//------------------------------// // Act I: Hunger: Momentum // Story: Six Shadows // by Vicron //------------------------------// Krika was still unconscious by the time the sun had risen again.  Mutran was beginning to feel a tinge of worry, not that he would ever allow any of them to know he cared even in the slightest. He examined Krika as closely as he could, but unlike Gorast, Krika hadn’t been reduced to a mere physical stature, still a gaseous cloud of Antidermis within his armour.  He had been curious about that for all of ten seconds before he’d caught sight of the Kanohi Crast in the corner of his eye. Then he’d felt foolish for ever assuming Krika had been under the influence of the Mutagen in the first place. The problem with that, however, was it made it incredibly difficult for him to tell what sort of state Krika was in.  Physical ailments simply hadn’t existed for them in over two thousand years, he had no point of reference to pull from.  There was still Antidermis in him, as far as Mutran could tell it was still active, the quiet murmuring of it just audible as he pressed the side of his mask up against Krika’s armour.  Yet he still wasn’t waking. As far as Mutran could tell this should be impossible, their kind didn’t sleep, not even Gorast, a coma was unthinkable. Though as he thought about it, he had the sneaking suspicion Gorast might be reaching the limits of the biomechanics the Mutagen had reintroduced to her form after her behavior through the night. As he drew back from Krika’s chest he growled to himself, grasping at one of his elbows as his other hand went up to his mask and he began biting at one of his claws. An ancient nervous habit, but it helped him concentrate. Krika would fade at this rate, that much was sure.  On the one hand, it was of no concern to Mutran personally, on the other, he owed his brother for getting them out of the Storm.  The thought sent a loathsome tremble through his being.  To be indebted to a spineless fool like Krika wouldn’t do.  He had to save his brother or he would have that niggling in the back of his mind for the rest of his considerable lifespan. He glanced over to Chirox, perched at the window and drinking his fill of the rich sunlight streaming through.  The two of them always had worked better as a team. Perhaps- He shook his head, clenching the hand before his face into a fist as he crushed the thought.  Chirox would hold this as much against him as Krika would hold their rescue. No, he had to do this alone. He began thinking on the Storm again, none of them had attempted to strip Krika of his mask since they had arrived, but perhaps it was time to change that.  He had guessed yesterday at how long they had been tossed around in the maelstrom but it had been just that, a guess. If he had a baseline for how long any of them could maintain use of the Crast he might be able to create some real calculations for how long they’d been in there, and from there work out just how much it had taken Krika to push his way out of their world. He needed a lab, a proper one.  There was only one problem. Acquiring it would require going through the natives or building one himself.  Going through the natives would be quicker and likely more reliable, but it would also mean he would need to learn to operate the tools they used. Not to even mention that he would be recording valuable data on Makuta physiology and its apparent limits right in front of their eyes, which Antroz would find unacceptable.  Creating a lab of his own in secret would provide him with a greater level of customization and the appropriate discretion, but it would be an arduous process of trial and error that he didn’t know if he had the time for. He had no idea how much time he had, but one thing was clear to him. He couldn’t let his brother die. Purely to wipe away his debt, of course.  For now, though. “Chirox, you prat, get away from the window,” he would shove Krika’s bed in front of whatever window the most sunlight was coming from and hope he would eat enough to sustain himself in his sleep. ______ Celestia was in a unique position at the moment.  Luna had gone to bed shortly after sunrise and, according to the guard that had come- slightly panicked- to find her in the dining hall, Vamprah had vanished shortly thereafter. She sipped her morning tea and considered the guard, wondering how to tell him that she was quite aware of Vamprah’s location.  Would it be unduly cruel to simply point up and let him see the predator hanging above his head? Or would it be worse to claim ignorance and see if Vamprah would reveal himself?  She really should just explain the situation calmly to avoid putting unnecessary stress on the poor colt’s nerves. Having the Makuta about had already put much of the guard on edge, she really shouldn’t be feeding their paranoia. “Well,” an idea came to her, “as long as we’re looking for him, you should fetch someone to check on the other Makuta, and if you come across him, ask Vamprah to come see me. We haven’t had the chance to speak properly.” In his spot nestled into the ceiling of the dining hall, Vamprah twitched slightly.  “I will inform you if he somehow answers my summons on his own.” The guard saluted and Vamprah shifted, dropping his camouflage as he readied himself to drop down. If the way he was shifting out of the guard’s path was any indication, he didn’t intend to repeat the debacle with Steady Hoof.  Celestia’s gentle smile grew just the tiniest bit sharper at the edge. “Ah, would you look at that, he has,” she said, gesturing up towards Vamprah. The guard and Vamprah both jolted, Vamprah nearly losing his grip on the ceiling for the space of a blink as the guard looked up at him. “Oh, so he has.”  He said a little numbly, but Celestia allowed herself a silent chuckle, congratulating herself for both managing to get her trick off and avoid causing a panic.  Vamprah simply narrowed his eyes and dropped down a good distance in front of the guard, cocking his head. “With that out of the way, would you mind checking on the others?”  Celestia said, keeping her tone serene as she took another sip of her tea, “see if there’s anything they need, or any concerns they might need addressed.” The guard looked between the two of them a moment, opened his mouth to say something, but apparently thought better of it and just nodded, heading out of the room. Once he had left Celstia set down her teacup, “you’re quite the slinker, aren’t you?”  Celestia kept her eyes on Vamprah, quite confident that if her attention lapsed he’d find a way to slip away without her noticing.  His eyes were still narrowed, but at least he wasn’t hissing like last time. She let out a gentle sigh, letting her hoof rap against the table as she gestured to a cushion next to her, “won’t you sit?  I promise not to bite.” He tilted his head and planted his wings firmly against the ground, the tilt of his fangs clear in their question. Keeping her voice firm but inviting she answered, “because Luna is beginning to grow fond of you, it would be beyond irresponsible to muddy those waters.”  He stayed in place for another long moment but deflated and approached, setting himself down on the cushion. She nodded, “I have only three questions for you today, Vamprah. They are simple, yes or no, but their answers will greatly benefit me and my sister.  Understand?” He regarded her with plain suspicion before raising one of his thumbclaws and gesturing to himself.  “You want me to answer a question of yours in return?” He nodded. She considered him for a moment, there weren't many questions he could ask that would let him cause real damage, and one of her questions might have a sensitive answer. “Fair enough, you first.” His brow furrowed as he thought for a long moment.  Celestia waited patiently, he didn’t appear to know any forms of proper sign language, so she supposed it would take him a moment to communicate his question.  He unfurled a wing, splaying its expanse across the table as his eyes began to swirl with green and yellow. Celestia cocked her head as she felt him weaving illusion magic, tucking away the knowledge that he- and therefor potentially any of the Makuta- could do that. She blinked as a ball of light formed above his wing, shining bright; he nodded his head towards her.  “That is me?” He nodded again and the light twisted, dimming and molding itself into the form of a mask, angular and rigid, with swooping fins across the top and sides.  “Is that one of your Kanohi?” His mouth twitched before he huffed and gave a sort of half-nod. “A mask of the sun?” He shook his head, “a mask of Light?” Seemingly satisfied with her understanding he sent the image of the mask apparently representing her off to hover above his wingtip. A ball of darkness rose from his wing next and he looked up, “is that Luna?”  He nodded once more and the shadow stretched and warped, forming another mask, this one made up of swooping curves.  Where the Mask of Light had been all rigid lines, this one seemed far more organic, coming up to three smooth spires.  “A mask of Shadow?” He brought that one closer to himself, keeping the side of his head turned towards her to listen carefully.  There was a moment’s pause before the two masks shot at each other to meet in the center of his wing, impacting one another and shattering apart, suspended in an illusory explosion in the center of his wing.  Celestia flinched back slightly and Vamprah folded his wing, his eyes dimming to their usual dull red as the illusion flickered out. Celestia took a moment to compose herself.  “You wish to know if my sister and I have fought before.”  He nodded. “We… I made a mistake, a thousand years ago, and we fought.  It was brief, but the consequences…” She suppressed a shudder and a cold wash of shame. Vamprah settled back on his hindlimbs, regarding her with renewed curiosity.  “My apologies, it is an unpleasant memory. I care for my sister very much, and missed her dearly during the thousand years we were forced apart by our actions in that battle.  I do not believe I would have the nerve to do what I did again.” His face was uncomprehending for a long moment.  “I understand you don’t trust me, Vamprah." She sighed, "I understand that in the world you are accustomed to beings of light such as myself hold beings like Luna and yourself in contempt.”  She put as much conviction as she could muster into her voice, which- as many of the more unruly nobles could attest- was a formidable thing. “But believe me when I say, it is not so between my sister and I.  She is one of the dearest in my world.” Vamprah seemed to consider her for a long moment before rising.  Celestia blinked, half expecting him to take his leave, as a strange sensation settled into the back of her mind, like the knowledge of something unseen watching her. Instead he bowed and moved closer, setting himself down to lounge next to her seat.  There was a moment of silent surprise that as it dragged on Celestia found transforming into a sort of companionable calm. Well, that answered her first question. She smiled to herself and took another sip of her tea, it seemed earning the trust of at least one of the Makuta was simpler than she’d expected. After a few more minutes spent in quiet Celestia was brought back to the moment by a burst of green next to her head.  Her gaze softened as the flame resolved itself into a scroll. Breaking the seal she looked it over and giggled to herself.  “Seems my old student’s schedule isn’t as rigid as she makes it out to be when the chance to meet aliens arises.” Vamprah cocked his head and Celestia set herself back to business, she needed to open court within the next half hour anyways.  She cleared her throat to catch Vamprah's attention as she began. “First question, you told Luna that there was something that called you to her, something that made you defer to her at once.  Could you resist that effect if you wished to?” He nodded and waved a wing like he was brushing away some slightly irritating insect, she took that to mean he could rather easily, but he didn’t care to. She nodded, that would go a long way in easing Luna’s mind.  “Second,” she took a breath, “would you trust your siblings?”  He shook merrily, wheezing with laughter before shaking his head and gesturing decisively with a wing.  Celestia felt some of the wind leave her sails. “Wondrous.” ______ Twilight could hardly contain herself, bouncing on her hooves a bit as she watched Canterlot speed closer.  She hadn’t been able to keep herself from pacing in the train car, much to Spike’s annoyance. She was probably putting an absurd amount of stress on herself, but this was big!  Aliens! Real aliens no one had ever seen before, not alternate dimension versions of people she knew, no mirror someone else built and then abandoned somewhere. This could be the discovery of the millenium! “What do we even say?  Welcome to Equestria? What’s the weather like where you come from?”  She rounded on Spike, “do you mind if I get some really in-depth data on your physiology?”  He jumped in his seat and Twilight had to conclude she was getting a bit too intense there. She chuckled sheepishly and smoothed her mane down. “I think ‘welcome to Equestria’ will be fine, Twilight,” Spike said, gesturing for her to calm down.  “Celestia said one of them is injured or something, maybe ask them about that, if they need any help or anything.” “That’s genius, Spike, it could go a long way towards establishing a dialogue.”  She started pacing again, “of course then there’s the possibility of a language gap, Celestia said they learned enough to communicate, but who knows how many higher concepts we’re going to have trouble articulating between us.” “Twilight, if you keep this up you’re gonna end up talking really slow when you meet them, then they’ll be insulted and you won’t get anywhere.”  Spike crossed his arms, giving her an irritated grimace. Twilight took a deep breath to calm herself, sat down, and almost immediately began rattling off scenarios again. It was just after noon by the time they arrived. Twilight had run herself out of possibilities that didn’t end in disaster, but she’d learned that if she started down that road she wouldn’t stop and that wouldn’t end well for anybody. She had considered a couple of them, though.  Just in case. Princess Celestia was waiting for her at the entrance to the castle and, as Twilight exchanged greetings with her old mentor and Spike set off to find their usual room, she was suddenly struck with an intense feeling of being watched.  Her ears folded back against her head as she glanced around. “Something the matter, Twilight?”  Celestia asked, raising an eyebrow. “Is there,” Twilight stopped for a moment to listen, “someone else here?” “Why yes, I was hoping to introduce you to-” Celestia’s sentence broke off as she looked at the empty hall behind her, “ah.”  She let out a gentle sigh, turning to head back towards a meeting room. “I’m sorry, Twilight, but it seems my guest really is as skittish as his siblings made him out to be.” “Guest?”  Twilight asked, following close beside her.  That feeling wasn’t going away, she couldn’t help but keep her head on a swivel, though seeing Celestia’s gaze and stride so steady helped set her at ease a little.  She may have graduated from being Celestia’s student and have gained comparable rank, but Celestia would always be something of a goalpost in her mind, an indicator of how serious any given situation was. “One of the six beings who arrived has taken a liking to my sister and I,” she chuckled softly, “primarily dearest Luna.”  She glanced up to the ceiling a moment, “he had been with me, but evidently he’s the suspicious sort when it comes to new people.” Celestia held open the door to the meeting room for a long moment, Twilight blinked before realizing Celestia probably wanted her to go first, she darted into the room with a flustered grin.  Celestia masked a giggle and followed, closing the door behind herself. That feeling of being watched abated for a moment, but then returned just as strongly.  She looked across the room, Celestia’s favoured meeting chamber, the one with the wide table and a side open to the gardens.  There was a small pile of something on the far end of the table, but beyond that she couldn’t spot anything out of place. “S-sorry,” she murmured, turning back to face Celestia and remembering her excitement.  “One of the Makuta? They’re already trying to be friendly?” Celestia’s smile was implacable, apparently there were hiccups. “One of them,” Celestia’s gaze flicked to the ceiling again and this time Twilight followed it.  “The others are more cautious. Which is understandable, considering their method of arrival, but it has kept things on a single meeting basis.”  The ceiling seemed the same as ever at a glance, but as Twilight kept her gaze on it she noticed the difference. That patch of ceiling was slightly lower than the rest.  Twilight felt her breath catch as the feeling suddenly had shape.  Whatever that was, it was watching her and Celestia both. “I knew you’d be able to spot him soon enough,” Celestia said with a gentle laugh.  Twilight looked back down to her. “Who?”  There was movement in the corner of her eye and she flinched away from it.  Now that she knew what to look for it was almost like a piece of the wall had jumped forwards till it was almost right up in her face.  A pair of glowing yellow eyes opened and she shouted, scrambling back a couple steps. “Twilight, I would like to you meet Makuta Vamprah.”  The yellow light faded to a dull red and the image of the wall behind him fell away like water.  Twilight was suddenly face to face with the Makuta. His pupilless eyes didn’t seem focused on anything, but she still felt like he was observing her more intently than she’d ever been watched by anyone before. “Um, hello,” she cleared her throat, her heart practically pounding in it.  Being this close to a human had been strange, but even beyond the angular armour there was something downright nerve wracking about Vamprah.  He cocked his head, the blades of his thumb claws tapping against the ground as he continued to consider her. He nodded firmly and she had to stop herself from flinching.  His posture was predatory, right down to the way he held his head, his forelimbs braced against the ground, those tiny hindlimbs tucked close, ready to spring out.  His mouth opened slightly, showing off his fangs as a wheezing noise like laughter came from him. He leaned in close, his sightless eyes inches from hers, she found herself frozen. “Vamprah,” Celestia’s warning came at the same moment as Vamprah suddenly moved back, cocking the side of his head towards a door at the far end of the room.  “I’m sorry, Twilight, he doesn’t speak, whether by choice or ability I can’t say. He doesn’t mean any harm, but he very much enjoys the effect he has on most ponies.”  Celestia turned to give Vamprah an irritated look as Twilight tried to get her breathing under control. “I had hoped he could contain himself for a moment.” “It’s alright,” Twilight said firmly, “I’ve had a lot of time with Discord lately, this is nothing.”  Vamprah nodded and a bit of the weight came off the strange aura he had, she felt she’d just earned some measure of respect from him.  “It’s an honor to meet you, Vamprah.” She offered her hoof. He shifted his weight a moment before reaching out and pressing the forward edge of his wing to her hoof with a soft clink. She had to stop herself from immediately launching into questions about his armour.  It moved silently around him, it looked mechanical yet it curved and bent with his movement seamlessly.  She took a deep breath to steady herself. “Come,” Celestia said, taking her spot at the nearest end of the table. “The others should be arriving shortly, you’ll have plenty of time to ask questions.”  She gestured towards a place near the center of the table. Twilight was suddenly reminded that her meeting with the Makuta was for more than just her curiosity; this was a diplomatic meeting, for which she was the primary speaker.  She swallowed, taking her spot. “Is there anything I should know?” “They see themselves as at a distinct disadvantage,” Celestia said with a sigh, “as such they have been very careful with what they let us know about them.  They don’t trust we will not attack them if given the chance.” Twilight hummed to herself, her feathers ruffling, if they believed themselves under threat, she would just have to set them at ease.  But how to do that? She glanced over at Celestia, she sometimes intentionally bungled things to make herself seem more approachable, but if the Makuta believed a fight could break out at any moment doing that would only make her look like a weak point in the chain for them to push through if they needed. If she let just how excited she was for this meeting shine through too clearly they might think she was just clumsily feeling around for some weakness to exploit.  She groaned a bit, it was tough enough not to pepper Vamprah with questions. Showing concern could work, but it would depend heavily on no one having tried that before turning on them in the past. She closed her eyes, took a deep breath and let it out with a resolute firmness; passive, reactive, don’t push, but don’t back down.  She would have to let them come to her; don’t jump to conclusions, don’t fill in the gaps, let them steer the meeting. She opened her eyes and glanced over to Celestia, her old mentor’s expression lifted with pride.  Twilight felt her cheeks start to burn a bit. Just how much of her thoughts had shown on her face?  There was a knock on the door at the far end of the room. “Ready, Twilight?” “Yes,” Twilight responded, fighting down her blush, straightening out her posture and raising her voice, “enter.” One of the guards opened the door and through strode three of the Makuta.  Antroz in the lead, flanked by Chirox and Mutran. Mutran was murmuring something to Antroz, brow furrowed, though Antroz’ face remained neutral.  He waited until they had reached the table before raising a hand, Mutran fell silent with a quiet snarl. Something had happened, the situation had changed. Twilight gently cleared her throat and bowed her head, “it is an honor to meet you, Makutas Antroz, Chirox, and Mutran.”  Antroz’ brow quirked slightly, Chirox’ eyes narrowed, but Mutran’s irritated sneer slid away into curiosity. Twilight felt like she’d already overstepped herself.  “I am Princess Twilight Sparkle.” They bowed in return. “Greetings, Princess,” Antroz started, “we were told your schedule is very tight, I hope we didn’t pull you away from anything too important.” “Not exactly,” Twilight assured them, though she couldn’t help remembering how she’d practically dragged Starlight into the principal's office while shouting about aliens last night.  “It’s not every day we get visitors from an entirely unknown reality.” Antroz cocked his head. She was starting to notice the Makuta had a way of doing that, that made it seem more like a threat than anything else. None of these three gave off quite the same level of intensity that Vamprah did, but she could still feel herself being cross examined by them.  “This takes precedence anyways.” “And why would that be?”  Chirox huffed, she could tell he’d primarily meant that in a dismissive fashion.  Their entrance had been quite explosive, and she got a feeling of arrogance from him that the others didn’t quite give off. “It’s a great opportunity, for both our peoples,” Twilight answered regardless.  “Your technology is fascinating to see in action, and I’m sure we each have forms of magic the other hasn’t experienced yet that could go a long ways towards understanding it and each other.”  Chirox’ eyebrow joined Antroz’, but Mutran’s curiosity almost seemed to erupt into an eagerness Twilight had only ever seen in the mirror before. “And that’s not even considering the cultural impacts we could have on one another in the future.” There was a long moment of silence where Twilight assumed the three of them were getting their bearings.  If they had expected a fight, she had no doubt thrown them a curveball. Mutran leaned close to Antroz to whisper something. “Be that as it may,” Antroz took control back of the meeting, “we aren’t here for that.  We’re here to discuss where we stand right now.” “You need shelter, and someone to help you with your brother’s recovery, of course.”  Twilight flashed her best winning smile, “I’ll be glad to help in any way I can.” Mutran seized the initiative. “Are there research facilities nearby?”  Antroz jerked, his claws tensing at his sides. “There are a few within the area surrounding Canterlot,” Twilight said, having trouble keeping the anticipation out of her own voice.  “If you want my suggestion, I’d say the one at Celestia’s Academy has the most versatile array of equipment, most of the others were built for specific purposes.” Mutran nodded, and Chirox’s brow was furrowed in consideration now, Twilight thought about pressing the matter, but a glance at Antroz told her that he would go on the defensive as soon as she did. “While the offer is appreciated, it won’t be necessary,” Antroz said.  “We have the situation with Krika under control for the time being.” “He-” Mutran started before Antroz cut him off with a quick string of sharp, unfamiliar language. “Krika is your injured brother?”  Twilight hazarded, hoping to keep things from getting tense enough between the two of them to scrap the meeting. “Yes,” Antroz said firmly, holding up his hand for silence from the others again.  “Though as I said, it is under control. He will recover in due time.” “Of course,” Twilight said calmly, “we don’t want to intrude on the way you care for yourselves, but if there is anything we can do to help, you only need to ask.”  Antroz’ eyes narrowed and Twilight felt she’d already breached the point of no return. “Thank you, I will consider the offer.”  His head twitched slightly towards Mutran and Twilight felt her stomach sink.  He thought she was trying to turn his companions against him. She cursed silently, so much for setting them at ease.  “Do we have an answer on the matter of asylum?” “My vote is for,” Twilight attempted to assure them. Antroz’ brow twitched, that wasn’t going to work either, “but I can’t speak for Princess Celestia or Princess Luna.” “Thank you,” he said tersely, shooting another string of their language at his companions as he bowed.  “It has been an honor to meet you as well, your Highness.” “Just Twilight, please,” she said, hoping to keep him from leaving the table dissatisfied.  He paused for a moment, his expression blank as he considered her. His dull eyes flashed and Twilight experienced a moment of utmost certainty that although he was blind he was looking directly into her, a chill running through her like she’d brushed against cold steel.  A smile began to tug at the edges of his mouth and Twilight was reminded of the report Frigid Wind had given of telepathy. He wasn’t pushing, just sort of hovering around the edges of her consciousness, reading intent.  Twilight blinked, she must have really confused him for him to take such a risk. “Twilight then, it’s been a pleasure.”  He turned to leave and Twilight felt the cold begin to withdraw.  In a move she couldn’t honestly say was advisable she focused on it; he wasn’t going to push deeper into her, but that couldn’t stop her from pushing out to him.  She projected as much of a feeling of honesty as she could and let out a single thought. I mean you no harm.  His stride hitched and he almost turned his head, but he continued, though with a bit less aggression in his step. As soon as they were out of the room Twilight couldn’t help but groan, resting her head on the table. “I messed that up,” she mumbled, hiding her head behind her wings.  Celestia chuckled softly. “I wouldn’t say that,” Celestia said, moving closer so she could drape a wing around her shoulders, “though it wasn’t your intention, you’re the first of us to make him fold.”  Twilight groaned louder. _______ Antroz’ overall tolerance for Mutran had taken a dive over the last few hours, but this had been a setback he couldn’t ignore.  No matter what he said, the ponies now knew the Makuta didn’t know what they were doing when it came to Krika. “Mutran,” he growled, Mutran had the wherewithal to pause a moment before responding. “Yes, Antroz?”  He sounded nervous, good. “Never, undermine me like that in front of them again.”  Antroz let his hand rest on the handle of one of his sickles, the threat implicit.  “If I say something is under control, it is under control, understood?” The pause was considerably more resentful this time. “Yes, Antroz.” “Good,” Antroz knew that wouldn’t last, but it would at least buy him a little time without Mutran second guessing everything he said.  He heard Chirox snicker at the scolding. The rest of their trip back to the room was spent in silence. “Anything useful?”  Gorast snipped when they returned. He could tell watching over Krika had chafed her, but he’d thought he’d need her aggression out of the way while dealing with the youngest Princess.  He hadn’t been wrong, but he couldn’t say he’d been right either. “Their intentions are clear now,” Antroz shot back, drawing a curious sound from Chirox.  “They honestly see this as a cultural exchange, a chance to gain allies in the wider universe.”  He let a growl slip back into his voice, “and despite Mutran’s indelicate handling of the situation, I think we may be able to use his outburst to cash in the one asset we have to gain three.” “I only said anything because I knew you wouldn’t, you’ve been ignoring me all day,” Mutran muttered. “I know what your concern is,” Antroz snapped back, “we all know, he should never have been out of commission for this long.  Maybe he should be having trouble moving, but he shouldn’t be completely insensate like this.” “Regardless of our brother’s state, what do you mean by exploiting assets?”  Chirox pushed. “All we have is knowledge of ourselves, but if their intentions are as harmless as they seem, we can give that up in exchange for their trust, access to knowledge of this world, and wiping away our debt to Krika.”  He grimaced, “as much as I hate to admit it, Mutran is right, we owe him right now, I’d prefer to keep that to a minimum.” He let out a sarcastic chuckle, “perhaps, by showing a willingness to work with these people we might even be able to get Krika to cooperate with us properly.” “And then what?”  Gorast asked, grinding her claws. “Then, we find a way back, and we may just have allies against whatever we have to go back to.”