1:5:1 Quatarr (Part 5)

They hadn’t realised just how dim the lighting was in the tent until they exited. Their eyes adjusted to the light, allowing them to see the crowd that had amassed outside. Lore stood, frozen, caught in the moment like a fly in amber. Sharr’Renn closed the flap then turned to address her people.
“Dy’Ist Sha’Tara. Maes iawnen nhw’ut.” She bowed her head, the crowd understood and began to disperse, returning to their days. Sharr’Renn turned to Lore. “Don’t worry, I was just telling them that you were okay. They will probably stare a bit but you can’t really blame them; not every day they get to meet a human.”
“So, where’s the best place to start then?” Lore looked out at the village. They hadn’t realised it when they first arrived but the village was set out in neat sections. There was a series of small farms along the eastern wall, a communal area linked them to the residential tents and open space.
“Just follow me. Are you fed?” She gestured for them to start walking. They hadn’t really had time to properly look around the cave before being hurried to Sharr’Renn’s tent but now they had their freedom, Lore noticed another, rather pleasing, irregularity: Grass. Rather than the typical burnt orange sands they had seen covering Quatarr, Crwydisch was carpeted in emerald green grass. Crushed orange rock pathways snaked around the settlement, connecting the homes, stones and farms as veins and arteries to organs. Lore and Sharr’Renn travelled from the would be brain towards the heart. As they walked, a rising titter of excitement and happiness grew louder and louder. A short, green, metal fence separated one of the playing fields from the rest of the settlement; it was strange in how unique it was, the only fence or division. The cause of the noise became clear as, from a tent situated in roughly the centre of the reasonably sized enclosure, children poured into the field. Lore and Sharr’Renn watched from the pathway.
Sharr’Renn looked up then to her wrist. “Lunchtime.” She gave a light chuckle. She stopped, resting her hands on the fence, admiring the school tent. “That is our school, one of them anyway. We have not long had to expand it.”
“Population boom?” Lore looked at the children, smiling.
“Everywhere else seems to yes. Not so much here though.” Sharr’Renn looked ready to move on.
Lore lingered. “Everywhere else?” Lore watched as the children started to run their way.
“We have an… Agreement with the Quatarrii and the Westerners.” She looked past Lore. “In both settlements, prospective parents are given regular health checks; these include full gene scans of the child as they develop. Two in ten Niwen are aborted at the earliest point but most go undetected until past the point of abortion.”
Lore shook their head slowly. “So what happens to them then?”
“The parents are given two choices at birth: They can send the child to an orphanage, where they’re told the child will be cared for by the state or, they can keep the child until they turn ten or begin to go through puberty, whichever comes first. Then, the child has to go to the orphanage.” Sharr’Renn shuddered.
“I’m guessing the state doesn’t look after them.” Lore tried to maintain their smile as the children gawped at them.
“Future-sight is a powerful tool. The military of the north made use of their discovery, starting the first civil war.” Sharr’Renn pointed over to one of the teachers on the field. “She served in the northern alliance’s military. She saw what they were doing and helped my family establish this settlement.” Lore looked confused. “Originally, Quatarr was split by north and south but, after the salting of the south, my people moved east making the northern cities west of us.”
“Ah.” Lore nodded for her to continue.
“My family knew that living underground would likely mean harsher treatment of Niwen so, before I started showing, they stole the dimensional projectors they would need to create a safe base and set to work creating a haven for Niwen. We met a group of nomadic Niwen and their families on our way here so we decided it would be best to work together to build something safe. Once we had our homeland, we made it our goal to help as many Niwen as we could. The Quatarri had no orphanages so we took the abandoned Niwen by nightfall. Earned us a bad reputation but they already hated us so it didn’t really matter. The westerners were given a choice, we would either take just their Niwen or we would offer them and their family safe passage and a home here.” Sharr’Renn looked around, trying to find something or someone. “That tent there, you see, the one with the golden trim? A family of thirteen came to join us after they found out their daughter was going to be giving birth to a Niwen.”
“Do the west hate you as much as the east then?” Lore’s frown deepened as the children were called away from the fence.
“Not any more, it’s been a while since we have taken a child without parental consent from either settlement, most of the time, the eastern parents don’t want the child and the westerners can’t or won’t move their entire family so we still end up with a similar result but we are no longer seen as just child snatchers, more like an urban legend.” Sharr’Renn stopped and smiled. “They know before you do; one day, you’ll find one on your doorstep and they will ask you a question to change your life.” She shook her head, laughing. “That sort of thing.”
“Why don’t you reunify? I understand why you’ve needed to keep yourselves secret in the past but surely, they’ve moved past their fears?” A plan was forming in Lore’s mind.
“We would have to hold a vote.” Sharr’Renn paused. “We considered it just before the second war broke out. It split the commune. We decided that if we voted again, and the results were similar, then both halves would go their separate ways.” She paused again. “Anyway, on with the tour.” She nodded then continued walking.
“I’m sorry if that was an… uncomfortable topic. Perhaps its not the best idea for me to propose major change considering I am merely a humble guest.” Lore ducked their head respectfully. “Sorry.”
“There is no need to apologise. It is indeed a contentious subject of conversation but perhaps one we should be having given recent events.” Sharr’Renn slowed herself. “The grass was a gift from an outsider, oh so long ago.” She knelt down and ran her fingers through it. “Quatarrian grass is coarser than this, drier too. The person who gave it to us didn’t like the sand.” She paused. “That one person, and their suggestion, changed the face of our settlement. Perhaps it was only cosmetic but perhaps, you could have a bigger impact. I could not imagine this village without it’s lawn. The grass underfoot is so much more pleasurable than the sand.” She jostled from side to side, enjoying the sun and turf.
“Me too.” Lore dared not to walk on the grass as if an invisible field of energy kept them on the paths. With only their eyes to tell them about it, they enjoyed imagining the texture; it reminded them of the day they met Char, being dragged through the forest before being thrust into one of the trees.

The path they were walking on was gradually widening, going from being wide enough to accommodate two people walking side by side to four, then six as it opened up into the village square; a circle of gravel with open faced tents circling its perimeter. A variety of goods and services were on offer with people moving from store to store, taking what they wanted, occasionally exchanging items from their own bags or pouches. A smiling family ran from tent to tent, filling a wicker basket with food; the youngest trailed behind, an impossibly large stuffed bear in tow.
“One of the few things we happily took from the old settlements: our communal spirit.” Sharr’Renn bent down and grabbed herself and Lore a piece of fruit. “What is ours is yours.”
“I remember from the war.” Lore rubbed the fruit against their under-shirt. “My first night, there was a feast… Well, the best they could do given there was a war on.” Lore took a bite. It was slightly under ripe compared to their memories, giving it a texture that was similar to that of an apple but tasted similar to a pineapple, tart and sweet; it left their tongue with a burning sensation as the enzymes reacted with the muscle. Their memories didn’t do it justice; they loved it. A smile like none they had smiled before crossed their face. “I’m going to have to bring you something to trade for these.”
“What is ours is yours.” Sharr’Renn beamed.

They continued to walk to the farm. They saw some of the guards that had captured them manually tilling the soil while others trundled along on ride on equipment, spreading seed or fertiliser. Sharr’Renn stopped and tossed the core of her fruit onto the soil before continuing. The closer they got to the lake, the more industrialised the farming seemed to get. Huge bushes, heavy with blossoming fruits and fields of sprouting vegetables spread far, embracing the natural water source. The waters were the bluest of blue with a surface that would put glass to shame; it shamed Lore that they hadn’t realised but the skylight was almost the exact shape and size of the lake below.
“How does that work?” They pointed between the two.
“Ah… One of the great mysteries…” Sharr’Renn couldn’t help but laugh. “Contrary to what the colonies across the empire believe, it does indeed rain on Quatarr. This region gets enough rain to flood on a semi regular basis.”
Lore nodded. “And what about the equipment? Those ploughs look like they’re antiques but they seem to be working fine.”
“As I said, we have an agreement.” Sharr’Renn sounded deflated. “It sounds worse than it is but… Officially, we offer a service to the main settlements. We remove ‘unwanted elements’ from their respective societies. In return, we can ask for old equipment and spare parts or basically anything we need but cannot make ourselves.”
“And unofficially?” Lore’s eyes darted up to the opening. They weren’t sure why, perhaps the awkwardness of their question.
“Unofficially, we help Niwen and their families move to a safer settlement and in turn, their home settlements provide us with the equipment and parts we need to keep them healthy and alive.” Sharr’Renn smiled. “At least that’s the way we choose to see it. We are not waste removal experts and we do not see our residents as being unwanted. It’s a shame the east and west see their own citizens in such a light but…” Shaking. The entire cavern began to quake, cutting Sharr’Renn’s sentiment short.

A layer of dust descended on them followed shortly by loose rocks and shale. The tremors continued for nearly a minute halting everyone in the settlement then, they stopped. For a moment, there was nothing but silence. A bright light filled Lore’s right eye; so bright it burned, they doubled over in pain. As they wailed out in agony, a guttural roar rang across not just the village but the entirety of Quatarr. The sound tore its way into the very core of everyone who heard it; unheard yet somehow, hauntingly familiar, it instilled fear and dread in all. The effect had made itself known, then came the cause. The Cystell Rhyfel was aflame; the satellites burned with the intensity of stars. The space around them fractured as thin, white lines began to form, eventually connecting and widening. An etheric light poured through then too grew in intensity. A second shock-wave shook Quatarr once again, heralding something’s arrival. Lore’s body was adapting to the pain; they struggled to a standing position then looked up. Wrenching their left eye open, they looked at the sky above; through it, they saw nothing but clouds but their right eye told them different. A shadow crossed the burning white. Squinting, they tried to make it out.
“Destiny?” Their voice was hoarse and dry. Slowly, and with great effort, they raised their arm to point at the as yet unseen ship.
Then, there she was. Fate.