The two Kel-Dor make it back to Xol's room. Xol makes himself comfortable in a chair, with his feet up on a table, arms crossed and Set climbs into the bed and buries himself in the blankets. A few moments later, Set rolls over. He stirs again under the blankets. Another flip-flop and a sigh.
"What's wrong little one," Xol asks, looking up at the ceiling, trying to relax. "Are you not comfortable? It is hard to sleep with the mask on, but you get used to it...that is...until I get this room "fixed" for us. You can take the eye piece off but you must get used to not being able to see if you don't fall asleep right away..."
Set moves the blankets from over his head, sits up and sighs again. "It's like a holo-vid that's stuck..." he says sadly.
ReplyDeleteXol looks over at Set and sits up.
"What is..."
No answer...just a sort of shaky inhales and heavy exhales.
A worried Xol gets up and sits next to Set on the bed and rubs his back. "What's wrong Set...you can talk to me."
((The rest is in Kel-Dor till I says so!))
"Mommy and daddy...mommy was screaming and daddy couldn't stop them...it was flashing red...and they were gone...and they took me away...she was screaming..."
Set leans on Xol.
Xol hugs Set tight.
ReplyDelete"It was my fault...they wanted me and they said no...what if they come back...what will happen to you...I don't want anything to happen to you...you're nice like mommy and daddy...please don't go away...please don't let them take me again...I don't want to be like them...they scare me...we didn't have weapons...we never had weapons...we never needed weapons...it wasn't fair..." Set sobs.
"Look at me," Xol says softly but with a little authority in his voice.
ReplyDeleteSet looks up at Xol.
"That was NOT your fault. Nothing you did caused that to happen. Do not ever think that way...I know your mom and dad would NEVER want you to feel that way. And as for me...I'm not going anywhere."
Xol thinks about his vision and shakes his head.
"I am going to keep you safe and protect you always."
Set hugs Xol and then fiddles with his goggles.
ReplyDeleteXol looks at Set's face and says, "Your face is leaking..."
Set can't help but laugh a little through the tears.
"It's going to be weird...but..." Xol takes the goggles off Set's face and wipes the tears.
"Can I blink...will my eyes pop out," Set asks half laughing, half crying with his eyes still shut.
"Your eyes are safe...I promise. You just can't see."
Set blinks and rubs his eyes.
ReplyDelete"This IS weird," Set says a little surprised.
"You have eyes just like mine," Xol says as he rubs Set's back. "Silvery white like stars in the sky."
"I wanna see...mommy and daddy had dark eyes," He says as he feels around for his goggles.
Xol puts the black goggles back on Set's face.
"Good now? You can see fine?"
"Yes," Set sort of sighs, but more of a sigh of release. Letting all the bad feelings out in one breath.
Xol takes his goggles off so Set can see his eyes.
"Pretty!" He takes the goggles from Xol's hands and puts them back on his face after he wipes Xol's eyes too.
((Ok back in basic))
ReplyDelete"Do you think you can rest now? You must be exhausted..."
Xol goes to get up to tuck Set in, but Set grabs Xol's arm.
"Don't go..."
Xol bounces onto the bed and Set laughs a bit as he snuggles up next to Xol and quietly says something in Kel-Dor as he drifts off to sleep.
Xol stays up for a bit and watches Set sleep. He's a softy for kids...always has been. They need the most help and attention. They are young, haven't lived as long as those before them, and don't understand things or just plain don't know.
ReplyDeleteHe yawns and is surprised at how tired he feels, body and mind. When was the last time his thoughts weren't racing? He takes advantage of this moment and nods off.
--------------
A few hours later, Set yawns and opens his eyes and it takes a moment for him to remember where he was and what was going on. He relaxes again and wiggles carefully out of the bed. He's gotten the best sleep he's had for a few days now and he's wide awake. He then gets to work, carefully tucking Xol in.
Xol mumbles in his sleep..."No no...we all have wrinkles...I'm not that ol...."
Set tilts his head at Xol's mumblings and tip toes out of the room with Widdimur close by. Wid has a job to do! And he's going to do it.
ReplyDelete"This place is huge huh," Set says to the strill as he looks up and down the halls, walls and ceilings. It's very quiet and yet, noisy at the same time.
He wanders out over to the cargo area and looks down on it from the balcony. "Wow! Looks bigger from up here."
A series of beeps, whistles, and blatts comes from behind the young Kel Dor.
ReplyDeleteA dull gunmetal and gold-yellow R2 unit rolls up to Set. It continues its tones for a few seconds more, pauses and waits.
Set turns around quckly and looks at the droid. "oh hello," he says, looking the droid up and down. "Do you need something?"
ReplyDeleteTweaker gives an electronic sigh, then repeats the whistles and beeps slower and louder. It waits expectantly of Set again.
ReplyDelete"Um...let's go see Xol," Set points to the room he came from. "Because...I'm sorry...I don't know what you are saying...if you are even saying anything."
ReplyDeleteHe leads the way for the droid and creeps into the room.
"Xol," he whispers shaking the sleeping kel-dor..."Xol...I have a er um...I don't know...I think it needs something...it's beeping at me."
"Hrrmmm what?" Xol wakes up. "A what beeping what? OH Tweaker..."
A slide on Tweaker's dome moves aside to reveal a small speaker.
ReplyDeleteIn a clipped precise tone, a voice issues out in Kel-Dor.
"Your miniature variation model was out on the bridge balcony. I attempted to question it about its functions there. It was not responding to Bianary and I was about to begin using my vocabulator when it chose to take me to you.
"I assume it is seeking to allay my questions by bringing me directly to certify its functions in the area?"
Xol looks surprised at Tweaker. "You...huh...didn't know you could do that...he brought you to me because he didn't understand you. This is Set. Set this is Tweaker."
ReplyDelete"Hi!"
"What he was doing out there...probably being a kid? Curious? Exploring? But in general, I'm going to be taking care of him and teaching him."
"You took time to understand my natural method of sonic based communication. It was unnecessary. Thanks to the Maker's most wise decisions, I have a modified heuristic processor and vocabulator allowing me to interface in any sonic based communication currently known in the galaxy.
ReplyDeleteAs to the actions of your miniature variant, it was leaning over the safety railing on the bridge balcony with the hermaphroditic hexapod. One of my current tasks is to monitor all activity on the bridge and prevent unauthorized access. Your variant and the amphibious sentient under the control of Koroban have not had time to be authorized. The Secondary User has not even returned access to R4.
"Before I leave you to your programming duties, please do me a favor. In order to pursue one of my current assignments, could you please acquire the item on this flimsy. It will be infinitely useful given certain programming limitations I am bound by."
Reaching into its body, Tweaker pulls a rumpled piece of paper from a compartment. Typed on it is, "Xol please acquire for me 1x Sonic Stunner. Warning, the item may be considered illegal by biological sentient beings. Repayment can be rendered upon delivery. Thank you."
Xol chuckles at Tweaker's terminology and takes the paper. He stuffs it into a pocket.
ReplyDelete"I'll do my best to find that for you Tweaker," Xol says with a yawn.
"And as long as they don't touch anything," he looks over at Set and Wid, "they will be fine...don't worry too much about them...do you need anything else?"
"Nothing at this time. I leave you to your recharge cycle and your program duties."
ReplyDeleteThe droid wheels about and rolls out of Xol's room. Rolling past Ti, the droid gives a few beeps at the Nautolan as it rolls past.
"ssssssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh your ganna get me in trouble!!" Whines Ti in a whisper.
ReplyDelete"Stupid droid" he adds under his breath as tweeker rolls away.
"Now, how do I get to set?" he wonders. Maybe I could try that head talk stuff that cyrus does....
Xol stuffs his face back into the pillow.
ReplyDelete"Am I ok to go now?" Set whispers.
Xol waves his hand lazily and flops it back down.
"Yay!" Set slips away and closes the door.
Xol almost forgot how good sleeping feels...the dreams however...he might be able to do without.
D: