Orion woke up, and his vision took a while to straighten out, but that wasn't the worst part. His mouth was dry, and his head was pounding. He heard some movement in the corner of his room, and saw Emma setting a tray down next to the door.

"Morning." She said with a bright grin. Orion just groaned as he held a hand to his head.

"What...what time is it?" He asked.

"Don't worry; you've still got time to get ready before morning service." She assured him. "I'm guessing you're feeling a little delicate?"

"I guess I'm getting a little old for all of this." He grumbled as he pulled himself out of bed. "What are...?"

"The inn keeper let me borrow the kitchen. I just prepared a few things to help you." She told him. "Some pancakes should help soak up some of the booze, some bacon to ease the...interesting flavours in your mouth, some herbal tea to ease your stomach...and a dose of aspirin for the head."

"That all sounds amazing." Orion told her with a smile. "You are a jerrichalla."

Emma smiled, hearing him say this. A Jerrichalla was a mythical creature in Andresian culture. They were tiny white birds that were said to fly through people's dreams to inspire them, bringing around ideas and innovation. By context, he was calling her an angel.

"Trust me; any time my dad and his army buddies get together, things can get pretty wild." Emma assured him. "He doesn't make a habit of it, but it wouldn't be the first time I've been on hangover duty."

"I should start to get ready." Orion answered. Centuri will be expecting me soon."

"Well, don't let me stop you." Emma replied. Orion raised his eyebrows.

"Uh...Emma?" He asked. "I've kind of reverted to old habits here."

"I kind of noticed." She chuckled. He indicated to his sheet.

"Um...It would be best if you weren't here when I got out of bed." He stated, trying to give her the hint. "You know...until I straighten things out with Centuri and the others?"

Emma suddenly realised what he meant. She couldn't help remembering the first night Orion had spent on the ship. She had gone into his room in a well meaning way, just like she had today. On that occasion though, between some cultural misunderstandings, and also the fact he had come to Earth with literally just the clothes on his back, she hadn't realised until he got out of the bed that he was naked. He'd since gotten out of that habit, but being on the reservation around all the other Andresians more than a few habits had re-surfaced. The raucous drinking game was one example.

"I'll...just give you some privacy to wash up." She told him. "I guess I'll join the others for breakfast."

With that, she left the room. Orion went to his tray, and took some bacon, popping it into his mouth as he went to collect a wash bowl.

Emma arrived downstairs, finding the others gathered around the breakfast table. The innkeeper had put on quite an impressive spread, considering how late the party the previous night had ended. Everyone seemed to be delighted by the effort she had put in.

"Jake, you're on your second plate already?" Cat asked him. He just shrugged.

"I have to play Frakkushia later." Jake reminded her. "Those Andresians don't exactly go into the tackle half-hearted."

"Yeah, that's probably why playing them isn't such a good idea." Noah answered, scrolling through the news on his tablet. He just chuckled. "Can you believe this? Some guy actually wrote a story to one of the tabloids claiming some wild man in a loincloth smashed up a cop car in New York."

"Why do you read the tabloids if you don't believe the stories?" Gia asked him. He just shrugged.

"Every now and then they get lucky and get something right." Noah told her. "Besides, it's entertaining. It's like a comic book for adults."

Just then, the door to the tavern opened and Libra walked in, together with a few guards. The others looked curious to see that they looked like they had seen some trouble. They had pretty noticeable injuries, indicating they had been in a fight. Troy just rolled his eyes as they stood before him, Libra crossing his arms defiantly.

"You, get up." He barked. "You're coming with us."

"Wait, what's going on?" Emma asked.

"Your friend here jumped some of my Lawgivers last night." Libra told her. Lawgivers were what Andresians had called their law enforcement officers. They weren't really an organised police force like they had on Earth. It was really more like a militia formed from some of the most trusted citizens in order to correct the behaviour of those that disrupted the peace. Things had changed in the larger cities when SPD came to Andresia, but in the smaller settlements like Orion's village, they only got an advisor who would visit every now and then to check on the local law enforcement.

"I'm afraid the facts are a little mixed up." Troy put down flatly. "I have nothing to hide, so if you want to discuss the matter, anything you can say to me you can say in front of my friends."

One of the Lawgivers saw Noah's tablet and whispered something to Libra. He glared at Noah.

"OK, what do you mean 'forbidden'?" Emma asked. "You mean his tablet?"

Libra seemed a bit taken aback by this. He knew that being friends with Orion, it was likely the Rangers knew some Andresian, but so far he didn't get the impression that they knew more than a few phrases. Emma though, for obvious reasons, had heard quite a bit, and was well on her way to becoming fluent.

"You and Centuri were funny about me having my phone." Cat recalled. "You asked me to keep it out of sight."

"That device, why do you have it?" Libra asked. "Why did you bring it here?"

"I have some work to do before I go." Noah answered. "Last time I checked, these things were legal in the State of California."

"And so were cell phones." Gia chipped in.

"Your friend interfered in our duties!" One of the Lawgivers snapped.

"When I see three armed men beating on a kid, that's something I'm going to break up." Troy told them. He looked to the others. "These fine gentlemen were about to beat the living hell out of a kid for hooking an I-pod up to the broadcast tower and playing S Club 7."

"I remember hearing that." Jake responded, looking to the Lawgivers. "Sure it's annoying, but when was lack of musical taste a crime?"

"You shouldn't have interfered." Libra told him. "Now, we can do this here or we can..."

The rest of the party got up from the table, but Orion came running down the stairs in his robes, calling out to them, putting himself in between them to try and separate them.

"Wait, what's going on here?" He asked.

"This man interrupted the business of my Lawgivers!" Libra told him.

"When your business is beating on a helpless kid three on one, then I make it my business!" Troy put down sharply. "Of course if your guys want to press the matter..."

"Whoa, let's everyone cool their jets." Orion told him. "OK, so what's this about a kid?"

"One of the local kids hooked up an I-pod to the broadcast tower and played some music." Gia told him.

"It was breach of the peace." Libra told him. Orion just held up his hands.

"OK, right...I think there's been a misunderstanding here." He announced. "So you were going to discipline the child?"

"Discipline?" Gia asked. "Orion!"

"Gia, things are a little different with Andresian kids." Orion explained. "They need a firm hand, corporal punishment is the norm. Centuri and the Lawgivers beat me several times when I got out of line growing up."

"Three guys with clubs?" Emma asked, a little horrified to hear this. She had to imagine that Orion, having been brought up that way, probably did see the issue a little differently.

"It would probably have just been a quick tap, not a serious beating. It was a prank, a breach of the peace." Orion told them. "I'm sure they were just going to discipline the kid and send him back to his parents, right Libra?"

Libra looked around at the situation. He didn't seem happy at all with the interference, but he was well aware of who he was dealing with. He could see when the odds were not in his favour. Orion then looked to Libra.

"My friends aren't from our world Libra. You have to understand that seeing three large men attacking a child didn't look good." Orion told him. "I'm sure Troy didn't understand that they were Lawgivers. It's not like you wear uniforms or anything is it?"

"I suppose I can see where he misunderstood the situation." Libra replied. "Fine, we will let the situation go on this occasion. Just don't allow it to happen again."

With that, he said something to his men and gestured to the door. They all followed him out. Orion looked to the others.

"Orion..."

"Look, I know a lot of things they do here don't make sense." Orion told them. "Believe me, I'm not exactly blind to the fact a lot of our ways are a little backward."

None of them said anything. They were all starting to feel more than a little uncomfortable, and could understand Orion's position. They didn't want to upset him by trying to say that the culture he was used to was wrong.

"Look, we're only going to be here another day." Emma replied. "Orion's going to talk to Centuri today. We can keep out of their way until then right?"

"I guess so." Troy replied. "Anyway, there's time before the game, and none of us are of the faith, so...I guess we'll just give you some space and train or something to pass the time."

"That sounds like it's for the best." Orion answered, before patting Jake on the shoulder. "I'll see you for the game later. Bring you're A game, because Draco's looking to make up for losing the kick-off game."

With that, Orion left the tavern. As he did so, he furrowed his brows, seeing Libra still talking to the Lawgivers a little way off. He could see they weren't happy. As much as he hoped he was wrong, he had known Libra long enough to know that he wasn't exactly the kind of guy that backed down easily when he thought he was in the right. He had a feeling that something wasn't right, but confronting him over it would only exacerbate the issue. There was only one person that Libra would listen to, and that was Centuri.

Later in the day, the others had gone out to look around the town. Jake and Troy had gone to train, Cat, Emma and Gia had gone to explore the nearby woods, leaving Noah alone in the tavern. He didn't really feel much like working out or exploring the town. If he was honest, he was looking forward to getting out of the Reservation. The thought of his trip to Anton's island to join Quinn was something he was looking forward to ever since they had received the job offer.

He put away his tablet after catching up on all his usual newspapers, putting it away. He had gotten the idea that it was best not to antagonise the Lawgivers any further. If they didn't like him having his tablet, it was best not to go flaunting it around the town.

As he got onto the balcony, he could see the citizens beginning to go about their business, getting ready for morning service before heading to their jobs. He could see the Lawgivers around the town, a lot more than had been present before. In particular, there was one, standing directly across the street from the tavern, trying hard to look like he wasn't keeping an eye on the tavern. He had a feeling that others were probably keeping an eye on his friends. He couldn't resist giving him a wave. The guard didn't seem to be amused, and just went back to his rather unconvincing act of not paying attention to him.

It was then that Noah saw something unusual. He could see some young Andresians gathering in a street, one of them with some bad bruising on his face, bruising that looked fresh, probably only hours old.

"A little tap my ass." Noah commented as he saw them talking for a while, before making their way down a narrow street. He hopped the rail over the balcony, and looked to his guard. He smiled as he started to walk away, well aware that the Lawgiver was already following him.

The Lawgiver followed Noah as he made a couple of detours down a couple of streets. He could see him slipping down between a couple of stores, increasing in speed as he went. Fearing he was trying to get away, he followed at speed, but by the time he got there, Noah was nowhere to be found. The Lawgiver swore loudly in his native tongue before leaving the area.

In another street, Noah just smirked after his successful escape.

"Thank you Shane." He commented, grateful for the tricks he had learned on his travels. Being on first-name terms with a ninja had its uses. He quickly picked up the trail of the young Andresians, finding them outside the Library. They made their way to the back, where they gathered around the door. The one with the bruises pulled something out of his pocket and started to fiddle with the lock.

"This is a bad idea." One of them said. "We can't risk this..."

"We can't NOT risk this." The bruised kid responded. "Besides, I want my I-pod back! Now, keep an eye out for the Lawgivers!"

"You know, if you are going to break in, you might want to be quieter about it." Noah stated. "If I can find you this easily, the Lawgivers will have no problem."

"We were just...uh..."

Noah moved the bruised kid aside, and took the lock picks from him. He made short work of the lock, opening the door.

"You're helping us?" The bruised kid asked. "Why would an outsider help us?"

"Because I want to know what this is all about." Noah told them. "But if this is a couple of kids playing a stupid prank, I'll turn you in myself got it?"

"This is no joke." The bruised kid answered as they went inside. Noah was more than a little surprised by what he found.

There were books, that didn't surprise him, but there was a lot more besides. Cell phones, computers, comic books, magazines...all piled up in a locked room that it appeared no one ever went into. He watched as the kids started gathering up as much as they could carry.

"Whoa, what do you think you're doing?" Noah asked.

"We're taking back what's ours!" The bruised kid replied. "This is stuff they confiscated!"

"Confiscated?" Noah asked. "They confiscated comic books?"

He picked up a newspaper, seeing an article from some months previously about the Rangers. It had a lot of details about them, meaning that the Andresians knew a lot more about the Rangers than they claimed to. Noah looked to the kid.

"What exactly is going on here?" He asked.

Meanwhile, Orion approached the prayer circle, finding Centuri completing the preparations for his service. He smiled as he saw him.

"Orion, you're early! I must say I approve of such enthusiasm." He greeted Orion warmly. "I see you've enjoyed being in the reservation among your people."

"It has been good reliving some old times." He conceded. "There is a reason for my early arrival. There is a...delicate matter...I must discuss with you."

"Oh?" He responded. Orion took a deep breath.

"Cassetopeia told me you made an...arrangement with her father." Orion began. "She informed me that you intend us to marry."

"Well, I was intending to bring the matter up with you myself." Centuri chuckled. "Cassetopeia is a fine woman. You will make a fine couple. There is no need to thank me."

"Sir...that's not exactly what I came to say." Orion answered. "I don't wish to marry..."

"Younger than you are happy husbands and fathers." He replied. "I know it is fun, but no one can be a bachelor forever."

"That is not what I meant." He told his old mentor. "I do not wish to marry Cassetopeia."

"Why ever not?" Centuri asked him. "She is a fine young woman, she is healthy and..."

"Cassetopeia also does not wish to marry me. She wants to continue her studies." Orion told him. Centuri just sighed.

"Orion, it is not merely a matter of what you want, it is a matter of duty." Centuri told him. "There is no reason she cannot continue her studies and also fulfil her duties as a wife and mother. Once you move back here..."

"Wait...move back?" Orion asked him. "Who said I was moving back?"

"You are Andresian. Your place is with your own kind." Centuri told him.

"But...I enjoy my life as it is." Orion told him. "I will fulfil my duties as a preacher, that is not in any dispute, but I don't wish to live here. I like my life outside of the Reservation."

"I have a feeling I know what this is about." Centuri sighed. "This is about Emma isn't it?"

"It is in part. She has my heart." Orion replied honestly. "However, there is more to it than that."

"Orion, Emma is a fine girl, but she is not of our kind." Centuri stated.

"Not of our kind?" Orion asked. "We are all HUMAN! Andresians may have evolved a little differently, but genetically we are the same species!"

"She is not one of us; our ways are foreign to her." Centuri answered. "We must preserve our ways if they are to live on."

"Even if it means I must live a life that does not make me happy?" Orion asked him.

"You speak as though I am sentencing you to a grim death! You are to marry a beautiful and intelligent woman who will provide you with healthy Andresian offspring!" He answered. "You will settle into your new life."

"I'm sorry, but that isn't what I want." Orion told him, switching to English to make his point. "I am leaving the settlement with my friends after the game."

"You realise that if you refuse Cassetopeia, you will greatly insult her family." Centuri stated grimly.

"She does not want this union either. We have already agreed that." Orion told him. "I'm sorry if you feel that insults you, but you did teach me that eventually a man must walk his own path. I feel that day has come for me."

"I think it would be best if you didn't assist me with today's service." Centuri told him. Orion just breathed a sigh.

"If that is your decision, I will respect that." Orion told him, before walking away. Libra stepped out of the woods, approaching Centuri.

"I told you those outsiders would be trouble." He snapped.

"I believed Orion would observe my teachings. I underestimated the influence of his friends." Centuri replied.

"So what do we do?" Libra asked him.

"We allow them to leave." Centuri told him.

"But he refuses my sister!" Libra hissed angrily. "It will be a humiliation for my family..."

"You believe I want to see my son leave? I know how stubborn he is, he will not change his mind if his heart has truly chosen this path. It breaks my heart to know I will never see him again!" Centuri told him. "We can do nothing for Orion. He has made his decision, but we can still save our ways by ensuring their influence does not infect the other youngsters."

"This dishonour..."

"I will make this sacrifice because it is my duty to my people." Centuri told him. "I expect the same of my most loyal disciple."

"If that is your will." Libra answered sadly. "For the sake of our people."