Mikula and Senmar walked along the alley leading towards the lesser-traveled parts of the city, heading for an area that Mikula had hoped to avoid.

The area was the Worker's Quarter, and they were there because most of the inns that travelers normally took space in were full of Tanzanos who had been displaced by the Blakests from their homes near the citadel. Thus, they wandered along the outskirts of their family's former home area, trying to find one of the smaller inns they knew catered to the down-and-outs that also moved between settlements.

Night had already fallen, though the sky showed a dim twilight that did little to compete with the lamps that had been lit throughout the city to provide a meager illumination for the streets.

Well, meager in this part of town, Mikula could see from the glare that rose from the Merchant's Quarter. He didn't particularly care, and in fact welcomed the increased darkness for the extra concealment it gained him and Senmar.

They were walking a bit deeper into the quarter now, and Mikula was nervous at being recognized, despite the darkness. Still, we need a place to rest, he grumbled to himself as they approached yet another inn. Seems like every space is filled up. Just how many houses did the Wobbies take?

"I still don't see why we can't try and go to the Laughing Daukner," Senmar grumbled again. "Even if you don't want to be recognized, it's not like we were these immensely popular people that everyone knows about. Hell, half of our usual group were probably in the army and are still heading back."

Mikula shook his head. "No, Senmar. We're not going to the Laughing Daukner, so just chill, okay?"

Senmar gave his brother a look. "You want me to do what now?"

Mikula paused in his steps, halting in the alley that led between buildings and towards another street where they might find an open inn. "I can't believe I said that... In Lupari no less..." He muttered to himself.

"What about it? What does it mean?" Senmar asked curiously.

"Nothing," Mikula replied and shook his head. "Let's just go." With that, he started off, and Senmar was forced to jog a bit to catch up.

They reached the road and paused as a noise erupted from nearby. They both wheeled around, ready for a fight, before they realized that, fight though it may be, it didn't involve them. Off to their left, along the street they had come to, a pair of lupar wrestled with each other, yelling and growling as they threw punches.

Mikula saw a small group leaving a building, and he realized that it was a bar and that the two fighters must be drunks. "Come on, let's go Senmar." His brother nodded and they both turned to head down the street in the opposite direction from the spectacle.

As they passed an alley, though, a hand reached out and grabbed Mikula by the shoulder. "Hey-" The voice belonging to the arm began, but he was cut off as Mikula ducked and swung a fist into the stranger's midsection, guiding his hand accurately even with the shadows that covered the entrance to the alley. Even as his fist connected, driving the air out of his accoster's lungs, Mikula went forward instead of back, keeping his momentum going until both he and the lupar who had grabbed him were hidden in the alley's dark embrace. There, Mikula delivered a hard chop to the lupar's head and knocked him for a loop, and the man dropped to the ground in a daze.

Mikula quickly beckoned Senmar to join him in the alley, even as he turned back to his accoster and pulled his bowie-style knife from an ankle sheath. "Who are you and what do you want?"

The lupar tried to gulp down air, even as the look in his eyes showed near panic. Then Senmar looked over the man and his eyes grew large. "Yekar!"

Mikula blinked at the name, recognizing it as one of the youths he and his brothers had been friends with. "Yekar? As in Yekar Chalor?" He asked Senmar.

His brother looked up at Mikula in surprise. "The same. Why'd you do that?"

"That's what I'd like to know," Yekar managed to say between breaths. "Damnit, Mikula, I just wanted to say hi."

Mikula sheepishly lowered his blade and then bent to re-sheathe it. "I'm sorry, Yekar. We just got in the city, and I'm kind of nervous being back after so long."

"I'll say," Yekar said as he stood up, rubbing his belly where Mikula had driven his fist. "Especially since you're supposed to be dead." Then he turned to Senmar. "And you're supposed to be out with the army."

"That's a bit of a story," Mikula temporized before Senmar could say anything. "Right now, though, we need an inn for the night."

Yekar gave Mikula a strange look. "Why not go to the Laughing Daukner? Mrs. Reyka has a couple of rooms open since, well," he looked at Senmar. "Since her sons left with the army."

Senmar's ears went down in embarrassment, but he nodded. "That's what I've been trying to tell Mikula, that we should have gone for the old hangout."

Mikula wanted to strangle his brother, but Yekar's presence had already upset his goal. Might as well go through this. "Well, Senmar, maybe you'd like to sleep in a tavern, but I wanted to at least try some other places first."

Yekar chuckled a bit. "Ah, Senmar, still got a thing for Pelana?"

Senmar's blush deepened, and even Mikula couldn't help but grin, despite the situation. "Indeed he has, amongst other ladies."

Yekar chuckled again. "Well, I was heading for the Daukner myself when I saw you two pass in front of me. I'll admit I was quite surprised, and in more ways than one." He rubbed his head at that. "But I'll let you make it up to me over an ale."

Mikula frowned, but he nodded. "Alright, since we can't seem to find another place..."

Yekar grinned. "Good! Now, let's get going. I'm tired from working the guard post at the south entrance." At that, he set off to cross the street and follow the alley on the other side, and Mikula and Senmar followed along easily.

"So Senmar, I thought you were with the army that left. Or did you pull a guard assignment at the last second?" Yekar asked, obviously trying to be friendly.

Senmar's ears went down in embarrassment. "I, ah... Kind of... Left the army..." He said, lying to protect the mission.

Yekar paused at that, and he looked at Senmar. "Desertion? Oh, Senmar..."

"Hey, don't give me that!" Senmar replied hotly. "You know very well that these aren't normal times. Besides, would you want to fight for those invaders if you had a chance?"

Yekar frowned, but then nodded his head. "I see your point... Well, just try and lay low, and I'm sure people will forget you ever left." He then turned and they started back fort he tavern. "You two are staying, aren't you?"

Mikula scratched his head uncomfortable. "For tonight, maybe another, and then we're gone," he said quietly. "Not much reason for us to stay, you know."

Yekar nodded. "Yeah, everyone in the neighborhood heard about your family and half your clan leaving. Took off when the council was arguing whether the invaders were real or just some magic created by another city."

Mikula rolled his eyes at that, though the darkness prevented Yekar from seeing. "Well, they're real. I've seen enough of them to last a lifetime." Yekar nodded in a silent reply as he turned a corner in the alley, and they all paused to look over the small building in front of them.

It was a meager structure, barely two stories and wedged between two larger apartment buildings. The simply-painted sign hanging out also spoke of simplicity, as all it showed was the animal known as the Daukner, its triangular head cast back in apparent laughter. The small windows let out the smells of ale, wine, food and all sorts of tired workers relaxing at the end of a day.

Despite the situation, Mikula felt a warmth flow over him. "It's been a while since I was here last," he said quietly.

"Same here," Senmar replied, and Yekar chuckled at the both of them. "Well, don't worry, it's not changed much." He started off the three towards the tavern as he spoke. "Maybe a few more dents in the walls form some drunks who couldn't keep themselves from a fight." Mikula couldn't help but smile at the words even as Yekar pushed the door of the tavern open, and the familiar smells washed over the three as they walked in.

The room inside took up the entire front half of the building's bottom floor, and it was filled with tables. Booths lay along the outside edges of the room, save where the bar was located, stools having taken that domain. Over thirty lupar sat in the room, and several females walked between the tables, tending them and bringing the patrons their drink and food. Behind the bar a rotund, middle-aged woman with shoulder-length brown hair walked back and forth to tend to those who simply wanted to drink alone. The air itself was thick with smells, including a bit of incense that wafted from a lamp behind the bar.

Yekar walked off, heading for a booth, and Mikula and Senmar followed close behind. They took their seats quickly and the two Farkas brothers set their packs down without any noise, though a serving lady soon walked up, holding a serving tray under an arm. "Yekar, how are you doing tonight?" She asked in a sweet voice that matched her youthful appearance.

The better to get a good tip, Mikula thought cynically, but he kept his muzzle shut as Yekar smiled back at the young lady. "Ayora, I'm fine, despite my friend here smacking me earlier."

The lady turned and looked over the other two in the booth. "Well, maybe you de- Wait," she made a double take." It can't be..."

Mikula grinned sheepishly. "Hello, Ayora. It's been a while."

"But you're- Eiger said you were dead!" She replied naming a soldier Mikula had served with in his old unit.

"Eiger's alive?" Mikula asked hopefully. "I lost track of him after... Well, I'm sure he's told people."

"Oh, yes, right." Ayora nodded lightly. "But... He said he saw you get killed."

Mikula shook his head. "Well, it was dark, so I guess he didn't see everything," he said.

"Well, what am I, boiled zugert?" Senmar asked from his place.

"Senmar! Well, this is a surprising evening," Ayora said as she recognized the third man sitting there. "Wait until I tell everyone!"

Mikula reached up and grabbed Ayora's arm. "Actually, we're not staying. We just came back to take care of some things before we go out looking for our family," he said quietly. "So we'd appreciate if you'd not let anyone know, since we're leaving soon."

Ayora looked crestfallen. "Oh... Well, It's good to see that there's some good news in this world." She then brightened a bit. "So Senmar, since you're here, does that mean Ako and Merk have come back too?" She asked, naming the two sons of the tavern's owner, who also happened to be her brothers.

Senmar looked pained and shook his head. "No. I'm, ah, kind of on a special assignment, so they aren't here with me."

Mikula nodded very slightly at his brother for covering so well. And he's technically not even lying, he thought with a ghost of a smile on his lips.

Ayora again looked saddened, but she nodded her head. "Okay. But you two don't mind if I tell mother, right? She would love to hear any news you two might bring about the army."

Mikula smiled a bit at the young lady. "Certainly, Ayora. In fact, we were hoping to rent a room for a night or two while we're in town."

Ayora smiled broadly then. "Of course! Let me take your orders and I'll get on them and let momma know."

The three then made their orders, all of them having memorized the menu long before. Ayora repeated them back to make sure she remembered them correctly, and then she left. Yekar turned to Mikula and Senmar after she did. "So, mind if I ask you two what's going on?"

Mikula tilted an ear down in feigned innocence. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I meant," Yekar replied sullenly. "Come on! You come back from the dead, Senmar appears out of nowhere, and you two pop into town months after your family left. It's just strange, and I want to know what brings you two back here."

Mikula scratched his head a bit, trying to think fast. "Well, it's nothing special, really. We..."

"We met out by Latala," Senmar spoke up, naming one of the towns that the Wobbies had set out to capture with the native army. "I left the army and ran east a bit along the road." He then turned to look at Mikula. "Then a merchant comes up along the road, and it turns out Mikula's hired on as a guard for him."

"You don't say?" Yekar looked surprised, and he turned to Mikula as well. "How'd you end up all the way out there?"

Mikula nodded absentmindedly as he struggled to come up with a plausible excuse. "Well, after we were attacked, the entire unit was scattered. I headed into the woods for safety, and then I got lost." He leaned his head back and closed his eyes, pretending to be reminiscing, but in actuality, working to stay one step ahead in the story he weaved. "I came across a small trade road that led to a small gatón village, and there was a lupar trader there." He opened his eyes and looked back at the other two sharing the booth. "He let me join and I spent the time until I met Senmar just sitting around." He grinned lopsidedly at that, as that's how he would've acted had the story been real.

Yekar shook his head in disbelief. "That's quite a tale. You were lucky to avoid death. And a gatón village, by Sheyana! I'll bet you have a tale or two about that alone."

Mikula frowned slightly at that. "Not really. You'd be surprised at how much alike us and the gatón really are."

Yekar gave Mikula a look as Ayora came back up with their drinks. "Well, gatón aside, I'm sure you have even a few new tales from traveling."

"Gatón?" Ayora asked as she placed the mugs on the table. "Are you talking about the ones the invaders caught?"

Mikula and Senmar whipped their heads around at that. "What did you say?" The former asked sharply.

Ayora cringed a bit under his stare. "What, you didn't hear? The invaders brought a couple dozen gatón from some village of theirs to the south, have them working as porters for the stuff they get delivered to the Citadel."

Mikula shook his head. "I've not been around, remember?" He then looked up at Ayora. "Does anyone know which village they're from?"

Ayora scrunched her face in confusion. "How would anyone know? Not like they can speak Lupari or anything."

Mikula frowned, but he nodded lightly. "Yes... I suppose that's true. So they use them as what now?"

"Well, when food's delivered, the invaders just sit by and have the gatón do all the work of lifting and carrying the stuff." Ayora said with a slight shudder at the mention of the Wobbies.

"You mean they're slaves," Mikula said, pronouncing the last word with as much contempt as he could put on it.

Ayora blinked, as did Yekar. "I... I guess I didn't think of it that way," she said quietly.

"I'm sure you didn't," Mikula said harshly. Then he pushed himself out of the booth and stood up. "Excuse me, I need some air," he said quickly, and he grabbed his pack and walked for the door.

After stepping outside, he looked around, seeing no one, and then headed for the tiny space between the tavern one of the apartment buildings. Once there, Mikula again checked around, and again, he saw no one as he turned and sat just inside the entrance to the narrow passage. The place had been a favorite spot of his and his brothers' before they were old enough to actually drink in the tavern, and they had used the place as a spot to watch people pass by while they daydreamed.

Now, however, Mikula frowned and sat there, thinking. This is a new wrinkle, he mused darkly. Not everyone who was missing after Kuamket was attacked was accounted for as dead... I know that some of them were probably just burned totally by the plasma flamers, but too many were missing if it was just that. He had a sneaking suspicion that the villagers might be the same gatón now being held obviously against their will.

I'll have to call this in, Mikula knew. But not just yet... First, I'd better go and see if they really are from Kuamket. But then another thought entered his head. Does it really matter, Mikula, which village they're from? Freedom isn't something to be parceled out to only those you know. His ears practically rang with Alexis' words describing her epiphany, and Mikula had heard nothing but truth behind them.

Not to mention I've heard all sorts of the same things for longer than Alexis, he realized, thinking about how the humans of the Republic celebrated and cherished their freedom in all sorts of forms. Songs, stories, discussions and laws... If they can fight for your freedom without knowing you or your family, can't you do the same for some gatón who don't deserve their fate?

Mikula turned to the pack that he had left at his side, and he opened it and reached inside, reaching for the specialized radio that he knew could reach his friends in orbit. Just need to find a high enough spot so that I can aim at the satellite.

The noise of the tavern door opening made him freeze, and his hand naturally drifted for the laser pistol that was also in his sack. But soon he saw that it was Senmar, and he relaxed as his brother came up. "Hi," he called out lightly.

"Hi," Senmar replied as he walked over to sit next to Mikula. They sat quietly for a few moments, Mikula having taken his hand empty from the bag, and they just looked out over the alleyway. Finally, Senmar looked at his brother. "We're going to help them, aren't we?"

Mikula nodded. "Aye."

It was much later at night when Mikula and Senmar snuck out of their room at the Laughing Daukner and crept along the nearly black shadows of the city streets. Most of the lamps that had been hung to provide illumination had run out of oil to burn by then, and unlike some spots in the Merchant's or Noble's quarters, the city's government didn't bother to refuel them until the next night.

Both of them carried two pieces of equipment; a compact sensor that included a Geiger counter and a toxic chemical detector, and a laser pistol each. Mikula knew that they'd have to get pretty close to the Citadel to get any readings, and even then, they wouldn't be on the weapons directly themselves. Instead, we're looking for the trace amounts of leftover radiation that such weapons can leave behind. He just prayed that the weapons hadn't been moved, or else the whole operation would have to be scrubbed. Which means that those gatón would still be in irons.

Still, he wouldn't let that affect his judgment. As much as I'd like to help, I'm not going to have my friends waste their effort. With that thought, Mikula led his brother towards the center of the city, where the quarters of the town came together at the Citadel and the main city Temple.

It was a relatively short time later when Mikula could inch his head around a residential building and look over at the darkened Citadel. He had asked about it from Yekar earlier, and he had relayed a story he had heard about strange lights inside the building that seemed to provide light without burning anything. Mikula knew that it wasn't a fanciful tale, but now he worried a bit at not seeing any of them lit up from the few windows in the Citadel's upper works. You'd think that some of them would be awake.

Even as he wondered at that, he saw a sentry patrolling along the rampart. Mikula's eyes narrowed as he made out the tall, flat-faced outline of a human. But not just any human, a Wobbie.

Mikula pulled himself back around the corner and made a few hand signals to Senmar. Follow me, stay low and quiet, he thought, mirroring the signals in his mind to make sure he'd kept them straight. Senmar nodded and with that Mikula snuck around the corner carefully, creeping in a half-crouch along the base of the building that they had crept up on the Citadel behind.

The sentry walked almost lazily along the rampart, and he didn't even stop to look over the edge at the obvious entranceways. Mikula, however, reasoned that the Wobbies probably had automated sensors, and therefore wouldn't bother to be too careful when all they expected in Tanzano was ignorant natives.

Mikula let himself grin a bit at that. I'm not so ignorant now, you murderous bastards. He then refocused his attention as he and Senmar approached the open street that stretched between the building they were using for cover and the beginning of the moat around the Citadel.

Pausing at the corner, Mikula peeked his head around slowly and checked up and down the street. The empty way showed nothing but shadows, and so he then concentrated on the moat just across the way.

Originally, he knew, it had been a wet moat, with a small canal cut from the river to admit water and to let the current keep it from becoming stagnant. Then the city had grown up around it, and the canal had been filled in to allow space for buildings, which left the moat a dry one, albeit a dry moat that had been augmented with a number of pikes sticking out near the opposite bank to prevent people from racing across it.

But the Citadel had grown with the city. No longer was the front gatehouse the only entrance, especially as the ruling nobles had their power plays. Thus, two additional entrances had been cut into the walls, and the moat filled in at those points to provide access.

Mikula looked at one of those points now, as it was only down the street to his left. He took another look around, scanning the ramparts, but he didn't see the sentry, though his ears told him that the man was still walking at a leisurely pace. Mikula then crept around the final corner to edge along the side of the building he was using for cover, though the side facing the Citadel had shops instead of the regular entrances for a simple residential building.

Mikula walked slowly forward, trailed by Senmar, and headed for a small alcove that served as an entrance to one of the shops. Although they were exposed, Mikula walked slowly to not make noise nor to draw suspicion should an unknown sentry or camera see them.

Finally, though, they drew into the deeply shadowed alcove, and Mikula took a moment to breath deep.

"So far so good, eh?" Senmar whispered, to which Mikula nodded. Then he reached into the large folds of his bulky coat and slowly pulled out his portable sensor. Taking another cautious look around, Mikula then turned the device on and adjusted its self-lighting controls so that he could see what it was reading without providing a beacon to the enemy.

Mikula trained the device along the side entrance, and he was surprised with an immediate positive. I don't know what all these readings mean, but the Intelligence men told me the basics. That is the REM counter in the corner, and over there is the lasermetric analysis. Both showed traces of radiation and chemical residue, respectively.

"Senmar, take out yours and make sure that mine isn't broken," Mikula said, surprised at success this early in their real mission. Senmar nodded and he, too, checked the area. "From what your friends told us, it looks like they're in there."

Mikula nodded. "It would be better if we could get in, but..." He sighed. "Come on, let's check the other entrances."

They had similarly crept along the other buildings circling the Citadel, and they had taken readings at each door. So far, all they found was that the first entrance they had looked at was the only one with the residue of WMDs near it. They returned to it now, nearly an hour later and again creeping into the alcove where they had taken refuge in before.

Senmar looked around as Mikula stared at the ground in thought. "So, what do we do next, brother?"

"I'm not too sure," Mikula replied. "The scanners show the trail to be too old for the Wobbies to have moved the WMDs... But I'd like to get inside the Citadel to make sure."

Senmar shook a bit, and Mikula realized that his brother had suppressed a loud snicker. "I, ah, don't think that's going to be likely."

Mikula shook his head a bit. "No, I suppose not-" He paused as an idea hit him. "Senmar, have you managed to talk to Kayla at all before your got dragged away in the army?" He asked, referring to the brothers' older sister.

Senmar frowned and shook his head. "No. I was far too busy, fighting fires and looters before I was went along for the ride." He sighed. "But even if she wanted to help, she couldn't. The council's been kicked out of the Citadel, remember?"

Mikula's ears went down a bit in embarrassment. "Damn, forgot. I guess we'll-"

A noise off to the left of the alcove brought him up short, and both lupar pressed themselves deeper into the shadowed alcove, Mikula naturally reaching for the laser pistol concealed in his coat.

It wasn't what he expected, as a trio of lupar crept around the opposite corner of the same building where the Farkas brothers were hiding. They too, were dressed in dark clothes, though unlike Mikula or Senmar, they carried daggers at the ready. Mikula scrunched his face in suspicion and he pulled his pistol out. Senmar followed along, equally nervous at the event, and he carefully held the Clan-tech Pulse Laser Pistol carefully in both hands, as he had been taught in the crash course he had gotten in firearms prior to the mission.

They watched as the group dashed quickly, quietly across the space between the building and the moat and they soon reached the entrance door. They listened carefully for a moment, and Mikula realized that they were straining to hear of the sentry was about. Then, when they heard nothing, they knocked on the door lightly. So lightly, in fact, that Mikula almost didn't hear it. The door creaked open, its hinges ungodly loud in the silent night. Mikula cringed and brought his pistol up in the ready position.

A gatón, surprisingly, appeared in the tiny crack between the door and its frame. "Give word," he said in badly accented Lupari, which made Mikula's face take on a look of extreme confusion.

"Tanz Karno," the man in the front of the group replied. "We're here for the next one."

Mikula strained his ears all the way forward. What's this? A resistance group after all?

The gatón nodded, and he disappeared for a moment. In his place, a lupar in baggy clothes squeezed out through the crack in the door, and Mikula realized just what was going on. They're trying to save some of the hostages inside! His spirits lifted at knowing that his people had some fight in them after all.

Then his spirits dashed as two shadows popped up from the edges of the moat, the surface of their skin rippling with their movement, their arms holding shapes that Mikula easily recognized as submachine guns.

The lupar and the gatón who had reappeared at the door all froze. Then the three with daggers tensed for an attack, until one of the shapes uncowled his head. "Do not move!" He said in Lupari as badly accented as the gatón's, though in a different way. "Surrender!"

The group looked stricken, and they looked to their leader for any clues of what to do. The lupar at the lead seemed almost to be shaking in rage, and Mikula could sympathize with him.

"They don't look like they want to give in, Adept," the other man, still enshrouded in his sneak suit, spoke in English.

"No, they don't," the first man said. "Alright, let's waste them."

NO! Mikula's mind raged and he brought up his laser pistol, aiming carefully for the man still in the sneak suit. The one without the cowl will be easier to target on the move, his mind coldly calculated as he pulled the trigger.

The pistol he had was a special model made for covert operations. It had sound bafflers and ultra-quiet capacitors that emitted no sound that even a Lupar's sensitive ears could hear, and the beam was attuned specifically to not reach the critical threshold at which a 'beam-trail' formed. As a result, the cowled man's head seemed to explode with a pop that was louder than the weapon used to kill him.

The other man's eyes widened, along with those of the caught lupar. He began to swing around to search the area, his submachine gun moving with his eyes. But Mikula didn't give him a chance, and he fired again, hitting the man in the chest, the beam drilling into his heart.

As the second Blakest fell, Mikula tapped Senmar on the shoulder, gave him a silent command to cover the group still standing in shock at the entranceway, and then he stepped out in a half-crouch. Walking like that, Mikula moved forward, his attention on the ramparts above, and his pistol swept along with his vision even as he crouch-walked forward at a fast pace. Senmar, he could hear, was right behind him, and his peripheral vision caught his brother aiming at the group.

The lupar at the door, to their credit, had stayed silent through the event, though they had moved to protect their charge, daggers held before them and at the two brothers who walked to within a meter of them. Mikula kept his pistol aimed towards the rampart, but he looked over at the leader of the group. "Nice night for a walk, eh?" He asked nonchalantly.

The two lupar flanking their leader gave Mikula strange looks for his flippancy, but the leader smirked grimly. "Indeed. And who are you two with such weapons?"

"Someone who knows better than to stand around at the scene of a fight," Mikula replied quickly and quietly. "If you're going to get out of here, I'd suggest following me and my brother into the Worker's Quarter."

The leader frowned at that, and he looked about ready to tell Mikula to bugger off. That is, until the baggy-clothed lupar they were protecting laid a hand on his shoulder and leaned forward to whisper into his ear. Mikula tried to strain to hear what the cloaked one had said, but he couldn't divide his attention that well.

The leader turned and gave a strange look at the one behind him, and then he nodded and turned back to Mikula. "Alright, we follow you. But any trickery and I'll cut your muzzle off, understand?"

Mikula nodded grimly. "Good, now follow closely and try not to make the same noise you made coming around the corner of the building," he said, and then turned to Senmar and gave him a hand signal to watch the group's back. Then with a glance to the lupar behind him, he realized that something was wrong. "Where's the gatón that was helping you?"

The leader of the other clandestine group frowned. "He's inside. He can't come with because if he goes missing, it will tip our hand to the invaders."

Mikula frowned back, but he nodded and led the group off. They quickly half-walked, half-ran down dozens of streets and alleys, all the time Mikula was aiming for the Laughing Daukner. Mrs. Reyka is a good person. She hasn't listened to the ruling council or their edicts in years, so I doubt she will balk at giving these people some temporary refuge.

Then they heard noises coming from the direction of the Citadel, and the group pressed themselves next to a wall in the alley they had been traveling down. Mikula recognized them as sirens, and he thought that the two ambushers had been found. Then he heard the wailing screech of aerospace fighters as they made an over flight just a few hundred meters above the ground level. He turned back, the smile still on his face to look at the leader of the other group and he winked at him. The other lupar frowned at Mikula, but the latter had then turned his head back towards the front and led the group on.

Noises came now from the buildings around them, as people woke up at the noise of the Republic fighters. Mikula hurried faster, hoping that the ones behind him could keep up. Finally, though, they entered the alley leading to the Laughing Daukner, and in a few moments they were gathered at the front door.

Mikula knocked on the door, knowing that at least one of the Reyka family would have been awakened by the noise. He heard some movement inside as someone walked down the stairs, and he turned around to scan the area once again. Senmar stood at the back of the other four lupar, his pistol aimed back down the alleyway they had come, while the three armed men from the mysterious group looked warily at the two brothers. Only the one dressed heavily to protect his appearance seemed even the least bit calm, and even he shuffled his feet.

At least I think that's a he, Mikula thought as he heard the door open behind him. He turned round in time to see the rotund Mrs. Reyka herself holding a short sword at the ready, the tip of its blade pointed right for Mikula's throat.

Mikula just grinned lopsidedly. "Hello, Mrs. Reyka. Are you open yet?" He asked, using the same words and innocent tone of voice that he and his brothers often had used in the past.

The middle-aged lupar growled lightly. "Mikula Farkas! Why am I not surprised it's you coming in amidst all this racket? And at a most ungodly hour!" She muttered hotly, but she lowered her sword and backed away, opening the door for the group. "Come in and you'd better explain."

Mikula nodded and he waved for the four strangers to go ahead. He and Senmar went in last after covering the alley and rooftops with their pistols before they, too, entered the tavern.

Mrs. Reyka bolted the door behind them, and she turned to face the six people who had come in. "So what's all this about then?" she asked, the sword still clutched in her left hand.

"Well, uh," Mikula started and he scratched the back of his head with his free hand. "It's kind of a long story."

"Please, don't hold back," the leader of the other four said from here he and the others stood, forming a triangle with Mikula and Senmar at one corner, and Reyka at the other.

The elder lupar gave the man a stern look. "So, you don't know them?" She brought her sword up and pointed it at the group. "Mikula and his brothers may be a pain in the ass, but I at least know they're not hoodlums."

The leader's face twisted in a silent snarl, though he obviously worked to keep his temper in check. "Given the circumstances, I shan't hold that against you," he said with an annoyed tone. "But you should know that you address nobility."

Reyka snorted. "I don't know you, nor do I care about any noble blood in you. What I want to know is whether you plan to be using those daggers tonight when I'm not looking?"

"Enough!" The cloaked figure behind the three dagger-armed lupar said, and Mikula realized that it was actually a woman. She laid a hand on the leader of the armed men and pulled him aside as she stepped through. "I can explain," she said and then took off the hood that had protected her features until now.

Mikula and Senmar gasped. "Kayla!" They said in unison, recognizing their sister instantly.

Kayla smiled. "About time you two recognized me. I was beginning to think you'd forgotten about your older sister."

Mikula shook his head. "Never, but... How? Why? What?"

Reyka grunted and lowered her sword. "I think we all need a drink."

They all sat at two of the rectangular tables that had been pushed together to hold all of them. Over ales poured by Mrs. Reyka, they all listened as Kayla Argen, formerly of the Farkas family, told the story of how she had been taken as one of the hostages to ensure cooperation from the ruling council of Tanzano.

"It was terrible," she said in a soft tone. "They went through the house guards with some strange weapons that made their flesh tear apart, and they grabbed me and dragged me to the Citadel. I didn't even know what was going on until some of them learned Lupari and told us what we were being held for." She shuddered at the memory. "They were uncaring of anything but keeping us alive, and then only with the most basic needs."

Mikula frowned, hearing his sister describe the dungeon. His hand gripped the handle of his mug so tightly that he thought he would break it. I wish it were a Wobbie's neck, he thought as Kayla finally got to the part about the resistance.

"I got word of them through one of the gatón who had been thrown in with us," she said after taking a swig from her mug. "His name is Wargo, and he knew a little bit of Lupari. The Invaders didn't know that, so they had him out with the other gatón, using them as slave labor to unload the food they demand from the city.

"But one of the lupar delivering the food, apparently, tried talking to Wargo, and found out that he knew how to speak our tongue. So soon the resistance was in contact with him, and even under the noses of the guards, they made plans to get some of us out." Kayla then reached up and wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm sorry, it's just so wonderful that Wargo helped, even with all the nasty things that have happened between our people."

Mikula nodded. "The gatón are a surprising people," he said quietly. "So that's what tonight was about? They were getting you out?"

Kayla nodded, and the leader of the armed group - identified as Kayla's husband's nephew Marner - spoke up. "That was the plan, anyway, until we were ambushed."

"Thank the Gods you were there," Kayla said, smiling at her brothers. "Especially you, Mikula, since we heard you were dead."

Mikula grinned a bit and shrugged sheepishly. "Well, I came close, I'll admit. More than once, in fact."

"Indeed," Marner said, and he leaned forward a bit. "Perhaps, then you can explain why you were there? And how you have some of the invaders' special weapons?"

Kayla reached up and laid a hand on her in-law, but Mikula sighed loudly, interrupting what she was going to say. "It is a long story. "He then turned to Senmar, who sat next to him. "Could you get our bags? I think it would help to show them everything we have."

Senmar nodded, and he stood - slowly, since the three men who had went to retrieve Kayla still had their daggers in easy reach and they showed obvious tension. Then he turned and walked for the stairs leading up to the second floor, and he disappeared.

"Since Senmar already knows the story, or most of it, I guess can start," Mikula said. Then he took a breath and relayed his story from the night of the attack up to their arrival in Tanzano, though all he did was go over the highlights.

"Then we met Yekar, and we finally came here to rest for our mission." He finished with a shrug. "We went out to search for the weapons that our friends wish to locate, and that's when we ran into you."

The other lupar, including his sister and Mrs. Reyka, gave him queer looks, which they extended to Senmar as he walked up, carrying their bags. "So let me get this straight," Marner said with disbelief in his voice. "You traveled with gatón, fought bandits, and met another set of the invaders who are not invaders at all, but want to fight them?" Mikula nodded. "And they want to help why?"

"Because it's right," Mikula replied with conviction. "Perhaps nobles can't understand the idea of a moral code, but these people can."

"You insolent pup! I should run you through," Marner said and he gripped his dagger more tightly.

Mikula leaned back and with a subtle shift of his hand, he easily brought his laser pistol to rest on the table, its end pointing at Marner. "You an try, if you want, but I would not recommend it."

Marner twitched, and he looked about to snarl at Mikula before Kayla grabbed his arm. "In case you haven't noticed, nephew, my brother is giving you a chance to leave here with your life, if you'll take it."

The harsh tone in Kayla's words brought Marner's head around to face her, and her stern visage made his ears fold back in embarrassment. He then turned back to Mikula and released his dagger. "Very well. But I'd like some proof that you're not working with the invaders."

Mrs. Reyka grunted from her seat. "If they were working with the Invaders, pup, we'd all be dead by now."

"Perhaps," Marner allowed, but then he stared hard at Mikula. "Or perhaps they're waiting for us to lead them to the rest of the resistance before they call their friends and spring a trap."

Mikula snorted. "Even the Wobbies aren't so foolish as to waste two perfectly good guards for me to kill. Much less risk damage to those sneak suits."

The use of the various unfamiliar terms made all the others pause to try and grasp the words. Mikula sighed and then continued. "'Sneak suits,' those fancy clothes the guards were wearing. Makes them invisible unless they're moving." He shook his head. "Look, we can sit here all night talking, but as a friend told me, 'a picture is worth a thousand words.'" With that, Mikula turned and picked up his pack from where Senmar had laid it on the floor.

Mikula moved slowly but surely, so as to not startle the others as he put the pack on the table. He opened it and slowly pulled out some of the more interesting technical devices, laying them out on the table.

The others stared in open curiosity as Mikula laid out first his regular, tactical radio, then some power packs, an MRE he had saved in case he needed it, the satellite radio with its folded dish, a music player that van Horn had given him and he had listened to on the walk in, and finally, a wristwatch Alexis had somehow managed to buy for him in Neo Tokyo. Probably with Jennifer's help, he mused, remembering a time when the two had disappeared from the others for a short time in the mall.

"What... Are these things?" Kayla asked first, and she stood to lean over to get a better view of the equipment.

"Thee are the technological trinkets that the Wobbies- The Invaders guard so jealously, and which my friends give so generously." Mikula said as he naturally reached for the wristwatch and began to fasten it to his left wrist. Well, truthfully, most of this stuff is going right back to where it came from when we get back. Still, the fact that I'm trusted with it speaks volumes.

The others just looked over the strange devices, and Kayla reached for the radio. Mikula, however, stood up and put a gentle hand on hers to stop her. She looked at him and he shook his head. "Sorry, it's just that if you press the wrong button on that, the Wobbies will know where we are."

"Why? What will it do, send a bright light up?" One of Marner's men asked, only half-joking.

"Not exactly," Mikula said as he released Kayla's arm and they both sat down again. "Something to that effect, though. So it would be fortuitous if all of you would refrain from messing with the equipment."

The three resistance members frowned, but Marner nodded despite that. "Very well. But I think that it's time that the big question be asked: What do we do now?"

Mikula shrugged as he began to put the various items back into his bag. "Right now, I think it best if we all get some sleep. Unless, Mrs. Reyka, you want us to leave?" Mikula turned his head to the elder lupar at that.

Reyka shook her head. "No, it's fine. I never didn't care for whoever was in charge," she said with a smirk on her muzzle. "Besides, I've prided myself on never turning away someone who needed help." She turned and nodded towards the other group at the table. "You're all welcome to stay if you wish."

Marner looked at Kayla, and then between his two men, polling them silently. Then he turned back to Reyka and nodded. "I think we would all appreciate that."

Alexis woke with a start, which was unusual for her. She looked around in the small tent, but all she saw was the inside of the polymer fabric and the rolled-up sleeping bag that Tanaka had used the night before. Now, the human's side of the tent was all cleaned up, and the only sign that the captain had slept there was her open overnight bag.

Alexis brought up her left arm and looked at the watch she had worn to bed. 0842 Hours? I overslept! She felt embarrassed and quickly began to get herself ready for the day.

A few minutes later, she stepped out, her uniform a bit mussed up, but perfectly serviceable. She pulled her service cap over her head to try and hide the fact that her hair was a mess, and then she looked around the camp.

Tanaka was nowhere to be seen, but the other three humans were gathered around the fire, which they had rebuilt up from the coals of the previous night's fire. Alexis could smell roasting meat, which she easily identified as the flesh of the daukner, which was a deer-like animal. Perplexed, she wandered over to the group.

Stein heard her first, and he turned around and then graced her with a smile. "Well, look who's up finally," he said with a chuckle.

The others turned and Alexis grinned sheepishly. "Well, if I hadn't been kept up by your snoring, then maybe I would've gotten enough sleep to be up on time."

They all chuckled at that, even Stein. "Good enough, I think. Well, pull up a seat. Amanda managed to snipe a tasty animal for some real food."

Alexis nodded as she walked up to where parts of the animal were hung over the fire on a makeshift spit. "It's called a daukner, and they're common hunting fodder," she said as she leaned over to grab some of the plasticware and scoured trays that the group had saved from their MREs. "Smells like it's cooked about right, too."

Carmike puffed his chest out at that. "That'd be my department, there."

Myers rolled her eyes. "Only because we don't trust you to aim a pistol and expect to hit anything smaller than your 'mech."

Carmike razzed her and Alexis and Stein chuckled again at the interplay. "Well, did either of you two look for the yeever plant?"

The other three humans looked at the gatón. "What's that and why should we have?" Carmike asked curiously.

Alexis grinned as she used her combat knife to slice some meat from the leg on the spit. "It's a spice my people use, and it grows around here. It adds a nice flavor."

"Well, how're we supposed ta know that?" Stein replied in mock indignation. "Not like we can read minds. Though..." He turned and looked at Myers. "Amanda here has been known to win a bit too often at poker."

Myers waved him off. "That's only because the rest of y'all couldn't bluff to save your lives."

Carmike grunted. "Bull. You gotta have some inroads with the psychic world, or somethin.'"

Myers looked up towards Tanaka's Guillotine IIC. "Hey Cap! Tell these boys the truth!"

The external speakers crackled softly to life. "She's right, Freddy. Y'all're like an open book written in large print."

Stein looked towards the 'mech as well. "Lies!" He exclaimed jokingly. "Mandy's just cuttin' you in on her winnings, ain't she?"

"Mmmaaayybe." Tanaka's playful tone survived the speaker's metallic timbre. "Or maybe I'm psychic too and I don't want you two messin' up a good thing."

Everyone around the fire laughed at that, even Alexis. "Well, since you're psychic, captain," she called out towards the 'mech's broad back, "perhaps you could tell me where I can find a nice vein of gold to dig up?"

Tanaka chuckled back through her 'mech's speakers. "You got me there, Alexis. If I could find that sort of thing, I'd leave you suckers in a heartbeat!"

Again they laughed, and Alexis shook her head in mock rapprochement. "Well, if that's the way you're going to be, then I won't share with you the secret to making trees talk."

"Trees talk?" Myers asked cautiously, realizing that it was a setup but not being able to help herself.

Alexis grinned broadly. "Sure. You just tap on them and listen to their bark." Again they shared a laugh.

"Well, if you laughing boys are done down there, I'm bored and my ass is falling asleep. Myers, care to hop on up to your metal beastie?" Tanaka called out.

Myers nodded and stood up with a stretch. "Aye aye, cap'n. Just let me hit the little girl's room."

"Sure. Just hurry it up, 'cuz now you made me want to go!" Tanaka's amused voice rang out and then died abruptly as she turned off her speakers. Myers grinned and turned to walk downstream and over the bank of the ravine to disappear in the brush.

The other three sat back a bit and enjoyed their bit of time to goof off, Stein and Carmike chatting about some sports team back on New Honshu, while Alexis simply concentrated on her meal of daukner meat and a can of miniature flapjacks packed in syrup from a breakfast MRE left open for everyone to take something from.

While she ate, though, Alexis realized how easily she fit in. Here I was last night wondering at how they can joke so easily, and here I am joining in with them. The idea interested her, as it was another facet of her personality that she had discovered. And here I used to be too shy to even take the Shaman's generosity when he had offered me his breakfast after coming back that fateful day. She smirked as she took a bite from a spork that she was using to get the spongy food from the can. And now I can trade insults with soldiers as if I were one.

That thought made her pause in her chewing as the idea rolled around in her head. She then began to chew automatically as she contemplated the thought. I've been given training as a soldier... I have fought in a battle, even been wounded... I've lived according to a regimented schedule, and now I'm volunteering for rough, dangerous duty far from home. I, am, a soldier.

The thought was startling to her. Just a few months ago, I would have never thought in a thousand years at being anything but an apprentice to Shaman Forbasa, or even finding a nice gatón man and settling down to have children. Now here I am... In all intents and purposes, a soldier.

Part of Alexis though that she should feel strange, even mortified at what she had become. It goes against everything I've learned about my culture and my role in it. And yet... And yet, I feel right being here.

At that moment, Alexis felt a warm feeling she hadn't had since at the beginning of her visit with her family in Hercor after her return to her homeworld. She knew, that at that moment, she belonged.

That warm feeling stayed with her throughout the day.

Mikula climbed unsteadily up the side of the building of the Laughing Daukner, his pack hanging on by its shoulder straps. Should have done this hour ago, when the predawn light would've made it much harder for me to be seen, he griped to himself as he used the roughly cut stones that made up the corner of the building to haul himself and his burden up. Still, the roof of the Daukner ought to be high enough and still be blocked by the buildings around us so that the Wobbies can't see.

The morning had started off better than he had hoped. His sister and her 'escort' had stayed long enough to eat breakfast, for which Kayla had insisted on paying for, despite Mrs. Reyka's protests. Mikula smirked, though, as Marner had to spend his own coin on not only their food and board, but Mikula and Senmar's as well. I'm sure her husband will reimburse the asshole, but it was still gratifying to see him parcel out the gold and silver.

After breakfast, they had left, though not before Mikula had managed to get her to describe to him as much as possible the rooms she had seen in the Citadel. She had even glimpsed the WMDs once, after being moved from cell to cell in the dungeon, and so he knew where the weapons would be stored.

Well, that should be them, anyway, he grumbled as he pulled himself over the edge of the building's roof. Kayla described them perfectly, but lots of things are metal cylinders or cases and aren't such terrible weapons. He grunted as he crawled along the roof to keep people from seeing him, as he headed for a spot where he could make out a certain wall tower that would let him aim the radio decently. Still, with the way the Wobbies smacked her when she looked, it was probably them. Despite his mental attempt to avoid anger, Mikula could still feel that emotion rising in his gut, remembering again Kayla's descriptions of the Wobbies' abuses.

Stop it, Mikula, he chastised himself. Concentrate on your duty. With that, he looked and soon found that he had the correct tower in his sights. He then unlimbered his pack and rolled on the roof so he could lie down and still work with the pack and its contents. In only a few minutes, he had the small dish for the satellite radio set up, and he waved it around a bit as he had been instructed, until he found the carrier wave by its tone in his earphones.

At that, Mikula smiled and then pressed the send button on the radio. "This is Firefly One One, calling Starbase. Firefly One One calling Starbase." He spoke in English; of course, using the predestinated callsigns that they had agreed on prior to beginning the mission, 'Starbase' not being a starbase at all, but it was a prefix for any of the numerous ships still in orbit.

He didn't have to wait long. "Firefly One One, this is Starbase Nine, please authenticate." The voice was female, and the number indicated that it was the USS Twilight Tornado, one of the Diomedes-class assault ships.

"Authentication Mike Alfa Alfa Foxtrot. Please reciprocate."

"Authentication Sierra November Alfa Foxtrot Uniform. We read you five by five, Firefly One One, go ahead."

Mikula smiled a bit, relieved that they were both who they said they were. "Firefly One One and Firefly One Three have flipped the bird. It is a turkey. I repeat, it is a turkey." Mikula's smile broadened a bit at the silliness of the code words, but he knew that they would make sure that, even had the Blakests heard the directed-beam transmission, and even if they broke the highly digitized code, then they still wouldn't have a clear idea of what was being said.

Silence reigned for a moment, and then another, more familiar voice came on through the radio. "Firefly One One, this is Juliet Actual. We have copied your transmission and are sending it care of ComStar. Hold your piggies in place and we'll see about making bacon."

Mikula chuckled. Captain Ladavic has quite the imagination for codes. "I read you Juliet Actual. Firefly One One also has an addendum."

"Go ahead Firefly." Ladavic's voice couldn't be robbed of its suspicion by the radio's effect. Mikula took a breath and then spoke again. "Firefly One One has confirmed the presence of eggs in the nest. Some are not homogenized."

Ladavic's voice came back after a few moments. "We read you loud and clear Firefly. Be assured we will be taking that into account. Victor Prime will be ready."

Mikula sighed with relief. "Thank you, Juliet. That is all Firefly One One has at this time. Over."

"Copy that. Over and out."

Ladavic floated from the main communication station and towards the command holotank. Once there, she secured her feet on the floor with her magnetic 'slippers' and then called for a visual transmission to be established with Firebase Hotel.

Within a few minutes, Major Kujira's face appeared on the screen. "Captain, I hope this is good news?" He asked hopefully.

Ladavic nodded and let a ghost of a smile cross her lips. "Our boy's come through. The WMDs are still in Tanzano and in the same place we figured." Then her face turned completely serious. "However, he also reports that there are more hostages than anticipated, and some of them are gatón."

Kujira frowned, but he nodded. "I see. Well, it's not as we hoped, but not as bad as we've feared." He looked over to his right, apparently consulting another virtual screen in his own, smaller holotank. "We should be able to accommodate this circumstance."

"Good," Ladavic said and then let out a breath. "Last thing I want to do is leave those bastards a convenient target within their own walls."

Kujira nodded sagely. "Don't worry, captain. Even if we can't get those innocents out," He raised a fist into view and balled it, "I assure you that they will be safe, no matter what shall need to be done."

Mikula hopped the last half-meter to the ground from his perch on the wall. The small fall was enough that he had to steady himself for a moment. Then he turned around to look, and then headed for the back door to the tavern.

He stepped into the kitchen entrance easily, and was greeted by the smells of a stew being slow-cooked in a nearby large kettle that sat over a wood-fired oven. No one else was in the room at the moment, though he knew that Mrs. Reyka would soon be back, and he decided that he shouldn't be in her way, so he walked out and into the front, main room to the tavern.

There he saw Senmar sitting at a corner booth, one where the bit of light coming in through the tiny, open-air windows seemed to not touch. Mikula wandered over and he sat down across from his brother, leaving his pack on the floor as he did so.

Senmar looked up as his older brother sat down. "So, you called them?"

Mikula nodded. "Aye. They'll be coming on schedule tonight, and then we can leave and go back home."

Senmar frowned at that. "And where would that be?"

Mikula was taken aback at the question, though he didn't answer right away as he realized that he wasn't quite sure. I should feel like Shulana, and the new home my mother and Kanu have built... But yet, I don't feel that's home for me anymore.

He realized, then, that it was probably because he knew that Alexis wouldn't want to end up there. She loves her family still, and wants to mend fences, but right now, she doesn't want to be near Shulana. Well, except for the base-

Mikula blinked at the thought and sat back in his seat. The Base... It feels like home... Sorta... He thought hard, and then he pierced the source of the idea. It's not so much the place, but whom I'm with. Alexis makes every place I've been to since that dark night months ago seem like... If not home, then something far closer to it than Tanzano or even Shulana feels like to me now.

Senmar said something, and Mikula started. "What?" He asked.

His brother smirked. "You were thinking about her again, weren't you?"

Mikula blushed at that. "How could you tell?"

Senmar chuckled. "Because, you had a goofy look on your face and you were staring off into nothing."

Mikula grinned and then shook his head. When he did so, however, he saw someone out of the corner of his eye standing in the doorway leading to the kitchen. Turning his head around quickly, Mikula saw Ayora disappear into the back room.

Another chuckle came from Senmar at that. "You have all the luck, you know that?"

Mikula turned back to his brother. "What are you talking about?"

"Oh, come on!" Senmar looked surprised. "Can't you tell that Ayora's had a crush on you since she started menstruating?"

Mikula blushed deeply at that. "She's far too young for me."

"Oh, I know that and you know that," Senmar said with a nod. "And Ayora knows that in her mind. It's just her heart's a bit fuzzy on the idea."

Mikula grunted. "So I just upset her by talking about the one I truly care about? Greeaaat."

Senmar sighed. "Well, it could be worse. You at least know who you want, and you know she wants you, too."

Mikula grinned at that. "True, true."

Mrs. Reyka walked into the room then, looking around and she wiped a rag to clean some imaginary grime from a couple of tables as she wandered over to where the two brothers sat.

"So boys, how are you two doing after last night's insanity?" She asked as she pulled a chair up to the booth's table and sat down.

Mikula felt a bit uneasy with what Senmar had just said a few moments ago. "We're fine, Mrs. Reyka. Thank you for asking."

"'Tis not a problem," she replied gently. "But I hear from my sources that you seem to have a girlfriend."

Mikula's ears laid back in embarrassment. "This, ah, source wouldn't be someone that might be made upset over that, and therefore you've come to slice me up?" He asked, squirming.

Reyka laughed at that. "Mikula, you were always funny." She said and shook her head. Then her eyes grew a bit distant. "Yes, Ayora's had a crush on you for a while, and hearing about your friend has made her sad." She sighed at that. "But don't feel bad. She's known for years that you'd find someone else. Just had to hear something like this to get her to face up to it, I guess."

Mikula squirmed a bit more. "So you're not going to make me tonight's special?"

Reyka chuckled at that, and even Senmar smiled a bit. "No, Mikula, I'm not going to cut you up. I just came here to hear about your special little friend."

Mikula's ears again folded back and down as far as they would go, and he just looked away. Reyka then looked apologetic. "I'm sorry, Mikula. If you don't want to talk, that's okay," she said and leaned back in her chair. "I just wanted to hear a story that doesn't involve death or fighting or the invaders for a change."

"No, it's alright," Mikula said and turned his head back to her. "It's just... Who she is... Kind of is something that would make tongues waggle."

Reyka smiled broadly. "Oh? Gone and fallen in love with a noblewoman then?"

"Well... She's certainly noble in spirit..." Mikula said, and a bit of enthusiasm for the subject bled into his voice.

Reyka's smile decreased a bit. "Well, if not a noblewoman, then what's wrong that it makes you embarrassed so?"

Mikula turned his head and looked at the table, and Senmar decided to answer for him. "His special interest is a gatón," he said quietly.

"Oh..." Reyka's smile disappeared entirely, and she just looked surprised. "Oh Mikula. No wonder you're like this." She reached out then and laid a hand on his arm. "Well, don't think that it matters much to me. I'm not one to listen to those old stories, anyway."

"Thanks," Mikula said and smiled, reflecting the small one that had returned to Reyka's face. "But since when did you get so sentimental?"

Reyka chuckled and took her hand back. "I guess I never showed it before, but I always considered your brood almost like a shared one between me an' your mother, back when we were both young ladies waiting for our husbands to come back..." Her voice trailed off then, as she had lost her own husband as well.

Mikula nodded and continued smiling. "You honor me with your words. And I know mother felt the same way," he said and then sighed. "She told me how saddened she was that you didn't want to come with the others in the clan and leave."

"I figured she would be," Reyka replied with a small nod. "And it pained me to see the lot of them go, but I felt like I owed my dear departed Feker to stay and take care of the Laughing Daukner." She sighed again. "It was his dream to come back and run it with me when his service was over, and I felt like keeping it was keeping him alive."

Reyka then brought up a hand to wipe the tears that threatened from the corners of her eyes. "Now look at me, making a mess of my own face, making the conversation all about me." She finished drying her eyes and then smiled at Mikula. "What I want to hear is all about your friend."

Mikula blushed again, but this time he smiled too. "Well, her name's Alexis, and she's just about the most special person I've ever met." He then nodded to Reyka. "Present company excluded, of course."

Reyka chuckled at that. "Flattery might get you points, but it won't divert me. Tell me about this Alexis."

Mikula smiled and he sat back, telling of his love.