Lost
Nalaea looked around. Wherever she was, it was not a place she recognized. She hadn't merely shifted herself out of phase with the material plane like she usually did, she had been teleported. She was in a room of some kind, that was certain. The walls were smooth and shiny, made out of some kind of metal. She gave a hesitant step, and noticed the floor did not creak underfoot, but was silent. Yet it was nothing like the stone floors of the dwarves either.
"Where am I?" She asked out loud.
She spotted where the light was coming from, from orbs in the ceiling, that glowed without heat, and yet were clearly not magical in origin either. Looking over at the door, there was no handle on it, but there were strange markings on the wall next to it. One was green and the other was red. She pressed the green one, and the door quietly slid open with a soft click. Stepping through the doorway, she found herself in a hallway, and face to face with a woman wearing a white uniform, medals on her chest. She wore a white peaked cap, and also had a cloak.
"I don't recognize you. Who are you?" The woman asked, eyeing her suspiciously. Nalaea looked down, and her hand was on what was clearly a much more advanced gun.
"N-Nalaea Herydark, Ranger Captain of Lady Vordea's Void Rangers." Nalaea said, stammering slightly as she tried to comprehend where she was.
The woman's posture and face relaxed immediately, and she smiled for a brief moment. She stroked her chin thoughtfully for a second, before speaking.
"You are a long way, and a long time from home, Nalaea." She said. "I am Fleet Admiral Mira Frost, and welcome to Demhe Station, the last beacon of light at the end of the universe. There's someone you'll want to meet here. Maybe she can even send you home."
Mira began to walk down the hallway, motioning for Nalaea to follow. With no other choice, Nalaea did. Mira said nothing as they walked for long minutes down hallways, through large open rooms, up and down flights of stairs. She noticed some of the rooms had plants growing, despite being indoors. Eventually, they arrived at a door with two people standing in front of it, holding very large guns.
"We have a visitor. I need to see her." Mira stated to the two people.
The two people saluted Mira, and stepped aside, the door silently opening with a soft click. Mira saluted them, and walked in, Nalaea right behind her. Inside this room was another set of doors, and clear glass windows. Beyond the windows was something Nalaea didn't expect, not even with knowing how she got here. It was clearly Vordea, but much, much younger. If she had to guess, a pre-teen child.
"You look surprised to see her." Mira said, taking off her gloves and hat and placing them on a table.
"It's just... I've never seen her young." Nalaea said, staring at the young girl on the other side of the glass. "She's always been so imposing, mature."
Mira just smiled knowingly, hearing Vordea described as such made her proud. She was now wearing just her uniform, the cloak discarded as well. She went over to the door, and tapped on the glass. The young girl looked up and excitedly waved when she saw who tapped, running over to the door and unlocking it.
"Mira! You came to see me!" She said excitedly, hugging Mira tightly.
"Hi Vordie." Mira said warmly, patting her on the head. "I brought you a friend today. She travelled for a very long time to get here. Say hello to her."
Vordea peaked around Mira and gasped when she saw Nalaea, and ran over to her.
"Wow! A real elf! What's your name how did you get here have you ever met any dwarves can I touch your ears do you really eat leaves?" Vordea asked, practically vibrating with excitement as she kept asking questions to Nalaea.
"Can I tell her? Can I tell any of you?" Nalaea asked Mira, looking a bit unsure.
"You aren't the first visitor we've had, since Vordea was born. You certainly won't be the last. The universe has some time yet left in it. It won't do any harm to tell her of what's to come. It may even help." Mira said with a gentle tone, pouring herself a cup of water, and going to take a seat on the couch inside of Vordea's room.
"Well, my name is Nalaea Herydark and I'm an elf yes." Nalaea said, sitting on the couch as Vordea excitedly climbed onto her lap, and stared excitedly at Nalaea, waiting for her to continue. "I ended up here because of something you did... well, will do?"
Vordea gasped with delight, and giggled. "Oh oh don't tell me! That'll spoil it!"
"Vordea give Nalaea a drink, she must be thirsty." Mira said, taking a long drink from her cup.
Vordea nodded, and a tentacle shot out from under her dress, and carefully poured a cup of water from the sink, before retracting and carefully placing it in Nalaea's hands. Nalaea appraised the cup in her hands. It was a masterwork of smooth metal, she had never seen anything like it. Taking a sip from it, she was amazed at how cold and pure the water was, and drank it all in mere seconds.
"Yes I've met Dwarves." Nalaea said, continuing. "In fact I was just talking to one before I came here." At this point, Nalaea lowered her head a bit. "Go on, you said you wanted to touch them."