””Princess, Honerva wants to speak with you.”
”Thank you, Keith. I’m afraid I my legs won’t make the journey to her study. Would you send her in?”
”Of course, princess.” Keith ducks his head in a bow and heads out of the command room. It’s more than she wishes of him, a close, childhood friend, whom has guarded her since he’s been old enough to handle a sword, but Keith is traditional and doesn’t lend himself well to change. Besides that he’s galra, a people far more concerned with honor and rank.
The ship’s lighting is cool-toned and soft, a glow just bright enough to see but dark enough that screens and buttons at the control are a visible hum of green. She feels it in her feet and hands, the hour is a quiet ache in her joints. The weariness helps keep her attention from it. She stands tall, shedding the exaustion with a shake of her shoulders. They are fast approaching the coordinates the voice has given her.
”Allura?” Honerva wrapts gently at the door, soft as her voice. Her hair is contained, but only barely, inside a bun. Various strands poke up and hang down. Tucked beneath her forearm is a tablet. Eyes that shift languidly lose their tension as they settle on Allura.
”Come in, please, it’s lovely to see you, Honerva. Shall I brew us some tea?”
”Do you have more of the Ervorian blend? Those flowers are so sweet, that I’ve used up my supply already,” she closes the words with a sigh, ”according to my calculations and mapping, the nearest swap moon is at least a few days journey from our destination. And, that assumes-” The words enter Allura’s ear like sap, pregnant with a sense of meandering, ”-Oh, look, I seem to be ranting. You must excuse me, tracking down data of this planet has not lent itself well to sleeping.”
Allura chuckles. The truth is, Honerva rambles just as much when she has had adequite rest. It’s what makes her the best in her fields, having a mind for simaltaneously quick and deep thought.
Allura strolls over to the command panel on the wall, and taps her index finger, long and polished nail clicking against the screen, through the menu, finding the function to boil water. She enters in the amount of liquid and is then prompted for which type of containers to fill it in, and what tea to draw from its reserves. She has thoughts to do something humorous, something they would be reprimanded for, by placing it in bowls. But the laughter, the sharp contraction of muscles and the mirthful vocals would drain the last of her energy. When it’s done pouring, it beeps and the recieving panel slides up to reveal two cups with steam billowing out, and the scent of the crushed Ervorian flower is sweet as it wafts into the room. She clicks open a table from the wall and two stools raise from the floor to meet it. She places the mugs down, making a soft clank in the otherwise quietness of the room.
They sit down for a much earned break.
”Now, I’ve sent inquires out to the nearest systems, and there’s been no real return. There’s one message that says they’ve encountered intelligent life. But no one has confirmed anything.” Honerva speaks as she’s scrolling through pages on her tablet, ”I keep hoping we’ll get a reply that has something we can hold on to.”
Allura takes a sip of her tea. It’s warm and tastes like chewing on the flower with a drizzle of honey atop the petals, and drinking provides her a few moments to think. ”For now, let’s stick to the plan with the Marmora. We’ll make landfall, and send some agents out scouting. Then, adjust according to intel.”
Honerva hums her agreeance.
”There’s something else, isn’t there? Or else we wouldn’t need to speak alone.”
That finally gets Honerva to look up. Her eyes have the faintest beginnings of wrinkles at the edges.
”Nothing gets past you, my child. Not even in fatigue,” she chuckles for a moment, and it fades into a deep breath, ”Yes, I imagine this will sound harsh, but I must ask plainly, are you certain about this voice?”
”I have faith in what has always proven good, as well as faith in myself.” The words are no more harsh than Honerva’s. Any snideness is an unfortunate bi-product, whose bite is hopefully tampered down by their years of relation.
Honerva tucks her chin in a short bow. ”I shall continue my study. Perhaps there will be more to work with when we next sit and debrief over some tea.” She bids Allura a good rest of her night and makes her exit.”
- Reasons (Title in progress), Chapter 1, WIP
