This experience happened to me several years ago when I was still on Litus Beta V. I had recently escaped from the Miniknog and was just recruited into the fighting for the rebellion. During a training excursion, I had been separated from my group and wandered through a horrible blizzard until I stumbled into a small village of Novakids. I had never meet one before, hearing only stories of their behaviors, short attention-spans, lack of civility (usually from a disgruntled Hyotl), and oddity when it came to the makeup of their bodies. The winter that year on Litus Beta V had been harsh and full of snowstorms, un-allowing me to return to the rebel camp with my fellow Apex. Fortunately, while being there, a kind, elderly couple opened their home to me. Known as Xenon and Edith, they made room for me in their little house. It was something they claimed they were happy to do since their children had all grown up and left for the stars. While spending time with them, Xenon loved to share tales with me concerning his youth. Contrary to what I had been told before concerning his kind, Xenon seemed remember many things concerning his past and was willing to share, possibly due to his old age. One particular story he liked to share was when he was still working as a blacksmith, he noticed the greenish-hue of a beautiful woman who lived the life of a nomad. As we would sit in front of the hearth on cold nights after a warm meal, he would go into detail of how he wooed this mysterious and lovely “dame” before she would have returned to the stars she came from. Edith’s hue would get brighter as he spoke, her hand enveloped in his throughout the entire saga. Age had dimmed their hues into a rustic red and bloated their frames, but Xenon always seemed to show flickers of blue as he shared these tales of his younger days. I enjoyed these nights as they often reminded me of the rare times as a child when I would listen to my father’s stories. Time had slowed their pace, but they still shared a light that seemed to drive every Novakid’s endeavors. But not even the stars last though, their light eventually burning out. It had been a rare, cloudless day with a deep chill in the air when Xenon knelt over in pain. The night before he had been as cheerful as he usually was, so to see him in such agony was a shock to me. Edith and I rushed to his side, his body shaking deeply with continual tremors. I ran out to get help from the townsfolk and ran into Sheriff Zeke close to the Saloon, who was with two other gunmen. After I rapidly explained the situation, the trio rushed with me to the couple’s home. Edith was still by his side when we all returned to the little house, having tried to soothe him with words of comfort I assumed. The Sheriff rushed over and knelt in front of Xenon, speaking with a serious tone that felt odd and foreign with someone who always seemed to embody a quiet nonchalance towards life. He asked, “Is it time?” Concerning the Sheriff’s words, Xenon only nodded, his frame shaking even more and unable to verbalize his answer. Sheriff Zeke and the two men that came with us pulled Xenon up to his feet and began to take him away. I didn’t know what they were doing or where they were taking him. Flashes of moments where loved ones had been “chosen” and escorted to their demise rushed through my sight, the panic evident on my face. Before I could make a scene, Edith placed her hand on my arm and gently pulled me back to her. “It’s alright, Zoya.” She hushed, her arm around mine. “There comes a time for everyone when they’ve gotta’ leave this side.” Soberly, we watched them take Xenon away. We soon walked outside, the town silent and still, contrary to the life and energy that was shown in excess on a daily basis. Everyone had put aside their various activities to watch as the group of Novakids trekked up the side of the mountain west of us. As they got higher, their visages got smaller and smaller, until all we could only see their faint glows at the top. After what must have been an hour, several of the glows began to their trek towards the village, leaving a lone, faint-red spark up on the mountain peak. When the trio reached the village, they walked towards us, a solemn treed in their pace. Sheriff Zeke pulled of his hat, as so did the others when they reached us. First, he turned towards my direction. “He’s fine and comfortable, miss. We made sure of that.” He addressed to me, obviously having seen my distress before. He then turned to Edith. “Ma’am, he wanted me to let you know that you still have the finest glow of all the dames here in this part of the ‘verse.” Edith remained still, with only flickers along her brand showing movement. The Sheriff then bid his farewells and told us he was available if we needed anything, and with that, we returned to the house. Later that night, close to around midnight, a burst of light and thunder filled the town. It lasted around a couple of minutes before it finally began to dim. Dust and mists surrounded the buildings, before being blown away in the wind. Edith had remained by the window the whole night and told me the next morning which direction the wind had gone. The town was still solemn the morning after, howls of an incoming storm filling the void where laughter and chatter should be. Sheriff Zeke once again returned to Edith’s home around noon, this time though, he came for me. He explained on the front porch that he wished for my help in retrieving Xenon’s brand. I learned that among the Novakids, there was a period of at least three days before anyone would even dare touch the brand of the recently deceased. The Brand would still be active and magnetically charged, hurting any Novakid who would get too near. But with another storm coming in, there was the risk of losing Xenon’s brand to the cold landscape under a new layer of snow, never to see the light of day again. I agreed to help immediately, and the two of us climbed the mountain just as Xenon had done the previous day before. As the two of us got closer to the top, the land became scorched and scarred. The trees were charred black if they still stood, and the snow no longer hid the earth as it had for years. Close to the peak, Sheriff Zeke stopped suddenly and then pointed in a certain direction. “I feel it over there… callin’ out...” He spoke. At first, I wondered if my eyes were playing tricks on me, but as I looked at Sheriff Zeke, it seemed as if the corona that lined his yellow frame was being stretched in the same direction he pointed me towards. “I don’t dare get any closer than this, Miss Zoya.” He was right concerning the brand’s location. I found the triangle- shaped brand in a clearing that used to be a run-down shack. When I picked it up and held it, I could feel the currents of static run through my body, the brand still warm with a dying energy. Growing up, my father had told me that Novakids never left remains when death came for them, existing only as beings of gas and star stuff that would just float away. But as I held Xenon’s still pulsing brand, I briefly recalled of the cold, horseshoe-shaped piece of metal I once found near the woods outside my childhood home. One of my favorite subjects to study is astronomy, especially concerning stars and their deaths. It was mentioned by Bietol that a Novakid ages and dies just like a regular star, via bloating and an explosion like a supernova. I wanted to explore that aspect a bit more and see how other Novakids might react to a natural death of their kind. They are definitely a lot more serious here than they are usually portrayed in-game. Do you think this fits or is it too OOC for them? What are some of your other thoughts? Constructive criticism is welcome.
I think this is a really cool concept. I like the idea that even when dying naturally, it still seems like some kind of supernatural phenomenon, and I really like the idea that only their brands physically remain. Nice job
