ACT VIII: EKOSIAK

All journeys have secret destinations of which the traveler is unaware.

Martin Buber

SD 195-07-28, Hicho Spaceport, Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 1000 hours

-"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Ekosiak, we hope you enjoy your stay on our planet. Please pick up your belongings at the baggage and cargo reception area, thank you."

After a month-long spacecraft journey from Arras Chanka to the distant solar system of Ekosiak, Erma Felna arrives in Hicho, the capital of the only habitable planet in the system, called Ekosiak I. Although the trip was pleasant for her, it was still a long and heavy journey, due to the fact that she was locked in what was basically a tube for more than a month. At least the attention was very good, and the same thing she could say about the food.

Once out of the small spacecraft that served to transship from the space station where the main spacecraft had previously arrived to the planet and the capital itself, Erma realized that the landscape was quite different from what she had seen before, both on her native Dornthant and on other planets where she had been, like Arras Chanka and Derzon for example. Not to mention that the air was also breathed very differently, because it was a completely different world and therefore the atmosphere, pressure and other geological and physical details were not the same.

But as interesting and different as her new assignment was, Erma could not help but realize that the reason she was transferred to that distant world was mostly for political reasons, mostly because she was a woman. Basically, Erma's job at Ekosiak would be as a training instructor, a perfect job for someone who survived a brutal and bloody battle in a city like Andis, in Derzon, and above all it was also a perfect job for someone the EDF didn't want to become a symbol or a future reference for any other woman who wanted to imitate her.

There was also the fact that the inhabitants of Ekosiak, a planet and solar system far removed from other systems of the Confederation of Planets (ConFed), were equally or more conservative about seeing a woman like Erma in a command position in the army, something that could be an obstacle for Erma to do her job properly.

But despite all these obstacles that might stand in her way, there was one thing that was very clear for the young Feline girl: She was not going to allow herself to be treated in an inferior way just for the simple and stupid fact of being a woman, since she was an officer of the EDF, and that was more important to her than anything else. She may not have received the adequate respect from her superiors, but that did not mean that she did not have any dignity and she was willing not to allow hers to be sullied by political problems or misogynistic attitudes.

-"Excuse me, miss, can I help you with your suitcase, if you wish?"-

The voice came from a soldier, a Canine (wolf), who spoke with a very pronounced local accent and whom Erma had some trouble understanding. Although the man had good intentions, she preferred to carry her belongings alone and without any help.

-"No, thanks, I can do it alone. Besides, I need to do some fitness after that long journey, you know..."

-"Oh, I see. Enjoy your visit, miss."-

-"Thank you."-

Erma Felna quickly realized that soldier was not the only person who spoke with an accent that was incredibly alien and almost impossible for her to describe. Many of the people in the spaceport, especially soldiers and public security forces, spoke in a dialect that for her, who came from a rather conservative-minded planet and was something that even she had to admit many times, sounded particularly vulgar, dirty and even degrading from her point of view. And apparently the inhabitants themselves knew how vulgar their way of speaking might be to strangers coming from other worlds, and even a soldier, apparently a high-ranking officer, could not help but make a very ironic mention of the way some of his countrymen spoke:

-"YOU GUYS, STOP SPEAKIN' LIKE $% NOOBS, THERE'S LOTS OF )# CIVVIES OUT HERE!"-

Even the normally serious Erma couldn't help but laugh a little at the foul language of those men, knowing that this was their everyday way of speaking. After living and visiting many planets in her life, nothing seemed to surprise her anymore in terms of traditions, cultures... and coarse language.

-"I think I'm gonna have to get a little used to the way these people speak."-

But before she could keep asking herself about the local dialect, she saw a person who seemed to be waiting for her at the end of the spaceport corridor, who seemed to be waving at her to make his location known.

-"HEY, OVER HERE!"-

Seeing that person, Erma quickly moved on to where that man was located. She instantly noticed that he was a more or less elderly man, who was also a middle-sized Mustelid (otter) and who wore clothes that indicated he belonged to a high-ranking member of the local government. Once beside her, the man shook her hands as he introduced himself.

-"Are you Lieutenant Erma Felna?"-

-"Yes, I am. And you must be..."-

-"Head Secretary Shato of the ConFed Branch in Ekosiak. Pleased to meet you in person, Lieutenant"-

-"The pleasure is mine, sir."-

The secretary noticed Erma's accent, which fully evidenced that she came from Dornthant, something he pointed out to her.

-"Strange, no one told me that the famous Erma Felna was a Dornthantii."-

Clearly, Erma felt a little uncomfortable hearing that, for she hear a certain xenophobic undertone in those words that the man spoke to her, even though it didn't seem to be his intention.

-"Is there a concern with that, sir?"- Erma asked for a explanation in the most polite way possible to the Mustelid man.

-"No, it's nothing."- Shato explained the context of his words to the Feline officer. -"I just realized that you are very polite and refined in your way of speaking, compared to some of my compatriots, to be honest. I must assume they didn't explain anything to you about this planet over there in Arras Chanka, including the local dialect and our culture, right?"-

-"Outside the basics, no."-

-"I see. I expected nothing less from them."-

-"What do you mean by that, sir?"-

-"I don't think it's convenient to explain it here in this place."- The man conveniently tried to save the conversation for another better place. -"Let's go back to my office and I can explain everything more clearly. I hope you have all your luggage on hand, Lieutenant."-

-"Understood, sir."-

-"Then, let's go."-

Both characters then leave the spaceport, bound for a vehicle that was parked at the entrance of the place. To Erma's surprise, she realized that Shato, the secretary, was going to drive the vehicle on his own, instead of being accompanied by a private driver or a bodyguard, something she immediately noted.

-"And where's your private driver?"- Erma asked.

-"Private driver, you say?"- The Mustelid old man replied, somewhat amused by that question. -"I prefer to drive on my own. I'm not the kind of guy who likes to brag about that kind of stuff and besides, I'm a public servant, so I should at least identify with my people, don't you think so, Lieutenant?"-

-"Well, I guess I have to agree with that."-

SD 195-07-28, Downtown Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 1100 hours

-"Welcome to Ekosiak, Lieutenant!"- Shato, the head secretary of the EDF Homeguard in Ekosiak, tried to show to Erma some parts of the city, while they were both in the civil servant's vehicle. -"Even if our planet is far away from the Confederation and the EDF, we are not as backward as many people think we are. At least our capital is pretty, don't you think, Lieutenant?"-

Indeed, for a planet so far away that it was on the outskirts of the ConFed, the capital city of Ekosiak, Hicho, was a very beautiful and modern city, no different from other cities on other planets of the Confederation. Something that caught Erma's attention was that there were many trees and vegetation in almost every corner of the city, which gave the settlement a really unusual and mystical air, but at the same time it embellished the city on many levels.

-"I must admit, the city is very beautiful, Secretary."-

-"And you haven't seen the best of it yet for later, Lieutenant."- The man kept talking while driving his vehicle -"You should see the ConFed office downtown, you will be fascinated by the place, no doubt about it. In fact, we asked to move to that place for the view, because it was too beautiful to miss the opportunity to stay in such nice place."-

And after half an hour of driving through Hicho, both Erma and Secretary Shato arrived at the ConFed offices in the capital. And just as the Mustelid had said the place was simply beautiful: Many white-leaved trees were around the building, with the respective leaves falling from the trees due to the time of year, giving the place a very special and moving look. Not bad for a government building, if one could say so in a certain way.

-"Well, here we are."- Shato proudly said towards his Feline guest. -"What do you think of the place, Lieutenant? Don't you think it's beautiful?"-

-"Yes, the place is nice, but there's one thing that catches my eye about this building, and I'm sorry if I'm very frank about it."-

-"What is it, Lieutenant?"-

-"This building is kind of... small."-

-"You mean the size of the place?"- Shato glanced at the building, due to the woman's comment. -"A lot of people have said that already, Lieutenant, so don't worry about it. The building is small because the ConFed has never had a very significant presence here at Ekosiak, so they only send very few people down here, which means you won't have to work with a lot of staff, if you want to know that, Lieutenant."-

-"Oh, I see"- Erma answered in somewhat surprised tone, knowing she will have to work with few people on her orders.

-"Well, let's not waste time and go inside, I want to introduce you to someone who might be of interest to you."- The Mustelid man said towards Erma, while both walked straight to the building.

-"Someone of interest, you say?"-

-"Yeah, an aide of mine, in fact, and a woman, if you're interested in that tidbit."-

-"Understood, sir."-

Both characters then entered the ConFed's office, where a security guard, a Rodent (squirrel), was on duty at the entrance to the building to keep an eye on anyone who entered the premises.

-"Good morning, secretary"-

-"The same goes for you, Destay"-

The guard looked at Erma to talk to her...

-"May I have your ID, miss?"-

-"OK."-

Erma gave the man her official ID, and when she saw that everything was in order, the guard let her in.

-"Everything's in order, you can come in, Lieutenant, and enjoy your stay here."-

-"Thank you."-

Once inside the building, Shato noticed that the person he was referring to a few minutes ago was five steps away from the door, waiting for the man and his guest from Arras Chanka.

-"Gee, Dea, I didn't expect you to wait for us in the doorway."-

Indeed, there was a woman waiting for the secretary and his guest at the entrance. Erma realized that she, who was a Vulpine (vixen), was a much older woman than she was, but still she was a person who gave off an air of dignity and seriousness that was really unusual compared to Shato and the other inhabitants of Ekosiak, which meant that she did not have origins on that planet.

-"Well, I needed to talk to you as soon as you got back here, Secretary."- The Vulpine woman said. -"This is something very urgent you need to know."-

-"Well, first of all, I'd like to introduce you to our guest. This is Lieutenant Erma Felna, who has just been transferred to Ekosiak on orders from the EDF."-

-"Nice to meet you in person, Honorable..."-

-"Dea, Dea Htuhok-Kho, at your service, Lieutenant."- Dea politely finished her part of the greetings -"I am the personal aide of Secretary Shato."

-"Yeah, that's right."- Shato added some stuff from his side about his personal assistant. -"She lends me a hand with some things here at work, considering we don't work with a lot of people here in the first place."-

-"By the way, and if it's not too much of an inconvenience on my end,"- Erma asked to Dea regarding her. -"I just realized that you're not from here in Ekosiak, Hon. Kho, judging by your accent."-

-"That's right, I'm from Dornthant, just like you, Lt. Felna."- The Vulpine woman gladly answered Erma's question about her origins.

-"I see."-

-"All right, now that you girls have introduced yourselves, I need to know what the problem was that I needed to know, Dea."- Shato asked his aide about the reason why Dea was waiting for her in the doorway.

-"I'm sorry this is the first thing you'll have to know when you get here, sir, but we have some bad news."- Dea looked a bit serious all of a sudden after talking candidly with Erma and her boss. -"There was another terrorist attack a few hours ago outside the city. A local terrorist group has just announced on the Net that they were responsible for the attack."

-"WHAT?"- The man answered in shock. -"Another attack?"

-"Eh, yes, sir."- Dea replied.

-"What did the central government say about it?"-

-"From what I've heard, they consider it as another act of gratuitous anarchy."-

-"Damn it!"- The old man cursed loudly about what had happened, which the local authorities did not seem to take seriously. -"What the blazes are those idiots in the government thinking?"-

-"I don't know, sir. That was their answer."-

-"I don't care what kind of answer those brain-dead morons gave you,"- Shato angrily replied to his assistant as he saw the seriousness of the issue. -"I need you to make me an appointment with the Minister of Defense right NOW!"- Shato cursed his luck further. -"Dear Khai! Do they have no idea of the magnitude of the crisis they have in their hands?"-

Erma tried to find out why Shato was so upset, as it was obvious that she did not know the context of what was happening at the time, other than the fact that a terrorist attack had occurred somewhere in the city.

-"I'm sorry if I'm getting involved in something that's no concern of mine, but what exactly is going on, if you'd be so kind to enlighten me?"-

Both Shato and Dea looked at each other when they saw that Erma had no knowledge of the local context of what was happening in those critical moments for both characters. Apparently their foreign guest had no idea what they were talking about, other than the attack itself.

-"What?"- The Mustelid man said quite puzzled at Erma's question. -"Didn't you receive a full briefing on the local situation on this planet before you came here?"-

-"Well, apart from the basics, I have not the slightest idea what you're talking about and what's going on in the proper context, to be honest. Everything about this planet is completely new to me."- Erma had to admit it very humbly to the secretary.

Hearing the young soldier's explanation, Shato face-palmed in frustration, seeing that she did not seem to have received enough information about the local situation in Ekosiak, and that he now had to explain it to her somehow.

-"Let me ask to you, Lieutenant,"- The old man asked Erma with firm voice. -"If you have no idea what's going on here, why the EDF sent you here in the first place?"-

-"According to my orders, I was sent here as a combat instructor. A Consolidated Tactical Combat Instructor, to be exact."-

Shato was completely surprised to hear that his guest, far from being an ordinary ConFed administrator or a high-ranking officer, turned out to be an instructor, of all the things he needed at the time. But far from being angry with her or with EDF, he decided to take advantage of the situation so that Erma would not feel that her presence was a hindrance to his work and that she would at least be useful.

-"Oh, my! a CTC instructor. That's very bright from those idiots! Heh, heh, heh, heh!"- The man laughed at the current predicament in which he and Dea found themselves. -"Instead of sending me someone useful, they decide to send me a newcomer with no political experience. I must admit I admire the insight and cleverness of that plan!"-

-"Excuse me, Secretary Shato, could you tell me what's going on and what you have in mind for me?"- Erma asked the Mustelid secretary.

Moments later, the old man speaks to Erma, with the intention of explaining the heart of the matter to her.

-"As you may have noticed, if you have already done so, I was expecting some bureaucrat from the EDF and not a newbie to this type of sensitive issues, such as dealing with social problems on a planetary level."- Shato explained to the Dornthantii woman. -"It is obvious that they are not taking the local situation seriously, and given your credentials, such as having fought in Derzon both on the air and on the land, I think it was more convenient for them to send an inexperienced young girl in politics to these lands than to waste someone more important for the same job."-

-"I see, sir."-

As time passed, it was increasingly obvious that Erma was sent to Ekosiak to work in much more delicate administrative functions, such as dealing with local problems, something she only had theoretical knowledge thanks to her military training. The whole thing about working as an instructor was just a cheap excuse for EDF to get rid of her by sending her basically to a faraway, backwater, near-forgotten world.

And while she showed a normal face to her hosts, inside her mind and soul she felt tremendous frustration and anger that her own superiors had basically "rewarded" her for her heroism by dispatching her as far away as possible, as long as she could not become a threat to the interests of EDF and ConFed just because she was a woman.

But now the most important thing for Erma was to listen to the words of that man, who was trying to take advantage of the issue she was now in.

-"From what I understand, you have the experience and authority to give orders, right?"- Shato asked Erma about her leadership skills.

-"That's right, sir."- The Feline girl confirmed to the old man. -"Due to various circumstances, I was granted the leadership of an air squadron to fight in Derzon's skies and because my aircraft was shot down, I was also granted the leadership of a ground squad when their leader was killed in a previous ambush. At that time we proceeded to eliminate several pockets of resistance in the city of Andis, although I was later shot in an ambush inside a building. You can confirm that with headquarters if you have any inquiries, sir."-

-"I don't think that's necessary."- Shato replied very convinced of Erma's commanding skills, in part because of her eloquence, which implied that she was much more intelligent than he expected from someone who hardly knew anything about internal politics. -"I believe I can rely on your insight in analyzing all of these summaries about the internal situation of our world, Ekosiak, which will be given to you as you begin your work in the Home Guard ASAP."-

Erma was surprised that man was willing to ask her to start working without any other consideration or condition, even though for all practical purposes, she was a foreigner who had not the remotest idea of the current situation on that distant and unfamiliar planet, other that they needed her help somehow.

-"Really, sir? I do not really understand why you are asking me to do this, although I must admit that I am very honored by your words."-

-"Well, that has a good explanation, Lieutenant."- Shato kept explaining at her. -"If you work in the Home Guard, where you have more practical experience, you would be more useful, considering your leadership abilities, charisma and above all that you would be helpful in case the things went south. Besides, working as a simple instructor would have been an almost criminal waste of talent in this case and a woman as intelligent as you is something that is needed right now in Ekosiak as soon as possible."-

Erma couldn't believe what she was hearing: Shato, a high-ranking ConFed official, was willing to ask a newcomer like her to take on delicate internal political duties, even though she was not originally from Ekosiak, although that seemed to have a further explanation...

-"I am very honored with your request, Secretary Shato, but I would like to know one thing:"- Erma asked. -"Why are you asking this to me? I am not a native of this planet and I know almost nothing about this place."-

-"That's simple:"- The old, Mustelid man replied to his Feline guest. -"I prefer to entrust this task to a novice, more idealistic cadet, and more willing to do his job, than some stupid EDF bureaucrat, who probably has no interest in working here and who will probably be more of a nuisance or will try to manipulate things at his leisure."-

-"Certainly, sir."- Erma agreed with the secretary.

-"Well, now that I've explained what I have to say, I'm going to send to your data pad all the political and social background of Ekosiak so that you have an idea of his work you're going to do here."- Shato then heads to his office with Dea at his side, while Erma hears a beep from her data pad in her suitcase, indicating that she has a message. -"If you'll excuse me, I'm going to order a vehicle to take you to the base and make the appropriate personal presentations to the members of the base. I wish you luck, Lieutenant."

Once both characters left the scene, leaving Erma alone in the lobby, she went to a private room for the exclusive use of EDF members, which was almost next to her, so that she could read the content sent to her data pad in secret. Once inside, she read the content that Shato sent her in advance about the cultural, social and political background of the planet Ekosiak and what she grasped of the current situation of the planet was completely overwhelming for her: There were all sorts of problems of different kinds, including an incredible number of political factions that were against both the ConFed and the EDF, political radicalism from both left and right, extreme nationalism, and even xenophobia.

Reading the magnitude of the problems she had in her hands to solve on that distant planet, the young Feline soldier could not help but bang her head on the table in frustration, since she did not have the experience or qualifications to do such a complex and dangerous task. It was one thing to fight against the enemy on the battlefield, and another to solve very complex socio-political problems, something for which she was not prepared. The only thing she could think of in those difficult moments was that neither the ConFed nor the EDF had bothered to notice the mess that planet was in and instead of sending someone qualified for the job, they decided to send a rookie like her to Ekosiak.

-"Khai!"- Erma cursed her luck in silence. -"These people need someone else specialized in this type of issues, like a civil management team. How do they expect someone like me can solve the problems of an entire planet? This isn't fair at all, damn it!"-

And as Erma cursed her fate, suddenly and without warning, we saw Dea Htuhok-Kho again, who entered the room to talk to Erma about her vehicle that was going to take her to the base where she would live the time she was in Ekosiak.

-"I'm very sorry to interrupt you, Lieutenant Felna, but your vehicle is already waiting for you outside."-

The words of that woman brought Erma out of her mental stupor about her new job, taking into account Dea's words were very kind to her. The fact that both women were from the same planet helped a lot.

-"Oh, really? That's quick, thank you so much for the trouble, Mrs. Dea!"- Erma quickly thanked the graceful Vulpine woman who was in front of her.

-"You're welcome, Lieutenant, I'm here to help you in any way I can."-

Minutes later, a vehicle was waiting for her outside the ConFed headquarters, and without further ado and with Dea's help, Erma entered the vehicle and headed for the base. The vehicle was driven by a soldier from the base, a Vulpine (fox) like Dea, although the latter did not have the same mannerisms or way of speaking as elegant as she did, to put it in nicer terms.

SD 195-07-28, On the way to EDF Home Guard Base, Planet Ekosiak I, 1300 hours

-"First of all, thank you so much for the lift, Sergeant."- Erma began the chat thanking the soldier first -"I'd like to know something about the base, if it's not too much trouble for you."

-"Well, if that's what you're interested in, Lieutenant."- The Vulpine man described the place by his own words. -"The base itself is not very relevant as far as we can tell, apart from being a few klicks away from the city. In fact, it's the only base on the entire planet, to be honest."-

-"I see."- Erma replied, as she saw the local landscape while the vehicle was leaving the city. -"And what's the name of your commander in charge of the place?"-

-"His name is Colonel Onni Hitzok."- The driver said. -"A man with a reputation for honesty and fairness in all Ekosiak, although he is also known for being somethin'... special with regard about outsiders like you, I might add."-

-"Special, you said?"-

-"Yeah, the colonel usually prefers to work with people from this planet and not strangers from other places. Not that he's xenophobic or anything, but we Ekosiaki are known for handlin' things our way and not askin' foreigners for help, unless necessary."-

-"Well, I think I can at least understand it that way."-

Erma began to think carefully that she was not going to have things so easy in her hands, if her superior officer is a person with a reputation for being wary of foreigners like her, especially if they are people like her whose only merit to be there was to have taken part in a fierce battle in a city, in this case Andis, in Derzon, so she had to be careful when introducing herself to such a figure like that man.

The sergeant driving the vehicle, seeing that she had been quiet for a few moments, decided to resume the talk on his own.

-"Well, if it's not too much of an indiscretion on my part, what does an EDF officer do around here?"- The Vulpine man asked Erma about what was going to be her job in his planet. -"I don't think you came all this way just to talk to the Colonel, do you?"-

-"If I am to be technical, the reason I am here is to work as an instructor, in a nutshell."-

-"An instructor, uh?"- The man wondered about his Feline guest. -"With all due respect, it seems a little strange to me that the EDF sent someone from so far away to work as an instructor here, whent they could better ask a local to do the job."

-"In practical terms I am a fighter pilot, but by fate I ended up participating in the Battle of Derzon in many ways that I did not anticipate."-

-"Really, Lieutenant?"- The man asked quite puzzled by her answer.

-"Yes."- Erma continued with the conversation. -"At the end of the conflict, the EDF believed that it would be convenient for me to use my experience I gained in Derzon and apply it in a place where it would be useful, like here in Ekosiak, even as an instructor."-

The sergeant was completely shocked to hear the reasons why Erma was on his planet. The fact that a woman had engaged in direct combat against enemy forces was unheard of, both in Ekosiak and nowhere else and that man could not believe he had a celebrity in his care at the time.

-"Wai-wai-WAIT A MINUTE! Were you really in Derzon? Does that mean that...?"-

-"If you ask me, yes, I was fighting on the ground against the enemy."-

-"Oh, khai!"- The man replied in a very loud way. -"That's amazin', a woman was fightin' a real battle! That's somethin' to look up to, miss."-

The young Feline soldier began to feel a little uncomfortable hearing that kind of praise, because she felt she didn't deserve it, considering that rather than fighting a battle, all she did was surviving one without even proposing it, and even after that she still had many scars, both physical and mental, from that terrible conflict.

-"Well, to be completely honest, I did see some fighting out there, so to speak,"- She explained to the man with a certain semblance of discomfort because of the sensitivity of the subject to her. -"and as I said before, the reason I'm here is to share my experience on the subject. Nothing more and nothing less."

SD 195-07-28, EDF Home Guard Base, Hicho, Planet Ekosiak I, 1430 hours

After that rather uncomfortable talk for Erma and a few minutes on the road, she and her driver arrived at the EDF Home Guard base on the outskirts of Hicho. As the man had said a few minutes ago, the base had nothing peculiar about it that caught her eye, other than being surrounded by the same white-leafed trees she had seen in the downtown area. Once the sergeant and Erma identified themselves at the entrance of the base, the vehicle parked and both characters got off.

-"All right, here we are."- The driver said after his guest and himself got off from the vehicle. -"Would you like me to help you with your bags, ma'am?"-

-"Thanks, but it's not necessary."- The Dornthantii girl politely declined. -"Besides, I need to get some exercise after the long trip I took from Arras Chanka."-

-"As you wish."-

-"By the way, where can I find Colonel Hitzok here at the base?"- Erma asked the Vulpine man, since she didn't know anything about the place.

-"Well, if you wish, I can ask someone, I think the security guards might know where he is."-

-"Thanks for the help."-

-"By the way, there's something I have to tell you."-

The soldier pointed his eyes at Erma's hips, especially where she had her service revolver that she always had at hand, something that she quickly noticed

-"What's wrong with my hips?"-

-"I don't mean your hips, just your gun, Lieutenant."-

-"What? Is there a problem with my gun?"-

-"Well, I understand perfectly well that the current situation is not exactly peaceful around here, but the whole gun-wielding thing is not a good idea here at Ekosiak,"- The sargeant sternly warned the woman about wielding her weapon at all times. -"assuming, with all due respect, that it is normal from where you come from."-

-"Oh, I see."- Erma gave a quick answer. -"I'll discuss that with the colonel later."-

The young soldier did not understand the sergeant's warning about her service revolver at her waist that, at least in her native Dornthant and Arras Chanka, it was normal to carry weapons in plain view, although, as far as she knew, it was frowned upon on some planets to carry weapons publicly, but she did not have time to pay attention to such details. And while she was thinking about that incident, the sergeant went to speak with one of the guards to ask about Colonel Hitzok's whereabouts inside the base.

-"Okay, I already went to ask about the colonel and they told me he's at the club, which is on the east side of the base. If you wish, I can take your luggage to your quarters, ma'am."-

-"All right, but I'll take my luggage there later, thanks for the help anyway."-

-"You're welcome!"-

And after receiving the location of the colonel's whereabouts, Erma went to the social club, a place within many military bases in the EDF that served both as a restaurant and as a meeting place at the same time. In this case, the site was at the eastern end of the base, far away from other military installations, perhaps to prevent noise from the site from disrupting the day-to-day operations of the base. Minutes later, the young Dornthantii girl managed to find the place and without thinking twice, she entered the club.

One would think that a place like this, which in other circumstances, would be a noisy place, full of cigarette smoke, drunken soldiers and corny pop music taken from a film with similar themes would not be a suitable place for a girl from a conservative place like Erma, but this is not the case in the society where she, the people of Ekosiak and all the other anthropomorphic people lived: Not only was there no music, but there were no drunken soldiers, nor was there any alcohol in the place, since that concept was completely non-existent in that society, and the same could be said of the concept of smoking, which was also unheard of. The only thing that could be heard in that place full of men (and some small robots who were waiters in that club) from the Home Guard army of that planet as far away as Ekosiak was the sound of the conversations that all those people were having at that moment. The only kind of drink those men were drinking, apart from water, was tea, coffee or soy noodle soup with vegetables, something that would contrast with the image of those tough-looking soldiers elsewhere. Once inside the place, Erma asked for the colonel, who was in the back of the restaurant chatting with other soldiers and officers quietly and once with that information, she went looking for him on the spot.

Erma finally found Colonel Onni Hitzok: That man was a Canine (wolf), much older than she was for more than a decade, a little taller than she was, his coat was a mixture of gray and white colors, and above all, with a not exactly friendly face, at least when that man saw her in person. It was more than evident that officer did not enjoy seeing her, since like many people on that planet, he did not like the idea that a foreigner like Erma working beside him, much less a woman, but he knew very well that he had no choice in the matter, for his personal chagrin.

-"So, you must be Col. Onni Hitzok."- Erma asked his name to confirm his identity.

-"Yes. And you must be Lt. Erma Felna, I guess."- The Canine man did the same in a dry, annoyed way.

-"That's right."-

-"OK, let's get down to business here then, Lieutenant."- Hitzok angrily pointed his finger to Erma, making quite clear that her presence was not welcome, at least for him. -"I know perfectly well, from the information I have received, the reasons why you are here at Ekosiak. And I'm going to be frank and honest with you: I hardly like you, at all."-

-"I understand that perfectly well, Colonel."- Erma replied as politely as possible, despite the rude answer she received from the Ekosiaki colonel.

-"It seems that the famous stereotype that Dornthantii people are very polite seems to be true because of what I'm seeing and in view of your answer, Lieutenant."-

Hitzok replied to the woman, using a local stereotype about Erma's people as a way to demean her in a way, but keeping his dry tone at all times. Erma wasn't surprised or angry in any way and she just kept quiet about it.

-"But let's be honest anyway: You and I have our orders and we must follow them anyway as members of the EDF, even if I don't like the person in front of me. I hope you understand that, Lt. Felna."-

-"Thank you, Colonel."- The Feline girl replied without losing her cool at any time, in an attempt to show Col. Hitzok she was taking the matter as seriously as he was, even if she didn't like his rude attitude towards her. -"And forgive me if I should go straight with you, but if you say you know everything about me, you should know beforehand that I have military experience, which I gained during my tour on Derzon, especially in matters of tactics and leadership. Assuming, of course, that you will come to need it when required, Colonel."-

The Colonel remained silent for a few moments, seeing the courageous and determined attitude of that woman who did not seem to flinch at his presence. After careful consideration, the Canine officer decided to give Erma his answer.

-"Certainly, I think you might be right, Lieutenant. Maybe some help wouldn't hurt after all."- Hitzok replied, but suddenly, his expression became fiercely and he put his eyes on Erma in a angry way. -"But I'm also going to be honest with you: Don't think that just because you took part in a skirmish in a faraway place will impress me with it, even if it comes from the EDF itself. From this moment on, I'm going to watch you closely, and if I see something I don't like about you in your performance or I see something that might be interpreted as interference in my world's internal affairs, I'll personally take care of it, if necessary, by force. "-

In those heights, Erma could interpret the colonel's words as an implicit threat in the event that she did something that was not to the liking of that man, who did not sympathize with foreigners in any way, much less with people like Erma, who was in Ekosiak mostly for political reasons because of her sex. But she would not allow that man as intimidating as Colonel Hitzok to overpower her in any way and she also looked into his eyes, so that there would be no doubt that she would not be intimidated by anyone, even someone as important as Hitzok.

-"I fully understand your concerns regarding my future performance on this planet, but let me also tell you something and make it perfectly clear for you, Colonel:"- Erma responded to the colonel, keeping an eye on him and maintaining a countenance that might have looked almost disrespectful to the man, considering her rank and the fact that several of the colonel's relatives who were at the time eating with him at the club were upset and even frightened by the reckless attitude of that young foreign soldier from a faraway place, and that her presence in Ekosiak was marred by extremely misogynistic and almost ridiculous motives in a certain way. -"I, too, fully understand the reasons why I am here, and believe me that I do not like this, but we have no choice but to work together peacefully to achieve our goals. I hope I've made myself clear with that, Colonel Hitzok."-

What followed was a silence from all present, including Erma, after she uttered those words. Those men, including the colonel, though without losing his cool, could not believe the boldness of that woman who did not seem to be intimidated by the presence of such an important figure as Colonel Hitzok, and even some of them began to speak in a low voice to their commanding officer regarding her.

-"Colonel, with all due respect, are you going to let that woman talk to you like that? If that stupid young lady is going to act mighty and highly around here, I don't think she'll last more than a week, considering all the issues that are happening right now round here."-

-"I know that perfectly well, but at the moment we have no choice about it. I also like her attitude, because obviously she's not going to be so easily intimidated, but I'll take it easy and if I see anything unusual, I'll take the appropriate steps regarding her."-

Once Hitzok had finished talking to his men privately in a low voice, the man turned his gaze to her, though with a somewhat more serious attitude than just moments ago.

-"Well, we'll see about that. But for the time being I think you should rest after such a long journey that you have just undertaken."- Suddenly, Hitzok changed his confrontational attitude to one of kinder to the foreign girl. -"Wouldn't you like to have some soy soup with us in the meantime, Lieutenant? It's the local specialty here in Ekosiak. I'll pay the bill for you, if you want."-

-"WHAT?"-

Everyone present, including Erma, was surprised to see how the colonel suddenly decided to invite Erma to lunch with him, when just a few minutes ago he could barely tolerate her and it was evident that she could not do the same with him. But all of this turned out to be something more elaborate than he then explained under his breath to his associates.

-"Colonel, with all due respect, what do you intend to do?"-

-"Relax, I just want to get to know this girl better. If I can observe her actions and behavior at once, at least I'll have a good idea of the kind of person I'll be working with from now on."-

And suddenly, Hitzok asked Erma for her answer...

-"Well, what do you think of my offer, Lieutenant?"-

-"Let me think..."-

But before she could respond, Erma's stomach began to growl in a way that was very noticeable and audible to everyone present at the time.

-"I accept your idea, Colonel."-

-"Well, you don't need to answer "yes" to that, Lieutenant."- Hitzok responded with a devious smile in his face. -"Your stomach has already done it for you beforehand, if I may say so."-

END OF ACT VIII