Geldak hesitated before the door. The deep breath of enriched air from the breather on the front of his suit invigorated his aeration nodes as he looked over the shiny name plate. The lettering was odd – familiar, yet strangely not – as it was etched in the standardised language the joint colony required. With such a mix of people and species, there needed to be somewhere one could ask questions without being ridiculed, and an Inter-Species Facilitator was just the person to ask. Rallo Ledan's job was to help foster better understanding and harmony, after all.

He knocked.

“One moment,” a flustered voice called out. A few seconds passed, and the door sprang open to reveal that Rallo Ledan was clutching a repeatedly beeping tablet -- messages that continued to arrive at a brisk pace. "Apologies, Master Engineer Bohdran. Please, come in.”

Bowing deeply the engineer hastily said, “You may call me Geldak.” He scuttled through the doorway, and froze. There was a desk, buried in all manner of things, which was pushed awkwardly against the side of the room; and there were two plush-looking chairs located beside a wall cavity, but it was the contents of the cavity itself that took him off guard. It was, alarmingly, filled with wood. Wood that was actively burning. Geldak stared at the fire-hole, barely noticing that the door closed behind him.

“Geldak?” The facilitator had to touch the engineer’s shoulder to get his attention away from the flames. As they made eye contact, he gestured to one of the flame-adjacent seats. “It is perfectly safe, I assure you.”

“My apologies.” The engineer took a gulp of enriched air. “It is an unusual, but beautiful addition to your office.” He sat, casting his gaze over to the desk, still unceremoniously shoved against the far wall. Most meetings, in his experience, took place across such pieces of furniture, and yet this desk seemed to only face a window. The tablet beeped once more, and he smiled. “I thought being master engineer was taxing!” He gave a polite laugh. “It seems you are in great demand.”

“Ah, yes.” Rallo silenced the device, placing it between himself and the arm of the chair as he sat opposite his visitor. “It was not always so, but these last few months have made me feel like a Hyrexian fuel trader in high winter.”

Geldak found himself nodding at the familiar colloquialism from his own world. Despite the Inter-Species Facilitator being a different species, the verbal attempt to bridge that gap certainly made it seem like this was the right person to speak to about his concerns. “As your time is so valuable, perhaps I should explain the reason for my visit?”

“Certainly.” The facilitator nodded, taking up his tablet once more and accessing the personnel files. “If we could begin with the name of the human?”

The master engineer's ears swivelled, focusing on the facilitator. “How did you know it was a human?” Out of the tens of thousands of colonists, only a few hundred were that species.

“Many reasons,” Rallo replied readily, “but two in particular. They are not only relatively recent additions to this joint venture, which raises many questions among the colonists, but they are also remarkably irregular. They are the reason for my sudden popularity.”

This answer was one that further soothed Geldak. He began to wish he had come to the facilitator sooner -- even the strange, one-sided warmth from the fire-hole held a comforting aspect that he had not expected. “Yes, that is a good way to put it.” He nodded, his ears relaxing and returning to their slow scanning of the room. “My people, and your own” –the engineer acknowledged the shared relations their people had with a bow of his head-- “have had a long, and harmonious relationship. I pride myself on the unity we have all fostered in this colony we are building together. My department alone has over four hundred members, across eight species, and yet…” He trailed off, then looked down at his hands, his ears resting flat against the top of his head. “I am at a loss.”

“Yes, they do that to you,” the facilitator agreed, letting out a small sigh. “So, which human is it?” They flicked through the files of this species, many of them tagged, highlighted, and frequently opened. “Jenkins, perhaps? He’s an engineer, and I get a lot of meetings regarding his experiments.”

“No, no.” The supervisory officer waved both hands in front of him, dismissing the concerns. “We restricted his access to…” He fumbled. The list was quite long. He wanted to say ‘anything dangerous,’ but in truth Jenkins made everything dangerous. “He was reassigned to the botanical research and soil enrichment department. He is working with fertiliser.” He paused briefly. After so much negativity, he felt obligated to add something positive about his subordinate. “Already got a report that the crops are booming.”

“Excellent.” It was a bit of a relief for Rallo to hear this, as the amount of mental health absences directly, or indirectly caused by Jenkins had grown large enough for the man to be added to the 'causes' lexicon of local medical terminology. “Perhaps it is Big Jock? I believe his assigned name is Hamish McGregor?”

“McGregor is causing problems?” Geldak knew of the incidents with Jenkins, but had no such reports regarding the other human. “I have had no issues with his work.”

The facilitator glanced through his notes. "It isn't work related," he admitted. “You do not associate with your engineers outside of your assigned duties?”

“No,” the master engineer answered warily, not having been aware of anyone associating outside of their assigned duties. His only concern was the work, and the harmony of his team.

“Then you’re probably safe,” Rallo replied with an almost tangible amount of relief flowing through his body. “I can’t see how you would run into Laurel, so you haven’t been accidentally poisoned. And I can see you have not been to the infirmary, so it isn’t Brad.” He lowered the tablet, smiling at his own visit to the medical building. “He’s very emotional, and a hugger.”

Geldak was beginning to understand why the facilitator was currently in such high demand. Despite the deactivation of the tablet's noise function, he could still see the intermittent flashing light on its side that indicated the arrival of notifications. “Are they all like this?” he asked.

“None of them are like this,” the facilitator said, emphasising the word. “They are all like something, but it varies. As I said, they are irregular.”

“Then I should clarify that I am here regarding Senior Engineer Roberts,” the master engineer said, feeling a weight lift from him that he had not known he was carrying. The facilitator stopped, looking at him closely enough to make him uncomfortable. “He was a-”

“I know,” Rallo said, returning his tablet to its place between him and the arm of the chair. “You have carried this question for some time?”

“I thought that I could find an answer on my own,” Geldak explained, turning to stare into the flames and swallowing another gulp of his air. “I could not.”

The room fell silent for a few moments as the facilitator, too, turned to look at the crackling dance within the fire-hole. The quiet felt stretched, delicately thin, and it was a bit of a relief for both of them when he spoke once more. “To understand, you must first know something about the humans.” He then gestured to the burning logs that had enraptured his guest. “And the fire within.”

“This is a human decoration?” The master engineer wasn't exactly surprised by this information. Engineer Jenkins certainly felt like the sort who would heat a room filled with wooden furniture, and many loose sheets of paper, with a dangerous open flame.

“It is,” Rallo confirmed. “But that isn’t the fire I am referring to.” He sat back in his seat, sighing deeper and longer than the one he had made earlier. “I have been observing them for some time, spoken with many, and performed additional research of my own. I have learned many things, and in doing so I have formulated my own theory on them. Just a simple idea, to give beings like ourselves a way to understand them.”

“You only have an idea?” Geldak enquired, looking away from the fire and towards his host. As an engineer, he had been hoping for a more definitive answer.

“My job rarely deals in absolutes, as hard edges make things harder to fit together. Inter-Species Facilitators like to keep things somewhat malleable, to better accommodate all beings and keep things as harmonious as possible.” The facilitator leaned forward, watching closely still. “I believe that humans have a fire inside them, one that they must tend. I am speaking metaphorically, of course," he clarified, seeing the disbelief in the engineer's eyes, "and it is from their own metaphors that this idea came to me.”

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“Metaphors?” the engineer scoffed.

“Many of their emotions are associated with fire,” Rallo began to explain. “Passion burns, anger blazes, and fear chills them. They associate positives with warmth, and light, like it is ingrained in their core. Brad, with his... enthusiastic hugs, seeks to share this warmth he feels with others. Like all fires it must be controlled, however. The angry verbal outbursts of Big Jock show what happens when this fire is not suitably kept in check.”

“So, you are saying they are filled with metaphorical fire?” Geldak dubiously summarised.

“No, not at all.” The facilitator looked at the fireplace, felt its warmth on his face. “They are filled with a great empty void, cold and dark, overflowing with unimaginable horrors. Nightmare is their name, and of course, they exist in the dark. The fire is what keeps them safe." He decided to use the human phrases he had learned, as they seemed the most apt for the situation. "They have this thing, this spark of humanity. The light of hope. A conceptual homefire that must be kept burning, lighting the way so that those that venture into the darkness can find their way back.”

The engineer's ears were firmly on the facilitator, furtively clinging to every syllable. “I thought your job was to promote harmony?” he asked nervously.

“Harmony comes from understanding,” Rallo reminded his fellow Union species. “What makes them human is the fire they tend inside them, the warmth in their hearts.”

Geldak was doing his best to follow the metaphor. Many of the phrases, though alien, seemed to resonate somewhere within him, comprehension just barely out of reach. He looked back at the logs, still burning brightly, in the hopes of finding some meaning there. His engineer's mind went to the logistics of the metaphor, and he said softly, "A fire needs fuel.”

“Indeed.” The facilitator was pleased that this idea had not required prompting. “A few fuel it themselves, with work, and other focus-related tasks.”

“Like Jenkins," the master engineer realised. His junior officer had always seemed somehow more alive when he was at his workbench, breaking universal and regulatory laws alike. “I think I may have seen something ignite, in his eyes?”

“The humans have an array of sparks that can incite their flames. Genius. Love. Inspiration... and insanity.” Rallo gave another of his long sighs. “A human will admit that there is but a fine line that separates all of them, I suppose because -- at their core -- they perceive them all as a form of fire. They say their talent is a flame, while their genius is a fire. The distinction says a lot about them, don’t you think?”

“So, their irregularities are them seeking fuel for the fire inside them?” Geldak found the idea intriguing, but still had questions. “That must be exhausting.”

“For everyone,” joked the facilitator. “These fuel-seeking humans are the most irregular, as there are many who find that fuelling their fire comes far more easily. You must have heard their music, seen their art?”

The master engineer had a sudden realisation regarding a highly unpleasant experience he had had, early in their species’ introduction. “And their food!”

“Precisely,” Rallo agreed emphatically, wondering briefly if Laurel had supplied him with some of her secret sauce. “But the most common way they fuel their fires is togetherness. They supply each other fuel through their interactions, those who pair bond being particularly good at tending the other’s fire. Even you, and I, and the others in this colony are part of this. Positive interactions, moments of togetherness, and even the challenges we set for them, all fuel the humans. Perhaps that is why they are so famous for allowing others to join them?” He wanted to expand on his theory, especially after finding such a willing listener, but this next part was really pushing it. “I believe that even their…” He struggled to find an appropriate word. “The animals they cohabitate with?” He looked for understanding from the engineer.

“We had to redesign, and designate, a park specifically so that one such species could socialise.” Geldak’s added context showed he understood. “I have only seen images of the other, but I have seen many such images.”

“Yes! These are also bringers of fuel for humans. Love, purpose, responsibility; it is all fuel to a human fire.” He pointed over to the desk, and the wall beyond, where a picture was pinned. “Another of their eccentricities I have adopted, quite literally in fact,” he said, as his guest finally noticed the many images of a fluffy grey kitten. “I don’t require so many pictures, and yet...” He shrugged away the diversion. “I call him Smoke.”

The master engineer was finding that what he could fathom of the metaphor fit well with his experience of the humans. “I think I understand. So…” He hesitated, but needed to bring this conversation back to his original question. “Senior Engineer Roberts?”

“I believe he struggled to tend his fire,” Rallo gently worded. “His attempts to use work as a fuel failed. They left him… burnt out?”

“His performance was always more than acceptable,” Geldak argued. Every performance metric had been passed. Every task completed to a high standard. Another moment’s thought allowed him to compare it to the other humans, those whose sparks were more obvious. “I never enquired as to whether he enjoyed his duties,” he admitted. Though he had lacked his current understanding of humans at the time, there was still guilt attached to his memories. The human had accomplished his tasks, and had had no complaints weighed against him. He was harmonious within the group. The master engineer had equated this with happiness.

“I am not criticising, simply aiding in your understanding,” the facilitator quickly clarified. “I have spoken with other humans, his acquaintances and close friends.” Rallo paused briefly as painful memories snatched at his words. “His family, also.”

“So, he found his fuel elsewhere.” The master engineer was relieved, but he couldn’t explain why.

“The darkness inside them is a powerful thing,” Rallo said, leaning over to pick up a split log from a basket by his chair. He tossed it, with a well practised hand, to land neatly on top of the others. “Always lurking, ready to overwhelm. When a fire is dying, its light dims. It's hard to see the fuel reserves others have placed nearby, even though it may be piling up around them. It is out of reach, guarded by the oily, tenacious demons that haunt the shadows within. Sometimes, huddling around those dying embers feels safer than reaching out through the demon hordes. Sometimes, even outstretched hands that all but demand them to share another's flame are refused.”

The metaphor was holding, and Geldak could only faintly speculate about the human's reasoning in his own, engineering way. "I wonder if they, huddled around those embers, feel that fuel for their flames is a finite resource? Being so close to the void, they know how terrible it is, and thus might refuse to take fuel from others as it might diminish other flames, leaving them also vulnerable to the darkness and its demons.”

“I don’t know.” The facilitator had asked many questions himself. His superiors, and the experts he contacted, could only give incomplete answers. “The only one who can answer those questions is no longer with us. I only know that it is so much darker after a light has gone out, like it is taking revenge for holding it at bay for so long.”

“I have never heard of a being choosing to end its life.” The master engineer finally said the words out loud, giving freedom to a thought that had troubled him for many weeks. “Whatever darkness he was facing…” Geldak trailed off. He had no idea how to fight against something that lurked inside another being. Something they kept secret and hidden away, so it was hard to discover. A foe that they battled for an unknown time, a foe that... had ultimately won. He stared into the ever-changing flames. "If I had only known..." he managed, ears flat, as tears began to stream down his cheeks. "I would have gladly given him of my fuel.”

“That is a fine sentiment,” Rallo said, reaching out and taking the master engineer’s hand. They shared the silence for a while as Geldak's tears flowed, and the Inter-Species Facilitator only spoke again once he felt the bulk of the engineer's grief had been expressed. "You know, though I never met Senior Engineer Roberts, I have learned lessons from them. Shall I share them with you?"

The master engineer was looking at the fire and weeping softly, taking deep faltering gasps of enriched air from his suit. He made a small burble of assent.

“Share your fuel; it is not a finite resource. Love and compassion are endless springs.”

Geldak listened, managing a single nod.

“Fuel your own fire – art, music, whatever it is that brings you joy. Tend your fire often. Do not wait for it to become nothing but embers, as it is far harder to bring back to life.”

The master engineer nodded once more. The fire-hole's warm glow felt like an embrace across his body, and he basked in it.

“And most importantly?” Rallo squeezed his new friend's hand tightly. “You are not alone, no matter what the darkness tells you. If you reach out, beyond the safe glow of your embers, you will find willing hands. It takes true strength to ask for help.”

Geldak was overwhelmed by thoughts of the senior engineer. He recalled that above his desk, the human had placed an image of an animal, much like Smoke, hanging from a wire. Human words he could not read were printed above it, and he wondered once again what it could have said. “How do they do it?” he asked.

“Mostly they ignore it,” the facilitator said matter-of-factly. “Like a machine that works, few question why until it does not.”

“Can I stay here for a while?” the senior engineer almost pleaded, not wanting to leave the warmth of the fireplace. “I’d like to sit by your fire a little longer.”

“It is getting late,” Rallo guiltily countered. The fireplace would be tended by the nightguard, as he had made arrangements for it to never go out, but he did not want to leave his guest alone. “I have to get home to feed Smoke. You could join us, if you like? I will teach you how to pet her without injury.” He stood and placed a hand on Geldak’s shoulder. “I have a bigger fire there. It is in my garden, and is surrounded by seats. Why don’t we invite some of your team, especially the humans? We can associate with some of your engineers, you know, outside of their assigned duties?”

“I’d like that,” the teary-eyed supervisor admitted. “But, would they come?”

“I’ll tell Brad you need a hug,” the facilitator said with a knowing smile. “A careful one.”