The sound of night insects penetrated the tent with ease. Their ceaseless chirping and hissing and Erik's even breathing less than a foot away created a steady rhythm. Tess lay staring into the inky blackness trying to sleep. She was exhausted, but slumber eluded her. After eating, she'd returned to the Stardust and did a bit of digging through the Database to track down Oro Ohtamacil's contact information and do a bit of research. He seemed like an amiable enough old man. He was generous to a fault, and Tess had a feeling that a lenient trusting nature was at least partly responsible for his son Ohte's misadventures. Perhaps, though, it could be used to Erik's advantage. The elder son, Erik's uncle Endo, might prove a more troublesome obstacle. The few interviews and articles she found portrayed him as a stern serious man with a strong sense of racial pride and public honor.

She silently hoped that Erik would choose to stay with her instead, but didn't have the heart to attempt to sway him in one direction or another in his decision. It was past midnight when her thoughts finally slowed and she slept.

Unsurprisingly, Erik woke up first and the sound of him washing in the river woke Tess up. She watched him from the safety of the tent, observing the muscles in his shoulders and back flexing as he moved in the cold water. She had to admit that he wasn't particularly attractive in any traditional manner. He was far too thin and the scars that crisscrossed his sallow skin created a patchwork of chaos that reminded her of a black widow's cobweb. His sinewy physical appearance was completely at odds with his graceful cat-like movement, however, and belied an underpinning strength that Tess would not lightly challenge without the advantage of her Ayana exoskeleton. It was a strange and fascinating combination.

The show was soon over as Erik climbed from the water and dressed, moving to sit on the same boulder they'd taken their supper at the previous evening. Tess waited a few minutes before climbing from the tent and feigning that she'd just awoken. She sat down beside him and watched the river flowing past.

"I've got the contact information for your grandfather, if you decide you want to go that route. I can't guarantee any sort of success."

"I wouldn't expect you to."

"Well, good. Because I can't. I can't even guarantee that he'll meet with you. Do you still want to try, or have you not decided yet?"

Erik sighed. He could not envision such a meeting ending well, but he didn't want to spend the rest of his life regretting missing a chance at having the one thing he'd always wanted. He'd have to make a hefty emotional gamble if he wanted a family.

"Does your offer still stand, to teach me your trade, should this little experiment fail?"

"Well, sure. I don't see why it shouldn't."

He'd have somewhere to go if he were cast out of his ancestral home, at least. And after all, nothing ventured, nothing gained.

"Contact him whenever it is convenient. I think I will go for a short walk. I'll return soon."

"Well, alright, but don't go too far."

Erik wandered off over the hill again and Tess headed up into the Stardust to try and track down Oro. She sat in the cockpit and opened communications. She accessed the channels for Erana Prime, and after being summarily disconnected three times, hacked into the back door, piggy-backing on internal signals to mask her own identity. She finally managed to get a real face on her view screen. The female Eranae immediately gave her a suspicious look, clearly not expecting an off-worlder. Tess put on her Serious Face and attempted to be diplomatic.

"Good morning, madam."

"How did you access this channel, off-worlder? It is private!"

Tess laughed lightly.

"I will admit to using… unorthodox means, but my reasons are legitimate. It is imperative that I speak with master Oro Ohtamacil. I bring news that concerns his family."

The secretary's suspicion only grew deeper.

"If you are plotting something—"

"I am plotting nothing! I have simply stumbled upon something that may be of worth to master Ohtamacil. I ask no ransom or reparation, I simply wish to speak to him and arrange a meeting."

"He is resting at the moment. I will enquire whether or not he wishes to speak to you, but I do not believe he will have any interest in your scheme, whatever it is."

The harassed-looking woman disappeared from the screen Tess chewed her lip while she waited a good ten minutes before she reappeared with an aged male following.

"Master Ohtamacil will speak to you briefly."

The woman exited the room again and the old man sat at the view screen.

"State your case quickly, off-worlder. My time is valuable."

Tess bowed her head slightly in deference to the aging patriarch.

"Of course, master. You do not know me, but my name is Tess. I am a Hunter from the Tellurian system and recently made an unexpected visit to my home world. I found there something that may interest your family."

Oro's eyes narrowed at her. He was clearly expecting deception.

"I fail to see what an undeveloped class 3 planet could hold that would be of interest to me."

"Though I am certain you likely have no desire to hear of your son Ohte's many fiascos, he left something behind on the planet you may wish to have returned to your family."

Oro huffed in annoyance.

"Spit it out, child! I do not have all day to play games with you."

"You have a grandson named Erik. His mother was a Tellurian like myself. I found him while pursuing a bounty and took him with me when I left the planet out of fear for his safety and freedom should the authorities discover him. He was born on Telluria Prime and has spent his entire life on its surface, until very recently, but I doubt the authorities would care much of the fact if they ever found him on a class 3 planet."

Oro's expression of anger dissipated into something Tess found difficult to read under the boney plates covering most of the Eranae's face.

"I imagine they would not. You have him with you then? May I see him?"

"He, uh, went for a walk. He has not returned yet. I would like to arrange a personal meeting, though, if you are not too busy. He has no other surviving family and I am certain he would appreciate speaking with you."

Oro's gaze moved to something above the camera in his home which Tess could not see.

"Hm… I suppose I should. Half Tellurian…Endo will not be pleased with this new development..."

Oro's grim face returned to meet Tess's gaze again.

"It will have to be a discreet meeting. I will get clearance for you to dock your ship on the second moon and an entourage will be there to escort you both to my home. You must understand, this could be something of a scandal if the media discovered… What did you say his name was?"

"Erik, master."

"How old is he? Ohte has been in prison for some time now."

"I am not entirely certain. By a Tellurian calendar, I'd guess that he's around thirty-five or forty years, but I am not familiar with how the Eranae mark the passage of time. He is middle-aged for one of my race, but still relatively young for one of yours."

"Yes… We shall see, I suppose. I will send you the clearance codes and you may meet with my servants this afternoon. They will be waiting for you on the second moon in the red docking zone. Dock your ship and wait at the entrance. They will approach you. Good hunting and may the North wind never abandon you."

Tess bowed again.

"May the North wind never abandon you, master."

Tess switched off the communications station and headed back outside to take down the tent and clean up. Erik returned shortly and she waved him over to her.

"I managed to track down Oro. He's agreed to meet with you. I think you may find him a sympathetic character, but you have an uncle, also his business partner, who may be less forgiving of your mixed blood. We'll meet with his people at a docking bay on one of Eranae Prime's moons and travel to the planet's surface from there this afternoon."

"Ah."

Erik walked over to the river. He hadn't been expecting to be faced with this meeting quite so soon. Tess walked up beside him a moment later, looking up at him with concern.

"If it's too soon, I can call on him again and arrange a later time, tell him you're ill or injured or something. It would be a bit rude, but I don't think it would anger him greatly."

"No, no. It would be more than a 'bit' rude. We will go this afternoon as planned. I will simply have to deal with the problem today."

"Problem? I hardly see how meeting your grandfather is a 'problem'. You should be happy to have a grandfather. I'll never see mine again, that's for damn sure."

Erik turned to look at her, scrutinizing her face.

"No… I don't suppose you will. I shall endeavor to act a more grateful."

Tess shook her head at him in confusion.

"Good… You do that. We'd better leave now anyway. It can take hours to get through customs, even with the clearance codes Oro Ohtamacil gave me."

Tess and Erik returned to the Stardust and left the wild planet behind them. It was only a fifteen minute journey through subspace, but as Tess had predicted, they spent hours in orbit around Erana Prime's second moon waiting for clearance. It was nearly two thirty local time before they were allowed to land. Tess grabbed a couple bags while they were waiting and threw clothing in them and a couple bottles of water. She knew they would probably be well taken care of, but she never went anywhere without extra water. You never knew what sort of situation you could end up in. She kept a single blaster tucked in her belt in clear view, but dispensed with the rest. It would not do to be found concealing weaponry. The one blaster would probably be tolerated due to her profession and as Hunters were generally expected to be armed, would allay suspicion of concealed weaponry and save her an unpleasant body cavity search. She tossed the second bag to Erik before dragging him off the Stardust and setting the locking mechanisms behind her.

"We're supposed to meet them by the entrance."

She grabbed Erik's hand and glanced around for signs. They were written only in some Eranaen language she did not recognize and no translations into the common tongue could be found as there were in other regions of the galaxy. The locals obviously did not encourage strangers. Tess shrugged and followed the general flow of the crowd, ignoring the wary stares cast at the two travelers, and eventually they made their way to the front doors of the large complex. One of a group of three Eranae, two male and one female, waiting nearby nodded to the rest of the group and approached Tess and Erik.

"You will follow me to our transport and we will take you to master Ohtamacil on his estate. Do not draw any more attention to yourselves than you already have. Come."

Tess dragged Erik behind her, trailing the taller male Eranae. The other two brought up the back and they wove through the throng to a dock on the highest level of the outpost. They were led inside a small but richly decorated transport, obviously the property of a wealthy owner.

"Sit and we will bring you refreshment. We will arrive at the Ohtamacil estate in half an hour."

Erik did not drop Tess's hand as she had expected him to, but gripped it firmly to the point of almost being painful as his eyes darted around the interior of the craft nervously. The shorter Eranaen male brought two glasses of some bluish beverage and a plate of blandish biscuits and left them on the table before returning to the cockpit with the others.

"Calm down, Erik. You'll accomplish nothing by panicking at this point. It'll work out, I promise you. The worst that will happen is that you'll end up having to stay with me, is that such a horrid proposition?"

Erik turned toward her voice as if he'd forgotten she was there and snatched his hand from hers when he noticed it.

"Horrid? I do not mean to insult you; I do not know where you found that idea."

"Oh never mind. Just calm down. He's not going to boil you for afternoon tea, you know."

Erik took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. He just wasn't a people-person, and not very good at making a positive first impression. He was very good at intimidating new people; he used to be quite good at charming them when he was younger and less jaded, but in this case, neither skill would be especially useful. He longed for his old mask, though he did not know why, surrounded by aliens as he was. He may not be a beauty, but among the creatures he'd seen over the past few days, he was no longer exceptional by any means. Just another face in the crowd…

The transport landed on a small private docking area next to a massive mansion built into the side of one of the foothills of a tall mountain range. The three Eranae escorting them led them inside to meet with the family patriarch.