"Go on, Sher…" Troll encouraged his eldest daughter, though Sherenka shook her head and replied "Martha tell, papa. Martha doesn't talk lots".

Martha giggled a bit before calling out "Mama coming back. Mama have two new small people. We got two new brothers!" before she admitted "I don't know their names yet, we wait and see".

"We wait and see…" Feltano said, at the skulkers' table, in Scarran "Not seen new small people yet. They look like their mama or their papa? They like us?"

"I am sure they will like us, Feltano" Amara told her own younger brother, in Kalish "But the nice doctor told me they will be very new and cannot talk to us yet".

"We look, big sister" Feltano replied, nodding "We look and we see…".

"We will wait and we will look and then we will see" Juroch confirmed for both Caseya's children, which got small nods from each of them "and hear, too. Hear their new voices and hear their names".

Nrakal pushed Urana into the galley on a mobile chair, which almost got Amara running over to help until Nrakal waved her off and smiled.

"Urana is healthy, everyone – but has just come through a very long birth event" he explained "Another multiple birthing. Twin boys".

Urana called for Troll to push her chair around to all the people in the galley she knew would want to see her and her new children, and Amara and Feltano were both very excitable indeed when the chair got to their own table.

"We see, auntie Urana?!" Feltano almost squeaked in excitement, clapping "We see new people?! Where are they? I see? Big sister see? Mama and papa see?"

"They are under this blanket, Feltano…" Urana explained, taking a few breaths "They are asleep at the moment, young man – so look but don't shout" before she pulled back the edge of the blanket.

"Ooooo…" Amara and Feltano cooed, which drew Harek and Anton to see as well.

"Bigbig new small people" Feltano announced "They got stuff like Harek friend. It all black like Harek friend too, but it tiny bit red too. I not know why".

"You're right, Feltano!" Harek called, scrambling up Hellbolt's leg and onto his lap so he could see "They have stuff like me! I'm not the only boy with black stuff now! That's amazing!" – after which he hauled Anton up onto Hellbolt's lap as well, which everyone was just as amazed to see him do as they were to see the new babies.

"See?" he told his best friend "See, Anton? New boys got black stuff like me!"

"They have black stuff like you, Harek" Anton agreed, nodding "I seen it. That good. We see when they older if they do stuff their papa do".

"My boys…" Urana told the children, pointing to each one as she named them "are named Garakk and Alphak. Garakk is the eldest of the two – and the loudest, at least so far. Alphak is fifteen momens younger – and likes to look around at anything and everything".

"He's like Feltano!" Harek replied, laughing and clapping "Feltano does that!"

"He does, Harek" Urana replied, smiling "More than any of you. Even more than Tabitha".

There was a minor commotion as Urana's three girls eventually got away from their watchers and ran over to see their mother and new brothers – which also woke both boys up. Garakk let out an ear-splitting bellow of surprise, which got Sherenka clapping and calling "I was still louder than you when I was new, new brother!"

"Heeheehee!" Amara laughed, climbing up the side of Urana's mobile chair – and saw Alphak looking right up at her.

"He all new…" Amara cooed softly, reaching over to stroke his tiny ridges very carefully. Alphak's tiny eyes tracked her movement just as carefully, and he flinched a little in fright at this new thing until his mother soothed him and told him "Friends, Alphak. Your friends and my friends and your father's friends".

He smiled and rumbled when he realised Amara stroking his ridges felt nice, and the sound of his rumbling alerted Garakk – his presence got a clap from Amara before she stroked his ridges as well, after which both boys called out for attention.

"They're prob'ly hungry" Troll told his daughters, lifting each of them down in turn "Let your momma feed 'em, girls, or they'll never stop shoutin' like that".

"We help, papa?" Martha asked hopefully "We feed new brothers? We hold bottles?"

"Not this time" Troll told them "When they're a bit older and not so new. Then you can help" before hugging Sherenka, Martha, and Tabitha in turn and getting them to stand behind the mobile chair and help push it back to their family's usual table.

"New boys…" Feltano said after they had left "New people. New friends".

"New friends for both of us, Feltano" Amara told her younger brother, hugging him "It is amazing to see, yes? Two new amazing boys".

"Special stuff" Feltano said "I not smell them".

"Like their own mama and papa, Feltano" Caseya told him, getting a smile and a rumble in return "If they are lucky they might get some things from each of them – your uncle Troll and auntie Urana did not have quite the same kinds of special things, you know".

"New boys get all special stuff" Feltano decided, nodding "Then they like their mama and papa", after which he looked at his skin and said "Mama an' papa skin…big sister skin too…".

"Me too, Feltano" Anton added "Look, it's the same".

"Not quite" Trannak told him "My skin and Caseya's skin and Feltano's skin and Amara's skin is slightly thinner, like your friends Rulok and Lirak. Yours is thicker and stronger like your papa". Anton checked his own skin against Trannak's and Amara's for some time before Captain Lazarus came to collect him – Amara reported him talking to his father about the skin differences for some time after leaving.


"We got some nice crindars…" Skroloth decided "… but I think we got some unwelcome attention, too".

"Agreed" Serila replied, nodding "Our currency stockpile is good, but either we are under surveillance or we have made enemies at street level for other reasons".

"We'll send an emergency message out one last time" Skroloth replied "just in case Snake's watching the system somewhere. Then we'd better be careful for a while".

Serila nodded, pointing out where two Charrids were standing by the main exit from the eating house – Skroloth just snorted, though both he and Serila left by the rear exit after paying the bill.


"You, my Feltano…" Trannak told his son a few says later "…are going to help your papa here on the bridge. I am the watch officer this shift… that means I am in charge, and if things happen I get to choose what to do about them".

"I help you, papa" Feltano confirmed, nodding "You show me what I do, papa, and I do it. I learn new things".

He watched with interest as Trannak explained about the old places he left hardcopy messages and the public services he could leave comm messages at – Feltano looked on with awe and love as his father told him these things, rumbling and smiling, before he saw something on a small screen on the comm desk and called "There, papa. There message there. I seen it. We read?"

"Show me, Feltano" Trannak urged his son, and when Feltano pointed to it he rumbled and said "Well done, Feltano! You spotted a message there! I do not know if it is for us, other people might read this… but we should look anyway, I think".

"We look, papa" Feltano agreed, nodding "We look an' we see an' you read it to me".

Trannak smiled at his son as he opened the message – when he saw Skroloth's note, he smiled and rumbled before scrubbing the message from the service's records and telling Feltano "That message was for me, dear son! It was from an old friend of mine! He wants to know if I am well and if we can come and find him and one other friend!"

"He like me?" Feltano asked "He like big sister and mama too?"

"I think he will" Trannak replied, stroking his son's ridges until he calmed down again "I will need to ask your uncle the big funny man if I can take a small group to go and see. I cannot take you or your sister, Feltano – the planet where my friend is is not very nice".

Feltano thought about that for some momens before deciding "I be on desk, papa. You call back and tell me when you come home and I tell big sister and mama"

Captain Lazarus overheard Trannak telling Harrigan about this new turn of events and suggested "Might be a good idea to take Liz, Trannak – she's learned quite a lot since we got here and hasn't had a real test. She might not know how to handle a Stryker as well as your wife does just yet, but if you need driving done she's as good as anyone 'cept maybe Shor – an' he and Ryalla are off on surveillance groundside again".

Hmm Trannak thought to himself If I take Liz, Hellbolt will want to come along… and despite the fact that those two are closer than I think Captain Lazarus knows, bringing Hellbolt means I can take a bulk lander and a Scimitar for a little extra flexibility. He thought a little harder before deciding I'll see if I can pose as a buyer and pick up a few extra vehicles at the factory complex there – as long as I pay in cash or precious minerals or gems instead of with a government billing code no one will take any notice, or will just write it off as covert operations or smugglers.

Harrigan wasn't entirely sure he liked that kind of expense, but said "Do it anyway, Cap'n T – we're short a Scimitar since the Duleno retrieval anyway, so if you can scrounge a replacement or two then do it" when Trannak suggested his idea.

"You got Liz an' Hellbolt, like you wanted" Harrigan decided a few microts later "I'll send Cap'n Tareg an' Karroch too – Karroch could use a little offworld testing an' Cap'n Tareg would prob'ly appreciate the chance to stretch his legs somewhere new, too".

Tareg smiled when Trannak told him about the mission.

"It will be good to test Karroch in a real urban combat scenario, Captain Trannak…" Tareg said "Oh yes, I understand we will be trying to obtain new and useful equipment along with making contact with your friends… but we should make the most of this to test Karroch as well. Since you will be handling the diplomatic skills, I will test Karroch and see that he gives the orders when you are busy".

"Bring Rekketh and Sturk with you" Trannak suggested "I don't think we'll need Sturk's demolition skills… but better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them".

"Yes, Captain Trannak!" Tareg agreed, nodding "I try to tell people that often! Here and on Sholphaur people listen… elsewhere, they listen less often than is good for them".

It took a while to convince Feltano that his father would come back, but the boy smiled when he was told about the possibility of new friends coming back.

"I wait for you, papa" Feltano promised, hugging his father "I wait here with mama an' big sister. We wait an' see you an' new friends when you come back".


Sturk was very enthusiastic about the opportunity to make off with Hierarchy vehicles for their own use, though he did gripe a little about having to pay money at some point for them.

"Even you, Sturk…" Trannak told him with a grin "…can't steal that many at one time… and we can't bring Troll with us so soon after the birth of his sons. So I get to bring Captain Tareg, Karroch, Hellbolt and Liz, plus you two".

Rekketh suggesting adding two more Bloodstars to the mission, "Just to make sure the driving doesn't take so long".

"Get them here in less than five momens and they come" Tareg replied "I want them bringing extra rations with them as well" before he looked around the hammond flight deck and asked "Where's that Nebari gone?"

"Here!" Hellbolt called when he arrived, Liz beside him "Had to make sure Liz was good to go first or I'd have been here a momen or two earlier…" – before Liz gave him a slap around the head and added "Let's just get going, shall we…?"

"Hello friends…" Amara called over the comm as soon as Hellbolt had their bulk lander out of the hammond flight deck "It is Amara again. We will be ready for you all as soon as you get back. Listen to papa, he will keep you all safe".

Trannak smiled and rumbled at how Amara spoke to everyone and urged them to listen to him, after which he told Hellbolt "Teach Liz a little of how to operate this ship, mister – I doubt we will need her help here on this mission, but it will be good training for her anyway and she can fly smaller craft already, after all".

"This thing's big as a small warehouse…" Liz replied uneasily "…but OK…".


"Our flight goes well!" a happy Kalish told his crewmates "Thanks to our friends at Ithlin, it seems we may soon find new trading opportunities for our world and its people!"

"Might we even find Scarrans?" one of the other two Kalish, a female named Jannia, asked "I have not seen any before, and have only been to Ithlin once before this journey started".

"I do not know" the other Kalish female, a tech named Ellku, replied "I have only seen one Scarran myself – and they were behind a window in the building where their people usually stay, so I am told".

"The Scarran embassy, yes" the first Kalish replied "All official government business with the Scarran people is done through that building. Trading with private companies may have to go through their trade attache but may not have to be done at the embassy… since some peoples are like our own, and while we may do business with some governments we do not wish to get too close to all of them" before asking Ellku "Tech status?"

"All three engines are working well, Captain" she replied, nodding "Fuel consumption is actually a little lower than expected, did you know that? All other systems work well as well. Considering the age of this craft, all goes very well indeed".

"Our people excel at technical tasks" their Captain reminded them happily "I expect the trade samples we bring with us will be received well, too – both among those who we are told will be here and among others. I am told the world we are going to is a commerce world, if not one quite like Ithlin of course".

"Our leaders made a good decision sending us there, then" Jannia replied "Though I like going to new worlds as much as any of us do, I like being welcomed on arrival just as much".

Their Captain checked the course the autopilot was following, after which he smiled and nodded before telling his two crew "Rest, both of you – the flight computer and our new maps say we have less than twenty four arns until we arrive at our destination".


"I've only heard tales about this place…" Hellbolt said uneasily as the bulk lander arrived outsystem at Chena'ia "Slavers. Huge factories. Very little law. Anyone heading outside best go heavily armed".

"Not all of the stories about this world are true" Trannak replied "But the advice to go well-equipped is good, especially considering the reasons we are here. Since the factories you know about are here, Hellbolt, many mercenary units that favour Scarran-made equipment come through here as well as the more official military craft which we all know about".

Chena'ia space proved to be busy. There were so many privately-owned craft going back and forth on business only their crews knew about it seemed impossible to count them all – though only one battlegroup was there for resupply.

"D-19985 and escort vessels further outsystem on the other side" Liz replied when Trannak asked "One mark-2 pattern dreadnaught. Twelve frigates of a pattern I've never seen before. Four Switchblades. Two of something else I haven't a clue about".

"Passive scan only" Hellbolt warned her "Record whatever you get but whatever you do don't alert anyone".

Tareg woke the others up and got everyone doing exercises while they waited to land, and while they did that Trannak made a call planetside.


Skroloth and Serila were eating at a streetside stall when his comm bleeped at him.

"You gonna pay before youse go, mister" the Charrid behind the counter reminded him "I don't care if youse on ten-microt alert, I want my money".

"Which I'm gonna give you right now" Skroloth replied, counting it out slowly where he could see "with a bit extra for two bottles of decent fellip to take with me". The Charrid was a little more pleased that Skroloth paid promptly, more so that he bought something else before he left, so he turned towards one of his other customers in time to stop them running off without paying.

Once Skroloth was clear of the stall he answered his comm.

"I thought you weren't going to answer for a microt there…" Trannak said, chuckling a bit.

"It is you, then…" Skroloth replied, before asking him a few questions to verify his identity – while Trannak couldn't really spare the time he understood well why Skroloth needed to test him, so when the questions stopped he said "We'll be touching down close to… or in… the factory to buy a few vehicles, at least as long as the overseer likes our money – so if you're close by, we can talk".

"On our way" Skroloth replied – when Trannak asked about who he had with him, Skroloth told him about Serila.

"Good, someone with skills that can be trusted" Trannak replied before discomming.


"Contact!" Caseya called from the comm desk.

"On display with ident" Harrigan ordered, though while a sensor trace could be displayed Caseya did not need the archive to identify the ship.

"It is…" Caseya said with no small amount of awe "… a pre-Hierarchy long range shuttle… made by my people. I do not know what it would be doing here… but might we offer hospitality? It may have useful or interesting things to trade…".

Harrigan called Keyah to the bridge as well, and while she wasn't pleased to have her relaxation interrupted, she was curious about the shuttle and its crew.

"So it is what Caseya says it is, then?" Harrigan asked again.

"I would think so, Commander" Keyah replied "I did not specialise in the historical archives of our people… so if Caseya says this shuttle is made by our people, it most likely is. It would be worth examining it and talking to its crew in any case".

"Get out there and escort it in then, Keyah" Harrigan ordered "Be nice about it… but make sure they know an order when they hear it".

"I will tell them my own superior wishes to talk to them, sir" Keyah replied, nodding "They will appreciate someone in authority wanting to speak to them".

Keyah made her way as quickly as possible to the hammond side flight deck, where she selected the Stryker she usually used and flew outsystem to meet the shuttle.

"Unidentified shuttle…" she called "Please adjust course to 010 mark 025. I have been asked by my commander to escort you to our ship – it is our business to keep this system secure, and he wishes to talk with you".

"We will do this" the shuttle's captain replied "If I may ask… what kind of craft are you flying? I can see it alongside us now, but cannot identify it"

Keyah smiled and replied "I and my superiors will answer your own questions as you answer ours. If you have any particular queries, tell me about them now and I will pass them to my superior – then can decide how best to assist you".

By then the Havoc had come into full view on the shuttle's sensors – all three crew smiled and the captain commed Keyah and told her "This enormous craft was one we were told to expect to see… might we be landing in it? Its owner has been made known to us by mutual friends".

"We will be landing in it" Keyah confirmed, wondering who any 'mutual friends' might be "Keep beside my craft at all times. We are taking a risk and allowing you to land in our military flight deck. Do not step outside your craft until you are called".

Caseya gladly opened the hammond flight deck doors for them and watched with interest as the shuttle flew inside and landed well clear of the Switchblade's aft end, with Keyah landing beside them.

~There is a new ship, mama? interestcuriosity~ Amara asked ~Might Feltano and I see it? Garakk and Alphak are sleeping again happiness. Aunt Urana is sleeping, too. Uncle Troll has all three girls and is running around the crew quarters with them! laughter~.

Caseya smiled and did her best to tell Amara that Juroch could take them if they asked nicely – Amara sent back a burst of love and thanks before she said ~I do that, mama~.

"Come, then" Juroch told the two children "We will go and see this ship, since your mother says you can go if I escort you. Each of you will take hold of one of my hands and we will go to the transit platform. Which of you can show me where this is?"

Feltano's smaller hammond hand came up and he pointed to the door, after which he called "Tran-sit platform out there, uncle Juroch. That is where we go. We go there now?"

"Now" Juroch confirmed, pleased with how well Feltano liked him "Look ahead, Feltano – look for interesting things, look for people moving. Tell us what you see, tell us when to stop for people so we do not collide. Use the special signals if you know them".

Amara was curious to see how much Feltano actually knew as well – both she and Juroch watched as Feltano moved, watching his smaller head turn from side to side and his ears as they twitched a little at new sounds. His treblin hand came up one time as one of Rulok's people headed for the door, after which Feltano signalled for everyone to proceed again.

"Well done" Juroch told him once they had their own transit car and it was moving "You have learned well and learned fast, Feltano. You know how to look and to listen and to make signals".

"Know sig-nals…" Feltano said happily "Un-cle Juroch happy. Big sister happy too?"

"I am happy too, little brother" Amara assured him "You are doing very well".

By the time the children had arrived, both Keyah and the shuttle had landed safely and Keyah was standing outside the shuttle's nearest entry hatch – Harrigan wasn't long in arriving, which both Amara and Feltano were glad to see, more so when Talannah came with him.

"New ship here" Feltano told them, nodding "This it. I see people in it. We go in or they come out?"

"They're gonna come out, Feltano" Harrigan told him, getting a smile back, after which he waved at the bridge window and beckoned them out.

"The huge one is known to our Ithlin contacts as well" the captain told his two crew "He is reported to be friendly but also wary – he will talk to us and ask questions before any hospitality is shown".

"We have been permitted to land here" Ellku replied "and no guards are posted outside our shuttle with drawn weapons. Whether we are shown further hospitality or not, this is a good start. Perhaps we will be refuelled at a good price in trade goods as well".

"We will go out and see" the captain decided, after which all three Kalish stepped out of their shuttle and onto the Havoc's flight deck.

"Greetings and salutations…" Juroch announced, in Kalish, when he saw their species "Before you now is Master Rank Three Keyah Kamara, the highest ranking Master of your people… also myself, Master Rank One Juroch. We welcome you all to this ship, our home, the HMS Cry Havoc".

Juroch smiled and rumbled when they questioned him at length about his rating and his training, though Keyah prevented too many more questions when she said "Our Commander and Sub-Commander are here to greet you also. My Captain is not here, he is working right now, but his two children have been permitted to accompany us to meet you and they are standing beside the Commander".

Juroch moved to stand beside Jannia while Keyah stood beside Ellku, with their captain in the middle, after which they all walked to where Harrigan and Talannah were standing with Amara and Feltano.

"Before you now…" Juroch announced "is War Commander Harrigan… and his wife, Sub-Commander Talannah. Between them they command this ship and all thereon".

"Ah, more Kalish then" Harrigan said "One of ours is on the bridge and saw you lot as you came in. We only got two right now, you can see Keyah over there".

"Greetings, War Commander" their captain replied, bowing very slightly "We passed through Ithlin before arriving here, sir, and so your identity and that of your ship is known to us. I am Captain Haresh – beside me is my flight engineer Ellku and my communication engineer Jannia. We have the traditional names much like your own Kalish staff do… but it takes time to introduce ourselves that way".

Before anyone else could speak, Feltano looked up and sniffed before nodding and saying "New Kalish people, big sister – I smell them. Not seen them before".

"They are new Kalish, little brother" Amara agreed "That is their new ship over there" before pointing to the shutttle.

All three new Kalish bent down to look at Amara and Feltano, clearly amazed to see them – Feltano looked back up and rumbled softly, clearly pleased to see new people who appeared to like him, more so when his rumbling caused much interested discussion.

"What species are these unusual and interesting children?" Captain Haresh asked, looking at both of them "My eyes tell me they show characteristics from more than one but I do not know for certain".

Harrigan grinned and nodded to Amara, who clapped and said "I am Amara, new people. This is my little brother Feltano. Our papa is Scarran but mama is Kalish like you".

"This is why your brother made that noise earlier, perhaps?" Jannia asked Amara "Is that why you have stronger scaling on your faces and not just very fine scaling up around your hairline?"

Amara looked up at Harrigan, who nodded and said "That's right, you lot – these two are hybrids. Not mine, before you ask – one of our Captains".

"Hybrid is a special word" Amara told them, nodding seriously "It means my brother and I are a bit like mama and a bit like papa. We like that".

"It a good thing" Feltano added, then sniffed before adding "Think new Kalish our friends, big sister".

"Perhaps you would like to see our cargo?" Haresh suggested, pointing to his shuttle "We have brought samples of many things made on our homeworld – we know you do not use our currency, but we trade in crindars regularly for offworld business and we accept useful and interesting things in barter as well".

Harrigan just grinned and waved in the general direction of the shuttle – Haresh nodded and lowered the aft ramp remotely before calling "Come in and see, all of you".

"We come, we see!" Feltano replied immediately, clapping – everyone laughed, which Feltano loved, after which he climbed up Juroch's body and sat on his shoulders before lowering his hands either side of Juroch's head, shifting on, and calling "All OK, whis-per Scarran…"

They took half an arn to examine the cargo in detail – there proved to be gems, precious metals, electronic goods, some clothing in more general adult sizes ("None large enough for Scarrans" Haresh admitted regretfully) along with a few small arms.

"These will fetch serious crindars planetside, no problem" Harrigan told Haresh, examining Kalish-made pulse pistols of two sizes "All them raw materials too. The electronics will sell, but not quite so quickly unless someone's ship fell to pieces at the port".

"We are glad our world's goods are appreciated" Haresh replied happily "Do any of your crew wish to buy for themselves? We do not have clothing sized for the two children, but since you have Kalish on board they might like clothing made by their own people…".

"I will check my own credit balance…" Keyah replied "… and send for hard currency when I find things I like" before she asked Harrigan "Caseya would like to see what is here, as well as talk to the crew – could relief be arranged for her on the bridge, Commander?"

While Harrigan was arranging for a replacement comm officer, Talannah beckoned Amara over and asked her "Amara… can you mindtalk to your mother? Keyah thinks your mother will like to see the people and the things here".

"I do that!" Amara replied excitedly "We must go a bit further from big funny man because I cannot mindtalk close to him, auntie Talannah".

Harrigan grinned when he saw them moving off a little, after which Talannah asked "Now?"

"Now, auntie Talannah…" Amara agreed.

~It is me again, mama ((happiness, excitement))~ Amara called ~Big funny man says you can come and see the new ship and new people and new things, mama! He say new person come to bridge and then you come! ((excitement))~

~((confirmation, happiness, curiosity))~ Caseya managed to send back before the connection broke.

As soon as Shellek arrived on the bridge, Caseya ran for the transit platform and sent the car to the hammond flight deck at top speed – so it wasn't long before she arrived and Feltano turned before calling "MAMA HERE!" and pointing with his treblin hand toward the platform.

"Feltano!" Caseya called happily and gladly "Is Amara there as well? Are you both inside the shuttle?"

"We in here" Feltano confirmed, shouting back happily again "I on whisper Scarran, mama".

Caseya rushed past the new Kalish and hugged both her children, tickling them and enjoying their laughter before asking what they liked best so far – Amara just giggled and said she couldn't decide, but Feltano said "Like new captain, mama. He nice, mama. He like me and like Amara too. He called Ha-resh, mama".

Feltano didn't want to move from Juroch's shoulders, but Amara took hold of Caseya's hammond hand before the pair of them walked back out of the shuttle and Caseya smiled at the three Kalish standing before her.

"Thank you for coming…" she said a little hesitantly "Are you here to buy and sell? Are you here to find new friends? Might I help you in some way?"

"These are your children we see here today?" Haresh asked, smiling "I have three of my own, you know! All three are back with their mother on homeworld. My eldest son Basir is now 14 cycles, my daughter Sethunya is 7 cycles, and my youngest son Jaspar is just 3 cycles".

"I am seven cycles" Amara said, clapping "Is your daughter bigger or smaller than I am? Does she study well and help her mother like me?"

"She is smaller than you" Haresh replied "She studies very well and helps her mother at home – when she is not chasing her younger brother all over the walls and ceiling, of course…".

Amara laughed and clapped before telling him about happy playing times she shared with Feltano, after which Haresh took her hand gently in his own and asked "I think we should go in the shuttle again and find your brother, Amara".

"We do that, new captain" Amara replied.


"What th' pleebin' 'ell's this…" called one very annoyed Charrid " 'Nother one o' you lot from that battlegroup in orbit? Youse comin' in from other side! Why's that?!"

"I was simply told to come from this direction…" Trannak replied, improvising "If there is any reason for this, then I was not cleared to know it".

"One of them…" groused the Charrid "Pit K-12, that's inside the factory walls, I can make sure no one sees you who won't do what I tell 'em that way".

Once the Charrid discommed, Trannak told Hellbolt "Good news, we have a pit inside the factory complex – bad news, this landing officer or any free workers able to get to the pit will likely be watching us".

Trannak told Tareg as well, though he just nodded and replied "Say the word and I'll get the Bloodstars nullifying any and all targets of interest in microts".

"Certainly an option, Captain…" Trannak told him "but if my friends can get here not long after we land it will make our story more credible and give anyone around less time to ask questions".

Tareg turned to Karroch and asked "Well then? You know the people we have with us better than I do – what's the plan?"

"If Captain Trannak cannot go to collect his friends himself…" Karroch thought aloud "then I suggest we send Liz in our one Scimitar to collect them. Send two Bloodstars with her, just in case of emergencies… as long as Captain Trannak can maintain a clear comm connection to Liz we have as much chance to succeed as possible".

Liz felt a little queasy at the thought of how much mission success depended on her, but took a deep breath before saying "Suit's all good to go, I got spare packs for both pistols all loaded in – cloak should be good as well as long as nothing's failed in the flight here as well".

"Let's just hope you don't have to shoot anything" Trannak replied, smiling a little "I will be standing by to hear from you on comms, Liz – I'm sure my friends will want to talk to me for a few microts at least before coming with you, since I cannot come myself. Just make sure neither of them take too long, and make sure the two Bloodstars I'm sending with you are watching for potential enemies".

Liz nodded at the man and woman who had turned up beside her – the woman nodded back and said "You handle the driving an' the talking, Liz - Haffan and I will handle the shooting, if there is any". The look on her face told Liz that the Bloodstar woman hoped she would get the chance to shoot someone or something.

"Let's get strapped in, then" she decided "I'm not confident enough to scream out of the cargo deck at a hundred an' ten while we're still not landed, but I'll get us wherever Cap'n Trannak needs us to go-" before she turned back to Trannak and asked where that would be.

"I'll have to tell you once we're down" he sighed "simply because I don't know either. I'm uploading pics of Skroloth and Serila to your personal comm now – I don't know if that strange suit you're wearing can match their faces against the images, but if it can then do that and get me in contact so I can convince them you're with me".

As Hellbolt carefully brought the enormous bulk lander in to land, a few faces were seen looking out briefly from the factory complex before shutters came down over all the windows facing pit K-12.

"That Charrid's taking this seriously" Hellbolt told Trannak "Probably means he'll want a bribe… but that's Charrids for you…".

"A certain amount was budgeted for incentives" Trannak replied "but this will go a good deal smoother if I don't have to use that. If he thinks we're with the battlegroup in orbit, I'll see if he can slip our comparatively small requirements in among what's needed for the various ships – anything else might have to be considered as safety failures or something like that".

Hellbolt managed a comparatively soft landing, after which Trannak stepped out onto the pit floor – he wasn't wearing anything that could identify him as an Irregular, or even a member of the Kingdom, just generic Scarran special forces camouflage fatigues and the weapons that would identify him to a knowledgeable observer as a member of the elite Force Strangler units.

Trannak commed Skroloth as he watched a Charrid in an overseer's uniform walk across to the pit from a nearby factory block, asking "Where are you?"

Skroloth described a streetside eating house a few kilometras from the factory complex, adding "We can't get closer on foot – since factory security's not usually this tight, there must be a slave insurgency or extra guards laid on for some other reason".

Trannak told them about the battlegroup, which got Skroloth groaning and replying "That'd be why, then – some of the troops will be battlegroup infantry and not factory guards or local police, then. Ideas?"

"I am sending a Scimitar to collect the two of you" Trannak replied, describing Liz and the other two with her "The young woman is dressed in a strange combat suit, but she knows to let you make a brief comm call via her suit comm to me so you can verify she is one of mine".

"It'll have to do" Skroloth replied "Serila's seeing a few unwelcome visitors – tell your driver to hurry up, will you?"

"Punch it!" Trannak ordered Liz, getting Hellbolt to lower the ramp from the lander's bridge – while she may not have been as skilled as some of the other drivers in the Irregulars, she spun the rearmost four wheels before heading for the factory gates.

"Got some other business to take care of as well" Trannak told the overseer, waving a hand dismissively at the mess Liz made as she drove right through the barrier "The kind of business that won't wait. The kind I can't even tell the other officers on my ship about".

"Then don't tell me either!" the Charrid snapped "Th' less I know, the better! Now then, what is it youse be wantin' ?!"

"Five Scimitars" Trannak replied "Four Scorpions. Nothing more".

"That all?" the Charrid replied, surprised "Thought you'd be wantin' more than just that, though them Scorpions can carry a heavy load…".

"Product safety failure" Trannak snapped "Stuff we got shipped out with had multiple critical failures when we tested it – and that's more than I should be telling you!"

The Charrid groused and grumbled before barking for a Kalish to come – one came running out with commendable speed, standing beside the Charrid and waiting for orders.

"We got five Scimitars an' four Scorpions in good order we can get to this lot quick?" he snapped "Preferably in some way that won't get anyone asking questions".

"I see the officer's status as Force Strangler, sir" she replied, bowing briefly in Trannak's direction "For such important customers, I will camouflage his requirements among those for the battlegroup we are currently resupplying. I will not put more than one additional vehicle to each ship… thus they will simply assume a counting error from an assembly line overseer, and you can then use this as justification to remove those you consider to have outlived their usefulness".

A slave culling Trannak knew even if a small one. That, or this Charrid will use our presence to mask his ridding himself of any rivals for his position in the factory. Distasteful, certainly… but unfortunately useful in this case, and it will save a considerable amount of money, even after I bribe these two.

"Since you have a plan to provide what I need and secure your own positions at the same time…" Trannak said, directing both the Charrid and the Kalish to stand right in front of him "I'll give you a little something to make sure you keep your mouths shut – to anyone and everyone, I might add".

"We done that before" the Charrid replied "Even this one. She's a Kalish, she don't need so much – but we'll both be thankful for any loose change you can send our way, sir…".


Liz punched her destination into the navigation system while speeding down the street and trying not to crash into anything – local police weren't pleased at her erratic driving but also saw the Scimitar was Army-owned, and not local Army either, so they cleared people away as much as they could.

"They're going to call us in" Haffan called to Liz "I've tangled with police and Law Command often enough to know that. We keep moving and it won't matter, though".

"Call that through to Cap'n Trannak or Karroch" Liz decided, thinking fast "I know we got that new Captain with us too, but so far Karroch still commands you lot in red so he needs to know". The woman nodded and rumbled a little in approval at Liz's idea before doing just that.

"I hear you" Karroch replied calmly when he heard this latest development "These two friends of Captain Trannak must be retrieved, so tell Liz to keep going – and, since humans are the kind of people they are, be prepared to cover her if she decides to improvise. She spent a number of cycles around that grinning treznot my sister married as she grew up… I'm sure she learned something from that…now we just have to see what that was".

"Should be the place right up there!" Liz shouted, calling the comm code attached to Trannak's images before saying "Better get your eemas streetside, the pair of you – we got no watchers right now, but that don't mean there aren't any on their way!" and hauling the Scimitar around in a bootlegger's turn, hitting a lightpole and snapping it in half but keeping the Scimitar upright and at least mostly undamaged.

"Haffan, stay close to the wheel in case I gotta bolt" Liz called fast "Might not have time to reach the front – Yonna, keep your gun close at hand and keep an eye out for unwelcome locals!" before leaping out of the Scimitar and turning on the ident-match function of her suit systems and scanning the street.

Once she heard it call Match in its flat synthetic Nebari speech, she followed its directions and pulled the faceplate to one side before Serila shot her through it.

"Time to leave…" she hissed "Dunno if you got anyone on your tail in here, but I was a bit lead-footed on my way an' don't want the cops to give me a speeding fine. Not got any points left on my licence".

Serila growled irritably at Liz's incomprehensible slang, but Skroloth just said "If you got comm to my friend, put me through".

"I am here" Trannak said happily when he saw Skroloth's face in the small screen, watching Tareg and the few others with him stowing their vehicles on the lander after the factory drivers got out of them "Good to see you, my friend".

Skroloth described Liz's voice and her suit and her odd manner, and Trannak smiled before telling him "She is another friend of mine – not under my direct command, but of the same unit as me nonetheless".

Skroloth looked outside before signalling to Serila and calling "Looks like there's Law Command outside an' heading this way – so the decision's made for us, we have to move".

He looked out again before adding "Your odd friend just put a hole right through the window on a public transport shelter and the police officer behind it. Got to go".

Trannak discommed, sighed at the impetuosity of humans in general and the ones he knew in particular, before striding over to where Karroch and Tareg were securing a Scimitar to the deck and telling them "Liz has found my friends, you two – but either she started a firefight or someone started it for her. We need to prepare for a hostile exfiltration".

Captain Tareg just nodded, but Karroch suggested "Captain Tareg… can you get to the top of the factory wall and use your skills to watch for Liz's arrival? I don't know if you can protect their vehicle… but do so if you can. The sooner we have them safe on board, the sooner we can leave – especially now our two local friends have been paid".

Captain Tareg nodded – then blinked out of sight, reappearing on top of the wall facing Liz's last known location.


"Get on board!' Liz called over her shoulder, before sending a flurry of shots toward a police officer sheltering behind a low wall "I can't hold this lot forever!"

Serila ran for the open rear door to the Scimitar – the female Bloodstar just growled and barked "Strap in, this is going to get rough…" before doing her best to support Liz as Skroloth made his own way to the Scimitar.

"Get back here!" Yonna called to her "I'm right at the back door, we need our driver!" shortly before half a dozen shots from two separate directions hit Liz over her shoulders and neck.

"FEKKING FEKKING PLOK!" Liz screamed "Someone find the medkit by the time I get there, gonna need a little help to get us back…" before staggering a little, then running for the Scimitar herself and jumping aboard, adrenaline keeping her moving and not thinking about her injuries. She swallowed the pill Haffan gave her without even thinking about it – her eyes swam a little as it worked its way through her system, but she sped off as fast as she dared.


"Copy that, Haffan…" Trannak said before discomming."Those who we came for have been retrieved" Trannak told Karroch "but Liz started thinking like a human and not like a soldier and, from what Haffan says, took several hits before insisting she could still drive – the Scimitar's heading this way at fairly high speed and not in an entirely straight line".

"Humans…" Karroch sighed, after which he deployed the few Bloodstars he had to defensive positions and called Captain Tareg on his comm.

~I can see them, sir~ Tareg replied, mindtalking ~There's two Law Command APVs in pursuit, but I can handle those easily on my own~

Karroch smiled briefly before passing this news on to Trannak, including his guess that Tareg would use mentalism to keep the Law Command vehicles from interfering.

"If you wish to observe…" Trannak told him "…and Captain Tareg can show you what he does while still being able to maintain control… then you can watch".

~I can show you~ Tareg told Karroch, chuckling a little ~That won't even stretch my control a tiny bit, I can handle this without even stoneshifting ((certainty)) !~ before Karroch twitched a little as Tareg's mindlink brought him visual and audio of the pursuit.

He saw Liz drive into the compound through the wrecked gate she left by earlier… then saw both APVs lift up off the ground before being crushed, along with their occupants, into two small balls less than a fench in diameter before falling to the ground with a loud thump.

~No more Law Command ((satisfaction))~ Tareg reported a little smugly ~so no more problem~

"The Law Command threat has been nullified" Karroch told Trannak, who nodded and told him "Get your Bloodstars ready to board the lander as soon as Liz's Scimitar make it inside, mister! As soon as her vehicle is secured, we take off and head for home".

Liz's eyes were still swimming a little, in addition to her showing the other effects of her taking pain control medication designed for Scarrans, when she stepped out of the Scimitar in her modified Nebari sneaksuit that was very much the worse for wear. Trannak looked at her briefly before ordering her out of the suit and roughly but effectively making sure she wouldn't die from her injuries.

"I can't give you anything to put you to sleep" he told her as he helped her up to the upper deck "Who knows what that'll do to a human, especially one that's probably under the influence of far too much pain medication already… so you just have to eat and stay awake. Nrakal can scream at both of us when we get back, but at least you'll be alive to hear it even if you might end up with a permanent scar or two".

Hellbolt let out a few inventive Nebari swearwords before starting to step out of the pilot's chair to check on her – but Karroch waved him down and said "Get us airborne, mister Hellbolt… the sooner we're out of here, preferably without that dreadnaught sending something after us, the better off we'll all be".

The takeoff was as rough as Trannak's medical care but just as effective, so the bulk lander was well out of atmosphere and then outsystem with only a few hits along its hull.


Caseya headed straight to the bridge, both children with her, when Trannak's call came through.

"I am here, Trannak!" she called happily "Our children are here! Are you well? Are your friends with you?"

"I am well" he confirmed "My friends are here. Liz had a slight case of … well, being a human, really… and trying to be everywhere and doing everything, so she's injured. But she's alive, even though she'll have a few nasty scars for a while since it's me that patched her up and not a proper doctor".

"We are here, papa" Feltano called, getting a soft rumble of happiness from Trannak "Big sister is here too. Mama is here. I at desk like I said".

"Well done, Feltano" Trannak told his son in praise "Your mama will be recording this call, so when I discomm you will tell your uncle the big funny man to come and hear it on your mama's own comm".

"I do that, papa" Feltano replied, nodding "There lots of goodgood stuff I tell you when you get back. Big sister tell you goodgood stuff then too".

Once Trannak discommed, Caseya walked her son through using her personal comm to call Harrigan – he watched and listened and pressed each button slowly and methodically in turn before nodding in satisfaction.

"Yep?" Harrigan called, after which Feltano said "It is me, it is Feltano. Captain papa just call. Mama re-cord it. You come and hear, un-cle big funny man?"

"On my way, little man" Harrigan told the young boy "You tell your momma that, mister. Be there in a sec" before discomming.

"Well done!" Caseya told her son in praise, with both her and Amara hugging him "You have told our commander what he needs to know, so now he will come and hear these new things himself!"

"I do goodgood…" Feltano replied, rumbling "Mama happy. Big sister happy. Big funny man happy. Goodee".

Feltano watched while Harrigan listened to the recording of the comm call, after which he curled up on his mother's lap and pulled her hands around him.

"Well, they did what they set out to do…" Harrigan said "even though Liz got a bit of a John Wayne complex there for a few momens. Thankfully she's still alive, and she'll have a few interesting scars to remind her to think straight next time – not to mention getting her dear ol' Dad lecturing her when she gets back. Once the doc's had a look at her, anyway".

"My Trannak will see to it that she is well" Caseya promised, smiling just a little "He has a provisional medical rating, Commander. Everyone will come back – if not quite in as good a state of health as they started, I admit…".

"I'm sure he will" Harrigan replied, grinning at Caseya's love for her husband "Hellbolt actually got some flying done without Rulok, Lirak, or me looking over his shoulder every microt as well – which I know he'll like…".

Caseya giggled a bit at that, which made Amara giggle as well, and that made Feltano wake up – he looked around, saw everyone else laughing, and giggled himself before clapping and asking "Time to go and see new Kalish people, big funny man? We go see them again? Auntie Keyah buy stuff? Mama buy stuff?"

"She might do" Caseya said "We will ask her and find out, yes?"

"We ask, mama" Feltano replied, nodding "We ask an' then we see…"


It took two days to get as far as the outsystem navigation satellites at Tal IV again, with Liz still not being in the best of health when they got there – although she could walk, and in a mostly-straight line as well, she was clearly both exhausted and lacking in energy.

"I'm OK for now, Cap'n T…" she insisted, grabbing hold of the bridge door to hold herself up "Least I know I'm still alive… something tells me I'm gonna be seein' too much of the inside of the sick bay when I get back, though".

"You'll be going straight to the sick bay" Trannak confirmed "Once we get past midsystem navsats I'm calling a medical alert through to the Havoc so either Moratha or Nrakal's there to get you to the sick bay for more careful attention than I had time to give you".

Liz sighed in resignation before grumbling in Nebari (which made Hellbolt chuckle a bit) and taking one of the two spare bridge seats – she did hiss in pain when she sat down a little too roughly, but Trannak told her "I can't risk giving you anything more, Liz – we only have pain medication designed for Scarrans with us, and the fewer chances there are for you to get addicted to that, the better".

"Someone help me down to the drop deck, then" Liz decided "I don't feel like being jolted around while the docs carry me down the stairs on a stretcher… it's bad enough standing up…".

Trannak called Captain Tareg, who nodded and used his mentalism to lift her and carry her down to the drop deck while keeping her level and steady.

"Feels weird when you do that" she told him once she felt the deck under her again "I know I'm being lifted, though by what I can't tell… but I can't see arms or hands".

"Some people don't always handle being moved by mentalism well" Tareg replied, nodding "At least with you your mind stays steady and there's no psychological backlash over being moved around by something you can't see" before standing beside her and waiting.


"Acknowledged…" Moratha told Trannak before discomming, after which she ordered Leasa and Darrek to the hammond side flight deck with a stretcher.

"On the way!" Leasa called "I was only reading medical texts in my quarters anyway, mother… has someone at least stabilised Liz's injuries?"

"Captain Trannak" Moratha told her "He has at least an unofficial medical rating – so Liz will be alive and stable, even though by the sounds of things she needs to get in the sick bay for us to have a more detailed look at her than the Captain has the equipment or skills to manage".

The microt Hellbolt had set the bulk lander back down in its place on the flight deck, the ramp was lowered – and Liz saw Moratha, Darrek, and Leasa charging up it towards her.

"Stay still…" Leasa cautioned her as the other two assembled the stretcher "We're taking you straight to sick bay… mother will probably want to talk to Captain Trannak, but everyone else can go back to quarters".

"No one's going anywhere just yet…" Sturk told the rest of the expedition "We get our new vehicles put away all nice an' neat first… you two new ones, stay by Captain Trannak for now…".

"The Commander will come and talk to you soon" Trannak told Skroloth and Serila, after which he smiled briefly before adding "Perhaps someone else you know may come as well. He will ask you basic questions about your skills, and then more involved ones about how loyal you will be to the unit and to him. Since there's still some rations, you can eat while he questions you – our Commander won't mind that, he knows our journey was not an easy one".

"This hangar is very large" Serila said, looking around "I see large numbers of mark-2 Strykers, a few Raiders, quite a number of landers like this one as well as the smaller assault models… and that Switchblade. I can't see any military ident code or divisional serial number on it".

"We don't have external markings on our craft" Trannak told them "Not like that, anyway. Some of our pilots paint kill markings and their callsign under the bridge window on their personal Strykers…".

Skroloth laughed at that, which alerted Harrigan as he arrived at the transit platform – he and Talannah picked up the pace and ran over to Trannak.

"Liz all sorted out, mister?" Harrigan asked, and Trannak nodded before telling him "Medical staff have already come to collect her, sir – even before you arrived. She should be in sick bay by now, where she'll get better care than I could manage on the way…".

"Without that she's have been in a far worse state" Harrigan reminded him "so you were in the right place at the right time. Don't worry about it" – after which he saw Serila and Skroloth sitting on the deck and asked "Who're these two? Your two friends you went out to get?"

"They are" Trannak confirmed, before introducing them – Skroloth's easy manner got a grin out of Harrigan, but Serila was still a little twitchy.

"Surprised you don't recognise me, you two" Talannah said "I wouldn't have thought becoming a mother had changed me that much!"

"What the plok…" Serila said "Where the hezmana are we?"

"I thought you'd recognise my grinning mug before Tal's!" Harrigan laughed "I'm probably on every wanted poster between here an' the other side of the galaxy by now" before he told them both who he was – Serila did growl a bit, but said "I really don't know what you're doing here, Trannak… but I'll stay if your big man here will give his word not to just kill us".

"That's Captain Trannak to you two" Talannah told them both "Trannak commands all our stealth specialists and major infiltrators".

"I know what the skulker corps is" Serila replied "I've seen the mil-intel archives, even though I've never seen anyone who's a part of it".

"Until now" Trannak reminded her, though Serila was stopped from saying anything else when Skroloth added "Well, my friend… you've certainly made a name for yourself here, however you got here. We gonna be with you an' yours?"

"I expect so" Trannak confirmed, after which a more familiar smaller face appeared from behind Harrigan's huge bulk.

"Heeheehee!" Harek called happily, clapping "Uncle Trannak is back!" before he leaped into Trannak's arms.

Trannak laughed and hugged Harek before putting him down again and telling him "We are back, yes – we brought some new things with us and these two new people, too. They used to work with me before I came here".

"New friends, then" Harek decided "They like me?"

"Come and see them" Trannak suggested "Ask your papa first".

"I ask papa" Harek confirmed before doing just that – Harrigan just said "Go on, son – your Mum an' I are watching you".

Harek looked at Serila for some microts and sniffed as well – Serila mistook the sniffing for illness and asked about it, though Harek replied "I'm good, new person, I'm not sick. I find people by smell like papa does. I can find you, now".

"That's a good skill" Skroloth told him, making him smile again and rumble happily "You're a big boy, you are – are you Scarran like me?"

Harek looked up at his father, so Harrigan said "Tal's his momma an' I'm his Dad – so Harek here's half-Scarran".

Serila looked again before nodding and saying "That explains why he has our ridging and skin tone, but his skin is a mix between a low-caste Scarran and whatever you are… sir".

"He gets his hair from his dear ol' Dad, too" Harrigan added "My son's facial shape's a bit like me an' a bit like his momma – which means he looks a bit more like me most of the time".

"New people hungry, papa" Harek said "They come to galley and eat, papa, if they're new friends" before he grabbed Skroloth's hand and tried to drag him to the transit stop.

Skroloth laughed at that, after which he got up to his feet and kept hold of Harek's hand – which got another rumble of happiness in return.

"Think you made a new friend, mister" Harrigan told Skroloth "My son seems to like you so far".

Despite Harrigan's easy manner, Skroloth understood that this also meant he had better stay friendly – that boy might be young, but his father's huge and he's in charge Skroloth realised If the boy's happy and laughing around me, both Serila and I should settle in a good deal easier.


"I here, papa!" Feltano called when Trannak commed Caseya "I not at desk, papa, I with mama an' big sister in the galley! It eating time for new Kalish people, papa! Lots of good stuff happen while you on mission, papa, so you come to galley where Amara and I will tell you about it!"

"There will be two new people for you to see" Trannak told his son, smiling as Feltano squeaked with delight and clapped "Two of my old friends. They will be sitting with us, Feltano".

"I tell big sister!" Feltano replied "Amara will like that very much too!" before Caseya said "We will all be waiting for you, Trannak – Hellbolt is half-asleep in his chair, but everyone else is here and awake".

Trannak explained about the Irregulars' multi-species membership to his friends as they travelled to the galley in a transit car, though Serila was more surprised that Trannak commanded most of the non-Scarrans himself.

"They may be a little unusual to you at first" he explained "but they are all useful in their own ways. Each one of them has useful skills - and will be quite friendly once they know you a little bit better and feel they can trust you".

Serila just stood and stared when Trannak lifted Caseya off the ground in a hug, rumbling loudly and happily – but Skroloth just grinned and laughed and called out in clear and slightly coarse street-level Kalish, which made Caseya laugh and Keyah grumble.

"Welcome to our table!" Caseya called out, still giggling a bit "All of those under the command of Captain Trannak sit here. We are still few in number, but as the humans among us say, 'Quality over quantity'".

"Heeheehee!" Amara called, turning to face her father from Juroch's lap "I am here, papa! Are these your friends, papa? Do they like you? Do they like us? What are they like, papa?"

"I am here too, papa" Feltano added, in Caseya's arms "I am with mama. I smell new Scarrans, papa. Are they friends, papa?"

Trannak introduced Skroloth and Serila to everyone – Amara just clapped and jumped onto Skroloth's lap as soon as he sat down, tickling him and playing with him, while Serila looked around at everyone.

Feltano looked back at her, rumbling softly before telling her "You look at stuff like me, new person Se-rila. You do sneaky stuff like papa and mama and big sister and me?"

Serila thought how best to answer, after which she nodded and said "I do, yes. I am a technical and electronics specialist. I fix things and make things work how we need them to work".

Feltano thought about that for almost five momens, after which he said "You see Tovak friend after eating, then".

Harrigan welcomed everyone back from the mission – he did reveal Skroloth's and Serila's presence, which drew much interest, though he also made sure people wouldn't be hostile and would only talk to them after the meal.

"It's our three guest Kalish's eatin' times today, it seems…" Harrigan added, grinning "so they get to go in the queue right after the mothers with children. After that our two new buddies can come up" before calling out "You gonna show 'em the stuff, Amara?"

"I do that, uncle big funny man!" Amara replied loudly and happily, clapping "They come up with their new friend Amara and I show them all the food!"

Skroloth grinned when he saw Keyah was there, and again when he looked at Caseya, before saying "Looks like you came 'round to my way of thinking, Trannak… I always was telling you how nice Kalish women are, wasn't I?"

"You were" Trannak agreed, grinning back "I'm sure you'll find time to tell all the skulkers here some of your stories, too!" before relaxing and moderating his grin to a smile, then adding "I did not set out to find a Kalish wife, old friend… but I found Caseya anyway, and we have made a good life and family together here on this ship, as you an see. She loves me… I love her… and our two dear children love us both".

Amara dragged Skroloth out of his seat again, with Serila following behind him, before heading to the queue and explaining in her happy child's speech how the queueing system worked and how certain people went first. Skroloth just grinned at her and tickled her, and Amara's loud laughter alerted Troll's three girls, and their laughter woke up their two brothers – though not even Garakk made too much noise this time.

"New people, Amara" Tabitha called "Are they new friends, Amara? Papa shoot them with new stuff?"

"Your papa not shoot them, Tabitha" Amara told her, shaking her head "They are new friends. They have no special stuff so you can smell them".

That news worked its way around to all three girls swiftly, so they all came over to Skroloth and Serila to find out for themselves.

"We smell them" Sherenka stated, nodding "I smell them" before she decided "If Amara say they friends then they friends. Papa shoot them if they not friends".

"Your papa not shoot them, Sherenka" Amara insisted, waving a finger under Sherenka's nose "You an' Martha an' Tabitha not shoot them! That's an order!"

"We not do that, then" Sherenka replied, nodding before telling her sisters "Amara give us orders, sisters. We not shoot new people with special stuff" before she asked "They like you, Amara?"

"They like me an' Feltano and mama and papa" Amara replied "They know papa before he come here to big home ship".

"That good then" Sherenka decided "They eat lots here with us" before looking at Serila and telling her "There good Scarran food here and there good food that not Scarran too. There lots. You and other new friend have some" before Urana called the three of them back to her – just in time for the two boys to realise there were new people there.

"We will see them after they've eaten, you two…" Troll told his sons "You go back to sleep, I'll wake you up when we get back to the table with our food an' your bottles".

"This entire place is strange" Serila told Skroloth "We appear to have been allowed to stay simply because Trannak vouches for us. There are people of several species here. There are children who are hybrids".

"Least they're well behaved" Skroloth replied "Don't worry about the other stuff. The narls like me, they even like you…".

"Trannak's children are half-Kalish…" Serila sighed "They will crawl over us and climb on us and ask us question after question…".

"That just means they like us an' trust us" Skroloth reminded her as his turn at the counter came up "Don't worry about it. If they do that it means we're settling in properly".

Serila thought about that, then nodded and replied "It does. If the children like us, that should mean their parents will start to trust us – and that means our position and welfare here is assured".

Amara clapped when Skroloth ordered scorcher.

"Troll man likes that lots!" Amara said, nodding "It's his favourite at First Meal! He says it helps him wake up!"

Skroloth tickled Amara again, making her shriek with laughter, before putting a big bowl of scorcher on his tray – he smiled when he saw Kalish food, but started his meal with Scarran dishes. Serila questioned Moratha for some momens about the Kalish food, not knowing what it was or what was in it – but she nodded when she was told, deciding "I will try those things. I have not done so before. If they are nutritious, it's worth the risk of trying something strange…".

Skroloth smiled and chatted to Haresh and especially to Jannia and Ellku – when they did not seem afraid of him and actively seemed curious about him, he grinned briefly before sitting beside them at their table.

"You come and sit with us again, new Se-rila friend?" Feltano asked "New Sko-loth friend sit with Kalish friends. You come and sit with us?"

Serila wondered how she should deal with this, especially since some of the other skulkers were watching, and decided I will sit with this child, since he is one of Trannak's children and he thinks I am his friend. Trannak will be pleased his child likes me and so, I think, will these others before correcting Feltano's pronunciation of Skroloth's name – Feltano rumbled briefly before repeating Skroloth's name several times until Caseya told him "Correct, Feltano… well done".

Feltano's sensitive nose picked up the smell of bouhl and treel and vrine and he smiled and clapped before saying "New friend got Kalish food, mama! I smell it!" and climbing over to sit on Serila's lap.

"I do Kalish trick and stay on" he assured her when Serila felt him shifting to her and looked down at him "You use both hands and eat. You hungry, I sure". To Serila's surprise, Feltano actually told her the order to eat Kalish dishes in – Juroch rumbled very softly before explaining reason for this to Serila, who just shrugged but ate in the order she was told anyway.

The grinning one likes Kalish women, that much is certain Juroch decided as he ate his own meal which I expect is why he learned to at least speak the Kalish language… but he speaks it clearly and without too much of an accent. He treats Jannia and Ellku well, he does his best to help them feel welcomed and at ease before smiling briefly at how Skroloth was telling them jokes and making them laugh.

Once the meal was over, Caseya asked Trannak "Even though both Keyah and I have bought a few things for ourselves, could we not bring Captain Haresh to see my family's shop? They will appreciate the chance to have their products sold by their own people here, I am sure…".

"I'm sure they will" Trannak replied, smiling "I haven't seen your family for some time, either – I'm sure they will like to see Feltano and Amara again" – though he said this within earshot of Tabitha, who promptly ran back to her own family and told them what she had heard.

"We go too?!" Tabitha asked hopefully and very excitedly " We haven't seen auntie Caseya's family before! Can we go and see, mama?!"

"At least one of you should stay and help me with your brothers" Urana replied "since your father will be needed to do work around the ship and cannot stay all day with me. The three of you should decide who will stay".

After about ten momens, Sherenka told Urana "Martha an' I stay with you, mama. Tabitha go with uncle Trannak an' auntie Caseya. She come back and tell us all about it after".

Tabitha giggled at being singled out for special favour like this, though Troll lifted up his youngest daughter and asked "Do you want to go, Tab? You'll need to be good for your uncle Trannak and auntie Caseya – and neither your momma or your sisters or brothers will be with you – not even your Dad".

"I be good, papa" Tabitha replied, nodding "I be safe if uncle Trannak an' auntie Caseya there. I tell you all the good stuff when I come back".

Tabitha walked across the galley, waving and giggling to people she knew on the way – and heard Feltano and Amara telling their own parents about what happened when Trannak was away on his recent mission.

"I been playing with Amara and Feltano then" Tabitha said, nodding "Sisters play then too. Brothers not play yet, they still new" before telling Trannak what her own parents had decided.

Trannak lifted Tabitha up to his shoulder for a hug, which she loved and rewarded with loud rumbling, before telling her "You can come with us, Tabitha – but only because your mother and father said you can. You did the right thing and asked them first".

"Tabitha come with us?!" Amara almost shrieked in delight, and when Trannak nodded Amara shrieked again before telling Tabitha about Caseya's parents and brother in great detail.

"There is a trading concern owned by our people on this world?" Haresh asked with interest when he was told about this "This will certainly be welcome news to the Kalish of my own world when I return there!"

"My family have a shop on the planet below us" Caseya confirmed proudly, nodding "They even have a small blast pit of their own at the back of it, did you know that? I expect your shuttle will fit in it easily".

Haresh had to separate Skroloth and Jannia, but smiled and only did so briefly while he told her and Ellku about selling their trade goods at a Kalish-owned business locally.

"We should do this" Ellku replied when Haresh asked her about it "I am sure there would be many trading concerns willing to sell what we have for us… but it would be best to use one owned and run by our own people where possible. Our trading houses back home will feel better about this and their shareholders will then be much more likely to respond favourably to sending more goods here".

"Your own mother is on the board of directors of one of those trading houses…" Jannia said, grinning a bit – Ellku just smiled before replying "Your own family is well-connected in their own house as well… even if they are not in management. Both our houses will benefit".

"Less business talk and more friendship and exploration, I think" Captain Haresh decided "We will fly down to this shop and see for ourselves what it is like, and we will speak to the owners while we are there. I would appreciate the chance to explore the main trading areas of this world as well… but I do not know if Captain Trannak will want to go to them while he has both his own children with him as well as being trusted to look after someone else's".

"We can safely go to the central part of Market Street" Trannak explained "North End is safe, but only the richer travellers generally go there".

"Have you gone there before?" Ellku asked, and Trannak nodded and smiled before saying "There are two places we go if we go there – not shops, but tourist locations which both my children find interesting. Tabitha here has not seen either one yet".

Tabitha's eyes opened wide in delight before asking several times if they would be going to either of these new places.

"We will see, Tabitha…" Caseya told her, grinning at Tabitha's excitement "You have not seen my family's shop before, or my parents and brother! There will be a lot for you to see and tell your family about".

Tabitha just rumbled again before giggling and leaning on Trannak's shoulder.

"Serila, Skroloth…you're coming too" Trannak ordered, before telling Caseya "Both of them are safe around your family, Caseya…you need not worry about that. Despite her manner, Serila knows her own welfare is contingent on how others here come to think of her – so she will do well, despite much of how we do things here being very strange to her right now".

"We are clearly well-supplied with food here" Serila replied practically "That is one potential problem solved. Spending time on the planet below will show us how well respected the people of this unit are, Captain Trannak – and how much trust here we really have".

Trannak explained about the arbitration patrols many of the unit did as part of the contract for planetary security – Serila was very surprised, but nodded and said "We must be careful, then – if our duties include law enforcement, then I think we should simply watch and listen until we learn more about what is legal here and what is not".

Troll and Urana brought their whole family over to see Tabitha before they left – Tabitha hugged everyone, promising to tell them about everything she saw and heard, after which the three girls walked over to see Skroloth and Serila again.

"I seen you in queue" Sherenka said, nodding "You got same food papa likes, new man Scarran. You got Kalish food, new lady Scarran. Kalish food goodgood, I had it before. Not had hothot food papa like, it's not for small people".

"Scorcher's not for narls" Skroloth confirmed "It's nice now and again, though. For all that I like Kalish foods… some of my favourites are actually Charrid. I'd not suggest narls eating those either, but that's not because they're hot…" before grinning again.

"We eat them when we older, then" Sherenka decided "We eat all food".

Garakk peeked out from under his blanket – Feltano immediately clapped and alerted everyone that Garakk was watching them before asking Troll to lift him up so Garakk could see him. Troll smiled and did that, and Feltano rumbled for him and Garakk before stroking Garakk's ridges and testing his carapace – Garakk's new eyes followed him as he did that, and the feel of Feltano poking his carapace made him giggle and caused Alphak to look around as well.

"Alll-phak…" Feltano cooed before rumbling very softly – Alphak smiled, but watched closely as Feltano stroked his ridges and tested his carapace, after which he reached out and grabbed Feltano's treblin hand and poked and tested him as well.

"Alphak likes me" Feltano reported to everyone else "See? He look and he tests and he sees and then he knows it me".

"He does" Juroch agreed "You can help me teach him interesting things when he is older, I think".

"I help…" Feltano replied "I teach… Alphak friend learn… goodee…".

Once Alphak had been persuaded to let go of Feltano, Caseya's family all headed to the transit platform, where they caught a transit car to the hammond side flight deck.

"Ship know it me here" Amara confirmed when Skroloth asked how the car responded to her voice "My voice in ar-kyve. When little brother is older his voice will go in the ar-kyve. Your voices go in ar-kyve soon too".

Feltano smiled and rumbled when Skroloth lifted him up, though Serila was very surprised when Amara came over to sit with her – though less so when Amara started asking questions.

"I expected you to ask questions, Amara" Serila said "You are half-Kalish. Kalish people talk a lot and ask questions about anything and everything whenever they can".

Amara did just that over the whole journey to the flight deck, where she pointed to the Kalish shuttle and said "We go flying in that, new auntie Se-rila. Captain Haresh and Ellku and Jannia go at front and we go in back with stuff".

"We will sit on crates for the short flight" Serila replied "There will be room for us all to sit, since our leader bought some of the raw materials for use here".

Trannak sent Caseya forward to take care of launch protocol, so it wasn't long before Amara clapped and said "We are in space now – I feel it!" before laughing and releasing her shift to the floor so she floated around the shuttle's cargo bay.

"Floating!" Tabitha called, clapping "I do that?"

"Not here" Caseya told her "Perhaps another time in one of our own ships. Not everyone likes floating, Tabitha – it can make some people sick".

"It won't do that with me" she insisted "I have special stuff from mama and papa like my sisters do and my new brothers do" but reluctantly agreed to the prohibition on zero-gravity movement.

"What's that noise?" Tabitha asked a few momens later.

"Landing pads comin' down, little girl" Skroloth replied "Like feet for ships. When they're landed, the landing pads hold 'em up. When they're flying, the landing pads fold away inside the hull".

"New noise" Tabitha announced "New stuff to tell sisters and brothers".

It took a few momens for Caseya to get the flight controller to clear them to the Duleno private blast pit, but once they had the landing proceeded without further interruption.

"What that?!" Tabitha asked as the ship landed "I hear it and feel it!"

"We have landed on this planet, Tabitha" Trannak told her "Sometimes the thump of landing is loud and strong, sometimes it is soft and light – it depends on who is flying and what the planet outside is like".

"You are the first of your sisters and brothers to be on a real planet, Tabitha" Amara told Tabitha, clapping "Planets are fun. Lots to do and see. Lots of people and things and ships".

"There is a young boy of our people standing at the door of the building close by" Jannia reported "Who is he?"

"That is my brother Devin" Caseya replied "You have not seen him before. He will probably bombard all three of you with questions once he sees you" before turning to Skroloth and Serila and adding "He will ask you questions as well once he knows you are friends of Trannak and are safe".

"Big sister!" Devin called excitedly, running over to hug Caseya "You have come to see us again! Is Amara here?! I heard you have another child now but I have not seen them yet".

"I do" Caseya replied proudly "I will show him to you and mother and father when we are inside your dwelling. It is a little cool today and Scarrans do not like it when the weather is cool".

"I am Tabitha" Tabitha announced, standing beside Trannak "My papa and mama and brothers and sisters are still on big home ship. I come here and see and tell them stuff when I go back".

Devin knelt down to look at Tabitha, which she loved – she shrieked happily when Devin identified her as half-Scarran as well, and that brought Caseya's mother to the door.

"Devin…" she called "Come back inside, young man!"

"I am here, mother" Caseya called "Trannak is here. Amara is here – and we have a new child who you have not seen before. May we come in and bring our friends with us? Two of them are new to where we live but know my Trannak from before they came here".

"Come in and sit" Caseya's mother encouraged them all "The weather today is not the best for Scarrans, I do know that – and we keep climate control in our dwelling to Kalian standard, which I expect you will find more comfortable".

Caseya's mother introduced her husband and herself by name, along with Devin, after which she apologised for lack of seating.

"We will sit on the floor" Serila replied "Neither myself nor Skroloth mind. This floor is carpeted and so is more comfortable".

Caseya's mother greeted the three Kalish more warmly, after which Captain Haresh said "We thank you for your welcome, Maranno Duleno… it is good to see our people do well here. I have a business venture to discuss with you… but we will all wait and relax a while first, I think".

"New Kalish, uncle Trannak" Tabitha said, pointing to Caseya's mother "I have not seen her before, she smells new".

"That is your aunt Caseya's mama" Trannak told Tabitha "I'm sure she likes you and is very curious about you".

Tabitha looked up as Maranno bent down to look at her, and smiled as she was asked questions about her hair and her size and if she was half-Scarran like Amara.

"I half-Scarran like Amara" Tabitha confirmed "My papa human and my mama Scarran. Mama and papa both got special stuff which is why I'm big. Got hair from papa. Mama not got any hair".

"We have guests?" Feltano asked when he heard the commotion in the lounge. He smiled when he saw Caseya and Trannak there, Amara as well – but was more wary about Skroloth and Serila until Trannak told him "They are old friends of mine, Mr Duleno. They are safe in your dwelling and your shop".

"Ah, other Kalish as well!" he said more happily, before asking how Kalian fared – he was very surprised indeed, though also exceptionally curious, when Haresh revealed they did not live there.

"We have brought things from our world in our ship" Haresh told him "Samples of what we make where we live. I was told about your shop, so I asked to come and see it in case you might wish to become our major agent for our world's goods".

Caseya's father grinned at how much money the shop would make as the exclusive agent for an entire world, even if only on a low level.

He was about to usher Haresh and the two women to the front of the shop – but he saw young Feltano poking at the furniture and asked "Who is that child, Caseya?"

"Father, mother…" Caseya replied, smiling and bowing slightly "Allow me to introduce you to our son, Feltano Lirak Duleno. He is a little over four cycles old now. We have been busy with work or we would have brought him to see you sooner".

"A new son…" Caseya's father said, looking at him "One named after me as well! He is handsome already, which must be one reason he was named after me…".

"New Kalish, mama" young Feltano told Caseya "Not smell him before. Not smell lady Kalish before. Who are they?"

Caseya identified each of them for him – he smiled and rumbled when he heard they were his grandma and grandpa, after which he climbed up his namesake grandparent's leg and sat around his waist. He giggled and laughed when Devin was introduced as his uncle, saying "Orange grandpa…orange grandma… orange uncle… goodee…".

Tea was brewed and poured for everyone, which went some way to helping Serila settle down – Skroloth thanked Mrs Duleno for his in Kalish, which made her smile, after which he stretched out on the carpet. Tabitha took that as permission to climb on him, which she promptly did – she poked at his uniform a bit before crawling up his chest to look at his face.

"Uncle Trannak friend" Tabitha decided "We hear that before. You all warm so I sit on you. You don't have hair like me".

"Your're half-Scarran, little girl" Skroloth replied "I'm all-Scarran. Not many Scarrans have hair, and those that do don't always have very much".

Caseya's father passed his grandson to his grandmother, after which he accompanied Haresh, Jannia, and Ellku into the front part of the shop – Amara, of course, heard everything and passed it on to everyone.

"I hear most stuff" Tabitha added "Not all stuff".

"You get better when you are older" Amara promised her "More practice, like uncle big funny man say. The same for your sisters and brothers".

"I tell them about that later" Tabitha replied "This good. I have stuff to tell sisters and mama and papa already".

Caseya's father called for Devin to come and help fetch and carry when he and the other Kalish came back to the dwelling, though Skroloth volunteered himself and Serila too. Young Feltano and Tabitha watched the unloading, with Feltano shifting to the ceiling and calling out what he could see to Tabitha so she didn't miss out – Amara stayed at ground level with Tabitha, which Caseya could tell she appreciated since every few momens Tabitha would rumble and give Amara a hug.

"All people like you here, Tabitha" Amara assured her friend "They talk to you and give you hugs and play with you too".

"They move stuff" Tabitha replied "Where does it go?"

"It goes in the shop, Tabitha" Amara replied, nodding "Orange grandma and orange grandpa sell stuff there. They sell new stuff there too. Bigbig boxes go in store and orange grandpa and uncle Devin get stuff out later to sell".

Tabitha didn't entirely understand about shops, so Amara did her best to explain for her while Caseya listened and helped.

"Goodee" she decided "Papa and mama do missions for money, orange friends sell stuff for money. Now I know. I tell sisters later".

"We are going to Market Street for a while" Trannak told Caseya's father "Mostly to show my old friends how things work here. Maybe to get Tabitha a gift if she is good and we see something she likes….".

Tabitha shrieked very loudly indeed with excitement at that before leaping up into Trannak's arms.

"I get thing if I'm good?" she asked "How do I know if I'm good enough to get thing? You tell me?"

"I will tell you or Amara's mama will tell you" Trannak assured her "You have been very good so far, Tabitha – especially with helping my two friends there be happy".

Tabitha's large size got quite a few women, both with and without children, asking about her – some were surprised when Tabitha revealed her hybrid ancestry, but most of them talked to her and all of them looked at her with interest, which Tabitha loved and rewarded with happy rumbles.

"Definitely Scarran" one woman told her mate "The rumbling proves it".

"The skin's different…" her mate replied, looking at Tabitha himself "but the narl herself said she's hybrid, so I'm guessing that's a bit of both sides".

Tabitha giggled and clapped when the transport crawler they were in stopped at Market Street.

"Lots of new smells!" she called to Caseya "So many smells! What are they?"

Caseya explained about the foods and drinks for sale around them, and about how different species of people smelled different – Tabitha looked on and listened with amazement and awe, listening closely when Feltano asked questions about things he saw or smelled and got answers.

"You help me tell sisters all this new stuff later, Feltano?" Tabitha asked hopefully "They like that, I sure".

"I help tell Sherenka and Martha new stuff" Feltano replied.

The group headed north. Barely a few metras went by without either Feltano or Tabitha asking about some interesting thing or person they saw or smelled – at Trannak's suggestion, Serila and Skroloth explained what a lot of them were and got happy claps or hugs from both Tabitha and Feltano.

The girl is interesting Serila decided Her father is that easily excitable one with five children. We saw all five children before we landed here. Since this one has a more exploratory nature than many Scarrans, I would think she learned that from her father.

They encountered a few standard security patrols, which made Skroloth and Serila tense until they realised Trannak was simply introducing them and not turning them in – news eventually made its way around security comms, because other security patrols they encountered walked over to see them for themselves. Trannak made a game of this for the children by asking them to tell him interesting things they saw about any new person who came over to see them.

As they came closer to the food market sector, Amara sniffed, clapped, then called "PALIKKA! TALIAN! IT IS AMARA HERE!" at the top of her voice.

"Find them, Amara" Trannak encouraged her happily "Lead the way! Tell Feltano and Tabitha how you do this so they can learn!"

Skroloth and Serila watched with interest as Amara led the way, with Serila nodding approval when Amara sent back clear hand signals.

"She means either of her parents when she uses that signal on a family gathering" Trannak laughed when Amara gave the signal requesting an officer come forward "Here, it probably means she is close enough to identify the friend she found earlier by sight instead of smell".

"Our new friends are well-respected here" Jannia told Captain Haresh as they walked "This is good. Our goods can be sold here easily – and should we send other ships this way later, they can be assured of a safe welcome".

"They have a number of very interesting ships, both small and large" Ellku added "Would we be offered the chance to buy for ourselves – if not entire ships, then some of the more interesting systems aboard?"

"I will certainly ask" Haresh replied "That large grey ship in their flight deck is most unusual and I know our orbital factories would love to be able to look at its blueprints or its actual structure themselves. Perhaps we may learn more things to improve our own ships with from it".

Further speculation was cut off when Amara ran ahead and greeted Palikka and her two children loudly and happily, after which she started chattering and waving her arms about and getting very excitable indeed.

"New friends, Amara?" Talian asked "Scarran friends and Kalish friends? It safe for Ellia? It safe for mama?"

"It is" Caseya confirmed when she caught up to them "Come and see".

Once Palikka had finalised her current purchase, she and Ellia carried their shopping with them to where Trannak and the others were walking towards them. Skroloth and Serila were introduced first, and Skroloth eased tensions nicely by complementing Palikka's children in Kalish.

"You speak our language well" Palikka told Skroloth in praise "You do not even have the trace of Scarras Prime accent Caseya's husband has" before introducing Ellia and Talian. Ellia smiled and responded politely and easily to both Skroloth and Serila, but Talian would not come close to them until he saw Amara climb up and sit on Skroloth's shoulders.

"Heeheehee!" Talian called, before climbing up Skroloth's leg and chest and chattering to Amara at shoulder level until Palikka called him back down.

"He may be a friendly Scarran, Talian…" she reminded her son "but even friendly Scarrans cannot carry two big children like you and Amara for very long" after which she saw Tabitha.

"Who are you…" Palikka asked with interest "I have never seen a child like you before! Are you like Amara?"

Tabitha knew what that meant and nodded, saying "Mama a Scarran and papa a human, new person. That mean I'm a hybrid – that's a special word that means I have things from more than one kind of person" after which she remembered Feltano's presence and pointed to him, adding "There Feltano. He is Amara's brother. Have you seen him before?"

All Palikka's family were amazed to see Feltano, who clearly knew it by the way he played and smiled for attention and rumbled happily when he received it.

"He's really Kalish as far as that goes, Serila…" Skroloth laughed "I've seen a few Kalish narls before, and they're all like that".

"I saw two when you were there" Serila reminded him "Their parents were so surprised we would not hurt their children that they called for every member of their families with children to bring them out to see us. It took almost an arn to stop the smallest ones climbing on us".

"It's fun when they do that" Skroloth replied, smiling "You can feel them shifting to your back as they climb up or climb down, you see their smiling happy faces when they look at you and ask you even the simplest questions. I remember the time you mean – those narls were so excited to see Scarrans who were nice to them an' their parents that they climbed all over us an' hugged us and asked us all kind of stuff. They even got me to stand there while they decided how many of them could shift to me at once while I was still able to move afterwards!"

Talian heard that and promptly climbed up to sit on Skroloth's treblin hip, after which he called Amara up as well. He called to Tabitha, thinking she might be like them in that way – when Tabitha, a little sadly, replied "I not do that trick, new boy, I don't have Kalish bits in me", Talian asked Skroloth to lift her up and carry her so she could come and see him as well.

"Just for a momen or two, young man" Skroloth told Talian "Three big children like you might be too much for me and make me fall down…".

Serila snorted but Skroloth laughed and lifted Tabitha up to sit on his hammond hip – she poked and prodded Talian a bit, which made Palikka wary until Talian said "She has not seen someone like me before, mama, except Amara!"

"I should get this food back to our dwelling" Palikka said when she managed to convince Talian to climb off Skroloth "Thank you for introducing your new friends, but this food should be refrigerated before it spoils".

"Do we have a vehicle spare, Captain?" Serila asked Trannak "Traffic conditions here at the microt are very tight – I know it might be a lot to ask, but if we have a functional Scimitar or Scorpion…".

"We have one Scimitar and two Scorpions" Trannak told them "over and above the ones we brought back with you. I think Palikka and her children would like to ride in a Scorpion – and we will have plenty of room for our Kalish guests as well. I will ask one of Amara's favourite Scarrans, one she calls 'whisper Scarran', to bring one down".

Feltano clapped when he heard Juroch would be coming – when the Scorpion finally arrived it caused no small amount of surprise and a little fear as well, but Palikka smiled and straightened her stride as she was ushered up the assault ramp and inside the vehicle.

"Greetings and salutations…" Juroch called in Kalish "I am Master Rank One Juroch, and Captain Trannak here is my captain. The one in the turret control chair is Captain Tareg, and he is from the same world as me".

"Captain Tareg is a friend" Tabitha said immediately "He give orders to my papa. He let me climb on him".

"Do not climb on the Captain while he sits at the turret, children" Juroch cautioned them "The turret controls this vehicle's guns. These are dangerous".

Once all the shopping was aboard, Juroch asked where they would be going – Palikka smiled and gave directions to their dwelling block, where security was again surprised that the Scorpion would use the roof landing pad instead of parking outside at ground level.

Tareg climbed out of the Scorpion with them, smiling when he felt the odd but fresh air of Tal IV on his skin again – only when he heard Talian's shriek did he remember he had stoneshifted where they could see him.

Amara, Talian, and Feltano had already raced up to shoulder level by then, so Trannak lifted Tabitha up so she could be with the other children.

"How does he do that?" Ellia asked, when Palikka called her away from study over the comms "I have never heard of Scarrans being able to do that before! Scarrans can be very frightening, mother… but when we find friendly ones that know Amara they can be some of the most amazing and friendly people, too…".

Tareg rumbled before giving a very brief explanation about stonewalkers for them, which included a very brief mindtalking when Talian and Ellia refused to stop asking about that.

~I listen, mama~ Amara told Caseya when Tareg stopped ~I hear Talian and Ellia in my head too, mama ((amazement, happiness))~

"Go ahead, Amara…" Caseya encouraged her "Talian and Ellia know you… they will like you talking in their heads, I know it…".

Amara promptly showed off by linking Tareg, Caseya, Talian, Ellia, and Palikka all together at once – all of them were amazed yet again, though Amara made sure to add "You give hugs and cuddles to Tabitha and Feltano too! They cannot mindtalk because they have more special things in than me".

Both children loved the extra hugs and cuddles from Palikka's family – after that, everyone helped carry the shopping to Palikka's dwelling and saw it put properly away.

Harkino came inside the dwelling himself, a little tired after work – he was both surprised and a little afraid to see so many Scarrans there, more so that Tareg was still in stone form inside the house, but relaxed a little when Talian leapt into his arms and told him every little detail.

"We are heading North" Trannak told him "Perhaps you and your family would like to come with us? We have a large vehicle on the roof, it can easily fit you and your family in as well as us".

"A Scorpion, my husband!" Palikka said smugly "I was seen by many putting our eating time foods in it and climbing inside safely with our children! They used its flying mode to bring us up to the roof!"

"We do not have a lot of currency spare to be going North…" Harkino said, but Caseya smiled and said "We will be covering expenses, Harkino – we are going to a building with a pool for swimming in! There is much to do there even if you do not wish to swim or cannot do so as well!"

Trannak arranged for a permanent pass for Palikka and her family, for which they didn't stop thanking him for more than ten momens – both Palikka and Ellia giggled again when Skroloth spoke to them in their own language, though Harkino watched him closely.

"They are quite safe…" Serila told him, grumbling a little "Skroloth is quite trying in a number of ways… but he would never think of hurting women of your people" before she added "He's seen the look on your face before, too… he won't get too close to someone else's spouse either, if that's what concerns you".

"It was, to be honest" Harkino admitted, before he looked down to see Tabitha asking him if he could swim.

"I can…" he replied, before asking her name – when she told him, he smiled and lifted her up slowly before telling her "Well, Tabitha… I can swim. I learned before we came out to this planet to live here. Talian can swim a very little bit, but I think he will like it here anyway".

As soon as Amara was ready, she ran fast and leaped into the water before diving deeply and staying submerged almost half the length of the pool before surfacing again.

"Heeheehee!" she called when she had swum to the side "See? You all saw me? I like swimming very much and I am good at it! I swim in the river in our PTR!"

"I think I saw that when I was new and on your home ship" Talian said "I did not swim in it then".

"You seen it then" Amara confirmed, after which Tabitha asked him about it and was amazed to hear that was before she was born.

"I can't swim" she told them "Uncle Trannak teach me? New friends teach me? Amara teach me?"

Serila listened and heard how Tabitha trusted Trannak, after which she said "Trannak will help you. We will swim and you can watch us. I expect Caseya will be helping Feltano".

Tabitha loved being in the water, and even though she was frustrated she could not swim as well as Amara she tried very hard to learn. Feltano loved just feeling the water around him and making splashes and moving his hand in the water to see the patterns it made – he laughed when Amara swam underwater beneath him and waved, but he also watched how she swum and tried to mimic her.

Many other swimmers were amazed to see Tareg swimming laps of the pool at some speed without stopping, both on the surface and under it – almost none of them came close to him since he was a large low-caste Scarran, but even those who did not come close praised his swimming anyway with quite a number of children jumping in to swim alongside him for a little while until they wer either called out or they ran out of energy.

"I will buy a pass here, I think" Tareg decided when he swam back to Trannak "I know we have our PTR to swim in… but it is nice to be here as well, and perhaps I will find other Kalish to talk to, or even other more tolerable Scarrans".

"Water does not smell like water in PTR, papa" Feltano told Trannak "Why is that?"

"They do not filter the bad stuff out of the water the same way we do, my son" Trannak told him "That is one reason why they sell those special things that go over people's eyes at the door shop – some people's eyes hurt if water treated this way touches them, so they put those special things on".

"I will be like you, papa" Feltano decided "and like mama. I will not need those things".

"Do you want your uncle whisper Scarran to help you swim for a little while, Feltano?" Caseya asked "Look, dear son, there he is – he can help you swim if you ask him nicely…"

Caseya helped Tabitha a little while Amara and Feltano were with Juroch, after which everyone got out and dried off before assembling in a small but well-appointed café looking out over the pool through one-way glass.

"Seen new friends" Feltano said, rumbling "New Scarran friends and new Kalish friends. Ha-resh friend and Ell-ku friend and Jann-ia friend all swim too".

"I live in a city" Haresh explained with a smile "If I want to swim there I must swim in a place like this one. People who do not live in our capital city might be able to swim in real rivers or small lakes".

Juroch and Tareg told Haresh about a river on their world with carnivorous fish in it.

"Both he and I have swum across that river successfully" Tareg replied when asked "Of course, I can cheat a little – the first time I tried swimming in that river I stoneshifted and the fish could not even bite me, let alone try to eat me. We pulled the fish off me, then cooked and ate them anyway, of course"

"Fish!" Tabitha called, clapping "Fish go in treel, mama and grandma tell me that".

"It does!" Palikka told her, smiling "Perhaps if there is still stock in the food markets, some of you may wish to join us for eating time…".

This was discussed for some time – eventually it was decided that Haresh, Jannia, and Ellku would return to the Havoc with Serila and Tareg, while Skroloth and Juroch would stay for eating time with Palikka and Harkino. Trannak commed Troll and asked if Tabitha could stay with him for this meal – Troll grinned and asked Tabitha if she wanted to stay, and she said "It's nice, papa – we go swimming! There swimming place and we go in it!" before telling him about her entire day until that point. Sherenka clapped, as did Martha, and both sisters asked her about several things although Sherenka said "You tell us again when you come back, Tabitha. We hear it all then too".

Trannak drove the Scorpion back from the port after returning Tareg and those returning with him to their lander. All the children loved that they could fly above ground as well as drive, even though they could not do either one fast – several of the stall traders and shop owners recognised Palikka as a Kalish and called out about several items of their stock suitable for eating times, so it didn't take long before enough for a very large and extremely varied eating time had been put together.

Juroch happily volunteered to prepare as much of the eating time as he could, telling them how he had learned – both Palikka and Harkino thanked him for wanting to assist at eating time, and watched him with much interest as he prepared each dish in the Sholphauran way.

"You do very well, Talian…" Juroch told the young boy in praise "You know where almost everything in this kitchen is, I think" before asking him to fetch something else – he did this many times until all the eating time dishes he had been trusted with were finished, after which Talian climbed into Juroch's arms and curled up before dropping off to sleep.

"We have premium dishes available this eating time, children…" Palikka told both Ellia and Talian "…thanks to your friends helping me cook and paying for far more than their own share of the things. Some of these foods were only available regularly to the most important people back on Kalian…".

Juroch smiled and rumbled when Talian and Ellia hugged him and thanked him – Skroloth grinned at them and tickled them a bit, which got many happy laughs and shrieks before he told them "Clean yourselves up before eating, you two – it's never good to eat when you're covered in muck".

Juroch watched the food cook and tested each thing to make sure all went well while the children were washed and cleaned and made ready – he sang a song which he told the children about, one from his own world, and soon Amara and Feltano and even Tabitha were singing with him. Once they had all finished singing, the children converged on Juroch and climbed on him – Skroloth smiled and said "I know how to speak Kalish pretty well… I can even cook their food a bit… but not like that. Not like you do".

"It is a skill" Juroch replied practically "It can be learned. If I can learn, you can too if you want to – I do not know why you learned the Kalish language at all, few Scarrans bother, but you have made friends today by speaking it well and treating the visiting Kalish well".

"I learned for the reason you prob'ly think I did" Skroloth replied "I liked Kalish women an' wanted to impress them. So I learned to speak their language in mil-intel classes even though I only got good at it after that – but I made enough of an impression that a couple of my temporary friends taught me things about cooking Kalish food and one or two other things too".

Juroch rumbled and laughed softly, but added "You helped them to be happy and helped yourself to be happy as well… good. If you want to improve your skill at cooking Kalish food, spend some time on kitchen duties with Moratha. She manages the domestic services as well as performing surgical tasks to back up our chief surgeon".

Caseya smiled, and Palikka and Harkino had never been so surprised, when Juroch opened the eating time with the traditional words and ceremony – and all of Harkino's family were even more amazed when Juroch served their initial servings himself.

"I am a Master of the art of your people…" Juroch told them happily, bowing slightly and briefly "Thus Kalish people should have certain expectations of me… especially if I share eating time with them".

Juroch smiled when Talian climbed up on his lap and asked to sit with him while eating – Juroch nodded and told him "I think, since you have been so helpful assisting me with the cooking, that you can share from my plate – that is how children who had done well would be marked out in public as having done well, they would sit and eat with a Master if one came to eating time".

The eating time took a little over two arns, since Juroch conducted it in traditional Kalish and Sholphauran ways – but everyone had a wonderful time, more so when Talian giggled because Tabitha was helping soothe his digestion pains.

"I do this for Amara" she told him "and for Feltano as well if mama lets me. It's fun and they like it when I help them".

It was dark when Trannak drove the Scorpion back to the Dulenos' dwelling and shop – a number of security vehicles did pull alongside it and questioned them as to their reason for being about after lockdown.

Trannak used this as an opportunity to test Skroloth, and a couple of the more accomodating security personnel explained in detail the restrictions about lockdown times for him.

"Not a 24-arn planet, then" Skroloth asked Trannak as they flew carefully over the Duleno pit wall and landed beside the Kalish shuttle.

"Not here, no" Trannak explained "Some parts of South End might be open every arn of every day… but there is little to no law there. I will either take you to the border checkpoint there myself some time soon, since Captain Tareg should go at least once as well, or see to it that someone else takes you there and explains the situation regarding the South for you".

Caseya's family were happy to see them all return, with Devin telling them about when the others had left since he saw them take off from the shop.

"Some of the new things your Kalish friends brought with them have been sold already, uncle Trannak!" Devin said, clearly pleased "The clothing and the electronic parts, mostly. One woman was the first mate on a ship that came in, and when he she heard we had Kalish-made parts she insisted on purchasing some very specific things for engine management".

"Then she was probably on a smuggling ship" Skroloth told him "Good parts for engines can mean the difference between outrunning border patrol ships or getting caught".

"She paid in Sebacean krepna and precious stones" Devin said, nodding "Papa had the stones valued at three separate places, we made a good profit there!"

"Devin is learning business from you already, father" Caseya said happily, hugging her father.

"He is" her father agreed "We make sure he studies well, both on the study network and off it – but he loves to help in the shop as well as on the occasional repair commission. I think he is even better doing that than he is selling things".