[Rannoch, Kassali] Temporary Homecoming (Open)

Preeya nodded at Ragia.
"You're welcome. Just as I said: Many Quarians share your opinion on Geth, I think you're within statistic majority regarding this - No matter the age group. You should not have to worry. Society will change. And very probably one day your point of view will do as well. You do not have to put yourself under any pressure against your capacities."

Looking at Atingo she gave him a polite nod.
"I understand. Thank you for even caring about things like this. I know you actually do not have to. But I assume I can be thankful you actually do. These things are... Difficult for someone like me."
... Someone with the empathy of a keeper. Preeya mentally added.

As Ragia spoke again. Preeya focused on her again, slowly leaning back in the bench.
"Yes I do. I actually did not expect any... Sort of... Emotional reaction when visiting yet another planet. I always used to consider myself to be a professional regarding matters like these.
Actually I even prefer the Citadel over most places. But finding myself on Rannoch indeed... Leaves impression.
I'm not sure whether it would ever be easy for me to actually feel home here, but I consider this to be one of the most impressive places I have seen so far.
Leaving me with hope that the recent alliance will prosper, allowing the Quarians to permanently stay here without any further... Incidents."
Preeya remained silent for some more seconds, thoughtfully staring at the skyline of Kassali, then finally returned her attention towards the family.
"How many people live within this settlement wight now?
I have to admit, what I see here right now looks like far... More than I have expected, but then again, this might just appear to be because Kassali central space port is a junction."

She certainly is an odd one, Ragia thought to herself as she looked at Preeya. "Maybe. But I think it won't be my generation that will ever truly accept the geth", she looked down at the child in her lap. "It will probably Tualni's. Or even the generation after hers. There is just too much bad blood, things too ingrained in us. For some of us to ever accept them."

"Not as difficult as you think, Preeya", Atingo said. "But you're very welcome. Though I think you don't need to thank me for anything."

"Emotional reaction? Professional" Ragia laughed. "Preeya its perfectly okay to be in awe of Rannoch. Its a beautiful world and a huge part of your culture as for Kassali its not very large, really. Especially compared to other species settlements. We could even cluster our entire species population into a city or two at this point you know. But the land is very fertile here excellent for farming which is why its important", she sighed. "Its a bit odd isn't it? Our entire population is just so miniscule that our own homeworld has a smaller population than most cities."

Most of the time, Kel would have something funny to say about things like decontamination procedure. Normally it would be something like "and THIS is the part where we have our internal air filters scrubbed. Imagine finally being able to release that fart smell that's been sitting in your clothes for six months!"

Or something like that. Except today, this time, he was notably quiet as he waited with the rest of the crew in the ship's cargo bay, waiting for the quarian customs team to fully scrub their ship and deem it safe to offload their cargo.

Kel supposed he could count himself lucky for the chance to visit his homeworld. The quarian efforts to resettle their homeworld required immense amounts of supplies and materials. Even with the help of the geth, there was only so much that could be accomplished on their own. With geth and the quarian migrant fleet vessels diverted to other areas of the galaxy, the resettlement authority had began to turn to third parties to deliver and ship resources to them from across the galaxy.

To the Dal'Selai's captain, that sounded like some steady work.

Captain Dente'Ras vas Dal'Selai didn't really care for the affairs of his race or that of Rannoch, a thing that always bothered However, while bothering, Kel also know it was a topic his captain refused to speak about, something well within his confines to do so, and something Kel decided to respect.

But it didn't stop the young quarian from being notably excited about seeing his homeworld.

So there he was, sitting on a crate of medi-gel while mindlessly tapping away at a game of Alliance Corsair, almost jumping when the ship's comm system rang out.

"Dal'Selai, this is quarantine. Your ship has been checked and cleared of contagions. You may proceed."

"Alright, people." Dente'Ras began, folding his arms. "Let's get to work."

------

It didn't take long to convince the captain that seeing the homeworld was a very important part of his learning and development, as long as he was back in time for departure. So here Kel was, exiting the spaceport into the planet Rannoch, gazing in awe of the planet around him.

He wondered how many other quarians did the exact same thing. One small step for Kel, one giant leap for Kel-kind.

Or something like that.

The first thing he noticed was how much space there was. While his job had taken him from one part of the galaxy to another, Kel had always associated anything with his people with something close to claustrophobia. Always crowded, always bustling, always pressed for space. Here, in the open air of Rannoch, Kel contemplated how his ancestors must have thought this was perfectly normal, what with their cities and their farmland and their being able to wear environment suits without dying.

But that was a thought for a different time. He didn't have a lot of time, so he decided to make the best of it. Since he was by himself for now, he decided to take a walk around the settlement, staring with a nearby park. He wondered how good his people really had become at nature in their year or so of resettlement.

Preeya hesitantly nodded.
She actually was not able to imagine self-evident acceptance to take several generations of time to develop, but then again, she was not exactly an expert on people...
She always made things look easy because they were for her...

"Maybe..." She simply thoughtfully spoke, not taking her eyes off the skyline. "...Let's hope things will develop well enough for Quarians to stay here for that amount of time - Certain people in charge are not exactly famous for knowing how to behave themselves..."

She slowly turned around to Atingo and Ragia again.
"Well, maybe I do not have to, but I consider it to be right." She explained towards Atingo, while making a not to herself to have a look where exactly her father was working at the moment.
Maybe on her last day here she would visit him.
One single day to prevent anything going worse and be able to escape in time when necessary...

Slowly nodding while listening to Ragia Preeya silently cleared her throat.
Of course it was okay - It was just, that Preeya was not used to show feelings to others.
Already having grown up in a rather adult-ish manner, for Preeya there was little space left for awe beyond her field of work.
"You're probably right. I'm just not exactly used to situations like these..." ...Or to be more specific: She tried her best to avoid them in her daily life. Keeping all sorts of drama and terror at a minimum...
"...It indeed is an irony, that there's so few of us left to appreciate.
Probably that will change in the future as well - The faster the more people manage regenerating their immune system well enough to make intercourse less dangerous and difficult." ...To justify the effort. She mentally added.

"No", Ragia said sadly. "They aren't. Did you know were almost shot down over Rannoch during the war? Almost dying over our planet because the bosh'tet's in charge decided it was the best idea", she looked down for several moments and gently stroked Tualni's helmet. "I think about that moment all the time you know."

Atingo simply nodded at Preeya, wrapping an arm around Ragia and dragging her a little closer.

Ragia sighed. "I think even with the incentives to have more children the government is adding. It will take centuries for us to get back to our glory. And would we even matter then? As I said before, the geth are the true power. Will we just be diplomats speaking for the geth from now o--" she stopped talking, letting out a slight 'oof' as Tualni jumped out of her lap.

"That's boring, mama. Can I go play?"

Ragia sighed, "Yes. But please stay near this bench please?"

"Okay!"

Flustered, Ragia looked back at Preeya. "Umm, where was I?"

Preeya looked at Ragia and Tualni for a second, her face invisibly releasing an expression of bewilderment, then thoughtfully answered. "All I read was, that there were "certain complications" but the reports I got to read did not go into detail. It does not surprise me why now..."
She bit her lower lip and looked at the family next to her.
"I wish I would understand why it's so often that the most unpredictable factors... I mean... People are in the most sensitive positions...
...I am glad to see all three of you being well though."
She tried her best to sound a little more friendly than usual in anticipation to give Ragia a little comfort.

Looking at Tualni who hopped up to go playing Preeya released a tiny smile before focusing back on Ragia to answer her question.
"You stopped at explaining about your opinion of the political and military power of the Geth compared to the one of the Quarians."
Preeya blinked, leaned back in the bench and waited for some seconds, before she realized that this question might have been rhetorical.
"...Do not attempt do "return to old glory"..." Preeya answered in a soft, almost cheerful tone. "...Make some new glory yourself. There's no point in imitating the past when you have a future of your own.
Of course things won't be the same, neither on Rannoch nor between our two species.
But then again ask yourself what is more important: Political ascendancy or the chance to live on Rannoch, regenerating our immune system and realizing an easier future for the next generations.
I personally do not see anything negative in the current situation. I'm even content with the outcome of this arrangement, for things definitely could have turned out far worse for both species..."

Ragia smiled sadly at Preeya. "Yes, I guess they would call it a 'complication' now wouldn't they? Our entire species was on the very brink of extinction and they just refer it to a complication", she frowned a little at her second statement. Unpredictable patterns? "That's just how it is Preeya. We don't get to choose our own paths all of the time. Fate, or the ancestors, seem to decide it for us", she laughed. "I'm glad you're glad that we survived Preeya! Really!"

She nodded slowly. "You are correct. I guess. We shouldn't be trying to recapture our past glory. Especially after it nearly killed us all. But..." she paused for several awkward moments. "No. You're right Preeya", she said loud enough to make Tualni pause for a bit before returning to her own thing. "We should be making our own glory, not moping around like that... that bitch on Cerberus Daily News."

Atingo quickly interjected. "I agree. To an extent. But we should not rely on the geth too much. They like to talk about creating their own paths without outside influence. Why should we rely on them for our immune system and defense?"

Preeya tiltet her head as Ragia mentioned the exile from CDN for a second time.
That person indeed must have left a remarkable impression on Ragia, that was for sure. Actually she did on many Quarians: Proudly polarizing them and making things just a bit more difficult than necessary.
Preeya never felt clearly discommoded by the exile's presence. First of all because she usually never felt discommoded by anyone at all, but most important because to her - as a so-called outsider regarding many social things - it was easy to self-evidently acknowledge other peoples' strange opinions or behaviour without judging them.

Trying to ignore her burning headache Preeya gave Atingo a nod, and even squeezed out a little grin, even though both would not have been able to see, but be able to hear it, when Preeya was speaking.
However, her words did not exactly come out as if spoken warmly smiling but rather strained and choppily. "I spent much time thinking about this exact question, Atingo... Why should we rely on them?... The only answer that continually came to my mind was: Why not?... Of course they intend to realize their own path. Quarians use to repeat that line as if it was something bad, but actually everyone has to at one point. Most cultures call this growing up, I think." She stopped for a moment, leaning back in the bench and closing her eyes for some seconds, just listening to the noises around. Or rather... What used to be noises, far away from being noisy enough to be recognized as pleasant, except for passing by public transports and starships in the skies.

As she finally forced herself to open her eyes again and look at Ragia and Atingo, it took her a second to remember where she stopped.
"I am... Sorry. I'm tired. I must have lost the thread...
What I meant was, that of... Of all species out there the Geth have been the only ones never to lie so far. I am not an expert on Geth-psychology, bur from everything I have seen so far they to not do this immuno-boost-therapy to appear cute, friendly or - ...Hard to focus with jet lag and headache. I'm so sorry - less threatening, but simply because they can. I would call that honest."

Atingo was about to speak before he noticed the quarian's condition. She didn't seem to look so well suddenly. Even if it was just jet lag she sounded a bit... worn out. "I'm sorry if this seems intrusive, ma'am. But are you sure you are okay? We can continue this argument if you want. I don't really mind. But you sound...", he paused choosing his next words carefully. "Exhausted. Maybe you should rest for a bit and we can continue this later?

Ragia also looked concerned. "That's true. If you aren't feeling well we can cut this short and head home. You can rest up. And we can continue the age old debate about the geth later if you want. I would really hate for you to stick around like this when you aren't feeling that well, dear."

"I would not complain about getting some rest." She hesitantly answered at Atingo and slowly nodded.
"...You're right. I am not feeling very well at the moment..."

She took a deep breath and then also nodded towards Ragia.
"If you just... Everything's alright, no need to worry... I assume.
...But you're both right. The traditional sharing of emotions towards Geth can wait."
Yes. That was the exactly perfect term to describe Quarians talking about Geth! ...For it literally never stopped wherever Preeya went: Most other Quarians were either ranting or praising when asked about them. Most non-quarians were curiously asking about Geth by themselves. Preeya did none of these.

She slowly rose from the bench - Not because she wanted to, rather because she had to if she wanted to follow Ragia and her family home.
It just did not feel better than before she took place...
Strategically ignoring this she walked some steps forward, completely certain that her weakness would be gone once after she at last caught some hours of sleep and some relaxing white noise.

She finally turned back to Atingo. "But please... You do not have to call me Ma'am. I am not your commanding officer, Atingo...
I am just a random person like you."
Well, technically there even might have been reason for her to call him "Sir" if he insisted...
Fact was, Preeya did not like titles at all. Mostly because she considered them to be completely irrelevant.
She used them when she considered them as socially important in a conversation or when she assumed someone would prefer to be addressed with a title. Otherwise, she ignored them, just the way she tended to ignore lots of things she considered useless.

Finally walking some more steps she casually asked. "So. Any bee line?" And looked at the family next to her.

A slender quarian girl in bright yellow drapings was daydreaming as she walked through the park. She looked around and sometimes up into the sky, seemingly direct into the sun. But who could say for sure with the visor all opaque? Other quarians most likely could interpret the body language of the kin though.

she carried a long transparent tube, inside a pant with a long stipe, tiny curled leafs and some buds, still greenish as well and fully closed. The bottom end of the tube was small plastic container covering the roots and probably some soil. It wasn't transparent so it could not be seen, only guessed.

Ru'yah Tre loved the parks outside Kassali. She loved the nature and the vegetation, looking at the trees, the grass, the bushes, the flowers, it felt like the ultimate freedom to her. So she took great detours, often much to the disliking of those who waited for her or those who accompanied her. Another thing she particularly liked about this specific place was that she could see and hear the spaceships coming and going. Roots in the soil, tendrils to the stars!

Hey, look at that spaceship... bump... ouch, hey! She had been walking backwards a few steps to get a better look at a passing ship and bumped into a walking quarian woman in a red and golden suit! What an embarrassment!

"Oh, I am so sorry.... please excuse, I didn't pay attention!"
Ancestors, the plant was okay! She had almost dropped the cylinder!

There were some more quarians, obviously a family and now everyone was staring at her! She blushed heavily under her visor and again stumbled a step back, before catching herself. She pressed the transparent tube with it's inhabitant closer to her chest, as if to protect it.

While Preeya had been slowly and - insecurely as usual - walking someone bumped into her, almost making her lose balance and make a "random gravity check". She simply must have been too tired to even pay attention to who was crossing her way...
In the last second she was able to grab one of the handrails behind the benches with both of her arms - almost as if she was aggressively trying to hug it.
She really did not enjoy long walks with her stiff leg...

A bit helplessly clearing her throat and trying to get back to her feet she looked at the person who bumped into her.
Another Quarian, a female - Apparently a bit younger than herself, but she of course could not be completely sure about that.
"Oh, hello." She spoke politely and a bit confused: The tiny thing the woman was carrying with her instantly caught Preeya's attention.
It looked like some sort of a bottle with a plant in it, but Preeya was not exactly sure whether this was a sample or decoration.
"Everything is okay, lady. No need to apologize." She finally added, then walked a step towards the woman, and did a polite hailing nod towards her.
"Are you hurt?" She at least did not look hurt, but on the other hand Preeya did not look sick or injured to others either...

Ragia wondered how often Preeya bumping into people would repeat itself today before also speaking. "Yes, are you all right? You didn't drop or damage anything did you?" she said looking at the tube she was holding.

"She needs to watch where she's going too!", Tualni shouted. Excited to see someone else.

"Tualni, please be nice", Atingo sighed rubbing his visor before speaking again. Totally forgetting his train of thought at this new incident. "I am very sorry, miss", he said. "Tualni is still learning about things like manners."

“Oh. No, no, I am not hurt!” Ru'yah had noticed the limp in Preeya’s step. A bit of a panic rose in her, she might have hurt someone just by being a stupid daydreamer! She had to calm down! Obviously the other’s suit wasn’t breached and she had just bumped into her!

She cleared her throat and tried to relax, which just ended with slumping shoulders. The grip around her plant loosened up a bit and she looked at her green companion.

“We are both fine! I was watching a space ship and should have watched my step. My name is Ru’yah and please, I am no lady! I am much too young for such a title… Miss.” Who did they take her for? Granted, she was tall for her age and hoped she wouldn’t get any taller. Getting used to new suits was so annoying. But she found her own looks scrawny and flat-chested, she also found her hips too narrow, especially in the presence of that blue clad mother! How could she be mistaken for a lady!

“Hello, Tualni!” She also greeted the girl and nodded a “Sir!” to the man who seemed to be the father and who was kind of freaking her out by his mere presence. Ancestors, she should go!

The grip around the tube tightened again.

Preeya grinned at Tualni.
That little girl with her astonishingly honest nature was definitely able to make Preeya think and feel positive. Even though she understood, that Ragia and Atingio considered Tualni's comments not very polite towards strangers, Preeya enjoyed them.
Even though Preeya was still extremely self aware towards children, she grew fond of their unbiased, honest and even a little ruthless point of view more and more.

Curiously Preeya looked at the young woman she bumped into, and asked. "Who is we?" She wondered whether she might have been talking about the little plant for a moment, before she continued answering. "...Well then. What else would you like me to address you? Miss? Ma'am?"
There it was again... Preeya's general problem, and the reason she did not like titles at all: It was a totally irrelevant thing that some people however considered to be socially important. Some sign of respect? Some strategy to avoid asking how the other one's name was? Preeya did not know but she considered even thinking about this matter as a waste of time. "...I am not sure. Maybe you'd just like to tell your name." Preeya gave the woman a polite nod as another wave of headache threw her out of her thoughts and made her release a silent groaning.

"Hello! What's that!" Tualni shouted. Before pointing at the tube apparently not listening at all to her father earlier.

"Tualni, that's not nice. If Miss...Er Ru'Yah wanted to tell you she would wouldn't she?" he looked at Ru'Yah and tried to smile but it was obvious the little girl was wearing on him a bit. "No titles huh?" he looked down at Ru'Yah. "I think everyone deserves a little politeness now. Don't you?"

This was when Ragia decided to step in. Picking up Tualni with a little oof before giving Ru'Yah a very sincere smile. "Atingo, please don't do that. If she wants to avoid sounding old let her", she laughed. Before looking at Preeya once again, concern returning to her eyes. "Are you sure you are all right, Preeya?"

Ru’yah made half a step back when Atingo addressed her. “Yes, sure I do, Sir!” she hoped she not offended him. Somehow she was always awkward around guys. She had no idea if they just hated her or wanted to make fun of her or anything. She never seemed to be able to say the right things to guys these days, even if she really like them. Mostly she just made things more awkward when she was trying a compliment or something. Guys were weird!

Happy that Tualni showed interest, she showed her plant to her and Preeya. “I am bringing it home from the botanical institute. Ma father works there and I help him… I am student there, so Miss, or my name is perfect! I am far from any other title yet!” The kid seemed interested enough and she probably should explain.

“This is a Phidemoion Arkaneese, an old Rannoch plant from the western continent that over the last centuries has become common here too as it seems. It blooms in very neat colors. This one is for our living room, it will be in full bloom in a couple of weeks. Right now they are all curled up in these little buds there, you see? Baby blossoms.” She pointed at one, so Tualni or anyone else could get a closer look. The ladies seemed very nice.

“So, who are you all?” Wow, that was bold and Ru’yah blushed under her visor.

"Well... Actually, I am not sure." Preeya answered honestly towards Ragia and tilted her head. "...But don't worry, I will tell you as soon as I start feeling worse, alright?"

She then returned her gaze at the young woman whose name she already had forgotten - A first sign, that Preeya had issues with focusing her thoughts - and Tualni.
Curiously she bowed down in front of the woman taking a closer look at the Phidemoion Arkaneese.
It was pretty. Far prettier than Preeya actually expected and a welcome change to the - except the park area - mostly rocky desert around them.

"Are there already many of them around here?" She asked curiously. "I haven't seen much when I arrived with the transport. Most areas looked like vast desert to me, but I actually would enjoy to see some of these blooming."
Yes, colour. She enjoyed colours. Even if it did not make much sense.
She adored bright coloured nebulae, planets and paintings - Even her suit was modified in juicy red and copper tones simply because Preeya enjoyed them. Probably one of the most emotional things she used to do...
Imagining big parts of Rannoch's surface being covered in colourful flowers was a pretty idea, something she indeed would enjoy to witness one day.

Finally answering the woman's question, Preeya hesitantly pointed at her head (or rather her helmet) "Preeya'Lem."