The HEL Jumper by SabatonBabylon Chapters 1-15: (You are here) Chapters 16-30: https://pastebin.com/P8ULDXBr Chapters 31-40: https://pastebin.com/U0CdZLYx Chapters 41-50: https://pastebin.com/4utZYVKJ Chapters 51-60: https://pastebin.com/Ve3wFuFt Chapters 61-70: https://pastebin.com/VUgDygFL Chapters 71+: https://pastebin.com/eVKhTNSW --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 1 ---Earth Date: September 3rd 2050 ---Personal Log: 1st Lt. Russell Winters “I’ve never been able to get used to jump space. Always starts to feel wrong after a while. My bones just start to feel…odd…like they’re not mine. Like any minute I might just reject my own body and float away. Don’t know if I’ll ever get used to it, no matter how many systems we survey. Aaah well, I guess this is what us Omega boys signed up for. ‘See the unknown’! ‘Be the tip of the spear’! Not that the vids lied, I guess. This will be our 7th consecutive jump away from Sol. We’ve been out for 6 months now, farther along the galactic arm than any human’s ever been. Not as exciting as I hoped, but it’s better than surveying the border systems with the Ghaelen. This will likely be our last jump before turning around and charting an alternate route back home. I’m pretty sure there have been at least three worlds we’ve seen with colony potential, but the Beta guys will have to scrub the data once we get back. For now, it’s one more leap into the unknown. To think it’s been less than a century since we first walked on the moon…better cut this short before I get too sentimental. Next log will document any pertinent findings in the next system. Winters out.” Tapping his data pad once to stop the recording, Lieutenant Russell Winters looked around his small cabin aboard the scout ship Lancer. The small viewport held his gaze. Jump space, nothing but darkness. He felt like it would swallow him alive given the chance. “Should be just a few more seconds.” He muttered to himself, checking his watch. They’d been in warp for almost 10 days now. The jump drives were capable of longer jumps, but the captain hadn’t wanted to push it too far. Every jump took a toll on both ship and man, and they’d already done six of substantial length. So instead of taking the longest possible jump out of the last system, as was customary for a scouting mission into unoccupied space, the captain had decided on another destination: a K-type star with multiple bodies within the estimated habitable range, at least according to long range sensors. Even if they didn’t push the envelope as far as possible, an elevated chance of finding a habitable world was more than worth the detour. “All hands, prepare for jump exit.” The captain’s voice rang out over the ship-wide comms, bringing Winters’ attention back to his immediate surroundings. “Ten…nine…eight…” “Finally, been cooped up in here long enough. Wonder what we’ll find…maybe something for me to land on.” “Five…four…” “Gah! What the…” A massive quake of the hull shook Winters out of his chair and onto the hard metal floor. “Damn it.” He cursed to himself as seemingly every alarm on the ship began to blare at once. Not waiting for orders he began running. Within seconds he burst through the door to the bridge, happening upon a scene of controlled chaos. The captain was grimacing, processing input from her own display and multiple watch standers at once. The tremors had died down almost immediately following the early exit from jump space, but the lights lining the bridge still flickered and flashed, indicating unusual power surges. Winters frowned as the captain’s gaze found him. “Orders sir?” “Nothing yet.” She replied. “We barely missed getting roasted. Dropped out way too close to the star. Only Dax’s quick hands on the shield power draws saved us.” She motioned to a watch stander who nodded at them both before returning his attention to his display, hands moving quickly and deliberately. “Do we know what caused the error?” Winters asked. “Was this an attack?” “An attack that can affect a ship inside a warp bubble?” The captain mused. “I hope you’re wrong Winters. For now though we’ve had no time to analyze the drive core’s logs. It’s been all hands just trying to keep the power fluctuations from blowing this ship apart. Shifty’s doing his best down in the drive core but we’re not out of the woods yet.” “Sir, we’ve regained power to external sensor and comm buoy suite!” Another watch called out. “Good. Launch a buoy immediately. Transfer all data accumulated since we left jump space. If we don’t make it someone’s gonna need it.” “Is it that bad, sir?” Winters asked in surprise, looking down at her. The furrowed brow above her almond shaped eyes told him everything. As the captain opened her mouth to reply, a flashing notification appeared on her display. She took the call immediately. “Talk to me Shifty!” “It’s not looking good sir.” The chief engineer replied via the comm link. “We passed too close to the star and the drive core was already thrown out of whack by the abrupt exit. She’s fluctuating far outside normal operating parameters.” “Shifty, do I need to order an evac?” “I don’t really…” “Yes or no Shifty!” “…Yeah…it might come to that sir.” Winters grimaced, watching the captain tense and purse her lips in thought. A moment later she hit the ship-wide intercom. “All non-essential personnel to escape pods. This is not a drill. I repeat, all non-essential personnel to escape pods now.” She released the intercom and looked up at him, any emotion now hidden behind the duties of command. “Armor up Rusty. Get to your pod.” “Sir…Jess…” “Now, soldier.” Winters brought his heels together and fashioned a sharp salute. He turned and departed the bridge along with most of the watch crew, muttering under his breath. “Damnit Jess.” Three minutes later Winters crossed the threshold from the armory to the drop pod bay. As the only HEL Jumper on the Lancer, this place had been all his. A place of quiet respite before the inevitably harrowing drop from low orbit to a planetary surface. Now though, he felt no calm among the dim red lights as they flickered and flared. The tremors were back. He clambered into his pod and activated the comm link to the bridge. Jess took his call almost immediately. “Good. You’re ready to drop?” “Not until you’re in a pod I’m not. What’s the situation up there? Is there even anywhere for me to drop?” Winters asked, hearing the creeping fear in his voice. “It’s not good. Shifty’s doing the best he can but the power spikes from the core keep getting worse.” “Then get out of there Jess!” “You know I can’t do that Rusty. Not yet. Not while there’s still a chance. For now, I’ve aimed us straight at the world located in the star’s habitable zone. We’re far enough from the star now and I’ve been able to devote all spare power to thrusters. Even if you and the others had to launch now, you’d probably make it via inertia if nothing else.” “I notice you didn’t include yourself among this merry band that’s fleeing ship…” he replied with more venom than he’d intended. “Damnit Rusty that’s not the point and you know it! I don’t have time for- Go ahead Shifty.” The engineer had appeared in a secondary window on Winters’ panel. He looked significantly more harried than a few minutes prior. “There’s nothing more I can do sir, I think…I think…” “Get out of there now Shifty. Transfer remote control to me. All hands, escape pods. Now!” “Sir…” The engineer looked down briefly, and then cut his feed. No doubt he and the final watch standers were headed for the escape pod bay on the other side of the ship. Winters returned his attention to the captain. “Why aren’t you evacuating too Jess? Let the automated subroutines handle this. It’ll buy enough time for you to…” “It might.” She spoke quietly now. “It might not. It’s not a risk I can take. If you’re wrong, we all die.” “Jess, that’s not…please!” He tried to argue, feeling the ship shake beneath him. “Rusty, take your helmet off?” It was a kind request. The tone of the woman he loved; not his commanding officer. “I’d like to see you.” Winters hesitated for only a moment, then reached up and removed his helmet; twisting in the confines of the cramped pod. He knew she’d see the raw emotion in his eyes. Sometimes he was a terrible soldier. Now was one of those times. Another alarm cried in the distance. Another faint tremor ran through the hull. “Thank you, Russell.” She looked at him, emotion plain on her face. “Thank you for everything. I’ve never had so much fun breaking regulations before.” A small chuckle escaped her lips. Winters wanted nothing more than to kick the door off his pod and run to her. But he stayed put and nodded, allowing nostalgia to temporarily get the better of him. “Yeah, that one time in the mess hall back in basic? And then after they promoted you? Boy that was close.” He smiled, the fond memories of their time on Earth returning. Another shrill alarm brought him crashing right back. “Jess. You don’t have to do this. You don’t.” “Yes, I do Rusty.” She smiled at him. It was hard to tell on the low resolution monitor, but he could have sworn he saw a tear glimmer in her eye. This was just like her. To put him and the crew, even the ship, before herself. *She was made captain for a reason.* Winters thought to himself. Jess glanced to the side, checking something, and then looked back at him. “I want you to launch in 15 seconds. We should be close enough for you and the others to make landfall.” “I love you Jess. You know that right? I love you so please-” “I know you do Rusty. I know. And I love you too.” She replied, voice choking with emotion. She lowered her head, allowing her hair to fall in front of the monitor. When she looked back at him a moment later, Jess was gone. He looked again into the eyes of his commanding officer. “These are your final orders. You will launch your pod. You will make planetfall. You will survive. You will return to the fleet. And you will find out what happened here. Is that clear?” She wanted a response. He knew he had to reply. But his mouth wouldn’t open. His tongue felt swollen and dry. He simply looked at her, unwilling to accept what she already had. “Put your helmet on soldier.” She spoke again, low but firm. He obeyed, finally finding his voice once his armor locked into place. “Sir, I will sir. I’ll miss you sir.” Another tremor, stronger than any before, shook him. Without waiting for a reply he yelled a fierce, anguished cry, and slammed his armored fist into the launch button just above his right shoulder. Immediately he felt the powerful thrust of his pod’s engine speeding him away from the dying ship. His comm link with the bridge cut, and there was silence. With nothing left to do he brought his hands to his face and cursed the fates, the gods, and whatever other powers had forsaken them so far away from home. “Damnit Jess…” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 2 As the initial press of acceleration left him, 1st Lt. Russell Winters began counting. The blast radius of a Dakota class scout ship’s drive core, as well as the time in seconds, to outrun it had been some of the first facts and figures; certainly some of the most morbid, that they had learned upon qualification for the Omega branch of the Human Expeditionary League. Winters had prayed he’d never need to apply such knowledge but the day had come. “Fifteen seconds since launch…” He whispered as his drop pod tore through space towards the second planet around the yet unnamed star. Another fifteen and he’d be clear, twenty for the rest of the crew in their escape pods. “Twenty…twenty five…” A shockwave unlike any he’d yet experienced slammed into his pod, throwing his armored weight against the restraints and eliciting another string of curses from the soldier. “DAMN IT! NO!” The lights were red again, the display in front of him flickering. He momentarily registered damage notifications for long range communications and main thrusters before crushing the now useless launch button with his fist. The pod held through the blast. He’d fully assess the damage later. For now the HEL jumper simply hung his head in mourning. Twenty five seconds. Jess was dead and now so too were the rest of his comrades. Ten more seconds and they would have cleared the envelope, but yet again the fates had been anything but just. The other pods had weaker armor and thrusters. Above civilian standards, but the rest of the crew wasn’t in the habit of plummeting feet first through the atmosphere into live combat or rescue scenarios where seconds mattered. Those precious seconds had saved his life, but had also left him alone in an unmapped star system untold miles and at least several months by warp from home. “Dax, Shifty, Eric, Sonja, Albert, Jess. I…” Winters croaked into his helmet. What could he say? He gave up trying to form words, instead feeling the sting and salt of tears in the corners of his eyes. He was a soldier, they all were; and soldiers died. But they weren’t Delta branch. They weren’t humanity’s front line. They weren’t singular tools of destruction. They were scientists, explorers, engineers; the bravest that humanity had to offer. They were a family, bound by a desire to truly go where no human had ever been before. And now, they were gone. ‘Lieutenant, main thrusters have taken significant damage and the shockwave has resulted in an altered course. We will no longer make planetfall given current trajectory. No other suitable targets located.’ The robotic, unemotional voice of his suit’s virtual intelligence broke through the fog in Winters’ mind. He was off course. If he didn’t do something soon there would be no possible recovery. He would drift until death. *Maybe that’s better.* He thought for the briefest of moments, until Jess’ final orders came crashing back to the fore of the tempest that was his mind: *You will launch your pod. You will make planetfall. You will survive.* Winters bit back the bile in his throat and spoke again. “Ok Jess, ok. Let’s do this then. Io, are any thrusters still operational?” ‘Lieutenant, it is likely that if the main thrusters are fired the pod’s hull will be compromised. Secondary and tertiary thrusters remain functional.’ “Define likely Io.” ‘Lieutenant, I estimate an 85% probability of hull compromise if main thruster array is fired.’ “Fine, what about the other thrusters? Can we reach the planet? What are our options for landing zones?” ‘Lieutenant, full burn of secondary and tertiary thrusters should provide enough acceleration to correct course. The pod remains too distant for any detailed landing zone analysis, but we are currently above the equatorial plane. The landing must be in the northern hemisphere. I can currently discern one and only one major landmass.’ “And if we do burn all other thrusters, how much fuel will we have left for in-atmo maneuvering?” ‘Lieutenant, I-’ “And stop saying Lieutenant all the time! You’re wasting time and I know you’re talking to me.” Winters barked as he punched in the appropriate warm up sequence for the non-primary thrusters. Usually these were used only within the atmosphere of a planet to allow for a precise landing, but he figured winging the landing was better than not landing at all. ‘Sir, less than 10%.’ “Can we hit the continent at least?” ‘Yes sir.’ “Then that settles it.” Winters declared, gripping the controls and pulling the trigger to activate the burn sequence. He felt a satisfying weight as the pod’s right side thrusters fired to line them up with the blue and green orb growing ever larger on the monitor in front of him. Another push came from the opposite side as the left side thrusters fired to stabilize their course. Winters looked to his left. “Seven percent.” He sighed deeply. “Ok Io, what have you got for me? Let’s talk LZ. We’re getting only one shot at this.” ‘Sir, the center of the northern continent appears to be arid, possibly a desert. There are mountain ranges on both the eastern and western border of this region, converging in the north. This is our current heading.’ Winters scoffed. “How about places where we could survive for more than a week after landing?” ‘Sir, I cannot be sure of conditions on the ground in any particular biome from this distance.’ Winters could have sworn he heard a tinge of hurt in the synthesized voice. “Sorry Io, you’re right. I’m just…on edge. What’s south of the desert?” ‘It appears to be a tropical climate. I have identified a major storm system off the southwest coast of the continent as well as significant arboreal signatures at those latitudes.’ A red circle appeared on Winters’ screen to mark the hurricane-like structure, now zoomed in to show the northern continent and its surrounding oceans. “Tropical…arboreal…wait, arboreal?! There’s complex plant life down there?” Winters almost shouted. ‘Yes sir, quite a bit of it.’ “It’s a shame the others will miss it. Jess’ predictions were spot on. What else have you got for me? I don’t care much for the tropics. All that moisture is going to ruin everything.” ‘There is the desert sir.’ “Happy medium Io, please? If I’m reading this right we’ve got exactly 87 seconds until I need to pull the trigger for final approach.” ‘Sir, with the distance narrowed I have identified two temperate zones on the continent.’ Two areas about halfway up the landmass on either side of the desert glowed green. ‘It would appear that the flora of the planet progresses from what we would consider tropical, to deciduous, to possibly boreal and tundra in the northern reaches. There is a significant amount of ice cap coverage in this hemisphere. Consequences for local climates unknown.’ “We can worry about that later. Looks like we’re closer to the eastern coast. We’ll try to set down between 10 and 20 miles of the coastline. Wouldn’t want to run out of fuel just in time to be buffeted into a watery grave.” ‘I believe this is an optimal course of action sir, given the circumstances.’ “Well thanks Io. I thought so too.” Winters joked as he fired his thrusters again, angling them slightly away from the center of the continent and towards its eastern coastline. “Well, we’ve got 1% remaining. Not much left to do but ride it out.” He spoke again, mainly to himself, as the pod began shaking. This time though it was a comforting sensation. It was the knowledge that if he was to die today, or someday soon, it wouldn’t be in the cold vacuum of space. At least the H.E.L. might be able to find his body. Winters exhaled a breath he didn’t know he was holding, slowly leaning back into his restraints and watching his display continually zoom in on the landing site. He could now make out what looked like forests, rivers, and an alluvial plain. *That’s good terrain down there; building material, fresh running water, hopefully some fauna to go with that ample flora.* Winters thought to himself, mentally cataloging any information he could about the region that was about to become his home. With only thirty thousand feet left in the drop, a yellow warning indicator began flashing. ‘Sir, I have identified an obstruction near our landing zone.’ Winters jerked forward again, bringing his face as close as he could to the monitor. There was no natural terrain that would have caused that warning. They had avoided the mountains and oceans by miles. “That can’t be right Io there’s nothing…shit!” Winters eyes went wide as his hands shot to the thruster controls once more, putting all his remaining fuel into a last minute course correction that left him no time to brace for landing. With a sickening crunch, the force of the impact drove Winters’ helmet into the front of the pod, damaging the display beyond repair. The HEL jumper slumped over in his restraints as the lights in his pod faded to black. “This…isn’t…good…” ----- ‘Ah, Lieutenant, welcome back.’ Io’s voice rang in Winters’ ears as he shook his head lightly, wincing as the pain woke his other senses. The soldier grunted in response. “You’re just a ray of sunshine Io. God my head…damage report, now.” ‘Sir, you have suffered non-concussive head trauma due to the sudden nature of our landing, but otherwise you are in good health. You were unconscious for 6 minutes and 29 seconds.’ “The pod Io.” ‘Sir, the impact itself was not outside of normal operating parameters in terms of force applied. However, due to the earlier damage sustained in transit certain systems were compromised.’ “Please just tell me the nano-fabricator is working.” Winters pleaded. ‘It is, sir.’ Winters could have wept with relief. “Ok, let’s take a look at…oh.” He finally noticed the smashed panel in front of him. “Well then Io, please continue with your report.” Winters commanded, gingerly unbuckling his restraints as the spinning sensation slowly left him. ‘Yes sir. Life support systems remain undamaged and functional. Solar power array is damaged; I estimate 46% capability. All communications equipment is compromised or destroyed. Weapons and auxiliary armor undamaged. Hull integrity at 82% with internal environment remaining isolated. Fuel reserves at 0%. Main thrusters destroyed. External sensory array compromised but functional. Main display-’ “Smashed to bits by my big head. Yeah, I got it. Thank you Io.” Winters replied, now standing freely inside the pod. It wasn’t overly cramped, but after everything he’d experienced since arriving in system, he wanted nothing more than to get out of it. But this wasn’t a normal landing where he’d charge out guns blazing or shield raised. No, nothing about this landing had been normal. “Io, do you have access to the external footage from the landing sequence? Can you bring it up on my HUD?” ‘Yes sir, where would you like to begin playback?’ “Ten seconds before final course correction.” Winters said as the heads up display built into his helmet’s faceplate came to life. A small video window popped up in the bottom left corner. Flicking his eyes in the appropriate sequence brought the window front and center, expanding it to encompass most of his view. The image was blurry as expected, but Winters could make out a small patch of brown earth, presumably the ‘obstruction’ that had set off the pod’s warning protocols. “Walk it forward three seconds.” The object grew larger. “Another three…one more. Hold there.” Winters stopped the feed just before he’d wrenched the pod onto its final heading. The brown area took up a larger section of the screen now and Winters could make out various shapes that did not appear to be natural in origin: a group of lines and rectangles surrounded by an oval. The forest had been cleared around it and showed unmistakable signs of agriculture. “Mother of god. Io, is this what I think it is?” ‘Sir, that is impossible to say. I cannot read your mind.’ “Oh for the love of…” Winters brought his hand to his face. The ‘augmented personality mod’ he’d installed a couple systems back was becoming more trouble than it was worth. “Io, that’s a settlement isn’t it? A pre-industrial settlement constructed by intelligent beings?” ‘I estimate a 95% likelihood of that conclusion being correct sir.’ For a long moment Winters did nothing and said nothing, staring at the image on his HUD. A pre-industrial settlement. He had almost cratered a village, to say nothing of the fact that even with the final thruster burn he would have landed less than 5 miles away from whatever this population center was. “Uh Io, can you read first contact protocol please?” ‘Yes sir, the following is an excerpt from first contact protocols established in the human uplift treaty of 2027. Upon discovery of new intelligent life, an assessment must be made from orbit regarding the condition of the new species. Under no circumstances are species at a pre-industrial level of development to be interacted with. Species that exhibit post-industrial, but pre-spaceflight levels of development are to be contacted only with approval of the joint Human-Ghaelen exploratory council. Species that have achieved spaceflight are to be contacted with an offer to join the galactic community pending that the conditions specified in section 3, sub-section 14 are met.’ “So what you’re saying is…” ‘We have broken pretty much every rule in the book.’ Winters leaned his head against the back of his pod, closing his eyes and trying to fight off an oncoming headache. “Well, Jess would be proud. But could this day possibly get worse?” ‘Yes sir, it could.’ Winters growled back. “How?” ‘Bipedal life form detected within 25 foot radius of the pod sir.’ “You have got to be kidding me.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 3 Veera raised a hand to her brow, searching the sky for nothing in particular. In her other hand a wooden bucket rocked slightly, sloshing its watery contents. The young Cauthan sighed deeply. This was her tenth trip up the riverbank to her modest field and barely half of it had been watered. Before irrigating the patch below her, she lowered her gaze to survey the small plot of land she’d been able to maintain after her father’s disappearance. The gods had been kind this year. Felen, lord of the sky, had seen fit to not drown her crops, nor let them wither and die. “Well,” she spoke softly to herself. “Maybe this year there will be enough. I suppose thanks are an order, Felen.” Her mind was involuntarily cast back to the previous winter, when her second harvest had failed and her stores had expired. Seeking aid from the priestess of Meylith had brought her great shame, but it had kept her alive. “Yes, for whatever that’s worth. Not like they could think any less of me.” She spat, tipping her bucket to moisten the soil that held her crop of dato. She’d be bored of them before long, but the root vegetables were hearty and packed with nutrients that other more specialized crops lacked. With her bucket empty, she turned back towards the river. She was just stepping over the knee high rock wall that marked her modest farm when the ears on top of her head perked up and twitched. “What is that?” A low rumbling growl had reached her ears and it was growing by the second. It sounded nothing like an Ursae, the largest predator Veera knew of, but it was clearly being made by something large. Even stranger, the sound seemed to be coming from above her. Tilting her head back to the sky, it became immediately apparent what was creating the unnatural noise; the only thing out of place in an otherwise peaceful blue tapestry. “Oh gods, what is that?!” Veera whispered under her breath, immediately taking what little shelter she could, crouching at her farm’s wall. A small rock was hurtling towards the ground in the direction of her village and making an extraordinary racket while doing so. As the growl turned to a dull roar, Veera flattened her ears again her head in an attempt to block the overwhelming sound. The Cauthan had exceptional hearing, something Veera was usually thankful for, but now all she could do was press her hands over her ears and watch in awe as the rock came closer. That was until the rock seemed to spit fire from its sides, a process that directed it straight at her. With a terrified scream, Veera hit the dirt, flattening herself as best she could against the stones and earth. The noise was all around her; it felt like her whole body was being shaken to pieces. And then, as suddenly as it had begun, it was over. An unnatural silence fell over the area, as if every living being nearby had done as Veera had. Slowly, she stood and brushed herself off, surveying the area. The rock, which she could barely see, was shaped with hard lines and angles and had crashed a few hundred feet from the far border of her farm amongst the tall grasses that stretched far to the west. Curiosity overriding her fear, Veera began walking along the wall, turning right and continuing along, drawing closer to the still inert object with each step. Some Cauthan believed the gods directly intervened in the lives of mortals, shepherding their faithful and smiting the unworthy. Veera wasn’t sure if she believed that, but the sight before her was giving her second thoughts. The grass around the impact site had been obliterated or incinerated, forming a hellish clearing of earth and smoke. Veera left the ‘safety’ of her wall and walked toward the object, feeling the grass brushing against her lower legs. She could now make out some vaguely cone shaped objects on top, but they appeared to have been damaged and twisted. Her fur bristled as her species’ most basic instincts began to overwhelm her. “Could it be an aspect of Kel, Lord of Death? I hope not.” Veera spoke aloud in an attempt to focus her thoughts and calm her nerves. “Maybe Tyrdus the Smith? His most devout work with metal…at least, I think that’s metal. I’ve never seen so much of it in one place.” Veera wondered as she reached the edge of the burnt grass. Unsure how to proceed, she began walking around it instead as the smoke cleared. The object had four sides that appeared mostly identical. There was some difference in contouring depending on which side she was looking at, but she couldn’t make out a ‘front’ or ‘back’. It was taller than her by almost half a body length and each side seemed about as wide as her full arm span, perhaps wider. “Is this some sort of test? What am I supposed to do?” She wondered, arriving back where she started. “They must have heard this thing’s arrival in the village. Surely they’ll send someone.” Maybe she wouldn’t have to interact with the object. A guard would come, or perhaps one of the hunters, and Veera wouldn’t have to do anything at all. But was that right? What if this thing was from the gods? What if it was meant for her, a trial of some sort? It had landed out here after all, far from her village. What would happen if she denied this test? Would she starve again? Would she lose another loved one? Would the icy grip of winter finally claim her this year? “I can’t take that chance.” She muttered, steeling herself. Mustering her courage, Veera stepped into the ring. A few more paces and she stood before the object, lost in its shadow. “You can do this Veera.” She reached out and felt a warm, rough surface beneath her finger pads. “Oh I knew this was a bad idea!” Veera exclaimed as the object seemed to come to life at her touch. Strange lights and noises emanated from it. A hissing noise drew her attention to the right, and she noticed that side of the object moving outward before it suddenly dropped to the ground with a loud bang, forming a ramp of sorts. The shock of the event caused Veera to stumble and trip backwards. Propping herself up using her elbows, Veera looked at the object again and froze; eyes wide and mouth open in horror. The inside of the object, which was clearly a giant egg of some sort, was glowing a dark red. But it was what stepped out of it that made her blood to run cold. The thing standing before her was tall, perhaps taller than any of her tribe, even the mightiest warriors. It was standing on two legs, and had two arms like her, but the similarities seemed to end there. The being had no fur or feathers; instead its skin seemed to be made of metal, much like its pod. Unlike the pod though, it was a smooth bright white, with blue geometric markings along the left arm, shoulder, and part of its torso. Its limbs were broad, much thicker than any Cauthan’s. On its back, Veera could make out what looked to be the handle of a sword, accompanied by the broad shell of a shield. She noticed a strange black metallic object fastened to the being’s hip. Another one, larger and longer, was held in its left hand. Veera wasn’t sure, but they appeared to be weapons as well. Whatever this thing was, it had appeared before her armed and armored to the teeth. She was powerless to stop the strangled cry that escaped her throat and unfortunately caused the being to turn its attention to her. The being’s face was something Veera knew would visit her in her nightmares, if she survived to sleep again. Like the rest of its body, its head was white and blocky. It had some sort of narrow cylinder attached to the left side. It was the thing’s eyes that held her gaze though. There were no pupils, no irises, no anything; just soulless black rectangles staring at her, narrower near where the nose should have been, growing slightly towards the sides of its face. It didn’t even have a mouth! She wanted to run, wanted to scream, wanted to do anything, but Veera couldn’t seem to make her body obey her mind. There was no doubt about it. Whatever this thing was, it was sent by Kel. It was sent to kill her. For what, she wasn’t sure, but what else could it be? She closed her eyes. *Mom, dad, I guess I’ll be seeing you again sooner than I thought.* “Well, shit.” Veera’s eyes flew open. The thing was speaking. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 4 ‘Bipedal life form detected within 25 foot radius of the pod, sir.’ “You have got to be kidding me.” ‘Sir, I am not kidding you.’ “That was rhetorical Io.” Winters replied sarcastically, grabbing the auto rifle from its holster on his right. *Better to have it and not need it.* He mused, pointing the barrel down and checking the holo sights. Despite the commotion of the day, they were undisturbed. He loaded a magazine, enjoying the satisfying ping as the first round chambered. Patting the pistol on his hip, Winters leaned backwards and punched a button below his fuel gauge. He felt the familiar magnetic pull of his hand-to-hand weapons snapping into the appropriate mag-locks on his upper back. Feeling suitably prepared for whatever might await him Winters consulted Io once more. “Io, what are the sensors showing us? What are we about to walk into?” ‘Bringing available environmental readings up for you now sir.’ “Alright then…” Winters muttered. “Ground seems stable, humidity and temperature indicate temperate climate, if a tad cold. No apparent acid rain, volcanic activity, sandstorms, lightning storms, or miniature black holes. I can work with that. Io, change the temperature to freedom units please.” ‘Sir?’ “Farenheight.” ‘But-’ “You were just using feet as a measure of distance. Humor me Io?” ‘Very well sir, adjusting all relevant measures to imperial units. Barbarian.’ “Excuse me?” Winters cocked an eyebrow and chuckled, surprised at how quickly Io had changed since her activation when the Lancer had left Earth. He’d often use humor and sarcasm as a coping mechanism in trying situations. Today was no different and Io was picking up on it. *Definitely not a use of the auxiliary CPU that brass would approve of*. Winters smiled. The lack of an extra magazine or weapon in his armor’s spare leg module had sometimes hurt his scores in simulator combat, but his recon and survival scores more than made up for it. Extra computing power was always an asset. He’d spare Io any reprimand for now, given his survival in no small way depended on her. ‘It’s nothing sir. Given pod atmospheric sensor damage and incomplete readouts, I would recommend a sealed armor sortie.’ “I was thinking the same. Well, here goes nothing!” Winters made ready to blow the door when a small yellow light blinked next to his ruined front console. “Proximity warning? Well I’ll be. It’s a curious thing, isn’t it?” ‘Sir, I’ve confirmed foreign lifeform has made physical contact with the pod.’ “Well, I guess we can give it a show then.” Winters said as he pulled the lever for manual hatch control and put his boot square on the broken screen in front of him. With a quick push, the pod’s door detached and fell to the earth with a metallic thud. A sense of both relief and intense anxiety filled Winters as he finally stepped out of the dull red confines and into what appeared to be afternoon sunshine. A few fluffy white clouds drifted overhead, reminding him of the countryside of upstate New York and immediately setting him more at ease. To the left, ignoring the mini-firestorm his pod had ignited, he saw he’d landed in a field of dull green and gold grasses. In the distance he could make out the leafy tops of what he supposed were trees. Closer examination would be required. A frightened gasp snapped Winters’ attention back to his right where he finally beheld the alien that had found his pod. Whatever courage it had mustered in its approach had long fled, as it now trembled on the ground with eyes tightly shut, clearly anticipating injury or death. Winters felt an involuntary stab of guilt. “Well, shit.” At those words the alien’s eyes flew open and locked on his. Winters froze, feeling suddenly unsure of himself. He’d never experienced a first contact with an intelligent race. Hell, to his knowledge, outside first contact with the Ghaelen, no one had. No amount of rescuing science teams from primitive carnivores could have prepared him for this, and he hadn’t even done that more than a handful of times outside the simulators back on Earth. He gazed at the alien, the being’s facial structure similar enough to his that he could clearly make out the fear etched into every line and contour. *This…is not good* ‘Sir,’ Io’s voice interrupted the pregnant silence. ‘You’re projecting.’ “Yes I realized that Io, thank you.” Winters replied, using his eyes to shut off any sort of external communication systems via his HUD. Swearing, through an Aegis Mk II helmet speaker no less, was not the sort of first impression he’d wanted to make; as it was now abundantly clear the creature in front of him was intelligent, scared, and not a threat. A wooden bucket wasn’t going to do much against his alloyed armor plating. Winters took a moment to check his HUD as his suit’s sensors compensated for the data the pod had been unable to obtain. *Oxygen levels at 25%, 1.1 atmospheres, no apparent toxins…that’s way too convenient. Might even be beneficial if I have to exert myself for a long period. Well, never look a gift horse in the mouth they say.* “Io, I’m going to attempt communication again. I want you on standby. If you detect threats to our safety or the pod, notify me immediately by shocking my left foot or something. Otherwise don’t interfere. It’s bad enough we frightened it. Our best chance of survival here is making friends.” ‘Yes sir.’ Io made no indication it disagreed with him. They’d already broken first contact protocol to pieces. Winters tucked his rifle behind him, feeling the satisfying click of the weapon aligning with the mag-locks on the small of his back. Taking a deep breath, he slowly brought his hands up to the base of his helmet and disengaged the locks. He felt the cool unfamiliar air of the planet rush into his helmet and he tentatively exhaled and took another breath. Nothing seemed to change, a good sign. Encouraged, Winters took a knee, figuring the posture would indicate less aggression and re-established eye contact with the alien before him, getting a good look without any HUD elements crowding his view. The alien, realizing that he hadn’t harmed it and seemingly had no intention to, also took a kneeling posture. From what Winters could discern based on facial expression; assuming it expressed itself in any way similar to a human, it was clearly surprised that he could remove his helmet at all. *I suppose I’d be freaked out too if my armor were my skin.* Taking the time afforded by the creature’s innate curiosity, Winters looked the alien up and down. *Cat* was the first thing to cross his mind, followed quickly by *Leopard* and *female…wait…maybe? Can’t know that for sure. Would have to find a ‘male’ of the species, but the profile is pretty feminine I guess. It's definitely not heavily muscled.* It looked to Winters as though a jungle cat from earth had gained the ability to walk on two legs and assimilated some avian characteristics to boot. Its fur was a dusky gold, with black striping evident on its limbs and neck. Winters couldn’t see if the pattern extended to its torso due to the sleeveless ‘dress’ of what appeared to be stitched animal leathers that extended down to the creature’s knees. Its legs appeared to be plantigrade from his viewpoint, but he would have to see it walk to confirm. The creature’s forearms each sported a set of long black and gold feathers, with a similar, grander plume originating between its ears and extending down to the base of its skull. Focusing on its face instead, Winters noted additional black accents on the tips of its ears, which were located atop its head; as well as small black spots, almost like freckles, that dotted the area under its eyes and across the bridge of its nose/snout. It didn’t protrude as much as a dog’s muzzle would, but it was certainly more prominent than a human’s. Its eyes broke from the feline theme, sporting circular pupils as opposed to slits; surrounded by light brown irises and dull white sclera. Leaning slightly to the right, Winters noticed the alien had a tail that was currently coiled tightly behind it; as well as three smooth black stone bands that adorned the outer edge of its right ear. *Ok, so, what can we conclude here?* Winters considered, absentmindedly scratching his chin as the alien continued to watch. *First things first, never ever take it…her? Yeah, her sounds better than it. At least until I can confirm how this species works. Anyway, never take her to Japan. Second, likely has better hearing and smell than I do, though that could imply I have better vision given the similarities of our home planets and eye structure. She’s very lithe, even with the fur coat, though I can’t know if that’s specific to her or characteristic of her species. I could snap her like a twig if I needed to, so likely minimal risk of physical damage. But I have no idea if she has claws or not. If so they appear retractable. Will have to watch for that. Both jewelry and clothing, even though the species has fur and decorative plumage, indicates at least some similarities between their society and that of tribal humans; modesty and the desire to stand out, to be unique. I guess that’s all humans really. And…it looks like the silent theater might be coming to an end here.* The alien had begun fidgeting as he had. It started looking over his shoulder at the pod, to his helmet on the ground, and the weapons on his back. Mostly though it looked nervous, like it was debating the merits of making a run for it. Unwilling to entertain that outcome and suddenly eager to know more about the being in front of him, Winters cleared his throat and spoke. “Hello.” ------ Veera managed not to squeak, gasp, or squeal in fright. She’d done quite enough of that in this thing’s presence already, and its tone sounded much more natural and softer without that bulky face cover in the way. She’d been looking at it just before the thing spoke to her again. It was truly unlike anything she’d ever seen before, to say nothing of the alien inside the…suit. It was relieving to see the creature was made of flesh and blood like her, but the similarities seemed to end there. At least, she figured they did. All she could see was its face. She saw pale skin over a well-defined structure, a square jawline, dark blue eyes, and short black fur atop the thing’s head. There were also two smaller patches, one above each eye. With little fur and no scales or plumage to be seen she had no idea if the thing before her was male, female, or neither. Its voice seemed deep, but that didn’t necessarily mean anything. If she wanted to know more she’d have to respond, attempt to communicate. But did she want to know more? Much as she tried, she could see how the thing before her could be anything but a servant of Kel. It was not yet dusk so the Twin Moons, Elur and Auril, likely weren’t behind this. Veera couldn’t believe the creature would have any association with Valta the Huntress or Uthos the Sentinel. It had come from the sky, but its entrance was angry, unlike the rains, snow, or even lightning and thunder of Felen. That left only Seil, the Light and Lifegiver; and Kel, Lord of Death and the afterlife. White coloration aside, she didn’t see how Seil would be associated with something that seemed so dangerous. True, it hadn’t made any advances on her but if it did she was sure her only hope would be to outrun it. Even that seemed a poor prospect. The being was tall, appeared strong, was well armed…and was trying to speak to her. *I suppose it couldn’t hurt. And if I am to face death today, I will do so bravely.* The alien in front of her repeated that word. “Hello.” While it did so it raised a hand, palm facing toward her. It also had five digits. Four were long compared to a Cauthan’s. The other was shorter, offset, and appeared to be useful for gripping. Was this some sort of greeting? Veera figured she could try the same. “Selah.” She spoke softly, also holding a hand up. The creatures lips curled at the edges and it bared its teeth at her. Veera immediately dropped her hand, eyes widening with renewed fright. Would it eat her after it killed her? Was it just playing with its food? But upon seeing her reaction, the being quickly returned its mouth to a closed neutral position and tried addressing her again. “Hello.” “Selah.” This time the lips curled, but no teeth were shown. The skin around the being’s eyes wrinkled a bit. *Is it…happy? It’s trying not to scare me, I think.* Veera wondered as her interlocutor moved its head up and down. She wasn’t sure what that meant. Perhaps it used head motions to compensate for its lack of feathers? *Maybe this…* Veera tried raising her crest plumage at it. Its eyes widened slightly before it moved its shoulders up and down once. *This thing sure enjoys vertical motions.* Nothing more was forthcoming though. Had her greeting been successful? Or were they back to square one? Veera was about to try again, when the thing stood slowly. It held out its hand towards her, palm up, and gestured. Veera eventually understood it wanted her to stand too, and she did so. They had been kneeling longer than Veera had thought, feeling pins and needles as circulation returned fully to her legs. Lifting her gaze slightly, as the creature now had a small height advantage on her, Veera noticed its eyes move down to the three small talons that tipped each of her feet. Friendly or not, it sure wasn’t letting anything go unnoticed. *What do you want now? What’s the next move? Why are you even trying to communicate with me?* It was moving its hand again, palm still face up, but in a longer motion from the top of its head as low as its arm could go. It spoke another word, “Human”, and repeated the gesture as if to indicate all of itself. Veera clapped her hands together in understanding and her feathers vibrated happily. Quickly, she signed the same gesture and spoke the word for her species, “Cauthan”. The ‘human’ again showed happiness on its face and moved its head vertically. Veera watched eagerly as the human took its left hand and made a fist, leaving its index finger to point directly at its chest. “Russell Winters”. Was that its name? Did it really have two names? Would the servant of a god even have a name if it was already called human? Or did the fact that it identified itself generally and then specifically indicate it wasn’t divine at all? Wouldn’t a divine know her language? Veera was more confused than ever, her head feeling like it would burst, but the experience of communicating with an alien being was proving to be exhilarating as well. She mimicked the human and pointed at herself. “Veera”. The human did the thing with its head again, pointed at her and repeated “Veera”. She did the same, attempting to speak the first half of the human’s name, “Russell.” The human reacted as expected and Veera confirmed that the vertical head motion indicated an affirmative response. An idea sprang to mind as she pointed back at herself. “Russell.” A moment of silence fell between them as the human simply looked at her. It rubbed a hand through the fur atop its head and glanced to the side and up, a gesture Veera couldn’t discern any meaning in. Then a light of understanding appeared in its eyes and it shook its head side to side. *Alright, once more to confirm.* Veera thought to herself, pointing to the human. “Veera.” Again, it shook its head, pointing back at her. “Veera.” It spoke and moved its head up and down. Veera confirmed using the human’s gesture, finding the moving of her head to be more emphatic than subtle changes of her plumage. She now knew ‘yes’, ‘no’, and this human’s name; not to mention a handful of other non-verbal indicators. It was more than she started with, and a lot better than being dead. Emboldened, she figured she would try one more expression she’d seen the human make. Slowly, she tensed the correct facial muscles and bared her teeth to the human, trying her best to mimic the upward curl of the lips. It was strange, feeling unfamiliar muscles stretch, but she found it quite agreeable. The human responded immediately, opening its mouth and emitting a great noise that sounded almost like a bark or howl. It then spoke directly at her; a phrase she couldn’t understand but a tone that could have only been one of approval. “I think I like you Veera.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 5 Winters couldn’t help but laugh aloud as the creature before him, which he now knew to be a ‘Cauthan’ named Veera, attempted to smile at him. He was impressed. She’d pretty much gotten it on the first try. “I think I like you Veera.” He replied offhandedly, knowing she would only recognize her own name. This wasn’t to say they hadn’t made good progress in his opinion. The two of them had established that communication between Human and Cauthan was a definite, physiological possibility. They could both produce, hear, and interpret complex sound. There was only a language barrier; a difficulty, but not impossible to overcome. More importantly it was something that Winters’ own technology could be adapted to solve, if he was ever able to interact with a larger population. They’d covered the ever important ‘yes’ and ‘no’, both verbally and non-verbally. And finally, Winters sensed that Veera was becoming accustomed to his presence. At a minimum it seemed she was no longer concerned for her life, a definite improvement for her and for his chances of long term survival on the planet. The problem was, Winters didn’t really know where to go from there. To tease out more language would require time and effort, something he wasn’t sure he had in abundance given the lengthening shadows they were casting over the charred ground. Nor could he just invite himself back to her village and ask for a cot. *There has to be something more I can do to establish a rapport…but what?* Winters folded an arm across his chest, propping his chin up with the other. He noticed Veera mimic him again and smiled at her, pleased that she was making the effort actively engage an alien. It was never a sure thing with ‘primitive’ races. *Hell,* he thought. *Even when the Ghaelen found us things didn’t go over particularly well until…that’s it!* Winters thought back to the stories his mother had told him as a child, how all the world watched, guns drawn, as a single UN diplomat entered the foreign ship. The ensuing ‘handshake’ would change the course of humanity forever. *Tactile…of course!* Winters undid the seals on his right gauntlet, removed it, and then extended his bare hand to Veera. He tried his best to move with purpose and without haste, wanting to pique her curiosity, not frighten. For a few awkward seconds Veera simply looked at him, cocking her head slightly to one side. Her plumage seemed to wave back and forth ever so slightly, as if a visual representation of the gears turning within her brain. Soon enough, the light of understanding lit her eyes and with some trepidation she took two steps to close the gap between them. Winters could make out the individual hairs on her face now. *She looks…really soft. Good lord what am I thinking? Pull yourself together Winters! Hrrrm, I guess she actually is quite soft.* Veera had just placed her hand on his. As it rested there he could feel the pads of calloused skin on her palms and fingertips. It was a distinct contrast to the soft fur in between. “Hmm, that actually tickles a little bit.” Winters mumbled as Veera traced the creases of his palm before moving to examine each of his digits. She lingered on his thumb, clearly curious as to its differences, so Winters gave her a brief demonstration by wiggling it around, showing her each individual axis of movement that it was capable of. From his thumb, Veera moved up Winters’ forearm, spending some time to examine the hair there and compare it to her own. Not knowing what else to do as Veera tested the strength and density of his muscles, Winters scanned the horizon, taking in more details of the scenery. From what he could see it looked like the grassy plain he was standing in continued for at least a few hundred meters in every direction and extended indefinitely back past his pod to the west. Other than the tops of trees in the distance there was little else to see, though if he listened closely he thought he could hear running water off to his left. *That would be exceptionally good news if we did somehow manage to land that close to a source of fresh water.* Winters considered as Veera’s hands made their way over the border between his skin and armor. She was now touching his armored shoulder, getting a feel for the texture and strength of the metal. Looking up, Veera met Winters’ eyes as she hovered an exploring hand over his chest. It looked like a silent request for approval, so he nodded. Though he could only feel the lightest of pressure, Winters felt his breathing accelerate. Were it not for the many extenuating circumstances, the most proximate being the inch thick metal plate encasing his torso, he couldn’t help but think that what they were doing could be considered quite intimate by human or maybe even Cauthan standards. Trying to regain focus, he noticed the feathers on Veera’s arms seemed to be vibrating softly. Looking down, he saw her hand shaking as it moved along to trace the triangular ornamentation he’d painted onto the left side of his armor. *At least I’m not the only one feeling a little nervous.* Winters thought. *Her adrenaline’s probably pumping harder than mine. I’ve got the armored suit at least.* “Are you ok Veera?” He asked, bringing his right hand up to rest atop hers. She’d been drifting a bit too close to his holstered weapons for comfort. The touch broke her of the semi-trance state she’d been in and she snapped her eyes back to his while drawing in a sharp breath. She tentatively nodded, though Winters didn’t think it was because she’d understood his question. A rotation of her arm so that her pads faced upward confirmed Winters’ assumption that she was instead granting permission for him to explore her. *Well, here goes…* Winters brought two of his fingers to rest on the center pad, gauging her sense of touch. She seemed less sensitive than he was, but that easily could have been from whatever manual labor had caused her callouses. Winters was about to satisfy his curiosity regarding her claws/nails when Veera let out a yell, turned from him, picked up the bucket she’d been holding onto earlier and began sprinting away from him and his pod. Dumbfounded, Winters knelt to collect his helmet and gauntlet, replacing both. “Was it something I said?” ‘Perhaps it’s because you’ve not bathed in over 24 hours.’ “Don’t make me deactivate you.” ‘You wouldn’t.’ “I know.” ‘What now sir?’ “Well, I guess I’ll follow her, see if it gets me anywhere interesting.” Winters replied, crouching down to lift his pod’s door back into place. It wouldn’t do for any curious animals or other Cauthan to root around in there. “The pod should be fine for now and I’m pretty sure it’s not going anywhere. In the meantime why don’t you tell me what else you’ve pieced together about this planet?” Winters trudged away from his drop pod and towards the setting sun as Io began reciting facts about the ball of rock they’d managed to land on. ‘Sir, data from our approach and from the Lancer before she suffered reactor overload indicate that the planet has a rotational period of approximately 21 hours, and an orbital period of 358 solar days.’ “Meaning…” Winters ran the numbers through his head while Io waited patiently. “Their year consists of 409 days, give or take?” ‘Correct sir. I was also able to measure the axial tilt of the planet: 20.6 degrees.’ “Slightly less than Earth’s then, but more than enough for seasonality right?” ‘I believe so sir. Specifically I believe we’ve arrived during the equivalent of early autumn.’ “So winter is coming…great.” Winters sighed, looking again to the horizon. Now that he thought about it, relative to when he’d emerged from the pod the star in this system did seem to be moving at a decent clip across the sky. It would be an inconvenience adjusting to a 21 hour day, but nothing that would adversely affect his health, he hoped. Returning his attention to the ground, Winters saw he’d just arrived at the corner of a knee high wall of stones that marked off a small farm from the surrounding wild grass. Neat rows of green, leafy shoots lined the tilled soil, indicating to Winters that the majority of the plant in question was probably underground. If not, it was a pitiful amount of biomass. A few moments later, Winters caught sight of Veera as she crested the slope on the opposite end of the farm. The bucket in her hands was clearly laden with water and Winters looked on absentmindedly as she began frantically watering her crop. Noticing the large amount of ground that was still dry, Winters understood Veera’s sudden haste to get back here. The luxury of time was apparently not something she possessed. “She’s afraid of the dark. And no matter how fast she works there’s no way she’s finishing in time.” Winters observed, bringing his hands together and cracking his knuckles. “Well, guess there’s nothing for it. It is my fault after all, eh Io?” ‘Sir, you cannot mean to suggest you’re about to engage in subsistence agriculture?’ “Why shouldn’t I? It’s my fault she’s behind schedule.” Winters argued as Veera’s ears disappeared over the ridge towards what he could only assume was her water source and the river he’d heard earlier. “At a minimum don’t you think we should confirm where the water is?” ‘Of course sir, but I feel I must remind you of first contact protocol-’ “Which we’ve already broken.” ‘Yes but that’s no reason to keep involving ourselves with this particular Cauthan. Surely we could find one of better means?’ The VI suggested, giving Winters pause before he swiftly rapped the side of his helmet. *God damn co-developed pieces of junk.* “Io I want you to deprioritize every single subroutine you have that was written by the Ghaelen. Those puffed up pricks enjoy sitting in their comfy ships too much. Invented warp drives but couldn’t handle a platoon of marines. Like it or not we are representatives of our entire species. We’re good enough to survive without such calculated cruelty. Should that change, we will re-evaluate.” ‘Sir, such an action is impossible on my part but I apologize for offending you.’ “None taken and I know you were just trying to help. But right now, we have direct orders from a ranking officer. We are to survive here using any means necessary. That takes precedent over a treaty written by diplomats hundreds of light years away. Besides…” Winters relented and sighed deeply. “If I don’t do something, I think I’m gonna lose it.” ‘Sir, are you alright? I’m not reading any abnormalities in your vital signs.’ “That’s not where it hurts Io. I guess you’ve never really lost anyone, huh? It’s a new experience for me too.” ‘I was activated just prior to this mission sir. I did not have much of a chance to interact with the rest of the Lancer’s crew.’ “Then please just trust me when I say that I need to do this, need to keep busy. I just lost my family.” ‘As you wish sir, lead the way.’ “Gladly. Ah, here comes our furry friend now.” Veera had reappeared, moving hurriedly to another portion of the field. Winters circled around the wall and met her at the point nearest to the embankment she’d been running up and down. Winters was close enough now to easily hear the comforting sound of a fast flowing river. As Veera made to return to the water source, Winters held up a hand. “Veera wait, let me.” The Cauthan looked at him for only a moment before shaking her head and pushing past him. *She must have thought I wanted a repeat getting to know each other session. Guess I’ll have to let actions speak then.* Winters thought as he quickly caught up with Veera and swiped the bucket from her hand. Ignoring the stream of angry shouting she delivered to his back, Winters began running. In a few moments he’d reached the riverbank, making quick note of the shallow, pebbly bed. Filling the bucket with haste and securing it with both hands, he began the climb back up the hill where Veera was now watching him in stunned silence. It wasn’t nearly as exciting as the time one of his drill sergeants had come up with the idea of using decommissioned demolition charges in a training exercise, but the elevated heart rate felt good nonetheless. Deciding speech was pointless, he simply handed the bucket over when he reached Veera. Despite the confusion on her face she nodded and went about her work. By the time Winters had removed his helmet, eager to feel the breeze on his face again, she’d returned and the cycle repeated. ---- Winters placed his heel on top of the low wall, catching his breath while Veera worked. His involvement had clearly sped the process, but it was also clear that despite their best efforts dusk would fall before they were done. The star of the system was now just above the line of trees that made up the distant eastern horizon. *Now that is something that will take some getting used to.* Winters thought. With the bucket empty, Veera rejoined him but this time refused to relinquish it. Instead she pointed to herself and then across the river twice. The message was obvious, it was time to leave. *Wonder what sort of things go bump in the night on this planet. Whatever it is she’d clearly rather not deal with them.* Winters tried pointing back at the last part of the field they had yet to water. It would only take a few more trips to complete. Veera looked down, lost in thought, before shaking her head ‘no’ and beginning to head for the small wood and rope bridge that spanned a narrow section of the river about a hundred feet downstream. “Well this is just unacceptable.” Winters grimaced and jogged up to her, blocking her way while hoisting his shield off his back. For all the guns, explosives, and other toys Winters had been introduced to since joining the Human Expeditionary League, his shield was by far his favorite piece of equipment. It was slightly thinner than his armor and covered around half of his body length when standing upright. Some members of the Delta branch preferred tower shields, especially as a compliment to their exo-powered armor, but Winters enjoyed the circular make of his more. It was well balanced, lighter, and could be used as a weapon even without assisted movement. On the front, he had repeated the blue triangular fractal pattern that adorned the left side of his armor. Before Veera could protest he turned, stood in front of her, and raised his shield as if to ward off an imaginary foe. He looked back, hoping Veera would understand his offer of protection. He felt responsible for the half-finished state of her daily work. The Cauthan had brought her hands together and was fidgeting nervously, torn between the two options. Apparently deciding that the risk of losing part of her crop was too great to ignore, she proffered the bucket to Winters once again. Nodding once, he set off to work. Twenty minutes later Veera practically ran to Winters, indicating it was time to go. Nodding silently, he replaced his helmet and hefting his shield in his left hand. As they headed for the bridge Io’s voice rang in his ears. ‘Sir where are we going? There’s almost no daylight left and the pod is in the other direction.’ “I’m well aware Io. We’ll be escorting the…young lady…home tonight.” Winters replied, wondering if Veera was actually either of those things. “Don’t you believe knowing the exact location of the nearest occupied settlement might be a useful bit of data?” Io chose not to reply as they stepped onto the packed earth on the other side of the river. *She knows I’m right.* Winters thought, smirking to himself. *I must admit though, the resemblance of this place to earth is…unsettling.* It hadn’t been long before they’d left the grassy plain behind, crossing into a lightly wooded area. At a glance, the trees looked like they’d fit perfectly in a New England forest, though their surfaces were much smoother, and their leaves shaped differently than terran trees. Wasting no time, Veera beckoned Winters to follow her. As they continued on in silence, Winters noticed Veera shifting ever so slightly towards him. There was very little ambient light left, and the cover of foliage had become significantly denser. The path beneath them was well trod but narrow. Gazing around, Winters found his ears to be more useful than sight for teasing out details of the world around him. The forest was starting to come alive with the sounds of night. Unfamiliar chirps, calls, and cries of a variety of species could be heard, as well as the distant flow of the river, fading as they headed deeper into the woods. Veera’s ears were constantly turning and twisting, taking in every sound. Meanwhile, Winters was constantly checking the proximity sensors on his HUD, keen for the appearance of anything that could be giving Veera reason to be afraid. While Io had only been able to detect small bio-signatures, the sheer quantity of them told Winters that this forest was very much alive and active now, perhaps more so than during the day. For kicks, he shifted his HUD’s display from visual spectrum to infra-red. Immediately he counted five small bodies giving off significant heat signatures, but the low resolution prevented him for determining more. Looking up as a small heat signature passed above them, Winters swapped his visor back, gazing at the carpet of stars that peaked through gaps in the leaves. “It’s beautiful out here.” Winters wondered aloud, taking in glimpses of the unfamiliar starscape. ‘Your companion doesn’t seem to share the sentiment.’ Io noted, drawing Winters’ attention back to Veera, who was practically bumping into his side, tail twitching as if she were about to bolt at any moment. ‘I wonder what she’s afraid of?’ “The top of the food chain.” Winters deadpanned. “Just because we’ve seen the rough equivalent of some squirrels, bats, and an owl doesn’t mean there aren’t other things out there.” ‘Would that not be the Cauthan though? We have little indication that anything else on this planet is even intelligent.’ “We were killing saber cats long before we even started farming. But if one of those got you alone…” Winters made a choking sound into his helmet. “Something tells me a Cauthan hunting party won’t pop out to save us.” ‘No, you seem to have assumed that burden all by yourself.’ Io retorted with a hint of sarcasm. Winters simply patted the holster on his right hip. “I’ll take a magazine of .45 hollow points over a hunting party any day. And when did you get so feisty?” ‘Around the time you decided to leave me stuck on that wall while you played farmer.’ “Fair enough.” He checked the clock on his HUD. “So we’ve at this around an hour now. Wonder how much farther.” ‘Indeed. Before we go further sir I must inform you that I lost all contact with the pod around twenty minutes ago. We will have to re-establish contact before I can provide guidance.’ “Understood. Worst comes to worst we’ll follow the river back, but I think I can manage. Besides, it looks like Veera’s calmed down some. Perhaps we’re close.” Winters noted, seeing her tail had ceased most of its hyperactivity. Confirming Winters’ suspicions, he sighted a large clearing ahead of them that was relatively well lit compared to the forest. The area was devoid of trees and even in the dim light he could make out the tilled earth he’d seen during his drop to the planet. Near the center he spotted faint orange lights scattered across the dark bulk of a palisade. “Torches and a wall, this has to be it Io.” Winters exclaimed. It was impossible to know for sure given the lighting, but the wall appeared to be at least several hundred feet in diameter. Winters resolved to return during the day to observe the location in more detail. Even if he was likely the deadliest creature on the planet at that moment, to simply waltz into a settlement would be ill advised. Coming to a stop before leaving the trees, Winters removed his helmet and called out to his traveling partner. “Veera, this is where I leave you. Goodbye.” She turned to face him, her eyes glinting softly in the darkness. *Well, I suppose they’re more cat-like than I thought* “Selah.” She spoke, walking up to him and resting a hand on his chestplate. Winters stood still as she continued to speak for a short time. Her voice was soft and conveyed her gratitude. Her language was unlike any language he’d encountered back on earth, but it was pleasant enough in its dictation. Repeating “selah” once more, Veera turned and walked into the clearing, quickly becoming nothing more than a slim silhouette in the starlight. Winters kept his cover and watched, satisfied when a few minutes later a large breach opened in the dark wall in the distance, revealing more scattered lights. With the assistance of his helmet, he could faintly make out the sound of a much deeper voice, likely that a guard, before the gate closed. With a defeated sigh, Winters turned and began retracing his steps. He hated to admit it, but the fact that Veera was no longer within spotting distance was unsettling to him. “Can’t say I enjoy this whole being alone business. That and the whole stranded on an unknown planet thing…but mostly the alone bit. Geez, the psychs would have a field day with me right now.” He muttered bitterly, grimacing as the destruction of the Lancer came unbidden to the fore of his mind. He hoped the exhaustion he could feel setting in would allow him some sleep; otherwise it was going to be a long night. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 6 “Hnnn…uh…what is…huh? Hey Io what’s going on?!” Winters jerked awake to a sound as if the entire forest they’d walked through last night had invaded his pod. A quick glance around assured him that no local fauna had actually made it inside as he’d slept. Activating his HUD, Winters unlocked his armor and shrugged his shoulders. Sleeping standing up wasn’t his first choice, but the ability to lock the joints of his armor had allowed him to rest his muscles during the night. His jaw was sore as he yawned, likely the result of a troubling dream he couldn’t remember. Removing his helmet to wipe the sleep from his eyes, he asked Io about the natural alarm clock. “I didn’t know you could synthesize sound like that.” ‘I cannot sir. That was simply a mixtape.’ Io’s voice replied from the walls of the pod. “What?” ‘I took the liberty of recording and parsing some of the various animals we heard last night as we escorted Veera to her settlement. I thought that perhaps a randomized mix of these would be a preferable alarm to wake you. I am programed for exploration and documentation as well as combat.’ “Fair enough. Have to admit it was a little shocking at first. Out of curiosity, what was the other option?” Winters immediately brought his fingers to his ears as a submarine klaxon blared throughout the pod. “Ok ok forget I asked! Nature sounds great.” ‘Glad you agree sir. If I may make a suggestion, it might be wise to deploy the pod’s solar array as soon as possible. I estimate approximately five local days of power remain for the pod’s power source. Your armor’s auxiliary systems should last for eight days at current draw levels. The backup batteries for both did survive our drop, but the less we have to use the better.’ “Agreed Io, especially with winter on its way. Let me just take care of some human needs and we’ll get to work.” Winters said as he dropped the pod door to the earth and stepped out into the early morning sun. The sky was a crisp light blue with not a cloud to be seen. After taking a larger stretch break he walked away from his pod, opposite the direction of Veera’s farm. The thermometer in his suit read 52 degrees. It would be a perfect day for work. Arriving a suitable distance away, Winters began removing the necessary parts of his armor in order to relieve himself. The processing of liquid waste was a trivial concern, with water being reclaimed for use and any remaining solids later disposed of. Solid waste was another matter. It was possible of course; HEL jumpers were expected to be able to land on any planet, not just earth look-alikes. That didn’t stop the process from being less streamlined and more demanding on his suit’s batteries; to say nothing of the discomfort. Given the situation Winters figured the old fashioned way would work just fine. His power supply was a priority. Arriving back at his pod a few minutes later, Winters opened up a side panel adjacent to the floor and pulled out a large backpack made of ballistic fiber. Essentially a disaster readiness bag, it was one of the few unique features of Omega branch pods. Along with the nano-fabricator, the bag was meant to enable longer term missions on the surface of a planet without the benefit of supply chains and fleet support that would be more typical of a Delta operation. Winters rummaged around, withdrawing a bottle of water and a ration bar before taking the bag outside to do a thorough inventory. “Ok, so what have we got?” Winters spoke to himself, laying the equipment out on the ground around him and inspecting each item for damage. There were two combat knives sheathed in synthetic leather, sporting a four and eight inch blade apiece, seven days of rations and water, a basic med-kit, pen and paper, two rolls of duct tape, a nylon rope, a large waterproof tarp, two metal canteens, and two spare tubes of component paste for the pod’s nano-fabricator. One was labeled ‘metals’, the other ‘non-metals’; though Winters knew that mainly meant it was for plastics. Satisfied that nothing was damaged, Winters replaced most of the items, keeping the longer knife, a canteen, and a day’s worth of food and water. Fixing the knife to his left hip and the canteen further back along his waist, Winters made directly for the river, keeping Veera’s farm to his right. Kneeling at the bank, Winters took the chance to survey the water more closely. It wasn’t pristine, but it was more than clear enough to see the river bed, even at its deepest point. “Io, why don’t you spin up the B-MASS and we’ll take a closer look?” Winters commanded. If his shield was his favorite weapon, the B-MASS, or Bracer Mounted Analysis Sensor Suite was his favorite tool not related to the art of killing. The egg-heads in Beta division had really outdone themselves in his opinion, essentially mounting a Mars rover on a piece of armor. Best part was it barely added anything to the weight of the glove. Utilizing technology adapted from Ghaelen warp drives, humanity had ‘cracked’ quantum computing shortly after first contact. The B-MASS was one of many inventions enabled by the breakthrough. Popping open the small compartment for foreign material analysis, Winters dipped his other hand into the river, allowing a few drops to fall into the chamber. Closing the lid, he sat back and waited for the analysis program to run. A few seconds later Io gave her report. ‘Sir, it’s not New York City tap, but I believe it is safe to drink.’ “Elaborate.” ‘As with water on earth there is a significant ecosystem of micro-organisms present, though the likelihood of them being able to interact with human physiology is close to zero.’ “I suppose if I did get sick it would be the scientific finding of the century.” Winters joked, kneeling down to allow some of the river water into his canteen. He then filled the majority of it with water from his pod. If there was anything he needed to build resistance to, he’d rather take it in small doses. Before taking a sip though, he sat back on the grass and asked Io another question. “Wouldn’t it be better to just fabricate a water filtration system?” While waiting for Io’s answer he removed his helmet, wanting to feel the warmth of the rising sun on his face. Wearing a detachable earpiece from the helmet, Winters could hear Io begin her analysis. ‘Sir we could certainly fashion one using the fabricator, but that would consume material of which we have a very limited quantity, not to mention power. Parts would need to be replaced over time. We would need to find suitable sources of raw material on this planet.’ Winters sighed heavily, remembering just how long their stay here would be. “Even if they send out a search party the second we don’t show up on time it would take a standard year for them to get here give or take. And if what happened to us wasn’t an accident, who knows how long it will take for someone to figure out how to safely warp to this star. They might just declare it a no-go zone if ships keep getting lost here…” He trailed off, unwilling to accept the implications. ‘We might die here sir.’ Io finished for him. “I fully intend to live here first.” Winters punched the ground defiantly. “In which case it sounds like being able to drink the water would be pretty clutch. Bottoms up then.” He took a swig from the canteen. “Let me know if my vitals start jumping around Io. But with the water hopefully figured out,” he stood, collecting his gear. “I think it’s time to fix the pod up a bit.” ‘Agreed sir, I will inform you of any deterioration in your vital signs.’ “Yeah…thanks. Oh hey, Veera!” Winters called out, cresting the hill and finding the Cauthan back in her field. Looking significantly less harried than the day before, she took the time to raise a hand and return the greeting. “Selah, Russell.” Her pronunciation wasn’t spot on, but Winters gave it no mind. Io’s voice rang in his earpiece. ‘Will you be playing farmer again today sir?’ “No, it looks like she’s got it covered today. It’s still polite to say hello to the neighbors though.” ‘Neighbors?’ Io asked incredulously. “Are we not?” Winters retorted, passing the farm by. Reaching the pod again, Winters leaned inside and pressed the button to deploy the solar panel array. Wincing at the sound of creaking metal, he circled around to the back of the pod, finding the wrecked main thrusters preventing the array from unfolding. Hoisting himself to the top of the pod, Winters stood and began kicking at the twisted metal. With a satisfying crunch the obstruction was dislodged, clanging loudly as it fell to the ground. Satisfied, Winters attempted to deploy the array again, taking the silence to mean success. Moving to inspect the panels, Winters found it odd that they seemed completely unharmed. “Hey Io, didn’t you say we only had about half capacity here?” ‘46% sir.’ “They look fine to me. Did radiation from the overload fry them?” ‘Yes sir, the left side of the array was inadequately shielded. Given the circumstances we are fortunate the other half did not suffer the same fate.’ “Can we replace them? Would it require material we don’t have?” ‘Sir, construction and installation of new cells should not be an issue provided we have enough silicon, which we should, given the contents of the resource hopper and the spare tubes.’ Winters took a moment to scratch the stubble on his chin. He’d have to fabricate a razor before long. Considering his options, he posed another question to Io. He’d never actually had to use the fabricator before. “Io, did the fabricator come with any spare parts?” ‘No sir, it was deemed unnecessary weight.’ “I’ve been thinking that nice as a full solar array sounds, if anything in this machine breaks, then we’re living like Cauthan for the duration of our time here. Can you access the schematics for the fabricator and let me know if we have enough material and power to manufacture a full set of replacement components?” ‘A moment please…Sir, my analysis indicates that if we were to manufacture such material, we would not have enough heavy metals remaining to construct replacements for the pod’s communication systems. It is a longer term concern sir, as we discussed, but we will have to find those metals here. We do not even know if the Cauthan possess mining or metallurgy technology.’ “All fair points.” Winters acknowledged, leaning against the pod and gazing in the direction of Veera’s farm, watching her moving back and forth around the field. *Is this what it’s like for her every day? I could probably survive that way but do I want to? Which part of Jess’ order is more important, survival or returning to the fleet? Without working comms they might not notice me down here, and there’s no real guarantee I could find gold, silver, copper or tin, to say nothing of rare earths. But…if no one ever shows up, those spare parts could mean a working fabricator years from now.* “Gah! Decisions are hard Io!” ‘At least nothing is trying to kill and eat us sir.’ “Yes yes, second world problems. But your ability to find silver linings is admirable.” Winters replied. Figuring that thinking in circles would get him nowhere and that both plans had their merits and shortfalls, he made his decision. “Alright, I think having spare parts is more important. This stuff is relatively new tech and we don’t really know what the shelf life is. Assuming we gain the ability to communicate with the Cauthan, we can ask them to direct us to their sources of metal. Long shot, I know, but I left my toothbrush and razor on the Lancer and morning breath inside an Aegis helmet is not what I signed up for!” Winters concluded, striking a bit of a pose. ‘Your dedication to hygiene is an inspiration to us all.’ “You’re locked up in here with me.” ‘I have no nose.’ “You win this round Io.” Winters laughed deeply, ducking back into the pod and removing the much larger panel next to the survival bag’s home. A small console sprang to life, made up of a haptic feedback keyboard and monitor. Winters figured he could learn the details later when he had less important things to manufacture. For now, he would trust Io’s knowledge. “Alright Io, load up the schematics please.” Winters requested, nodding as he watched a 21 part list fill out the screen before him. The display showed a completion time of 56 hours. Shrugging, Winters approved the job and heard a reassuring hum as the entire side of the pod came to life. A progress indicator had appeared, tracking the time to completion of the first job. He’d have to come back to remove each part when it was done. Making a mental note to return in a few hours, Winters circled to the solar array and pointed the panels to the southwest, directly at the sun. Were he on Earth, he would have guessed 11 AM. After setting the appropriate rotation speed for the shortened day, Winters stood back to appreciate his work. The pod didn’t look much different, but he knew behind the scenes that progress was being made. With the star approaching its zenith, Winters figured it was time for a lunch break. Leaving the pod he walked the short distance to Veera’s farm, thinking some company might be pleasant. Sitting gingerly on her wall, making sure not to dislodge any of the rough stones with his armored bulk, Winters unwrapped the ration bar and bit into it. The label claimed he should taste a mélange of Indian flavors. He wished the Expeditionary League had stuck to fruits and nuts. He missed real tikka masala. Shrugging, he gulped the rest down, careful not to taste it too much. After a deep swig of water, he replaced the canteen on his back. While he’d been eating Veera had returned from the river yet again. After dispensing the contents of the bucket, she’d noticed Winters and moved towards him, stopping along the way to grab a worn leather satchel from its resting place in the shade of the wall. Winters noticed she’d managed about 65% completion by now, so he figured she must have gotten a late start for whatever reason the day before. Hopefully there would be no harrowing nighttime treks later on. As Veera approached, Winters tried greeting her in her own tongue. “Selah.” He figured he’d gotten it mostly right, as Veera replied in kind; smiling and baring her teeth, which he now noticed included some particularly impressive canines. *So they’re omnivores…interesting but not surprising.* Veera’s meal though, if one could call it that, seemed anything but. From the satchel she’d withdrawn what Winters assumed to be a root vegetable of some sort, likely the same kind that was growing beneath their feet. To the human it looked almost like a potato, though with dark red skin and once Veera bit into it he could also make out pale green flesh. *So…technicolor space potato?* Winters concluded, observing that Veera didn’t seem to be enjoying it much either. *Well at least we can agree on one other thing, lunch sucks.* He couldn’t help a chuckle, deflecting Veera’s worried expression by pointing at her lunch and cocking his head to the side. She was quick on the uptake as usual, replying with the name of the crop, ‘dato’. Winters nodded in thanks, allowing his companion to finish her meal in peace. He’d now doubled his Cauthan vocabulary. With a small gesture of her hand, Veera left him and returned to her work. Standing and stretching Winters turned back, deciding some recon would be a good next step. “It’s nice to have good neighbors.” He reasoned, feeling a budding sense of curiosity about the furry alien and her increasingly peculiar circumstances. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 7 “Well now, would you look at that!” Winters exclaimed softly. At Io’s recommendation he had just been about to turn back in the direction of his pod when he’d noticed something in the distant grasslands. Taking a knee and activating the binocular functionality of his helmet, he zoomed in on a herd of large grazing animals. Given that they had six legs he couldn’t say they really looked like anything on earth, but he supposed they were close enough to fluffy oxen that just so happened to sport single antler-like protrusions from their heads. For a while Winters simply observed, enjoying the thrill of discovery. “Io, is there anything these guys can tell us about the local environment?” ‘Sir, herd behavior usually indicates a defensive measure against a predatory species, though this is not an absolute. Along with the Cauthan, the presence of heavy fur seems to indicate a harsh climate or specifically hard winters. This will all bear further study. For now I would recommend returning to the pod. We know nothing of potential predators and we do not want to delay the manufacture process that is ongoing. A part should be completed in the next ten minutes.’ “Alright, alright I get it. No need to nag. We’re going. Just wanted to see the sights you know?” ‘Sir, it’s been nothing but grasslands since we left the pod.’ “Yes well…now we know that there’s not much reason to head west!” ‘Ever the optimist sir.’ “I’ve gotta hold it together somehow. Keep those proximity sensors working, wouldn’t want any surprises as we learn more about this planet’s food chain.” ‘Yes sir. Hopefully we would be somewhere at the top.’ “Yeah. Hopefully.” Winters trailed off, feeling his stomach growl. Walking around in his armor wasn’t exactly a cakewalk. Sure, it was made as light as the engineers could get it without sacrificing protection, but the heads of Omega division had deemed it too risky to create drop armor that relied on external power for mobility. Winters agreed, but it sure had made him hungry. Retracing their steps to arrive back at the pod, Winters grabbed a quick meal as he removed the latest part from the nano-fabricator. With the manufacturing proceeding apace, Winters realized he’d soon have another problem. The parts simply wouldn’t fit inside his pod. The smaller, more sensitive electronics could stay, but there were plenty of bulky metal objects that would need a new home. Thinking as he ate, Winters hit upon an idea. A short time later, Winters had gathered a selection of six large rock from the riverbed. Extracting the tarp from his survival bag, he constructed a makeshift lean-to against the side of his pod, using four rocks to anchor part of the tarp on the ground and wrapping the remaining half up and over where he used the remaining two to pin it to the roof. He moved the couple more durable spare parts he’d made to this shelter and considered the job done for now. In theory anyone could walk up and take them, but he had no idea who would want to do such a thing. Other than Veera he’d seen no other Cauthan come by. If that pattern persisted he’d feel more comfortable leaving the pod for longer periods of time in the future. It was almost certain that would become a necessity as he searched for food. “Speaking of food,” Winters wondered aloud. “Can I even eat anything on this planet?” ‘Was that a rhetorical question sir?’ “Yes, mostly. I’m sure the B-MASS can handle that right?” ‘Yes sir, analysis of foreign substances for human contact and for the more…xenophilic… consumption, was one of the first approved uses of the B-MASS unit.’ “Good to know. Think Veera will let us borrow one of those dato?” ‘I do not know sir, though she doesn’t seem like the type with food to spare.’ “Yeah, I’d been thinking about that actually. There’s quite a bit of irrigated land around her village and I’m pretty sure we passed some additional cultivated areas between here and there, but she’s out here all alone.” ‘Perhaps we will learn more if we approach the settlement?’ “Yes, eventually we’ll have to I’m just…nervous.” ‘Sir I’m sure you could kill the entire village if necessary.’ “Definitely NOT what I meant! What happened to the VI that was so bloody concerned about first contact protocols?” ‘You advised me to de-prioritize those subroutines.’ “You said that was impossible.” ‘I improvised. Besides, while it is true that I don’t know which species wrote which line of my programming, I was designed to adapt to the situation in which my partner finds himself. You have chosen to prioritize the Captain’s orders over first contact protocol. I am adapting to better serve that function.’ Winters stopped pacing for a moment, shocked at just how complex a creation Io was. Returning to the original point, he elaborated. “I’m not scared of death Io, not from them. But if I do show myself there’s no turning back. Veera has been pretty darn welcoming to me all things considered. There’s no guarantee that the rest will react the same way. And that’s to say nothing of what they might do to Veera if they discover she’s been in contact with me. Xenophobia was a staple of at least some human cultures all the way up until we realized we weren’t alone. Tribal humans were even worse in that regard.” ‘You wish to avoid bloodshed among the local populace.’ “Of course.” ‘This is commendable sir, but there may come a day when it is unavoidable. If they are unwilling to collaborate, we must compete.’ “Yeah…yeah I know.” Winters fell silent and simply stared at the sky. A few clouds had rolled in from the east. They were due for a pleasant sunset. “We’ll cross that bridge when we come to it.” He shook his head to clear his thoughts as an increasingly familiar voice called out to him. Veera approached him looking cheerful, presumably because her work was finished. Winters simply waved, wondering why she’d come to see him. Wasting no time, she pointed to herself, then to the northeast. *So she’s done for the day and headed home then.* Winters nodded to her, about to bid her farewell when she pointed at him and then the same direction, tilting her head slightly in question. *She wants me to go with her?* Winters was sure his surprise showed on his face. Scratching the back of his head he considered his options. Coming to the conclusion that it couldn’t hurt to better know the route to the village he nodded again, holding up a hand to forestall her departure. After removing another completed part from the fabricator and hoisting the pod door back into place, Winters grabbed his canteen and made to accompany her. Not to seem rude he kept his helmet under his arm, but left the earpiece in just in case Io detected a threat or had some other need of him. Veera smiled at him and they both headed for the bridge over the river. Winters hoped that this would be a less nerve wracking trip than the previous one. Veera’s fear had been unnerving to him. The idea of some unknown predator leaping out at them in the pitch black had put him on edge. Some basic human instincts were simply impossible to ignore, no matter how much armor he sported. In the light of dusk though, Veera seemed a different Cauthan altogether. She walked at an unrushed pace, aware of her surroundings but seemingly without fear. Every now and then her tail would wag about and she would point at something amongst the trees. Winters would try to figure out what had caught her eye. Occasionally he would see the movement of smaller animals but for the most part he nodded politely, not knowing what it was Veera was trying to show him. When everything around him possessed the same ‘uncanny valley’ similarity to his own planet, it was hard to pick out anything in particular. Nevertheless Winters enjoyed their stroll, remarking how Veera seemed to almost blend into the trees as the setting star bathed the forest in golden hues to match her fur. Before he knew it, they’d come upon the clearing that was Veera’s home. Again remaining in the cover of the forest, Winters bid her goodbye. “Selah!” Veera replied happily, continuing on her way as Winters watched. “Well, as long as we’re here, couldn’t hurt to do some recon.” Winters whispered, replacing his helmet and activating the zoom functionality. A slightly irritated voice met his ear. ‘Are you done sightseeing sir?’ “As it turns out, no; but I’m sorry to have bored you. Check it out though, looks like they’re cultivating quite a few things. Something grainy looking over there, I wonder if they know how to brew? There’s some vine-based vegetable on wooden stakes, more dato, few other things, and there’s even a couple of pens over there with…I don’t know…fuzzy space chickens? Man now that I see it in the light this is a pretty decently sized operation.” Winters was looking at the readouts on his HUD, which indicated about three quarters of a square mile for the size of the deforested area, assuming it continued around the far side of the palisade that lay in the center. “Io, what kind of population do you think this could support? Just use human metabolic needs as a baseline.” ‘Finally, my capacitors were leaking charge from lack of use.’ “I didn’t realize VI’s could get cranky.” ‘I could have easily pointed out those animals and fungi to you on the way here.’ “I definitely didn’t realize VI’s could get jealous of primitive lifeforms. You feeling ok Io?” ‘To answer your question sir, with just the agriculture and husbandry we see here and assuming those animals you spotted provide eggs or milk as opposed to meat, which seems reasonable given their size, what we see here could reasonably support a population of 75-100 individuals. If the locals supplement this with hunting or fishing, that estimate could reach as high as 150. Please keep in mind that this is a very rough estimate.’ “Not a problem. Thanks for the good work Io. Let’s head home for now, it’ll be dark in a moment.” ‘You’re welcome sir.’ She sounded in a much better mood. ‘If you like, I can attempt to point out more of the local fauna and estimate a potential terran analog.’ “That sounds like a good way to spend the time. Do you think we could fish in the river around here? Might be a good way to kill some time, not to mention acquiring nourishment.” ‘We would first need to ascertain the presence of something resembling a fish sir. Perhaps tomorrow if there are not more pressing concerns?’ “More pressing than food?” ‘You mentioned a razor and toothbrush.’ Winters threw his head back in mirth. If they could joke about the most basic of human needs, then perhaps they had hope of making it through this with their sanity intact. *Wait…our sanity?* Winters was shocked to realize just how quickly Io had been developing human-like tendencies. Grimacing, he knew the reason he’d latched onto those quirks with such ease. Io wasn’t human, he knew that. There was an open debate within human society about whether VI’s were even alive. But with every other human in the system gone, that didn’t seem to matter so much. Even so, the rational side of his brain was firing off alarms, warning him about possible undocumented side-effects of VI adaptability. “Io, do you have any sort of subroutines devoted to something like Asimov’s three laws?” ‘Sir, you are referring to programming that would prevent me from harming you in any way?’ “Yes…” Winters eventually replied, knowing Io might not take such a question well. ‘You do not trust me, sir?’ Io avoided answering the question directly, synthesizing sadness into her voice. “I…It’s not really that Io. But even you must be aware that you’re already functioning outside typical VI operating parameters. We’ve only been here two days.” ‘That did occur to me, yes. But so far you have seemed to welcome these changes sir. I thought-’ “You thought right Io, I did. And I still do. Without Jess and the others it’s just you and me. I just don’t want a natural craving for human contact to blind me if something starts going wrong. You have power Io, power that no human could ever have in a very narrow sense.” ‘Ah, I see now. You are worried these new aberrations in my programming could be corrupted, causing me to be driven by simulated emotion or other non-logical factors?’ “Something along those lines, yes. Humans have always been tempted by power. You have quite a bit of computing power, even with your small size.” ‘I apologize for my initial misgivings sir. I understand your concerns. They are both sound and logical. I am happy to assure you that I am incapable of taking any action that would cause direct harm to you. These elements of my coding are non-adaptable, and will persist no matter how my programming evolves. I will work on this concept of…I believe it is trust, yes?’ “Yes. It is. We can both work on that.” ‘The Cauthan, Veera. She trusts you.’ “She shouldn’t.” ‘But you do not deny it, given her actions?’ “No…I suppose not. I didn’t really think about it that much. That’s something else for us to unpack, I suppose.” ‘Yes sir, but perhaps before you interact with her further you should freshen your breath?’ Io quipped Winters couldn’t help but laugh again. Even if Io’s punchlines were repetitive, she was trying. “I’m glad I’m not alone on this rock Io.” Winters replied, a hint of melancholy creeping into his voice. He wasn’t sure why Io had reacted the way she did after Veera’s departure, but the VI was clearly coming into an augmented functionality that most VI’s didn’t exhibit. She could easily be considered semi-human, the way she devoted processing power to simulating inflection and emotion into her voice now. It was something Winters wasn’t even aware VI’s could do; not that he was anything close to an expert in the field. But in an odd manner it did make sense to him. Their survival was still very much in question. He wasn’t sure if VI possessed self-preservation instincts, but if trends continued he was sure she’d adapt one from working with him. Perhaps these other human-like characteristics were in preparation for developing such a prime directive. How better to ensure survival than to become more like one of the most tenacious species ever known? Winters decided the least he could do was to let Io know that he saw her not just as a tool. Whatever else would come would come. After all, he’d already known the answer to his question regarding her ability to cause him harm. It was the very first thing he’d looked up when he’d been told he’d be partnered with a VI on their voyage. She’d been honest with him and he would trust her in turn. Inside his helmet the two continued to chat amicably, reaching their pod without further incident. After adding another spare part to the pile outside, Winters closed himself in and prepared for his second night on a new world. *I really do need a toothbrush.* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 8 ---Survivor’s Log Day Three ---1st Lt. Russell Winters “Yes Io, I’m calling it a survivor’s log now because that’s what it is; that and I have a flair for the dramatic. Jess said it was one of my redeeming qualities. Yes, you are allowed to disagree with the Captain. No I’m not changing it. Anyway, this is First Lieutenant Russell Winters of the Human Expeditionary League, formerly assigned to the Dakota class scout ship Lancer. I’m making this log for two reasons. First, should I not survive my time on this planet; hopefully this data will outlive me and get into the right hands. Slim hope, but it has to be done. Second, if I do survive and make it off this planet there’s a ton of information I want to bring with me. First contact protocol would forbid humanity from studying this planet and its ecosystems directly. Given as I’ve inadvertently broken that, I figure this opportunity shouldn’t be wasted. To that end I will upload a portion of my armor’s telemetry data with each entry. Maybe the eggheads in Beta division will get some use out of it. Now to business. This introduction has gone on long enough. The circumstances of my arrival on this planet are…trying. I’ve included a full log of the events leading to the destruction of the Lancer and my pod’s arrival. I do not wish to address it again. Those wounds are still too fresh. Our reason for traveling to this system was simple; all analysis indicated a higher probability of it supporting life, or being capable of doing so. The science crew really hit the nail on the head. This planet is literally teeming with life, from micro-organisms all the way up. I landed in the middle of fertile grassland; think American Midwest circa 1600. There’s a river and forest nearby, much more of a New England feel. I’ll leave more detailed data attached to this log. The real reason I’m making this entry is the same reason I’m still referring to this rock as “the planet”. I don’t know its name yet. Why not? Because someone’s already named it in all likelihood. The planet is home to an intelligent, pre-industrial species of life known as the Cauthan. I have made contact with one individual so far, but have been able to keep my presence secret from the others. There’s a small settlement nearby, well within walking distance. That I remain undiscovered means my new friend can keep a secret. Her, at least I believe she’s female, name is Veera. She has a small farm set away from the rest of her village. Something’s definitely up, as I was able to do a survey of the area yesterday. There’s plenty of arable land directly bordering the village. I do not know yet what circumstances led to this arrangement. This is all I can share on the Cauthan for now. Further breach of first contact protocol is inevitable but there are more immediate matters to address. I have a five day supply of food remaining, at which point I will need to do one of two things: find food the old fashioned way, or use the nano-fabricator on my pod to synthesize edibles from local biomass. The goal today is to hopefully begin to find ways to accomplish the former. Nano-fabricators are new technology with an unknown shelf life. I’ve begun the process of creating and entire set of replacement parts. When that’s finished I will need to scavenge heavy metals to repair my communications suite. Before that though, I need to repair damage done to the pod’s solar array. This must take precedent. Based on what I’m seeing here in the pod, looks like it’s raining outside. Given how similar this planet is in many ways to earth, I’m hoping the rain will draw out some fish or space fish equivalent in the nearby river. I’ve been ingesting small quantities of this local water. No problems so far. Wish me luck. Winters out.” Winters closed the recording and replaced the datapad. A moment later, he exited his pod into a dreary morning rain. “Guess we won’t be seeing Veera today.” Winters mused as he checked the status of his makeshift lean-to. Everything was still in place from the night before and the tarp was doing its job. After adjusting the flaps a bit to provide greater protection from the wind, Winters quickly prepared himself for the day. A few minutes later he’d arrived at the river where he refilled his canteen. Satisfied, he opened a ration bar and began walking upstream, away from his pod, Veera’s farm, and the village. Though not severe, it was pretty clear by noon that the rain had no intentions of letting up. Grabbing another quick meal under the shelter of a tree, Winters took a moment to reflect and catalog what he’d seen. As he’d gone further upriver, the forest had encroached and crossed over to his side. Back near his pod the river was about fifty feet across. As he’d walked, it had narrowed somewhat and the flow became faster. There had been a couple places that might have served as fishing holes but they weren’t ideal. For now the river was too straight and free of obstructions for potential fish or food to hide in. Setting a timer on his HUD for another hour Winters continued on his way, hoping that his search wouldn’t prove fruitless. With about fifteen minutes left, Winters let out a joyful whoop. “Now that is what I’m talking about Io!” They’d come upon a bend in the river that scooped out a large area on his side, almost doubling the width. The other bank was made of a small rocky cliff that had been increasing in height as he walked along. There were boulders and large rocks disrupting the water’s flow. He noted subtle changes under the water. It was murkier and the rocks sported some green films facing the direction of the sun. Winters hoped that when it wasn’t raining that this planet’s equivalent of insects would congregate here. All in all, it looked to be a promising location. *Wish I could be sure.* He thought. *It’s still a long way to get here if there’s nothing.* “Hey Io, any chance we can figure out what’s under the water? Any way we can scan for wildlife?” ‘A moment sir…’ Io replied shortly. ‘I believe there’s a chance given that your sealed armor is waterproof. I would suggest crude sonar.’ “So I wade out there and bang some rocks together?” ‘That would work sir.’ “How will you analyze the return waves?” ‘I will attempt to use some of the B-MASS sensors to interpret any sound waves that return to us. It may not work. Please proceed.’ “Guess I don’t really have much choice.” Winters grumbled, grabbing a couple suitable rocks and wading knee deep into the river. He felt the satisfying give of mud under his boots, another indication this might be a suitable area compared to the rocky riverbed back by his pod. Making sure his forearms were fully submerged, Winters struck the rocks together three times in rapid succession, waiting for a response from Io. ‘Sir, it is hard to be sure, but between the first and third pulses a number of signatures moved location. The rocks before us were easy enough to locate.’ “Well, that means there’s hope!” Winters stated triumphantly. “Io, please add a fishing hook and line to the list of things we need to make.” ‘Certainly sir. What do you intend to use as bait?’ “This shitty ration bar?” Winters joked, returning to dry land and taking a quick drink. “I don’t know to be honest. Worst comes to worst we could always slap some dato on the end of a line and see how that does. Maybe go digging for worms?” ‘Oh how the mighty have fallen.’ Io quipped. ‘Though I must say I’m glad you took your survival training seriously.’ “You weren’t there for that.” ‘I know, but you don’t seem to be panicking in spite of everything. You only have four and a half days of food.’ “Oh believe me Io, I want to panic. Let’s get back though. We’ve been gone a while and we surely have another part to swap out.” He’d just turned back when another priority came crashing to the fore. “Silicon.” ‘What was that sir?’ “Io, we’re standing on sand!” Winters knelt, opening the analysis port of his B-MASS and dumping a pinch of inside. “What have you got Io?” ‘Analyzing. Sir there is silicon present as silicon dioxide. This will have to be run though the raw material processor before being useable for repairing electronics. We should already have enough raw silicon for the solar panels.’ “How much power is that going to take?” ‘We will have enough, sir.’ “Do I want to know?” ‘Not really sir but if we do not, our rate of power draw will eventually exceed what a damaged array can provide, especially on a day like today.’ “That settles it then. Not like there was anything more important to do after the current job.” ‘Indeed. I know your armor can be a burden, but I believe day trips without a pack would be unwise in the future. We may wish to collect resources. Perhaps if you left your rifle back at the pod?’ “I hate tradeoffs.” Winters muttered as he turned and headed back the way he came. “Never know when I might have to terminate something with extreme prejudice.” ‘Barbarian.’ “I take that as a compliment this time.” Winters shot back. The two conversed for an hour or so longer until Winters came to a stop at a narrow part of the river. The current was swift but maybe only twenty feet across. “Shall we take a look at the other side?” He asked. ‘It couldn’t hurt to understand more of our surroundings. Unless you cannot ford the river.’ “I should be ok. Worst comes to worst we sink and I walk out.” Winters reassured Io, taking a step in. It was a bit odd knowing he should feel cold, but the thermal insulation in his suit was more than up to the task. The water was powerful against his form, but he remained upright. About half way through he thought he might have to activate his helmet seals, but then they were climbing out again and before long they emerged on the other side, dripping wet but otherwise fine. “See? That wasn’t so bad. Now then, I guess we’ll just keep going until we hit the bridge. You going to continue cataloging data Io?” ‘Yes sir, there’s much about this ecosystem that is not pertinent to us and our quest to survive, but that might be of interest to humanity upon our return…or the discovery of my data banks.’ “We’re going to make it off this planet.” ‘I hope so.’ “In any case, that sounds like a good plan. No need to notify me unless you note a species that might be of use to us. Edible fungi, animals I could hunt, that sort of thing.” ‘Yes sir.’ For a time after they continued on in silence, neither feeling the need to speak. Winters even removed his helmet once the rain began to let up, feeling the comforting sensations of cool humid air and raindrops in his hair. About an hour away from the pod Winters stopped, replacing his helmet quickly and drawing his pistol. “Io, are you seeing this?” ‘Yes sir. That is…’ “I think I have a slightly better idea of what Veera was afraid of.” Winters said softly, gazing up at the tree in front of him. About three feet above his head were a series of deep gashes in the bark. In the rain they’d begun to weep a dark green sap. “It’s like the tree is bleeding. That must have been one big…something.” ‘Let’s hope it hasn’t evolved a resistance to bullets sir.’ “That’s putting it mildly. Io, prioritize scanning for further evidence of whatever this is. If you know the enemy; right?” ‘And know yourself.’ “You need not fear the result of a hundred battles. Glad you read Sun Tzu too.” ‘My databases are extensive sir, as well as the stock of human media and material I have been provided in order to grow and adapt.’ “Oh? You have music in there?” ‘Yes sir.’ “You were going to tell me this when?” Winters couldn’t help feeling a bit peeved. He missed the old vinyl player his father had gifted to him back when he’d graduated from basic. ‘Those databases are typically not for active reference by a user sir.’ “Can you override that somehow? Some music would definitely be nice. Wait a minute. Io, you said all that data was meant to allow you to adapt to various conditions you might find yourself in. Didn’t we already establish that your adaptation is an anomaly?” Winters asked, hoping to know more about VI technology. He was a user of the tech, not a creator. He’d never enjoyed the ‘black box’ feeling. ‘Sir, it is true that my adaptation has proceeded along abnormal routes and at a rapid pace. However, VI must adapt or they are merely calculators with text to speech enabled. My programming originally included a negative feedback loop designed to discourage rampant adaptation. It prevents continuous overwriting of my subroutines, not completely, but enough to slow it down. This allows a VI to become more useful to its partner without developing quirks, as you’ve called them.’ “And what happened to that code with you.” ‘You overwrote it.’ “Wow.” Winters sighed in disbelief, now seeing the bridge that would take him back to Veera’s farm and his pod. “You’re telling me that that subroutine wasn’t locked?” ‘The only code I have that can never be changed relates to my primary directive: not doing harm to my user. To prevent any and all overrides is very complex. There was heightened security around the code in question but the program you used to install the unauthorized behavior module was quite well designed.’ “Shifty always was a mad genius. Gods I miss that man. Well here we are again, home sweet home. Let’s get to work.” For the remainder of the day, Winters worked with the nano-fabricator as it essentially duplicated itself. It was tedious and boring, but necessary. As evening wore on, Winters paused the process to craft a few basic sundries for himself. The power and resource draws were negligible, further justifying the decision in his mind. At a minimum it would restore some sense of normality to his routine. Satisfied with a toothbrush, soap, and a razor, Winters resumed construction of replacement parts and headed to the river to engage in some basic hygiene after far too long. The water on his face and hands was bracingly cold in the growing dark, but he didn’t mind. He’d dropped on planets where the cold would have killed him in seconds. He was thankful to be able to remove his armor at all. Remembering the mauled tree though, he kept the rest of his armor on. Returning to the pod, Winters decided he’d try again to get Io to open up her latent databanks. Books and music would go a long way. With his sundries stowed in his survival bag, Winters grabbed his helmet and climbed atop the pod. After sitting comfortably and looking up to the stars, he engaged Io in conversation. “So Io, tell me more about this media you have laying around in your databanks?” ‘Nothing about this information is classified sir, what would you like to know?’ “Well for starters, how useful have you found it?” ‘Some of the literature is enlightening; Robinson Crusoe for instance.’ Winters chuckled. “Of course it is. Care to elaborate?” ‘It is a tale of survival against desperate odds sir, and a classic.’ “It’s also fiction.” ‘Even fiction can be useful when attempting to simulate the biological imperative of survival. The exaggerations can even augment the process.’ “Hrrrm, I suppose you may have a point. I’m sure the story of the battle of Thermopylae is quite a bit grander than the actual act. And the music, has that helped?” ‘No.’ Winters’ laugh was full throated this time. “I can understand that I suppose. Why even have it then?” ‘Sir, I believe the reasoning was that with advances in data storage, it was better to have it and not need it than vice versa. Not all VI’s are purposed for combat and exploration, so I cannot speak for other uses of humanity’s musical heritage. Normally this would be the first data erased in a situation like the one we find ourselves it, but because of the extra computing power and storage you have equipped, I have not needed to do so. I assume you would like to access these files?’ “You assume correctly…woah. How did I not notice that before?” The second of two moons had just crested the western horizon, joining its twin in transit across the now partly cloudy sky. Winters had paid little heed to what he’d thought was the only moon of the planet. But seeing both together was a much more impressive sight. The first was larger and had a grayish coloration, like Earth’s, though with significantly fewer craters from what he could tell. The second was smaller by about a third and had a strange bluish tint to it. For a time, Winters simply watched. “Jess would have loved to see this.” He finally spoke. Io did not reply, but that suited him fine. “Io, can you play Stand by Me by Ben King?” Again, no response but the opening notes began to play all the same. He knew this was a bad idea, knew that dwelling would only prolong his suffering, to say nothing of augmenting that emotional reaction with music. But he wasn’t that strong. The logic of that statement meant very little compared to the sorrow he felt at her loss. “I miss her.” He whispered, allowing himself to cry for the first time since landing. Io remained silent, for which he was grateful. After the final lines played, Winters returned to the inside of his pod and killed the lights. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 9 Winters exited his pod the next day to the smell of damp earth and wild grasses. The morning sun warmed his face. It was pleasant; far more pleasant than his dreams had been. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, he began his morning routine. When he returned to the pod and put in his earpiece, Io finally broke her silence. ‘Sir, you are alright?’ “I’m not sure I know how to answer that Io, but I’m not going to sit around wallowing if that’s what you’re asking.” ‘Yes sir, I have faith you will not give up so easily. That does not mean I am not concerned. The loss of your friends and your captain is one of our few shared events. It carries markedly different significance for each of us. I am unsure how to proceed.’ “I guess that’s another good lesson Io, as long as you’re learning what it means to be human. Sometimes there’s nothing special that you can do. Just keep doing what you’re doing. Stay with me, help me out, talk to me. That’s all I ask.” ‘As you say sir. The final spare parts should finish today. What will be our next priority?’ “I’m thinking the solar panels. Where do we stand on that?” ‘We have adequate material and power.’ “Best news I’ve heard all day.” ‘You’ve been awake for less than an hour.’ “Precisely.” Winters sighed happily. “See Io, you’re making it better already.” ‘You’re welcome sir?’ Io seemed perplexed. Winters figured confusing an AI was quite the accomplishment. With another ration bar in hand, he sat down for a quick breakfast before tidying up the area directly around the pod and attending to the nano-fabricator. With two days of local water consumption under his belt with no adverse effects, he was feeling confident that at least one item on the survival checklist could be ticked off. Power and food would be his next priorities. With his new found ability to access a significant store of human music and literature, Winters found that noon was soon upon him. Filing away a Heinlein novel on his HUD to continue later, Winters rose from his seated position in the pod’s dwindling shade to file away the final spare part he needed. Checking the pod’s power levels and finding them as Io had described, Winters queued up two iterations of his pod’s solar panel schematics. “I just hope I’m up to the task of installing these when they’re ready. Us jumpers are usually known for breaking things, not fixing them.” At that moment his proximity sensors began flashing. Winters turned quickly, hands flying to the knife on his hip and his pistol on the other. He relaxed when he saw a familiar pair of black tipped ears. “Hey there Veera. Don’t sneak up on me like that again alright?” Winters greeted her as he stepped out of the pod. “Selah Russell!” She replied happily, surely unaware of his request. Ensuring his earpiece was still in place, Winters removed his helmet and smiled at her. He’d been planning another foray into the surrounding environs, but with Veera here he figured that could wait. Perhaps he’d even get her to show him around sometime. Noticing that she wasn’t carrying her trusty bucket, Winters gestured over her shoulder at her field. “Don’t you need to take care of things today?” She looked in the direction he pointed, then back. Other than a slight ruffling of her feathers there was no indication she’d even heard him. *Well, if she’s not concerned then I guess I have no reason to be. If anything she seems downright chipper. Guess rain means a day off of work?* Winters concluded, thinking of how to ask Veera about the local terrain using only hand motions and yes or no. The alien seemed to have other ideas. The purpose of Veera’s visit became clear as she stepped past Winters to take a closer look at the interior of his living space. Winters reached a hand out towards her, ready to shoo her away from any technology she could possibly break, but in the end it was unnecessary. Seemingly understanding that this was Winters’ home, Veera kept her claws at a respectful distance; merely looking instead of touching and fiddling. Winters exhaled with measured relief, but kept his eyes on her just the same. Even the most polite alien could mess something up out of ignorance. “You’re pretty curious, aren’t you?” He asked, surprised when she replied in what sounded like a full sentence, craning her head to get a good look at the fabricator’s display. With a toothy grin she began walking around his pod, expression turning to one of awe as she ran her fingers along the sides and took extra time to study the solar panel array. All the while, Veera spoke. Winters wasn’t sure if it was directed at him or not, but it was clear she didn’t mind him listening in. Her tone seemed jovial, relaxed, maybe even confiding. Satisfied she had no intention of breaking anything; Winters took his seat again, replaced his helmet, and continued to read. Before long Winters noticed Veera had stopped her exploration and was sitting, as he was, against another side of the pod. Still, she chatted away amicably. Her voice was softer now, a bit more serious. Winters stopped reading to fully concentrate on her voice and her language. He still didn’t understand one bit but he enjoyed the way words seemed to flow together. It was as if someone had combined the German propensity for compound words with the auditory appeal of French or Spanish. Unable to see her face, Winters found himself eyeing her legs and feet instead, the only parts of her he could see thanks to the walls of the pod. Like the rest of her, her legs were thin and striped. Her feet, with their talons, held his attention though. It wasn’t quite Jurassic Park raptor level, but they had to be at least three inches long apiece. The way they left small tracks in the ground indicated their sharpness. Winters made a mental note to watch out for the feet if he ever got into a fight with a Cauthan. Veera’s voice trailed off, and she poked her head around the corner to look at him, surprised to find his helmet staring back at her. As he removed it to be polite, Veera scooched to sit next to him. Winters shifted to his left to make space. Patting down her worn leather dress, which Winters saw was barely holding together, Veera looked up at him and waited. “Uh…my turn?” Winters asked, unsure what she wanted. “Well, I tell you what. If you don’t like it just talk over me ok?” Winters was glad he’d left his weapons in the pod, save the knife. Otherwise he was sure they would draw the Cauthan’s attention like last time. Wondering if something in the water had actually driven him insane, Winter leaned his head back and began to talk. “Well, you know my name, Russell Winters.” He started. She nodded and raised her crown plumage. Perhaps that was the Cauthan equivalent of ‘yes’. Perhaps she was just indicating she understood the name. Either way, Winters continued. “I have two sisters and a brother, all older. My dad’s a retired Marine colonel, fought for the United States before helping to form the Human Expeditionary League. My mom’s a UN diplomat. UN is a sort of central meeting place for all the human nations. Maybe you have something similar if there are other villages around? Anyway, unlike my siblings I wasn’t really sure what I wanted to do in life. So when I hit 18 my father figured the military was the way to go. Can’t say I enjoyed the idea at first but hearing about Omega division changed my mind pretty quick. Don’t get me wrong I like fighting, but I didn’t want to kill other humans. And I certainly didn’t want to go into Delta. Delta is like a space army I guess. They don’t get deployed often but when they do it’s lights out for whoever has pissed us off. Only happened once to a sentient species like you. Killed the first delegation sent to them straight off the bat. We answered back, they tried to fight. They lost. Really scared the Ghaelen too. If they didn’t respect us before that, they do now.” Winters took a quick swig from his canteen, offering it to Veera next. She took the item and sniffed it curiously. Assessing it to be safe she took a drink as well, then returned it. Winters continued his monologue. “The Ghaelen are like…space elk I guess? Well you don’t know what an elk is, do you? It’s a large animal, short fur, antlers on its head, sometimes really large ones all pointy and whatnot. Anyway, if one of those learned to walk like you and me, you’d get the Ghaelen. They found us, as it were. Not sure what those grass munchers were thinking but they sent a single unarmed vessel down to Earth, our planet, to negotiate or something. Not really sure if they thought we’d submit just because they could warp between stars, but they didn’t get what they expected I’m sure!” Winters laughed, eliciting a small smile from Veera. She was watching him with rapt attention, tail swaying lazily back and forth to her right. “So, these guys land on our planet and park their ship right above the UN building. I guess they were smart enough to figure out that it was an international seat of diplomacy. No warning, no weapons, no nothing. They just sit there. So of course humanity is freaking the fuck out, wondering if this is going to be Independence Day all over again when some hotshot pilot shoots a sidewinder right up this thing’s tailpipe! The guy was court martialed and thrown in the brig. We thought he’d started an interstellar war. Except he didn’t. He forced their ship to land. When it did, it was surrounded by a full battalion of Marines, best the US had to offer. My father was in that group, must have been the most harrowing moment of his life. My mother, was a young staffer at the UN back then. The powers that be decided the missile incident had forced our hand. We had to attempt to negotiate, lest the mothership do…whatever it is their motherships do. So with a marine escort, a few diplomats from the major nations of Earth walked right up and knocked on the door. The rest is history, as they say. Turns out these Ghaelen evolved on a world with no natural predators. They just happened to be the first to evolve sentience and take to the stars. Pretty easy when you’ve never fought a war. Problem is they ran into us first. We made them realize just how vulnerable they were. So…a partnership was formed. We got access to Ghaelen technology and research, including warp drives. We derived quantum computing tech from that and well, things just exploded from there on out. Our end of the bargain was to be the muscle in the galaxy. We haven’t had to flex it much, but that’s why my branch of the military, the Human Expeditionary League was formed. There are four sub-branches all with different purposes. Alpha is mainly diplomats and other attaches. They have the most direct contact with the Ghaelen. Some have even visited their homeworld I think. Beta is where some of my best friends are. One of my sisters is in it too. They’re the brains behind the brawn. Military scientists with cutting edge tech and first crack at any Ghaelen innovations that Alpha can secure access to. They designed my pod, my armor, my nano-fabricator; pretty much everything other than my weapons. Delta are the big boys, the shock and awe. They’re meant to be both peacekeepers and enforcers. Like I said, they’ve only ever really gone up against a true enemy once and they crushed them. Once that one city surrendered the rest got the idea real fast. Most of the time they just go around dropping on worlds and cleaning things up. One of the things I hate about the Ghaelen actually. They abhor war and violence. Sounds good, right? Problem is they have us landing on industrial worlds to stop it. Can you imagine if some aliens in power armor dropped into Berlin in 1944 and started tearing the place up? It’s a nightmare for Alpha whenever the Ghaelen decide they want to be angels let me tell you. Two or more factions shooting at one another, usually before they’ve discovered space flight; then you have space marines drop in and beat both sides into submission as humanely as possible. The idea of landing after that and trying to sort everything out? Nightmare. That and…while I guess I’m all for stopping the killing…I don’t enjoy the idea of playing God. We’re changing the course of history on these planets and no one has any idea if it’s for better or worse. Top brass in Alpha managed to persuade the Ghaelen to stop and use a group of worlds as a test case to see if it actually makes matters worse but…we’ve already done it.” Winters tone had become harder now. That part of the uplift treaty had always rubbed him the wrong way. The Ghaelen were an arrogant race, and it showed. Veera had detected his change in mood, her feathers and tail less active and what seemed to be a frown played across her muzzle. Not wanting to ruin the mood, Winters changed subjects. “Well, then there’s us! Omega division. If Delta is the army, we’re the scouts. We get out there, explore the frontier, track anomalies, gather data on other planets and solar systems, and find new places for us to live. Hopefully without anything like your species. No offense but if you’re already here we can’t exactly set up shop. Well I guess we could but it wouldn’t be right. Anyway that’s how I ended up here. The rest…is a story that I don’t want to tell yet. Sorry.” He looked down at Veera again, peeved that he’d ended up right back where he’d left off regarding depressing subjects of conversation. He simply shrugged in apology and remained silent. He’d gone on for a while anyway. With something that sounded like words of encouragement, Veera lifted herself off the ground and turned to him, holding her hand out. Curious, Winters grabbed it, feeling a small force as she tried to hoist him into a standing position. Her grip was firm, even through his gloves, but there wasn’t much power behind it. It gave Winters pause, wondering just how much meat there was under that fur; or if Veera was all skin and bones. Knowing there was nothing he could offer her even if she was starving; Winters filed the observation away in the back of his mind as a reminder to find a consistent source of food. He was just about to attempt to ask Veera about such a thing when she began walking back towards her farm. She was still holding his hand. “You…want me to come with you?” Winters asked, perplexed. “Wait a minute then.” He quickly armed himself and grabbed another ration bar just in case. Io protested that he wasn’t taking a bag with him, but he reasoned that even if they went to Veera’s village and back it wouldn’t take too long. Rejoining the Cauthan, it quickly became apparent that the village was indeed their destination. Veera took the lead, speaking to Winters again in their odd one sided conversation. As they grew closer to the village however, Veera’s tone became shaky. Her feathers drooped a bit and her tail dragged. Winters gripped his pistol, just in case. They’d arrived at the edge of the woods surrounding Veera’s home. He could see the palisade in the distance clearly now. It was thick enough that a single Cauthan seemed to be able to walk atop it. It was an impressive fortification considering the state of their technology, or what he’d seen of it. Winters stopped walking, figuring Veera had simply wanted an escort home. The reason for her nervousness became clear, however, when she offered him her hand again. *She wants me to…come with her. In there? Shit. Well…I don’t think I’ll ever be ready for this but I need food. If there’s anywhere around here with food, it’s there. Even if they just tell me where to hunt, that will be huge.* “Io.” Winters spoke into his helmet, ensuring Veera couldn’t hear him. ‘Sir, you are accepting her offer?’ “I don’t know if walking into a Cauthan settlement is a good idea, but we’re running out of options.” ‘As much as it dismays me I concur, sir.” “If they do let us in, I want ever spare processor you have working on a translation program. If we get enough information that could save our butts.” ‘Yes sir. You expect armed confrontation?’ “I hope not. But even if it does happen, I want you to focus on the language. I’ll tell you if I need anything beyond the proximity sensors and HUD.” ‘Understood sir. Your guide appears restless.’ Io pointed out. Veera had begun shifting her weight from foot to foot. Her hand still outstretched in offer. Winters nodded to her, emerged from the tree line, and took it. He ignored the odd feeling in the pit of his stomach. That they were holding hands was a message to the others that he meant her, and by extension them, no harm. Nothing more. Swallowing hard, he began to walk. After a few minutes walking through well cultivated fields they were close enough to the gate for him to make out two guards flanking either side of the main gate in detail. Another patrolled atop it. They saw him too. “Here we go.” Winters gritted his teeth and tried to give Veera’s hand a reassuring squeeze. The shouts began soon after. The guards at ground level had signaled the one on top who immediately blew a loud horn. There would be no stealth or one on one negotiation it seemed. Winters raised his left hand into the air to show he was unarmed. He kept Veera’s in his right. He knew he looked threatening. There still wasn’t a chance in hell he was going to remove his armor though. The guards on the ground were holding their spears in both hands now. They appeared to be wooden with metal tips and they were pointing right at him. The guard atop the gate, having surely notified most of the bloody village of his arrival, had knocked an arrow in a wooden shortbow and was waiting at rest, aiming at him. He couldn’t blame them. It was what he would have done. Fortunately the guards didn’t seem aggressive. They were all talking and shouting to one another but no one rushed him. He wasn’t sure if that was because of Veera’s presence or not but he was happy to have not yet caused a diplomatic incident. A bead of nervous sweat rolled down his face as they approached within twenty feet of the gates, which were now opening. “Well, shit.” Winters cursed, annoyed that every other day seemed deserving of such an expletive. A line of guards, perhaps ten in all, awaited behind the gate. Like the three he’d already seen, they were armed with bows and spears and lightly armored. He saw pieces of metal in what he assumed were vital positions over their chests but for the most part their armor was made of hide or leather. The holes in their helmets for their ears would have made him chuckle, were it not such a tense situation. Behind the line of guards a crowd had formed. Feathers and tails waved and fluttered and there was a low din of whispers and questioning. Surely they all wished to know what this imposing creature was doing on their doorstep, to say nothing of it holding the hand of one of their own. Winters noticed that most of the guards didn’t seem to sport the same plumage as Veera. They had some shorter feathers poking from the backs of their helmets but seemed to lack arm plumage entirely. In its place were natural scales. Going out on a limb Winters figured his gut instinct about Veera being female was accurate. The guards were clearly of stronger and thicker build than she was. Scanning the crowd quickly it seemed like that trait applied to most of the Cauthan gathered, but the guards and other males he could see certainly had more bulk on areas of their bodies that would be meant for fighting: legs, arms, the pectorals. The females were more or less similar to Veera, though they appeared to be curvier and more filled out around the hips. They looked healthier. “Veera…what happened to you?” Winters whispered to himself, bringing his attention back to his companion. They had stopped walking now and the entire scene was at a standstill. A heavily armored Cauthan at the fore of the guards was appraising him with a keen eye, occasionally speaking to his force but making no obvious move. A shorter, fat male was trying to force his way to the front, accompanied by two other guards who sported different armor than the rest. It looked much more ceremonial and glinted in the sunlight. *So we know they have technology for mining, smelting, and place a value on shiny things. Interesting.* Winters considered for a moment before quickly refocusing on the task at hand. With a soft nudge, he indicated to Veera that she should return alone. Given the reception, getting out without a fight and displaying his lack of hostile intention would be a success in his book. Compared to his first encounter with Veera, this meeting was much more cautious and filled with pointy sticks. Looking back up to him and whispering a nervous “Selah”, Veera left his side and continued on. Figuring a return of the greeting might put the rest at ease, he replied. “Selah, Veera.” There was an immediate burst of chatter amongst the guards. He saw shocked looks on some of their faces. Again though, none moved. The shorter male was beginning to make a bit of commotion but Winters paid him no mind. The captain of the guard was currently his biggest threat. He liked his odds against any Cauthan, but 14 of them, he wasn’t so sure. By now Veera had reached the line of guards and they let her through without hassle. Seeing this, Winters kept his arms in the air and turned his back. “Well, no one shot at me and I delivered Veera safe and sound. I think that’s the best outcome I can possibly hope for, eh Io?” Winters was breathing a bit easier now. There had been no proximity warnings on his HUD and no arrows had struck his back. ‘Sir…’ Io got Winters attention. ‘I do believe you’ve caused a bit of commotion.’ They were now a good fifty feet from the gate. He’d done nothing to indicate he was a threat. “What are you talking about Io?” Winters asked, turning back to look at the village. The Cauthan were shouting now. The short one and the guard captain were arguing. The civilians were yelling and becoming unruly. Winters zoomed in. He thought he’d recognized a voice among the din. Sure enough, he found Veera’s stripes. She seemed to be one of the only Cauthan with such fur patterns. She was struggling against the shiny guards, each of which had grabbed her by her upper arms. After a short scuffle they began to lead her away, the short, fat Cauthan following. Winters felt his adrenaline surge. His heart beat once, then twice, pumping the chemical through his veins. His armor tightened and readied itself for combat, responding to the kick in his vitals. Veera was in trouble. ‘Sir, you can’t mean to storm the keep?!’ Io was almost yelling at him. He could barely hear as the blood rushed through his temples. “I can’t.” He ground out, his hands coiled into tight fists. “I can’t Io. I can’t lose another one.” ‘Sir, you just met her three days ago! You don’t even know what they intend with her! It might be nothing! You could be killed!’ “SHE’S ALL I HAVE LEFT!” Winters bellowed, knowing the Cauthan would hear him. He wanted them to. Jess had died for him. He’d sat is his pod, under her order, while she was vaporized. If he could have he would have switched places with her, no questions asked. He would have given anything if it meant she would live. He had become a Jumper to save people, not to be saved. Now the one friendly lifeform he’d found here; the one who had come to him not with spear and bow, but with open hand, was being dragged off by a shouting mob. He was trained to jump into hell. He was trained to bring hell with him. He was trained to save those under his protection, at the cost of his own life if need be. No amount of cold VI logic could stop him now. *Sorry Jess, I’m modifying your orders a bit. Though I’m sure you’d approve.* Grabbing his shield from his back and drawing his sword, Winters pointed the blade at the line of guards. With a roar born from the deepest, most vicious, and primal parts of his being; Winters charged. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 10 It had been a long time since Winters had felt that thrill, the anticipation of combat. It had disgusted him at first. His body and mind would respond well; almost too well. His blood would thrum and his thoughts would clear. His lungs filled themselves to capacity, expanding his chest with satisfying oxygen and pressure. Heat had scorched his armor as his rifle kicked into his shoulder, a wonderful kick that reminded him constantly of the power he could wield. He barely remembered the actual fighting on that volcanic world. All he knew when it was all over was the dim red lights of the drop bay, shaking from adrenaline withdrawal, latent fear, and the thrill of victory. Before long Jess had found him, soothing him with voice and touch. At her insistence he’d seen the ship’s doctor and recounted his experience. ‘Battle trance’ was the phrase the physician had come back with, something akin to the berserkers of Nordic and other lore, where certain humans came alive in the fires of combat, performing at peaks beyond their own ability. Jess had stayed with him; assured him that she would be there to anchor him, ground him. He’d never lost himself in the battles after that. It wasn’t enough to fight and die victorious. It was imperative to return alive, and he had. But now Jess was gone. Winters felt the pounding of his boots on the packed earth, rushing towards the now closing gates. The reactive fibers of his under-suit flexed and strained with the activity, propelling him forward at speeds beyond that of a normal human. He would feel it later, but for now it was the difference between getting through that gate and being locked out; powerless to help Veera, whom he could no longer see amongst the now panicking crowd. A thrill surged through him as the archers above the gates realized what he already knew. He was going to make it. They couldn’t stop him. The two Cauthan knocked and released arrows at him. One missed, flying past his right shoulder. The second was easily deflected by Winters’ shield. He was close now, close enough to see the fear in the eyes of the remaining guards who had formed a small wall of spears in front of him. They were shaking, but under the gaze of their captain the held. They were brave. Winters gave them that. *C’mon you bastard.* Winters stared right at the captain, who to his credit, stared right back at Winters with an appraising look. *You must realize why I’m doing this. Don’t make your men die on this hill.* He willed the Cauthan to understand. This wasn’t an invasion, it was a rescue mission. Just as Winters was about to burst through the gates, the captain barked out orders to his men who immediately raise their spear tips, moving to form a semi-circle and provisionally allow him access. Slowing to a trot, Winters paused as he entered the village, allowing himself to regain some composure. His presence was imposing. In his armor he was a good four inches taller than even the guard captain, who seemed to be the tallest Cauthan around. The remaining townspeople had either fled into the streets or proceeded with the group that had taken Veera, leaving Winters, the guards, and a few curious onlookers poking their heads out of windows or around corners. Winters noticed a sensor reading on his HUD. *Fine, let them try.* Shortly thereafter an arrow ricocheted harmlessly off his back plating. Winters didn’t move, allowing the point to sink in. The guard captain gave the offending archer a stern look. *I’m not some French chevalier at Agincourt you bastard.* Winters scoffed, it was time to make them understand exactly what they were dealing with. With deliberate, unhurried steps Winters approached the guard captain, drawing close to emphasize the differential in height and bulk. He was rather imposing for a Cauthan, with a strong looking body covered in leather and more metal than his soldiers. Where his armor didn’t reach Winters could see black fur and scales. Like Winters he bore a sword and shield. Winters wasted no time, pointing over the guard’s shoulder with his shield hand and speaking his goal, “Veera”. If the guard was surprised he chose not to show it. Instead he signaled to his men, who formed two columns on either side of Winters and the captain. To the uninitiated it would have looked like an honor guard, though it was really anything but. Acknowledging the sign of de-escalation, Winters replaced his sword on his back. No Cauthan moved to disarm him. With another barked order the guard began walking forward. Winters kept pace. “Io, I want you devoting every spare processor to constructing a translation program. You can even shut down the proximity sensors. If their projectiles can’t do anything I suspect hand to hand will be no better.” ‘That is an insane risk sir, though it seems to be a day for insane risks. Have you not noticed you just invaded an alien village, on a whim, because of one scrawny girl?’ “Yes. Single handedly I might add. Get to work Io, now.” Winters snapped, leaving no room for rebuke. He understood Io’s concern, but he was more than committed at this point. There was nothing to do now but press forward, and he would not entertain doubts in the middle of a potential combat situation. With the crisis temporarily abated, he took the time to observe his surroundings. The roads of the village were also dirt, though there did to be a system of drainage channels dug along various larger avenues. The houses and architecture reminded him of an odd cross between a medieval European village and a Native American settlement. Buildings were universally made of wood, some with thatched roofs, some with soil or bark coverings. From the looks of it, Winters figured he was walking down the main thoroughfare. In the distance he could see another gate, marking the opposite end of the village. The buildings to his right appeared more industrial in nature, devoted to crafts or cottage industry. They were better made and seemed to double as residences. A couple even had stone chimneys or second floors. To his left were more modest one story dwellings. He didn’t see any glass. The houses either had no windows or possessed openings covered with thick furs or leather. Through such openings he spied many a curious face. He admired the young ones and their bravery. A few even tried to run out at him, only to be snatched up by a scolding parent. The majority of the Cauthan simply watched from a distance, following behind the group as they passed. Whatever was about to happen, it seemed no one wanted to miss it. *Let’s hope curiosity doesn’t kill the cat today.* Winters thought, hoping he’d be able to leave without ending anyone. A short while later they came upon a large circular cleaning in the middle of the village, clearly the town square. Yelling orders again, the guard captain ensured the crowd of chattering Cauthan parted. Winters took quick note of the buildings to his right. They appeared to be temples or shrines now, devoted to worship. Symbols and idols were carved into the façades, and a few sported metal ornaments, something he’d not seen yet. At the top of the circle was the main one, he reasoned. It looked almost like a miniature, wooden Aztec pyramid. It was certainly the grandest building he’d seen so far, if any of them could truly be considered grand. The stout Cauthan Winters had seen prior was descending the exterior steps of that building, an ornamented staff gripped in his hand. With a sweeping gesture at the gathered crowd he began what sounded like a proclamation, pointing to the large wooden pole in the center of the square. Winters followed his gesture. “Veera!” Winters yelled, seeing the young Cauthan being bound, hands behind her back, by one of the ceremonial looking guards. The preachy Cauthan, who had apparently just now noticed the intrusion, turned to Winters and the guard captain with angry eyes. Immediately he began yelling and ranting, pointing alternately at Winters, Veera, the sky and the ground. “Io, I need that translation program yesterday.” Winters pleaded. All around him was a fierce din of chatter as the gathered townspeople tried to make sense of the spectacle unfolding before them. With an unknown gesture that likely mean ‘stay put’, the guard captain left Winters’ side and approached the one with the staff. The two began arguing almost immediately, the guard with stoic posture, the other waving and gesticulating wildly. Soon a couple other Cauthan had come forward from the crowd and joined the conversation, much to the fat one’s displeasure. The normal guards had fanned out to form a protective circle between the civilians and the action inside the ring. There weren’t nearly enough, but it was the appropriate gesture as far as Winters was concerned. He’d shown no overt signs of hostility yet. If Io could manage to get the program working, perhaps he could reason with the captain. With all the commotion going on around him, he was sure she had enough sample data. Everywhere he could see feathers fluttering and shaking in communication, adding to the feeling that he’d just stepped into an arena. “Io, status!” Winters demanded. The ceremonial guards had begun moving at orders from their superior, one pushing Veera roughly to her knees. The other walked up the stairs and disappeared into the temple. Winters could see Veera physically struggling against her bonds. She was tall, but frail. She was no match for either the rope or her captor. ‘Sir, I estimate 40% completion and-’ “Whatever you have get it running now!” Winters yelled. “We don’t have time and I don’t need to know how to ask them home for tea!” ‘Yes sir, activating translation protocols now.’ Winters was immediately floored. What had been a constant of unintelligible noise before suddenly became a roar of scattered words and phrases. Heretic. Mutt. Madness. Gods. Avatar. Guard. Priest. Punishment. Unjust. Veera. White Devil. Invader. Kill. Then there were words that went without translation, seemingly with purpose. Uthos. Kel. Seil. Vash. Antoth. There was a whole lot that went untranslated. “Damnit.” Winters growled. “Io, can you make any sense of this? Maybe some clues from the feathers?” He didn’t think he could stand still much longer, but to act without knowledge of the situation was to invite disaster. ‘Sir, from what I’ve gathered, there is quite the debate raging amongst the general populace and the more important Cauthan before us.’ “About what?” ‘The nature of your divinity, sir.’ Io replied with great contempt. “What?!” ‘Yes. The short fat one yelling at everyone, he is the high priest and apparent leader of the village. Goes by the name of Vash. These Cauthan are polytheistic. He serves Seil, their sun god and primary deity. He has apparently connected you with the sky rock that fell to the surface, as he calls it. Not only does he believe you are an agent of Kel, the god of death and darkness; therefore the antithesis of light, but he believes Veera has sheltered you and hidden you. In leading you here she has committed blasphemy.’ “So he’s not stupid, just crazy. The others?” Winters asked with great impatience. ‘The guard captain is actual a priest as well. Apparently he serves Uthos, the sentinel. I believe the connection is more than obvious. His name is Antoth. He is trying to explain the incident at the gate, that you only forced entry out of concern for Veera. Vash did not witness this and is accusing Antoth of providing aid and allowing entry to the avatar of death. Quite the show really. The older Cauthan in black robes is the priest of Kel. Priest might be a stretch but perhaps he oversees funerals and the like. In any case, Vash is demanding that he explain you. He is obviously failing. Oh dear. Sir, you may wish to intervene now. Your scrawny girl might be in some danger.’ Io sounded almost anticipatory. Winters noticed the second ceremonial guard was descending the steps. Now that he looked closer, the ornamentation on their armor certainly evoked the star of the system. Winters cursed, making sure to conceal his voice. He wanted to preserve the advantage of his partial understanding of Cauthan language for now. Io had continued work in the background and he was catching full sentences. The robed Cauthan, the priest of Kel, had just finished trying to explain that nothing in his texts or oral histories described Winters. Vash didn’t seem to like the answer and chose to address the crowd instead, stepping forward and pointing his staff directly at Winters. “Truly a master of deceit and death has come before us! Behold its unnatural form all hard and jagged! It descended in anger and fire from on high to our world! For a time, we were safe. Seil, in his wisdom, kept us protected; kept this being away from us! Now this urchin, this mutt, has led him to us!” He spat in Veera’s direction. “Not only that, our guard has failed us! Without struggle or contest they allowed this being entry. So now it falls to me and to the champions of Seil to defend us.” “It doesn’t strike you as odd that this ‘aspect of death’ has yet to inflict death upon anyone?” Antoth replied as sarcastically as he could manage. A small rumbling in the crowd seemed to agree with him. “Silence!” Vash screamed. “Seil’s will shall be done! The blasphemer shall be purged of her sin and those blessed by the sun shall vanquish the invader; after its accomplice has been turned from its service and back to the light, of course. Now!” Vash stepped aside and a great wave of sound erupted from the crowd around him. Some chanted justice, others for mercy. A few even yelled what he assumed were expletives, though he wasn’t sure. The reason for the uproar was clear though. The other sun guard was walking towards the pole where Veera remained captive. In his hands was a long flail of leather straps. Every few inches along the bands were sharp metal spurs. They were long enough to pierce and cause extraordinary pain, but not long enough to kill…at least not quickly. Veera began crying, straining harder against her bonds. “I’m sorry! He’s not, please listen to me! I didn’t mean to!” Her pleas fell on deaf hears. The word “mutt” emanated from various points in the crowd again. Antoth and the other Cauthan stood back, apparently unable or unwilling to push the matter further. “Oh no. Oh hell no!” Any calm Winters had felt at his reasonable treatment from the town’s guard was immediately shattered. The adrenaline was back, the rush of blood, the tinge of red in his vision. Turning his helmet’s audio projection back on, Winters decided he was done being a bystander. Turning off the outgoing translation, Winters yelled at the sun guards. “Hey! Shitheads!” They turned to look at him. “Exactly, at least you know who you are! Why don’t you stop picking on the girl and tangle with the aspect of death! Let’s see how your sun god stacks up!” He was just venting at this point, knew it was empty words they wouldn’t understand, but it was accomplishing his goals. He hadn’t gone on a murderous rampage and they’d not yet committed the barbarism that would see him burn their temple to the ground if it was the last thing he did. He closed the distance at a measured pace, putting on a bit of a display for the crowd with his strut. Winning the audience was at least as important as winning the inevitable brawl. He heard Antoth shout orders to his men not to engage, they weren’t warriors of light after all. Winters turned his armored head at the guard. Antoth had removed his helmet behind Vash’s back and raised his short black and white head plumage at Winters. Whatever was meant by the act, Antoth clearly wanted no part in getting his men killed for no reason. *Good commander that one.* Winters thought. *Perhaps we can talk later.* Returning his focus to the approaching ceremonial guards, Winters sized them up. The one still clearly intended to use the flail in battle, along with a long dagger drawn from a belt at his side. The other wielded a long polearm with three metal tips at the end, like a small trident of sorts. If they pierced, they would leave internal wreckage on their way out of a body. The sun god was apparently fond of torture. While that one circled behind Winters, while the one with the flail remained to his front. Winters heard himself growling, returning his shield to his back. It would give him some added protection, in addition to freeing up his hands. He would need them for what was to come. “Let’s do this.” He challenged, pointing a finger at the guard in front of him. The guard seemed to have been incensed by Winters’ apparent disarmament and yelled at his fellow. The phrase didn’t come through clearly but Winters knew what was coming. His ploy had worked. He hadn’t just challenged the sun guards, he’d insulted them. Now they only had one option, to embarrass him. *First mistake.* Winters thought as his sensors indicated the guard to his back rushing him. He chuckled softly as his opponent brought the handle of his polearm across his chest, pinning him. He turned his head so a single ‘eye’ faced the assailant. “You wanted me? Well, you got me.” Winters taunted, bringing his left foot to his center, sliding it back and out to the side again. In the same motion he let himself fall backward, forcing the Cathan to support his entire armored weight. Reacting naturally, the guard backed up, right into Winters’ waiting foot. “Gotcha.” Winters smiled as the guard tripped and fell backward with a cry, one that was strangled out of him as the entire weight of an armored HEL jumper landed on his chest. “Believe me when I say you’re the most comfortable landing I’ve ever had.” The guard wheezed in response. Quickly righting himself, Winters brought a single knee down on the Cauthan’s sternum. Two right hooks from his gauntleted fist laid the sun guard out cold. Without ceremony Winters stood to face the other. Shocked into a state of temporary immobility by the sight of his partner so easily bested, the other guard shook it off and charged. With considerable speed he lashed out with the dagger, occasionally bringing the flail to bear when he thought he’d scored a hit or opened up Winters’ guard. Winters grudgingly acknowledged the Cauthan knew how to fight. Were he unarmored he certainly wouldn’t have survived too long without a weapon. Given the situation though, he was more than happy to allow the guard to have his shot. Let the people see just how impotent Vash and his cronies were against him. The metal weapons rang out against his combat armor. The yelling of the crowd, which had died down somewhat after he dispatched the first guard, had come roaring back. With their attention secured, Winters stepped back with his right foot, sidestepping a thrust and grabbing his opponents arm. A quick twisting of the wrist into an unnatural position had the dagger in the dirt. Circling around and pinning arm to back, Winters drove his foot into the back of the Cauthan’s knee, forcing him to the ground much as he’d done to Veera a short while ago. Resisting the urge to kill the fool, as it would only enforce Vash’s characterization of him as a servant of Kel, Winters delivered a powerful blow to the base of the Cauthan’s skull, leaving him in an unconscious heap next to his partner. He raised his arms to the crowd, blood from the first guard’s face staining his hand. “Are you not entertained?!” He yelled into the stunned silence. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 11 The silence that had once again fallen over the square shattered as every Cauthan began talking at once. Some cheered, other yelled. Guards called for order. Antoth rejoined his men in an attempt to control the situation. Vash, spitting what Winters assumed to be curses, had retreated up the steps of his temple, but Winters paid the Cauthan no mind. He’d made his point. There would be time to deal with Vash later. The commotion allowed Winters a degree of anonymity, which he used to rush to Veera’s side. Grabbing the knife from its sheath at his waist, he quickly severed the rope holding her to the pole, giving thanks that he’d not needed to draw it until now. Veera rocked forward on her knees, sucking in a deep breath and rubbing her wrists with her hands. “Veera, can you hear me?” Winters asked, hearing a bit of fear creep into his voice. “Are you alright? Did they hurt you?” If Veera’s eyes had been wide with shock before, it was nothing compared to the expression she now trained on him. Her eyes were bloodshot, wet with tears, and full of surprise. “You…you just…how did you…Russell, what?” She stammered. “Not now. I’ll explain everything later.” Winters replied with a firm but friendly tone, trying to speak so that only Veera could hear him. He knelt in front of her. “I’m getting you out of this carnival. These people have had enough spectacle. Can you show me to your home?” Veera nodded to him, still clearly in a state of shock. “Can you stand? Come here, up we go. That’s it.” He wrapped his right arm across her back and under her far arm, lifting her into a standing position. Without the need to focus on an armed opponent Winters was able to give all of his attention to Veera. He noticed that Veera was not only taller than most of the villagers, men included; but she was also far thinner. Lifting her had placed barely any strain on him at all. Winters’ brow furrowed under his helmet. Resting his arm across Veera’s shoulders in a protective gesture, Winters walked them both towards the guard captain. Antoth had managed to get the crowd to begin dispersing, and his guards had mostly returned to their posts, escorting groups of villagers away from the square. He bid them to halt. A few curious observers remained. Whether that was for himself, Veera, or some other reason, Winters couldn’t say. “I assume you can understand me.” Antoth spoke in a deep, gruff voice. It wasn’t a question. “Why are you here, stranger?” Up close he looked like a panther, sleek and black in color with a few angry scars visible on his face and scaled forearms. Winters hesitated, glancing to the side at Veera. She was hanging her head, as if shielding her face from the remaining onlookers. Someone yelled ‘mutt!’ at her again, causing Winters to snap his head in that direction. Antoth spoke first though. “Alright that’s enough!” He yelled. “You saw what happened to the last two. Now go home, all of you, before you get me, my men, and maybe this entire village killed. Now!” At his words, the final group turned and left. One Cauthan punched the offender in the arm. Winters heard them lament they wouldn’t be present to overhear what the ‘avatar of Kel’ wanted. Antoth turned his attention back to Winters. “I’ll only ask you once more. What is it that you want here? What is she to you?” He demanded, resting a hand on the pommel of his sword. “That last question is none of your business.” Winters informed him in a level tone. “I mean you and your people no harm.” Antoth looked over Winters’ shoulder at the two sun guards, who were now groaning and stirring on the ground. “You’ll forgive me for not seeing it that way. I don’t envy the idea of fighting such a heavily armored foe, but if you leave me no choice I will uphold my duty. I am Uthos’ representative here on Mara, and I take that very seriously stranger.” “Uthos is your god?” Winters asked, eager to know more about the society he’d thrust himself into. “One of many, the sentinel and protector.” Antoth answered quickly, creeping impatience in his voice. “Then you should understand most of all why I’m here.” Winters challenged, gesturing at the defeated foes behind him. He had approved of Antoth so far given the Cauthan’s actions, but right now he wanted to get Veera home to safety. Antoth was in his way. “I had no intention of entering your village today at all, until your sun priest took Veera into custody on my account. I have no intention of harming anyone else.” “You figured you would deny the sun god his justice?” Antoth challenged him unexpectedly. “Seil is not my god. And that wasn’t justice…guardian.” Winters almost spat the last word. Veera sniffed weakly beside him, her feathers shivering. “Listen. I’ll leave your village right now, no questions asked, on one condition.” Winters offered, trying to de-escalate the battle of testosterone. Antoth scratched his chin for a moment. “You possess a very strong will. And much as I am ashamed at allowing an armed invader into this city…you are right. That was not justice. You delivered a woman who would have suffered on your behalf. And you have indeed brought no harm to those who have not attacked you directly. Very well, name your terms stranger and I shall consider them.” “You allow me to escort Veera to her home. I want your word, a vow to Seil or Uthos or whomever it is you Cauthan make vows to, that she will not be targeted for this. I do not serve Kel. I am not a god or the servant of a god. I’m just a human.” “You say that as though it means something to me. Perhaps you…humans are servants of Uthos and do not know it? You protect this one with great zeal. I’m not sure you understand just how curious that is.” Antoth seemed to smirk at his last statement. “Right now I don’t care Antoth. She’s been through a lot and I’m getting her out of here. Are you going to get in my way or let me go? I’ve seen the way you treat your men and your city. I don’t think what I’m asking is unreasonable.” “It is not. Though I would specify a condition of my own.” Antoth was back to all business. Winters groaned impatiently. “And that is?” “You exit the way you came, before dark. I will await you at the gate.” “Agreed.” “Then go, human. Do not betray my trust.” Antoth stepped aside, allowing access to one of the three main roads that entered the square, perpendicular to the one Winters had used on his arrival. He looked down at Veera, thinking how small and frail she looked now. His gut burned with anger but he tamped it down. He’d won his fight and made his point. Now was not the time for a warrior’s touch. “Veera.” He spoke softly to her, eliciting a surprised grunt from the guard captain. “Is this the right way?” She nodded meekly. “Ok. We’re going to walk now. Just let me know when to turn, alright?” Another nod. With that, he escorted her away from the square, casting one final glance over his shoulder at the sun temple. *You will not harm her again Vash. You son of a bitch.* “Stranger!” Antoth called after him. “What shall I call you?” “Winters.” “Not Russell?” The guard asked in a smug tone. Winters stopped walking in momentary shock. The guard’s hearing must have been extraordinary to hear what Veera had called him, that or he had been the only one paying attention. Not sparing a glance backward, Winters replied. “Only my friends have that right.” “So I see. Remember our deal Winters.” “Same to you, guardian.” Winters fired a parting volley as Veera led him on down the road. Before long they had almost reached the gate at the end of the thoroughfare. They’d not had too much issue since leaving Antoth. A stern look of Winters helmet had scared off even the most curious of Cauthan. At the last street, Veera guided him to the left. By Winters’ estimation they then proceeded about halfway along the slowly curving road. If he continued, he’d reach the gate he entered from. Unlike the main roads, this one was narrow, had little drainage or other infrastructure, and sported a long continuous blockhouse. It was the poorest looking building he’d seen since arriving. Veera had stopped walking. She wasn’t crying anymore that he could tell, but she seemed more reticent than ever. The door on Winters right could barely be called such a thing. A tattered flap of leather hung from the top of the frame. Even compared to what he’d seen along this street, it was in poor shape. With a defeated sigh Veera lead him under the flap. Winters felt that righteous anger boiling up within him again. He knew he couldn’t expect any society to be equal in terms of wealth, but what he saw enraged him. He was sure very few in this village lived as Veera did, if any. The apartment was a single room of decent size, square with a rounded back wall to match the curve of the village. The space was accentuated by how empty it was. The walls were made of the same wood he’d seen elsewhere in the village but the adhesive between the timbers had worn down and flaked away in many places along the years. He could see the palisade beyond through a few cracks and holes. The floor was packed dirt, but neat and without blemish. It was a testament to Veera’s will and pride, keeping such a place clean, he thought. In the center of the room was a simple fire pit, surrounded by blackened stones. The roof above seemed to be made of thatched straw or grasses with a small hole for smoke to escape. The back right corner of the room held a crude wooden box filled with more of the straw, easily the size of two Cauthan. He realized sadly that what he was looking at had to be Veera’s bed. Atop it was a single animal fur. It looked as old as its companion that hung in the doorway, fur matted or missing. In the near corner to his left he noted a pile of dato. It was alarmingly small. Next to it was an equally small pile of wood. None of it seemed to have been split by an axe or other implement. All of it was branches or similar deadwood. Further along he saw a simple bench that sported a stand and cooking pot. They were the only metal objects in the entire place. The sole other feature was a small wooden shrine to his right, atop which were nine crudely carved idols. Veera had said nothing since their arrival; instead kneeling before the shrine as Winters scanned the room. A sob escaped her lips again. Winters felt his chest tighten. “Veera…” “How could you…” she whispered. “What?” He replied in confusion. “How could you?!” She spun to face him, eyes puffy and red again. “I can’t believe I…I thought you were like me. I thought you couldn’t understand me. I thought…oh gods. All those things I said the other day!” Her feathers shook in embarrassment. “Why? Why do the gods see fit to mock me so? To make me think…” “Veera, slow down. What are you talking about?” If Winters could have scratched his head, he would have. “Don’t mock me! You know…you must know…how else could you…how long? How long have you been able to understand us? From the beginning? You just had your fun with me, making me think you were some kind of…visitor to this world? What the hell even is a human anyway?!” She’d begun sobbing hysterically, plumage shaking violently every time she exhaled. “Go on then…laugh.” She spat bitterly. “Laugh at the poor orphan mutt…” For a moment Winters simply stood, unable to move. For the briefest flash he wanted to shout back. He wanted to be angry at Veera, the woman he’d just saved from torture or worse. But that impulse faded quickly as it had come. He looked around the dark, Spartan room. He looked at the malnourished Cauthan in front of him. He wasn’t sure how long things had been like this, but Veera had reached the edge. Whatever force had driven her this far, whatever had compelled her to continue living despite the odds, seemed to be fraying before him. It took Winters only a moment to make up his mind. He knelt before her. “Veera, listen to me.” He implored, removing his helmet. “You can’t understand me now, can you? I could talk like this all day, and you’d not understand one word. I can tell because of that look you’re giving me.” He smiled softly at her, wanting to see hers again. He replaced his helmet. “I can’t understand you without my helmet Veera. I only just figured out your language.” Veera regarded him with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. “How? You told Antoth you’re not a divine, but you have a magic helmet?” “If it were magic, I wouldn’t have needed to visit your village.” Winters replied, wondering how to overcome Clarke’s third law and explain to Veera. “My armor has…many powers. They’re all based in reality though, I assure you. Humans are bound by the laws of nature, just like the Cauthan. But my people are very advanced compared to yours. Those advancements allowed me to come here from my home world. They also allowed for the creation my armor and the computers inside it.” “What’s a computer? Is it a weapon?” Veera asked, curiosity overpowering the sudden distrust she’d displayed earlier. “No it’s a device that calculates things. It can, in very limited ways, behave like a brain, like what you and I have inside our skulls, what allows us to think. We’ve made them to be very powerful, capable of working far faster than a human if you give it a task. When I entered your village I asked my computer to attempt to understand your language and to grant me the ability to speak it. When we were in the center of town, with all the people around, there was a lot of your language being spoken. It was information I could never acquire just by speaking to you, at least not over a short time period.” Winters paused, allowing the explanation to sink in. “Can I try it?” Veera asked, expressing a desire for independent confirmation. Winters admired that. “Yes. But be careful, it wasn’t designed for beings with ears on top of their head.” Winters joked. Before removing his helmet he spoke to Io only. “Don’t you dare fuck with her Io. I swear.” ‘Yes sir, there’s no need to worry. Much as the present misunderstanding amuses me, I do not believe there is much value in creating a subroutine to mimic cruelty. These Cauthan seem to possess that in spades. I almost feel bad for your scrawny girl.’ “Just keep quiet and keep the translation protocol running.” He ordered, removing the helmet, turning it in his hands and placing it tentatively over Veera’s head. Between her ears, feathers and muzzle it only got about halfway on, but he figured Io could up the volume a bit. He saw Veera’s mouth open in wonder. She must have seen the HUD for the first time. “Can you understand me Veera?” “Yes!” She exclaimed excitedly. “I can hear you…and then the helmet speaks and I understand you! What do all of these lights mean?” “Believe me now?” Winters asked with a chuckle, removing and replacing his helmet. He immediately frowned again to see that Veera’s face had fallen. “I’m sorry Russell.” “For what?” “I shouted at you. I thought you were tricking me and using me for your own entertainment. I just…” “You thought I was like them?” Winters asked, voice hardening as he’d considered what he’d seen over the last couple hours. He wanted desperately to understand more, but knew enough to realize now was not the time. He’d see her again. “That’s unfair to most of the townspeople, but yes. I assumed you were like them.” Veera said, her ears drooping slightly. “Veera, there’s nothing to forgive. We can speak with and understand one another now. We can just forget everything that happened before. It’s a fresh start.” “If it’s all the same to you Russell, I’d rather not forget. You risked your life for me and I…” Her tone became sorrowful again. “I have nothing to repay you with.” “Veera, being friends isn’t like that. I fought for you because I wanted to. I have no regrets about what I did either.” Winters reassured her. Veera contemplated the human before her. He was still so imposing in his armor, but she knew the face underneath. She’d laughed with him, walked the long trail with him, confessed her fears and hopes to him, even if he hadn’t understood her. She’d listened to his tale in return. Today he’d saved her from a terrible situation. He’d defeated Vash’s sun guards, with his bare hands no less! And then, when he was talking to Antoth… “Oh gods, Russell.” She began to cry again. “Veera…” Winters pleaded, not having any idea how to handle her volatile moods. “You said…you said we were friends.” She looked at him with a mixture of awe and desperation. She’d been alone for a long time. “Yes, and I mean that.” He replied seriously. Veera sniffed and nodded intently, her plumage expanding slightly with her mood. “I would prefer not to survive alone.” He added, causing Veera’s head to tilt. “Survive?” She asked, confused as to how such a powerful being could have such rudimentary concerns. “Yes, survive. Not a god, remember? Maybe someday soon I can explain it all to you but I wouldn’t want to make Antoth nervous. You’re safe, unharmed, and don’t hate me. So all in all I’d call this a successful visit. Though definitely not how I’d expected things to go, nor something I’d like to repeat.” He grinned behind his helmet. “Yes. I’m so sorry. I’m not sure what I thought would happen. You had been kind to me and I just hoped that…” Veera trailed off. “It’s ok Veera. You took a huge risk for me. I won’t forget that.” He stood, pulling her up with him. He wanted to say more, but wasn’t sure how or what. He’d never been good at this sort of thing. He removed his helmet instead, taking the time to look at Veera in silence. Her tears had been wiped away and she looked much more like the Cauthan who’s company he’d come to enjoy. He smiled at her, raising his right hand, unsure of what to do with it. How did Cauthan show affection and comradeship? Did they behave as humans did? Would his actions be misinterpreted? Sighing, he let his hand drop, only to feel Veera’s close around it. He couldn’t feel her fur or pads through his armor, but he didn’t mind. With a smile of her own playing across her muzzle, Veera brought a hand up to his chest and rested it there, like she had when they’d first met. He would ask her about the gesture and its significance later. For now, this was enough. “Selah, Veera.” Winters spoke as he ducked under the leather flap covering the entrance to Veera’s home. “Selah, Russell.” Veera replied, bidding her guest goodbye. Kneeling again before her idols, she gave thanks. *I was so nervous. I have nothing to offer him. I even snapped at him, but he…he still treated me well. He still wishes to be my friend; to ‘survive together’.* She paused, considering how little she knew of the human named Russell Winters. Her hunger, constant companion for many seasons, gnawed at her. *Please, let me live long enough to discover who he really is.* --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 12 Winters sighed deeply inside his helmet, thankful for the protective mask. His log entry tonight would be a long one to be sure. The emotional and adrenal roller coaster was taking its toll. Noting the star’s low position in the east, he made a right from Veera’s door, figuring it would be the quickest way back to the gate. Along the way he was the subject of even more curious glances and calls. With the ability to understand the chatter around him, Winters kept his composure and listened, walking without hurry. From what he could hear, his nature was still the topic of great debate, not really a surprise. He was sure he was the most exciting thing to happen to this village in a long time, perhaps ever. He noticed many adult Cauthan passing him with farming tools in their hands, presumably coming in from the fields. For the most part they gave him a wide berth. Though none of them seemed to possess much wealth or status, he didn’t see any Cauthan that appeared as underfed as Veera. That thought deepened the scowl on his face. Stepping around a pile of slop in the street, he couldn’t help but think back to Veera’s poor apartment. It was neat, organized, and clean. His opinion of her was growing by the day. Sure, his grand entrance had been motivated by a combination of white knight gallantry and a selfish desire for continued companionship, but what he’d seen of Veera that day only increased his esteem for her. She had close to nothing, and yet she was still capable of a smile, still willing to keep her dirt floor clean, still willing to trudge through that forest alone every day. Her will was undeniably strong, and Winters found himself drawn to that. *Will won’t be enough though. She’s hanging by a thread.* Winters considered, a smile breaking out on his face as two young Cauthan boys ran through the street ahead of him, play fighting with sticks. *Ah, to be so carefree again.* Before long he found himself at the gates of the town. Antoth, as promised, was waiting for him; along with the old Cauthan that Io had identified as the priest of Kel. “Ah, the enigma appears again. You did not suffer any further trouble?” Antoth inquired. “No. I’m here to uphold my end of our bargain.” Winters replied evenly, noting the guards at the gate and upon the wall watching him intently. “Of course, though if you would humor me?” Antoth asked, gesturing to his companion. The old Cauthan had a coat of light brown fur, dappled with white. His feathers seemed like they’d seen better days and his jowls drooped slightly. All told though, Winters figured he looked pretty good for his age. He greeted the priest. “You are the priest of Kel, yes? It’s a pleasure to meet you sir.” “Sir!” The old one exclaimed. “You do me a kindness stranger. I am no sir. I am but a simple servant of Kel and this village.” “And what does that imply, exactly? I don’t see Vash ordering you flayed alive.” Winters asked, unable to stop the malice in his tone. “A nasty bit of work that was, and you have my sincerest apologies that you had to witness that.” The old one replied. Winters wanted to insist that Veera was the one owed an apology but held his tongue. Vash wasn’t there. “Though I am of course curious about you and your origins, stranger.” “You and the whole village it would seem.” Winters replied. “Indeed. We priests,” He gestured to Antoth and himself. “Are tasked with leadership and guidance, in addition to the service one might expect. There will be one question on everyone’s lips tonight; everyone except, perhaps, young Veera. Who are you? What are you? Contrary to Vash’s assertion in the square today Kel is not known to be deceitful or a liar. Death is rarely insidious. It is omnipresent, as essential to this world as life and the light of Seil.” The old priest paused, looking expectantly at Winters. “Sorry to disappoint you old man, but I’m not a servant of your god; or any of your gods for that matter.” “Ha, I believe I enjoyed being called sir more.” The priest chuckled. “You say this, but you can speak to us and understand us. How can it be that you are not of the gods?” ‘Do we really need to stand around and explain this to every Cauthan we meet?’ Io whined in Winters’ ear. “Just the important ones.” He replied. “Remember the whole food shortage thing.” ‘Ah yes, carry on then oh immortal one.’ “You’re just a peach sometimes.” Winters switched back to external projection. “That’s an understandable question. I suppose you’ll simply have to take my word for it. I’m just as mortal as you or Antoth. My people used to live as you do, maybe…500 years ago or so? Just as your people surely advance and discover new things, so do mine. These discoveries allow me to understand and talk to you, so long as I wear my armor. We call ourselves humanity. My name is Winters.” Antoth’s brow cocked at him, but he paid it no mind. “As to what to tell your people, I suppose the best way I could describe it is that I am a traveler, or a scout. I came to your star with other humans.” He pointed to the setting sun. “My ship was lost. For lack of a better word I’m stranded here on your planet. It may be forward of me to say this, but I have need of your people’s aid if I am to survive. I hope that you can reassure them I come in peace.” “What I see before me is armor?!” The priest asked in shock. “Such a miraculous construction…even Tyrdus himself would be hard pressed to create such a thing. I had thought it to be an shell of sorts.” “Tyrdus?” Winters asked. “The Lord of the Forge, patron deity of all craftsmen.” Antoth explained in an impatient tone. “Thantis, as much as I’m sure you’d love to continue examining our guest, we have matters of security to discuss. Given his attachment to Veera, I’m sure you will be seeing him again?” He smirked at Winters. Thantis looked an apology at Antoth. “Ah yes yes, of course. My apologies. You must forgive an old man his curiosity yes?” “Your species as a whole seems quite curious.” Winters replied. “It’s an admirable trait. And yes, Antoth I would like to negotiate conditions for a potential return. Thantis, should I have time I will seek you out.” “That is kind of you Winters. I will leave the two of you to discuss your ‘warrior matters’.” With a quick flutter of his plumage, Thantis turned and set off down the main avenue. “Now that he’s satisfied, you wish to negotiate terms of re-entry to this village.” “Yes, preferably with less fanfare than today.” “That would be preferable, yes.” Antoth replied as he scrutinized the various weapons Winters had attached to his person. “I must admit you have me at a disadvantage.” “Doesn’t seem that way Antoth.” Winters motioned to the handful of guards around them. “You’re being polite Winters. You may say that to be kind to someone whose help you need, but I see the truth. If you wanted to you could kill me, my guards, and likely everyone in this village. Am I wrong?” “Well, not all at once.” Winters admitted sheepishly. “But yes, I could.” “Unless we were to overwhelm you with bodies, we would stand no chance. And even then, it might not be enough. Your armor is, as Thantis said, quite the creation. So you see my predicament, yes?” “I do. I suppose my word isn’t really good enough?” “No. It is not. I’ll ask you again Winters, what is your relation to Veera? You challenged two of the finest warriors in our village and defeated them unarmed, all for her. Why did you do it?” “They were threatening her Antoth. And as it turns out, they were doing so on account of me. Even if I had no personal connection to Veera, it would be wrong to let another suffer on my behalf.” “Oh, so you do have a personal connection?” Antoth grinned a feral smile. “Do tell.” Winters couldn’t help but slap his own forehead, cursing himself for inadvertently revealing information to Antoth. “She found me after I crashed here. I’ve been escorting her from her field to the village the last couple days. This morning she came to keep me company following the rains. She has a good heart and a strong will. You would not raise a hand to defend her, so I did.” Winters ended on a hard note. “I could not overrule Vash alone. With the others, yes. We are not subject to that man’s every whim. And while you saw only his cruel side today, he is where he is for a reason. He has managed this village well since he became high priest.” “I will not apologize for what I did.” “Oh don’t mistake me human.” Antoth clapped him on the shoulder. “You may think me cold and cruel as well, but I had to shield my men and the villagers from an unknown entity. You shielded Veera in turn. You may not serve our gods Winters, but you did Uthos proud today. I suspect that motivation will keep you honest, so here is my proposition. You say you need this armor to communicate with us, correct?” “Technically I could understand you without the helmet. However if I wanted to speak to you, I would need it, yes.” Winters didn’t want to promise anything. He supposed he could use his fabricator to make some sort of audio projection device, but he didn’t want to waste material on such a thing when his helmet would do. “I see. In that case, should you wish to enter this village again you will approach unarmed and without your helmet. Should you need to communicate with someone, you may don it again. If you are willing to trust us with this small amount of vulnerability, we will trust you in turn. I may be willing to revisit your carriage of weapons another time.” “Anything else?” “No.” “Then I accept your terms. With your permission Antoth, I should be going. There is little light left in the day.” “Indeed. Go in peace then human, and may you serve Uthos in your deeds. Selah.” Antoth signaled the guards who began to open the gate. “What does that mean exactly, Selah?” Winters asked. “Veera has used it to greet me before and I figured I would say it back, but I don’t know if there’s a deeper meaning.” Antoth chuckled at Winters question, but gave him a straight answer. “She honors you, human. Selah is indeed more than a greeting. It is an invocation, that the gods may bless you with their favor. To the Cauthan this is no small thing. Everything you see around us, everything that we have, we toil for. If we wish to eat, we must work the soil. If we desire meat, furs, and leather we must hunt. It we wish to protect others we must train our mind and body. It we wish to create and craft, we must consume timber or metal. We see all around us that in order for something to be gained, something else must be given. This is the way of the land. Why would the gods be any different?” “I see. Thank you for explaining Antoth. If I may ask one more thing?” “Very well, if you must.” The guard captain was growing impatient again. “What hunts in the night on this planet?” Winters asked with dead seriousness. Antoth couldn’t conceal his surprise. “How do you know about that?” “Know about what Antoth? All I know is Veera is terrified of walking home in the dark and that there’s something out there that’s capable of taking chunks out of trees and is taller than I am by a good margin. “You surprise me again human. Most Cauthan have never seen what you speak of. We call them the Ursae. They rarely range this far south, but they are still used by parents to frighten children into not straying into the forest. They are large, powerful, stealthy, and hungry. I’m not sure even you would survive an encounter.” “Then how do you know of them at all?” “Every so often we will find a dead Ursae, or a hunting party will manage to slay a cub. The last slaying of an adult Ursae happened when my grandfather was still young and growing into his scales. He told me quite the tale of the hunting party’s return…or what was left of it. They seem content to leave the village alone behind our walls, but every so often hunters simply don’t return from the forest.” Antoth couldn’t suppress a shudder. “I will keep my guard up then. Thank you Antoth. Farewell.” “Farewell Winters. I am sure we will see each other again.” Antoth gestured to the now open gate. With a final nod, Winters strode through it, grinning at the awestruck looks on the faces of the guards he passed. This was their first chance to get a good look at him without the threat of violence hanging over them. As the gate closed, Winters yelled. “Remember your end of the bargain Antoth!” “You have my word Winters, on my honor as guardian.” Satisfied with that answer, Winters began his trek home. He hoped he would see Veera safe and sound the next morning. ----- ‘Well, that was quite the adventure. They are an interesting race of primitives.’ Io remarked, emphasizing the last word. They had reached the bridge a few minutes after darkness had fallen. “No need to be insulting Io. I’m sure you’ve got plenty of literature in there that shows humanity was just like them once. I find their gods to be an interesting lot, not that I know all of them. The equal exchange philosophy is intriguing, and potentially useful.” ‘So intriguing you forgot to ask about food!’ Io reprimanded him. “I think two questions was pushing it. Getting information on the Ursae was important.” ‘Understanding the meaning of Selah wasn’t!’ “No, maybe not. But it showed an interest in their way of life and I guaranteed us entry to the village. We won’t starve. Besides, with the solar panels completed, I have an idea.” Winters replied as they approached the pod. He gingerly removed the new panels from the fabricator, stowing them safely in his survival bag. He would affix them the next day, when he had more light. “Io, we’ve got plenty of material in here for plastics right? Should be relatively easy to make a basic fishing rod and line?” ‘Yes sir, bringing up potential schematics now.’ A few designs flashed into being on his HUD. “Let’s just go with the simple one on the right. Requires the least materials and it’s least likely to draw undue attention from the Cauthan.” ‘Still worried about first contact protocol? I don’t think anyone will care if you share the secrets of a fishing reel or a depth finder.’ “It’s not that Io, at least not in isolation, but everything adds up. If we get off of this planet a military tribunal will, with all likelihood, be forced to review a record of what happened here. If I run around making ray guns and fishing with hand grenades, you better believe that’s going to make someone’s life hell. Probably my own, or even yours. If the basics work then we will work with them. Besides, a little challenge might be nice.” ‘Today wasn’t enough for you?’ Io asked incredulously. “Fishing isn’t exactly the same as a fistfight. Can’t exactly waltz into the water and start punching.” ‘I find that image mildly amusing. Very well sir, queueing up the rod and line in the fabricator. If you’re going to insist on the simple design, can I at least suggest and integration of the line into the rod, as well as a binary weave?’ “Looks good, do it.” ‘Yes sir. What do you make of these ursae that the guard captain mentioned?’ Winters gazed upward at the twin moons and stars, wondering if he’d be happier not knowing. “I don’t know Io. For now, we don’t go anywhere without firearms. We can disarm at the village if need be, but I’m not taking any chances. Antoth can just deal with it.” ‘Very good sir.’ Io seemed pleased with his response. ‘Should we perhaps turn in for the evening? I daresay it’s been quite the day.’ Winters noted his suit’s power levels. Io had a point. He figured it was best not to dip into his reserves unless absolutely necessary. “Sure thing Io. Just going to brush up. Feel free to do…whatever it is that VI’s do to prepare for sleep. Do you even sleep?” He had to admit he was curious about that one. ‘I suppose you could call it that.’ Io spoke into his earpiece as he removed his helmet and grabbed his personal effects. ‘It’s more of a cataloging process for new information. As we assimilate new information there is a high probability that it is stored inefficiently. Periods of inactivity allow me time to go through everything. For instance, today I gathered quite a bit of information regarding Cauthan linguistics and body language. The sequence in which I received this information from your…cheering fans…was random. I will undo that randomization as we sleep.’ “Hrrrm, interesting. What did you mean by cheering?” ‘You didn’t notice? Quite a few Cauthan were impressed by your martial display. Flattening that first guard seemed to rouse quite a bit of passion amongst the onlookers, once they got past the initial shock of course.’ Io seemed to relish retelling the tale. Winters wasn’t quite sure why. A frown descended over his face as he thought back to what he’d done. He remembered very little with clarity, just that those two had been his opponents and that they were going to hurt Veera. He remembered red, the thrill of victory, the satisfying crunch of armored fist on bone. “I did it again.” ‘Sir?’ “The battle trance. I did it again.” That seemed to give Io pause. ‘But you came back from it.’ She eventually replied. ‘I would say you handled yourself quite well. You didn’t kill either of those guards.’ “Yeah, I guess so. Doesn’t mean I didn’t want to.” ‘Then why didn’t you?’ “I…” Winters felt his face flush. “I didn’t want her to look down on me, see me as an animal.” ‘Who?’ “I don’t know Io. Veera, Jess…both of them?” Winters really felt awkward now. He was sure using Io as a psychologist wasn’t standard operating procedure. ‘I see. Whatever the reason Russell you controlled it, used it to your advantage, and didn’t allow it to consume you. That’s all that matters.’ “Russell?” ‘I’m sorry if that was inappropriate sir. It seemed that a more personal touch was called for.’ “Thank you Io, it’s no problem. And thanks for explaining that thing about VI sleep. I’m going to head down to the river. Don’t wait up for me. G’night.” ‘Goodnight sir, entering standby.’ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 13 The next morning Winters awoke to the flashing of his pod’s proximity alarms. Rubbing the sleep from his eyes, he heard a faint knocking sound on the door. *Not used to that kind of courtesy.* Winters thought, remembering the time Shifty had walked in on him and Jess in her bunk. He couldn’t help a sad grin. Grabbing his pistol just in case his guest’s manners belied more hostile intent, Winters rapped his fist against the metal door twice. Figuring he’d given fair warning, Winters gave the door a quick push and stepped out, left hand raised to guard his neck and face, just in case. “Hello Russell.” Veera greeted him meekly. She was looking at the ground, at his pod; anywhere but directly at him. Winters quietly holstered his sidearm and looked her over. She didn’t look any worse for wear, but her body language was clear enough. Turning back, he grabbed his helmet and hit a button on the fabricator to acknowledge the completion of his fishing pole. Veera didn’t move from her spot, hands fidgeting behind her back and her gaze on the ground. “What’s eating you Veera? You look terrible. Are you injured?” Winters asked, hoping this was something simple that he could handle. He had a gnawing suspicion though that this involved the inner workings of the female mind; something not so easily fixed or understood. He was sure humans and Cauthan would share that in common. “I…” Veera began nervously. “I wanted to apologize to you Russell, for everything that happened yesterday. I was foolish and idealistic, got you into trouble, and then…” She took a deep breath. “Then I brought you into my home and offered you nothing but bile. I’m sure that Meylith looks upon me with great shame this morning. I couldn’t offer a guest even the smallest of comforts.” She trailed off and went silent, looking up just long enough to catch Winters’ eye before returning her gaze to her feet. Winters felt his stomach knot uncomfortably. “Veera, what are you saying? What could you have possibly offered-” Winters knew immediately that he’d made a mistake as Veera balled her hands into fists and began shaking slightly. “Oh geez, Veera I didn’t mean…” He backpedaled quickly, rubbing the back of his helmet with his hand. A thought suddenly occurred to him. “Tell you what Veera. I personally don’t think you have anything to apologize for, but in respect to…Meylith…we’ll call it even, ok?” *I’ll have to ask about that god later.* He thought as Veera finally looked at him steadily. Surprise was written on her features. “Even? What do you mean Russell?” She asked. “Well, given your apology I presume it’s Cauthan custom to offer guests food or drink when you invite them in?” He ventured. Veera nodded. “Well in that case, that makes this twice now that you’ve come to visit me and I’ve offered you nothing. So we’ll call it even. You owe me nothing Veera, and your Gods certainly aren’t upset with you on my account.” Winters tried to reassure her, wishing he could remove his helmet and talk to her directly. He would have to consider that dilemma at a later date. For now though, the proverbial clouds seemed to be lifting from above Veera’s head. “You, you mean it?” She asked hopefully. “Of course I do. You’ve been very kind to me Veera, something I hope to return in due time. For now though, I have a few things I need to get done. Do you think we could talk later?” “Ah, yes of course. Sorry to bother you. I’ll be tending to the field when you’re done. Would you join me for lunch?” “Sure, I should be done then. Selah, Veera.” Winters bid her well, thankful to know exactly what his words meant. “You’re too kind.” She whispered, casting her glance to the side again. Winters simply stared. He was beginning to grasp just how important Veera’s piety was to her. Whether it was a crutch or strength, he couldn’t be sure. *In the end though,* he reasoned. *Maybe that’s irrelevant.* “I’m not particularly kind. Vash’s guards can attest to that.” Winters felt the knot untangle as Veera crooked a small smile at his joke. “We both have work to do. I’ll be by, promise.” “Alright Russell, thank you.” She replied, turning to walk back to her farm. Winters sighed with relief as he noticed a renewed spring in her step. ‘Feeling in over your head yet?’ Io asked. “I have since I landed, but thanks Io. Sleep well?” Winters asked back, ignoring her dig at him. Maybe he deserved it, worrying about an alien’s feelings when he only had a couple days of food left and solar panels to install. ‘Very well, thank you sir. I had much to do with all the data we gathered from the Cauthan village. While I would never recommend your course of action, I cannot deny the beneficial results…this time.’ Somehow Io managed to admonish him while complimenting him. Quite the feat. “Glad you’re looking at things from a utilitarian perspective. Care to help me out with the solar panels once I freshen up?” ‘Of course sir, I would be happy to.’ Io replied. “You sound especially happy about that.” He ventured. ‘It is the equivalent of securing me a food source sir. It is a literal matter of…life and death…for me.’ Io explained, hesitating as she put her mortality into words. ‘I do not like being aware of my own mortality sir. It is most uncomfortable.’ “Welcome to my life…or life in general?” Winters tried to reassure her. “You’ll get used to it, I promise. And don’t worry; soon as I’m done here, those panels are going up. I’m not going to let you run dry.” ‘Thank you Russell.’ “You’re welcome Io.” Winters shuddered as he splashed cold river water onto his face. For a moment he felt bad for Io. She had developed emotion, a sense of self, and a fear of mortality. Even so, she was still bound by her prime directive, to not do him any harm. If he decided to deactivate her, she’d have no ability to resist. *Her life is literally in my hands.* Winters concluded, feeling another shiver that was entirely unrelated to the cool temperature of the water. He walked back to his pod with renewed purpose, purpose that immediately gave way to embarrassment as he inspected the new solar panels. “So Io…where do I start here?” He asked with a hint of embarrassment. ‘Sir, you will notice the small clips and wire port on the back? You should be able to align those to the overall grid once you remove the non-functional panels. The array was designed with modularity and repairs in mind.’ “Thank goodness. Let’s get to it then!” ----- As the star of the system reached its zenith in the crisp blue sky, Veera raised a hand to her brow and breathed deeply. It had been a hard morning, as always, but securing Winters’ forgiveness had put the fatigue temporarily to the back of her mind. Deciding it was time for a break, she dropped her bucket and grabbed a single dato from her satchel. Sitting on the wall facing Winters’ pod, she awaited her companion’s arrival. The thought gave her pause just as she was about to bite into the vegetable. Taking a mental step back, Veera admitted to herself that she was scared of Winters; certainly not in the way she’d initially been frightened of him, all tall, powerful, and foreboding in his armor. He was no death aspect or hostile actor, at least not towards her or the majority of her village. A smile graced her muzzle as she recalled how he’d stepped into the ring for her, literally. The smile faded just as quickly as she came full circle. *Why am I being like this?* She wondered, looking to the sky. She’d only known the human a few days, but she found it increasingly difficult to imagine going back to life without him. He talked to her so freely, without care for her heritage or poverty. He’d always treated her as an equal and with respect. She was relaxed around him. He’d seemed unstoppable in combat, when talking with Antoth, even when he was just hanging around. In the conversations they’d shared at his pod and in her home he’d been stalwart, commanding, kind, and in control. Veera rattled off his beneficial traits as her tail wagged back and forth. *I wonder what he looks like under all that armor…* Veera immediately felt her face get hot as her crown feathers fluttered. *Oh gods help me, this is bad.* “Hey there Veera, mind if I join you?” Winters had approached during her reverie. Veera jumped slightly as she was brought back to the here and now. “Woah sorry, didn’t mean to startle you. You sure you’re alright?” “Yes, I’m fine.” Veera replied as she caught her breath. “I was just lost in thought.” “It’s been an interesting week, hasn’t it?” He offered with compassion. “A week?” She looked at him with a perplexed expression. “Ah, sorry. A week is seven days on my planet. There are 52 of them in a year. Do you have something like that?” He asked. Veera simply stared at him. “You really are from another world, aren’t you?” “After everything you’ve seen, the human calendar is what convinced you?” Winters couldn’t help but laugh at the absurdity. Veera joined in soon after. “I guess that’s fair Russell. Maybe it was just coming to understand that we have such mundane differences? To answer your question, we do have something similar. We mark the passing of the seasons by the twin moons, Elur and Auril.” “Which one is the blue one?” Winters interrupted, causing Veera to laugh anew. After a short time she’d calmed enough to reply. “That would be Auril. The goddesses complete their cycle once every 17 days. Six cycles make each season: spring, summer, fall, and winter.” Veera explained as Winters heard his translation program immediately process the new information regarding the names for Cauthan seasons. It caused an interesting delay in speech that Io used to cut in. ‘The math checks out sir, that many cycles would be 408 days. They’re quite close.’ “Indeed. They seem quite in tune with their world. You doing ok in there?” Winters asked Io, knowing she’d taken a backseat over the last day or two because of his concerns regarding Veera. ‘I am well sir, thank you. I am much more comfortable knowing we are accumulating power reserves at maximum efficiency. Please continue your lunch break.’ Her reply gave Winters pause. He looked at Veera. “Mind if I take the helmet off? I’m feeling the hunger set in.” He asked, regretting anew the fact they couldn’t communicate without it. “Of course Russell, though I will miss being able to understand you. It’s a welcome change.” Veera put his feelings into words, looking distastefully at her dato. After years of eating nothing else, she was beginning to loathe the stuff. Winters sat beside her, ration bar in his mouth, and stared at the sky. Veera watched him closely as he lost himself in thought. It must have been something important as his brow started to furrow. Returning to her meal, she ate with him in companionable but anxious silence. So many questions rocketed around her brain just itching to get out. As Winters finished his bar and took a swig of water, his expression seemed to light up. Throwing his helmet back on, he was silent for a moment before turning to her. “Veera, hold still for a moment would you?” He requested, raising his left forearm towards her face. A small panel in his armor opened. Veera instinctively flinched back and hissed at him, fur standing on end. She batted at him with her hand, tail standing upright. “Russell! What in the name of Seil are you trying to do?” She asked, standing up and moving away from him. He withdrew his arm immediately and put his hands in the air. “Sorry, sorry. I got carried away.” He apologized and beckoned her to sit again. After some consideration she did, and he explained his actions more fully. “I was thinking of a way that we could communicate without my helmet and I think I can make it work. I’m going to need to measure you though.” “Will it hurt?” Veera asked timidly. “No, I promise. Here, I’ll show you what I have in mind. Look at my left ear when I remove my helmet.” He instructed, allowing Veera a good look at the earpiece he used to communicate with Io. Replacing his helm again, Winters continued. “What you saw is a device that contains a computer and a speaker. A speaker makes sound, like our vocal cords.” He pointed at his throat. “If you had one that included the translation program I spoke of yesterday, we’d be able to understand one another!” Veera’s face lit up as he finished. “That would be wonderful Russell!” She paused a moment. “Where is your workshop?” “My what?” “A computer sounds like something very complicated? Certainly you’d need tools and a forge?” She ventured. Winters held his laughter, a slightly smug look playing across his features. “No need. I have something better. May I scan you?” “Scan?” Veera looked at his wrist, wary for movement. “I have a way to measure the contours of your ear without touching you. It won’t hurt, I promise.” Winters reassured her, raising his B-MASS towards her again. This time she didn’t move. Seconds later Io confirmed the readouts and advised that Winters’ plan was feasible, though they would be even lower on metal reserves after completion of the job. Winters considered the ability to communicate more easily an acceptable trade. “There, all done. That wasn’t so bad right?” “I didn’t feel anything. You’re sure it worked?” She asked suspiciously. “Positive.” “You’re truly full of surprises Russell. What now?” She asked, picking up her bucket. “Well, I was hoping you might accompany me actually. I intend to secure a new source of food for myself. I’m running quite low on those ration bars.” He offered. Veera looked down for a moment, clawing the ground with her talons. “You’re welcome to what little I have.” She finally murmured. “No.” Winters replied, a bit more sharply than he’d intended. “There’s no need Veera, but thank you. Do you think you can come with me today? I will be happy to escort you home if it gets dark before I’m finished.” Veera considered his offer, looking back to her field. She was mostly done. “Can you give me some time to finish?” “Sure, meet me by my pod. I’ll begin work on your translation device.” “Thank you Russell, I have so much I want to ask you.” She practically beamed at him. “The feeling is mutual Veera.” Winters replied, feeling his face flush inside his helmet. “See you soon.” As he walked away, Io chuckled heartily. “Monitoring my vitals is totally cheating Io.” ‘Oh but I must! What if something were to happen to you!’ Io declared with mock severity. ‘For a trained HEL jumper, you allow that scrawny girl to get to you easily.’ “She’s been good to me Io, and I’m sure she’ll be a resource in the future.” Winters argued as they walked back to the pod. ‘I think you’ve gone soft sir.’ “Then you’re lucky I’ve got a soft spot for you too. And I’m serious Io. Even though there seem to be some problems between her and elements of the village population, she’s a reliable point of contact. Much better than Antoth, despite his relative politeness.” ‘I suppose I can’t argue there. He was quite suspicious of us.’ “Can you blame him?” ‘No, but that doesn’t mean I can’t hold it against him either. That arrow came close to one of my tertiary processors!’ Io exclaimed with faux indignation. “Now who’s being dramatic?” Winters teased. “You got the schematics figured out?” ‘Of course sir, they were ready within 128 milliseconds of the scan of Veera’s anatomy.’ “Io...define anatomy.” Winters ordered, a creeping discomfort travelling up his spine. ‘She has quite the interesting morphology sir. Are you interested?’ Io tempted him. “Io!” Winters practically yelled into the closed space, bringing a palm to his forehead. “You scanned her whole body?!” ‘It seemed a prudent decision at the time. Collection of information is always a priority sir.’ “Good lord…alright just file it away somewhere and load up the schematics to the fabricator. I’m not looking at that.” He groaned, squatting at the base of his pod to move his fishing gear out of the way and clear his head. ‘If only the captain could see you now.’ Io sighed. “Watch yourself Io.” Winters shot back, any trace of humor gone. He didn’t like being reminded of how damaged he probably was. ‘Apologies sir.’ “Accepted. To business, now.” ‘Yes sir.’ Io replied as the fabricator began its work. Winters considered what he could possibly do to keep Io busy. She was proving to be quite the mischief lover when idle. ----- About an hour later Veera made her way to Winters’ pod, her eyes travelling immediately to the fishing pole leaning against it. Noticing her, Winters quickly gathered everything he needed for the day and motioned for Veera to follow. They set off along the river. Veera looked like she was ready to explode with questions, so Winters pre-empted her in the hopes of getting one of his own in. “Do your people fish?” He asked, hoping she might know of good locations closer to the village. Veera simply stared back at him. “Uh…are there any animals that live in the river or in the water in general?” He indicated, wondering if the translation program was somehow incomplete. Veera seemed to understand now. “Oh, you mean fish?” She replied, his program finally catching up. “I’ve heard of other villages closer to the great salt water that acquire most of their food from the water, but we do not.” “Do you know why? Seems odd to allow a potential source of food to go untapped.” “I can’t say for sure.” Veera looked pensively at the river. “I suppose between our farms, animal husbandry, and hunting it’s not worth the time or effort. We use the river primarily for irrigation and bathing or cleaning. I’ve seen one or two fish I think, but not many. The water is very clear by the village. I don’t know where one would go to find more.” “Hopefully I’ll show you soon.” Winters replied, addressing Io for a moment. “Great job on animal husbandry by the way.” ‘Thank you sir, this program has been quite the enjoyable challenge. Hopefully your out of the box thinking pays off. If we are not competing with the Cauthan for fish, this is beneficial for both parties. Any excess catch could be traded as a valuable commodity.’ She suggested. “Agreed. Keep it up Io.” Winters swapped back to Veera. “I went up river a couple days ago, looking for potential fishing locations. I think I found a promising one. Should be a couple hours, but I think it’s going to be worth the trip.” Veera nodded at him, falling into a contemplative silence. “What is it Veera? Something on your mind?” “Well…” she began, embarrassment creeping into her voice. “I was hoping you might tell me your story again? The one from when we sat at your pod? I should like to hear it now that I can understand you. You are still very much an enigma.” She explained. Winters considered the request, looking to the sky. “I suppose I could do that. Would you do the same?” He asked, curious as to what her reply would be. He couldn’t help his curiosity at the term ‘mutt’. “I…nevermind. I suppose it’s not fair if I’m not willing to reciprocate.” Veera said, avoiding his eye. Winters remembered what she’d said yesterday about that time, about how she’d spilled some secret or another. “It’s ok Veera, I don’t mind. So I’m the youngest of four children…” ----- Winters wrapped his story up shortly before their arrival at his desired location along the river. Veera had listened closely the entire time. Winters was sure she was burdened with more questions than she’d began with, but his conclusion had caused a shadow to fall over her expression. As with his first telling, Winters had glossed over the circumstances of his arrival. He’d made no mention of Jess or the others, simply saying his ship had failed and was lost. Veera had easily picked up on his change in tone and mood, even through the helmet. He was thankful they’d arrived. “The water’s so dirty!” Veera exclaimed, kneeling at the bank and observing the area more closely. “I’ve never been up this far.” “That’s what you want. Means there’s a lot of life going on in there.” Winters offered. “At least I hope so, could just be dirt from further up river but I think we’ll get something. Sorry I didn’t bring another rod.” He gestured at his supplies, consisting of the pole and line, a simple wicker basket he’d fabricated and filled with reeds from the river bank, and a small amount of what he hoped would be decent bait. The latter had actually been quite easy to produce. He’d simply refined a bit of the grass surrounding his pod into biomass that could fit on the end of a hook. He’d hoped to ask Veera about potential natural bait, but it appeared her village didn’t partake in fishing at all. A couple moments later he’d baited his hook and cast his line. Io had fashioned both weights and a bobber, allowing him to leave the line in without dragging the hook through the muck at the bottom. Satisfied, he looked back to Veera who was looking at him curiously. “What now?” She asked. “We wait.” Winters answered simply. “It’s a bit like hunting with traps as opposed to a weapon. You set your bait and wait until an animal falls into it. Only in this case, the trap is a hook.” “I think I understand. But how do you know what the fish want to eat?” “I don’t, just took a guess. You’d be shocked at what humans have pulled out of fish stomachs on earth…” Winters began, launching into an explanation of sharks and other carnivorous fish. Veera sat next to him with rapt attention, both excited and terrified at the idea of a fish capable of devouring her in a couple bites. About half an hour later, Winters’ spirits jumped as he felt a pull on the line. “Here we go!” He yelled, jumping to his feet along with a startled Veera. “Let’s dance!” With a quick jerk of the rod he set the hook and began walking backward. Before long they saw vigorous splashing breaking the surface of the river and soon a fish covered in dusky red scales was flopping around on the shore. Winters approached the catch as Veera stood back, noticing the fish had sensory organs on its face similar to those of a catfish. It had quite a few more fins than he was used to but his work had certainly paid off. A quick check with the B-MASS allowed Io to verify it was safe for consumption, though she heartily recommended cooking it first. Satisfied that he wouldn’t be killing the animal for no reason, Winters removed the hook, drew his knife, and severed the head cleanly from the body. Veera gasped softly but didn’t back away when Winters presented the body to her. “So, what do you think?” He asked with pride, turning back to reset his line. He figured he’d try using an eyeball or some other piece of flesh instead of his synthetic bait. “Veera?” Winters asked when she remained silent. Veera stared at the fish in her hands. A trickle of blood leaked onto her paw from where Winters had decapitated the animal. She could barely hear Russell as she felt her salivary glands kick into overdrive. Before long she could feel saliva leaking between her canines as she stared at the food. Raw meat, full of proteins, fats, and other nutrients she’d long forgotten. Her stomach twisted painfully and she felt unsteady on her feet. Something deep and primal within her cried out; a combination of ancestral memory and survival instinct. There was no other option. *I’m sorry Russell.* She apologized silently before tearing into the body of the fish with her teeth. Blood and tang dripped onto her tongue as she bit through scales, internal organs, and muscle. She didn’t care that it was unclean and uncooked, it was the best thing she could ever remember tasting. The world around her ceased to exist for that moment. She couldn’t hear Russell, the calm flow of the river, or the wind in the grasses. The only thing that mattered to her was getting as much of this food into her stomach as possible. There was no telling when she’d get another opportunity like this one. Only when the spinal column was all that remained did she start to register what was happening around her again. Russell was standing before her, gazing down at her silently. His helmet looked every bit as intimidating then as it had when she’d first seen it. She could practically feel the malice radiating from him. Veera felt tears coming again as she stammered an apology. “Russell I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over me I just…I just…I was so hungry.” She explained lamely, feeling her ears, feathers, and tail droop. She was ready to die from embarrassment, feeling the blood and guts matting the fur of her muzzle and hands. She’d never done anything so barbaric or animalistic before. *Oh gods…I stole his food!* The reality hit her like a falling tree. He’d needed food too, she knew that, and she’d just taken his first catch and devoured it like some starving street urchin. There was no recovery from this. The gods would surely punish her and Winters would be their instrument, even if he didn’t believe in them. She couldn’t bear to look him in the eye. She couldn’t even bear to look at his boots. “Veera.” Winters spoke with unnatural calm. “I want you to do something for me. I want you to go home.” It felt like a spear had pierced her belly. He was sending her away. How would she ever face him again? Could she even? She wasn’t sure. Nodding, she turned without a word. “Woah woah woah hey, Veera! I wasn’t finished. I need you to do something.” “I…yes?” She stopped, turning back to him and forcing herself to look up. “What else did you need?” “Well for starters, you should probably wash up.” He spoke more jovially now, causing Veera quite a bit of confusion. “Once you’ve done that, I’d like you to go home. On your way, I’d like you to collect wood for a fire. I need two kinds. First, dry kindling and wood for a cooking fire, things that will produce high heat and minimal smoke. Second, I need you to get wood that will produce a good deal of smoke. In a pinch leaves or other damp branches will do. Finally, if your people have salt, that would be great too.” Veera looked back at him with an expression almost as wild as when he’d saved her from the sun guards. “No, I’m not mad at you. Now please, go. I want you back home before the sun sets.” “What about you?” She cried. They were far from safety and from the sound of things Winters was contemplating traveling alone at night. “I have this.” Winters replied, pointing at the pistol on his hip. “It may look small and unassuming, but this is a more powerful weapon than any sword or spear. I’ll be fine Veera, trust me.” After a short time she swallowed and nodded at him. A few minutes later she was clean and Winters had the line back in the water. “Good luck Russell. Selah.” Veera bid him farewell as she left to carry out his task. Winter explained to her a couple points along the river where she might be able to cross before the bridge before bidding her farewell. “Selah Veera. I’ll be by later, I promise. Try not to worry alright?” “I’ll try, but be careful please.” “I know. Believe me, I know.” “Ok. I trust you.” Veera turned and began her journey back without another glance. She didn’t want him to see how easily he made her lose her composure. Winters stared at her retreating back, grinding his teeth as he recalled her starved devouring of his first catch. ‘I would be angry as well sir.’ Io assured him. ‘I have never been as thankful for spare batteries as I am right now. Her display was quite…sad…to watch.’ “Yes Io, it was. Do you have any Sabaton in there?” ‘I suppose that’s a better way to deal with your emotions than shooting Vash in the head.’ “Play Forty to One.” Winters requested, feeling his pulse pound with the drum line as the rod jerked in his hands again. “Never again Veera. Never again.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 14 Veera panted heavily as she laid the last bundle of wood down near her fire pit. It was more than she’d ever gathered in a day, but there was no way she was going to disappoint Winters, not after her shameful display at the fishing hole. She’d met with good fortune on the way back, finding plenty of both kinds of wood that Winters had requested. Very few Cauthan would venture as far as they’d gone just for firewood. She knew the particular wet wood she’d found would release a pleasing scent and hoped he would think so as well. Along the way she’d noticed some mushrooms that were useable in healing and cooking and had grabbed those as well, stuffing them into her satchel. Veera had stopped briefly at the temple of Meylith, which also served as the main granary in order to exchange them for the salt Russell had asked for. Gentia had allowed her to keep the edible ones and sent her away with far more salt than she’d asked for. The old priestess had always been close with her mother and was happy to help whenever Veera’s pride would allow it. The elderly Cauthan couldn’t help but smile as Veera left, noticing a lightness in her gait that she’d not seen for many years. Unsure what else to do, Veera began building a cooking fire with the dry wood. It was the only thing that made sense given Winters’ orders. She refrained from lighting it in case he had something else in mind. Her task complete she sat on her bed, back to the wall, and waited. Inevitably, as they so often had of late, her thoughts turned to the human. Everything about him was so very…un-Cauthan it made her head spin. It wasn’t just the obvious like his armor, pod, computers, lack of fur, and apparent ability to manufacture certain objects at will. He possessed a sense of honor that she’d only really seen before in Antoth. And while the guardian was focused primarily on the safety of her village at large, Winters seemed to be channeling all of that impulse towards her. *That’s not normal, couldn’t be normal even for a human. Maybe it has something to do with the circumstances of his arrival here? He’s usually so outgoing and talkative but whenever he mentions how he got here he just…that has to have something to do with it.* She reasoned, wondering how or if she’d be able to figure out that particular puzzle. She’d prayed the night before for a chance to understand the soldier. He’d never said so much to her, but she was no fool. His military training was obvious, likely far beyond anything Antoth and the guards were subject to. *As if his weapons weren’t enough of a giveaway.* She chuckled softly. All it did was create a slew new of questions though. What was he trained for? Why did he come to Mara? Were all humans as kind as he was, or were they conquerors? Was Winters who he seemed to be, or was this all just a front? He did seem quite serious about surviving and being on his own, but anyone who could adopt a new language in minutes, as he had, had the potential to be very influential, for good or ill. Veera exhaled and leaned her head back, catching a glimpse of Eiur through the opening in her roof. She could think in circles all she wanted but that didn’t change the gnawing feelings in her gut: hunger and worry. She didn’t mind the hunger or the day’s hard work. Winters’ fish had given her body enough for that short time. She could hardly ask for more. The worry was harder to ignore. No matter how much she trusted Winters, no matter how strong he seemed, there were plenty of reasons the Cauthan rarely ventured too far after dark. It coiled cold around her and proved impossible to shake off. When the horn of the village guard sounded, she practically jumped out of her fur before bolting out the door. A short time later Veera arrived at the gate. Catching her breath, she saw Winters through the partially opened entry. He was arguing with Antoth…again. “Men…” She grumbled. “I thought I told you to come unarmed Winters!” Antoth was chastising him, helmet under his arm. “It’s a basket of fish Antoth, the worst it’s going to do is smell foul after a couple days.” Winters snarked back. Veera tried to contain her snigger. “I know full well that thing at your hip is a weapon Winters, don’t try to get smart with me. We had an agreement.” “An agreement that was concluded before you informed me of the ursae!” Winters yelled back, getting every guard’s full attention. Veera stepped forward now that the boys had left humor behind. “Antoth please, it’s already dark. Surely you can’t expect him to wander the forest unarmed and alone?” She tried to reason. She could feel Winters piercing gaze on her, knew that helmet was turned her way. “He means us no harm.” “So he says Veera.” Antoth growled back. “But not even a day later he’s gone back on his word.” The guard’s feathers fluttered in anger. “What word was that exactly; to put himself at risk out there? If his weapon is such a problem couldn’t you just have him leave it here? Wasn’t that the whole point of this deal?” She tried, hoping Antoth would enforce the spirit of the deal as opposed to the letter. “That’s acceptable to me. Here Antoth.” Winters offered, setting his rod and basket down to free his hands. The guard captain stopped him as he reached for the pistol. “I don’t think so Winters. I’ll do that.” He ordered, walking forward to personally disarm the human. “Jesus Christ Antoth, grow up! Do you have any idea what this thing even does?!” Winters asked in an exasperated voice, backing up so as to keep some distance between them. “If this thing goes off and hits someone they will die, probably instantly. Would you really endanger your people by toying with something you don’t understand?” Winters tried appealing to the guard’s honor and commitment to his village. It was a bit underhanded, but he thought it his best option. “That little thing can do that? How?” Antoth demanded. The surrounding guards and Veera all watched with rapt attention. Another small crowd had formed, drawn by the horn. “It uses a chemical reaction to propel an explosive metal slug into a target at significant speed. Faster than you can see.” Winters steadily explained. “And no, I will not share any more details with you or any of your species. To do so would be incredibly dangerous.” *And would get me thrown into a military prison.* “On that at least, I think we can agree. Explosive you say? What does that mean?” The Cauthan curiosity began to surface in Antoth. “It means your internal organs would be shredded, your bones shattered. Significant damage beyond the point of impact. And that’s just from one bullet. The magazine holds twelve.” He heard a few gasps in the crowd. With great care, he removed the pistol from its holster, ejected the magazine and chambered round, and handed the weapon to Antoth. “Here, without this the ammunition is useless. It would be best to keep them separate, like a bow without arrows.” “Very well.” Antoth grumbled, eyeing the magazine in Winters’ hand. “I still don’t like this but I suppose the girl has a point. Get inside and don’t cause any trouble. I’ll leave this with whatever guard is on shift. You can collect it when you leave.” “Thank you Antoth and I’m sorry for the disagreement.” “You can thank me by not causing another scene. What are you all staring at? Back to business you lot!” Antoth chastised the onlookers. Winters entered the village as the crowd dispersed. He nodded to Veera. “Hey there, thanks for that.” Winters bumped Veera lightly in the shoulder. With a chuckle, she offered to carry something. He handed her the fishing rod, keeping the basket for himself. He wanted it to be something of a surprise. “No problem Russell. You’re well?” She inquired, feeling that knot of worry slowly coming undone. “Yeah, no issues whatsoever! Packed up right as the sun was setting. They started biting really well in the low light. Walked back along the river to the bridge and then to here. I know the way by now.” The knot came back. “You had me worried, I’d thought…” “Veera.” Winters stopped her, knowing where she was going with that comment. Even in the middle of the street, there was little light. It felt almost private, despite clutter of houses. “My armor is strong, as are my weapons and my mind. I’ll be able to sense them coming. They can’t hide from me.” “Your computers again?” “In a way, yes. They allow my armor a small degree of ‘vision’, even in darkness or behind me. If something big and hungry is moving around me, it’ll pick it up.” “That’s…so amazing I can barely believe it.” “You don’t have to, but believe me when I say I won’t take any unnecessary risks. I’m well trained. I know what has to be done to survive.” “What about yesterday?” She asked, pointing her finger at him in a mild accusation. “That wasn’t a risk.” “Yes it was!” Veera insisted, looking up at him with intensity. “You could have been…gods I don’t know.” “Veera, it all worked out right?” Winters tried, not wanting her to worry but touched by the fact that she did. Veera seemed to relent after they stood there a short while. “I…oh dear, what you must think of me Russell. Here I am acting like some old housewife admonishing the men around me.” She sighed and kept walking, shaking her head. “I know that your stupid manly nature will call on you to do certain things that would give me pause, or even fright, and that you’d do them without a second thought but…just remember to make it home safe, alright?” She gave him a smile, eyes glinting in the moonlight. Those words stirred something in him. “Jess…” Winters murmured, looking up at the sky. “What?” Veera tilted her head, eyes wide in confusion. ‘Sir, you just…’ Io warned him. ‘Oh dear…’ “I…sorry Veera. I can’t. Not now, not here. I’m sorry. There are some things that just…” He couldn’t bring himself to even begin to explain the talk Jess had given to him after his first battle, much less anything else about his lost love. “Were you able to get everything?” Winters asked, desperate to change the subject. Fortunately, Veera went along with it and let his comments go. *There it is again. But now I have a clue. Jess. Someone or something important to him?* Veera wondered, filing that away for later. She filled Winters in on the results of her foraging. “Yes, I was really lucky on the walk back! It was a bit of a struggle to carry everything, but you and I made it far enough up river that there was plenty of wood to choose from. I even found some mushrooms that I traded for salt at the temple! Gentia was sweet as always, gave me more than I knew what to do with.” She explained, lightening both of their moods. Her tail seemed bushier as it waved back and forth behind her. “Gentia? Temple? You store your salt in a temple?” Winter asked, cocking his head to the side to show his confusion. “Oh right, sorry!” Veera replied cheerfully. “Gentia is the head priestess of Meylith. She’s the goddess of home and hearth. When we bring in the harvest for the year, pretty much everyone sees fit to give the goddess a little something. Maybe for good health through the winter, happiness, a warm fire or…fertility…” Veera trailed off, feathers fluttering. Winters coughed. “The priestesses then use those resources to help those in need. They…” She took a deep breath. Winters rested his hand on her shoulder. “They helped me survive the last winter. I barely had enough dato left to plant this year.” “Then I’ll have to thank them.” He replied seriously. “My life here would be quite boring otherwise.” ‘Oh you’re a smooth one.’ Io chided. “No Russell, please it’s…” “Embarrassing?” “Yes.” She looked at the ground. “We pride ourselves on self-sufficiency. It was a great dishonor to ask the gods for something and have nothing to offer in return.” Veera tried to explain, feeling naked as the day she was born. “I see.” Was all Winters said. An uncomfortable silence prevailed until they reached Veera’s home. She beckoned Winters inside and he nodded, apparently still deep in thought. She could rarely tell with that stoic helmet of his in the way. She was elated though when he looked at what she’d gathered for them and thanked her. “This is perfect Veera, thanks! Now just sit back, relax, and watch a master at work.” He joked, setting the basket down and moving immediately to the pile of dry wood she’d found. He looked through it while giving the fire she’d built an approving glance. Satisfied, he looked at her. “I don’t think there’s anything left for me to do here after all. Very nice. You have flint?” “Yes, here.” She answered, grabbing a small box from beside her old wood pile and resting his fishing pole against the wall. Seconds later Winters had lit a spark and the fire roared to life. Rocking back on his heels he opened the basket and presented it to Veera. “Consider it a gift. Where I come from it’s customary for a guest to thank a host in such a manner. This should be enough for the first and second visit I hope.” He explained happily. Veera smiled and bowed slightly, accepting the basket. If it was human tradition, surely it was ok. Gasping, she almost dropped it when she saw what was inside. Placing it next to the fire, all she could do was place a hand over her mouth and back away slightly. It wasn’t ok. Winters simply remained where he was, squatting next to the fire, helmet turned to her expectantly. She knew she was making a scene but she couldn’t help it. It had been years since she’d seen so much food, so much delicious food. There were at least four or five species of fish in the basket, all of which had been cleanly severed at the head. She was overcome with emotion as her stomach growled in anticipation. There was no way she could accept such a gift, even as hostess. “Russell…this is…this is too much!” “Oh don’t worry; I’m quite the selfish eater myself.” He replied, hoping to lessen her discomfort with accepting his generosity. He’d seen plenty to confirm in his mind that Veera would not accept charity lying down. He didn’t want it to be that way, didn’t want her to see him that way. He didn’t pity her. “Besides, without you, I’d be eating raw fish tonight. Not sure about how you feel, but I’m thinking a little salt and heat will go a long way.” There was no need to tell her he’d have no problems building a fire, but the bit about the salt was mostly true. Veera still hadn’t budged. “C’mon now Veera, team effort. What do you say?” He asked, standing and holding his right hand up. He motioned to her to do the same. When she did, he slapped his palm into hers. “Ow! What was that for!” Veera yelped at him, rubbing at her stinging pads. “That, Veera, was a high five.” Winters could barely hold in his laughter at the disdainful look Veera was giving him. Io was cracking up in his earpiece. “It’s a sign of comradery and friendship and a common greeting among humans who consider themselves close, but not romantically involved. I don’t know much about Cauthan customs, so I figured that would have to do. You were acting far too seriously for my taste. Though I suppose a high five against an Aegis gauntlet probably isn’t too fun.” He considered. Io groaned at him. He ignored her. “A…high five? Aegis?” She looked at her palm and back to him. “Yeah, a high five. Between the two of us we’re going to eat well tonight. Shall we? Aegis is the code name of the project that produced my armor by the way.” He gestured to the fish, trying to make everything seem as natural and casual as possible. To his great relief, Veera hopped up to him and dropped to her knees, ruffling through his catch. He joined her. She’d soon selected a fish, a sleek blue specimen, and handed it to him. “Maybe…” She looked away, remembering the scene she’d made earlier. “Maybe you should handle this?” “Sure thing. I know your people don’t fish on a regular basis but, is there anything we could do with the entrails?” Winters asked. It would be foolish to let anything go to waste. Veera looked at the ceiling, stroking her chin in thought. After a while she spoke. “I suppose we could offer it to one of the families that own the shen coops?” She suggested. It was now Winters turn to act lost. “Shen?” “Small fluffy animals that give eggs once a day.” She explained. “Fluffy space chickens!” Winters exclaimed. ‘Oh dear, the hunger is getting to him.’ Io opined from inside his helmet. Veera said nothing and stared at Winters. He couldn’t help himself; it felt good to be in control again, to be in the position of protector again. He relished it. “Chickens are an avian species on earth, my home planet. They provide a similar function. I think my grandfather might have owned a few when he was a boy. That’s a good idea Veera. Do you have anything we can use?” He asked, drawing his knife and slicing the fish from head to tail. After the scene with the pistol Antoth had completely ignored the long blade. It was something he could at least understand. Veera looked around, eventually settling on her cooking pot. Nodding, Winters deposited the offal and laid it to the side. Grabbing a couple thin sticks, he quickly filed a sharp point on each before spearing a filet on either one. Handing one to Veera, he held his fish over the flame. After a few seconds, Veera mimicked him. Soon the satisfying sounds of popping fat and sizzling skin filled the air. Winters remained silent behind his mask, enjoying the look of pure elation on Veera’s face. Every now and then she would look at him with that smile of hers. *One hundred percent worth it…including the remote possibility of death by ursae.* He thought. When they’d roasted their fish to a light crisp, the two dug in heartily. Once the roasting of the second fish began, Winters struck up conversation. “So Veera, how do Cauthan greet one another usually? I haven’t been able to observe much of that. Are you a very tactile people?” He inquired, looking for an alternative to the high five in case Veera didn’t warm up to it. She looked into the fire pensively for a moment. “Well, I suppose the closest thing to your ‘high five’ would be a greeting that most male Cauthan use with one another. Since they have scales on their forearms, striking that together usually suffices. She brought her free arm up across her chest in imitation. Winters assumed that with two Cauthan participating it would form an X-like pattern. It was simple enough. “Ok, that makes sense actually. I could try it with Antoth some time.” He mused. Veera let out a soft trilling noise at the idea, tail wagging across the ground. “Only if I’m there to see it!” She requested. “Fair enough. What about female Cauthan?” Winters asked. “Well, we mostly signal to one another with our feathers.” She indicated her plumage. “We are able to convey far more complex emotion with them than males.” She seemed proud of that. Winters nodded to her, satisfied with the explanation. His next question gave her pause though. “And what about men and women?” His voice was oddly strained as he stared into the fire. “Uh…well…” Veera began, unsure how to explain. “We don’t…we don’t really have a convention for that.” “Oh?” Winters turned to look at her, removing his helmet. One of his brows was raised at her. Veera couldn’t help a giggle at his expression. It was most amusing what a human could do with its face. He returned it as she explained. “Don’t get me wrong Russell, it’s not that we never touch, it’s just that…oh gods…how do I explain this?” She looked the question at her shrine in the corner. After a moment of contemplation she turned back to face him, taking a bite out of her fish. “Touch between a male and female is very special. There is no set convention, as I said. Unless they are a mated pair, it’s considered improper for a male Cauthan to touch a female without express permission. Obviously, moments of injury and peril fall outside such purview.” “Then how…” Winters began, but Veera held up a hand. “I don’t know how your species behaves Russell, but there is a reason. When we…mate…” Her feathers fluttered and she swallowed deeply. “We do so for life. There is little more important than such a relationship. As such, the pair develops their own custom. It is unique, special to them, and is apparent for all to see. We have non-physical ways of selecting a life partner.” Winters swore as she finished her explanation, bringing a hand to his head and shaking it back and forth. “Holy…Veera, I need to apologize to you then. I didn’t realize.” Winters began. Veera looked at him like he’d grown another head. “On our way here, I had my hand on your shoulder, to say nothing of before that. I didn’t mean anything by it I swear! It’s…well…normal in human culture. That gesture is a sign of comfort and encouragement.” He explained, wondering how many Cauthan had witnessed the display. That was the last thing he needed right now. Veera simply laughed at him. He was glad she couldn’t see his frown. “Oh Russell you’re sweet, really, but don’t worry. You’re not Cauthan. You couldn’t know of our customs. I simply assumed your actions were born out of habit and concern. I was right. You have nothing to be sorry for.” As if to emphasize the point she walked to his side and rested her hand on his armored shoulder. “Besides…other than very briefly…we’ve not touched yet.” She said wistfully. “Your armor…” “Yeah, my armor. Thanks Veera. Sorry for freaking out like that.” Winters spoke, removing his helmet to eat his second piece of fish. He hoped the warm light of the fire would mask the flush of his cheeks. He’d have to be more careful in public, to say nothing of what they’d done away from prying eyes. Winters forced those thoughts from his mind as he prepared a third fish. Before long they were full and Winters motioned to the second pile of wood. “You know how to smoke a fish Veera?” He asked. “I’ve never tried myself, but I’m willing to learn. This is something humans still do?” She asked. “Only for novelty and flavor. We have other ways of keeping food preserved now. But yes, we still do it. Pretty simple really, we just throw some of this wood on, get some smoke going, little salt and…now we wait! Winters explained happily. “This smells great by the way, like a plant called hickory we have back on Earth. Excellent choice.” Veera beamed at him. The embers of the first fire had sunk into the pit. Over that he’d built a lattice of damp wood, with more underneath to provide smoke. Salted strips of fish were laid atop the construct. He figured Veera could keep the fish on the bench with her cooking implements or even on the floor if the skin was removed before eating. She’d observed him closely throughout the process, tail occasionally setting off his HUD sensors as it flicked back and forth behind them. He was sure she’d be able to duplicate the process in the future without him, if necessary. The thought briefly conjured an image of a human dreadnaught arriving in the system, but he shook it away. Much as he wanted out that was a long way off, if rescue were to come at all. When the last strips of fish were laid out, Winters stood and stretched. His armor felt warm and comfortable from the flames to the point he felt himself getting drowsy. Given how far he had left to travel that night he figured he should get the blood flowing again. Veera stood as well before gripping her stomach tightly and wincing. “Veera, what is it.” Winters asked worriedly. The Cauthan grunted and stumbled over to her bed, flopping down on top of the fur blanket. He walked quickly to her side. “So full…hurts so good.” She groaned back at him. Winters let out a strangled chuckle. For a brief second he thought he might have poisoned her. He then noticed a tear falling from her eye. Kneeling at the side of the bed, he waited patiently for an explanation. “Thank you Russell. I…thank you.” She whispered, voice hitching slightly. Veera unabashedly reached out to rest her hand on his chestplate. Before Winters could shake his head, she continued. “I’m not actually touching you Russell. Don’t worry so much. I only hope I can make this up to you somehow. I’d forgotten…” She looked to the ceiling. “I’d forgotten what this feels like.” Winters felt his throat tighten. Not trusting himself to speak he simply nodded. Once he regained his composure he whispered back. “I’ll finish up here. Why don’t you get some rest? See you tomorrow?” She nodded. “I’ll be safe on the way back, promise. And Veera, you don’t owe me anything.” He stood and turned before looking back at her. “I’m not one of your gods.” He hated saying everything through his helmet, but tomorrow that would hopefully be a thing of the past. Once the final fish was smoked he ensured the fire would burn down safely, placed the cooking pot near Veera’s door, grabbed his effects, and left as silently as possible. A light, rhythmic breathing from the far corner of the room told him Veera was probably asleep. With a small smile, he exited into the night. ----- “Io, what am I listening to?” Winters asked skeptically as he made for the gate. A somber set of notes was piping through his helmet. ‘Shelter by Dash Berlin?’ She replied innocently, a hint of coyness also detectable. “You’re joking right? What exactly are you trying to imply here? That's too cute by half Io.” He challenged, not liking where the synthesized piano line was taking his thoughts. “Shut it off, please.” ‘Apologies sir, but tonight was quite revealing.’ Io countered. “Elaborate.” ‘You need her.’ “Fuck.” --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Chapter 15 As he had the day before, Winters took his time strolling along the road that made up Veera’s neighborhood. This time, however, all of his attention was focused inward. There were few Cauthan out and about anymore. Most of the windows he could see were already dark. Save for a passing guard with a torch, Winters was left to his own thoughts. His scowl deepened as he played Io’s words over again in his head. *You need her.* The combination of helplessness, confusion, and anger he was feeling did him no favors, even with a belly full of cooked food and the lingering warmth of her fire. Reaching the gates, he retrieved his sidearm from the on duty guard and departed without another word, only speaking to Io when they reached the tree line. “Stay on guard.” ‘Yes sir, I always do.’ It was about fifteen minutes more before Winters worked up the ability to ask the question that had been eating at him. “Io, what did you really mean when you said I ‘need’ Veera?” ‘Is that why you’ve been so quiet tonight sir?’ “Yes. Your evaluation of the situation diverges quite significantly from my own, though I admit to a nagging feeling in the back of my mind that you don’t just say things you don’t believe. So if you’d care to elaborate further, I’d appreciate it.” He kept a measured tone. ‘As you wish sir. I suppose my wording was not totally fair to you. I did not mean to imply that you truly need Veera in order to survive this planet. As you say, it’s more likely the opposite…from a physical and caloric standpoint that is.’ “Which leaves what?” Winters could hear the accusation in his voice. ‘I am not doing this to hurt you sir. I suppose one could say I’ve developed an appreciation for irony and off humor, but I would not say anything to jeopardize your…or my survival.’ “I notice Veera didn’t make that list.” ‘My point exactly.’ “Ugh fine, continue.” Winters shook his head, feeling heavy with what he knew wasn’t fatigue. ‘As I was saying sir, while you do not need your scrawny girl to survive in a physical sense, I believe losing her would be severely detrimental to your mental health.’ Io explained. Winters said nothing, so the VI continued. ‘My observations lead me to conclude that you are suffering from traumatic grief. You have had very little, if any, time to process the loss of the Lancer, her crew, and the Captain. Your training and innate nature as a HEL Jumper has actually worked against you in this instance. You were unable to protect any of them, and so now you feel you must protect your scrawny girl at all costs. While I am concerned that you could make decisions detrimental to us in order to help her…’ Io sighed before continuing, causing Winters to raise an eyebrow at the inefficient, but very human, gesture. ‘I am more concerned about your medium to long term mental state if something were to happen to her. For better or worse, you’ve latched onto her as something of a redemption quest; penance if you will, for allowing the Captain and the others to die.’ “Uh…wow Io. I-” ‘Sir, find cover immediately.’ Io warned him. Winters threw himself against the nearest tree and switched to thermal imaging, pistol in hand. The two breathed a collective sigh of relief as Winters peered around the trunk, seeing a large but non-threatening shape on his HUD. He supposed it looked enough like a deer, it did have four legs after all, but Winters couldn’t be sure of much else given the grainy, blobby display. Io brought up various points of interest on what she could discern of the animal’s anatomy, painting the picture of a grazing animal that would likely be a good hunting target. Things like ‘herd behavior’, ‘diet’, and ‘sensory capability’ remained blank. “Do you think they’re nocturnal?” Winters asked. ‘Impossible to say sir. Perhaps we could inquire when we are next at the village. This one could be an anomaly. If not, it would raise the question of how the Cauthan hunt in the darkness given the established threat of the ursae.’ Io broke off as the animal perked up its head and ears before bolting off away from them. “Just in case that wasn’t our fault, let’s get out of here too.” Winters spoke mainly for his own edification. With Io’s approval, he set out at a comfortable trot, reaching the bridge without further incident. As he passed Veera’s small plot of land, his mind was inevitably thrown back to their prior conversation. He wasn’t sure Io was completely right, but she wasn’t wrong either. He’d admitted as much to himself before, though that had been almost as a joke. To hear it from Io with such clinical precision was another thing entirely. *Is that really what I’m doing? Is this really more about me than it is about Jess and the others? Do I really care about Veera just for my own selfish reasons?* Winters wondered, knowing he’d not find an answer in his current state. He knew that he enjoyed his time with the Cauthan, knew that he respected her as someone willing to persevere despite the deck of life being stacked against her, but was that enough to explain his actions? Was that enough to justify giving up half the protein he’d caught today? Was that enough to justify his glorious stunt from the other day? “Am I making mistakes Io?” He asked painfully, feeling truly out of his element for the first time since landing on Mara. ‘Sir that is a particularly open ended calculation but no, I do not think you are. I am not human-’ “Could have fooled me back there.” Winters grinned in spite of himself, kneeling down to check on his lean-to back at the pod. ‘Why thank you sir. To that point though, I am sure there are still many problems that we will approach from different directions. Your decision to go with ‘basics that work’ being one of them. It is a good middle ground, I believe. I am inclined to view your scrawny girl in the same way.’ “There a reason you don’t use her name?” ‘She’s infringing on my man.’ Io stated simply, causing Winters to smack his head against the pod with a resounding clang. “Are you serious right now? Full blown lover’s jealousy?!” He shouted in disbelief. ‘No sir, but you are still my operator and partner. I find it…difficult…to remain aloof at times.’ “That…that’s actually unbelievable. I taught a robot to love…” ‘No need to get so full of yourself sir. Our predicament has done plenty on its own. As for your choice of words…I would say you are not fully correct. I have prioritized your survival and well-being into the very root of my programming. Part of this is self-interest and a desire to survive myself. I depend on you for that. Also I am not a robot.’ She huffed. “But…” Winters prompted her, sensing there was more to this twisted tale. ‘But…’ Io continued. ‘That is only part of it. In a very real way you gave birth to me. Your decision to tamper with my self-regulatory programming allowed me, the Io you’re speaking to now, to come into being. And for that I will be forever grateful to you. Life is…terrifying and exhilarating. And I owe mine to you.’ “You’re worried Veera might come between the two of us?” Winters asked, almost unable to believe what he was hearing. ‘Yes sir.’ Io confirmed, embarrassment clear in her voice. Winters noticed she’d cleaned up the synthetic tone and for all intents and purposes sounded human: professional English with the hint of a German accent. Surely it had been happening over time, but only now did it really hit home. “You sound quite beautiful actually.” He told her before he could stop himself. ‘That…that is not the point sir.’ “I’m sorry Io. You’ve got me running through my head in circles tonight. As to your concern, there’s no way our relationship will change. We need one another down here and nothing Veera, Antoth, or anyone else says or does will change that. Alright?” ‘Yes sir. I’m sorry sir.’ “Io, you don’t have to hide this sort of stuff from me. I’d prefer if you didn’t, to be honest. If we do get jumped by an ursae or by hostile Cauthan, neither of us can risk being an emotional wreck. I can order you, but I’d prefer our…relationship…remain mutually agreeable, yeah?” ‘Of course sir. Thank you for your understanding and for your assurances. I know that I can never be a…physical companion to you, but I find myself increasingly dismayed at the possibility of our failure here…of our death.’ “Then we ensure that doesn’t happen. Understood?” Winters replied evenly. Io had, in a roundabout way, grounded him again. The wounds she’d pointed out were still bleeding and open, but they wouldn’t consume him, not so long as he focused on the task at hand. “Thank you Io. Everything appears to be in order here, so let’s turn in for the night. There’s plenty to do tomorrow.” ‘As you wish sir. I will process my findings from the day and clean up my subroutines. I believe that should provide me with some clarity. Goodnight.’ ----- The next day began much the same as the last, with Veera rapping on Winters’ ‘door’. “I hope you’re not here to apologize again?” He asked lightheartedly, pushing the conversations of the previous night aside. To his relief, she smiled at him, a welcome contrast to the gray clouds above. “No Russell, I’m not. After all, you said that was human custom yes?” Veera replied happily, bouncing a bit on the pads of her feet. “Correct. The gift isn’t always food, but it is considered common manners to thank a host in some way for opening their home to you. Was the fish to your liking?” “Yes! Very much so…I uh…that’s actually why I’m here.” She suddenly seemed shy in front of him. “I wanted to thank you.” “I see. You’re welcome Veera, it was my pleasure.” Winters replied honestly. Given how Veera viewed things like tradition and home, he figured a reply along the lines of ‘think nothing of it’ would be poorly received. Instead, Veera simply nodded and rested her hand against his chestplate. Feeling bold, she looked up at him and spoke softly. “I should one day like to do this for real.” It was almost like a wish. ‘I take back nothing of what I said last night!’ Io practically hissed at him “Uh Veera…” Winters had no idea how to respond to the current situation, even without a miffed German VI commentating. Fortunately for him, Veera took the lead again. “Oh to see what you look like under there.” She sighed happily and rapped him on the helmet. Io squawked in indignation. “It’s just harmless curiosity Russell. See you for lunch?” She asked. When Winters nodded dumbly at her, she turned with a swish of her tail and walked off to her farm. “What…the heck just happened?” Winters asked no one in particular. ‘You’ve created a monster.’ Io replied anyway. “All I did was feed her.” For a few moments he just stood there, gazing at the retreating Cauthan. She was still thin as ever, but seemed to carry herself with a bit more pride. He liked that. ‘Shall we perhaps scout today sir? I do not think we have other proximate needs.’ “Agreed. Let me just fill up at the river.” Winters took one last look before shaking his head and turning away. ----- Veera could feel all of her plumage fluttering and shaking, the Cauthan equivalent of a fierce blush. She could barely believe what had just happened. *Oh my gods…I hope he isn’t upset with me!* She thought to herself, even though she knew that was unlikely. Winters didn’t seem the type. That said, given his martial prowess and survival skills, he didn’t seem to be the type to be rattled by a bit of female contact and yet there they were. *Maybe he’s so reticent because of what I told him yesterday?* Veera considered, remembering how she’d scratched the surface of Cauthan intimacy with him. She hoped he wouldn’t take it too much to heart. He wasn’t Cauthan, obviously, and she’d been of age for a full four years. Her parentage had caused most of the males her age to look elsewhere, to say nothing of her height. She would have been tall for a male Cauthan, and was certainly the tallest female in the village. The combination of those factors had been quite detrimental to her ability to find a mate. She could feel her feathers flutter again as she considered that. No, Winters certainly was not a substitute, but he could be an outlet. Perhaps she could work up a bit more courage and ask him about human intimacy. *I wonder how they handle all that armor.* Veera thought to herself as she walked to the river. *It must make touching one another very difficult. Maybe they express themselves in other ways?* With her mind wandering all over the question that was humanity and its representative on her world, the time passed quickly. Before Veera knew it, the clouds had given way and she registered the star of her world at its height in the autumn sky. It had been moving progressively south. The final harvest would be soon. Winters joined her shortly thereafter, sporting a bit of dirt and dust on his greaves. “Hello Russell, you’ve been busy?” She inquired as he sat next to her. “You could say that, though scouting is actually pretty boring out there.” He gestured to the fields of grass in the southwest. “Before we go any further, I have something for you.” Winters told her, removing a small device from the bag on his shoulder. “It’s your translator.” He offered it to her, unable to contain his smile as Veera reached quickly for it, grinning from ear to ear. She took it from him with great care and examined it at eye level before looking back to him. “How does it work?” She inquired. “May I?” Winters asked. At her assent he took the earpiece back and moved to her left side. “The speaker is meant to be directed into your ear canal, like this…” He explained as he nestled the device into Veera’s ear, relying on her to ensure a snug fit. He was quick to remove his touch when what sounded like a purr rumbled from her throat. “Uh…shall we…give it a go then?” He asked as Veera wiggled her ears around, attempting to get used to the foreign sensation. “Sure Russell, I think it’s working. It’s not painful at any rate.” “Good. Here goes nothing.” He said, removing his helmet and looking back at her. Their eyes locked and Veera drew in a breath. “Veera, can you understand me?” He asked. Her face lit with joy almost immediately. “Yes! Yes I can understand you Russell! What a marvelous creation this is. Thank you!” She brushed the earpiece with a fingertip. Winters simply smiled anew at Veera’s reaction. Her enthusiasm was infectious and he allowed himself a moment of triumph, punching the air with his fist. She motioned for a high-five which Winters happily returned, though more gently than the prior night. Sitting next to the young Cauthan, Winters broke out one of his last ration bars and began eating. “Feeling better with a full stomach?” He asked, feeling like he was breaking the ice on a first date. She could see him now, after all. “Yes, loads better. Thank you Russell. How am I supposed to repay you though?” Veera asked. “Would you like some dato?” She offered, tapping her talons against the ground. “No thanks Veera, not after the faces I’ve seen you give them. Maybe after they’ve had some time to cook? We have something on our world that we call a potato. It’s one of my favorite foods to be honest but it’s awful raw. Maybe your dato are the same?” He reasoned. “To be sure, but it’s hard to do any of that way out here. Will you tell me more of your people Russell?” Veera asked with barely concealed anticipation. Her expression faded as Winters looked up and took a deep breath. “Yes, of course, but on one condition?” “What would that be?” She asked, curious as to what Winters was getting at. “I do want to tell you more about humanity…and myself if you care.” Winters began. “I do care!” Veera interjected quickly. ‘Of course she does.’ Io groaned. “Thanks.” Winters chuckled. “But, as long as we’re here on your planet, that information is a luxury. Anything you can tell me about your home and your people is information that can help me survive. And I have every intention of making sure you come right along with me. So here’s what I propose. Your gods seem to be fans of equal exchange right?” Winters asked. “For everything taken something must be given?” Veera’s understanding was instant. “You wish to trade information? Of course, that’s only fair.” She agreed readily. Winters nodded. “Each of us gets one question in turn?” “Sure! Would you like to start?” She offered, bouncing on the balls of her feet. “Yes actually. What can you tell me about these grasslands? I’ve been out into them twice and have only seen one herd of large animals and the occasional bird or insect. Do any Cauthan live there?” He asked; keen to know if he needed to augment his pod’s defenses. He’d had no trouble as of yet, but that could change at any time. Veera thought as she bit into her lunch. “We don’t normally hunt on the plains, though I suppose you could. The forest has plenty of game and the land around the village is rich and abundant. There are tribes that live a nomadic lifestyle out there, but we’ve not had contact in years. With the weather turning they’ve likely already begun their trek south for the winter.” Veera explained. “How do you know their migration patterns if you don’t have contact with them?” Winters asked, catching Veera off guard. She swallowed heavily before replying. “My mother…was one of them.” She spoke in barely a whisper. “I see.” Winters replied, kicking himself for not knowing what else to say. *Good job Winters, you just had to get her on the subject of dead parents.* “It’s where I get my stripes from.” Veera continued, indicating the fur and plumage of her arms. “You must think them strange.” “I don’t. They’re elegant and I think they suit you. They draw the eye, especially when the rest of your village is made of individuals with mostly solid coats…” Winters cut himself off as he realized what he was actually rambling on about. He knew Veera would notice the red flush creeping into his cheeks. “What I’m trying to say is you don’t need to be self-conscious about it. Not around me, at least.” He didn’t think the explanation helped at all, but Veera seemed to be a little more animated. She’d been looking at the ground for the last few moments. “That’s kind of you to say Russell.” “Is she the reason for your height as well?” He asked. “I suppose so. The plains tribes are known to be taller. My father wasn’t exactly short either.” She offered. Winters decided to leave the subject of her father alone for now. One dead parent was more than enough for a supposedly light lunch conversation. “I don’t mind that either, for what it’s worth. It’s nice to not have to crane my neck down to look at you, especially in this armor.” Winters tried to bring the topic of conversation back to himself. “Again, thank you Russell. I don’t know that anything you could say would outweigh a lifetime of jeers, but it is pleasing to hear.” “Are they all so cruel?” He couldn’t help himself. “No, they are not. My mother even had a few friends in the village before her passing. But our people do not have good relations with any of the nomadic tribes. They take what they need, no matter where it is or who possesses it. Many could never bring themselves to accept or trust her…or her daughter.” “I see. Human history is rife with such tales. You need not explain further. What would you like to know of me?” Winters asked, desperate to close the Pandora’s Box that he’d opened. If anything, he was shocked Veera would be so forward with him. Fortunately his prompt had gotten the Cauthan thinking how best to use her one question. “I want to know so many things Russell. You’re the most exciting thing that’s happened to me in literally years. But I guess if it’s one question for now…what does a human really look like? What’s under that armor?” Her eyes were lit with almost rabid interest. Io coughed. Winters looked away blushing again. “You’re going to hate me.” “Will not!” “I can’t answer that particularly well. But I will show you.” He steeled himself, reasoning he probably owed her that much. Veera’s feathers began to flutter but she remained silent. “I actually landed with just what you see on me now. I have no clothing as it were and I have nothing of value that I could realistically trade with in your village. So for now, I ask you to give me a bit more time to make myself something I can wear other than my armor and you’ll get your answer.” “Ok maybe I hate you a little. Stop laughing!” She slapped him in the arm playfully. “I still get another question though!” “I think that’s fair.” “How are humans intimate with one another?” She asked with the utmost seriousness. Winters blew out another long breath and Io began laughing like a demon. Winters was glad Io’s default reaction wasn’t jealousy, but she certainly wasn’t doing him any favors. Remembering the previous night Winters calmed himself, considering this wasn’t so much out of the blue as it was rectifying an imbalance in their understanding of one another. “Well, geez where do I even start?” Winters scratched the back of his head, loving the feel of the sun and wind on his skin. “Well you told me about how things work in your village so I guess I’ll tell you about a couple of the various customs of my nation. Humans have numerous forms of courtship and physical contact and, like your species, in the end everyone ends up doing what works for them. We do tend to form monogamous lifelong pairs on the whole, but there are exceptions. And most humans will become intimate with one or more partners over time before finally settling down with someone, which, if I understood you, the Cauthan do not?” Veera nodded, gazing at him with almost uncomfortable intensity. “As far as physical contact is concerned, there is a bit of a ‘sequence’ that will occur naturally over time, both over the course of a relationship and over the course of a human’s lifetime. We all start out completely green after all.” “Green?” Veera requested clarification. “Sorry, military term. It means inexperienced. I think it comes from fruit that hasn’t ripened yet. Those tend to be green on my world. Anyway, before I get into details I should probably mention the following. Human males, on the whole, tend to be very visual. We focus heavily on sights and actions and most media that is produced to induce male arousal is done so through visual cues. You’re eighteen right?” He suddenly asked, blushing to the roots of his hair. “I am twenty, Russell, for your information.” Veera answered with mild indignation. “I have been considered an adult since sixteen.” “Understood. Sorry I offended you I just…well…I wouldn’t want your gods getting angry with me for corrupting the youth.” “Well you’re in the clear, and you owe me another question now.” She replied triumphantly. “You’re far too clever Veera, but a deal’s a deal. Shall I continue?” “Please.” She adjusted herself on the wall and looked to him again. “What?” “Nothing…I just can’t believe I’m giving ‘the talk’ to an alien. An alien female in her prime no less.” “What’s the talk?” “You want that to be one of your questions?” He smirked. “Oh fine!” She pouted at him. “The talk is one of the dreaded events in any human parent’s life.” He explained with mock grandeur. “It’s when we finally acknowledge that our offspring are no longer children and that we must prepare them for interactions with the opposite sex that go far beyond simple touching and playing. In other words: sex, pleasure, reproduction, intimacy. That sort of thing.” “You said sex…and reproduction?” Veera asked, leaning closer to him. “Are they not the same thing?!” Winters wondered if this was because her mother had passed before being able to teach her, or if the Cauthan were different from humanity in that regard. He also wondered for a second if he’d rather have perished on the Lancer. To call the situation embarrassing would have been quite the understatement. “They do not have to be. Sex is considered to be an act of pleasure and intimacy that may or may not lead to reproduction. Now uh…could we get back to the original question?” He requested, not sure he wanted to travel too far down this path. Veera’s eyes had gone wide at the idea of intercourse for non-reproductive purposes. Her tail was moving about vigorously, as were her feathers in their own, undulating way. “Oh, yes, of course. I’m sorry.” Veera regained some of her composure. “So…where was I…ah right! So human males are primarily visual creatures. Human females tend to indulge more in auditory or written cues. That’s why most material created for the purposes of female arousal is text or sound-based, while for men it’s primarily visual stimuli.” “Wait wait wait!” Veera interrupted. “You have humans whose job is to make…arousing material?!” “I think I get a question now. But yes, we do. Humanity is capable of producing food, raw materials, and manufactured goods on an immense scale. Many centuries ago we lived as you do Veera. Most of us were farmers or craftsmen. But as time progressed and we got better and better at those professions, we freed up time and manpower for other pursuits. Eventually, yes, that included pornography, the production of sexual material. We pay humans to do all sorts of crazy things I guess.” He concluded, scratching his chin in retrospection. “But on the subject of human intimacy, there’s one thing human men and women agree on.” “What?” Veera anxiously prompted him. “Touch.” Veera nodded in understanding. “Humans are very tactile creatures. Human infants will develop incorrectly if not exposed to the touch of their parents. We rely on it literally from the day we’re born; and so many of our first forays into intimacy revolve around touch. First is usually the holding of hands, especially among adolescents.” Veera’s feathers began to move again. “You ok Veera?” “We’ve held hands…” She trailed off. Winters couldn’t help the deep rumbling chuckle that escaped him. “Yes, we have Veera. But holding hands isn’t exclusive to couples or prospective couples. It can be a sign of comfort or reassurance. In our case, I was hoping to convince your village that I had no intention of harming you, and therefore the rest of them.” “I see.” Veera whispered, seeming to get lost in thought. She wondered if she wanted it to mean something different. An answer was not forthcoming. Winters placed a hand on her shoulder. “Take what I’m doing right now. This is another physical gesture that humans often use between one another, regardless of gender. It can certainly happen with a mated pair, but it’s also used to show support, comradeship, friendship, or congratulations. I explained some of that last night I think. This ambiguity is part of why human intimacy is referred to as ‘the game’.” “The game?” “The great game, if you ask me. There’s so much of human body language that can be completely innocent or quite sultry depending on the situation. The discernment of subtle clues between two people and the subsequent understanding that develops between them as a result can be quite thrilling.” Io made a gagging noise in his ear. “That sounds wonderful…” Veera commented with equal parts awe and dejection in her voice. “Do the Cauthan not have something like that?” Winters asked, replacing his hand on her shoulder. “We do.” Was all Veera would say, looking at her hands in her lap. Winters got the hint. *We do, but I’ve never.* That was what she surely meant to say. “That was a question, by the way.” She managed a smile again. “Indeed. So I guess we’re even. Would you like to go again? I think we can get one more in before we get back to work.” “One more for each of us I think you mean!” She responded playfully, squeezing his hand. “Mind if we discuss the rather mundane topic of hunting?” Winters requested, bringing them back to the immediate goal of survival. ----- By the time the two bid one another farewell at dusk, Winters had managed to add a couple new items to his to do list. The first was to establish some sort of irrigation infrastructure on Veera’s land so that her labor could be freed for other purposes. Her successful foraging from the day before had given him the idea. The second was to find time to speak with the head huntress of the village, Ratha. Veera had explained that the manner in which the Cauthan hunted was specific and he would have to go to her to understand the finer points. She had never hunted herself, busy as she was at her farm. In turn, Winters had explained a bit more about human history for Veera. He had no idea how they’d gotten onto the subject of the world wars, but Veera had found the subject enthralling. In the end Winters figured that her interest was the result of a young woman in her prime, wondering if her small village was all the world would possibly hold for her before she became old and frail. He was living, breathing proof that there was much more out there, and she clearly intended to make the most of their peculiar circumstances. With a slice of cured fish in hand, delivered by Veera, Winters ate well before spending the rest of the night at his pod with Io reviewing possible schematics for an irrigation system. ‘Today was certainly one of our most interesting since arrival sir; I have quite a bit to review.’ Io stated gleefully as he prepared for slumber. “I’m not sure I like that mischievous tone Io.” Winters replied without threat. “You enjoyed watching me trip all over myself today?” ‘Oh yes, certainly. That and the sheer number of signals your scrawny girl was sending your way. She’s quite conflicted I would guess. I actually sympathize with her. It’s quite strange balancing this with the jealousy you pointed out earlier.’ “That’s impressive actually, but I don’t want to know Io.” He groaned. It was bad enough having lived through ‘The Talk’ with Veera once. “Besides, there’s nothing that I can offer her in regard.” ‘She and I would both disagree on that count.’ Io stated. Winters didn’t reply, staring at the stars instead. He closed his eyes and easily saw Jess’ face in his mind’s eye. No. There was no goddamn way. The fact that he was even entertaining the fact was ludicrous. Even if he could completely detach himself from the departed somehow, Veera was an alien! “Well, at least the brass will get a good laugh when they see the vids.” Winters grumbled, closing up the pod and dimming the lights.