The night I spend with Arawn is...unforgettable. Again, he's managed to save us, but it's more than that. It's what it signifies, what it means. He cares. Really cares about me.

The fact that he would sustain those burns to shield me from the meteor shower, not even taking his own safety into account, prioritizing me before himself... I've never felt so loved, so important to someone. Words can be cheap, but I can't argue against actions.

What started as a harrowing ordeal changed into a secluded retreat for the two of us that I could never have predicted. One that I'm almost sad to see is over when dawn's light starts to creep into the cavern. Go figure.

Arawn rises early and collects some more fruit for us, his powerful legs flexing as he leaps up, his back muscles standing out beautifully as he spreads his wings to help him reach higher. I'm glad to see his wings are mostly healed already, the angry-looking burns greatly faded. I've never been happier about the Zmaj's robust physicality, their rapid ability to heal.

But that's definitely not all I'm noticing. I ogle him unashamedly. He's simply gorgeous. And naked. Deliciously naked. When he turns around with fruit in hand, I give the front of him the same amount of attention. He smiles at me as he walks over and sits down to start peeling the fruit.

"Is something amiss?" he asks, handing a peeled fruit to me first.

I shake my head, taking it.

"No. You're just really nice to look at."

His smile widens.

"I am glad you think so." His eyes scan my own naked form. "But I must say, you are much better to look at than I am."

I laugh, shaking my head.

"I think this definitely falls into 'whatever floats your boat' territory."

He cocks his head to the side in question.

"'Floats your boat'?" he asks, taking a bite of his own fruit.

"Whatever you yourself like," I explain.

His face clears as he chews.

"Ah. Perhaps." He glances towards the bend that leads outside, quickly finishing the filling fruit. "I will go see if the meteorites have ceased falling. We need to leave if they have."

I nod, watching as he dresses quickly and leaves to investigate.

We still have some distance to travel. I really hope Errol and Kate are okay. Those meteorite showers are no joke. They could seriously injure or even kill if they hit properly. But, as Arawn said, they had the rover to take shelter in and perhaps find somewhere to spend the night. And they're both capable people.

Arawn is back within a few minutes, which is good. I could feel my worry about the rest of group starting to spiral.

"It is safe to leave," he says, reaching down to help me to my feet.

I nod. I guess our little escape from reality is over. I grab my clothes and dress quickly as well. With nothing to pack apart from some more pieces of fruit, we're ready to leave the cavern in less than five minutes.

I blink at the light as we step outside, the early morning light still soft as it casts a pink glow over the red sand, but much brighter than the dimness inside.

Squinting, I realize part of the brightness is due to the way it glimmers off the glass where the meteorites melted the sand, the heat of the fire changing the structure of it.

The scene looks spectacular. A glittering landscape that looks both alien and whimsical. Sometimes I forget that Tajss has its own particular kind of harsh beauty. Usually, I'm too worried about the heat and possible threats to truly appreciate it.

"Where do you think we should go?" I ask as we take a moment to absorb the vista we find. I find myself speaking in an unnecessarily hushed tone.

"The first place we should check is where we last saw Errol and Kate. It is likely where Errol will go as well if they are able."

That makes sense. So we travel the distance back with Arawn's arm wrapped around me to help me traverse the sand faster. The journey back seems quite a bit longer now that we aren't running for our lives. Imagine that.

"The location is just past this next dune," Arawn says.

I nod, mentally crossing my fingers. Please be there...

Luckily, we crest the rise, and there they are.

Errol and Kate stand leaning against the rover, looking whole and uninjured. Even the rover doesn't look much worse for wear. They straighten when they see us, the wash of relief over the faces mirroring how we feel to find them safe and in one piece. They meet us halfway as we descend, hurrying over as soon as they spot us.

I hug Kate back as she rushes forward to pull me into her.

"Oh my God, I'm so glad you guys are all right!" she cries out, letting go of me to look over at Errol as well. "We at least had the rover, but you guys were completely vulnerable!"

Arawn nods.

"We were able to find a cavern to take shelter in," he explains. He holds out the fruit. "And we found nefetter there as well."

"Arawn found the cavern," I clarify. "And lucky he did. I don't know how long we would have lasted out there in that storm."

Kate nods, her face turning serious.

"Yeah. We hopped into the rover and found a ridge with some overhang to hunker down in. It's lucky that you found something so close."

"Very true."

I notice something else that catches my eye.

Errol has a bag of something in hand, a bag that looks quite full.

"What's that?" I ask curiously, gesturing at it. "Did you find something else?"

Errol opens up the bag to show us the contents.

"It is meteorite glass," he explains, the sparkling contents giving it away even before he names it. "I just have a... feeling," he murmurs, frowning down at it, his expression turning distant as he stares.

"What kind of feeling?" Arawn asks, watching him.

Errol shakes his head, closing the bag abruptly.

"A feeling about...the properties of the glass," he explains, a slight frown still on his face. As if something's bugging him, but he can't quite get a handle on it. "My discussions with Bashir have raised questions about the electromagnetic properties of the material. And how we might be able to use that to our advantage."

"Let's get into the rover while we keep talking, guys," Kate interrupts, looking up at the sky uneasily. "I don't know about you, but I want to get back to the city as quickly as possible."

We all murmur our agreement and climb into the rover immediately. She's right. I really don't want to be caught out in another meteor shower. Or have to fend off another attack by Tajss creatures. Yeah, getting going sounds like an excellent plan.

Kate starts up the rover and punches the accelerator before Arawn urges Errol to keep speaking.

"In what way could we use the glass, Errol?" he prompts.

Errol turns in his seat, so he can see both of us and Kate.

"I am not certain," he starts, getting the caveat out from the start. "However, there were stones we once used in our technology. If the meteor glass does indeed have similar electromagnetic properties to those stones..."

"Perhaps they can be used the same way," Arawn finishes quietly.

That gives all of us pause. If Errol is right in his hunch about the glass...

"Do you think that it could be used to restore Tajss? Bring it back to its technological age?" I ask, wanting to be clear about where he's going with this.

"I do not want to make assumptions this early," he says carefully. "However, if my hypothesis is correct...I do not see why not."

"Oh, wow," Kate murmurs. "That's a lot to chew on."

I sit back in my seat in silent agreement and do that. Chew on it. The implications of that... I can't even fully wrap my head around it without effort. Yes, the Zmaj were obviously a highly technologically advanced civilization, as evidenced by the city and all the impressive aspects of it they're trying to get back on line even now. Like the shield that protects it from the meteor showers and the program that basically uploads linguist information into your brain.

But this could mean more than just extra conveniences or tech that could be really useful to us in day to day life. No, it could mean something even more important. It could mean that space travel might be possible for the Zmaj again, at least at some point. That could be a game changer... Could there be a day where we aren't trapped on Tajss anymore? Where crash-landing here isn't a life sentence not just for us, but for all the generations yet to come?

The idea feels amazing at this point, beyond belief after we've all resigned ourselves to be here for the foreseeable future. However, that doesn't necessarily mean we would go anywhere else. We're building society up again here and with the reintroduction of technology, our lives would likely be even more improved. Less difficult, hopefully.

And who knows what state our initial target planet is in now? Considering that our journey was always set to take multiple generations, that place could be in a different state now. Is the devil we know better than the one that we don't?

And I've just gone from zero to a hundred real fast. I mentally step on the brakes. Probably I should slow down. We need to see if Errol's hunch about the glass is even correct before we start worrying about a decision we may never have to face.

So I take all of my thoughts on the subject and set them aside. We have a lot more immediate matters to worry about. Fortunately, the rest of the journey back is uneventful. After this trip, I'm really looking forward to some good old-fashioned boredom. Interesting is overrated sometimes.

But I can't go turn off my brain just yet. Our first stop upon reaching the city is Rosalind's office. I feel relief flow through me as we step into the protection of the dome, waving at people we see on our walk to Rosalind's building. We're protected from both meteor showers and the beasts on Tajss here. I suppose vulnerability to invader attacks is yet to be seen, but I know we're definitely much safer here than we were in the New Village or traveling. I'll take it.

When we reach Rosalind's office, she sees us right away. Our information is pressing. We need to give her a rundown of everything that happened and of what the miners finally proposed.

"I'm glad you're all back here in one piece," Rosalind greets us, gesturing to the chairs across the desk from her. "Please, have a seat."

Rosalind was and forever will be an intimidating woman. Beautiful and commanding, she's sees everything around her, or at least that’s how I’ve always felt. It can be kind of uncomfortable sometimes, though it's a good quality to have in a leader.

"Did the miners give you any trouble?" Visidion asks as we sit down, his deep green eyes meeting each of ours in turn.

A Commander in his own right, the way he can make you feel as if you're the center of the universe when he locks eyes with you...it's also impressive, a skill that engages anyone. Together, they really are a stellar team. I'm glad we have people like that in charge rather than the weaker leaders we just witnessed at the New Village. To keep this many people in line and working together, you need to be strong. Need to be able to make decisions to help improve our situation even if it means dealing with backlash.

"They weren't happy to see us, if that's what you mean," Kate starts, shaking her head. "You'd think we were there to enslave them or something."

"Though they didn't have any problem taking the supplies you sent with us," I add.

I can't stand hypocrisy. Especially when hate and intolerance is the high horse they've decided to sit on. Rosalind shakes her head, though she doesn't appear surprised at that.

"Typical. You can lead a horse to water..." She sighs, crossing her arms over her chest as Visidion leans against a wall behind her, his eyes watchful.

I have a feeling if anyone makes even a slightly threatening move towards his mate, Visidion will have their head on a platter before they would even know what hit them. I know that Arawn would do the same for me. And isn't that a kicker? I've never had anyone like that in my life. It's...nice. Though that feels like too mild a word for how it feels. Flabbergasting? Amazing? Terrifying?

"True," Kate agrees. "But we did make some progress. Though it wasn't really because of the talks we were having..."

She looks over at Errol.

"What do you mean?" Rosalind asks, leaning forward. "If it wasn't the talks, how did you make any progress?"

"The New Village was attacked," Arawn chimes in.

"Attacked?" Visidion repeats sharply. "By who?"

"By creatures we are not familiar with."

"Creatures that appear to have specifically attacked the New Village in order to kidnap the humans," Errol adds.

Visidion straightens, stepping forward. We have his full attention now.

"To kidnap? Are you certain?"

"We watched them drug a human rather than kill him. And afterwards, they tied him up. That is not something you do unless you desire to take someone alive," Arawn says.

"Yes," Errol agrees. "And they had on uniforms with a patch that looked oddly familiar, though I couldn't place it..."

Errol reaches into his pack and pulls out one of the patches from the attackers' clothing. He must have taken one for just this purpose. Good call.

When he sets it down on the desk, both Rosalind and Visidion have a visible reaction to it. Visidion's jaw clenches and Rosalind's face hardens. They've seen this patch or symbol before. And it doesn't look like the memories are good ones.

"You know it?" Errol asks, obviously noticing their reactions as well.

"Yes," Rosalind says. "Unfortunately. When the Zzlo kidnapped us, they sold us to people on another planet."

"We saw this symbol there," Visidion says, staring at the patch.

The Zzlo.

The name sends a chill through me. I heard of them after we reconnected with the rest of the people from our ship and the Zmaj. They're bad news.

"The Zzlo are involved in fighting rings, right?" I ask, thinking back to the rumors I've heard. "They kidnap people for the purpose?"

"Yes," Rosalind says, shaking her head. "And nobody wants to be taken by them. Trust me."

As she's had personal experience with the matter, I'll definitely take her word for it. Pursing her lips, she pushes the patch back towards Errol.

"What happened after the attack? I'm assuming you and Arawn were able to fend it off?"

It's a fair assumption, considering we're sitting here.

"Yes," Errol agrees. "It seemed as if the creatures were not expecting to see any Zmaj there."

Visidion smiles, the expression sharp.

"I bet they didn't," he says.

Errol smiles back grimly.

"We caught them by surprise but were only able to kill a few before the rest ran off. We did not pursue for fear of them attacking the New Village while we were gone."

Both Visidion and Rosalind nod, clearly agreeing with the reasoning.

"You did the right thing. I'm assuming the attack was the wakeup call the miners needed?" Rosalind asks.

"In a way," Kate says. "They still do not want an alliance—or at least, they don't want to call it that. But they're willing to exchange the ore they find in the mines for Zmaj protection. At least it's a start."

"And the ore they have could be quite valuable," Arawn says.

"We brought back the samples we traded for." Errol takes out a few different kinds of ore, one that is nearly black and glittery, one that is less opaque, with a subtle sheen, and another that looks to be a pure metal, the glossy shine and the very evenness of it eye catching. "As you can see, these could be quite useful."

"Yes," Visidion says, stepping forward to pick up the smallish pieces, his tone considering. "They could be."

"Worth the protection, huh?" Rosalind asks, staring at the ores. "Not that we wouldn't provide it anyway. I don't like the idea of the miners being so vulnerable to invaders from the space-fighting rings. Nobody deserves to be taken by them and there aren't enough of us to lose even a few." She sighs, leaning back in her seat. "And not that I'm unhappy they've softened their hardline stance. It just isn't ideal that this is what it took."

We all voice our agreement with that.

Begrudging acceptance is better than none.

But it isn't the best foot to start on.

She shakes her head, looking up at Visidion.

"We can't help that, though. We need to send out Zmaj to patrol the New Village as soon as possible. How quickly can we get the discussion going with everyone?"

"Quickly," Visidion says, staring at the ore. "I'll send out messages to everyone immediately."

"Good," Rosalind nods. "Is there anything else you need to tell us?" she asks, returning her attention to our group.

She is clearly already compiling the list of things she needs to get done now that she has this information.

Errol nods.

"Yes. Though it is on an unrelated matter."

Rosalind waves him to continue when he pauses.

"This is more a hypothesis than anything," he starts, similar to how he mentioned his thoughts to us. He wants to manage everyone's expectations, which I understand. "I have been wondering about the electromagnetic properties of the meteorite glass. I think...I believe there is a chance that we could use it to restore some of our old technology," He shifts his eyes from Rosalind's to Visidion's and back. "Especially here in the city, where we have so much at our disposal."

Both of them take a moment to absorb it. They look like they're going through the same thought process we went through.

"Interesting," Visidion murmurs after a few beats. "That is most definitely an avenue we should pursue then. Especially since we seem to have quite an abundance of the material lately," he adds, shaking his head. "The meteor showers are becoming almost commonplace. But perhaps that is not as terrible an occurrence as we all thought."

"Yes," Rosalind agrees. "Very interesting. I think you should share this idea with those working on the tech currently. See what you can come up with in terms of experimentation."

Errol nods.

"I will do so directly after this meeting."

It doesn't last much longer after that. With all of the pertinent information passed on, we hand over the issue and headache of the New Villagers to Rosalind. I really don't envy her job.