1:4:5 Negotiations (Part 1)

Warm. Going from the comfortable cool of their flat to the humid and extreme warmth of Dekk Rekkarvik was an unpleasant experience, as if stepping from an air conditioned room into a blisteringly hot sauna fully clothed. Lore pulled their Breacher from out of their sleeve and initiated a scan for Crait.
“They’re not here yet I don’t think. I’m reading two ish humans and two ish Quatarrians but there’s a chance that the composition of the cave walls are causing sensor echoes.” Lore looked around. “The other Quatarrian and the human look to be pretty close.”
Char raised her wrist. “Strange… I’m detecting us and then a Quatarrian Hybrid. That’s probably what you’re getting.” She opened up a map of the local area. “See, they’re in the same places.”
“We’ve got a little time.” Lore smiled. “Shall we?” They held out their hand as they started walking in the direction of the dots on their map. Char jogged for a moment to catch up before she wrapped her arm around theirs, interlocking their fingers.

Even though they had been there before, Dekk Rekkarvik was just as alien as it had been the first time, if not slightly more; this time they had time to explore and take in their surroundings. They had arrived not far from where Lore had found themselves the first time they visited, the bridge ahead of them. Char took one look at the rickety structure before her then immediately started tapping at her wrist. They crossed the bridge before they had even approached it allowing Lore to turn back and see themselves and Char walk up then disappear. The outskirts were somehow quieter than last time with even fewer helmeted figures milling about. They both pulled up their maps to compare the blips indicating the other Quatarrian presence. It was somewhere halfway between where they were and the pub where they needed to be.
“Still no Crait.” Lore scanned for any potential Breacher signals nearby the pub. “They’re not due for another hour or so. No rush then.” They smiled.
“Right then, you’ve been here before.” Char rubbed her hands together. “What’s good?”
“I didn’t really have time for sightseeing.” Lore looked at her, confused. “I barely knew who I was let alone where I was.”
Char gave them a jovial tap. “I know. I was only joking. This way.”
Even though they didn’t really know where they were going, unlike last time, Lore felt much more comfortable walking around the alien town. Now that they didn’t feel so pressured, Lore could properly take in their surroundings. The buildings looked as though they were taken directly from Earth in the European middle ages; wooden frames with white wattle and daub walls and thatched roofs. Although the architecture itself stood out, there was something else about the buildings that confused Lore.
“Where do you think they got the wood from?” Char stopped to inspect a nearby building.
“I was just thinking that.” Lore moved in closer to inspect one of the support beams. They rapped their knuckles against it before regretting their action. “That’s not wood.”
Char scanned the building as a whole. “That’s not possible… My scans are saying that this building is almost completely made of wood.” She showed Lore her interface only to realise they couldn’t read it. “The beams, inside the walls, the floors and the roof. It’s all wood. But here’s the really impossible part: None of it is apparently from our universe. The building has an entirely different quantum signature to ours.” Char ran off ahead and started scanning the next building. “Same here. None of these buildings could have been built on this planet because it’s never been capable of supporting such fauna.”
Lore gave the building a scan of their own. “The wood used is older than the settlement itself by nearly a hundred years.” They scanned the cobbles beneath their feet. “It all predates the earliest known records of humanoid life in this galaxy.”
“It’s really bizarre isn’t it.” A new voice sounded from behind them causing them both to jump. “Sorry!”
“Tay? What are you doing here?” Lore gestured between Tay and Char. “Tay, Char. Char, Tay. This is the person who told me about Dee on Tarthesis.”
Char nodded. “Nice to meet you.”
“Good to know how you know me.” Tay checked her Breacher. “Right then, so you’ve done Tarthesis… And we’ve not really met yet…” She mumbled under her breath as she synced her diary.
“So what exactly are you doing here then?” Lore repeated.
“Oh, I’m here because I’m here.” Tay ended her statement and smiled. Lore and Char just looked at her confused. “Sorry, not the time for jokes. I’m here because…” She looked over her shoulders and checked they were alone. “I was in the area following up on a rumour that something big is about to go down that’ll effect the whole of the Valhelderen Expanse. Something big. It’s actually really handy that the two of you showed up.”
“It is?” Char felt as though something was off but she didn’t quite know what.
“Where are you two heading anyway?” Tay started walking off towards the town’s centre.
Lore jogged for a moment to catch up. “We’re meeting with someone in a bar on the other side of town.”
“Nice! We’re going the same way. I’m heading to the docks just a bit further up.” Her beaming smile was infectious but Char appeared to have been inoculated.
They walked together in silence for a while. There was a tension between Tay and Char that Lore could sense but didn’t understand; although they were no longer alone, the walk felt almost the same as it had when they first made it. They had so many questions they wanted to ask but the awkwardness between them forced their mouth shut.
“So Tay, have you ever been to Quatarr?” Char broke the silence.
“I was born there but I grew up on Earth. I’ve not really been back since except to visit family.” Tay tried to smile but Char’s suspicion was dampening her.
“You pre or post war then?” Char’s eyes narrowed.
“Post. I got lucky with my family having a lot of spare time to Breach back to.” Tay hoped her answer was enough to convince her.
“You’re a hybrid aren’t you?” Char’s interrogation continued.
“I am.” Tay didn’t seem too phased.
“What are your parents then?” Char asked.
“My mother is a Quatarrian and my other parent is a Human-Quatarrian hybrid. They are both alive and well and love each other very, very much despite what her parents think.” Tay scoffed.
Lore spoke up finally. “Right then! That’s enough questioning.” They moved Char to one side. “What’s going on? Why are you bullying her?”
Char looked at them as if their question was ridiculous. “Can’t you feel it? There’s something about her. I can’t put my finger on it but there’s something she’s hiding. I don’t trust her.”
“Maybe it’s because she knows us but we don’t know her?” Lore shrugged. “Either way, every time I’ve met up with her, its been rather pleasant so I don’t think she deserves your questioning.”
“Sorry.” Char averted her gaze.
“Wrong person.” Lore stepped aside.
Char moved closer to Tay to make sure she heard her. The closer they got to their target, the denser the population of the area became. “Sorry Tay. Can we start again?”
“Don’t worry, we will.” Tay held out her left hand. “Hi. I’m Tay.”
Char took her hand and shook it.
“Come on then.” Lore gestured for them to keep on moving.

Soon they came to the market. Helmeted figures surrounded them but never got too close; while the people of Tarthesis kept their distance, the locals of Dekk Rekkarvik took it to a whole new level. They maintained facial contact with Lore, Char and Tay and bundled together to avoid them.
“Again… Why do people have to be so frightened of difference?” Char scanned around.
“It’s not your alien blood they’re worried about, it’s your alien diseases.” Tay gestured to the locals around them. “When they first arrived here, there was no atmosphere but the housing was ready so they tried to make do. They started living in their suits twenty-six/twelve while they built the terraformers to make the area breathable.”
“So why the suits still? Air’s good.” Char took a deep breath in.
“They’ve been in them too long.” Lore frowned. “If each person was isolated from one another for such a long time then their immune systems became entwined with their suits to a point that direct exposure to any virus, even a non-lethal one would likely kill them.”
“Exactly.” Tay pulled a mask over her face and sprayed herself with a small can from her belt. She walked over to one of the stalls, flashed the can and then started talking with the shop keeper. She came back with some form of protein on a stick. “Frekkissarren Air; a spray on anti-biotic. Here. It’s edible.” She handed Lore the stick. “Dekk Rekkarvik and the whole Valhelderen expanse is an open system; they do a lot of business with the neighbouring systems and that brings a lot of alien’s with a lot of different bacteria and viruses. They just decided to make their suits a part of their culture. It’s kind of beautiful in a way. I’d love to see a wedding; apparently, its the only time they take their suits off except for the obvious.” Tay chuckled awkwardly as she tried to hide her increasingly reddening face with her hands before she just put her mask on. “Let’s keep moving, not far to go.”
“Masks on.” Lore pinched the protein on a stick between their knees while they activated their mask. “Have you got any more of that antibiotic?”
“There’s enough.” Tay took the protein from Lore before spraying them down. She handed it back before doing the same to Char.
“Now, let’s go.” Lore led the way with Tay at their side and Char just behind them.
At first the locals remained at a distance but something must have led them to believe that they were safe to be around as soon the near empty streets filled. Their forcefield had seemingly shattered as they became one with the crowd. Lore looked to Char who shrugged, neither of them knowing how the locals knew they were not walking biohazards. The crowds thinned as they neared the pub but they weren’t as thin as they had been the first time.
“Hang about, the people in the pub didn’t seem to care this much about me being an alien.” Lore looked to Tay.
“Was the pub around here?” She span around, pointing to the area directly around them. “Or was it further down?”
“It’s just up that way.” Lore pointed down the road.
Tay just laughed. “If they’re drinking down there, viruses are the least of their worries. Don’t need to worry about it if you’re not leaving your suit or you’ve not got the money to drink elsewhere.” She shook her head. “It’s that or because the people who live and work by the docks are usually ostracised anyway because they’re frequently in contact with the outside universe. They’re seen as potential plague carriers.”
“That’s rough.” Char moved in a little closer to Lore.
“It’s how it is around here. At least for now.” As she smiled, a digital smile appeared on her mask.
It wasn’t too much further to the pub as they walked at a quickened pace to the one they had set off at and soon, they were stood outside. Barely anyone else was around.
“This is where we part ways.” Tay held out her hand.
Lore shook it. “I look forward to next time.”
Tay shook her head. “The stick thing.” She held her hand out again.
“You bought it so the locals would know we were safe to be around!” Char exclaimed.
“Exactly.” Tay nodded. “I need them to trust me for what I’m about to do to work. This seemed like the fastest way.”
“Good luck.” Lore gave her the protein then shook her free hand.
“You two.” Tay gave them another digital smile before turning and walking away at a slightly more brisk pace.
“Ready?” Char was already at the pub door.
“Maybe.” They stood beside her as she pushed.