MSNPC He’liseka - Collapse

[Alora DeVeau]

((Shrine of the Guides, Si’laan Migration Ship))
((Time index: Before the Ion Storm))

As a young girl, I have often found myself jealous of the gift the line of the Speaker had received from the Guides. It predestined them to be leaders of our people - after all, they could connect not only to Risu around them, but to the ancestors who had long left their mortal shell behind. 

I, too, had received gifts, but more often they not, especially in my youth, they felt like a curse. My mother had carried the burden of the visions on her shoulders, as had her mother before her. And when those dreams of disaster and destruction were passed on to me, I accepted them with grace.

My father once told me that, hundreds of turns ago, our families were one, and what set us apart from the others was, in it’s core, one and the same. But as time passed, and our journey became more and more perilous, our migration looked to the Speaker for comfort, and to me as a representation of the illnesses and losses we had suffered. 

And then the Speaker had died. He had returned injured from an attempt on friendship with another species, and died in his daughters arms. She, as the only Risu aboard the Si’laan who shared his gift, stepped into the role of the leader. 

And me? 

I was not a leader, I was just a messenger. The guides did not bless me with what it took to connect to our people in such a unique way as Ki’yara was able to do it. But had she consulted me, asked me about those strangers in their warship, I would have advised her not to trust them.

***

He’liseka let out a long pent-up sigh and opened her eyes. The Shrine of the Guides was dimly lit, but still it took her eyes several moments to readjust. In the shadows she could make out Tu’pia’s small frame, and that of the slightly taller Ku’kari nearby. The two girls attended to He’liseka, and assisted her when her age caught up with her.

He’liseka: I fear the Guides do not answer me today.

She struggled onto her feet, and Tu’pia quickly came to aid the older woman, lending the support her walking stick could not offer. 

Tu’pia: I am certain they will, honoured He’liseka, in time. 

The older woman responded with a rare smile. Her own daughter had been killed turns ago, and both her bloodline and her gift would die with her. Perhaps it was for the better. 
Ku’kari joined them, as always eager to help. She was older than Tu’pia, and would soon be looking for a mate. Her long, silky black fur and bright blue eyes made her desirable, even if her connection to the Messenger of the Guides did not.

Ku’kari: Perhaps we ought to take a walk, He’liseka. We have remained here far too long, and when the guides wish to speak, I am sure they can wait. 

Tu’pia: ::scoldingly:: Kari! You mustn’t speak of the Guides like that. 

Ku’kari answered with a slight shrug, and turned her attention to He’liseka, who nodded at Tu’pia’s words. 

He’liseka: Your sister is right, Ku’kari. If the Guides decide to leave me waiting, so be it - but… I suppose your suggestion is not a bad one. 

Ku’kari smiled triumphantly, and Tu’pia nodded with a small sigh. Together, the three woman left the darkness of the meditation chamber and stepped into the much brighter corridor, one of the pathways leading to and away from the Shrine of the Guides. The hallway was decorated with glittering tiles, sacred plants, and artwork created in devotion to those they worshipped. 

Tu’pia: Is it often that the Guides do not answer? 

He’liseka: The Guides know when it is the right time for us to receive their message. And they deliver it when-….

She was interrupted by a straining and bracing of metal, followed by a lurch forward that threw her off her feet. The two younger women quickly helped her up, only to loose their own footing as the ship began shaking violently. 

They had passed through storms before, sustained attacks, but this felt worse than what they had experienced so far. 

Ku’kari: Watch out!

Instinctively He’liseka scrambled out of the way as the wall of the corridor caved in, burying Tu’pia underneath it. 

Around them, screams filled the air as scared and injured Risu tried to get out of the crumbling passage. 

He’liseka: ::to Ku’kari:: Run!

Ku’kari would be faster without her, but the other Risu just looked at her, tears streaming down her cheeks as she tried to comprehend what she had just witnessed. 

He’liseka: Ku’kari, *listen* to me!

Ku’kari snapped out of it, taking He’liseka’s paw and dragging the older Risu with her, dodging the falling debris. There was an opening not far from here, like a clearing in a forest, if only they could make it there…

And then the metal strained once more, sounding almost like a long-stretched groan, which ended in the collapse of the tunnel. He’liseka clasped Ku’kari’s paw tightly, pulling her into an embrace before everything went dark. 

[End Scene]
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MSNPC He’liseka
Messenger of the Guides
Si’Laan Colony
J239809TA4