Time Travel

Part One: Chapter Five

They sat around the campfire, under a tent that had been set up against the rain. It had been hard to find wood, but the Confederate Soldiers they had returned to were used to dealing with the elements and had managed to start the fire. Afterwards, they sat on the other side, separate by the flickering flames from those on the other side.

Hobbes was close to the campfire, eating a fish he had just caught, while Calvin laid on his back beside him. Sitting on a log, Dana whittled a small twig as Star sat beside her, staring across to Armistead on the other side of the fire. "Isn't it wonderful here?"

Rolling over, Calvin looked over at Star. "Wonderful? I've had more fun on Dad's camping trips! We don't have anything to eat besides rocks that are supposed to be bread, we're out in the cold rain half the time and I don't have my comic books!"

"Calvin, be nice," Dana said, looking up from her twig.

"And you don't have any appreciation for history," Star said to Calvin without even turning her head to look at him.

"Star, be nice," Dana told her.

Pointing at Calvin before going back to staring at Armistead, she said, "He's the one complaining."

Next to the two friends, Nurf was sitting with her hands in her head, not even looking at them. "They think we're crazy, they have to think we're crazy…"

Hobbes waved a hand in front of Star's face as she stared at Armistead to which Dana replied with the same thing she'd been telling everyone else. "Hobbes, be nice."

"I could say something that would really make him think I'm crazy, either that or just shock all of them beyond imagination," Star said without taking her eyes from Armistead.

Dana's eyes widened slightly. "Oh, no…"

Star smirked at that. "Something the matter Dana?"

"Here we go…" Nurf remarked, raising an eyebrow.

When Dana spoke again, she spoke calmly but sarcastically. "Oh, no, nothing at all, General, what would give you that idea?"

Resting her head on one hand, Star continued staring across the flames. "I mean, look at everything that we know. There's some things I'd never mention, and it might actually be better never to think about it, but it's tempting to at the same time."

"Go on…" Dana said.

"Although I really don't want to freak any of them out either," Star stated, still staring.

Nurf didn't say anything, was instead watching them nervously as Hobbes glanced around, not really sure what was going on. Star looked over at him. "You don't think I'm crazy do you?"

Surprised by the attention she gave him and tore away from Armistead, Hobbes raised an eyebrow. "Who, me? Um, not exactly… I mean well, look at Calvin!"

"What?" Calvin looked up. "Whaddaya mean by that, stripeypants?"

"I see," Star said, "But you have to admit, we've done some good here. We saved Lo!"

"That's true, yet," Dana agreed.

"Maybe he wouldn't really be surprised," Star continued, "After all, they must have figured out by now that I admire them? They've got themselves a couple of fangirls."

"Of course," Dana said at the same time Nurf said, with her head in her hands. "I'm sure he's figured some of that out…"

She glanced at Nurf and Dana, a slightly teasing tone in her voice. "You think he figured it out? How would he have realized that?"

Glaring at them, Calvin said. "Enough with the lovey-dovey stuff already! I wanna go home!"

At that last part, Star turned her attention more to him, perfectly happy with where she was for the time being. "Who said anything about ever going home?"

"I have Colonel to take care of," Nurf pointed out, "I need to go home eventually."

Star shook her head. "Why would we want to go back? We're right here in the mists of our deepest passion!"

"Though the local food is alright," Hobbes said, also missing the place they'd come from, "I'd prefer salmon."

"Well, yes, but…" Dana said.

Star was staring at Armistead said. "I don't want to go home. I want to stay here…"

Dana glanced over at Nurf and silently mouthed 'help'. Nurf shrugged, looking over at Dana before looking back at Star. "I have to go home eventually. Isn't there anything you're going to miss… at all?"

For a moment Star was quiet, thinking. "I don't know. If you two go back I'd miss you. I'd miss the RP and a few of my other friends but I'd be with people I've dreamed about forever. In the end… I think that will make up for it."

As everyone in the group stared at her, Calvin asked innocently, "What's going on?" Dana just put her face in her hands.

"You'd… you'd stay without us?" Nurf asked, surprised.

Star grinned then. "No, I'd hide the time machine."

"Hey!" Calvin leaped up and jumped on Star. "That's my machine and if you hide it I'll search to the ends of the earth until I find it again! It cost me good money to invent!"

"It's a cardboard box…" Dana said, raising an eyebrow.

"So what?" Calvin said, "It's still mine!"

Shoving Calvin off of her, Star stood up. "Make another cardboard box and go back to your soft lifestyle then! And study history! One would think you'd appreciate these men after living like them for a few days!"

Calvin crossed his arms over his chest. "I never paid attention to this in school! I don't care about Plymouth Rock!"

"This isn't Plymouth Rock," Star corrected, "This is the Civil War!"

"So? I don't see any Marvel Heroes around," Calvin said.

"Wrong Civil War, Calvin," Hobbes said but Calvin gave him a death glare and he stepped back.

It was then that Nurf had an idea. "They should do a comic of The Civil War…"

Glaring at Calvin for a moment before looking back towards Dana and Nurf, Star remarked. "You know, maybe I should just test my idea, see if it could even work."

"What idea be this, then, mon General?" Dana asked.

Nurf snapped out of her comic idea. "What now?"

"I want to test my idea," Star said, casting a glance at Armistead on the other side of the campfire with Pickett.

Dana shook her head. "Oh, no. No, no, no, no, no, no."

"She's looking at them…" Nurf said.

"It's not that hard," Star continued, "Really, I'll try not to shock them too much."

Quickly Dana moved to blocked Star's path although she stepped around her, as Dana moved to block her path again. For a moment Star stood there, but then she dived under Dana's legs, scrambling to her feet and marching purposely over the Armistead and Pickett. "General Armistead sir!"

"Oh no…" Nurf said watching her.

"Oh no is right," Dana said with a nod, covering her eyes but peeking through her fingers."

Star looked up at Armistead. "Sir, I'm not trying to shock you by knowing things you might not expect me to know, but you could you tell us some about the point? There isn't much information on it that I know for sure, and I'm interested, especially in the part about the plate."

Armistead stared at her in surprise. While she had been a strange girl, all of them had been, this request and the fact that she knew about the plate incident at West Point, when he had cracked a plate over Jubal Early's head, had not been at all expected.

"How do you know about that?" He asked.

"It's complicated," Nurf said.

Without thinking about what she was saying, Star responded to Nurf's comment. "It is, it is indeed!"

As soon as the words left her mouth, Pickett looked over at her in surprise and Star looked back at him, realizing what she just said and burying her face in her hands. "Oh…"

"Okay…" Dana said, "This is getting complex… I mean, it was complex before this, but now-!"

Raising an eyebrow, Armistead looked at Pickett. "You been talking to her much?"

"It's like… complexlex," Nurf replied, "Double complex."

Dana grinned slightly and nodded. "That it is!"

"Will someone please explain why she's talking like George?" Armistead pointed at Star.

Star ducked behind the log, trying not to draw attention to herself and Dana raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's a really long story. Even longer now that we've ended up here."

"Long story short." Star peeked out from behind the log. "I'm an idiot."

"I'm not sure about that." Dana shrugged.

Star just dropped her head down to the log, not having anything else to say.

"It really isn't something that can be explained quickly…" Nurf said to the generals, "We just… talk… like some of you…"

"Why?" Armistead asked curiously.

"Because they've traveled back in time from the future sir!" Hobbes answered.

Dana turned to look at him. "Hobbes!" And at that moment, Star leaped up, pinned Hobbes to the ground and glared at him. "Tell them you're joking or I'm going to straggle you."

"Star!" Nurf jumped in surprise. "That really won't help!"

Calvin leaped onto Star's back. "Leave Hobbes alone! It's my machine anyway!"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Dana asked. "We know it's your machine!"

"But they." Star gestured towards Armistead and Pickett. "Don't need to know how we got here, why, or anything like that. Now tell them you're joking stripy!"

Hobbes just bared his teeth and claws and Dana got quickly out of the way. Star just gritted her teeth. "I mean it."

"It's a tiger…" Nurf said, "Do you really think everyone will believe everything he says?"

"Good point," Star said, letting go of Hobbes and turning to Pickett. "If you'll just excuse what he said sir, he's not in his right mind."

Hobbes looked at Nurf. "It has a name, thank you…"

Pickett nodded to Star's statement. "Of course… I understand quite well…"

"Good," Star said looking pointedly at Armistead, "Now, back to the main discussion."

Dana sighed. "Hobbes. Now."

"Now?"

"Yes!"

"Okay." Hobbes agreed and pounced on Star.

Star yelped. "Get off of me!"

Hobbes just picked Star up and began dragging her back to the time machine. "I'm only following Dana's orders!"

As she was dragged past, Star grabbed Armistead's leg. "NO!"

Dana waved to Nurf. "Come on! Hurry!"

Clinging to Armistead's legs so that he was also dragged along, she protested. "I'm not leaving!"

"I didn't know we were leaving now!" Nurf turned and saw her friend. "Star you have to let go."

Star shook her head. "Nope."

Running along behind them, Calvin shouted. "Wait for me!"

"We aren't leaving!" Star said, "I thought I was the General!"

"I mutinied temporarily!" Dana replied, "Do with me what you will later!"

Nurf tugged on Star's arms. "You've been outnumbered my dear commander… let's go!"

Burying her head in Armistead's legs as she continued to cling to him, Star let out a small whimper but Hobbes just pulled her along calmly. "This happens all the time…"

"We'll come back, I promise!" Nurf said, "Just come back with us now, please?"

"If Lo comes with us…" Star mumbled.

"He can't!" Hobbes told her, "It's a simple law of time travel."

"Who made that law?" Dana asked.

Star continued to cling to Armistead but she looked up slightly. "But we were able to come here. He should be able to come to our time. And it's a pointless law. Can't we break that law somehow?"

"Can you break the law of gravity?" Calvin asked her, giving a pointed look.

"He's right Star," Dana said.

She just continued to cling to Armistead but Hobbes dropped her then, pried her limbs off one by one, picked her up again and kept walking. Star didn't even try to protest anymore, just curled in a ball and didn't say anything.

Glancing back at Armistead, Dana said, "General, it's been a pleasure. But we must take our leave now. Good luck to you in future."

Armistead saluted. "Yes, it has been a pleasure." He thought for moment, then pulled out a piece of paper and signed it, placing it in Dana's hand. "Give this to your leader later, and tell her I'm sorry."

"I shall, sir. Thank you." Dana said, returning the salute, taking the paper and turning to Hobbes, Calvin and Nurf. "Shall we continue, then?"

Nurf sighed and nodded in farewell to the Generals before turning to Dana. "I believe we shall."

Calvin grinned and dragged the time machine out from under a bush, knocked leaves out of the bottom and climbed in. "Come on! Back to the future!"

Hobbes rolled his eyes slightly and climbed in with Star. Nurf looked at him. "Sorry about the 'it' thing, I wasn't really remembering names at that moment."

"It's okay." Hobbes nodded and shrugged. "I get that all the time at home."

Calvin started up the machine and as Armistead watched it, it slowly slipped into the vortex. When it disappeared, he turned to Pickett and smirked. "Now that certainly was an interesting group."

Pickett replied with a line anyone who saw Gettysburg knew so well. "It was! It was indeed!"