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 Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 6:37 pm
He was worried about Vyn. He didn’t like that he’d gone off on his own, especially after the little that they’d learned from Delta-T, but Aliez wanted to respect his friend’s privacy. He’d already followed after him once that day, and thought maybe he really needed that time to just breathe.
Aliez just hoped he stayed close.
“I do not like being here,” he said to Andreiya once they were out of earshot of the others. He folded his arms over his chest, trying not to look as uncomfortable as he felt. So far no one had gotten hurt, so while he was grateful for that, he also felt a bit useless.
“I would have liked to get closer to the robot. If I could have figured out a way to deactivate it, at least until we were able to extrapolate any corrupted data it may have been processing…” Aliez paused and shook his head. He didn’t know how he would have accomplished that, but he felt somewhat shameful for trying to convince it to trust him, only with the intention of shutting it down. Temporarily! For their own safety.
Unfortunately, he hadn’t had the chance.
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 8:09 pm
Aliez seemed to be doing his best to conceal his discomfort–a sentiment Andreiya shared, and was putting equal effort into attempting. He didn't know how convincing he was; after his outburst on the ship, he felt out of sorts. He wanted to be somewhere safe, somewhere private.
He wanted to be back in his room on Earth, with Steve. Somewhere quiet, and safe, surrounded by cute things that made his heart happy.
“I do not like being here, either. And I do not like that little robot! I wish you had deactivated him so we could run a scan or something. He is so sneaky, he just disappears! I thought he might answer our questions. But I do not understand their fascination with the cyber critter. I wish the Commodore were here. He would know what to do. I bet the robots would listen to him.”
His lips pressed together tightly and he looked away, a bit sullen and frustrated.
“Or not. I cannot understand them at all. Why would anyone make such synthetic life forms? And how can one determine what is programming and what is ‘sentience’? I have seen advanced programming on Earth. It would not be unheard of for other worlds to have similar technology. The people on Earth enjoy games and distractions. So, none of this makes sense. It feels like a very bad joke. I cannot imagine this is someone’s idea of a game, I am not having any fun.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 8:27 pm
His thoughts seemed to drift in the same direction as Andreiya when he mentioned how the robots would listen to the Commodore. Aliez had the feeling that they would also not listen, and instead continue to talk about the greatness of a pixelated pet that needed to have constant attention.
“I do not understand how to determine sentience from programming either,” Aliez sighed. “For all we know, Velencya is sentient. It may not be able to communicate through speech, but…”
He paused and shifted his feet uncomfortably. He didn’t want to offend Andreiya if he didn’t feel the same way. Worse would be for Andreiya to think less of him.
“When you were near the crystals on Velencya, did you… I don’t know. Did you ever feel them trying to communicate to you? I have a theory that it’s not just our life force that is recycled into Velencya, but our memories as well. To let the world die is… unacceptable. My parents are what I aspire to be. They’ve seen more death than many, but I had the chance to get to talk to and get to know many of their patients. So… sometimes it felt like I could still speak to them…”
Another pause and deep breath. “I agree this is not a fun game.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 8:42 pm
Andreiya looked up at Aliez and seemed invigorated by his words. “I think so, yes. But Velencya is different, there are no words needed. I think it communicates with feelings. And through people like the Commodore. But Velencya is not just simple programming,” he insisted. “It is a part of our life and death. I cannot say that the crystals have ever communicated with me, but I feel…”
He hesitated, and seemed to struggle to find the words he thought best suited what he was trying to convey.
“Like I am…connected? To them? Like they can speak without words. It is complicated. In a lot of ways, I think it is how the Earth sends wind through your hair, or how the forest whispers to enjoy its shade, or–it is complicated! But Velencya is big. Our starseeds are connected to it, I think. I feel that way, at least.”
He knew Aliez wouldn’t argue with him or make him feel silly. It was part of the reason why he was so easy to talk to.
“But I do not think we programmed Velencya to have sentience. I think it is the culmination of all of our energy, and all of our life, and love, and hard work. I think it is our ancestors guiding us, protecting us. I think it is the residual of everyone and everything that came before us. And planets have hearts! And if we took the heart of Velenia with us when we left, I do not think it would be preposterous to think that Velencya is the legacy of that. I do not know. We could ask the Commodore when we get back. I bet he would tell us.” And hopefully not judge them, or think they were silly. He pursed his lips and crossed his arms over his chest as well. “I am trying to keep an open mind about all of this. But I struggle with so many questions and so little answers. Someone should be in charge here, but no one is. I just want answers. Maybe I would not be so upset if I could just understand what was going on. I feel like all of these questions are smothering me.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 8:53 pm
Aliez nodded in agreement when Andreiya explained his feelings and understanding of their world. It was all Aliez knew -- all he wanted to know. He’d already told the Commodore that even if they restored Velenia, he would want to stay by his side on Velencya.
But then why did it feel like they were all letting him down.
He had so many feelings and desires to fix their world, but… there were so few answers, and an infinite number more questions.
Just like here on Astraya -- if the place really was Astraya.
“The Commodore would tell us, yes. At least what he thinks we would like to hear to inspire us. I do not think it in his heart to tell us all the bad things. I suspect that is why he works on his own, so we do not see his frustration in not being able to accomplish more, quicker.”
At least, that was what he suspected. The Commodore would probably just smile and insist that he not worry.
The thought had Aliez frowning. Almost a year on Earth, and the Commodore was not opening up to anyone (that he was aware of). It was understandable, since they were Cadets and Corporals. But it must also be incredibly lonely.
“I miss home. I wish we would get more answers too. I would like to get back to Earth so we can continue our research.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 9:10 pm
Aliez made a lot of sense, and he found himself suddenly nodding along with his theory about the Commodore. His stomach sank a bit at the thought of him, all alone and trying to push through frustration, knowing he didn’t have the full resources of Velencya available to him.
He didn’t have his team, or his tools. He had himself, and whatever scrap he’d managed to pick up, and the Vanguardians that had come to Earth.
They still hadn’t found Caedus. They still hadn’t made any progress.
…Andreiya had skipped the step about saving Velencya and moved right onto trying to figure out how to make Velenia hospitable, but he was optimistic. He thought they would figure it all out. They could make this work. The piece just needed to fall into place.
“Me, too,” he sighed. He wanted to talk to Aliez, wanted to ask him about what he’d said earlier, but at the same time he couldn’t really imagine having any sort of serious conversation without Vyn–and he wasn’t here right now.
So, he worried about him, too.
“...I think this place is bad for us. It has made me very agitated. I apologize for my outburst earlier. I will apologize to Vyn, too. I hope he wants to meet up again soon, I am worried about him.” He’d have to apologize to Neryn, too; he didn’t want him to think poorly of him. “I just think we should all be careful. I am worried about everyone getting too close to these robots, or wandering in places where they might find trouble. I just want to make sure we all get home safely. If the Commodore is not here to look after everyone, I know he would want us to do our best to in his place.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 9:27 pm
“You do not need to apologize. I am glad you spoke up. I feel as though so many here -- and on Earth -- underestimate us because they do not understand us. They treat us like children or worse. It is frustrating.”
But he sighed and nodded. “I hope Vyn is okay. He has been trying so hard. Being a Corporal has put a lot of stress on his shoulders, I think. I believe he thinks the Commodore was desperate when he promoted us and… I will be honest, I feel the same way sometimes.”
What else was the Commodore going to do, though? Wait for another several years before promoting any of them? Aliez knew it was to help take the burden off of the Commodore. If the others had someone to go to for assistance or guidance, it meant they would bother the Commodore less.
“Well, I think you and Vyn deserve it,” Aliez said with a decisive nod after a moment. “You are both very easy to listen to. I am unsure why so many others in the Vanguard have suddenly forgotten their training. If they do not want to be in the Vanguard, then they should request the Commodore for decommission,” Aliez huffed, but there wasn’t any heat in his comment. Just sadness and longing.
“I believe you are correct. We shall keep an eye on the others to the best of our ability. Although… many seem to have wandered off on their own already.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 10:08 pm
“I just want you to know that I think you and Vyn deserve it. And I am glad to have you as Corporals, too. Making decisions is difficult. I would be much more self-conscious if it was just me. I feel honored to work with you two. And I know I can always trust the both of you. I think the Commodore knows that, too. I would not have promoted you if he didn’t think it was in the best interest of the Vanguard.”
Maybe there were slim pickings, sure, but he was really sure that the Commodore could recognize them for their merit and know where their skills were best suited. “Maybe we can try to regroup or keep in touch with those that have broken off. I think we work best when we are at least in communication. Maybe some of the others have had better luck than we have with gathering information or finding a way off of this world.”
He wasn’t optimistic, but he supposed it was still a practical line of thought; maybe they were all gathering all of the puzzle pieces they needed to put this picture together. “Maybe we can set a good example for the others. If we hold it together, maybe they will be less inclined to make poor decisions. I think Earth is a bad influence, sometimes.” Sometimes, it was a good influence, he wouldn’t deny that.
But right now really wasn’t the time to be pushing their luck and going wild.
“Let us go sit down and review our notes while we wait for Vyn. If we take a moment to calm down and clear our minds, maybe we can figure out a better plan. I want to do it here so we can keep an eye on the other Vanguardians we were with. But I want to do it out here. I cannot work with those statues.”
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Posted: Sun Aug 28, 2022 10:31 pm
Aliez let out a small breath that he hadn’t realized he’d been holding, and nodded to Andreiya.
“You are very kind. Thank you,” he said quietly. Maybe they would both be able to try and encourage Vyn later when they met back up with him. They might not have many of the Vanguard there, and they didn’t have a lot of options when it came to promotions, but Aliez ultimately respected the Commodore’s decision.
“That is a good idea. And I agree that the statues are… inappropriate,” he frowned. Maybe he needed to open his eyes to things more but he couldn’t get used to that when he’d been raised to be incredibly private in his personal life.
“I am hoping that the others will come to their senses soon, and focus on our people’s future.”
Otherwise he would be greatly disappointed in them. But that didn’t matter right now. All that mattered was figuring a way to get back to Earth, and preferably everyone in one piece.
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