1:4:4 Cyenzeit (Part 4)

The New Quatarrian sun, despite being artificial, emulated the original almost perfectly and Lore still wasn’t a fan; it didn’t help that they had a rather awkward conversation to have when they reached their destination, wherever that was. The two of them wandered down the road. Lore’s mind was abuzz; anxious and guilty, nervous and unsure. They had no idea how they were going to tell Char about their agreement with Crait or even that they had talked to them. They scripted the conversation in their head, editing and scrapping several hypotheticals.
“What’s up?” Char linked her arm around Lore’s. “Where are we going then?”
“Why don’t we check out our flat?” Lore feigned a smile.
They walked together in silence, enjoying one another’s company and their surroundings. Lore couldn’t help but smile as they passed the park again; something about watching the children play made them feel almost jealous. The compound was almost the same size as Cyenzeit. Twenty-six bungalows in neat rows surrounded by a thick white wall. There was a large, golden gate at the entrance with a panel at it’s centre. Lore instinctively placed their thumb on the screen and, after a few whirring motors fired, the gate opened. Passing through the threshold was like walking from a warm oven into a near frozen fridge. The whole compound appeared to be air conditioned and temperature controlled to meet the needs of the Lore population. They walked through the buildings until they found their assigned residence. As the time grew closer, Lore’s anxiety peaked; time slowed as Char’s hand reached out for the door handle. Lore breathed a sigh of relief before the panic truly set in.
“Right, bugger. What are we going to do?” They made sure not to make contact with Char as they moved away from the door. “How do I explain this?” Their hands started flapping around as they started pacing up and down whilst mumbling.
“Char, I know it’s kind of awkward but… No, no…” They shook their head.
“It’s going to sound odd but I’ve got a plan…” Again, they shook their head. “Closer but still not right…” They kept talking, restructuring their speech over and over again. “It seemed like a good idea at the time… Maybe?”
They pondered for a little while longer before their rambling took a turn away from the productive conversation they had been planning.
“We’re an idiot. Why would we do this?” They dropped to the floor.
“We don’t have to show up. We could just leave Crait there on their own.” The tone seemed different to their own but was undeniably their voice.
“That’ll only cause problems. I’ve made my bed and now I’ve got to sleep in it.” They sounded a little more resolute.
The other voice jumped in. “In that case then, we should probably give Char the choice to sit this one out. She shouldn’t have to help us clean up our mistakes.”
“Agreed. She deserves that option.” Lore stood up. “No time like the present.” They took a deep breath and waited for time to resume.
As it did, the door clicked open and Char looked around confused. “You… You just stopped time to mess with me didn’t you?” There was a pause between her question and Lore’s response as they pondered an appropriate answer. Before they could, Char was already wrapping herself around them. “Are you okay?”
“We need to talk.” Their tone was so serious, Char could have sworn the sky grew slightly greyer at just the sound of their voice.
“I’m sure there’s somewhere for us to do that inside.” Char tried to smile but her concern was obvious.
The flat was nothing special. It bore a striking resemblance to the bungalow she had taken Lore to when they first met but didn’t feel as homely or lived in. Everything about the flat seemed new and hastily cobbled together; from the furniture to the smell, it felt unplanned and hurried. Char led them to a sofa and sat them down.
“What’s up?” She sounded so genuine and worried that it made Lore even more conscious of the news they had to deliver.
“I don’t trust us. Walls have ears.” They knew they sounded paranoid but they’d rather be safe than sorry especially given the circumstances.

Lore held her hand and took a deep breath in. As they exhaled, time again slowed. The repetition made things a little easier and a little more comfortable for them.
“I’m sorry.” They didn’t know how else to start.
“What have you got to be sorry for?” Char tightly constricted around them.
“I didn’t call Tolan earlier.” Lore took the conversation slowly and bitwise to minimise confusion.
“What?” Her grip lessened but she still remained around them.
“Earlier I said I wanted to call Tolan and see how they were doing. I actually called Crait on a secure channel and invited them to meet us to talk about a ceasefire. I thought we could convince them to help us.” Lore looked like they were on the verge of tears but nothing was coming out.
Char just sighed. She didn’t speak for a moment as she too had to consider her words. “You’ve still got nothing to be sorry for. It’s such a you thing to do. Reaching out to your enemy and offering them a chance to change.” She shook her head. “The others seem to have forgotten that. If you think it will work then it’s worth a chance.” She took her hand and stroked it down the undamaged side of Lore’s face. “What do you need from me?”
“I would like you to come with me. We’re each allowed one ally and I’d like mine to be you.” Lore tried to smile.
“Then I’ll be there by your side. Where and when?” She pulled out her teleporter.
“The Valhelderen Expanse, the planet I woke up on, Third day of the Week Long War.” Lore sent over their Breacher log and watched as she blazed through the indecipherable script at extreme speeds to set the co-ordinates for their transport. “It should be a saturated point or it will be at least.”
“Found it. Dekk Rekkarvik, Valhelderen Expanse, Day three of eight. Hel of a spot; plenty of time travel signatures there but most of them are Quatarrian or damaged Breach residuals. Either way, once we get there, it’ll be fully saturated and impossible for Crait to work out where we are from scans. They’ll have to come and get us the hard way.” Char signalled that she was ready.
Time resumed just long enough for the hidden cameras around the living room to snap an image the second Lore and Char transported away. Alarms triggered but they were too far away to listen. Lore’s heart quickened as they scanned their new surroundings; the realisation of what they were about to walk into set in. Negotiations.