Korsha lingered in her master's apartment for several moments, barely able to stand the silence, but propriety made her wait. Once the appropriate time had passed she exited the room and headed towards the elevator. Once inside, she arranged for a cab to pick her up. She exited the elevator, made her way back through the checkpoints and out to the landing pad. There she waited several minutes before her ride arrived. Though she thought about waiting for another when she saw the faded flecks of paint and the dent on the side. She brushed it off, not knowing how long her master's meeting would last.

The cabby opened the door. She thanked him with a nod as she stepped into the cab and sat down. There was an uneasy feeling inside her as she watched the driver close the door and race around the other side. It felt wrong somehow. It didn't matter her station within the inquisitionary forces. She was corrupted. Stained by Azaelah's blessing. In the eyes of the Dominion she was lower than any citizen ever could be, save for one of the slave races, those species who preferred treason to order and had thus been put in their place by the Great Houses.

Much as before, the ride was a mixture of smooth sailing interrupted by quick jarring turns that pressed her into the back of her seat. Did they do this for everyone? She couldn't imagine her master or an admiral being subjugated to such treatment. Then again she didn't have access to the local networks and was relying on the standard channels. Korsha’s eyes narrowed as she considered that. Were the cabbies so eager to please because they didn’t usually get to pick someone up from the upper reaches of Megara? She grunted to herself knowing that most likely there was an extra fee levied for such a service. A bounty to ensure quick response.

“How long?”

The cabby stiffened, eyes glancing into the rearview mirror.

“Journey’s an hour or so.” His eyes widened and he quickly added, “ma’am.”

Korsha nodded, settled down into her chair and leaned against the window. She gazed out the window, watching as the buildings came to a sudden terminus, giving way to lush verdant plains. She could just make out the swaying of the grassy sea below, interspersed with brilliant bioluminescent plants. Every now and then she would see a large boulder that was covered in glowing moss. Soon the plains gave way to a shimmering forest. Its dense canopy glowed just as brightly, if not more, then the neon holographics of Megara.

Time drug on and Korsha’s lower back was starting to hurt. She shifted trying to find a comfortable spot. No luck. Turning away from the window, she was about to ask the driver how much longer it was going to take when the words were caught in her throat. Towering before them was a colossal tree. It was the largest tree she'd ever seen. Its trunk was easily the size of one of the smaller buildings in Megara. She watched in awe and wonder as it only grew larger as they approached. Within minutes the vehicle was carving around in a long arc as it lined itself up to land on a small landing pad. A landing pad on a tree? This is crazy, she thought to herself in slack jawed amazement.

This time she waited with the driver to open the door for her. Exiting the vehicle, she thanked the man and watched as he returned to the driver's seat and flew away. Taking a deep breath she scanned the branches around her. They were enormous. Easily large enough to drive a tank over. Smaller branches lined the edges, covered in dense foliage. She caught sight of specks of light that glittered along the edge of some of the branches and the tree’s trunk.She gasped as she realized that those were windows. Narrowing her eyes she could make out small shadows walking along the tops and sides of the branches.

"Greetings, starwalker."

She jumped, her body tensing at the voice behind her. Turning, she saw a large ursine humanoid standing before her. The parts of their body that weren't concealed by a white flowing robe, covered in outlines of mythological beasts, were covered in soft reddish fur. The being smiled as he craned his neck down so that he was now eye level with her. She realized her mouth was hanging open and immediately shut it. She strangled the fluttered butterflies within her stomach and reasserted a more appropriate stoic demeanor.

"I need to set up a hunt."

The being let out a long rumbling 'aaah' sound, "I will take you to the hunt master."

As she followed the lumbering being, she checked her omnivice to determine what species this was. Her brows rose as she recognized the species as the etchitari. Her master had mentioned them to her in one of their late night talks. They were only native species to this discworld. She shook her head. How could a species be native to an artificial world such as this? Wonders never cease. As they made their way across a large branch she saw dozens of etchitari gathered around a small platform with multiple telescopes. They spoke in low guttural grunts and bellows. Her master had told her stories about their ancient oral traditions, mythologies that revolved around constellations. There were rumors that they had been uplifted by the dreaded Rhinavrin uplifters yet their culture seemed far older. There were rumors that Hyperion III had been roaming the galaxy, jumping in and out of hyperspace, long before the Rhinavren Councellete ever found it.

Lowering her arm she appraised the etchitari before her. Her eyes widened as she realized that the shapes upon the robes that she had misidentified as mythological beings and creatures were actually constellations. None of which she recognized. She wondered how many of those constellations the Imperial astrologer corps could identify. Once more the otherworldliness of this place struck her. She wondered what it would be like to live on a world whose sky changed often.

They reached the end of the branch. The etchitari opened the gate to a small platform, and ushered Korsha onto it. It wasn’t until her guide closed the gate behind her that Korsha felt the platform sway. They were on an elevator. Korsha scrambled across the thick logs and grabbed hold of the railing, her guts twisting as she imagined herself falling. She was surprised to find the railing to be polished, so polished in fact that it was like glass. Now her fear was overcome by wonder once again as she ran her hand back and forth in amazement. The elevator shuddered and lifted off the ground. They shot up into the air, paused for a moment, dipped slightly before shooting back up once again. Several moments later they were lifted up into the foliage. Leaves, some as big as her, were pushed aside as they continued upwards. Through the thick foliage she could make out the well muscled forms of four etchitari and realized they were the ones pulling her up. Their massive pectoral muscles heaved as they pulled down, their panted breaths coming out in a steady rhythm.

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A moment later the elevator came to a stop. There was a click above them. The elevator jerked forward before lowering down and planting itself upon a small platform. Her guide pulled open the gate and motioned her onto the platform. Lumbering forward, the guide headed towards a row of buildings a short distance away. Korsha noted that the etchitari wasn't walking with his full stride. If it had been she'd be nearly jogging to keep up. They must get a lot of visitors. From the way her master had spoken about arranging a hunt seemed a clear indication of this.

As they approached the buildings the canopy opened up and she could see a nearby bridge connecting this branch to the one next to it. She could now make out other etchitari walking along the side of the branch using a complex series of staircases that had somehow been carved into the side of the tree.

Minutes later they entered a small village. It was filled with ethitari. Some with black hair, others with brown fur. She watched as some hauled in leaves and fruits and animals, while others prepared the items on large stone tablets. One, who had several smaller ones around them, stood upon a platform making gestures with their pale moonlight colored fur. Her guide stopped and motioned ahead. She followed his gesture seeing that the branch swooped up. A series of stairs led up to a large hut at the top.

"In there you will find the hunt master. May the stars shine upon you." Her guide said as he dipped his head.

Korsha dipped her head as well. This got a funny look from the guide whose brow pressed down to create a flat edge above their eyes but he said nothing as he turned and left. She made her way to the staircase and started her ascent. Near the top, she glanced over her shoulder and saw a massive hole in the canopy. Beyond she could see large swallows of the smaller forest. She suspected that this was the reason that the hunt master's hut was placed here. They probably had binoculars or some equivalent to monitor the land below. It was like a perch for a predatory bird.

She finished the last step as her thighs just started to burn. The hut, like everything else, was made out of wood though this was of a much darker wood whose surface was speckled with white spots. Korsha wondered if these were to represent stars or if they were a natural feature of the wood.

“Goddess…” Korsha whispered as she saw the elongated skull of a predator staring down at her.

Emeralds the size of her head had been set into the eye sockets, shimmered in the bioluminescent glow of the canopy. The building was long and she realized what she had mistaken for rafters are actually rib bones. Leaves from the surrounding canopy had been stitched together and bound to those bones to form a roof.

"How in the nine do you get something like that up here without a ship?" She muttered.

She shivered once more as she stared at the predator's skull that was set just above the doorway. It could have easily swallowed two of her up without a second thought. Nines, I could just lay down in its jaws. Were there creatures like that out there in the wilderness? Was that what they were going to hunt? She hoped not. Spirit she could handle but this was something more along the lines of what a jaegryn would deal with. And those were the only poor bastards she didn't envy.

She approached the tanned animal hide that made up the door. Dark swirling patterns played across its pale surface. Reaching out, she pushed it aside and stepped into the hut. As she entered, someone ran into her. She stepped back trying to regain her balance.

"Sorry 'bout that." A man said.

She gritted her teeth as she appraised the man before her. He wore a smart black military cut, set in a more fashionable style with a longer tail. She stiffened as she recognized the insignia upon his lapel as that of the technomancers. She licked her lips as her eyes glanced up to his face. He had a neatly trimmed rusty red beard that matched his slicked back hair. Yet his most striking feature were those pale blue eyes. She sucked in a breath as she recognized those eyes.

"Korsha." He said as though having tasted something bitter.

"Tal? What are you doing here?"

He glared at her, "I can ask the same of you, mage."

He said the last word with enough venom to remind her of her station. She hated the stinging sensation at the edges of her eyes as she took in his angry expression. His eyes might have been pale blue but there was a burning fury within them.

"I was.." She hesitated, hating herself for losing her composure. "My master sent me to arrange a hunt."

He scoffed and shook his head at her as though disappointed, "Always running your master’s errands."

The word stung in a way that they shouldn't have. She hadn't seen him in nearly ten years and she shouldn't be surprised with the way he was treating her, their last conversation hadn't exactly been kosher. Yet it seemed that over the years his anger with her had turned into something far deeper much in the same way her regrets had become trenches that threatened to swallow her up if she dwelled in them. She needed to steer the conversation in a different direction.

"I see you're doing well for yourself." She said, pointing at the house insignia emblazoned on his shoulder.

"And I see you're doing just fine on your own."

Her stomach clenched as though she had been struck in the gut. This time her eyes did water. She clenched her gut and shoved the guilt away, replacing it with indignation. How dare he talk to her that way. He was the one who abandoned her.

"Why are you here, Tal? I'm sure my master will love to hear about this little run in."

His eyes narrowed yet they both knew his imperial house was lower than her master's own. He might outrank her as a technomancers but her master outranked him and his own superior. Such were politics and the Dominion. It wasn't about who you were but who you served.

He huffed, flaring his nostrils but then looked away, his shoulders relaxing.

"If you must know, I am here on behalf of my lordess.”

"Perhaps we should join forces. I'm sure my master would be pleased to instruct your lordess on how to hunt."

She grinned inwardly as she saw that the jab had the intended effect. He wasn't the only one who knew how to strike and leave a mark. Without saying another word he shouldered past her and left.

"Good luck with your hunt."

The victory she gained now seemed petty and contrite. She pushed aside the animal skin, stepped inside and turned around to watch as he descended the steps. She sighed and composed herself. She wasn't here to ruminate about the past but to achieve an objective. Turning her back towards the door, and by extension Tal, she made her way deeper into the hut.