The next day dawned like most others, with a bustling of activity in the camp, but more pronounced now that everyone was getting ready to leave. The busiest were the Lupar, who had spent the night dragging their wagons to the camp and hitching up the few pongos they could find to pull most of the wagons. A few that couldn't be pulled were almost abandoned, until van Horn offered to 'tow' them with his vehicle. The offer of also using his vehicle to carry the old, sick, and infirm was also welcomed, and soon the unrecovered victims of the attack on the village were lying down in the back compartment of his Darter scout car, along with a few gatón and lupar to take care of them.

The following day rose upon a scene of a long convoy of wagons and carts snaking its way through the forest. For most of the gatón, this would be their first time away from their village since they were born, save for the occasional hunt. For the lupar, this would be a new leg in their journey, though to be sure, it was going to be unusual in the extreme. Not only did they have gatón with them, but there would be this mysterious human and his strange craft, as well.

As the day wore on towards the noontime hour, the air started to become hot under the canopy of the forest, causing the pongos to slow down. This didn't bother the leaders of this caravan, though, since many of the gatón lacked anything more helpful than simple handcarts gathered from the village remains, and so they would have slowed the caravan anyway.

Van Horn wasn't fully comfortable with passengers, however, as most had never been inside the craft before, and many were still nervous or afraid of the human. It did help having Alexis and two of the Farkas brothers inside to calm the others, but every time he walked back to check on things whenever the caravan slowed enough for him to stop and take a break, the others became mute. It was enough to keep van Horn up front most of the time.

He sighed as he thought of this, thinking it doesn't help anything to have them afraid of me. Unfortunately, being told that the Wobbies are the same species as me can't be very comforting to them. What concerned him more was the theory that was bouncing around inside his head. We thought we were the first to visit this planet, yet things continue to add up to... What? The obvious conclusion - that humans had visited before - kept popping up, but he couldn't accept that, as if people had visited the planet before, there would have been records. Not to mention evidence of such visitations, such as dropship landing areas marked with trace radiological isotopes created by fusion drives. Of course, if it were long ago, such traces would have disappeared by now. But there would be SOME thing; humans are notoriously messy. Even lost colonies typically left their towns and cities buried in forests or under sand or mud, if left long enough. But the point was humanity always leaves something behind to mark its passage. There was nothing of the sort here, at least not identified from the surveys conducted from orbit.

And yet, there IS evidence, as circumstantial as it is; how else can I explain the names and the stories the Gatón shamans know? Van Horn knew that there was a great mystery here, one that had been uncovered by the arrival of the Blakests.

He snorted a bit when he thought of the Blakests. Fucking little cocksuckers, murderous little bastards. They can't even run away and hide like a good, defeated cult, but they seek to use this planet for their own gain.

"Am I disturbing you?" Alexis' voice came from behind him, startling him a bit. Van Horn turned around after making sure the front was clear of anything he could run over before turning to take a look at her. "What do you mean, Alexis?" He asked.

"You seem lost in thought, and not to mention driving this.... 'Darter' you called it, is certainly not easy."

He shook his head. "It's not that hard, once you get used to it, though you are correct in assuming that attention needs to be paid to driving it. However," he looked back outside, and slowly brought the craft to a stop. "We've just hit another snag, or so it looks like," he gestured out through the front window, where the rest of the wagon train was stopping to help a wagon that had gotten stuck in a creek just ahead, "so I have some time to use. What do you want to talk about?"

Alexis smiled a bit, and her tail flicked a bit in amusement. "You already answered it, since I was going to ask you what kind of progress we're making."

Van Horn chuckled at her statement. "Indeed. We seem to be traveling at a slow pace, but it should pick up as we reach more open terrain." He paused to look at the wagons ahead before continuing. "How are things in the back? I hope I've kept things from being too bumpy."

She raised an eyebrow and her tail went up a bit in confusion. "Bumpy? The ride has been far smoother than any wagon I or anyone else has had before. In addition the environment in here is kept agreeably cool and dry, which amazes us. Though I think I'd rather not hear your explanation again." Her voiced lilted up a bit to show that she jested; Van Horn had earlier tried to explain gas compression, to the natives' confusion. He smiled a bit at the reference as she continued. "Believe me when I say we are all grateful for the help you've given us."

Van Horn's smile dimmed at that. "Indeed, miss, and I am glad to help. It is, after all, the least I can do..." His voice trailed off as he noticed movement from out front. The wagon train was moving again, so he said "Alexis, it would behoove you to take a seat until I get us moving again."

He grimaced a bit as soon as he finished talking, as he slipped in the English word unintentionally. He glanced back to see that Alexis, though apparently slightly puzzled, had understood the general context and had wisely chosen a seat. Van Horn turned back and set about slowly getting the Darter and its trail of supply wagons moving again.

It was a few minutes before he could spare attention for the young gatón. "Is there anything else I can do for you, Alexis?"

Her reply was not forthcoming, which caused van Horn to risk a look over his shoulder. He saw the young woman sitting quietly lost in thought. A sudden bump brought his attention around to the front, a part of him feared he had driven over someone. Seeing nothing out of the ordinary outside, he breathed a sigh of relief. "Damn, I need to watch the road." Van Horn mumbled to himself in English.

"What was that?" Alexis asked from her seat, brought back to the now by the bump and van Horn's mutter.

"Oh, nothing, just telling myself to watch the road."

Alexis grinned a bit, but van Horn couldn't see that. He did, however, hear it in her voice. "Yes, I suppose that would be beneficial, wouldn't it?" She said. "What made you look away in the first place?"

"Well, I was asking to see if there was anything else I could help you with, since you're still up here." Van Horn paused as he brought the vehicle around a small hillock so that the trailing wagons wouldn't get tipped over. "You didn't answer, so I looked to make sure you were okay."

"Oh, I'm so sorry then," said Alexis. "I was... Well, I was just thinking, and sometimes I stop paying attention to people around me when I do so."

Van Horn chuckled a bit. "That's quite all right. I do that sometimes, and so do many people I know. We just do it quite so often." Van Horn said the last with a change in the pitch of his voice to tease the young gatón.

Alexis chuckled at that. "I suppose I do that often. It's just that there's been so much to think about lately..." Her voice trailed off as the memories came unbidden to her mind.

Van Horn decided to try and steer the conversation to a different topic. "Anyway," he said, risking a quick glance to make sure Alexis was paying attention. "Anyway, seriously, is there anything else I can help you with? Does anyone need to stop?"

She shook her head. "No, we're all fine in that regard. But what I was thinking was about your language."

"My what? Have I been vulgar?"

Alexis chuckled at the stricken sound of van Horn's voice. "No, nothing like that. What I meant is, your native language. I was wondering... Well, if you have any time, perhaps you could teach some of it to me?"

Van Horn didn't reply for a time, busy as he was slowing the vehicle as the caravan came to another stop. This one seemed like a planned stop, as it was about time for lunch and the wagons and carts ahead were pulling into a series of loose, concentric circles inside of a small clearing. But it wasn't just the driving delaying van Horn's response. Why does her request give me a feeling of caution? He asked himself as he slowly brought the Darter to a stop. It's not like I haven't told them all sorts of things already. What can a little English do? Yet he still felt trepid at the thought of teaching Alexis some English.

However, even as the Darter slowed he grasped an idea. Maybe because, until now, all I've told them is basic stuff, none of which they can really use. English is something they can use, something they can learn and spread. By teaching her some English, I might do more cultural damage than the entire Blakest army.

"Is everything alright?" Alexis asked from her seat. Van Horn sighed and turned around after putting the parking brake on. He was dead set on telling her 'no' until he saw the curious, open expression on her face. Damnit! Does she have to look like an adorable cat when she's asking? Van Horn, having always had a soft spot for animals, found his resolve slipping. Aw, what the hell. Not like things haven't already hit the fan. "No, nothing is wrong, I was just thinking about it."

"So, your answer?" Alexis asked.

Van Horn sighed and replied. "Alright, I guess when I'm not busy I can try to teach you. But I'm not a linguist, so don't expect miracles from me." He smirked a bit at the last few words.

Alexis, on the other hand, let a smile spread along her muzzle, and the way her tail perked up also confirmed her pleasure. "Thank you!" She said. "I find it fascinating to learn new words. That's one of the reasons I liked to learn Lupari from the Shaman."

Van Horn nodded at that. "It's always good to have curiosity about things. But now," he stood. "We should see to lunch. Please go and see who's hungry, and I'll go get someone to bring food."

Alexis nodded and stood as well. "That sounds like a good idea. Excuse me." She turned and went towards the back, leaving van Horn to himself. Letting out a sigh, he opened the side door and stepped outside.

The midday sun beat through the clearing in the forest canopy, causing van Horn to break out in a sweat almost as soon as he stepped outside. The sun of Bowman's Planet was a G9V type star, larger and hotter than Earth's own sun. Although the planet was farther away from it's parent star than Terra was to Sol, it still made for a warmer, steamier climate. Although the natives hardly noticed this as they grew up on the planet, van Horn found the climate sweltering during the day. He much preferred the cooler, smaller G0V star that his home planet of Desmonde orbited.

He mentally shrugged at this as he walked towards the 'chuck wagon.' Of course, the natives didn't call it that, since that was an old Terran custom, but they did acknowledge the need for some dedicated food facilities. In this case, it was a lupar wagon that had been recovered from the attack. As van Horn approached it, he noticed the signs of that assault in the slightly burnt wheels and a small piece of the roof that had been shot off. It was nothing that one couldn't get used to, but something you could notice if you bothered to look.

Already a pair of lines were forming, one at the rear and one at the side where a hole had been cut out to serve people from. Van Horn slowed as he approached, not wanting to disturb the natives. The latter certainly didn't seem too welcoming as they glanced furtively at the human with suspicions in their eyes.

Van Horn sighed as he saw this, and decided to instead go and talk to the convoy leaders. Predictably, the lupar and gatón had had disagreements over who should lead, until Shaman Forbasa and Tiana Farkas had stepped in and settled the debate by announcing that they had already decided to share leadership.

Because of this, they rode together at the head of the caravan in the Farkas family wagon, which had survived by dint of its being one of the furthest away from the center of their old camp at Kuamket. Van Horn hadn't seen it much before, but he headed that way now, intent to ask for help in getting food for the injured that had been trusted to his care.

The walk was a short one, and soon van Horn strode up to the front of the wagon, where he waved to Tiana; the only one sitting there. "Hello, Mrs. Farkas." He said to her. "I would like to speak to the shaman, or you, if he is unavailable."

The middle-aged lupar smiled down at van Horn as she climbed down from her seat. "And why do you wish so?" She asked.

"Well, it's lunch time, and the folks in my vehicle are probably going to be as hungry as anyone else. So I wondered if you or maybe Forbasa could get someone to help me carry some food in for them."

Tiana tilted her head in a human-like gesture, but her right ear went down in a motion that was decidedly un-human. Clearly, though, she seemed confused. "I don't understand, couldn't you get someone to help you? I didn't think everyone would be too busy."

Van Horn just shook his head. "It's not that. I just... Feel uncomfortable around everyone here. I don't think they trust me, so I'm kind of unsure of how to ask politely without rousing their anger."

"Anger? Oh, you mean over the differences?"

Van Horn nodded. "Yes. I am just not sure how to... Interact properly."

Tiana shrugged in a human-like gesture. "Well, if you wish, I can get my lazy Pavlo to help you if you wish." She said this with a wolfish grin, made almost sinister to human eyes by the way it revealed the fangs at the front of her mouth. Van Horn, however, had grown used to such displays. He chuckled at the tone of her voice. "Perhaps. I had, in fact, hoped to find him here. I was hoping he'd appreciate the chance to visit with his brothers."

Tiana's grin widened into a full smile, and her tail wagged a bit in a fashion that van Horn found eerily similar to a dog's. He made a conscious decision to ignore it, however, and concentrated on Tiana as she replied. "That is kind of you. I am sure he would like that chance, though his stomach has gotten the better of him and he left for the food wagon just before you came up."

Van Horn frowned slightly. "Really? I didn't see him as I walked up."

She chuckled. "He can be quick and stealthy when food is at hand, always has since he was little." Shaking her head in mock exasperation, she motioned with her right arm towards the food wagon. "Perhaps we should both go and find him. Besides, I am a bit hungry myself."

Van Horn gave her a smile. "Sounds like a good idea." He then bowed slightly and took a step back, motioning with his right arm across his abdomen. "After you."

With another smile, Tiana nodded and started off, with van Horn soon catching up to walk beside her. They walked for a moment before van Horn, his curiosity piqued, decided to ask a question. "If you don't mind my asking, Mrs. Farkas, just how was it like to raise your little hellions?" He grinned a bit to show he was in jest.

He almost regretted asking, as although the lupar's face was different from a human's, he was sure he saw joy and sorrow war on her features. Then her face settled into a look of quiet contentment. "It was, rewarding, to say the least. They all gave me problems, but I regret not a moment, even after their father... Passed on."

Van Horn's face grew somber. "You have my sympathies, as belated as they are."

Tiana nodded. "Thank you, but it was long ago. Still, that is what the clan is for, and though I worked hard, my children were always taken care of." She broke off as they approached the lines at the food wagon. "Should we look for Pavlo now, or try to eat first?" She asked.

Van Horn decided that the change of topic was a good idea. "I think we should drag your son away from stuffing his mouth." He replied bemusedly. He then went on in a more serious vein. "Besides, the ones riding in the back of my Darter could use some food more than any of us out here."

She nodded at that. "Indeed. Then we should not tarry." She then put two fingers to the tip of her muzzle, and made a whistle that, due to the shape of her mouth, had a strange pitch that made van Horn shudder a bit. The gatón didn't like it either and shuddered as well, but it got the job done. Pavlo stuck his head up from where he had been bent over a small wooden plate, his muzzle dripping a bit with some of the mush that was reminiscent of mashed potatoes; a surprised look was on his face.

Van Horn tried desperately to keep from laughing. The whistle used to get Pavlo's attention, along with the comical appearance of the lupar suddenly struck him with the mental image of calling home a wayward dog. Fortunately, the moment passed as Pavlo wiped off his mouth and handed the plate to a gatón that was working at the wagon. The young lupar then passed through the crowd quickly and reached the two in a few moments. "Uhm, you called, mother?"

"Yes I did. I want you to help Vanhorn here to carry some food over to the wounded in his wagon."

Pavlo looked a bit disappointed at the interruption of his meal, but raised no complaints. He just nodded and replied. "Of course."

Van Horn grinned a bit. "Good. Now, perhaps we should cut the line and talk to the cooks directly?"

Tiana mirrored her son's nod. "That sounds good, and I'm sure no one will mind, once you explain the reason. In the meantime, I must leave you two and see to some other matters." With another nod she turned and walked off, leaving the two males to stand-alone.

Pavlo shook his head in much the same manner as his mother did when talking about him earlier. "And I was enjoying that food, too." He chuckled.

Van Horn chuckled a bit as well as he led Pavlo to walk towards the wagon. "Well, I'm sure there will be more left after we're done here."

The two moved to the wagon, cutting in line. This raised some protests until it was explained why they were there. Once word got around, some gatón and lupar even came up to offer their help. Van Horn was grateful for the extra help, as it would mean that they would make fewer trips. Still, he only picked out two more to help, a gatón male and a lupar female, neither of which he knew but they, of course, knew him.

Carrying two wooden platters each, covered with the potato look alike and some small cuts of meat, the four set off to reach the Darter. Van Horn in particular was eager to get back, worried as he was that someone might do something with the equipment in there, despite his warnings. Or perhaps because of them, since they're so human-like.

About fifteen meters from the vehicle, the lupar and gatón froze. Van Horn moved forward a few steps before he noticed they had stopped moving. Turning around, he gave the trio a quizzical look. "What's up?"

"Don't you hear that?" Asked the single gatón who identified himself as Zanar. "It sounds like danier."

"What?" Van Horn was confused, until he began to hear the noise. He recognized it from audio recordings that occasionally caught the movements of herds of a veriform horse native to the planet. Suddenly, the camp was in chaos as the natives began to run back to their wagons and carts. From at the opposite end of the temporary camp came the beasts, and atop them, gatón riders.

Realization set in just in time for van Horn, as he dropped the plates of food and leaped out to pull down Pavlo and female lupar beside him. He managed to get them all to the ground, and was reaching to pull Zanar down by the leg when the first arrows flew at them. The young gatón wasn't out of the way when the arrows reached the group, and he took one to the meat of his left arm. Screaming in agony, he fell to the ground and gripped his injured arm with his right hand and writhed on the ground.

Van Horn looked out and saw a rider coming at them. Unfortunately, his weapons were back in his vehicle, and so he had little to do in which to defend himself and the others. A sudden idea of desperation grabbed at his consciousness and, twisting about as the rider closed the distance, he grabbed one of the serving platters and flung it up in an arc that would meet the rider head on.

Unprepared for such an unusual attack, the rider tried to pull back on the reins to avoid the platter and the globs of food that flew at him. However, all that did was to startle the animal he rode as its attention suddenly was divided between the flying objects and the pull on its head. With a sound that van Horn took to be it's trademark noise, the animal reared back, dumping the stirrup less rider off its back and ran off perpendicular to its original path.

Seeing that the other riders seemed busy trying to aim arrows at the denizens of the caravan while trying to avoid counter fire from within the wagons, van Horn and Pavlo leaped up, the latter running for the dumped rider, and the former turning to sprint for his vehicle.

Alexis sat in the back with Mikula and his brother Kanu. The two talked to each other about small things, comparing sword techniques and the like. None of which interested her, and many of the others were not in a mood to talk, anyway.

In the back compartment of the converted Darter rode the brothers, Alexis, and ten of the more wounded victims of the attack. Although Mikula had tried to insist on staying out with the family wagon on account that he wasn't hurt too bad, he was overridden by Forbasa, who had noted that having him and Alexis in with the wounded would help the other wounded stay calm in such an alien environment as van Horn's scout car.

Initially a bit put off, Mikula warmed up as he could catch up with his older brother and distract them both from the events of the past few weeks. However, it was a bit boring to Alexis, despite the times she spent talking to the other gatón and lupar in the compartment. For some reason, those conversations she had with them weren't as satisfying as some of the talks she had had with Mikula in the past.

A bit of movement caught her eye, and she broke off her thoughts to focus in. She saw young Soru shifting in his sleep again. He had recovered a bit since his near-fatal wounding, and even had attained consciousness at times. However, he was still badly burned, and so the few times he had awakened he had fallen back under soon after.

Moving over to where the burned gatón lay, Alexis gingerly kneeled down next to him in case he should awaken again. He did not do so, although he tossed a few more times before settling down. Alexis felt a pang of sorrow and guilt over the wounds that had been inflicted upon Soru. She gently moved her right hand down and gently touched some of the bandages covering the burnt side of his face to make sure they were still keeping his wounds protected as they healed. She then checked the other bandages covering the worst injured parts of his body.

"How is he?" Came a familiar voice. Alexis turned around to see Mikula and Kanu watching her, along with the few others who were awake. A nod of her head relieved the looks of concern on their faces. "He's fine. Just a little tossing." She stood up and took a step into the middle of the compartment, or as close as she could get with the equipment racks in the way. Mindful of said racks, she stretched out her limbs as much as she could. "My, I need to get out. Do you think you boys could take care of yourselves for a little bit?" She asked in a sweet voice.

Kanu grinned, but Mikula had on a full smile and replied for the both of them. "I think we can manage for a bit. While you're out, you can see what's taking so long with the food."

Kanu rolled his eyes, but the corner of his mouth twisted up a bit in a smirk. "Listen to you. You sound as bad as Pavlo!"

Mikula leaned back in mock astonishment. "Me? Why, such nerve, especially since you're the one who snuck the wopa treats from the cupboard when we were kids."

Alexis chuckled and walked out before Kanu could reply, knowing that she could easily become entranced with their conversation. She moved into the main compartment and took a second to collect her thoughts. That was hard enough to do with the smells of lunch wafting in through the open door, causing Alexis' stomach to rumble.

Suddenly, she realized that the rumbling she was hearing wasn't just her stomach. Shouts and noises of all kinds came from outside, causing her to move cautiously towards the door to see what was going on. Alexis was startled as the noise of a danier and a muted thump came from just outside. Before she could work up the courage to look out, van Horn came into the Darter in a half-roll necessitated by his not stopping to ascend the steps from the ground.

"What's going on?" She asked in gatonese.

Van Horn replied as he got up on two feet and quickly moved to a cabinet hanging over the starboard wall. "We're under attack! Some sort of bandits it looks like."

Alexis gasped involuntarily. "What?! But almost no one comes this deep in the forest, that's why we came this way!"

"Well, tell that to the people dying out there." Van Horn's remarks were punctuated with the cries of a gatón being suddenly silenced. Van Horn, his training taking over, paid it no heed as he entered the code to unlock his weapons. Once the cabinet door swung out and open, he reached in and pulled out the Intek laser rifle and his M-1911/2985 .45 caliber pistol. A quick check of both and he snapped the pistol holster to his belt and pulled the rifle close to his chest so he could move quickly without hitting anything.

Van Horn then turned to face Alexis. She was startled at the look in his eyes, the look of a hunter. "Stay inside, don't come out until I come in for you or until a day has passed. I'll close the door behind me. You can open it with the red knob there." Van Horn pointed at the indicated control as he spoke the clipped words. Without a pause, he turned and went to the door, pausing only to look around to make sure that the immediate area was clear. Satisfied, he moved out, pressing the door close button as he left.

Alexis could only stare open-mouthed as the door closed, cutting off all sounds from outside. Looking forward through the view ports, she saw gatón riders launching arrows at various caravan travelers. Although some perverse part of her wanted to stay and watch, the rest of her realized that she should tell Mikula and the others in the back. Turning quickly away from the carnage, she rushed into the back compartment.

The others were immediately alarmed. "What is it?" Mikula asked as soon as he saw the stricken look on Alexis' face.

"We're under attack by bandits!" She said, some of her adrenaline rush seeping into her speech.

"What?!" Mikula stood up, but then had to sit down again with a grunt. He had forgotten to use his cane and his leg was still not in top shape.

"Vanhorn came in and told me just before he left. He said for us to stay inside until he comes to get us."

Mikula looked pained as he grabbed for his cane. "I won't stay here while we're under attack, not while I can help." He stood a bit shakily, the pain of his previous attempt to stand up not completely faded.

"How can you help, Mikula, if you're gripping your cane?" Kanu's surprisingly calm voice cut through the tension in the air. "You can't hold a sword like that, and I don't think a dagger will be much use if you're not mobile enough to fight properly with it."

Mikula turned and gave his brother an angry look. "I can't stay here. I swore a lifedebt to the Shaman and I won't betray it with the excuse that I'm wounded!"

"Then you'll repay that debt by dying meaninglessly? For that's what will happen if you go outside and fight on a wounded leg!" Kanu responded, his voice rising to match Mikula's.

Alexis, meanwhile, was uneasily quiet, unsure of what to say as the two argued. However, Kanu's last reply caught her thoughts and wouldn't let go. No, I don't want him to die! Then a sudden thought occurred to her. "Mikula, as I recall, you promised a life debt to the Shaman, Soru and I."

This caught Mikula up short. "Yes, I did. Which is why I must go and protect the Shaman!"

"Yes, but if you go out there, who will protect me and Soru?" Her quiet, pleading voice stopped Mikula's response in its tracks long enough for him to think. "Wha-what? But, this wagon, it's very protected-"

"But what about afterwards? What if most of them outside are killed? All that would protect us then would be you, Mikula. What good is it to die for your debt if you end up reneging it because you weren't around when we really needed you?" Alexis' voice took on an almost desperate tinge as she pleaded with Mikula.

The young lupar, for his part, was completely without words. She's right; you can't leave them behind, charging blindly and not thinking of the future. Who will protect them if things go bad? Mikula found himself battered mentally by Alexis' and Kanu's arguments, and all he could do was sit down again, hanging his head low and drooping his tail around his right side.

Alexis, for her part, felt immense relief when she saw Mikula sit down. She almost immediately chastised herself, however, as she realized that others may not be so lucky outside.

Dear God, please protect them.

Van Horn dropped to the ground outside the Darter as the door closed behind him. Ahead, he saw Pavlo just getting up from the downed gatón rider. Blood dripped from the lupar's jaws as he got into a crouching position. Apparently, the bandit had put up a fight for the bow and arrows Pavlo now held.

Van Horn didn't particularly care at the moment as another bandit rider came at them a bit, then halted his mount and loosed an arrow at the female lupar that had crawled from her initial spot on the ground to take cover by the front left wheel of the Darter. She flinched and rolled back behind the rubber tire, which took the arrow without any noticeable effect. Van Horn, meanwhile, had primed the laser rifle and had pulled it to his shoulder. Zeroing in on the rider's torso, he pulled the trigger.

It is a common misconception that one can see a laser beam in mid air, especially weapons-grade lasers. A laser is, by its very nature, so focused that to actually 'see' a laser beam is to have it enter your eye dead on... And then proceed to blind or kill you.

However, modern combat lasers do leave a trail through the air, which gives the illusion of seeing the laser beam itself. It is formed from the various detritus that floats through any normal atmosphere - such as bacteria, viruses, and dust - as it absorbs a bit of the beam. As the light demolecularizes the detritus, thermal energy is released in the form of infrared radiation, which causes the air itself to glow for a fraction of a second. This thermal trail is accompanied by a bit of light that is reflected by the particles in the air, which leaves a retinal 'ghost' in an observer's vision, further enhancing the illusion of seeing a laser's 'beam.'

It was this illusion that allowed van Horn to see his shot hit over the left chest of the gatón bandit, burning a hole through the leather armor he wore and exploding his heart inside his chest. The now-lifeless body slumped over on its side and rolled off the danier and hit the ground with a hollow thump.

Pavlo turned in surprise, not having seen a laser in use before. Van Horn, however, paid no attention as he again aimed at a bandit, this time killing one that was dismounted and was trying to sack an unattended cart. A single shot to the head dispatched the pillager, but also alerted a fiend nearby.

"Demon! Demon! They have a demon with them!" The cry came in gatonese, but van Horn understood it. Time to move. Standing up, he sprinted to take cover behind the wheel of a lupar wagon ahead and to the left of his own vehicle. A pair of arrows impacted the ground near him as he ran, but he wasn't hurt.

Then one of the mounted archers that launched those arrows was himself hit by an arrow in his chest. Van Horn spared a glance to see Pavlo sprinting, a bow in his hand and a grim smile on his bloodstained face. The young lupar joined van Horn at the wagon's wheel.

"Good job." Van Horn said as he leaned around the wheel and took aim, stabbing another pulse of coherent light out at the enemy. This time he missed, but he took comfort in the fact that the bandit raiders were confused and demoralized by his weaponry and, hopefully, by his appearance. They had stopped attacking the other caravan occupants directly, and were trying to form up into some semblance of a military formation.

"Thanks. Not so bad yourself with that weapon of yours." Pavlo said to van Horn as he leaned out and loosed an arrow, missing as well. A snarl escaped his lips. "Damn, this bow is too small!"

"Well, they are gatón raiders, after all." Van Horn replied with the calm that comes to men in battle. He then lay down on the ground to give his rifle clearance from the front lip of the wagon, just barely missing the beasts of burden that fidgeted in front. A quick aim allowed him to shoot another raider in the head, which then exploded messily as the laser converted body water to vapor.

That seemed to break the will of the bandits, who then began to ride away in every direction. Pavlo loosed an arrow at one as he passed. It missed the rider, but it hit his mount, causing the beast to fall to the ground, spilling its rider along the way. However, the rider managed an acrobatic roll that brought him away from the beast, keeping him from being trapped underneath the thrashing animal.

The bandit recovered quickly, and brought up his bow and notched an arrow as Pavlo was struggling to do the same, fighting against the small nature of the weapon. However, as the enemy brought up his weapon, van Horn pulled his pistol from its holster and brought it around. The world seemed to slow to van Horn as he raced to shoot first. Luck was on his side, though, as he pulled his trigger just as the bandit was pulling back his bow. With a loud report that could be heard throughout the small demi-camp, a .45 caliber slug left the barrel of van Horn's pistol and crossed over to impact the upper chest of the gatón, tearing through the heart and exiting through the spine before hitting the armor on the Darter and ricocheting to embed in the ground. A brief splash of gore came from the wounds as the body flopped backwards to rest on the ground.

Then it was quiet, or getting so, as the noises of the riders' mounts faded into the distance. Van Horn and Pavlo crawled out from underneath the wagon, weapons up and ready. However, they saw no one but a few other caravan members, all carrying bows or swords of some type. Several had taken arrows, but were obviously not mortally wounded. Then they noticed the bodies on the ground. Some moved, some didn't.

Van Horn lowered his rifle and shook his head. "I'd better get what's left of the medikits." He said solemnly and turned to walk towards his vehicle. Along the way, he checked each of the three dead raider bodies nearby to ensure they were indeed dead, noting that one had a rather nasty bite taken out from his neck. Van Horn shivered then, as the realization of what Pavlo did sunk in. He forced himself, however, to continue on. It is kill or be killed in this universe, and those bandits wouldn't have hesitated to kill me or Pavlo or anyone else in this group. As trite as it seemed, it was enough to calm and steady van Horn as he opened up his vehicle and took the first steps towards helping the injured.