Night Come Down

Chapter 2 "The Blood of the Gods"

The speeder zooms through an abandoned checkpoint, slowing down as it approaches a crowd of people. Kal'ia swings the speeder to take a right down an alleyway, stopping short of a door with an awning above it. Kal'ia looked up at the door and stepped off the speeder, stretching out her legs.

Kal'ia; "... This is your home?"

Quav; "Eh, yeah. No one else wanted it, so I moved in. Had to have somewhere to put all my books."

He stumbles off the speeder and wanders up to the door, holding his face up to an eye scanner. It flashes and he yelps, covering his eyes as the door opens a moment later. Kal'ia hesitantly enters and the lights flicker on, revealing a massive library filled with books, scrolls and holographic projectors on shelves and tables. Kal'ia looks at the shelves, many meters taller than her, and approaches one of them. There's a console with wires running up to a robotic armature overhead.

Quav; "Heh, yeah... Had that installed a few weeks ago... Fell off the ladder more times than I care to admit."

Kal'ia rolls her eyes and presses a few buttons on the console, adjusting her goggles before selecting a title on the monitor. The armature maneuvers to grab a scroll from the top shelf and brings it down to eye level. She grasps and opens it, raising an eyebrow at the contents as Quav looks over her shoulder.

Quav; *hushed* "The first clan wars, eh? Interesting time period."

Kal'ia; "I remember it well..."

Quav looked away and squinted before looking at Kal'ia.

Quav; "... W-what do you mean?"

Kal'ia; "I-uh... Studied it extensively with my father."

Quav nods, though still looking at her suspiciously. She attempts to change the subject, rolling to another portion of the scroll.

Kal'ia; "Huh... The first discovery of Gravisonium. I lost count how many wars were fought over it."

Quav chuckles a little before gasping quietly in shock, briskly walking over to a screen mounted on the wall. He claps a couple times and it comes on. Kal'ia wandered over with a raised eyebrow as Quav gesticulated, interacting with icons on the screen.

Kal'ia; "What're you excited about?"

Quav; "Cacophony has this whole Lorinthian Supremacy plan, right? He says it's centered around Gravisonium."

Quav pulls up a screen that shows an underground mine, Lorinthians wasting away as they pull massive hunks of green crystal from the ground.

Kal'ia; "Hmm... Any idea what he plans to do with it?"

Quav; "Nothing more specific than our 'numbers will be manifold'... But he never says specifically Lorinthian numbers."

Kal'ia; "... We need to get me a shard."

Quav looks back at Kal'ia with a concerned look.

Quav; "Dare I ask why?"

Kal'ia; "I'm gonna destroy his stash."

Quav; "Um... Listen, Kal: you're very smart, smartest person I know. But Gravisonium... Does not respond well to impacts."

He scrolls through the webpage before pulling up a video of a Lorinthian dropping a shard of Gravisonium in a laboratory. On hitting the ground, it releases orange electricity, shocking the scientist and killing everyone else in the room, leaving the crystal to turn from green to transparent as it expends its' energy.

Kal'ia; "You think I don't know that? I want to break it small enough so I can make bullets. Doubt whatever Cacophony is can handle that."

Quav; "But... The only thing we have that can break Gravisonium is Neutronium cluster weapons, and I shouldn't have to tell you how dangerous those are."

Kal'ia begins walking for the door.

Kal'ia; "Then we're getting both."

Quav; "Nyeh..."

Quav frantically turns off the screen before running to catch up with Kal'ia, stubbing one of his right toes on a table leg.

Quav; "Argh! Kal!"

He limps after her as she sits on the speeder, preparing to start it up.

Quav; "Kal, we can't just go around stealing fuel and guns!"

Kal'ia; "We're already wanted for murder, I don't know why you're questioning me now."

Quav; "This isn't one of your training sessions, m'kay? You can die: Cacophony will not hesitate to have you killed. You can't do this alone."

Kal'ia; "Then you're welcome to come with me, Quav."

Quav prepares to speak, but he freezes. After a few moments, Kal'ia smirks and Quav growls quietly.

Quav; "If I die, I'm haunting your shop."

Kal'ia; "Heh, no scales off my back."

She revs the engine of the speeder and brings up the map, setting a route for the nearest power plant.