Shadows of Man

by Maddog3060

A tale of an alternate timeline, where a Peripherybased Republic has stopped the Blakest Jihad. But not all of the Blakests have been killed... FINISHED! Additional Extra uploaded! WARNING: Bad Language and bloody violence.

11. Chapter 11

Van Horn slipped the scout car into neutral once again and pressed lightly on the brake pedal. This time, however, it was for the night, as the caravan stopped at the last finger of woods that stretched towards Hercor, which now only lay about three kilometers distant. At this distance, the rocky mesa that the town stood upon seemed to be almost like one, large rock.

The human decided that he could inspect it later. For now, he should get the Darter set up under cover, should the Wobbies come close enough to see it. Looking carefully as the thirteen-ton car rolled slowly forward, he selected a copse of trees a few meters away from the next closest participant in the caravan. With great care, he let the converted military scout slow to a stop right under the trees' thickest branches before he pressed the brakes one final time, then disengaged the drive system and pulled on the parking brake handle to lock the car's brakes.

Beside him in the passenger seat, Felina Jukas simply looked on in awe at the ease with which van Horn manipulated controls that were beyond her understanding. And yet he behaves as if though these are simple tasks. I wonder... What if they are that simple to him? What does that say about his people?

She pried her thoughts back to the present as the human stood up, followed by the young lupar that had been introduced to her as Mikula Farkas, who sat in one of the rearward seats. "Ahhh, finally we can get out and stretch." He said upon standing, somewhat unsurely without the cane he had been using until earlier that day.

The young gatón lady that had been introduced as 'Alexis' stood from her seat as well. "Indeed, Mikula. Traveling like this is comfortable, but hardly invigorating." Like Mikula, Alexis stretched to work out some kinks in her muscles.

A chuckle from van Horn brought Jukas' attention back to the human. "You are unfortunately true, Alexis. I remember taking long road trips with my family when I was young, to go see the Dniper Canyon on my homeworld. Wasn't as long as this trip, but it felt like it when I was younger." Van Horn stood at that, after unfastening his safety belts, of course.

Jukas was reminded herself of the strange fabric contraptions that had kept her from flying out of her seat when van Horn had to hit the brakes hard to avoid a sudden cart overturn earlier in the day. She looked down and moved her hands in a way that the human and the other natives had done, pressing the button in the middle of the latch. With a soft click, the latch came undone and the belts loosened.

Jukas shook her head as she stood, eliciting a questioning look from the final occupant of the main cabin. "Felina, my dear, is something the matter?" Forbasa asked from where he too slowly stood up from his seat.

Jukas shook her head lightly again. "I am just- still a bit overwhelmed." She said quietly. "I could never imagine such a ride in a dozen decades, yet here I am." A small shrug raised her shoulders, the thick blue cloth that formed her clothing rustling a bit as she did so. "It just is a bit overwhelming when I notice something else that I never thought of. Like these 'belts.'" She waved her clawed hand over to indicate the seat she had just vacated.

Forbasa smiled a bit. "Indeed. It still amazes me at times, and yet I've known van Horn for- my word, it's been several weeks by now, hasn't it?" At this last part, he turned to ask this of van Horn.

Van Horn blinked a few times. "Indeed, it has, shaman." A smile broke across his face. "It certainly doesn't feel like it. Feels more like only a few days."

"Well, when time is being used, one seldom notices it." Jukas said, somewhat cautiously, as she still was unsure around the human.

She needn't have worried, as he kept the smile on as he walked over to open the door. "Indeed. My people have a similar statement. 'Time flies when you're working or having fun." The smile disappeared as he pulled on the lever that caused the door to begin its upward motion. "Unfortunately, my time usage has been mostly of the former."

Jukas had nothing to say to that, not after hearing about how the human had helped take care of so many wounded, or how he fought against the bandits. Fortunately, Alexis clearing her throat prevented the silence from becoming awkward. "I am going to go in the back and let the others know that they can get out now." With a small half bow to Forbasa and Jukas, she turned and walked back, giving Mikula a look from the corner of her eye.

Mikula took the hint. "I will go help her. Please, excuse us?" At a small nod from Forbasa, the two disappeared into the back cabin area. Jukas couldn't help but notice the way the two younger ones had easily moved back, comfortable with the environment and each other. I suppose even strange things can lose their strangeness, after some time. She thought this as she followed Forbasa out of the car. She was careful to take one of the steps outside at a time, before finally getting her feet to settle on the relatively soft ground.

Jukas mentally sighed in relief. As comfortable and unthreatening as that ride was, I am still glad to be out of that metal beast. She turned to face Forbasa, who stood near the door, and van Horn, who were stepping down just then. The latter spoke next as he grounded and looked towards Forbasa. "Shaman Forbasa, I know we've discussed this, but I do wish you to reconsider your request for me to stay behind with the wounded here. Surely, my presence in the caravan could be helpful as you begin to negotiate with the citizenry of Hercor?"

Forbasa shook his head as he started off towards where the lead wagons and carts had stopped. He waggled his cane a bit at van Horn a bit as he walked before returning it back to its customary usage. "We have indeed discussed this. My decision remains the same. I simply cannot predict the attitude of the Hercorians at your appearance, or for that matter, the appearance of your vehicle. As Felina has pointed out, they are not the friendliest of sorts, since they've taken heavy raids on their town since the arrival of your 'Wobbies.'"

Van Horn's face darkened a bit at that particular grouping of pronoun and noun, but he soon pressed it from his mind, sighing because of it, and because of what he said next. "I suppose you are right. I just don't like the sitting here alone part, while you and the others venture across open ground, open to bandit predation, or even an attack from the Hercorians themselves.

"It just makes me nervous." He finished as the trio passed through the middle of the camp. None of them spoke about it again for a few moments, as Forbasa was busy responding to the various greetings he got from his villagers. Once through the main portion of the camp, they were once again semi-alone, in that no one was close enough or caring enough to overhear them. Forbasa broke the silence. "I understand your concern, and greatly appreciate it as well. But I think that, for once, we can feel a bit safe. As Mikula told us, Hercor is renowned for its defenses. Few bandits will bother to attack, and according to Felina here," he paused to wave his hand towards Jukas, "Hercor has also not seen any invaders as of yet.

"What I am afraid of, however, is the possibility that the Hercorians may see your conveyance as a threat. Felina has already mentioned their growing paranoia, and I fear that they may let their imaginations make our little caravan seem more threatening than it really is."

Van Horn nodded. "What you speak sounds not only possible, but probable." He let loose another sigh. "I suppose that I and the wounded should have to get used to sitting around."

Jukas looked at the human at that. "Isn't that what you do anyway?" She asked before realizing how rude the words could sound. Van Horn, however, simply laughed, startling her. "Madam Shaman, you are perhaps too right." He said after he finished laughing. "But at least then you have the movement to mark time. Sitting still can be boring more so when you are not riding in a conveyance."

Jukas shrugged as they reached the lead wagon that Forbasa had ridden in earlier. "I have to agree with you there." She replied as they finally stopped at the front of the wagon, where Tiana and Pavlo Farkas were busy unhitching the pongos that pulled it.

Tiana looked up at the new arrivals. "Hello," she said in Lupari that fortunately, Jukas had studied like any other shaman. "How is everything?"

Forbasa greeted her with a small smile. "Things are fine, Mrs. Farkas. But we do have some things to discuss, if you have time?"

Tiana nodded. "We're just about finished. Please, hold on for a minute?"

Forbasa nodded, and the two gatón and the human waited patiently for the two lupar to finish unhitching the low-slung beasts of burden. Van Horn couldn't help but again make the mental comparison to Terran anteaters, which they resembled save without the ridiculously long noses of those animals. And, of course, they were much larger, allowing them to haul the good-sized lupar wagons.

Fortunately, the wait wasn't very long. In only a few minutes Tiana came around from where she had been working with her son, Pavlo. The latter was leading the pair of pongos out towards where the river flowed nearby.

Forbasa spoke as soon as the middle-aged lupar arrived within earshot. "Tiana, I will get straight to the point. We have been talking about how to approach the Herorians. While we have come up with some ideas, I would, of course, like to have you listen to them so that you may tell us if you approve or not."

Tiana tilted her head to her right, with the ear on that side flopping down to further emphasize her quizzical expression. "I appreciate that, Revalo. Please, continue."

"Very well. The idea is that the Hercorians are apparently paranoid given recent... Events." Forbasa paused for a moment to let Tiana realize just which events he meant. "Shaman Jukas here has already explained to us their refusal to let them do anything more than buy goods from vendors outside the town walls the last time she and her group were there.

"And that was gatón only. Imagine, now, how they would react to seeing Vanhorn here? Or his metal conveyance?" Forbasa again paused, indicating van Horn with a wave. Tiana nodded at that, but waited for Forbasa to continue, which he did after only a moment. "So after some thought, we decided that, given the Hercorians' possible distrust, we would not only like to have Vanhorn stay here with his vehicle, but also to leave our wounded here, so that they shan't be threatened should the Hercorians turn violent."

Tiana took a moment, and then replied. "I can see leaving Vanhorn here, but why should the wounded be left behind? Part of the reason for our detour here was to get medical care for them, especially since his supplies have run out." She gestured to the human, who nodded slightly at the truth of the remark. "Not to mention, despite the- the abilities of Vanhorn's wagon, they will be exposed, and vulnerable to attack."

Van Horn nodded. "That is true. However, I have, unfortunately, not been using my vehicle to its fullest potential. My craft has the ability to detect approaching individuals long before they can attack."

Again, Tiana tilted her head in a quizzical fashion. "But, if that is so, then how come you didn't see the bandits approaching the other day?"

Van Horn hung his head, and his voice dropped as he responded. "I am sorry for that. I had thought that our path was, more or less, safe, as it was through the thickest part of the forest in this region, and so I didn't leave the sensors on."

He expected to have them get angry, but instead, Tiana nodded. "I see. Well, I cannot blame you, for many of our so-called 'warriors' also weren't fully prepared for combat that they didn't expect." She shrugged, her tail swishing about in the lupar fashion.

Van Horn picked his head up and gave her a weak smile. "Thank you." He then became serious again. "In any case, I can leave the sensors on while the rest of the caravan is away. They should give enough warning to button up the Darter up tightly so that any bandit, gatón or lupar, won't be able to crack it."

Jukas was a bit confused. "Excuse me, but what are these... 'Sen-sors' you are talking about?" She asked using the English word that van Horn had to use, since Gatonese or Lupari had no equivalent.

The human turned to face her. "Oh, well, they are a bunch of... Devices, that let me see things I wouldn't be able to normally see. For instance, when the caravan stopped to admit your group, I was able to use them to not only see that a new bunch of gatón had arrived, but also to see you from where you stood talking to Forbasa."

Jukas rocked back on her feet at that and blinked hard. "You could- you could see us from all the way at the head of the caravan?"

Van Horn nodded. "Yes, and watched all of you as you walked your way up. So you see, Tiana," he had turned towards the lupar at that moment, "I do think that the wounded could be taken care of. Especially as Forbasa agreed that some fighters will stay behind to help defend the small group."

Tiana stood still for a moment, and then nodded her head. "This does sound reasonable. The only thing that bothers me is that if either group needs help, it would take a long time for word to reach the other group."

At that, van Horn froze, which attracted the attention of the others there. He then brought his right hand up and used it to smack himself on the forehead with an audible sound. "Duh!" He exclaimed.

Forbasa, now, tilted his head in a quizzical manner. "Are you alright, Vanhorn?"

The human nodded. "Yes, I, ah. What I just did was what my people do when we realize we've forgotten something obvious." He grinned sheepishly. "I just managed to remember that I have some tactical radios that will allow us to communicate."

Again, the English words had brought a small bit of confusion to the others. "What are these things you speak of?" Asked Tiana.

"They are more devices that allow two people to communicate at long distances." His grin widened. "I'll show you. Please excuse me?"

The natives nodded, and Forbasa spoke. "Of course."

In the back of the Darter, Alexis was helping Heg limp back into his customary seat, which was made somewhat comfortable by the addition of blankets and old clothes on the floor. All of the wounded that rode in the scout car had such fabrics to cushion their seats.

Alexis had just helped Heg get out for a stretch, and do certain things that one doesn't do where one sits for long periods of time. Now, she kneeled as he did, until he finally sat down on the floor with a sigh. "Thank you, Alexis. I hope you are not too embarrassed."

She smiled at him and shook her head slightly. "No. Someone has to help all of you. Although, if you don't mind me saying, I can't wait until we get some more help from Hercor." Alexis smirked a bit as she said the last part.

Heg and some others laughed. "I can't blame you, my dear." Heg replied. "But it is nice of you to help, no matter what the circumstances."

Alexis blushed in the gatón way. "You give me too much credit. In any case," she turned to take in the rest of the group in the back, "does anyone else need to make a trip outside?"

All of the ones present shook their heads, those who were awake, anyway. Many of the 'walking wounded,' as van Horn had called them, were taking care of themselves, while everyone else had had their chance outside. The only person she could think of that would be Fetar, another gatón male whom Mikula had helped outside.

Alexis shook her head at that thought as she turned to kneel down where Soru lay, unconscious most of the time. Amazing how quickly Mikula's healed since Vanhorn arrived, she thought as she checked the bandages covering Soru's nasty burns. He can even help others now. Though I do not like the way he pushes himself so. Her ears flicked unconsciously in irritation. She was genuinely worried about Mikula and the way he always pushed himself, sometimes too far. Like when we were attacked. He could have torn his wound open again if he had tried going outside.

She paused her thoughts for a bit as Soru stirred under her hands. His yellow eyes flicked open, although their focus was lacking for a minute. He then saw Alexis kneeling at his side, and he tried to smile at her, though only the right side of his face managed any movement. "Hi." He managed to grate out.

Although a bit surprised at his awakening, Alexis nevertheless gave Soru a broad smile. "Hello, Soru. Nice to see you awake." She said softly, hoping that Soru would fall asleep soon, so that the pain - already evident on his face - would be forgotten in slumber.

However, he stayed awake, managing to bring his eyes into good focus, thought the left one was cloudy still from when he was gravely injured that terrible night. "Nice... To be... Awake. Where.... Are... We?"

Alexis bent and patted him lightly on his unhurt right shoulder. "We're in a safe place. Would you like anything?" She changed the subject, since Soru was unlikely to be able to sit through a full explanation.

Soru managed a millimetric nod of his head. "Water... Please."

"Of course." Alexis replied. "Just one moment." She stood slowly, and then turned to reach out to one of the shelves that stood in the middle and forward sections of the rear cabin. Alexis pulled out a green, plastic canteen that van Horn kept filled with water for the people who rode in the back. Turning back to Soru, she kneeled again and twisted off the cap to the canteen before holding the bottle up to his lips and tilting it slightly so that the water would flow into his mouth.

Soru drank greedily from the canteen before Alexis pulled it away after a few moments. He smiled a bit again. "Thank you." He managed. Then his eyes fluttered shut and his head rested fully on the cloth that was being used as a pillow. Alexis stayed for a minute, until she was sure that Soru was asleep again, then stood and put the canteen away with a sigh.

"Nice to see he's getting better." Came a welcome voice from the doorway to the front cabin. Looking over, Alexis saw Mikula enter, holding up Reyar, a lupar that had a broken ankle and a nasty dagger wound in his arm from the bandit attack.

Alexis smiled politely at them both as they made their way to where Reyar had been sitting. With a small grunt, Reyar settled into his seat with Mikula's help. The latter then stood up. "Comfortable?" He asked Reynar.

The other lupar looked up and nodded, a small smile on his face. "Yes, thank you."

"It was not a problem." Mikula said with a dismissive wave of his hand, his right ear flopping down a bit to emphasize, which elicited a smile from others in the room, as well a bigger smile from Reynar.

Alexis, smiling as well, decided to speak up. "Well, Mikula, since you're feeling so well, perhaps you'd like to help me with bringing food in for these nice people?"

Mikula feigned shock. "Why, me? My dear Alexis, I couldn't possibly help, since I've developed this nasty limp." He moved, but the limp was in the uninjured leg.

Laughter filled the room as everyone enjoyed Mikula's antics. He stopped with the charade and grinned broadly, then bowed. "Thank you. You all are too kind."

"As a matter of fact, they are." Kanu chided from his seat, but his grin and chuckle robbed the comment of any offense.

Alexis shook here head, and went over to where Mikula was standing, but her next words were addressed to Kanu. "Don't you start with him, or else we'll be in here all night." She casually grabbed Mikula's arm and began to pull him gently towards the front cabin entrance. "Come on, you joker. Let's get going before they close the kitchen."

"Mikula moved off with the gentle pull. "Your wish is my command, milady." He said with a smile. But as he walked towards the front, he looked over his shoulder at his brother, and stuck his tongue out.

What surprised Mikula was that, instead of giving some nonverbal retort, his brother simply grinned at him. But by the time he noticed that, he and Alexis had walked through the door, closing it halfway behind them so the people in the back could have a kind of semi-privacy if they wanted to.

Alexis spoke next. "Are you always so lively?" She asked of Mikula, turning her head to give him a warm smile.

Mikula gave her his lopsided grin. "Well, when I am feeling better, yes. My leg has really healed well, and I'm happy to be getting free of that cane I've had to use for such a time now." He paused as Alexis let go of his arm, using the moment to stretch before continuing. "It just feels good to be almost whole again."

Alexis continued to smile. "I'm very glad you feel better. Though I worry that you may be pushing yourself too much lately."

Mikula shrugged. "I appreciate your concern. I really do. But I am quite fine, really." He said, again grinning in his lopsided way.

Before Alexis could respond, both her and Mikula heard running footsteps from outside. Tensing in anticipation, Mikula whirled and placed himself between the door and Alexis.

They were both relieved to see van Horn pull himself up the steps and climb inside the vehicle. The human couldn't help but notice their tense stances. "Are you two okay?"

Mikula willed himself to calm down. "We're fine, you just startled us by running here, that's all."

Van Horn's eyes widened a bit, then he broke out into a sheepish grin. "Yeah, sorry about that. Didn't mean to scare you. But I had just remembered something that will be of help." With that, he turned and kneeled down to open one of the cabinets on the floor.

Alexis and Mikula watched with interest, the former walking up to stand beside Mikula to see what was going on. "What might be able to help?" She asked.

Van Horn grunted and pulled out two black objects, each shaped similar to a brick, and a bit larger. "These." He said non-committingly as he stood up, holding out the boxes for the natives to see. Alexis noticed that they both had some sort of protrusion sticking from one end that was wider than her hand.

Mikula noticed them too. "What are they? Why do they have those pieces sticking out?" He asked curiously.

Van Horn grinned in a manner that Alexis found similar to a young cub's while playing with a new toy. "They're called 'radios,' and you'll like what they can do." He said and motioned them to follow him outside. Both Mikula and Alexis shared a look before following the human to stand outside the scout car.

"I was going to show these to the shamans and Tiana up at the front of the caravan. If you want, you can tag along." Van Horn said this as he waited for the other two to finish getting down from the large vehicle.

"That sounds fine to me. What about you, Alexis?" Mikula asked as he offered his hand to Alexis to help her down.

Taking his hand, she let herself down before responding. "That sounds fine to me. Are you sure that we wouldn't be a problem, Earl?" She said this last as she turned to face the human.

Van Horn grinned again. "It is no problem. At least, I don't see it being a problem, especially since, if either one of you will stay behind and help with the wounded. Because if you do, you will probably need to use these."

The small group fell silent, as the natives had no idea what to say next, and van Horn didn't want to spoil the surprise. They thus walked quickly through the camp, until they reached the common area with the food wagon. This prompted Alexis to speak up. "Food! I almost forgot, we were supposed to get some food for the wounded in your wagon."

Van Horn slowed, but didn't stop. "Well, can you wait a little bit? Because if so, then I can help you once I'm done showing off these things." He hefted the mystery boxes again, which prompted a chuckle from Mikula. "You are enjoying this, aren't you?" He said to the human.

Van Horn smiled. "That obvious, is it?""

"It is." Alexis said reproachingly. Then she smiled a bit. "I suppose a little wait won't hurt anyone. Besides, many of them just got settled back in. They would probably like to settle down before having food, anyway."

"Very well then." Van Horn said, and then picked up his pace, prompting the other two to follow.

It took them a couple of minutes, but they reached the front wagon. Pavlo had led the pair of pongos back and had them tied to a tree. He stood with his mother near the back of the wagon, where Forbasa and Jukas sat on the rear lip of the wagon. They all looked up when van Horn, Alexis, and Mikula arrived. "Hello Alexis, Mikula." Forbasa said with a small smile. "I take it that you are here to see these things that Vanhorn has brought with him?"

Alexis nodded. "Yes, shaman. He has been teasing us about them just now, so we wanted to see what this is about."

Forbasa and Tiana chuckled at that, while Pavlo just smiled a bit. Jukas, of course, was still uncomfortable around so many she didn't know, and so just quietly waited. Forbasa broke the silence after he had finished chuckling. "So, what are these mysterious things that you say can communicate over long distances?"

With a grin back on his face, van Horn walked up to Forbasa, and offered one of the boxes. The elder gatón gingerly picked up the black box, which was awkwardly sized for him. Van Horn was patient, though, and showed Forbasa how to hold the device. "There, like this, with the grille up towards you." He said and turned the device in Forbasa's hands.

Forbasa held it, amazed that it was decently sized, yet it wasn't so heavy that he couldn't hold it for a time. "So, I take it you wish to demonstrate?" He asked.

Van Horn continued grinning. "That is correct. Now, you turn this here," he twisted a small knob on the radio, and a hiss of static came from the speaker. Forbasa recoiled a bit at the unearthly noise, but van Horn was prepared for it, and kept the radio from falling. "Sorry, that's normal." Van Horn said, and turned the volume down to an acceptable level, and then he flipped the radio frequency selector to a less interfered-with channel. "There, just hold it, and wait a second, okay?"

Forbasa looked suspiciously at the box, but offered a small smirk. "Very well." He said and held the box, careful to keep the grille from being too close to his ears.

Van Horn just chuckled. "Alright, one second, and I'll be right back." He turned to Mikula. "If you could come with me, please, Mikula? I don't want the others to think I'm playing a trick on them when I disappear."

Blinking hard, Mikula thought for a second. Then he nodded his head and said, "Alright."

"Good. Now, excuse us again, real quick?" Van Horn asked this of the others, who again nodded quietly, intent on waiting for the big surprise that van Horn had for them.

With that, van Horn started off, with Mikula in tow. The latter waited until they had traveled about fifteen meters before asking, "Earl, what is the point of this?"

"You'll see. I just want to make sure that the first impression is a good one." Van Horn replied as they continued moving out into the forest, taking the small path that the caravan members had forged to water their animals and get water for themselves, as well. Upon reaching the river, van Horn looked back at the light coming from the caravan. "This will be a good distance." He said.

"For what?" Mikula asked.

"To show off." Van Horn replied with a smile, and then put the radio up to his lips, careful to find the right frequency in the dying light. "Hello." He said quietly into the box.

Mikula then heard a couple of yelps from the direction they had just came from. He noticed that the human had heard them too, as the smile on van Horn's face grew to a widespread grin.

Van Horn put the radio back up to his face again. "I take it that you heard me. To talk back, press the small panel on the right side in, and just talk into the radio. The background noise will stop, but that just means it's sending."

Mikula was puzzled, and then he heard Forbasa's voice, coming from that box!

"This is, amazing." The Quiet reply came from the speaker grille. Then another came through. "I don't suppose you could tell us how it works?"

Van Horn chuckled, but didn't let the radio broadcast that. Instead, he started back and motioned Mikula to follow him, before replying. "The basic idea is that there are certain... I am not sure of the word. But the thing is, there is another world we cannot see with normal eyes. But devices like these radios can use this other world to send information, be it words, or even pictures." He cut the transmission and waited a minute to see if there was a response. When none was forthcoming, he continued. "Suffice it to say, this... Not other world, not really. It's more like... Like a layer of... Reality that lays underneath the one we normally see. Anyway, we will be back in a minute, and then I can explain more. Please turn the knob all the way to the left when I'm done talking; the radio should turn off with a 'click' noise." At that, van Horn turned his own radio off, and continued on.

Mikula couldn't help but alternate between watching where he was going, and giving van Horn looks. "That is very interesting. I don't suppose that you have any more?"

Van Horn nodded. "I have two more, plus the big one built into the Darter. They have a decent range, certainly enough to reach Hercor."

"Range?" The young lupar asked. "You mean it is limited?"

Van Horn nodded as they approached the camp. "Indeed it is. Many things are like that, in that you must often sacrifice one thing to gain another."

Mikula nodded at that. "Makes sense." He said absentmindedly, his thoughts wandering.

The next day dawned over a caravan that was making ready to leave its camp. The sounds of bustling activity soon faded at the Darter, however, as the majority of the gatón and lupar left, rolling on their way towards Hercor. With them were two radios, one for Forbasa, and the other for Tiana Farkas. Van Horn had spent part of the night explaining to them how to use the radios. He also had gone over it again this morning, making sure they understood that the batteries for the radios were not infinite, and establishing contact times.

Now, however, van Horn just stood on top of his thirteen-ton converted military scout, watching the caravan making the short journey across the wide plains and fields that stretched between the forest and the rocky mount that the town of Hercor was perched upon. A part of him felt sadness in that he probably wouldn't be seeing the inside of the town. As an anthropologist, the missing opportunity to see a lupar town up close wasn't something he liked. However, he had to acknowledge the logic behind the decision Forbasa had come to, since it went along with what he knew already of primitive cultures.

A noise brought his attention back to the immediate area. Looking down, he saw the remaining, uninjured gatón and lupar gathering near a pair of carts that were left behind by the caravan's main body. One was left because its wheel was broken, and the other was left because the family there had decided to wait with the wounded.

Van Horn grinned as he looked down on the group, recognizing the cart as belonging to Alexis' family, who didn't want to go anywhere when their daughter was staying to help with the injured. He had not met them until the night before, when Forbasa had announced the decision to the caravan at large. Afterwards, they had come up to him and asked if it would be all right if they could stay, so as to not be separated from Alexis so much.

Van Horn shook his head slightly to bring himself back to the present, and then began the task of climbing down the armored vehicle. Even so, he couldn't help but feel a bit bad that Alexis had been spending so much time from her family, given how much of it was spent in his scout car, helping wounded that van Horn had promised to help himself. The need for someone like Alexis to help just emphasized his inability to do all that he could, if he had the proper resources. Or, more likely, if I had a way to get a message to the Republic, he thought to himself.

That is what really grated on his nerves, whenever he thought of it. He was cut off, and he didn't even know if the satellite he was keeping as an ace in the hole would even still be around, if the Blakests decided to start conducting patrol sweeps with their fighters. And I can't even try to contact it to find out if it's still there, since that'll bring those fuckers straight to me, and the others with me. Van Horn was determined to not let that happen.

He finally got off the side of the car, carefully dropping the last two feet so as to not hurt himself. Last thing I need is a broken ankle so I can't drive. He turned and headed for the door to the scout car, wanting to get inside and check on some things. A smirk turned up the corner of his mouth. And maybe find a way to relax.

Climbing up into the vehicle, van Horn was surprised to find Mikula sitting in the passenger seat, looking out through the front windshield at the departing caravan. "Mikula, why are you in here? I'd think you would be tired of looking at the inside of my vehicle by now." Van Horn said jokingly.

The young lupar turned and gave van Horn a weak smile. "I suppose. I just wanted to sit where I could watch them leave." He gestured towards the receding caravan as it moved its way towards the town beyond.

Van Horn nodded. "I think I see. Missing your family, are you?" He asked gently.

Mikula hesitated a bit, and then nodded. "You certainly read people well, despite the fact that you're so different."

"Well, it's my job to study large groups of people. Though, really, to do that, it helps a lot to be able to understand individuals." Van Horn said with a shrug. "And in your case, not to sound offensive, but you're kind of easy to understand."

Mikula tilted his head quizzically, letting an ear flop down. "Really? Might I ask why you say that?"

Van Horn smiled a bit to rob his words of any offense. "Well, you're still young, by either your people's standards, or mine. Young adults like you are fairly easy to understand. Mind you, not that you're simple or anything, but rather, you are more focused than a child, and more open than an older man." Van Horn shrugged again. "This kind of mix is common in any people, and I remember it well from my own youth."

Mikula brought his head back upright, and offered another smile, this one a bit stronger than his last. "I think I understand. You're saying that since we are similar in behavior, you can understand what I'm thinking from your own experiences?"

Van Horn grinned broadly. "I am impressed, Mikula. Few people get such a grasp of psychology from a few pieces of conversation."

Mikula did the lupar equivalent of a blush; his ears flopping down a bit, and his tail dropping slightly. "Even though I don't know what you mean, thank you for the compliment. But I think you give me too much credit."

The human shook his had. "Not at all. In fact, I would go so far as to say that you sell yourself too short."

Again, Mikula got the quizzical look on his face. "Sell myself?"

Van Horn grimaced a bit. "I'm sorry. It's an idiom, which means 'to describe yourself in a way to promote your abilities.' In this case, I'm saying that you are undervaluing your abilities."

"Ahh. I think I understand, and I thank you again for your confidence." Mikula sighed and turned to look out the windshield again. "I wish I could have your ability to have such confidence."

Van Horn noticed the change, and he went to sit down in the driver's seat, careful to avoid hitting any controls. "You sound like you have something on your mind. Do you want to talk about it?"

Mikula sighed again. He talked, but kept facing out the window as he did so. "It's just that the last time I bid goodbye to my family like this, it was just before the attack that started this whole, big mess. The last time we parted, my... My brother died." Mikula's voice choked with emotion, preventing him from going on.

Van Horn nodded gravely. "I never knew you lost a brother, especially not recently. You have my sympathies, as late and as ineffective as they are."

Mikula nodded at that. "Thank you. It is most appreciated." He wiped a tear from his right eye before going on. "Senmar - that was my brother's name - was guarding the part of Tanzano that those 'Wobbies' attacked, which is why my mother and much of our clan left that city."

Van Horn nodded, but stayed quiet, letting Mikula continue. "So now, with my mother and Pavlo going off with the others... I can't help but feeling like I might never see them again."

The young lupar was near tears, van Horn could see. Leaning over and reaching out with his arm, van Horn set his right hand on Mikula's left shoulder. "I can understand what you're going through. Although I've not had the misfortune to lose someone as close as a brother, I have had to say goodbye to my family several times when I was a soldier. Each time I left, I felt as if though I would never see them again, and that thought tore me apart inside."

Mikula wiped his eyes again before turning to look the human in the eye. "I never knew you were a soldier. How did you deal with it?"

Van Horn gave Mikula a small smile. "I simply made myself a promise. I promised that no matter what, I would see my family again. I promised myself that I wouldn't let the bad feelings take over me, for that would destroy me as most assuredly as being killed." He rubbed Mikula's arm a bit before letting go. "And most importantly, I remembered that my family loved me. That they would still love me, no matter what would happen."

Mikula looked down for a minute, clearly trying to get control of himself. When he looked back up again, van Horn saw that he had succeeded. "Thank you, Earl. I shall remember your words, for they have much truth in them."

Van Horn ventured a smile then. "You are quite welcome to anything I have to say, although I do not promise that they will always be so pleasant to hear."

Mikula grinned his lopsided grin at that. "I see. And thank you again, for trying to lighten my mood."

Van Horn grinned himself and stood up. "It was no problem. Now, as to your mood, why don't you go out and see what the others are up to? They seem excited about something."

Mikula shook his head. "Oh, they're just happy to be able to stay in one place for a while, and they're talking. I was out there a little while ago, and though I found it interesting, it made me sad about my family leaving. Which is why I was brooding in here." He smiled a bit at that.

Van Horn smiled back. "Well, then. I was about to go for a swim. I don't suppose you'd like to join me?"

Mikula rocked back a bit. "Swim? Why would I want to do that? Is the river flooding?"

Van Horn chuckled. "No, nothing like that. I was going to swim just to relax, and maybe get some decent exercise in."

The lupar gave van Horn a dubious look. "Swim to relax? You don't mean you enjoy swimming?"

"Sure I do. Most of my people love to swim as a form of recreation and exercise. Although from the way you are acting, I take it that lupar don't view it the same way?"

Mikula shook his head. "No, as a matter of fact, we do not. Most do not even know how to swim, although my parents insisted that I and my brothers learn it when we were young, just in case." He shook his head a bit. "But I never liked it much. Just makes you all wet, and it's kind of miserable being wet."

Van Horn nodded. "I can see that point of view. I and many of my people don't like to be wet all the time, but we have a certain fascination with the water, and swimming."

He shrugged. "I suppose that it's mainly because of our lack of fur or thick hair that lets us enjoy it so. I can see how drying out your entire body like you'd have to do would discourage you." Van Horn smiled at Mikula as he said that last part. Mikula chuckled and said. "I suppose so. But it still surprises me that anyone would like to swim for fun."

"I guess I see your point." Replied van Horn. "In any case, would you mind leaving for a bit? I wish to change my clothes."

"Change clothes? I thought you were going swimming?" Mikula said as he continued the chain of strange looks that he'd been giving van Horn in the last few minutes.

"I am. Most people where I'm from prefer to have special clothes that we wear when we swim. They generally don't hold water like cloth, and they allow good movement while allowing us to retain our modesty." Van Horn grinned a bit as he finished.

"Strange... But then, I suppose if your people like to swim a lot, it would make sense to make clothes just for it. It makes sense, in a strange, way." Mikula said as he stood to leave.

Van Horn grinned and shook his head. "You really are very sharp young man, aren't you?" He stood up to be polite. "Just introduced to the concept of swimming for fun, and you already can understand about swim clothes."

Again, Mikula blushed. "Please, you embarrass me."

Van Horn chuckled. "Well then, perhaps you should give me some privacy before we both become embarrassed."

They both shared a quick laugh and Mikula stepped outside with a wave back to the human. As soon as he was gone, van Horn closed the door to the outside. He wasn't worried about the wounded, as most were outside. Only Kanu and Soru were both still in the back, the former because he didn't feel like going outside, and the latter because of obvious reasons.

Van Horn quickly found the small cabinet holding his few clothes, and managed to find the swim trunks he had smuggled from his home on Desmonde to this planet. He snorted at the provision that he couldn't bring along any swimming clothes on the current assignment. Not like the Bunker is anywhere close to native settlements, and they did site it next to a lake, after all. The pictures of the site van Horn had looked at before leaving his home planet were tempting enough that he risked bringing a pair of swim trunks with him. Fortunately, the provisions, while strict in wording, were flexible in application, and so no one bothered to check his personal effects when he boarded the dropship that took him to Bowman's Planet.

Van Horn undressed quickly, putting his used clothes into the next compartment, which he had been stuffing old clothes into when they were dirty and unusable. Although the converted Darter lacked a laundry, van Horn had chosen the clothes he had taken with on the assignment for their sturdy nature. Thus, he could, if he had to, wash them in the stream that fed the lake near his bunker should any of the systems have a major failure. Not likely, I know, but I didn't want to be up shit's creek if the improbable happened and I was stuck washing delicate crap on rocks. However, that is what he'd been forced to do after the Blakest invasion made him decide to abandon the bunker in favor of a more secure, mobile life until the army could come in and clear out the interlopers.

"In any case..." He mumbled to himself. His words, however, brought his attention back to reality. Van Horn shook his head to help clear his thoughts and focus himself back at the task at hand. Quickly, he pulled on the blue trunks and a gray T-shirt to cover his torso until he made his way to the river.

He walked back to take a look in on Kanu and Soru, both of whom were sleeping, their bodies conserving energy for healing. Quietly as he could, van Horn walked back up front and opened the main door to the outside. As the door swung open, he side-stepped over to the driver's seat of the car, picking up a weapon he had taken to keeping around since the attack; a bowie-style combat knife. This planet is still untamed, so there're probably some dangerous little critters out there. He thought as he strapped the knife to his right ankle before stepping outside.

Van Horn broke the surface of the water, taking in a deep breath to replace the air he had let out underwater as he came up from below. The river water was cooler than the air temperature, but not by such a margin that he feared hypothermia, or indeed, even a cold. Kicking into a breaststroke, he swam towards shore and angled upstream to come out near where he had entered the river.

Van Horn had found a good spot to swim just a bit upstream from where the lupar had watered their pongos the night before and just before leaving for Hercor. The river twisted around a large rock formation that looked to have been transplanted from the mountains to the west, where this particular watercourse had its origin. Probably a good-sized flood. Hell, that'd explain the nice broad valley we've been traveling in. Van horn grinned a bit at this thought, mainly from imagining the awesome force needed to move such a massive object so far.

His thoughts focused in on the present, though, when he noticed someone waiting for him near where he had left his shirt. A moment of tensing up was relieved when he noticed it was Shaya, the younger sister of Alexis, who stood there. He paused in his swimming to wave to her, then immediately power-stroked his way to shore, reaching the smooth bank only about ten feet downstream from where he had entered. Not a bad performance, given how strong this current is, he thought to himself as he stood out from the river, water streaming off of his body.

Shaya looked at him wide-eyed, and van Horn realized that none of the natives had really seen him without a shirt on. It must really emphasize our differences, especially with my chest not being as hairy as some people I've known. He shrugged mentally, not really caring about his appearance too much, save to make sure that he at least wasn't offensive." Is there a problem, Shaya?" He asked politely as he reached where he had left his shirt and towel, using the latter to dry off the slightly mucky river water.

The young gatón simply looked at van Horn for a bit, and then managed to stammer out a response. "I, uh, heard about, uh, you swimming from Mikula, and I, uh, just wanted to see if he wasn't pulling my tail."

Van Horn smirked a bit at the last words, recognizing the idiom, as it was so similar to the Human version. "So, didn't quite believe that someone could enjoy the water?" He asked, letting his smirk spread into a friendly smile.

Shaya looked at the river. "Not really, no. Uh, just seems strange. I mean, doesn't it bother you to be wet?" She turned back towards the human as she asked this.

Van Horn kept smiling as he finished toweling off and reached for his shirt. Even bending down, he noticed that his head only came as low as Shaya's waist. "Not really, no. As you can see, I really don't have all that much hair to keep water next to my skin, so it tends to flow right off." Standing up, he pulled on the t-shirt and noticed it clung a bit in some places where he hadn't dried fully. He shrugged at that, and also to emphasize his next words. "It's really not that big a deal."

"Well, it certainly isn't anything I've heard of before." The blonde-haired gatón replied.

Van Horn smiled a bit and then motioned for Shaya to follow him back to the small camp the group had set up. "I understood that from Mikula, when I spoke to him."

Shaya fell into silence as they walked back along the path that had been recently trampled into the underbrush of the woods. Then a question popped into her head. "If your people like water so much, does that mean you don't go inside when it rains?"

Van Horn's laugh startled her, and made her feel a bit embarrassed. Van Horn noticed this, and smiled at her. "No, not really. See, we only like water and getting wet when we choose to do so. Most of the time, we're like you and prefer to be dry, so we get out of the rain, and build buildings, and stuff like that." He said as they came up to the clearing that the camp was situated in. Stopping as soon as he got into unblocked sunlight, van Horn closed his eyes and stopped for a second. "Ahhh. Sometimes, though, I rather suspect that I and my people like to swim and such just so we can feel how good it is to dry off."

Now Shaya chuckled. "That's funny. And yet, it sounds close enough to be true."

Van Horn opened his eyes and smiled at the gatón again. "Sometimes, that's what makes things funny." He said, and then went off towards the Darter. Some commotion around the entranceway to the car caught his attention, and so he hurried his pace, reaching the doorway in only a few seconds. "What's going on here?"

Several lupar and gatón turned and backed away to let him through, but no one answered him. However, Mikula's voice came through from inside. "Earl, there is a strange noise coming from one of your devices."

Reaching the door, van Horn head that strange noise, and his heart leapt. Holy shit! He fairly hurled himself into the car, where he saw Mikula standing near the front control consoles, where the noise was coming from. In the middle and back of the main cabin, he saw Alexis and her parents standing. But he didn't care about them at the moment, as he practically leapt into the driver's seat and replayed the message that had come in via the satellite link.

"Research Outpost Foxtrot Four Eight Six, this is resupply ship USS Dubois, we have detected unknown jumpships at the jump point. We ask for your situation, over." These English words were the sweetest van Horn had heard in practically his entire life. Looking at the radio control display, he realized that it had just come in a few seconds ago. He checked the computer, which authenticated the security stamp that verified the transmission as actually coming from a Republic ship.

"Ha ha!" He yelled out, and then quickly worked the radio to transmit to the satellite, where it would hopefully be relayed to the supply ship. If they haven't jumped out already came the dark thought, dampening his enthusiasm a bit. Totally ignoring the others around him, he opened the recording function on the comm. set and composed his message even as he spoke. "USS Dubois, this is Doctor Earl van Horn, occupant of Research Outpost Foxtrot Four Eight Six. Word of Blake remnant forces have invaded several indig cities. I have picked up chatter on unguarded frequencies indicating they plan to use this planet as a base for launching attacks into the Republic, including the use of atomics. I repeat, Wobbie forces are on-planet and wreaking havoc on the native population, with the intent of using them to support further attacks. I am mobile in my planetary rover and uncaptured, verification Echo One One Eight. This is no fucking joke, so get the military off their asses and out here ASAP!"

After playing it back once to make sure it was concise enough, van Horn zip-squealed it up to the orbiting satellite that the Blakests would surely locate now, and potentially his location. "Fuck it anyway." He mumbled to himself and sat back in his seat, the adrenalin coursing through his body. Dear God, let them respond, he thought, even though he knew that the jump point was at least thirty-five light minutes away. Realizing that it would be over an hour before he heard a response - if he did - he breathed a sigh to calm himself.

"Earl, what is going on?" Mikula's voice startled van Horn, who then remembered the natives in the car and standing just outside. Turning his chair around, he looked and saw questioning looks on all the faces he could see. Taking another deep breath, he began speaking. "That 'noise' you heard was one of my people's ships trying to contact me. The radio recorded it, and now I sent a message back." He closed his eyes and continued. "If my message gets through, then it means that my people will come and help us."

The others in the car and just outside fell deathly quiet, so much so that van Horn had to open his eyes to make sure that they were still there. "Does that mean they will fight the ones who attacked us?" The question came from the middle-aged gatón with brown hair and yellow eyes who stood in the car; Alexis' father.

Van Horn nodded. "It does. But it also means that, until they come, the Wobbies might know I'm here, in which case," he stood, "none of you are safe near me." He turned his head and looked at the radio. "When the time comes for Forbasa and the others to check in, I will tell him that we need to come into Hercor, so that they can take care of the wounded, as I need to leave."

"But, why? How can these 'Wobbies' find you now if they haven't already?" Alexis asked.

Van Horn turned back to face her. "Because the methods we use for communications are not untraceable. The small radios that I gave to Forbasa and the others aren't strong enough to be detected, but that transmission to the ship was. It is... Hard to explain. All I can say now is that it can be found out, and that increases the danger to you all, because you are near me." He closed his eyes and bent his head down a bit, shaking it lightly. "Which is why you need to get to Hercor, or at least with the rest of the caravan. So that I can leave and keep the Wobbies from attacking you just to get to me."

Mikula frowned in confusion, his ears flopping down a bit to further emphasize. "I don't understand why would they want to get you?"

Van Horn opened his eyes and looked to the lupar. "Because I have a radio. I have technology. And more importantly, I can do what I've been doing; helping you and others to stay safe and away from their grasp. They are power-mad barbarians, and my presence can disrupt their plans."

"How can you do that?" Asked the lupar again.

"Because they rely on the cowardly tactics of terror and terrorism. They rely on fear to control you. But if I'm here, I can tell you what I've been telling you, namely that they're vile barbarians, and tell you to not be afraid. That destroys their power, and they won't allow that. So I am a threat, one they will try to extinguish."