The Great Belligerency [Round 4: Static]

It was very difficult to hold a meeting when you had only one translator handling at least a dozen different languages. As such, the first order of business had been figuring out if there was an alternative.

It turned out that there was. Portia had developed one in her laboratory back home, though it was only calibrated to the languages of her homeworld. And lacking several key exotic materials, she hadn't really been able to work on it anyway, or communicate what she needed.

But now it was possible to work together. Na-Alle-Tuon (who Soft thought resembled a large lizard with a teakettle for a head) was an expert alchemist, and knew exactly what was needed to synthesize the rarer metals. As to the matter of aligning it to the local languages, Garanthus Allex (who Soft thought of as a large rock who didn't so much "talk" as "vibrate") knew of a spell which could grant a nonliving object the full linguistic knowledge of a living being. Garanthus explained that it had been able to understand all of them because of the spell, but was limited in its own communicative abilities. But a device designed for translation would surely be able to communicate that knowledge effectively. Finally, Zorgen (who looked like a small furry rodent to Soft) said he had a knack for making more of something, so he could make translators for everyone once they had one functioning.

That left the actual gathering of materials, which had to be done by Whistler since anyone else would be shot on sight. And so he left to find what he could; and Soft, finally able to do more than speak for dozens who couldn't, asked for a break.

As she shuffled over to an empty corner of the ruins, she heard a small buzzing sound.

"What is it, Nigel?"

"Bzz," Nigel said.

Or at least, that was how it would have sounded to anyone else. Soft understood it as "I believe something is troubling you. The Mind asks that I do what I may to ease your burden. I ask that you speak, and I will listen, and perhaps advise."

Soft reflected on this. She sat down and thought about where to even start.

The words came to her almost automatically.

"Once upon a time..."