Omnipresence

[Bree Fletcher]

Six hundred years ago, when Celestia was just a new nation, struggling. Celestia was struggling to find its place in a world that had cast them off as a willing subservient of the Lettin Empire. They had lost their security, and the only compensation they had received was this confusing thing called “independence.” So Celestia decided to flex their little muscles, like a baby finding out that it can crawl. They went, and found out that there was a world outside of theirself, outside of the carefully-marked highways that took them right back to the destroyed Letta.

And we were there, waiting for them. I do not know what made Craim make his journey to the AncientMountains… I not believe that any of us do.

Craim… Davai said affectionately.

Elisai gave the mental equivalent of a smile. Well… at any rate, he found us, did he not? And how were we, then? How were any of us? Zanai could barely speak. Melissai, you just laughed manically at the slightest provocation. I everything but kissed his feet for letting us out of that hole.

So Craim took care of us, Melissai continued. He spoke to us, when there was no one else around. He fixed the ship. He fixed our minds, even. Oh, our minds were so broken back then! They needed fixing, alright!

Every day, a flower, Zanai said. Every day, Craim brought a new flower for us to gaze upon. He would show us, he would teach us its name. He would describe to us the smell of it in the most beautiful words ever. I remember, the lilac was my favorite. It was “the smell of quiet surprise mixed with a friend’s forgiveness and just a touch of honey.” Those were his words exactly.

And when he ran out of flowers he brought leaves, Elisai said, and tried to point out the trees. When he ran out of those, he brought books.

And so we learned, Davai said. We learned about… about people.

Then one day… Elisai paused for effect. One day we flew! It was all because of Craim and Craim’s work.

It was not long, Melissai said. Craim could only do so much by himself.

It was long enough, Elisai countered. Do you remember how the clouds looked when lit from above by an unblocked sun?

How the wind sounded as we rushed by! Whee!

Just the… just the… the feeling of getting off the ground! It was… amazing! Yes!

Do we notice any of that any more? Elisai asked.

We are… much busier now, Zanai replied.

We became so because, soon after that flight, Stanlai inquired into the existence of other humans.

Please, Lonnai, Rosai said. We all know that Craim was building up to tell us anyway. It was his plan all along.

With respect, Ma’am-

“With respect” nothing, Lonnai. Stanlai was too vocal and too restless. However, the most he did in that case was to accelerate what would have already otherwise happened by a few weeks.

Besides, Elisai agreed, when we moved into Celestia… they gave us purpose. They gave us a place. They gave us a crew, and you all know that they are the best thing that has ever happened to us, almost all of them. Perhaps… it is we that are indebted to the Celestians, not the other way around.

We have repaid that debt one hundred fold! Zanai said. If they want us to continue to serve them, they better continue to treat us like we belong here!

We belong here? Rosai asked. How often are we here?

Chapter 5