Upon Vestia: Chapter Twenty-Four

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Dawn chuckled and shook her head a little "I don't need a party." She said softly, chuckling.

~~~
Skye looked to the door then came over to open it "Mourn? What's up?"

James remembered to pin on his badge, then led the way off the ship. "All right, let's see what we can find."

(To the beach planet, thus desyncing time, whoo)

Kooshie wrote:Vestia directed James to the deck where Luka was. He went looking around for Luka, and eventually heard her jogging. "Yo Luka!"

~~
Asher smiled at Starr. "Thank you. You really don't have to though, this is why I'm employed, after all." He liked the feeling of being self sufficient. "Any empty room should be fine, I think." He led the way toward a nearby rec room.

Starr nodded and walked with him to the empty room. "I know, but I wanted to offer." She said then fell silent until they reached the room. She moved to get the door so he wouldn't have to fight it.

"Well thank you. It's kind of you to offer." Asher wheeled into the room, grateful for Starr getting the door. Doors were a nuisance when you needed both your hands for something else.
He headed further into the room and waited for Starr to get comfortable. He didn't want to start talking to her about medical stuff before she had even sat down.

Starr closed the door and locked it so they wouldn't be disturbed then came over to take a seat "Now, what's up?"

Asher sighed. "Starr, I was reading about your species, and I read that the emotional states of star dragons can be contagious to other star dragons. Given the current situation, Kay and I are concerned about what might be happening telepathically among your species right now."

Starr blinked at that then dipped her head, thinking "I've been trying to keep my emotions to myself, but I know I wasn't able to when I was held." She said softly. "You think I should try to connect to them, if only so they know I am alright now?"

"You should tell them you're safe. I'm sure that would give them some peace of mind," Asher said. He looked unsure. It was always hard to discuss telepathy with someone when they had so much more personal knowledge of it. "Is it tiring to keep your mind shielded like that? One option we thought of might be some sort of blocking device for your mental link, so that they wouldn't be able to hear your thoughts. That might cause difficulties with the hatchling, but it's an idea anyway."

Starr shook her head a little then sighed "I have to stay connected to the infant. It's harder to do a block for one but not another than it is for a full block or no block, but I can't let the little one not accept me as the main caregiver." She paused then closed her eyes. I might be able to make something that tweeks the blocking spell if I use a shell shard from the other eggs, but then I wouldn't be able to hear emergency calls either." She shook her head then looked to Asher again, reaching over to touch his arm "No, this is something I have to deal with. It isn't easy, but then, being a queen isn't meant to be simple. Thank you for thinking about it, but I cannot do that to them all. My block, they can still feel that I am alive, even if they can't hear my mind itself. they need that and I need them to be calm as they can be until it's time to free everyone."

Asher nodded unhappily. He supposed she was right, probably for the dragons, knowing their queen was alive was more important than any depression they might pick up from her thoughts. And yeah, shielding her thoughts couldn't be easy for Starr, but she was capable of doing it for the greater good.
Ah, the greater good. Everything always seemed to loop back to it eventually.
"All right. You understand the situation a lot better than we do," he told her. "But please, try not to sacrifice your mental well-being for the good of your people. If you find that it's getting harder to handle, then it would be wise to consider other options. You need to look after yourself as well, in order to make sure you're fit to rule."

Starr smiled at that and dipped her head in a nod. "Yes, I know. If it comes to that we can modify the blocking spell so the little one won't be left alone but it would block everyone else." She agreed then sighed and shook her head "Or block everyone and let Shane or Helen connect to the little one." She preferred Shane, she knew him better, but being half, he might not take to the baby or the baby to him or was she just projecting now?

"All right, that sounds good. We'll see how things go as they are now, but if needed, we'll figure something out," Asher said. He looked at Starr hopefully, "Starr, this is a bit of a different topic, but I have to ask. Can you hear Danika, Vela, and Kerr?" He missed them. They were such sweet kids, and it would be a long time before they saw them again.

Starr nodded and smiled at him. "If I focus, yes, I can hear them. We are quite a distance from them though." She replied softly. "I miss seeing them too." She added then closed her eyes to connect to the kids. They were so pure and happy. When she looked to Asher again, she had a big smile on her face. She had missed even hearing them. She started telling him what the kids were up to and the forms they had taken for their first shifts. Vela still hadn't shifted though.

Asher smiled a bit sadly. "They're growing up so quickly. I'm sorry we've had to miss so much." He loved hearing about what they'd been doing though. It was good to imagine them talking new shapes, and hopefully having some fun too. "Send them my love and hellos."

(I just realized that this means they can communicate with Web too. Quick, make Web busy before Web gets the chance to teleport to Matt!)

(Lol)
Starr nodded and sighed softly. "Yes, I am sad to miss their first change, but at least they were safe enough to be able to do it." She said softly. "And they know we all love them."

"Yes, this was for the best. They're safe and free, and that's what matters," Asher agreed. He smiled softly. "It's going to be wonderful when we get to see them again. All the shapeshifting might be confusing."

Starr nodded and smiled sadly. "Yes, they are confused some, even with what I taught them before they left." She said then looked to him again. "But it still felt good to speak to them again."

"I'm so glad you can talk to them," Asher said. He reached out and patted her hand. "I'm sure they'll learn a lot all on their own, but once we get there, you'll be able to teach them so much more."

Starr nodded and smiled at him again. "Yes, it will be wonderful to have the kids back again." She said quietly.

Asher nodded. "Is there anything else we should talk about while we're here?" He asked. He wasn't sure, but hey, maybe Starr had something she wanted to mention.

Starr shrugged. "Do you know when we will go get the kids or what the plan is now?"

"The plan isn't fully decided yet," Asher said. "We're heading to Mars to get replacement parts for me and James, and then we're heading for the Imperium. But I don't know the time frame for when we'll arrive anywhere, or what else we'll be doing along the way. We'll most likely need a meeting to discuss the details."

Starr nodded at that and dipped her head a little. "It will be good to hold the babies again."

"Yes it will," Asher agreed. He looked hesitant, "I suppose the egg will have hatched by the time we arrive. Do you plan to mention it to the hatchlings before then?"

Starr took a breath then nodded again. "Yes, they will need to know they have a sibling." She said. It would be best.

Asher nodded. That was probably wise. "Well, we have plenty of time. You can decide on how to tell them when you feel ready to do that, and not worry about it for now." Poor Starr. This had to be so rough for her.

Starr sighed softly as she looked to him "I just hope they take the news well. This little one may have an unconventional start, but it is my child and will be the leader of my people someday. I have to teach them to be good and strong."

"They're good kids. It might take them a while to get used to the idea of having a new sibling who's royal, but I'm sure they'll do their best to understand." Asher looked thoughtful. The idea of monarchies made little sense to him, since he'd grown up in a republic, but he knew that star dragons had a very different culture. He just hoped that the royal hatchling and its older siblings wouldn't have too many difficulties due to their different ranks. That would be unpleasant.