Upon Vestia: Chapter Thirty-Four

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"We could stay here and see if Vestia can start getting some movies on file for us." Shane said with a shrug.

Esk's lips twitched into an almost smile, it faded quickly. "yeah..." Was he agreeing? his flat tone made it hard to tell.

----

Kay looked up at Web worriedly. [Are you alright?] He didn't look well.

Web ran a hand through his hair. "yeah.." He lied, he wasn't an overly convincing liar.

Kay frowned.

"I'm relieved, you're all okay. " Web changed the subject. "Tell me what happened, please? Start at the begining."

Kay gestured he sit down. Well, looked like it was story time huh? He looked to see if anyone wanted to cover this one.

---

Luka nodded. "there's still a few loose connections to fix, a couple of fried components... should be sorted in a few hours." She smiled, reaching out a hand and running it across his cheek tenderly. "i was just... getting lonely." She laughed, blushing a little.

----

Mourn considered that. "knife just drive into.. stab stab... nice easy."

Vestia ducked her camera slightly in acknowledgement of Dawn's words. D'aww.

~~
Moriah would head off, still wearing her hat, feeling both excited and nervous. She was so conflicted about learning to fight, but it would be a good thing. Maybe. If it let her keep the people she cared about safe.

~~
Ellie looked to Starr, she was probably the best one to explain this. Well, her or Vestia. They knew more than anyone else usually.

~~
James cackled gleefully. "Now I'm imagining a bot driving forward and then backing up again and again, ramming a knife into someone's shoe," he said. "Not the most efficient combat technique, but hilarious."

Dawn saw the smile and knew he agreed, at least for the current time.
~~~
Starr came to sit and explain what had happened to the best of her ability. (Yeah, not repeating all of that, lol)
~~~
Rigel smiled at her touch and her blush. He brought a hand up to hold Luka's.

Mourn grinned. "If make little higher, get ankle.. or shin.. very painful." He nodded.

---

Web listened intently to the story, he didn't ask questions, he just let Starr explain, looking sombre the whole time. When she finished he nodded. "thank you..."

"now YOU tell us how the fuck you have an eighteen year old son!" Matt insisted.

"He does not seem overly fond of you..." Armin mused.

Web shook his head. "no.. he's not."

"Spill!" Matt pointed a finger at his brother. "now."

Web sighed. "You won't like this story." He warned.

"you're stalling." Matt told him.

"I'm not entirely sure I want to go into the sordid details with this many strangers..." Web protested.

"then give us the edited highlights!"

Web sighed. "I didn't tell you because I didn't know alright? Not for sure. I mean I suspected... but I didn't KNOW. "

Matt looked at Web suspiciously. What the fuck had he done? Something bad right? He was acting so cagey about it, it was clearly something he was ashamed of.
"So.... when did you figure that out?"

Web frowned. "shortly after he was outcast he began to have fits."

"shortly after he WHAT!??"

Kay looked stunned as well. [Your own son is an outcast? Isn't he heir?]

Web rubbed the bridge of his nose. "it's a long story, he broke the laws, the elders wanted to have him executed I... talked them into exile instead. and no, he's not my heir, not anymore... I don't really understand it but, he made some deal with Fate, or... someone made a deal with Fate. He managed to break the ancestral line, free himself, sever the connection. In return he served the god of shadows and secrecy, I don't know much about him, but I do know those shadows keep him safe. Safer than anyone else ever could." he looked miserable. This wasn't a topic he was particularly keen to discuss.

"How long ago was this?" Matt asked, still not quite wrapping his head around his nephew being outcast. Of course he had to be, why else would he be out here? But still!

"five.. six years?"

"He was TWELVE!? Who the fuck tries a KID?" Matt was yelling again.

Web winced.

Kay shook his head, he was with Matt here. What the fuck?

"He completed his apprentiship early, by our laws he was an adult. I tried to argue this with the Elders, but they overruled me. Our laws are clear, he knew that. He had no remorse, he told them to their face that he'd do it again if needs be. What could I do Matt? I did the only thing I could, I spared his life and I found him somewhere to live, someone who would take care of him."

[the Star Marshall?] Kay guessed.

Web nodded. "Eva may be a bit odd, but she's strong and she's got a good heart. I couldn't expect Asher and Nova to take on yet another child, especially not one who needed so much specific attention. She was the best option." He'd convinced himself of this.

"what about Jess?" Matt asked.

"you really think the Imperium is a good place for an outcast Kevali to end up? Eva could help him, she's an elementalist, when the time came she had the knowledge to help him control his elemental, something we never had. She promised she'd keep him safe."

Kay frowned, something in Web's expression made him suspect that hadn't been what happened. [Web?]

Web looked away. "He has every reason to hate me alright? I failed him, repeatedly. The fact he even remains in any way civil toward me speaks a lot for his own fortitude. "

Matt sat back in his chair, he didn't know what to say. This was all rather a lot to take in. "fuck..."

Web bowed his head, silent.

Kay frowned.

Armin looked like he wanted to say something, but thought better of it.

Esk wandered back to Dawn's new room with her and leaned against a wall casually while she unpacked. "Ethan's rebuilding the library." He mentioned, she'd lost books right? "As soon as we end up anywhere we can resupply, I suspect he's going to spend a fuckton on books. Might be worth getting your order in early, before he gets too distracted by shitty paperbacks."

James laughed. "Let's attach knives to each end of one of the bots, so it can stabs people as it drives forward AND as it backs up!" He could imagine Asher and, well, most of the crew giving him disapproving looks for this terrible idea, but he didn't care what they thought. Nope. "Maybe we can make the knives fold down when not in use or something?" he added after a moment's thought.

~~
Ellie frowned. "The kevali are so messed up," she said. She'd barely encountered Jarral yet, but she didn't think any twelve year old should go on trial. "But... but how did you decide to send him to Esk's sister? that doesn't make much sense. How did you even know Esk had a sister?!"

Dawn smiled wryly at that and nodded "Yeah, I'll have to see what new medical books are used these days and order them, but I will get that in before we resupply them." She agreed, putting the few things she had away in one bedroom. This was a lot of room to her, but she didn't mind the extra space.
~~~
Starr got quiet, listening to them talk. She didn't know what, if anything to say to this story. "Perhaps the rest of us should leave and let you three catch up." She offered.

Web looked to Ellie. "I met her while searching for you. Like myself she's spent a great deal of her time looking for this ship. We were following similar leads, we figured, upon figuring out who the other was, that it made sense to pool our resources. "

"And then she became a star marshall?" Matt asked.

Web nodded. "The rift started small, just an anomoly, not considered a problem but then things began to pour out, worlds fell, they needed a leader and she... stepped up. " He shook his head, he didn't fully understand why she'd been chosen, she was, as far as he was aware, a mercenary. But perhaps that was why, no affiliation, no loyalties, just there to get the job done.

Kay frowned, trying to piece together this timeline. [So you sent your son to someone working on the front line in a war?]

Web sighed. "his unique talents were essential to their mission. She could keep him safe and he could help her to, I hoped, figure out a way to close that rift and find you all."

Matt stared at his brother. "You put... a twelve year old child... on the front line in a war against demons because you thought he could be USEFUL?"

Web flinched. "It was for the greater good."

Kay slapped him.

---

Esk nodded. He looked around the room. "Why the fuck didn't we all move in here in the first place?"

---

Mourn considered that, theoretically that wasn't a difficult build, making knifes flick in. He nodded, grabbed some paper and a pencil and scribbled a schematic.

"The other rooms were closer to everything and everyone else." Dawn replied with a shrug. "Easier to get on and off, I guess."
~~~
Starr frowned then shook her head. "Take a breath, right or wrong, it's the past. He can't change it. It's obvious he didn't like the situation." She said calmly. "Those shadows that protect him could have taken him away if he was in danger, they could bring Web here to a moving ship." She reminded them. Sure, she didn't think it was the best choice, but sometimes hard choices had to be made.

Esk shrugged. "Maybe, or Vestia didn't want us messing up her good stuff." He smirked at the nearby camera.

--

Web kept his head down, rubbing his face. Damn, Kay had a mean streak didn't he?
He felt like he deserved that though.

Kay still glowered.

Matt rubbed his temples. Starr was always a voice of reason. "Yeah.. the past's the past right?" He wasn't sure he quite believed that, his whole image of his older twin was a bit thrown through a loop here. He'd always believed Web to be so collected, sensible but also extremely compassionate. The man he was seeing now had a cold calculating streak he found a little unsettling. Maybe that was what years of having a god in your head did to you. Eugh.
"Let's... let's talk about something else."

Web nodded gratefully.

Ellie shook her head. "Man, never mention the greater good. It's... not a good idea." She tried to think of something to talk about, "Umm so wait, you've talked to the kiddos right? Is Matt's kid adorable? Are the star dragons adorable?" She looked hopeful.

~~
James watched as Mourn started planning. "Oh yeah, we can totally do this," he said. "You have a soldering iron here? I can totally like, cut some metal pieces to shape in the shuttle bay if needed." Not that he enjoyed metalworking, but he knew how. You had to learn that stuff when you worked part time in a ship repair bay.

Dawn chuckled and looked to the camera "I rather think she was still trying to be a cruise ship instead of a refugee ship."

~~~
Shane nodded then smiled. "I bet they are all cute, I can't wait to meet them again." Yay for happier topic, even if it still was kids.

Starr was glad they calmed down. She glanced around at the others then sighed and dipped her head. Her own past was nearly as chaotic as this story had been, so she knew a bit about how good intentions could lead astray. Also, she was wondering about if their actions in the mirror universe had caused this bit of chaos in particular.

~~~
Rigel held Luka's hand gently, waiting to see if she wanted to make a move or continue their rather platonic relationship.

Mourn nodded and gestured to the tool box. He'd pilfered rather a lot from engineering.

---

"I dunno if refugee is the right word.. more.. idiots with nowhere better to go." Esk shrugged.

---

Luka smiled at Rigel, their relationship was still super awkward wasn't it? She was nervous to make the first move because she didn't really know if that's what he wanted. Sure he said he did, but shit Rigel was a strange and difficult man to get a handle on. Still.. what'd she really have to lose? it was just the two of them here... She kissed him softly on the cheek, chickening out last minute on anything more.

---

Web frowned. "uh.." yeah he didn't really know how to answer that. "I.. suppose?"

Kay rolled his eyes.

"Asher and Nova have done an excellent job raising them." Web nodded.

Kay smiled sadly. Asher was always good with kids.
With people in general.

"you'll see them soon, you're on your way to Unity right? " Web asked.

[It's a few weeks travel...] Kay explained

Matt nodded. "Unless you got a solution to get us there faster"

Web looked thoughtful, then shook his head. "I don't think I can ferry you all across, I could take two but then I wouldn't be able to get back. Unless Jarral's shadows can drag entire ships through the shadow realm..." He shook his head again. "It's safer to just wait."

Matt snorted. Yeah, safer.

"Nova has teleporting stones," Ellie pointed out. "At least she did, I don't know if she still makes those." She looked hopeful. "Maybe you or Jarral could ferry some of those over here?"

~~
James would get to work, helping Mourn to fix up and improve the bots. Well, this should be a fun project.

Web looked thoughtful. there was an idea... "I could ask. Though i'd need Jarral to bring me back. I can't shape space onto a moving ship. I don't really know how his shadows do it but they're frighteningly efficient."

"Only if you don't count all the dragons here." Dawn pointed out. "A lot of us would be on 'refugee' status according to the definition."

~~~
Rigel smiled softly at her kiss, moving closer to touch his lips to hers briefly. "Whenever you are ready, darling." He said softly.

~~~
"We should use these few weeks to orient ourselves to this time. The stones aren't strong enough to take a ship as big as Vestia, we had to charge them to move just my ship." Starr said and shook her head. She didn't want to chance hurting Vestia like that.

"We don't need to move me, we can just make it possible for you guys to travel between here and Unity station," Vestia suggested.

Starr looked thoughtful but nodded. "We could have another make stones here, then let Web take a stone with him to Unity and those that want to can go visit there. Not everyone would go, of course, but some could."

Luka shivered a little, relaxing into his touch, meeting his lips with hers.

---

Matt looked disappointed. "Yeah..." He mumbled.

Web looked to his brother. He COULD theoretically take Matt with him to Unity, but he wasn't sure that was the right call. Maybe a few weeks to adjust to all this and get his head together would be better for him, and for Lana.
"Starr is right, two weeks are nothing in the grand scheme of things, but there's a lot to adjust to. You want to be in the best place emotionally for this reunion."

Kay looked down at his tablet. He wasn't entirely sure 2 weeks was going to make any difference to people's mental state.

Web looked back to Matt. "Please be patient. I know it hurts, but rushing into meeting Lana is likely to do more harm than good."

Matt frowned back at Web. "What's she like?" He asked, his voice hollow.

Web thought about that. "She's smart. Surprisingly well adjusted. You'll be proud of her."

Matt nodded grimly. What would she think of HIM though?

---

"You think the dragons will stay? " Esk asked. "Starr? She's got a big decision to make there. Stay here, or go rebuild a civilisation half the population don't even remember." He shook his head. Personally he thought they should just start over, but what'd he know about government. They'd survived this long without her leadership.

Ellie looked kinda disappointed. Aww man, she wanted to meet the kiddos. Oh well, she could be patient. "Maybe it would be helpful to bring Asher or Nova here, to talk to us and help us all get ready to meet the kids?" she suggested. "And then go back to tell the kids about us?" Not that she liked Asher, and she barely knew Nova, but hey. Maybe that would help.
Or maybe not, hmm.

Rigel pulled back just enough to focus on her eyes before kissing her again. He wanted to be sure she was ok with this.

~~~
"In the meantime, we can message each other and do video calls when our comms are good enough." Starr said gently. "We can work on healing Vestia and fixing everything we can on the way."

Video chats could be interesting." Shane agreed.

Luka closed her eyes and sank into the kiss eagerly, her goggles slipping off her head. whoops?

----

Kay nodded. [We have big screens, no reason we can't do conferance calls.]

Matt nodded slowly. "yeah..." He glanced at the screen they'd been watching the movie on.

Web rose from his seat and put a hand on Matt's shoulder. "Let's go talk, in private." He suggested. There was a lot to catch up on, and Matt looked like he could do with some time out.

---

Mourn was a bit bossy but he was, thankfully quite distracted by his own work and didn't yell too many instructions at James as he soldered things.

Ellie nodded. "Yeah, that's true." She supposed the people on Unity probably had webcams on their tablets or something. She smiled at Matt and Web, "See you guys later. It's good to see you again Web."

~~
Mourn's bossiness didn't outrage James the same way Kay's did. Maybe it was because Mourn didn't roll his eyes and call him a child. Regardless of the reason, James was happy to follow Mourn's instructions as they worked. This was a good project.

Web nodded, smiling softly to Ellie. "thank you, it's good to see you all as well."

He handed Matt his crutches. "We'll finish the movie later yeah?" he told Ellie and Shane, maybe, if he didn't get super drunk... er.

The twins left to go discuss things, or just chat about dumb shit and pretend like 10 years hadn't passed and things weren't super shitty. The latter was far more likely. Neither of them were particularly good at facing things.

Starr smiled softly as the twins left then stood "I will go too, I should check on Luna and see if the kids can talk." They did have school and friends that could distract them after all.

~~~
Rigel settled against Luka since she was laying on the floor as they kissed. It felt good to hold a woman in his arms and kiss her again. Even without it being a soul bond, he did still like her enough.

Ellie waved to the twins. Yeah, they could finish the movie later. It was nice to see Matt with a little more energy, she knew he wasn't anywhere close to recovering from his grief, but at least his brother's return had shaken him out of his apathy for now.
She looked to Shane, smiling at him a little.

Armin looked to Starr. "take care my friend, I will speak to you later yes?" He should probably go switch his tanks. He liked to do so when he still had plenty of air left.

---

Luka pulled away, resting her head against his shoulder now and sighing happily. "we're going to have to come clean about all this at some point..." She mused, but she didn't really want to. She liked having this happy little secret and keeping everyone guessing. It meant they couldn't interfere as much.