Arum City – Military Detention Facility

General Grazot woke from his sleep to the sound of shouting just outside his window. Several Apes were talking about a fire that had broken out just blocks away. Others were claiming a small earthquake had shaken the ground, close by.

"What now?" Grazot muttered. He quickly arose from his cot and wrapped on the door of his cell, demanding that the Sergeant of the Guard report.

Grazot had to pound and yell for what seemed like ten minutes before the Sergeant unlocked the door and stepped in. He briskly saluted and said "What can I do for you, Sir? Are you hungry?"

"No I'm not hungry, Sergeant. What in blazes kept you? And what is all that commotion and talk of a fire?" Grazot shot back

"I don't know the details Sir, but it the Animal Hospital caught fire. I apologize for the delay. I was talking with a soldier about another matter. He's half spooked but he claims that someone attacked General Zuglanus. …that it sounded an awful lot like that experimental new pistol we tested last month…" Sergeant Lhind stated.

Animal Hospital …pistol…The Humans, Grazot mumbled. They'd obviously used that device he'd slipped them and were trying to escape. If they succeeded without him he'd never find them. And they'd probably die without his intervention anyway.

"Attacked? By who? Those bureaucratic morons lock me up and all hell breaks loose" Grazot yelled. "I want a weapon and a horse." The General continued, stepping out of his cell towards the front of the Detention Center.

"Uh, Sir, the Magistrate gave …" the sergeant began to say but Grazot whisked him away with the swing of his paw.

"I may be under house arrest, but I'm still a Contingent General until it's otherwise decided." Grazot said as he grabbed the nearest musket and exited the front of the building.

Outside several horses tied to a post were eating grass as others drank from the trough. They were used for local patrols and correspondence purposes. Grazot mounted the closest steed and galloped towards the smoke he could see rising from the burning building.

As he approached he noticed something irregular. What is a Special Group doing here? Grazot thought as he noticed the elite insignia on the Ape's uniform before him.

An ape Group Captain was directing the fire control effort. "General!" he said saluting hastily. "I'm Group Captain Frehber; I didn't expect to see you. There was a blast. We're almost in, Sir."

The apes had specialized units that focused on elite training. They were similar to a Special Forces unit, though more covert. They had been dubbed: Special Groups. Specially selected soldiers trained in deep reconnaissance, search and rescue, search and destroy and the like. Grazot had fought with a few Special Groups during the Territory Unifications when he was a Major. They were damn efficient at what they did. Some apes referred to them as Ghost-Units because when they'd strike you usually didn't realize it until they were about to slit your throat.

When the fire started, Group Captain Frehber and his unit had stepped up to contain the blaze. But it was odd, these were field units. They could be on leave but their uniforms were weathered and soiled; like they'd just arrived. And why spend your furlough in Arum. Arum wasn't exactly where one spent a Holiday. It was mainly a fishing town. The closest brothel was an hour's ride to the west. It had a few canteens but nothing to write home about.

The Group Captain paused and briefly turned his attention back towards the control effort. "Sergeant Niter, I told you to get those supplies moved back. Now get on it!"

Group Captain Frehber turned back to the General and went on; "Forgive me Sir but those are food and medical supplies. Anyway Sir, a unit attempted to enter earlier but the fire pushed them back. The growing flames delayed our initial efforts but we're starting to make progress."

Group Captain Frehber cleared his throat and took a big swallow from a goat skinned canteen of water. "I've cleared out all nonessential personnel and a second water cart is on the way. We don't know how it started but the ground shook and possibly knocked over a lamp."

"Good work, Group Captain. Is anyone in there?" Grazot asked.

"Some guards were stationed there, Sir and a doctor has been coming and going. I'm not sure if she was in there when the quake hit." The group Captain replied.

"I'm going in with the first party. Make sure we have an ample supply of water. I don't want this fire to spread." Grazot said as he dismounted and handed the reigns to the nearest soldier.

"I'm already on it, Sir" Group Captain Frehber said hiding the fact that he felt like he'd just been insulted. He beckoned for a lieutenant. The lieutenant gave a couple of orders and made his way towards the two superior officers. He saluted as the Group Captain filled him in on the Generals wishes.

"You'll want to leave that here, Sir" the lieutenant said pointing to the musket. "I wouldn't take anything with powder into the building."

"Good point Lieutenant. Group Captain, give me your dagger." Grazot ordered

"Best way in as I can tell is through here, Sir. There are other ways in but if extinguishing the fire is our concern, that's the best approach. …In my opinion anyway, Sir." Lieutenant Zolus stated.

The Group Captain unsheathed the weapon, flipped it over, gracefully catching the flat of the blade, and handed it to Grazot. Grazot began to question the Lieutenant's plans in greater detail as the sound of galloping caught everyone's attention. A very bloody General Zuglanus rode up to the group.

"General Zuglanus? Let me get you a medic, Sir" Lieutenant Zolus said.

"In a minute Lieutenant. I-I need …to speak with General Grazot on an urgent matter first." Zuglanus huffed out with heavy breath.

Not wanting to draw attention to his already colorful appearance he casually asked his friend for a word. He dismounted and almost fell due to the bullet lodged in his chest. Pain shot through his arm as his massive weight shifted.

Grazot helped the soldier steady himself and turned to the Group Captain saying; "Don't go in there without me." Frehber nodded and went back to coordinating the fire control.

"Don't you find it odd that a Special Unit is here?" Zuglanus said quietly.

"Where are the humans, Zig? Did they do this?" Grazot whispered.

"Forget about that for a moment. We have to leave, Grazot. Sullen has no intention of letting this situation escalate. They know what you're planning. That female chimp told them everything." General Zuglanus declared as he explained what had just transpired between him and the Magistrate.

"Ndola is dead? I hated the old fool but…" Grazot claimed

"Do not pity that pompous cynic Grazot. You were next on his list. We have to get to Kawaka. There are apes on The Council who openly oppose Sullen and Ndola's views. We must make our case to them before Sullen does. I have a wife, Grazot, and children. I am not throwing that away." Zuglanus wheezed as he brought a paw to his bleeding chest.

"Get a wagon and provisions and make sure you secure that crate from the stable, as well. I'm going to see if those two men are alive. The Council may ignore us but it can't ignore the power they pose." Grazot answered.

Zuglanus grabbed Grazot by the arm and squeezed slightly. "Get those ambitions of conquest out of your head. Ndola is right about one thing; it's poisoning you. I will not kill another ape, General! My family is what I'm concerned with. But I most assuredly will kill those men if I have reason to. What has gotten into you Grazot? They're savage animals. You'd throw away your life, your career for a few magical toys?"

Grazot gazed at his friend and nodded. "Right now you need to worry about yourself. You look like hell. Go, do as I instructed and meet me back here as quickly as you can. I'll explain all of this."

Grazot turned his attention back to the burning building and called for the Lieutenant and a medic. He ordered them to ride with Zuglanus and help him secure the equipment. They were to return immediately, he insisted.

A huge wooden farm cart filled with water was placed in front of the animal hospital, as the one that was just emptied was removed. An ape was pumping away as a few others held a hose and doused the opening with blasts of water. As soon as the Group Captain was satisfied he gave the order for the second team to batter down the door.

The doors fell open as the flames and smoke licked up the sudden rush of oxygen. Mildly scorched apes jumped aside as the first crew sprayed the interior with water.

"Ok Sir it looks clear." A soldier said after a minute or two.

The troops moved into the building and began to pan out down the corridors. However they were abruptly stopped by the smoke and flames still burning where the water hadn't reached.

"Can anyone hear me?" The soldier yelled

Inside the building several feet away Jonathan Hayes held the ape dagger up and turned to March. "Throwing that second lamp bought us time but its getting damn hot in here and they're breaking through"

"There are too many outside for us to make a break. If we cover our faces we might be able to go out the window and slip into another building close by. Those trees there will provide enough cover. There's a lot of smoke as well. Once it's dark we can try and make our way to the woods." March replied.

"And what about her?" Hayes said pointing to the cage in the corner of the room. "She could die if we leave her here."

Dr Lira sat quietly in the cage that earlier had housed her patients. She was still amazed by the discovery of…talking men.

"Of course, if we release her she can point them right to us" Hayes added, answering his own question.

"I can help you. I can keep you safe. We have never captured humans with your degree of progression. Surely The Council would be most interested in studying you." The Doctor said softly.

"Yeah I'll bet, doc" March answered, struggling to turn his wounded neck towards her. "What was that display of help you were going to demonstrate earlier? Demasculate? Dismasculate? Whatever it is, I plan on keeping all my parts attached, thank you!"

"Alright Jonny, grab what we have and let's slip out that window. We can cover ourselves with those blankets."

Hayes looked at the doctor and then nodded to March. "Ok, Tom. I guess that's our best bet. From the sound of it they'll be breaking through soon. She should be fine."

The two men headed for the window but stopped as they heard; March…March bellowing from the hallway, outside.

"That's Grazot!" Hayes exclaimed.

"General!" Hayes shouted. "Is that you?"

Grazot acknowledged the astronauts inquiry and instructed them both to stay where they were. He then ordered the clearing crew to douse the passageway with water. Some of the flames extinguished but where there remnants of oil, flames still burned.

"Ok, Sergeant take your apes back and clear the next area, I'm going forward get those mehh…um, soldiers out of there." Grazot ordered.

The crew turned their hose to the adjacent hallway and began to work their way down the passage. Grazot lifted the half burned beams that had fallen and tossed them aside. Parts of the ceiling collapsed in front of him. If Grazot had been human his journey would have ended right there. But being an ape had its advantages. He picked up the massive pieces of stone and mortar and flung them to the right & left. Finally after several minutes he made his way into the room.

"Never thought I'd be glad to see your ugly face General" Hayes said feeling quite relieved.

Grazot's ignored the pun but did muster up an equally insulting comment regarding Hayes's fashion apparel. He looked at March and then said. "Time is of the essence. Release the doctor and do as I say. We're leaving."

The General's plan was simple. The two men were placed on a stretcher. They were covered with an old, smelly, blanket. The doctor was instructed to grab one end while he grabbed the other. They lifted the men and proceeded down the hallway and out of the building.

As they reached the outside a medic approached. Grazot turned him away, stating there was nothing that could be done. Grazot was a bit irritated that Zuglanus and the Lieutenant hadn't returned. He motioned with his head for the doctor to keep moving and he placed the stretcher down as far from the action as possible.

"You sit here doctor and under no circumstance is anyone to go near that thing." Grazot stated bluntly.

"General, please…How is that…" Dr Lira started to ask but Grazot just reiterated his last statement and walked away.

"Where are you Zig?" he mumbled under his breath. Several more minutes passed with no sign of his counterpart.

"Damn it!" He spoke softly to himself as he gritted his teeth. That's when he noticed the cart of empty water off to the side.

Grazot lifted the three hundred-plus pound barrel off of the back of the cart and placed it to the side. He went back to where the doctor and the humans were and motioned for her to pick the cart up. They carried it to the wagon and placed the covered humans in the back.

"You need to come with me Doctor." Grazot said as he helped her into the cart and two of them rode off.

Group Captain Frehber looked puzzled. "He did exactly as the Prefect said he would."

The jostling and bumping was murder on Hayes's bruised side but at least he was safe for the moment. March lifted the blanket slightly and moved some of the straw aside to get a better look at where they were headed. He tried to speak to Grazot but was hushed and told to stay out of sight.

Grazot arrived at the stable to see Zuglanus on the ground with the medic and Lieutenant hovering over. "Stay put" he whispered as he pulled up and exited the wagon.

"What's wrong?" Grazot asked the medic.

"I think the General is dead, Sir. He was shot pretty bad but I've never seen a musket wound like that. He was wheezing and fell off his horse. He had this on him" The confused medic said as he held up the 9 mm pistol "What happened to him Sir?"

"Take a look at him, doc. Are you sure he hasn't just passed out?" Grazot said as he called for Dr. Lira to come over and examine the corpse of his closest friend.

Though she was a veterinarian she assured the General that Zuglanus was indeed dead. He wasn't breathing and no longer had a heartbeat. Unbeknownst to the Apes, the bullet had worked its way into the simian General's heart, killing him instantly.

Grazot felt an emptiness engulf him as the reality of situation took grip. "Let me have that pistol, Corporal, I want you and the lieutenant to return to the fire and help out there. I'll take care of things here."

The soldiers acknowledged their orders and rode off. Grazot picked up the body of his comrade and put him in the back of the wagon.

"What's going on Grazot? I'm about to suffocate back here" March asked as the thud of the gorilla shook the base of the cart.

"I said we're leaving. And we are. Sit tight and get back under that blanket. If you're seen, you'll be suffocated by every soldier within ten miles of here." Grazot snarled in anger.

He went into the stable and paused as he noticed the Magistrates unrecognizable body lying in the dirt. The sight of gore didn't even faze the seasoned combatant. If it wasn't for his attire you wouldn't even know it was Ndola… Wait…his attire, the General thought as he reached down and took the Magistrates ring. The seal it carried could come in handy he concluded.

He pulled a blood soaked sack of coins from his belt and then proceeded to rip the locks off the crates until he found what he was looking for. But he didn't have to. The crate of weapons was open and in plain sight. He tossed the pistol inside, closed it, and loaded it into the wagon.

"Ok Doctor you're free to leave." Grazot stated abruptly.

"General, those animals not only talk, they can reason. I need to know how that is. I don't know where you're headed but I…" Dr Lira shot back.

That's all I need. Another flippant female, Grazot thought. "That wasn't a request Doc. I'm leaving and since my good friend is now…dead…I no longer need a physician." And with that Grazot grabbed the doctor by the back of her lab coat gently moved her aside.

"Besides there's someone inside who needs your attention anyway" Grazot said as he pulled on the reins and the wagon rolled off.

"Alright you two, stay down. We have one more stop and then we're moving out." Grazot said as he whipped the reins to move the horses forward.

Arum City – Animal Control Hospital – approximately 1 hour later

The fire was finally extinguished but the building would have to be leveled and rebuilt. Civilian crews were clearing out the soot and smoldering remains. All of the military personnel had evacuated just moments earlier.

In a building not too far away a door opened and the Lord Prefect walked in. The Special Group leapt from their seats and saluted.

"You may sit gentleapes…please. I trust that the food is to your satisfaction." Sullen said as he took a seat at the head of the table. He looked at Group Captain Frehber and asked. "So my good Group Captain, what is your assessment of the General?"

Group Captain Frehber began to rise but Sullen beckoned him to sit, irritatedly stating that time was too short for these exasperating military courtesies. "Just spit it out" was the point he made.

"As you wish, Lord Prefect. I had never met the General but my short encounter with the ape tells me that we are not dealing with a fool, Sir. There was suspicion in his eye when he arrived and noticed my insignia. Special Groups do not police or handle civil disasters and he's most certainly aware of that. Also, he did not hesitate to inject his commanding authority but was still reserved enough not to disrupt the operations in progress. He's confident, disciplined and can think or regroup when the circumstances call for it. He used this situation exactly as you'd predicted Lord Prefect. He entered with the initial wave and secured the animals. He removed them from the building and improvised when tensions were high and we were focused on clearing the building from within."

"What do have to add Lieutenant Zolus?" the Lord Prefect asked

Zolus began to rise instinctively but caught himself. He apologized, sat and proceeded to answer the Lord Prefect's question. "Well Sir, I didn't have a lot of interaction with him but the small part that did would have to agree with Group Captain Frehber's assessment. He is not impulsive nor is he intimidated. Just as Group Captain Frehber stated, I have never met General Grazot or any General for that matter but he is definitely someone to be respected."

"Does anyone else have anything they'd like to add?" The Prefect asked openly.

The room was silent for about approximately 15 seconds. When it was obvious no one else had anything to add, Group Captain Frehber spoke again. "Sir, I'm a soldier. And I might add a damn good soldier at that. I do my job and don't question my orders but in this situation I'm confused as to exactly what those orders are."

The Group captain rose and stretched his back. It cracked and so did his neck as he twisted his head from left to right. He scratched his sides, sighed a bit and went on "I've heard the rumors about General Grazot and I'm aware that some wild humans set a fire that spread through much of Arum. But like the General, I too can sense when something doesn't add up. What is all this over embellishment regarding some stupid, practically-extinct animals? And why would a Contingent General enter a burning building, pluck them out and then ride off? Why would he toss his career aside like that? And finally Sir …and I mean no disrespect, but why would the Lord prefect himself and Senior Government Magistrate have my unit recalled from the field for an informal face-to-face chat on my opinions of General Grazot?"

"No offense taken Group Captain. That candid reply is exactly why I selected you for this mission. Your orders are simple gentleapes. You are to shadow Grazot to wherever he's going. My guess is that it's to the heart of where those humans nest and I also believe that it's in the heart of the Banned Territories. I've sent dispatched riders to every town and outpost from here to the edge of our civilization. They are to let Grazot pass. They will also pass intelligence to us on the Generals movements. Oh we'll pursue him but just because he'd expect that. However you and your unit will be the real trackers. Once Grazot arrives at wherever it is, you are to kill him and every human you find. You will burn and destroy everything that's there" Sullen said as he closed a fist and shook it in front of his chest.

The Prefect also rose but more for effect. He pointed a finger from his paw at the group and continued. "As to the why of your question I will simply say; the specific details are not for me to divulge. I will say this; these are not docile humans, they're different. The General believes that they nest in an ancient lair where some rather unique weaponry exists. I believe his ultimate goal is rebellion and conquest."

"But Sir, the Banned Territories are forbidden. They were proclaimed cursed and poisoned by the Law Giver." Lieutenant Zolus stated

"Yes, Lieutenant, my Grandfather did make that proclamation, but that was ages ago. I would not send an ape into Banned Territories if I had any concerns that he or she might die. Now finish your meals gentleapes and get some rest. You will be reequipped in the morning before you leave." And with that statement the Prefect raise his glass and toasted the soldiers.