Atabei took the submersible down and into the city, through nearly empty streets. Out the dome window, Luna could see a handful of Nautolans, who eyed the vessel warily. Near what Luna thought to be the centre of the city, amid the taller buildings, Atabei brought the submersible down towards a building that looked something like a flower - a central dome surrounded by maybe a dozen round petals, each petal having an open circle at the tip. A sea port of some sort, she decided, then realising that a sea port would just be called a port. The concept seemed old fashioned, even if the building itself wasn't.
The submersible dropped down into one of these holes, which turned into a tunnel, which turned into an open space, pressurised and aerated chamber with a pool in the middle, in which the submersible surfaced. An automated dock extended towards the ship, though Atabei didn't open the dome just yet. 'Need to wait for the pressure to equalise,' he told them, as Luna started to get out of her seat. The act of standing alone made her dizzy. 'Need to get used to the new air, too,' he added.
Luna wasn't quite sure what he meant, which must have registered on her face, for he continued. 'You can't breathe surface air down here. The deeper we go, the ship adjusts the gas percentages of the air. It's fine, as long as you don't do it too quick, otherwise you'll get sick. It just takes a minute or two,' and with that, he looked ahead and crossed his arms, waiting for some sort of signal.
Eventually, and after seemingly no signal from the ship's computer that she could see, Atabei popped the seal, the transparisteel dome lifted up and the Nexus filed out to stand in the empty room. Atabei stood. 'This is the only building left that can be pressurised, so I'll have to bring the Elders to you. Wait here,' and without another word, dived into the pool and swam back through the tunnel.
'Um,' said Face, puzzled by the abrupt departure. 'Okay.'
There they waited, ambling about the room, looking at all the equipment lining the walls, but apart from a row of lockers that held bulky yellow submersive suits, there wasn't much to see, so it was a relief when the doors to the rest of the building slid open, at which point a woman entered the room.
'Heya!' she waved cheerfully at them. Luna realised immediately that she was mistaken in thinking the newcomer was a woman. She was tall and muscular, in the lithe way that the other Nautolans that Luna had seen, but she was young - a teenager, perhaps fifteen or sixteen. 'Don't get many landlu- land dwellers down here these days. Watcha come for?'
Luna had growned used to Zatt's accent, but it seemed faint compared to this girl's, and it took a few moments for her to understand her words. Face got there first.
'Heya!' he said, matching her jovial tone and waving. 'Just going to have a chat with the Elders, but we're not all that good at swimming so I'm afraid they must come to us.'
'Oh, how nice!' she said, clearly impressed. She came to stand amid the Nexus. 'I'm Amoya. What's your name?'
'Face,' Face replied. 'Uh, Garik, I mean. But my friends call me Face. 'Cause I've got such an ugly face,' he laughed. Amoya did the same, before looking at the others.
Luna looked at Cora, who was frowning at the girl. Before the girl could notice, Luna stepped forward and knelt to be eye level to her. 'I'm Luna.'
'Ooh, like the moon?'
'Exactly,' she smiled. 'I named myself that after,' she paused, thinking back to the night she had been saved by Luke, 'after a night I could never forget.'
'I don't know why my parents called me Amoya,' the girl replied. 'I think they were hoping I'd be unselfish, but I still don't like to share my food.'
Luna laughed. 'I have a friend who's just like that,' a sound from the pool behind made Luna stand and turn to look, and she saw Atabei and three others emerge out of the water. Luna felt something brush by her, and she saw the girl, Amoya, run out of the room. She frowned at her back, then put her out of her mind as the three Elders started speaking.
'Honoured Elders,' Face said, and bowed. The others did the same. 'I'm afraid I bring sad news. One of your kin, and a beloved member of our crew, Zatt Fendy, was killed on a mission. I bring her body to lay with her family, and to feed the reef that gives life.'
The middle, and seemingly oldest, Elder stepped forward. 'You have my sincerest thanks in returning our child back to us,' she said, then paused as Atabei leaned close to whisper in her ear, while nodding at Luna. In the light, she saw his chest, saw the two scars under his pecs, and felt some sort of kinship for him. 'You,' the Elder said. 'Atabei tells me you wish to reunite the family. Tell me what you mean by this.'
Luna swallowed nervously, stepping foward. She looked to Face, who nodded encouragingly. 'We know that the First Order kidnapped Zatt's parents and forced her to do their bidding, on pain of death,' the formal wording felt clunky in her mouth, but the situation seemed to call for it. 'We don't bear any ill-will towards Zatt for this. She was in a difficult position and was just trying to do her best by her family. Before her death, we promised her that we would help. But we don't have much information,' she stopped, feeling out of her depth in the diplomacy department.
Face intervened. 'We came here hoping to gain such information, hoping to ask her family, her clan, if they had any information that could aid us in this search. I beg your aid, in the hope that we can do right by the memory of our beloved friend. She was family to us, too. Perhaps not by blood, but family comes in all forms, and she was ours. Therefore, when her family is in danger, it is our duty to lend all the help that we can,' he bowed again. 'Please, I beg you help us.'
The Elders looked at him, to Luna, and then the others. The lead Elder motioned to Atamei. 'Take the girl to be prepared,' Atabei nodded, then he jumped back into the pool. He didn't resurface. Luna guessed that 'the girl' meant Zatt. It was strange, but knowing that her body was no longer under their care made her feel further away.
'Tell me,' the Elder said, her voice level. 'Just how did Zatt die?'
