"Seeing no reservations...Let's go," Dean commanded, pointing toward the gate-holding cavern.

Dean squinted his eyes against the falling light of Illudis' sun. It's past time to go; we need to hurry up: Lisa and Bath are waiting.

As he fixed his eyes on the setting sun, a flash of white streaked through the azure, cloudless sky. A ship? he wondered. He looked down, frowning. Did we miscount? Either way, they're lucky, whoever they are, that they're coming now.

Dean's enhanced vision tracked the white pod's descent, recognizing the familiar verdora make. He turned back to the crowd pouring into the narrow cavern. Huh. I guess there were only ninety-nine verdora. Didn't they all come together, as a group? Why is this one late?

Since the vanguard was already streamlining into the gate, Dean felt no reservations leaving his position on the bluff overlooking the cavern to meet the straggler. He landed effortlessly before the new arrival, a plume of dust swirling around his feet. His head snapped up and he waited for the verdora to start the exchange: verdora culture dictated that the sapient of lower status made the first greeting.

However, instead of this newcomer bowing and saying a customary greeting, he or she locked eyes with Dean, entering into a bizarre staring contest. After five seconds of intense awkwardness, the verdora shook its head and cleared its throat.

"A pleasure to make your acquaintance," the verdora spoke. "I am Eyrin, prince of Eyrus."

Dean cocked his head. Okay, a prince. Interesting. Does Illudis have a monarchy? If that's the case, then what position does Juserin hold? He certainly doesn't live in a palace...

"A pleasure," Dean replied, revealing his most charming smile. "I am the Church of the Dragon's Knight. Are you joining this expedition?"

Dean found Eyrin's expression unreadable. Probably the species barrier, he decided, somewhat perturbed that his perception PP investment wasn't giving him any insight into the prince's mind. I'll have to talk to Bath about this.

"I have been sent here by my father," Eyrin replied. "Juserin, if that wasn't clear."

"You're Juserin's son?" Dean asked, surprised. Not that I'd know; all verdora look alike. "He never mentioned you." Whoops, Dean thought, cringing internally. Subtle.

Eyrin smiled sardonically. "Of course he didn't: he has too many of us to keep track of."

Dean's eye twitched. A harem? Juserin has how many sons? This image of Juserin didn't fit Dean's impression of the verdora at all. "Fair; he never mentioned he had children."

This seemed to get Eyrin attention, his eyes flashing. "Didn't he? Well, I believe it's time we join the rest of the sapients."

Dean gave Eyrin a steely look. This guy seems like he's hiding something. "Yes, I think it's time. Before you join them, I have to ask: what boons do you have?"

Eyrin matched Dean's regard with a calculated look of his own. "Close combat, artist. Though I don't think that's why I'm here; you should place me with your kursi."

So that's why he's here. Suddenly, everything made sense. He isn't a son by blood; the chances of Juserin having a kursi kid is one in many million. Must be a political thing...

"I'll lead you to them," Dean replied. "They should already be through the gate, as they led the vanguard."

Eyrin nodded. "Very well."

Dean and Eyrin approached the cavern, Eyrin grunting lightly as he tried to keep pace with Dean. By the time they reached the cavern, only a handful of sapients remained; Dean and Eyrin took the last spots in line.

---

I was starting to worry, Eyrin thought, that this human-led expedition had no other kursi. Thankfully, the Knight lay this fear to rest. The realization that, for the first time in his life, he would collaborate with another species of sapients, hit him as he stood in front of the gate, surrounded on all sides by foreigners.

I wonder what human kursi are like. He glanced over at the Knight, who was urging a few people in front of them to hurry and get their asses through the portal. For a supposed Knight, he reminds me more of Tramin than anyone else. Not the kind of person he'd expect to lead a group of gate travelers.

Though there's clearly more to this Knight than meets the eye: he's met Juserin in person, for one. And just now, that speed...

Half a minute passed, and soon it was Eyrin's turn to enter the gate. He gulped, staring in apprehension at the blank, opaque surface of the gate's opening.

"First time's the worst," the Knight said, grinning as he took Eyrin's wrist in his hand and tugged him forward. "It's better with a partner."

Eyrin didn't have time to protest before the Knight pulled him into the gate. The next time he took in a breath...he was on an alien world.

"39811..." Eyrin murmured, eyes widening in awe. Instead of the familiar blue of Illudis, this planet's sky shone red, with white clouds suspended like cotton throughout.

"Huh, Vast Desert," the Knight said, bending down to pick up a handful of sand. "It's really red," he noted. "Iron, maybe?" He turned over to look at Eyrin, an expression of wonder lighting up his features. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"How can I breathe?" Eyrin asked, suddenly self-conscious.

"Divine intervention," the Knight said, waving a hand dismissively. "We need to make our way to the head of the vanguard. Come." Once again, he gripped onto Eyrin's wrist like a vice, ripping the verdora forward.

"It's a good thing you're wearing gloves," the Knight said, his voice barely audible over the wind caused by their high-speed passage. "Very practical."

Eyrin panted. "Too practical for Illudis," he commented, voice dry and raspy.

"Here," Dean breathed, releasing Eyrin's wrist. The verdora fell over, gasping. "You should be able to find the kursi without me."

Eyrin placed his first set of arms on his second pair, heaving. His flexible spine twisted upward, allowing him to arch his body up and better inflate his lungs. After his breathing normalized, Eyrin flexed his spine again as he elevated his second pair of legs, standing on only the third pair. He walked forward, his second pair of limbs clasped tightly around his midsection for added support. I do concede that the flowing robes preferred in high society look better when walking bipedally.

Eyrin found the group of kursi without assistance, their shells clearly visible in the crush of congregated bodies. Five humans, he noted as he scoped them out from afar. He walked over, his robed feet slipping on the sand below and nearly causing him to fall over. He licked the inside of his mouth, moistening his gums in preparation for speaking.

"Hey, it's a verdora kursi," one of the humans exclaimed, turning to her companions and shaking their shoulders. "Wo~w, you're tall," she noted, shifting her weight onto her left hip. "I didn't realize you guys could walk on two legs; all the others walk on four."

A male human laughed. "Kinda looks like a, uh, one of the devilbats."

The humans all gave the man dubious looks. "What!?"

"Have you seen them walk? Without their wings?"

What...what is this? Eyrin coughed lightly into his veil, dropping back down onto four legs. If anything, they mock me for being bipedal. How peculiar.

"Oh, right, buddy," the man said. "I'm Zhou Wang. This is Ida Moore, Khalid Abboud, Priscilla Duval, and Lisa White."

Eyrin looked on in confusion. How am I supposed to know who is who? "...I am Eyrin, prince of Eyrus, son of Juserin the fifty-sixth." He added the "son of Juserin" part because he doubted they would recognize the province of Eyrus.

"Wait, Eyrus?" one the women said, cocking her head. "The place with the black rock canyon?"

Eyrin blinked once in surprise. "Yes, actually."

"...The place with a beautiful beach?"

Eyrin blinked twice. Eyrus is one of twenty provinces bordering bodies of water; of course it has beaches! "If the beach in question is near Black Night Craig, yes, it's in Eyrus," he said.

The human woman nodded. "Good to know. So, how old are you?"

I didn't immediately peg her as the leader of this group, but something tells me...she's the one in charge. "Forty-four."

The woman nodded. "Zhou's two-hundred and ninety-nine, Ida's one-hundred and four, Khalid's ninety-eight, and Priscilla's forty-two.

So, by process of elimination, this is Lisa White that's speaking.

"Wang is in charge of our unit for the duration of this expedition," she explained. "So you'll get all your assignments from him. In general, our job will be to pacify our own forces in the event of fights breaking out and the like."

If Zhou Wang is in charge...why is Lisa White saying so? Eyrin frowned imperceptibly, his red veil covering the motion. She also never mentioned her age; just who is she?

"Reasonable," Eyrin replied. "These are Juserin's holdings; we shouldn't run into trouble between here and Earth."

"The biggest difficulty," Lisa explained, "is that we need to blaze a trail from here," she pointed to the gate leading from Illudis to planet 39811, "back to Earth. We'll probably be reliant on our engineers to deal with the biggest problems, such as constructing a terminal or ferry between the next gate, in outer space, and Equinox--planet 39786. We can personally assist in growing city-seeds and laying down other elements of infrastructure."

"Why don't your gods simply do all of this?" Eyrin asked.

Lisa's mouth curved into a devious grin "Because: this expedition is an excellent way to accumulate PP and--oh, it's even better for you: I bet you'll be done with all your boons in under two weeks. You'll be using them all the time."

"Oh."

Lisa strode forward, grabbed him by the arm, and brushed out the front of his robe. "Cheer up: it's gonna be fun."

Eyrin flinched at the extreme breach in etiquette: he didn't actually care, since verdoran etiquette was one of the most outdated, useless social constructs in the universe (or so Eyrin liked to complain to his companions at the Hideway)...but he'd never experienced someone reaching out and touching the front of his robe.

Though, in truth, it was wrinkled and dusty.

Lisa paid his reaction no mind, already dragging one of the women off--the one who first noticed his approach--to discuss something. Eyrin sat down in meditation, unsure about what, exactly, he was supposed to be doing; his mission supervisor was just walking around and drawing aimless patterns in the sand.

After a few minutes, Lisa returned. "Zhou," she barked. "Give Eyrin something to do. Look at him," she said, pointing, "he's sitting alone by himself."

Eyrin kept his eyes shut, as though doing so would make him invisible. I can hear everything she's saying; I'm five rods away.

"Yo, Eyrin," Zhou called out. "Why don't you check in with the other verdora, make sure any cultural differences are sorted out."

Eyrin opened one eye. "Now?"

Zhou chuckled, his black hair swishing over his shoulders. "Why not?"

Eyrin stood up, shaking the sand from his robe. "I'll be back soon." Who did Juserin send with this expedition? he wondered, scanning the disorganized sapients. Where are they standing?

After a minute of searching, he finally spotted them: ninety-nine verdora clustered in a haphazard circle, basking in the harsh red light streaming through the clouds. They all seem slightly nervous, though that's to be expected.

Thankfully they're all clustered together, he noted, or else this would be more difficult. Once he was in range, he reached out to touch the shells of the ninety-nine verdora, invoking within them feelings of obeisance and submission. Recognizing this conspicuous influence as that of a kursi, they immediately bowed, veils draping across the desert sand.

"Rise," he said, waiting for them to return to their former positions. Seeing that all were sitting and attentive he began, speaking slowly: "My name is Eyrin, Prince of Eyrus. I am here to listen to your grievances." He gave all of them a sharp, calculated look: the procedure for airing grievances was one they all knew by heart. "I will moderate, and will forcibly pacify anyone at my own discretion." He waited a moment, expression grave, before saying, "Present your grievances."