271-Valkyrie’s View: A Year Among the Stars
September 27th, 2552 – At Odds
Pilot/Explorer/Interpreter Kat “S-Kat” James Reporting
Baljatuun is learning how to communicate with me, or I’m learning to listen better so he can tone down that sandpaper on sunburn feeling in my brain when we communicate. I get the feeling he has hasn’t talked to anyone in a very, very long time.
He’s been trying to explain things to me, but it’s very hard when he has no point of reference and I’m trying very hard not to help him with that. When it comes to things like numbers and structure of the fleet; where we come from, our weaponry, I am very thankful that I came to this mission as a conscriptee, and never had access to that kind of information. It didn’t stop him from trying to find out but there are only so many ways you can say ‘I don’t know’, and the image of the well, spinning blindly around me, and each door opening into a void finally got him to understand what those words meant.
We’re getting there, but even as we communicate, I can sense Jatuun guiding my thoughts towards things of his interest and redirecting them away from things he doesn’t want me to think or ask about.
He seems very interested in the Parataph in general and the Ani in particular but it feels like he’s sidestepping my questions about the Fates.
I tried to get information from Druckab but he grew very quiet when I asked him, and when I told him the planet’s name he blanched. So— he knows at least a little more than he’s telling me and when I tried to get the planet’s take on the Parataph and why their Liaison Officer would feel uncomfortable around him, I felt a repressed giggle and a sense of embarrassment before the words came. It seems that Jatuun made an impression on the Parataph.
When I tried to understand more I felt the ground gently rise up to meet me and lower me back to a normal ground level.
Medical is limiting my communications with Baljatuun to no more than 1 hour with a full night’s sleep before we try again. It seems that continually passing out is usually a sign of overload. And should be avoided.
That’s all well and good, but I get the impression it’s his way of saying ‘I don’t want to talk about it.”
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