I knew our job would be difficult when I agreed to join Errol and Kate. But after several days of talks with the miners, I feel the urge to throw up my hands and leave, allowing Tajss itself to soften them.

"We are a free people who govern ourselves. Why should we accept Rosalind as our tyrant? She has no reason to listen to us. The fact that she keeps sending more Zmaj our way is proof enough that she does not care about our values, the way of life we are trying to create here."

I resist the urge to tell the beady-eyed little man that his values are not worth protecting, even as a small but vocal minority voices their loud agreement with what he just said. He did not have a problem with accepting the supplies we brought.

Jackson raises his hand, though it still takes some time for those people to quiet down. He does not have a very firm hold on the people of the New Village, that much has become abundantly clear the longer we are here and privy to the dynamics of the group.

The fact that most of our talks seem to be public enough that the New Villagers can come and chime in is not the most helpful setting either. I can see Jackson and this little Elmer male attempting to win those who gather to their side, some of their statements meant more for their people than for us. I cannot help but wonder if at least Jackson would be more amenable without an audience, but we have not had much opportunity to test that theory. When the people finally quiet down, Jackson continues.

"As you can see, we're pretty content governing ourselves," he says, his expression smug as people again voice their agreement. "You may tell Rosalind just that."

I look over at Fallon next to me, but she's having a low conversation with one of the females. I believe her name is Sabrina. Some of the females have warmed up to Fallon and Kate over the last few days, but not all of them. And I do not feel much of that warmth directed towards me or Errol. I wonder how Bashir managed to win them over.

Kate leans forward, her gaze intent. She has obviously had enough as well. Good.

"Look, Jackson. We've been over this again and again—"

A piercing scream interrupts Kate mid-sentence. I am immediately on my feet, lochaber in hand as I look for the threat. Errol steps up to my side as we both look in the direction the scream came from. It was one of sheer terror.

"What was that?" Jackson murmurs, stepping forward slightly more hesitantly. "I have scouts stationed outside the borders of the New Village that should warn us of any danger..." he trails off as we don't hear anything else.

"I think that scream must have been one of those scouts," I point out grimly.

Even as I say it, movement catches our attention.

"Errol."

"Yes," he murmurs. "I see...them."

I can understand his hesitation. What are they?

"Attack! We're under attack!" one of the human males yells in a panic. "Run!"

The humans of the village turn and run in the opposite direction of the unfamiliar group running towards us with intent. But Errol and I step towards them, ready to fight.

"What are those things?" Fallon asks, her tone horrified as she takes them in. "And what do they want?"

"I do not know. Stay back," I order.

Their pole weapons are still in the rover, but because I do not know what these things are or what they can do, I would not want them to engage in any case. Neither Kate nor Fallon argue, but they do not run away as the other humans do.

"Be careful," Fallon calls out as we start to run towards the threat.

"I will," I call back, her concern bolstering me.

Then I put it aside. I need to focus on the attack.

The creatures are not something I have seen before, which leads me to believe they are not native to Tajss. They are not very tall, shorter than the average human male by at least a full head, but their bodies appear quite powerful, the width of their shoulders and the thickness of their arms suggesting strength. They stand on two legs that have joints bending back instead of forward, and their feet appear to be paw-like, though hairless, just like the rest of them.

Textured blue skin covers faces and elongated heads, punctuated by eyes that are full black, no whites or color to them, with thick brow ridges above. The mouths are lipless slits, tusks curving out and around until they almost touch in the front. When one of them yells, the sound is a staccato roar, the opening displaying sharp teeth.

I count six arms in total, three on either side. The arms in the middle are the largest and appear to be the most functional, ending in three fingered hands with one joint and black claws at the end. The other four arms are smaller and thinner, ending in what look like small pincers. Everything but the head, hands, and feet appears to be covered by a matte brown carapace-like armor, an emblem of some kind sewn onto the left of the chest. I frown as I see the stylized blue pincer on the brown background. It does not look familiar either. But I do not have time to think on it further.

As we near, I see there is a human male running from the group, having burst out of one of the narrower spaces between buildings, his eyes wide with fear as he runs as quickly as he can.

This is why the human females need the Zmaj to survive here on Tajss. Their males cannot defend even themselves.

We are almost there, but the creatures catch up to the male before we can.

The one nearest makes a powerful leap, latching onto the human's back with all six arms and bringing him down easily, clamping the male's arms to his side with what looks like minimal effort.

Strong.

Another one of the creatures crouches next to the ineffectually struggling male, something small clutched in one of its pincer hands.

Something tipped with a kind of needle. It quickly stabs the struggling human in the neck with the device. Whatever is in that thing it is holding, it works quickly. Judging by the result, it is some kind of drug. Within one breath and the next, the human is completely unconscious.

The thing on his back lets go and pulls out a thin wire from a small pack on its back, obviously with the intent of tying up the now limp human. I notice all this in the short amount of time it takes to close the distance between us and the invaders.

The first one who notices us falters in his forward momentum, his eyes widening. I smile grimly. They were not expecting to encounter anything but humans here. I am happy to prove them wrong.

I aim directly for the one that hesitates, swinging my lochaber in a hard arc that cuts through air with a low hum, slamming into the thing's side with a crunch. It does not cut through the armor, but the force of the blow is great enough that the protection crumples in, the hit crushing the thing's side.

It immediately drops, clutching at its side while making a high-pitched wheezing sound. I use the opportunity to slit its throat with the sharp blade at the end of my weapon.

I do not wait to watch its death throes, moving on to the next one still tying up the unconscious human. It lets out that staccato yell once more as I kick it in the face.

It ducks down and grabs at my legs with all of its arms. It gets a firm grip, giving me a chance to assess its strength. Very strong. Not unbreakable, but I might struggle against it in the right circumstances.

Fortunately, it makes the mistake of forgetting my arms as it yanks me down to the ground. I flip my lochaber and stab down with the blunt end, aiming for its eye. I break through the skull with a crack. The thing goes limp, still wrapped around me.

I shake free and leap back to my feet, ready to take on more attackers, but I only see their backs now as the remainder flee, their unusual legs helping them bound away quickly.

When I look over at Errol, I see him drop one of the creatures to the ground, its limp body giving the news that it is no longer a threat. His eyes are also on the fast-retreating figures.

"Should we pursue?" I wonder out loud.

Errol hesitates, but Fallon cuts in, closer than I would like. How near did she get during the fight?

"No," she says. "What if they circle back around while you guys are gone? Or if there are more of them waiting to come in from another direction? The whole village will be sitting ducks just waiting for the slaughter."

"Fallon is right," Kate agrees. "Better to stay."

Errol and I both nod. The reasoning is sound. When we turn back around to see how the humans are faring, it is to see an empty square behind us. I blink at it.

"They closed themselves off inside," Fallon observes, her tone a touch scathing. "Never mind the fact that there are broken windows and doors and literal holes in some of the walls."

"They'd be better off forming a circle with weapons, protecting each other's backs," Kate agrees, shaking her head.

Our voices must alert them to the fact that it is safe enough to come back out from hiding, because doors start to open slowly, heads peeking out to cast wary glances at the now empty square. Well, empty except for us, the dead invaders, and the one still unconscious human.

Jackson comes out before the others, looking down at the ground grimly.

"It's safe everyone," he calls out, attempting to take charge once more, though he just ran from the danger as did everyone else. Not that he would have been a help. I doubt he would have been able to do much more than be attacked, like his fellow villager.

But the first thing he does when he comes out is go over to the still unconscious male, a decision that makes me think better of him.

"Tessa, can you help me untie him?" he asks.

The brunette hurries over to him, getting to work quickly. In short order, the man is carried away, still unconscious. I hope there are no lasting effects. Considering they were attempting to kidnap him and not kill him, I think he will most likely be fine.

"What about the bodies?" Jackson mutters to himself as people start to gather enough courage to step up to them.

I see a few nudge the bodies with their feet, ensuring they are actually gone and not a threat.

"I would suggest taking them far from the village borders in order to avoid drawing unwanted attention from those who would want the meat," Errol says.

Gruesome, but sound advice. Jackson grimaces and nods.

"But what the hell are these things?" he asks, shaking his head as he stares down at the bodies. "I haven't seen anything like them while here on Tajss. They're obviously intelligent."

"I do not know," Errol admits. "Arawn?"

I shake my head.

"They are not native to Tajss. But beyond that..." I do not have any more information than that.

Errol nods, frowning.

"There is something about that symbol, something almost familiar." He shakes his head. "All I can say is, judging from the fact that they did not kill that male, it appears as though they were here to kidnap you."

That sends a wave of unease through the group of those listening, with good reason. Jackson's jaw tightens, but he cannot deny the truth of that. Or the fact that they would have had no defense against the attack had we not been here to fight for them.

"Send someone to go check on the scouts," Jackson tells Tessa. Then he turns to us. "Follow me please."

We all look at each other, but then follow a step behind Jackson. He takes us away from the square, away from the crowd. Most of it is still distracted by the shock of what just occurred, but I see many noting our departure. When we appear to be at a safe enough distance to have some privacy, Jackson begins to speak.

"It is quite clear to me that we were lucky you were here just now," he starts abruptly, not happy about that fact. But willing to acknowledge it. It is a start.

"They only ran because of Errol and Arawn," Kate agrees.

Jackson nods.

"Yes." He continues to lead us away. "You might think we are stupid to refuse to be brought under Rosalind's thumb despite the fact that we plainly need aid." He glances over at us, smiling thinly when none of us deny his assertion. "I would argue we aren't stupid, just careful. Yes, our lives aren't easy right now, but we're in control of them. And we want to keep it that way."

"But?" Fallon prods.

Jackson sends her a look that is not very friendly, but he lets out a breathy sigh directly after, looking away.

"But. This is not the first time the Zmaj have saved us from a threat." He nods at me and then at Errol. "Thank you on behalf of the New Village."

Errol and I acknowledge the thanks with nods of our own.

"That brings me back to my initial point," he continues, stopping in front of a dark, stone-lined entrance. Obviously, the entrance to the mines, or at least one of them. "We are not stupid. And this attack...changes things."

"You are willing to ally with Rosalind and the Tribe?" Errol asks.

Jackson tilts his head, wincing at the question.

"Ally is a strong word. I would like to discuss an... arrangement. A trade arrangement. Where we receive protection in exchange for some of the ore we have." He gestures to the entrance. "To show I make the offer in good faith, I have brought you to the mine myself."

Errol and I exchange a look. Metal is rare on Tajss now, and therefore more valuable. Currently, the mines the New Village control are the only source of it apart from scavenging for it. The trade is not a bad one.

"We can't agree to a trade like that without input from Rosalind," Kate says carefully, watching Jackson. "But allowing us see the ore you've found is a good first step. We'll be sure to pass on the fact that you were so cooperative when we see Rosalind."

He looks around at us.

"I can take one of you inside to show you what we have uncovered so far. The way is often narrow and I'm not that confident about how stable everything is down there."

Perhaps.

Or perhaps he does not want so many of us to have ready knowledge of the layout of the mines.

"I can go," I offer, looking at the others. "I am familiar with many of the metals that could be found here."

Errol and Kate agree.

"Be careful," Fallon urges. "And don't stay down there too long."

"I will take care," I reassure her, smiling at her softly.

If we were alone, I would kiss her as softly as she kissed me last night. I have been thinking of that kiss all day. But I do not yet know what boundaries she desires, how much she is willing to share with others. So I resist and instead simply follow Jackson into the mines.

He leads me through a circuitous route, one that would have taken me much longer to find on my own. And what I see is enough to determine that they do indeed have a good amount of bargaining power. The glimmer and shimmer of the varieties of ore he shows me by torchlight are valuable.

Very valuable.

I can already think of many uses they could be put to, both in the city's technology and for everyday use in weapons, utensils, and so many more items.

"We've been digging through to see how deep the veins go," Jackson informs me, gesturing to where the work has obviously been focused. "We haven't found the end yet. And there's still more of the mine that we haven't gone through yet, but I've shown you where we think a lot of the usable and readily available ore is located."

"I think I have seen enough."

"I just hope I made the right decision," he says in a low voice, staring at what they have uncovered.

"I think you have made the only rational one." I fully believe that to be the case.

"Yes," he murmurs.

With nothing else to say, he leads me back out of the narrow tunnels, back to where the others wait for us.

I see the relief wash over Fallon's face when I reappear and have to resist the urge to make physical contact again. I bite back a growl. The restraint I must show is frustrating to say the least. I want more, now. But I cannot rush things and risk ruining the progress we have made. So I do not act on what I feel.

By the time we make it back to the village, it is time for the communal meal once more. The bodies have been taken away quite efficiently, though marks of the purplish blood remain on the ground to clean up later. The food is being served in a different area today, one where we do not need to eat near the area where the attack actually occurred. I appreciate whoever decided on the change.

Our small group sits down at a table with our plates and I start to eat, hungry from the full day.

But no sooner has everyone gathered that trouble begins to brew once more. It begins with someone sitting near that same balding, beady-eyed man who seems to always be working against Jackson. The man who stands is thin, with fine, light colored hair.

"Jackson, how could you betray us like you did?" he cries out, looking around to ensure he has everyone's attention. His dramatic opening ensures that he does. "How could you take these people to the mines, to the very source of any power that we have?"

A beat of silence at that accusation.

Jackson's face turns red and I see him begin to rise from his chair. But others jump into the fight before he does.

"We need the Zmaj, you idiot!" Sabrina calls out. "Look at what we did when we were attacked! We ran!"

"Not to mention the fact that they brought us food! What have you brought us?" someone else chimes in.

"Yeah, I'm tired of the bullshit—we need help and I'm not ashamed to admit it!"

The crowd breaks into pandemonium, with people trying to shout over each other, though it is clear the majority are leaning more towards Rosalind, more towards accepting our help. Those that are still willing to hold onto their human stubbornness past the point of reason are a much smaller number.

Finally, some progress.

Jackson stands, shouting to be heard above the level of noise generated by the crowd.

"This discussion is no longer a reasonable one to have!" he shouts, the last of those still speaking slowly quieting. "Would those of you opposed to dealing with Rosalind and the Zmaj rather starve? Or die in a gruesome manner when the next threat arrives, and we are unprepared?" He shakes his head as he gives Elmer a look. "We have been taking their food and making use of their protection as though it could not be taken away tomorrow. We need something more stable, something we can count on. And I am not willing to die because of our unwillingness to adapt, to change as needed." There are still grumbles from the crowd, but they subside as Jackson introduces a new subject. "Now, these attackers. You don't recognize them?" he asks, directing the question at us once more.

"No," I say shaking my head.

"The symbols they wore are familiar," Errol says once more, his eyes distant. A moment where he strains to reach for the memory. But he ultimately shakes his head in defeat when it does not come. "It must be something from long ago. I cannot remember exactly why it is familiar. However, I do not need to know where the symbol is from to reasonably assume they were here to kidnap people. It is what the Zzlo are famous for and the fact that these invaders did not kill anyone points to the same conclusion."

"Kidnapping." Jackson shakes his head, clearly disturbed. "Could they come back?" he prods.

Errol nods.

"Yes. They obviously know you are here. That is why they attacked."

"So we are vulnerable, even more so than before," Jackson announces, ensuring everyone can hear him. It is clear he is justifying what he is going to say next when he says it. "That is why I would like to send someone to the city to discuss a trade arrangement. One where we trade Zmaj protection for ore, firmly establishing several of the Zmaj here in the mining settlement."

Even before the outcry begins, I know there will be one. Jackson is taking a risk, even though the majority are clearly with him. On the other hand, not doing something could mean that all of these people might not be around to lead in any case. It is a difficult position to be in, but he decided he wanted it.

As predicted, people start trying to shout him down again. But they quiet down when Elmer gestures to them, turning their shouts to murderous glares instead.

Trouble.

But we have sensed that since we arrived. That man has too much power among those that follow him.

Errol leans over to whisper to me.

"We need to travel back to the city and the Tribe's caves to report this development. If there are even more creatures out there looking to kidnap..."

I nod. We need to warn everyone. Protecting ourselves against beasts is one thing. Their behavior can be predicted, their methods outsmarted. But an intelligent threat is something we will need to take even more precautions for. And we need to report the New Villagers’ softening of opinion to Rosalind as well.

I doubt those beings will attack the New Village so quickly after this first failed attempt, but the longer we wait before we leave, the higher the chances are that they might regroup and return. These people need protection as soon as possible.

All in all, this visit has not gone at all like I thought it might.