Day 288

[wayofvoice]

Who: Paarthurnax and you
Open: Open
When: 288
Where: About the Bastion in general
What: The daily life of a dragon
Format: Any
Warnings: None yet


Life goes on in the Bastion. Whether death, calamity, or simple misfortune, that is how things work. That is how it goes for Paarthurnax, as well.

In the morning, when the sun is still faint, he takes off to the Skyway and doesn't return for some hours, bringing back both shards stuck in his teeth and the meat of a mammoth to eat, or share.

In the noon and some hours following it, he teaches his class at the stone tablet with its letters in his own tongue, patient and careful for both new students and more practiced ones alike.

The only change to this seems to come in the evening. It's then that people might notice him at the Monument, drawn up high as he sits and inspects the device.

People are free to talk with him during any of these times. Paarthurnax has always made it known that he can be approached, after all.

Comments

[wayofvoice]

As always, Paarthurnax thinks carefully on what is being asked of him. This isn't the first time someone has come to him for advice, not even in the Bastion. As with everything else, he gives it his full respect and consideration.

"It is not easy to come to terms with the fact that even for those with much power, whatever the form it takes, there are things we cannot do. Even I raged for many years before I could accept this, when I was a youth." A sigh. "When it comes to such things... Sometimes we must rely on others to use that which we cannot."

[freedom_engineer]

"The only other ones whom I can rely on are likely dead," Colin says, remarkably nonplussed by that. "And even if they aren't, the odds of their locating this without the scans we were taking are not good."

He shakes his head. "Time travel is complex, difficult, and most of all, exceedingly dangerous," he says. "And I do not have the education to explain why and prove it. All I can explain are the non-classified details of what will happen if there is another reversion... It's bad, by the way."

[wayofvoice]

"With what we have experienced due to such a thing? This is not something I doubt." He gave a shake of his head, thinking to other things. "Even before Calamity... this is something I am familiar with. The father of my kind, Bormahu... His realm is that of time and his eldest, my brother, only recently was from the past to the time I considered current. For any other creature... We know they would not survive such things.

"An event such as this, forcing all along with it regardless of their choice... I can imagine such disaster." He thinks for a moment, nodding his head to Colin. "The Cores are the key to all of this, are they not?"

[freedom_engineer]

Colin listens to Paarthurnax's explanation of his family, and he nods slightly. All of that makes sense, and it doesn't surprise him that a being of Paar's power would be descended from a creature with a domain over time. It does raise some questions, but that's neither here nor there.

"I would like to say that they are, but I honestly do not know," he says, shaking his head. "The cores certainly have the energy to affect things, if properly used, but there's a lot more to affecting time than just pumping a lot of energy into a certain place. Even if I knew everything about time travel, I'd still need to know what the device that caused the calamity was built to do."

[wayofvoice]

"And that, of course, is lost to all of us. Only the dead have those answers, now." Unfortunately, the dead are beyond all of them. Paarthurnax gives a low thoughtful rumble.

"Would it be possible for this weapon of Calamity and the Bastion to be connected in some manner?"

[freedom_engineer]

"The Psilons, that is, a race from my universe, have found that most technological advancement follows set patterns and courses," Colin explains. "It's an abstract concept, but what it means is that all but the most outlandish of a society's inventions tend to follow similar trains of thought."

He is silent for a moment, before he shakes his head. "I cannot say for certain whether or not they would be similar enough to trace back to the calamity's roots, but it would be worth looking into," he says quietly.

[wayofvoice]

"With all that has happened, speaking with Nathaniel may allow you access to its more inner workings. Perhaps he can see the benefit in showing you such things. Out of all of us, there is no denying that you are the best suited to understanding it."

He pauses before offering, "If you do not wish to speak with him, then I would do so gladly if it may help our situation."

[freedom_engineer]

"We don't think fondly of each other, but we can put that aside," Colin says. "He and I have got the Radio Tower almost completed now. Even showed him a few tricks that helped the construction along quite a bit."

He smirks, but it's something of a hollow gesture. "Unfortunately, while I'm definitely one of the best suited of the aliens to get it, that technological One Track Mind even applies to me. I see what the Bastion does, and I have ideas on HOW it should be possible, but it doesn't conform to my line of thought, and I have a lot to put aside before I can truly get it. Nathan's still the best suited to understanding the inner workings of this place, if only because his mind thinks along the right track already."

[wayofvoice]

"I am certain that with the two of you working together, you will find some idea of how the Bastion works." Paarthurnax gives a nod of his head. "I am sorry that I cannot help you more than this."

[freedom_engineer]

"Talking is helpful," Colin says. "Just not as much as I'd hope. There's no fixing a problem like lost knowledge."

He sighs, and rakes a hand through his hair. "It took dad over two thousand years, and a lot of trade and collaboration to understand time the way he does," he says quietly. "I have neither of those available to me here, and because I listened to dad, I never hacked the scientific databases housing the knowledge I need now..."

As he finishes saying that, the tone his words turn a little bitter and displeased.

[wayofvoice]

Another puff of air washes over Colin, and Paarthurnax gives a shake of his head. "That is in the past now. Nothing can be done of it. We must focus on our present. That we have some measure of control over."

[freedom_engineer]

"Less than you may think, if what I do know is right," he says with a resigned sigh. "The Bastion's functions could doom us all, and then some. Especially if this has happened more than once before."

[wayofvoice]

"Do you believe that its reach could affect even more worlds, if it were started again?" It had been something that had been brought up at the discussion, after all. It may very well be something to be concerned about.

[freedom_engineer]

"What I know so far is that Zulf didn't know us, but apparently remembered some of the last calamity. That means something changed," Colin says. "With what little I do know about the calamity, and can infer from prior conversations with my father and my teams, there are two potential causes for this. One, the fabric of time is weakening through repeated exposure to temporal reversion. This means that if it reverts again, the damage next time is likely to affect even more worlds."

"The other possibility is that the calamity is just that devastating of an event, and it only happened once before," Colin says. "What affected one world before is now affecting numerous ones. If that's the case, the damage is growing exponentially, and another reversion could amplify the damage to such a degree that... well... I can't even quantify it. The damage now is incalculable. Grow that exponentially, and it's not a pleasant though."

He sighs, and looks skyward. "I could be wrong, of course," he admits. "And I would really like to be. But if all I have to stand between more worlds than I can fathom existing being destroyed is a slim strand of hope, I'd rather err on the side of caution and not contribute to septillions of deaths."

[wayofvoice]

"With all that we have learned?" Paarthurnax lays his head down upon the ground, letting out a heavy breath. "It is a wise side to choose. Hopefully the rest of our number can understand your concerns. There is still time left before the Bastion will become capable of such a thing, if what Nathaniel had told us is true.

"In the time being, I shall do my best to help soothe the tempers amongst our more rash before anything regrettable is done."

[freedom_engineer]

"The rest of our number think I'm arrogant and full of myself," he says, not even bothering to hide his anger. "The things I've seen make it very difficult to care for the fate of small townships, even ones that I'm living in, when planets and epochs are at stake."

He exhales and continues staring skyward. "Knowing you're nothing in the grand scheme of the universe is humbling," he says. "Knowing that other people think you're self-important for whatever reason? Infuriating. I have little patience left for the hot-headed here..."

[wayofvoice]

"And I have enough for the entire Bastion." Another puff of air.

"When the need arises, I will speak with them. They do not have the experiences that you do, or that I do, to see this situation in a different light than the immediate. I will explain this, and other things. For now, your own time is best left to recovering from that heated discussion so that you might give all your focus onto the Bastion and the Calamities which have brought us all into this situation. This is something only you and Nathaniel can do."

[freedom_engineer]

Colin is quiet for several moments. Days even. Finally, he sighs, and reaches out a hand to rest on Paar's muzzle.

"That's all I can do right now," he says. "Too much work, too little time. More that I need to do than I had ever envisioned, and that's not even factoring in what I need to do for the Ura. How I envy you, Paar... at home, I would fly at times like this."

[wayofvoice]

"You know if you ever have need of my wings, I will lend them to you." Another slow puff of air. "It is the least I am capable of in such circumstances."

[freedom_engineer]

"I appreciate the offer, but I think the kind of flight I miss may be beyond you," he says, his tone both grateful and apologetic. "I long to kiss a star again, and laugh in the face of inertia. Did you see the model of the ship the gods gave me, back during the festival?"

[wayofvoice]

"I believe I recall something that was not your excitable laughter over socks." Paarthurnax gives an amused rumble of his own. "I assume it is much bigger, normally."

[freedom_engineer]

Colin gives lopsided smile, and he nods. "It's, perhaps, a little smaller than you are," he explains. "In that ship, I could fly into the corona of a star and watch fusion in action. I could fly from one side of the planet to another in less time than it takes for me to say that I could. I could go from planet to planet in minutes, and I could fly from one star to another in just a couple of weeks' time."

He shakes his head. "Being planet-bound, not leaving a single city for anything except brief missions, is enough to make my heart ache," he says with quiet longing. "I'm a spacer. That's all there is to it."

[wayofvoice]

As utterly different as the concept of flying in space is to Paarthurnax, he still understands to some degree what Colin is expressing. Dragons are the same with the wind and sky, being creatures so closely linked to flight and all it entails. If he could no longer take to the air in any way...

"One day, perhaps, you will finally get to do so once again. I would be pleased to see such a thing myself."