Mhalir answers on reflex. "I am quite certain. He does not want you dead. I - the person I fought in my story is dead...I would give so much to undo that... Sorry, this is Mhalir speaking." 

Urtho nods. Blinks. "Carissa, what do you think. You - actually met the man, Mhalir has not." 

" - he wouldn't. He wants peace. And he - cares about you a lot. I think he still hopes he can - explain himself to you, somehow -"

A distant, pained expression flickers across Urtho's face. For a long time he seems to be struggling for words. 

"...I never stopped caring about him," he says finally, head bowed. "I - thought it was too late to stop this a long time ago, but I never..." 

He shakes himself a little. "I will contact him." He closes his eyes. 

<Ma'ar> 

A very long way away, the man sitting on Carissa's bed in her room on the ship jumps. 

<Urtho> 

He...should say more, but suddenly he can't think of any words. It feels like there's too much, that emotionless words across a vacuum can't possibly hold all of it, it feels like decades of history are hanging in the emptiness between them, filling it, heavy, laden. 

Urtho is finding it hard to know what to say as well. ...Maybe, he can admit to himself now, this is part of why he never tried this sooner. It's very frightening, not knowing. 

<I am told you wish to withdraw your troops and end the war.> 

<I have been contacting you about that since the war began.> That feels...petty and pointless to bring up and dwell on now, though. <I do not want to give up more than I must, but - I would choose to unconditionally surrender, if that were the only alternative to war. I have learned that the stakes are...far higher than I realized.> 

Urtho is a person who is currently acutely aware that he has superweapons in his basement and he never thought he would use them, not even for this, but - he could be wrong, apparently he was wrong, and - Ma'ar knows or has guessed or can at least infer something, and now that too hangs heavy between them. 

<I would prefer not to be at war. Carissa has offered to give us a communicating device, with her technology.> Which feels maybe a bit silly to demand, now that he's gone ahead and is talking to Ma'ar directly, but at least it'd be less tiring than the spell, where can Ma'ar possibly be, it's never strained him this much. <She says the shuttle would need to come down and drop it off.> 

<I see. I can pass that message.> 

Long pause. 

<Are you intending to keep her hostage during this.> 

<No! What do you think I am? She can leave if she wishes.> 

<I think you are a man who betrayed his former student and attacked his country with no warning.> 

Ma'ar - hadn't quite meant to pull that into the open, but he's angry, suddenly. Odd. He wasn't really angry before. 

<I will tell Carissa's people to bring the communication device.> Ma'ar is feeling the strain of communicating magically at this distance too, but - one more thing - 

<Is Mhalir safe - did you harm him.> 

<You seem to think I am some sort of monster! He is with Carissa. He was injured but she used her magic to heal him.> 

<Good.> 

Ma'ar drops the connection, and then stands up and paces. Resists the urge to throw a fireball at the wall just from sheer frustration, it would be incredibly stupid but he's SO ANGRY right now and he doesn't even understand why. 

"I told him. He will send the shuttle." Urtho isn't looking at Carissa. He sounds kind of shaken. 

"Thank you. I would appreciate it if you'd let Mhalir go back with them, he needs a pool regularly."

"We heard." He fidgets for a moment, then gets up and paces. "- You are not a prisoner here," he adds, abruptly. "If you want to leave with Mhalir, you may." 

"Would you prefer that I stay?"

Urtho blinks, seeming surprised by the question. "I would prefer if you were willing to return, to explain more about your world's magic and technology. Now is - probably not a good time, anyway, my generals are going to be interrupting me constantly until the situation is more settled." 

"All right. Then we'll leave now and - plan to return when it'll be helpful." She is so relieved, she doesn't want to leave Mhalir again, but she cannot really follow Urtho's decision processes at all.

"Lady Cinnabar, could you escort her out to wherever the shuttle is arriving?" 

"Uh, yes, of course." Lady Cinnabar also seems pretty baffled about Urtho's decision process, but she beckons for Carissa to follow her down the hall. 

She will follow her down the hall.

They reach a magical elevator that answers to a spoken command, and start descending, past a dizzying view from various windows.

<I do not think I understand Urtho very well at all> Mhalir complains to her. <I hope that Ma'ar has a better read on him.>