Aisell trudged into her bedroom, dumping her bags unceremoniously to the floor, slipping off her plimsolls and with a weary sigh rolled on to her bed. She managed to keep her eyes open for a few seconds before they closed of their own accord due to exhaustion.
It had been a long few years.
She’d been a semi-finalist in her first Grand Tribute. She was happy with that. Then she’d taken part in a nail biter of final in her second. She’d stormed her way there, like a charging vashana but was beaten by an utterly superb Marionette. The Human had been too quick for her. He’d used his time between Grand Tributes to pick up new skills, to play new scenarios and to study Titan history. When it came down to it, he was quicker than any Titan player he came up against. She’d done her best to keep up but it was no use. The Marionette came out as the victor.
For her third Grand Tribute she was ready. The Marionette was too quick to beat in a straight fight. He fought with an energy and an intensity that no other opponent could match. He was near unstoppable. She knew being Human gave him the advantage of thinking quick and learning fast but she also knew from her time around Humans what their weaknesses were.
It wasn’t a nail biter of a final in the traditional sense of the phrase. The space round was easy won, that was her speciality. At the start of the rest of the rounds she’d dug in, held out as The Marionette probed her lines for weaknesses. She bided her time, waited for him to tire before she quickly struck back and took his forces apart, piece by piece. Some called it playing dirty, exploiting the Human’s lack of stamina. Aisell thought it was only fair. The Marionette played to his strengths, so she played to his weaknesses.
That was almost a year ago. And it had been a long year. She’d spent most of it on a victory tour around The Empire. Making public appearances for her sponsors, taking part in exhibition games and friendlies, meeting fans and most importantly to her, helping to support good causes.
Her winnings by now were near two million credits and if she’d followed the example of her predecessors she’d have done her tour in style. She’d have hired a luxury transport with a pool, gym, personal chef and holosuite to take her between the several dozen worlds she’d visited as part of her victory tour. Instead she’d booked herself into cheap hotels, travelled on crowded liners between systems and eaten take-out food from plastic containers in space port waiting areas. All of it she’d funded solely from her share of the farm’s profits.
Every single credit she’d won from Tol Bot, from her first semi-finalist’s winnings of two hundred and fifty thousand credits to the million she won last year had been donated to a well deserving charity. Only Lezah had any inkling what Aisell had actually done with her winnings. Aisell wanted it that way. She didn’t want anyone to feel like they owed her anything. It was better this way. Simple and anonymous. It’s not like she could even spend that amount of money. The farm was now making more than enough money. Aisell didn’t like extravagances. She liked simplicity…
“You’re back!” A small voice shouted from above her, pulling her from her semi-conscious line of thought.
Aisell blinked and waited for her vision to clear, she quickly recognised a familiar face looking down on her from on top of her headboard.
“You do know it’s rude to sneak into a girl’s room, don’t you?” Aisell spoke half sarcastically, half seriously.
“Sneaking implies an intent to deceive or to go unnoticed. I just saw you and wanted to say hi…” The Human dropped off the top of the headboard to the pillow with practiced ease and walked towards the edge of the bed. “…maybe I missed you and couldn’t wait to see you.”
Aisell smiled and rolled her eyes. She hovered her hand over her friend and quickly plucked him up and hugged him in to the top of her chest for a few seconds.
“I missed you too Luke.” Aisell said lifting him to her face.
The man in her hand chuckled. “Almost.”
She leaned in a bit closer and studied his face. This was Luke. She thought it was. He looked exactly how she remembered him. It had nearly been a year. This was definitely Luke…wasn’t it?
“Disa…!?” She gasped.
He smiled broadly.
“Yup.”
“But…but…you’re just a kid…” Aisell stammered.
Disa shook his head. “Nope. All grown up. I’m an apprentice chemist n’ everything.”
“Well…I wouldn’t say all grown up…” A third voice chimed in.
Aisell looked to a figure standing just out the shadows on top of her bedside table. This Human looked like Disa, though he was stockier and had slightly darker hair and a well-kept beard. It took her mind a few milliseconds to work backwards to the friend she left behind a year ago but he was definitely there.
“I thought you said you hated having a beard?” Aisell grinned.
“That was because I was a vain young man. Now I’m a vain old man.” He said. “Gonna put my boy down?”
“Sorry…” Aisell smiled setting Disa down beside Luke. Seeing Disa all grown up and looking like the Luke she remembered was a little distracting.
“Time to head home Disa, your mother’s near ready to serve up the kalbar she spent yesterday stalking.” Luke ordered his son.
Disa rolled his eyes and Luke crossed his arms.
“You can come back tomorrow. Aisell has had a long trip and I’m sure she need to get some sleep.”
Aisell was about to interject to tell them it was ok, she had missed them, both of them, but Luke waved her off.
“Ughh fine. Sleep well Aisell.” Disa said as he made his way down the side of the bed sheets.
Aisell and Luke quietly waited for Disa to disappear out of the door. They both knew it was an excuse, and a flimsy one at that. Luke would be in just as much trouble as Disa for missing one of Quendra’s hand caught dinners.
“I can’t believe how much like you he is. And not just in look, he even acts like you and sounds like you.” Aisell said.
“Seriously? He’s far more like his mother. He doesn’t know when to shut up, though. I mean, I love him, and he’s smarter than I am…but he knows it, and he isn’t afraid to tell you exactly what you’re doing wrong, whether you’re doing it wrong or not.”
Aisell chuckled. “That’s what I mean! He’s exactly like you!”
“I was never like that…was I?”
Aisell nodded. “It wasn’t that long ago I was getting lectures from you on how you didn’t need any help from anyone.”
“That was twenty five years ago!”
“Only feels like four to me.”
“Yeah well your years are crazy long! Do you have any idea how long it’s been since I’ve seen you?” Luke had started out joking but his tone quickly changed to serious.
Aisell rolled on to her side and pulled the covers over her. She was getting tired and her neck was straining from looking off to her side. She looked at Luke for a second. She couldn’t get over how different he looked. If he were a Titan he’d be old enough to be her father. He sounded it too. His voice was deeper, gruffer and he spoke with more purpose than what she remembered.
“I didn’t really think. I figured it was just a year but I forgot how quickly you guys move. When I left Disa was just a little boy and now he’s all grown up.” Aisell sighed. “If I’m going to miss this much, I might not compete again.”
“Not a chance!” Luke snapped back. “We watched every one of your games. You love being out there! You’d be miserable if all you did was do accounts or pack up wine bottles.”
“Yeah but…I’m missing so much…”
Luke stepped off the table and down on to the soft bed top. “So if I asked you to never play another game of Tol Bot, to retire as champion and never play again, how do you feel about that?”
Aisell thought for a second and then nodded. “I’d be ok with it. If you wanted me here. I want to be here.”
“You’re convincing no one Aisell.” Luke sat down on the pillow in front of his friend’s ice blue eye looking down the great length of the bed. “I’m a home bird. When you met me all I could think about was getting back home. I couldn’t but you found me another one, and now I have it I don’t want to leave it.”
He turned and looked into her eye. She’d closed her other one to allow him to focus on him clearly.
“You told me yourself. You never liked sitting around. You wandered as a kid, you were wandering when you found me and surprise, surprise you’ve found a job that lets you make a shed load of money while wandering around the galaxy. You’re a nomad. Always have been, always will be.”
Aisell sniffed and Luke saw moisture pooling in the corner of her eye. He reached out and put his hand on her forehead.
“But I miss you. I miss Disa and Quendra and my sisters.” She said quietly.
“What does your gut tell you? Not your brain but that feeling inside, your gut, your heart…wherever?”
Aisell breathed deeply. “It feels sick. I don’t know. I can’t stand being away…”
“…but you can’t stay…”
She shook her head. “I can’t. There’s more work to be done. I’ve people depending on me. I have to do this.”
Luke chuckled. “You don’t owe anyone anything, you know? You’ve done more than enough.”
“It’ll never be enough…”
“Aisell, you got me home. You didn’t break your promise. This isn’t on you.” He said.
Aisell smiled meekly and sighed. “It’s not about that anymore. It’s about something else. About Quendra and Disa and Thurfrit and every other Human living in The Empire. It’s not right Luke, you’re happy and comfortable but you know the way things are just aren’t right. I’m in a place where I can make a difference. I’ve got a platform…and my guts, my heart and my head all say it’d be wrong not to use it.”
Luke nodded. “You’re a good woman…there’s few better. You deserve to be happy.”
“And I am happy. I don’t mind the travelling and the exploring and all the new people. I love being in the arena, I love seeing kids walk past me in the streets in their homemade, bright orange outfits that look just like mine. I know they’re listening and that I’m making a difference. I just miss you guys…” Aisell sighed. She was getting sleepy now.
“Well Disa has been asking if he can get away from the farm for a while…”
“Not a chance! Quendra would kill me! And I honestly believe she could if she wanted to! All she needs is a reason and me taking her baby boy away would be it!” Aisell suddenly found herself a bit more awake.
Luke stood up and chuckled. “Well we can talk about this more later. Disa is probably going to ask you himself anyway. You’re his aunt and his hero. He wants to get out and see the world…whether Quendra and I like it or not.”
Aisell blushed a little.
“I’ll leave you to sleep. You look you could sleep for a day.” Luke said walking off.
Aisell was about to protest but was interrupted by a large yawn, causing Luke to use his practised control at the sight of the large, black maw opened in front of him.
“Yup, I’m definitely out of here!” He said. “Night Aisell. Sleep well.”
“Bye Luke.”
Luke rappelled down the side of the bed as he’d learned to do years ago and set out across the bedroom floor. It was a near hour long walk home. He’d be perfectly safe walking by himself in the low evening light. Lezah had gone to great lengths to ensure that every Human could move around the farm as freely as any Titan. It was more than a point of principle for her. Losing a member of the tribe would be like losing a family member. He was about half way to the bedroom door when he heard the creak of bed springs and turned around.
“Hang on Luke, I’ve got something for you!” Aisell said springing out of bed and walking quickly towards him.
Luke groaned. Lezah always walked round Humans, Aehzay did as well but not Aisell. Aisell always carefully stepped over. She wasn’t being deliberately scary, it was just Aisell. She always took the quickest route. Luke stiffened as the bare foot, near three times as long as he was tall, soared over him and slapped down in to the wooden floor.
“Ah! Found it!” she said after digging through her pack for a few seconds.
She turned around and held out the gift in front of Luke. It was almost seven feet tall and a two feet wide but only weighed a kilo or two. It was bright red and very soft. Luke had seen it, and many like it, worn by Aisell dozens of times.
“Don’t you need this?” He asked looking up and down the feather.
Aisell smiled. “It fell out, I’d like you and Quendra to have it. So part of me is always at home.”
Luke clutched Aisell’s middle finger and hugged it tightly for a few seconds. When he released he took the feather by the stem and held it over his shoulder.
“I missed you Aisell…I know you’ve got to go away but try not to be away for so long next time.” Luke spoke quietly.
Aisell smiled. “I’ll follow my gut home once in a while.”
“That’s all I ask. Now go on, back to bed.” Luke said with a practised fatherly tone.
“Yes, sir!” Aisell sprung up from the floor to her full height, smiling down to the man carrying a feather at her feet.
“Don’t call me sir, you’re older than me!” He protested.
“Keep telling yourself that, old man.” Aisell said as she returned to her bed and Luke stepped into the door way.
He turned around and looked back as his old friend closed her eyes and started to drift off.
“Welcome back Aisell…sleep well.”
——————————–
Well that’s it! Another story down.
On a personal note this story is very special to me. When I wrote my piece, almost two years ago I was a little bit lost, much like Luke. I’d come out of a five year relationship and hit some very tough times. I was a bit of a mess really. Luke and Aisell got me through it.
It feels amazing after all the time that has passed and my three cohorts have crafted four separate ideas into one coherent story that I get to post this epilogue. But it also feels like saying goodbye to old friends. I will miss them. Much like Luke I’ve now found myself in a very good and happy place so it seems like a good a place as any to leave them.
Thanks for reading and I hope you’ve enjoyed.
OHH
Ooh, title drop.
Sad to see Aisell having trouble balancing her wanderlust with the desire to keep in contact with those back home. It does a good job though of illustrating how differently humans and titans experience the flow of time.
Thanks for reading and I hope you’ve enjoyed. I certainly did. Thanks for writing!
“Time heals all wounds … Unless you’ve got a rash then you’re better off with ointment.”
What a long strange trip it’s been. I want to thank you guys for this story. This and Exile have probably been my favorite stories/story in the whole series. While Titan and Physics will always have a special place for me, the combination of Exile and Nomad were nothing short of incredible. It was amazing to see just how far and to how many unexpected places this idea has taken us to. It also holds special significant with because reading these stories over the last 2 years has really helped get me through what has been a difficult time in my life. Even though Nomad is at its end here, it doesn’t feel like the end. There are still so many characters and so many changes and directions it feels like the story could go on for years more without becoming stale. I’m looking forward to following it all the way ….
Okay that came off a little more sappy then I intended it to ….
Great story, physics pulled me in and this and exile cemented me. Enjoyed the whole ride quite a lot thanks!
Thank you so much for this story
In an alternate Titanverse:
“Mr Palmer, I said Mr Palmer!! are you awake?”
“I’m sorry Prof Lacriore I just feel asleep. I’ve been having trouble sleeping recently”
“Well if you want to get a good grade in your creative writing class you had better stay awake! And pay attention!”
“Yes sir I’m sorry” Luke said
Luke gets gently ribbed by his best friend Ethan. “Hey buddy you better go easy on the beer, money doesn’t grow on trees you know”
“Yeah but Ethan I had a really vivid dream that wasn’t caused by beer. It felt so real”
“Oh yeah so what was it about?”
“You wouldn’t believe it”
“Try me”
“Well in my dream my I was out in the woods with my car broken down car. All of a sudden I heard a loud buzzing noise and a flash of blinding white light. Next thing I knew I was on a space station populated with giants that look just like us. I managed to escape their clutches and then live on scraps for the next year and half while all the time hiding from said giants. I then met a beautiful giantess who fed me and believed my story. But she ultimately betrayed me and I was abducted by her and went to live on her farm on her planet. But I was abducted again by wild humans who lived in a giant tree nearby and I decided to live with them. The woman who abducted me eventually became my wife”
Ethan considered Luke’s tale “That is some story”
“Yeah”
“Bet that would make a great story for your current assignment”
“Nah”
I think I need to take that creative writing course 🙂
But seriously it was a great story, I enjoyed reading it
So… Nomad 2: Adventures of Aisell and Disa?
I’ve a vignette coming…contents…no telling.
So um, is this still happening?
So each writer identifies with a human character is the TitanVerse?
– OHH is Like
– JS is Nick
– TinyDann is Dhanyle
Who’s DX?
DX is an abstract concept. It’s his username, after all.
I would say I’m a mix of Nick and Alex, really.
I was going to say that JS.
As for me being Luke…I wish.
My previous g/f (who I am still friendly with) is a psychologist and has said categorically that Niall is me. He’s just an idealised version of me. My wife to be also agrees with her.
DX…we did assign him a character. It could be one of several?
Your ex and wife to be think you’re Niall? I don’t know what to say dude lol
The only real differences are he is 6 inches taller and is a physics genius. I am a stubbborn, obnoxious, arrogant, grumpy asshole. But I do have some redeeming qualities.
Still, would be funny to see how much characters could be similar to readers.
So how’d they deal with the giant girls thing? I got really close to a girl in college a couple of years ago but I never came close to letting her in on that, let alone write practically a book on it and get her to read it!
Having said that though, I generally try not to base my characters on real people. It can get… messy
Agreed. Having based a character on someone…then wanting to kill that character…not good.
Still glad we talked you out of that. 😀
I remember that advice from a writing guide. Never turn people you know into characters, it’s difficult to separate the two in your mind later on.
I guess everyone can identify with certain characters at some point. Or at least certain elements of the character’s personality. That is what makes it an enjoyable read
Who do we identify with?
Not so simple a question. OHH and JS have said their part, so I’ll add mine.
The character of Dhanyalle was a bit of a nod from OHH in reply to a character in my Carrie’s Science Project series I based off him. Dhan mostly remains as a series minor character, as well you know they can’t all be star’s right? He shares my name, but he isn’t a whole lot like me. I wouldn’t say I identify with him exactly, but he IS my so called Avatar in the titanverse.
Darren is more the character who shares most of my personality traits, I have imprinted a lot of myself onto him. Now, I am no Texan Army Master Sergeant, in fact I am a Cannuck working in healtcare, nothing could be further from! But there is a lot of Darren that I took off myself.
D.x has a few. I based Thurfrit the Chronicler off him, as Thurfrit is a scribe who records the history of his people, and D.X is a scribe who records the history of the titanverse on the wiki. It was a bit of a nod, I am surprised nobody has figured it out yet.
Now, of course he likely has his own list of characters who he has put a lot of himself into, as well as another character I based just a little off him, but I don’t think anyone would guess that one in a million years 😉
There’s a piece of a writer in every character they create. I would say that Dann, OHH, and JS all have two characters that are “most” them, sort of each one a yin and yang (though that’s by no means exhaustive; I think there’s a lot more of JS in Pryvani than he realizes, for one thing.)
My opinion, which is mine, is that it breaks down so:
Dann – Darren and Dhan
OHH – Niall and Luke
JS – Alex and Nick
As for me…I dunno. There’s definitely a fair amount of me in Thurfrit. Probably my yin/yang is Thurfrit/Ammer, though there’s more than a bit of me in Ted, and frankly, in Tig as well. And yes, there are other characters that may have used me as a starter…but I do hope they’ve grown beyond just that.
Congratulations on bring this story to its conclusion, 183 335 words later. That was a good title drop. It deepens the story a bit, by making both Luke and Aisell nomads, in different ways, while making it clear that Luke’s arc has been definitively resolved. And that was a cute family moment, something you’ve all been very good at lately.
I am ridiculously pleased with myself for the title drop. It beat Zefram Cochrane’s in First Contact.
“Well that’s it! Another story down.”
http://replygif.net/i/1062.gif
You just want to rub in that missed opportunity to use that line way back when Aisell tells Luke he can’t go back to Earth, don’t you.
Sad to she it end! I’ve read this story from the beginning and even commenting a few times. I fell in love with Aisell from the start (the pictures helped). Was a little sad that they didn’t end up together, but I suppose Quendra was a good choice. Still curious if Aisell ever DID end up with someone. Still wasn’t clear to me as of ‘Contact’. Hopefully we’ll see more of Aisell in the future.
She and Loona had something of a relationship at least until Darren’s wedding. Though no confirmation if it’s still a thing by Contact.
Aisell is one of the more complex characters in all of the Titanverse and my favorite. When she comes home she probably does have nightmares of Quendra slitting her throat as she sleeps because at some very deep level she never truly gave up Luke. As Feltree she learns from what Iron Maiden almost did to Marionette and then employs the same strategy to beat him…and then feels guilty about whether it was an honorable way to win. She campaigns for human rights but makes the donation in secret from almost everyone.
The authors tend to eventually pair off all the major characters in Titanverse but sadly that not realistic and for Aisell it’s probably best that the readers are left to draw their own conclusion.
Well done OHH!
I keep flipping between Aisell, Naskia and Brinn. Depends on my mood really. But she is indeed a bonnie lassie. Who I hear with a soft scottish accent but everyone else hears an american farm girl.
nah. Aisell doesnt really have an accent in my head.
Aezhay, on the other hand…
Lezah’s the farm girl, a more mature version of Laura Ingalls and Aezhay is a less mature Mary Ellen Walton.
Darren tagged Aisell as Obi Wan but in voice and mannerism I see much more of the always driven Padme or Leah.
Obi-wan as in she taught Darren the ways of the ancient art of Tol-bot.
Aisell is so complex in part because she was created by one man, and fleshed out by 4. Some of the most intense heated debates the 4 of us have had were about Aisell. Now, I suppose it’s only fair to clarify that by “the four of us” I mostly mean OHH any myself 😉
Our opinion of Aisell was never always on the same level, nor was our opinion on Luke. I of course will leave WHAT aspects of their personality we (to this day) vehemently disagree on, but all things considered the character managed to flesh herself out despite what us the authors intended.
J.S and OHH had planned her to be a rather careless maid with a cruel streak, and she ended up so far from that she is unrecognizable from the character she was in early draft.
All things said and done, I’m not so sure you’ll all see another Titan Story with all 4 authors at the helm. Working on the same series is one thing, but put us all at the controls of the same story all at once… >.< (I'm mostly kidding, there fine stand up gentlemen...)
So it was Aisell after all, and not Pryvani making the donation. I was about to declare this story Pryvani free, but then I remembered she snuck a quote in during DX’s section.
Nice close up between Luke and Aisell.
I meant to say I was glad someone spotted the fact that Aisell is funding Gae and Yama.
What quote is that?
I can’t find it now, maybe it was in Exile. They quoted Pryvani about massacre in a news story. In her airhead persona she wonders why Darren doesn’t get to go back to his owner. “I’m glad that poor human is alright and will be returned to his owner. Oh no, why not?” And who ever was following the news makes a comment about celebrities.
great story the title says all ! for the main characters & the author !
Cheers Smoki
So I guess you poured your heart into it? It certainly feels that way during certain portions but damn does that make for a good story. Taught me a lesson in storytelling, you got to invest your heart and soul in it, tell something you got experience it or it wont resonate with the readers.
And you’re still my favourite writer, can’t get tired of saying that.
Thanks man. What I will say is don’t pour all of yourself in. If you do then you burn out. I’m only just starting to get the writing knack back it took that much out of me. Glad you enjoyed it.
Can’t wait to see what you come up with next, writing that first arc of Nomad must have really taken a lot out of you.
Loved this story, and I love that it ended with Luke and Aisell, heh you even got to work in a name drop that made sense.
Still it’s bittersweet as well given what happened in Contact, Aisell being away competing when Luke passed. But he gave her his full blessing, doubt he would have asked her to stop for him.
Enjoyed it SO much. Sorry to see it end. Thank you for sharing it with us. Disa is a sweet boy. What a nice family Luke managed to grow.
And Aisell was always a good and loving woman. Good stuff, Maynard!