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The Face of a Traveller

It was a dismal day on Alathil Prime. The amber sky was obfuscated by dark and furious clouds, and a steep hillside was all that protected a lone trading post from the searing wind and rain.

The circular door to the landing pad whirred open to let in the howl of the forest moon’s infamous jade winds, as well as something else. Trader Alss glanced up from cleaning the counter as the door snapped shut behind the newcomer, sharply muting the wailing storm down to a dull roar of boiling rain against ceramic alloy.

The new arrival was a rather imposing humanoid figure, steam rising from their black and red exosuit as they wiped rain droplets from their heavily tinted visor. The iconic helmet was familiar to the residents of this trading post.

“Traveller Kynon,” Alss called pleasantly. “So nice of you to stop by!”

Kynon chuckled under their helmet. “Good to see you, Alss.” They brushed water from their shoulder. “How is it that every time I come to this dreary little moon, it’s storming?”

Alss gave a sly shrug. “Why is it that you only visit when it rains?”

“An excellent counter-question, my friend. Alas, I don’t have much time for debate, I’m afraid. Making a rather hefty freight run between Ereb and Ingdiaw.”

“Ah, I thought I heard the Apostle’s turbofans,” quipped the amphibian trader. “What are you hauling, friend?”

“Sixty tonnes of dirt!”

The two of them laughed together for a few moments.

“Listen,” Kynon began, their voice taking on a more serious tone. “I’m working on a project, now, and I do need something while I’m here.”

Alss quirked an eyebrow, studying the featureless helmet visor. “What might that be, friend?”

“As much glass as you have in stock.”

The trader frowned in confusion, clicking their beak ponderously. “Glass, you say? Hrrmm... I have about twenty-five thermal crates of raw molten glass in the back,” they divulged, guarded, “but that is it. The glass is not cheap, either. Aeron Sanctum regulations heavily restrict terrestrial mining in this system, and there are no quartzflower farms within two photon-fathoms of Alathil Major. This glass is imported, at some expense.”

The Traveller scoffed in good humor. “Come on, Alss, you know I can pay you well. The Argo Fleet operations have been quite lucrative. In fact, I’ll pay you double what it’s worth, so you can get a new shipment as soon as it’s available. How does that sound?”

Alss squinted, trying in vain to discern any hint of a facial feature behind Kynon’s visor. “This project of yours must be important,” they leveled.

Kynon paused, considering their next words carefully. “I would say so.”

“And I sense that twenty-five cubic units of glass is not enough to fulfill your needs.”

“Most likely not.”

“I will offer a deal for you.”

“That’s quite gracious of you, Alss.”

“You may not like it, but the choice is yours.”

The Traveller snorted. “Whatever your price, trader, I can pay it.”

“You can, of course. But you may not want to.”

“What, my ship? I’m reluctant to sell the Apostle of the Sky, but this... project of mine is of great importance. I have other ships.”

“No, not your ship. A tantalizing offer, but no. Something considerably more personal.”

Kynon said nothing, leaving the silence open for the wily merchant to continue.

“My proposition is this: I will tell you the identity and location of my supplier. You can get as much as you need, right from the source. But...” Alss leaned forward over the counter, inches from the shining, dark glass of Kynon’s helmet visor. “In return, you will show me the ever-hidden face of a Traveller.”

Traveller Kynon was silent.

“You are welcome to refuse,” said Alss, receding back to a comfortable stance outside their client’s personal space. “But I know you, and I know your options. Naturally, you could simply continue to pay me for the glass as a geographically convenient but costly middle-merchant. You could try to find a supplier on your own, but it would be far out of your way. Atlas knows I would not stop you from simply defying the Sanctum laws and mining the silica yourself from anywhere you wish. But your cheapest, most convenient, and least time-consuming option is to sate my curiosity.”

Kynon stood motionless in contemplation for many moments, letting the silence be filled by the drumming of rain on the habitat’s exterior. At last, they stirred, and spoke. “You, my amphibious friend, make a number of compelling points. Why, you ought to be up there, haggling in the Rigel Alpha Hub!”

“Flattery will not alter the deal,” Alss bluntly stated. “Your face, and the selling price, for my supplier, or double price for every shipment.”

The Traveller’s head fell slightly. “How can I trust you with this secret?”

It was Alss’ turn to scoff. “We have engaged in the sacred tradition of barter for five solar cycles, Traveller Kynon. I have not been dishonest even once. But I wish to see the face of a Traveller. Your kind are anomalies, rarities, survivors of a dying kind, legacies of a civilization lost to the sands of time. Your face, your identity, is sacred to you, as trade is sacred to me. Faith for faith, custom for custom. You desire glass, and you can get glass elsewhere, but I have it. I desire knowledge, and I can get it elsewhere, but you have it.” They stared levelly at the Traveller, unblinking. “A barter.”

After mulling over Alss’ words, Kynon sighed. “You confuse the terms. I am a Traveller, but that is not my kind. Travellers are of many kinds, but I am alone even among Travellers. I am the only one of my kind I have ever met, and perhaps the only one at all.”

They placed a hand on their helmet, causing Alss to raise their eyebrows in anticipation. “My kind have no name, not anymore. But we are -were- reflections. Facsimiles of the world beneath. Please, Alss, be warned that what you see in my face... it may not make sense, or it may make too much sense.”

“I am ready, Kynon.”

Without another word, the Traveller raised their visor.

Alss gasped, taking in the shape of the weathered face they saw; the scars, the folds, the depth of their eyes, and the truth within.

Kynon lowered their visor once more, but the trader continued to stare, wide-eyed and vacant.

“Are you alright, Alss?” the Traveller asked, with genuine concern. “What did you see?”

A tear ran down Alss’ face as they spoke, their voice barely a whisper. “I saw a world of glass.”