FSE

Furry search engine

formerly SoFurry search engine

Chapter 21. There Are Two Suns In The Sky

"Sarah."

"..."

"Sarah," Storm whispered again in her ear.

"...mmm?..."

"Saaarahhh."

"...hmm?..." she responded with closed sleeping eyes.

Storm moved his muzzle slightly and began rapidly licking and lapping at Sarah's cheek and face. Her neutral expression quickly grew to a smile with squinted eyes barely open. As Storm's playful licks moved to her chin, jawbone, and backward to her neck, she began to giggle and laugh, waking up completely but with tired eyes still half shut.

Turning to look at him as his licks stopped she said, "Good morning, silly. What is it?"

"It is becoming light outside," Storm replied. "I have already been out to gather our food."

Sarah looked with eyes open a bit more and saw he was crouched on the floor next to the bed where she was laying. "Why didn't you wake me up?" she asked.

Storm said, "You were sleeping so deeply I did not want to disturb you."

"That's so sweet. Come here, you," Sarah said with a smile as she reached out to hug Storm around his neck, giving him a kiss on the cheek. Sarah thought about the time to figure how many Earth hours had passed. "I must have really been tired."

"True," said Storm, "or it is that your body is accustomed to the day and night cycles of Arfurah."

"I could get used to sleeping in like that," Sarah said. "At home there are plenty of times that I don't get enough sleep. Of course as much time as I'm here, my body back home is getting more sleep than it can use..." Sarah paused to think about things back home. "That reminds me, I should transfer home quickly to take care of things before starting the day here, especially since it feels like I'm about to wet the bed...Hmmm, I referred to my body as 'it.' That's kind of funny to think about."

"Without you in your body to make it a person, it is not much more than that, is it?" said Storm.

"Yes, you're right," replied Sarah. "Anyway, if you'll please wait for me, I'll be back soon."

"I will be outside the door," said Storm. "I will not be far away."

"Alright, see you soon," said Sarah. She laid her head back down on the bed, closed the eyes of her synthetic body, and made the conscious effort to open the eyes of her Earthly body.

The ceiling of the living room was well lit from the glow of the sunlit floor next to the front door. Sarah paused very briefly to think about the time of day before being clearly reminded how much she needed to get to the bathroom. As quickly as her stiff body could move she got up from the couch, grabbed her glasses, and hurried to the bathroom to achieve the same relief as her last visit. "I'd better come back more often or I will wet the bed," she thought to herself. Without taking any more time than necessary she took a warm shower, toweled herself dry, and headed to the kitchen to fill her empty stomach.

The clock on the stove presented Sarah with a surprising message. "Quarter to two!" she said aloud. "No wonder I'm so stiff and hungry." She proceeded to talk softly to herself instead of thinking silent thoughts. "It's been so nice there I haven't wanted to leave, and that just makes it easy to forget about things here." She retrieved her usual fruit and juice from the refrigerator and deposited bread into the toaster. As she waited for it to brown Sarah began several stretching exercises, bending and flexing her body to work the stiffness out of her joints that had been sitting motionless for so long with each visit to Arfurah. With her usual exercise routine being disrupted she quickly realized the effects of doing nothing.

Toast up, Sarah grabbed it from the toaster and inserted two more pieces of bread for a second helping. While maintaining her hurried pace she spread jam on the first set of toast and ate it with the fruit. As she ate she thought nonstop about the previous evening of conversation, stargazing, and waterfall bathing. "What a beautiful night...magical," she said to herself. Her thoughts flowed to Storm, the time they'd spent together, and how he woke her up that morning. "What a sweet guy he is," she said to herself with a smile carving itself onto her face.

The second set of toast emerged from the fiery cavern of the toaster for Sarah to retrieve and eat with the rest. The juice washed down the last of her late breakfast and the dishes went to the sink to join the others from the night before. Not wanting to forget her usual hygiene she returned to the bathroom to brush her teeth before heading to her bed for the return trip. Small amounts of sunlight peeked through the drapes to light the room for Sarah to see as she crawled under the covers of her bed, set her glasses aside, and laid her head down to close her eyes again.

Just as Sarah's eyes were opening on Arfurah, Storm was coming through the doorway with several pieces of firewood in his arms. He never noticed she was watching him as he walked past and set the wood on the small pile next to the fireplace. Playfully, Sarah quietly reached her hand out to grab the tip of his tail that was just within reach. "Gotcha!" she said with a grin.

Storm jumped up in surprise and let out a yip but quickly realized who was taking hold of his tail. He turned around but remained close enough so his tail didn't pull from her hand. "You are very sneaky," he said with a sly grin. "Is everything well at your home?"

"Yes, everything's fine," Sarah replied as she let go of his tail. "It was 1:45 in the afternoon, which is very late in the day for me to be sleeping and a long time since I was last there. While I was there I realized I'd better transfer home more often or things could get messy."

Storm applied some logical thinking to her statement and realized what she meant. "Are you ready to eat now?" he asked.

"Yes," she replied. "I feel full from eating at home but that's overshadowed by my hunger here." Sarah stretched with a yawn and got up off the bed to follow Storm out the door. The early light of the rising Kothalos was lighting the treetops with shades of gold and green, and the calm humid air felt balmy to Sarah's skin. Sitting beside the riverbank was the large carved wooden bowl full of the fresh morning harvest. Storm sat on the ground and tucked his legs underneath him. Sarah sat next to him with the bowl between them, dangling her feet into the river. She took a sniff of the sweet air and said, "Oh my, what a lovely morning!"

"Yes, it is very beautiful," replied Storm as he reached for something from the bowl. Sarah quickly followed suit and took something for herself which she once again enjoyed greatly.

"Thank you for gathering all this, Storm," she said. "And thank you for taking me up to the hill last night. When I was back home I was thinking about last night...I had a wonderful time."

"You are welcome," said Storm. "I did as well. It was more pleasant to share the sight with someone than to be there alone. I am happy you suggested it." He paused to eat a couple of berries before continuing. "I do not know if there was an incorrect translation. What did you mean, 'wet the bed?' Is that related to your extended absence from home becoming messy?"

Sarah laughed for a few seconds at his question. "Yes," she replied, "it is. If somebody who's sleeping needs to urinate very badly but doesn't wake up, the body has no choice but to release it right there in the bed, even for an adult. Luckily that hasn't happened to me yet."

"That is good," said Storm. "If so you would have to remove your bed and build a new one."

"No, not quite," Sarah responded. "I wouldn't have to replace the bed, just the top coverings of it. And they wouldn't be discarded. I'd wash and dry them because they are made of fabric."

"Now I understand," said Storm. They each took another piece from the bowl and continued their peaceful breakfast by the water. With small talk about the day's plans and what results they might expect from the programming team they worked with the previous day, they ate a large portion of the fruit that was in the wood basin. When Storm was halfway through one large piece he stopped eating it. "I ate several things while I gathered these and now I am no longer hungry," he said. "Would you like to have the rest of this? I do not want to be wasteful."

"Sure, I still have room," replied Sarah. She took the partial fruit from him and quickly finished it off. As she tossed the seed core into the trees across the trail she asked, "Are you ready to head to the research facility?"

"Yes, I am," said Storm. "We may refill the bowl as we walk."

When they stood up Sarah noticed some dirt from the ground sticking to her skin. She stepped off the bank into the river and squatted down slightly to rinse the dirt away. Soon she stepped back out of the water, picked up the bowl, and said to Storm, "Alright, now I'm ready." The pair turned and headed down the trail in the direction of the facility, pausing briefly at various bushes and trees to take items to fill the basin for the day's lunch. As they picked items Sarah said, "I don't know if it's the long sleep I had or the fruit I ate, but I feel really energetic this morning. Usually I need a cup of coffee to get going but not today."

"What is that?" inquired Storm.

"It's a hot drink," Sarah replied, "made by filtering water through the ground up beans, or seeds, of a certain type of plant. It tastes really good and has a natural stimulant that helps tired people feel like they have more energy. Another hot drink is made from doing the same with the dried leaves of a different plant."

"Interesting," said Storm. "We have similar methods of making beverages from the seeds and leaves of some plants. A few of them have natural stimulant chemicals as well but they are very mild. I expect it would taste quite different from the drink you describe."

They followed the same path as their trip the day before. When they passed the home of Gur and Salka they saw neither one to greet. Ahead on the trail they saw the otter they met the day before, plus another otter that Sarah assumed to be his mate, swimming in the river in front of their home. "Are they catching telvakee to eat or just swimming?" asked Sarah.

"They are probably doing both," Storm responded as they waved to the aquatic pair.

Through the end of the forest and into the prairie they continued, walking at a good pace to the research facility. When they arrived at one of the ground entrances Storm said, "I do not know of the others are still here or if they have gone home."

Sarah looked around and replied, "I don't know either...but there's somebody who can tell us." Approaching them from down a hallway was a large rectangular unit that seemed to be floating along, hiding the rest of the body that was attached to the familiar bright yellow legs that were visible underneath it.

"Hi there, Golas," Sarah called out. The figure stopped and turned so he could see around the item he was carrying, revealing dark blue eyes that searched for who called his name.

"Hello Sarah, hello Storm," he said with a pleasant smile. "I would set this down to greet you but it is very awkward to pick up."

"That's alright, we don't want to inconvenience you," said Sarah.

"Hello Golas," said Storm in response to the greeting. When he stepped next to Golas to scritch his back he asked, "Do you know where we may find the four who worked with us yesterday?"

"They have gone home to rest after a long night," said Golas. "They left shortly before the day began, but Russaf is in one of the sleeping rooms here to provide assistance if you should require. Before leaving they left a visual recording on the control unit with instructions to operate the control program they devised."

"Thank you, Golas," said Storm. "Do you need help with the load you are carrying?"

"No, but I thank you for your offer," said Golas. "I am taking it down to the storage level."

"Very well. We will be on top to continue the project," said Storm.

"Thanks Golas, we'll see you later," said Sarah.

They all headed for the nearest stairs to part ways, Golas going down and Sarah and Storm going up. At each level Sarah noticed there was more activity than the day before and wondered to herself if they followed any sort of calendar schedule like weeks that would influence that. When they reached the roof they went over to the equipment and found a few new pieces had been added to the system.

Sarah set down the fruit basin and Storm activated the control console to bring up its display. Prominently displayed on the projection was a symbol that contained a small picture of the four programmers and Arfuran text. Storm tapped the symbol and the recording began to play.

"Hello Storm and Sarah," said Russaf in the video. "We have created a control program that allows you to quickly and easily adjust the settings of the dimension vein generator to relocate and aim the exit point by using a visual display and set of manual controls. It interfaces with the standard scanning and tracking equipment used on the defense vehicles to combine your adjustments with an object for receiving the energy discharge. You will find the control input device and the tracking device there next to the control console. We have already used the radiation detectors and targeting projectiles to calibrate the system for accuracy but our tests were done with low power from the light energy weapon. It is accurate for static and moving targets at that power. If your higher energy tests affect the accuracy then contact any of us to perform adjustments. You are already familiar with operating the scanning and tracking system. We will now show you how to manipulate the controls and what your visual display will show."

The scene of the video changed to show Camash pointing out things on the graphic display with Safan at the controls. As the video played, Storm tapped other symbols on the screen to activate the other units in the system, then stood at the new manual controls to follow along. Sarah stood next to him to watch, quite interested to see the graphic display of the holographic projection and how it utilized the three-dimensional capabilities it was designed for. Storm followed along to the video, getting used to the control adjustments. As one hand manipulated the positional control they could see the various familiar adjustment sliders on the screen automatically move to the combinations that would project the wormhole to the proper place. As his other hand manipulated the aiming control the mechanical support that held the weapon smoothly swung the entire unit in the appropriate direction.

"This is really neat," said Sarah. "It's like a remote-controlled battle turret that's connected to a video game." Storm was puzzled about her analogy but remained quiet to continue watching the instructions.

Bolgaras appeared on the screen next. "After you have practiced with ground targets, there are several targeting units positioned far above the atmosphere for you to practice with. Use the scanning system to find and track them. You will have several options for tracking and aiming at static and moving targets in addition to the full manual control. Your weapons training and familiarity with the tracking system will make you proficient very quickly."

Camash returned to the screen. "The button on top of the position control will cycle between the targeting methods. The protected button on top of the aiming control will discharge the dimension vein generator and the light energy weapon simultaneously."

The screen then went back to Russaf. "Before you begin using real targets, you may have the program display simulated targets for you to practice the controls. The discharge button will not discharge any part of the weapon during simulation."

Storm stopped the video so he could begin trying out the system. As recommended he activated the simulation that projected targets into a virtual landscape on the screen. He took a couple of minutes to get more fluent with the controls to move and aim the targeting system. "They performed very good work in designing this control," he said. "It is far easier to adjust than the controls we used yesterday." Sarah nodded, standing close behind him to watch he screen. The holographic display made it look like solid models were floating in front of them with a cone-shaped pointer posing as the aiming and firing point. Storm positioned it so it appeared to be aligned with a target and pressed the discharge button. The laser and wormhole generator made no indication of firing while the pointer on the screen launched a projectile.

"What does that yellow symbol mean?" Sarah asked, pointing to a corner of the screen.

"That says the target was hit," replied Storm. "Did you see the cone change to a blue color before I pressed the discharge? That indicated it was correctly aligned with a target."

"Ok, no, I didn't notice that," said Sarah.

Storm swung the pointer around to another target without moving its position, hit the trigger button, and received another indication of a successful hit. He then pressed a button by the display which changed the screen to a two-dimensional flat display with a circle in the center.

"I will try this method of aiming next. It shows the view if you were looking directly out through the dimension vein," said Storm. He combined the motions of the position and aiming controls to move another virtual target into the center of the circle, pressed the trigger button, and received another hit confirmation.

"That looks quite a bit easier," Sarah commented. "If I was using the previous view I'd be afraid of being misaligned."

"Both methods are quite easy," said Storm. "You should be able to master either method with minimal practice."

"Me?" Sarah inquired. "I don't...I mean, you're the weapons expert. I know it's important to stop the Kra but I don't think I can be destroying ships with thousands of lives on them. Incapacitate the ships, maybe..."

"I understand your reluctance to kill," said Storm, reassuringly. "We do not want to kill either. We only want to stop their attack. You will not need to face them. Once this system is installed on the defense vehicle, you will be able to return home. You could have returned home once we verified your theory worked as you predicted."

"Yes...I'd thought of that," said Sarah. "After you all had my idea, I wasn't of much more use to you. I've just really been enjoying things here, getting to know you all. I hope you don't mind."

"It has been a great pleasure to have you here, Sarah," said Storm. "I am happy you stayed."

"Me too," Sarah replied with a smile. She gave Storm a light hug from behind, and they both returned their view to the screen. Storm tapped a symbol to continue the video recording.

"There is an alternative control for you to try," said Safan. "The control on the far right can be positioned and pointed for any target on the display. There will no longer be an indicator on the screen for the exit point of the dimension vein. The tip of the control will be indicator. As it is moved a line will be projected to appear from its tip in the direction of the light pulse. When it is properly aligned with a target you will see the line terminate on the target and the line will turn blue. The display will be to scale. If it is moved so the targets appear far away, the exit of the dimension vein will appear a proportional distance away from the target."

"I was trying to think what this control is for," said Storm. He took hold of a pointer at the end of a long articulated arm and swung it in front of the screen. Its motion automatically changed the screen back into a three-dimensional projection with a line appearing to shine from the tip like a laser beam. He pointed it from one target to the next, the wormhole controls and laser support adjusting as quickly as he could move the pointer. He used the positioning control to rotate the view in all directions to provide easy targeting from all directions.

"This method is exceptionally easy to use," Storm said with a delighted surprise to his voice. Sarah watched in amazement as the complete system appeared to work flawlessly. Storm then pointed the device at a virtual target and pressed the trigger button which resulted in the hit indicator appearing again.

"You must attempt to try this," said Storm as he stepped aside. "I am very pleased."

Sarah stepped forward and took the pointing device in her hand. She swung the pointer and its projected line around like the baton of an orchestra conductor. She watched the laser unit move quickly and fluidly as she swiveled the pointer with her wrist and watched the wormhole adjustments change on the screen as she moved it in space around the virtual targets. With a steady hand she pointed it at a screen target and pressed the trigger button. A yellow indicator flashed on the screen to announce her successful hit.

Sarah let out a high-pitched squealing giggle. "That's awesome!" she exclaimed with more enthusiasm than she ever had in any laboratory experiment. "Let's do some more!"

To Storm's amusement she performed a quick draw from one target to the next, eliminating them one by one from the screen whether they were stationary or moving. "You are doing very well with that," said Storm.

"Well, I mentioned video games a little bit ago," said Sarah. "This is similar to a game I spent a lot of time playing as a girl."

"Perhaps you will describe it to me later," said Storm.

"I'd be happy to," said Sarah. "Here, you take over with this. You have some targets to blow up."

Storm took the control back in his hand, pressed a button to refill the screen with targets, then proceeded to destroy them with the fictional laser. "I believe we are ready to test real targets," he said. He then tapped a few screen symbols to disable the simulation. The holographic display blanked out and then reappeared with a representation of the landscape in the prairie beyond the research facility. White spherical targets that were placed out in the field also appeared on the screen. The energy generator hummed and let out a quick whining noise that indicated a charge.

"Where do you have the power set?" Sarah asked.

"I have it adjusted for two percent, as it was for our initial tests," replied Storm. He then manipulated the controls to point the beam at a field target. "I will attempt to hit the nearest target first."

Sarah looked over the edge of the roof to the closest target out in the field. Storm adjusted his aim, looked at the target, and pressed the trigger button. The wormhole generator and laser made a sound of the energy pulsing through them, and a burst of blue light appeared from the air above the target to cause a puff of smoke to emanate from its top surface.

"They have calibrated the system very well," said Storm. "That is precisely where I positioned the aiming device."

Sarah looked back at him with a curious smile. "Let's try something...position it to come from up here," she said, holding her hand high above her head, "and aim it at that target out there at the base of the hill."

Storm nodded and adjusted the screen view to allow him to aim as Sarah suggested. He looked back toward the target and pressed the trigger button. The blue laser appeared from above Sarah's head and tore through the air at blinding speed to hit the target at the hill. The same puff of smoke appeared from the short pulse of laser light hitting it.

"Very cool," she said with satisfaction. "How about...I know...lock it on that same target but position it about 20 miles up, outside the atmosphere."

Storm thought momentarily. "I will do that," he said, "but I will reduce the power to one percent. That will be safer in the event of inaccuracy." He adjusted the controls accordingly and hit the trigger button. Neither of them saw anything.

"What happened?" asked Sarah.

"I do not know," replied Storm. "I will check the radiation detectors." After a few seconds of reading he said, "The light energy impacted the surface a short distance behind the target. I will request further calibration."

Sarah stopped him. "Wait...try it again. I have an idea on something but I want to check." Storm pressed the trigger button again without moving any other controls. They saw nothing as they did before, and he looked at the indications of the radiation detectors.

"The light energy impacted a short distance to the left side and slightly in this direction," he said.

"I bet I know what's going on," said Sarah. "Variations in the atmosphere. Slight differences in air density are altering the path of the laser. It's the same thing that makes the stars appear to twinkle at night, and why astronomical observations from telescopes on the ground can be blurry."

"Ah...I understand," said Storm. "If we do that at higher power settings we will have to be very careful."

"Let's test the higher power stuff from a lower altitude," said Sarah, "especially if the increased laser energy alters anything with the wormhole."

Storm brought the firing point on the screen down to a short altitude off the ground, pointed it at a distant target, increased the power level, and triggered the system to fire. A loud explosion appeared where the target was, scattering little bits of it white sphere all over the landscape.

"That was ten percent power with no variation in accuracy," said Storm. He then pressed the button on the intercom and said, "Golas, we will be testing thirty percent shortly."

A moment later a familiar voice responded over the speaker. "Thank you for the warning, Storm. There are no current projects that will be disrupted but I will inform everyone."

Storm adjusted the power slider accordingly and took several seconds to lock on to the most distant target with the firing point positioned a few hundred feet off the ground and a few hundred feet away from the building. "Do you think we've given them enough time?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so," said Sarah. "Go for it."

They watched as Storm pressed the trigger button. The equipment pulsed, a bolt of blue laser light ripped through the air, and the distant target was destroyed in an enormous explosion of flying dirt and liquefied rock. As the debris rained down Storm looked over the screen indications. "The target was at the center of the explosion. There was no variation of accuracy."

"Excellent," said Sarah. "Should we try the orbiting targets with higher energy?"

"Yes," said Storm. "Everything on the ground is looking very satisfactory." With the fluid skills of his training he reached for the scanning controls to quickly locate and identify the targets floating outside the atmosphere. Sarah looked at the holographic display and saw that some were stationary, some were following linear paths, and some moved erratically.

"I like the ones bouncing all over the place," she said. "That'll really test the target lock."

"Yes," said Storm. "It has always worked very well in the past so I expect it to work as well with this system. We must be careful to never aim in a way that we might hit the planet if we miss. The increased power levels could cause any amount of damage."

Sarah nodded in wide-eyed agreement, then looked at the screen as Storm worked. He increased the power levels to fifty percent, aimed at a stationary target, and fired. The yellow hit indicator appeared as it did before, and the former target became a shower of particles on the screen. "Are those pieces of the target that the scanner is picking up?" Sarah asked.

"Yes," replied Storm. "It is very sensitive." He then pointed it at another target, and just as he was about to press the trigger button, Sarah looked up. When he fired, she saw a fireball appear in the hazy midmorning sky and quickly disappear.

"That was quite an explosion," she said. "For as bright as it is, I could still see it up there."

"I will watch the next one," said Storm. "I am increasing to seventy percent." He moved the laser power setting to the seventy percent range, targeted a floating orb, and looked up with Sarah as he hit the trigger button. The laser weapon let out a brief vibration as the surge of power went through it and a much larger fireball expanded from a center point, lingering for several seconds longer than the previous one before fading away to nothing. "Very impressive," Storm said with a dry analytical tone. He looked back at the screen indications. "Accuracy is still excellent."

"Let's try full power," said Sarah with another playful grin.

Storm paused, then smiled. "One hundred percent...and you may select the target." He adjusted the laser power slider to the limit of its range and stepped aside. Sarah timidly stepped in front of the controls and took the aiming wand in her hand. She duplicated Storm's actions of pointing it at a target, locking the system on to its position, moving the pointer to the place she wanted the laser to originate, and looked up as she pressed the trigger button.

A deep vibration groaned through the equipment as the energy surged into laser light. In an instant it was done, and the sky overhead filled with a rapidly expanding ball of light as the targets particles flew apart with the heat of a star.

"That...was absolutely incredible," said Sarah in astonishment. "I can't imagine how much energy was just released...I can't imagine what would happen to a ship if we hit it with that."

"I will have to request numbers from the weapon development researchers to describe the levels of energy," said Storm. "A Kra ship has very strong shielding. I would not expect more than half of the energy to penetrate and cause damage. Without their energy shields their ships would be severely damaged...they may be fully destroyed."

Sarah thought for several moments. "Hmmm...we'd better test this thing thoroughly to make sure it can handle heavy use. We don't want it breaking down and shooting blanks in the middle of battle." She thought for another moment and asked, "What if the wormhole...dimension vein generator doesn't work and we fire that laser with full power when it's sitting inside the ship?"

Storm pointed to the end of the wormhole generator. "The device attached to the end is made to absorb and suppress the energy. It was added to the design for that exact reason when we were testing it with high power here on the ground. It is able to withstand only a few bursts at full energy levels. If there is a malfunction we would need to fix it correctly at once. When it is placed inside any vehicle it will be contained within a compartment that is able to fully absorb and suppress any number of energy bursts. We are greatly concerned for the safety of the crew."

Sarah nodded in relief to the information. Storm then read over the data collected by every detector in the system. "By the claws of Dissilen, the accuracy is perfect. The dimension vein is unaffected by the amount of energy flowing through it."

"There's that expression again," said Sarah. "What does 'by the claws of Dissilen' mean?"

"It means something is very sure and reliable, or can be trusted," said Storm. "Dissilen was the variety of Arfuran...the most accurate way to describe him is that he was a variety similar to Drasi, but he had a very slender body and different fur markings. I do not know if he truly existed or was only created for the story. Dissilen was an expert climber. His claws were so sharp he could climb any tree to the highest, thinnest branches and even the winds of a storm could not cause him to lose his grasp. The legend says he found a rope that extended into the sky and grew thinner with height...rope to string, string to thread, thread to fiber. He began to climb, trusting his claws to allow him to hold tight. He climbed so high nobody ever saw him again, and they say he is still climbing. The story is figurative I am sure, but it gave us the expression."

Sarah smiled with enchantment. "What a wonderful story. We have stories and legends in my world, too. Some are about real people, and some are about completely fictional people."

Storm smiled in return. "As you said before, we really are very much the same."

Chapter 22. Tango In The Night

The daylight fell heavily through the thick humid air to create a rather muggy day. No rain clouds arrived to drop cooling relief on Sarah and Storm as they worked through the morning and into the afternoon with repeated testing of the new weapon. A short break to transfer back home and take care of business there provided Sarah some relief from the warmth with a cold late evening before returning to her bed and transferring back. After returning it wasn't long before she slid her hand across her forehead to remove some of the perspiration.

"Are you hot?" she asked her vulpine coworker.

"Yes," replied Storm. "Due to the requirement of the protective coverings on the defense vehicles, we keep the environment colder to counteract the body heat the coverings hold in. The cold air causes us to grow thicker fur...us who live in warm climates such as this. Now with thicker fur I am warmer than what I find comfortable."

"I can tell...I've noticed you panting," said Sarah as she reached for a piece of fruit.

"It is how I remain cooler," said Storm. "I do not excrete fluid from my skin as you do. That is most...unusual. I have never seen any person do that before."

"All humans do this when they're hot," Sarah responded. "The evaporation keeps us cool. As warm as the day is I'm glad to not be wearing anything. All it would do is hold in the heat."

"Do all humans wear coverings that trap heat on hot days?" Storm inquired.

Sarah nodded. "Yeah, most do...seems a bit silly, huh?" she said before biting into the fruit.

"Most unusual," said Storm.

"Wow...even this is warm," said Sarah, holding up the pelonwa with a bite taken out of it. "I have an idea for this." Storm remained at the weapon system as Sarah picked up the wooden basin and took it across the roof to the water valve. She let it run for several seconds to cool down, then filled the basin with cold water before filling the water cup that sat nearby. She took a drink, refilled it, and carried both over to Storm.

"Would you like a drink?" she said, offering the water to Storm. With little hesitation he took the cup from her and quickly emptied its contents.

"Thank you," he said. "I enjoyed that very much. Are you cooling the food?"

"Yes. I figured it would be better that way," said Sarah. Storm nodded and continued his testing while Sarah pulled her bitten fruit from the water and finished eating it.

Several more hours passed with barely more than occasional clouds skimming over the haze to shade the pair. The falling of Kothalos accompanied an increasing afternoon breeze that brought a caressing relief to Sarah's skin and helped blow the trapped heat from Storm's fur.

"I am unable to think of any additional tests that are required," said Storm. "After all the times we have charged the energy system and discharged it through the light weapon and dimension vein generator, I conclude they are working perfectly. Unless you have anything additional, my testing is complete."

"That sounds good to me, Storm," said Sarah. "Let's call it a day."

"Call what...a day?" inquired Storm.

"Sorry, that's another expression," Sarah replied. "That means, consider our work accomplishments to be satisfactory and stop for the day to go home and rest."

"I understand. I also agree," said Storm. "I would like to have more time to learn more about your language...and all those expressions you say."

"I wish we had more time too," Sarah said, picking up the fruit basin. She held it for Storm to select a cold snack from the water before heading across the roof toward the stairwell. Both paused at the water valve to place the cup back on the shelf and enjoy another cold drink before heading inside.

Down to the fifth floor communications room they went, looking for any of the other four as they walked. With none in sight they decided to place their call to Ajagi themselves. As before they first met the feathered communications operator from Ajagi's ship, and shortly after were speaking with Ajagi.

"Hello Ajagi...you're wet," said Sarah as she studied his dripping features on the display.

"Hello. Yes, I was bathing when I was alerted to your communication," the moist wolf replied. "I hope the wet trail I left in the halls does not cause anyone to slip."

Sarah had to cover her mouth when she began giggling as she thought about a dripping wet furry streaker running through the halls of the ship to answer the phone. Ajagi looked at her with perplexity before shifting his eyes over to Storm. "We have called with pleasant information again," said Storm. "The targeting interface designed and built by our four colleagues works superbly. It allows very quick aiming at targets without complication and locks accurately. The full power of the amplified light weapon does not affect the accuracy, and the dimension vein does not diminish the energy levels of the light pulse. We tested it very thoroughly out to a range twice that of the orbit of Deskalth and every indication shows complete reliability."

Sarah had regained composure to join the conversation by the time Storm was through. "It works flawlessly, Ajagi. If I hadn't seen it myself I'd never believe such a device could exist."

Ajagi smiled and shifted his eyes between his two friends. "That is wonderful information to hear," he said. "Please have the documentation sent to all the defense outposts. We will begin building duplicate weapons in the engineering departments immediately. Please also have your system loaded in the transport vehicle. I may hope we never need it but I would rather have it here to be prepared for an attack if it comes before the others are completed."

"Consider it done," said Sarah.

Ajagi smiled and said, "I believe I understand your expression. I also want to thank you for bringing my mates yesterday. We had a most wonderful time together. The distance separating us seemed to disappear."

"You are very welcome, Ajagi," said Storm. "I am glad to hear of your pleasant experience."

"We'll see you when we get back there," said Sarah.

"I hope your travel is safe and comfortable," said Ajagi.

"Thank you, Ajagi," said Storm. "Until then..." With his parting words the screen went blank and the call was ended.

"He's cute when he's wet," said Sarah as they walked out the door.

"When dry, as well," said Storm.

At the ground level the pair met up with their four coworkers who were working with Golas. After complimenting them heavily on how well the targeting system worked, Storm informed them of the request to have the weapon loaded into the transport.

"What can we do to help?" asked Sarah.

"You have been working with it all day," said Safan. "Go home and rest. We will bring the transport over to load it directly. The effort will not be too great."

"Thank you," said Storm. "All the documentation must be sent to all of the defense outposts so they may begin building duplicate weapons."

"I will have that sent immediately," said Golas. "Now go rest or we will carry you home!"

"Again, thank you," said Sarah. "You've all done a wonderful job making that system." She then went around giving hugs and a cheek kiss to Safan, Russaf, Camash, Golas, and Bolgaras. Storm followed her, giving muzzle licks to his friends, then walked with her to the door.

"It is amusing to remember how afraid you were when you first met us," Storm said. "As closely as you greet and part ways with our friends, it would appear you always knew us."

"Yep," said Sarah, "or that I was an Arfuran myself...hairless, anyway. I like the closeness."

Out the door and down the trail toward Storm's den they walked, finishing the last of their fruit snacks from the wooden basin. When Sarah saw there was no more fruit in the water, she paused her walking, held the basin up, and poured the water over herself. With large eyes Sarah let out a gasping yelp.

Storm released a quick soft laugh and asked, "Why did you do that?"

"Well," replied Sarah, "I thought it would feel refreshing on such a warm day but I didn't know it would feel that cold."

Storm replied, "Ah...I wish I would have thought of that on the roof of the facility."

Sarah spied the river as they approached on foot. "If you're still too warm, why don't we just hop into the water and swim back to your home?"

"That is a very appealing idea," said Storm. He picked up his pace toward the river and jumped into the water with Sarah close behind. She had to smile as she watched his tail follow behind him like a streamer and disappear under the water after him. She trusted his knowledge of the river bottom as she jumped in, happy to find that section deep enough to float in without wading. After dunking under to get her hair wet she surfaced and leaned backward to float on her back. Sarah held her arms out to paddle lightly at the water but kept a careful grip on the large wooden bowl so it didn't float away. As she floated lazily along, Storm was playfully swimming under the water to chase telvakee, then popping to the surface with a splash. She giggled at his antics as she watched the clouds and tree branches passing overhead.

After a few minutes Storm calmed down, shook the water out of his ears, and sipped a drink from the surface. As he drank he looked over at Sarah who was bobbing with the waves on the water. "You look very pretty, floating there," Storm said.

Sarah turned her head to look back at him with a blushing smile, remembering how exposed she was on the surface of the water. "Thank you...this feels wonderful."

"I do like the way you float on the surface," he said. "The water carries you home." Storm leaned backward as she did and slowly drew his legs up as he attempted to duplicate her actions. "My fur tends to pull me down when it is wet like this." With careful placement of his arms and legs he finally achieved a floating position, although sunk slightly deeper than she was. He kept his head tilted forward to keep water from flowing into his ears and looked up at the clouds and trees. Sarah watched him and slowly paddled over, reaching for the hand on his outstretched arm and taking hold.

After a few more minutes of slowly flowing downstream with the water, they heard a large splash outside of their upward eyesight. "What was that?" Sarah asked.

Before Storm could answer, the head of a familiar otter popped out of the water between them with a splash. "Hello, friends. Are you enjoying the day?"

"Hello Bucal," said Storm. "Yes, we are having a splendid time."

"Hi there, Bucal," said Sarah. "How are you doing this afternoon?"

"I am doing very well," replied Bucal. "It was an exciting day at the observatory. Shortly before the light of the new day a star explosion was observed in a galaxy over three thousand lagrestas away. We have a vast amount of data and pictures to study."

"What is a lagresta?" asked Sarah.

"That is the distance light travels in one thousand years," replied Bucal.

"Interesting," said Sarah. "I hope there were no inhabited planets around it."

"All former observations showed no indication of inhabitable planets near that star," said Bucal, "and we are hopeful those observations were correct. I will return to continue my part of the studies tomorrow. I swam here for more than greetings. I wanted to ask if you have been informed of the gathering of friends tonight."

"No, we have not heard of that," said Storm. "We have been working alone at the research facility all day and have spoken very little with anyone else."

Bucal said, "It will be in the clearing beyond the waterfall shortly after dark begins. I hope you both are able to attend."

"I'd love to go," Sarah said enthusiastically.

"Thank you for telling us, Bucal," said Storm. "We will be there."

"Wonderful. Pleasant floating," said Bucal just before he disappeared below the water and swam upstream toward his home.

"What is the 'gathering of friends?'" asked Sarah.

Storm replied, "Everyone around here who is able to attend gathers at a chosen place to be together. Everyone brings food to contribute, and there is plenty to eat for all. It is a time to meet with people who we are not always able to meet with, talk, share affections, and enjoy music. The activities are always different."

"It sounds like what we call a party in my world," said Sarah.

"If I understand your word correctly, the meaning of each is very similar," said Storm.

The river gently carried the pair past the homes of several people, and from their upward-looking vantage point Sarah could see some homes high in the trees. During their travel they called out greetings to anyone they saw on land or returned greetings to those who saw them first. After a few more lazy minutes floating downstream they recognized the surroundings as being that of Storm's home.

"We have arrived," said Storm, sitting forward to extend his feet to the river bottom and standing up. "I have not traveled like that in a very long time. That was a splendid idea, Sarah."

Sarah got her feet underneath her and stood up next to him. "Thanks. That was fun." She followed him to the riverbank and stepped up onto dry land, setting the wooden fruit basin on the nearby flat rock. Storm shook the water out of his fur and Sarah followed suit, being careful to not lose her balance. The light of Kothalos low in the sky poked through the trees down the river, hinting at the late hour and approaching sunset.

"We'd better get this filled up for tonight," said Sarah as she picked the basin back up.

"Yes. We will be able to fill it as we leave," replied Storm. "I desire to rest for a short time period before the gathering. The heat of the day exhausted me. Do you need rest as well?"

Sarah thought a moment. "Yeah...I wouldn't mind a quick nap. I wouldn't want to be dozing off just as the party is getting started. Will you wake up in time?"

"Yes. I will not fully fall asleep," said Storm as he walked down the slope into his den. Sarah followed and was happy to find the air inside delightfully cool from the moist ground encompassing the home. Storm crawled onto the bed, flopped on his back, and sprawled out to relax in a position that provided the most comfort. Sarah set the basin on the table and laid down next to him, touching lightly against his moist fur.

"Hey Storm," Sarah said, "since we have some extra time I'm going to transfer home and take care of things there."

A soft snorting grunt and sleepy nod of his head was all the response given by the fox. Sarah smiled, rested her head, and transferred home. She quickly found her glasses on the nightstand and looked at the clock. "Almost five?" she said to herself. "Looks like I'll be missing another day of work...whatever day this is...eh, screw it." She smiled in amusement from her decision and got out of bed, finding the cold autumn morning to be a shocking contrast to the balmy day she just returned from experiencing. Feeling the necessity for comfort, Sarah obtained her fuzzy pink bathrobe from the hook. As she put it on and headed for the thermostat she said to herself, "I wouldn't have this problem if I had fur."

Not feeling pressured by time, Sarah afforded herself a more inclusive breakfast to enjoy while she waited for the house to warm up. Hot tea, hot toast, and hot scrambled eggs warmed Sarah from the inside, making her cold fruit much more tolerable. When she was done eating she took the time to place her breakfast dishes in the dishwasher and add to them all the dishes she had been collecting in the sink. She set the machine to run and decided to go outside to gather up the mail and newspapers she'd been neglecting all week. She found a heavy frost covering the world and mostly junk mail in the box. Back in her house she left everything in a pile in the living room, turned the thermostat back down, and went to her bathroom to brush teeth and take care of necessities. She left her bathrobe on the hook as she returned to her bed, crawling under the warm covers, setting her glasses back on the nightstand, and closing her eyes.

The moderately lit room of Storm's den greeted Sarah's eyes with the silence broken only by occasional breeze, sounds of the avian creatures in the trees, and the heavy breathing of Storm's deep sleep. She glanced at him with a smile, enjoying the look of his soft closed eyes, and tucked her head against him to doze off herself. Sleep very quickly found Sarah, giving her a deep rest that was too short lived. Her unconscious perception of time made it seem very brief before Storm was stirring to wake up. As she woke up she sensed him stretch as far as he could with a large yawn.

Sarah opened her eyes to look at him, drawing his attention to look back at her. "Sleep well?" she asked.

"Yes..." he replied, pausing for another yawn. "Very well. How is everything at home?"

Sarah yawned, influenced by Storm's yawn, and responded, "It's as opposite as could be from here. It's dark, very early morning, and really cold. Everything's covered in frost."

"Is that normal?" Storm inquired.

"Yes, it's normal for this time of the year," she replied. "Another thirty or forty days, and snow will be falling."

"That must be pleasant," said Storm, "to be able to see weather from all over your planet without ever leaving home."

"It's nice, and it is pretty, but I really prefer warm weather," said Sarah. "I love the weather here. It's like our summer time." She then asked, "Are you ready to go see your friends?"

"Yes, I am ready," said Storm. He sat up and let out another yawn, followed by a shake of his head in typical canid fashion. As he got up off the bed Sarah sat up, got off the bed, and yawned once she was on her feet. He walked past the large wooden bowl on the table to go retrieve the small elongated box he'd brought from the ship. Sarah picked up the basin, curious about why Storm was bringing his small box, and turned to lead the way out the door.

Outside, the dusky tone of the sky indicated the setting of the star sometime before, and the humidity of the day had subsided to provide a comfortably warm evening. Storm and Sarah headed in the direction of the waterfall, stopping at plants and trees along the way to fill the basin with freshly picked treats. Ahead on the trail they could see a few other local residents walking in the same direction. They soon had their basin full and proceeded without further pause down the trail and past the applauding waterfall. After a few more minutes of walking they could see the glow of a fire through the trees.

As they approached Storm led them down a side path that went a short distance through the trees away from the river. Through the thinning trees Sarah could see the silhouettes of numerous Arfurans walking around a large campfire. The dirt path faded away into grass that appeared to have been recently cut short.

"Storm!" called out one furry individual in the dark, alerting the others to his arrival. Soon several people came over to greet their vulpine friend with their hugs, nuzzles, and licks. Many friends who didn't know of his return or had not yet seen him since he did were very happy to see him.

"It is wonderful to see you all again," exclaimed Storm. "To those who have not met her, this is our friend Sarah. She has been visiting to help with the defense project."

Sarah quickly found herself surrounded by a pack of smiling Arfurans with wagging tails, ready to pounce her with greetings. Sarah happily accepted everybody's affectionate greeting and returned her own friendly greeting to each of them. As fresh faces gradually disappeared back into the darkness to resume their own conversations, those they had already met approached after waiting for the new acquaintances to have their turn.

"Hello Serana and Dalo," Sarah said when she saw the familiar friends approach. "Hello Moka," she said, scritching his head before hugging his parents. "It's good to see you all again."

"We are happy to see you again as well," said Dalo. "Hello Storm." He and Serana then moved over to greet Storm in Arfuran style.

After a minute of greetings and small talk, Sarah asked Storm, "Where should I put this?"

Storm glanced down at the basin full of food, then looked around the gathering site. "The collection is over this way," he replied, leading her over to a large pile of fresh fruit and berries sitting on a pile of freshly cut grass. The long leaves of the grassy plants were all carefully laid with neat alignment.

"Is this part of the food as well?" asked Sarah, holding up a small pinch of the grassy leaves.

"Yes, that may be eaten if you like the flavor," replied Storm. He then took a larger pinch of the grass and pulled it into his mouth to munch on, then took a large piece of fruit and some berries from the pile to carry with him and eat as he mingled with friends. Sarah did the same, eating the grass leaves she'd picked up, finding it to have a flavor similar to lettuce, and taking some fruit and berries with her.

"What's this party for, anyway?" asked Sarah. "Are we celebrating something?"

"Life...friends...love..." Storm responded, "our safe return home...your part as our guest, and thanks for helping us...hope for successful defense against the next attack. It is how many of these gatherings are. It is a way to celebrate everything, but no one specific thing. It is for us to be together."

Through the evening Sarah stayed mostly by Storm's side out of familiarity, taking part in conversations with people who were all varieties of Arfuran, each resembling a species of Earth animal. Occasionally Storm would be called away to talk with someone else, but Sarah didn't mind being left with strangers due to how comfortable they made her feel. Whenever necessary they returned to the food collection to get something additional to eat, quickly resuming the pleasant conversation with various friends. Sarah sat with different people, describing life on Earth to their great interest, and for a while held Moka in her lap when dropped off by Dalo and Serana. She found herself talking and laughing like she hadn't done in years.

"Golas is here," said Bucal, alerting the others to the late arrival.

"I apologize for the time it has taken me to arrive," said Golas. "I was required in a late conference communication with the research facility at Habak. It required more time than expected. I returned home for my instrument as quickly as I was able." As he spoke the others in the gathering went over to greet him. When his friends parted and he got closer to the light, Sarah could see he was carrying a large item of carved and shaped wood, stained a dark brown that brought out the grain of the material.

"We did not begin without you," said Storm. "Do you desire to eat something first?"

"No, I will wait," replied Golas. "I am ready to begin if you all are as well."

Sarah was puzzled about what they were talking about, and followed Storm to sit near him when the group came to a stop. Storm took the end off his small elongated box and slid a tube-shaped item out of it. In the bright glow of the fire she could see it was made of wood, two tubes carved from a single piece with very intricate designs and patterns, each containing several holes along their length.

"Are you a musician too?" asked Sarah with delight in her voice.

"Yes," said Storm. "I use this to join the others and make music."

Sarah smiled widely. "That is beautiful. Did you make it yourself?"

"Yes, I did," Storm replied. "It took some time to learn which holes created which sounds."

Sarah watched as the small group assembled beside the fire, retrieving their various instruments that had been hiding in the dark. The rest of the gathering grew silent with only the crackle of the fire calling out in the night. Golas pulled two sticks from a compartment in his instrument, each with thick padded ends, and held them tentatively above the surface. With everybody ready, he swung the sticks down.

A deep, rich tone echoed through the instrument and out into the darkness, a smooth percussion that carried the warm sound of the dense wood it was made from. Rhythmically he began a drumbeat of varying tones, followed soon after by other members of the group with their instruments of percussion, string, and wind. Sarah watched Storm as he put his instrument in his lips and began to play. Harmonious chords of whistling wind created a haunting tone that sunk into her ears with sounds she had never before heard.

As the group played their song, others in the gathering began to dance together around the warm fire. Their dance was unlike any Sarah was familiar with but maintained the same fluid motions synchronized between each of the dancing revelers. Breathlessly, Sarah watched Storm's fingers move across the holes of his instrument with speed and precision, each note adding to the song built by the last, then she locked her eyes on his.

The fire danced in his eyes, glinting a sparkle of golden light that seemed to shine out from his soul as it reflected toward her. For a time he looked back at her, his eyes never wavering, before he closed them to add more passion to his playing. Sarah sat there through several songs, enchanted by the sounds, the dance, and the sight of Storm playing so wonderfully. To Sarah, it felt as if he was playing each song directly to her and for her alone. In her ears the rest of the instruments faded out to near silence; all she could hear was the harmony being created by Storm's breath.

At the end of the third wordless song, all those dancing let out a call that echoed through the forest, a blend of howling and other sounds. In short time it faded out to laughing, and compliments to the band. Everyone used the break to get another thing to eat, take a drink, or merely sit and rest. "I've been wondering what was in that box," Sarah said to Storm. "You play magnificently."

"Thank you," said Storm. "I hope you enjoyed the songs we played."

"More than anything I've ever heard," Sarah replied with a smile and heartfelt enthusiasm. "Everyone was wonderful. Do you have songs that you sing words with?"

"Yes," said Storm, "but those first few songs have no words beyond what the music speaks."

Sarah felt a furry stirring and looked down at Moka, asleep in her arms. With a happy smile she softly said, "He must have thought you were playing a lullaby." When she carefully got up and stood next to Storm he reached out to give Moka a soft rub on the head, then headed over to the food for something to eat. Sarah followed him, accepting a handful of berries that Storm offered her and eating them one by one as she held the sleeping pup. While they ate, a few of the other musicians played their instruments softly, improvising a tune to add to the ambience of the evening. Every few minutes somebody of the gathering would come along to see Moka sleeping so cutely, give him a scritch on his head, and put an arm around Sarah's shoulders in a soft hug. Each welcoming hug from people she had only just met made her feel very accepted there.

As she munched some more berries Sarah noticed several pairs and groups of the other partiers becoming quite affectionate with each other. Some sat, holding each other in a warm embrace, while others were nuzzling each others' fur or licking each others' muzzles with no interest in stopping. She smiled, envious and happy for them that they could share such affection.

"Storm, I am glad I found you," said a furry face who emerged from the dark. Sarah looked and recognized her as one of the six who met them when their ship landed the morning of the previous day.

"Hello Ezaba," said Storm when he saw who was calling his name. "I am glad to see you."

"Thank you. I am not here for the gathering," she said. She spoke softly and stepped away from the others, leading Storm and Sarah away to talk more discreetly. "I have more duties to complete at the transport facility. I will be back here to join the gathering in more time when I am finished. I have come to inform you of a message from Nanida at your defense outpost. You are requested to return to the outpost as soon as you are able. They have received data from the remote observation units that there is movement coming from the Kra planet. A very large number of vehicles are traveling toward our planetary system."

Sarah was speechless and Storm paused momentarily to think. "We will go immediately," he said. "Has the new weapon been moved to the transport vehicle?"

"Yes," said Ezaba. "It is loaded and connected with the systems on the vehicle. The vehicle is fully ready to go with all supplies, food, and water loaded."

"Thank you," said Storm. "When you return to the transport facility please send a message to Nanida about our immediate departure."

Ezaba nodded. "I will meet you there." She then turned and disappeared back into the darkness. Storm and Sarah turned to face each other.

"We must leave immediately," said Storm.

"I agree," said Sarah, finally able to respond to the situation. She glanced down at Moka, then looked around the gathering to spot his parents in the glow of the fire. "Where are Dalo and Serana?"

"I do not see them," said Storm as he looked around as well. "Anyone here may care for Moka until they return."

Sarah walked over to the nearest people she could see in the dark and found them to be Gur and Salka. "Hi Gur, hi Salka. Would you two please watch Moka until Dalo and Serana return? Storm and I have to go."

"We would be very happy to have him join us," said Salka.

Sarah held Moka up closer, gave a kiss to the side of the sleeping pup's muzzle, and whispered in his ear, "Goodbye, little Moka. Have a long and wonderful life." He stirred lightly but remained asleep as she lowered him into Gur's arms. She extended her arms out to give Gur and Salka a friendly departing pat on the shoulders before returning to Storm.

"My friends, Sarah and I must leave now," Storm called out to everyone. "I will see you again soon."

"Bye, everybody," said Sarah. "Thank you for everything. It's been wonderful to meet you all!" As they turned to leave, everybody in the group called out their parting well wishes to their friends. Storm picked up the box for his instrument and Sarah found his carved wooden bowl to carry back to his home. The friendliness of the group made Sarah feel very happy, influencing her to take hold of Storm's hand again as they set foot on the trail.

Sarah's eyes slowly adjusted from the light of the fire to the darkness of the forest while they walked along. As they turned from the side trail onto the main trail along the river, they heard quiet noises nearby. "Is that you, Storm?" called out a familiar voice.

"Yes, I am Storm," he replied. "We were wondering where you two went."

Sarah recognized the voice. "Hello Serana, hello Daloooohh my..." she said as her voice trailed off when she realized the situation. With her eyesight adjusting to the moonlit darkness she could see Dalo and Serana on the grass along the riverbank, in the passionate embrace of a very intimate moment. Glancing away she said, "I'm sorry...we didn't mean to intrude."

"Why do you apologize?" asked Dalo without stopping.

"Are you leaving?" asked Serana, also doing nothing to stop.

"Yes, we must return to the transport facility and depart for the defense outpost," said Storm.

"Have a safe and comfortable journey," said Serana. "It has been wonderful to see you again, Storm."

"It has been very pleasant to meet you, Sarah," said Dalo. "Return home soon, Storm."

"Yes...it's, um...been great to meet you both as well," Sarah said awkwardly. "Moka is with Gur and Salka back at the gathering."

"Thank you. Our friends will take good care of him," said Dalo.

"We must go now," said Storm. "I hope to see you again soon."

"Bye," said Sarah. "Have a...fun time." She started to giggle quietly as they turned to head up the trail toward the den. As they got farther from earshot she began to giggle more loudly.

"I do not understand. Why are you laughing?" asked Storm.

"Because..." Sarah tried to explain. "That was so awkward...we caught them..." Storm looked at her blankly. "Making love," she added.

"I still do not understand," said Storm. "I also must ask, what was the apology for intruding? What did you intrude upon?"

"It's because of how...personal they...I mean...their privacy," Sarah said before pausing. Storm continued to look blankly at her with total lack of understanding. "Let's just say it's one of our cultural differences again. Wow...you sure do things differently here."

Storm turned to look ahead on the trail again. "Yes, some things must be different between our two worlds."

"I do have to comment again, though, how wonderful everybody has been toward me during my visit here," said Sarah. "They have been so welcoming of me even though I'm not from here. I'm a complete stranger from another plan...another galaxy, but they treat me no differently, as if I'm only from the next town over. You've all made me feel at home."

"I am happy you are so comfortable here," said Storm. "I would like to visit your home planet but unfortunately I am not able. Perhaps some day we will be able to travel that far."

"Um...no, you wouldn't want to visit my planet," said Sarah, hesitatingly. "While you'd always be welcome in my own home, the other people of my planet wouldn't be so welcoming. If you approached with your ships they'd probably think they were being invaded and attack you. If you did land on the surface, no matter how friendly you were, you'd probably be captured so you could be questioned, studied, and then dissected to see how your body works."

Storm was silent for a moment before replying, "By what you describe I understand why you say I would not want to visit, but I do not understand why I would be treated in such a way."

"It's because of fear," said Sarah. "Humans are afraid of anything that is different to them and, all too often, assume the worst possibility. I'm sure there are many who would like to meet you in a friendly way, but the ones in power would find more value in cutting you apart to learn about your life form than by talking with you and learning about your knowledge, personality, and civilization. Then there are those who assume any alien beings from another planet would be there to abduct humans and do all sorts of tests on them as well." Sarah paused and then said with a sly smirk, "By the way, thanks for not using an anal probe on me."

Storm stopped in his tracks and silently stared at her for several seconds before saying, "............What?"