Dec 16th, 2353
Chooke followed Janice's guidance, marked by colorful arrows of glowing smoke near the ground that steered her towards Anáa's location. These arrows carved the way deeper into The Farm, from one cavern to another, with humidity gradually increasing in each area and eventually morphing into mist, and from mist to a gentle rain. She finally entered a cavern bathed in light pouring in from an opening to a segye chilhong chamber, with rain absolutely pouring down.
The ground was strewn with ripe and fallen chilhongs. The allure to stop and relish one was strong, but the proposal she intended to lay before Anáa kept Chooke resolute in her steps. The relentless rain didn't bother her. In fact, it transported her centuries back to her enchanting life in Mexico City.
Her Halo briefly glowed, and with it, tiny gravity manipulations formed invisibly, deflecting droplets from her line of sight. As she progressed further into the cavern, she saw a figure approximately half a kilometer ahead that might be Anáa. Unwilling to miss the opportunity, Chooke quickened her pace, her footsteps now splashing ankle-deep into the water that was strewn with lily pads and moss.
Anáa was standing knee-deep under a shaft of light, her arms outstretched and her face directed upwards, eyes closed, and she was letting the rain fall onto her.
Pooka was now approximately 10 meters away, and she shouted Anáa's name. There was no sign that Anáa heard her, as the water continued to deepen as she continued approaching. Pooka decided to hover slightly above the water and drifted over to Anáa.
She took Anáa in, wearing a light yellow skimpy halter top that fully displayed her ample cleavage, which Pooka couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy about. Her top was soaked through, leaving little to the imagination. At least her pair of white denim shorts provided some modesty. Pooka was only slightly taller than Anáa, both of medium height, but as she hovered above the water like this, Pooka towered over her.
She gently tapped her on the shoulder.
Anáa didn't even flinch. So much fear had been eradicated from their society, even among the Immortals who had lived through so much violence.
Her eyes popped open, followed by a big warm smile, as she shouted, "Pooka! Long time no see!" and gave her a tight hug around her hips.
"Well, someone stopped coming to council meetings..."
"They got boring with Janice running everything. The only interesting committee is the one that tries to rein it in, and I wouldn't want to be on that for anything. So I like it here in The Farm, dreaming of days gone by or fighting my way into languages the colonists could learn in a second if they cared to. Some days I think of starting my own colony."
Chooke thought, "Can't ask for a better segue than that." However, the height difference was bothering her, and she wondered why Anáa was not coming up to meet her. So she asked. And Anáa replied by tapping twice on the area just above her ear in the universal "I'm not wearing a Halo, stupid" gesture.
Pooka's Halo glowed, and Janice floated Anáa out of the water to her level. While she was at it, she formed a body-length umbrella around both of them. After experiencing that for a couple of seconds, Pooka had Janice mute the sound.
"Do you ever miss Mexico?" Anáa asked in responce.
"Back there, about a kilometer ago, I did miss it," Chooke replied with a somber laugh. "But by the time I got here, I remembered why I didn't really mind the colder climate of Germany."
"Anyway, now that we can talk in dryness and relative quiet, do you know about the alien artifact out past the Kuiper Belt?" Pooka asked her.
"The what belt?" Anáa replied.
"Never mind, not important. What's important is, way out past Neptune, there's a huge round sphere traveling at a speed that should throw it out of orbit 100 times over, yet it's locked into an orbit with Earth. And here's the best part: Brenda is out there investigating it and it's an open invitation to anyone who wants to help. Magnus is already there, Elon says he'll come as soon as he's able. This is big time, Annie. And I'm interpreting that invitation to not just include scientists. If they get a bunch of them together, they're gonna need organizers and politicians as well. If you're bored enough to stand in the rain like a statue, I'm thinking you might be interested. I'm going either way. A great big mystery, some of our oldest, dearest friends - come on, what do you say?"
Using a trick from her relief effort days, she asked a question while she processed the existing information given to her. "You said 'way, way beyond Neptune,' what's the travel time?"
"Just about 9 weeks at 1G," Janice chimed in.
The conversation between Pooka and Anáa continued, both women laughing and delighting in their reunion.
"Wait, so you're telling me not only are you considering interstellar travel, but you're also working towards your own colony? Look at you, Pooka, the explorer and colonist!" Anáa laughed, her eyes sparkling with mirth.
"Hardly interstellar travel, not even to the Oort cloud, still well within the solar system."
"I'll take your word for it," Anáa laughed self-deprecatingly.
"And the starting my own colony thing was completely hypothetical until this opportunity presented itself. It'll either be a colossal waste of time or the universe dropping what I need in my lap." Pooka laughed in return, the sound bounced off their clear umbrella cocoon.
As the conversation washed over Pooka, she found herself lost in the charm of reminiscence. She motioned around the illuminated chamber of the cave "You know, I always loved this place," Pooka admitted. "It reminds me of the days before everything, the calmness, the isolation. It's so peaceful."
"You were born into the shitshow but I actually had a life before the world collapsed," Anáa said. This was a conversation they had before many times.
"Remember when we were just kids?" Pooka asked, a teasing lilt in her voice. "When exploring Earth seemed the most significant adventure one could embark on? Look at us now, planning such explorations."
A hearty laugh erupted from Anáa as she shook her head at the memory. "God, we were so naive, weren't we?"
They both bundled under their shared umbrella as Janice added a warm orange glow, mimicking a cozy fireplace and adding to the ambiance.
"But it was a wonderful kind of naivety, don't you think? Filled with dreams and a sense of wonder. We were explorers even back then."
Pooka agreed wholeheartedly, "My marriage to Maximilian was as much about getting out of Thailand and seeing the world as it was my love for him." Pooka's voice went soft and solemn towards the end.
The rain softly patted the cavern roof as conversation and silence weaved into the night. Recollections of hilarious stories, shared dreams, previous hardships that seemed monumental in the past, were now heartfelt anecdotes shared in the dim cavern light.
They spent hours in the cavern, catching up on each other’s lives, laughing at old jokes, reminiscing about shared memories, and talking about their hopes for the future. The shields of the outer world started breaking down as their conversation flowed, and surprisingly, thought-provoking discussions rose to the surface about love, life, dreams, failures, accomplishments, and wanderlust.
"I'm overjoyed to catch up, Anáa. It’s been far too long," Pooka admitted towards the end, grateful for their bond that time had not weakened.
"I couldn't agree more," said Anáa, her words echoing back at her. The shuffle of the rain and hum of their words carried them deep into the heart of the night where the past lived and danced with the present in the quiet glory of their exceptional friendship.
"Have you ever thought about joining a pod? I mean, if I could find the right guy, would you be interested in joining us? Neither of us have used up our allotment, you know?" Anáa casually posed the question, downplaying its significance, although it was of great consequence to her. She had never wanted to raise a child in the colonies, but if it could benefit from all the technological advancements without the societal horrors she perceived, she would be interested. Motherhood was one of the last frontiers she had yet to explore, and transient flings had long lost their charm for her.
Pooka's response brought tears of gratitude to Anáa's eyes. She had been prepared to be disappointed and to face rejection, but Pooka's acceptance was surprising and relieving. Her intuition had been right about their bond, and it was reaffirming.
"Thank you so much, Pooka," Anáa said, her voice quivering with emotion. "It means more to me than I can say."
Pooka gave her hands a gentle squeeze and smiled warmly. "I'm honored that you would even consider me for something so important. I'm happy to be a part of yours."
Anáa's smile stretched from ear to ear. "I know we'll make great parents together. We have so much love to give and so much knowledge to share."
They sat there for a while, holding hands, lost in their conversation and the sound of the rain. The idea of the future, of starting a family, of exploring the unknown with loved ones, was still new and exhilarating.
"So what do you have to wrap up? How soon can we leave?" Pooka asked, hoping the deal was sealed.
"Give me a week," her decision was made.