Zaef checks his kauka and sets to work, his blades not far away in case the Turai gets ideas. "Usually don't patch up the bastards I've just cut up..."

Davis hustles down the stairs at the sounds of the one-sided fight and looks over at Swims. "What happened?"
Swims-the-Black is unsure exactly how to reply at first. "I noticed they were starting to get a little agitated, but by then Hale stood up and punched that Keeper. He told her something and knocked her out. We broke it up after that."
"And they were all grouped together like that just before?"
"Yes. Didn't pay much mind to prisoners talking, but someone said something they shouldn't have apparently."

"So it seems." Davis thinks for a second. "Could you flex-cuff them both, and take them up to the comm room? Make sure they have a seat and that they're guarded."

Swims nods and pulls some flex-cuffs out of his oversized gear vest as he walks over. Both Shenest and Hale are easily secured and escorted upstairs, while Davis gets on his radio. "Captain Verrill, I don't hear explosions anymore," he says in English. "Are we all clear out there? If so, we need to get the rest of the Wherren in here for the night and get the keg up and running."

Zaef's victim-turned-patient doesn't have any ideas other than lying there unconscious. That's great, because Zaef's had bits chopped off before, and growing bones back sucks. Indeed, when Zaef hits the Turai with the kauka radiation and the ragged bony stumps start to regenerate the nerves around them, the Imperial wakes up screaming.

Cowboy checks the dead. It looks like they used their stock of spear-bombs in their fight with the Sheen. Most of the armor's torn to hell, but Zaef's guy and the two Angel shot still have mostly-intact suits. One Turai is so much hamburger; he was shredded when Charlie vaped the hill rocks. Four stock Imperial beamers and five stingers can be recovered; all still have their IFF running.

Hugh comes skidding out of the bushes next to Angel, who passes him the alien frisbee. It is a strange thing to see one's enemy so vulnerable so soon after trying to kill you. The kauka works its magic and the woman's arterial spray quickly subsides. She's still in pain, and still can't get up on her own, but she won't die from her wound.

---

"Martin?" Charlie asks its comrade. "Can you walk?" Martin takes a few steps and falls over with a loud clang.

"Sure, just give me a minute," it says. "Right as rain."

Charlie picks up Martin's shell and steadies it, much like a wounded man leaning on another. "We'll get back to camp and look for salvage. Verrill!" Charlie shouts. "Headin' out!" The two (well, one and a half) Sheen limp through the foliage away from the clearing.

"Yeah, we got 'em," Hugh radios. "Martin got fucked up and we're bringing in two injured POWs. You're clear to move ahead, over."

"Copy," Davis says, and changes frequencies to the one reserved for the rest of Hiigra's Wherren waiting in the jungle with all of the gear they brought, personal and otherwise, and especially the keg and lozenge. "Good to move into camp, bring equipment with you," he grunts into the radio.

*About time,* comes the gruff reply.

---

The research camp goes through puberty over the next half hour or so. It starts growing hair - in the form of wherren - where it previously had none. The forty aliens trickle out of the forest and muddle around in camp. The shaman and other Chosen explain what's been happening and begin organizing the wherren into smaller groups. The wherren's arrival sparks quite a bit of murmurs from the prisoners, but there are no further incidents or noticeable talk of fighting back.

Keeper Shenest remains unconscious in the chair Swims found for her in the comm room. She's definitely missed her window of opportunity.

Hugh, Cowboy, Angel, and Zaef escort the two Turai POWs back through the jungle and into the research camp. The male can walk, he just prefers to stagger and moan in pain as his hands slowly grow back. He's got most of the meat up to his finger-stumps so far, but even the slightest hint of a breeze on the bare flesh sends him into the shakes. The other Turai's even worse. She can't move her legs and can't even speak yet. Then there's the salvaged armor and weapons weighing down the fireteam in addition to humping their own gear after 20 hours of alien jungle. At some point people are going to have to sleep or things are going to get sloppy.

Charlie and Martin may be surly assholes but they keep to their word and stop well beyond the camp treeline. Martin mentions something about seeing what's available in the camp and then his shell just goes dark. Charlie doesn't act alarmed, so you think nothing of it. The shell isn't really Martin after all; it's just a thing he drives.

Since Shenest remains unconscious, Swims just has to guard Hale, which frees Luis up to finish his work with the vox antenna and Keeper cogitator systems. He's got it the way he likes when someone or something plows through the dome's system like the Snowman through a Georgia barricade.

*It's me, Martin.* The voice comes through the dome's antenna; it pipes through every team member's vox as well as through the comm room speakers. Although Hale is awake and present for the Sheen's welcome, the prisoners below don't appear to be privy to the broadcast. *I took a look at this outpost's manifest and I need a few things. First, go get the most intact-looking pieces of mantaship fuselage that might still be lying around outside. I can see some south of that hab over there. Yeah, by you, Kang. Next, I need about six voxes for parts. The Keepers all got assigned standard models and you've got that pile that you confiscated from 'em. Finally, drop those Gates out of that monotask in the big chamber under the comm room. Take that monotask lifter and bring the whole thing. Don't worry, Stanhill. I'll put your code back how I found it.*

If that's true, that's a good thing, because Shenest starts coming around at this point. Luis reluctantly takes up a position guarding the Keeper, but stays close enough he can at least monitor what Martin might be doing in broad strokes.

Shenest's eyes focus after a moment and she spots Hale sitting next to her. Then she finds out that she's 1) cuffed to a chair and 2) now on her side on the floor.

"Asshole!" She spits. "You knocked out my tooth!" Hale nods. "Yep, looks like it."

Davis says nothing, and carefully pats down both Hale and Shenest. He finds a vox stylus in Shenest's right shoe. It's not terribly threatening, but nobody keeps pencils in their shoes so he assumes it's there for illicit purposes. Hale's kept a small knife under his suit's left forearm - until now. For their part, neither prisoner flips out when their weapons are found. Shenest's too recently woken up and Hale knows there's an ex-Alef-ka watching him.

Davis tosses the shivs to Luis. "Scan these to make sure they've got anything hidden in there we should know about."

Luis nods, and goes to work. The stylus is a simple piece of plastic with a standard vox sensor inside for interacting with projected holos. The knife is, well, a knife. Luis can't find anything that would indicate they've been touched by Q-Branch. He shrugs, "Looks like what they appear to be."

Davis nods, then looks back to Hale and Shenest. "Well, now that we're all safe here, first things first. Shenest, do you want Luis to fix your tooth?" She nods, and the continued talk about her tooth earns Hale another hateful glare. Luis continues to leave the talking to Davis and pulls out his frisbee. Shenest cringes as the artifact pulls close, but mans up and opens her mouth for the kauka. The swelling in her mouth, nose, and eye goes down immediately, and then she winces and tears when the nerves come back. It is quick work, though, and the Keeper is soon mostly intact.

"Are you alright?" Davis asks her.

"No, you terrorist fuck," she spits. "Me and my people are going to die now because this piece of shit decided to hope for rescue instead of using his brain and realizing that logic dictates we all must die."

"The Keeper here thought some half-cocked escape plan was going to work on commandos," Hale says by way of explanation. "I saved lives by knocking her out."

Davis looks over to Shenest. "Is this true?"

"Hardly," she says. "The only truth to his stream of excrement is that he did indeed render me unconscious."

"Well, let's go with what we know, then," Davis says, pulling up a chair in front of the two of them. "The guards down in the bay saw a group of people gathered around the two of you, talking about something, and then Hale cold-cocks you, says something else, and then knocks you out. Now, unless this was some kind of really exciting children's game, you two were talking about something really important, probably escape. So, here's what I think happened. You thought that the only chance to avoid the coming Imperial extermination of all of you - which is coming, by the way, Hale - is to show that you fought back somehow, and the best way to do that is to rise up against us. Hale disagreed, saying that it'd be best to wait until others arrive, like he said before, and to stop you from wasting lives, he...punched you in the face." He looks between the two bound Imperials. "Sound about right?"

They both nod independently of each other. "He's wrong, though," Shenest adds to Davis. "It would've worked."

"Maybe, but you're overlooking one important detail, Shenest," Davis says, and looks between the two of them. "No one here has to die. I've already offered asylum, and that offer is still on the table, and will stay there. No strings attached, you just stay on Narsai, instead of going back to the Imperium to be slaughtered for their propaganda."

Davis sees the wheels turning again in Shenest's head. It seems Hale does too. "Don't even!" Hale shouts at the Keeper. "You're not seriously considering this. You can't be."

"So what happens if the Imperium doesn't rescue us in time?" Shenest replies to Hale. "You're so blinded by doctrine that you can't think about the future. I'm not a traitor, but you pissed away our only chance to escape so yes, maybe I am considering it. Hale, we're a drop in the bucket to the Imperium and they've sacrificed more than us in the name of order."


"No," Hale grunts.

"No, you don't think they'll kill you all to make the Talons of the Mother's Womb look all that more monstrous?" Davis asks. "Or no, you don't believe that they would commit such atrocities in order to force their citizens to stay in line?"

"No, Davis," Hale repeats. "You're just your own particular brand of ravilar." He regards Shenest with pity. "Believe what you want, Keeper. Maybe they kill us, maybe they don't. Maybe you go to Narsai and get dissected. Whatever happens to me, I'll sleep just fine until then."

Davis rolls his eyes. "What is it with people thinking we want to dissect you? We're the same species -" he shakes his head, "- you know what? Never mind. Let's forget about what happens once we all get out of here for right now, okay? Let's focus on the here and now. We're getting the Gate forge set up right now, and that means that we've got about a week or so left stuck here with each other. How we get along in the next week is very important, and something I want to work on right now." Davis leans back in his chair. "You like logic, right, Shenest? How about you, Hale?"

"When I find it."

"Well, here's a good one," Davis says. "What we're faced with here is a classic Prisoner's Dilemma. Do either of you know what that is?"

"Gorm's Quandry," Shenest answers. "Yes." Hale gives a single nod.

"And we've figured out the best solution to it, for situations when the game is played over and over," Davis says. "Tit for tat, or equivalent retaliation. I'm a big fan of this tactic, it's got three simple rules. Never be the first to betray, respond in kind, and be quick to forgive. I've used it in the mountains of Narsai, and it works just as well here. Now, you can keep on trying to aggress, constantly trying to betray. And you know what? All that will lead to is all of you confined into a small, easy-to-guard space, and very likely some of you will die in the process, all things that neither of us want. But I am perfectly willing to work together with you to make this next week as comfortable as possible. Access to the recreation area, a reasonable degree of privacy, all of that. This doesn't have to be hard. How this week goes is entirely up to you. I have told you what I will do if you cooperate, and what I will do if you don't, and do not think that I will hesitate to hand down punishment if you choose to aggress against us. And if or when others on planet are about to attack us, we will discuss what to do with that then, before shivs have to come out, alright Hale?"

"I'm cooperating already," Hale answers. "And will continue to do so."

Davis nods. "And I thank you for that. What do you think about this plan, Shenest?"

She shrugs. "I agree to cooperate, but I have concerns about my team and their research which I would prefer to discuss privately." She glances sideways at Hale.

Davis nods. "That's fine, we can talk after this." He stands up. "Well, if you don't have any other questions, I think we're done here." He motions for Luis and Swims to cut their bonds. Once they're both on their feet and rubbing their wrists, he picks up the weapons they had concealed on their persons. "And in the spirit of that relationship, let me respond to your cooperation in kind, and then some." He hands Shenest back her stylus, and Hale back his knife. "I won't insult you by pretending keeping these from you will keep you unarmed. I just ask that you seriously think about the consequences before you use them. We will respond in kind towards any aggression, against anyone in here, including you."

Shenest just puts the stylus in her normal pocket. Hale's knife just vanishes. "Until next time, ravilar," Hale says with a grin.

That leaves Davis in the room with Luis and Shenest. "As you say, I am a fan of logic," the Keeper says. "I will go to Narsai, but I have conditions and I want assurances."

"That depends entirely on what those conditions and assurances are, not to mention what you promise to deliver," Davis says. "But I'm sure they'll be reasonable."

"I want a hab, skimmer or the equivalent, resources to maintain a comfortable lifestyle, and immunity for whatever crimes your people may seek to charge me with. I do not want minders, I do not want guards, I do not want tails of any sort. I want it in writing from your... Emperor, or Steward, or whoever holds authority on your planet."

"Those are a lot of demands, Shenest, particularly for someone who has said she has no intent on working with us. Or has that changed?" Davis asks. "What will you do for us, in return? We can make lab space available for you, and your team will receive a similar deal if you can deliver them as well."

"Are you aware of the Homeworld Gates versus the... I guess you could call them the 'normal' Gateways?"

Davis nods. "Yes, we came through to Whirr through a Homeworld gate the first time, and more besides. We also have footage of the Black Gate in operation."

"Good, it saves the explanation. I know how far along the Imperium is with the others they have found. I will hand over that data along with what we've discovered here."

"And you and the rest of your team?" Davis asks. "We could use all of your help interpreting the data. This deal isn't contingent on your cooperation, but what use is money and the freedom to travel on Narsai to someone who can't use them to their fullest? Narsai is full of wonders, and the more cooperation we receive, the more trust you will get."

"Hey, I'll cooperate," she says. "The moment is past anyway. This is a week; I'm thinking about the rest of my life." Shenest leans against the vox console. "I think I'd like to go lie down, now. You have no way to get me what I want at the moment, and I unfortunately have nothing else to offer that you can't simply take." She straightens up again and turns to the door.

"That's not a problem, Shenest. I'll see what I can do for you and your team for now, and if I can get guarantees before then, I will let you know. Luis, if you could escort her downstairs? And let the Wherren know to keep an eye on her and her team. Others might get ideas from Hale's example," Davis asks.

The sky is turning just the faintest hint of darkest blue by the time the team and their wherren followers turn the camp upside down and put it back together. Most of the wherren crowd into Hab Two, the mess/rec hall, while the remainder take up shelter in Hab Three. After their meager traveling gear is stowed, ten wherren or so take the prisoners out into the clearing. There they stand (or sit or lie down as needed) while others clear out the main dome chamber. The cogitators and research gear are left outside with the stuff that used to be in the maintenance bay. The Gate fragments are monotasked into the bay and then the simple drone lifter's carted off into the jungle for the Sheen.

Shenest's lie about the reasons for her private chat with Davis seems to have held up, and for his part, Hale acts the model prisoner. Everyone knows not every shiv was found, and everyone knows what'd happen if the prisoners tried anything, so the uneasy cooperation continues. The prisoners are moved into the main dome to set up their sleeping arrangements amidst the color-coded and catalogued bones of the ancient Groi shipwreck that is encapsulated within the dome chamber. At this point, the majority of the prisoners opt for sleep. The two Turai captured out in the jungle are among the few staying awake, and that's only because they're regenerating bits of themselves. The woman lies on a bedroll and tries to move her toes; the man remains standing and continues not touching anything.

While most of the Turai and refugees are drifting off to sleep, Luis approaches Shenest, Hoei, and a few other researchers to talk about their findings.

Finally, there's the Groi Gatekeg - it sits in the darkened maintenance bay, waiting for someone to activate it. All it takes is physical contact and the right thoughts.

((Sorry for going silent folks, got overwhelmed with some stuff))

Angel helps secure the wounded Turai - he's never had much of a knack for the frizbees, but he lets the woman raise her own before she's seen to by the team.

Turning his rifle's safety on, he slings it over his shoulder and helps the woman to her feet. Seeing her struggle, he places an arm around her waist, and one of her arms around his shoulders, helping support her weight. Its a risk, but the Turai on the field have always impressed him. He heads back with the rest of the team, looking frankly exhausted.

Luis walks into the dome chamber and sits down near Shenest, who doesn't look pleased to see him but doesn't wave him off either. "Before, you mentioned something about only one day separating us from this planet. What did you mean?" Luis opens. When the question sinks in and the Keepers realize this Homeworlder isn't talking about ideologies or insurrection or escape or intimidation, they become much more engaged. Even Shenest sits up a little.

"It's an insane coincidence," Shenest explains. "That Master ship was carrying Homeworld Gates. These are Gateways that are on their own circuit, that can only transport to one another, not our main Gateway network. They've only shown up a few places. Narsai, of course, which is how you got here... but nearly every code we've found that works on these Homeworld Gates is blocked or inactive or something. But we theorize that these Gates - which previously were disregarded as useless to us because they weren't on the same network - could lead to a new era of discovery. Not just of habitable planets, but of sophonts."

"But what does one day have to do with-" Luis asks.

"Ah, yes," Shenest gets back on track. "This ship, as far as we can tell, was meant to seed Whiirr with at least one, maybe several Homeworld Gates, but it was shot down. Not crashed - shot down. It could've arrived one day sooner and deposited its Gates in peace. The wherren could've been part of the galactic stage well before we discovered them centuries ago. Or perhaps the ship could've been destroyed in orbit, and you never would have dialed this planet. The Imperium would continue on with no knowledge of its Homeworld, or the importance of these gates. We would not be talking right now."

"But you did," Hoei interrupts. "And we learned through you that these gates lead to our Homeworld, and possibly to others."

"The Masters probably never met the wherren because of this," Shenest continues. "We found no other evidence of Master activity elsewhere in the system. This container ship's destruction hid an entire species."

Luis nods and asks, "Do you know how old it is?"

"We think it's from before our rebellion against the Masters," Shenest replies. "Whatever shot it down would have been the great enemy that we - humans - were chosen to battle on behalf of the Masters."

"Why so many Gateways?"

Shenest and Hoei shrug. "Spares? Perhaps they were seeding many worlds in one trip? We really don't know. Feel free to speculate."

Luis parts amiably with the Keepers and lets them get to sleep, which sounds like a fine idea for him as well. The curious Delta trudges off towards Hab One when he spots the rest of the team congregating on the other side of the dome, near the maintenance bay.

Davis carefully steps over the defunct Gateway fragments on his way to the center of the bay. The Groi keg is as inert as ever, just a silver cylinder. The rest of the team gathers nearby to watch. Arketta stifles a mighty yawn.

Davis takes the last few steps up to the keg. "So, you just touch this thing and -"

Davis doesn't freeze or fall over like he did with the ansible, but he does start a drunken sway. He gets flashes of insight, most of which he already knows. The artifact is a molecular forge; it builds Gateways; it will expand to fill the available space needed to do its job; it requires power and fuel to do so.

Do you wish to create a Gateway? The Keg asks Davis directly through his brain.

Davis: Yes.

There is insufficient solar power to continue. I can detect two alternate power sources that will suffice. What shall I use for power?

Davis: List alternate power sources, please.

Type III reactor located 1.6 meters to your left. Davis can see the Groi reactor they brought with them. Type III reactor located 11 meters behind you and -3 meters in the Z-plane. That must refer to the research camp's reactor that's hooked up to the bunker feeds.

Davis: Use nearest Type III reactor, please.

The keg gives off a palpable warmth now, like being in a busy kitchen. A pseudopod snakes out from the base of the keg and slides over to the Groi reactor. It touches the smooth silver skin and both artifacts meld together, connected by this one continous quicksilver cable.
Sufficient power. Sufficient space. Other, thinner pseudopods crawl up the walls of the maintenance bay, creating a web that envelopes the reactor as well as obscuring the comm room door. The keg seems to know the big doors will be used to ferry things from the Gate when it's done and keeps that area clear.

What shall I use for fuel? Preferred fuel is multi-pair alloy forged from this or a similar unit. Alternate fuel will increase construction time, with baser elements resulting in a faster construction process.

Davis: Multi-pair alloy will be used.

I detect sufficient multi-pair alloy to begin construction.

Davis: Is there a lockout system available?

You do not have sufficient access rights to engage security protocols. Davis gets the distinct feeling that it's searching his brain for an analogy, and then thoughts of logging on as "Guest" rise unbidden in his mind.

Davis: Log in, please.

You do not have sufficient rights to access that functionality.

Davis: How do I gain sufficient rights?

You do not have sufficient rights to access that functionality. If it makes you feel better, the last time anyone with sufficient rights accessed this unit was never.

Davis: Who or what would have sufficient rights, or do I not have sufficient rights to access that functionality, either?

You guessed it. The alien machine snarks.

Davis is still standing there. He seems to have made some obvious progress, judging by the network of silver cords strung up around the maintenance bay, but he's stalled out somewhere. He smiles though, so presumably he's still in control. Never dealt with a smart-alec machine before. Well, one that isn't armed to the teeth. Are there any security options available to my access level?

Then it pleases me to be the first such 'smart-alec machine'. I suggest that physically limiting access to this unit is the best option you have.

Thank you, we've already done so. Any other suggestions or options I should be aware of? Or...

I have sufficient power, space, and fuel. You can activate construction or deactivate this unit.

Well, then activate construction, please.

Confirm?

Yes, Davis thinks.

Construction sequence initiated. And with that, Davis is pushed back by what looks like an immense static shock, but there's no arc and Davis feels no pain. The keg itself thickens and flows along its tendrils until there is a large "cup" of sorts in the center of the bay. More tendrils envelop the Gateway fragments and then the molecular forge enters a much less visually active phase where the cup pulses from time to time.