[OOM] Third Teean 27, 38 O 94 E

[dejah_thoris]

Dejah had thought, by returning to work on the Project, she could forget about her other concerns for a little while. It was only ever the Project in her mind. It had been the Project since those very first days after they'd realized, the Thern threat had been dealt with, once and for all. The War was over. The Project began. Terraforming a planet was no small undertaking. It had been over a century in the works already, and looked to be at least three more in the making. By that time, she expected there would be no way to conceal their presence from Jasoom any longer, and they had to be prepared for that eventuality as well. So, the first iteration of atmospheric generators had been brought online, and the second and third iterations had entered development and testing. Subterranean pump houses were already supplementing what little surface water they had, and they were a long way from open air reservoirs on the surface. Right now, subterranean reservoirs would have to do. And there was so much more to consider on the surface. Topography and geological surveys to be completed. Small scale test environments to be built, merely proof of concepts at this point, but they were no small endeavor in and of themselves.

She'd been back for three days, working straight through, and her people none the wiser that she'd been gone for more than a month through a secret door between universes. She looked over the plans as they stood, and found everything to be on target, just as they'd been when she'd left. So why wasn't the tension behind her eyes relieved?

She knew why. She'd been avoiding thinking about it. About him. She stepped away from her drafting tables and for the first time, thought to herself, Who do I know that could counsel me on this issue? The first question really was, what was it she needed counselling on? There was no one here in the city who could even begin to understand what it was that Curtis had been through. But she thought perhaps, she knew someone who might.

"Sola, I want to go and visit your father."

"Yes, my Jeddak. He should be back in the Old City by the end of next month."

"I want to go visit him now."

"But… My Jeddak, he is on the path now. There was good hunting to be had in the southern reaches this season. He will be with his hunting parties, out in the Warhoon."

"Well, send a flyer to locate him and we shall ride out."

"My Jeddak… Dejah… That is at least five days on thoat back. Might we take a flyer instead?"

"Sola, my friend. I need some time away from the city. I need the desert now. Surely you understand?"

Sola regarded her Jeddak and dear friend with a knowing look. "Are you going into seclusion again? As you did before, when…?" She could not say it, but they both knew what she meant. Dejah had ridden out to the Temple of Iss after John's passing. A journey that should have only taken a week ended up lasting six months.

"No, no not at all." Dejah put a hand on Sola's shoulder. "I merely need to speak with your father. I require his counsel. And the ride will clear my head before we get there."

Sola closed her eyes and dipped her chin, a smile of relief touching her lips. "As you will. I will have the flyer sent out immediately. Mounts to be ready by morning?"

"Let's leave tonight."

"As you will. I will let them know."

Dejah quietly thanked her, and turned back to the room. She hadn't been in the field in far too long. Suddenly, she was actually looking forward to it.

~~~

The flyers located the Thark hunting band eight days ride south of the city of Helium, and Dejah's small caravan of guards and attendants set out to intercept them a few days out from the Old City. She'd had them bring water, enough for a traditional peace offering, along with other gifts of food and wine. She would not be seen to be a burden on the Thark's already limited resources. But not too many gifts. He had his pride as well.

Woola was acting as point, and kept them on target despite the shifting sands and usual dust storms. All she had to do was tell him, "Find Tars Tarkas." And the calot had done the rest. He was his usual grumpy self, as the thoats did not move with near enough alacrity for his taste, but he also seemed to be enjoying the wide open space. He'd adapted as best he could to city life, but he was a calot and as such, belonged in the empty expanse of Barsoom's red desert.

When they caught up with Tars Tarkas and his men, she made sure it was at a leisurely pace, giving them enough time to spot the dust of their trail and send out riders to meet them. It was an hour before sunset when they were escorted to meet the Thark Jeddak and longtime family friend.

Comments

[we_dont_fly]

"Memories can be heavier than metal," says Tars soberly. "And just as difficult to put aside, after a lifetime carrying. Whoever it is you come on behalf of, I don't envy them the road they have ahead at all."

[dejah_thoris]

Dejah's gaze falls and a sad smile ghosts over her lips. After all these years, he knows her too well.

"Yes, well. As with any burden, they are easier borne with help than by oneself." She glances back up. "How did you know I came on behalf of someone else?"

[we_dont_fly]

"You asked me if long hunger could change a person's mind," says Tars. "Helium has fared well for a long while now, so you weren't asking for your people. If you were only chasing some old legend, or some piece of history, you would have said as much at the very beginning. It made the most sense to assume you had some particular person's condition in mind."

[dejah_thoris]

She dips her chin, gives a slight nod. "Yes, you are correct. I met a man on my travels. He has recently been released from a long confinement. And in all my studies, I have never read anything about -- how to -- I do not know how to help him. Every bite of food seems to bear an impossible weight for him. It's as if he feels he does not deserve to be alive. And yet, he is."

Well, for certain values of alive, anyway.

"I am grateful for any counsel you might have to give."

[we_dont_fly]

"A Thark who's gone a long time without food or water finds his stomach shrunken," says Tars, after some thought. "Give him too much to eat at once, and he'll sicken. One held prisoner with no way to strike at his captors for too long, given a sword, will either go mad and attack any foe he sees, or fail with the weapon entirely. If this man's been confined and starved for so very long, I would say to move slowly. Offer him only a little more than he thinks he ought to have, whether food or the company of others. It takes slow stretching over a long time to bring what's shrunken back to its proper size without tearing it in the process."

[dejah_thoris]

Dejah takes in this information, the corners of her mouth drawn down. She's tried to be patient and she doesn't think she's done much at all to force the issue. Still, it is sage advice and one she will take to heart.

"I can do that. But I fear my own impatience may be an impediment. Still, that's nothing I haven't had to deal with in the past."

She leans forward and extends her hand to her old friend. "Thank you, Tars. You have no idea how invaluable your words are to me right now. Again, I find myself in your debt."

[we_dont_fly]

"We all have something in our natures to overcome," says Tars. "I have no doubt you'll find a way to see this done. You have a knack for that sort of thing."

He clasps her hand with one of his own. "Return the favor for me one day, and we'll call it even," he says. "I have no doubt there'll come a time when I'll have to knock at the gates of Helium with questions of my own."

[dejah_thoris]

"You are always, always welcome in our home, my friend. The warrior who brought us Dottar Sojat will always be revered in Helium."

She squeezed his hand and leaned back again, gentle smile back in place.