Strechen saw Senior Scientist Hrekkel stare out the screen. He reached forward and did something out of her sight and then touched the wire-mic next to his mouth.
"Excursion Team Alpha, halt immediately in place and report," Hrekkel said.
Strechen saw the excursion team stop for a moment. Most of them were still loading or checking their weapons. The view kept bobbling, so Strechen couldn't be sure, but it looked like the Terror was twiddling its fingers as it stared at the excursion team.
"We move forward, interrogate the Terror, search the buildings. I want the information on this foolish excursion in our hands as quickly as possible," the lead Way of the Means Senior Agent said. She looked around. "Finish loading your weapons, ignore the Scientist."
Hrekkel looked at the screen.
"Tawtchee," was all he said.
Tawtchee just nodded, standing up. "Let's go," he said. He stopped to pull another breaker from breaker box fourteen, setting it on top of the breaker box.
Strechen followed the smaller male as he hustled down the ramp and broke into a run. She found herself startled at just how fast the male moved, head slightly down, arms pumping at his sides, as he ran almost too fast for Strechen to keep pace after a few hundred meters. Strechen was blowing hard, her lungs aching, by the time the barrier bushes at the edge of the orchard came into view. She could see the sweat soaking through Tawtchee's uniform, but he didn't slow, just veered to the side to run through the gap, leaving her almost fifty paces behind.
By the time she broke through the gap, Tawtchee had already slowed down to a brisk walk, coming up behind the excursion team, which had formed a half-crescent around the Terror.
She caught up, stopping her run, trying not to bend forward due to the hitch in her side.
She had ran nearly two kilometers in less than twenty minutes.
"...and finally, turn over all data regarding the Path of the Traveler to us," the leader of the excursion team was saying.
The Terror was simply looking up at her, making that odd curvature of the mouth that passed for a Terror expression of pleasure.
Strechen wasn't sure about that.
Something about the Terror's eyes.
The Terror took a bite of the red fruit, the crunch loud and juice running down the Terror's chin. He wiped his chin with his right hand, the left holding the apple.
Strechen squinted at the back of the Terror's left hand.
An upraised symbol, surrounded by a twisting intricate round boundary that looked like it had five fire opals evenly spaced on the boundary. The symbol was some kind of upraised black material that was somehow, impossibly, both matte and glossy at the same time.
The symbol hurt her eyes and brain.
"The Dra.Falten Empire," the Terror said after swallowing the bite. He paused for a second. "Again."
Tawtchee was walking up slowly behind the leader of the excursion team.
"You are unarmed except for a primitive melee weapon," the leader of the excursion team said.
The Terror held up two fingers on his right hand.
Strechen noted it wore a glove of thick leather, dyed black, with steel studs on the back of the hand, on that hand while the left was bare.
"You should exchange pleasantries first," the Terror said, interrupting the Way of the Means trooper.
Tawtchee moved up to the leader, pulled something out of his pocket and hid it in his hand as he tapped the leader's back.
"What?" the leader asked, turning and looking down. "Oh. You."
"Senior Scientist Hrekkel has sent me to tell you that you are officially relieved of command of this excursion," Tawtchee said.
Strechen felt herself tense up inside. Years of being part of the Way of the Means and the Means of the Way had taught her that if there was one thing her fellow agents hated, it was being replaced after managing to obtain a coveted position of power.
"On whose authority?" the trooper snapped.
The Terror took another bite of the fruit, watching with one raised eyebrow.
"Senior Scientist Hrekkel has been empowered by the Emperor and the Empress themselves as commander of this expedition," Hrekkel said. "He has ordered me to take command of this expedition."
Strechen noted that the tone that the smaller male was using was dead, flat, leeched of all emotion.
...we cease to exist...
The Way of the Means officer stared down at Tawtchee, mouth and ears twitching. She suddenly burst out laughing, reaching out and putting her hand on top of Tawtchee's head, smashing his floppy hat against the top of his head.
"I will not relinquish command to you," she laughed.
The others laughed with her.
The officer drew her pistol slowly.
Tawtchee stared up at her. "You are defying a direct and lawful order, given by your superior, who speaks with the voice of both the Emperor and the Empress in this far away place," Tawtchee stated, his voice still flat and empty.
The officer sneered. "What would you know of the Empress's will?"
"I know that I obey her, her representatives, and her will, even in this far place," Tawtchee said.
He didn't flinch as the officer lowered the pistol so its barrel rested between Tawtchee's eyes.
"Ahem," the Terror cleared his throat.
The Way of the Means officer turned and looked at the Terror. "This is none of your..."
"You're about to execute that little guy on my lawn," the Terror said, dropping the uneaten center of the fruit onto the ground and standing up. He was slapping his hands together as he continued talking, like he was dusting them off. "I'd say that makes it my business, since I will have to clean up the mess."
"Sit back down, Terror," the Way of the Means officer stated, pulling the pistol away from Tawtchee's face.
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Strechen saw something glitter in Tawtchee's hand as he lowered it slightly so it no longer looked like he was about to drive a punch into the Way of the Means officer's abdomen.
"Do you know who I am?" the Terror asked conversationally.
"What? Yes, your name is Mahg-nutz, you are the Guardian of the Path," the Way of the Means officer scoffed. "We are here to get information from you."
"Magnus, actually," the Terror said. "Magnus Oathsworn, Bloodbound Guardian, Keeper of the World Engine Key on this world, Bearer of the World, Guest of the Twilight Library, He Who Walked Upon the Beaches of Atlantis, Oathsworn to Nakteti the Traveler."
There was a low rumble of thunder off in the distance at the last part.
Strechen noticed that the fire opals embedded in the ornate border on the back of the Terror's hand seemed to shift and adjust, as if they were looking around.
"Bah," the Way of the Means officer said, waving her pistol.
Strechen saw a slight blurring to the Terror. Almost like he vibrated slightly. For a second she saw a split second after-image of the Terror standing in front of the Way of the Means officer.
The officer cried out in pain, grabbing her hand.
The Terror stood there, looking at the pistol.
"Laser. Medium wattage. High UV range," he said, looking it over. He lifted up another piece of fruit and took a bite from it. "Duraplast casing, doped six sided crystal lasing matrix, lens focusing array," he said around a mouthful of the fruit. "Fairly primitive and low powered."
"Give that back," the officer said, looking up from where she was bent over her hand.
Strechen swallowed thickly and moved sideways, away from the excursion team.
The Terror took another bite of the fruit and sat down. He set the pistol down on the ground next to him.
"Point them at me, I take them away," he said conversationally. "If you are polite, I will give them back after our discussion."
The officer blinked. "How dare you?"
"Now, who is in charge of this little gathering?" Magnus asked, raising one eyebrow.
Strechen noticed that the Terror was speaking their language, fluently, not using a translator.
"I am," the officer said.
"I was ordered to take command," Tawtchee said.
"Then I will deal with you upon this warm sunny day," the Terror, Magnus, said, pointing at Tawtchee.
The officer started to step forward, opening her mouth, obviously intending on protesting.
Strechen saw the fire opals on the back of Magnus's hand shift and widen. Reddish-purple energy wreathed his hand as he lifted it up, hand held flat and cocked at the wrist.
"Sit. Down," he snapped, making a pushing motion.
The officer found herself shoved back hard enough she landed on her butt, the air seemingly hardening into a moving wall.
"A moment, friend," the Terror said. He reached down, grabbed a fruit, and tossed it to Tawtchee. "Have an apple," he said.
"I thank you," the smaller male said. "I am Tawtchee."
The Terror was moving away but looked over his shoulder. "It is good to meet you upon such a fine day, Tawtchee."
The Terror vanished around the house and came back with a strange tripod chair. He unfolded it and set it down, patting the triangular leather pad that made up the seat. "Sit, sit, friend Tawtchee," Magnus said.
Tawtchee sat nervously. He took a bite of the 'apple' and closed his eyes, relishing the crunch, the sweetness, and the texture.
"Good, isn't it?" Magnus asked.
Several of the females shifted and shuffled, obviously getting impatient and angry.
Strechen moved up to one, touching their shoulder. "Move back or the Terror may take offense. Sling your weapon, make no aggressive moves for now. Let the male take all the risk, he is expendable."
...we cease to exist...
Each female moved back, their back's stiff and ears rigid with outrage.
"Those orchards grew from where Nakteti the Traveler spit an appleseed on the ground," Magnus was saying. He waved one hand. "I nurtured them and now reap the bounty," he gave the teeth baring 'smile' that Terrors used to express pleasure. "Sit, Tawtchee, a moment."
He got up and walked off.
"This is ridiculous, we should demand..." the leader of the excursion team said.
"To have him shred us into our component atoms?" Strechen sneered. "He took your weapon in less time than it takes to blink. He shoved you down without coming near you," Strechen nodded at the empty stump. "You would do well to remember, we are the eleventh excursion team to approach the Guardian."
Strechen made a show of looking around. "If the other teams are here, then they are buried deep."
The leader looked around, then nodded slowly.
Magnus came back carrying a small wooden barrel under one arm and two ceramic mugs in his off hand, almost bouncing as he walked. He set the barrel down, pulled the lid off and set it on the ground. He set the two mugs on the lid, then made a single pass with his hand over the open barrel.
"It's a warm day, friend Tawtchee," Magnus said. He picked up a mug, tapped it, and it was suddenly covered in frost. He dipped it in the barrel and pulled it out, dripping, and handed it to Tawtchee, handle first.
"Mead," Magnus said. "Make it myself. Add in apple skins from these apples right here," he gave the tooth bared smile. "I already checked, you can metabolize everything in it without discomfort or harm."
Tawtchee nodded. "I thank you for your generosity."
Magnus smiled again. "It is a beautiful day. The birds are singing, the breeze is cool, the sun is warm, the flowers are in bloom, and the orchard is full of ripe fruit. A day , you share what you have to make it better."
Strechen nudged a Way of the Means trooper that was starting to show signs of being outraged.
"Be quiet, you fool," she whispered.
Tawtchee took a long drink, showing no outward fear, then brushed the foam off of his whiskers and the end of his snout. "It is good. You are a fine maker of this drink."
Magnus smiled again. "Thank you."
There was silence a moment while Magnus chewed on the apple and watched Tawtchee take bites of his own and take drinks off of the mug. After a long moment, Tawtchee set down the mug and set the core of the apple down next to it.
"To business?" Magnus asked.
"Sadly," Tawtchee answered. "I have come a long ways."
Magnus nodded. "This world is off the beaten path. Away from any jumpspace rapids or hyperspace fast transit lanes."
"Indeed," Tawtchee said.
"There is more than one Path of the Traveler," Magnus said, dropping the apple core and grabbing another fruit from the basket. He tossed it to Tawtchee, who caught the rough peeled yellow fruit in midair, then got himself one. He peeled it slowly as he spoke. "One is useless to you. We barely survived and thousands of years passed here in this universe."
Tawtchee nodded, using his vestigial claws to peel the fruit.
The acidic smell was good and made Strechen's mouth water.
"The other leads to TerraSol. Useless, as TerraSol is gone," Magnus said. He, reached down, set down his mug, and picked up a rock. He looked at it, then held up a finger. "There is another path, the path I was set to guard."
"Tell us!" the excursion team leader said.
Magnus stared at the leader. "Do not be rude," he said. He tossed the rock in the air and caught it. "It'd be funny if I knocked your ship out of orbit with this rock," he smiled. "Well, funny to me."
The excursion team leader took a step forward and Strechen moved over behind her, drawing her pistol slowly. She saw Magnus glance at her, his eye narrowing slightly before going back how they were.
Magnus looked back at Tawtchee. "It is a dangerous path. There are two more guardians you will need to seek. The third will set you on the path."
"Tell us this..." the excursion leader said.
Strechen held the barrel of her unloaded pistol against her back. "Shut. Up."
The excursion team leader went silent.
"If you see just technological information, you'd be better off discovering it yourself," Magnus said. He set the rock on the stump next to him and picked up his mug, taking another swig off of it. He wiped his mouth and went back to peeling the yellow fruit as he spoke. "But, at the end of the other path, the hidden path, you'll find out all about Terrans," he dropped the peel and took a bite of the bright yellow flesh of the fruit.
Tawtchee tasted it and made a face at the sour, acidic taste, but he held tight to his courage and chewed it slowly.
Magnus swallowed and smiled. "Maybe more than you ever wanted to know."
"Can I have a hint?" Tawtchee asked.
Magnus smiled wider, lifting up the fruit again. Strechen noted the eye-watering rune inside the circle looked like the material had covered up the fire-opals.
"You'll find the Terrans," he paused. "Alive."
Tawtchee didn't show any shock.
"I thought you were all gone," he said.
Magnus shook his head. "No," he tapped his chest. "I sit here, before you."
"My people wish to take the next step along the Path of the Traveler," Tawtchee said.
Magnus stood up. "Then you will want to come with me. You will need gifts for the guardian, for the guardian is quite fearsome and known to be easily angered."
"Bring your friends. They're tall, they'll be able to help," Magnus said. He turned his head and gave Strechen a smile. "You can encourage them with your pistol if you wish."
"You heard him. Move," Strechen said. She had reloaded it slowly and quietly, and now she charged the capacitors with a high pitched whine.
The ship was quiet when Strechen sat down to eat her rations in the small dining room. The lights were dimmed to simulate night time.
The door opened and Tawtchee came in, moving over to grab a ration pack from the Way of the Means officer's rations. He came over and sat down across from Strechen.
"We picked fruit. The key to the next part is fruit from those orchards," Strechen said, shaking her head. "It almost feels like a trick."
"It is," Tawtchee said. He stared at Strechen. "I have tried to convince Hrekkel that this journey is madness, but he insists."
Strechen frowned. "You think it will end badly for us?"
Tawtchee nodded. "For us."
He looked around and tapped the table with the claw on the end of his middle finger.
"For everyone but the Terrans."