as if Tare people too stupid to learn. If child is about to walk off cliff, what point saying they lack wisdom and watch them fall? And interface is a tool. No less unnatural than those two blades you wear.~
    ~Well said.~
    To my surprise he was looking at me with something approaching approval. Then he stood up.
    “I will communicate your answers to the elders. Thank you for speaking with me.”
    And he vanished. Teleported. I guess he had no reason to stick around once he knew he had little chance of getting me out of there. I would love to know whether my refusal would have counted if teleporting me away had been an option.
    “Nurans even weirder than Tarens,” I said, wishing I could scratch somewhere just behind my frontal lobe. I accessed my own log, but wasn’t really surprised to see that, unlike the Ddura, the Nuran hadn’t been ‘audible’.
    “That was a shorter conversation than I expected,” Tarmian said, blankly.
    “You couldn’t hear rest,” I said, with an internal sigh. “I make transcript, give me minute write.”
    “He was speaking using a similar method to the Ddura,” Ruuel said, as expected.
    “That would explain why your heart rate kept spiking.” Maze leaned forward to examine my expression.
    “What was his true purpose?” Selkie asked, the first time he’d spoken.
    “Came rescue me from misguided and corrupt Tarens,” I said, risking a glance up at Ruuel, but he was more expressionless than ever. “Let me concentrate now or will forget bits.” I dropped out of the channel and shut my eyes, relieved when they obediently moved away. I was actually really upset and stressed and didn’t want to talk to them or even see them while I thought about turning down going home.
    Ever since my jaunt to Earth’s near-space, I’ve had this plan to work out what I’d done, and find a way to do it properly. As I’d told the Nuran, I know that the Tarens won’t put my interests above theirs. Going home isn’t just about homesickness, it’s about choosing the best option for me.
    I blame Doctor Who . Mr Spock. The Scooby Gang: both the ones in the Mystery Machine and the ones with the stakes. I’ve spent my life with stories of people who don’t walk away, who go back for their friends, who make that last stand. I’ve been brainwashed by Samwise Gamgee.
    Even though I’m no longer critical to unlocking Muina, I still made a difference to First Squad’s encounter with those roamers, and the way things are going, it won’t be the last time my enhancement could save lives. There’s just no way I can cut and run simply because I’m an assignment, and a test subject, and I can’t absolutely trust the entire hierarchy of KOTIS. Even