Josephine was awakened by the loud grinding and banging of machinery. Already used to the quietness of the Pura, it came as a shock to her system. She hurried from the metal tent and watched, open-mouthed, as huge machines rolled out of the spaceship. The Pura were controlling them with small hand-held computers. At least ten of the machines were making their way up the nearest mountain. A long train of others were crossing the land and disappearing behind the next mountain range. They were followed by a group of the Pura in tiny hovercrafts. It was a strange sight to behold.

Ixia caught sight of Josephine's confused face and told her, "These are our terrabots. They will terraform the mountainsides for our use. We will start in several different places on the planet. It is more efficient that way. Our people can spread over the entire planet, instead of clustering in one place. The energy will last longer if we are farther apart. We will leave some mountains and waterways untouched. When the ones we use get low on energy, we will switch. It will allow the used ones to regenerate. We do not like energy to be wasted."

Josephine could hear the undertones of censure coming from Ixia. He believed that humans wasted too much energy and clearly disapproved. She didn't want to argue with him. It would make for an uncomfortable relationship, and they would be sharing this planet for months. She deftly changed the subject. "Can someone escort me to my patients? I need to see if they are better."

"I will escort you momentarily. When my terrabot reaches the summit, I will set it to run on automatic." Ixia turned away and ignored her.

Josephine took the time to eat a freeze-dried breakfast and gather her medical supplies. She was standing by the spaceship doors when Ixia finally decided to acknowledge her once again. Without a word, he motioned her to go inside. She stepped in and waited for him to take the lead. He looked at her oddly and said, "Do you not know the way yet? You must learn quickly. I cannot be bothered to lead you to the infirmary every time you must go. Go first, and if you falter, I will correct your path."

For a small, delicate, childish alien, Josephine found Ixia to be quite rude. She considered asking him to be less abrasive, but she didn't think it would change his attitude for the better. He definitely saw humans as a less intelligent species. She had once thought of aliens as lesser beings. She had learned the hard way that it wasn't true. Now, she was the alien and intended to prove that she was very intelligent. After all, the Pura had asked for the help of a lowly human. She started forward and discovered that she easily remembered which turns led her to the infirmary.

Her patients were out of bed and playing a game that reminded her of chess. Their temperatures had returned to normal, and their chests were clear of congestion. The penicillin had worked quickly in the alien bodies. She asked them to continue resting until the next day, and then they could join the others in readying the planet. Ixia nodded his approval. She had finally done something he agreed with.

Josephine passed the rest of the week watching the terrabots work and wandering over the land. She never lost sight of her camp. The Pura wouldn't notice if she was lost in the wilderness unless they became ill. She found a hidden pool of clear, shallow water to bathe in. The water was pure and cool. She would have liked to stay relaxed in its gentle waves, but she couldn't stay out of the rubber suit and leave off the oxygen for very long. Josephine thought the planet had plenty of oxygen and was more than compatible with human skin, but she didn't dare take a chance that she was wrong. She had to leave her trust in the scientist’s hands. That was laughable. It was unscrupulous scientists that had gotten her into trouble in the first place.

As she drew closer to the campsite, Josephine noticed that something was different. The Pura seemed to be agitated. They were flinging their hands in the air and running around. Some appeared to be arguing. She walked faster toward the spaceship and saw them begin to point past the waterway and jump up and down. Her eyes followed their fingertips, and when she saw what they were pointing at, she began to run.

Two of the tiny hovercrafts were coming from the far mountains. In each one there were two Puras. The drivers of the crafts each cradled a limp figure. They were clearly injured. A slower procession of terrabots and Pura came over the horizon.

Confusion ensued when the hovercrafts settled on the ground. Josephine pushed her way through the throngs of well-intentioned Pura to the side of the injured. Bloody bandages were tied over their torsos. They were breathing, but unconscious. The Pura were so busy questioning the new arrivals that she had to let out a resounding whistle to get their attention. She declared, "Whatever conversation you are having will have to wait. The injured are bleeding badly and must be tended. Take them to the infirmary. I'll grab supplies and meet you there." When they hesitated to obey her, she shouted, "Do you want them to die?" The injured were lifted by gentle arms and carried into the ship. Josephine saw anger on Ixia's face due to her orders, but she didn't care. It was her job to take good care of the Pura, and she would do it no matter who she pissed off.

Josephine took bandages, antibiotics, needles, thin nylon thread, and a purifying liquid to the ship. She hoped the infirmary would contain anything else she might need. She had no idea what type of injuries she would be dealing with. Had they fallen? Did one of the terrabots get out of control and harm them? Her biggest question was why were all the terrabots and Pura returning? Was there some creature living on this planet that no one had known about? The answers would be discovered later. For now, she had to save two lives.

The bandages were stuck to the wounds. She soaked them with clean water and carefully removed them. Beneath the layers, she found long cuts across the Puras' torsos. The cuts were straight, without jagged edges. That suggested the use of something very sharp, like a knife or sword. If they had fallen on the rocks, the skin would be torn and ragged. An animal's claw would have done the same. Did the Pura fight among themselves? These cuts were deliberate and clean. Thankfully, the major organs were not involved. They had been protected under the Puras arms. Josephine gave them each some pain medication. She cleaned the wounds, sewed up the cuts, and wrapped them in fresh bandages. She would demand to stay here with them in case they needed more painkillers, but there was no one on the ship to hear her demand. She settled down in one of the cupped beds to wait for Ixia. Surely, he would want to see how his crew was doing.

Josephine fell asleep waiting. The thrashing of one of the injured awoke her. She rushed to him and found he was sweating profusely. The thrashing had broken a couple of stitches, causing him to bleed again. She washed down his sweaty body with clean water, removed the bandage, and replaced the stitches. Ixia and two other Pura arrived as she was putting a new bandage on.

She asked, "Do you know what happened to them? The injuries didn't appear to be accidental."

When Ixia entered her head, she could feel his anger. He replied, "My crew was attacked. They were just working quietly, and a group of warriors attacked the camp. These two tried to reason with them, but were cut down."

The other two Pura looked at each other uncomfortably. Josephine guessed that Xia was relating a biased version of the encounter. She asked the pair "Were you there when it happened?" They nodded, so she asked, "Would you please tell me what you saw?"

Their feet shifted on the floor. They didn't want to overrule Ixia's explanation. He was their leader. So, she changed tactics. "Can you at least tell me who attacked you?"

The voice in her head said, "We do not know what species they are. We have never seen such big men before."

Josephine stated, "Describe them. I have seen many species. Maybe, I can tell you who they are."

She heard, "They are tall, giants to us. Their hair is dark and long. The ears are pointed, and the skin is translucent. They wear armor and carry swords."

Another voice joined in. "Do not forget that they have four arms!"

Josephine easily recognized the description. The attackers were the mighty Milisarian Knights. But, it didn't make sense. The knights conquered occupied planets. They didn't wander around empty ones looking for trouble. They also didn't fight unless it was necessary or provoked. The Pura would have appeared to be children in their eyes. They would have tried to speak to them, not attack out of nowhere. Terrible experiments had been done on Ohber at the lab, yet he had not harmed anyone. If the Pura had provoked them, then trouble was coming.

She turned to Ixia and said, "These aliens are the warriors of Milisaria. You may have heard them referred to as the Milisarian Knights. They are trained in battle from childhood. They have conquered many planets. I don't know why they are here, but I suggest you leave them alone. You can't win a battle against them. They are indeed giants compared to you."

Ixia replied, "We are not frightened by the size of our enemies. Our intelligence will see us through any battle. This planet is ours. We will do whatever needs to be done in order to keep it. These Milisarian Knights must leave. They are not welcome here."

Josephine argued, "Look at your injured men. It would take only one swing of a knight's sword to bring down five or six of you. Just stay on this side of the planet until they leave."

"I see our appearance has fooled you into thinking that we are weak. It is true that our bodies are not powerful, but our minds are. We have no need to fight with these bodies. We have created battlebots. They will deter our enemy." Ixia had a self-satisfied smile.

"You don't want the knights as an enemy. It would be better for all concerned if you just stayed away from them." Josephine considered another option. "You could negotiate. Tell them you are here to settle the planet. They may only be stopping here for a short time and willing to leave if you explain."

The pair behind Ixia shook their heads. She heard, "They are terraforming here too. They claim the planet belongs to them. We argued and had a terrabot run over their equipment. The knight struck out at our computers and cut our friends."

Ixia had definitely lied to her. He cast a furious scowl at the truthful pair, and they slunk from the room. He gave Josephine the same scowl and said, "It does not matter how the argument began. This planet belongs to the Pura. We will not be forced off it. These Milisarian intruders must leave. I do not negotiate, especially with ignorant warriors." He stalked from the room.

"Ixia is ruthless over territory." A little voice declared in Josephine's mind. "He will never give in. There will be a war, and many will die."

She assured the wounded Pura, "I will do my very best to keep that from occurring. Do not worry. How are you feeling?"

"I am in pain. Your medication helps a little. The cut will take a long time to heal. I will miss out on the war. It is a shame. The big men would make a fair opponent. We should have run over them instead of the equipment."

Josephine was appalled. How could such a delicate, child-like species be so bloodthirsty? It must be a bluff. With only a few battlebots, they had no chance of winning a war against the mighty Knights of Milisaria.