Making Connections

Posted on Thu Jun 24th, 2021 @ 4:25am by Arcade Coordinator Jaxon Dominie & Business Owner Eleyna Morgan-Garrison

Mission: What Lies In The Darkness
Location: FrontLine Enterprises Shop, Arcade
Timeline: 248001.01 13:30

The Arcade was silent and nearly deserted as Eleyna entered it and made her way through it to her shop. The Arcade was huge, so she had used the internal translocator to get to the nearest platform to her shop, but she still had to walk a short distance. As she did, she chanced to look up and saw the lights on in the office of the Coordinator. Curiosity tickled at the back of her mind, but she turned away before she responded to it and bothered him. Continuing instead to her shop, she unlocked it and entered.

It was as she had left it after moving in. Specialized cargo containers were stacked neatly along one wall while shelving units had been set up around the other walls and arranged throughout the main area of the shop. They were empty though, so she took a breath and went to the wall of crates, pulling one down and setting it on a stool that had been left beside them, likely with the intention that she sit on it. Instead, she was using it to hold the crate while she sifted through its contents and beginning to place them on the shelves nearby. She could rearrange it all after it was shelved and she could see what she had.

Jaxon had walked out of his office to look out over the Arcade, his thoughts on what might be happening to have placed the large ship on alert when he had spotted Eleyna entering her shop. Then deciding it may be a good time to pay some of the shop owners who were hanging around a quick visit, he pushed himself away from the rail to inform his office assistant before heading down there.

As she worked, she mentally hummed to herself, wishing for the thousandth time that she could do it aloud still. But that was a useless thought; it only served to hurt her, so she pushed it aside and left the crate, moving across the room like a ghost to one of the silvered plates. Removing her left glove, she placed her hand on the plate and thought, Lyta, would you please play Reanna DeMarr?

Lyta's voice came back over the speaker near her. "Any particular album?"

No, any of them will do. Thank you. She removed her hand from the plate and put her left glove back on, then she returned to the crate and continued her work.

"Of course," Lyta answered. Seconds later, a lovely southern-sounding lady began to sing. This song was one of those soft rock ballads, and Eleyna smiled under the hood of her cloak.

When he walked in, Jaxon was instantly reminded that Eleyna was one of the latest shop keepers to have moved in, and so probably hadn't the chance to fully settle in. He took another look around as he walked further in, smiling at the choice of music.

Her first indication that someone had entered her shop was when the music lowered a bit and Lyta's voice came over the speakers. "Eleyna, you have a guest."

Eleyna set down the small statuette she had pulled from the current crate and turned, careful to keep her face shadowed in the hood of her cloak. Lifting her ever-present tablet, she turned it to face the newcomer. The screen read *Welcome. We aren't open yet, but can I help you with something?* in bright amber against the black screen. The glove that covered the hand the tablet was held in was black leather with silver-colored patterns of metal filament through it, the same silver color as the edges of the tablet and the silver touch plates arrayed around the ship.

Caught off guard by the tablet, Jaxon replied, "Oh...Okay..." not that he had a problem with it. He then smiled a charming smile, while subconsciously leaning his head to the side for a moment in curiosity on why she was hiding her face. "Well, as we haven't met, I thought maybe right now would be a good time. I'm Jaxon Dominie, Arcade Coordinator."

Eleyna noted the side-tilt of his head and the brief flicker of curiosity in his eyes. The rest of his manner hid it well, and if she had not been looking him in the eye, she might have missed it. She smiled, though he would not see it. The tablet read, *Pleased to meet you.* She offered her right hand, the left one holding the tablet still. It read, *I am Eleyna Morgan-Garrison. Come into the office, and we can speak more comfortably.* She paused, and the tablet went blank for a second, then words appeared again, saying, *Unless you need to be somewhere else, that is.*

Jaxon slightly shook his head. "I have no need to be anywhere else. And comfortable sounds great." He had replied with another smile and a brief thought of how he hoped that she would be. Not being able to see her face, nor hear the tone of her voice, well, would leave him feeling a little uncertain.

Again, the smile he wouldn't see accompanied the words on the tablet. *Please give me a moment to lock up the front, and we can retreat to the office.* She then tucked the tablet away in her cloak and moved to the controls for the storefront. Shutting the doors, she locked them and tinted the front windows so that no one could see inside. She then turned back to Jaxon, removing the tablet from her cloak and holding it so he could see it again. *Please follow me.* And she headed to the back of the store to open the office.

Inside, it looked like every other office on the ship. She hadn't had time yet to decorate. Moving to the Synthesizer, she placed her hand on the silvered plate, telepathically telling the machine to provide her with a chai tea latte, but commanded the machine to hold until given the rest of the order in case her guest wanted anything. She then turned back to her guest, showing him the tablet again. *Please make yourself comfortable. Would you care for anything?* She motioned toward the Synthesizer as the tablet displayed the question.

Jaxon had been watching her, still feeling very curious about her. In fact, he felt intrigued. Politely smiling, he looked down at the tablet and read it. "Ice water would be fine," he replied, politely looking up to her. "And thank you," he said while taking a seat.

She nodded, placing her hand on the silvered plate again and giving the Synthesizer the command to produce both her chai latte and his ice water. It did, and she took them, bringing them over to where he sat. Handing him the water, she moved to the nearby chair and sat. The tablet, held in the other hand, read, *You're welcome.*

Taking a sip of her tea, she closed her eyes for a moment. When that moment had passed, she opened them and held up the tablet again. *May I ask you a personal question? Well, not so much personal as... well, it might seem like an odd question.*

"Oh..." The question threw him off, but he didn't mind it. "That's fine, you may ask it," he sincerely replied.

Eleyna felt bad for confusing him, but her intention would soon be clear. She held up the tablet again, and it read, *Are you bothered by telepathic communication?* Even if she could, she would never read what wasn't offered, but she couldn't do more than send and receive. The bits of Atlantean in her genes gave her that much, but no more.

Upon reading it, Jaxon felt a little surprised at her question. "Oh, wow...umm.." Keeping his eyes on the tablet, he focused on thinking about it for a moment before looking back up at her, appearing thoughtful. "For communication reasons only, no, I'm not bothered. Is that what you would like to do right now, communicate with me telepathically?"

Eleyna saw the look that he had and wondered if she had made him uncomfortable with the question. But it was out there now, so she pressed on. *To set your mind at ease, I can't do any more than that. I can't scan or probe or any of that. I can only read what you Send, meaning what you think >i>to me. But yes, that was the idea. This way, we can communicate more directly. Text can't convey as easily what lies beneath the words,* the tablet read. She would only put it away when he said yes, not before.

Jaxon nodded before taking in an unexpected deep breath. "I agree, and yes, I think I would like to try that, but...first, I have a question..." Actually, he had two, but discerned that he shouldn't ask her why she hid her face. Maybe someday she would reveal that to him, on her own terms. "How is it you have this ability to communicate telepathically?" he asked, his voice strong with interest.

Eleyna had expected that question; thus, the tablet was still in her hand. She smiled again, though he would not see it, and turned the tablet so he could see it again. *My grandmother was Atlantean, so my siblings and I have some of those genes,* it read.

Oh...wow," he responded after reading it. "umm, I thought all the Atlanteans left a long time ago..." he said, staring at her thoughtfully. "I guess not. I, uh...wow, again." He smiled. "I had no clue that there are...descendants out there. And on Earth? I imagine you aren't the only one? And please," he hovered a hand over the tablet, "answer telepathically."

Eleyna nodded, putting the tablet away in an inner pocket in her cloak. Her Thought Voice whispered through his mind like a warm, soothing flow of water. ~You're right; not all of them left,~ she confirmed. ~Some remained and had children with the people of Earth. Others returned later, like my grandmother, to re-explore the planet now that it had some time to develop. I am very, very likely not even remotely the only one.~ Her tones were soft and almost melodic. ~Thank you, by the way, for allowing this. Not everyone does.~

Feeling pretty amazed, Jaxon found himself staring at her. "You're welcome..." he said, wanting to hear her more, yet not feeling quite ready to send out his own thoughts. "I umm..." he paused, taking a moment to think about all that she told him. He had to smile. "I think it's pretty amazing. And that you would tell me..." His brow furrowed as he considered, "Do that many people know?"

Eleyna frowned slightly beneath the hood of her cloak. ~Honestly, I don't know how many people are aware of them,~ she answered. ~My family didn't treat it as a secret, but that doesn't necessarily mean that it's common knowledge in the rest of the galaxy.~ Her voice had taken on a tone that carried the implication that she was smiling. ~But the only unusual thing I get from it is this bit of Communication Telepathy, so...~ She shrugged.

"Well, I find it pretty amazing," Jaxon smiled, and he found himself staring, wondering again what she looked like, why she felt the need to hide her face. Then he swallowed as he realized that most likely the reason had to do with why she didn't speak, or why she couldn't... "Thank you," he continued, gently, "for...trusting me with this experience. Especially, considering we just met."

Eleyna didn't miss the shift in his demeanor. It was small, but it showed itself mostly in his tone of voice. It had gone from curious to gentle, as if he was trying not to hurt her. That confused her just a hair, but she left it be for the moment. ~You're very welcome,~ she sent. ~But it is I who should be thanking you for the trust.~ She mentally chuckled, that soft as well.

She had not missed his staring either, and it no longer bothered her when people did do it. Not everyone had seen the trial, after all. ~You have other questions?~ she asked, opening the floor to anything he felt he wanted to know. ~Like the cloak, for example?~ There was no accusation or even any sense of being offended in her mental tones. It was more as if she had been asked this before and simply expected the question rather than reacting to any action on his part.

It took him a moment to respond, though for he didn't want to admit that he did. it was mostly from not wanting to be rude or intrusive, but she was giving him an opening and he felt he needed to be honest at this point, so he took it. It took him a moment and then he nodded. "I do, but I also understand if you would rather not answer... Why do you use the hood of your cloak to hide your face?"

Eleyna paused for a moment, but it was more to clarify things in her own head before responding. After a second's hesitation, she spoke softly in his thoughts again. ~In the beginning, it was because I couldn't even stand to look at myself in a mirror, knowing what he'd taken from me. But now?~ she shrugged, ~Now I guess it's for other people's sensitivities..~ She considered him a moment from beneath her hood. ~Would you like to see what it is I hide?~ He had been nothing but kind and accepting. And even when he had asked the question, she had heard none of the disgust or snide accusation that so many others had presented. He seemed simply genuinely curious. And they were in her office, after all, not the main store. None but he and the security cameras would see.

Jaxon's eyes had narrowed at her words, that she had somehow been mistreated really bothered him. He nodded, ~Yes, I would.~, this time sending it to her in thought only.

She saw his expression change, but it had done so when sheld said that bit about what Gabriel had done to her, so she put it down to his being a kind man who thought that was reprehensible and smiled at his Send. ~That was good. Have you done that before, the telepathy?~ she asked. Most who Sent for the first time tended to overcompensate for not being a telepath and fairly screamed in her head. He had not. His Thought Voice was as gentle as his spoken voice.

His look softened, but only a little. He didn't allow his mind to wander, but to only focus on her. He shook his head, ~No, this is my first time...~ and then smiled although the concern he was feeling remained etched into his features, ~And thank you~

She smiled under the hood. ~You are welcome. Now, as I promised...~ She reached up, both hands in long black gloves with silver-colored metal inlay in them. Taking hold of the edges of the hood, she pulled it back. What was revealed was a face that wasn't gorgeous but not ugly either. It was clear that she had once been pretty. What could still be seen of her actual face still was. The right side was covered in that same black leather with silver-colored inlay. It covered everything from the middle of the nose over to the right and back over her ear. The edges of it stopped at her hairline and behind her right ear. At her neck, it seemed to continue down beneath her clothing. The leather and metal 'covering' left the eye area open, though. That eye looked as normal as the left one, but it wasn't. It was a synthetic.

Above all of this, her hair was a study in opposites as well. The left half was a lovely brown, soft and shiny, while the right half was stark white and did not seem nearly as healthy, though it was clear that she did try to make it as much so as it could be. It did not look particularly brittle, but it also didn't have any luster to speak of. Both sides were pulled back into a French braid that disappeared down her back.

She sat perfectly still after revealing herself. Her eyes held his, waiting to see his reaction.

He was sitting still as well, his expression sad, unable to pretend he was feeling any other way at the realization that she had been through something horrible really hit him. "What happened?" he nearly whispered this time.

She didn't need her Atlantean heritage to know he was sad for her; it was written plainly in his expression. She almost wished she hadn't shown him if only so that he wouldn't have felt so sad. But the deed was done, and the question was asked. It was a question she had expected given his initial response of not knowing why she did not speak. She sighed softly. ~Are you sure that you wish to know?~ she asked. ~I will tell you if you do, but I warn you, you will not like it.~ She had no problem with the telling anymore; it was no secret after the trial, but she also didn't wish to make him feel any worse than he did now.

Jaxon nodded, his eyes never leaving hers as he took a thoughtful moment, wanting to proceed carefully, not wanting to be misunderstood, wanting to be honest about something he hadn't been expecting. ~I know we just met...but I'd like us to be friends. And of course, that doesn't mean you're obligated to tell me anything about you that you don't want to. I... just care...and I do want to know.~

Eleyna smiled -- well, the left half did -- at him. ~I can sense the truth of your words, and I would like that as well,~ she admitted. ~None of this is a secret; and I am not hurt by your asking.~ She shifted slightly, attempting to get more comfortable. ~The short answer is that my ex-husband tried to kill me. The long answer is that when I married him, he was a wonderful man, or I thought he was. We built FrontLine Enterprises together initially. Then, over the years, he took more and more control of the company, even renamed it DarkSide Industries.~ She frowned and took a breath, letting it out slowly.

~At some point, he decided that I knew too much about his not-so-legal projects and shady dealings.~ She mentally snorted a derisive little snort. ~Of course, if he didn't brag about all of his new toys, that might not have been an issue.~ She paused thoughtfully. ~No, that's not true. As time went on, I felt more and more uncomfortable about the direction he was taking the company, so I started digging.~

~Anyway, he decided that I knew too much and that I needed to 'have an accident'. He had one of his subordinates plant a Magnetic Pulse Resonator in the navigation board of the shuttle I used to make runs just before I made a run to a particularly unadvanced world. When I tried to take off, it activated, frying the board and crashing the shuttle. I managed to set off the distress beacon, but by the time the Security Services on that planet found me, half of the shuttle was on fire, as was I. Their medical science was not as good as even the ISC's, and so this is the result, or rather what is under these is.~ She touched the leather-and-metal piece that ran along her right cheek.

~And I know the next logical question. Why, when I got back to the ISC, didn't I have them fix it? Well, when I reported what I had heard the planetary security say to the doctor, I was told that leaving this for the time being would help put Gabriel away by visible evidence. So I did as advised. By the time the trial was over, the medical community was telling me that the damage was too extensive and the scarring to deep now to properly repair. And so, I contacted a friend who had these made for me.~ She paused for a second, then finished with, ~And the voice? Well, the doctors on that low-technology planet told me that my vocal chords were too badly damaged to be repaired, and so they had removed them.~

As she finished, she watched his reactions -- well, truthfully, she had been watching them through the whole Telling -- hoping that she would not so upset him that he would find it difficult to be around her after this. Not that she wouldn't have understood that reaction; if she hadn't lived this horror, she might be uncertain how to react.

"Wow," Jaxon whispered the word as much as he thought it. ~I'm...~ he shook his head, trying to find the right words. It was so unbelievably horrible. It took him a moment before he sent to her, ~I'm so sorry this happened to you. I've ah...heard of DarkSide Industries. Why I didn't know about this...~ He shrugged, his frown deepening even more.

She tilted her head slightly. That was odd since the trial had been broadcast across the Coalition. ~Thank you,~ she sent in genuine gratitude for his kind caring. ~I don't know why you didn't hear of it. Maybe you were busy during the time the trial aired? Or maybe you were on a planet that didn't get the signal?~ she theorized. ~Either way, it's not really important now. I do appreciate your kindness though and the fact that you didn't turn away.~

Jaxon had smiled at her appreciation and then ended up looking downwards and nodding as she continued. His mind had gone back to the time he'd been out of touch with the world around him. It seemed like a lifetime ago and he thought that could have been when the trial was. He returned to her, giving a small, yet sincere, ~I can't imagine doing that...turning away.~ And then sighed with the feeling he should go. ~It's been incredible meeting you, Eleyna… I umm…I need to be going. There are others I feel I should check on too. But first, I want to thank you for your openness…and the experience of communicating this way.~

It was so rare that she found someone as open, friendly and accepting as he was, so she really didn't want him to go, but she understood. He had to check on the whole Arcade, so he didn't have the luxury of dilly-dallying here. Rising with him, she put her cloak back on and smiled though he would not see it now. ~You are welcome, but I assure you, it was my pleasure,~ she answered. ~You can come by any time. Perhaps, one day, you and your wife might come by for tea?~ she offered.

~I would love it. I am sure Sarah will too,~ he smiled as they walked towards the door. He took one last look around, his smile remaining. "And do some shopping, too."

Eleyna nodded. ~You and your wife are welcome any time,~ she sent, watching him leave. She was glad that she had met him.



~End