Itxaro was, simply put, out of her comfort zone.
The engineer was more accustomed to brokering a late term paper submission with a stressed-out student, not political negotiations between two alien nations teetering on the brink of war. Certain types of stress she could handle, too. Nuclear reactor on the brink of overloading and pumping out lethal levels of radiation? Particle accelerator threatening to create a miniature black hole that will collapse the entire ship? Easy, no sweat. But she was accustomed to a single problem, an engineering problem, not seven different issues all pulling at her in different directions.
Itxaro was distressed, but the game of telepathic telephone commenced, and she jumped in feet first. Itxaro took frantic notes on her datapad for later use, typing as fast as she could in shorthand to keep up with each speaker.
Jesus. If I ever get back to the lecture hall, I’ll slow down for those poor kids. This ain’t easy.
@EliteCommanderKareet kicked things off; Itxaro thought he seemed the most eager to communicate with the humans, and the engineer sensed a kindred spirit here. Apparently, things were decidedly
not through with Silbermine. In fact, they were centered right on the border between two nations, and there was a dispute over who could lay claim to the Jotunheim. Divine right versus territorial boundaries. Both factions were now gearing up for war as they spoke. Itxaro let out a deep sigh and cursed when this was relayed, but she quickly recovered her composure.
She’d been enamored with Silbermine when he first arrived, like something out of the Bayeux tapestry with his stunning retinue and elaborate armor. He’d even tossed her a trinket, like some knight giving her his favor after a victorious joust. But as Itxaro had tried to sleep, tossing and turning, her Marxist worldview slowly began to fill in the details. This was not an Arthurian legend. On Earth, the royalty had exploited peasants, waged pointless wars, and lined their pockets at the expense of the commoner with the useful excuse of divine right. She trusted that things would not be so different on this new planet. The aliens now outside of the Jotunheim didn't possess the same regal bearing. They were a mixed bag; bureaucrats, scholars, artisans, soldiers, and… Whatever Shirik was. But probably not ruling class.
“Thank you, Kareet,” Itxaro replied, nodding to the Tekeri.
“I promise we’re not gods, but I’ll do everything I can to prevent war. That’s the last thing we want. Will Silbermine trust Gar’Tan to translate for us? Or will he use his own? I’d, eh, rather not do that.” She wasn’t
used to Gar’Tan’s mind magic, or whatever it was, but he hadn’t scrambled her brains yet, and Itxaro didn’t relish the idea of yet another total stranger delving into her mind. Better the devil you know.
@StarlanceVigdis spoke up, overcoming the initial shock of a foreign presence in her head. A process that involved subtly threatening Gar’Tan with her gun.
Nope! She doesn’t mean that! She’s just kidding! I think! Itxaro thought loudly, if such a thing is possible, hoping Gar’Tan would pick up on the message.
But maybe leave any new arrivals alone for now, until I explain, uh, this.On paper, Itxaro liked Vigdis’ proposal of a middleman.
But who? Almost everyone on the ship either had mission-critical information, or was a stowaway scared out of their minds.
Maybe Eva? That’d be a sight. That, and they were already working through two layers of translation, from human thoughts to alien. Adding in yet another barrier seemed like a time-consuming process, time they might not have. That, and Itxaro was growing almost protective of the aliens. She had the most contact with them by far, and the engineer didn't entirely trust the other crew with the delicate process. Not that she herself was some great diplomat. Still, Itxaro was willing to play ball.
“If you’ve got any candidates in mind, I’m all ears Vigdis. But I’m gonna keep at it. What’re they gonna do, build an FTL drive?” Itxaro replied with a shrug. She wondered if they
could build an FTL drive just from her knowledge, but even then, the engineer didn't know enough about the other aspects of shipbuilding and metallurgy to get them very far. She also wasn’t entirely onboard with Vigdis’ approach, seeking neutrality, but she kept silent on the matter. Itxaro was just glad her fellow engineer was by her side, differing views or not.
@TinyKiwiEva’s voice cut through the comms, and the engineer noticed the hulking Javelin behind her in the shuttle bay. Itxaro felt the hair raise on her neck.
And now I’m really in the crossfire. Mierda. Eva's statement didn't exactly
reassure Itxaro, but it was nice to know the Javelin wouldn’t be opening fire on the aliens unless provoked, and Itxaro didn’t foresee this group making any moves. Ezra, on the other hand, she wasn’t so trusting. Itxaro quickly switched from the local comms channel to a direct line with Javelin pilot.
“Hey Eva, that thing’s bullet-proof, right? If the X.O. and his buddies or Ezra start shooting, it would be so fuckin’ cool if you put yourself between the gunfire and our new friends, save their assess. No pressure though.” Then, Itxaro switched back to the general channel and replied, for all to hear,
“ Just keep an eye on our new friends here and look tough I guess. Vigdis might have some, ehm, diplomatic work for you if you’re up for that." Itxaro glanced sideways to Vigdis, who would overhear the little exchange, and shrugged. If Eva told anyone about Itxaro’s little request, the engineer would probably receive the space equivalent of keelhauling, but it was a risk she was willing to take.
@ExpendableThen, Mallory’s familiar voice.
Itxaro had just been finding her groove, her “work fugue” as she called it, where her occasionally volatile emotions dulled and her focus sharpened. That all came crumbling down quite rapidly. Itxaro laughed in disbelief and ran a hand through her hair. Part of it was that Mallory had been right; she relished the interactions with the natives, and had shirked her duties for a secret meeting with Shirik. But also, the X.O. used her first name. That really set her off.
“That’s Dr. Ibarra to you. Fucking Yankee,” Itxaro replied bitterly. She had a tirade of curses, insults, and threats lined up, but she had
just enough self-control left to rip off her comm link and jam it into her pocket.
Come down here. Oh God, please
come down here. I’ll shove your head so far up your ass, Mallory, you just might see shit clearly. If Gar’Tan was tuning in, he’d be getting an interesting show.
@13org @EliteCommander @ExpendableItxaro didn’t have much time to cool off before her thoughts were bombarded with more translations, this time from Nellara.
“It’s fine. We’re fine. We’re allll cool over here,” Itxaro said, though it wasn’t clear if she was responding to Nellara’s apology for the thought mages or just reassuring herself. It didn’t take a thought mage to determine she was in fact not fine, her body quaking with anger as she aggressively typed out notes on her datapad.
“Vigdis, you gotta keep that guy away from me. I just might kill him,” Itxaro said, clenching her jaw.
Thankfully, Gar’Tan’s translations, though unnerving, had a calming effect on Itxaro. Maybe the thought mage sensed her agitation and was altering her mood somehow, but Itxaro had a feeling this wasn’t it. Perhaps just hearing a calm, neutral voice in her head that belonged to her, but didn't, broke up her raging mind and helped her relax. It made Itxaro feel as if she, too, was calm. At least, enough to realize what a huge mistake she’d made in blowing up on the XO.
Itxaro shook her head, deciding to save the embarrassment for later, but not before one quick self-flagellation.
They don’t see you as Dr. Ibarra, FTL specialist anymore. You’re the spicy, angry Latina now.She managed to come back to the moment at hand. According to Nellara, Silbermine didn’t just want to learn from them, he wanted to
claim them, seeing them as some sort of gift from the gods. Take apart the Jotunheim and haul them back as trophies.
There goes neutrality. At least, if she’s not lying. Either way, she made a mental note to scrub that stupid logo off the Jo’s hull, maybe rip it off her uniform while she was at it. Itxaro wondered if Gar’Tan was truly neutral, and figured it was worth giving it a shot.
“Gar’Tan, is Nellara telling the truth about all this?” She asked bluntly.
“You don’t have to answer if it’s against your code, or honor, or whatever, but for the love of God, don’t tell Nellara I asked.”Nellara’s description of the situation they were in painted an incredibly bleak picture. Two armies on the march, annexation of the territory, and war against the Ascendancy, whatever that was.
Doesn’t sound like a royal house. At least, on Earth it doesn’t. She assumed that the Ascendancy was some sort of governing body, a joint power structure with the Order of Magisters, of Nellara was a member, that ruled over Arcadea. Pretty complex for what Itxaro had assumed was a medieval society.
More like Renaissance Italy than medieval England, all these orders and guilds. It was a good sign, though, or so she thought.
She was at a loss for words when it came to Nellara. Another apology felt trite, so she held back the impulse. Then, the Tekeri offered herself up as an ambassador.
“Ok. Ok ok,” Itxaro said as she paced.
“So we’re about to be in the middle of a war, which we caused. Good. Nellara, I’m already in deep shit with my higher-ups for even talking to you right now, so let’s put you coming on the Jotunheim on the back burner for now until they give me the thumbs up. Would love to have you all on board and show you around though,” Itxaro added with a wan smile. She thought for a moment, idly scrolling through her notes.
“Is there any way we can avoid conflict here? I don’t know anything about this Silbermine. Would a show of force work deter him? Offering tribute maybe? We’ve got more pens, I think. I can’t speak for my commanding officer, but we’re not just gonna let them take the Jo apart." Itxaro looked to J'eon, the only Glen in the group.
Probably racist, or species-ist to ask, but it doesn't hurt to try I guess. "J'eon, what do you think? Are you familiar with Silbermine, or anything about their religion? Why are we, eh, a sign from the gods? We need to know what's going on if we're gonna get out of this mess." She hoped she didn't offend the Glen, doubly so given his massive stature, but Itxaro figured she needed all the viewpoints and information she could get.
Itxaro paused.
“If it comes to it… Is everyone on this planet... Uh, magical?” So far, she’d seen most of the natives perform some extraordinary feat that defied traditional logic. If they were going to fight, it would be good to know if they were against a planet of fire-spouting wizards.
@Expendable @EliteCommanderItxaro heard Mallory speaking again.
Didn’t I take that damn thing off? Then she turned around and saw him. The stars shone above her with the mad clarity of altitude, free from light pollution, and Itxaro stood there for a split second. Planning her next move. The engineer noticed the gun slung on Mallory's hip, and from the way her loose jumpsuit snapped in the wind, knew she hadn’t thrown on one of her own.
“Welcome to the Ibarra fan club, XO,” she said with a sweeping gesture.
“Sorry about earlier. Some ensign told me to get to the shuttle bay, and I did. Shit’s popping off out here, you know how it goes.” She pulled up her datapad and sent the scrambled notes she’d been taking to his device.
“Here’s the official meeting minutes. According to our friend Nellara here, we landed on a disputed border, Silbermine wants to strip the Jotunheim for parts and take us prisoner, and two armies are on the way looking for a fight, right now. Communication is pretty useful, huh?” Itxaro forgot the notes were written in Spanish.
"Ehh, run'em through Wodan, they'll figure it out. Probably good they're up to speed, too."She was still fuming, but not quite ready to punch her commanding officer.
If not for my sake, then at least for the natives. Itxaro tried to hide her anger in the half-joking, jovial banter. She couldn’t resist that last jab though.
If we turtled up on the bridge, we’d wake up in the middle of a warzone.As if she’d forgotten a minor detail, Itxaro added,
“Oh, and this one here is Gar’Tan. He can read minds. But don’t worry, he’s non-partisan." Then, she figured she'd throw him a bone, give him some authority back.
"Vigdis says we need an ambassador for the human race; any suggestions? They've already got theirs and want to come aboard. Don't worry, I pushed it off. I vote Eva. Are we voting?” She turned to Gar’Tan and spoke directly to him to ensure the S'tor got the message, using the near-incomprehensible pidgin of Mandarin, Portuguese, and Spanish common on the streets of Havana.
“Don’t read this one yet; he might actually shoot you.”
