Ersta 30, 230 AC

This is Nastasia continuing my nouetic-to-media stream fed to me by the Surakosan earthquake relief team in Eridu.

We are at the perimeter of the wide plaza which fronts the Great Library, and we're stopped by a line of Aurian soldiers pointing their machine guns at us. It's getting on toward twilight, and the sky is dark with dust anyway. We're all covered with dust. Videocameras and communicators need to be cleaned out as best we can. Recording goes on at all times. Shouting in Aurian, but thankfully no shots.

I see two men at the front, coming up to confront the Aurians. One small, one taller. Both nouergists, the small one is Tanheu the director, the other is Noshir, his associate and a Western-based Aurian nouergist. We were told to cooperate with the Aurians. I see two glowing auras at the front, one from each Nouergist, one deep purple and one fiery red. Amplified voice, sounds like Tanheu, who speaks perfect Aurian.

"I am Tiridat, grandson of Ardeshir, bearer of the Amethyst fire, a Jewel-class nouergist, I greet thee, Aurian rescuers and warriors." Then Noshir:
"I am Noshirwan, grandson of Mehran, son of Bahram. I bear the Cinnabar Fire, a Flame Bearer-class nouergist, I greet thee, my fellow Aurian rescuers and warriors."

The Aurians lower their guns as their commanding officer comes through the line to the front. The Aurian culture respects displays like this. Poetic language and colored light, and an underlying display of nouergic power. Nouergists are like supernatural beings to them. There is talk among the men at the front. Ariadne arrives to negotiate. She doesn't know Aurian, and the others translate for her. She shows an emerald green aura: she is a Gohar, a Jewel-class nouergist in Aurian terms. The talk goes on for a while, masked by the constant background noise of engines and shouting and people hacking at rubble.

An aftershock hits, rumbling through the already crushed cityscape, and some more stuff hits the ground. The soldiers are nervous. We are stranded. We need to make camp before night falls. Our leaders are explaining to the Aurians that we do not oppose them and do not need to use any of their supplies. There's a fire burning off to the west, looks like a fuel fire where a gas station went up, black smoke rising twisting into the sky. Hurry up with those Aurians. I hear they are barbarians. Watch out for them. You have to negotiate on their terms. They have the guns.

Finally they reach an agreement. Ariadne through the voice network, let's move, we have a site. Up onto the plaza, we're escorted by the Aurian force to an area of the plaza which is relatively clear. Is this enough space for our field hospital and campsite? It has to be. We don't have the fighting force to gain us a larger safe perimeter, though some of us are armed. Ariadne holds up a green torch to show where to unload. A great relief to put down our packs and take a few minutes' rest.

Suddenly we have visitors. Some of us see the flicker of a Gateway, others are ready with their automatic pistols. Every nouergist and nouetist, everyone with gifts looks that way. Two people come out of the Gateway: a small stocky woman and an older man. Nouergists, by their glowing tags, but bearing no country or city ID. Who are they? They're from Tisaram to the north. Tisari up the river. That's a big population center with a rich network of nouetic talent, but so far these are the only ones from there to show up as helpers at Eridu. The woman is Barandigi, who some of us know from the demolition of Enlil's house at Acragas. The man is Ennio Liatris, one of the highest ranked master Nouergists in the world.

Someone explains this to me. They're here against the will of their governments, which have not authorized any relief missions to Eridu. Liatris has decided to defy it and come on his own, picking up Barandigi on his way. The call is going out. Eridu needs nouergists, needs anyone with talent. Where, where are the Eridanians' own relief services? We wonder where they are. No one identifying as Eridanian has had any organized response that we've seen. What kind of life did these Eridanians live? Why are they so passive? Don't they have any rescuers of their own? They are standing around our perimeter as we set up, some of them injured, waiting quietly and hopelessly for help, for some way out.

Another Gateway, and two more nouergists show up, drawn by the call. These are Surakosan graduates, Durvan Karaman the psychengineer and Isur Kuklian, who is now the head of the Nouergic Institute at Rhakoteh. They are coming in. They want to help. But no one, no one else from Tisaram. And also, no one else from Khemi, the land of the Khemaru, except Mereth the architect, who has the reputation of doing whatever he pleases, despite custom, government, or prejudice. The Khemaru are Tanheu's people. But Tanheu is part Aurian, something that the Khemaru despise as "mixed blood."

Ariadne greets them all, more nouergists in one place than we've seen for a long time. No time to waste. Do they have their gear in order? Are they linked in securely, both voice and nouetic telepathy? They are to pair up. No nouetist no matter how skilled or powerful must be alone. That means you, Mereth, you get a partner too. The architect doesn't look so slick right now, with dust all over his fancy outfit. Karaman and Liatris. Mereth and Kuklian. Noshir and Ariadne, who worked together at the Surakosai Institute. And Tanheu is with Barandigi, who collaborated with him on the demolition.

There are immediate needs. There are people alive crushed under debris. Nouergists can rescue them. You won't get them all. You won't even get all the ones you try to save. Just do what you can, until your energy level is too low to pull it off. The Aurians are going to help us with transport. Nouetists, finders, accompany our engineers.

How to get to the places we need to get to? There isn't a single street clear enough for a wheeled vehicle. The Aurians have lifters and rotocraft on the plaza. There's room for two nouergists on one of them. Durvan Karaman and Liatris, go. Another bright nouergic light, suddenly on the plaza: the Khemaru gold of Mereth. He has formed a levitation bubble and pulls Kuklian into it. It rises like a swift airship, dims its light and arcs over the teeming plaza towards the ruined front of the Great Library. Damn, you never see that except in movies!

Voices over the voice system, and a nouetic call from another nouergist, this time in the suburbs to the north. Requesting nouergist now. There is a situation at the power plant of Eridu North. That would be a nuclear fusion power plant. It is work for Tanheu the physicist, who had already been assigned this in anticipation. There is an undamaged rotocraft belonging to the police department of Energy Park, where the power plant is located. They're on their way to pick us up. The nouergist there is Antolak, the only locally based working nouergist left in the Eridanian suburbs. The nouergic institute of Eridu evacuated the area weeks ago.

There's the rotocraft now, landing on the plaza as its rotors stir up a billowing cloud of dust. Tanheu and Barandigi board, loaded with equipment. The rotocraft rises into the twilight sky and angles off to the north, towards Energy Park. There is a situation at Eridu North's power plant. It probably involves radiation.

TO BE CONTINUED

Posted at 3:41 am | link

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