Ring Rise in the Garden of Damqim and Alu'u

Posted on 14 Feb 2014 @ 6:24pm by Commander Allyndra illm Warraquim & Chief Warrant Officer 3 Lamar Darius

1,574 words; about a 8 minute read

Mission: Episode 05 - Solstice
Location: Akkadia - Warraquim Guild House Gardens
Timeline: MD 27 - Midnight

ON:

Allyndra took a deep breath. The air was still warm scented by the flowers in the garden and just a hint of the ever present ocean in the gentle breeze that wafted by every now and then.

It was late but it was one of her most favourite times and she had laid out a picnic in an open spot. It seemed that it was one thing that Akkadians and Terrans had in common, the pleasure of eating outdoors to savour nature and appreciate it.

The trails were a little complicated but she had left instructions on how to get to this spot. Akkadia was unmarred in its night sky by the thousands of whirling satellites. Right now the stars twinkled in the inky blackness and Allyndra hoped that he would make it before that magical time.

"Hey," Lamar announced as he stepped through the brush with a rustle of the leaves and moved into the open area where Allyndra had instructed him to meet. It had taken a while for him to find his way even with directions, and the dark night sky on an unfamiliar world hadn't helped his pedal navigation. "Hell of a planet...I almost got lost back there at the creek," he grinned.

Allyndra laughed and patted the cloth. "Come sit here next to me. I know, it is not like many other places. We don't like too much technology in our lives unless it is really thought to be needed. This world is all we have," Allyndra knew what she was going to say was treading close to the real past. She had come to love Lamar no matter what happened and as such it was time he knew the truth.

She waited until he took a seat and offered the various fruits that she had brought. "Lamar," she bit her lip and then took a deep breath. "I have come to love you, whether we remain as lovers or what happens I do not know however it is not my nature to keep secrets from those I have come to love. Thus I think there are things you need to know but you can not reveal them to anyone else."

He took a seat next to her as she instructed and crossed his legs while listening to her talk. It was a rather emotional revelation she had just laid on him, and the idea of falling in love was a very serious matter. Lamar always kept his feelings close to the chest, and he was now curious about the revelations Allyndra had mentioned. "...What kind of things?" he asked, not sure if he should be concerned or not.

Allyndra watched him closely for a moment or two. Her hearts beat fast.
She took a deep breath and started quietly. "The world, this world," she amended. "Has a past that is different than what most know even among our own people. At one time we had much more technology than you see now, we spanned the vast distances to the stars as well in ships that could cover from here to Earth in the blink of an eye. It was the time of A'burab'atu. It means to do things quickly. It was discovered that certain individuals could make great intuitive leaps and we bred ourselves for the trait. Our technology leaped ahead but not our nature. Terrible wars were fought and we almost extinguished ourselves before it ended. The leaders of that time decided that it would be best to put that technology away for the most part and they erased the true past. I like many others would have known nothing but for an incident in which I learned that past." Allyndra looked hard at Lamar and wry smile played around her lips. "Some of those weapons and ships have survived, hidden away. Now that we are becoming again part of the greater community there has been a debate wondering if we should again embrace some of that technology and what that might mean to the powers that are in delicate balance out there. Now you know the secret I keep and I would ask you to keep it as well."

Lamar pondered her revelation for a long moment while trying his best to make sense of the implications of such a culture and its technology. The mention of advanced weaponry and propulsion was intriguing, but also slightly worrisome. "Your people still possess the same technology that you abandoned in the past?" he attempted to clarify, then reached down to play with some grass while he contemplated further. "It sounds like it could be dangerous..."

"It is and could be. Those with the gift, the A'burab'atu, while intuitive were also impulsive as well. Such that now we call them the A'ksu, or dangerous. We have become very cautious perhaps too much so, but it is also one reason I have left my home. To observe and then report back so that the Council can weigh the consequences. Anyway," Allyndra smiled. "Now you know a little more about my home just as I know a little more about yours. Tomorrow though Doctor Mott and I will be going to the archives, Kohl wanted to sight-see a little more. I thought perhaps you might like to see the mega-fauna or perhaps hunt if you do that on Kylisandra rather than spend dreary hours in dust filled books."

Books were not really his forte, he admitted to himself. Neither was looking at fauna, which left hunting as the remaining option. He had never been on an 'official' hunting trip before and being raised in the city, it was not commonplace. But the chance to actually participate in such an activity on a strange new world was intriguing to him. "I could probably manage some hunting, I guess. But I left my rifle back on Earth," he replied with a bit of dry humor.

"Oh I am sure something can be made. As I said, we might have given up some technology does not mean all." She glanced skyward trying to judge the time and moved to sit with Lamar and said quietly, "watch."

It was not more than two minutes but then starting with a tiny crescent of silver light within several more minutes it grew until a great silver rainbow stretched across the sky from horizon to horizon lighting the garden with silvery light and accenting the various flowers that were planted just so to pick up the glow.

"Ring rise, one of my favourite times, probably only next to seeing the Twins arise in the sky."

He grinned at the spectacle above. Earth had no such rings around it and the opportunity to see them from a planetary point of view was amazing. "Pretty cool," he admitted, putting an arm around her shoulder and giving her a squeeze. "Makes Earth seem kind of boring, huh? No rings, only one sun, and just one dull gray moon."

"It is your home, it has its beauty as well," Allyndra snuggled closer. "I must admit that I love my home, but I have come to appreciate seeing many other worlds as well. We have a saying and I think the Guild Mother meant it when she said it to me: 'When one's curiosity is as wide as the ocean, be prepared to ride many currents.' I have ridden many and all it has done is make my curiosity greater."

She then whispered in his ear, "The garden is ours tonight," as she trailed fingers down one muscled arm.

He leaned over and gave her a deep kiss, happy to know they had some privacy in what was a rather romantic situation beneath the stars. "If that's the case, I think you're overdressed," he teasingly whispered in return.

"Oh am I? Then I guess you must be also." She said lightly after the first kiss.

---

The rings that the Akkadian's called the Queen of Night's promise were fading in the first touch of the heralding of the Twins approach as Allyndra snuggled in Lamar's arms.

"Hmmm........such a wonderful way to pass the time but I have books and you have a hunt."

"Yeah," he quietly agreed, running a hand down her ribs and rubbing the side of her hip. "Is this a solo hunt, or is there anyone else who wants to come? I'd love to see that Bolian do some stalking and tracking...He talks so much that I think every animal in the woods would know we're there before we even arrived."

Allyndra ran her finger down Lamar's chest. "No Doctor Mott will be assisting and Kohl wanted to do some sight seeing here. So I guess you are on you own for the next day or two."

She shifted upward. "Well I need to shower and freshen before I go cross eyed looking through the books." She leaned over and kissed him and then stood. "Come we both should freshen up."

A shower was probably a good idea, and Lamar felt a bit sweaty and sticky from their recent frolicking. Nodding in agreement, he stood up and put his shirt and shoes back on, then began to follow her down the path and out of the woods.

OFF:

--

MWO Lamar Darius
Chief Support Craft Pilot
USS Galileo
[PNPC - Saalm]

Lt Cmdr Allyndra illm Warraquim
Chief Medical Officer
USS Galileo

RSS Feed