It's late afternoon on the following day after Melora found out her mate loses his mouth now and then. Copernicus knows that now it's just a matter of waiting for the flux capacitors to finish charging before the Heisenberg Uncertainty Stabilizers can be triggered in his attempt to fix the damaged local space. So, he's taking his mate to a quiet bit of forest outside of Chareka that rims a cliff face, hoping to make her not think about her condition for a bit.
As it's the evening, and folks are so worried, the normally large crowds of rambunctious Chirr'T'Thar have been replaced with smaller, more subdued ones. However, a mixture of merchants still try to sell everything from live food to lubricants. Copernicus quietly guides Melora through them and towards the edge of town, knowing that folks are politely trying not to stare at him and his bedraggled mate.
Melora pulls a scarf closer to her head, once more glancing back at Copernicus with a worried expression. She purrs quietly, "Ya sure we shoul' be goin this way.. what wi' alla concern?"
Copernicus turns his torso around and murrs to Melora, "At this point all we can do is wait. It makes no sense to waste the few free moments we have worrying more. C'mon, you'll like this place. If you see anything along the way that you'd like, let me know."
Melora pauses quite suddenly and her eyes widen at the contents of one stall. Something of a type of mirror that's not quite a mirror. A hologram reproduction of self for viewing one's features. Her eyes widen a moment then with barely a pause she stuffs a hand into the view of one.
Copernicus notes Melora's change in direction and pads over to see what Melora is looking at and purrs, "Oh, a holomirror, work much better than normal mirrors for us 'taur types."
Melora sticks her hand through it again then bends to look even closer. "Ye sure? It's not... like... uh, nevermind." She wears a frown and keeps sticking her hand through the image.
Copernicus smiles slightly and purrs, "No, it's not an ancestor, and it's not magic either, just a device is all."
The young mel Chirr'T'Thar who is selling the devices flicks his ears at the word "magic" then looks up at the skies that are slowly unravelling and looks at Melora with a bit of fear in his eyes.
Melora hmfs quietly, "Well.. I dunno. I still ain't too fired certain what annathing is yet." With a bit of a sigh and a shake of her head she pulls back a bit then smiles at the vendor just a bit as she pulls within cloak.
The vendor finally finds his voice and asks Melora, "Magic...it's...it's real, isn't it?"
Melora glances over towards Copernicus a moment then says quietly, "S'what th'place we used t'live believed. I... " she glances again, unsure of the last several weeks, "I ain't sure yet."
Copernicus looks up at the skies and purrs, "Well, call it what you want, but right now whatever it is is deadly real. Want to continue our trip Melora?"
Melora nods her head then pauses just a moment. In that half pause she whispers, "I ain't sure.. but y'know... even these mirrors are, um.. magic, ta me?"
The Chirr'T'Thar looks at Copernicus and Melora and then up at the skies and nods quietly at the odd regulators words.
Copernicus carefully snugs Melora through her blankets and purrs, "Advanced knowledge can seem like magic to those who are not used to it Melora. This isn't magic, it's just a fancy tool, like a very fancy crossbow."
Melora pauses a moment then finally nods. She sighs a bit and says, "I ain't used t'it... it's gonna take a while y'know."
Copernicus nods, "Though don't get too used to it. Life gets boring without any mysteries or wonders. It's why I spent 2 years on that odd little planet with you and Zilvar and Ben and the rest. Life should have wonder in it. Why don't we head on, unless you want to get one of these?"
Melora shakes her head a bit then says, "Thankye.. but I ain't got much want t'be seein me right now." She turns about and pads just slowly off in the direction they started. A slight pause, though, for where she sees a bit of cutlery being sold.
The fleet of ships that continue to ring the Chirr'T'Thar's solar system periodically seem to shimmer in the odd auroras that rip through the skies. Inside, some truly bizzarre devices soak up the raw energies that have been unleashed. And in a mining ship near the sun, a central device links the ships together, and the complex set of wires and devices all seem to eminate from...a small leather bag?
Copernicus notes Melora's interest and purrs, "See something you like?"
Melora says quietly, "They look interestin.. but one looks like another, which looks simular t'the first. Why's that?"
Copernicus looks confused for a moment, then looks at the handmade dagger at his waist and suddenly understands, "Most of our objects are made by machine, not by hand. That way they all look exactly the same."
Melora frowns a bit then says, "then what's a worth to them iffin they all look th'same. How c'n ye name them?"
Copernicus purrs, "We don't name them. They are just for use and are often easily discarded."
Melora frowns then shakes her head, "That's... so wasteful. Y'never git t'know the blade." She pulls her own knife from it's hilt and holds it up near one of the ones from the counter.
Copernicus looks around at the very modern buildings and nods to himself, "We separate ourselves from life too much. Hopefully that will change, if we survive."
Melora makes a quick flip of her knife and it's sheathed again. She nods her head then says, "I can't agree or disagree wi'that. Yer life's strange fer me." She nods to the vendor then turns to pad off. "That... lady from the hopitle? The... the place for healing. She's been odd lately."
Copernicus hmms, "Odd? How?"
Melora shrugs a bit, her winged shoulders taking up part of the shrug. It's stiff looking. "She's.. well, I caught her wi'one of those small people gram things. One o'me... lookin at it funny an smiling. I'm not sure... "
Copernicus ohs, "Well, you remember how you told me that sometimes two females of your race will become very close? I think she's taking an interest in you. I assume it was a hologram of when you were...when you had your fur and scales?"
Copernicus swallows, wishing he hadn't brought it up.
Melora glances down the row. The scarf covered head bobs in a bit of a nod. "She's likin the hologram thing then? It's not me now..."
Melora stumbles a bit, her paw catching on a step she's taking. She recovers her stride fairly quickly.
Copernicus gently snugs his mate and purrs, "You'll get better, don't worry. And when you do, she'll be after you for real. And not just for your physical beauty either. C'mon, let's get to that spot I was telling you about."
Melora nods her head, keeping her arm about him for the moment as she pads with him.
The quiet couple finally leaves the towering buildings of Chareka and enters a lush forest. As they pad along, they come upon the edge of the cliff. A small clearing overlooks the valley below, and Copernicus puts down a large blanket and pulls out some cooked food and wine and motions for his mate to sit beside him.
Melora lowers herself to sit on the blanket. A peaceful look, the first in over a week, crosses her expression and she sighs just a bit. One might notice that her forepaws are in the grass and she's wiggling the toes just a little bit.
At the edge of the solar system, closest to the damaged area of space, the oddd machinery in several of the ships hums in a different pitch as the indicators light up to let the technicians note that they are fully charged.
Copernicus wipes away a small tear and purrs, "I know living in the city is unpleasant for you Melora, and I'm sorry that it's necessary right now."
Melora lifts her chin a bit and says, "it's okay.. I know ye'can't do what ya need to from a wood. Jus like there aren't really ways fer me ta live outside of yer ..*yawn* Yer buildin. Not 'n be sick an all. B'sides.. I'll go were ye do."
Melora shuffles her paws in the grass then says quietly, "I'm learnin t'live up there.. it ain't so bad. Jus promise me one thin?"
Copernicus leans over and gently kisses Melora on the nose as he strokes her back through the blankets she wears and purrs, "What kecharra?"
Melora reaches a hand up to brush at the back of Coper's neck as she says so very quietly, "iffin I do... do die. Let m'do so in th'open?"
Slowly, one after the other, ship by ship, the flux capacitors reach full charge. Technicians look on with alarm as this seems to increase the raw energy fields around the system.
Copernicus's eyes go wide and he growls, "You are not dying. You are not going to die for a long time yet. I promise you, when your time comes, DECADES from now, you will be outside."
Melora flicks both her ears back and cows her head down. She doesn't change her thought though.
Copernicus leans over and holds Melora close, afraid to let her go.
As the last of the devices charge up, the field around the solar system seems to come into focus, and the auroras become spectacular in their frenzy.
Copernicus is softly miaowing as he snugs his mate, hoping and praying that a cure can be found for her soon. One of the gems on his armband beeps urgently.
Melora shivers slightly then leans into that comforting presense. Her shivering becomes more intense then with a gasp that seems to spread through her not so slight body she collapses in his arms.
Copernicus's heart sinks as he feels his mate collapse. He quickly checks her breathing and pulse, the gem flashing very urgently now on his armband.
Melora takes shallow puffs of air at a slowish rate and her body continues to shudder slightly from moment to moment. The blankets and scarf are dislodged and bared skin shows pale through to the light.
Copernicus turns his head and notes the signal, he growls at the creator as he hits a stud and growls, "I want an emergency medical team sent to this location immediately. Bring all the equipment you could possibly need, as I don't want my mate taken back inside. She's lost consciousness, her breathing is slow and shallow, her skin is pale and her pulse is racing. I have to head out for the stabilization now. If I find out it takes more than 5 minutes to have someone by my mates side I'll use your tails for dustmops!"
Copernicus hits the other stud and nearly roars, "On my way!"
Copernicus leans over and kisses Melora and purrs, "May the first mother watch over you little one. I can only hope that the stabilization will help you too. I have to go now, or none of us will survive."
Melora seems to shiver even a bit more, what little fur she's left standing out in patches as her muscles 'grasp' and tighten then loosen.
Copernicus kisses Melora one last time and leaps into the air, the boom of his leaving rolling through the valley. As his ship takes off, a team of physicians land by Melora's shivering body.
The physicians quickly treat Melora for shock, giving her a saline IV, blankets, elevating her haunches to keep blood flow to her head and giving a mild sedative to control her shaking. Other than that, they know they are clueless on what to do for this aliens mysterious disease.
Copernicus's ship docks with his mates mining ship, and he rushes past them towards the tangle of cables and devices leading from his uncles leather pouch, the one that contains a small pocket dimension.
Ceres, Libra and Aurora note the look in their mate's eyes, and know things are worse for Melora, so they just silently wish him luck by the First mother's bountiful charms and go to their stations. Copernicus stands in front of the bag and spreads his wings into a parabola and hits the stud on his armband and purrs, "Fire them up. It's now or forever."
Copernicus swears he can feel each Heisenberg Uncertainty Stabilizer as it powers up and focuses through the nexus where he presently stands. He notes it is ironic, his uncle was an outcast for learning the magic that made the dimensional pouch infront of him, and now that pouch, plus the texts it contained, may be the only hope for our race, and for the stability of local space.
Copernicus watches as his wings slowly start glowing with the auroras that he hopes to eliminate. Ever since Jalandrith walked through his soul, draining him of nearly all his chaos magic, he has become a focus, a lens for magic. He has some doubts that his body can handle being the lens to focus the energies of 3143 Heisenberg generators, but notes there is no other choice. His teeth chatter as he feels the entire fleet start to come into focus through his wings.
Copernicus is glowing, and his form now wavers like the local space, and he purrs shakily, "May the first mother grant me more endurance than her poor 50 husbands had!" and he plunges both arms into his uncle's dimensional bag.
At first, nothing seems to happen, but slowly, the space outside the solar system becomes more stable. The vast majority of the dimensional tears seal, and subspace becomes calm enough for warp travel to work again. It is far from totally fixed, but it is capable of fixing itself with time now. The home system of the Chirr'T'Thar shows no effect during all of this, other than a glow showing up around the ship by the sun.
Copernicus seems to have no form at this point, being unable to think with the energies pouring through him. Finally, the auroras at the edge of the solar system start aligning, and the fields throughout also seem to be lining up towards the sun, and the technicians finally feel some hope.
After a few minutes of this, the space around the solar system, starts to curl, then fold, and with an appearance of a drain emptying, the entire solar system, and all the ships around it, fold in upon themselves until they are swallowed by the dimensional bag, which in turn swallows the ship and crew around it, leaving nothing but empty space and the final cry of a male felitaur echoing through the vacuum, "KITTY LITTER!"