Author's Notes:

'Sheffali's Caravan' is a standalone story in the Jack Danner universe.

It gets a little dark, as life is hard on Llevven, but never lose hope.

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Sheffali's Caravan

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Prologue

The Gate Network was reputed to be thousands of cycles old, and many of the races whose planets were connected to the instantaneous transportation system were equally old and established. They'd gone through their turbulent cycles and emerged wizened survivors with stable, if sometimes stagnant, civilizations.

The Tik, a race of Sentient Mechanical beings, administered, maintained and operated the expansive transportation network. They ensured the Gate Network continued to support all Assembly members.

The rules for admission in this community were few. There was a charter of dos and don'ts that each invited race had to agree to follow. The single most important rule was to maintain peaceful interactions with the other members of the Gate Network. Failing to do this meant expulsion from the Network, a fate most could not endure. What you did to your own citizens on your own planets was your own business. Fuck with someone else? That meant trouble.

The Borrelians were not a young civilization, but they'd only been part of the Assembly for close to a century, making them comparatively new. As such, they were under the scrutiny of the more senior members, who watched for any and all signs of misbehavior.

While they diligently followed the Charter to the letter, behaving in a most civilized manner with the other races of the Network, the Borrelians had a dirty little secret.

Genocide.

The typical Borrelian lifespan was slightly over two hundred cycles, yet they reached adulthood after just twenty. That's when biological imperatives drove them to find mates and begin building families of their own. Normally war and its accompanying scourges would maintain the population levels. After the last Great War, the newly victorious Rulers implemented a new system of social order which they insisted would bring peace and prosperity for all Borrelians. Few understood its chief purpose was to give the Rulers a means to control their people. They'd found their solution for stabilizing their civilization and implemented a caste system. The populace, weary from the last war and fearing the horrors of another, desperately accepted this promise of peace.

With war a thing of the past and new prosperity on the horizon, the populations on their planets began to grow again. After much debate, the Rulers agreed. Acquiring additional planets was the answer.

The Borrelians had well-established space travel. Their Empire had expanded to a dozen planets spread across three planetary systems. They sent ships out into the void beyond their third and stumbled upon a fourth system with two viable worlds.

They just needed to eliminate the current inhabitants.

As the Borrelians had just joined the Assembly, the need to complete their acquisition of the fourth system meant their war efforts had to be accelerated but quietly.

Their enemy was unknown to the Assembly, so the Rulers determined they weren't technically breaking any Assembly rules. As long as the Tik never found out about the war or their enemy, the Borrelians could quickly conclude their genocidal efforts and expand into the fourth planetary system.

The caste system imposed rigid rules for which of their planets each citizen was allowed to inhabit. Even after they joined the Network, none of the population were permitted to emigrate to any planets outside their three planetary systems. The Rulers demanded absolute control over their citizens, and those off-planet could not be trusted to maintain their policies. A few privileged members were sanctioned to work amongst the worlds of the Gate Network, but even these called Borrelia home.

While most Borrelians were aware of the enemy, none would speak of the terrors who struck in the night. It became a well-established fact amongst the population that even whispering their names would bring the horrifying death-bringers down upon the whisperer, their friends, and family.

This silencing propaganda campaign was engineered by the Borrelian Intelligence Agency for the Rulers to terrify the populace. This effectively kept the secret from the Tik.

What should have been a rapid elimination of their enemy from their two worlds developed into a generational war, as the enemy still on the planets became masters of guerrilla war tactics, becoming the very thing the Borrelian Rulers whispered into their citizen's ears.

The hunt for the Ush who fled in ships into space was proving fruitless, as well. The Rulers were very frustrated with their military, but with the possibility of being caught by the Tik, they wouldn't stop the war effort until they were sure they'd killed them all.

To ensure the Tik remained unaware, the rulers kept any sign of their war effort away from their three Gate hosting planets. They also informed the Tik they were not permitted to visit their other worlds as this interfered with their cultural development.

With Gates only on the principal planet of each system, the Borrelians no longer used space travel to move civilians between the systems. However, intra-system space travel was still heavily relied upon, as it assisted with controlling the movements of their population. The only space travel outside their systems was done by their military in their clandestine and continuing actions outside the outer borders of their third system. These military ships never docked in the orbital stations over any of the planets with Gates.

The Borrelian home system included the planet of their birth, Borrelia, whose Gate was the only one linked to the Gate Network. While they recommended against this restriction, the Tik had no rule specifying that all Gates must connect to the Network, as long as at least one did.

This system had two additional inhabited planets, Aeolis and Casellion.

In their second planetary system, the primary planet was Gibral, which hosted a Gate restricted to point only to their primary worlds. The remaining inhabited planets in the system were Secco, Zirdel, and Weena.

The final planetary system had five planets. Hessani was the primary planet, and its Gate was restricted to point to Gibral. The rest of the inhabitable planets of the system were Dozany, Tetnal, and Llevven. The fifth, Zhirra, was only used for scientific and military research stations and home for their military fleet headquarters. Living conditions there were borderline because of its distance from the local sun.

Borrelians were bipedal humanoids roughly similar to another young race, the Humans, but had more redundant organs, such as dual hearts, stomachs, livers, and brains. Their internal skeleton was like a Human's, but their increased bone density and larger muscle mass gave them greater strength at the cost of agility and speed. They also had slightly elongated skulls and jaws compared to Humans. They were harder to kill and healed quicker than Humans as well. Their ability to adapt to a wide range of environmental conditions gave them better flexibility for habitation.

They had tough soled feet with two broad toes for excellent stability on many surfaces, and, like the Altarians, they had two-fingered hands with two opposing thumbs, but they were much larger.

Borrelian skin coloration varied from deepest black to light grey. No cultural or social significance was assigned to the tone.

However, their society was rigidly controlled by a strict caste system based on the uniformity of this coloration. The more singular the tone of their skin, the higher the individual ranked in the caste. There were three life stages when a Borrelian's skin tone could change: birth, puberty, and adulthood.

A Borrelian's place in society, the benefits they received, and the planets the final change adults were allowed to visit and live on, was determined by this seemingly arbitrary classification. The planetary restrictions were not applied to children, but the rules for wearing body and face-covering gowns for lower caste members were.

Generally speaking, the further out you went from their primary planets, the lower the caste you'd encounter and the lower the technology levels became. This tech disparity also increased depending on which planetary system you were in, from high in the Borrelian system to low in the Hessani system. The lower the tech levels on the planet, the harder the living conditions and the higher the mortality rates. This was by design, as the Rulers secretly used this for population control for the less desirable castes.

Assessments were made during the three life stages. Newborns had the most precarious stage. Low caste infants born to high caste parents often suffered sudden infant mortality. While a vile practice, secretly, it was considered favorable to acknowledging you'd failed to maintain your caste's minimums.

These assessments would categorize the subject into one of seven castes:

Pure: With their skin maintaining a single tone with minimal variation and no blemishes over their entire bodies, these first caste citizens were allowed to live on any of the primary planets of the three Borrelian planetary systems, though they were strongly encouraged to emigrate to Borrelia in the home system. While the other two primary worlds, Gibral in the second system and Hessani in the third, enjoyed the benefits of higher technology and cultural entitlements, Borrelia was the homeworld, so the best of the best was found there.

Accented: Borrelian's with uniform tone over most of their bodies but having a darker or lighter tone symmetrically highlighting distinct areas of their bodies, such as the eyes, hands, feet, were considered to be Accented, second caste. They could visit the primary worlds freely for periods of time but primarily lived on the second planets of the three systems unless married to a Pure. Many found Accented citizens more physically appealing than the Pure, but this remained an unspoken fetish.

Shaded: When their skin tone transitioned from one brightness to another in an even gradient on the body, such as light on their front to dark on their back, or light on the outer surfaces of arms and legs fading to darker tones on the inner surfaces, this was considered Shaded, third caste, as long as the change was a smooth transition and the shading was symmetrical. The Shaded were permitted to visit primary planets for brief intervals and live on the second and third planets of the three systems.

Mixed: Borrelians who had only two distinct tones on their bodies, such as a light or dark streak or swirl against another distinctive tone, were Mixed, caste four. These markings tended not to be symmetrical, so they were not considered attractive. This caste was not permitted to visit the primary planets (except for transfers between Gate and spaceport) but could visit the second planet if properly garbed in body and face-covering robes. They could live on the third planets, but only if they continued to wear the robes in public. This garb restriction was not required beyond the third planet.

Patched: When there were three or four distinct tones included in the stripes or swirls, the Borrelian was Patched, fifth caste, and the restrictions placed upon them increased. They were not permitted to visit any primary (except for transfers between Gate and spaceport) or second planets but could visit the third only if they wore fully concealing robes. They could live on the fourth planet in a system, but the garments were strongly recommended.

Spotted: In rare cases, the streaks or swirls found on fourth or fifth caste civilians were broken into or accompanied by spots or rosettes. This classified them as Spotted, sixth caste. They were restricted to the fourth planets in the planetary systems, which subsequently eliminated access to the Borrelian home system. Only Weena mandated full coverage robes at all times. Llevven was less militant about the requirement, but it was recommended.

Chaos: Rarer still were those afflicted with multiple tones in streaks, swirls, and spots. These were considered the damned of the race--Chaos, the seventh caste. They were prohibited from marriage or breeding and were typically sterilized when they reached adulthood, though this practice wasn't strictly followed in the third planetary system. They were also restricted to the fourth planet and mandated to wear the full coverage robes at all times.

While it was possible to rise to a higher caste as pigment stabilized, more often it destabilized, and variations increased. Thankfully, there'd never been a case of a shift of more than two levels per change interval, and a drop of four levels was rare.

The only place it proved impossible to maintain their caste system was within their military, which already had a functioning ranking process and was not willing to impose a second one. The decision was made to allow military rank to take precedence. Final decisions on promotions within the ranks were still determined by the Borrelian leadership, so higher caste soldiers found career advancement smoother than their lower caste comrades. A majority of senior officers were within the first three castes.

The Borrelian Rulers used the caste system to maintain control over their people, but they still needed additional space to expand. The planetary restrictions would change again once they could offload their less desirable members onto these new worlds.

The Borrelian People were generally gregarious and even-tempered, who preferred to follow the rules over living in anarchy. Even when those rules weren't in their personal best interests.

But everyone has their limit.

Chapter 1

What makes a person rich?

Monstrous piles of money? Expansive palaces filled with fine art and furniture, surrounded with gardens and pools of crystal-clear waters? Perhaps it's fine dining while socializing with the movers and shakers of caste-appropriate society?

These were the trappings of financial wealth that Lorrenz Sheffali's colleagues in the Trader's Guild all craved. They had ambition and a cutthroat dedication to seeing their dreams come true.

But most would never acquire these things, and even the few who'd begun their acquisition weren't happy.

Lorrenz knew the secret to success.

Being content.

He worked hard because he enjoyed it. He accepted his day as it unfolded and accepted wrinkles in his plans, and his skin, as they arrived.

From working hard, he earned a good living. He and his wife, Lissan, were very careful with their business' income and put whatever they could back into the business. This ensured its growth.

They didn't spend their money on any of the things his colleagues desired. They had humble needs.

They owned a comfortable, unremarkable home on the city's outskirts, far from the flashy neighborhoods. It was built within a walled compound next to their warehouses, stables for the draft beasts, and their children's homes. They had options on several empty lots to their left and right, so they had room to grow.

They'd been blessed with many children, sixteen in total. Nine male children joined the family business and eventually took wives of their own. Of their seven daughters, six left to join other families in marriage, as their society's rules demanded, while one remained. This one's cast was forbidden from marrying or having children of her own, so she worked within the family business.

Borrelian caste and marriage rules were the only things that strained Lorrenz's contentment. He believed his daughters deserved to make their own choice to stay with the family, but none of them wished to cause trouble for their parents, which rocking these particular rules definitely would.

So, he'd done what he could and arranged agreeable mates in good families for them.

This left him with his daughter, Noola. While she was a Chaos caste, he ensured she had access to teachers and books, and gained apprenticing experience during her childhood. She'd become a brilliant vet, and he was delighted she was with them, but he feared she was lonely.

All because of the stupid Borrelian caste system.

It had plagued Lorrenz throughout his life. He'd been born as a caste level two, Accented, with dark grey skin which faded to black around his eyes and on his hands and feet. His parents were both caste three, Shaded, with matching dark grey on their fronts fading to black on their backs. He was their only child, as they struggled to make a living on Dozany, the second planet of the third planetary system. His parents were hopeful that he'd have a bright future ahead of him, perhaps even emigrating to Aeolis in the home system. They'd taken him for aptitude testing and were told his analytical, organizational, communication, and leadership skills were very high. Excited, his parents spent much of their savings on special early age tutors hoping he might have a career in politics or catch the eye of one of the larger companies. Reading about the myriad worlds of the Gate Network, Lorrenz studied their cultures and discovered he had an aptitude for languages.

His voracious intellect drew him to the public library, which was the only place he could get computer terminal access to review information on all the distinct races. He became good friends with the head librarian and spent many hours speaking with her about the amazing things he'd read. As she also enjoyed languages from the Network Races and had become fluent in several, he practiced with her.

The elderly female, whose son was in the military, saw Lorrenz's interest and showed him a book her son had smuggled home after one of his secret missions. He was distraught from something he'd seen or done, and after a night of drinking, he tried to destroy the book. She rescued it from their fireplace when his back was turned.

It contained a history of their enemy, a study of their culture and language. It was like no book he'd ever seen before, as it incorporated technology to produce sounds.

It even had a comprehensive section on learning their language and used the unique tech to assist him. He learned how to speak Ush, but he only did so with her and in private.

He excelled in his studies, and with his emphasis on languages, he dreamed of becoming an Ambassador for the Borrelian Administration.

Then came puberty.

Lorrenz could still clearly recall the shock and disappointment on his parents' faces the morning he'd groggily walked into the kitchen for first meal, unaware of the jet-black streaks on his face leading down from his eyes to his throat. He had similar lines on his hands and feet, distinct and straight, leading from the darker skin towards his elbows and knees.

They'd taken him to an assessor that morning, and he was officially classified as Mixed, caste four. His parents' plans were in serious jeopardy. Lorrenz's chances for regaining the lost caste levels were extremely slim.

As a level four child on a second planet, he was forced to hide his new coloration behind a face and body covering gown. This meant his friends could no longer play with him if they wished to avoid beatings from their parents.

His keen intelligence benefited him, as he returned to the public library to take advantage of the resources to continue his studies if they weren't already reserved by higher caste members. While his parents could no longer pay for supplementing his education, Lorrenz knew he should study harder, so when he became an adult, he'd be able to repay his parents for their earlier efforts on his behalf. He turned his attention to commerce in the hopes of one day running a business to earn good money.

He built his savings as best he could, taking whatever jobs were available to someone of his caste.

The morning he awoke to discover he'd transitioned into adulthood dealt another devastating blow, as his body had betrayed him once more. Black freckles now accompanied the black stripes on his skin. His new assessment ranked him as Spotted, caste six, and scheduled him for emigration to Llevven, the fourth planet in the system, giving him two days to do it.

Before he boarded the spaceship for Llevven, he'd tried to give his parents half of his savings, but they refused to accept, telling him he would face greater hardships as a sixth-caste citizen on the more primitive planet. He could not rely on help from anyone, so he needed the funds more than them.

That was the last time he'd been able to speak with his parents.

His initial cycles on Llevven had been eye-opening as it was considered the last planet in the Borrelian Chain of Significance. The meager luxuries he'd taken for granted on Dozany were nowhere to be found on the low technology world he now found himself on. The societal rules he'd followed diligently on Dozany were no longer considered important, and he'd had to think quickly to adapt to the new, rougher environment.

Because of the planet's primarily arid conditions, wearing the body covering gowns made practical sense, and everyone did it.

He was lucky to have had such an excellent education early on, as his sharp intellect and outstanding work ethic served him well in the occupations he took on. He worked his way up through every level at a trading house, learning the ropes, the tricks, and the downfalls inherent in the business. He knew after just five cycles what his life plan was to be, and he'd begun taking steps to make it happen.

The trading house master's sole daughter, Lissan, was approaching adulthood, and she'd grown quite fond of Lorrenz during her visits to her father's offices. They'd matched wits and found common interests to discuss each time she'd drop by his desk. While he thought he'd done an excellent job of hiding just how smitten he was with her, he'd later learn she'd known how he felt from the first time they'd met.

Lorrenz was nothing if not honorable, so he knew he could make no overtures towards a relationship with her until she'd reached full adulthood. When they'd met, she was fifth-caste, with light grey skin on her front which gradually darkened on the back half of her body. Her shoulders and neck were covered with swirls of darker grey in two shades. He thought she was truly lovely, and with only one level difference, there was a chance her parents would agree to their marriage!

The day she'd transitioned to adulthood remained etched in his mind as both the worst and best day of his life.

She'd come straight from the Assessors to his desk in the trading house. He was shocked to see the swirls on her shoulders and neck were gone! She showed him her certificate indicating she was now Shaded, caste level three. He'd burst into a joyous smile for her, as her future would be greatly enriched by this wonderful change. Then the ramifications of her upgrade slapped the expression from his face. With her brilliant mind and her new caste, she should live on Aeolis or Casellion as her opportunities there would be so much greater. His future suddenly seemed cold and empty without her.

Her words rang clear in his memories.

"You love me."

His jaw had dropped in surprise at her bold yet accurate statement.

"Yes, I do."

"Will you marry me?" she asked.

"But you're--" he began his argument.

"--in love with you. That's all I need. I ask again, will you marry me?" she asserted.

He was nodding before he found the words. "I'd be honored to marry you! Your parents--"

"Cannot deny my wishes now that I'm an adult of a higher caste than them," she finished with a twinkle in her eye.

That was also the day Lorrenz learned never to argue legalities with his soon-to-be wife. She'd studied the ramification for all possible changes she might have and made contingency plans to ensure her goal was not denied to her.

A quick trip to the courthouse yielded them a certificate of marriage. When they returned to the office to approach her father with the news, Lorrenz was presented with the response that while he'd gained a wife, he'd lost his job. The father was not pleased with being outmaneuvered by his daughter, so he took out his frustration on the male who'd stolen his daughter's promising future.

He couldn't argue with the older male, but he was smart enough not to challenge Lissan. His life plan needed to begin that day!

The abandoned property he'd purchased was on the outer edge of town, with easy access to one of the trade routes through the mountains. There was a small home where he'd spent his lonely bachelor nights, a large stable, and a building that would make an excellent warehouse. The walled compound was large enough for future expansion, and they had no neighbors. He repaired the security wall around the property and purchased some guard beetles to protect his investment while he was away on business trips.

Lissan used the dowry money she'd negotiated out of her parents to purchase their first pair of Druug. The huge beetles were the planet's beasts of burden and would pull the wagon he'd bought with his dwindling savings.

The Sheffali Trading House was in business.

Now, fifty-five cycles later, Lorrenz was a comfortable passenger on the driver's seat of the lead wagon as his caravan made their way through the final mountain pass. They'd begun the last stretch of their journey down towards their home, the capital city of Mnemmesh. The four large wagons pulled by eight Druug were loaded with beautiful moon shells, a high-demand commodity in the capital. They also had nutrient-rich oils and dried powders used in medicines. Another major trade item they'd gotten was a large quantity of the finest sea salt. Rounding out their haul was a collection of unique items they'd picked up from the more distant villages. These were surprisingly well-received in the capital city because of their uniqueness and high handcrafted quality.

This trip would yield an excellent profit!

The Eastern coastal villages they'd visited were grateful for the medicines they'd brought to them. The brightly colored fabrics woven by master artisans in the capital city had been traded for two full wagons of moon shells! The flour and spices they'd brought to trade had been highly welcome, too.

As he thought of their cargo, Lorrenz frowned as he recalled they were also returning with the weapons they'd taken from a group of bandits who attacked the caravan three days out from the capital city. Normally, the confiscation of firearms from attackers was just a reward for surviving and was a welcome inclusion to the caravan's armory. This raiding party had weapons decidedly more advanced than any they'd ever seen before. Two had carried energy weapons, only available to the military and illegal for anyone outside the military to have in their possession.

If the caravan's secret guardian hadn't taken the bandits out before they opened fire with them, there would definitely have been casualties on the Sheffali side.

Lissan suggested they deliver their latest acquisition directly to the new Commander of Llevven's military forces, as she'd heard the female was honorable.

Their guardian guided the caravan over the ancient and worn-down mountain range and through its dense forest. The peaks were no longer tall, and the passes through them were now easily navigated. Unfortunately, they were also a choke point where less experienced or more desperate groups of bandits often lay in wait. This time there were none, and they reached the lower edge of the forest without issue.

This was as far as Lorrenz's foster son, their secret guardian Zell Saah Henn, would go. The caravan rolled to a stop, and Lorrenz swung down to the ground to join the heavily cloaked male who'd been jogging next to the wagon for the last hour. His coverings led those outside the Sheffali family to believe Zell was seventh caste, Chaos. That suited their purposes, so none in his family would attempt to correct that impression.

Lorrenz wrapped his arms around his son and enjoyed the hug he received. Zell would leave the caravan before they left the forest to minimize his exposure to outside eyes, as he did each time they returned. He couldn't join them at the homestead but lived alone in the forest instead. That made Lorrenz sad, but he understood it was critical for Zell's safety and his family's.

"Thank you for protecting us on this journey, my son," Lorrenz said with a fond smile. He could just see Zell's expressive eyes through the slit on his face covering. He knew Zell's exceptional eyesight found the material transparent, so it was no hindrance to him.

"As always, it was my greatest honor, father."

Zell's voice was one aspect they could not disguise. It was deeper than a Druug's growl but smoother than the polished inner surfaces of the moon shells they carried. No Borrelian throat could produce sounds that caressed the ears so well. So, Zell remained silent around anyone not in their family.

He was in his fifty-third cycle but hidden as he was in the concealing robes, it was impossible to identify his age or even his sex by his appearance. He was slightly shorter than the average Borrelian male but broader in the shoulders than any female.

The lead Druug team grumbled as they knew they were close to home and the comforts of their pen. Lorrenz cast a glance up at his eldest son Freem, who was the caravan's Master Druug Wrangler. He was making sounds to comfort the beasts as he sat upon the bench, holding the reins. He smiled down at his father and waved to Zell, who returned the gesture.

"I'm concerned by the presence of military weaponry," Zell said softly for Lorrenz's ears alone.

The Grand Chief of the caravan nodded. "Lissan had excellent advice for me on that. I will deal with it appropriately and will let you know the outcome when next we meet."

Zell bowed his hooded head, accepting his father's words. "I await your call."

Lorrenz nodded as he touched the whistle Zell made for him. It hung from a chain around his neck under his robe. It made a sound no Borrelian could hear, but Zell could from vast distances away. They'd arranged a few codes so Lorrenz could send different messages to his foster son.

He watched Zell wave to Olle, Lorrenz's fifth son, their Chief Caravan Security Officer, to indicate that the caravan was back in his hands. Zell also waved to Noola, who was sitting on the bench of the last wagon, as the two were good friends. With another nod to Lorrenz, he ran into a small forest side path and immediately disappeared. As always, Lorrenz was amazed by his son's ability to move silently without disturbing the foliage. Zell was equally comfortable in the desert. Perhaps more so, as his people were native desert dwellers.

With a sigh, Lorrenz climbed back up onto the bench next to Freem, who got them moving once more. He smiled at his son, who smiled in return. Solid, dependable Freem, whose skill with the large beetles was second only to his wife Laalaa, who drove the second wagon. Their son Gritt controlled the beasts on the third wagon, and Gritt's wife, Hale, managed the last wagon as they were the family's assistant wranglers.

Hale was also the family's only other Shaded caste. She'd followed Lissan's example by marrying Gritt the moment she reached adulthood, so she could remain on Llevven with the one she loved. Many thought the two third-levels were mad to not use their caste as a ticket to planets boasting higher tech and greater conveniences, but both were happy.

In total, fifteen members of the Sheffali family were in the four-wagon caravan. Sixteen, if you counted Zell, and Lorrenz certainly did. They had Druug wranglers, vets, doctors, chefs, cargo handlers, security, and the Caravan leader and his wife. The rest of his family was ahead of them at their homestead on the edge of the city.

Many caravans tried to travel with less crew and hired talent when required, but Lorrenz preferred people he could trust to do their best as they had a direct investment.

Lorrenz's eyes turned once more to the dense forest they were about to leave. He knew Zell had a home somewhere in the dark greenery and professed it to be quite comfortable. Zell had lived alone for most of his life, but Lorrenz still worried about his son's solitude. It went against a Borrelian's nature to remain alone, but then, Zell wasn't Borrelian.

The wagon gently swayed as it left the forest and entered the outer edges of the vast plantation fields surrounding the capital city. To his eyes, it was a sea of gold dancing with the breezes crossing the wide-open expanses. The wheat's motion and the wagon's sway made him imagine they were on ships sailing across that sea. He looked up at the late afternoon skies and saw the twinkle of the brightest guide stars already appearing. They'd be home before the sun was completely set, and that eased his mind.

As he considered the early stars, his thoughts went back to Zell, their guide through the wilderness, who came from the stars.

Very early in Lorrenz and Lissan's careers, they'd been on a trek to the eastern coast with their single wagon drawn by a pair of Druug. Bad weather made the main trail impassable, but Lorrenz knew of a secondary route that would bypass the worst of the flooding at the cost of a few extra days of travel. While they were far off the main trail, they set up camp for the night. The storm had finally passed, and the sun was reaching for the horizon. Just before they settled for the night, they heard a strange warbling wail in the distance.

Carrying nothing more threatening than some wagon repair tools, they ventured into the scrub and came across a scene they'd never forget.

They saw the wreckage first. It was partially disguised by scrub branches, mainly to hide it from above, but at ground level, it was unmistakably a spacecraft--a destroyed one at that.

Reclining in the shelter of one of the bent wings was a being they'd never seen before. Covered in black fur, it was bipedal like themselves, but they could see this being was no longer capable of walking as the bends in its lower limbs showed severe breaks, poorly healed.

Its jaws seemed to project forward, though there was keen intelligence in its large eyes. Oversized, pointed ears swiveled to follow sounds. A black bar of leathery skin above ridges flared to gather scents. Its hands and feet had strong-looking fingers and toes ending with round padded tips, hiding hooked claws that flexed out unconsciously for the female.

What drew their attention was the smaller but matching being clinging to the larger one. It was a child, and it was crying. The older one struggled to remain conscious as it had spotted them. It spoke, and Lorrenz's skin tingled with surprise and shock. It was speaking a language he'd studied in secret so long ago with the librarian! It was Ush, the language of the terrifying enemy who kills from the darkness!

But Lorrenz also heard the sorrow of the child whose parent was dying. An infant who would soon be alone on a planet, surrounded by enemies. He reached deep into his knowledge of the language and uttered a single sentence that changed their lives.

"We are not enemies. We are friends. How can we help?"

The female Ush looked at them suspiciously but with the beginnings of desperate hope in her eyes. She whispered something quietly to the child, and it turned its face to see them. Lorrenz thought it was the sweetest creature he had ever seen. Small and round, with fur so black it disappeared against the fur of its mother. Its eyes were wet with tears, and its lips trembled in its sorrow.

It was startled and hissed when it spotted them, opening its jaws fully to intimidate the strangers. Lorrenz recalled the fear that shot through him when this cute small creature opened both its vertical and horizontal mouthparts to display multiple rows of razor-sharp teeth. It was like its face disappeared behind the savage display. Its little claws still looked capable of ripping through his skin.

The female said something sharply, and the child immediately stopped to look at her. She said something else, and it looked back to them in surprise. Then it desperately rushed over to Lorrenz to grab his hand and drag him closer to its mother. Lorrenz and Lissan knelt next to the adult Ush and took a closer look at her injuries. Glancing at the damaged ship, he was amazed she'd survived at all.

Lorrenz asked again what they could do for her, but she told them her strength had reached its end. Her injuries were too great, and though she'd lasted a cycle, she wouldn't survive past the night. He asked how she'd ended up here. She spoke slowly as she was extremely weary, and he was grateful, as he was rusty with the language.

The pregnant female had been conscripted into the war effort in their final desperate days as the Ush faced defeat and potential genocide.

She had piloting skills, so they put her into a single occupant fighter to escort and protect the fleeing refugee ships. In an ambush, her ship took damage, lost its connection to the fleet's navigational systems, and got separated from the main fleet when they all did a last second jump. She didn't receive the coordinates they used and jumped blind. She didn't know where the others went, and she didn't have sufficient fuel to hunt for them. Miraculously, she detected and followed a Borrelian intra-system freighter to Llevven, but her damaged ship was almost out of fuel, and she crashed. She was severely injured during the landing, but the ship did its best to repair her and kept her alive until its batteries failed after a month. She wasn't healed sufficiently, but she wouldn't immediately die. Then her body went through labor, and she gave birth to Zell.

She survived on rations, and Zell nursed until he was six months. The Ush mature quickly because of the severe conditions of their home environment, so Zell could augment their diet by hunting insects and small reptiles. She taught him all she could, but she felt her injuries begin to shut her body down. Major organ failure was imminent. She taught Zell how to remain hidden and survive on his own in the wild when her health took a sudden downturn.

Lorrenz assured her he and Lissan would do whatever they could to keep him safe on a world hostile to the Ush. They would protect him like he was their own child. He could see the relief in the eyes of the female. She'd been clinging to life as long as she could for her child, but now she could rest.

She looked at her child and touched his face. She asked him to live with honor and compassion and to make her proud. He was crying quietly, but he nodded stiffly. Lorrenz was impressed by the child's strength.

He asked the female if there were any rituals she wished them to perform after her passing, but she said no. She told them there was a small book in the ship she wanted Zell to have. It contained the history of his people, their language, and their culture. Lorrenz quickly looked inside and found the book. He recognized it as the same book the librarian's son had taken on his mission.

When he returned, the mother had slipped away, and Zell was crying on her chest.

They gave him time to grieve as Lorrenz and Lissan discussed how they'd fulfill their promise to the mother. They knew they couldn't bring him home. They couldn't take him into any of the cities they visited. He would have to remain in the wilderness, but they could set up a shelter for him where they could take care of him. He'd come with them on their trips, but he'd have to stay out of sight and remain in the wilds. Lissan worked out the plan with contingencies, as that was one of her strengths.

Voices called out to Lorrenz from the fields, drawing him from his memories. He smiled and waved to the workers. It was an old farm hand superstition that greeting a caravan returning from a successful trip brought the greeter good luck as well.

He snorted quietly, earning him a glance from his son. As if luck was a common commodity to be shared. He realized that on this return trip, their good luck charm was currently taking his well-earned rest back in the forest.

Chapter 2

Zell eased himself through the dense woods, his senses on maximum as his perceptions flooded his mind with data.

The forest was filled with life. He was surrounded by it. He let the individual impressions filter through and detected nothing to be concerned about. No Borrelians had used this trail in a very long time. He knew the woods could contain creatures that could be as dangerous to Zell as his foster father's species, but none were nearby.

Setting course for his hideaway, he stepped off the trail and slipped deeper into the shadowy forest. He wouldn't approach it in a straight line, and he remained on high alert, looking for any sign of Borrelian presence. His eyes took in the condition of the trees from canopy to roots as he slipped between them, winding his way higher and higher up the ridgeline toward the top of the treeline. He tasted the air and picked up the flavors of the creatures present nearby and those which had passed by.

As he moved, he grazed upon the forest's offerings. There was a glut of life from the smallest beetles up to bull pigs which could give the bulky Druug a run for their money. Zell wasn't hungry enough to tackle something that large and aggressive, so he remained downwind of a group of the agitated beasts as he passed them by.

Many of the plants here were edible, and some had medicinal qualities. He'd learned this from Noola and often collected them for her.

He took his time but reached his shelter just as the sun dipped below the horizon. He circled his home away from the caravan but found no evidence of interference, so he slipped inside. He cleaned out a few insects that had taken up residence and allowed himself to dial back his perceptions.

Zell already missed the desert. He definitely preferred the empty expanses of hot sand. It was where he felt most comfortable. He looked forward to hearing the whistle and joining up with the rest of his family as the wagons moved towards the mountain pass. He'd scout ahead and deal with any threats to the caravan. That was something else he did very well. He was a hunter, and using those skills to protect his family filled him with a deep sense of satisfaction. The weapons, ammunition, goods, and money they collected from the bandits all went towards the caravan. His brother, Olle, was in charge of inspecting the confiscated weapons to see if they were worth adding to their armory, selling to another caravan family, or destroying them to keep them from the hands of another bandit.

He knew his father would likely have them back on the road in a week or two. They were one of the most active traders on Llevven. They did the long treks to distant communities, delivering mail and medicines, a service paid for by Llevven's governing body. They traded goods in all the small to medium-sized villages along the east and west coasts. The larger cities were monopolized by a few larger trading houses, but Lorrenz actually made more profit than them on his runs. Not that the brilliant trader disclosed that fact to anyone.

He smiled as he thought of his foster parents. He was incredibly grateful to them for the incredible risk they'd taken when they found him and his mother at the crash site. Lorrenz and Lissan had an endless depth of compassion in their souls and gave him sanctuary, even though it put their very lives in jeopardy. Had they been caught harboring the enemy, they would have been executed immediately. Yet, they took him in and made him a member of their family.

Zell had spoken with Lorrenz many times about why he was considered an enemy to the Borrelians. His father could never discover the answer to that question, as no one was willing to discuss it. Lorrenz was smart enough not to push his luck.

In the early days, they took Zell with them on their journeys and taught him many things.

He learned how to speak Borrelian, but his voice was too distinctive, so he could only speak the language with the family and never around strangers.

They taught him about Borrelian culture as they learned about the Ush from his mother's book. There was much about his adoptive parent's culture he didn't understand and didn't agree with, starting with their senseless caste system. It pleased him immensely that Lorrenz agreed.

He learned how to wear Borrelian robes to hide his differences, though he didn't need the coverings when he hunted at night.

His night vision was exceptional, and he discovered he preferred to be awake during the night when his new parent slept. From an early age, he could help them by keeping watch while they slept. He only needed a few hours of sleep during the day to feel completely rested.

As their trade routes went from the capital city of Mnemmesh in the center of the continent to the east coast and sometimes the west coast, they had to cross deserts to reach the coastal towns and villages. Zell discovered how much he loved the expansive arid regions. He learned how to move silently and invisibly across the sands at night, hiding under the sand during the day when his parents would continue on to do their business in the towns and villages. He was always excited to see what they brought back and wondered if there would ever be a day when he could join them.

Not that he'd minded being left to his own devices out in the hot sands. There was so much to do there!

He learned through trial and error which desert creatures he could defeat and survived some significant mistakes only through his superior agility and speed when he fled. He had a few small scars to remind him of less fortunate lessons.

He fed himself from the creatures he killed and honed his hunting skills until he was the deadliest creature of the night.

Then came the event that changed everything.

They'd just returned from trading on the eastern coast. His parents had encountered issues as their trading partners in the villages needed larger shipments, and Lorrenz and Lissan were still doing the runs with their single wagon and the two Druug. He recalled the discussions at the campfires on the return journey about how they might expand, but they just weren't earning enough to afford it. They were sad as they kept putting off starting a family until they increased their revenue, and it was taking so long. Zell wanted to help them, but he couldn't participate in the trading, as he remained hidden.

He was eleven cycles old and already growing into his adult size. He was strong and an excellent hunter, so he could save them some money by augmenting their food reserves. It helped, but it wasn't enough.

He'd left the wagon at the edge of the forest with hugs for his parents and realized he had a craving for dune grubs. He knew his father wouldn't be calling for him for at least a week, so he ran back over the mountain pass and down into the valley leading to the desert. He arrived just as darkness settled over the vast sea of dunes. There was only a sliver of moonlight to light his way, but he was quite comfortable in the dark.

He continued on towards a spot he knew would be rich with the tender morsels.

When he heard laughter, he hid and slowly climbed up the side of a tall dune to peer down at the horrifying scene below. Five Borrelian bandits were picking through the cargo of a three-wagon caravan that had been following the same route his family's had. They'd obviously pulled off the road to camp amongst the dunes where they were attacked. While the bandits had let the Sheffali's single wagon pass, this three-wagon caravan was just too much of a temptation as they were newer and larger. Lying in the sand next to the wagons were the six bodies of the trading house family members.

Zell recalled how sharp his focus had become and the intense feelings of fear and rage surging through his body as he pictured the same fate befalling Lorrenz and Lissan. He tugged himself free of his robes, slipped over the top of the dune, and became death incarnate.

Once he returned to himself, the bandits were dead, and he was covered in their blood. He was uninjured as he struck too quickly, and they'd been too terrified to fight back effectively.

Lorrenz had drilled into him how important it was for him to remain out of sight of all Borrelians and how he must leave no clues to his presence. Now, he was standing amongst the brutal carnage of his first killing of another thinking being, and there were five bodies! Their blood was still dripping from his razor-sharp hooked claws.

He didn't feel the slightest bit of remorse for the bandits. Llevven was better off without them.

However, he'd broken a promise to his foster parents. He felt almost physically ill about that.

Zell moved back into the darkness of the dunes and quickly cleaned his fur in the sand. He donned his robes and raced through the night at his maximum speed. He paused outside the city boundaries to calm his breathing.

Sneaking into the city proved to be a simple task, and the guard beetles in the homestead compound avoided him once he clicked to them. He slipped into his foster parent's small home and stood outside their bedroom door, struggling to think of what he might say to make amends for breaking his promise.

"Father? Mother?"

There was a brief noise inside the room, then the door opened, showing Lorrenz standing in the doorway with a look of surprise on his face.

"Zell? What's wrong? Are you injured?" the male asked quickly, and Zell's heart clenched in his chest. His first words were of concern for Zell, not the sharp condemnation he'd been fearing.

"I-I'm sorry, father. I didn't know what else to do. I'm not injured... but tonight... I killed five Borrelians bandits who murdered a family of traders on the edge of the desert."

Lissan stepped out into the hall and gathered Zell into her warm arms. Lorrenz wrapped his powerful arms around them both. Zell instantly felt better. He shuddered at the thought of losing their love. They were all he had.

"Come. Let's sit in the kitchen, and I'll make some tea. We can talk and get some details for your mother," the father said.

Once they were settled around the table with warm tea cups in their hands, Lissan grilled Zell on every detail he could recall. When he described the sashes he'd seen around the gowns of the dead traders, his parent's faces showed their shock and sadness.

"Oh! The Tarron Family! They'd just expanded their homestead at the southern edge of town," Lorrenz sighed.

"We need to get to them before the beetles do! We need to contact the Tarron survivors, the Mrissa and the Jakkan families, and have them accompany us to the site," Lissan exclaimed. While she wasn't particularly religious, Lissan had a strong sense of respect and wanted to ensure the family received some dignity for their passage to the other side.

Lorrenz frowned. "We'd have to make contact at first light and immediately head back over the pass if we are going to get to them before the carrion beetles arrive. How are we going to explain how we know they're dead and where to find them? We just got home ourselves!"

Lissan looked at Zell. "You said it looked like they'd just set up their camp off the route?" He nodded, and she continued. "They must have been only a few hours behind us. The bandits must have let us pass as we remained on the route and were too small for their effort."

Zell nodded, as this matched his thoughts as well. If he'd been patrolling instead of resting on top of the wagon, he might have been able to catch the bandits. His thoughts stalled as he realized he didn't know if the outcome then would have been different than it was now. Except the Tarron family would still be alive. This was his first encounter with murderous thieves, and Zell proved to himself that he could be equally violent. Maybe more. He looked up to see Lorrenz watching him.

"I can see you're feeling sad for not protecting the Tarron family. While I've known they could be out there, this is my closest call with bandits. I haven't spoken with you about them. I probably should have." He sighed and thought of his next words carefully. "All life is sacred, but when people choose to put their fortune ahead of that principle, they forfeit their own claim to live." He cupped Zell's cheek and looked into his eyes. "The death of those bandits was their just reward for their actions." He lowered his hand to take one of Zell's to examine it. "My fear is we are trapped in a situation of being unable to explain how they died and how we found them without disclosing your presence. I assume you used these on them?" He tapped Zell's finger pads, which hid his retractable claws.

Zell nodded with a sad look at Lorrenz.

Lissan snorted, drawing surprised looks from the two males. She looked at them with a small smile.

"I have answers for both questions."

Zell recalled how he'd run all the way back to the site of the murders to prepare the scene as Lissan had directed him to. He finished only an hour before they arrived.

She and Lorrenz had insisted he rush back to the forest to hide when he was done, but he knew he could hide under the sand a short distance away and remain unseen. So he did.

It was noon when the three wagons from the city arrived and began their hunt. Lorrenz and Lissan were aware of the exact location, but they let Ogami Jakkan, the head of the Jakkan Trading House, make the discovery. The male was with his son, Kitow, and the two began shouting for the others to join them. Soon Henko Mrissa, head of the Mrissa Trading Company, and his daughter, Chalis, stood with Lorrenz and Lissan next to the bodies.

Chalis turned to stare at Lissan in shock. "It's true! You have the sight!"

As Lissan had explained to her husband and Zell earlier, her reputation of having a touch of prescience would finally become useful. She knew that her ability to foresee eventual results with great accuracy was simply her keen logical mind working through all the reasonable outcomes based on all known factors. As most had no skill at all in this, they naturally assumed it was a kind of magic. She found people's willingness to believe in supernatural attributes but refusal to accept her intelligence to be quite annoying.

Lissan shook her head sadly. "If I had a useful power, it would have manifested before they were murdered by the bandits instead of disturbing my dreams with these horrific images. I felt the anxiety of traveling through this area ourselves only hours before they came through. I put it down as end-of-journey jitters. Now it seems it had an actual source." The group was nodding as she gestured to the dead bandits. The group moved to examine them. They were all familiar with the tense emotions that surfaced just before returning from a long trip. This further solidified her story.

In the middle of the five bandits was the largest viper beetle any of the gathered beings had seen.

Zell had a tough time finding one of the vicious beasts, and once he had, it almost proved to be too large for him to kill. He had some nasty scratches from their battle, but it was dead amongst the bodies while he lived.

"There's an almost poetic justice here," Henko sighed as he looked at the terrible wounds inflicted upon the bandits. "They did not live to enjoy the spoils of their deeds. Killed by a giant beetle and soon to feed smaller ones."

"Should we proceed with the burial ritual?" Lorrenz suggested.

Henko and Ogami both nodded with serious expressions. "Definitely. Before the carrion beetles arrive for the bandits," the second male agreed.

They pulled shovels from their wagons and dug a shallow pit over by one of the dunes. This would hold the six family members resting side by side. Once they were positioned properly, Henko poured a flammable oil over the bodies, and they stood in silent reflection for a moment. Henko, as the senior-most-Trader present, recited a poem to guide them on their journey to the other side. Then he lit the oil, and everyone stood back and watched in silence as the bodies were quickly consumed by the ferocious heat from the fire.

Lorrenz looked at Henko. "No one answered at the Tarron homestead when we went there this morning before coming to see you. Who is left to carry on?"

The senior trader looked at Lorrenz in surprise, and Ogami shared a look with Henko as well. "The house of Terron is no more. What you see before you were the last of them."

Lorrenz and Lissan gasped and looked at the others, who nodded sadly.

Once the flames died out, they covered the ashes with sand from the dune. Then the men dragged the bodies of the bandits away from the campsite over to the empty dunes. They stripped the bodies as they would carry nothing with them to the other side after the beetles picked them clean. All collected weapons, ammunition, valuables, and any cash were placed on a blanket by Ogami and his son.

"We now must address the disbursement of the Tarron estate," Henko said solemnly.

Lorrenz and Lissan gaped at him. "What?"

The senior trader nodded. "By ancient Caravan Law, if there is no one to inherit the estate, it goes to the ones who discovered the dead." He turned to his daughter. "Please fetch my satchel from the wagon."

She rushed off and returned momentarily. The father pulled out a writing pad with a stylus. These were imported items, and Lorrenz watched with interest as Henko quickly wrote out a contract. He looked up to Ogami and Lorrenz. "The division of items is based on traditional categories and will be divided amongst the three families present, the Mrissa, the Jakkan, and the Sheffali. The categories are: the homestead and all items therein, aside from warehoused goods and Caravan equipment and beasts, the Caravan equipment and beasts, and finally, the goods currently found in the warehouse and within the caravan wagons."

Zell watched and listened from his vantage point on a neighboring dune as his mind absorbed this news. The tragedy the Tarron family suffered might yield something positive for his family!

"As Lissan was the one who brought us here, House Sheffali will have the first pick. House Jakkan will have second pick, having found the actual scene of the murder, and Mrissa will accept the last. Do you agree, Ogami?" Henko asked as he looked at the other house leader.

After a moment's hesitation due to the exceptional value of the homestead, the male begrudgingly nodded his agreement.

They turned to Lorrenz and Lissan, who turned to face each other. They leaned their foreheads together and whispered. Zell wished he could be there with them.

They nodded to each other, then Lorrenz looked at the other two men. "We will accept the Caravan equipment and beasts."

"What?" Ogami exclaimed in surprise.

Henko smiled at Lorrenz. "Surely, you meant to say the homestead? As I recall, you currently live at the far edge of town in a rather unimpressive estate; pardon my frankness."

"It would be a grand upgrade, but we are a trading house of humble means. Such luxury would be lost on us. We will get better value by increasing our capacity. The extra wagons, equipment, and Druug would be gratefully accepted. Thank you!" Lorrenz and Lissan bowed to the other house leaders.

Henko glanced at Ogami, whose broad smile said he accepted the Sheffali's decision most willingly. He looked back to Lorrenz, shrugged, and nodded as he added that notation to the contract. He looked once more at Ogami, who was finally controlling his expression. "We accept the homestead," the male said calmly. Henko raised an eyebrow as he made the required notes on the contract.

"And Mrissa accepts the warehouse and caravan contents." He signed the contract and had Ogami and Lorrenz sign it as well. "I will register this with the Mnemmesh Property Office tomorrow morning. If you could bring the caravan wagons to the Mrissa warehouses, we will unload them before we go to the Tarron estate."

Lorrenz nodded.

Henko looked at the blanket and frowned. "Now we have the matter of the bandit's effects."

"House Jakkan humbly drops all claim to these items," Ogami said with a generous smile.

Henko smirked. He didn't want the items either and wouldn't allow himself to look less generous than Ogami. "House Mrissa does as well." He looked to Lorrenz. "The items are yours."

Lorrenz and Lissan bowed in acceptance.

Zell watched as his parents linked the three teams of Druug in a chain, then tied the lead team to the back of their wagon. They dumped the bandit goods into their wagon.

Ogami's son, Kitow, discovered the bandits riding beasts. They were not healthy creatures, so Lorrenz removed their tack and released them to live out their final days in freedom. The riding gear went into the wagon for selling later. Then they all headed back over the pass to Mnemmesh.

The next time Lorrenz and Lissan came to the forest to speak to Zell, he learned that the Tarron estate had hired two elderly Druug wranglers who agreed to work for the Sheffalis for room and board. They would care for the beasts until the family took over those roles. With the ability to expand their business, it was now time for Lorrenz and Lissan to start their family.

Zell recalled the discussions they'd had regarding the possibility of encountering bandits again. Lissan was worried that Zell could be hurt. Lorrenz expressed similar concerns but believed Zell's hunting skills, stealth, speed, and strength made him more than a match for any bandit. It was situations when there was a team of bandits, better organized than the ones Zell had killed, that troubled him.

Lorrenz and Lissan now had weapons and trained with them out in the desert until they were both deadly accurate and could defend themselves in the wagons. For Zell, Lorrenz gave him one key instruction. If they were attacked by bandits, they could leave no witnesses. They could show them no mercy. This lesson Zell took to heart.

As the cycles passed and the Sheffali Trading House's fortunes increased, bandits targeted their caravans more frequently, but none survived the effort. The routes became safer as a result, and their business grew.

Lorrenz and Lissan grew their family at a rate of one child every cycle for sixteen cycles. That was the age offspring could join their parents on the caravans after training to be experts with the weapons Zell collected. Each subsequent cycle brought greater success, and Zell continued to protect them.

Now, he'd taken energy weapons from the bandits he killed. That shook him.

The sound of an injured bull pig stumbling by his hideout drew Zell's attention back to the present. He picked up the scent of its fear and blood and the pong of the rival who'd driven it away. The bull was no longer the strongest, so it could no longer lead its pack. The injury it had was severe. Zell would have to neutralize the spilled blood on his ridge to avoid drawing predators near his shelter.

Zell slipped outside and picked up its trail. He would chase it a few ridges away, then end its pain. Then he'd feed and not have to take another meal until he was called by his father to join the caravan once again.

He grinned as he was eager to return to that duty.

While he'd been doing it for fifty-three cycles, he loved every minute. He knew from the Ush book, his life expectancy should be over three hundred cycles... if he could avoid being shot by a bandit... who now had energy weapons.

Beetle dung!

Chapter 3

Fleet Commander Julla Gorresh was the new leader of Llevven's Planetary Battalion, headquartered in the capital city of Mnemmesh. Her rank had been reinstated to allow her to take on this role, though she was definitely overqualified for surface duty. It was a snub, but only those in the Borrelian military would understand that.

The previous officer in charge of the surface battalion had held the rank of Battalion Commander when he'd been killed by one of his senior officers in a gambling den shootout. Then the powers-that-be gave her back her military position and dropped her into his chair, likely hoping she'd follow in his footsteps.

It hadn't always been that way.

She'd been born on Aeolis, the second planet in the Borrelian home system to Accented parents. She matched them from birth, and her caste remained stable through the two changes. She had pale grey skin with attractive darker shading around her eyes and on her hands and feet. She was considered exceptionally beautiful by Borrelian standards. When her intense drive for excellence brought her to the recruitment office, the military saw they'd found their shining example. Her peak physical conditioning, academic assessments, psychological profile, energy, drive, and dedication all made her the ideal soldier. The Rulers of the Borrelian Empire used her image in their news releases and recruitment campaigns as she represented the best of the best. However, they downplayed her Accented caste, lightening those areas in their press and publicity releases.

Once she was assigned duties on one of their battle cruisers, she'd put her energies towards fulfilling her responsibilities to the best of her abilities. In that, she was spectacularly successful.

Julla saved the crew of her ship by detecting an Ush ambush before the trap was sprung. Her method for detecting the Ush hit squadrons was quickly taught to the other comm officers throughout the Borrelian fleet, and for a while, casualties dropped significantly.

When her Commander's error took them off course, and behind enemy lines, a missile struck the bridge and took out most senior officers, including the Commander. She pulled the injured Lieutenant Commander off the bridge as the breached level bled its air into space. The ship seemed crippled, and the sole officer was too shell-shocked to give orders. Julla got the engineers to pull off a miracle by rerouting power for life support through the emergency lighting circuits. She donned a pressurized suit to re-enter the bridge and saw it was open to space. Julla got the comms and navigation systems back online, ejected all the empty life pods as decoys, which successfully distracted the Ush fighters. As the enemy scrambled to fire at the bait, she sent a message burst and powered up the ship's jump system to make one last jump to safe space. The Ush chased the crippled ship to finish it off, but discovered they were facing several battle cruisers who decimated the Ush squadron quickly.

Julla quickly rose through the ranks and became one of the most highly decorated officers in the Borrelian fleet.

Her feats were spoken of in whispers, but with great admiration, on all planets of the Borrelian Empire, but never in the presence of non-Borrelians, and always avoiding the mention of the enemy. Loved ones came home because of her. She was the hero of the people.

When she became Commander, her strategies made a larger difference in protecting her people as they reduced the reckless actions that previous officers had been following. She was now receiving her orders directly from the senior-most military officers who passed them along from the Borrelian Rulers. She quickly learned neither group appreciated having those orders questioned.

She knew the war was over. The enemy's resources appeared to be exhausted. Full-scale space battles were becoming fewer and farther between, and the fighting on the planet surface had evolved into smaller-scale skirmishes and surgical strikes. The Ush changed their tactics to flee, not fight, yet her orders continued to be, give no quarter, hunt them down, and spare no effort toward eradicating the threat. She knew the Ush were no longer a threat. Despite that, the kill orders arrived.

She quickly became disillusioned by her leaders in the war effort as she became more and more aware of the true nature of their enemy. The truth was being withheld by the Borrelian Rulers, and the populace was being fed lies.

On her last mission in the war as a Fleet Commander, the highest rank they could give her before moving into the level of those who gave the orders, they came upon a single freighter containing Ush refugees fleeing their home system. Unable to justify complying with the vile order she'd received, she refused to fire upon and destroy the unarmed freighter. She was relieved of duty and confined to quarters on her ship. The refugee ship was destroyed, killing every soul on board.

Julla's crew were faithful to her as she'd saved them often and brought them victory. They revered her as she'd protected them and genuinely cared for them. Something that could not be said for many other officers.

When their ship returned to the orbital station above Aeolis, the crew leaked a story of their Commander suffering from battle fatigue. The rulers were blocked from having her quietly tried as a traitor and executed when a massive upwelling of compassion and support for Julla arose from the Borrelian people. This reminded the leaders that they'd put Julla up on a pedestal, and her war efforts made her the public's hero, so they had to treat her carefully.

So instead of an expedited trial and quiet execution, they put her on administrative duties on Aeolis, but that only lasted six months. Her popularity amongst the people continued to grow as they saw her as their protector. It didn't hurt that she used her new position to increase their quality of life and safety, regardless of caste. She'd also focused her attention on the corrupt members of the local administration.

She wasn't above getting her hands a little dirty to force these criminals into the light. If they fought dirty, she'd fight deadly, but also smartly, so she was never caught.

The Borrelian Rulers had the Military Senior Command move her to Casellion until she became a nuisance there too. Then it was Secco in the second planetary system, skipping Gibral with its Gate and Tik. When they'd exhausted the planets in the second system, she was moved to Dozany in the third system, bypassing Hessani, and further down the Chain of Significance she went. With each planet change, they'd park her in a low responsibility position. She'd always find a way to improve conditions for the common citizens. She'd continue to weed out corruption and abuse of power from the inside. It took longer and longer for her to make these changes on the planets they'd drop her on, but she was nothing if not tenacious. Everywhere she went, the people loved her because they saw her making a positive difference in their lives.

She took comfort with the thought that she left each planet a little better than it was when she arrived. How long it remained in that state was not up to her. The people remembered how things got better during her cycles with them.

Twenty-five cycles later, the war against the Ush limped along, the military somehow unable to flush out the remaining Ush resistance on their two planets. Deadly in a fight, impossible to locate, and having nothing to lose, the Ush were proving to be tenacious beyond the Borrelian Rulers' expectations. They couldn't migrate any Borrelians to the planet until all the Ush were gone, as their propaganda campaign had been too effective.

They also couldn't find the ones who escaped on the evacuation ships fleeing the planets. The desperate jumps they made into the unknown left them untraceable, and it wasn't known if they even survived. But Julla wouldn't count them out.

After being bumped from planet to planet, Julla found herself on Llevven, the end of the line, with a seemingly hopeless challenge ahead of her. This world was home to the discards from the military.

She realized the Borrelian Rulers and the senior brass of the army had reached the limit of what they'd take from her. With her so far from the primary worlds, it was finally time to end her interference. They likely expected her to be killed at the hands of the undisciplined soldiers, who wouldn't stand for her changing how they abused their positions. Even the senior officer who'd killed his commander hadn't been arrested for his crime!

As the planet's highest military authority in charge of its security, she submitted the request for sanctioning state of emergency measures due to the systemic corruption she'd discovered and documented. This report and appeal would be delivered to the Borrelian Rulers for their approval. As they were behind the corruption, Gorresh submitted the delivery via a hard copy mail bonded courier, which would take months to arrive on Borrelia. Using this method implemented security protocols that required the response return via the same delivery channel. She ensured the return mailbox address was incorrectly identified, so when the Rulers' response finally arrived, it would be returned to Borrelia for readdressing via the courier again. Until the required approval or expected denial returned, she could assume her appeal was accepted as defined by the current law and act accordingly. That play would give her over a cycle of absolute control and full authority. These laws had never been exercised, but they were on the books and maintained the legality of her actions, and she was making excellent use of them.

The Borrelian Rulers also hadn't considered that Llevven's military corruption was so rampant, they didn't bother to hide it.

In her first weeks in office, she identified and took out the top three ringleaders responsible for the worst violent abuses. These crime syndicate bosses in military uniforms were easily identified by their terrible reputations for vicious cruelty towards the populace they were charged to protect. They'd carved up the city into their own little kingdoms.

Using her new authority, she personally hunted, captured, charged, tried, and executed each on the spot with brutal efficiency. Then she seized the assets of their criminal enterprises as they'd made no effort to hide them. This money was immediately returned to the communities each crime boss controlled. She made sure her message was crystal clear for everyone down the chain of command in the dead criminal's enterprises.

Over the next few weeks, she repeated her actions on any ambitious lieutenant who thought they could pick up the reins of their dead bosses. By the end of the month, the syndicate collapsed, and over a dozen hardened criminals were off the streets permanently. The Commander's reputation for protecting the general populace was strongly reinforced, and her popularity soared.

Julla's latest goal was weeding the malcontents, incompetents, and the corrupt from her troops. This looked like a long-term project, but she wasn't one to settle for later when now was available. Good things didn't happen unless they were made to happen.

In the six months she'd been in her new role, she hadn't so much rocked the boat as torpedoed it, setting it ablaze. Everyone was nervously watching for her next move.

They didn't have to wait long, as she immediately disbanded Mnemmesh's City Guard in its entirety, citing they were unfit for duty. They'd abused their role for personal financial gain and harmed the citizens they were supposed to serve.

Julla was training their replacements from a hand-selected group of raw recruits. The ones she chose were young, fit, and completely dedicated to her, reporting only to her as well. She was filling their heads with the true meaning of the Borrelian Military's Code of Honor, something she experienced while flying through space on the battle cruisers with her fellow soldiers. She emphasized integrity, respect, duty, courage, and loyalty. Julla spent one-on-one time with each of her new commandos to assess them and earned their trust as they earned hers.

While this was going on, she reviewed the many distinct divisions she had under her command. Each was going to be squeezed to separate the diamonds from the coal. Soon she would begin.

As the military forces were the only means of enforcing laws on Llevven, they needed to earn the people's trust once more. To begin this effort, she was allocating some of her time to handle a few cases personally. This was an excellent training exercise for her new recruits as well.

She reflected this was going to be one of the most demanding missions she'd ever taken on, but then, she'd never turned away from a challenge.

-=-

Lieutenant Pinorra Heltas sat in his third-floor office, down the hall, and across the open atrium from his new commander's office. He swore he could feel her too-aware eyes staring at him through the walls right now.

He knew that was just paranoia, but he also knew it was just a matter of time before Fleet Commander Gorresh's purge caught up to him and discovered the crimes he'd committed for his own personal gain. The wicked acts he'd perpetrated to rise in the ranks to reach this top floor office with its garden view and a sightline to the Commander's office door.

He needed to escape Llevven before that happened. He already had one of the two things required for the journey.

A lucky young citizen was recently assessed as a Shaded caste, and her family purchased a pass to take the Gate system all the way to Borrelia for a once-in-a-lifetime trip. Alas, before she got to use it, she went missing--a case for the City Guard to investigate... if Gorresh hadn't sacked them all.

Due to an increase in night patrols of the Commander's new pets, Pinorra was forced to bury the young female's body under his basement. The money he took from her would pay for the intra-system flight from Llevven to Hessani, where he'd use the pass to take the Gate to Gibral, then to Borrelia. He didn't currently have enough to cover the intra-system space flight from Borrelia to Casellion. As a Mixed caste, he could live there if he wore the covering robes. He had no issues with that as he wore them now, aside from the face covering.

The next issue he had was that he couldn't afford to live on the more expensive planet, but he had a plan for that, too.

He knew he was smarter than the three idiots the Commander had planted in the ground, as he was far more cautious and secretive about his actions. He was also smarter than the ousted City Guard, six of whom should have contacted him by now on the comm he provided to them with the two energy rifles from the armory in the basement. He'd taken a colossal chance with this, as the Commander would eventually discover the missing weapons unless he collected them to sneak them back into the armory soon.

He saw a splash of late afternoon light on his ceiling and stood to look out his garden view window. Below were flower beds, some small ornamental trees, and benches for those who wished to appreciate nature. Seated on the bench was one of his informants with a small mirror to reflect the last rays of sunlight to his window. The old male stood and left the garden slowly.

Pinorra frowned. Something was wrong.

Leaving his office, he headed down to the ground floor and stepped outside. He set his course to the large plaza with a fountain and arrived only a few minutes later. He paused to watch the dancing water, its noise acting as a perfect sound block for nearby ears. The old male from earlier stepped up beside him and faced the fountain as well.

"You were asking for news of caravans arriving in the city today. There were only two. The Mrissa Caravan from the southern coastal city of Astellus and the Sheffali Caravan from the east coast villages. Both greeted the field workers with indications of success."

Pinorra was screaming with rage inside. The useless ex-City Guards couldn't take out a simple village caravan when he armed them with energy rifles? He nodded stiffly and tossed a silver coin towards the fountain intentionally short. He turned and walked away as the old male bent painfully to pick up his payment.

How could this simple task have gone so wrong? He didn't dare use the comm to contact the Guards-turned-Bandits. He'd have to wait for them to contact him.

With anger and worry twisting his gut, he went back to work.

There had to be a way to salvage his plan!

Chapter 4

Lorrenz enjoyed a leisurely breakfast with Lissan in the comfort of their small home. They sipped their tea in comfort on their little porch and watched their family's activity in the homestead.

The previous night they'd arrived, and a flurry of activity began that was only now calming.

Laalaa, Freem, Grit, and Hale had uncoupled the weary Druug from the wagons and led them next to the shallow stone trough next to the barn. Lorrenz's eighth son, Treeg, was the Homestead Druug Wrangler, and he guided each of the large beasts through the medicated waters in the trench to soak their bellies and legs. Grit and Hale collected the wriggling parasites from the water with nets after each Druug passed through. These would be fed to the guard beetles as a treat.

Freem and Laalaa were ready to give the soaked beasts a good soapy scrubbing with rough brushes on long poles to ensure their upper surfaces were clean and free of pests as well. This was the step you'd watch if you were ever interested in hearing a Druug purr. Truthfully, it was more of a rapid clicking as their heavy mandibles trembled, but their contentment was the same. Druug loved a good, rough scrub.

The apprentice vets Hirral, daughter of third son Petre and wife Seela, and Jeelu, daughter of fourth son Alleg and wife Winni, were next. They fed the clean Druug a carefully prepared treat that contained medicinal roots. This was a health and immunity booster.

Once all the now sleepy beasts of burden were clean and dosed, they were guided to an outdoor pen next to the main barn where there was food and water. The four Druug held in reserve were locked in a large stall inside the barn with strong metal bars separating them from the returning beasts. This allowed the creatures to slowly re-bond with their pack mates after being separated. The four could enter the exterior pen in the morning for the full reunion. During the night, there would just be a lot of curious mutual snuffling.

While this beast grooming was happening, the unloading of the wagons was being managed by Lorrenz's seventh son, Drema, who was their Chief Warehouse Inventory Handler. Fourth son Alleg was Chief Caravan Cargo Handler and worked closely with his brother to ensure the wagons were emptied quickly and efficiently. All free hands were pulled in for this duty.

Once they were emptied, the wagons went into the garage where they were inspected, repairs were made, and underwent any other scheduled maintenance.

Any medical issues the caravan crew had on the journey would have been dealt with by their Chief Caravan Doctor Petre, or by their Assistant Caravan Doctor Marrela, the wife of Lorrenz's sixth son, Stevv.

Stevv was the Chief Homestead Doctor and ran a free medical clinic next to the property's front gates. This is where the Sheffalis gave back to the community. They had deals with the different pharmaceutical manufacturers in Mnemmesh and good relations with the city hospital. Stevv spent two days of the week performing surgeries at the city hospital, and in turn, his clinic got the required supplies to handle the overflow of patients who couldn't afford to pay for medical assistance.

Lorrenz was really proud of Stevv, but he was also the most troublesome child of the family. Brilliant, charming, and a mirror image of his father from the day he was born with his Spotted caste, his ego was too large for his head and spilled out frequently.

Stevv ignored his parent's advice and married a female six cycles his senior because she was truly lovely. She was a Mixed caste who was borderline Shaded, with a soft light grey on her front fading to a medium grey on her back. She could pass for Shaded, but for the three lighter grey bands on her back, which bumped her to Mixed, fourth caste.

Infatuated, Stevv wooed her and wore down her resistance until she agreed. She had medical training, so she began studying under him to increase her skills to assist him in the clinic. That's when his ego showed its ugly side. Eventually, Marrela spoke to Lorrenz and Lissan and was assigned permanent duty with the caravan. She couldn't live with her husband, but she'd fallen in love with the Sheffali family and wished to remain within it.

With this separation, their marriage was saved. With these long periods away, the partners agreed to take other lovers as long as they were discreet and only did it while apart. Lorrenz and Lissan looked the other way as this seemed to work for them, and it maintained harmony within the family and caravan.

Lorrenz knew Petre and Seela let Marrela join them in their tent, but he didn't want to know any more than that.

Lissan smiled at him and tipped her chin toward the trading house complex. A runner was coming from the back door toward their home. It was Olle and Jaritta's son, Penna, who was now fifteen, just a cycle away from joining the family business. Would he become caravan security like his father or a caravan cargo handler like his mother? Maybe he'd try something completely different. Lorrenz and Lissan would welcome whatever he chose.

The office complex he just rushed out of was a large two-story structure added to the homestead when they had sufficient family members to run the business while the caravan was away. Their second son Danne and his wife, Shalee, were General Manager and Public Relations Manager, respectively. Theirs was another relationship Lorrenz and Lissan did their best to just accept.

Shalee was a master schmoozer and was connected to the city's unofficial news channels--the gossiping wives of the wealthier families. While the Sheffalis were not numbered amongst the most affluent families, Shalee nonetheless insinuated herself into that social strata and gleaned a wealth of information from it, keeping the channels open and active.

Bubbly and outgoing, she was flirty and not above using sex to get what she wanted, which was mostly information. Through these means, she obtained account access to the city's data net and a computer to link it. That was a rare bit of tech in a largely tech-free world. Lorrenz and Lissan were completely comfortable trusting her as they knew she was fiercely protective of the Sheffali family.

She was also the one who informed them of the new Commander's assignment to Llevven and gathered as much information as she could about the new leader of the planet's military. They learned much about the war hero and that she'd been in administrative positions for decades before being assigned direct control of the military here. Considering the state of corruption in the ranks, Lorrenz had to wonder what was going through her superior's minds when they assigned her back into active duty here, of all places.

Penna arrived with a huge grin and shared hugs with his grandparents. "You both look very well," he said.

Lorrenz smiled and nodded. "Traveling keeps us young. What news do you bring us?"

"Uncle Danne and Aunt Shalee asked me to let you know that they are at your disposal this morning if you'd like to visit," the young male said.

Lissan nodded. "Please let them know we'll be there shortly."

With another grin, the boy ran back to the offices.

Lorrenz and Lissan tidied up their breakfast dishes and walked arm in arm to see their second son and his wife. They found them upstairs in his office.

Hugs were given and seats taken, Shalee choosing to perch herself on the front edge of Danne's desk as he sat facing his parents. Danne began.

"I received the cargo listing from Alleg and Drema this morning, and I can promise this will be one of our best returns to date. The demand for Moon Shells is at an all-time high, and this shipment looks like it might meet all the requests we've received with a small reserve to spare." Lorrenz smiled at this news, so his son continued.

"The pharmacologists were at the gate first thing this morning to pick up the oils and powders you brought, and we got them settled straight away. Not sure why they were in such a hurry, but they appreciated our ability to provide the volumes we did. Shalee got us a contract with some high-end boutiques for the artisan products, so the profit will be excellent for those items. How are our trade partners?"

Lorrenz nodded. "Each was very pleased we could take all of their inventory. That said, we're contemplating adding a fifth wagon to the east coast route."

"Yes!" Danne cheered as he'd been hoping his father would concede that they could handle the extra volume of trade. "Such excellent news!"

Lorrenz held up a hand to slow the festivities. "We still have to work out the logistics of crewing the extra wagon."

Danne nodded as he understood the ramifications. He'd discussed it many times with Treeg, Alleg, and Drema. They represented the beast, cargo, and warehouse divisions, so they all had a say.

The next generation of children was getting to an age where they'd be able to assist, but that was at least a cycle away. He knew his father played the long game. Danne felt his job was to find ways to accelerate this plan. Sometimes his father agreed, and sometimes he took longer to agree. They had an excellent relationship.

Lorrenz looked at the couple with a serious expression. "We encountered an additional complication on the return this time. Zell collected two energy rifles from a group of bandits three days out from here. Danne looked at his father in concern, and Shalee gasped. Lorrenz held up his hands to ease their minds. "All are well, due to Zell's actions. He is well, too."

Danne looked at his wife, and she began her report.

"There has been unrest amongst the business community due to the new Commander's clean sweep activities. She released the entire City Guard. She's replacing them with new people with a new ethic that doesn't support business as usual. These are younger, less jaded personnel, eager to prove themselves to their new Commander. She's breathing new life into the military, and as they are the primary security on Llevven, crime in the city is actually dropping. The citizens are feeling more hopeful, but it's making the local business owners and trading houses nervous, even the larger ones. They've gotten used to paying protection money and bribes. Now, the City Guard are doing their job, their proper one." Lorrenz smiled at that assessment.

Shalee continued. "The Commander's spy network is already significant, and as you requested, I've been contributing anonymously. She is scheduled to begin replacing her corrupt officers. The information I've provided should assist with this."

"So, she's a person of integrity? That's welcome news," Lorrenz sighed as Danne and Shalee nodded.

"We must connect with the Trader's Guild this morning to give them an update of the eastern route. We'll be informing them of the latest challenge with bandits," Lorrenz said.

Danne frowned. "Do you think they might convince the military to intervene this time?"

Lorrenz shrugged. "I'm just hoping they'll be more careful about securing their armory. We don't need their interference."

Danne nodded, understanding his father's reference to their secret security team of one. He changed topics. "Have you considered doing a run to the southern coast? I've heard rumblings that the Mrissa caravans aren't meeting the demands for goods. The Jakkan and Vresh have the larger east coast cities locked down, but the south market looks like it would welcome some diversity."

Lorrenz listened to this with interest. A southern route would be refreshing as the distances were shorter, but Henko wasn't someone he wanted to make an enemy of. The Mrissa were still one of the largest trading houses. To hear they may be struggling was concerning.

"I'll speak with Henko to gauge how threatened he might be by such a venture," Lorrenz said, seeing his son's satisfied smile. Always pushing for expansion, Lorrenz was very much aware of Danne's ambitions of being one of Llevven's leading trading houses. He never shared this with his son, but he shared that ambition. He left him in the dark to maintain Danne's belief that he was the driving force behind their growth. It kept his son fully engaged, which made him a better General Manager. The younger male was also learning the value of strategic thinking from his father. Like everything, it was a work in progress.

He spent some time with Danne reviewing the books as Lissan shared intel with Shalee. Then it was time to head off to the Trader's Guild Hall. Lorrenz was very pleased with their progress and how profitable Danne was going to make their recent trip. They shared hugs once more with their son and his daughter-in-law before heading over to the garage to arrange for a carriage.

Pulled by a smaller relative of the Druug beetle, their two-seater wagon was necessary to take the couple the remaining distance into the city. The lack of urban development on the eastern edge of the town was both a boon with lower property pricing and a hindrance by appealing to the criminal element that sometimes chose empty buildings to set up shop. They'd done sweeps through the nearby buildings to ensure they remained vacant and left notices that such occupation would not be tolerated, but these messages were sometimes ignored.

"Upper window southwest corner of the Demsy building," Lorrenz said quietly and felt Lissan prepare.

"Two from the right and three on the left side street, as well," she murmured.

Lorrenz nodded imperceptibly. "No quarter today." Lissan nodded as she understood.

The moment the bandits launched their ambush, Lorrenz and Lissan opened fire with the deadly long barrel handguns they carried for such activities. They practiced with the firearms frequently, so their speed and accuracy with them outclassed their opponents. The deafening boom from the guns was a weapon in itself, as the unprepared thugs were partially stunned. Then the large-caliber rounds tore through the ground level thugs with rifles and the sniper in the upper-story window.

Four seconds later, the fading echoes of the booms were the only sound in the neighborhood. They waited and heard a new sound. It was another wagon approaching rapidly from behind them. That was likely Olle and Murro, their ninth son and Chief Warehouse Security Officer. Those two took their security roles seriously and tried to get their parents to bring a security detail with them wherever they went. Ahead of them, they heard the squawk of a City Guard raptor mount. The large flightless avian mounts were tireless runners and carried one rider each.

Lorrenz and Lissan cast their eyes to the nearby buildings, but the threat was over. They slipped their weapons away before the City Guard officers raced into view. Olle and Murro arrived shortly afterward and pulled up beside them.

"Mother, Father, are you all right?" Murro gasped as he clenched his rifle in his hands.

"Yes, we're fine. Thank you, Murro. Olle," Lorrenz said with a smile. The two City Guard stopped their tall mounts directly before the wagons.

"What happened here?" one of the young males asked, and Murro made a sound of outrage. Lorrenz raised a hand to calm his youngest son before looking at the officer.

"We encountered some bandits who sprung an ambush upon us. We defended ourselves. I'm Lorrenz Sheffali, and this is my wife, Lissan. These are my sons Olle and Murro, who came to check on us after shots were fired."

"So, they were not involved?" the second City Guard asked.

"No, they were not," Lorrenz answered.

One of the officers rode over to check the bandits and returned to his partner. "Only the five bandits?" he asked.

"There was one more pointing a sniper rifle at us from the upper floor corner window of that building," Lorrenz said, pointing to the building behind the officers. "None of these buildings are occupied by tenants, so anyone in them is trespassing."

"Did the sniper escape?" the City Guard asked.

"No," Lissan said calmly. "but they might still be alive. Use caution."

As the bandits had struck from within city limits, their goods belonged to the city. Of course, the city also had the responsibility of disposing of the bodies.

"We were on our way to an appointment. May we leave?" Lorrenz asked.

The two officers looked at each other then nodded to him.

"Thank you," he said to them and turned to his sons. "Will you be accompanying us?"

"We think that's prudent, considering the circumstances," Olle remarked.

Lorrenz nodded his agreement, then faced the officers. "Thank you for your prompt arrival and for taking over the scene. I will mention this when I speak with your Commander."

The young male's smiles widened. "Badges three-two-two and four-six-five," one offered.

Lorrenz smiled. "We'll remember."

They got on their way again as the officers dealt with the dead bandits, looking for identities and collecting anything that might be sold to pay for the processing of their bodies.

The east end was so empty because of a plague that struck the city ages ago. It first struck in this community and spread westward. The people at the time superstitiously linked it to this side of the city. By the time they found a cure, most of the residents here had perished.

The disease had long been eradicated, but the deep-seated fears took much longer to fade. Lorrenz had no issues with it remaining an inexpensive neighborhood to live in.

After a few more blocks of undeveloped plots and abandoned structures, they passed through a huge archway in a narrow hedgerow and immediately saw signs of life and commerce on the other side, as if the wall of plants somehow protected this side from the plague. In truth, it had spread almost to the core of the city, but the worst cases had been on the other side. The hedges gave the people something solid to base their intangible fears upon.

Only two more blocks passed before they stopped in front of the large stone structure that was the Trader's Guild Hall. It was an impressive edifice, but aside from containing records, administering trading house contracts, and managing Trade Disputes in the meeting rooms, the building was far more impressively constructed than necessary. Lorrenz would have preferred if the money it'd cost had gone towards improving the road surfaces on the routes out of the city.

Olle and Murro waved to them from their cart as Lorrenz tied their beast to the parking post.

Lorrenz climbed the stairs with Lissan and went into the building without further delay. They approached the front desk and submitted their validated medical relief documents indicating successful delivery to the eastern coastal villages and towns. These forms would be submitted to the government offices that tracked the health of the people.

This was a service Lorrenz and Lissan took seriously and were proud to take part in.

They'd receive a small stipend for the delivery, which didn't cover the revenue they could have generated with the space the drugs used.

Henko Mrissa entered the front doors behind them and called out a greeting, so they stopped to wait for him to catch up. Lorrenz noted the Trade Master was moving slower than usual and appeared to carry some heavy burden.

"Henko, my friend. Are you well?" Lorrenz asked him quietly in concern when he joined them.

The male looked into his eyes and saw only compassion, so he smiled gently. "Thank you, Lorrenz. I am as well as can be expected. The passage of time takes its toll, and life is not always kind either. We endure and move forward, yes?"

Lorrenz had to nod in agreement, as the other male did not appear to be ready to share more than he had.

"Come! Let's make ourselves comfortable in the lounge, so we may discuss your latest journey!" Henko said with renewed enthusiasm.

They climbed the grand staircase and entered the double doors at the first-floor landing. Inside, the walls were covered with colorful woven tapestries displaying scenes of caravans arriving on the shores of the east, west, and south coasts of Llevven's one habitable mega continent.

No tapestries were displaying the north, as there were no established settlements of any kind in that frozen and mountainous region. It was the source of most rivers that flowed through the continent's center and provided their drinking water.

Several other males in the large chamber sat in clusters of chairs, discussing business and trivialities as they enjoyed hot beverages. They waved to the new arrivals with smiles. Lorrenz and Lissan smiled and waved in return. She was the sole female who set foot in the hall. There was no rule against it, and she wished more of the wives of the trading houses took an interest in this part of their businesses. The Sheffali Trading House may have been smaller than the others, but they were well respected because of their longevity and steady progress.

Lorrenz spotted a free quad and took seats on the plushly cushioned chairs as the doors pushed open once more.

"Ah! Good! You haven't begun yet!" Ogami gasped as he rushed into the room and took the last open chair in the group.

"Greetings, Ogami," Lorrenz said with a smile, and Lissan nodded to the male as well.

The leader of the Jakkan Trading House had risen greatly in Llevven's social strata because of his long-ago acquisition of the Tarron homestead. He never forgot who he owed for that.

"Did you encounter any issues with your latest trip to the eastern coast?" Henko asked with some urgency in his tone.

Lorrenz looked at his friend and nodded. "Yes, there seems to be an increase in the number of bandits on the route. We encountered three small groups, no more than four in each outbound, and on our return, we ran into a group of eight, three days out from the city--"

"Casualties?" Henko blurted.

"None... Henko, what's happened?" Lissan in concern.

The male shook his head as he looked away.

"His granddaughter has gone missing," Ogami said gently, and Henko jolted in pain. "I'm sorry, Henko, but these people are your friends. They're concerned for you. We all see the strain it's placing on you."

Lorrenz and Lissan were shocked to hear of such a thing happening to someone of his social ranking. As cynical as it sounded, the rich were typically exempt from the more sinister crimes. There was just too much attention on them for the criminals to get away with such acts.

"You've spoken with the new Commander of the forces?" Lorrenz asked. "I've heard she has integrity."

Henko nodded. "Yes, she is personally investigating the disappearance."

Ogami snorted, and eyes turned his way. "In the meantime, the female is stirring everything up. We no longer know who to bribe to make things work as they once did. No one enjoyed paying graft, but at least business moved in expected patterns. She fired the City Guard! All of them!" Lissan shared a glance with her husband as this matched Shalee's report.

Lorrenz noticed others were leaving their chairs to join their group to take part in the conversation. He looked back to Ogami. "We met two of the new Guard this morning on our way here after six bandits attempted to ambush us a few blocks from our homestead."

"WHAT?" Henko and Ogami gasped, and the others standing around their cluster of chairs made outraged noises to hear this was happening within the city walls.

Lorrenz was taken aback by the strength of the outburst.

"You said the City Guard recently lost their jobs. Many were just bandits with uniforms. This is a logical stepping stone for them," Lissan offered.

"How-How did-" Ogami stuttered.

Lorrenz smiled at their friends. "We've gotten rather proficient with weapons over the cycles."

"You and Lissan took out the bandits?" Henko asked, wide-eyed.

Lissan nodded. "You don't wait for rescue in those circumstances. You take action."

There was another murmur from the surrounding group, but it was of approval this time.

Henko leaned forward and locked eyes with the Sheffali's. "We believe the increase of bandits on the trade routes is directly linked to the new Commander's efforts to cull the criminal elements from her forces. Two caravans have failed to return from the western coast trade route. One was the Sprell family running with two wagons, and the other was the Krattos family, who ran a five-wagon, heavily defended caravan. We fear they've been murdered. Both were carrying medicine for the western communities. A solitary expedited courier managed to get through and returned from Washtan on the west coast. They reported neither caravan arrived in the city. They never received the medicine. The pharmaceutical delivery contract's payout has tripled, but... none of us feel confident enough to take it. We've asked the military for support but were turned down by the Commander's office because of her current efforts."

He hadn't come out and directly asked Lorrenz to take the mission, but saying none of them would do it made the request clear.

Lorrenz and Lissan glanced at each other. He'd arranged for their oldest daughter, Bonna, to marry into the Krattos family. They believed she worked at the homestead, not on the caravans, but that might have changed. They leaned back in their chairs as they contemplated what they'd just heard from their colleagues. Too frightened to send their own caravans into danger, they wanted the Sheffalis to volunteer.

The established fact that they had a spotless record of surviving attack after attack made them the obvious candidates for the job, but Lorrenz and Lissan knew that was mainly Zell's influence. They were in no hurry to put him in danger again with this unknown situation.

"That's a pretty big ask," Lorrenz said slowly as he looked around at the hopeful yet guilty expressions.

Henko was the first to nod. "Yes, we know. We're all experienced traders and caravanners, and we've had our share of encounters with danger on our journeys. However, most of us rely upon the security teams we hire, but lately, we're now having issues with them. They're all raising their rates for hazard pay which diminishes the profit of making the trip. It's their job to deal with the hazards!

Yours is the only caravan exclusively run by family members, and your record of surviving encounters with bandits without casualties is something we all envy. Then you and Lissan just informed us you defeated a team of six by yourselves on your way here!" Once more, the gathered made impressed sounds.

Lorrenz brushed aside the compliments. "As our caravan is made up of family members, we'll need to speak with them before we can agree to take on such a mission," he stated firmly. "We've only just returned from the east coast and haven't replenished our wagon's stores or completed any of the planning for our next run. We were considering a run down to the sunny south coast as a change of pace from being ambushed." Lorrenz casually mentioned that last suggestion to see how the other would react and saw some very uncomfortable expressions. The southern routes were much less bandit infested, and these older Traders were comfortable with their stranglehold on the market there.

He saw he'd have to back-burner Danne's ambitions for the southern destinations for a little while longer. He looked to Lissan and saw she'd picked up that impression as well as she smiled with a raised brow.

Lorrenz would speak to his son about expanding their east and west coast coverage because he wasn't about to let these older Traders have their cake and eat it too, at least not without compensation.

"We'll take this news back to our homestead and have a family meeting. We'll get back to you in the morning," Lorrenz stated.

"Of course! If you need a day or two, we don't want to rush you," Henko said generously.

They stood and nodded politely to each other as they left. Ogami walked with them to the front doors as the rest went back to their chairs. Henko sat and stared out a window at nothing.

As they walked down the stairs, Lorrenz looked to Ogami. "Henko is taking this very hard."

The male nodded. "His granddaughter just became an adult and was assessed as Shaded. He insisted she travel to Borrelia and purchased the Gate pass for her. She insisted on using her own savings to pay for her passage to Hessani. I think Henko wanted her to emigrate to Casellion. Then she went missing."

Lorrenz and Lissan shared sympathetic expressions with Ogami. Then Lorrenz touched his arm. "I'm going to try to get an appointment with Commander Gorresh. I will see what I can find out for Henko."

"Thank you, Lorrenz! You are a true friend!" Ogami said with a smile.

"Take care!" Lorrenz said, while Lissan touched the male's arm with a smile.

They went back to their wagon and nodded to their sons waiting in the next wagon. Murro was driving now. "Let's go home," the father said and got nods.

The trip back was uneventful, and Lorrenz brought their wagon back to their garage, where their granddaughters Hirral and Jeelu, took the reins as they stepped down. They kissed the girl's heads and got grins for that, waved to Olle and Murro, then headed back to their home to make some tea and discuss the next steps.

Sitting on the porch, once more sipping the hot beverages, Lorrenz looked to his wife and sighed. "I know what you're going to say. We must make the journey to the west to deliver the medicine, and I agree, but there are costs involved."

Lissan smiled. "And I know what you're going to say about those. I also agree we'd be putting Zell into considerable danger, especially if the western route bandits also had access to these energy weapons. There's also the fact that we wouldn't make such a trip without goods to trade, and we're not prepared. That's a financial cost. We need to speak to Danne about that. He might be able to perform some miracles. We could also pressure Henko or the others with contracts with western buyers to cut us in on the orders they aren't currently delivering. I'm sure they have customers suffering because they're hesitating to go."

Lorrenz nodded. "That would put us in a good place with these buyers."

"It would make the most sense if we could run a five-wagon caravan. The west coast buyers would see we're capable of fully serving their needs," Lorrenz sighed, then caught the motion of Penna running over from the office once more. He had a serious look on his face this time. Lissan shared a look with her husband.

Penna got right to it once he arrived. "You have visitors waiting in the reception hall asking for a meeting with you both. I was told they're representatives from the Krattos family."

Lorrenz and Lissan immediately stood to follow their grandson back to the large building and entered the reception hall. Danne and Shalee were already there. Danne made the introductions as all four stood to greet the Sheffali family leaders.

"Father, Mother, may I present Stron Krattos and his wife Illia, envoys from the Krattos family. They've come to make a personal appeal to the Sheffali family." He turned to the couple. "My parents, Lorrenz and Lissan Sheffali."

Stron tipped his head forward in respect, as did Illia a second later. The female appeared dazed.

Lissan turned to Penna, who was standing next to the door. "Could you bring a tea service and some biscuits?"

Penna nodded and slipped from the room.

"Th-thank you for seeing us on such short notice, and I apologize for coming to see you so soon after your return from the road," Stron began.

"It's quite all right. We just learned of the disappearance of your family's caravan on the western route," Lorrenz said compassionately.

Stron nodded, then looked away for a moment as he collected himself.

Penna returned, pushing a small cart laden with a teapot, cups for six, and a plate of cookies.

Lissan thanked him, and he returned to the door as she served their guests the calming tea. Illia looked especially thankful for the kindness.

"Yesterday, the sole survivor of the Sprell convoy, a boy barely past his sixteenth cycle, entered our yard and collapsed. He delivered a note and fell unconscious. The doctor we called for him told us he wouldn't survive the night, and he didn't. The delivered letter was a ransom demand for the seniors. It says my great grandparents, Axell Krattos and his wife Indri, are alive and will be returned if we pay their captors five hundred thousand credits within the week. I cannot access any of the assets of the estate.

We immediately went to the Commander's office, but we were turned away by one of the officers. He told us that her plate was full, so she wouldn't be taking on any more work until she'd dealt with internal matters. We never got to see the Commander." Stron took a moment to regroup. He sipped some tea and ate a biscuit. He'd obviously not had anything to eat for the past few days.

"My great-grandmother left specific instructions for the situation where they are captured. She called it a contingency plan. She said she got the idea from you." He gestured to Lissan, who smiled slightly and nodded as she recalled speaking with Indri about her own contingency planning.

"She left instructions for us to follow. It said for us to reach out to the only family who may have the means to determine their true fate, the Sheffali's. I don't know why she had such faith in you, but I'm sure she had her reasons. Until my great grandparents, or any of their descendants, are found alive, I'm authorized to offer you any resources we have at our homestead to support the search and retrieval of survivors. If they've all perished, I will offer you exclusive salvage rights to all assets." Lorrenz and Lissan made a sound of protest, as Stron and Illia would be the Krattos family if none of the others had survived.

Stron took a deep breath. "If there are no senior members of the Krattos family left, I'll have no choice but to collapse the business. I cannot run it as I've been legally made an agent of the family. My personal ownership rights have been permanently removed." He gave them a crooked smile, which showed his true pain. "I'm the outcast of the family. The one who didn't fit in and follow their rules, so great grandfather Axell wrote me, mostly, out of the family and left me behind to act as their agent." He saw a reflection of his pain in their eyes. "Oh, I'm sorry. There's one other family member left at the homestead to manage the reserve beasts when the caravan left. Bonna is the Homestead's Druug Wrangler. She's your daughter?"

Relief poured through Lorrenz and Lissan as they nodded. Then the father looked at Stron in confusion. "Isn't Bonna the most senior Krattos family member?"

Stron shook his head. "Krattos marriage contracts block spouses marrying into the family from inheriting control over family assets. Their children can, but not them. It's something else I protested against, which put me outside my family's favor."

"What will happen to you and Illia if we cannot rescue a living family member?" Lissan asked gently. Illia began to cry quietly, so Stron put his arm around her.

"I'm not sure. We have some savings, but being ejected from a family has made it difficult to find employment," he said.

"Do not despair. We will do what we can to ensure you are not alone and have a future," Lissan assured Illia and smiled at Stron.

"There is much to discuss with our family tonight. Please return tomorrow to be our guests for the midday meal. We will let you know our decision then," Lorrenz said kindly.

Stron saw their meeting was done, so he carefully helped Illia to her feet. The couple thanked their hosts, then left to return to their homestead. Danne walked them to the door.

When Danne returned, Lorrenz carefully lifted the chain holding Zell's whistle from his neck and gestured for Penna to come closer. He put the whistle over the boy's head. "Find your father and ask him to take you to the edge of the forest. When you're there, you will signal for Zell to join us tonight. Your father knows the proper sequence. He will tell you how to use the whistle to call for him. Go now and go quickly. Return that to me when you get back. Be safe, as the bandits may still be out there."

The boy's eyes were wide, and he smiled with excitement at being given such an important mission. He nodded to his grandfather and rushed away.

Lissan stood and faced the others. "We need to prepare a good meal for tonight. It's a rare event. All of my boys will be home."

-=-

Lieutenant Pinorra Heltas sat in a small park across from the City Government Offices building. He'd just received an update from one of his street rat informants about an attack on the Sheffali patriarch and matriarch this morning. It wasn't good news.

He felt Commander Gorresh's noose slowly getting closer. He had a few critical projects underway, and he didn't need the Sheffalis interfering in them or drawing the Commander's attention.

He still had a customer waiting on the goods he'd promised he'd get from the Sheffali caravan before it crossed the mountains. His hired guns were supposed to have killed the Sheffalis and moved the goods to a sheltered valley in the foothills he'd identified for them. They were to signal when they got there. He'd meet up with them a few days later to kill them and deliver the goods to his customer.

Instead, the caravan wiped out the bandits. Trained soldiers were taken out by goods traders. Now those goods were in the Sheffali warehouse. The family was too well organized to send in another team to take the family out in their homestead. He needed to cut the family's head off to send the rest into a panic. Then he could wipe them out. Finally, he'd take their moon shells and get his money to get off this planet and pay for his new life on Casellion.

Six bandits, including one reportedly exceptional sniper, targeted the couple on their way to the Trader's Guild Hall to achieve that goal. The five ex-Guard were now dead, and the sniper was in critical condition in the hospital with her arm blown off.

Pinorra would have to make a brief visit to the hospital now to ensure the female never woke up to tell anyone who hired her.

He needed to come up with a new plan and quickly. He was too smart to end up dangling from the bitch's noose.

-=-

Zell neutralized the bull pig's blood across the ridgeline with a mixture of ground leaf pulp and mushrooms as the digestive enzymes they provided would consume the dropped blood, the pungent pulp masked the odor and accelerated the enzyme's work. As a bonus, there'd be an increase in mushroom growth over the next cycle, which would keep creatures from using this route. The forest would take it back.

He was on his way back to his shelter when he picked up the strong, vibrating note of the whistle. He listened carefully and heard three distinct tones of three counts, with three counts of silence between. That was the meet at the homestead signal. Something must have happened. Something significant if they will risk having him found there.

His shelter was secure, so he had nothing to hold him back from proceeding immediately for his parent's place, except for the late afternoon sun. He made his way silently through the forest, collecting rare mushrooms for Seela, the Chief Caravan Chef, and placing them in a sack he carried for such occasions. Eventually, he reached the forest's edge, where he'd wait for darkness. He could hear the sounds of the field workers moving out of the fields to the waiting wagons, which would take them back to Mnemmesh. He climbed a tree and poked his head up through the canopy to watch the progression of wagons heading back to the city. He wondered what it might feel like to live in such a densely populated community.

From reading the book his mother left to him, he knew Ush were once a largely nomadic people who lived amongst the dunes of the vast deserts. They weren't by any means primitive. They had a rich culture of art and sciences which they shared amongst their widespread population. Advanced mathematics competitions were common, as were spirited philosophical debates. They'd never experienced war until a threat from the stars above drove them to develop a means to defend themselves. They captured the vessels of their foes and put their greatest minds on the task of creating a response. Within a few short cycles, they were venturing off the planet's surface to take the fight to their enemy. They captured additional vessels with tech that gave them the means to leave their system. They improved and adapted the tech to provide themselves with an advantage and learned the horrors of war.

At every stage, they'd tried to communicate with their invaders, to reason with them, but were met with only silence.

As Zell sat amongst the top branches, swaying in the breeze, he contemplated the Borrelians below. He listened to their raised voices, singing, laughing, trading good-natured insults as they left the fields after a hard day's work. On average, they were good people who favored conversation and closeness. Even those that hated each other made an effort to communicate before resorting to violence. This behavior made their genocidal war so puzzling to him. It seemed to go against their nature. He knew from firsthand experience that they had the capacity for deep empathy with a being who was not a Borrelian. The entire Sheffali family, from the most senior to the youngest, kept his presence a secret. That trust was precious to him. They were precious to him.

While he'd killed many Borrelians since that first group of bandits when he was eleven, it didn't give him any satisfaction or pleasure. It wasn't like he was getting revenge for his people. The bandits weren't the ones responsible. His violence was just a means to protect those he loved. He was good at it, and he ensured his targets died quickly and quietly. He never fed on them.

The sun reached the horizon, and he felt it slip down below the edge. All the wagons were well on their way back to the city, so he was in no danger of the field workers seeing him now.

It didn't take long for the skies to shed their remaining light and become an inky black. It was time.

He darted across the open expanse between the forest edge and the field, then began his ground-eating lope that was faster than any wagon or running avian mount the Borrelians had.

When he reached the edge of the field by the city walls, he waited for the last wagon to get to the gate. As the City Guard guided them in, Zell leaped from the field to the shadows of the wall, a distance of twenty strides, in one explosive pounce. Listening, he heard no cries of alarm, so no one had seen him. Scaling the tall wall was simple for one with claws like his. Within the shadow at the intersection of tower and wall, it took only seconds for him to reach the top edge. Guards no longer patrolled the path along the top, but he listened carefully and heard only the sounds of wind, leaves, and insects. He slipped over the edge and listened again--still nothing.

He moved along the top until he reached an area where the shadows were deepest inside and climbed down the inner wall. He paused, but there were still no sounds other than the distant singing of the field workers in the wagon.

It wasn't far to the Sheffali Homestead, but he made a circuit of the surrounding abandoned buildings before approaching. He spotted a watcher on the rooftop of the building across the wide avenue from the gate. Someone was keeping track of the comings and goings of the Sheffalis. Just the thing he needed to avoid.

He slipped up behind the spy and noticed it was a young male, underweight and quite odorous. Quickly and quietly, he grabbed the skinny neck of the struggling boy and squeezed until he felt him fall unconscious. He carried the limp body through the dark streets until he reached a row of hedges. There he tucked the boy under the branches and stuffed some credits into the pocket of the boy's soiled shirt.

He'd wake with a terrible headache, but he'd be alive. If he was smart, he'd get the message. Zell could only give him one warning. If he returned, he wouldn't wake at all.

Rushing back to the Homestead, he did another pass and found no more watchers. He went over the wall in a shadowed area and found himself quickly surrounded by guard beetles. He clicked at them, and they made snuffling noises.

They smelled the mushrooms.

Too bad for them. These were for Seela. He fired some angry clicks at them, and the group scattered.

He walked to the front door of his parent's house and saw a note saying everyone was in the formal dining room of the office building. He turned and hustled across the wide courtyard to enter the building. As he approached the room, he whistled to let them know who was coming.

"ZELL!"

He smiled as he heard the excited voices of the kids. He pushed his hood back as they came charging. Brann, son of Drema and Geega, and Koobi, daughter of Treeg and Grunda, were both ten and the first to appear. They rushed forward to get hugs.

Cragg, son of Murro and Challa, was only five but a little ball of energy and right on their heels.

Shortly, Penna and sister Kaytesh, who was just a single cycle younger at fourteen, joined their cousins.

"You heard the signal with no troubles?" Penna asked eagerly.

This told Zell it was the boy who'd used the whistle. "Yes, crystal clear and strong. Thank you!"

Penna's proud smile made his sister roll her eyes.

Zell picked up Cragg and carried him into the next room, where the adults were all seated around a long table. Mycha and Bollo quickly waved to him with grins. The boys were both fifteen cycles old, so they'd remained with the other adults when he'd whistled, but he saw their excitement at his arrival too. Cragg grasped his ear, so he gently tugged it free from the young boy's small fingers. He was fascinated with Zell's upright and mobile ears, which flicked to point forward and back, picking up the faintest sounds.

The Ush noticed that all the windows were covered with their security shields, preventing light and sound from leaving the room.

Lorrenz walked forward to meet his son. "Thank you for joining us. Did you encounter any trouble on the way in? There's been an increase of bandits in the neighborhood."

Zell gently set Cragg down and faced his father with a look of concern. "Bandits inside the city walls?"

Lorrenz nodded. "Your mother and I dealt with a team of six this morning on our way to the Trader's Guild Hall."

Zell's fur stood on end as his eyes widened. He couldn't be here to protect them, and they were in danger. He looked to Olle, who nodded with a frown.

"They left the Homestead before Murro and I knew they were gone. We arrived just after they finished the bandits off," Olle sighed.

"Please, Father! Mother! Let Olle and Murro protect you while you are in the city!" Zell pleaded.

The two seniors looked at each other and shrugged. They knew Zell might do something desperate if they didn't agree. They needed him to be safe as well. "It will be as you say, and they insist."

Olle and Murro smiled and nodded to Zell gratefully. He returned it.

"On the way in, I spotted someone watching the front entrance from a rooftop across the avenue. It was a street child. I rendered him unconscious and left him back by the hedgerow. I don't believe he'll have the nerve to return."

Olle and Murro frowned as surveillance was a new ploy. They would discuss options later.

"Come, join us for a meal," Lissan asked.

Zell nodded and took a seat at the table next to his mother. He wasn't hungry, having just devoured a large portion of the bull pig he'd killed the day before. He knew she enjoyed the ritual of having a meal with her family, and he rarely got to take part in them at the Homestead. He could see the gleam of happiness in her eyes. It reminded him of the joy he'd seen in his birth mother's eyes when he'd proven to her he learned one of her survival lessons.

"Thank you for including me, but what's the occasion that warrants such a risk?" He scooped a small portion of raw fish onto his plate, a delicacy he couldn't resist. He caught Lissan's grin at Seela for including it. Her smile reminded him of the bag he was carrying for the chef. He tugged it out from inside his robe. "These are for you," he added, handing the bag to her.

Seela peeked inside and made a little squeak of happiness as she lifted one of the delicate mushrooms from the bag. Cheers went up down the table as they knew she would prepare their favorite soup with these.

Zell looked to his father, who described the situation with the captured caravans and how the other trading house families and the surviving Krattos members wanted them to take on this mission.

"There will be an increased risk to you," Lorrenz said to Zell. He looked at the others. "There is increased danger for all of us. While Lissan and I believe the value of delivering the medicine warrants the attempt, we won't force this risk upon you. Everyone gets a say."

"I have no concerns for this mission. Should you choose to proceed, I will be more proactive in scouting the route and will address any dangers swiftly and decisively. I will protect my family."

He looked up and saw Noola watching him with an odd expression. He faced her directly, and she immediately looked down at her plate. He didn't get to ask her what the look meant as the other members of the Caravan team began chiming in their support with proceeding with the mission, and he looked back to the proud expression on Lorrenz's face.

"This is going to be a difficult enterprise for the entire family as we just returned and have nothing prepared for heading back out. Additionally, we'll be taking five wagons."

Danne's face lit up with a broad smile, while the others looked less enthused.

"Where are we going to get the crew for managing the extra wagon?" Laalaa asked.

"What extra wagon are we going to use?" Treeg asked.

Lorrenz nodded. "We'll take a wagon from the Krattos Homestead, pulled by one of their teams, and Bonna will manage it."

Eyes locked on him now. "Bonna?" Noola asked in surprise, recalling her sister's tearful departure from the family.

Lissan nodded. "She deserves to join the caravan to find out the fate of her husband. Noola, we'll be asking you to ride with her." The Master Vet just nodded.

"What turn around are you asking for?" Danne asked. He had some potential customers who would jump at the chance to get in on the run to the west coast's largest city since that's what they were tacitly being given permission to do. Taking five wagons and successfully getting through while the larger trading houses held back in fear would set them up nicely for future business.

"Two to three days, maximum."

Voices were raised in surprise and dismay, as they typically had two weeks to get the caravan back on the road.

"There is a rescue mission component. We can't delay," Lorrenz reasoned.

Zell shook his head. "The odds of the Krattos crew being alive are too low to be a reasonable expectation. Will we be carrying the ransom credits?"

Lorrenz sighed. "There's no ransom money as the last heir has no legal access to the estate's funds. While we agree the chances are very poor, we must treat this as a rescue mission to get the other trading houses to take part in preparing us for the rapid turnaround. I will let them know we expect them to assist in this way. This will give them a sense of involvement and may diffuse their hostility while we establish our customer base in the west coast cities. We must determine the fate of the heads of the Krattos family, Axell and Indri, for their surviving son Stron and his wife, Illia."

"The Druug are going to be cranky with such a short period of rest. We'll have to take the freshest eight unless there are sufficient beasts at the Krattos Homestead we can borrow," Lorrenz offered.

"What about the energy weapons?" Zell asked.

Lorrenz nodded. "I've asked Shalee to contact the Commander's office to see if I can speak with her." He turned to face the female.

Shalee beamed a smile at the patriarch. "I've managed to arrange a fifteen-minute meeting tomorrow morning. That makes you the only trading house owner she's agreed to make time to see."

Lorrenz bowed to Shalee to show his appreciation for the magic she'd worked. She returned the bow, and her wide smile showed her joy at his acknowledgment. "I will endeavor to make those fifteen minutes count."

"You'll be taking the western route to Washtan or Norsha?" Zell asked.

"Washtan," Lorrenz confirmed. "We'll be running the Druug until the desert." Zell nodded as he agreed with the wisdom in that.

"I'll signal you from the forest's edge, this side of the mountains, to let you know I'm there. I'll shadow the caravan over the pass and won't contact you again until we're a good day into the desert beyond the plains," Zell said.

Lissan took his hand in hers. "You won't join us during the day? That's quite an extended period without resting," she said in concern.

"I've learned how to take smaller naps along the way. The plains will be relatively safe because of their increased range of visibility. However, I will ensure nothing threatening hides in the tall grasses, other than me," he said fondly.

Conversation at the table quickly became one of logistics and how they'd prepare the caravan for another trip so quickly.

Zell finished his fish, rinsed his mouth with fresh water, and ate some scented greens to eliminate the odor of fish from his breath. He was too aware of how scent was used by the predators in the night.

He looked to Lissan and Lorrenz. "I should be going. There is too much risk for you with me being here. I will be ready in the west." The two stood with him and gave him hugs. Once they released him, he nodded to the others, hugged the kids, and noticed Noola was missing.

That felt odd. She was his best friend in the family as she also remained hidden behind her coverings in public, and they enjoyed the same music and stories. He wanted to say good night to her.

With a sigh, he waved and headed to the door, pulling his hood up over his ears once more. Letting himself out the back door, he rushed across the property to the shadows by the back wall. Before he got there, he detected the presence of another standing by the wall. Noola!

He slowed and approached with a smile. "You disappeared from the dinner before I could say good night-mmmph!"

Noola pressed herself against his chest as her arms went around him and her mouth found his. His mind flashed to a memory of the two of them playing, experimenting in the dark corners of the barn, learning about their sexuality in innocent ways. This felt different. There was a desperation in her touch, her kiss. He took her face gently between his hands and slowed the kiss, then pulled back to look into her eyes in concern.

"What's wrong?" he asked quietly.

"I-I can't help but have this feeling that something bad is coming," she said as her body trembled.

He held her tight against him and felt her trembling quickly fade.

Noola sighed. She always felt so safe in his arms. While everyone outside these walls treated her like a pariah because of her stupid skin markings, Zell's feelings for her remained as true and strong as the day they'd met when she was only an infant. They'd grown up together as siblings of a sort, but her feelings for him were... complicated, much like his situation of being trapped on a world that feared and despised his kind for some unknown reason.

He leaned back to look into her eyes. "Know you are always in my thoughts and my heart. I will see you in the western desert." He paused for a second as his emotions flared, then leaned forward to kiss her gently once more.

She sighed happily, a sound he treasured.

He released her, and with a smile, he sprung upwards and grabbed the top of the wall to pull himself over.

She touched the wall and listened, but she knew he was already far away. Lifting her fingers to touch her lips, she smiled as she could still feel his soft kiss there.

Chapter 5

Julla cursed under her breath as she read the report from the hospital. The sniper who attacked the Sheffalis yesterday died sometime during the night. She wouldn't be getting any answers from her. The female's stitches had torn open, and she bled out. She'd talk to the doctor about how that could happen when she managed to scrape a few minutes out of her day.

She looked at her calendar and saw she had a meeting scheduled with the Sheffali Family Patriarch... now? Where was he? She didn't have time to waste!

She stood and opened her office door and saw Lieutenant Heltas in her outer doorway, arguing with an older, dark-skinned male with an interesting mix of markings on his skin. They clearly identified the male as a Spotted caste, and Pinorra's body language made it clear that, as a Mixed caste, he wasn't pleased to have a lower caste speaking back to him. She glanced at her secretary, who looked back at her with wide, nervous eyes.

"My office arranged a fifteen-minute meeting with the Commander, for this morning!" the older male insisted.

"I don't know how you managed to work around official channels, but you aren't on my calendar, so you can sell your ratty carpets to someone less busy!" Pinorra snapped.

"Lieutenant Heltas!" Julla barked, and the male jumped and almost reached for his weapon. He restrained himself at the last second, then turned to face her, controlling his expression.

"Yes, Commander," he said stiffly.

"I wasn't aware you've been screening my calendar appointments," Julla said.

"It's-it's one of my duties. I did this for the former Commander to eliminate the nuisance requests," he said to justify his interference.

"I'll be the judge of what I consider a nuisance. The screening stops now. Is that understood, Lieutenant?"

Pinorra's jaw muscles were jumping, but he nodded. "Yes, Commander."

"Then stand aside and let my guest inside."

Glancing at the suppressed anger in the Lieutenant's face, the older male stepped by, carrying a tall rolled-up carpet.

Julla now understood Pinorra's reference to the ratty carpet. This one really wasn't to her taste. It was horrid. She hoped he wasn't planning to try selling it to her.

Looking at her secretary, she scowled. "No more screening for meetings. You are the one who brings them to my attention. Understood?" The young female nodded quickly.

Julla went back into her office, and the older male followed.

"Please close the door behind you," she said, watching a small device on her desk as the older male passed through her doorway. The device remained dormant, so she relaxed.

The Sheffali senior closed the door and turned to face her. She braced herself for the pitch.

"My name is Lorrenz Sheffali. My wife Lissan and I run the Sheffali Trading House. I understand you are tremendously busy, so I won't waste your time with flowery words. I'll get right to the point. On our return trip from the east coast, we were set upon by bandits three days out from Mnemmesh. That in itself isn't anything of note. The routes are becoming more dangerous with the criminal element forced to find new ways to earn a living." He paused to look at the carpet with annoyance. "Would you happen to have a knife I might use to cut the strings tying the carpet closed? Everything that could remotely be used as a weapon was confiscated from me when I entered the building."

Julla smiled as she was beginning to like this male. He was refreshingly candid and hadn't tried to flatter or bribe her yet. She approached and used her own blade to cut the ties loose. She stood back as he laid the carpet down and carefully unrolled it. Her eyes widened when she saw two energy rifles inside.

He stood and looked at her. "When we defeated the group of bandits, we collected their weapons as is our right, but we found these amongst the dead. We're aware it's illegal for anyone outside the military to have these in their possession, so I'm returning them to you. I would greatly appreciate your help in assuring these, and their like, never find their way into the hands of bandits again. It's dangerous enough for the families on the trade routes without having to face such weapons."

Julla knelt and wrote down the serial numbers from the weapons. Then she stood and looked him in the eye. "How did you get these past all my officers?"

Lorrenz smiled. "It is a truly ugly carpet. Besides, I didn't bring their energy cells, so they're currently harmless. If you could have someone collect the cells from my Homestead, I would appreciate it. Perhaps not the Lieutenant."

Julla snorted in amusement.

Lorrenz's expression became serious again. "As the Lieutenant mentioned, he's been screening your visitors. He was obviously the one who turned Stron and Illia Krattos away when they came to ask for help in saving their family from the bandits who've taken them hostage on the western route. The Sprell Family convoy was taken as well, but the bandits sent a sole Sprell survivor to the Krattos Homestead with a ransom note. The youth then died."

The Commander scowled. "I haven't been informed of any of this!"

Lorrenz nodded. "It's highly unlikely any members of the captured Krattos or Sprell families are alive at this point, but Stron and Illia came to see my wife and me to ask us to take our caravan west to determine their fate."

Julla scowled. "That's not a task for a trading house caravan! That's our job!"

Lorrenz smiled gently. "I believe you are going to do great things for the people of Llevven, and I fully support your efforts. Many of my colleagues are frightened and upset by your interference, but that's just their fear of the unknown. Once you have fully gained control over the rampant corruption in the military and the local government, the people of Llevven will prosper and flourish. It's been a long time since there's been hope on this planet. We look forward to that day."

Julla was taken aback by the sincerity of his words and nodded to him.

"However, today is not that day. You're on the right path, but you need time to take these bold steps. As I've said, we'll do our part to support you. We're preparing to take our caravan on the western route in the next day or so. If we encounter these bandits, they will die. We aren't novices in battle situations. Every member of our caravan is an expert shot with various weapons, and we drill constantly. Throughout our career, we've encountered hundreds of bandits. They are dead. We are alive. You may confirm our success rate with the other trading houses."

Once more, Julla was surprised. "So... you aren't asking for a military escort?"

Lorrenz smiled and shook his head. "Not at this time. Some of the other trading houses would welcome this kind of support, but again, our family's opinion is that you need time to complete your purge within the forces so we can trust the military escorts once more."

The Commander nodded to the blunt but honest male before her.

"I promised I would ask if you made any progress on locating the granddaughter of my friend, Henko Mrissa. He's distraught as he was the one who convinced her to take the trip to Borrelia and purchased the Gate Pass for her," Lorrenz asked.

Julla's eyes widened. "She had a Gate Pass on her?" she asked in surprise.

Lorrenz nodded. "Did he not mention that?" She shook her head with a scowl, and Lorrenz's expression showed his sadness for his friend. "That omission might have been because of his guilt from pushing his granddaughter to travel or his fear of divulging information to the military. As I said, we need to be able to trust those who enforce our laws. Life on Llevven will become so much better once you've achieved your goals."

"Knowing she had the pass, I can now trace who issued it and who else was aware of it. This will help me identify a suspect pool. I would like to call upon you to act as the liaison between the military and the business community in the future. This conversation alone has granted me so much valuable information and shed light on some serious communication shortfalls," Julla expressed.

"We're at your disposal, but we should be discreet as we need to work with these people in the interim. I understand you have an extensive spy network. Some who contribute to that are people of integrity as well," he said with a smile. He picked up a stylus on her desk and drew the symbol he used for Zell's first initial. "Watch for posts signed with this."

Julla felt some of the weight, which had been resting on her shoulders since she arrived on Llevven, lift free. She had support and honest advice. She smiled at Lorrenz.

He smiled back, then glanced to the window to gauge the height of the early morning sun. "I've taken up too much of your time. I must light fires under the hesitant bottoms of the other trading house masters to assist us with re-provisioning our wagons for the journey." He glanced down once more at the rifles, and she followed his eye.

"I'll have the armory records checked for the serial numbers on these weapons to see who signed them out. There are only a few officers with access to the energy weapon lockers. I'll investigate," she assured the male. "Do you want to take the carpet?"

"After I just got that ugly thing out of my house? No, thanks. I do thank you for your time, though," he said with a grin as he stepped out into the outer office. She followed him out.

"I'll send a couple of City Guard to your homestead to pick up the other items," she said.

Lorrenz turned to face her again. "Ah! I just recalled I promised to mention how impressed I was with two of your new City Guards, badges three-two-two and four-six-five. They arrived soon after my wife and I dispatched the group of bandits yesterday. They took control of the scene quickly."

Julla stared at Lorrenz. "You and your wife took out a team of six bandits?"

Lorrenz smiled. "I did mention we aren't novices, yes?"

Julla just shook her head at Lorrenz and smiled. The older male made his way around the hall to the stairs down as Julla's eyes followed in contemplation. They settled on Pinorra, standing in his doorway, watching Sheffali as well. Was that worry on the Lieutenant's face?

Interesting.

Perhaps it was time to light a fire under the Lieutenant's bottom too.

"Lieutenant Heltas!" she called out, and he jolted slightly as he looked across the open space. She gestured for him to come to her office. She stepped back inside and moved to sit behind her desk.

When the Lieutenant stepped into her office, his eyes were immediately drawn to the two rifles sitting on the ugly carpet. He froze.

"Lorrenz Sheffali's caravan was attacked three days out from the city. They defeated the bandits and took possession of their weapons. Amongst them were these energy weapons. What do you make of that?"

Pinorra seemed like he was lost for words, so she prompted him. "They look like ours?" He nodded quickly. "So we should check the sign-out sheets to see who opened the locker and took these two weapons. I'd like a report on my desk first thing tomorrow morning with that information."

"Y-yes, Commander!" he said, picking up the two rifles.

"Don't leave the carpet! I don't want that ugly thing in here!" she exclaimed, and he immediately bent to roll up the rifles in the rug and carried it out of her office as quickly as he could.

She watched him leave and felt some pieces begin to fall into place. She'd have to keep a close eye on the Lieutenant.

He was going under the microscope.

-=-

Pinorra was struggling not to panic. The Commander hadn't actually accused him of doing anything wrong, so even if she was on to him, she hadn't shared it with anyone else.

This meant he was out of time. He wouldn't outrun her investigation.

So, the only answer left was, she had to die.

The problem was, she was a front-line, battle-hardened veteran, and he was a backwater back-stabber. He wouldn't get within arm's length of her before she diced him up into giblets. He was a terrible shot, so sniping was out. He needed outside expertise.

When the Commander took out the top three leaders of the gangs within the forces, she missed the fourth and probably most significant cabal member. Luccis Hresh was a retired Commander who had off-world ties within the Borrelian Military Logistics Division. Smuggling was their primary business, but his fingers were in every crime on Llevven. Anyone who demanded extra credits from Llevven's businesses paid a share to him.

He'd tried to recruit Pinorra months back when Gorresh first arrived, but when she'd immediately and bloodily dealt with the three bosses, Pinorra's nerve broke.

Now he had no other option. He needed the Commander dead, and Hresh could provide him with the means to make it happen.

He went to the armory and locked the energy rifles back in their secure cage. There was no point in looking in the sign-out log as he knew it was blank.

He did busy work for the rest of the day to burn away the hours. The best time to approach Hresh was late evening.

Finally, the building quieted as most of the day shift people had left before the sun had set.

He swung by the comms room and settled himself behind a terminal at the back of the room. He logged on with the default user account they'd been told not to use and connected to the outside network. He had a contact address for Hresh, and he'd heard the ex-Commander was always online. He sent a brief post to the secure page. He wrote he wanted to accept that offer he'd received, and he sent the code Hresh had given him in their face-to-face months before.

Pinorra sweated behind the terminal's screen while he waited for a response. Five agonizing minutes later, he got a ping. It simply read "Deal Dead."

His stomach sank, and his palms went damp with sweat. He'd have to buy his way in, but all he had of value was... shit.

He supposed it didn't matter. If he killed her, he wouldn't need to leave.

He typed a new post. "Can pay, but need a permanent solution quickly."

Pinorra knew it would take time for Hresh to arrange one, so he'd be dancing on the razor's edge with his Commander until then. He'd show the bitch the blank sign-out log in the morning. He wasn't the only one implicated by that. The pressure on him would be intense, so he hoped Hresh would come through in a day, two, at most.

A response came back. "Expensive."

Pinorra had expected that.

His follow-up was equally brief. "Valuable."

"Better be. What?"

Pinorra checked the room and approaching hallways to ensure he had complete privacy before returning to the terminal to respond. "Gate Pass. Borrelia."

The response was immediate. "Meet. Now."

Pinorra smiled as he knew he had Hresh's attention and support. He cleared the comm's history and logged out before heading upstairs to his office.

He wasn't going to march into the kingpin's domain with the treasure in his pocket. He needed the means to solve his Gorresh issue before he handed over the payment. Hresh would get the Gate Pass after the new Commander was dead.

He had a hidden safe of sorts in his office. A loose ceramic tile on the wall trim behind his desk could be lifted to expose a shallow cavity in the wall. It wasn't large, but the Gate Pass fit inside. No thieves, other than those who worked there, could get access as the building was secure. With the tile back in place, it gave no sign of the hideaway behind it.

Pinorra wasn't deluding himself. The only reason Hresh needed him was because of the security of the building. The Commander would relax her guard in the safety of her office.

He left the office with his treasure safety hidden and set a direct course for the retired Commander's homestead. It wouldn't do to make him wait any longer.

Hresh had a large estate not too far from the downtown core. The neighborhood featured tall, mature trees lining both sides of the roads. The trees had no lower branches but vast canopies of leaves, so the streets were pleasantly shaded throughout most of the cycle. The tree trunks looked like the pillars which supported the awning on Hresh's mansion.

As he approached the front gate, he frowned as he saw the goons waiting for him there. He'd worked with them when they were in the military, and most of them didn't like him. This wasn't going to be pleasant.

-=-

Hidden behind one of the large trees down the street, Julla watched the Lieutenant walk up to the gate of her next target. She knew Heltas would finally connect her to the rot in their society. She took in the mansion's size, the neighborhood it was in, the number of security personnel guarding it, and realized this had to be the head of the criminal syndicate on Llevven. She'd look up this address to find out who owned it in the morning. She was tired, so she faded back into the shadows and slipped away in the night.

Chapter 6

Lorrenz smiled at Lissan, whose face also showed her satisfaction. They'd pulled off a miracle! Lorrenz's pressuring the other Trade House leaders had them jumping through hoops to get the required provisions delivered and stored on their wagons in record time.

Danne came through with sufficient trade goods for all the settlements along the western coastline. These were rush delivered to the Sheffali Homestead and securely loaded onto the wagons by Alleg's and Drema's helpers in record time.

Additionally, the pharmaceutical companies rerouted all of their available inventory from the other trading houses to the Sheffali homestead as they were the only ones willing to attempt the route. There was enough medicine to support the western coastal cities and towns.

While all this was happening, Lorrenz and Lissan informed Stron and Illia that they would be on the road the following day. They borrowed a wagon and a team of Druug to add to their caravan, and Bonna was thrilled to be told she'd be joining them on the trip. She'd prepared herself for the very real possibility that her husband had been killed by the bandits. Truthfully, she and he were not on good terms and hadn't been for cycles, so she was mostly just a little sad. She was pleased to have Noola as her copilot on the journey. The two sisters would have much to discuss on the way.

In their talk on the way back to the Sheffali Homestead, Lissan learned that Bonna's husband had insisted his wife break ties with her old life and use all of her energies towards raising the Krattos family's status. She'd had three daughters, none of whom remained with the family but ran a bakery shop in Mnemmesh. They grew up seeing how the Krattos family ran their caravans and household and how they treated their female family members, so they chose to leave the family and make lives for themselves. Bonna had done what she could for them, and their business was doing well enough.

Lorrenz insisted that now that they'd reconnected with Bonna, they wouldn't allow this loss of contact to happen again. They wanted to meet their granddaughters.

As their homestead was on the eastern edge of the city and the western trade route was on the opposite side, they first passed through the city. They avoided the busier avenues and swung around the southern edge before the sun came up and traffic increased. Maintaining an excellent pace on the mostly empty roads, they arrived at the western gates leading into the surrounding fields by the time the sun poked above the horizon.

This was the first time they'd made a trip with a five-wagon caravan, and Lorrenz appreciated the priority the City Guard gave them as they passed through the security checkpoint and left the city proper.

He'd be letting the Druug run for periods on this trip to make time and to let the beasts use their preferred gait. They loved to run, but the slower trot ate up the miles and put less wear and tear on the wagon equipment and contents. Running also dealt with the crankiness the Druug might have exhibited from having been sent out again so soon.

Their cargo was secured using the appropriate strapping to compensate for the running motion, even the pharmaceuticals. The Druug harnesses had also been adjusted to allow for the uneven push and pull of the beasts getting up to speed and slowing down. They always fell into a synchronous gait once up to speed, but the acceleration and deceleration phases could get rocky.

One of the best benefits of the faster pace for the passengers was enjoying the wind on their faces without the smell of the beasts. As they raced along the road towards the foothills of the western mountain range, they inhaled the fresh scent of the flowering fruit trees and the cool humidity of the early morning.

It only took a couple of hours to reach the beginnings of the woods at the base of their climb. They brought their speed down to the slower and more comfortable climbing pace the Druugs would use to pull the wagons over the pass.

The western mountains were taller than the eastern range, so it would take longer to reach the narrow but flat gap between the higher peaks. It was definitely a choke point that had seen its share of ambushes. Lorrenz would feel far more comfortable knowing they had Zell scouting ahead of them.

Speaking of his adopted son, they'd already passed within the shelter of the forest, and they hadn't heard the birdcall he used to announce his presence.

As they climbed the side of the mountain and moved into the long switchbacks, there was still no sign of him. They finally pulled over at a rest stop at one of the side bends, and Lorrenz stepped down from his bench on the lead wagon and made his way back through the group, speaking to each pair and getting them to prepare their weapons if they were going to have to shoot their way through the pass.

Just as he reached the second to last wagon, he heard the trill of Zell's signal. No additional warning tones, just the call to say he was arriving.

Lorrenz turned and saw Zell stepping from the woods. His robes were torn and scorched on one side, and he had his cowl pushed back to allow his ears to move freely.

"What happened?" Lorrenz asked in concern.

Zell smiled at his father. "There was an ambush ahead. Just a single bandit but dug in tight like a skin borer up on the rocky cliffside. He was on the western side of the pass and armed with one of those energy rifles. The only way to dislodge him was to get above him and drop rocks on his position. There wasn't much cover up there. He got a lucky shot and burned my robe--he didn't get me!" he added to calm his family.

That's when Zell noticed a recent addition sitting on the bench next to Noola.

"Bonna! What are you doing here?" Zell said with a smile and leaped up to give her a hug. She returned it with a cheerful grin.

"I'm part of the rescue mission," she said, then immediately held up a hand to acknowledge their poor odds of finding anyone alive.

"Glad to see you back with us, at least," Zell added. He glanced at Noola, who was watching him with big eyes and an unreadable expression again. He nodded to her with a smile, then slipped back down to the ground.

He looked to Lorrenz. "I need a new robe. The custom cowl of this one needs to be removed and sewn onto the new one.

"I can do that!" Noola blurted.

Lorrenz leaned out to look up the line of wagons. "Olle! We need one of your spare robes!" He was the only one large enough to have clothing that would fit Zell's wide shoulders.

"Right!" the reply came. Moments later, the Caravan's security chief walked up to them with the black robe in his big fist. His eyes widened as he took in the large burnt section of the robe Zell was taking off. "What?"

"One bandit with an energy weapon." Zell examined the fur on his side and noticed some was a little scorched as well. It hadn't reached his skin, thankfully. "Closer than I thought but still not bad, considering the bandit had the most advanced weapon on Llevven, and all I had were rocks... which he's now crushed under. I couldn't get the weapon as the path he used to get to his perch broke off." Zell looked at the others. "There are no more ambushes on this side of the pass to halfway down the other side. I'll ride with Bonna while Noola fixes my clothes. I'll go back to scouting before we reach the pass."

Lorrenz hugged him and walked back to the first wagon. He felt better knowing Zell was with them and unharmed.

He gave the signal to get them moving again, and the wagons climbed once more.

-=-

Crawling between Bonna and Noola to get into the wagon behind the bench, he felt Bonna's hand ruffle his fur affectionately as he passed. Noola's hand pressed against his body more firmly and squeezed his butt. He saw the sunny smile on Bonna's face and heat in Noola's eyes when he looked back.

Looking away, he first emptied the inner pockets of his robe and handed the garment to Noola. Then he found and gave her the fabric mending kit so she could get started. She quickly undid the stitches that held the wider cowl to his damaged robe and the existing hood from Olle's robe.

He marveled at how nimble her fingers were with the tools, watching in fascination as she stitched the wide hood to Zell's new gown.

"So, are you two a couple?" Bonna asked with a sly smile.

"WHA-?" Noola gasped and poked her thumb with the needle.

Zell looked at Bonna in surprise, then frowned with concern at Noola's thumb, which began to bleed. He reached forward and took her hand in his. Noola watched him with wide eyes as he held her thumb facing him and slipped it into his mouth. His tongue was sterile, and he'd discovered he could heal his wounds faster if he licked them. Maybe it would work for her, too.

Noola trembled, and her eyes closed with the tingling sensations his rough tongue was sending through her hand. The skin on the injured digit went numb, the pain from the prick immediately fading. She forced her eyes open and looked into Zell's for a moment before turning them to her openly grinning sister's face.

"N-no." she forced out.

"Not yet, you mean?" Bonna teased.

"Bonna," Zell scolded gently, and she shrugged as her eyes went back to the beasts, which needed no attention to follow the wagon ahead. Her smile remained.

Zell handed Noola the small first aid kit he pulled from the storage under the bench seat.

Once she bandaged her thumb, she finished sewing the cowl to the robe and handed it to him.

"Perfect," he said with a smile, and she smiled sweetly in return. He returned his items to the inner pockets of his new robe and pulled it on.

Zell saw they were getting close to the pass, so he leaned forward between the two females and kissed Bonna's cheek. "Good to have you with us." He turned his face to Noola and found her lips against his and her hands cradling his face. He kissed her in return and felt her suck in a little gasp.

He pulled back and looked into her eyes. "I-I should go. Thank you for fixing my new robe's cowl."

She nodded to him, her eyes searching his, and he felt a tugging in his chest. He needed to get going to protect the caravan, so he slipped by the two females and leaped off the wagon to spring forward and climbed the remaining distance in a series of bounds that no Borrelian could match. His senses were dialed up to max as he was hunting. The heartbeats of every family member in the caravan and each of the beast of burden filled his ears, and he noted and categorized them as friendlies. This let him filter them out in his mind.

Beyond their group, he picked up only the minimal hum of insect and avian life. The pass was above the tree line, so there was minimal larger life here.

Had any enemy eyes been watching him, it wouldn't take them long to realize by his speed and agility that he wasn't one of them.

But by then, they'd be dead.

He knew there were no other travelers on this route, so anyone he did encounter was likely to be a bandit, most probably one of the former corrupt City Guard. He wondered if there had been any who hadn't been on the take. It was unfortunate, but considering how deep the corruption went, it made more sense to disband them entirely so the people could see justice being done.

He put the speculation behind him and concentrated on looking for traps and watchers.

He had a family to protect.

Chapter 7

Pinorra arrived at the office before the crack of dawn. He'd learned the Commander often arrived at first light, and he needed a few minutes alone in her office before she got there.

Hresh had really come through for him. He'd picked up the item from the crime boss on his second visit, enduring the rough treatment of the goons for a second time, but it was worth it. The high-density, high-output explosive was small enough to hide in his pocket, and the miniature trigger/detonator was something you could only find on Borrelia. It was cutting-edge tech, so Hresh's friends in high places had to be its source. The Military Senior Command must really hate Gorresh. Maybe more than he did!

It had taken Hresh's expert an hour to train him on how to connect the trigger to his headquarter's antiquated comm system and how to add the explosives to the trigger without setting it off. The trigger had a compact battery that would surge its charge into the explosive when the office line rang. He'd been told not to fuck around with the device as they only had one of them.

The guards at the headquarters' front door checkpoint were tired from working there all night. He'd brought them hot tea and breakfast rolls.

As he walked through the security scanner by the front door, it buzzed angrily. The two men blinked at him with bleary eyes as they stood.

"Dung, sorry, fellas. I forgot to take my gun off my belt to pass around the sensor. Let me dump these extra teas and rolls so I can go back through the gate."

The weary men grinned and waved him forward, hands outstretched to gratefully accept the treats. Pinorra smiled as well and glanced at the clock. "You got fifteen to finish that up before you-know-who arrives." He threw them a wave, and they nodded as they sipped the hot tea carefully. The meat-filled rolls disappeared much quicker.

He hustled up the stairs once he was beyond their view and quick-stepped to the Commander's door. He peeked inside, and the outer office was empty. He went inside and placed his ear to the inner door. Only silence could be heard. He turned the handle and was inside the vacant office.

He rushed over to the desk and followed the bomb expert's instructions. He mounted the device under the Commander's desk, connected to her comm's wires. He retraced his steps, listening before he left the office and her waiting room. He strolled around the atrium walkway to get to his office.

All he had to do now was wait. He had a view of the Commander's outer door from his desk, so he sipped at his tea and enjoyed the fresh breakfast roll while he kept an eye on the hall across the atrium.

There was no sign of his spy on the Sheffali homestead, but he couldn't worry about that now. He had to get out ahead of things. He'd heard they'd pulled off a minor miracle in getting outfitted, and their caravan was heading off first thing this morning. They were likely approaching the western gate by now. Two days ago, when he'd heard they were preparing to go, he'd sent one of his remaining grunts to the western mountains to set up an ambush to pin them down in the pass. Killing the beasts on the first and last wagon would effectively block their passage in the gap, then he could pick them off, one by one. He'd given the ex-City Guard one of the energy rifles and permission to kill anyone who tried to escape. Once he'd settled up here, Pinorra would catch up to the caravan and deal with whoever survived that once and for all.

When the smoke settled this morning after the tragic death of the Commander, he'd be ready with the brilliant cover story he'd prepared. The Sheffali patriarch was the only civilian guest to gain access to her office in weeks. He'd blatantly smuggled weapons into the building. The Lieutenant would tell everyone that the old trader must have planted the bomb while distracting the Commander with the rug and rifles.

He and his sergeant would ride out after the fleeing murderer to arrest him. He'd order a platoon to follow for bringing the family back for the trial.

Motion caught his eye, and he saw Gorresh walking toward her office. She didn't turn her head in his direction as he was never in this early. He began his countdown. He gave her six seconds to get into her office and sit down behind her desk to start her day.

At three seconds, her junior assistant ran down the hall and ducked into the outer office.

It was tragic to lose such a young female, but life is hard on Llevven.

He dialed the Commander's number.

At the last second, he wondered just how powerful the explosives were and leaned away from his doorway to put his wall between them.

The blast vaporized the Commander's corner office, her assistant's office, and everything and everyone inside them. It also destroyed the interrogation rooms on the floor below and the roof above.

Debris exploded outward in all directions. The trees planted in the atrium were completely shredded.

Pinorra was savagely knocked to the floor by the shock wave and pelted with debris. The wall between him and the devastation was badly damaged, but the atrium trees absorbed enough of the explosion to keep it from failing completely. The trees had saved his life.

As he lay on his back on the floor, he saw the broken tile on his little hideaway was shattered. He reached with a trembling hand to pull the Gate Pass from its hiding place and struggled to put it into the secret inner pocket of his jacket. He sagged to the floor the moment he had it tucked away.

His head was spinning and ringing as the smoke made him cough. He heard that, so his hearing was returning, and the next sound he recognized was the crackle of a fire. He needed to get out of the building.

Two faces appeared above him, shock in their expressions. They reached down and grabbed his arms to haul him to his feet. They helped him out of his crumbling office to the remains of the staircase leading down to the ground floor.

Pinorra looked back and froze when all he could see was smoke, fire, and open sky. "Beetle dung!" he gasped. The explosives were far more potent than Hresh had led him to believe. He stopped their progress and looked into their faces. "The Commander?"

"She... was in her office," one finally admitted. They got moving again and headed down the stairs.

That's it? Was he actually free of her? Such a quick end for a female who made his life a living hell since she arrived.

The two officers helped him out the front doors and across the street. A medic arrived and stitched closed the ragged gash on his forehead, and bandaged the smaller cuts on his face and arms.

It was time for him to take control of the situation. They needed a leader, and he was stepping up. He'd control the narrative, get people he trusted in place, and plant a seed to direct their attention to a suspect.

He had the perfect one to frame.

-=-

Lorrenz brought the caravan through the pass, down the mountain's western slope, through the forest, and out into the grasslands. Occasionally, he heard Zell's birdcall letting them know he was around, but there was no visible sign of him even from atop the wagon. Lorrenz grinned in wonder at his son's ability to move through multiple environments without leaving a trace.

They let the Druug pick up their pace to run once more and enjoyed the breezes as they crossed the vast expanse of gently swaying grasses. It would take another day to reach the desert on the far side of the prairies with an overnight on the field next to the road. Zell would likely find a suitable spot for them and mark it before they arrived. He knew how fast they were going, how far ahead of them he was and would find a place for them to settle far enough along that when they stopped, they'd have enough light to set up their camp. He'd tie a ribbon to a tall stalk of grass next to the road.

As he wasn't driving, Lorrenz confirmed the readiness of his weapons. While they'd maintained them back at the homestead, each member of the caravan ensured their primary and secondary weapons were ready for use while they traveled with sufficient ammo and safeties on, of course.

Lorrenz preferred his long-barreled hand cannon for his primary as it not only had excellent range but the shock value of its deafening boom could not be denied. The shells had excellent penetration and knockback characteristics, too. Lissan used one as her primary weapon as well.

His secondary was a rapid-fire rifle with an extra-large clip.

He confirmed the spare clips for both of his weapons were within reach under the bench. He looked over at Freem driving the team of Druug and got a smile from him.

"My pistols are ready and loaded. I confirmed the spare clips were under the bench before we left," the first son assured him. At his father's nod, he glanced at the surrounding grassland. "I understand we don't expect there to be any survivors, but will the bandits really be waiting for the ransom money?"

"They'll be waiting in the desert and probably not very far from the leading edge. The Krattos caravan hired mercenaries for its security, but none returned to the capitol to report the attack. The best-case scenario for us would be, the mercenaries were killed," Lorrenz said grimly.

Freem glanced at his father in surprise. "That's our best scenario?"

Lorrenz nodded. "The alternative scenario has a mercenary group large enough to guard a five-wagon caravan betraying their employers and joining the bandits. If that's what happened, we'll be facing a significant force. Zell will assess the enemy's strength and will let us know."

That worrying thought stayed with them as they rushed through the gently rolling prairies for the rest of the afternoon.

Sure enough, as the afternoon light dimmed, they spotted a red ribbon tied between some grasses to the left side of the roadway. Freem whistled loudly, and the sound was repeated by his wife, son, daughter-in-law, and an off-tune note from Bonna. They slowed the Druug from their run until they reached the brightly colored ribbon. Lorrenz climbed down to collect it before returning to Freem's side on the bench.

A short distance south was a small knoll that was very suitable for them to circle the caravan upon to give them better visibility of the surrounding area. Freem snorted in amusement as he spotted a wide path carved through the grasses from the roadway to the hill. The entire dome had been sheared of its tall grass too.

"How does he do that?" the driver asked with a chuckle.

Lorrenz grinned as he shook his head. "Something about a spike and a wire? He hasn't told me what that means, but I'm grateful."

They pulled into the gap and moved to the small rise. Even with five wagons, there would be room to circle them, with all the Druug protected in the middle. Freem made his way around the knoll, with the others automatically following until their formation was in place.

He set the brake and smiled at his father. It was time to unhitch the Druug and get them fed as the others set up the camp. With all the freshly cut grass, the large beasts had their meal at their feet. Lorrenz and Freem could hear the beasts munch with delight.

Lorrenz climbed up to the roof of the wagon and looked in all directions. Nothing but grasses for as far as the eye could see. Certainly no sign of Zell, but he'd told them they wouldn't until they reached the desert. Considering he was expecting to run into the enemy just inside the sandy environs, he wished he'd instructed Zell to join them tonight. He climbed down and met Lissan, whose worried expression told him she was thinking the same thing.

-=-

Zell was rapidly loping down the side of the roadway on all fours. He was almost flying right next to the grasses as he raced towards the desert. He listened to the sounds surrounding him, and aside from the small creatures who made the plains their home, he was alone. Judging by the remaining light and distance, he'd arrive just as the true darkness settled over the dunes. That suited him perfectly.

He had concerns his family would be entering a trap of bandits and mercenaries, so he needed to see what they'd be facing. The more time they had to prepare, the safer they'd be.

Slipping into the grasses, he moved away from the road. He'd be entering the desert a distance south of the roadway to avoid any eyes keeping watch on the route. Not that he expected them to be so vigilant. Even the mercenaries were likely to be unconcerned about an approaching caravan. The military was currently undergoing a major restructuring and wasn't supporting the merchants. These bandits and mercenaries had never encountered the Sheffali family before. Zell suspected they were likely expecting to face a small group of mercenaries hired to protect some frightened caravanners.

He was proud of how seriously his family took their security training. Everyone in the family, even those who remained in the homestead, were experts with the weapons they collected from the bandits and purchased from weapon smiths in Mnemmesh. His parent's handguns were custom imported pieces they'd bought from one of the more reputable gun shops in the city. They were both expert shots with the weapons, and that made Zell feel more secure.

Zell paused when he arrived at the edge of the grasslands where the fingers of the desert reached into tall grasses, stunting their growth. He rested there for a moment, senses on high alert, but the last rays of daylight extinguished with no one but him nearby to notice. He slipped from his hiding place and smiled as the pads of his hands and feet felt the comforting shift of sand below them. This was home.

Navigating through the increasingly steep dunes, he worked his way closer to the road but moved deep into the desert until he picked up the first hint of Borrelian presence. Unfortunately, it was the stench of death. He noted that the carrion beetles were also drawn to this in numbers, so the number of dead must be significant.

Following the trail of beetles, he looked over a rise and spotted a large stack of bodies in the small valley between two dunes. The corpses of the Krattos and Sprell families lay before him. The indignity of their... disposal sent a surge of shuddering rage through him. His fur stood on end, and shivers raced over his limbs as the need to attack almost overwhelmed him.

He struggled to keep a lid on his emotions as he still had no idea how many he'd be facing. He cast his eyes over the grim collection of bodies tossed onto the pile like they were garbage. These could have been his parents, his brothers and sisters, lives cut short by nothing more than greed. Again, he stifled his outraged screams and choked back the anger. He didn't know these people before him, but they didn't deserve... this.

They deserved retribution.

Once the scorching flames of his mad rage had been replaced with ice, he slipped back down the side of the dune, removed his robe, collected a long slim blade from a pocket, and began to hunt. He preferred to use his claws, but the knife left wounds more easily explained.

He made his way north until he picked up the heartbeat of one of the sentries sitting atop a dune facing away from their encampment over the next dunes further north. Zell moved closer, ever so slowly. The guard was asleep, so that's how he died. The thrust from the knife punched through his throat and severed his spinal column. He may not have had time to wake.

Listening for sounds of alarm, Zell wiped the blade clean on the male's clothing, then searched him for useful items, finding none. He propped the guard up in a seated position.

Zell detected the next guard's heartbeat and noticed how slow it was as well. Dung, these males were stupid.

Moments later, the second sentry joined the first in death, and Zell moved on.

The next three guards on watch were not sleeping, but their night vision and sense of hearing were not sharp enough to detect the Ush slipping up behind them to drive his blade into their necks. They died quietly and remained in their position, facing the empty sands of the darkened desert. Only after he'd dealt with the three mercs did he feel safe enough to raid their corpses. His ears trembled with excitement as he found a fragmentation explosive tied to each of the merc's wide belts. Zell realized he needed his robe for its pockets, so he retrieved it, put it on, and stuffed the grenades inside.

With the large opening in their defensive perimeter, Zell slipped closer until he could peer over the final dune into the encampment. In the glow of the two separate bonfires below, Zell could easily distinguish between the bandits and the mercenaries as they weren't intermixing. Bad blood, maybe? The separation of the two groups let him make some accurate counts.

The mercenaries were all wearing dark grey cloaks. The three sentries who'd been awake also wore these. They probably had better training, so they'd have to die first.

There were nine mercs around one campfire below. Adding in the three he'd already killed and estimating at least two more being sentries on the far side came to fourteen. For a five-wagon caravan, Zell expected three mercenaries per wagon. That left one unaccounted for unless his estimate for the sentries was off.

Focusing on the bandits, he saw a collection of a dozen Borrelians in a variety of outfits. Mostly male, but a few females as well. They were noisier than the mercs, laughing and cursing in equal measure. Likely at the expense of the dead families. Zell pushed that down and let the energy boost his senses.

On the opposite side of the two groups were the five large wagons of the Krattos caravan. The smaller Sprell wagons were a short distance away.

The dead sentries could be discovered any moment, so Zell slipped back into the shadows and rushed around to the other side of the encampment.

He had to pass through the group of Druug from the wagons. Thirteen of the fourteen which had pulled the Krattos and Sprell wagons were still alive but unhappy as they hadn't been fed or watered. They also smelled the dead Druug, and that was disturbing them. Zell did his best to settle them as he slipped them treats of cut grass bulbs he'd collected earlier. They calmed, and he moved on.

He found he was correct about the number of sentries. One was a dozing bandit and died quickly. The next two were mercenaries. He caught the first unaware and promptly killed him, but the second one had been alerted by a noise his teammate made and fought back savagely when Zell attacked. The Ush's first slash had missed the merc's spine but hit the side of his throat, stealing his voice, so he couldn't call out for help. Zell slapped away the drawn gun, so the sentry switched to his blade. He was highly skilled with it and fought with frenzied desperation. He cut the Ush several times before his neck wound slowed his reflexes from blood loss. Zell ripped his throat out with a sweep of his claws, and the merc stumbled and fell onto his back. He looked up at Zell with hate in his eyes as he gurgled his last breaths.

Zell knelt and removed the grenade from the dying male's belt. In a last moment effort to strike back, the dying mercenary grabbed and pulled the trigger pin. Zell scowled at the smirking mercenary, then raced toward the encampment and lobbed the grenade toward the bonfire amid the other mercs. Zell immediately pulled a second one from his pocket, yanked the pin, and launched it toward the bandit's bonfire. He threw himself to the ground and burrowed under the sand, his ears pinned tight to his head to protect his sensitive hearing. He still heard the dual detonations and immediately surfaced to see the outcome.

The first grenade must have exploded just above the bonfire's flames as the fire had been snuffed out by the concussive blast. Embers were scattered amongst the bodies of the downed mercenaries, and the area had been dropped into deep shadow.

The second grenade went off at least five seconds after the first, giving the bandits time to leap to their feet and turn to face the danger. It dropped into their bonfire and exploded from within it, sending deadly shrapnel and burning wood splinters in all directions. As they were encircling the fire, none were spared injury. The burning embers were scattered, so their side of the camp was also cast into darkness.

It was time to get some revenge for the two families. He slipped forward into the shadows of the campsite, visiting the injured and the dying to expedite their deaths with a quick thrust of his dagger. Some mercenaries had a little fight left in them but couldn't fight an opponent who vanished into the darkness. He'd suddenly reappear next to them, blade driven into their necks before he rushed on to the next.

By the time he finished off the last of the mercenaries, he'd collected three additional gashes, the one on his left shoulder being fairly deep. There was still one missing merc, according to his estimate.

Zell passed through the midst of the bandits, ensuring none remained alive. Some weakly tried to fight back, but Zell was savage in his need to see them pay for the deaths of the families they left in the dunes.

The muted click of the middle wagon's rear door latch opening was all the warning Zell had, but it was enough to save his life.

Throwing himself to the left, he spun and pulled the corpse of the last bandit he killed between him and the wagon. A bullet ripped through the body, striking bone and angling up. When it left the corpse, it punched through the meat of Zell's upper arm, pulling a roar of pain from him.

The sound caused the bandit leaping from the rear door to freeze momentarily. He landed awkwardly and crashed face-first into the sand. A male dressed in the grey mercenary robe was on his way out the door but halted in fear. He pulled himself back inside and slammed the door closed.

When the fallen bandit scrambled back to his feet, something flashed past his face, taking his sight with it. The pain arrived a second later, and he screamed as he fell to his knees, lifting his hands to the ruin of his face.

Zell gave him a moment to live with the horror of that. His screams echoed across the dunes, likely audible within the wagon where his last target hid. When he'd heard enough, Zell drove his blade into the male to silence him.

Moving into the shadows beneath a wagon he knew to be empty, Zell allowed himself to rest. He sat and licked at his wounds, feeling them go numb. The shoulder gash and the bullet wound were most concerning. He'd heal, but it might take a couple of days. In the interim, his left arm would be weakened.

He frowned at the condition of his robe's left shoulder. Noola wouldn't be pleased with how he'd ruined another robe.

Thinking of her, he felt a warmth in his chest.

He realized as he looked around at the aftermath of the carnage how badly it might have turned out. He'd been... overly ambitious, his father would say. He'd been swayed by his emotions... rather strongly.

If the mercenaries hadn't supplied the explosives, he wouldn't have gotten away with so few injuries with this many opponents. He sighed.

"W-WHAT ARE YOU?"

Zell looked to the wagon containing his last target. The voice sounded both defiant and terrified.

"I am your death."

Keeping to the shadows, Zell silently moved around the wagon to slip under the one positioned before it.

"BUT I DON'T HAVE TO BE! THE KRATTOS LEADERS ARE ALIVE! HERE, INSIDE WITH ME! YOU CAN HAVE THEM IF YOU LET ME GO!"

Zell listened carefully, but heard only two heartbeats in the wagon.

"You lie."

"NO! NO... Dung! THE MOTHER LIVES!"

Zell climbed silently to the roof of the wagon. With the changes in his locations, the Mercenary had to be struggling to track him.

"Are you a murderer or a betrayer?"

The merc was silent for a bit, likely trying to think which answer was safer. Zell used that time to drop from the roof to the sand and slipped under the middle wagon.

"B-betrayer."

The merc's voice was barely more than a whisper, but Zell heard him.

"An honest answer," Zell said and immediately rolled out from under the wagon.

"AAAHHH!!!" the merc screamed as Zell's voice rose from between his feet. His nerve broke, and he ran from the wagon. He leaped out the back door and landed on his back, twin guns aimed at the darkness under the wagon, but Zell was standing above him. His eyes looked up just in time to see the stars blotted out by a shadow.

Zell struck the merc's head with a mighty slap, snapping his neck. With a gurgle and sigh, life left his eyes.

With his last target dead, he listened carefully, and there was only one remaining heartbeat, and it was coming from the wagon. Zell cleaned himself quickly with sand, pulled his hood over his head with the face-covering in place, then moved to the wagon's open door.

"I mean you no harm. I was sent by a friend," he called out softly before entering.

He found Indri tied to a chair next to her dead husband. She'd been beaten, but not as savagely as Axell. The bruises were difficult to look upon. This could have been Lissan.

The old female's eyes were open but held no fear. She knew she wouldn't last much longer. Her injuries were too great.

"Can I get you something? Water?" Zell said gently.

"No... who sent you?" she whispered.

"Lorrenz and Lissan Sheffali."

A slight smile appeared on her face. "Ah... You're their... guardian angel. Their... secret... for dealing with bandits. I've always wondered."

Zell said nothing.

"May... may I see your face?" Indri asked.

"I don't wish to frighten you," Zell replied.

"Does Lissan... find you frightening?"

Zell couldn't block the snort of amusement. "No, but she adopted me. Mothers always find the good in their children."

Indri nodded faintly, and tears ran from her bruised and reddened eyes. "My children... are gone... except one who... I also failed to protect."

"Lorrenz and Lissan will take good care of Stron and Illia," Zell assured her.

Her expression relaxed. "The Sheffalis are good people."

"Yes, they are," Zell agreed. Then he saw the woman looking into his cowl once more as if curiosity alone was keeping her alive. He was hesitant to take that away.

"I can't hold on much longer. Please," she begged. She seemed to understand his hesitation.

He reached up and undid the mask and pushed back the cowl. His ears flicked to relieve the stress in them. He looked kindly at the female, who was staring at him in shock. "We Ush aren't the monsters they say we are," he whispered.

"Yet... you murdered all of them?" Indri asked.

He shook his head. "Not murder. Retribution for betraying your family and taking their lives."

Her eyes looked into his, and he saw she understood and was grateful. Then a look of dismay appeared on her face. "My family! The ritual!"

Zell nodded to calm her. "I've heard the poem once, and I've witnessed this ritual. I can do it for them if you wish. For you and your husband, as well," he offered, and her face relaxed once more.

"Yes... thank you. We will be together again... on the other side," she sighed as her eyes closed. "Tell Lissan... thank you."

He held her hand, and moments later, he felt her take her last breath.

She and her husband could remain in the wagon until he readied the pit for their cremation. He had much work to do, and his weak left arm would slow him down. He'd have to wait for his family to meet him here tomorrow. He needed to rest and heal. He'd do that after taking care of the Krattos and Sprell family and dumped the bandits and mercs in the pit for the beetles.

He heard a grumbling noise a short distance away. Right! The Druug needed feeding and watering.

He sighed wearily--no rest for him tonight.

Chapter 8

There was an unspoken tension in the camp this morning as Lorrenz and Lissan took their first meal. Everyone was eager to get moving, so they cut short their personal rituals and broke camp early. They wanted to get the caravan to the desert as quickly as possible.

As they made their final preparation to get back on the road, Lorrenz and Lissan confessed to having dreamed of Zell being in some kind of crisis. Noola became distraught and begged everyone to move faster.

While the foster parents hadn't expected to see Zell until today when they got to the desert, their fear of what forces they'd be facing disturbed their dreams and raised their anxieties.

Soon enough, the five wagons were racing along the road toward the western horizon. Each time they crested one of the gently rolling hills, the drivers and passengers would strain to see if the sandy expanse could be seen ahead.

The Druug were quite pleased with the new pace, and their tummies were content from the meal Zell had prepared for them the night before. They had plenty of energy for running today.

Lorrenz ordered everyone in the wagons to their defensive positions with weapons ready, on safety, as they didn't know what they'd be riding into.

Bonna glanced over at the desperate worry on Noola's face. "Zell will be fine. I remember growing up with him. We could never fluster him. He was always so calm and aware of everything around him. I used to try to catch him by surprise, but he always knew exactly where we were." She grinned at her sister, who gave her a brief smile, nodding.

They were in the last wagon, so they were the last to see the desert ahead as they crested another rise. Noola made a sound of relief as she saw it.

Lorrenz whistled, and everyone took their positions. Noola had her rifle across her lap, barrel pointing away from anything friendly.

They finally left the grassland behind them, and the wagons slowed as Druug preferred a slower, more energy-efficient pace on the softer surface.

The dunes grew in size the further they went into the desert. They followed the road marker posts and saw one with a red ribbon tied to it. This flag was next to the entrance of a wide side trail between tall dunes.

Noola watched anxiously as she saw her father collect the ribbon. Then his wagon pulled off the main road to follow Zell's flag.

When they came around the side of a dune into a large open area, they saw the Krattos and Sprell wagons and the signs of a bloody battle spread out across the sand.

Noola spotted Zell sitting in the shade of a wagon, leaning back against it. She leaped off the bench to the ground and sprinted to his side before Bonna could say anything.

He looked up at her wearily. "Hi, Noola."

She immediately examined his shoulder wounds and was relieved to see they'd begun healing without infection. "Where else are you hurt?" she demanded, worried about his lethargy.

"Just the shoulder," he said and turned his face to smile at his parents, who'd joined them. "Greeting, Mother. Father. Only Indri was alive when I found her." He held his Mother's eyes. "She asked me to thank you."

Olle joined them with a look of shock on his face. "I found the pit containing the bandits and mercenaries. How many?"

Zell nodded slowly. "Fifteen mercs. Sixteen bandits." At his brother's incredulous look, he snorted. "I didn't fight them all hand to hand! The mercenaries were carrying grenades. Quite an equalizer if the enemy gathers in a cluster, around their campfires." Olle nodded with a grin.

"Why are you so weary?" Noola asked.

Zell turned her eyes back to her concerned face. "After the battle, I did the crossing over ritual for the Krattos and Sprell families. I put the others in the pit for the beetles. Sorry, I didn't have the strength to undress them. Then I had to feed and water the surviving Druug which are further along the trail." He pointed a finger in their direction. "This all happened after I dealt with the ones in the pit. It was a very long night. I just need food and sleep."

Noola grabbed his head between her hand and kissed him hard.

When she pulled back, Zell could see the grins on everyone's faces as they saw his surprise and embarrassment.

They were chuckling and enjoying the moment, and his eyes returned to Noola's.

He saw love there, and he knew he felt the same for her.

-=-

Pinorra had ridden his avian mount hard to catch up to the fleeing caravan. It had taken longer than he'd expected to rally the troops and organize a posse, but they'd be following him later in the day.

Hresh had contacted him to tell him to wait for a delivery. If he was going after the Sheffalis, he needed protection as they had a reputation that made even the crime boss take note.

When the crate arrived, Pinorra was grateful he'd waited. It was a suit of battle armor the military used in their campaign against the Ush. When he put it on, he felt like a walking fortress. Unfortunately, while it was powered so he could move around in it with little effort, it weighed as much as a fortress. It took three tries to find an avian mount strong enough to carry him.

He didn't care if his ride died of exhaustion after he found his target. He'd be returning on one of Sheffali's wagons after he killed them all. He had some pretty impressive weapons in this suit, but the learning curve for operating it was significant. He used the time in the saddle to investigate the functionality.

He knew he was a coward and would never have made the cut for the elite group who got to wear this armor, but it made him feel invincible!

His sergeant was riding next to him, without battle armor, but he was carrying one of the energy rifles the old trader had returned to Gorresh. It seemed poetic to have it used for his original plan.

Pinorra had expected to find the wagons jammed in the narrow gap as they'd ridden over the mountain pass. Apparently, his man hadn't been successful in stopping them. He finally spotted signs of the man in a cleft high above the trail. He'd been crushed under what looked like a rock slide. Terrible timing for that! It also meant they had to keep chasing the damn caravan!

After riding for hours across the grasslands, they passed a spot where the caravan had likely camped overnight. He was surprised they'd made an effort to cut the grass so neatly. Odd.

When they reached the sands, they followed the fresh tracks of the caravan. A short way into the side trail, he gestured to his sergeant to dismount and circle the dune to take up a sniper's position at its top lip. The male nodded to him, so he rode on. He had the element of surprise, so he would take full advantage of that. He was trembling fearfully at the idea of running into a gunfight, even in his armor!

The moment he dismounted, the bird's legs unlocked, and it dropped to the sand, exhausted. He shook his head and slipped quietly around the last dune to see the last wagon of the Sheffali caravan. He smiled as no one was in sight. They were probably wailing over the dead families.

A shrill whistle sounded from the wagon, and he ran forward into the open space just in time to see the Sheffalis scatter. He looked to the wagons and spotted the barrels of many rifles pointing at him.

He turned on the suit's loudspeakers. "Lorrenz Sheffali. You're wanted for the murder of Commander Gorresh. Turn yourself in now, and no one else needs to get hurt." He boosted the gain on his external microphone to hear their whispers, but there was only silence.

He scanned over the controls for the armor's weapons but couldn't decide which one to use. He finally selected the railgun as it sounded dangerous.

Lorrenz and Lissan slowly walked out from behind a wagon.

Pinorra was delighted yet surprised at how easily this was happening. He stood before the older couple, who were side by side facing him down from three wagon lengths away. He knew his weapons would have no issues at that range.

Maybe gunfights weren't as frightening as he thought.

-=-

The older couple stepped out from behind the wagon. "North-east," Lissan whispered. She noticed the helmet on the suit swing toward her.

"Take him," Lorrenz whispered back.

Lissan drew and fired in under a second. Her oversized round went through the scope on the energy rifle and exited through the back of the sniper's head.

Lorrenz saw the armored arm rising, so he drew his own weapon and fired, hitting the suit center mass. The strength of the impact knocked his target back, but there was no penetration, not even a scratch. He fired another round at the same spot, and again the suit was kicked backward. Its arm was now pointing skyward, and its shot went there. Lissan joined in, and the noise was deafening as boom after boom echoed across the little valley. The soldier in the battle suit wasn't getting a chance to point his weapon at them.

Lissan whistled, then everyone on the caravan opened fire on the suit. They knocked him from his feet under the hail of bullets, but it didn't look like any were getting through the super-tough shell.

They were in trouble.

-=-

Pinorra was screaming in terror, rage, pain, and frustration. He struggled to keep himself on his feet under the bombardment. He struggled to fire back, but the weapon he'd chosen was too slow to load and fire, and he was jerked around so much he couldn't point the damn thing at the old couple when he could fire it!

Worse, he couldn't find the control to turn the volume down on the suit's microphone. The noise inside the helmet prevented him from thinking straight, and his ears hurt. The impacts hurt as well, but the armor wasn't letting anything through. He'd be bruised, though.

When he got knocked onto his back, he took a moment to rest and try to get control back. There was another sharp whistle, and the gunfire suddenly stopped. He twisted and managed to sit up. The old couple was nowhere to be seen. Something dropped with a soft thud in the sand behind him. He tried to turn to face it when the grenade went off.

That impact and noise took him down into a dark pit he didn't think he'd be returning from.

When his eyes registered sunlight once more, it was colored with warm afternoon tones. He tried to activate the weapons once more, but there was... nothing. He glanced down. He was naked!

"The traitor awakens."

He tried to move to see the speaker, but he was staked to the ground! Then she walked into view.

Gorresh! She was wearing his body armor!

"Thank you for the battle suit. Seriously, it looks better on me than it did on you. I removed Hresh's kill switch before putting it on, of course. You knew he intended to kill you once you eliminated the Sheffali Family, didn't you? Of course not."

"How... how are you alive?" Pinorra muttered.

"You mean after you put the bomb in my office?" she asked, and he nodded stupidly.

"I saw you were in early when I arrived. You're never early. When I got into my office, I spotted the light on my desk showing a power source had been brought into my office. I had a split second to escape, so I leaped out my window into the trees below. Even then, I barely avoided the explosion. Valri, my assistant, didn't."

An armored boot slammed into his groin, and he wished the darkness had taken him. Once he'd finished retching, he weakly looked up at the Commander.

"That was for her," Julla growled. "I kept in touch with my loyal people, playing dead while I watched you try to consolidate your power. You suck at that as no one trusts you. Hresh sending you the power armor was the trigger for me to act. The moment you left, I returned to headquarters and arrested all the people you put in charge. Thank you for identifying the rot for me."

Pinorra squirmed as his hate for this bitch fought against his need to survive. He saw a way out of this. "It was Hresh's idea! You were threatening his business!"

She smiled down at him. "I know Hresh wants me dead. I also know who's supplying him with the toys to make it happen." She gestured to the battle armor then moved her face closer to his. "I'm also aware of how you contacted Hresh with a work terminal to ask him for help. I know what you offered to him in return."

"You can't prove that was me!" Pinorra cried.

She shook her head in disgust as she straightened up. "You offered him a Gate Pass. I checked, and there's only one active pass on Llevven, and guess what I found in your pocket when we stripped your clothes off?" She held up the Gate Pass. "You murdered the original owner of this. We're going to start at your home and tear your life apart to find every dirty little secret. We'll dig them out."

Pinorra couldn't suppress the involuntary twitch when she said dig.

Her expression became one of icy rage. "You buried her in your... basement."

Her guess caused another twitch, though he tried so hard to remain stone-faced. He was suddenly retching his guts out as her boot found his tender genitals once more.

It took longer for him to recover this time. When he was finally coherent, he lifted his eyes to see her standing at his feet next to someone in a robe that covered their head and face. A Chaos caste? He thought of the Master Vet in the Sheffali household. Why would she be there?

"I'm ready to present your initial charges. Murder of Kalli Mrissa, murder of Valri Looren, attempted murder of your Commander, Julla Gorresh. There will be further charges laid as the case unfolds, but as these three charges carry the death penalty, I will pronounce sentence with my authority as a Fleet Commander." She looked into his terrified eyes. "Guilty." She nodded to the hooded one next to her, and they dropped the veil and pushed the cowl back.

Pinorra was suddenly trapped in his worst nightmare. He'd joined the military to avoid prison and get off the planet, but after they showed him what he'd be fighting, in his terror, he'd used every dirty trick in the book to get assigned to ground duty. Now it was standing before him, opening its horrifying jaws until all four shook as it roared at him. His bowels released in his mindless terror, then he screamed in agony as the beam of energy fired from the Commander's armor gauntlet burned its way into his skull and cooked his brain.

Death finally took him away.

-=-

"Was that really necessary? I found it very disturbing," Zell said to the Commander as he tried to get his fur to settle.

She looked at him in surprise. "You took out over thirty combatants, and you found that disturbing?"

He nodded. "I wasn't trying to terrorize them, just kill them. They were paying their debt to the ones they betrayed and murdered, the Krattos and Sprell families. I don't enjoy killing. I'm just good at it."

"Pinorra was directly responsible for the death of my young secretary and another young woman whose grandparents wanted her to experience the finer things in life. Instead, she was murdered and buried in his basement. Who knows how many other deaths will be linked to him. He deserved to go out that way," Julla insisted firmly.

She looked at him with a curious expression. "What do you enjoy?" she asked.

"Being with my family. The peace of a desert. Nature of all kinds." He looked at her cautiously. "What will happen to my family now that you know about me?"

Julla gestured for Lorrenz and Lissan to join them.

She looked back at Zell. "I'm responsible for the deaths of so many of your people because I believed in the lies of our leaders. I was a good little soldier and did my duty to defend against a race I was told was our mortal enemy. When it finally became clear that the orders I was receiving weren't just or honorable, I refused to continue their war. They stripped me of my command and have been trying to silence me ever since. They've pushed me as far as it's possible to go.

I just want what's best for the Borrelian people, but it's clear that the Rulers have an agenda that only provides for a select group. Through my limited network of contacts I've maintained in the military, I've learned that once the habitable planets in the Ush home system are cleared, there will be a mass forced migration of the Borrelian people, enforcing new and more severe caste restrictions. Your parents will be affected by that." She gave him a moment to process that, then continued.

"This has to end. The Borrelian Rulers need to be removed. The caste system needs to be abolished. Gates need to be added to all planets, and people need the freedom to go where they want. The benefits of being connected to the Gate Network need to be granted to all Borrelians. I believe you have a destiny to save your people, those who remain. We must stop the extinction of the Ush! Are you ready to face this challenge?"

Zell looked at his parents and saw their worry for him and their fear of the new caste restrictions. He looked to the Commander and saw what the Borrelian people really needed. A powerful leader with a solid core of empathy for the people, be they Borrelian or Ush. Someone like his parents.

"What do I need to do?" he asked.

Julla gave him a relieved smile. "All you need to do is leave Borrelian space, and I've got just the thing," she said as she held up the Gate Pass.

Zell looked at the unfamiliar card and blinked in confusion at the Commander.

She looked embarrassed. "Sorry, I thought you would recognize one of these, but of course, you've never seen one." She took a breath. "This gets you into a Gate Terminal on a primary world. Then you get to save your people."

Zell realized he was being asked to be a hero for more than just his family. For the first time in his life, he could do more than just exist to maintain some presence for the Ush people. He could save... some. The war had been going on for so long. Were any left? He suddenly felt the pressure of time, and that was unfamiliar. To save his people, time was of the essence. He looked over at the almost panicked expression on Noola's face. His heart felt tight in his chest.

He looked to the Commander. "I need a moment." She nodded.

Zell walked over to Noola and put his arm around her to guide her behind the wagon for some privacy.

"You're going away," she said before he had a chance to speak.

"Yes. I've been given a chance to save the remaining Ush population. I don't know how this will work, but if there is even the smallest chance, I have to try," he said gently.

"I'm never going to see you again--"

"NO! I will return. This is my home! The Sheffalis are my family! I-I love you!"

Noola looked in his eyes and saw he meant it. She pulled his face to hers and kissed him fiercely. When she pulled back, she continued to hold his face, and his head was spinning. "You will keep your promise to me!"

"Yes!" he gasped as his heart soared.

"Go. The next time you see me is when you return to me." She ran back toward the last wagon and didn't look back. He could tell she was crying.

Zell rejoined his parents, and Lorrenz handed him the Ush book, which he always carried with him in his pocket.

He looked at his father and hugged him and his mother. "I love you both." He looked at the sad faces of the other family members watching. "I love my family. I love Llevven, my home, but I must try to save the Ush." He turned to face the Commander. "Who will protect my family while I am away?"

She looked at the six soldiers she'd brought with her. "Volunteers to travel with the caravan to protect them from bandits?"

Six hands went up, and six faces burst into grins. All were armed with energy weapons and looked very confident they could deal with any bandit threat. She looked back at Lorrenz, Lissan, and Zell. "Will six be enough?"

"Compared to my son, not nearly enough, but I graciously welcome their help," Lorrenz said with a smile to take the sting from his words. He looked at the five Krattos wagons. "We'll be bringing these wagons with us and add two extra Druug to each team. We should be quite the sensation when we reach the west coast cities."

"We'll take the Sprell wagons back, linked together with their remaining three Druug," Zell said. His family nodded and jumped to make it happen. They determined the loads in the other wagons were secured for running the Druug, which spared them the grief of reloading them.

Zell finally got to eat, and they gave him a quiet place to rest while the others went about making preparations for the journey onwards and back.

When they were ready to head back to Mnemmesh, Zell was woken, and he hugged his parents, then gave one to each family member except Noola, who remained in her wagon. He climbed up to drive the wagon as the Commander had no experience with that. They had just enough light to reach the previous night's rest stop. His parents would head off in the morning.

As they rolled out of the desert back into the grassland, Zell looked at Gorresh. The afternoon sunlight was gleaming off her armor, but she kept the helmet off to enjoy the breeze. She smiled at him.

"I'm so glad I found you," she said.

He looked into her eyes and saw... relief. "Why?"

"For so many cycles, I've been looking for a way to strike back at the Borrelian Rulers, but they've had too much power and riches coming in from the Gate. You are going to change that. The truth will set us free."

Zell returned his attention to the Druug and thought about her words. He thought she was... overly ambitious. He smiled to himself because sometimes that worked out.

"What's our first move?" he asked.

"We need to get you on an intersystem spaceflight to Hessani. The thing is, the Llevven's spaceport is Hresh's territory. He controls the smuggling through the port, so it's not exactly a safe place to go," she explained.

He glanced at her again, waiting for her to continue.

"We're going to visit Hresh and convince him to stop being a criminal. He was the last one on my list. His criminal network will rapidly crumble with the head cut off," she explained. "He made a serious mistake bringing a powered armor battle suit to a planet with me on it," the Commander chuckled.

"How dug in is he?" Zell asked as the picture was becoming clearer for him.

"He's surrounded by the largest, meanest Borrelian enforcers I've ever seen. There are at least six outside on the grounds and likely more inside. He never leaves his mansion, and it's lit up with spotlights at night. It's almost like he's afraid of the dark," she said.

Zell looked at the commander and saw her smile as she contemplated the battle ahead. He wondered if she'd felt this thrill when she was hunting his people. As she'd thought she was protecting the Borrelian citizens, he imagined she did.

Maybe this was the difference between Borrelians and the Ush. He felt no anticipatory excitement about the killing he'd have to do. Even when he was targeting the bandits and mercenaries, it was just something he felt was necessary to do to protect his family and get retribution for the dead. There was no enjoyment in the act. He didn't need the thrill to complete the task. It just needed to be done, so he did it the best way he could.

He'd always faced his targets outside the city's boundaries, so urban warfare was not one of his strengths. He'd take any advantage he could. "How dark can you make the area?"

She nodded as she contemplated her plan. "I'll cut the power grid, his comm and network access, and take out the backup generator in the shed next to his house." She paused a moment to consider the optimal time. "We'll strike in the early hours of the morning. The darkness will be absolute."

He nodded to her as that would help.

Hresh was just one more obstacle in the goal of saving his people.

Chapter 9

Zell walked calmly along the broad sidewalk between the Hessani spaceport and the Gate Terminal. He had an ugly orange badge pinned to his robe, showing he was In Transit which allowed him to be on the primary world for a brief time to move between the transport systems.

Covered by his cowl and his face covering, he looked like any other Shaded Caste traveler. He was carrying the forged papers he was given by Gorresh that identified him as such, but so far, those around him barely acknowledged his presence.

The few times an inhabitant of Hessani looked in his direction, he'd paid close attention to their expressions. Most had simply been curious as fully cloaked citizens were likely a rare sight. The few times their expression displayed discomfort, distaste, or even disgust, invariably it was from individuals who showed visible signs of being high caste citizens.

He thought Julla Gorresh was setting herself up for quite a task, tearing away the foundations of this irrational belief of superiority based on an arbitrary ranking of skin tone uniformity.

While he was doing his part, she would launch her own initiative on Llevven. The people were about to hear the news about their Rulers' plans to uproot them from their lives and homes. They would learn the truth about their war against a peaceful neighboring system, the attempted genocide of its people, and the lies that fed the baseless fear. They would know how little effort it would take to get all the benefits of the Gate Network on each world. Better healthcare. Reduced infant mortality rates. Better living conditions. Better education for their families. Better tools to make a better life for all Borrelians.

This message would flow from the bottom upwards, and they would know it was coming from someone the people already trusted. They knew she was there for them.

Her contacts in the military were already moving to get ships dedicated to protecting the revolution.

The Commander would be very busy, but she told him all her efforts would be meaningless if he failed to achieve his objective.

The Gate terminal came into view, and he went over the plan in his mind once more. Julla had thoroughly explained how the Gate Pass process worked. It was an artifact of the Borrelian Rulers as the Tik made access to the Gates free to all citizens of the worlds they were on. The sentient mechanical life forms would not be pleased to know the Rulers had implemented the pass system. As they were restricted to the interior of the buildings and had been informed they should not interfere with Borrelian culture, they didn't know.

He'd been told the Tik were very polite and protective of culture and life especially. Zell was rather eager to meet one. But that was the trick. Getting to meet one. They were relegated to the Cargo Gates. That's where Julla directed him to go once inside. It was the most critical part of the plan, after the one he was now facing.

Zell stepped up to the Borrelian guard manning the Gate Pass validation terminal.

He offered the pass and his fake ID and got a frown from the guard as he accepted them. The male's eyes scanned his face covering suspiciously.

"Take off the mask," he growled.

Zell was ready for this. He slipped another note to the man. This one explained his reason for traveling to a more advanced planet for a surgical treatment to remove the fungal growth from his face.

After reading the note, disgusted and frightened eyes snapped up to see Zell peeling back a corner of his mask to see the wet growth stuck to his cheek.

"STOP! Close that up!" the guard barked as he shoved the pass, ID, and the note back across the counter. He waved Zell through the checkpoint, then immediately closed his lane and rushed away. No doubt to scrub imaginary fungal spores from his skin.

Zell continued on at a calm pace. The large white building was just ahead, and he avoided further attention as he stepped inside, plucking the In Transit badge from his robe and tucking it into a pocket. It drew too much attention and the wrong kind.

What a traveler was supposed to do once inside was head directly to the row of Customs agents to register his travel plan. This was meaningless on Hessani as this Gate only went to the primary planet in the second Borrelian system, Gibral.

Instead, he stepped to the right and walked down a long corridor to another doorway, which led into a vast chamber. There were three lanes with carts queued on them, waiting their turn. Each row led to a large... mirror?

Carts were being rolled toward these mirrors, and silver cylinders shone a green light over the approaching cargo conveyor. He assumed this was some kind of scan to confirm the contents? The carts then rolled up to the mirrors... and went through! These were Gates!

To the left of the three cargo Gates was a podium, which another silver cylinder hovered next to. Two silver tentacles extended from the cylinder to touch the podium. Three Borrelian citizens stood before the podium, speaking to the... Tik! This was a Tik! Julla said they were mechanical, but even she'd never seen one in person either.

He marched up to the podium, ignoring the three high caste citizens' outraged noises at his interruption.

"You have no right to be here! Get out, you low caste scum!" one finally had the nerve to shout.

Zell pushed back his cowl and face mask to glare at the three merchants. They shrieked in fear and ran for the exit. Peeling from his face the piece of sandwich meat he'd picked up on the spaceship, Zell turned back to the Tik and began his rehearsed plea, speaking in Borrelian as the Tik obviously knew how to converse in that language.

"My name is Zell Saah Henn. I'm a member of a race called the Ush. Our worlds are in a neighboring system. My people are being murdered in a covert war launched by the Borrelian Rulers to take over our habitable planets so they may expand and push their less desirable citizens further from Borrelia. I-I don't know how many of my people remain. I'm asking for Sanctuary."

Noises from the hall announced the arrival of guards who immediately opened fire on Zell or tried to. The bullets stopped a short distance from the barrels, then the soldiers crashed into an invisible wall and fell into a struggling pile. More soldiers entered and discovered they couldn't move into the room, and their weapons were useless against the unseen barrier.

A gentle tentacle landed on Zell's shoulder, and he looked back to the Tik. A green light scanned over his body, and he felt a slight tingle. "Hello. My name is 433002. I operate the Hessani Gate Terminal." It gestured to the other Tik who'd been scanning the shipments. Zell saw them all stop, and the wagons that hadn't yet made it to the mirrors stopped and moved back to leave a gap.

The three additional Tik joined them before the podium.

433002 addressed the others. "This is Zell Saah Henn. He's an Ush. There is no reference to his race in our records. He's made a claim that the Borrelians are causing the extinction of his people. We must shut down the terminal until an investigation can begin. We will take him with us."

"Genocide! We must hurry!" one of the three Tik said urgently.

"We will pass the word!" another said.

Then the three flew through the closest Gate and were gone.

433002 touched the podium again and turned to Zell. "This Gate Terminal will shut down for cargo. Personal Gates will only operate for Non-Borrelian wishing to leave Borrelian space. This will begin once we've stepped through to Gibral." It pointed to the Gate.

Zell walked up to the mirror and looked back at the Tik, which tipped forward in a nodding gesture. Stepping forward, Zell felt a slight tingle, then heard panicked shouting. He turned to see a dozen soldiers pushing at another invisible barrier. Behind them were other citizens yelling in fear and anger.

He wondered if the three merchants he'd met on Hessani had gone through the Personal Gates to Gibral and Borrelia to sound the warning.

This terminal was slightly larger than Hessani's. The Tik operating the podium for this cargo area joined 433002.

"I am Galaga. I operate the Gibral Gate Terminal. I've been informed of the Genocide claim. I will join you to Borrelia, and this Cargo Gate terminal will shut down, with Personal Gate travel only for non-Borrelians wishing to leave Borrelian space."

Zell looked at 433002 with interest. "Your name sounds like a number, and his does not. How do the Tik name themselves?"

Galaga made an amused sound. "We all begin with a number. We are offered alternate names by those we encounter during significant moments in our lives." It gestured to the Gate.

They moved through the mirror once more. The noise here was much louder as there seemed to be a minor war being fought outside the building. The Borrelian military was moving quickly.

The Tik operating the Borrelian Cargo Terminal left its podium and joined them.

"Hello, I'm Rex Maximus. I have been informed of the Genocide claim. I will join you to Churruthia, and this Cargo Gate terminal will be shut down. Personal Gate travel will only be available for non-Borrelians wishing to leave Borrelian space."

Zell noted this cargo terminal was vast compared to the others. Far more goods were coming into Borrelia than the other planets. This demonstrated a definite inequality. With a gesture from the latest Tik in their group, Zell stepped through the mirror surface once more.

Flowers. He smelled the most delightful flowers! The breeze was cool and refreshing as well.

The Tik joined him, and Zell looked closer to identify which one had saved him. Rex Maximus had a few lines painted on its... torso. Galaga had a patch with rows of odd geometric shapes painted on it. 433002 was free of any such decoration. "I-I would like to offer you a name," Zell said to it.

"I would be honored," it responded.

"Sah-Hah-Lah Fae."

"That has a lovely sound," the Tik replied and sounded pleased.

"It means Gentle Savior in the Ush language," Zell continued as he tried to control his emotions, which were beginning to swell. The three Tik made appreciative sounds at 433002's new name and its meaning.

"I believe the flowers may be affecting our new friend adversely," Galaga suggested.

The Tik guided the emotional Ush to the custom's agent, and the lovely being there immediately handed Zell a white cloth pouch.

"Breathe through the fabric," Rex suggested.

Zell held the packet to his nose and inhaled deeply. Soon he felt the wave of emotions calming.

He smiled and nodded to the... female. "Thank you."

She nodded with a smile. "Yours was the strongest reaction I've seen to the Chella Orchids." The console she stood behind was translating their languages for them.

"My emotions seemed to be amplified," he admitted.

"Our apologies. Usually, it gives a mild sensation of peace and happiness. The herbs will help. Could you place your hand on the reader?" she asked.

He did as directed, and she watched the screen.

"Ah, a new race! We have no record of your race at all!" she exclaimed happily.

"I am Ush. Perhaps one of the last," Zell told her, a feeling of profound sadness sweeping over him. He breathed through the herbs once again. The female agent gave him a sympathetic look. He turned to Sah-Hah-Lah Fae as he remained conscious of the danger for his people. "What do we do next?"

The three Tik brought him outside the building and gestured for him to join them in some kind of flying sled. Soon they were sitting on the benches inside, Sah-Hah-Lah Fae next to him, Galaga, and Rex across from them. The sled rose and raced away across the sky. Zell watched the changing scenery with amazement. To travel so fast was extraordinary! A gentle tap on his leg brought his dazed attention back to the Tik next to him.

"We must speak with the Tik Elders. They will present the charges to the Maghadahn Assembly. We must gather as much information on your people as we can as quickly as we can. This will solidify your claim. Then we can act," the Tik replied, and the others nodded.

Zell suddenly realized he had the information they needed. He pulled the Book of the Ush from his pocket. "I have a record of my people, their culture, history, everything that is us. Every Ush carries one of these. This one belonged to my mother."

Sah-Hah-Lah Fae made an excited sound. "That is perfect! It will expedite the process so much! May I have the honor of reading it?"

Zell handed the precious book to the Tik, who made a gesture, and a table rose between the benches. It placed the book down on the table and began flipping through the pages. This went faster and faster until he reached the last page and gently closed the book. The Tik handed it back to Zell, then projected the pages upon the surface of the table. "If you read the text so I can get the sounds of the characters, I will make a record of your language. I will let you know when I have recorded a sufficient amount."

Zell looked at the text on the tabletop and read it. The Tik advanced the pages, and Zell continued to read it in Ush.

The projection stopped. "I believe I have captured all the variant sounds for the language, or at least enough to begin. As you speak Borrelian, are you able to translate the pages into that language?

Zell recalled the many nights he's spent with Lorrenz and Lissan doing exactly that. His emotions swelled again, but he nodded.

Once more, the first page was projected, and Zell read it in Borrelian. He had to go further as there were some non-translatable terms, and the Tik needed more overlapping language. Finally, Sah-Hah-Lah, stopped its projection, satisfied.

Rex had obviously read the book when Sah-Hah-Lah Fae did. "There are coordinates in the final pages of the book!" It projected its findings on the table's top.

Galaga picked up the thread. "Working from this, we can pinpoint the location of your planetary system and send a Tik delegation to confirm the state of your people!"

"The Borrelian Military will be there trying to eradicate all remaining Ush," Zell reminded them.

Sah-Hah-Lah Fae touched his hand. "Not if they want Borrelia to be connected to the Gate Network once more. While we cannot interfere with the cultural development of the Gate Network members, carrying out genocide against another race allows us to deny the instigator access to Gates."

For the first time since the Commander asked him to save his people, it felt like he might actually have a chance at achieving that overly ambitious goal.

Epilogue

Lorrenz and Lissan watched the waves crash against the shore as they sat in a beautiful seashore restaurant patio in Washtan. As they'd never had the contacts or contracts to visit before, this was their first visit to the west coast city, but it wouldn't be their last. The delicious food and drinks lavished on them by the city officials was yet another reward for achieving what no other merchant had been brave enough to do: breaking through the blockade of an army of bandits to bring them the desperately needed delivery of medicine, mail, plus an abundance of trade goods. Arriving with the single largest caravan to reach the city gates definitely impressed the local merchants and government officials. They were eager to sign contracts for future visits. Too bad for the trading houses who'd hoarded all the prime contracts in the past. They could enjoy their continued stranglehold over the southern market... for now.

They'd already paid for this trip twice over on the deliveries so far. They still had to travel up and down the coast to make their remaining deliveries and trades for the goods they still had in the wagons. With so much space in their caravan, Lorrenz was definitely going to continue running with ten wagons.

Lissan would invite Stron and Illia to join their family as the Sheffalis needed the help, but they had to be family.

This trip, plus the inheritance of the Krattos and Sprell estates, would leapfrog the Sheffali Trading House into the top five on Llevven. That increased wealth was going back into the business for practical, non-extravagant purposes.

They'd be expanding their homestead into the neighboring properties in Mnemmesh, increasing the size of all of their assets: larger Druug facilities, larger warehouses, larger administration offices, and larger housing for their growing family. Bonna and her three daughters would also join them.

Speaking of daughters, Lorrenz would no longer bow to social convention. The Sheffali females would no longer be forced to leave the family to get married. If they found a suitable mate willing to work hard in the family business, they could stay. As the Commander was shaking up society, he and Lissan were ready to do their own shaking.

Coming back to the present, Lorrenz shared a smile with his wife as they'd thoroughly enjoyed their meals and the scenery. The grateful but tiring politicians had finally left, and the couple had just finished their tea. It was time to return to their family at the caravan.

Sharing a look as they walked out of the restaurant, they both felt a deep satisfaction for what they'd achieved, but it was still tinged with loss. Their first child wasn't there to share in their success. While they both missed Zell terribly, they pushed that back as they knew he had a much grander mission ahead of him. It had only been seven days since he left. If he would ever return was an unknown, they had to be realistic that the odds were not good.

While Washtan's city guard was less corrupt than those found in the larger capital city of Mnemmesh, the Sheffali caravan leaders had two of the Commander's people with them to ensure they got back to the caravan unscathed. Not that they couldn't take care of themselves.

The only space large enough to house their new double-sized caravan was at the city's northeast corner in the infrequently used fairgrounds.

As their rented four-seat wagon approached the large semi-circle of wagons, they could see their family members all gathered in a group.

Something shiny in their midst was catching the last rays of the sunlight brilliantly.

Lorrenz and Lissan were out of the wagon and running forward before it came to a stop. Family members saw them coming and parted with grins on their faces. In the middle was Zell! And a shiny hovering cylinder with silver tentacles! They rushed up to hug their son as soon as Noola gave them some room with a grin of her own.

"I thought you were going to save your people!" Lorrenz exclaimed.

"The Sheffalis are my people," Zell said with a smile.

Lorrenz was struck speechless until Zell grinned at his father.

"How long did you think that challenge would take, Father?" Zell asked.

"I think you are teasing him, yes?" the silver device asked.

Zell nodded to it with a wide smile. "Family, let me introduce you to Sah-Hah-Lah Fae. It's a Tik, a member of a most wonderful race. It saved my life and helped me bring the message of my people's genocide to the attention of those who could make the Borrelian Rulers stop."

"Its name is Gentle Savior, and it saved your life?" Lorrenz asked in wonder.

"Zell graciously gave me this name after we brought him to Chuuruthia," the Tik answered.

Zell made the introductions for each member of his adopted family for the Tik.

"I still don't understand why you aren't out there doing what you need to do to save your people," Lorrenz said.

Zell shook his head gently. "I am not the one to speak for the Ush, but my friends the Tik found survivors on the Ush homeworld who could do that task much better than me. My role was to make the Tik aware of the genocide of the Ush. To let them know who we are and that we needed their help. With the Commander's help, I achieved this. The Tik got approval from the Assembly, the races of the Gate Network, to rescue some of my people from the Ush homeworld and bring them back to speak on their own behalf as they've lived through the attempted genocide. The Assembly then issued an ultimatum to the Borrelian Rulers to stop their war or be forever banned from the Network. They will not risk this."

He smiled at Noola. "This also meant I could keep my promise much earlier than expected."

She leaped into his arms and kissed him again.

When Noola finally released him, his parents still had questions. "How did you get here? Will you be staying?" Lorrenz asked.

"He stepped out of a mirror that suddenly appeared next to the Tik who flew down from the sky!" Noola exclaimed excitedly.

Sah-Hah-Lah Fae answered. "I flew down from the upper atmosphere where the Blade of Reason, a ship we used to bring Zell here, was positioned. The mirror you saw was a small Gate that Zell used to step from the ship to the ground. The ship has already left."

Zell nodded to the Tik, then looked to Lorrenz. "Yes, Father, I'm home. That said, are you heading north or south? Where will I meet you on the trail? I cannot remain in the city as too many still fear my race. The lies taught by the Borrelian Rulers about the Ush are still strongly held beliefs. Sah-Hah-Lah Fae will remain with the caravan to document the lives of the Sheffalis. It can contact me at any time with a small device it gave me that allows me to communicate with it and you if you are next to it."

Lorrenz and Lissan were smiling widely at the joy of having their first son back with them. "We'll head north in a day or two, depending on the contracts we're working out for the journey back. It's wonderful to have you back!"

The father looked at the six soldiers. "I suppose this means you're free to return to your Commander's side. I believe you will be a greater asset to her as she'll need your help with getting Mnemmesh back under control."

The soldiers nodded, eager to get back to Gorresh. "We'll head back when you leave the city," one informed them.

Zell spoke up. "Commander Gorresh is currently on Zhirra addressing the soldiers of the fleet. They couldn't refuse her as she still holds the rank of Fleet Commander and is a hero to the people. She told me she'll expose the Borrelian Rulers' genocide plot and how they've been manipulating the people. She'll tell the soldiers how they and their families would have been affected by the planned caste-based migration. She's going to let them know how the Borrelian people have been lied to and denied access to a better life. Most of the officers are in the higher castes, but few believe the caste system has merit. The few officers who do believe in it are vastly outnumbered. There will be interesting days ahead for the Borrelian fleet."

The family crowded in around Zell once more to give him more hugs. Everyone was delighted to have him back with them.

Lorrenz put his arm around Lissan as he saw the joy on Zell's face. He saw it glowing in the eyes of his daughter Noola, who was no longer lonely. He looked down into the eyes of his beloved wife and saw that same joy mirrored there. It filled his heart with love to see his family so happy.

That night, as the family enjoyed the warmth of a bonfire, good food in their bellies, lively conversation, and laughter, they were protected by six of Commander Gorresh's best patrolling the grounds, the vigilant sensors of a Tik, and his foster son's phenomenal senses. Lorrenz allowed himself to simply enjoy the moment of bliss.

He felt pity for his colleagues back in Mnemmesh, chasing their dreams of riches and the fancy trappings of wealth. Such things would never bring them the joy he was feeling now.

He understood where happiness was truly found. He saw the excitement and love on the faces of his family and was... content.