A Home Away From Home - Part 2

Posted on Fri Mar 14th, 2025 @ 6:49pm by Lieutenant Rune Thul & Mana'i
Edited on on Sat Mar 15th, 2025 @ 10:23am

1,704 words; about a 9 minute read

Mission: The Serpent's Tooth [3]
Location: En-route to VIP Quarters
Timeline: MD01 - After "Meeting Mana'i"

"Yet again you remind me of Kolos and his many centuries of lived experience. He worked in the Onu-Metru archives, as I mentioned, building his name over many, many years. Toa Nuva Onua bestowed his Toa Stone upon him for his dedication and willingness to look forward and discover new things." After a moment she added, "He looks like you, too. He was sturdy, as all Onu-Matoran are, and gained even stronger armor when he ascended to Toahood. He was like glue to the pieces of the team." Mana'i sighed wistfully. "I hope he yet lives. He must be worried sick. No doubt he's already trying to stir up the other archivists into finding a way to bring me home."

"I do hope I may meet your brother one day," Rune said with a genuine smile.

He hadn’t met Kolos obviously, but Mana’i’s words from the senior staff briefing still lingered in his mind—how she had said Rune reminded her of him. At the time, he had acknowledged it with his usual professionalism, filing it away as an interesting detail yet just as equally it had sparked what it may have been like to have his own siblings. But now, walking beside her through the corridors of Deep Space 13, he could feel that comparison settling into something deeper.

Rune was many things—a Starfleet officer, a tactician, a protector—but brotherly wasn’t a role he'd known. He hadn’t even known what having siblings was and felt like before this—this strange, unspoken connection's initial creation—but it had taken root earlier. And it was growing. Yet, here he was, feeling that quiet, familiar pull to look out for Mana’i—not out of duty, but because… well, it just felt right.

As the thought settled, another question surfaced, one of curiosity rather than obligation. "Are all your people the same colour you are?" He asked, his tone casual but genuinely interested.

He wasn’t just making conversation—he wanted to understand her world, her people, who she was beyond the title of ‘visitor from another universe.’ Because Kolos was someone worth comparing him to, Rune figured he should at least try to live up to that expectation. The other side popped into his mind, will Mana'i mind him acting as her adopted brother? He'd have to figure out a way of asking--and soon.

"Well, no. Some are white, yes, but also green. Or red. Or blue. Or brown." Mana'i hummed. "Rarer still are the ones in gold or purple, among a myriad of other colors. Those are very much rarer. Things have become so much more diverse in the past few centuries." Again, she spoke of this frame of time as if time in the order of hundreds of years flew by like mere hours or days.

"Kolos' armor was black, for he hailed from Onu-Metru. The city of Earth. All Onu-Matoran have black armor." She added. "Nearly all of them are stoic and patient as he was. The rest of my kin? The Ko-Matoran? Not so much. Unnecessary distraction and excessive chatter is typically offensive to us. Most of us would rather dedicate our lives to... well, thinking. Philosophizing. Something I feel is useless without empirical investigation."

These biomechanicals are just as diverse as the Federation—how wonderful, Rune had mused as he had listened attentively. Their variety intrigued him, and he had found himself wondering about the significance of their colors.

Why were the Gold and Purple ones rare? Perhaps it had something to do with the roles they played in their universe. Maybe certain elements or castes dictated their numbers, much like how different species and divisions had distinct roles in the Federation.

And then there was the mention of the City of Earth. Did that imply other cities based on elements? The thought had fascinated him, setting off a quiet chain of speculation in his mind.

Turning to Mana’i, Rune had decided to voice one of his suspicions. "I take it you are from the City of Ice?" He had asked, considering both her coloration and the chill that seemed to radiate from her presence.

He had then let the question expand in his mind, following the logical progression. "I suppose there’s a city for each elemental force?" He had tilted his head slightly, his natural curiosity winning out. A moment later, unable to resist pushing the idea further, he had added with genuine intrigue, "What of Light and Darkness?"

There was something deeper to this world, something that went beyond simple classification—and Rune couldn’t help but want to understand it.

"I am, and yes, there are. Light and darkness, though?" Mana'i's glowing eyes dimmed momentarily. "No. There are many elemental forces that we have recognised. Not all of them have Metru or Koro built in their name, mainly because there do not exist enough Matoran affiliated with them to warrant it. Matoran affiliated with Light, for one, are... well, I suppose there is really only one now, and even he ascended to Toahood many centuries ago. Why build an entire settlement for a population of one?"

"Though you must understand. Mere ideological affinity to the elements is only scratching the surface. Observe." She touched a window that they were walking past; where her slender metal finger made contact, frost spread like a cobweb, covering the transparent aluminium in a latticework of gleaming ice. "This is only a fraction of what I'm capable of doing. It takes no effort for me to create ice like this, or absorb cold in a small room into myself. Of course, bigger feats require more effort - but I suspect those will have to come at such better time when I'm not merely a guest in an entirely foreign world."

"Kolos could see in the dark, even deep underground. He was, in a manner of speaking, incapable of getting lost, no matter how deep under the earth he happened to be. His protodermis drill could create earthquakes or seal fissures in the ground if he so wished. All my brother and sister Toa have the ability to manipulate the element within their scope. I think if I tried to explain it, it would take us a great deal more time." She stopped in front of the turbolift, which was only a few metres away from the frosted-over window.

"I assume this starbase of yours has several floors, then. That's only logical given the apparent size of it. How does one get from floor to floor, then?"

Rune watched in fascination as Mana’i’s frost spread across the window like a delicate cobweb, branching out in intricate patterns. It looked almost like magic, though he was fairly certain that Sciences could explain it—eventually. Still, knowing how something worked didn’t always take away from its wonder.

As he studied the frost, he quickly realized that Mana’i had moved ahead. Without hesitation, he picked up his pace to catch up. Her mention of Kolos’ abilities stayed with him. Manipulating earth at will. Possessing night vision. It hadn’t sounded quite as majestic as some of the other powers she had described, but Rune had known better than to underestimate such an ability. In the dark corners of deep space, where most relied on technology just to see, night vision alone was an incredible advantage.

The more she spoke of her universe, the more it felt like a place where magic truly existed. A realm where physical laws bent not just to science, but to something deeper—something ancient, something primal.

A small smile had pulled at the corners of Rune’s mouth when Mana’i had asked about the station. "Indeed it does," he confirmed, his tone carrying a quiet sense of pride. "Five hundred floors—though some are open spaces of varying heights, they’re still considered part of their designated decks."

He gestured slightly, illustrating his point. "We call them decks," he explained. "We have fast-traveling lifts that can carry us anywhere on the station in moments. Your quarters are near a hub for them, so you’ll be able to get wherever you wish quickly." As he finished speaking, they had arrived at the VIP quarters he had arranged for her.

"Here we are," Rune said, tapping the panel beside the door frame. With a soft hiss, the door slid open, revealing the carefully prepared interior.

Inside, the quarters have been decorated with a quiet elegance—not overly lavish, but thoughtfully arranged. Soft ambient lighting illuminated the space, casting gentle shadows against the walls. A few vibrant plants had been placed in decorative pots, adding touches of life to the room.

Several paintings adorned the walls, each one chosen for its subtle beauty rather than ostentation. Once inside they'd see a small art sculpture stood against a wall—its abstract form catching the light in shifting patterns. The air was clean, crisp, and faintly scented, as if the room itself had been waiting for a new occupant. Rune stepped aside, gesturing for Mana’i to enter.

The white biomech seemed quite surprised, honestly, as she maneuvered around the room in a sort of daze. She traced an apprehensive hand over the backrest of the sofa, almost thoughtfully, presumably feeling the material underneath her fingers. Could she feel textures, one simply had to wonder, with those metal-like hands of hers. "If these are the living quarters you prepare for guests, one simply must wonder what those you assign to the people who live here are like. Even my home in Ko-Metru was hardly as nice." She mused, glancing up to look at Rune. "But then again, there isn't quite so much technology back where I've come from. We would've loved to have half the things I've seen since coming here."

"What is this, by the way?" She asked, laying a hand on the sole computer terminal in her room. "Oh, and. I'd like to start reading about this universe, if you all don't mind. Would you happen to know where I can start? Rest assured I'm very used indeed to long, boring texts..."

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