The newly formed group of Lombaxes and Kerchu, consisting of everyone who'd arrived on the skiff plus Kaden and Kor, were now traveling away from the gel rig/landing site aboard said skiff.

James had been kind enough to carry the luggage and equipment to the swamp skimmer, but had remained behind to watch their shuttle until it was time to leave again.

While in transit, the ambassador explained their situation, "It's not just the rise in gelatonium prices," the charismatic Lombax explained, "There's been a recent uptick in wigwump activity around the drilling fields and it's wreaking havoc on the gel quotas. Just last month a particularly nasty worm decided to sink three entire rigs almost a hundred feet into the ground."

Kaden's ears perked and he gave the ambassador a sideways glance.

"Don't worry though," Dan added as he saw the look, "so long as you stay out of their tunnel networks, wigwumps couldn't care less about what happens on the surface. They only attacked the rigs because some foolish Kerchu weren't paying attention to their seismic monitors, which the teams use to keep track of the Wigs' movements. The vibrations of the drilling platforms provoke them, you see. The rumbling in the ground makes them think another worm is trying to challenge for territory. We usually move the crews around depending on where the wigwumps are nesting, which is why we need as many as we can get. Imagine what would happen if several wigwumps decide to take up residence near all of the richest rigs at once?"

Kaden nodded his understanding. The surveying contract's usual schedule was a three year cycle and it had been almost two and a half years since the last team came to survey. It was likely that many of the old rigs were running dry by now and the reserve sites were being taxed by the high demand and the wigwump disturbances.

This also explained why they had been ordered to land out in the middle of the swamp and were being put to work right away. Time was precious for the Kerchu of Sargasso, but that was fine in Kaden's opinion. The sooner this mission was over with, the better.

"Is there something you require?" questioned Kor suddenly.

The unexpected query had been directed toward the Kerchu Minister's son, Boogoh. Kaden had already noticed the young Kerchu trying to study both himself and Kor since they'd first met without being 'too' obvious about it.

A normal person likely wouldn't have even noticed, but Kaden was very thorough when it came to observing his surroundings, especially when in an unfamiliar place. The same was obviously true for Kor as well, but, unlike Kaden, he seemed to be unwilling to ignore it.

The young Kerchu seemed to shrink slightly at Kor's sharp, metallic voice, but it was Minister Baagah that replied instead, "You'll have to forgive my son, Lombaxes," Kaden's NID translated, "He has always had a fascination with your race and has been quite eager to meet you ever since he found out you were both close to his age."

The young Kerchu seemed to try and bury his furry face in his chest, a Kerchu sign of embarrassment.

His father continued regardless, "To be honest, I did not want him accompanying you on this dangerous journey, especially after I found out there would be one less member than usual on your team... but, he can be quite persistent when he sets his mind on something. A very Kerchu quality that I'm proud of, really. I was eventually swayed, because I knew that interacting with more of your kind would be a valuable experience that will benefit him in the future."

At this, Ambassador Daniel grinned, "Don't you worry Minister, these two are from Nova Academy. If Dean Tor'doran sent them, you can be assured of their skill and your son's safety."

The elder Kerchu nodded in apparent satisfaction with this assurance.

Kaden did not have the heart to mention that he and Kor were here as a punishment and probably weren't expected to survive. Nevertheless, any further discussion was put on hold as the skiff's operator indicated that they would arrive shortly. All occupants then took hold of something as the skiff transitioned from flying over the murky swamp water to above solid ground.

Just ahead of them, embedded in a tall rock formation, was an unmistakable military bunker security door with old, Lombax writing on it.

The skiff pulled up quite close to the doorway, before coming to a halt, and most of its occupants disembarked.

Ambassador Jire quickly made his way to the entrance and beckoned for Kaden and Kor to follow, "This baby is one of the many bunkers throughout the galaxy built by our people during the Great War," he explained affectionately. "Some of the old research bunkers and facilities on Sargasso are even still kept operational by the Praetorian Guard, but this one was just a supply cache. Now, it's just used to store the Lombax technological equipment needed for various operations, like the surveying equipment you boys will be using."

Kor walked up to the door and studied it closely, "It is an impressive fortification, but what is to stop an outsider from breaking in if it is unguarded?" he asked.

Kaden already knew the answer to Kor's question, but he let Daniel explain.

With a smile the ambassador simply said, "Give it a touch and see."

Kor looked the large, metal barrier up and down before cautiously reaching out his hand and placing his open palm on the metal surface.

There was a flash of light that emanated from where his armored hand had touched the metal and the Lombax writing began to glow brightly, "Welcome back, Lombax," said a robotic, female voice, as a low creak of moving gears could be heard, "I hope your journey has been rewarding."

The rumbling grew louder and dust began to shake loose as the massive door was drawn upward to allow access into the bunker.

"Lombax DNA itself is the key," explained Dan with a smile. "If any other species tried to break in, the whole place would detonate and vaporize any trace of what was stored inside."

Kor nodded his understanding and appreciation for the security as Dan walked into the new opening, followed by Kaden.

Exactly as Dan had said, the inside of the bunker was nothing special and it appeared to be little more than a reinforced storage closet. Its walls were lined with shelves, cases, and large armored cabinets. It had everything one could want, from medical and food supplies to basic weaponry and ammunition.

"Now, to be honest with you two, I don't have a clue what any of this stuff does," said the Ambassador as Kaden meticulously scanned the room, mentally cataloguing every device and piece of equipment within. "I trust that you'll be able gather everything you will need without me?"

Kaden turned to Kor who, until now, had been looking around the room, but was staring at him and Dan intensely.

Even through the mask, Kaden could tell that his partner didn't have a clue what even an eighth of the equipment was, "Yes, we've got this," he assured the Ambassador, who then smiled again, nodded, and turned to leave the bunker.

Just before he left, Kaden had one more question, "How many Kerchu will be going with us?"

Dan stopped with one foot over the threshold, "Three total, Boogoh and two escorts. They'll have their own food and medical supplies too, but they 'will' need a flight pack each," he said before finally exiting the bunker.

Kaden nodded, more to himself than anyone else, and then quickly set about collecting the gear they would need for the mission.

It wasn't long, however, before he began to feel Kor's gaze burning a hole into the back of his head.

With a sigh, Kaden began to place the equipment out on an empty workbench before making note of what they were aloud, "These are Crust Piercers," he explained as he placed a crate full of rods and metal discs down. "Our mission revolves around us setting these up every few thousand feet. The rods send radiation deep into the ground and the discs detect what gets reflected back based on the density of the underground. We'll be doing this repeatedly until we've met our quota for new gel deposits."

Kor nodded his understanding, but Kaden didn't turn to see it, or even cared in any way.

Next, Kaden laid out five metal boxes with straps that made it obvious that they were meant to be worn as a backpack, "These are standard flight packs. We'll need these to get back once we've finished the objective."

Again Kor acknowledged what Kaden had said, but not with a simple nod. Instead, a strange kind of mechanical grumble and a shuffle of feet reached Kaden's ears.

He didn't ignore it this time.

Remembering Kor's behaviour on the shuttle, the tan Lombax turned to Kor and eyed him accusingly, "You 'did' read the mission briefing information about these things, right?" he asked.

"I did," was all Kor said in response.

Kaden raised an unconvinced eyebrow, "So you'll have no problem handling one?"

Kor took a few seconds to look over the devices on work bench, before turning back to face Kaden, "Can you handle one?" he asked.

Kaden felt the question was strange, and redundant, but answered anyway, "Yes, I can."

Kor folded his arms, "Then I will have little difficulty."


It had taken Kaden a little over twenty minutes to gather everything they would need for the mission. He had then distributed a flight pack and a Lombax communicator to each of the three Kerchu that were coming with them, all three set to the same frequency as his and Kor's NID relay. It was here that he finally got a chance to meet his team as they would be for the next few days.

"This is my father's most skilled bodyguard, Reegeh," introduced Boogoh with a gesture to the largest Kerchu in the group.

The Kerchu known as Reegeh bowed slightly before rearing back to his full height, "I have been charged by my master with the protection of his heir. This will be my number one priority," he explained with somewhat of a growl.

Boogoh smiled and then turned to the third Kerchu of their group, "And this is Siigih, he has been my personal attendant since I was very little."

The third Kerchu was much smaller than Reegeh, but that just made him slightly below average for a Kerchu.

"Attendant?" repeated Kaden, "So like a nanny, or babysitter?"

Siigih bowed and clicked his teeth lightly at Kaden's comment, "My duties to master Boogoh range widely from escorting to education. Like Reegeh, one of my obligations is to ensure that no harm comes to the son of House Baagah. I am very good at my job."

Kaden smiled and nodded his approval. He didn't expect to run into anything life-threatening that they couldn't sneak around or run-away from out in the swamp, but it was still reassuring to know that at least two capable warriors had been added to the group. He wasn't, however, happy about the addition of a wide-eyed, Kerchu child who looked like he'd be more of a hindrance than a help.

Regardless, he and Kor likewise gave their introductions.

When all members were familiar with each other and the equipment was prepared, they all boarded the skiff once more.


Only a few miles out from the bunker site, the Skiff came to a halt again and the team of two Lombaxes, plus three Kerchu, disembarked once more.

"Be well my son," said Minister Baagah as Boogoh stepped off of the skiff.

"I will make sure of it," assured Reegeh with a slight bow as he stepped up onto the edge of the skiff.

Minister Baagah placed his hand on his most trusted warrior's shoulder and gave a nod of thanks before Reegeh too disembarked.

Four of the five bid farewell to the remaining skiff's passengers as its engines revved from idle to active once more. Kor had chosen instead to examine their drop-off point more carefully.

"We'll try and track you as best we can from the nearby outpost, but the swamp does funny things with transceivers," warned Ambassador Daniel.

Kaden was well aware of the swamp gas' interference from the mission briefing, but he gave his thanks to the ambassador anyway as the skiff began to pull away.

Both Reegeh and Siigih saluted while Boogoh waved farewell to the quickly shrinking craft in the distance. When it was gone, the three then turned to Kaden expectantly, which caught the tan-furred Lombax a little off-guard.

After several seconds of awkward staring, Boogoh spoke up, "We await your plan of action, Lombax Kaden."

"Oh," replied Kaden in realization, and he quickly reached for the small metal cube he'd brought from the bunker. "Alright, gather round," he ordered, before turning slightly, "That means you too, Mr. Reaper!" he then shouted to the red-armored Lombax several yards away.

Kor had been diligently checking the area since he'd left the skiff, despite Kaden having scanned the immediate area for signs of life with the skiff's equipment.

However, Kaden wasn't sure how much of that diligence was due to him just being normally overcautious, or if it was the strange environment and situation that was putting him on edge.

Reluctantly, the armored Lombax turned away from the area ahead and rejoined the other four around the metal cube that had been placed on the ground. Kaden waved his hand over the device and a holographic landscape bloomed into existence around it. It flashed several times and with each flicker, the landscape it depicted became clearer and more precise, until it was possible to see individual trees and shrubs.

"This is where we are," Kaden said with a finger pointing to the center of the map. The hologram showed a tiny 'X' on a small island of dirt surrounded by swamp and the jutting walls of a mountain range.

Kaden waved his hand again and half the map's land turned green with the 'X' that represented them being placed right on the edge, "This is the area that has been surveyed by previous teams," he explained before waving his hand again.

This time the map moved so that the green areas were mostly cut out, revealing more terrain ahead of them, "We need to locate ten separate, potential drilling sites somewhere in this area, or even beyond if necessary."

Using his finger, Kaden traced a route from the 'X' mark to area ahead. As he did so, the hologram drew a line in its wake, "This is the route I want to use. We'll scan this island and the next two in this area," he explained, drawing scan sites and the path he expected them to take to reach them. "Then, we'll move on to here," he continued before pointing to a yellow highlighted piece of mountain range.

"That is a cave," noted Reegeh, as if Kaden wasn't aware.

"Don't worry," Kaden assured him, "Rough scans of the surface say that it opens up on the other side. This way we won't have to scale a cliff… at least not yet."

But Reegeh just shook his head, "Caves are always inhabited. We can be almost guaranteed that there is a nest of Anthropods or Grubsnuckers within. There have even been reports of Grunthors sometimes making a home of a cave if it is large enough."

Kaden shrugged, "It's either that or we waste half a day scaling a treacherous cliff face. Besides, I'm sure we can handle any pests sleeping in a hole."

Reegeh rose to his full height and made a squeaking growl that Kaden's NID had no translation for, "We are not five minutes off the skiff and you are already choosing the most dangerous path?"

Kaden was about to counter with a sarcastic retort about how he hadn't planned entering the cave until tomorrow night, so it was way longer than five minutes, but to his surprise, Kor stepped in-between him and the large Kerchu.

"This is the most efficient route to complete our objective," countered the armored Lombax in his metallic voice. "If Kaden says it is to be ours, then we shall take it," he declared sternly.

Kaden had caught a glimpse of it earlier, but now he was sure from the look on Reegeh's face that Kor's metallic voice and ever-present mask really did make the Kerchu nervous.

However, it did not completely shut down the argument and Reegeh persisted, "Maybe it is the most efficient way to achieve your objective, but 'our' objective is to ensure that the young master is returned safely."

Kor tilted his head in the way he always did when he found something curious, this seemed to further cause discomfort to Reegeh, "If you doubt your abilities so much, then the answer is simple. You and yours will hide away somewhere safe, while I will clear out the cave. You may then cross through it when the danger has been removed."

Reegeh looked angry and indeed, the second, even more guttural growl that he emitted after being very unsubtly called a coward made that point obvious. However, Kor showed no signs of intimidation; although, it wasn't like they could tell under his helmet anyway.

After Reegeh's attempt to intimidate seemingly failed he opened his mouth to shout, but a small Kerchu hand stopped him, "Reegeh," spoke young Boogoh calmingly, "Let us first examine this new bridge and decide whether to cross it when we get there... before we begin burning others."

Reegeh stared down at Boogoh before looking back up at Kor for a few seconds, until he finally snorted his displeasure and then nodded his concession.

'A perfect example of the differences between the warrior caste and the leadership caste of the Kerchu,' thought Kaden, impressed with Boogoh's apparent command potential. He was also pleased to see that Kor was still just as good at making friends as ever.

Kaden waved his hand over the hologram again and it disappeared, "Alright, let's head to the first setup point," he said casually as he picked up the holo-cube and began walking forward along the route he'd drawn.


It only took the group a few minutes to arrive at the first scan site, as the skiff had placed them relatively close. Once on site, Kaden began setting up the equipment.

A single Crust Piercer setup consisted of several electromagnetic emitter rods and one detection disc. This device was perfect for detecting things deep underground, but only within a tiny range from the disc itself.

To increase efficiency, the discs had been designed to work in concert when two or more of them were within a certain distance. By bouncing the energy pulses not just straight down, but at angles and at different intervals, surveyors could see not only what was underneath a Crust Piercer, but what was between them as well.

Kaden had already perfectly mapped out the exact positions of where he needed to place them for optimum efficiency.

The solid ground locations would be easy enough, but they'd also have to get Crust Piercers into some pretty unwelcoming places to get a glimpse of the areas under the liquid swamp.

The group would also have to split up into at least two parties to make any meaningful kind of time.

In the past, survey teams would sometimes divide themself in up to three teams of two, as condition and safety concerns allowed it, with one member of each race per group. This would allow much quicker time and allow each team to use the genetic-locked Lombax technology at will.

However, being one Lombax short and with neither elder Kerchu willing to leave the young Boogoh's side, they had opted for a division by race.

Knowing this, Kaden used the first scan site as an example to teach the others… those that were willing to listen at least.

Only Boogoh and Siigih decided to watch as Kaden unpacked several Crust Piercer emitter rods, a detection disc, and a power cell to run them. Both Kor and Reegeh seemed to be more interested in guarding the site and searching the immediate area for danger. Though, Kaden preferred to think that they were simply incapable of learning anything besides fighting.

Under the two pairs of eyes he did have, Kaden reactivated the holo display he'd used earlier. This time it projected virtual, holographic emitter rods at various points on the ground around it in a twenty foot radius.

Using his wrench, Kaden then proceeded to pound the emitter rods one by one into the soft ground, all the way up to the fat bulbs that were their tops.

Once a perfect circle was drawn in the dirt with rod heads, Kaden took out one final rod, which instead had flat disc on top with plugs coming out of its sides. He placed this rod in the dead center of the hologram and buried it about halfway down.

Taking great care, Kaden showed Boogoh and Siigih how each plug could be extended out from the center and connected to one of the emitter rods. Once all the wires were attached, he took out a large metal disc and placed it flat on top of the central rod.

After double checking that every device was interconnected properly, it was time to power the system.

Carefully, Kaden placed the small, glowing power cell into an open slot in the middle of the disc and, with a low hum, energy flowed from the disc, into the hub rod and out into the emitters.

But the task wasn't done yet.

Kaden next traced his finger along a curved symbol on the disc's top, causing it to suddenly split open along its side, horizontally. The top of the disk then raised upward, becoming more of a cylinder, and revealing several thin towlines with wheels on their ends.

Kaden demonstrated precisely how each line was then to be attached to one of the twenty plug wires and how the traversal wheels were clamped on them correctly.

Finally, he pushed the disc's top back down until it clicked and pressed a series of three buttons on its top.

At Kaden's insistence, the two Kerchu retreated to a safe distance away from the circle that had been made, before he joined them just outside its perimeter. Together the two of them watched the motionless assembly curiously for a few seconds before it emitted a short warning siren.

The moment the caution signal stopped, the wheels on the tow lines spun into life and quickly moved down the cables. As they did so, they pulled with them what looked like a large, metal sheet that unraveled, seemingly without end, from the edge of the central disc.

The wheels stopped as they reached their limit and the sheet was pulled taught, making a perfect circle of metallic fabric. This large disc would function as the radar dish that would detect and reflect the radiation signals sent out by the emitters that lined its edges.

The two Kerchu, Boogoh in particular, seemed mesmerized by the device which was now humming at varying levels of power.

"The Piercer stations are set to start scanning immediately after activation," Kaden explained, "but they won't be able to map the whole picture until we put up a network of these things. After the last one's up it will still take some time to finish, so we will meet back up here and then I'll show you how to take them apart again." Kaden then handed the hologram cube to Siigih, "Use this if you need the instructions again. Our comms should also work fine at close range, so you can just call if you need help with anything. Any questions?"

The two Kerchu both shook their heads and Kaden began to divvy out the scanner equipment. Only Lombax DNA could activate Lombax technology, so he loaded the power cells into each of team Boogoh's discs and swiped the curved symbol to turn them on. If turned off, they would not activate again without contact by another member of the Lombax species, but this would allow the Kerchu group to set them up for one complete scan and recollect them. Kaden would simply have to reactivate them before their next sweep.

Just as Kaden had finished getting their gear straight, Kor appeared at his side with such silence that the tan-furred Lombax almost jumped in surprise, "What do you want?!" he demanded, louder than he'd intended.

In response, Kor gestured toward the way they were supposed to head next, "We may have a problem."


The group followed Kor further up their route to a small rocky outcrop.

Here, the red-armored Lombax held back, indicating that this was where his concern was.

Just beyond the outcrop was a small valley that the group needed to cross in order to reach either of their next scan sites. Kaden peeked his head around the rocks and the problem became quite clear.

Standing in the middle of the field were three tiny, beetle-like creatures wandering about lazily. These purple insectoids did not have heads, they simply had a small jaw with visibly sharp incisors poking out from the front of their shell.

Two long eyestalks protruded out from the same point as their jaw and another two crab-like claws swung out in front of them. Kaden recognized the creatures immediately. They were Anthropods.

Siigih joined Kaden and Kor at the outcrop, "Your opinion?" asked Kor to either Kaden or Siigih.

"They're definitely in our way," said Kaden, stating the obvious. "Both groups will need to cross this open area several times in the next few hours and going around them would nearly double our time. I say neutralize them, but I've never faced an Anthropod outside of a holo-room before." He then turned to Siigih for his input.

Siigih sighed a little, "They are an abundant nuisance throughout the galaxy, but on Sargasso especially. They are not very tough on their own, but in groups they can be dangerous."

Kaden thought for a bit. According to what he'd read, Anthropods rarely moved in such small groups, but even if there were a hundred of them, he would still be of the mind to take them out. He then turned back to Kor to discuss the situation… but Kor was gone.

Looking around wildly for a split second, Kaden quickly found his armored partner as he was sprinting, full tilt, at the three insect creatures with his wrench poised.

Kaden growled and clenched his fist. It was true that he was about to suggest pretty much the same thing, but it irritated him that Kor would act on his own so immediately. The tan Lombax turned back to Siigih, but again found that who he was looking for was no longer there.

The Kerchu bodyguard had gone to fetch his counterpart, seemingly believing they would be needed.

Kaden again didn't like feeling a step behind, so he walked out into the field and powered up his gauntlet weapons.

Kor was halfway to the Anthropods within just a few seconds. To him, the faster this mission was over with, the better. More to the point though, Kor was finally going to get the chance to kill something.

Back on Magnaron he had hunted creatures a dozen times the size and lethality of these runty creatures on an almost daily basis. At Nova Academy, there was never a shortage of fighting, but it was always sparring matches with other students, or against robots. There was nothing equivalent to the thrill of hunting a real beast that was fighting for its survival. Couple that with Kor's recent failures and there was very little reason left to 'not' assault these Anthropod things.

As he closed in, the creatures' stalk-like eyes turned and spotted his approaching form.

'Too slow,' thought the restless Lombax, as he drove his malleus wrench downward, splattering the first bug in a shower of chitin and goo.

Kor's eagerness for battle was great… too great. Kor was almost within reach of the second creature by the time he noticed the rumbling sensation that emanated from the ground beneath his feet.

Before he could react, a sharp 'pop' sound, alongside the squeal of an angry Anthropod, caught his ears. His body continued to follow its previous path, as it destroyed the second target, but his mind instead chose to watch from the corner of his eye as a fourth Anthropod burst from the ground just a few feet from him.

Kor simply dismissed this fourth opponent's appearance as inconsequential, given how quickly he'd dispatched the first two. He made little more than a mental addition to his attack combo for the fourth target as he went for the third, but then he heard another pop and squeal from behind him.

This was then followed by another, and another, and another.

Like the rattling of rain falling from the sky, dozens of fat, fanged beetles burst from the ground and Kor found himself completely surrounded by the time his third target's remains had landed.

The chittering of the insect army filled Kor's ears as he swung his wrench around in front of him and got into a defensive stance. Any normal person might panic at the sudden turn of events, but Kor's mind was perfectly clear as it sorted out what he needed to do, there was no room for self-reproach or doubts in combat.

The Anthropods were weak, but many. Kor kept his body spinning constantly to prevent giving the carpet of attackers an opening to his back. To do this, the armored Lombax would sweep his weapon down, obliterating another creature and then quickly step into the opening it had left behind.

From where he was now, there was no way he could reach the outside of the swarm with a single leap, but even one gap in his own defense would spell disaster.

This fact was proven, as his foot slipped on a patch of sticky bile left behind by a slain Anthropod, causing him to hesitate on his next strike. But his opponents showed no forgiveness as one Anthropod took the brief opportunity to snap its claws around his armored boot and dig its dagger-like teeth into his armored calf with astounding jaw strength.

With a flick of his wrist, Kor brought his wrench back down to his leg, leaving behind no more than a few loose teeth still stuck in his armor when he was done.

Relief though it was to remove the assailant, Kor had known before he'd even brought down the swing that the move would simply create yet another opening to his other side and a vicious cycle would begin. One that could only be survived if he could withstand an equivalent or worse bite from each of the remaining Anthropods.

Kor's only option was to escape.

Still following through with the same motion that had cleared the bug off of his calf, Kor completed the arc of his swing and then let his weapon go.

Before it had even hit the ground, the armored Lombax had leaped with all his strength after it. The wrench slammed into the ground, its weight alone crushing another Anthropod and burying itself into the dirt.

With amazing precision, Kor himself landed right on top of the weapon's hilt with all the grace of a butterfly.

Well… a butterfly that wore armor at least.

Realizing that their prey had moved, the chittering horde turned in unison toward his new location, but by the time they had, he'd already leapt away again.

While the distance to the swarm's exterior had been too far for a single leap, two jumps were just enough to be sufficient. Kor landed hard, coming down into a roll, before he sprung back up, coming to a full stop, and pulling hard on the winch line that he'd attached to his wrench just before he'd thrown it.

On its return, Kor smoothly caught the massive weapon one handed and even used its momentum to spin himself around and take one more swipe at the horde before it could react, claiming two more Anthropods as he did.

Still, there were far too many for him to handle head on.

As much as he wanted to turn and fight some more, it would be pointlessly risky. His best option now was to run back to the outcrop he'd just left so that he could choke off their numbers between the rocks.

Deep in his mind, Kor lamented the patronizing look that Kaden would likely give him for not only failing to defeat the threat, but at bringing it back to him, the person he was supposed to be protecting. This thought, hidden in the recesses of his conscious mind, never even brushed against his decision making. For in battle, there was no room for self-reproach and certainly no room for doubt.

Kor turned to make his move, but was surprised to find two large, metal balls, lined with razor blades, rolling rapidly toward him. Flashing back to the battle earlier that morning, he briefly prepared to defend himself from what he saw as another attack, but it was soon apparent that the Kerchu Rollers were not after him.

Both spinning orbs flew right past Kor, ripping out a deep scar through the dirt as they headed directly toward the center of the now perfectly aligned swarm of Anthropods. Goo and chitin flew in all directions as dozens of large insects were chewed up by sharp blades or simply splattered under the weight of the Kerchu Rollers. It was a massacre.

At the end of their lines, Reegeh and Siigih unfurled from the metal spheres. Both looked slightly dizzy at first, but they quickly regained their composure before making their way on foot back to where Kor stood.

Kaden and Boogoh arrived soon after them.

Now that his mind was no longer in battle mode, all the thoughts that had been blocked out of Kor's mind flooded back in at once. He prepared himself for the mockery and humiliation he deserved for such a foolhardy attack, but... it didn't come.

"I must admit Lombax, your skills and strategy were impressive," acknowledged Reegeh.

This response was the opposite of what Kor had expected and was just as surprising to Kaden as well, "What strategy?" countered Kaden. "To me it looked like he just ran straight in?"

Reegeh shook his head, "His plan was perfect. Anthropods hide underground until their prey is right on top of them. If you attack them cautiously, they'll just hide until you think it's safe and let your guard down. It's nearly impossible to be sure that you got all of them without scanning equipment. Running in alone like that was something that none of the swarm could resist. Singlehandedly, this Lombax lured out every little (Translation not Found) in the area and then lined them up perfectly to be eliminated all at once. No fluke or impromptu plan could have been executed so expertly."

"In fact," added Siigih, "the only downside is that we likely ruined what little meat these (Translation not Found) have on them. Most of their organs secret toxins, so any of the good stuff is definitely ruined, but their hearts or flanks can make a fine meal. At least it would be better than these nutrient rich rations we'll be living off of for the next few days."

Both Reegeh and Siigih then gave Kor nods of approval and Boogoh looked like he'd just witnessed a superhero pull off some amazing feat. Kaden grumbled his displeasure, but said nothing more on the subject.

Where at first Kor found relief in their praise, it was quickly sucked down into his gut where it weighed on him alongside the rest of his shame at yet another failure. He simply nodded and moved aside.


Kor watched silently as the group reaffirmed their plans and as the Kerchu set off to their assigned duties, leaving him and Kaden to head off in the opposite direction.

The two Lombaxes had walked in silence for a while, with Kor in the lead as usual... at least until they were out of sight and earshot of Boogoh's group.

Kor reacted to the incoming attack before he was even fully aware of it, his senses throwing his body forward on reflex alone.

The armored Lombax then spun back around, his wrench gripped tightly at the ready as he stared down the glowering, tan-furred Lombax wielding their own Omni-wrench in their hand.

Kaden raised his head so that it seemed like he was looking down on his partner/enemy, "These ridiculous reflexes of yours really are your saving grace, aren't they?"

There was silence for a moment, "Explain," was all Kor said in response to the strange turn of events.

It was only one word, but it made it clear that if Kaden didn't have a 'very' good reason for what he'd just done, he would be made to regret having done it.

Kaden just shook his head. No sign of fear from Kor's threat was evident in his expression, "I'm torn, Kor," he said with a mix of humor, disappointment, and even a hint of anger as he took a step forward, causing Kor to adjust his stance to account for the distance change. "This whole time, I've been telling myself that all those incredible stunts you've pulled off were just flukes, that you just barely got away by the hair of your coat with a bit of skill and a lot of luck." Kaden stowed his wrench, but kept walking forward, forcing Kor to adjust again, "But now, when it looks like that 'actually' might be the case, I think I'm even angrier overall, because that means I lost to someone like you."

The two Lombaxes were now within arm's reach of one another. Kor didn't know what to do, Kaden was definitely too close now, but he couldn't attack. He had their mission to consider and it was his duty to protect the aggressive Lombax.

The two eyed each other for a long moment. Kor was taller than Kaden and much more intimidating, but Kaden's piercing eyes showed nothing but contempt and disregard in them.

At last, Kaden threw out his arm in the direction of the ground, still painted brightly with the remains of Anthropod bits, "What, in council's name, was that?!" he demanded loudly,

Kor knew what Kaden was referring to, but he refused to back down, "The obstacle was removed and the damage was minimal," he answered simply and truthfully.

This, however, only seemed to make Kaden angrier. Suddenly, the tan Lombax lunged forward, slamming one of his palms into Kor's chest plate. Kor's reactions were fast, but at this range, he was barely able dissipate any of the impact by backstepping, before he countered by grabbing a handful of Kaden's collar.

The two Lombaxes continued to glare at one another, neither easing up the pressure of their hands on the other.

"I don't particularly care if you bite it out here, Kor," Kaden spat bitterly, inches from Kor's metal face, "but according to my calculations, I need you to survive at least until the morning of the day after tomorrow, in order to guarantee that I can complete this mission 'and' get out in one piece." Kaden's expression was cold and his words were brutally honest. The look in his eyes gave Kor a strange feeling. "If you want to get turned into bug food, by all means, go ahead, just give me a warning, so I can switch over to the Kerchu group."

Kaden then gave another shove, catching Kor off guard and causing him to let go. With one last disdainful look, the tan Lombax stomped onward to their goal, fuming from the fact that the person who'd defeated him, who'd nearly killed him, would do something so inept.

Kor watched Kaden walk away as he tried to make sense of what he was feeling.

Before he could figure it out though, Kaden stopped walking again and without turning around, called back, "Do you know how to get to next site from here?"

The question sounded strange to Kor, but it was a simple one, "I am able," he answered simply.

"Good," growled Kaden irritatedly, before the scream of hoverboot jets split the air and he blasted away on twin trails of plasma.

Kor put up a forearm to block the spray of dirt that had been kicked up at him, despite the fact that his face was completely covered already. As the two rows of torched grass slowly burned out, Kor finally realized what he'd been feeling.

It was considered a great shame for a warrior to make a mistake such as running headfirst at an unknown enemy, but it was an even greater insult to one's honor to not take responsibility for it. Only the weak pretended to be strong.

Inside his airtight mask, Kor smiled. He realized that what he felt most now, of all his emotions, was relief. Relief that his partner/rival had seen through what the Kerchu had missed and had refused to accept it.

It reminded him of an old saying amongst his people, 'A true warrior keeps his enemies at his sides always, for they, far more than any friend, will keep them strong.'

With a deep breath of air and a shake of his head to dislodge any lingering thoughts, Kor took off in pursuit of possibly his most hated enemy, galaxy-bent on protecting them and fulfilling his due.


AN:

Anthropods - are a weak, swarmer type of enemy that can be found on Sargasso in the Ratchet and Clank: Tools of Destruction. I try to properly exemplify their behavior as I remember fighting them, annihilating all of them, only to have more pop up and have to waste more ammo. This is why luring them all out at once is such a big deal.