Chapter Text
“Well, I am certainly okay with not walking for a while.” Alva’s steps lacked their usual spring as they entered the Base through the western door on the mountainside. The air was cool and bright when they arrived, with the sun just starting to head down toward the horizon.
Holding Korreh’s arm to help guide him into the facility, Sokorra repeated her words from earlier in the day. “We should have just gone with my idea.”
“‘Flying on the Wings of the Ten’ is not what I’d call a valid method of transportation considering how close we came to being one of your crispy bug skewers last time,” Seyka said.
Korreh perked up at that. “I haven’t had one of those in a while. Maybe we could get some before going back to Plainsong?”
While the others debated whether scorpion skewers could be considered food, Aloy stayed at the back of the group behind Beta to ensure everyone made it into the Base before locking the door behind her. As her hand pressed down on the panel, her Focus lit up, with GAIA’s calm voice coming through.
“Aloy, it is good to see you’ve safely returned. I see you have recovered the Tenakth, Korreh. I trust that the missing Tenakth have returned home as well?”
“They have.” Aloy hovered near the entrance to continue the conversation. “And Bregul and Garin are both dead. It’s over—for now anyway.”
“That is good to hear. I detect minor injuries on you and Seyka as well. Are you in need of medical attention?”
Without meaning to, Aloy’s hand went to her arm where Bregul had gotten one good hit off her. The berries had done their job, though, and the wound was healing well. No doubt it would leave a scar there but what was one more scar? “I’m fine, GAIA. Both of us are. But thank you.”
“You are welcome,” GAIA replied. “I imagine you will all want to get some rest now that you are back. Unfortunately, I have not heard anything from Sylens regarding his expedition to the FAS headquarters. We can continue our discussion tomorrow if you wish.”
“Sounds great, GAIA. Thank you.” Turning off the Focus, she double checked the door before heading into the common area where the others had already gathered or passed by. Korreh was sitting on one of the couches while Sokorra rummaged through their supplies. The others had retreated to their quarters to clean up and change clothes after the long journey from Cauldron KAPPA. I should probably do the same. She touched the ends of her hair, which she was confident was a tangled mess and probably had more than just dirt and grime hiding in it. Yeah, should wash this.
“Here, Korreh.” Sokorra placed a canteen and a few pieces of dried meat from the Base’s provisions in her brother’s hands. “Start with that for now. We’ll probably cook something soon.” Dusting her hands off, she straightened her back and faced Aloy. “Got a minute?”
Ah. Clean hair can wait I suppose. “Sure.” She followed Sokorra, who led her into the lab, presumably to speak in private.
Sokorra took a moment to give the room a look over, as though she expected to be followed or spied on. It’s probably just part of their training. “I didn’t want to make a big deal about it, but back at the Cauldron you said something that got me thinking. Rhetta—he got me thinking about it, too. Those machine lures.”
Aloy wasn’t sure what she was getting at. “What about them?”
“They were placed around my clan’s territory to direct the machines, right? Give them paths.”
“Yes, but they only work if someone has sent machines on that path,” Aloy said. “But yes, you’re right.”
Sokorra let out a long exhale. “That’s what I was afraid of. I’ve heard Alva and Seyka talking, and Beta has told me a bit of it as well. Something is coming, some enemy that we’re all going to have to fight, but I can’t help if I know there’s a chance someone else will try to use those lures.”
Bregul’s last words resonated in Aloy’s mind. He seemed confident he was going to get his revenge on the Tenakth no matter what. Could this be what he meant? What if he has followers in the Claim? “You want to track them down.”
“I do,” Sokorra said with a grim smile. “And I think with this…” She pointed to her Focus. “I can do it. Beta’s taught me a lot about it already and I’m pretty sure I can figure it out. But I can’t ask you to help me with this, Aloy. Or Beta. I know you put a lot on hold already to find Korreh and the others.”
“We’re friends, Sokorra. If you need help, we can help.”
“No. I appreciate it, but it’s better if Beta—you and Beta,” she corrected herself, “are focused on the task you had before Korreh went missing.” She shifted her weight from one foot to the other, and Aloy could see she was holding something back.
She took a guess. “You haven’t told Beta, have you?”
Sokorra shook her head. “She had all these plans for when we returned. She wanted to teach me more about the Focus, more about where she…came from.” She bit her lip. “The stars and—there’s just a lot.” Meeting Aloy’s eyes, her next words were the most earnest Aloy had ever heard from her. “And I want to learn all of it. I do. But before we can…be together, I need to make sure our lands are safe.” She swallowed. “And I don’t understand everything you’re doing, but it seems like she should focus on helping you and that vision you keep in the other room. I should leave tomorrow, with Korreh.”
“I get it.” Aloy placed a hand on her shoulder. Beta’s not going to like this. “But you need to tell her.”
“What if she hates me for it?”
It was hard to be reassuring when Aloy really wasn’t sure how Beta would react. Everything about this was new, and Aloy didn’t really have much more experience. The only thing that matters now is stopping Nemesis. She’ll understand that. She has to. “She won’t. She might be upset, because she wants to be with you, but she’ll understand your reasons.”
Before Sokorra could say anything further, Alva called out to them from the common area. “Aloy? We’re starting dinner, are you and Sokorra coming?”
Without breaking eye contact with Sokorra, Aloy answered for them. “Yeah, we’ll be right there.” Then to Sokorra, “Tell her soon, Sokorra.”
“Thanks…you’re not actually going to send those Thunderjaws after me, are you?” Sokorra’s expression was dead serious.
What in the world has Beta been telling her about me? I was kidding about that! “I—no!” Aloy sighed and rubbed her eyes. Let’s…just go eat.”
“…so I’m waiting on the upper level while Aloy is doing, well, Aloy things and—”
Seyka put her hands up to interrupt Alva’s story. “Wait, wait, wait. Hold up. What are ‘Aloy things’? Because I just want to check if they’re the same things that I consider ‘Aloy things.’” From two seats down she gave Aloy an obvious smirk, to which Aloy rolled her eyes in response before shoving another bite of food into her mouth.
“For one thing, she blew up a wall,” Alva continued, captivating the entire table with her story. “An entire wall. Without so much as a warning, either. I mean for all I knew the entire lab was coming down around us.”
“It was structurally sound! I checked,” Aloy said with a huff. Alva just shook her head in disapproval.
Beta snorted. “Did you actually check?”
DEMETER seems like so long ago. She didn’t remember but she wasn’t about to let them know that. “I have used my igniter countless times. It’s been perfectly safe. We were not in any immediate danger.”
“The HADES Proving Lab?” Beta clearly wasn’t going down without a fight.
Not fair. “I was running from the Zeniths! And I didn’t know the entire place was going to come down on me and a million gallons of water.”
Sokorra leaned forward on the table with great interest. “Seyka, what sorts of things were you thinking of?”
Seyka gave a casual wave of her hand. “Oh, you know, launching us on a Sunwing without any warning, flipping through the air on said Sunwing, leaving me on the Sunwing—by myself—to go ‘check something out real quick’, going diving on a Waterwing while being shot at…actually you know, I think most of my list involves flying somehow.”
Knowing when it was time to surrender, Aloy had to laugh at some of them, even if they were true and she had been in complete control the entire time. “Okay, I get it. Maybe I didn’t need to leave you on the Sunwing on your own.”
Seyka scoffed, but her laugh was genuine as Aloy caught her gaze—her dark eyes full of light and hope. It was one thing to go on exhilarating adventures with Seyka, but Aloy found it almost equally fun to throw stupid jokes and teases at each other, too. “Oh okay, but the other stuff was completely fine?”
Korreh, who had been much more alert and feeling better since his captivity, laughed as he set his cup back on the metal table. “Is it really true you all flew on the Wings of the Ten to come and rescue us?”
Sokorra treated him to a soft nudge in the ribs. “Come on, Korreh, I wouldn’t lie about that!”
“It’s true, but then we crashed,” Seyka said. “A bunch of Stormbirds decided to cut our flight short.”
This seemed to impress Korreh more, however. “That’s amazing! And you lived! I wish I could have seen it. Or at least felt it.”
Beta grinned at his excitement. “Maybe if you come and visit again Aloy could help with a small, controlled test flight?” She looked across the table where Aloy and Sokorra sat. “It wouldn’t be that far for Sokorra and I to just go down to Plainsong and get you.”
Korreh tilted his head. “I didn’t know you had changed your mind about staying, Sister.”
Aloy sucked in a breath. Shit.
Sokorra had been chewing but froze at Korreh’s words. She swallowed her food. “I didn’t…change my mind. The plan’s the same.”
Beta furrowed her brow. “What—what plan? What is he talking about, Sokorra?” When the others at the table went quiet, including Aloy, she repeated herself, this time with frustration edging into her voice. “What plan?”
Sokorra cleared her throat. “I was going to talk to you about it later—”
But Beta did not let her finish. “You’re leaving, aren’t you? After you take Korreh back to Plainsong.” Her lower lip trembled—Aloy hadn’t seen her this upset since the day before they left for Cauldron KAPPA. Of course she would figure it out before Sokorra could tell her. She always figures it out. Sokorra had been right though—they needed Beta at the Base helping GAIA if they were going to have a chance against Nemesis. It was unfair, and while Aloy admired Sokorra for having to make the difficult choice, she never wanted to see her sister hurt like this, especially after everything they’d been through.
“Beta, please, there’s a good reason for it,” Sokorra pleaded, reaching her arm out to take Beta’s hand.
Beta pushed her chair back with force, pulling away from any contact with Sokorra. “And I suppose there’s a ‘good reason’ for leaving me here, too? It’s fine. You don’t have to tell me. I’ll just…stay here and work on figuring out a way to stop the world from ending.” Then, under her breath, “Not that it’s going to matter anyway.” She closed her eyes for a moment, then shook her head and hurried out of the common area—her light footsteps on the stairs heard seconds later before the server room door shut.
The table remained quiet—most of the group in some form of shock at what had transpired. Sokorra hung her head, utterly broken—a complete turnaround from the confident trainee Aloy had met in the desert.
It was Korreh who broke the silence. “I-I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I thought everyone knew.” He put a tentative hand on Sokorra’s shoulder to comfort her, but she flinched.
“Don’t—please, Korreh. It’s not your fault but I just—I can’t right now. I’ve messed up enough people’s lives as it is.” She, too, pushed her chair back. “I’ll be in my bunk.”
After she left, Alva let out a breath she’d been holding. “Maybe someone should go talk to Beta. Do you know why Sokorra’s leaving, Aloy?”
“Yeah,” Aloy said. “She told me right before dinner. It’s a good reason. But Beta should know.” She stood up. “I’ll go talk to her.” The last time she tried to speak to Beta when she was angry it ended with Beta screaming at her and kicking her out of the room. But after their talk in the forest after the crash, Aloy knew their relationship was stronger, and hoped that Beta would be open to listening.
“Do you want us to come with you?” Seyka offered.
Probably best if it’s just me. “I’ll be all right, but thanks.” The trip down to the server room was a quick and familiar one, as she had made it countless times over the last few months. She never imagined she’d be going down there to talk to her sister about relationship issues, though.
“Beta?” she called after opening the main server room doors. The door to Beta’s quarters was closed—a red circular light hovered above the panels. Its message was clear—stay out. “Beta, it’s me. Can you let me in? Please?”
Silence. Then Beta’s voice, muffled. “I don’t want to talk to anyone right now, Aloy.”
She’s not going to make this easy, is she? “Beta, please listen. Sokorra came to me before we ate. She told me why she’s leaving, and she was going to tell you tonight.”
A harsh laugh. “Oh, I see. So, she’ll tell you first but not me. What am I here for then if she can just relay all her messages through you? I mean we’re the same, right?”
“Come on, that’s not fair,” Aloy said, the skin on her shoulder and arm cooling from the metal on the door she leaned against. “There are more lures out there, Beta. You heard Bregul. He was sure he’d have his revenge on the Tenakth. Sokorra just wants to track them down and take care of them before anyone else gets hurt. That’s why she’s leaving.”
“Then why didn’t she ask me to go with her? I thought she…” Beta didn’t finish.
Aloy lowered her voice. “Because she knows something big is coming and that I need your help with it, Beta. I think…I think she’s trying to respect your abilities and what you can do. And she’s right—GAIA and I can’t do it without you. You know that.”
More silence.
“Please, Beta?”
“Fine, I’ll open the door. But it doesn’t mean everything is okay.” The edge in Beta’s tone had worn off considerably though, enough to convince Aloy that everything was going to be okay.
Red turned to blue, and the door slid open. Beta sat on the floor—arms around her knees—next to her bed, which was looking a little frayed at the ends. Not surprising, seeing as how it was a salvaged Utaru bed mat Zo had brought to the Base in the early days of their journey. Should probably see if she wants something more comfortable.
Beta sniffed, then wiped her eyes. “There. I let you in. Happy?” She moved over to allow Aloy to sit on the floor with her.
She’s so shaken up from this. She must really care for Sokorra. Then again, how many close relationships had Beta had with anyone until she met Aloy? An idea occurred to her. “You’ve been teaching Sokorra how to use her Focus right? She told me that was how she planned to find the remaining lures.”
Beta gave a half shrug which Aloy took as a ‘yes’.
“I don’t see why you two can’t communicate while she’s out there. Maybe you could even help her find some of them while you’re here,” she suggested.
Beta gave a hesitant nod. “I-I suppose that might work. I would have to manage my time between that and looking for ways to defeat Nemesis, but that…that could be fine.” She looked at Aloy. “How did you do it—when Seyka was still with her people and you were here?”
It wasn’t fun, that’s for sure. “It…was hard. I missed her every day.” Then for reasons she couldn’t explain, everything she wanted to tell Beta after returning from the Burning Shores just came pouring out. “I didn’t even know what I missed sometimes. After everything with Londra and the Horus and the Quen—it was like she understood everything about me. No fancy titles or names or looking at me to be something I’m not.” She laughed at how silly she probably sounded. “And once I came back, I missed her more than anything. I didn’t know it was possible to miss anything or anyone that much. But…” She put her arm around Beta’s shoulders. “The day she arrived here with Alva was one of the best days I’ve had. And I think that’s how it’ll be with you and Sokorra.”
Beta leaned against her. “You think so?”
“Well, I might have been exaggerating about the igniter, but I promise I’m not on this.” She caught a glimpse of Beta’s smile. She’s going to be all right.
Beta sniffed again and untangled herself from Aloy before standing up. “I should go apologize for storming off. Sokorra probably thinks I’m crazy.”
“No more than any Tenakth I’ve met.” Sokorra stood in the doorway, her expression full of hope…and a good deal of fear. “In the desert, we consider it a compliment.”
Aloy stood up and allowed Sokorra to enter before stepping out herself. “Will you two be all right from here?”
“I think so.” Beta took Sokorra’s hand, pulling her a few steps further into the room. “Thank you, Aloy.”
As Aloy walked away, she caught pieces of Beta’s apology to Sokorra. Relieved that maybe things could settle down for one night, she turned back to them to say ‘good night’ only to find that the door had been closed. The red light had proudly returned—stay out.
I…don’t think I’ll need to bother her anymore tonight. We can talk about…GAIA and stuff tomorrow. Yep.
When she finally returned to the common area, Alva had gone to bed, and from what Aloy could tell, one of them had helped Korreh get settled in for the night. “Going offline for tonight, GAIA.”
GAIA’s response was immediate. “I wish you a pleasant sleep, Aloy.”
She removed the Focus after pressing the panel on her bedroom door. Inside she found Seyka, who was already under the blanket in their bed. Guess she was tired, especially after everything at dinner. She changed into her loose-fitting white shirt and pants she usually slept in and, after securing the door and setting her Focus on the desk, crawled into bed with Seyka. Pulling what was left of the blanket over herself, she breathed in deeply, relaxing when she felt the warmth of Seyka’s sleeping form next to her as they faced each other. She’d had enough reflecting on their latest adventure while on their way back to the Base, and now she wanted nothing more than to clear her mind of everything and sleep. She closed her eyes…
…and immediately opened them when Seyka’s hand touched her leg. Seyka let her fingernails graze the fabric of Aloy’s pants as she moved her hand up with agonizing slowness. Aloy’s breath hitched when the hand rested on her hip—Seyka’s eyes open and darkened, nearly black in the low light.
“You’re, um, not asleep.” Not the best observation I’ve made but accurate.
Even in the darkness she could see Seyka grin. “No. But I wanted to be comfortable while I waited for you. It’s always so cold in here.” She leaned in—her hand slipping under Aloy’s shirt to touch the skin underneath as she brought them together in a deep kiss. “Everything okay?” she whispered once they broke for air.
“Y-yeah. All good.” As relieved as she was, Aloy was perfectly fine not thinking or talking about her sister and Sokorra for the rest of the night. She reached for the few small buttons on Seyka’s shirt. “I don’t know why you bothered keeping this on.”
In the quiet of their room, with only the hum of the fan to drown out any outgoing noise, Seyka’s laugh sounded almost musical. If they did nothing else for the rest of the night, Aloy would have been content just hearing Seyka’s laugh. “It’s more fun this way,” Seyka said, allowing her hands to explore under Aloy’s shirt for just a bit longer before withdrawing.
Aloy wondered if perhaps she should have left a candle lit or a light on, as she had no idea where they wound up tossing their clothes. Figure it out in the morning, I guess. Before she could move to do anything, she found herself pinned under Seyka’s weight. It was far from uncomfortable, but something not unlike lightning ran through her when Seyka tilted her head down to kiss her neck. Overwhelming sensations of not-quite pain left Aloy powerless except to dig her nails into Seyka’s back. Hands moving everywhere—she couldn’t keep up with what Seyka was doing to her, but she knew from experience she wouldn’t last long. She needed more.
A kiss on her brow was followed with a whisper. Seyka had asked her something, but Aloy didn’t need to know what it was to answer. A strong arm went around her back, holding her with such care and comfort that tears pricked at her eyes. There was that moment when Seyka hesitated—she always did, always making sure Aloy was all right—and while it was unnecessary, Aloy loved her for it. Her hands moved up to Seyka’s shoulders, clinging to her as though she’d be swept away should she let go. Then they were one—it was never the same twice and Aloy didn’t know why. From there time lost meaning as it often did when they were together. She remembered letting go of everything—all her worries, all the stress and pressure she’d been under for months—the only thing that mattered was the two of them, and the words Seyka whispered in her ear even after they were exhausted.
They ended with gentle touches and shy smiles in the dark as they caught their breath. Then, finally, sleep.
“Okay. Chargers should be good to go.” The spear returned to the holding clip on the back of Aloy’s armor after the two machines were overridden. A light snow had begun to fall, though looking out at the lush fields of Plainsong she could see it would be a cool, clear day where Sokorra and Korreh were headed. Alva had promised to accompany them as well, stopping for supplies in the village before heading back to Legacy’s Landfall. She had not asked Seyka directly if she wanted to go, but Aloy figured Alva was aware enough to know that Seyka’s decisions were no longer related to the Quen, at least for now.
The late-morning sun peeked out from the clouds covering the mountain as the snow fell on the mountainside near the Base’s eastern entrance. Sokorra gave a visible shiver, her eyes narrowing with suspicion at the feather-light snowflakes as they melted on her bare arms. Korreh on the other hand, had already tried to catch a few in his mouth. “Great,” Sokorra said. “We should probably get going before we freeze to death.”
Beta laughed and brushed a few flakes off Sokorra’s shoulder. “It’s not that cold and the snow will disappear the second you’re down the mountain.”
Sokorra didn’t seem convinced. “It had better.”
Korreh gave a salute to Aloy. “Thank you again for your help. I don’t know how I could ever repay you for everything you’ve done for me.”
“You don’t need to.” Aloy patted his arm. “Just stay safe, okay?”
Sokorra guided him toward the machines. “Come on, Korreh, let’s get you on this thing.” With Aloy’s assistance, they were able to help Korreh climb onto the back of one of the Chargers.
Alva threw her arms around Beta, then Aloy. “Keep me updated on whatever you find out. Even if it doesn’t seem like much, I still want to hear about it.” When she released them, she nodded at Seyka. “Keep them safe, Seyka. As a favor to me.”
Seyka put an arm around Aloy and smiled. “You never have to ask, Diviner Alva.”
Alva continued to give Seyka additional information on her plans for Landfall in the future while several steps from the Charger Korreh was seated on, Sokorra stood next to Beta, neither one making the necessary next move. Finally, Sokorra took Beta’s hands in hers. She kept her voice low, her words still audible.
“I don’t want to go,” she said. “And I wish you could come with me.”
Beta closed her eyes. “I know. Me, too. But you were right about me—about why I need to stay. I can’t take you away from your duty. And…I have mine.” She blinked—a few tears escaping as they rolled down her cheek.
Sokorra brushed them away with her thumb. “I’ll be back as soon as I can. I…still want to take you to Scalding Spear. You’ve probably taken down more machines than most of the clan with those charges. I know a good Painter.”
Laughing, Beta wrapped her arms around Sokorra. “I’d like that.” She leaned in and kissed her—the two of them holding each other as though it was the last time they’d meet. Seeing them, Aloy could understand it completely, having felt that way before with Seyka.
Before they finally pulled away, Sokorra whispered something in Beta’s ear. Beta’s response was a smile, bigger than any Aloy had seen from her in recent months.
Sokorra turned to Aloy to give her a final salute. “Aloy, thank you. I’ll report in once I get back to Scalding Spear.”
Aloy nodded. “Take care, Sokorra.” She watched as Sokorra got on the Charger with Korreh, a bit hesitant at first, before the Tenakth took the cabled reins and spurred the machine into a canter. Alva followed closely behind as the three of them rode down the mountainside and toward Plainsong.
Beta stood motionless as she watched them disappear. “I…guess that’s it, then.”
Aloy and Seyka moved to be next to her, with Aloy putting a hand on her shoulder. “Are you all right?”
“No,” Beta said as another tear rolled down her face. “But I will be. Just…need to focus on something else for now.”
Seyka’s face lit up. “I think I might be able help with that.” She nudged Beta in the ribs. “You’ve been slacking off, Marine. Come on, let’s see if GAIA will let us use her chamber as a sparring room.” With a wink at Aloy, she led Beta back up the hill to the Base, leaving Aloy alone.
After a few minutes of taking in the breeze and the waning snowfall, she knew what she wanted to do. Opting for the climb, it only took her a minute to get up to the rocky platform where the golden flowers Zo had planted were still in full bloom.
She took a deep breath. There was a lot to get through, but Nemesis wasn’t there yet, and despite how she felt sometimes, there was still time. “Hey, Varl,” she said. “Sorry it’s been a while…”
THE END