They strode up the ramp, not quickly, but not too slowly, either. Van Horn had insisted on taking the lead, and he had placed his helmet back on so that he could be ready for anything, though even he admitted that 'anything' at this point was probably just a native trying to smash his head in.

Behind him came Pavlo, then Alexis, and then Mikula. Trailing them was Private Stuger, who didn't have anything else to do, had been sent along as van Horn's backup. She too, scanned the area, though she was more diligent at scanning the plains below, looking for a Blakest infantryman with a sniper rifle.

Van Horn doubted that any Blakest still alive would both to do anything but run away from the sight of tanks and battlemechs from the NeoTokyo grenadiers disembarking from their DropShips, but he didn't bother to tell Stuger that. At the thought of the Guardsmen, van Horn spared a look over at the plains to the east.

Sitting on the plains were the four spheroid DropShips that belonged to the National Guard unit sitting in a diamond pattern. The older LST and Confederates creating an arc in front of the town and the single, newer Apollo transport.

Between the landing area and the town, the three armored infantry platoons had set up came, just outside of Hercor's ruined walls. Next door, was the landing area fro the two assault shuttles that had ferried down two Seabee survey teams and the three natives that had taken the "wild ride," as most M.I. troopers liked to call a hyperspace jump.

Almost as soon as they had landed, the 'Mechs and Tanks had rolled out, taking up positions around the town, including a light lance of 'mechs that had used their jump jets to establish a perimeter just beyond the set of wooden buildings on the other side of the river. Van Horn didn't know if the town was half-completed, or had been battered by the Blakests toying with the natives, but it looked as if half the buildings were missing key parts.

Van Horn sighed. No matter what, these sights must be scaring the living shit out of the Hercorians and our friends from the caravan, he thought. I hope Vilini has taken the time to explain that we're the good guys.

They rounded a slightly sharper turn in the ramp/road, and the upper gates came into view. This time, they were open, and Vilini was standing there, along with the Maegister, Shaman Forbasa, and more than a few other locals. Van Horn recognized Tiana, Kanu, Alexis' family, amongst others.

"Van Horn, what's up?" Stuger asked over the radio as she passed the three natives behind van Horn. She was slightly nervous at the numbers, if not the technology, of the locals.

"Don't worry, Dianna. They're just the welcome wagon." Van Horn replied. "Just don't shoot them, mm'kay?"

"No problem." She replied coolly, still a bit concerned, but knowing to trust the guy who had spent months on the planet.

Then they came to the gates, and Forbasa strode ahead. "I do hope that you are friends." He said quietly.

Van Horn once again reached u and took off his helmet, and Forbasa smiled as he recognized the human. "Ahh, Earl! So Vilini wasn't mistaken like some had feared."

Van Horn grinned and nodded. "No, he wasn't. And there's some other people with me." He stood to the side, since he and Stuger's bulk had blocked the view of the three natives behind them.

"Mikula! Pavlo!" Tiana shouted, and she raced out, unconcerned with the two heavily armed and armored humans. Reaching her two sons, she leapt halfway and reached out to hug them both.

"Alexis!" Another call came, and van Horn turned to see the gatón's mother racing out as well. Trailing in her wake was her husband and two other children, all happy to see their family member return.

Van Horn stepped slowly ahead, motioning Stuger to follow. They subtly moved away from where the small families were reuniting, and approached where Forbasa and Maegister Varner stood, along with Kanu, who had simply stayed still when he saw his brothers.

I can guess why, van Horn thought as he approached. That leg's healed up nicely, but it's gotta still be painful for him to walk on. Then he and Stuger reached the small group, which stood a bit away from the curious onlookers from the town itself.

Forbasa shook his head slightly, a grim smile on his face. "Earl, when you said that you'd be bringing friends... I never imagined that they'd be so... Flashy." He said after finding the right word.

Van Horn chuckled. "Indeed. Shaman, Maegister, it's good to see you two again and in good health." He turned and indicated Stuger with a waved hand. "This is a friend, Private Dianna Stuger, of the Mobile Infantry Platoon, 'Vickers' Vanquishers.' You have her and her comrades to thank for the defeat of the army on your doorstep."

Although van Horn spoke mostly in Lupari, Stuger could tell when she was being introduced, and she took off her helmet to reveal her short-cut blonde hair and regal face. I wish I knew what the Hell he's saying, she thought and smiled politely for the natives.

The three natives at their front blinked hard. "A... A female?" Kanu sputtered out.

Van Horn then frowned. God, I forgot about their bias. Time to nip this crap in the bud. "Yes, a female." He turned and pointed to the ruined hulk of the Firestarter on the plains below. "A female who helped to rip the metal off of that combat unit." He turned back to the natives. "And one who will rip the living guts out of your belly if you treat her anything less than an equal."

The natives looked over at Stuger, and she smiled again, a bit wider this time. She had intended it to be friendly, but after what van Horn had said, it appeared predatory. Oh thank God that she has brains enough to play along, van Horn thought and stifled a grin. I couldn't have planned that out better myself!

Forbasa cleared his throat. "Well, if you say so, Earl, then I don't see a reason to doubt your request." He said, and then reached out with his hand towards Stuger.

Stuger smiled, and she reached out with her own, armored hand and lightly shook Forbasa's hand. She said something that Forbasa didn't understand, and he turned to van horn for translation.

"She said, 'pleased to meet you.'" The latter spoke. He then turned to look behind him and noticed that the families were starting to walk towards the town. "In any case, Shaman, Maegister, I think we need to talk." He said and turned back to face the two he addressed.

Varner nodded. "We most certainly do."

Alexis felt a great sense of warmth and joy when she saw her family rushing up to her. Then she embraced with her mother, and she didn't think about much anything at all.

"Oh, Alexis, my darling daughter," her mother spoke quietly. "We thought you were dead."

Alexis felt a pang of guilt, and a bit of phantom pain from where the bullets had torn into her months ago. "Oh, mother... I didn't mean to worry you all so." She sniffed out.

"Hush, child, hush." Her mother whispered. "I'm just glad you're back."

Alexis squirmed a bit. "I know, mother, but I'd like to see everyone else."

Her mother sniffed and stood back, allowing her father to come in and give her a hug as well. "Alexis, what ever possessed you to go running off like that?" He asked.

Alexis shook her head a bit, but kept her smile plastered over her face. Dad will always be dad. "I went off to help." She said, and took a step back. "But no matter, where's Reyato? And Shaya?"

"Right here, Alexis." Reyato said from behind their father. Shaya just bounded up and hugged Alexis's waist, saying nothing.

It was then her mother finally noticed something. "Alexis, what in the world are you wearing?"

Alexis blinked, and then she remembered that she was wearing the combat grays and body armor of the Republic. "Oh, this, uh." She self-consciously reached up and touched her helmet. "Protection. The town was under attack, after all."

She could see that her mother passed it off as nothing important, but her father and Reyato had something akin to suspicion in their eyes. Well, let them be suspicious, Alexis thought. Not like they can do anything anyway. I'm my own person now.

"Mother, please, I can't breathe." Pavlo muttered after his mother had grabbed him and his brother into a bear hug.

"Oh." She drew back, and her relieved face replaced with one of concern. "Just where have you two been?! You gave me the most terrific scare."

Pavlo winced, and Mikula shook his head slowly. "Mom, I'm sorry. We just had to go and help, and, well..." His voice trailed off and he turned to where van Horn and Stuger stood talking to Varner and Forbasa. "We got sidetracked."

Tiana looked around to follow his view, and then she turned back. "Well, hopefully that would explain where you got those fancy looking clothes you're wearing." She said, apparently so happy that she even teased her sons.

Pavlo grinned, and Mikula shook his head again. "Yes. In any case, I think we have lots of catching up to do." The latter said. "Van Horn, specifically, needs to speak to whoever's in charge. Unless you've gotten soft, I think that might include you." He finished with a slight smile.

Tiana frowned a bit, but the twinkle in her eye showed that she appreciated the light jab. "Well, I suppose that it would do with all the noise and light from that most strange battle?"

Mikula scratched his head. "In a way, yes..." He saw that his mother was a bit puzzled. "No matter, mother. Let's just go over, and we can talk about this."

Tiana continued to frown, but she nodded her head in assent. "Very well. I suppose there is much to speak of, given today's events." She then turned and walked off to where van Horn and Stuger stood with the others, Mikula and Pavlo quickly following. The former spared a glance towards Alexis. He caught her eye, and she nodded, and quickly made excuses to her family and they soon began walking back up as well.

Van Horn turned around and noticed them, and then turned back to speak to Forbasa and Varner again. I wonder how he's going to ask?

They had walked past the crowd at the gates, Alexis, Mikula and Pavlo getting almost as many stares as the two humans, and went for the temple. Van Horn had felt that the top would be the best place for Varner and Forbasa to point out any areas that they wanted the new forces to set up.

He hadn't mentioned this, of course, simply suggested it and asked that he explain along the way. Now, however, they were deep into the town, and van Horn still stayed quiet, wondering just how he should start. I'd better think of something soon, he thought, because they're getting a bit restless. With that, van Horn cleared his throat and began.

"Maegister, Shaman, as you'll see when we get to the top of your temple, there are some... Things that my people might need." He said as they walked along. When Varner and Forbasa remained silent, he continued. "Mind you, it won't be anything from the town, specifically, but rather, our forces need some space."

"What kind of space might that be?" Varner asked.

Van Horn sighed a bit. "Space to set up a fort, of sorts." He shook his head. "Our armies need a lot of... I don't think your languages have a word, so let me add one; 'logistics.'"

"What is that?" Vilini asked with a frown.

"It's a word that refers to the science and art of supplying a military unit," van Horn spoke after a second's worth of mental translating. "The more complex our weapons, the more they need to be supplied."

Varner nodded, but then posed his own question. "Why do you need a fort to do this, then? Mind you, I do not mind the fact that you won't be using our town for such things, but I also do not think anyone would begrudge your use of our lower courtyard - well, what's left of it."

Thank you," van Horn replied with a nod as they reached the square in front of the temple, "but my people find that our needs far exceed anything a small town like yours can provide. No offense."

"None taken, though I wonder why we need to speak of this when you say you don't need our town itself." Varner replied as they came to a halt in front of the temple. Many of the natives who had taken refuge inside during the battle had left with the all clear, but a few still lingered. Mostly, they were the gatón and lupar that had come in the caravan, their mini town across the river abandoned for the safety of Hercor. They still didn't feel safe to leave, and so they crowded the temple now.

Van Horn looked over them as he took a second to frame his reply. "Well, Maegister, the problem is that technically, this isn't our land." He turned and looked at the two leaders. "This is your peoples' land. We don't feel like just taking it without asking for it. Not to mention, we would also like some help to know where would be best for us to set up, so that we won't be intruding too much."

Varner blinked. "Really?" He asked, and van Horn nodded in reply. "After that display below, I didn't think that you would care to ask. You are, after all, so much more powerful than us."

Van Horn nodded again. "Yes, but just because we can, doesn't mean we should. So I'm here to ask, on behalf of my commander, if we can set up in the vicinity of your town, and if so, where would be the best place for us to set up where we won't be too bothersome?"

Varner just stood there, trying to absorb the import of their conversation. Forbasa, however, just smiled. "Well, Earl, I can't speak for Julius here, but might I ask if you have any good ideas where your people would like to set up?"

Van Horn smiled a bit. "Sort of. We'd definitely like to be able to set up with defensive positions beyond your town. The current landing area of our DropShips is a good start, but we need to be able to set up positions from which we can detect the enemy."

Vilini frowned; puzzled at the phrases van Horn was using, but understanding them in part. "You think they will come back? After the trouncing you gave them?" He asked.

Van Horn sighed before replying. "Unfortunately, we only defeated a small portion of their forces here today. Most of their equipment is still located around the Lupar cities to the east and north. Once they know we're here, they are sure to come back and try to remove us."

An elderly lupar that Varner had introduced as council member Verst spoke up then for the first time. "If what you're saying is true, then you've surely doomed us all!" He said, waving his cane about.

Van Horn shook his head. "You really have no idea what we just stopped here today, did you?" He asked the lupar, and stared in his eyes. "The Wobbies are barbarians. If you had fought back, like you certainly looked like you were going to do, they would have flattened your town, killing more than half of your people, that is for certain." He spoke quietly, full of menace. "And then, the would have sent their local agents, the lupar from the cities, in to swarm over and take you all as their slaves." Van Horn paused to take a breath. "IF you had surrendered, you'd be little better off... Just less of you dead."

The gathering then fell silent at that, and van Horn regretted that he had laid it on heavy. I just can't stand the whiners, the little pansies that complain no matter what you do. Nothing can satisfy them, and they will always bitch, even though they couldn't do any better if God gave them a helping hand.

A small sigh from Varner broke the ice. "Well, Vanhorn, I suppose that the past is past." He drew himself up a bit. "I, as Maegister, give permission for your people to set up wherever you like, outside of the town walls."

Verst gave Varner an angry look. "Have you lost your mind?"

Varner apparently had had enough. He turned around and snarled at the elder lupar. "Mad? These people just saved us from a defeat that would have killed many. They have kept us free, and they even ask for permission to even stay near us! What's more mad is not having them nearby to help us!"

Verst glared at Varner. "You say they saved us, but how can we know that? All we have is his word that things would turn out like he said. How can we know that these 'Wobbies' would not have been the scourge that he claims they are?"

"Because they trust him," he pointed to Forbasa and then to Tiana, "and because my own son reported that Vanhorn himself actually ran into a storm of attacks that could have killed him, all to keep our town from being overrun." Varner glared at Verst, his ears lying back against his skull. "He and his friends have done more for this town than you have in the past twenty years!" Varner paused while Verst took stock of that quote. "I want you out of my sight, Verst. And I don't want to see you until the next council meeting."

Verst looked like he wanted to complain, but Varner's face was one of rage, and so the elder lupar frowned, then turned and walked off in a huff. Varner stared at him until he walked around a corner and disappeared. He then turned and sighed. "My apologies, for that display. Verst has always been my worst critic and opponent on the town council." He said to everyone around.

Van Horn smirked slightly, just enough to move a corner of his mouth up. "Well, so long as it's settled. Anyway," he turned and looked up at the top of the temple. "If you'll join me up there, Maegister, Shaman, then maybe we can find out a place that would best suit both of our peoples' interests."

"Very well," Varner replied with a slight grin of his own. "My son told me on how you flew before, so I don't think you'll be needing to take the stairs."

Van Horn's smirk grew into a small smile. "No, I guess not. If you'll go on ahead, I'll wait for you there." He said and waved to the temple with his free, left hand. Varner and Forbasa nodded politely, and they turned and went towards the temple.

As they left, van horn turned to Stuger, Alexis, Mikula and Pavlo. "Alexis, I'd like you to come up there, as well," he said in English. "Stuger, you stay here with these two troublemakers, and just keep from making a scene, okay?"

Stuger razzed him a bit. "You make it sound like I'm trouble. Beside," she looked around at the numerous faces staring at the group, "even with my armor, I don't want to tick off anyone that out-numbers me if I have a choice."

Van Horn smiled again. "Good."

"Earl, why do you want us to stay down here?" Pavlo asked, a bit puzzled.

Mikula turned and answered his brother for van Horn. "Pavlo, we can't all fit up there. And Alexis is the smallest and admittingly, the most diplomatic."

All the English-speakers grinned a bit at that. "All right, so stay out of trouble." Van Horn said and turned to Alexis. "Ready?"

She frowned a bit. "For what?"

"I'll give you a ride up," van Horn replied with a grin. Alexis blinked as she realized what he meant. "Wouldn't I be too heavy?"

"Nah. I carried Vilini around, so I can take you up on a short hop." Van Horn replied as he put his helmet back on, needing the biofeedback sensors in it to help maintain his gyros' balance on the trip up.

Alexis nodded. "Well, if it's safe."

"Oh, it's not safe." Van Horn replied with a chuckle. Then he grabbed Alexis and walked a few meters away from the dispersing group of locals, Stuger, Pavlo and Mikula standing back out of foreknowledge.

Then van Horn hit the jets, and he and Alexis flew the three stories up to land on the same platform that van Horn had used earlier. Alexis gasped at the movement, and then at the view. "It's so wonderful," she said as van Horn released her.

"A bit, yes." Van Horn replied, and then he turned to look over the fields to the east. Looks like all the 'mechs and tanks are out, good. They'll be unloading the supplies next, and then maybe we can get a temp base going so that we don't have to wait on the Seabees. Van Horn was naturally eager for some rest after the short, yet long day.

Varner and Forbasa finally arrived then. "Well, I thought I heard a noise." The former observed as they climbed the last few steps from the roof of the main temple. Then both took a moment to look out over the field of battle.

Van Horn gave them a minute, and then he took off his helmet and cleared his throat. "Well, as you can see, we have a temporary area set up just beyond the lower walls." He pointed as he spoke. "We don't necessarily need to be there. Most especially because it's your crop lands that we're sitting on." He grimaced a bit. "I am sorry for that."

Varner sighed, and Forbasa spoke up. "It is of no matter. Most of the food had been harvested early, anyway, when we heard of the Wobbies' approach." He turned and looked west, over the mini town on the other side of the river. The others followed his view, and van Horn finally noticed that several fields were plowed just beyond the expansion. "Those fields were just planted with crops that will grow during the winter season, albeit slowly. They should feed us for a while."

Varner nodded. "Yes, but it would be better if we could have more. No matter," he said and waved a hand dismissively, and then he turned to van Horn. "That area would be better if we could have it back again, yes. Since you asked where we'd like you to not be, just about anywhere within the field markers."

Van Horn frowned slightly. "Field markers? My apologies, but I didn't know you had any." He turned and looked out to where the Seabees were driving their jeep across the terrain. "I suppose you can see them from ground level?"

Varner nodded. "Yes, though some may be overgrown, or worn with age." He peered out, as if to verify this with his own eyes. "If you wish, I can find the farmers who till those fields furthest from Hercor, and they can show you where their markers lie."

Van Horn frowned again. "Well, the help will be appreciated, but I don't think that I can do all of that. Fortunately," he turned and laid a hand - gently, given his armor - on Alexis' shoulder. "Alexis here, and Mikula and Pavlo below, know my people's language now. They can go with your farmers and be interpreters."

Forbasa looked a bit surprised. "Is this true Alexis?" He asked. When she nodded her head, he smiled. "You always did have a talent for languages."

Alexis blushed. "I didn't have much choice, really. Traveling in the company of Earl's friends lends one to the task of picking up their language quickly."

"Well, getting back to the matter at hand," Varner politely interrupted. "Those are the basic areas that I would like you to avoid. Shaman? How about your people across the river?"

Van Horn turned to see Forbasa shrugging. "Basically the same. Anywhere outside of our town and the fields, and it should be fine for us."

"'Your' town? So the settlement there is not really part of Hercor?" Alexis asked with curiosity.

Forbasa shook his head, and Varner replied for him. "No. The council was most adamant about your friends in the caravan leaving, and yet with all the strange events, they didn't feel like going too far without more wagons." He sighed. "We unfortunately didn't have time, and so we came to the conclusion that they could settle the far side of the river as their own town, since Hercor doesn't lay claim to it anyway."

Forbasa nodded his head in assent. "Indeed. We have been building up a small town. Strange though it is, mixing lupar and gatón." He said with a small smile. "These events have truly changed us all."

More than you know, Shaman, Alexis thought.

Down below, Mikula and Pavlo stood next to Stuger, who shifted uncomfortably. The former noticed this. "You seem uncomfortable." He said to her.

Stuger faced him and shrugged. "Just being around strangers. I never liked big crowds..." Stuger's voice trailed off, and she took another glance around the square again.

Mikula could certainly understand her predicament, having been in a similar situation himself for the past several weeks. "Well miss, if there's any consolation, you're making them as nervous as they're making you."

Stuger smirked a bit. "Good, I guess. Then we'll both be too scared to do much."

Mikula frowned, and was about to ask what she meant, when his mother entered the square. Behind her trailed Kanu, who had slowed them both with the necessity of limping along to keep his leg from being hurt again. Tiana had insisted that she trusted Varner and Forbasa to do any negotiating, and so she had stayed with her eldest son as they fell behind the group.

Now, however, they approached slowly, partially due to Kanu's leg, partially due to wariness of Stuger in her battle armor. But soon, they were close enough to speak. "Hello again, you two." She said to her sons. "Where is everyone else?"

"They're up there." Pavlo said, pointing to the platform on top of the temple. Tiana and Kanu tilted their heads up, and they quickly spotted the group on top. Or rather, what they could see of them, as part of the temple's roof interceded their line of sight.

"Well, I hope they aren't selling the entire town out." Kanu grumbled.

"What?" Mikula asked, surprised. "Don't tell me after today, you still have suspicions about-"

Kanu's wave cut him off. "I'm joking, Mikula. You do remember that word, don't you?"

Mikula blushed a bit. "Oh. Well, I'm sorry then. I just..."

Pavlo cleared his throat a bit. "Someone called 'Verst' was being rather suspicious about van Horn's motives not too long ago, so we're kind of on edge about that."

Tiana grumped. "That asshole. Older than dirt and has less uses." She snorted. "I hope you told him off?"

Mikula smirked a bit. "No, van Horn and the Maegister did. You should have heard it, too."

Pavlo chuckled. "Definitely. If that Verst comes back again, he should get armor like hers." He said and pointed his thumb over his shoulder to point at Stuger.

She saw that gesture, however. "What are you two talking about?" She asked with a bit of mischief in her voice. "You'd better not be saying I eat babies or something."

Mikula and Pavlo chuckled aloud at that, which prompted funny looks from Tiana and Kanu. "Well, Miss Stuger-"

"Oh jeeze, call me Dianna, or Private." Stuger grumbled.

Mikula nodded, trying to filter out Pavlo's explanation to their other family members. "Okay. I'm sorry."

"Don't have to be sorry, son, just do it." Stuger replied with a small smile.

Just then, they heard the rumble of jump jets, and they looked up to where van Horn was descending on a column of light and smoke, soon coming to rest in the square. Again, he had donned his helmet for the short trip, and again, he took it off once he reached the ground.

"You're just one flashy sonuvabitch, ain't ya?" Stuger said as he walked up.

Van horn shrugged. "In a way, I guess. In any case, we need to get back down below. I need to speak with Major Kujira." He said, referring to the overall commander of the ground forces on Bowman's Planet.

Stuger frowned, but didn't protest. "Well, we'd better go then. He's probably gonna be gettin' out of his 'mech soon."

The day passed quickly from then on. Mikula, Alexis and Pavlo had gone out with the Seabee advance teams, picking out field markers so that they could be entered into the improving map of the area. Alexis, especially, had been fascinated at how they used positions gleaned from a series of micro-satellites that the Seabees' ship, the USS Cheops, had launched to provide a partial global positioning network.

The main military forces moved on as well, and patrols of 'mechs and battle armor soon swept through the forests just beyond the edge of the plains. A lance of small, light Manta Hovertanks belonging to the Guardsmen stood on alert, ready to speed out and engage the enemy in a delaying action.

Van Horn, however, was taking some time to rest, as were the rest of the Vanquishers. They had borne the brunt of the fighting, and had lost five troopers to it. So now, they got some time to rest, and to mourn their fallen comrades. Official funerals wouldn't be offered on Bowman's Planet, but instead the five bodies had been bagged and sent up to the Rodger Young so that they could be frozen and returned to their families.

With that thought, van Horn sighed and shook his head. I didn't know those five very well, but my friends did. Marks had been especially hurt by the loss of one private, whom had been a friend from their homeworld. The entire platoon took the deaths in stride, however, knowing full well the risks they took when confronting the enemy. It doesn't make the pain any less, van Horn thought, but it does let us focus and remember that there's a duty to perform.

He sat quietly in a field tent, one of many brought to the surface by assault transports doing supply runs. The normal supply craft needed a runway, and until the Seabees finished one, the over-sized troop transports filled the role.

The tents had been set up just outside of the courtyard's ruined walls, smack dab between them and the DropShips to the east. Thus, van Horn could still easily hear the sounds of modernity: the ringing of metal on metal, the whine of engines and actuators, and the thump of 'mech footfalls.

With a sigh, he stood up and left the empty tent, its other three occupants being rather busy visiting their families inside Hercor. With a grunt, van Horn pulled on a light coat to ward off the chill of the coming night - autumn was beginning to come to this part of the planet - and walked out of the tent's flaps.

Around him stood several dozen tents, all lined up in neat military precision, the Mobile Infantry's field camp. The line of the 'alley' went roughly parallel to the half-blasted walls, so that in one direction, Hercor stood upon its rocky spire, and in the other direction, one could see the dim outline of a 'mech sentry a good distance beyond the camp. Van Horn turned right, towards Hercor, and walked along the line of tents, heading for the dome structure that had been set up as the camp's temporary command shelter. It only took a few moments, and soon van Horn presented his ID to a Grenadiers guard, and then opened the door and stepped inside.

The interior of the geodesic dome was dominated by a small holotank in the middle, and the attendant computer control systems it needed to operate. A circular console to the side contained a communications suite, and another corner had a small rack of assault rifles, in case of sudden attack. The final portion of the small dome was taken up by a regular table that had a map laid out on it, and it was here that van Horn saw Major Kujira, his head infantry and tank commanders, the commander of the 5th Marauders' infantry platoon, and of course, Lieutenant Vickers.

Van Horn walked slowly up, which let the others reach a pause in their conversation as he approached. "Something we can do for you, Doctor?" Kujira asked neutrally, though his eyes bespoke the fact that he disliked the intrusion.

Van Horn ignored it, however. "Yes sir. I know you ordered us to stand down, but I can't really rest. So I respectfully request permission to begin some limited debriefings on the locals we captured from the Blakest army today."

The annoyance in Kujira's eyes evaporated, as he approved a person who wanted to work. "If you feel up to it and your Lieutenant doesn't object." He turned to Vickers then, handling the ball off to him. Though the highest-ranking officer on Bowman's Planet, Kujira technically didn't have command authority over Vickers' platoon, as it was a different service branch.

Vickers, however, nodded tiredly. "I don't have a problem, so long as you get back by 2200 hours."

Van Horn smiled a bit. "Yes sir. Thank you sirs." He saluted.

Kujira and Vickers returned the salute, though Kujira cleared his throat a bit to indicate that he had something else to add. "One more thing. I want you to take my mech unit's second in command with you. She's quite adept at languages, and since we might be here a while, it would help if you could get her started on the locals' language."

Van Horn frowned slightly. "Of course, sir, though I warn you, I'm no miracle worker."

Kujira waved him off. "I know, I know. Just teach her some basic words, so she can begin to interact when you're not around."

"Yes sir. Where will I find this officer?"

Kujira flicked his thumb in the direction of the DropShips. "Her name's Captain Tanaka, and she'll be workin' on her 'mech, if I know her any."

Van Horn saluted again, and again, Kujira returned the favor, and then van Horn turned and left the command dome, pausing to take in the smooth night air. He looked up at the stars, and searched them carefully for the small one he knew to be the star which his homeworld, Desmonde, orbited. Unfortunately, the lights that came with humanity's presence blanketed out some of the dimmer stars, and van Horn decided not to bother trying to look for the markers he had used in the past.

With a sigh, he turned east and walked towards the greatest sources of that light, the grounded DropShips, and walked. It took him about ten minutes to cross the short strip of mashed grass that separated the encampment of the infantry from the large transports.

Soon enough, however, he was among them. Again, he showed his ID to a sentry who challenged him, and then he waded into the pool of light. Van Horn walked slowly, moving between small crates of supplies sitting on the ground, and avoiding the busy ship crews as they tried to unload more.

He soon approached a man standing between the Apollo and the right-hand Confederate who seemed to be directing things. He walked up carefully, and lightly tapped the man on the shoulder. "Excuse me, crewman, but where can I find Captain Tanaka?"

The man dressed in navy coveralls turned and gave van Horn an annoyed look. "Captain Tanaka's in the Silver Pagoda," he said, pointing casually to the Confederate on the opposite side of the landing zone. "Now, unless you want to be squished by a guy in an exoskeleton, I'd suggest you get to the Pagoda and leave me alone."

"Thank you," van Horn said curtly, and then turned and walked away. Jack off, he thought of the gruff crewman as he moved between some more crates and crossed the landing area. His boots crunched the grass that had been dried, but not burnt, by the exhaust of the DropShips' fusion engines, and soon approached the USS Silver Pagoda.

I wonder why they call her that? He wondered naturally. The old thing looks like a pagoda the same way I look like a Lupar, van Horn mused as he reached the large unloading ramp that lead into the cavernous 'mech bay.

At the bottom of the ramp, another crewman stood, tapping almost lazily over his noteputer. This man, however, heard van Horn and turned as the latter came up to meet him. "I'm looking for Captain Tanaka. Major Kujira said she'd be here."

The crewman, whose nametag read PETERSON, nodded. "Yeah, her 'mech had some actuator problems, so she's helping her techs get it fixed." He looked over van Horn's uniform, clearly trying to get his name. "And who might you be?"

"Someone who wants to see the captain," van Horn replied tiredly, as he had gotten tired of the small amount of fame he had garnered as the man who had practically started the counter invasion. "Did I need to make an appointment?" He asked caustically.

The crewman gave van Horn a sour look, but shrugged. "Whatever. She's in 'mech cubicle one, just up this ramp." He replied and pointed casually. "Just don't try that tone on her, or you'll wish you could walk home to New Honshu."

Van Horn just nodded and started up the ramp. At the top, he paused to let his eyes adjust to the still-brighter lights inside the ship's cramped 'mech bay. The Confederate, though large by early spacefaring standards, was a small ship by modern practice, and so a good portion of its lower hull was dedicated to the carrying, repair and resupply of a lance of Battlemechs, leaving little room for anything else, save the main drive systems. The four cubicles took up a space of three decks, and each opened up to the exterior of the ship through a massive bay door, one of which van Horn had paused in. As his eyes adjusted, van Horn remained still, as he looked up in quiet awe at the shape standing before him.

Captain Tanaka's ride was an impressive Guillotine IIC, a seventy-ton 'mech that was based off of the Star League-era 'mech of the same name. The massive, humanoid war machine looked almost manlike, until one noted that its arms ended not with hands, but with the massive barrels of an Extended Range Particle Projection Cannon in the left arm, and two Large-caliber Pulse Lasers in the right. Van Horn also knew from memory that the design mounted two ER Medium Lasers and an SRM launcher to boot, making the design one of the fiercest available for 'mech-to-'mech action.

Van Horn whistled appreciatively, which caused the group of three people around its left knee joint to turn their heads and see who was making the noise. He blushed a bit, and waved. "Sorry. I'm looking for Captain Tanaka."

"I'm here," one of the people said. She wore coveralls for the dirty work, and so van Horn hadn't noticed her before. Now she said something to the other two workers, and then climbed down the stepladder from the work platform. "And who might you be?"

This time, van Horn felt no reason to hide. "Specialist Earl van Horn, Mobile Infantry," he said, using his reactivated title. "Might I have a quick word with you?"

Tanaka's face showed recognition at his name. "I'm kind of in the middle of repairing my 'mech. Can this wait?" She asked with a raised eyebrow.

Van Horn sighed. "Depends. I was going to interrogate some of the native prisoners we got from the Wobbies' force here. I mentioned this to Major Kujira, and he asked that I take you along so that you can learn a few things about speaking to the locals."

Tanaka rolled her eyes. "The Major can be a real jerk at times," she said, and then sighed. "But he is usually right. Just wait here while I go change into something a bit more suitable."

Van Horn nodded. "Alright." With that, Tanaka turned and went back to the repair platform, made her excuses to the techs, and headed for the elevator at the center of the 'mech bay.

Fifteen minutes later, van Horn and Tanaka were walking back towards the infantry encampment. Though this time, their goal was the barracks that had served the guards of Hercor. Now, it was surrounded by razorwire and several guards, and inside were the several score of lupar that had surrendered to the Republic ground forces after being trapped between the various battling forces earlier in the day. The whole area was a smallish compound, almost, as the barracks wasn't large enough to hold all of the prisoners, and so a number sat in lean-tos that the Republic infantry had hastily constructed outside the building for the prisoners to use.

Van Horn grimaced a bit at the arrangements. I know that it's SOP, standard operating procedure, but it still rankles me, 'cuz I know most of these folks were just coerced, or just didn't know any better. He sighed then as they approached what amounted to a gate into the captives' area. On the other hand, I do know that there's always going to be assholes who did it for something far baser. It's those little creeps we gotta lock the rest of these folks up for.

It was these happy thoughts that followed him as they showed their IDs to the guards, and then passed through the two rows of razor wire. On the other side, van Horn felt nervous, as he had neglected to bring a sidearm.

Tanaka did, however, and so he felt a little secure in that. Well, that, and the fact I out mass these fellas, and the guards are crack shots. Still, the memory of Pavlo and Mikula using their jaws to frightful effectiveness brought him a slight discomfort.

Van Horn banished that though, as the eyes of the natives were now firmly upon the two. "Just follow along, and if you have question, please ask. Though my recorder will be getting the audio for later analysis." He spoke quietly to Tanaka.

She nodded in reply. "It's your show, Doc. Just let me know if these guys decide to get nasty."

"Will do," he replied, and then took a breath so he could speak over the group's mutterings. "Attention," he began in Lupari. "We have come to ask questions. Who here is the highest-ranked individual?"

The natives mumbled amongst themselves, until one walked forward. "I am a unit commander. Why do you ask?" He said.

Van Horn paused a moment to look over the lupar. He stood about the same height as Mikula, though was maybe a centimeter or two shorter. Unlike Mikula, he had a stern look on his face, and van Horn remembered the conversations he had had with his friends. 'Unit commander,' if I recall correctly, is something like a captain, or maybe a major, he mused. A good find, if he's not lying.

He nodded to the lupar. "I ask because we seek information on how you became dragged into this conflict." He waved off in a direction that had fewer lupar. "If you would like, we can discuss this in some form of privacy."

The lupar frowned at van Horn, and then shook his head. "You people make no sense. Attacking us, and now wanting to talk like we're some sort of buddies?"

Van Horn shook his own head in reply. "We didn't attack you, not directly."

"Then why are we prisoners if we were not attacked?" The lupar asked gruffly.

Van Horn looked incredulous. "You were brought here for protection... Ours and yours." He turned and pointed to one of the battle-armored guards. "Did you see people dressed like him today? The way they fought?" He paused, and the involuntary shudders that many lupar in the area had confirmed that they had indeed seen the M.I. in action. "You saw what they did to the 'metal giants,'" van Horn used the local term, not wishing to overcomplicate things, "we can do that to you. The fact that we haven't should speak volumes." He raised an eyebrow, a gesture that could still be seen in the dim light. "Or, it would, if you have enough brains to listen."

The lupar unit commander stood mute, and then sighed. "Fine. Let's talk."

Van Horn waved again towards a corner of the yard, and the lupar nodded and gave some hand signals to some of the others in the group. Van Horn caught them, but not being of their army or species, he didn't know what they meant. Probably any number of things. Ah, well, can't worry too much. With that, the lupar walked over and stood in the indicated area, a good five meters from any other lupar. Van Horn followed, and stood before him, with Tanaka studiously taking a position from which she could watch her and van Horn's backs.

"Now, what do you want, furless one?" The gruff lupar asked.

"First off, what is the nature of your relationship with the first set on invaders?" Van Horn asked, after tripping his recorder on.

The lupar frowned. "Relationship? Is there a relationship between slave and master?"

Van Horn's skin crawled a bit. "Technically, that is a relationship, yes, as dirty and disgusting it is."

The lupar raised an eyebrow slightly. "Indeed. In any case, that is how they treat us. They blasted large portions of our cities, and killed many troops before they finally learned enough of our language to tell us what to do." He sighed, as the memories came back. "They want us to treat them as their rulers, or to die. And so we do what they want."

Van Horn frowned at that, but he went on. "Why were you and the other lupar here sent with their military units on this campaign?"

"Because, powerful as the invaders are, there aren't too many of them." The lupar responded with a grunt. "Though, from what I've seen, there's a lot more than the ones you killed today."

Van Horn had to restrain himself from nodding. "Indeed. How many would you say there are?"

The 'interview' had gone on for a bit of time, before van Horn finally let the lupar go. He went back to his fellows, and van Horn paused, trying to think of what to do next.

"You know, you're really not helping me as much as I thought you would," Tanaka said, toying with the flap on her pistol holster.

Van horn looked up at her and gave her a slight grin. "I ain't, am I?" He said, and then sighed. "It's just that I get carried away. Sorry."

Tanaka shrugged. "No matter. So what did the fuzzball say?"

Van Horn raised an eyebrow at her, but decided that her tone wasn't condescending. "Basically, he confirmed what we think we know. Good amount of Wobbies, stretched over the eastern and southern cities of their race, but concentrated in a few. Generally, the cities are being run as normal, so far, so the locals have gotten used to them, as if they were just another jackass set of warlords."

He paused for a breath. "From what I've read up on Wobbie activity back in NeoTokyo, this is the Wobbies' regular M.O. Move in, shake things up enough so that the populace won't feel like they can cross you lightly, and then slowly start to bend them." He sighed. "I think we got here before that bending."

Tanaka looked puzzled. "What makes you say that?"

Van Horn waved a hand back towards the lupar. "Because they still hate the Wobbies. Every time I mentioned them - well, I called them 'the Invaders,' but same difference - anyway, every time I did, I could see something in his eyes. He hates them for what they've done." Van Horn sighed again. "Unfortunately, they also see us as the same kind of people, since we're the same race, and have the same kinds of toys."

Tanaka sighed as well. "So that means we won't have full support from them? Greeaaat."

"Well, not at first. But they'll probably turn around. At the very least, if we act decent, they'll just tolerate us and hate the Wobbies all the more for their lack of decency."

"Sounds like a plan," Tanaka said, smirking at her own half-joke. Van Horn returned the smirk and shook his head. "Indeed. Anyway, I thought about doing more, but we got lucky, and met a decent, informed chap." He stretched a bit. "Let's go back. I could use the sleep, and I'm sure you want to work on your tin beast."

Tanaka elbowed him in the ribs. "Watch it, joker. I could have you sit outside while I do my work, and recite native words to me."

Van Horn smiled a bit. "I'll be more careful then." With that, he started off towards the entrance, and Tanaka followed leisurely.

They only got about halfway there when one lupar detached from a group watching them, much to the consternation of his fellows. He approached the two humans slowly, palms outward. Tanaka reached for her pistol, but van Horn held out an arm across her path and cleared his throat. "Hello. You want to talk with us?"

The lupar stopped about a meter away. "In a way," he said. "I was more wondering, if... Well..." His voice trailed off a bit and he shuffled his feet a bit.

Van Horn raised an eyebrow. "What is it? We do not have all night."

The lupar reached up and scratched his chin a bit. "Well, a friend of mine was hurt during the fighting earlier. We didn't ask for any help because he thought it was nothing, but now he can't walk on his leg, and he's in pain. I was wondering, if you wouldn't mind, maybe getting him some help?"

Van Horn frowned slightly. "If your friend is hurt, all you have to do is bring him up to the entrance, and the guards will call a doctor over."

The lupar scratched his chin again. Why does that seem so familiar? Van Horn wondered as the lupar spoke again. "He's... Suspicious. He doesn't think that you would help him, and would punish him for asking." The lupar tuned a bit and pointed towards the barracks. "He's just inside the main entrance. You can see he's hurt for yourself."

Van Horn frowned. "One moment," he said to the lupar, and then switched to English so he could translate the conversation for Tanaka.

When he was done, she shook her head. "It's a trick. They want us, or one of us, to go in where their buddies can drop on us and capture us for a hostage, or even just to distract the guards and get them to come inside the barriers and possibly leave the gate open."

Van Horn sighed. "I know, it sounds like that, doesn't it?" He asked, and then rubbed his forehead. "But these people don't have cheap holodramas, where the hero escapes the enemy's clutches by feigning illness so he can trick and subdue the guard."

Tanaka shrugged. "True, but then, that idea had to come from somewhere in our past." She said, and looked at the lupar, who waited nervously. "Isn't it just as likely that they can have the same ideas as a human?"

More than you know, Captain, van Horn thought wryly. Aloud, he said, "You have a point." He sighed again, through his nose this time. "If it'll make you feel better, I can go alone, while you let the guards know that something fishy is going on."

Tanaka shook her head. "You're nuts. Well, if you're adamant, then we should alert the guards, and I'll go in with you."

Van Horn smiled a bit, and nodded. "All right. Go warn them while I speak with this one here." He said. Tanaka nodded and started off. "Oh, and tell them to get a medic," he said a bit louder to her retreating back. "Either way, we're gonna need one."

Tanaka looked over her shoulder and gave van Horn a wry grin, and then she went off to see the guards. Van Horn then turned back to the lupar and switched to his language. "All right, give her a moment, and we'll go and see if your friend is hurt or not."

The lupar's face lit up. "Oh, thank you, sir. Yes, I'll wait."

Tanaka came back a moment later, and they walked off to the building together, the lupar leading the way. The captain was edgy as they approached the barracks building, and she had her hand resting on the handle of her pistol, the holster's strap unlatched so that she could whip it out in a second.

For his own part, van Horn felt that it was a trap as well. But he had also taken it upon himself to help the natives of Bowman's Planet, and that meant that he wouldn't let himself pass up an opportunity to do just that, trap or no. Still, even an unarmed soldier is still dangerous, he mused, reflecting over the various martial arts techniques that his drill instructor had burned into him years ago.

Soon, they were at the building, and the various captured lupar stared at them as they passed by. The one leading them made a few comments to the others, mentioning their purpose, but saying little else. Van Horn wondered at threat, but then they passed into the barracks, and he paused, tensing and he looked around nervously.

Tanaka also paused and scanned the area around them, but despite their trepid feelings, they saw nothing more than two more lupar, one laying on his back in the entranceway, the other kneeling next to him. Their guide stopped next to them and waved them over. "Here, my friend is hurt, like I said."

Van Horn looked at Tanaka, motioning with his eyes. Stay here, watch me. She took the meaning and nodded, before turning to scan the area again.

With that, van Horn turned back and went to kneel next to the lupar lying on the ground. "All right, where are you hurt?" He asked him.

The lupar looked suspicious, but he sat up a bit, wincing as he did so. "My left leg. Something flew into it, I think. It bled for a bit, and I could walk on it before, but now I cannot." He said, and touched his leg. Van Horn carefully bent over and pulled up the trouser leg of the native.

What he saw was a nasty little wound created by a piece of shrapnel. He sucked air through his front teeth in sympathy. "That looks nasty. Why didn't you say anything when you were caught?"

The lupar's ears laid back against his skull. "The last time someone got hurt in my company, and I mentioned it to one of your people, the wounded one was shot." He said with a growl.

Van Horn felt a pang of regret, briefly, over the fact that the Wobbies hadn't been stopped sooner. However, his honor had been insulted. "Those aren't 'my' people. The ones that had you come out here are filthy, Godless barbarians, and I will not rest until their blood waters the soil on which they have tread." He replied in a low voice himself. "So don't you, ever, and I mean ever, compare me or my friends to those murderous bastards again, or when you're healed up, I'll kick your goddamned ass from one end of this world to the other."

The three lupar sitting, standing, and kneeling around him blinked in surprise, and the wounded one squirmed a bit. Van Horn chastised himself for the breech of temper. It's too fucking late, and I'm tired. He sighed and looked over the wound again. "This needs to be taken care of right away, or it'll get infected." He then turned to look at Tanaka and switched back to English for her. "Captain, it's a real problem. Could you go and tell the guards that we need a medic here?"

Tanaka looked at van Horn like he was crazy. "You sure? From the way you sounded in that talk you just had with them, it sounded like they're none too friendly."

Van Horn sighed, again regretting his lapse. "It was nothing, a mere misunderstanding." She looked unconvinced, and he shook waved a hand. "Just go. I'll be fine, so long as you don't dawdle."

Tanaka sighed herself and nodded. "Alright, I'll be back soon. Just holler, and I'm sure that the guards'll come back ASAP." With that, she turned and walked out of the barracks, and headed in the direction of the 'gate.'

With that, van Horn turned back to the wounded lupar and looked over the wound again. "Hmm..." He murmured, as he looked it over again.

The lupar that had guided him there cocked his head. "What? Is there a problem?"

Van Horn shook his head at that. "No, not really. Just trying to figure out where this came from." He frowned in the night, as the darkness conspired to keep the full details of the area from his eyes. "Looks like shrapnel, possibly from a missile warhead." Van Horn said, mixing in the English words into his Lupari. He then looked up at the face of the wounded lupar. "Were you close to any of the explosions?"

The lupar blinked, trying to understand what the human was saying. "Do you mean the bright balls of fire?"

Van Horn nodded. "Yes. Those are called 'explosions.' Sometimes, the weapon that makes them throws out metal in all directions." He looked down at the wound. "Usually, it's a good idea to duck when you see a weapon like that coming at you."

The wounded lupar gave him a sour look, but the other two chuckled slightly. "A prudent choice, I would imagine." The guide lupar said. "Perhaps Luger here could remember that better this time."

The wounded lupar - Luger - scowled at the still-standing one, and van Horn frowned a bit. "'This time?' You were told this before?"

The guide nodded. "Yes. Your- I mean," he caught himself before he could offend van Horn again, "those other people. They told us a bit about their weapons. Mainly to stay out of their way, and try not to be anywhere near what they're attacking."

Van Horn grunted. "Really? I'm surprised. Those stuck-up little trash bags actually warned you."

Luger blinked. "Why would they not? We were helping them, after all."

Van Horn frowned again. "Yes, well. I did say that they were Godless barbarians, didn't I?" He asked, and then leaned back to keep his back muscles from cramping. "Given what they planned to do, I wouldn't be surprised if they were willing to kill their own children."

The lupar kneeling next to Luger tilted his head in puzzlement. "You can't be serious? What could they have planned that would make you think so bad of them?"

Van Horn, caught off guard by the question, thought of the vast stockpiles of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons that the Republic had found on Terra and on other Blakest base worlds. He shuddered involuntarily as his imagination filled in scenes from the First Succession War. "Something that would give you nightmares if you knew." He lowered his head and shook it. "I still get them, occasionally."

His words, tone, and the way he had shuddered served to silence the three lupar for a while. Van Horn simply stood and leaned back against the wall of the entranceway, while the three natives sat down next to each other, and they waited. Finally, there was a bit of commotion outside, and Tanaka returned, followed by two men. One was clearly a guard, and he was dressed in his Marauder armor. He gave the building a wide berth, and the lupar did likewise for him. Tanaka and the other man, however, walked over to where van Horn waited.

The latter grinned, recognizing the man as he drew close. "Danny boy. Got tired of sleeping, did ya?"

Castellano grinned a bit. "Naw. Not so much tired of it, as that I wasn't as tired as the other medics." He said and looked over the three natives on the ground. "So, what's the problem?"

Van Horn motioned with his hand, and he kneeled by Luger. Castellano followed, and van Horn showed him the wound. "Missile fragment, I think. Can't be too sure, however, 'cuz the light's so bad."

Castellano shrugged and took out a small flashlight from his shirt pocket. "Let's have a look, shall we?" He flipped it one, which made the three lupar flinch in surprised.

"Don't worry, he's just going to look it over and then take care of it." Van Horn said in Lupari to them, trying to sound reassuring. The three natives still looked suspicious, but they held still as Castellano looked over the wound. "Yeah, glad you brought me. This could've been nasty enough that even our docs would have to saw the limb off." He said and turned to open his medikit. "Fortunately, we got here early enough, I think."

Over the next few minutes, he worked quietly, cleaning the wound and removing the fragment of shrapnel after giving the lupar a local anesthetic. Van Horn made sure to explain things to the three natives as Castellano went along, and finished up by sewing the wound together with biodegradable stitching that would be absorbed into the lupar's body as his skin healed.

Finally, Castellano closed his medikit. "That should do it for now." He said as he stood up, van Horn rising as well. "I think that we got to him before any infections could take hold, but I'd like to come back and check up on him tomorrow evening." The former said as he stretched.

"Thanks a lot Dan." Van Horn said with a small smile, and he reached out his hand and waited for Castellano to shake it. "The more of these folks we help, the better off we'll all be."

Castellano smiled back as he shook van Horn's hand. "Well, so long as I didn't screw anything up." He withdrew his hand and used it to cover a yawn. "Excuse me."

Van Horn stifled a sympathetic yawn. "No problem. We're all tired. Now get your ass out of here before you scare these people anymore with your pasty skin."

Castellano turned and walked out quietly, casually flipping the bird at van Horn as he walked past Tanaka and rounded the corner. Van Horn laughed a bit at the gesture, and then he turned to face the three lupar, the two non-injured ones having stood up. "Well, you should be feeling better soon. And my friend there will come back tomorrow to check up on you."

Luger nodded slowly. Although he was still wary, he no longer viewed the human with total suspicion. "Thank you, very much."

Van Horn waved a hand. "It was nothing. My friend did all the work, and your friend brought us here." This time, van Horn had to yawn, as relief caused his mind to relax. "Excuse me. Well, I must be going." He nodded to the three. "Good night to you all." With that, he turned and walked out of the building, Tanaka leading off as soon as he got to the entrance.

They walked for a bit, and then Tanaka paused between the last group of prisoners and the entrance to the yard to holster her pistol. It was then that van Horn realized that he didn't see their guard anymore. Must've gone back with Dan, once he realized that it was a genuine situation, he thought. Still, should have mentioned something... Or maybe he did to Tanaka.

His thoughts were cut short when Tanaka turned and faced him. "Sorry about that. Just didn't want to walk up to guards with a loaded weapon."

Van Horn shrugged, and was about to say something, when Tanaka tensed up a bit. He turned and saw a figure approach. Good gravy, not another problem.

But then the figure got closer, and van Horn recognized it as the lupar that had brought him to the wounded one. "Sorry to disturb you. I just wanted to thank you myself."

Van Horn shrugged. "Your friend thanked us already for helping him. It was nothing big."

The lupar shrugged as well. "I know, but I meant I wanted to thank you for listening to me." His ears then went down a bit in embarrassment. "Even in some of my own people's units, such a complaint might not have been heard."

Van Horn sighed. "That's sad to hear. But, you are welcome. And if you need help, ask. I and my people aren't here to treat you badly."

The lupar tilted his head quizzically. "Why do you lock us up, then?"

Van Horn grimaced. I'm way too fucking tired for this shit, he thought and sighed. "We lock you up, because although we believe that none of you particularly want to hurt us, there are a few that would gladly sell us - and you - out to the invaders for personal gain."

The lupar's eyes lit up with understanding, and then dimmed with sadness. "I see your point." He sighed himself. "So how long will we be here? Now that I'm free of those invaders, I want to go looking for my family."

"Well, that depends of a few things. Mainly, though, you'll be here until we can interview every one of you. That way, we will be able to better decide who's what kind of person." Van Horn said, fumbling a bit over the words. "Excuse me if I do not make much sense. It's late and I'm tired from the battle."

The lupar raised his head and ears questioningly. "You were in that battle earlier? I did not see any one of your people. Just those..." His voice trailed off and he indicated one of the armored guards standing beyond the razorwire.

Van Horn laughed, startling both the lupar and Captain Tanaka. The latter gave him an odd look, and he waved her off. "Look, Captain, you don't have to stand here. I'm only a few meters from the entrance. I'll be fine."

Tanaka gave him another sour look, but then she nodded her head. "You're a crazy one, Doc. But I need to work on my 'mech, so I'll take your invitation." She turned and walked towards the entrance, but paused to look over her shoulder. "Just don't get yourself killed, or I'll have to kick your ass in Hell." And with that, she walked away.

Van Horn shook his head and looked at the lupar. "Women." He said casually. The lupar grinned broadly at that, since the idiom seemed to translate well. "Indeed. In any case, why did you laugh?"

"Oh, that." Van Horn yawned again. "Excuse me. Anyway, those things are people like me. They are just wearing a special kind of armor." He raised an eyebrow and decided to try for some information. "Didn't you see anything like that with the invaders in your city?"

The lupar shook his head. "No, nothing like that. Only their metal giants and the metal wagons." He turned his head and looked at the armored infantrymen at the entrance. "It seems that your race likes metal a lot."

Van Horn shrugged. "It's useful. In any case, it's rather late, and as I've said, I need rest." He grinned sheepishly. "It was a pleasure talking to you." He then held out his hand.

The lupar gazed at it. "This is what you did with your friend before." He looked up at the human. "Does this mean you consider me a friend?"

Van horn grinned a bit. "Well, it's a greeting. It can be a greeting between friends, or strangers, depending on how one does it. I'm now doing it so that we can properly introduce each other."

The lupar looked at van Horn's hand for a second, and then reached his own hand out to clasp van Horn's. "Now what?" He asked.

"Now is the introduction. My name is Earl van Horn." Van Horn replied, dropping the doctor title for the sake of simplicity. "And you are?"

"Senmar Farkas, from Tanzano." The lupar said, and then he paused as he felt and saw van Horn freeze. "Excuse me? Is something the matter?"

Van Horn pulled his hand back slowly. "Could you repeat that for me again?"

The lupar frowned. "I said I'm Senmar Farkas. Why do you react so?"

Van Horn shook his head as he got his thoughts under control. No, wait, might be a bastard tryin' to assume his name, he thought. Or did the Wobbies plant him? Do they know more than we realize? These thoughts disturbed him.

It's too late, and you're too tired. Make a note of it and go to sleep. He looked at the lupar. "Sorry, just your name sounded familiar to... To a friend I have from another world." Not strictly a lie, since he is from another world than my own.

The lupar nodded. "All right. Well, I will not delay you any more. Good night." He said and bowed slightly.

"Good night," van Horn replied, and he turned to walk away as the lupar did so. But he couldn't help but steal some glances over his shoulder, especially as he passed through the entranceway to the enclosure. Once beyond, however, he turned and walked to a guard. "Private Hamsfürder," he said to the man, reading his name and rank off of his breastplate. "Do you see that lone lupar there?" He asked, and pointed to the one he had spoken to.

The guard turned to look, and van Horn could almost hear the whirring of optical enhancement sensors coming online. "Yes sir. Why? Is he a threat?"

Van Horn shook his head a bit. "No... Well, probably not." He sighed. "Just watch him for any unusual activity. But don't go ballistic if there is any, just notify me or Major Kujira."

"Yes sir," the guard said and saluted, careful not to hit van Horn with the muzzle of his pulse laser. Van Horn returned the salute, and he turned and walked for his tent. I need to chat with the Farkas clan in the morning...

Van Horn wandered back to his tent after dropping off his recordings and notes into the camp's command computer, thus allowing any Republic officer with enough clearance to gain access to it via the communications network that had been established by secure radios. With his duty discharged, van Horn had finally been able to head towards sleep.

It was not to be, however, when he opened up the tent flap and saw Alexis sitting on a cot, head bent over, as if she as thinking. She looked up at the movement and noise. "Oh, Earl," she spoke quietly. "I didn't know where you were, so I waited here for you."

From her words, she seemed nonchalant, but van Horn could hear the hitch in her voice. Oh God, what now? It was his first, involuntary thought, and he soon pressed it back into the dark part of his mind that spewed it. Shut up asshole, and see what's the matter, he mentally chided himself as he walked over to sit on his cot, which sat facing Alexis' own seat across the cramped tent.

He sat down and looked up at the gatón. "What's the problem, Alexis?" He asked. "I thought you were up with your family, were going to spend the night with them."

She nodded slightly. "That was the original idea, yes." She sighed. "But it's so crowded up there, and I didn't want to take up any space, not when there was a place for me to sleep down here." Alexis motioned to the cot she sat on.

Van Horn frowned a bit. "Alexis, we may not have known each other for very long, but I can tell when something's bothering you."

Her ears twitched back and her tail curled a bit around her ankle. "Wh- what do you mean?"

He shook his head slightly. "Well, for starters, since Mikula and Pavlo aren't back here as well, that means that the crowding can't be too bad. Not for one night, at least, and no one in their right minds would begrudge you and your family the little extra space to become reacquainted." Van Horn paused for a breath, and then continued. "Not to mention, I can hear it in your voice that something's the matter. Now," he leaned back. "If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I'll respect your privacy. But if you want to talk to me about it, then I'm here to listen." He sighed. "Just don't lie, Alexis. If you are down here because of a problem, just say so, and if anyone asks what, you can tell them to 'butt out.'"

Alexis nodded, and even managed a ghost of a smile at van Horn's idiom. But it soon faded and her face fell "I... I guess..." She sighed, and van Horn realized that she had been holding back tears.

"The problem, strangely enough, is my family," Alexis said, shaking her head. "Do not get me wrong, I'm deliriously happy that they're alive, and that I can see them again... But..." Se paused, and van Horn waited patiently for her to begin again.

After a moment, Alexis sighed and continued. "We were finishing up dinner with two other gatón families from Kuamket, and the lupar family that is sharing a house with them until it's safe for them to go back to their homes in Shulana."

"Shulana?" Van Horn asked quizzically.

"Oh, I'm sorry. That's what the new town across the river is being called. It means, 'new beginning.'" Alexis replied, a bit of light returning to her features. But then it left as she continued to recount her tale. "In any case, they were all sharing what supplies they had, and we all ate like a banquet, with all the food on one big table, and everyone getting their food from the table, rather than being served.

"So we ate, and I asked my parents on how the town was, how were things being run, did they have a farm yet." She sighed happily, recounting the evening. "It sounds really nice. There have been almost no problems with the lupar, either the ones from Tanzano or from Hercor."

Van Horn smiled a bit. "Coming under fire from a third party usually helps people get over their differences," he said. Then he dropped his smile. "But I interrupt. Please, go on."

Alexis nodded. "So, it was nice, hearing about their stories, so when it came time to tell them what I was doing, I hardly felt like holding anything back. I told them just about everything, from the ride out to the kurrnaki village, to the firefight we had." She sighed. "I should have noticed it then, the looks in my father's eyes, and the eyes of most of the other males." Alexis shook her head, and took a breath. "But I liked the attention, I guess, so I ignored it, thinking that they just didn't quite believe me about your weapons.

"In any case, I told them about the fierce fighting, how Pavlo got hurt, and then I got wounded." She shuddered a bit at the memory. "I didn't really tell them how bad it was, not quite, but I did let them know that I was so wounded that I couldn't wake up until we got to your world. But I did tell them what Mikula told me what happened after I was hit.

"Then I moved on to NeoTokyo, about how I woke up, so happy to see Mikula..." Her voice trailed off and Alexis shook her head again. "That's when I first realized that they might not like everything I'd have to tell them, so I started to gloss over details."

Van Horn nodded. "Understandable, Alexis. So what happened next?"

She shrugged. "I told them about NeoTokyo, about how wonderful it was, all the miraculous wonders. The tall buildings, the vehicles moving everywhere, the untold amounts of people." She sighed again. "They stopped frowning at that, and so I thought that whatever had irritated them was past. But then I began to tell them about how you and your people began to help me, Mikula and Pavlo to learn how to fight, so that we could come back and help." Alexis bunched up her shoulders and lowered her head. "That's when my father stood up and asked to see me outside the house."

Uh-oh, van Horn thought. I can see where this is heading. But he stayed quiet as Alexis continued, her voice growing quieter. "We went outside, and my father asked 'what sort of silly ideas I had gotten into my head this time?" She shook her head. "I told him they weren't silly, and asked him why he was making a big deal out of it.

"He then told me that I was not acting very ladylike, and that he wanted me to come back to the family and stop trying to do things that I wasn't meant to do." Her voice grew very quiet, and it cracked a bit as she fought back tears. "'You can start by changing out of those ridiculous clothes,' he said, telling me that I had no right to wear a family name until I was married." As she spoke, Alexis moved one hand almost unconsciously to where her family name had been stitched into the right breast of her uniform, both in English and Gatonese characters.

Van Horn felt a large firestorm of guilt roil in his gut. I did this. I taught them all about our culture, our ways, and they took to them so easily that I forgot that they came from another set of values entirely. He realized, too late, that there might be some problems as the modern moors of his people clashed with the medieval ideals of the locals. He looked at Alexis as she sat quietly on her cot, trying not to break down in tears and thought; I'm just as guilty as the Wobbies in causing her pain and misery.

He sighed a bit. Stop it, Earl. This poor girl needs someone to talk to, not a bank of self-pity. He reached out his left arm and laid his hand on Alexis' shoulder. "Alexis, I'm sorry..." He began, but no words came to him and he paused.

Alexis shook her head a bit. "That was bad enough, but then I countered. I was so angry, angry that he didn't care about my feelings or what I knew." She sniffed. "I told him, in no uncertain terms, that he was ignorant about how the world was changing. How I was changing." She paused, choking back a sob. "He just stood there for a moment, and told me that if I didn't listen to him, then I would be dead in his eyes and the eyes of the family. I told him that if it wasn't for me not listening to him, or anyone else with his views, he and our entire family would be dead."

Van Horn took his arm away as Alexis shuddered with a sob. "He yelled at me. Told me to never come back, or that he'd personally beat me... So I left, and came here..." With that, she began to cry softly.

Van Horn shifted uncomfortably in his seat at the sound, which was fortunately quiet as Alexis fought to control herself even then. Damnit, she doesn't need me, she needs Mikula, van Horn thought, even as he gave thanks to Alexis' inner strength at keeping her from bawling loudly. Where is that fuzzy bastard when you need him?

He decided to just wait, and he stared at the floor of the tent, pretending to not notice Alexis as she slowly stopped crying and regained control of herself. "I'm... I'm so sorry." She said after a few moments of sniffling.

Van Horn brought his head up, and then shook it. "You don't have a thing to be sorry for, Alexis." He said, and he again put his hand on her shoulder and gave it a slight squeeze. "You don't have a single, damned thing to be sorry for. You haven't done anything wrong."

Alexis just hung her head. "I... I suppose... But I just..." She sniffed. "I was just so angry at him, at my own father. All because he wouldn't understand..." She sighed. "He's usually so open, so nice. He didn't blink when the lupar from Tanzano came, and he didn't complain when we left the ruins of our village and traveled here." She looked up, not at van horn, but just out. "And he balks at this?" Her voice rose, taking on a bit of shrillness. "He's upset and uncaring at my own feelings and desires?" She shook her head. "I... I just feel betrayed." She paused for a few moments, rubbing her running nose, and then she looked back up at van Horn. "But I guess that sounds stupid."

Van Horn frowned. "Alexis, it sounds perfectly natural. And it's certainly nothing a stupid person would say." He replied, reaching into a shirt pocket. He pulled out a tissue, and he handed it to Alexis. "Here, use this to dry your eyes and clear your nose."

Alexis gracefully accepted the article, and she dabbed ad the wet fur around her eyes. "Thank you."

"You're welcome," van Horn replied, and he sat a bit further back on his cot. After Alexis blew her nose. "I... I just can't get over the way my father reacted." She said quietly. "Why? Why doesn't he care?"

Van Horn sighed, bringing her attention back to him. "Alexis, it's not that he doesn't care... I don't think," he said, pausing for the right words. "It's more like the fact that people tend to have a limit at how much change they can have at one time. Your family has been through a lot in the last few months, and though they're smart people, even they have a limit where they say 'no more.'" He sighed. "It's... Sad, tragic, even. Because if you're anything like the rest of your family, then they're good people, and they should be as accepting as you. But they haven't had the same experiences as you, so they can't see that these more recent changes, most especially the ones in you, are for the good. They just can't see it now, but they will, someday."

Alexis sniffed again. "I guess... At least, I certainly hope so. "She sighed. "I just feel bad now..."

Van Horn nodded. "Well, I didn't say you wouldn't. Arguing with family isn't something that one is content with," he said and stood, stretching a bit. "Trust me, I know from experience." He gave her a light smile.

Alexis gave a ghost of her own smile back. "I suppose. But where are you going?"

"Oh, me? I'm just going out to stretch a bit before bed," he lied. "I'll be back in a little while. Unless you don't want to be alone?"

Alexis hesitated, but then shook her head. "No... No, I think I'll be fine until you come back."

"Alright then," van Horn replied with a nod. "I'll see you later." She just waved, and he stepped out of the tent and walked towards the command dome.

He sighed as he moved along the line of tents, hoping that no one would be up and about at the hour. Alexis may not have been in a fight, but she's been out riding and translating all day, he thought. That's tiring enough, and combined with that tiff she had with her father, she's going to be emotionally drained, as well.

He circled around the inner perimeter of the camp, careful not to arouse the sentries, and then headed back for his tent. He carefully crept up to it and lightly opened the entrance flap.

Inside, as he suspected, Alexis slept. She lay curled on her cot, with her tail circled around her horizontally. Van Horn couldn't help but smile a bit at the peaceful scene, even as he stepped back and closed the flap. He walked away slowly, heading for the command dome. Hopefully, some of this crap will be cleared up tomorrow, he hoped.