The brainwaves, as she thought of them, kept on coming, and Itxaro was surprisingly growing used to the mode of communication. Strange, yes, but quick and efficient; she was jealous of Gar’Tan’s ability to transcend crude language and emotion, and convey speech directly to someone’s head. Her English was good, but sometimes Itxaro struggled to find the right words, or used idioms that didn’t translate. Then again, Gar’Tan described how these Thought mages could be hunted down and killed if they went rogue, so perhaps it was best if she didn’t possess this ability. She stuck with her tablet, relaying the messages as they came to those not partaking in the Thought mage’s transmissions. [hr] [@Eviledd1984] Kercheck was growing increasingly curious about the human’s technology and their history. Itxaro let Vigdis field that particular line of questioning, given the engineer’s concern with operational security. The Tekeri also asked about the human’s weaponry, and Itxaro glanced at Mallory and Vigdis briefly before answering. [color=fff200]“Weapons are a bit of a touchy subject right now, Kercheck. Some are working, others aren’t. I’d love to give you a demonstration later, if the big boss allows us,”[/color] Itxaro said. [color=fff200]“We’re able to hold our own though. What, uhh, what kind of ‘combative capacity’ are you talking about, life magic?” [/color]It seemed strange to Itxaro to call it “life magic” and then use it as a weapon, but she recalled seeing the Tekeri transform into an actual bird. [i]Might be a pretty wide field of study.[/i] Itxaro was aching for a demo, and her injured leg was dealing her misery; maybe Kercheck could help her out. Still, Itxaro didn’t ask. Any move from them right now could end up with Ezra's itchy trigger finger getting its bloody wish. [hr] [@EliteCommander] Itxaro stood in amazement as Gar’Tan described the workings of the Inquisitor’s Guild. There was really no Earth analog to the organization; she racked her mind for historical examples but couldn’t recall anything quite as spectacular. Itxaro had immense respect for the S’tor now. She imagined the sacrifice it took to be part of the guild, the stress of knowing that at any moment, your trusted companions would cut you down if you slipped up. [i]Can't be easy.[/i] Itxaro also admired his candidness; Gar’Tan answered, to the best of his abilities, her rather blunt question. [i]Can we trust the Nellara?[/i] The answer was, well, mixed. Itxaro hadn’t expected a black-and-white world, though she’d certainly been hoping for one. It would have made negotiations easier. It sounded like Gar’Tan was urging caution, patience, and negotiation. The humans were in a precarious situation, but still a powerful one. If they were to tip their favor in one way or the other, it would probably be considered reason for war. [i]Still not crazy about Mythadia though.[/i] [color=fff200]"Thanks for your honesty, Gar’Tan,”[/color] Itxaro said. [color=fff200]“Will you be able to stick around for a while? We might need you as a translator with the Glen.”[/color] Itxaro was finding herself taking on a lot of authority with her impromptu role as go-between, and she wasn’t loving it, largely because she didn’t know the commander or her X.O. well, as she’d just so recently found out. It was hard to judge what they [i]wanted[/i] from the natives, almost as difficult as it was to find out what the natives wanted from [i]them[/i]. Mallory mentioned that they should learn their language, rather than speak through the Thought mage. [i]Good idea in theory, but we probably have about a week or two before shit really hits the fan. Not enough time to become fluent diplomats. [/i] She took a moment to consider, and felt foolish asking, but did so anyways. [color=fff200]“A lot of us here, myself not included, don’t really trust the whole Thought mage process. Is there any way we could learn your language? Any scholars around? Could you just, I don’t know, send the language into our brains? If not, we have some tools that could speed up the process.”[/color] Itxaro figured explaining the concept of an AI would take too much time, so she went with "tool" instead. Not entirely inaccurate. [hr] [@Starlance] Unlike the aliens, Vigdis’ motives were clear from the first to Itxaro. [i]Don’t open Pandora’s Box on this planet.[/i] Itxaro was hesitant to give up her position as translator, but she knew it was probably the right call. Or at least, the call the commander would make. Gar’Tan led her to believe he wasn’t digging into her memory, just skimming the surface. Even though Itxaro thought this was true, it could still be dangerous. [color=fff200]"Fine, fine, we’ll get someone else after this. They’ll have to be a [i]tabula rasa[/i] though, totally empty brain, ya know, not a lot going on upstairs,”[/color] Itxaro replied, thinking before letting out a laugh. [color=fff200]“Our good friend Tyreese fits that description. We’ll run it by the commander or the X.O. I guess, maybe Wodan. Whoever’s taken a tally of the stowaways.”[/color] [hr] [@Blizz] Shirk, who had been smoldering and silent, finally spoke up in his crackling voice. Gar’Tan translated in real time, and Itxaro was almost giddy to hear her translating companion speak. If not directly to her, at least through Gar’Tan. Her excitement quickly faded, however, as Shirik described Silbermine. As she’d suspected, Shirik was the oldest in this group, perhaps by far, and a veteran of some terrible war. Itxaro wondered if this war is why he constantly burned, unlike the green Iriad standing by Gar’Tan. Itxaro felt traces of Shirik’s anger and sorrow laced through the thoughts, not enough to sway her, but just enough for her to feel sympathetic. Granted, she already was partial to the smoking tree. Shirik’s description of Mythadia was no less harsh, as the Iriad tore apart their brutal customs and religion of domination. Shirik seemed neutral towards the Ascendancy, but harbored a hatred toward Mythadia’s rulers; perhaps all rulers, she wondered. Itxaro scrawled Shirik’s speech into her notes as fast as she could, sparing no detail, her nimble fingers seemingly independent of her body. Shirik’s description of Mythadia’s cruel leaders further set her against the Glen, as it aligned with her ideology. [i]Dogmatic religion, war-like, and imperialist. All things a good socialist loathes.[/i] [color=fff200]"We've had our share of war at home,"[/color] Itxaro replied,[color=fff200]"Some here have experienced it firsthand. Trust me, we're not eager to bring it to your world either."[/color] [i]Well, most of us, anyways. Can't speak for Ezra and Tyreese.[/i] [color=fff200]"It sounds like Silbermine doesn't share our thoughts though. That might be tricky."[/color] Though he hadn’t said it, Itxaro suspected Shirik would be siding with the Ascendancy no matter who the humans ended up with, and she would hate to be on the receiving end of his heat magic. [i]One point for the Ascendancy.[/i] She didn’t want to delve any deeper into Shirik’s thoughts on warfare or the Mtyhandia, though; Itxaro was pretty sure where he stood, and conflict didn’t seem to be a pleasant topic for the Iriad. He’d also mentioned magic was rare, yet it seemed everyone here had some form of ability. [i]Just luck, or something else?[/i] Perhaps it was a gift reserved for the elite. He'd said few are [i]capable[/i], which suggested it was more a random chance. [color=fff200] “When we first met, I think you offered to teach us magic. Is it really that simple? Do you think humans could learn? If we, ya know, taught you some stuff too, of course,”[/color] Itxaro asked apprehensively. Surely the others would be willing to trade some rudimentary technology for [i]magic[/i]. She briefly imagined herself perched atop a mountain peak, cloaked in flowing robes that rippled in the wind as she conjured flames to hurtle at her enemies like some ancient djinn unleashed. [i]Absolutely ridiculous. Pretty cool though.[/i] [hr] [@Expendable] Jeon followed up Shirik’s tale with a similarly miserable one, of slavery and escape. Itxaro’s heart ached for the hulking Glen; her distant ancestors had been slaves, brought by the Spanish from Africa to Cuba, for their supposed “stronger constitution”. She was saddened to learn the institution was practiced here, on this new world, but not surprised. It wasn’t clear [i]who[/i] enslaved Jeon, and Itxaro didn’t dare ask, but he did flee to Mythadia to join a Blacksmiths’ Guild. [i]Aha, so I [/i]was[i] right![/i] She had suspected the Glen was a smith from his medallion, along with the cart of goods he towed behind him sometimes. Itxaro idly wondered if the Glen could make a sword for her; she’d left all hers at home. Jeon also mentioned “controlling the flame,” and she had a feeling this wasn’t just a metaphor for blacksmithing. [i]Another mage. Glad I didn't piss him off.[/i] [color=fff200] “You said Silbermine isn’t thinking straight. What about his leader? Will they all be similarly, uh, rabid?[/color]” Itxaro asked ineloquently. [color=fff200] “Is there any way we can contact others in Mythadia, make them see reason if they’re not all so zealous? Maybe have them challenge his authority? If war breaks out, it could be devastating to Mythadia. If not, we’re going to be dealing with Silbermine, which doesn’t sound like good odds to me.”[/color] Itxaro paused before sheepishly asking, [color=fff200]“Hey, any chance you got a sword about my size? Hell, I’d settle for a little dagger or something.”[/color] She couldn’t help herself. All these swaggering swordsmen had her longing for one of her own. [hr] [@13org] Nellara came in last, with a veritable treasure trove of information. She promised not to include the Jotunheim’s crew in the ensuing battle. [color=fff200]“No offense, but it seems to me we’re [i]already[/i] part of the conflict, whether we like it or not, and just about the only thing that can prevent it,”[/color] Itxaro said cautiously. Nellara said she wanted to protect the humans; it seemed like the Ascendency did this since the Jotunheim was on their borders, and Itxaro partly believed this, but medieval borders had been incredibly flexible on Earth, almost to the point of nonexistence. Distances of a couple miles weren’t even considered worth fighting over. Unless there was something valuable sitting on top the border. Nellara seemed disappointed the humans were still so wary of them, despite all of her efforts. Itxaro considered this for a moment, and opted to relay her message directly through thought. [color=fff200][i]Listen, we’re all on edge here. We don’t even trust eachother, let alone a new people we just met not a day ago. Give us some time, be patient, and we’ll come around. I’ll keep on them about it, I promise. And I'll do my best to arrange a meeting with you and the commander, Zey. [/i][/color] Nellara went on to describe Mythadia, building upon Shirik’s bleak depiction, and of the Ascendency itself, painting it as a secular meritocracy that focused on commerce. [i]The trade unionists back home would [/i]love[i] this[/i], Itxaro thought. The Ascendancy certainly sounded like a step in the right direction to Itxaro; she knew an outright meritocracy had its flaws, still favoring those with familial wealth and connections, but it certainly didn’t sound as hierarchical as Mythadia’s hereditary aristocracy. China’s ancient imperial examinations came to mind, whereby anyone with the appropriate knowledge and talent could succeed in the civil service. [i]Granted, most of them who could afford the education were wealthy, but still.[/i] Nellara made it sound as if conflict was almost unavoidable. Even if the humans submitted to Silbermine, an unthinkable outcome, Itxaro suspected that the Ascendancy would still go to war to gain access to human technology. [i]Hell, they’d be foolish not to.[/i] [color=fff200]“Well, Nellara, sounds like you have more experience than me in this field. I’m just a scientist, on a good day. I think your intentions are peaceful, but it isn’t me you need to convince. We’ve got our own hierarchy here,”[/color] Itxaro said tiredly, tilting her head towards Mallory. The previous adrenaline that had fueled her manic communication was beginning to ebb, and she felt exhaustion settling into her bones. The doctor wanted to continue this discussion, but having ten different people talking to her at once was beginning to wear on her. [color=fff200]“It sounds like we have to parlay with Silbermine, one way or the other. Could you or Gar’Tan arrange a meeting in, say, four days, where everyone is represented? We need some time to get our shit together.”[/color] Itxaro wasn’t relishing another meeting since the last one nearly ended in bloodshed, but she hoped now the humans had their own voice, they could ease some of the tension between the two nations. [color=fff200]“And what about the Ascendency? Any religion there? Royalty? No judgment, we’ve got plenty back home on Earth; just trying to get a full picture for my report to the boss.”[/color] [hr] [@Expendable] [@Starlance] Itxaro turned to her human companions to explain everything, the notes she had taken freely available to any interested parties. [color=fff200]“Well, Vigdis, if you’re worried about alien Hitler, Nellara here makes it sound like Silbermine is a pretty good candidate,”[/color] she started. [color=fff200] “Best I can put it, Nellara says the Glen and Mythadia are the Golden Horde mixed with medieval Europe political structure. Love to conquer, zealots all, and likely to enslave us; Gar’Tan disagrees on the last part, but Shirik isn’t a fan either.”[/color] She paused, allowing her audience to absorb this, before continuing. [color=fff200] “The Ascendency sounds like Renaissance Florence, all the guilds focusing on trade, an emphasis on skill over birthright. Not bad. I’ll let you know as I learn more. The Ascendency wants to trade with us, learn from us; you'll have to break the bad news to them, Vigdis. Mythadia is more interested in, ehm, owning us? Like a super divine right of kings deal. Not a great outcome there. But I’m trying to arrange a meeting with them so we can sort this mess out; we should have some time, maybe a week or two, before the armies fully mobilize and arrive. At least, by medieval Earth standards. I don’t know what these boys and girls here are working with. What do you think, X.O.?”[/color] [hr] Itxaro was growing restless, twitchy. Too much going on from too many angles. She needed time to absorb what was going on, and as much as she didn't want to admit it, time to consult with her crew. More than anything, she wanted to sleep, a feat she might just be capable of now, but she also longed for one-on-one time with some of the natives. [i]Well, Gar'Tan will be there too. But still.[/i] She wanted their unique perspectives, their experiences, and she wanted to hear them speak, unrestrained by the moderating effect of a large audience. She shot Mallory a look that said, [i]let's wrap this party up,[/i] but she didn't know if he would acknowledge it, or even listen.