process. So they've passed the Species Awareness test. Used to be more of them, though. This planet is strategically important, which is why I'm sending you there instead of someone else, given your natural skills."
I narrowed my eyes at her, and looked over the planet's statistics. "How so?"
Ke'rekh grimaced, her face paling. "The thing is, we screwed this one up awhile back. Because of the current conflict, we weren't watching too carefully and they ah, well, they destroyed themselves. War, it's always war." She stroked her chin. "In any case, we had to restart it from the latest backups the Core had, so we only saved a small fraction of them. To cope with this, we set them up with some basic infrastructure to help things along. Basically, we're more visible on this planet than most, because we need to be. We won't make the same mistake again."
My eyes widened. This was quite a bit to take in. Akha usually weren't involved at all with planetary development, at least on the ground level. We're the creatures behind the curtain, pulling levers.
"Will I be paired with someone else?" I said, after a few moments. Companions were sometimes sent out solo, but it was standard to be paired with someone else. Perhaps even a Sylph. Great.
"You will indeed. Circumstances around the current-er, late Guideflame have changed, and he's no longer useful. He has volunteered to retire, thus, the new one needs to be retrieved. She's a bit younger than usual, but we'll just force-age her up a few years."
"How young?"
"Mid-teens, by human measure. Fourteen or fifteen, I think her file said."
I stroked my chin. "I forgot they live much shorter."
The agent nodded, hair falling across her eyes. The silvery crown-set she wore for the ceremony jingled.
"That's changing too. We're going to be doubling, if not tripling their normal lifespan. Technology and genetic screening are wonderful, aren't they?"
"Indeed." I wonder which Sylph I'd be paired with. They're all chaotic creatures, but some more than others. One particular one came to mind, and as if bidden by my thoughts, appeared at the door.
"Agent Ke'rekh?" she sang in that weird musical tone Sylphs use. She bowed toward us. So much as a floating being could. Although Sylph had the standard grey, bipedal blanks, they preferred to use their inborn traits and float around like fog.
"Promethea, take a seat if you wish." Agent Ke'rekh gestured to the empty space next to me. The lithe creature instead hovered cross legged while peering at the side of my head. I stayed facing the Agent, fixing my gaze on the plant behind her.
Ke'rekh pointed to the still rotating holo of Sol.
"There's another issue you both need to know about. More so Alastair, actually." She zoomed in on the western coast of a large northern continent. "So you know the basics about this planet, but the ground level issues are a little troubling," she said, pointing to a large walled city. "This is Opalesk city, the capital of the twelve settlements we restructured."
We both nodded, processing the info into memory.
"It's also the headquarters of Sky Farms, the company we set up to facilitate building aforementioned infrastructure. It was previously headed by three people. Two were assumed dead a short while ago, one survived. Of course, Alere was the resident Guideflame, his death wasn't possible. It's by sheer favourable circumstance that we didn't have to clean up that one." Ke'rekh pulled up some of the planet's media on the accident, and Alere's retirement some decades later. "Alere had planned for this, but I'll let him tell you that when you arrive, Alastair." With some more shuffling she revealed a picture of the two dead co-founders. "This is Serena and Aquila Emet. As you saw, they were presumed to be dead, killed in a terrorist explosion."
I contemplated the portrait of Serena. She looked like a calm creature, fitting of her name. Composed, seated on a stone bench with a small human child in her arms. The
I narrowed my eyes at her, and looked over the planet's statistics. "How so?"
Ke'rekh grimaced, her face paling. "The thing is, we screwed this one up awhile back. Because of the current conflict, we weren't watching too carefully and they ah, well, they destroyed themselves. War, it's always war." She stroked her chin. "In any case, we had to restart it from the latest backups the Core had, so we only saved a small fraction of them. To cope with this, we set them up with some basic infrastructure to help things along. Basically, we're more visible on this planet than most, because we need to be. We won't make the same mistake again."
My eyes widened. This was quite a bit to take in. Akha usually weren't involved at all with planetary development, at least on the ground level. We're the creatures behind the curtain, pulling levers.
"Will I be paired with someone else?" I said, after a few moments. Companions were sometimes sent out solo, but it was standard to be paired with someone else. Perhaps even a Sylph. Great.
"You will indeed. Circumstances around the current-er, late Guideflame have changed, and he's no longer useful. He has volunteered to retire, thus, the new one needs to be retrieved. She's a bit younger than usual, but we'll just force-age her up a few years."
"How young?"
"Mid-teens, by human measure. Fourteen or fifteen, I think her file said."
I stroked my chin. "I forgot they live much shorter."
The agent nodded, hair falling across her eyes. The silvery crown-set she wore for the ceremony jingled.
"That's changing too. We're going to be doubling, if not tripling their normal lifespan. Technology and genetic screening are wonderful, aren't they?"
"Indeed." I wonder which Sylph I'd be paired with. They're all chaotic creatures, but some more than others. One particular one came to mind, and as if bidden by my thoughts, appeared at the door.
"Agent Ke'rekh?" she sang in that weird musical tone Sylphs use. She bowed toward us. So much as a floating being could. Although Sylph had the standard grey, bipedal blanks, they preferred to use their inborn traits and float around like fog.
"Promethea, take a seat if you wish." Agent Ke'rekh gestured to the empty space next to me. The lithe creature instead hovered cross legged while peering at the side of my head. I stayed facing the Agent, fixing my gaze on the plant behind her.
Ke'rekh pointed to the still rotating holo of Sol.
"There's another issue you both need to know about. More so Alastair, actually." She zoomed in on the western coast of a large northern continent. "So you know the basics about this planet, but the ground level issues are a little troubling," she said, pointing to a large walled city. "This is Opalesk city, the capital of the twelve settlements we restructured."
We both nodded, processing the info into memory.
"It's also the headquarters of Sky Farms, the company we set up to facilitate building aforementioned infrastructure. It was previously headed by three people. Two were assumed dead a short while ago, one survived. Of course, Alere was the resident Guideflame, his death wasn't possible. It's by sheer favourable circumstance that we didn't have to clean up that one." Ke'rekh pulled up some of the planet's media on the accident, and Alere's retirement some decades later. "Alere had planned for this, but I'll let him tell you that when you arrive, Alastair." With some more shuffling she revealed a picture of the two dead co-founders. "This is Serena and Aquila Emet. As you saw, they were presumed to be dead, killed in a terrorist explosion."
I contemplated the portrait of Serena. She looked like a calm creature, fitting of her name. Composed, seated on a stone bench with a small human child in her arms. The
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