Fate of Io
14. Of Dunes and Despair
Last updated at 2003/10/19 16:33:29 PDT by Dev
  • Cade wakes up in a nice, clean room, made completely of a shiny metal alloy. There is a meal waiting for him, as well as two other people. One is Enna, and the other is a Pylos scientist who introduces herself as Autumn. She is dressed very similarly to Rheya. They explain to Cade where he is, and this draws a very aggressive response from Cade.

    • Enna has to stop the young man from killing Autumn right there. She explains that causing trouble at this point will only hurt more people, and tries to get Cade to understand that she doesn't like it either. There simply weren't many other options that wouldn't lead to another somebody's death. That seems to hit home with Cade, who momentarily goes silent.

    • Autumn explains that the Head Instructor will be meeting with them shortly to give them a tour of the labs. She then leaves.

    • Cade refuses to cooperate; he isn't taking any tour or eating any of their "stupid" food. Enna says it's his decision to sulk, but he'd better behave while she and Dell are gone. She steps out of his room and into a perfectly spherical chasm...

  • Halfway across the sphere, Enna and Dell are being introduced to the final third of the Pylos Triumvirate (they've already met Dantalian and Hyde). Autumn steps to the side of a doorway and another woman steps out. She wears a simpler yet much sharper version of the Pylos eumoneticist uniform, as well as a pair of very unrevealing glasses (or goggles or visor or something to parallel Rheya). Her overall look is somehow impersonal, sterile, and at the same time, deadly. She doesn't stop at all, but merely walks through the others and instructs them to follow her.

    • Miriel leads Dell and Enna through a series of classrooms and eumonetics labs explaining to them how her research has shown eumonetic energy to work.

    • Dell is intensely interested. He wants to learn more, and seeing the Antarean so eager, Miriel is more than willing to entertain his curiosity. Enna scoffs a little; this is the same enterprise that scarred her family and friends irreparably. She tells Dell to be quick, and goes off to find Cade; they'll be leaving as soon as possible. A few quick deadly gazes are shared between the two women.

    • Miriel takes Dell to a classroom and teaches him a few techniques and gives him some pointers.

  • Enna overhears many eumoneticist students excitedly chat about some kind of shipment that's coming soon. Apparently, it will allow them all to start learning "the really cool stuff." Enna isn't too interested and continues her search for Cade. On one of the lower levels, she eventually finds him. Some poor naive employee let him have his armblade back, and he has been taking up the entire hallway practicing combat swings.

    • Enna approaches and says he should stop; he's scaring all the workers. (Cade: "Good!") She tells him she plans to leave soon, and just wants to talk while they wait for Dell. Cade shrugs, puts away his armblade, and follows her down an interior hallway.

      • Enna comments that Cade seems angry. Cade seems to think that's an understatement, and being treated as a guest by Pylos is not just upsetting; it's very confusing. They were busy blowing up Pylos left and right a few weeks before, and now they're friends all of a sudden? He bitterly remarks that Syne would know what to do if he were still alive.

      • Enna's empathetic side is shown to Cade a little more, and she understands how he feels. Unfortunately, the situation has gotten complex; they're dabbling in politics and economics and the security of public life all over the continent. Their actions have had many negative side effects that Enna didn't really consider. She wonders if Syne was right from the very beginning when they spoke in Trosene...

      • Hearing her tone, Cade smirks and finally asks her if there was more than just a professional partnership between her and Syne. Enna's gaze drifts, as though she herself doesn't know the answer, and then she sees something right in front of them.

    • They stop in front of a very solid-looking door, flanked by thick windows. The door is locked, and the view through the windows appears mostly dark, yet they both get the impression of a large chasmic space beyond. Enna says she can almost see a glow in the air in the room. (* Can you say "resurrection chamber?") Cade gets a bad feeling, and says they should go find Dell.

  • Dell, in the meantime, has been taking a break from the mental and physical rigors of Miriel's lessons. He sees Hyde sitting by himself in a small square nearby and goes over to talk with him.

    • The inquisitive Antarean asks why Hyde is just sitting there. The large Pylos executive comments that he hasn't had much to do since all of the facilities he overlooked have been taken out. Dell, suddenly a bit more self-conscious, just responds with an "oh."

    • Hyde asks how Dell's been doing with Miriel in the eumonetics labs, and also asks if he's been hired yet. Dell doesn't know what Hyde is talking about, but the other shrugs it off and stands to leave. He has a shipment to oversee. (*Miriel is still unsure whether she will be able to bring Kydran back, but now there is even more uncertainly: would Dell be worth it to Pylos, since Miriel now knows Dell knows even less than she does about eumonetics? Being a natural eumonic, Dell has more potential, but he has been fighting against Pylos and might not be so willing to invest his power there when it becomes important. The incoming shipment, if you haven't guessed, is Pylos Epsilon.)

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