Snippet #2535338

As the history was lain before him, he couldn't help but feel the emotions that shifted within it. When she spoke of the earliest friendships, he smiled. And then it faded, leaving a sorrow. He wondered what it was the others learned that could cause them to react so illogically. Clearly they hadn't succeeded in taking Norline: Kaliska referred to her people as Misu, as well as the ones in the past. They had survived. If only physically.

By the time they were inside, the winds had begun to churn the night air. They picked up gradually but still at a rapid pace; enough to make him wonder what the weather would bring. He recognized a few hints of warm, humid air in the nocturnal gusts. A rainstorm was headed their way. Along the halls, drapes billowed out and flipped their edges. The sound of the gusts between the pillars and the feeling of it across his skin brought back memories of home. His first home, anyway. He was beginning to miss Stravin Twelve's constant storms.

When Kaliska spoke of Jeremiah saying they would be a race that would die - especially if they did not prepare themselves - he frowned. The Misu were right to know it was dangerous to bring in offworlders, especially if those offworlders were going to be almost single-handedly responsible for the protection of the planet. He could think of a few races that would be able to have both competent-enough technology and the morals to not abuse the position of power, but the problem would be getting them here. Especially now. It would be possible to take them back in time, but.. being in the 'future' of the scenario, the Misu would be prepared now. And that clearly hadn't happened. At least that he knew of.

When Kaliska lost her words to what seemed like despair, Ambassador paused their travel in the middle of the corridor. He turned to her, finding the sight of a tired and somewhat depressed-looking Misu. Her colors seemed to lack richness. A bed warmer? The bed had seemed warm enough when he had napped on it... But maybe the nights were colder than he recalled, and the bed needed the aid of some type of manual heater. A warm blanket, perhaps, or something that was placed under the pillow surface. "Sure, I will give it a go. But Kaliska-" the name felt odd for him to say, like it was forbidden knowledge - "There is something you need to know." He raised her hand slightly and placed his other on top of it. Looking to find eye contact, he spoke. "Your culture does not coexist with machines and the technology that others do. It is true you are not prepared to defend yourselves from such societies. But I'll tell you something." he paused for just a moment, enough to let her know he was going to relay something important. "I have been to stars where the people who lived on them didn't even know who the ancestors of the planet were. They didn't know the names of the moons or the lands and had never even seen a plant that had grown there naturally. In the societies I have seen that visit other stars, many of them have lost what it means to even belong to a family. Everything around them is just the final product of hundreds of cultures blended together. Nothing they do or see could be called their cultures' own; they don't have legends of family stories beyond maybe their parents' parents'. They do not have feasts like what your people do. Instead, they eat foods that are just chemicals: non-natural materials. Until, one day," here he offered a bit of a weary smile, "They come across a people who can sell artwork crafted by the techniques of their ancestors in their own planets' bazaar. They know which plants they walk among can save you from dehydration, and everything they live with has been with their people throughout time. And while it is very possible that the future here may not be well in the coming months, I will tell you something. The people I have chosen to live with, and the profession I chose to learn, allow individuals to move in time. I know it doesn't seem real, but trust me when I say it is. Those stars with the citizens who do not know the planets' ancestors.. there are others who travel back in time specifically to learn that. They go because they are drawn to planets who have a culture like yours; one that has stories and tales of the earliest inhabitants' lives. It is a rich experience that your people get to live and so many others don't."