Chapter 25: Skipper

The party watched the High Entia pod depart from the landing site, returning from Makna Forest to Alcamoth.

Melia could feel a sense of adventure welling up. Normally she was content to sit around indoors and do intellectual things, but to accompany Shulk and the others on a mission against the Mechon felt like just what she needed in these unusual times. Besides, she had her own personal goal: to make the one they called Metal Face suffer.

Looking towards the path to Valak Mountain, she shook her shoulders around a bit, causing the contents of her new travel pouch to rattle and confirm their presence. As part of preparing to be away from Alcamoth for several days, she had acquired a new travel pouch, twice the size of her old one yet still concealed under her collar. She had filled it with various miniature bathroom implements and a sleeping bag, which would in theory reduce any anxiety caused by once again eating and sleeping out in the middle of nowhere. She had offered to bring enough sleeping bags for the entire party - even though it would have taken up all the room she had available - but the others declined, presumably underestimating how cold the mountain could get at night.

Shulk, however, was staring the opposite direction, back towards Frontier Village. He seemed torn on some unapparent issue.

"Are you having second thoughts, Shulk?" Melia inquired.

"Uh? Um, not really, but...actually, I can't help but feel this is a good time to fulfill some of the requests the Nopon of Frontier Village had of us. But even this close, it would take so long to get back there."

Reyn joined in. "Hey, why not? We could always use a few easy bucks. Besides, I don't think those faced Mechon are going anywhere any time soon. They're spooked about that new Monado, they ain't gonna come back for another go so quick."

"Riki agree with Reyn. Village be Heropon-sick if Riki not visit every now and then."

"I'd love to go home for a bit too," added Sharla, "and see if we could pitch in and help the reconstruction somehow. But it's just too far away."

Dunban added his opinion. "There are so many things we could accomplish and people we could help. But every detour we make gives the Mechon that much more time to prepare for our arrival."

"Yeh." Reyn looked into the sky, following the path of the departed transport pod. "Been feeling a bit homesick lately, to be honest, and we've got so many crystals for the Gem Man to craft. But Colony 9 is...what, probably three or four days away? Maybe more, I can't even remember. We're too deep to turn back that far for just a few jobs."

The party continued to discuss the kinds of things they wished they could do by returning home, the mood becoming more depressing by the minute. With no such wishes to contribute, Melia simply listened.

Everyone seems to be homesick to a degree, which cannot be blamed in the slightest. And from the sound of things, there is a great deal of quests that they have taken on but could not accomplish before arriving up to this point on the Bionis, and can no longer complete them without spending several days hiking back down. If only there was some way for us to skip all this travelling...

Something twitched in her mind. Didn't she own a ship? One faster than any other, last seen moving towards west of Bridge Four, exactly where they currently were?

I'd like to see another problem that has been so tidily solved.

Melia reached back into her travel pouch. She had tossed in the remote to the Illustrious Alighting without really thinking about it, for no true reason other than making sure the old pouch had nothing of value remaining. Because of how rare it was for her to use it, it had never even occurred to her how useful the vessel would be on an adventure across the Bionis.

Extracting the remote and pressing the yellow button on the top-right, she flipped it over to read the screen. An arrow pointed to a nearby featureless rock face and displayed "20m".

It must be stationed within a cave, using its stealth parking function to create a holographic wall and so avoid detection.

"Melly is playing with something?" Riki was the first to notice she was doing something.

"Just a moment, Riki." Melia pressed the summon button, but nothing happened; apparently the craft didn't respond to being summoned from too close. "I believe I have a solution to the current situation."

"Melly have fix to distant places? Oh, of course! Melly first come here in ship! Ship must be still here, and Melly knows where!"

Melia now had the rest of the party's attention, and so turned to face them. "You are correct. When I first arrived in this forest to face the Telethia, I took a vehicle commissioned for me called the Illustrious Alighting. It should still be nearby, and I believe I know where."

"You...you'd let us use your ship? Just to visit our homes?" Shulk seemed incredulous.

Oh Shulk, why is it so hard for you to believe my generosity? "Of course. It is the fastest ship ever made. If you have any unfinished business anywhere on the Bionis, you need no longer worry about it."

The party showed various forms of approval.

"So where is this ship of yours?" asked Sharla. "I'm guessing you hid it well?"

"Quite. In fact, it is right here." Melia led the group to the generic-looking rock face. As she approached it, she closed her eyes and continued walking - the force field only existed for those who expected it to exist, so she passed right through. To the others, it looked like she simply disappeared into the stone.

"Oi, where'd you go?" Reyn blurted.

"Please give me a moment to disable the barrier." Melia clambered on deck and looked over the dashboard. The screen was blank, but one of the buttons on the right side was giving off a slow, pulsating glow. This must be it. She pressed the button, which caused it to stop glowing. The looks on the others' faces told her that the fake wall had vanished, revealing the lavender hot rod.

"So this is called the Illustrious Alighting, eh?" Dunban noted. "A fascinating and meaningful designation."

I'm glad someone thinks so. She had considered trying to change the craft's name to something less long-winded, but eventually decided to stick with it. She felt she wasn't the best with names anyways.

"It sure do look fast." It was clear that Reyn really wanted to get behind the wheel, but for once had the common sense not to.

Riki bobbed towards the rear of the vehicle. "Question. Who does not sit in chair?"

The vehicle currently had four seats aside from the pilot's, meaning someone would have to remain standing. Melia tried to recall whether she knew how to change this. "I believe a total of eight passenger seats can be produced. Permit me a few minutes to determine how to do so."

Shulk stepped forward to assist. "I think I can help, maybe...oh, never mind." He sheepishly backed away again. "Forgot that I can't read your people's writing, sorry."

Not seeing any indication of seating capacity on the physical buttons, Melia tried tapping the display, which lit up a soft red and displayed "Please confirm clearance". She placed her hand upon it to scan, after which it turned blue and displayed a menu. From there, it wasn't too difficult to find the passenger seating controls, which she used to materialise two extra chairs.

"So if we're going to do a bit of backtracking, where should we go first?" asked Shulk. "Just because we can go places fast now doesn't mean we shouldn't have a plan."

"Can we check in on Colony 6?" requested Sharla. "They're the ones who need our help the most. We can make a more thorough plan once we see how they're doing."

Everyone else was in agreement. Excited, they started boarding the ship.

"All right, so..." Melia turned around to see that all six passenger seats were occupied. Wait, what? Shulk, Dunban, Reyn, Riki, Sharla, Alvis. Alvis? I cannot believe I forgot he was here. "I see you're coming too, Seer."

Alvis nodded in his usual manner. "Of course. I cannot simply wait here in the forest for you to return, can I?"

"No, I suppose not. I'll need to add a seventh seat then." She turned back to do so.

"Hey, what d'you mean?" Reyn was sitting sideways in his seat to give himself more legroom. "Six plus the pilot, that looks like seven to me."

"Six plus the...the...the pilot. The pilot. I...um...oh dear..." It had completely escaped Melia that she had no pilot, and of course the ship was grounded without one. "This...er...I..." Have I just given everyone the biggest and rudest letdown of their lives?

Dunban leaned forward. "What's wrong?"

Melia sat down heavily in the pilot's seat, clearly quite depressed. "We...we have no pilot. My craft is stuck here, only able to return to Alcamoth without intervention. I have unknowingly raised your hopes of returning home only to dash them."

"Can't we go back to Alcamoth and get a pilot?" Dunban suggested.

"It is not reasonable to expect so. All hands are preparing for the inevitable battle with the Mechon. No one can be spared for a task as tangential as visiting Homs hometowns."

"Most of us have driving experience." Shulk leaned forward and looked over the dashboard. "It can't be that difficult to drive a flying vehicle. I bet-"

"You don't understand." Melia spoke much more forcefully than intended, and continued in a much quieter voice. "This vehicle will not respond to just any pilot. Only High Entia of sufficient clearance are capable of operating it. For anyone else, it will not budge."

"So? Don't you have the highest clearance of all?"

"That is true, but I fail to see-"

Reyn butted in. "Yeh, how 'bout that? You're the crown-princess-slash-empress, don't see how anything from your place could say you ain't welcome."

Melia couldn't stop her lips from curling. "My clearance is irrelevant; it is the pilot's that matters."

"You say that like you and the pilot would be different people," Sharla spelled out.

Melia's initial reaction to the continuing argument was to unleash a "now look here" with an irritated finger point, but the gut feeling was almost instantly replaced with the suddenly-dawning realisation that the others expected her to be the pilot, or at least believed that she had piloting experience, when in fact the almost complete opposite was true.

"I...I..." She struggled to find the appropriate words.

Riki picked up on her trepidation instantly. "Melly has never flown before? No time like present! Riki know Melly have skill to swooshzoom anywhere! Skill is maybe hidden, but is there for sure!"

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll be fine," Shulk added. "If you can control three elementals at once, one ship shouldn't be a big deal."

"This is not the time for peer pressure." Dunban crossed his arm. "If Melia is not comfortable as pilot, then we'll have no choice but to abandon the idea of backtracking. It's not our place to force her into it."

The party seemed downtrodden at realising Dunban was right, including himself. Silence fell for several minutes.

Reyn was the first to make a move. "Well, I guess we better get moving then. That mountain ain't gettin' any closer."

He was about to step off the deck when the craft's twin engines started making a soft humming noise. The front leg swung up and clicked into place underneath the chassis, while the two round pads attached to the engines spun around the pods and also disappeared into the underside. The craft remained at the same height, now hovering motionless in the air.

"...Melia?" Shulk leaned forward as Melia adjusted the pilot's seat forwards so she could reach the pedals. "You don't have to do this, like Dunban said-"

"I will not let one irrational fear stand in the way of five peoples' happiness." She spun the wheel sideways, aiming the nose out of the cave. From previous observations, she had half an idea of what all the steering wheel's functions were: turning, banking, pitching, altitude control, and even strafing. The main issue would be trying to pay attention where she was aiming while also trying to retain her mental faculties from the inevitably dizzying heights - she was fine as a passenger, where she had ultimate confidence in the pilot and autopilot, but not so when the novice of herself was in control.

"But what if it's not irrational? What if you actually are a bad pilot?"

Melia couldn't help but scoff at Shulk's choice of words. "What do you mean, "if"?" She floored the gas pedal, expecting to get up to a decent maneuvering speed to rise above the treetops.

She didn't notice that some movement or other of hers had bumped the speed multiplier control up to maximum.

The engines made their high-pitched whine and propelled the Illustrious Alighting up to 400 kilometres per hour. The auxiliary systems having been powered down for a long while, there was quite a jolt to start, accompanied by enough wind to blow Melia's headdress off - which was caught by the containment field before it went overboard. The trees of the forest were gone in an instant, with only blue sky visible ahead. Everyone in the party was either speechless or screaming.

Unprepared for maximum speed, it took Melia a few seconds to regain control of her arms and latch them onto the wheel, now gripping it with white-knuckle force. She intuitively turned the wheel while also tilting it sideways, causing the craft to bank into its turn, accompanied by rollercoaster-level G-forces. The Bionis quickly swung back into view as she aimed for where she knew Colony 6 to be.

After about twenty seconds, the inertial dampeners and debris deflectors regained full operation, halting any further jolt and wind. The first speech that could be heard was a profanity out of Reyn's mouth; he was immediately slapped by all three of Shulk, Sharla, and Dunban.

"No, but seriously," he gasped, "what in the-" He was slapped again before he could continue.

Melia took one hand off the wheel to make a "pfft" motion with it, concealing terror with calmness. "Did I not say this is the fastest ship ever made?"

"Well, yeah, but not like this."

Replacing both hands on the wheel, Melia continued to stare at Colony 6, coming ever closer. Remaining in control after the initial burst of speed was starting to settle her mind a bit. While she didn't know the full extent of the craft's safety features, she realised that they were probably as advanced as its engines. It would probably be difficult to crash, even intentionally.

"This is incredible," Shulk blurted out. "Do we even need to cross Valak Mountain anymore to get to Sword Valley?"

Melia considered for a moment. The Homs colonies and other known landmarks are easy enough to find, and I know my way around Eryth Sea, but I don't feel safe simply flying into unexplored territory. It could attract the attention of unexpected company. "I'm not flying into Mechonis airspace, or any unknown area for that matter, until we have scouted out its major landmarks and enemy movements."

"Fair enough," Dunban nodded. "So we shall continue forging into new areas on foot, and use this craft to backtrack when we feel it is necessary. But how will we access it once we have entered a new region?"

"I possess a remote that allows me to summon the craft from anywhere. I am unsure how safe this may be once we reach the Mechonis, but there should be nowhere on the Bionis' exterior it cannot reach."

"It's perfect." Shulk started getting excited. "We can even use it to carry around mass amounts of materials, so we can travel lighter and help more people."

"And no more livin' off weak grub, or sleepin' out in the middle of nowhere," Reyn added. "Okay, maybe every now and then if we end up in a place where this thing can't get to, but otherwise, we've got it made now."

"We could even split up," Sharla realised. "Make two groups of three, set up some times and places to meet back up, and we can cover two areas at once."

Approaching Colony 6, Melia started sliding the speed multiplier down, eventually slowing the craft to a comparative snail's pace. "I'm glad you all see so much potential in this new ability. But I request you try to keep things simple, as I am still a complete novice. I recommend not putting too much faith in my piloting abilities."

"Then perhaps you should practise while we check in on the colony," Dunban suggested, "if you wish to ensure our faith is not misplaced."

"...Yes, that is a good suggestion." Something important occurred to her. "It would also give you an opportunity to forewarn the populace of the High Entia, to soften any surprise that my appearance may provide."

"Perfect." Sharla looked rather anxious. "Let's go see how things are doing."

Melia slowly brought her craft down towards the colony's entrance. As they passed overhead, it was clear that no reconstruction had taken place thus far; aside from maybe one or two intact buildings, the entire area within the colony walls was filled with nothing but rubble, with not a soul to be seen.

Was there once a colony here? she wondered. The devastation is indescribable... Is this what became of Colony 7 after we evacuated it?

"Umm..." Shulk seemed like he didn't want to say whatever he was about to. "...where is everyone? Why haven't they returned from the Refugee Camp yet?"

Melia was equally worried about why no one had moved back into the no-longer-Mechon-occupied colony. Weren't Homs supposed to be exceptionally tough in these kinds of situations?

Sharla suddenly pointed towards the colony entrance. "Look, it's Otharon!"

Indeed, a bald dark-skinned Homs was pacing across the mouth of the colony, seemingly frustrated about something.

"Melia, put us down!" Reyn said. "Otharon'll know what's gone wrong! We've gotta talk to 'im!"

Melia was not prepared to meet a Homs unaware of her race so soon. "Er, very well, allow me to descend just out of sight."

She began to guide the ship downwards, aiming for just around the corner of the outer walls from the entrance, as close as possible without being visible. But just as the lone man was about to disappear over the wall, he looked up towards them.

I hope he didn't see us. Melia allowed the Illustrious Alighting to stop its own fall and deploy landing gear.

Before the vessel even touched the ground, Sharla leaped off and started running towards the entrance, with the others quickly following. Melia remained seated, expecting a five- or ten-minute reunion session before being informed of whatever the problem with the refugees was.

She didn't expect to hear the entire conversation from just around the corner, as though they had been met halfway.

"Welcome back to Colony 6, Medic. It's a relief to see you." The unknown voice was presumably Otharon.

"Thank you, Otharon, but...where are all the others?"

"I will get to that in a moment. But for now I must know: how goes your effort against the Mechon?"

Shulk answered. "We're no closer to Metal Face. But we've picked up new allies, and the Monado is much more powerful now. The next time we find him, we'll be ready."

"New allies, eh? I suppose that explains this little ankle-biter?"

"Riki is Heropon! Most bestest warrior of Frontier Village! No can even reach own ankles to bite!"

"Not just him," Reyn added. "We've got a High Entia on our team too!"

Confound it, Reyn, take a hint for once.

"A High Entia?! Now this I have to see."

Melia considered opening up the maintenance panel on the underside of the dashboard to give her head an excuse to remain unseen. But since the others all knew she had no business doing so, she would look incredibly foolish. Her best course of action was probably to simply remain stoic.

As all the others came back around the corner, she stiffened up and put on the most neutral face she could muster, attempting to look as uninteresting as possible. It seemed to work; Otharon certainly looked rather unsurprised as he approached and stood next to the ship with his arms crossed.

"You finally pulled your heads out of the clouds then? Finally realised there are people down here who needed your help?"

Melia was not prepared for preconceived bitterness. Without thinking about it, she gave it right back. "Do not conflate my personal desires with the public's deplorable apathy for the state of other races."

"So you admit that you were in the wrong to sit back and watch us be destroyed?"

"I have always felt it was wrong. But a single person's feelings cannot compare to untold millennia of red tape."

Otharon shook his head for a moment before his frown turned to neutrality. "Well, something's better than nothing. I hold no grudge with you. But when you return home, tell whoever's in charge of your people to take a good long look in the mirror, and ask them how they would feel if the roles were reversed."

Melia didn't react, grateful that the first thing on Kallian's mind was already shedding the notion of leaving the Homs to fight the Mechon alone.

"Now, to bring you all up to speed." Otharon turned towards the rest of the group. "We want to rebuild Colony 6 and restore it to its former glory. To do that, we need to move everyone back from the camp. But Raguel Bridge has been taken by a pack of ferocious monsters! So now no one can cross it."

"Are there not other ways to cross Raguel Lake?" Dunban interjected.

"Not with the amount of supplies the refugees need to carry," answered Sharla.

"That bridge is the only way to move the refugees back safely," Otharon spelled out. "With them stuck on one side and me on the other, we're all stuck! Can you eliminate the monsters on Raguel Bridge for us?"

Reyn seemed to swell up and take up even more space than usual. "Can we? How about, when do you want it done by? The colony'll be full o' people by tomorrow, I promise ya."

Sharla nodded. "That's a bit optimistic, but I agree. The refugees have waited for too long. We've got to help them out as soon as possible."

"If bangsmash baddies all that needs to be done, then Heropon and his sidekicks have no trouble at all! Hom Homs come home soon soon!"

"Thank you. I knew you would." Otharon looked out down the road. "Just secure the bridge. Once you have done that, inform Juju at the camp. I will be waiting here. We will begin rebuilding the colony once everyone has returned. I am counting on you!"

"We won't let you down, Otharon." Shulk led the group in re-boarding the Illustrious Alighting. "C'mon Melia, let's get to the bridge."

What am I, your personal chauffeur? Melia glared at Shulk for a moment, but he didn't seem to realise. I mean, it's not like I would decline, given the stated goal, but some base politeness would be nice.

"Don't be so hasty, Shulk." At least Dunban noticed. "Remember, Melia is still a novice pilot."

"Oh, right, sorry." Shulk fidgeted a bit. "Um, Melia, could we go to Raguel Bridge, please? If we can get rid of the monsters quickly, we might be able to move the refugees in before the end of today."

That's better. "Of course, Shulk. We did not make this detour simply to listen to problems without acting."

Sharla turned back to Otharon. "You're not coming with us, Otharon?"

"I can't. Someone must guard the colony gate."

Reyn shrugged. "Suit yourself, old man. We're off to bust some heads."

"I have no doubt that you will. Bring those people home." With that, Otharon turned to walk back to the entrance.

Melia nodded internally as she watched him turn the corner. He might have gotten off to an abrasive start with her, but she appreciated the frank and no-nonsense attitude.

"So what d'you think those monsters on the bridge could be?" wondered Reyn.

"They could be anything," said Dunban. "It is likely a territorial creature rather than a roaming one, but other than that, all kinds of animals could see the bridge as prime real estate. We must be ready for anything."

Melia was getting herself ready to fly again. This time around, she thoroughly checked every control on the dashboard before making any motion, ensuring that nothing was bumped or set out of place. Once satisfied, she pulled the craft up into the air once more.

Shulk leaned in a bit. "Melia, do you...do you know where Raguel Bridge is? I mean, since you've never been around here before and all..."

"Not definitively, but based solely on the name it is a bridge that crosses Raguel Lake, the largest body of water on the Leg of Plains. I expect I will have little trouble locating it."

"Yeah, that's about...uh, Leg of Plains? What..." The gears in Shulk's head could be seen turning. "Wait, is that what the High Entia call it?"

Melia couldn't help but turn and look at Shulk, a bit confused. "Of course. What else would it be called?"

"Um, well, we just call it Bionis' Leg. Which now that I think about it, seems a bit weird. We never really talk about the other leg, there hasn't been a colony there in a while...I don't even think we have a proper name for it."

How odd. Melia slowly began pressing the forwards pedal until it reached maximum, followed by raising the speed multiplier extremely slowly until the Illustrious Alighting was moving at a comfortable cruising speed towards the Bionis' northern thigh. Mercifully, everyone else present remained silent the whole time, gazing across the impressive landscape below.

I'm not sure what I expected, but this flying business is far easier than I thought it to be. Her adventurous side was trying to get her to do a trick, perhaps an aileron roll, but with no trace of seatbelts or the like she had no idea what would happen if she tried. Perhaps if I get a chance to practise alone in the future, and close to ground level for safety.

Raguel Lake came into view very quickly, with the huge grey bridge crossing it impossible to miss. Melia aimed the ship down towards the near southern end and slowed it to a halt just before approaching the ground. It was almost an effortless process.

"Riki said that Melly had swooshzoom skill," Riki bragged. "Melly go fast and stick landing. Friends can go anywhere in world with snap of fingers!"

Reyn pointed towards the bridge, where a dozen Hox were visible not too far away. "There they are. Let's get 'em outta here!" He leapt off the vessel and started charging forward.

After taking a moment to actually prepare themselves, the others followed. Melia figured she didn't have to do anything special to secure the ship while they were away; it could not be stolen due to its clearance requirements, and if it could survive a volley of Telethia lightning, it could probably take whatever the area's local creatures could throw at it.

The battle with the Hox did not take long. While they were certainly dangerous to a bunch of people who were refugees explicitly because they could not fight, they were no match for a half-dozen warriors who had fought Face Mechon. It was only a few minutes before the bridge was clear of hostile creatures.

"A job well done," proclaimed Dunban as he pushed the last dead Hox off the bridge. "The refugees' path is clear."

"Then let's get them moving," said Sharla. "I can't wait to deliver the news. Juju's going to be over the moon."

Riki hopped back and forth. "Juju over moon? Wow! Happy makes long way!"

"So..." Shulk looked over at Melia. "Can we please fly over to the Refugee Camp now, Melia? It's something like a two or three-hour walk, but if we can-"

Oh Shulk, you don't have to rationalise every little thing. "Of course. You will have to guide me there, however."

"It's...uh, south of Kamos Guidepost. Might be near due west of here actually. It's surrounded by cliffs and trees, it has a pond."

"Then it should not be difficult to find."

The party returned to the Illustrious Alighting and took off. Melia no longer felt much fear behind the wheel, but she still leaned very far on the side of caution in all her movements, not doing more than one thing at a time. Still, it was mere minutes before the others started pointing downwards, into a hidden area in the rock below.

There is no way to conceal our arrival unless we land outside of the camp proper and walk in. She considered doing so. No, there is no reason to delay the inevitable. If Otharon, the leader of these people, accepts my appearance and trusts in this group, there is no reason for the others to not follow.

As the ship descended to the ground, most of the refugees that were visible scrambled into the nearby cave, fearful of foreign flying machines. On the other hand, a select few emerged to watch whatever was going on.

Once they had landed, Sharla jumped off to meet up with a young adolescent that Melia supposed was Juju. It seemed a little weird to her that someone's kid brother was in charge of a relocated group of children and elders, unless she misunderstood what the current situation was.

After some initial excitement, Juju turned a bit withdrawn and disappointed, as if he had done something wrong. "I'm sorry, Sharla, but-"

Sharla cut him off. "Don't be like that. It's not your fault that the road home got blocked. You did the right thing by keeping everyone here."

"You know about that?" The excitement returned. "Can you help us deal with it then?"

"Already done, kid," Reyn butted in. "The bridge is free and clear."

"You got rid of all the monsters at Raguel Bridge?!" As Juju said it, everyone within earshot also perked up, and a hubbub started to travel through the encampment. "Now everyone can go back home to Colony 6. Thank you so much."

Riki finished his look around. "Why Hom Homs want to go back to broken messy home? New home here not so bad."

"Going back to Colony 6 will solve all the problems we had here." Juju next turned to Shulk. "Once we leave, we won't come back here again. Shall we go now? We can wait for you if there are still things you need to do."

Shulk thought for a moment. "Give us an hour or two. I think there's still a few things people here have asked for help with that we can get done before you move out."

Juju nodded. "OK. Just let me know when you're ready."

The group split up to ensure that all their previous promises were fulfilled, and do so if not. Riki wandered off on his own, eventually finding a group of Nopon and presumably proceeding to brag about his exploits as Heropon.

Having not budged from the pilot seat, Melia found herself with no immediate plans or goals. She didn't feel like she could help anyone at the moment, with her lack of knowledge of anything specific that was going on, but she wasn't comfortable enough with the current situation to simply engage with others as Riki was. Yet she didn't exactly want to sit around doing nothing for-

"Are you a High Entia?"

Melia turned towards the source of the tiny voice. A group of ten or twelve children had congregated right next to her vehicle, with more on the way, all staring at her in awe.

There is no reason to lie to them. "I am."

Some of the kids clapped in excitement, while others broke off from the group and started having hushed discussions.

"Can we touch your wings?" another one asked.

Melia's immediate instinct was to give a stern telling-off for such a suggestion, but she managed to contain it and concoct a answer more suited for unaware Homs. "No you may not. That would be highly inappropriate."

"Can you fly, though?" inquired a third.

"Many High Entia can fly, but I myself cannot." How much should I tell them at this point? This is the perfect opportunity to prime their minds with the correct first impression of my people, yet at the same time it would not do any good to reveal I am royalty, or too much about myself in particular.

The crowd was growing, with a few adults beginning to join the children in meeting what looked to be the emissary of a mythical species. Several different questions were being asked all at once, blurring each other to unrecognisability. Once they realised that they were stifling each other, they started to raise their hands and await selection.

Over the next little while, Melia told the refugees of Colony 6 all that she felt they needed to know about the High Entia. It was a surprisingly fun experience to educate others on a subject that was essentially common knowledge to her. She had to admit that she was looking forward to doing the same for Colony 9.