The Colony

[Sovereign]

She seemed to be on the same page with him about their meet-up idea. He wanted to eat, and she wanted to eat --apparently the both figured they could do it together. He nodded in the affirmative, smiling despite her inability to see it. Such a boring day made interesting my happenstance.


Unfortunately for Stoli, he did not have the luxury of going to practice more until they met again; as a Peackeeper, he needed to stay out on patrol until his shift ended.


"Yes," he said, speaking in her language. It was a simple enough word to remember, just like 'no' and he practiced them like he did the other phrases. At the very least, they could learn from each other while they studied independently. Bringing up the timetable, he selected the appropriate block and made a memo with her name in it --reminding him to meet her. The large Russian showed her his slate again and pointed from the English-written name, to her nametag. That is what her name looked like in his language.

 

[Firegirl210]

She beamed and glanced down as her comm beeped--she was scheduled for a room check and had completely forgotten. Her belongings were strewn about and the inspector would be checking cleanliness and order any minute. She looked at Stoli helplessly and gestured to the device.


"I have to go," she said, hoping he understood her drift, and then gestured at the comm again. "I'll see you tonight!" She promised, and hurried off to undertake a hurried tidying of her space.


She was definitely looking forward to the evening.

 

[Sovereign]

Stoli watched her as she darted off to whatever she suddenly needed to do. From the looks of it she needed to get to some appointment on her scheduler, if the frantic gesturing to the communicator was any indication. Well, at least he'd get to see her for mealtime. The large Russian shrugged in self-resolution and left the area to continue his general patrol route.


None of the Krilak had actually requisitioned help from their human peacekeepers yet --but so few people nearly guaranteed few issues. When the next batch of colonists, and the next batch beyond that came in, then there might be more problems as this place became more of a city and less of a station. Still, Alexandir hoped that the Krilak might actually warm up to them in time.


When the time came, Alexandir changed into his normal fatigues --pistol still holstered on his thigh-- and went for the cafeteria. It dawned on him that the Krilak female might not be able to tell that he was who he was, given his lack of armor. The right side of his shirt's chest was still stitched with his name, so hopefully Larik could remember the symbols.

 

[Firegirl210]

"Oompf!" Larik shook herself out as she recovered from accidentally running headlock into someone. A disapproving purple-marked face glowered at her, and she beamed. "Oh! Apologies, Nathril."


"Why are you running about?" the linguist asked grumpily, and Larik grabbed her friend's hands with sudden excitement.


"Nathril, will you come with me to dinner tonight?"


"I was planning to eat in my room, I have much studying to do..." Larik made a pitifully imploring expression and Nathril sighed. "Is there a particular reason you desire my company?"


"I need a translator."


Nathril's interest piqued. "A translator? Are you meeting with a human?"


Larik glowed proudly. "Yes! He is a peacekeeper, his name is Stoli. We have tried to communicate, but it is very hard. Will you help me speak with him?"


Nathril acquiesced, and Larik leapt about joyfully before the taller Krilak put a hand on her shoulder to cease her bubbling. "Fine, I will meet you there. But only because it will help in furthering my own education," she sniffed, and Larik beamed at her friend. She knew Nathril was excited, even though she wouldn't show it, and Larik was almost breathless with anticipation.


--


Larik was early to the canteen. She couldn't help it--she was excited! She cast her eyes around, but realized she would have no way of recognizing the human. She wandered from table to table for a few moments before assuming she was the first to arrive, and she took a seat at an empty table to wait for her companions.

 

[Sovereign]

Stoli, already sitting at one of the tables, ate very slowly while waiting for the Krilak female. He watched each and every individual that came in, and realized that when many of the semi-unfamiliar race were together, it was hard to discern the features that made Larik, Larik. He started with color, the coloration of her face were different than most of those in the room. A few of them seemed to match, or at lease compared closely.


Hm, the rest of them seemed to have other meal guests, and after watching their mannerisms he confirmed they were indeed not Larik. One more Krilak stood out, sitting alone. Her colors matched that of Larik's and after a moment he realized it was her. Getting up from his seat, he meandered over to her and offered an inquisitive smile.


"Larik?" he asked, trying to confirm that he'd made the right inference. This close, he felt almost certain that this Krilak was Larik. Alexandir didn't lose very much stature outside of his armor, the man was still rather massive --a classic Russian bear build.

 

[Firegirl210]

"Larik?"


She started and looked up to find a tall, broad-chested human standing at the side of her table. His hair was a dark brown, his chiseled jaw darkened by a five o'clock shadow. He was looking at her with grey-violet eyes, inquisitive and handsome, and she felt a surprised flutter in her chest.


"Stoli!" she cried and leapt up, throwing herself into his arms before remembering it wasn't quite polite to embrace strangers. She stepped back, her cheeks glowing a shy green, and she gestured to the seat across from her to indicate he should sit. As they took their seats, the form of Nathril passed through the door and Larik motioned her over.


"This is Stoli!" She introduced, and looked at the human and pointed to Nathril. "Nathril," she said, and Nathril inclined her head to him and said in his language, "It is my pleasure to meet you. My name is Nathril, friend of Larik. She has invited me, may I join you?"

 

[Sovereign]

Alexandir could not help but chuckle at her enthusiasm, even if she did seem to have trouble understanding personal space. The glow in her cheeks appeared to be indicative of shyness, like a human blush --the Russian wondered if it meant the same thing to the Krilak as it did humans.


"Hello, Larik," he greeted in her language thanks to the tutelage of Charlie Donner; damn Stoli really did owe him now didn't he? Oh well, there were worse people to be indebted to than Charlie. Taking the seat across from the Krilak female, he found that another showed up quickly. What's more is the newcomer introduced herself in English better than his own. The irony made him laugh a little.


"Nathril is it?" he repeated the name to get a feel for it. "Yes, of course you are welcome. I'm sorry to laugh but your handle of English is better than mine it seems. I apologize for thick accent, my native tongue is Russian," he explained, chuckling again. "It is good to see you, and I am glad to have more company. I took this position just to meet Krilak and understand."


Stoli seemed rather boisterous, but in a semi-controlled manner --no doubt thanks to his military lifestyle. He still maintained a habit of talking with his hands, but only when out of uniform.

 

[Firegirl210]

"Russian? I have yet to undertake any of your language, my apologies."


Larik nudged Nathril's arm, hoping for a translation, but the other Krilak waved her away. She hadn't spoken with many of the humans yet, and this was a wonderful opportunity for her.


"Your pronunciation of our greeting is most fine. Who taught you?"

 

[Sovereign]

Alexnadir smiled again.


"Charlie Donner!" he exclaimed happily, perhaps a decent way to repay Charlie for the lessons was to get him in touch with a Krilak friend? "Yes, my friend Charlie is a military linguist, he's fluent in Kri. Very nice person, but likes his sarcasm and jokes." Stoli nodded, crossing his arms. "Regardless, it is good to meet you. I hope to learn more from Charlie, but practicing in conversation is helpful too."


Stoli looked over to Larik and offered her an excited grin. She may not be able to speak to him yet, but he was confident that over the course of living in such close proximity, she'd pick it up quick. She seemed to be smart --after all she was a scientist. Alexandir on the other hand might have difficulty managing a new language very quickly.

 

[Firegirl210]

Nathril took note of the name. "I am looking forward to interacting with your linguists. They have a reputation for their skill." She noticed the way he bared his teeth at Larik--an expression of happiness or general contentedness--and Larik nudged her again. She sighed.


"I apologize for the behavior of Larik. She is excitable and child-like at times. She wishes for me to tell you that she is very happy to see you without your helmet, is glad you joined us, and wonders what sort of duties you have as a peacekeeper."

 

[Sovereign]

"Ah she is fine, why can she not be excited? It's an exciting prospect," Stoli said shrugging. "For the first time two different species have come together in a manner of peace and learning. The chance to make personal relationships with one another is fascinating!" he explained, chuckling again. He was indeed impressed by Nathril's handle of English.


"You should meet with Charlie, he'd like you. Though I hope you have a sense of humor," he warned, laughing again. Alexandir seemed like a fairly happy man, generally in good spirits and enjoying the world around him,


"As for my peackeeper duties, they're fairly simple. I maintain a patrol and keep the peace. Human peacekeepers are supposed to prioritize Krilak requests, and vice versa," he explained, talking again with his hands in fairly animated gestures. "Other than that I am to maintain my gear, and write incident reports when they occur."

 

[Firegirl210]

Nathril's color patches shimmered happily, and Larik was all but bursting with curiosity to know what they were speaking about. They both seemed to be enjoying their conversation, and she ached to know what they were saying. Nathril finally gave in and turned to her to relay Stoli's description of his duties, and she cocked her head thoughtfully.


"Surely you will not have many incidents among the colonists! We want nothing but peace with the humans."


Nathril's eyes darkened a bit at the naivety of her friend, and she posed the question to Stoli. "Do you anticipate much unrest between the people? The Krilak all wish for peace, and surely the humans are the same."

 

[Sovereign]

"Humans are complicated, even to one another," he admitted, lowering his eyes to the table. memories of the insurgency and Fringe Wars surfaced for a moment before he managed to shove them back down into the recesses of his mind. Remembering bloodshed did not make for pleasant conversation. "I do not think there will be a problem between the participants of this project, maybe humans with humans but nothing inter-species."


Stoli rubbed the back of his head as he searched for the right words to describe humans.


"Humans fight one another often. Factions of humans want different things, and eventually it bubbles up into conflict. I am sure there are humans who do not want anything to do with the Krilak, but we on this station are not among them," he figured that might clear things up a bit more. "Even now we are not united as a people. Rebels and insurgents crop up in many places. What we hope the Krilak learn from us is that we must be judged as individuals and not a race --we can be very good, or very bad."

 

[Firegirl210]

Nathril looked troubled, and Larik wound herself around the linguist's arm. "What did he say?" she murmured, and Nathril gently stroked her friend's head frills.


"What did he say?"


"That humans are very diverse, and that there is often unrest among them. But those here wish to be friends to our race."


Larik reached across the table, putting her small white hands on Stoli's much larger ones.


"How do I tell him I wish to be his friend very much?" she asked, and Nathril told her.


"I will be your friend!" she promised brightly.

 

[Sovereign]

Stoli laughed again. Larik really was bubbly, even by Krilak standards if Nathril was any indication.


"Yes, very good. We can be friends then. And Nathril too, if she can put up with my accent?" he said, turning his head to the Krilak translator. She seemed nice enough, but she probably didn't have the sense of humor necessary to put up with Stoli --at least not without being to communicate in her language and understand her social norms. Charlie would be a better fit for that than he.


All in all it seemed to be going well, and as a Peacekeeper, he hoped that whenever these women talked to other Krilak they'd speak well of the humans. Part of the point of human Peacekeepers presiding over Krilak incidents was to breed trust and interdependence.

 

[Firegirl210]

"Nathril, will you tell me how to ask him what earth is like?" Larik asked, and Nathril told her the proper phrasing. Larik sat up straighter and looked at Stoli with her bright sea-green eyes all alight with excitement.


"Tell me of your homeworld," she pronounced carefully, noting some of the more visible features of Stoli's anatomy. He was very muscular--more so than many of the colonists she had glimpsed thus far--and quite tall. The human features were unlike her own, but she found them fascinating and strange and beautiful. Not that she would consider Stoli beautiful. More rugged and imposing, like an adventurer carved from stone. She was overcome suddenly with the urge to touch his face, to see if it was truly stone, but she resisted. His hands were large and warm compared to hers.

 

[Sovereign]

"My homeworld," he said, looking thoughtful for a moment. How to explain Earth? "Well in some ways, it is beautiful. In others it is ugly. The whole planet is almost one big city now, completely industrialized and not as clean as it should be. However, the monuments and remnant nature are gorgeous where they are found. Even life of the civilization itself can be beautiful, the pattern of daily living, the skyline, and the new ways we work to preserve what we have left of our home," he explained.


"It is a complicated place, but the beauty is supreme where it is found, just like the bad is very bad where it too is found." Alexandir felt like he summed up earth fairly well --a giant spectrum of good to bad, with the highs and lows being exceptional in their own right. Humans and all they touched varied so heavily on the scale, they were diverse and full of surprises for better or worse.

 

[Firegirl210]

Larik listened intently as Nathril translated, describing the cities and nature of the world from which he had come. Her color patches glowed dreamily.


"I would like very much to see this world someday, would you tell him so?" Larik asked, and Nathril relayed her message to the human man.

 

[Sovereign]

((Sorry, life kind of got in the way. Are you still interested in continuing?))