Old Europe – Rubella Trading Post. Region 5 of the Clan Gult

"I asked where you got it." The gruff looking ape repeated to Urko. The gorilla had been aggravating the group ever since they'd stepped in. Urko and the others simply stood out too much. Their attire and equipment were drawing unwanted attention. The ape leaned in towards the table where the General and his party were sitting and got uncomfortably close. He puffed on the old cigar he had and blew out a thick mist of stale tobacco smoke. Next he slammed his paw down on the unusual rifle he was inquiring about in an attempt to simply take it.

Urko didn't bother to reiterate his last warning. His patience was gone. He simply grabbed the gigantic gorilla by the back of his head and shoved his skull into the hard wooden base of the table. The boards on the edge cracked and the whole piece of furniture toppled onto its side. He followed that with a boot to the gorilla's head. But it barely phased the beast. The average gorilla was immensely large, regardless, but this one was a considerable lumbering hulk. He looked seasoned and this was obviously not the first time he'd been in a scrape. He was scarred and slightly disfigured on his left side. And parts of his fur were missing.

He grabbed Urko's ankle with one paw, halting the next attempted stomp. After that he drove his fist into the General's thigh with a crushing thud. Urko buckled and before he could react, a chair came crashing down on his back. That was followed by the sole of a boot shoving him to one side.

"Heh, heh!" the simian chucked, as he tossed what was left of the chair aside. "Not so tough, are you? I haven't had this much amusement since those escaped humans tried to steal one of my trucks. But at least you're putting up a good…" – he never finished the sentence.

Urko clenched his rifle, by the hand-guard assembly around the barrel, and swung it like a professional baseball player. The corbanite plating on the butt-stock of the weapon connected with apes already bleeding snout. Without hesitation, the General rotated the weapon, this time, thrusting it into his gut. He staggered backwards but didn't drop. However, he was quite dazed. Next to Tri-tanium, corbanite was the strongest material on the North American continent; or any continent, for that matter.

You have got to be kidding me, Urko thought huffing as if he'd just run a marathon. Anyone else would have been flat on the floor. What is this guy made of; concrete? I've had enough!

The ape elevated the weapon and fired the disruptor attached to the standard barrel. It was cloned tech from the old American M-16 AX1s that had been unearthed two decades earlier. The Separatists only had a handful, as the Tech was complicated, difficult to recreate, and very expensive, but Urko and everyone in his party carried one. He'd seen to that personally.

But the party wasn't over …

Two of the attacker's partners had already jumped into the fray, to join in the 'fun'. One grabbed a Separatist regular and flung him into the wall. He raised both paws in a balled fist and brought them down hard. The young soldier moved just in time, as the barrier behind him shattered. The second aggressor wasn't as lucky. Colonel Barlow plucked the ape out of the air and slammed him face first into the rusted iron post on his left. He then tossed him into the other and they both knocked over a second table.

The remaining Separatists rose to their feet. But everyone stopped when a shot gun blast suddenly went off. That was followed by the sound of several other weapons being drawn; spears, crossbows, a few pistols, an old shoddy rifle or two, and an assortment of primitive blunted weapons.

Tuskan, the gigantic ape who started it all, was shaking off the effects of the disruptor. His semi inebriated state made him almost immune to it and just about any other source of pain. He turned his attention to the chimp with the shotgun and completely lost interest in Urko. He wiped some blood off his mouth with his dirty, ragged sleeve and shouted; "Hey, those shells don't come cheap, you idiot. They cost almost two weeks wages and over a days' worth of rations. If you're gonna use it, use it on something other than my roof. Or maybe I should demonstrate that point on you. And though it would greave me terribly to kill you, I think I could somehow muster up the will."

He stumbled over and grabbed the weapon out of the chimp's grasp. Tuskan raised a paw as if he were about to backhand the simian, but he didn't follow through. It was just a gesture to make his point stick in the ape's head.

"But Tusk …" the chimp replied, nervously trying to weasel back into his good graces. "I thought you were …uhhh" – a moment of indecision had popped into the simian's head as he chose his next words very carefully. Tuskan never lost and further, it wasn't wise to point out any details where he hadn't faired so well either. Especially while he was drunk …which was always… so he walked the statement back with; "Umm, I just wanted to help, was all"

He caught an earful of colorful metaphors, along with a few threats and several insults, but that he could live with. Tuskan was no one to be trifled with. He'd bullied and brawled his way through life ever since he was a cub. He'd never really lost at much of anything, but Urko on the other hand had lost quite a bit. Thus the General had a much more polished experience with life overall. He was patient, trained, and he thought things through. While Tuskan was busy discussing his financial woes and ranting about mock funeral arrangement for his employee, Urko was acting.

As the sound of the old Toyota truck, outside, fired up, he stood, holding a grenade. He flung a small piece of the broken table off the ape's back, to draw back his attention. "Hey Tusk! Recognize this? Unless you want them to bury you right next to him you'd better step back. And you can lower that shotgun …nice and easy"

The other soldiers all had their rifles out and pointed in a 360 degree radius. And it was obvious to everyone that they now held the advantage.

Tuskan did indeed recognize the object. But inside he was more intrigued at their firepower. Only a Chieftain or his First Spear had armaments like these. A grenade was rare to begin with but no one would ever sell one and, further if they did, the price would be outrageous. And the rifles … very few people possessed such things, but these looked as if they'd been manufactured today. He began to reply, but Urko made a motion as if he were about to let the object fall where they stood. His leg and side were throbbing and he was done dancing with this colossus.

"This is over. We're leaving". He glanced at Barlow and whispered. "Get 'em out of here …now. It looks like Duncan has that old hunk of rubbish running". Next he turned to a Separatist soldier and told him to grab a few bags of food sitting by the door.

Colonel Barlow hurried them out the exit. Urko looked up and concluded with; "Thanks for the truck. I can't say it hasn't been a pleasure. No one had better come out after us or they'll wish they hadn't"

"You …wait. Hear me out" Tuskan stated moving towards Urko. He stood between him and the door. It was a foolishly bold gesture. Both arms were up high and his body language appeared neutral. "You get in that truck and every one of you will be dead before you get twenty miles."

That made the General take pause. He studied the ape trying to figure out if this was just a ruse. "Why the sudden concern for my welfare?" Urko asked impatiently.

"Five minutes" Tusk replied. "You give me five minutes and if you don't like what you hear, you can take that vehicle and head out. But like I said, you'll be heading right to your graves. And that truck will be right back here by morning."

North American Continent – UTR, Ocala Intelligence Compound.

Galen's heart was pumping like an old Texas oil rig, hauling black crude out of the earth. He'd planned it methodically in his head and spent days reworking and refining it, but playing it out in person was a whole new ball game. He just wasn't a good spy. He flinched at the footsteps that suddenly echoed his way. The chimp took in a deep breath, got flat against the wall. He nervously ran his thumb across the small device he was holding. Here we go, he mumbled deep inside his head.

The isometric imager didn't make a sound as it created the small holo-illusion. Light refracted off of Galen and projected a natural curvature in the architecture of the hallway. In essence, he'd fashioned a holographic simulation of the wall he was against. It stretched out a couple of feet to his front and side. But the ape needed to remain perfectly still. The image itself was stable but it did not muffle sound. And because the dimensions were tight, any sudden movement could degrade the replication, revealing his attempted subterfuge.

The man walked down the hallway, and as bad luck would have it, he stopped very close to where Galen was hiding. The chimp mustered up as much courage as he could. He carefully flicked his opposite wrist and let the small blade drop gracefully into his paw. Once again, he rubbed his thumb profusely on the pad, as his adrenalin rose. This was too critical of a mission. He had to act now.

But the ape hesitated as something in his mind whispered No, this isn't right. Galen had killed twice before. Once when he was very young but that had been war. A foolish confrontation where he'd lost his brothers, yet he'd killed none the less. The other incident was purely self-defense. He'd been the victim of an attempted ambush during a trade run with the UTR. Some of the outer regions weren't safe and bandits had tried to steal their supplies. Galen and his party overwhelmed the assailants and he'd shot one who'd tried charging him with a knife …funny, he thought, they were human too. That had fed into the stereotypes he'd been taught most of his adult life; man was a violent savage. After all, what else was he? A born killer, Zaius always claimed.

But this …this was deliberate murder. This man had done nothing but cross his path by chance. His mind began to rationalize; but he was still the enemy, right? After all if the situation were reversed this beast would slaughter him without a thought. What human wouldn't? And what was the life of one weak animal in the grand scheme of things? He tightened his grip on the dagger and poised himself. He had to strike now while he held the upper hand. Sweat began to bead on his brow. He composed himself, took in a deep breath and was about to go through with it? But just then, the man spoke.

"Oh brother, no wonder I don't recognize anything. I made a wrong turn. Operations is on corridor three." With that he huffed and walked off in a hurried pace.

That was followed by an immense exhale from Galen. The chimp looked down at his shaking paws and tried to push the whole experience deep inside. "Better to forget the whole thing", he muttered quietly.

After the man was well out of sight, the chimp stashed the knife. He worked his way down the corridor to where the mainframe COM systems were. "There you are." He said briskly as he read the label on the door. But that's when he noticed it; a semi-sweet burning smell. And the aroma was distinct. Bio-gel, his mind echoed identifying the odor.

"It can't be." He whispered quietly. He looked back down the hallway. The image of the wall was still there. He'd walked off and never even noticed.

It had taken weeks to work out the details. The encryption programs were flawless and had been tested on some of the minor systems. He'd successfully tapped into the environmental controls days earlier; just as a test. He'd raised the temperature exactly three degrees and then, after an hour or two, he dropped it by three. No one caught it, no one noticed. After that he'd bumped up against the lighting and emergency hydraulic valves. That system was monitored but he'd gotten away with disabling the pressure control units for a few minor seconds. His software had run a loop that had the security routines constantly pinging the only control unit he'd left active.

In all of the recent exhilaration with the human, he'd executed those routines. His excessive thumb tapping, triggered the software. But it had also seized the device.

"Oh no. Three minutes, twelve seconds." He echoed looking at the timer.

…What happened next was precise and sudden. Parts of the building shook and the compression caused the door Galen was adjacent to burst off its hinges. It barely missed the simian that was now scrambling, uselessly, for any kind of cover. The floor under him and part of the ceiling above collapsed. The chimp tumbled, then fell and …

*** The following day

"This one's coming round." The nurse said as Galen slowly opened his eyes. He was in… a … a …He hesitated and tiled his head to see just where he was. The ape was hooked up to several different devices pumping oxygen and other medications into his system. A hospital, but how, his mind asked. Then, like a flood, it came rushing in. "The building," he mumbled.

"Yes, and you're one of the lucky ones" the nurse replied as she adjusted the meds being pushed into his body. "For the most part, you just have a few bruised ribs and a broken leg. The bump to your head is minor and the swelling has dropped. You have a few scrapes, etcetera, but you're going to be fine."

"A miracle" Galen said, taking a better look at his surroundings. "But I fell …."

"No" the doctor who'd just walked up stated with an interruption. "Not a miracle. You can thank the good Major over there. He pulled you and several others to safety. But he took a beating in the process. With you being an ape and him a human, he was forced to improvise, but the flames and gases were too much."

"I'll have to thank him" Galen replied, with a sleepy voice.

"You may never get the chance." The doctor said as he finished logging Galen's statistics. "He isn't going to last very long. I don't expect him to survive the night. But you can find his dossier on the local holo-net link. At least you'll be able to put a face with the man and maybe you can reach out to the family."

Galen was familiar with the interface and with the help of the nurse he found the human in question. Major Peter Burke, the ape silently read. "He's a pilot with the UTR Air Corps." But he froze when he saw the face. It was man in hall. The man he was going kill. The irony was so thick Galen was speechless.

Frem settlement

It had been almost two decades but the two astronauts who'd left their home in the 1980s and crash landed in Canada all those years back had finally reunited. It wasn't awkward, but it was certainly different. Tom March was old; or old looking anyway. The man was only in his mid-sixties but this world they'd landed in was hard and had taken its toll, physically. He was a lot thinner than he'd remembered. Jon Hayes gazed at the purple-blue streak on March's shoulder. It occurred while they were escaping Arum in order to stop the bleeding on a wound he'd taken from a musket shot. It looked horrific after all these years. But paled at the sight of the man he thought he'd left for dead so long ago.

"I still can't believe it's you Tom" Hayes stated for a third time as the two sat to eat.

"I can't believe you out rank me." March replied smiling. "And you Kutos …it's been a long a time."

"Yes Sir, it has indeed." The gorilla replied, placing a paw on the man's shoulder.

Miguel Santos didn't have much patience. However, he and March had been friends for a long time and he owed the man his life many times over. For that reason, he let the group catch up. But there was still a threat out there. The Pax, that ship that had fallen into their laps and possibly these Republic soldiers he'd captured. Until he was convinced otherwise he wasn't going to welcome them in with open arms. It was no coincidence that they'd shown up now. Like everyone else they wanted that ship.

The small talk went on over a few bites of dried meat and some bread, but once Miguel had reached his limit, he abruptly broken in. "General, I want to know exactly what information you have on the Pax and that vessel that crashed in their territory. I also want to know why you're here. And further I want …"

"Commander!" The ape cried as the door to the room swung open abruptly. "I apologize for barging in, Sir but I have news that can't wait."

Santos swung around to address the simian that had just entered. "It's ok Og. I know you wouldn't be here if I weren't important. What is it?"

The Frem, like most of the regions had a vast network of informants. Many were simply opportunists who traded information for food, weapons, or wealth. But the one Og spoke of was different. The person in question was an ape. One that Santos had showed a great deal of undeserving mercy to many years earlier. The ape had been in the employ of Tagus, leader of the Pax. He and Santos had a sorted history, but when Tagus and Rethor had a falling out, it had been Santos who'd given him quarter and saved his entire family. The gesture cemented a professional working relationship and had established level of trust between them. The two really didn't have much interaction, but when they did it was a serious matter.

"Miguel you know Reth as well as I do." March said, once Og had explained the importance of the disturbance. "If he made a special trip, in person, you can bet it's a matter of life or death."

"What's this about Tom?" Hayes asked but the Colonel put a hand and shook his head.

General Hayes took the hint and kept quiet as Santos gave a series of instructions to Og. The ape left the room and then brought in a dusty looking gorilla, dressed in rags with a leather vest on and a sack slung around his shoulder. He was big and was missing a tooth or two. Somehow it made the beast look more fearsome though.

"How about some of that old hooch you keep stashed away" Rethor asked as he walked into the room.

The gorilla laid his bag on the table, pulled the leather straps loose, and hauled out a rifle. "…And just for the record, I'm keeping this. Someone has found some sort of pre-apocalyptic armaments. And this rifle just scratches the surface. There are two other aircraft out there, as well. They landed in Region Two and whoever they are; they tried to make a pact with Chief Luca. The late, Chief Luca, I might add. He ended up dead in the double cross."

"Let me see that." March blurted out.

Rethor paused and reiterated his original statement about keeping the weapon for himself. But it was more for effect than lack of faith. If he hadn't trusted the Frem, he would have never brought this stuff here in the first place.

"Jon, look…" March said holding it up. "..I've been gone a long time, but this is definitely Separatist issue. They're more innovative than the models used on the DC raid. But the design and style are a dead giveaway."

"Yeah," Hayes added. "So, Rethor …or umm Reth is it? Can I ask how you came into possession of this rifle?"

The gorilla downed the whiskey, poured a second glass, and glanced at Santos. "Who's he?" he asked.

Santos didn't explain he simply said. "That's actually a very good question, Reth. Where did you get it?"

"We we're there when it happened." Rethor replied throwing back the next shot. "We trade food with the Malawi. When the skirmish took place we were simply in the right place at the right time. I plucked this piece off of one of the apes Luca's clan dropped, just before he bought it."

"General Urko." Hayes said. "They commandeered three old UTR air craft, Tom. We took one out but the other two made it to the Spanish mainland."

Rethor tilted his head. He didn't follow all of it but the name Urko did jump out. He turned to Santos and asked. "So you know then, but how?"

"Have a seat Rethor" Miguel answered as he handed the ape another bottle. "Here, drink this. You'll probably need it. We have a lot to talk about."