Continuing quite directly from FFM 2026 17: Crash down. I have no idea where this plotline is going right now because Iazyer and his mate did not exist until Crash down suddenly happened but I guess we’ll see over time?
The missing t‘s in Iazyer’s dialogue are intentional; this guy cannot pronounce [ð] or [θ] and I’m marking the latter with missing t‘s, as he pronounces it as [h].
Steirdrar knew they would have to go back to the base soon yet he did not move. The mere idea of returning to the barracks made the anxiety coil around his limbs. His whole body protested against going back there.
“I’m not going to ask what gave you ‘at bad a panic attack but I do have to ask: do you have somewhere safe to sleep? Other ‘an ‘is nook, I mean,” Iazyer asked.
“The barracks are safe,” Steirdrar responded, although his words sounded hollow at least to him.
Iazyer hummed. “Even on a psychological level?”
Steirdrar felt his mouth dry up. He tried to find a way to answer truthfully, but…
“Figures.” Iazyer shifted a bit. “Are ‘ey worse ‘an a stranger offering you a place at ‘eir guest room?”
Steirdrar wished Iazyer had their helmet off so he could see their expression. “Depends on the stranger and location.”
“Me and my mate have a guest room on our ship on-base. Wih ’em in Medical, me not in active duty and our ship being a minimally armed mobile home, our ship leavesse base only in emergencies. We’re not hosting anyone right now so you’d have a room all for yourself and people who know what it’s like to have a real bad time nearby if you want to talk about what’s on your mind.” Iazyer shrugged. “Up to you to determine iffe risks are worh it.”
Logic said to just go back to the barracks because at least there he knew what he was up against and what the risks were. Everything else in him told him to go with Iazyer because at least that would not be the barracks and his claustrophobic bunk, no matter what would happen.
…Honestly? Who the fuck cared if he got murdered or kidnapped or something by an Eskel-Zai on-base? Well, Cou-1, Cou-2, Beyari, QWERTY and probably a bunch of other Mechs involved in QWERTY’s project would, but right now he did not care (enough at the very least). He needed some way out and getting kidnapped would certainly achieve that, not in a healthy way of course, but it would still be a way out.
“If you’re offering your guest room, I’ll take you up on your offer,” Steirdrar told.
Iazyer nodded. “Got it. I’ll let my mate know so ‘ey knows to expect a guest.” After a pause, he spoke again, “Ready to go?”
“Yes. Thank you.”
“My pleasure.” Iazyer stood up first and took of his helmet, revealing the distinct face of a Kolton-Human hybrid. “Not much of a fan of going helmetless outside, but probably forre best like ‘is, so it doesn’t look like I’m escorting you to jail or some’ing.”
“Right.” Steirdrar stood up, now realizing how stiff his limbs were. “Thank you, for the consideration.”
“No problem.”
Iazyer filled the time walking back with conversation about the best spots in the forest. Steirdrar could not contribute much but it still made the walk a lot less stressful. They got a lot of looks once they made it to the base but Iazyer gave it no attention nor paused the conversation for anything except directions like “this way”, so Steirdrar ignored it.
“Welcome to’e Little Nook, or ‘at it’s name would be if we’d speak primarily Earth-Common,” Iazyer announced once they reached a small camouflaged ship at the edge of the residential landing field. Steirdrar could tell that it was a model designed to be a mobile home but that was all he knew about that category of ships (Zeldron would probably be able to tell which ship it was, or at least which manufacturer’s).
(Damn, he missed Zeldron so much.)
Inside, the ship was a massive difference to most ships he had been on. It was incredibly cozy, clearly furnished and decorated to be a home. A far cry from the standardized efficiency of IR military ships, the minimalistic layout of the Twilight Sky and the hyperorganized practicality of the Afterglow.
This ship was actually a home.
They found Iazyer’s mate, an armored, unusually small Gheiah, in the living room. They smiled warmly when they looked up from the handcraft they were working on. “Welcome home, zaiman. And welcome to our home, Commander Urrang. I’m Hergon gion Öulg, they/them singular.”
“Pleasure to meet you. Thank you for having me,” Steirdrar managed to respond without stuttering despite his brains having trouble keeping up with just taking in his surroundings, much less any conversation.
“The pleasure’s all ours,” Hergon said. “Zafme explained what’s going on. Feel free to stay as long as you need to; we rarely get overnight visitors so you won’t have to share the guest room with anyone anytime soon.”
“Thank you.” The regular Earth-Common thanks felt so incredibly insufficient here but Steirdrar’s brains refused to supply anything better.
“Do you need water or anything before you go to sleep?” Iazyer asked.
Steirdrar shook his head.
“Okay, go to sleep ‘en. Don’t worry about making a mess offe sheets,” Iazyer gestured at his not-sleep clothes. “We’ve got a real good washer, kinda have to wih two furry people.”
“Right. Thank you. Good night.” Steirdrar nodded to both Eskel-Zai and made his way back to the guest room Iazyer had pointed out while on the way to the living room. He heard a quiet conversation start in Eskel-Zai as he went but he did not try to eavesdrop.
The guest room was just as homey as the rest of the ship. It made homesickness hit Steirdrar hard, threatened to make him cry, but he took a deep breath and did what he could to tamp the emotional response down. Now that he was in an environment that gave him no indication of danger, exhaustion was crashing down on him as hard as it could.
The bed was so soft it felt almost criminal for him to sleep on it, not that he had much choice when sleep ambushed him the moment he was horizontal.
Eskel-Zai vocabulary: Zaiman: A shortened form of zaimor’ezan (a life partner, lit. heart-comrade). An endearment towards one’s life partner. Often translated to Earth-Common with words like love and darling.
WindySilver 
One thought on “FFM 2026 19: An Invitation”