Ambassador's Story

21:47
The time would have mattered last week, but there was nothing but stars around them now. The clock seemed almost useless without daylight now.
A tremor in the ship's walls let him know they had entered the atmosphere. It would be another hour if the outpost kept the guiding connection open. If not... well, it could take days to get there. Ambassador got up, heading to the tiny starboard window. The planet below was a ball of green, sunlight casting a halo on the side closest to them. It was night below, at least where they would be landing. He had mixed feelings about it: it only had one known outpost, and that had been wiped out. No one had said why. But time was of the essence; they needed to get as much equipment out of the outpost as they could before the Society's rescue team arrived. That would make for a long night in a probably hostile environment. Still, it was a break from the depressing and monotonous trip it had taken to get here. It would be good to breathe air cycled in from a planet instead of the ship. A quiet ding alerted him to a message. Looking at the com panel, he saw the blue meeting light was on. Sighing, he glanced once at the moss ball planet and then headed to the central room.
"Right, so here's how this will go." the captain began. "We're going to keep a low electronic signature. No coms once we get there. You know what that means."
The medic groaned. Buddy System. It was downright primitive.
"Medic, you're with Sven. Gavin, Jennifer. Cole, you're with Ambassador."
Ambassador frowned, avoiding the look from Cole.
"The ship is looping the connection now, so the Society won't be aware of us for awhile if they manage to get here sooner than we planned. If they do, you get back here or you'll be getting left behind. Now, Gavin?"
Gavin stepped up. "We know the gravity is about an 8, and most of the pilgrim researchers were able to breathe with minimal assistance. There are some toxic plants and more than once case of violent fauna. The outpost is on emergency power now. Lockdown. There are a few breaches in the exterior; I advise you avoid those if you care to live. So far as we've been informed, we are the first team to be here since the incident. That doesn't mean there aren't still some researchers down there, so be aware of that. Lastly, despite the records of safe air levels we'll be using converters." Gavin looked to the captain.
"So sit tight and we'll be there in about half an hour. Dismissed."



Ambassador popped the converter catalyst, giving it a couple shakes and then sticking it in the collar of his uniform. He took a deep breath, enjoying the change from stagnant multiple-person-scented air to the neutral scent of clean oxygen. Gavin gave the clear, and the captain flipped the door switch. Shadows flooded in, trading places with the light as the ship went into dark mode. As soon as he touched ground, Ambassador was met with an entourage of night-creature sounds. Bugs, birds, plants, he had no idea. There was the familiar whine of converters kicking in, and the team started forward. A half-destroyed blast door was cut apart, then removed. Gavin went first.



"Hey, check this."
Ambassador walked to the interface Cole was staring at.
"There's a sector under lockdown that is registering a native. Not plant-based. The system says 'Hostile detained'. Security must have tripped. Think we should take a look?"
"Doubt it, we're here to collect equipment, not ask the locals for a tour."
Cole shrugged. "We'll go check it out."
Ambassador frowned, holding his tongue. The wrong word at a time like this would get him left here. He hesitated before following Cole down the corridor. Four turns and an awkward crawl over a collapsed wall later, they were at a blast door with only a small glowing circle on its front. Cole stepped up, pulling out a security spike. He set in the code, then set it in the circle. The circle turned green, expanded, and then vanished while the door retracted into the ceiling. Ahead was a low-lit corridor, the walls divided into cells with off-white glass fronts. Ambassador entered carefully, testing the floor for stability. It was the most intact room they had seen so far. And the cleanest. The first cell held an odd form in its early stages of what he assumed was decomposition. He ignored it, heading down the corridor and then stopping when he came upon a cell with... a woman?

Others.

An assembly of emotions swept over the Misu. Fear and panic were competing for the most overwhelming of them all. But under those a bit of excitement and possibly some relief. From the wave of sensations her skin and hair were shimmering and blending into half a dozen shades giving off an opal look.

Kaliska was hunkered down in the far corner of the cell, her uncovered knees pulled close to her chest. She has been in this position for quite some time, over night possibly. She couldn't tell the time of day due to the lack of windows, but it felt over night. If so, that would have put her having been stuck in that wretched place for an entire day.

It was the morning before that she has set out in search of the others that were watching. The others didn't know Misu saw, but Misu did see them watching with their shiny lookers and darting about in their flyers. Naturally Misu were curious and sent out the scouts. Kaliska was one of the scouts. The one who first found the place.

At first she was exicited. The first to find and the first to see and maybe speak to the others. She had never seen others before, heard stories yes, but never seen with her own eyes. But now she saw and she did not like what she saw. This was a bad place. Others were gone or dead or both and some Misu too.

Now she was wishing she didn't find. That she didn't see. But what's done is done and seen is seen and now she was stuck in this place. At least she was until new others come. Now she wasn't sure. Maybe she would escape. Maybe she would end up like the dead Misu next to her.

Kaliska stared directly at these others. Mistrusting eyes scanned them each before darting to the next. Too many to fight. She was not a great fighter anyhow. She could trick them maybe. Could these others be clever? Maybe Misu scouts would come to help her, but that she doubted. She had been the only Misu scout to come this way that she knew of and by now Misu probably thought her eaten by a pack hoykota.

Maybe others would be eaten by a pack of hoykota...

The Misu didn't know what action to take next but she did shift into a crouch to better defend herself if needed. Matted waves of currently multishaded hair fell in font of her eyes as she positioned causing the Misu to quickly bat it away. She did not want to lose eye sight of the others.

Green eyes darted back and forth between the others as they spoke. As the two were debating on her release, she decided that she would kill the one who was opposing the idea first, if given the chance. Kaliska's peach hued lips pulled into a disapproving frown as she shot that other a glare as he was turning away from her.

They other one started to move away as well and she rose quickly to take a few cautious steps toward the glass barrier. The panicked sensation returned suddenly causing her skin and hair to seem to lose most of it's pigment and take on a dull shade of pale grey. If they decided to leave her in this place, there was no telling how long she'd be there. If Misu didn't come to her rescue she could even die here. Despite the heat, a shiver raced down the middle of her back. This was something Kaliska did not want.

Instinctively she reached out to touch the glass, but quickly pulled it away as the more friendly other approached. He directed his words to Kaliska, causing her hand to stop midair. The Misu then tilted her head, studying him with a questioning look.

"Language?"

This was followed by a few vacant blinks as she attempted to mentally translate the meaning of language before she responded further. Language must be what type of other they are. She had never heard of the Language clan but concluded that it was likely located on a different star.

"I am Misu, not Language. Are you Language, Other? Where is this Language?"

Her mossy eyes slid cautiously to the other who wished to leave her in this place before looking back to the one who done the speaking.

"Will others let this Misu out? Misu will not bring hurt to others if others do not bring hurt to this Misu."

Her voice was heavily accented but otherwise understandable and she seemingly spoke the common language. Even if she did not know the actual meaning of the term language. As she stared at them both, waiting for their respons,e her hair and skin tones seemed to even out, taking on more natural pigments of tanned skin and honey hued locks. The others would notice the change but they perhaps wouldn't know that it was something she was struggling to make happen.

Kaliska was trying her best to seem normal in their eyes. She wanted to be free of this place and figured she should do anything to convince them to do the freeing. Maybe even give a little smile. A small one that she hoped seemed friendly and trusting enough.

"A human other..."

Kaliska spoke thoughtfully as Cole spoke to her. She has never seen a human before. Heard of them some, but never met or been so close to one. They were from a different star she knew. A far away star. She observed that he didn't look that much different from Misu. Neither did the other called Ambassador.

When the human other leaned forward on the glass, the Misu took another small step backward as if he might come right through the glass. So far the human seemed friendly enough, but she did not know what sort of powers a human possessed or if they possessed any at all. Better safe than dead.

"This Misu can be dangerous if needed, yes." She answered slowly, hoping that the small fact would send a light warning in case these others meant to harm her. Kaliska wanted out badly. A day was too long for any Misu to be without water and sun and the feel of dirt beneath her toes. But she didn't want to end up like the one in the cell next to her either.

"Others did not lock this Misu. Others were dead when this Misu came. This Misu was looking for the watchers but when Misu found, watchers were not watching anymore. For all their watching they didn't see... something coming."

The last bit of her words held a mixture of wonder and fear. She did not know what happened to the watching others but she feared for the worse. For a few seconds her hair lightened to reflect her feelings, but she quickly fought the fear away making the locks go back to the light brown shade.

"Does other Cole know how to let this Misu out of this trap? This Misu would like to leave and be gone if something returns."

Now she stepped forward once again, inches away from Cole but separated by the glass wall. From what Cole could see of her, Kaliska was not armed. She was covered in an airy fabric that wrapped around her body to cover her torso and tied around her neck leaving her midsection and arms exposed. The bottom half was draped in a similar fabric and fashioned in a way that resembled short pants that set low on her waist. Both were of an ivory shade that complimented her sun kissed skin tone. On her wrists she had several woven bracelets in various colors, all tied on. Her feet were covered in sandals that appeared to be a mix of leather and woven fabric.

Overall she looked tired and dirty. The trek to this place has been long and challenging, requireing her to take many detours over rivers and streams and through thick parts of the forest. She was in need of a bath and a change of clothes and some meat in her belly. She hoped very much that these others would let her out soon.

Cole listened carefully, noting what she said. He spoke with a less playful tone, "I can, yes. Though I don't fancy getting killed as result."
Ambassador sent a checking glance back at Cole. Finally he was acting with common sense.
"I find it unusual that someone would end up in a cell after everyone else is dead." He looked at her with suspicion. "There tends to be someone who has to engage the lockdown, you know."

Kaliska tilted her head to one side as Cole spoke. Her curiosity seemed to overwhelm the previous fury allowing her colors to fade back to a more normal tone. Hanging? She couldn't help but let her eyes drift down to study the human's feet. He didn't appear to have the sort of feet for hanging. When he turned to look at Ambassador, the Misu glanced at his hind end, her left brow perking when she found no signs of a tail. She wondered how him and the other did this hanging around.

When he turned back to face her she quickly met his eyes with her own.

"Five chances are better than one... But this Misu will take the one." She nodded as if her words would make perfect sense to the human.

Kaliska did not bother correcting him about this assumptions concerning her name. Misu were private with their names. To know one's name was something intimate and some say sacred. She doubted that either of these others would live long enough to learn any Misu names. Most likely they would share the same fate as the watching others and leave the mess for Misu to clean. Her head shook softly in regards to her thoughts as she watched Cole work.

At the soft whining noise, her eyes brightened with curiosity and she edged closer in attempts to peer as his doings. But when ordered to step back, she did not hesitate to obey. However interesting she found the noises and lights of the panels, it slightly frightened her as well. Rightly so, for seconds later there were blaring noises and stern warnings. The Misu quickly backed up against the left side of the cell and hunkered down. Her skin and hair's color was quickly fading into light grays to reflect the sudden peak in fear and anxiety. They were the same words and noises when she was first shut inside the cell.

Only when the noises had stopped and it was quiet for a few moments, did she manage to stir. Slowly she raised her head out from behind the protection of her folded arms. Kaliska's darting eyes quickly discovered that the barrier was now gone, sucked back up into the overhead. Her heart was beating rapidly as she glued her gaze on Cole. Could she really trust this human?

With slow and careful movements the Misu stood. She hated being so fearful of the unknown, but it couldn't be helped. Modern Technology was nonexistent in Misu culture. Mystery often brought danger and Misu were wise to take caution. At least that is what she had always been told by her elders.

A few hesitant steps brought her out of the cell and into the hall, all the while keeping Cole in her sights. With the sudden activity of the sirens and warnings, Kaliska has almost forgotten completely about the Ambassador other. Swiftly she turned her head to the spot where he had been planted before all the ruckus. The spot was now empty and he was gone. He body stiffened all over again as she scanned the hallway for him before looking back to Cole, suspicion heavy in her gaze.

"Where is the other? Are others tricking this Misu?"

Cole's expression was confused for a moment at the chances comment, but he dismissed it. Based on her speech, she hailed from a less... lingual-inclined society. When the panel raised, he looked to Misu. Innocent as she seemed so far, she had still made it known that she could be dangerous. But when she mentioned the other, his gaze shot to the door. He had completely forgotten about the blast door. Ambassador was gone. He swore quietly to himself. The captain wouldn't let this go. Speaking to Misu but moving down the hall, he had a serious tone. "No, he shouldn't have left." The blast door had retracted, letting the dreary shadows of the blown-out corridor back in. At the doorframe, Cole paused. There wasn't a trace of Ambassador. Irritated, Cole contemplated turning on the tracker. They were supposed to be on minimal tech, though. And if he flipped on the tracker and they ended up being confronted by another team.... Not to mention that it'd alert the captain to the problem. No, he'd have to hunt Ambassador back down and either get him back to the ship or make a death look like self-defense. Why did he always get stuck with the uncooperative ones?

Ambassador flipped a turn and stopped. He was in some sort of room too dark to see. His eyes watched the doorway while he backed up. When he didn't catch the sound of footsteps, he glanced into the room. Even with the filter, the air smelled damp and mossy. And there was something else - something subtle - in the air. Too subtle to distinguish clearly. He stopped when his leg caught an edge. Based on touch, it was some type of table. There was some rubble on it, and.. glass. Smooth, not broken. Probably a vial or beaker. Ambassador watched the doorway again, using the table edge as a guide into the darkness. With his heartrate coming back down, he had a moment to think. They had to have a tracker in this equipment. He'd have to lose it if he intended to get away from the team, but... he'd be risking survival. The air had been noted as somewhat breathable. Hopefully he still had enough Mirror Kind left in him to get through it, if only until he could find a filter in the facility.

Judging by Cole's reaction to the discovery of Ambassador's sudden vanishing, Kaliska believed him to sincerely be surprised by his companion's actions. Surprised and perhaps a fair share of angry. This eased her emotions somewhat, at least concerning Cole. The other's sudden disappearance and his overall demeanor had caused an anxious twist to grow in her insides. A feeling the Misu did not enjoy.

Kaliska found herself following Cole to the doorway. As she stepped up behind him to peer through the hallway, she fought off a cold shiver. This place was not meant for Misu and she couldn't shake the feeling that she should flee. While she was grateful for being free and longed to simply slip away from this mess and run back to her home, she knew that she could not. Cole had done her a great kindness and great kindnesses must be repaid. Such was the Misu way.

"Maybe he was scarred of this Misu?" she suggested as she fell in beside the human. "This Misu said that she would not hurt the others." She nodded to confirm that she did state this fact.

"Would this Cole other wish for this Misu to find the Ambassador other?" As she asked the question, she turned to face Cole again, a bit of hope sparking in her eyes. She was hoping that Cole would agree to allowing her to find Ambassador. And if she found him quickly, then she could be out of this place sooner than later.

"Not likely. This isn't the first time he's done this. Had the same incident back on the fifth Oldir, but we weren't on a tech ban so it didn't take long to get him back." Checking both ways, Cole began down the right corridor. A few steps in, he paused and looked at Misu. "Yes, but listen. Ambassador isn't a human, not really. Sort of, but.." his expression was confused as he tried to remember. "Point is, we're not really sure what his species is capable of. He hasn't done anything more than be a nuisance so far, but it's important to get him back in one piece. Otherwise, I've got permission to take him out if need be." His tone was neutral. He never really understood why the captain had let this guy be a part of the team, especially when their expeditions were less than legal. Sure he wasn't one to question what their leader said, but his patience was wearing very thin.

Kaliska listened intently as Cole spoke, her head tilting to one side as he said a few words she did not recognize. Her lips pulled into a frown to match the look of confusion that spread quickly across her features. Other than the hand full of strange words, he wasn't making much sense to the Misu either. Was he giving her a warning about his companion? It was puzzling to her why others would be together on Norline if they didn't trust one another. Or maybe humans did not trust other species...

Voicing her opinion and curiosity on the matter, she spoke up, "Why did this Ambassador come with you other if he can not be trusted. If he keeps running, maybe he wishes to be away from others... Usually if Misu runs, someone or something is chasing the Misu..."

As Cole continued she made her way further down the hallway, stepping carefully over any rubble and debris. This place was not for a Misu to be treading and she made sure to take her time and watch her steps. However as Cole finished, something with his words did not set right with the Misu. Her sudden loss in focus caused her to look away from her footing to cast a suspicious glance in Cole's direction. While her eyes were temporarily distracted, one of her sandal clad feet caught on a piece of ruble, sending her crashing down to one knee and stirring up a bit of noise in the process. If anyone was close by, they would have surely heard the clatter.

Kaliska inspected her foot, wincing as she saw a streak of bright silver blood pour from a fresh scratch. Keeping on a brave exterior, she wiped at the blood quickly and rose before Cole could attempt to assist her. If he tried, she would hold a hand up signaling that she was fine.

"So if this Ambassador has lost one of his pieces, Cole will take him out... Where?"

The Misu feared she already knew the answer. Yes, she had been planning the man's death earlier, but that was when he was all but agreeing to her own death. Had she been left in the cell, she would have died eventually from lack of food, water and sunlight. But the idea of some other already planning another's death seemed wrong to her. Misu did not take killing so lightly. Perhaps it was different with humans and others. Or perhaps this Ambassador was truly dangerous.

"I don't ask questions." he answered. "All I know is that about a month ago our captain brought him aboard and said he would be needed for something. Whatever that is, it hasn't been shown. Don't even know why the captain would want him, he has no loyalty. Plus he's a pain in the ass." Cole stopped when Misu tripped, staring at her for a moment. When he offered her help, she signaled him away and was up again. "Dead. He'll be shot." Cole said bluntly. He had a small smile from Misu asking what would happen if Ambassador lost a piece. Her imperfect grasp on figures of speech were.. cute.

~

Ambassador froze, breath pausing as rough echoes bounced in the air. Something was near. But he wasn't sure from where; the room's acoustics could be throwing sound all over the place. He had managed to find another corpse - through a rather unpleasant tactile discovery - while he was stripping off environmental sensors. The breathing air was already becoming humid and warm as the tech lost connection to the sensors. He pulled off the outer coat layer, leaving the thin and clingy undershirt to handle the environment. He hesitated, contemplating removing that before deciding against it. The air was thick with humidity, and the undershirt fibers were doing all they could to cool him down from the air that was close in temperature to an engine room. It was downright boiling. And this was inside. At night. Taking a deep breath, he unclipped the air converter. He held the breath as long as he could, giving his lungs and hearts a chance to get the last bit of clean oxygen. As soon as he took in the new air, he began to panic. Sitting down and setting his back against the wall, he tried to calm down. It took only minutes before his fourth heart stopped beating. Waves of internal cold and heat alternated in his system while his organs tried to adjust. Slowly his pulse came down, head starting to clear but still foggy. The stench of a decomposing body assaulted his senses, and he instantly regretted shutting off the converter. But it was done, and it had been out of contact with him long enough it wouldn't work even if he wanted it to. He had to move on. With a headache starting up, he staggered to his feet. With a hand on the wall, he turned his gaze to the doorway. It was only detectable by a break in the room blackness and a slightly-less-dark rectangle where the door used to be. With the wall as a guide, he moved away from the door across the room. There had to be another way out of here.

"If Misu do not ask questions then Misu would know nothing." Kaliska remarked as she stopped to peer in through an open doorway.

"What is a shot?" She asked giving Cole a quick questioning glance before she took a step deeper into the room. The glance was enough to catch the small smile. Humans were curious creatures, she noted mentally. Perhaps they didn't have gods. Or maybe their gods encouraged such carefree killing. If given the chance later, she would ask about such things. For now she meant to find this running other.

The room beyond the door was dark and foreboding. In the far corner she could see shapes outlined by a faint red glow of some sort of light source. The room, like all in this place, put off an discomforting aroma. A mix between decay and something unnatural. The second was new to her senses and one she did not care for. The Misu needed fresh air and she would certainly settle for the thick jungle forest air over what was offered inside this place.

Without turning to see if Cole would follow, Kaliska ducked deeper inside the room. She wondered what sort of things the others done in such a place as she slid the tips of her fingers along the wall as a guide. The tones of her skin and hair darkened slightly to match the dim lighting as she squinted into the darkness.

"Shot is something they used to have when hitting someone with the projectile of a ranged weapon would kill them." Cole replied. "They used to use rocks and bits of metal debris. Terribly inaccurate. It relied on the person's sight." he said, the last sentence with a tone as if the concept was absurd. He gave her a small hand signal to be quiet while the darkness of the room engulfed them. He absolutely hated being on the tech ban; the equipment to see in the dark, to track people, to communicate with the captain was right there on his person. And he couldn't use it.

Ambassador picked up the pace when he heard voices - Cole's and the woman's - and then footsteps. By the time they got to the room, he had slowed to a crawl. Silhouettes in the doorway told him they were inside now. But they couldn't see him, as far as he knew. He was competing with his body to keep it from panicking. Instinct told him to run. Hide. But he was at the end of that and running would give away his location. If he kept still... Ambassador slowly lowered himself, relying on the wall to let him know he was still fairly horizontal. Other fingertips to the floor, he quietly searched for some sort of.. well, anything really. Something to throw for a distraction if it came to that.

"Misu do not use these shots. Does this other have such a weapon on him?" It sounded dangerous. More dangerous than any Misu weapon. Theirs were of a more primitive kinda. Bows and daggers, sword and spears. If Misu were going to take life, they did it in close range and usually by hand, not by throwing rocks from a distance.

As her eyes adjusted to the dim lighting, she wrinkled her nose in thought. Does this Ambassador have a shot too? Could he be aiming at them right now. The though was chilling to the Misu. To have her life threatened by an unknown assailant, one you couldn't see hidden in the dark. As the scenarios played out in her mind, she could not help but hunker down a bit more.

What would she do if they found Ambassador and Cole went to kill him? She supposed it would depend on the other's actions. Would he try to fight them? Kill them? Should she run now and avoid the situation completely? Most every part of her was saying yes to the last question, but her strong curiosity was driving her feet onward, deeper into the room.

By now, Kaliska's eyes were beginning to see more clearly in the dark. On the far wall but the closest to her, she thought she movement. She stopped to get a better look. Could that be the Ambassador other? Cautiously she took a few steps forward, away from the wall to cross the room. In the process she sneaked a glance in Cole's direction to see if he would follow or keep on his own path.

Cole didn't reply, put on edge by the darkness. He didn't have time at the moment to explain that ranged weapons were the tools of machines and not people. At least not where he tended to be. He kept a hand on his wrist, prepared to flip on the electric field of his gloves. He kept an eye on Misu, falling in step behind her.

When his hands touched stone, he picked it up. A decent-sized chunk of debris. If he could reach the table from here.... Footsteps were the only guide for him to know where the two were. And they were getting closer. He scooted further back, until he hit a second wall. Corner. Taking in a quiet and deep breath, Ambassador tried to focus. He needed to move. Now. Directed away from the two, he launched the debris. The room exploded with sound as it found a table with glass. His feet hit ground, lost it, and then found it again when he recovered from the fall. He hit another table - or the first - and bounced off a standing form before finding a clear shot to the doorway.

Kaliska found that Cole was sticking close. She wondered if that was in attempts to protect her or because he was remaining cautious of her still. Either way, both were good reasons. After all, she was still cautious of these others as well. They were very peculiar.

At the loud crash, the Misu's first instincts took over and that was to duck and take cover. She had no idea what just happened, but it had her heart thumping and her feet moving. At first she tried to back track away from the noise abut she stumbled on debris and ending up bumping into Cole. Quickly she turned to face him, reaching out to steady them both and keep them from tumbling over as her eyes darted around the room searching for answers and maybe safety or reassurance.

Before she could even register Cole's reaction to the noise, she heard the other noises and followed them with her eyes. There! The shape in the dark, it was the other! And he was heading for the door! She nudged Cole in Ambassador's direction, which was back the way they had just came. From their current angle, Cole would be closer to the man.

He made it almost to the door before he was hit by what felt like his arm crushed by fire. Instinctively he grabbed at his arm, and found another's. His arm muscles locked as another burst of fire ripped across his shoulder. He backed into the corner of the doorway, pulling the assailant with him. Throwing his weight forward, Ambassador managed to get enough of the other's body into the opposite door edge to loosen the electric grip. Breaking his arm free, he grabbed at whatever he could. He found a face. He shoved it to the side and down, stumbling as the grip pulled him with it before dropping. Pain shot up his arm when his hand caught on the edge of a broken-glass-covered surface to break his fall. Something slammed into his side, throwing him into the table. His free hand reached out for grip, instead finding a mass of cement. A sickly thud accompanied the jerk of the attacker to the side. Ambassador caught his foot on an angle, shoved off, and hit the floor. Stumbling to his feet, he finally made it through the doorway into the corridor. Cuts of light gave him enough guidance to find a staircase at the end of the hall. He stumbled over collapsed debris, then caught a corner. Another room. And light. He bolted for it, heavy jungle air and the calls of night creatures telling him he was outside. He was finally able to see shapes. Trees. Plants. Everywhere. He glanced back for only a second. Trees. Just trees.

Ambassador came to a stop, two of his lungs burning from having to work with the almost-incompatible air. Struggling to breath, he dropped down against the trunk of a tree. Turning around, he set his back to the rough trunk and set a hand on his chest. It was jerked back when pain sliced through it. Light shone off pieces of glass when he looked down. Instinctively he pulled them out, throwing them to the side and then leaning his head back against the trunk. Above him, dots of light swam in a sea of green and black. Closing his eyes only took out the colors. His fourth heart kept trying to start, contributing a few beats before giving up. Trembling, Ambassador locked his jaw and looked into the jungle again. The light-spots were dissipating, tunneled hearing opening back up to the life around him. Fear of being chased was replaced with fear of the hundreds of shadows around him. Hunkering back, he pulled some of the broad plant leaves near him. If they were kind, they wouldn't let him die....


-

Cole blinked, staring up at the dark as he started to come back from shock. A ripping headache accompanied the feeling of blood on the side of his skull. Groaning, he shoved himself up into a sitting position. And then a crouch, and then a wobbly stand. He went on the defensive, searching the blackness for his assailant. Deciding 'screw it', he flipped on the suit's light. Blue LED flooded the room, throwing shadows and glass-reflected light every which way. He saw Misu, and backed away from her. Ambassador was nowhere to be found. Cole switched on the tracker, and was livid to discover the suit had been cast off not more than a few steps from where he was. Frustrated, he shattered the tracker-activator on the floor. This whole situation was bullshit.

Kaliska stood stunned at the scene she had just witnessed. The woman was visibly shaken from the events. It wasn't that she hadn't seen scuffles and fights before but something about this one in particular had her at unease. Maybe it was the fact that the two men were a pair of strangers to her. Not just strangers in that they had just recently met, but strangers as in what they are and what they are capable of.

For just a few quick exchanges, both men seemed to be powerful and destructive and the technology that they possessed seemed to have limitless power and influence. Kaliska was out of her league with these two. It was in her beliefs to pay back the human Cole for his good deeds, but she would have to find another way. That or pray for the gods to be good. Even if she could help him find the other Ambassador, the Misu was unsure of what help she could be after that.

The Ambassador other was said to be dangerous and just proved he could cause physical harm with little effort and now he was running free on her planet. What if he meets a Misu out there? Would he hurt the Misu? Would he kill the Misu? Kaliska could not let that happen.

Cole destroying the tracker caused her to wince and brought the woman back from her panicked thoughts. The unnatural light emitting from his person made her eyes narrow. Taking a steady breath, she started to make her case.

"Cole, thank you for freeing this Misu. This Misu is very appreciating, but this Misu is a-afraid... This Misu can help you no longer. Your companion is gone and every moment that the other is away from this place, the other could be getting closer to Misu's place. This Misu has to leave now... To warn the other Misu."

Kaliska's colors were bordering on normal as she spoke though paling slightly with each passing moment. Her arms were down by her sides, her hands balled into tight little fists. By the time she was finished she almost looked ghostly. She was afraid that he wouldn't let her go. That he would try and stop her. Afraid that she'd be forced to do something about it and most of all afraid that any attempts from her would be in vain.

"This Misu could look for the other along the way back to her home. And once home maybe get other Misu to help search."

The woman's shoulder's stiffened and sagged ever so slightly under the weight of Cole's glare. The gods were already casting the feeling of guilt down upon the Misu so much that she almost changed her mind but in the end she had to place her people's safety above that of a single other she knew nothing about.

"Thank you. The Misu will be ..." Was all she manged though she was barely able to mutter it before he stormed out of the dimly lit room. "forever in your debt," she finished as she stood alone.

She waited until Cole's footsteps and the clatter of ruble faded to silence before she sprang into action. The Misu needed to leave this place and do so as fast as possible. But also as carefully. She didn't want to be stuck in here due to some broken leg or punctured limb or trapped by some glass door like the last time she roamed this place.

So instead of following the impossibly fast pace of her racing heart, she moved stealthily and carefully to the door frame. There she paused and stooped to gently pick up a small shard of blood coated glass. She sniffed it quickly before placing the shard in a small pocket sewn into the hip of her pants. It might prove useful later.

After collecting the token, she weaved through hallways and up a flight of stair only to weave through more passageways until finally she remembered enough to see her way out and into the night. When the sticky moist air of the think jungle hit her nose, she breathed in deep. After being stuck inside that place for hours, she was never more thankful for clean air.

Her joy was forced to be short lived after all she was still in this place. She needed to move. Now that she was outdoors, she could run freely and with less care. Moss and root covered jungle floor were much easier to navigate to a Misu than twisted metal and glass. So off she took, attempting to put as much space between herself and that place as possible.

Kaliska needed to get back home quick. Even if she ran straight there, it would still take almost over two sun rises. She would have to stop and rest and more importantly find food and drinkable water. All that she would sort out later, for now she needed to move.

Her feet were carrying her at a rapid speed. Normally she would be much more graceful, but with little light filtering in from the tree canopy overhead and a growing fear that she could be being followed, simply running was proving to be a difficult task. She burst through bushy thick leaves and overgrown thickets covered in briers then slid on dewy slick rocks that seemed to only be there for the purpose of tripping her. None of this mattered though, she just had to move. To get away. To get home.

The Misu didn't even realize that she was taking the same path as the other before her. And knew even less about his makeshift shelter as she came clamoring past. Her foot caught on his as she passed, sending her sprawling forward to face plant into the damp earth beneath her.

Ambassador drifted between half-sleep and bursts of adrenaline each time a creature near him called out. Every single one of them was going to kill him if they saw. He knew the plants could too, but it was worth it to be able to hold a cold leaf with his burning hand. Even with the jungle fluctuating between being wavy and solid, the tree trunk in his back let him know he wasn't moving. At least, not until his foot jerked to the side. Flinching, Ambassador's eyes widened to try and see what had happened. Some mass crashed into the plants to his left, causing him to awkwardly jump up onto his feet. Holding half a leaf close to him, he steadied himself on the tree trunk and leaned forward slightly. There was a humanoid form. Birds around them had gone quiet, disturbed by the audio intrusion. Was it... a person? It was small. Well, smaller. Alive? Maybe. Probably, it had just run into him. Why would it do that? "Hey." he stated. "Hey, why are you running in the jungle?" He wobbled forward, crouching down and grabbing another leaf next to him. Leaves were good. Leaves were kind.... The little light spots were returning, his vague consciousness going through moments of clarity and obliviousness. "Hey."