Tay sat in her shuttle, orbiting the planet. She wanted to understand the war, at least enough to have a conversation about it. The Intec were either dead or in the gentle hands of Captain Williams. They had kept this little border war out of the skies, instead it seemed to be a mix of strongpoints and guerilla war. From the destroyed fortifications, currently well back in human territory, the Fay had been losing. Or they had changed their tactics. In any event, she had decided to start with them. She could, probably, persuade the humans just by turning up. It was the Fay that would distrust her motives the most.

She waited until dawn and slowly descended in front of the largest fort. She wasn’t that sure about their range, but surely the Intec wouldn’t have supplied them with much. Anything modern would have cut through that fort like paper. Just like she had with the People on Oz, she waited for them to make the first move. It was a pity that the good doctor wasn’t with her this time. He had no taste for a war between his friends, no matter how interesting the research.

She scanned the place, watching as the alarm spread inside. She had no intentions on making a hostile move, but that meant nothing to them. The stonework looked hand-built, the carpentry pretty basic and the gates scarred. The humans must have attacked here before. She recalled that human battles had always meant burning. Towns, crops, farms and people.

The dawn had turned to rain, a far cry from the sun and desert of Oz. Wryly, she realized it was the damp north of this world. Green, cold and wet. Nice. Then the gates opened and a close file of Fay approached. Still she waited. No point in rushing this, she needed them calm when she opened the door. Instead she scanned them from the med console . Burn injuries, weapon scars and malnutrition. The legacy of slavery and war. She knew that the Fay lived a lot longer than humans, but these Fay seemed aged before their time. Finally they formed a semi-circle, covering the shuttle bay door. She recognised the weapons as percussive, chemical propellant guns. Any species went through that technology, long before they reached space. It spoke to a lack of energy storage and education. Poor bastards.

Finally, she realised she was stalling. Fuck it, she didn’t have that much time. She put her helmet on, hoping for an extra minute before they started shooting and she lowered the door. The Fay surprised her by rushing into the shuttle, before she had a chance to leave her chair. They couldn’t enter the cabin, but it spoke well of their bravery. Or desperation. She moved slowly, watching a dozen rifles tracking her head. Diplomacy sucked. She raised her hands, displaying that she carried nothing, ‘Hello. I am here to help. The Intec that brought you here are defeated, your people are waiting to talk to you. You are free, and you will be helped in every possible way. I am simply here to establish peace between you and the humans, before we can land safely.’ She waited, but she wasn’t getting the response had she hoped for. They remained unmoving, the rifles remained steady. She was wondering if the translator was working when one of them lowered his rifle. His Fay sounded like some old dialect, a long way from the smooth tones of Captain Zac’Hary. ‘We claim this ship. You will surrender, alien, or die.’

Okay, that was enough diplomacy for now. She had a Fay Captain for too long to put up with this shit. Alien, indeed. She stood up, ‘Listen to me, you stupid, addled child. I don’t know why your mother bothered to dig you out. I’ve seen empty shells with more brains than you. I am here to help. You may be beyond saving, since your brain seems to have rotted with age, but I can see the malnutrition, the injuries and the scorcemarks. Now, stop pretending that you know anything about anything and bring me someone that has the ability to think in whole sentences.’

Perhaps it was her unexpected fluency in Fay insults, or the sheer exasperation in her voice, but she recognised at least one of the soldiers snorted with suppressed laughter, and the guns were lowered. A sharp word restored order. ‘ Well, visitor, it seems you know my people well enough. I will summon someone that, as you say, can think in whole sentences. I caution you not to use such language with him. He is not a warrior.’

Tay nodded, ‘Good, but first let me lower this field.’ She turned to one of the Fay, one that the Med console said needed immediate help. ‘Could I ask this one to step forward?’ With a flick of his minor crest, one of the older Fay stepped forward. She killed the ship shields, and spoke softly, ‘You have many pieces on metal close to your hearts. You have only a little time left, if they are not removed. Will you permit me to help?’ The soldier glanced at the Officer, who shrugged. ‘He is close to death, it matters little to me.’ Tay silently cursed any Warrior culture that ever valued such coldness. Also, though she didn’t know why, the Officer was lying. ‘Very well. Stand still. This will hurt.’

Her med scanner wasn’t the best, but it was equipped for the basics. After about ten long minutes she held a small handful of metal, the shattered remains of a shell, she imagined. She handed them to the Fay. ‘Done. You should be sore for a few days, but that's just your muscles regenerating.’ The Fay began mummering, low snatches of speech, out of her range. It seemed positive in tone. She looked at the Officer. ‘While we are waiting, does anyone else want some help? I know one of you had bad burn scarring. I could fix that, if you like.’ The Officer simply said. ‘Carry on.’ and left with the older Fay.

The scarring took a while, the skin and scales were old, the injury deep. Still, after she had finished, the scars were gone, replaced with fresh scales. Again she told her patient. ‘Give it time to heal, give the joint plenty of exercise. It will hurt, but you should be back to normal soon enough.’ The soldier laughed. ‘Stranger, that was my normal. Those burns are from my childhood, when the humans burned this place.’

The next soldier had been cut, deeply, on the back of his knee joint. Tay recognised the injury. Someone had tried to hamstring him. Fuck. She, obviously, didn’t see his face while she worked, but when she finished he marched out of the shuttle, avoiding his comrades. He took station outside the shuttle.

She passed an hour, sorting through the increasingly minor injuries, while the soldiers relaxed into a peaceful calm. She had no doubt that that could change. She knew the Fay well enough, but it helped. She asked, ‘Where did your Officer go? Did I offend him so badly?’ One of the soldiers laughed, ‘No, visitor. That first patient of yours was his Sire. He had been dreading his death. We are not permitted to mourn such things, but you have done him a great service, and so he cannot remain your captor. They will need to send a new guard for you, as we are compromised as well. Don’t worry, as long as you continue this healing, every guard in the fort will want to guard you. Probably with their wives and children.’

The guard laughed. Except one, who moved closer, ‘Visitor, my children are ill. Perhaps I could summon them here?’ Tay nodded, ‘Of course, bring me whomever you wish. I await your leadership, but there is no great hurry.’ The day became a queue of the old, the infirm, the too young and the too brave. Slowly and carefully she helped. This would have taken an hour with a proper medbay, but here and now, it was enough.

It was getting dark and Tay was getting tired. In the end, she simply told the guard that she would start again in the morning. None of the original guards remained. She thought that three shifts had passed through, but she was beyond counting. Finally the original Officer returned. He seemed to be trying to remain serious, but his crest was bright with pleasure. She nodded at his return, ‘Glad to see you back. Tell me, are you familiar with the practise of parole?’ He hesitated, ‘It is a human custom. We do not use it.’ Tay had been waiting for this, ‘Yes, I know. My captain was a Fay, he told me you found the concept difficult. Nevertheless, I would prefer to sleep without my suit, and I can’t do that unless you are willing to trust that I will not attempt to evade you. I came here to help, and I cannot leave until that is achieved.’

That stunned the Officer, ‘Your Captain was a Fay? You served with the Fay?’

Tay nodded tiredly. ‘All of us serve with the Fay. It is our first and oldest alliance, held since we reached space.’ At that she turned her helmet transparent, allowing him to see her clearly for the first time. ‘My name is Captain Tay, engineer. Nice to meet you. Will you accept my parole?’

The Fay hissed in surprise, stepping back, ‘Close your helmet, quickly. There are many here that would kill you, healer or not. I am indebted to you, but even I cannot look upon your true face without the urge to attack.’ Silently, Tay cursed. ‘You are a people stolen from your homes, as are the humans. The Intec manipulated you both into a war, keeping you fighting each other instead of them. As my Captain said, you make poor slaves. As do we. Easier for them if we fight each other. May I have your name?’

The Fay hesitated, aware that he was on very thin ice right now. ‘I am Commander Ger’Hary of this fortress, Fortress Thinclaw. We are waiting for our scholar to arrive, they are not permitted to live among us. It is too dangerous with the humans...with the enemy...around. It is he that will decide the truth here.’ Tay turned to the console, picking up the permission chip, ‘Here. Without this, the shuttle won’t fly. Hold it for me, while I rest. I have many to see in the morning, please, put your guards outside and we will wait for your scholar. Is that acceptable? Tell your men that I need to change the atmosphere or something.’ Commander Ger’Hary nodded, his crest flailing about. ‘I will take the guard. If you have deceived me, know that my life and the lives of those you helped are forfeit.’ At that he left. She left the rear door open, simply sealing the cabin. ‘Well, that went well.’

In high orbit, the Admiral watched with Captain Zac’Hary. They had watched and heard everything. ‘Well, Captain? Do you think she can make it work?’ The Captain was thoughtful. ‘We will know in the morning. She lives, for now.’

Her morning started early. Word had spread through the settlement, calling the ill and injured in from hidden fields and small villages. She groaned when she saw it. The Commander was still outside, looking dead on his feet, his tail drooping and his crest flat. ‘Commander, perhaps you could guard me from the front seat. That way you can rest while I deal with this. Also, please can you get me a bed and a screen set up for your people?’

A few barked orders and the Commander took over the cabin, guarding it well. She could hear the snoring. She took the children first. Most had simple childhood breaks, unpleasant parasites and the occasional disability. All things long conquered by the Fay. Blindness, deafness, poor dentistry. She saw it all in those first few hours. Then the old, joint pain, poorly healed injuries. Age itself. Finally the warriors, those that had fought her people. Shrapnel, blade damage. More hamstring injuries. Spike trap damage to the feet and tail. The list grew. As the afternoon drew on, an elderly Fay stepped forward. She waved him to the bed, where he made himself comfortable. This one had no battle injuries, just the consequences of age. Joints and eyesight, scale loss. It took only a few moments to repair. Then he stood up and stretched, ‘Ah to feel young again! Thank you.’ she noticed that the queue was gone, as were the guards. She had been too preoccupied to notice. The Fay followed her glance, ‘Oh, I sent them home hours ago. Standing around all day, waste of time. So human, what brought you here?’