AN: a reminder that when I write 'Lombax' with a capital 'L' it should be read with feelings like 'Dog' or 'Bird', while 'lombax' with a lowercase 'l' should be read as if you saw 'human'.


Kaden had set up the second Crust Piercer with a bit more familiarity and speed than he'd showed Siigih and Boogoh. Unlike their example, he had set up the central pin first and plugged in the emitter rods as he went around burying them in the ground.

He was just about finished setting it up by the time Kor's heavy boot falls reached his ears.

It was impressive timing. When Kaden traveled on his hoverboots, he moved roughly ten times faster than his running speed.

Considering the time since they'd parted, Kaden calculated that Kor had caught up to him at only half the speed of his rocket-propelled movements, making the armored Lombax roughly five times faster than he was for long distance.

It wasn't important information at the moment, but Kaden archived it in his mind anyway.

In the time since he'd ditched his partner at the first scanner site until now, Kaden's logical mind had been taking the time it needed to reflect on his actions.

His first thoughts were about how bad of an idea it had been to take a blindside swing at such a fearsomely powerful opponent, especially one who also happened to garner a mutual dislike for him.

This, however, then pressed his mind to question why he had been inclined to take the swing in the first place. There was the obvious answer, that Kor irritated him, but that had always been an ever-present feeling for him up until now, so what was special about this time?

It had only taken a little introspective digging for Kaden to come up with a likely answer.

Kor's disregard for strategy and planning, as he had blindly charged toward an enemy he clearly knew almost nothing about, had been pushing hard against Kaden's psyche. It challenged the mental profile he'd constructed of a Lombax who was nearly flawless in all aspects of combat.

A little more introspective digging though, found that this strange feeling had grown roots far before the incident with the Anthropods. The strange feeling had first started in the exercise facility back at Nova Academy.

The sight of Kor, helpless and barely alive, had stirred something in Kaden that he'd tried hard to ignore up to this point. But, the seed had been growing in his mind ever since then and was now finally beginning to sprout after seeing Kor's reckless behavior.

The simple fact was, Kaden could no longer see Kor as just some kind of dangerous monster. Despite his best efforts, the mysterious armored creature that he called his enemy was beginning to appear dangerously more and more lombax as time passed.

'Well, that explains it,' had been Kaden's next thought. It was just a typical lapse in judgement based on a conflict of perception, a simple phenomenon of basic psychology. He quickly cataloged it internally and rectified the feeling by reconfirming his dislike of Kor, regardless if he was a lombax being or not.

Kaden felt the mild sense of a weight being lifted as a kink in his mental process was smoothed out… but the feeling that something was still not right hadn't gone away completely.

The only explanation for this was that there was still something else bothering his subconscious, but before he had the chance to dig any deeper, the metallic breathing of his hated partner became too close to ignore.

"Well, look who finally showed up," Kaden sneered, again noting his odd, subconscious desire to pick a fight with someone who had nearly killed him twice already and openly declared his intention to try again, "I'm nearly done with this site."

Kaden could tell from the deeper tone in Kor's breathing that his helmet's regulator was overworking, meaning he was out of breath, "My apologies," wheezed the metal encased Lombax, "but even at my top speed... I cannot keep up with your fire-feet. For the sake of your security... I suggest at least keeping pace with me."

Kaden felt another twinge of the unknown irritation that he was still trying to isolate. Without warning, he turned around and threw the final emitter rod, that he'd been about to place, straight at Kor.

The armored Lombax easily caught the device, despite the suddenness with which it had been thrown, "How are you supposed to 'protect' me if you can't even keep up?" Kaden demanded. "Why don't you do something useful and place that final rod while I take a break?"

Kor looked down at the rod in his hand, then at the unfinished Crust Piercer that was almost completed, including the lines running from the disc at the top of the central rod to the rest of the emitters, "I believe I would be better suited to sweep the perimeter for threats as I do not understand this equipment well."

"What's the point of checking the area?" mocked Kaden scornfully. "I already scanned the immediate location with sensors and after that last rod is placed we'll be leaving anyway. The least you could do is finish up while I grab a drink," he added as he plucked his canteen from his belt and began walking away.

Kor's grip on the rod tightened angrily, but after a few moments, the armored Lombax bowed slightly and made his way toward the Crust Piercer.

Kaden crested a nearby hill and turned back to watch as Kor tried to study the other rods on the Crust Piercer, trying to figure out how to connect the final one. The tan Lombax sipped from his canteen only lightly, as he wasn't actually thirsty, and he wracked his mind trying to figure out what it was that had his subconscious in a knot.

The only thing Kaden knew for sure was that his armored bodyguard was at the center of it. In the confused Lombax's mind, Kor wasn't following his personality model, that was to say, he wasn't following Kaden's predictions.

Back on the shuttle, Kaden had been greatly relieved to have reached a compromise with Kor, but that compromise was only as stable as his faith in the red-armored Lombax to follow his predictions. If Kaden couldn't predict his opponents thoughts, then he had no reason to trust his word, let alone their actions.

As Kaden continued to drink from his canteen absentmindedly, he looked around at the expansive green and brown skyline that stretched for miles. With his sharp, Lombax ears he could hear incessant buzzing of insects from all directions, the distant cawing of pterodactyls in the distance, and, every now and then, he could have sworn that he caught the guttural growl of something bigger.

Kaden was light years from home, on a very unfamiliar and 'very' hostile planet. He had previously brushed aside his concern by doing simple calculations, matching his brilliance and the combined combat prowess of his group against the mindless wild was no worry to him.

But, if he was honest, Kor's presence had made up more than fifty percent of his calculated combat potential for their party. If he could not calculate Kor's actions or motives, then he couldn't completely count on Kor in a worse case scenario and that made Kaden feel much more isolated and alone on this vast, hostile alien world.

Kaden turned back to the focus of his woes and watched as Kor finally figured out how the rod was connected and began studying the center disc itself, trying to figure out what happens next, of which he clearly knew nothing.

There was a sudden spark of electricity, as Kor pressed his metal finger against something he shouldn't have.

The sudden flash of light and sharp crack of noise almost made Kaden drop his canteen.

It wasn't the 'spark' that caught him off-guard, though… It was the realization of what was bothering him!

Kor Vol'terran, his hated enemy, was right now attempting to do something he had no clue how to do, not because it was his job, but because Kaden had told him to do it.

Nowhere in the mission briefing file did it say that the Military Field unit was subservient to the Science Field unit. In fact, the briefing expressly stated that the Military Field element had priority over the mission when it came to safety.

Kaden was technically both a Military unit and Science unit for this mission, but Kor was the higher level Military student, which meant that Kor outranked him.

Back at the gel rig, when they'd first landed, Kor had said 'as you command' and had done exactly what Kaden had told him to, without hesitation. As the superior Military unit of the mission, Kor had free reign to make the decisions concerning combat or to at least argue against Kaden's.

There was also the time when Kor had stood up for Kaden's planned route after Reegeh had challenged it. Anyone whose only object was the group's safety would have at least heard out the Kerchu's concerns rather than blindly defending the opinion of someone they supposedly hated.

All of this clashed directly with Kaden's perception of what Kor's motivation was. Kor had said that he would cooperate with Kaden 'only' because he was duty bound by the mission, but Kor was going above and beyond his mission parameters.

The armored Lombax was following his orders obediently and wasn't even rising to insults, or even to open suckerpunches thrown in his direction. Instead, he was acting like someone who actually 'trusted' Kaden, or worse... someone who was trying to get him to let his guard down.

Kaden watched, slit eyed, as Kor jumped back quickly to avoid the sudden opening of the Crust Piercer's metallic sheet, which had unfolded rapidly from the center rod.

After one last look around, Kor made his way to where Kaden stood to report what he suspected was the device's completion.

"Why did you do that?" Kaden demanded before anything else could be said, glaring coldly as if Kor had just committed some unspeakable crime.

The armored Lombax tilted his head in confusion, "I… do not understand."

Kaden clenched his jaw angrily and stabbed an accusing finger at the now completed scanner site, "Why did you finish the Crust Piercer?"

Kor turned back to look at the device, wondering if he'd done his task wrong, but Kaden's question did not seem to indicate this was the case, "Because... you ordered me to?" he eventually answered, still unsure as to what this conversation was about.

"And why did you follow my order?" Kaden pressed further, his eyes growing ever darker with each 'why'.

Kor was beginning to fear that the tan-furred Lombax was not right of mind, "Because that is my duty," he replied redundantly.

"No it isn't!" shouted Kaden, surprising both of them with his tone. He even took an aggressive step forward as he continued his tirade, "Your job is to kill things that get in our way and to make sure I can do 'my' job. Nowhere in the mission briefing did it mention you had to help do 'my' job, much less obey 'my' orders!"

Kor took a step back from the crazed Lombax as his confusion began shifting into caution, "I am a warrior, charged with your safety and wellbeing. I simply trust that assisting you will further aid that cause. That is all."

Kaden didn't break eye-contact as he began to shake his head back and forth slowly, "So you'll obey my orders just for the sake of the mission, huh?" he questioned, so softly that it had likely not meant to be heard by anyone else but himself. Kaden took yet another large step forward, closing the gap between him and Kor again, "Then I order you to stay still."

Kaden suddenly reached forward, as if to grab hold of Kor, but the armored Lombax's reflexes were ever vigilant. Kor slid backwards as if he'd been standing on ice, easily dodging Kaden's reach. However, the softly spoken command of 'stay still' rang out somewhere in the back of his mind and prevented him from moving as far away as he'd intended.

Then there was a sudden crack that split the air as Kaden's NID activated his gauntlet's repulsor fields. Kor, who was unfortunate enough to be just inches away from them, and on the repulsing side, was blasted clear off his feet.

The armored Lombax flew through the air as if being pulled by some invisible chain.

As sudden as the attack had been, however, the skilled warrior was able to use his body's momentum to summersault back onto his feet. He came up facing his attacker with a newly formed pain in his chest and abdomen. Cautiously, he began putting more distance between the two of them, completely unsure of how to proceed.

A small portion of Kaden's mind was yet again impressed with Kor's skill and combat prowess, but the vast majority of it was stuck in a loop, repeatedly demanding answers, 'It doesn't make sense!' his thoughts screamed.

Somewhere amongst the storm of thinking, the conversation from the shuttle replayed itself, '…I fulfill my duties 'only' because they are my duties and for no other reason,' Kor had said. 'I despise you,' had been his words.

These were not the words of someone who would willingly follow every beck and call of the person they 'despised'. Everything Kaden had studied about Kor's behavior so far was being directly challenged by this one inconsistency and he was now on the brink of being proven wrong again!

"I said..." Kaden growled quietly, as he pulled back his arm, "Stay still!" and he hurled a fully powered Fastball straight at his enemy.

Kor dove hard to avoid the fiery ball of nuclear energy and was barely able to clear the danger zone, before enough dirt to fill a small crater erupted into the air and rained down upon him.

Another Fastball came hissing forward through the dust mere seconds after the first. This time, however, Kor had unsheathed his wrench and was prepared for the attack.

With quickly calculated, but still precise timing, the armored warrior batted the glowing orb away like a baseball. It sailed clear up into the sky before popping like a firework.

The dust began to settle and Kor found Kaden now had a wild look in his piercing eyes, but his body language, conversely did not say he was looking for a fight.

"Have you gone insane?!" Kor demanded in a metallic tone that was more genuine confusion than anger.

"So, you can disobey an order to save yourself?" muttered the mad Lombax, as if simply noting an observation to himself. 'But he still hasn't made any attempt to counterattack,' his mind pointed out in response.

'No, there must be a breaking point,' his mind countered. 'If it is true that he's simply following the mission's mandate, than he should know that the Military Unit has authority to restrain team members if they become a danger to the group or the mission. This definitely constitutes both.'

Kaden nodded his agreement, "Then let's find that breaking point, shall we?"

The tan Lombax then unleashed a barrage of Fastballs at his target, one right after the other.

Each one was either cleanly dodged or batted away by their armored target.

However, Kaden's attacks were not aimed at the ground for effectiveness this time, as their goal now was not to defeat Kor, but to force him into attacking.

Kaden watched Kor's movements carefully and angrily noted that the armored warrior was careful as to not send any of the deflected attacks back his way.

"What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled, as he launched another Fastball.

"Those are my words!" Kor shouted back, as he swatted the attack away.

"Why are you just dodging and deflecting instead of attacking?" Kaden pressed, while still throwing burning balls of plasma.

"It is my duty to protect you," was all Kor answered with.

Kaden growled in irritation and halted his chain of attacks, "If you won't stop me, how do you plan to complete the mission?" he questioned impatiently, but as if he truly wished for an answer.

Kor too stopped moving, now that the immediate threat seemed to have passed, "You cannot keep this up forever. You will either run out of power, or the will to continue and when that happens, we can then proceed with the mission."

Kaden glared hard at Kor, "So you're just going to continue evading until I give up, is that it?" he asked.

But the enraged Lombax didn't wait for a response. He immediately raised both hands in front of him, with his palms facing outward. A second later, bright balls of energy flashed into fiery life from each hand and quickly began to grow as his Nuclear Fists charged a shot apiece.

As the loud whine of growing, compressed power filled the air, Kaden watched Kor's form slowly become eclipsed by the two growing balls of energy in his hands.

Kor had been the source of Kaden's confusion on so many occasions. Even now his mind was filled with questions that still lacked answers, but it was at this moment that he'd decided he'd had enough. No longer would he wait while an unanswerable question burned in the back of his mind. It was right here, and right now, that he'd have his answer... no matter what!

"Fine," Kaden declared coldly, "if you won't tell me your true motivation, then you can just die here."

Kor had recognized the attack the moment his opponent/partner had raised his hands, but he could do nothing to stop it. In a very rare turn of events, Kor's mind froze.

He could not stop the attack without hurting Kaden, but he knew these orbs of power were much more formidable that the previous ones. He had almost no chance of deflecting one, let alone both, with his wrench.

If he tried to run, Kaden could simply aim at the ground and catch him between the shockwaves, or even use that new beam attack he'd demonstrated when they'd first landed on Sargasso. That wasn't even taking into account what would happen if this mad Lombax combined the two and used that devastating attack that had defeated him in their last showdown. There seemed to be no way out.

As the whine of the Nuclear Fists reached their crescendo, Kor came to a hard decision. Relaxing his combat stance, the armored warrior dropped his wrench to the ground with a thud, "I seek to regain my tail," he declared reluctantly.

For a long while, nothing happened. Kaden didn't move and Kor was unsure if he'd been heard through the weapons' noise.

Then there was a loud bang as Kaden's gauntlets deactivated and waves of superheated air poured from the sides of the devices.

The large balls of contained nuclear fire dissipated rapidly until a clearly confused Lombax face became visible behind them, "Huh?" was all Kaden could say in response.

Somewhere in the depths of Kaden's mind, a small part of him was still thinking clearly enough to appreciate the irony of the situation. He had been on the verge of possibly murdering someone due to his confusion and inability to comprehend something about Kor. However, it was by becoming even more confused due to receiving a completely incomprehensible answer, that had caused him to stop.

A long, metallic sigh emanated from Kor's helmet speakers, "Among my people, there is a tradition where the debt of failure must be repaid. When one warrior loses to another in a fight to the death, but suffered the shame of surviving, the victor would sever their tail and wear it as a trophy. Their tail then became proof that, had the victor wished it, they could have taken the defeated's life. From that point on, the disgraced warrior would serve the victor in all aspects and only after they had repaid that life, would their tail be returned to them."

Kaden blinked several times as his mind, previously on the verge of meltdown, received a substantial load of information while still trying to return to normal operations, "I… don't remember cutting off your tail," was what his mind chose to reply with, as it continued to digest the input.

Kor shook his armored head, "My people no longer participate in the tail severing aspect of the ritual, but the meaning of the act still remains. Though, I have always regretted the fact that I would never experience such a venerable tradition. Regardless, you have defeated me in battle, so I must restore my honor by repaying that debt of life."

There were many things about what Kor had said that needed to be addressed. There was the fact that his people had, at one point, ritualistically mutilated each other, then there was the much more concerning issue of Kor apparently wishing they still did, but the plot point that filled Kaden's thoughts the most was the fact that his mortal enemy was now honor bound to serve him.

Cross-checking it against the inconsistencies in Kor's actions so far, Kaden's mind, to its own surprise, concluded that some strange, tribal warrior's debt 'would' properly explain Kor's strange actions of submission.

A wave of excitement then filled Kaden's mind as he reflected this possibility. It was an unbelievable plot-twist, but more importantly, it explained all of Kor's behavior without refuting what Kaden already knew.

"So... because I beat you in our last match, you have to do whatever I say?" Kaden asked, still skeptical, but liking the concept more with every passing second.

Kor nodded, "I must now return to you twice my life's value through service, in order to regain my honor."

Kaden liked the sound of that, but a few parts still stuck out to him, "Twice?" he repeated curiously.

Kor nodded again, "Just as the stolen tail represents a life lost and now owed, I also owe you a debt of life after the night in the training chamber. Had you not acted, despite my attempts to harm you, I would not live now."

Kaden suddenly recalled Kor's confusing words at the time, 'That's twice now,' and a grin slowly creased his face.

It felt to the young Lombax as if he'd discovered presents on Christmas morning; there could be no explaining for the elation he felt at suddenly being given the ability to answer two confusing questions about Kor in such a short span of time.

An abrupt realization then came to Kaden's mind. Kor had to do whatever he said, that meant the Lombax himself had to answer any question he was asked! Kaden had just found the galactic mother lode!

Kor tilted his head to one side as he studied the range of odd expressions that shifted across the apparently insane, tan-furred Lombax's face. He had hoped that he'd be able to repay his honor debt without Kaden learning of it, but it had been a naïve hope. If there was one thing Kor had to admit, it was that his enemy/new master was 'very' observant. It was a trait that he feared could continue to cause even more trouble for him.

As Kaden's mind wandered through the library of questions he'd been storing in the back of his mind, he finally noticed that he was being hailed through his NID's connection to his short-wave radio. He activated it with a thought,

"Kaden, Kor, do either of you two hear me?" came Siigih's voice through Kaden's NID.

"Yeah, this is Kaden," the tan-furred Lombax replied, seemingly to thin air as Kor mentally noted 'talking to oneself' as another sign of madness. "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong?" repeated Siigih in confusion. "We could hear explosions coming from where you and Kor were supposed be setting up the second piercer site. Are you both ok? We're heading there now."

"Oh!" blurted Kaden, with sudden realization, "Oh, no. No, we're fine. It was just, um… a thing… that happened. We're fine, so... you don't have to worry and can just get back to setting up the sites on your side."

There was a short span of silence, "Are... you sure?" pressed Siigih, not quite satisfied with Kaden's answer.

"Yes, I'm sure, Siigih. There is 'nothing' to worry about," Kaden insisted with a grin.

"Very well then. We shall see you back at the first site," finished Siigih's voice, before cutting out.

The conversation with Siigih had reminded Kaden that they were on a schedule and needed to get back to work. His questions for Kor would have to wait, but that was fine. He'd waited this long for answers and now that they were within his grasp, he would use the rest of the day to pick out what he wanted to ask and how he wanted to ask it.

However, he did not have very long before the sun set on Sargasso, "Alright then," Kaden said casually, "Now that that's settled, let's get this mission over with." He then began walking in the direction of the next piercer site.

"Wait!" shouted Kor's metallic voice, "Is that it?"

Kaden turned around to face him, "Is what it?" he asked, looking confused

Kor held up his arms and gestured at the dozen or so craters that were still smoking lazily, "What was this about?"

"Oh, that," intoned Kaden calmly, "You were acting weird and it was bothering me."

Kaden couldn't see it through the helmet, but Kor's mouth fell open in astonishment, "'I' was acting weird?" he repeated in disbelief.

Kaden nodded without realizing the subtle sarcasm in Kor's metallic voice, "Yeah, you were, but your explanation fits, so it's all good now."

Kor took one last look around at the scorched earth before turning back to Kaden, "You are truly insane, do you realize this?"

Kaden shrugged indifferently before raising his hand in the air, holding his palm flat before rocking it back and forth, "Eh, it's a fine line," he replied, before turning back around and continuing to walk as if everything had been cleared up.

Kor shook his head as the crazy, tan-furred Lombax that he was now sworn to serve walked away, without waiting for him to follow.

Then Kaden suddenly stopped moving as he remembered something important, "Oh and Kor," he said without turning around, "They're called 'hoverboots'."

A moment later, the familiar roar of tiny rocket engines filled the air and Kaden blasted off into the horizon at breakneck speed.

He had remembered that he didn't like Kor.

Kor let out an exhausted sigh, 'This is going to be a long mission,' he thought, before sprinting after his new master.


The rest of the day was passed relatively uneventfully as Kaden and Kor setup each of the next three sites which they were responsible for. Each time, Kaden repeated the act of hoverbooting off and forcing Kor to run after him.

Though, truthfully he did it more because he simply didn't feel like walking the full distance, rather than to simply give Kor a hard time... that was just a bonus.

After the Piercers were set up, the two Lombaxes returned to the first location where they met back up with the Kerchu. Both groups had left a few of their heavier supplies here as they'd be setting up camp in this location for tonight, while they waited for the Crust Piercers to finish their task and for their geometric scan data to be transferred into Kaden's NID.

The whole process would take several hours and the sky was already beginning to darken. After they woke the next morning, they would repeat the day's objective with the primary goal being dismantling the sites rather than assembling them.

They would then repeat this process on the next swath of land.

"What is that?" asked Kaden as he arrived at the first Piercer site, ahead of Kor as usual.

His question was referring to the heap of what looked like dead bio-material of various plant life from the area.

"It is a campfire," explained Boogoh excitedly. "With it we can cook food and have a hot meal. I rarely get to make them since I spend most days in school or on diplomatic missions with my father."

Kaden nodded to show he'd heard, "Yes, I know what a campfire is, but my question was, 'what is that'?" he repeated. "It looks like a pile of dead flora?"

Boogoh returned Kaden's confused look with one of his own and so the Lombax dug through his supplies and pulled out a fat, metal cylinder. He then placed the object on the ground and clapped his hands twice.

Immediately a roaring ball of blue flame erupted from the top of the device.

Boogoh jumped back in surprise, but Siigih, having seen the exchange from a distance, quickly approached Kaden, "I know you Lombaxes cherish your technology, but we Kerchu have a certain aesthetic that we prefer to follow," he explained with a slight gesture to the crestfallen look on Boogoh's face. "Besides, is it not better to save the fuel of your fire device while the land offers us an easy alternative?"

Kaden shrugged, "I don't think the mission will last that long, but ok," he conceded before clapping his hands twice again, deactivating his wide-spectrum, thermal emitter with a whoosh of vanishing flame.

Siigih nodded his thanks and returned to tending the pile of dead plants.

Boogoh had cheered up again upon seeing that he'd get to make an 'old-fashioned' campfire after all, but then suddenly looked around in confusion, "Mr. Kaden?" he began curiously, "Was Mr. Kor not with you?"

Kaden summoned a great deal of willpower not to grin at the question, "Er, Kor? Yeah, he's just… double checking the area. He'll be joining us shortly."

Boogoh nodded his understanding and returned to building the campfire with Siigih.

Kaden then set to work preparing his own campsite. He reverified the supplies they'd brought to ensure he missed nothing and pulled out what food and gear he'd need for the night, while also replacing anything he'd used today.

Next came putting up his tent, a task which took him a whole thirty seconds thanks to the ancient model of Auto-shelter he'd grabbed from the supply bunker. The young Lombax couldn't say he enjoyed these 'roughing it' conditions, but he supposed mission efficiency took priority.

Boogoh had been carrying back another heap of sticks and was about to help Siigih start the fire when he witnessed Kaden's tent rise from the ground on its own. The young Kerchu looked on with fascination as the shelter put itself together.

Not enjoying being ignored, however, Siigih reached up and gave his young master a light pull on his ear fur, causing a slight squeak of discomfort, but effectively returning Boogoh's attention to his task at hand.

At that moment, an armored figure came running up to the camp. Kaden nodded with satisfaction that even through his armor, Kor was visibly fighting to regain his breath.

"Welcome back," smiled Kaden smugly.

Kor gave the grinning Lombax a sideways glance and low growl could be heard from his helmet, but other than that, he offered no reaction.

Kaden sighed in mild disappointment at not getting a rise out of his partner/enemy, though it did remind him that Kor was now his servant.

Without warning, Kaden tossed a square device at him.

The armored Lombax caught it easily and looked back up at Kaden, both with curiosity and suspicion, "What is this?" he asked, half-expecting it to blow up in his hands.

Kaden rolled his eyes, "It's your tent," he said as if it should have been obvious.

Kor looked down at the device and studied it before looking at Kaden's tent and shaking his head, "I have no need," he argued. "Such a small enclosure will hinder my mobility and decrease my reaction time to an attack in the night."

But Kaden shook his own head in response, "The squalls here on Sargasso are pretty nasty, you know. The rain is pretty much pure acid and can be filled with parasites. What are you going to do if it starts to come down suddenly at night?" Kaden asked of the Lombax who was covered from ear to toe in hermetically-sealed combat armor that was also built to withstand dangerous environments, including space.

There was a brief moment of silence as the two Lombaxes debated internally whether the obvious need be stated or not.

This silence was, thankfully, broken by a sudden, high pitch squeak of surprise that Kaden's NID kept telling him it couldn't translate.

They both turned to see a bright fire growing rapidly over the dead plant material that the Kerchu had gathered, while a panicked Boogoh rapidly slapped a section of his fur that was smoking slightly.

A second later, Reegeh appeared from the other side of the campsite, carrying what looked like a massive dragonfly and beckoned everyone to join him.


The party of five all sat around the campfire as the (not entirely enjoyable) aroma of freshly cooked Grubsnucker wafted through the air.

Nevertheless, the three Kerchu watched the steaming carcass eagerly. Apparently, the part of Kerchu 'aesthetic' that determined what appeared to be edible was completely different from that of the Lombaxes'.

"Don't we have to worry about the fire attracting local wildlife?" asked Kaden curiously. He wasn't worried about Anthropods or Grubsnuckers, but as he now finally had a chance to relax on Sargasso, the Dean's mention of being eaten by Grunthors came back to his mind.

It was Reegeh who answered, shaking his head as he prodded his roasting kill to check how done it was, "Small pockets of swamp gas can sometimes mix with veins of gelatonium. It's a volatile mixture that catches fire easily and is usually poisonous to breathe. Most creatures here know to stay away from fire for this reason."

Kaden nodded his understanding and sat quietly as Reegeh poked the charred Grubsnucker hide once more. The large Kerchu then smiled brightly and quickly removed the carcase from the fire, before proceeding to slice off the creature's skin, leaving behind a surprisingly small amount of edible material for such a fat animal.

Everyone was given an equal piece of meat, though Kaden declined his portion, something that Reegeh had no qualms about.

It wasn't that Kaden wasn't willing to try it or that he knew he didn't like Grubsnucker, it was just that he happened to be one of the rare, few people who actually enjoyed eating the flavorless nutrition bricks and pastes from their survival packs. To him, the perfectly measured globs and cubes of nutrients tasted better than sweet or savory. To him they tasted… efficient.

It took the tan Lombax no more than a minute to complete his meal, which allowed him to focus on how the other Lombax in the group was going to eat his food. This was one of the many things that he'd been curious about.

It wasn't just Kaden, either. After savoring their first few bites of Grubsnucker, the six eyes of his Kerchu companions began shifting subtly toward the masked figure of the group, each one curious to see even a glimpse of the mysterious person beneath it.

Seemingly unaware, the armored Lombax held up his cut of Grubsnucker meat. Kaden could feel the air become tense, as they all waited to see.

Kor did not disappoint, either. His new combat helmet opened much like his old one did, only much faster.

In a flash, the metal plating from across his jawline was gone, revealing the dozens of terrifying, razor-sharp fangs that made up his teeth. An instant later, most of these teeth had been sunk deep into animal flesh as Kor shoved nearly a full third of his portion into his mouth. This was followed quickly by the spine chilling sound of Grubsnucker fat and sinew being ripped apart by powerful jaws, before the bite had been completed and Kor's helmet resealed itself.

The whole event took less than two seconds and the muffled sounds of chewing could barely be heard beneath the mask that also hid any other signs of what had just transpired, aside from the slight bobbing of his head.

Kaden had to admit that the sight had been a startling one, even though he had known about Kor's unique dental work ahead of time.

The Kerchu, on the other hand, despite having quite large and dangerous looking teeth themselves, appeared to have lost a portion of their appetite.

Also, by the look on Boogoh's face, though Kaden didn't want verify it, the young Kerchu may have wet himself.

Siigih leaned over to whisper in Kaden's ear, "Is… is it normal for Lombaxes to… um, eat like that?" he asked with mild concern.

Kaden put his hand to his chin and pretended to ponder the question.

A moment later he smiled and said, "Nope," before turning away and offering no more insight.

"This is quite good," remarked Kor to Reegeh, after far too short a pause for the amount of meat he'd just shoved in his mouth.

Reegeh swallowed hard and nodded at the compliment, "I am... pleased you like it."

Kor raised the chunk of meat to his helmet again and there was another visible shift from the group, this time it was to avert their eyes.

But the next bite did not come. Instead Kor hesitated and lowered the meat again before jabbing a finger into it. After a few seconds of digging, Kor pulled out a small metal spike and held it up.

Reegeh's eyes grew wide when he saw the object, "Oh! I am very sorry," he apologized as he reached forward and plucked the object from Kor's hand. "This was a shard from one of the Buzz Blades I used to down this creature. I had thought I'd been thorough in their removal, but it seems I was wrong. Again, I apologize deeply."

Kor didn't seem to be upset as he tilted his head in curiosity, "What is a 'Buzz Blade'?" he asked.

Reegeh took a moment to set his own meat down and then reached into his supply bag, before pulling out a small device. With a squeeze of the trigger the device then unfolded into what looked like a short barreled pistol, except, where there should have been a projectile tube, there was instead a sharp looking, buzzsaw-style blade, slowly rotating between two magnetic field generators.

"There was once a gang of Kerchu carpenters that wanted a faster way to slice up trees and wood," explained Reegeh as he showed off the weapon. "This was the result of their efforts. Even though they went rogue and started chopping down whole acres of unsanctioned logging sites, after their arrest and subsequent execution, this little device ended up as a staple of the Kerchu Special Forces. It's lightweight, has a high rate of fire, and is perfect for groups of pesky little enemies. Especially the ones that fly around and attack from a range like this Grubsnucker here," he added with a gesture to the skinned animal hide that he'd tossed away.

Kor studied the Grubsnucker remains and the device closely, "These 'Grubsnuckers'," he intoned curiously, but also with a serious attentiveness, "they can fly and attack from a distance?"

Reegeh nodded, "That's right. They buzz around like irritating insects just out of reach. Then they puff up their fat bellies before spewing out wads of corroding stomach acid. If you come into contact with any Grubsnuckers, you'd better make sure you shoot them down quickly. Once they get going, their moves are hard to predict."

Kor continued to study the Grubsnucker corpse intently, "I see," was all he said in reply.

In the short silence that followed, Reegeh and Siigih returned to their meal, while Boogoh seemed to be plucking up his courage while he continued to stare at the red-armored Lombax.

"What sort of weapons do you use, Mr. Kor?" the young Kerchu asked timidly.

Kor turned his masked face to the source of the question and studied Boogoh much the same way he'd done the corpse, which was very disconcerting, "Currently, I am only in possession of my Malleus Wrench and a high-quality Vibro-knife that I 'acquired' recently," he explained calmly.

The Kerchu were all surprised to hear that Kor was not in possession of a ranged weapon.

But not nearly as surprised as Kaden, "So are you telling me that you came to Sargasso without anything more than your oversized wrench and a pocket knife?!" he demanded, incredulous at the very idea.

Kor slowly turned his head to face the source of this second question, "I do have a light pistol that I also recently 'acquired', but it seems to be custom made for a certain grip and would have been more of a hassle than a help had I brought it."

Kaden shook his head, "What about your pistols?" he pressed angrily. If Kor didn't have any ranged weapons, then it essentially made him all but useless if they ran into a hive of Grubsnuckers. That did not fit his plan of survival.

A low growl emanated from Kor's mask, "I lost both my Castor and my Pollux pistols in a recent battle. I was told they were beyond repair."

"Then you should have bought some second-hand blaster before you came out on this mission! Anything would be better than nothing," Kaden lectured.

Then he remembered something else, "What about your Metal Storm?" he asked next. Kaden was still unhappy about Kor having a weapon of his design, but he would rather that be the case than to know that his partner had nothing else to fight with.

Kor's fist tightened and he shook his head, "That was also heavily damaged in the previous battle. Only one of its control nodes still remains operational," he admitted, almost sadly.

Kaden threw up his hands in disbelief. Kor's only ranged weapon was a single MS magnetic control node, with which he could do little more than lift a few pounds of iron at any decent distance. Any object weighing more that that would have to be highly magnetic and there weren't many super magnetic boulders lying around out here in the swamp.

Kerchu were very instinctive creatures and both Siigih and Reegeh could sense a tension growing, but apparently Boogoh was either too young or simply too out of touch with his instincts to notice, "Might I ask, what is this 'Metal Storm'?" he asked curiously. He was fascinated with all Lombax technology and a device called a 'Metal Storm' seemed too intriguing not to inquire about.

Kor suddenly let out a long, static-ridden sigh and looked up into air as if lost in thought, "It was a truly wondrous weapon," recalled the armored Lombax fondly.

Kaden's ears picked up at the sudden, unexpected compliment and he listened intently as Kor continued, "I found it in the back room of a weapons store. Supposedly it used magnetic fields and could turn any nearby piece of scrap metal into a deadly weapon. The merchant had said that it was still experimental and that its inventor had deemed it unusable, leaving only the one operational model, but from the moment I tested its functions, I knew that it was a work of art!"

Kaden's feelings were quickly becoming jumbled and confusing to him as he listened further, "Unlike every other weapon on sale, which only focused on larger and wider shots or explosions, this one weapon required skill. The skill of a true warrior."

Kaden could feel his ego being stroked with every word.

Boogoh looked on with wide eyes, "Wow! It's like the ancient Kerchu stories of warriors finding their destined weapon," he cooed happily.

Kor nodded his agreement, "Yes, yes. It was a truly magnificent device. And the best part was, since no one else wanted it or could even use it, the merchant gave it to me for a great price!"

Kaden was suddenly back to feeling angry again.

Kor then sighed once more and this time he lowered his head, "I had barely tapped the device's potential before I lost it. If only I'd had more time to master it, I could have made it a weapon worthy of legend."

"Huh," scoffed Kaden, "if it was a weapon of legend, than I guess you lost it because you were unworthy."

Kor's fist clenched tightly and a deep, angry growl creeped out of his mask as he brought his gaze back to his antagonist, "Yes. It is as you say. I lost my weapons, my honor, and most of my skin, all in one fell swoop. But I have regained my flesh and I 'will' regain my honor. Then I will have my vengeance."

Kaden simply shook his head and smirked at Kor's words, "If you ask me, I should have cooked you a bit longer. You seem to be a bit half-baked," he mocked jovially, using a joke he'd actually been waiting to use for a while now.

The joke was over quickly as Kor got to his feet, his emotionless mask was lit up frighteningly by the burning fire and a bloody scrap of meat still dripping in his free hand, "You mock my torment?" barked angrily. "Can you even grasp the pain of being cooked alive in one's own armor?! Never have I experienced such damage and suffering in all the times it's happened!"

Kaden had stood up as well, ready and willing to face his aggressor's challenge, but his mind faltered at Kor's words, "Are you saying that you've been cooked alive more than once?!" he declared loudly, using the fighting tone he'd planned for different words.

Kor did not change his posture or his tone as he answered, "My home is on the edge of an eternally active volcano. Slipping on spots of soft ground and falling into one of the many rivers of lava is not uncommon."

"That… makes sense!" Kaden growled back, still in confrontation mode.

Oblivious to the real tension in the air, Boogoh was about to ask Kor about this home of Lava, but Reegeh stopped him as Siigih took up position between the two Lombaxes.

The kindly Kerchu tried to smile disarmingly to both Lombaxes, a surprisingly effective measure, Kaden noted, considering a Kerchu's face closely resembled that of a hamster, "Well, it has clearly been a long day. I for one believe that we should all get some rest. Tomorrow promises to be an even longer day and Sargasso's sun does not remain set for long this time of year."

Kaden and Kor still eyed each other for several more seconds, until it was the tan Lombax that broke the stalemate, "Fine," he conceded at last, "The scanners should take another two hours to finish and the sun rises in six. I'll show you and Boogoh how to dismantle the sites in the morning and then we can head off to the next rendezvous point." And with that Kaden marched off to his tent.

Kor watched him go before turning back and bowing a respectful goodnight to Siigih. He then marched off to find a good spot to sleep. Someplace that hid him from sight, but also offered a good view of the area.

Siigih sighed in relief as the two Lombaxes disappeared and Reegeh moved Boogoh to his tent.

The experienced Kerchu was well aware that his species' anger and aggression was famous throughout the galaxy, but as one of the few races with close ties to their fellow furred, sentient beings, he knew of the true horrors that could be unleashed by an enraged Lombax.


AN: This chapter originally came out pretty quickly considering how long I spent on it, but for a lot of the time, something didn't sit right with me. I didn't know what it was, so I ignored it, but right before I was going to send it to my editor, I was going to bed and just decided to rewrite almost half of it.

Originally, Kaden had hoverbooted away after realizing something is up with Kor and he spends the rest of the chapter goading and probing him, pushing him to the edge to see how far Kor would take this odd behavior. Eventually, Kaden was going to demand that Kor tell him what his 'game' was, which Kor would immediately do because he was honor-bound to answer if asked directly.

I didn't do it intentionally, but I wonder if Kaden's major outburst at refusing to accept another unanswerable question was based on my frustration with how drawn out this chapter had felt. In my head, the plan was that Kaden was supposed to take this roundabout, methodical approach as is typical of him, but I was like "NO! Screw that!" and it turned into Kaden essentially acting out those words. It sounds possible, though I don't know how I feel about the thought of angry writing being a thing, as it is not a fast or fun process at all.