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The Field
Grass of a cyan blue covers the ground, each blade like a tuft of hair; soft to the touch. Wildflowers, some in clumps and some singly making brave attempts at survival, shine in a variety of colors and make a stark contrast to the monotone grasses they attempt to hide within. A steady tract of flat land gives way to undulations that gradually rise into hills to the north, the furry covering of grass giving way to glimpses of magenta stone as it ascends. Waves of purple permeate from the west, as does the subtle aroma of heather. From the east and southeast, a cacophony of as yet undiscovered species of frogs, birds and insects all add their voices to the strangely familiar chorus. Eerily, no sound but the howling of wind, even stronger and more vociferous than that of the nearby mountains, comes from the northeast.
A camp has been set up here. Designed to cause the least damage to the landscape possible. A med tent, a mess tent, a tent for meetings, and several tents of all different sizes are set up for people to live in. There is a fence which surrounds the perimeter with guards stationed in intervals as well as certain openings which are also guarded with towers. Along with the fence is a laser perimeter that will alert security if anything larger than a small insect breaches it.
Visitors to the planet please do not leave the camp without escorts from Danu. Wildlife, plant, animal, or mineral, is not to be removed without permission from the Danu Chroi government. The local wildlife is dangerous, should you not follow the rules and should you be injured or killed, Danu Chroi will not be responsible for your actions.
Derkin flies out of one of the newly arrived shuttles in his personal ship, the Pocket Rocket, out into the field proper.
Kethren stretches a bit as he comes walking in from the city proper accompanied by a calico kitteny ferrety critter on his shoulder, a cranky guard, and a happy penguin.
James Sterling stands looking out over the alien landscape, a look of amazement and bewilderment on his face. He crouches to run his fingers over the odd blue grass at his feet.
Spotting a couple of folks nearby, Derkin banks his ship over towards where Sterling is combing the grass. Flying down low, he takes it into a hover and a small speaker on his ship clicks on. "Ya know, I think they've got gardeners that take care of that." he says with a chuckle.
Kethren perks up at the familiar speakery noise, and heads his group over in that direction.
"AAAH!" Sterling's head whips around in search of the voice. He loses his balance and sits down heavily, looking around in some alarm. He holds up one hand and waves it tentatively, in the manner of a man trying to ward off the attention of a yet-unseen hornet.
An exclamation of 'FRACK!' comes from within the ship as Sterling's hand starts waving in his direction. Throwing it into reverse Derkin backs up a foot or two. "Whoa whoa whoa, watch where you're swingin' there!" he says.
Kethren rubs the bridge of his nose as he sees the exchange whilst getting rather closer to it "New rifter?" The penguin just looks at the new guy with a curious expression, while the kitten-ferret offers a cheery wave.
Sterling gazes up at the man with the small menagerie; one eyebrow does a slow crawl up his forehead. "Er, yeah," he says in in Australian accent. He peers skeptically at the kitten-ferret and the penguin, then looks again for the source of the other voice. He lowers the waving hand and places it on the ground beside him. "I s'pose I oughta get used t'bein' surprised by the next weird damn thing t'come down the pike, eh?" He smirks.
"And I'm gonna have to watch out for swats." Derkin says. "Man... I just got this thing waxed and detailed you know!" He pulls the ship up a bit higher. "Heya, Mr. Kethren. How's tricks?"
Kethren nods at the new guy "Probably a good idea. Takes time, though. Jumping universes is always a bit of a jolt. When'd you come from? Mornin Derkin. Things are thankfully pretty quiet these days. Should have the farm up and running before much longer, assuming no weird delays of course."
Sterling's eyes focus at last on the diminutive ship. He squints. He mutters a "Sorry, mate," in its direction and pushes himself to his feet. "Bit of a jolt's an understatement," he says to Kethren. "I'm still not sure I ain't dreamin' th'whole thing. Last I knew what was real, I was in Brussels, Belgium, two thousand and twelve."
"Sounds good. We might even want to try this coffee you all have been talking about on the news." Derkin says.
Kethren chuckles "Fraid it's very much real. Still, you've found your way to one of the nicest planest in the region... Pyracan's pretty nice, too. Spent a good month sleeping on the beaches of Eiru. And indeed, the local coffee... or something similar enough anyway, is quite good."
Sterling tilts his head to the side. "Coffee? There's coffee in the future?" he queries, one side of his mouth quirking upward.
"Well, there wasn't until these folks started showing up." Derkin says with a chuckle.
Kethren grins "Hey, I can't be blamed for this coffee. Grows naturally on this world... we just happened to recognize it, and with a bit of analysis confirmed that for all intents and purposes, it's coffee. Some of which happens to have a distinct chocolate taste."
Sterling chuckles. "Now /that/ sounds good," he says. "Go some way toward making me feel like my universe /hasn't/ gone all completely stark raving bonkers."
"Maybe we'll add that to our negotiations." Derkin says. "Oler knows I could do with something to keep me alert on long flights."
Kethren chuckles "Well, I daresay that even with the potential trade agreement w/ the Heks, there'll be plenty left for the locals." Then nods to Sterling "Doesn't matter if your universe went bonkers. You're in this one now. And frankly, it's a lot better... assuming we even came from the same one. Doesn't really matter either way."
Sterling frowns at Kethren. "My universe, meanin' the one I'm livin' in. You look human... you from Earth?"
"Oh it's gone bonkers lately, just not from time rifts." Derkin says. "Thankfully it's at a bit of a lull."
Kethren nods "Indeed. Rifted over from 2010 a little over a year ago. Usually when someone refers to their universe, they meant the one they were born in. I may not have been born here, but this planet is more of a home than I ever thought I'd find."
"Heard somethin' about a coffin that materialised and then went away," Sterling mutters, glancing to the small spaceship. He looks back to Kethren. "Well, then, you're the closest thing t'normal I've seen around here yet." He looks over the kitten-ferret and the penguin. "Critters aside," he amends. He extends his right hand to the other man. "James Sterling," he introduces, "owner an' CO of Charon, PMC." He frowns. "Well, former owner an' CO, I s'pose, dammit all."
"Captain Derkin's the name." comes the voice from within the ship. "Short haul trader and general nuisance, at least to my clients."
Kethren nods "Kethren. Architect, armor smith, and one of the ruling council that keeps this little empire afloat."
Sterling flicks the spaceship a smile. "G'day, Derkin," he says. "Heh, so you're one o' th' bosses around here, eh?" he asks Kethren. "All these tree houses," he half-turns and waves an arm toward the city gates, "...your idea?"
"I kinda like it. Reminds me of Nemonus. Well.. how it used to be." Derkin says.
Kethren chuckles "Did I mention I designed the city?"
"No, y'didn't," Sterling replies to Kethren. "It's, er..." He glances over his shoulder toward the city. "...very, er, green."
"So what's Earth like, anyways? I hear about it all the time but have no idea what it was like." Derkin says.
Kethren nods "Yeah, a certain amount of green is unavoidable when you're building with living trees. Still, glad we discovered those things... was nearly at my wit's end trying to figure out how to build a city without hurting this world.... Earth? Erm. It's full of tall people and taller buildings."
"Mostly green plants," Sterling says to the small spaceship, "not blue or purple ones. Though there're flowers an' such that're all kindsa colours. Never was much fer nature meself." He flicks Kethren what might be construed as a condescending smile. "Buildings on Earth aren't made out o' livin' trees," he adds by way of explanation to Derkin. "Were you a member of Greenpeace back there?" he asks Kethren.
"Greenpeace? What's that?" Derkin says.
Kethren cringes "Oh good lord, no. Had nothing to do with those over-zealous loons. A designed considerably more mundane structures back on Earth... this planet is simply a special case."
Sterling chuckles at Kethren's description of Greenpeace. "Walkin' around this place, I hadda wonder," he says. "Whenever I think o' people ravin' about savin' th'planet an' protectin' th' trees an' whatnot, I think o' them. If it were up t'them humans'd be livin' in grass huts and eatin' tofu we cooked over a fire burnin' with cow chips or somethin'."
"Cow chips? That some sort of snack?" inquires Derkin
Kethren blinks a couple times "...Well, someone has probably tried using them for that, but I wouldn't reccomend it. Mind, if they're handy, they /are/ a good fuel source and I understand the smoke helps repel skeeters. But, no. We're pretty much all very fond of eating former animals here... the leghorns are particularly popular. It's not a zeal to protect all life everywhere... that way lies madness. It's the understanding that this particular world is well worth saving. That, and this is the first city ever built here that we know of. I wanted to do something different."
Sterling bursts out laughing at Derkin's question. "Dear God, no!" he cackles. He grins at the spaceship. "A cow chip's what comes outta th'back end of a cow," he explains. He nods at Kethren. "Good t'hear y'got a solid grip on reality," he says. "A good steak's one o' my favourite things."
"Ahhh, I see it... cooking over a fire fueled with excrement... people on your planet actually do that?" Derkin says incredulously.
Kethren shrugs "Some more than others. I prefer using wood that was burned for a long time in a low oxygen environment myself. Gives a better flavor. Not that I had much chance to do that kind of thing in new york. Too many people around that objected to open fires in the hallway."
Sterling chuckles. "In my neck o'th'woods," he says, "people cook on stoves, with electricity." He nods to Kethren. "Yeh, it upsets some if y'start campin' out in th'hallway o'yer flat."
"I'd figure folks wouldn't be too upset if you set up a fire in a flat meadow..." Derkin says.
Kethren nods "Yeah, but it was new york. There /were/ no flat meadows. Just endless concrete. Glad to be rid of it, honestly."
Sterling shakes his head. "Yer flat," he repeats. "Yer apartment, where y'live. Indoors." He glances to Derkin's ship. "A good apartment has a sprinkler system that goes off when there's a fire, t'keep the whole place from burnin' down."
Kethren stretches a bit before gently tossing a pebble a couple yards away. The penguin happily chases off after it.
Sterling watches the penguin chase after the pebble. "So what's with the menagerie?" he asks.
Kethren chuckles as the penguin waddles along "Well, Kail there was built by my girlfriend as a welcome home present awhile back. Floriana on the other hand" He reaches up to scratch the critter on his shoulder "Is a native of this planet, as well as a good friend and constant companion."
Sterling blinks. "'Built'? Who 'builds' a bloody penguin?"
Kethren smirks "Well, Doc Hall probably would if you paid him enough... in Kail's case though, he's a robot."
Sterling looks again at the penguin. "A robot penguin," he says, incredulous. "It's the future... why the hell not?" He looks back to Kethren. "Who's this Doc Hall fellow? A talkin' fox doctor told me there might be some scientist-types on ..." He pauses, squinting his eyes shut for a moment as he tries to remember something. "On the space station that eats people," he says finally. "Somebody who might be able t'help put me back where an' when I belong."
Kethren nod "Doc Hall's a geneticist from the 40th century who's set up shop on Comorro. Who yes, has sometimes eaten people. To the best of my knowledge though, she's only done that to people engaging in hostilities inside her. The doc does nice work though. For example, he made my eyes."
Sterling stares at Kethren. "He /made/ your /eyes/? What was wrong with the ones y'were born with?" He tilts his head, frowning. "Or were y'not born with any?"
Kethren chuckles "The problem with the original set was they weren't very good. Couldn't see more than a few inches without glasses, and they were only going to get worse. So I managed to get an appointment with this guy, who took a sample of my DNA, fixed the genetic sequence of the eyes so that they'd have good vision, tweaked the color, cloned a pair and then replaced my old eyes with the new set."
"Wild," Sterling breathes. "How long y'been here in ... in this universe?"
Kethren nods "He also deals in clone insurance. And I've been around for um... little over a year."
Sterling waves his hands in a warding-off gesture. "I don't think I'm ready t'think about clones." He smiles faintly, then asks, "D'you ever miss home?"
Kethren chuckles "Eh, not really. Everything's so much better out here. Space travel is conveniant, medicine's good, I have this great world here, a better job than I'd ever have found on Earth..."
"What about yer friends," Sterling asks, "yer family?" He turns to scowl off into the distance. "I was taken out of a pitched firefight between my lads and the most violent gang t'hit Europe in an age. If I hadn't been flung through the portal thing, I'd probably be dead now." One hand clenches into a fist. "Some o' th'lads prolly are," he murmurs.
Kethren nods "Well, sure I miss em... but I'm sure they're doing fine... mind, I wouldn't mind letting the parents meet Aina. But that'll never happen."
"That's good news fer you, I guess," Sterling replies. He looks around. "This is the right place t'get a shuttle, right?" he asks. "If there's any way t'get me back where I belong, might be someone on the space station knows what it is. Could be I'll work fer months t'earn the money t'hire it done, but I can't leave th'lads behind."
Kethren nods "Well, best of luck. But I have to tell you the same thing I've told everyone else with that kind of dream. I only know of one group who can generate the kind of rift that would send you back to where and when you came from. And even if I knew how, I wouldn't send anyone their way. And yes, this is where the shuttles stop."
Sterling raises an eyebrow. "The old fella who's a spaceship told me somethin' about some people who do those rift things, but he said they were bad news, too. What're they called?"
Kethren shrugs "My dealings with them weren't exactly cordial enough to look into the fine details. I know where they operate, but I have no idea how to get there."
Sterling nods. "Alright, y'don't have t'tell me if y'don't wanna." He glances over the alien landscape, the penguin, and Kethren. "Good luck t'ya with yer planet, here. The old man coulda put me down someplace worse, I'm more'n certain."
Kethren chuckles "Due to... certain other individuals, a lot of people have found that this is a good place for new rifters to visit and adjust to the new universe. And it's not that I don't want to tell you, I just don't know what name they're operating under. Still, you're better off coming to grips with the current reality."
Sterling sighs, looking tired. "If this is the future," he reasons aloud, "can't I look up info on the past -- my present -- an' see if th'lads ... survived, at least?"
Kethren nods "Well... maybe. The difficulty there is that while there /is/ a public shuttle that can take you across the rift to that universe... it may not actually be the universe you came from. For instance, two of the people I met not long after rifting, they're sisters. Sort of. They came from different universes. But the differences were minor enough that they still felt like siblings."
"This is gonna take some doing," Sterling comments. "I got my work cut out for me.' He offers Kethren a tight smile. "Thanks fer the info."
Kethren nods "Drop by anytime. And if that doesn't work out, you might want to look up Joca, if you've not already."
Sterling says, "Who's Joca?"
Kethren smiles "She runs a mercenary outfit out of Comorro. You may've seen a few of their guards in the city."
Sterling nods. "If I'm gonna be here a while, I gotta make some money, yeah? I'll look 'er up."
Kethren nods "An income helps, yeah. You could probably find something here if you wanted, but I have a feeling you'll like her more."
A sly smile crosses Sterling's face. "'Preciate the tip, mate."
Kethren nods as he reaches down to scratch the penguin that finally returned with that pebble.