Jack was the last to wake up, as usual. Em'brel had gotten up early to cook, which was quickly becoming her chosen role, and Jack could definitely smell bacon in the air. He was starting to wonder just how long his bacon stores would last at the current rate of consumption.

Em'brel was explaining her latest lesson to S'haar as she wrapped some sort of bread and egg mixture in bacon, secured it with a toothpick, and fried the bacon roll-ups in a skillet. "I'm telling you, they tamed lightning! This whole ship is powered by lightning! They are running off of stored up lightning at the moment. Usually, they make new lightning by creating a small star inside the ship! With their ship damaged, they can't do that right now. Instead, they are going to borrow some of the power of our sun!"

S'haar's look was split between confusion and impatience as she tried to simultaneously listen to what Em'brel had to say and will the food to cook more quickly. "But what will happen if they take our suns' power? Won't it get colder?"

Angela was starting to trust Em'brel more and more in the kitchen but still kept half an eye on the girl's work as she responded. "It won't affect the heat of your planet any more than the plants around you do. They've been doing the same thing as long as they've existed, taking the sun's power and turning it into the energy they use to grow and flourish. By the time the power of your sun reaches us here on your planet, it's already done its thing, and your sun doesn't need it anymore."

Em'brel finished the first batch and set a plate of them in front of S'haar and Jack. S'haar grabbed a piece a little too eagerly and started to toss it into her mouth before Em'brel snatched it out of the air while admonishing S'haar. "You don't just eat the whole thing. You have to slide it off the toothpick like so!" In the overly delicate way only Em'brel seemed capable of, holding onto one end of the toothpick, she placed the morsel in her mouth and drew the toothpick out before chewing.

Em'brels eyes were half-closed in rapture, and S'haar quickly followed suit. Soon all speech had ended, filling the ship with a comfortable silence as the two predators lost themselves in the flavor of their food. Jack wasn't going to miss out and took some for himself.

The bacon was the primary flavor of the food. Unsurprisingly it went well with the egg. The bread was more for texture and made the meal a bit more filling, but there was also a hint of garlic and something else with a little zest Jack couldn't place.

The confusion was evident on his face because Angela supplied an explanation. "The mystery flavor is celery salt!" Jack wasn't sure what that even was, but then again, Angela usually took charge of stocking the ship with supplies, so he wasn't surprised to have a spice he'd never heard of onboard.

Angela was pleased with the effect the meal was having on everyone's spirits but decided it was time to get down to business. "Since you got the tunnels dug out, the next step is to run the power cables out to that side of the mountain. With a little luck, we'll have the solar panels up and working in a day or two!"

The group had demolished the first three batches, but as Em'brel pulled off the fourth batch, Jack swiped them all before either predator could get a bite and put them in a container to take out to the workers. "We can run the cables this evening, but first, I want to go check up on the workers. They probably have enough shaped wood to begin the first lodge."

S'haar gave Jack a glare that quite handily explained how dangerous it was to come between a hungry predator and her food. "And you are taking my bacon away because...?"

Jack held up a hand and started counting down his fingers. "First, too much of one thing isn't healthy. You need more variety in your diet. Second, you've already had enough breakfast. If you overeat, you'll be sick all morning, and we won't get anything done. Third, Those workers came all the way out here and risked a lot to help us out. This will be a good 'thank you.' Fourth, can you think of anything else that would inspire loyalty in the workers faster than bacon? Fifth, ok, I didn't think it through enough to have a fifth and assumed I'd just come up with one before I got here, but the previous four should be enough reasons."

S'haar glared at Jack for a few more moments before slowly allowing her gaze to wander. "Fine, I guess you get to live... for now."

Jack bowed his head in exaggerated gratitude. "Your benevolence is an inspiration to us all."

-

Jack brought out the bacon roll-ups as the workers were finishing their breakfast. When he lifted the cover, and the scents wafted out, all heads turned toward him. Setting the basket on a bench, Jack backed away. He knew better than to get between a bunch of argu'n and their first experience with bacon. S'haar managed to restrain herself from joining in as she translated for Jack. "Compliments of Em'brel, she thought you all had been working hard and deserved a treat."

Jack watched as the feeding frenzy began. There was a moment when Jack feared trouble was brewing when one of the younger woodworkers started to push another out of the way. However, Fea'en proved more than up to wrangling her charges with a cuff to the back of the offending argu'n's head. The proper pecking order established, the rest of the after-breakfast snack went off without a hitch.

The basket was quickly emptied. Everyone was made sure of this when Lon'thul held the basket upside down over his head and shook it, just to be sure there was no hidden compartment with more bacon hidden inside.

Fea'en shook her head in amusement at the youngster's antics as she approached Jack. When she spoke up, her gravely voice oozed satisfaction. "You keep enough food like that coming, and I might consider the rest of your debt paid. These lads don't need my help shaping more wood. Why don't you show me what you are thinking about next? I have a feeling it's not going to be what I would normally expect."

Jack nodded his head and led her and S'haar over to the area he and S'haar had cleared earlier. "Ok, so this is the spot I'm planning on putting up the first lodge. The first step is to put up a wooden frame like this."

Jack withdrew a schematic he and Angela had drawn up, showing the skeletal outline of the building he had planned. It didn't take as long as he'd feared to explain the idea of size and scale. Fea'en caught on quickly. "So, once you get the beams in place, are you going to line the walls in skins? I see several issues if that's the case, not the least of which is there is no way you'd retain enough heat in an area that size. I'm hoping you're not planning on making it all out of wood. It would take forever to shape enough lumber to fill in the gaps."

Jack shook his head. "I have something else in mind, quicker than lumber, better insulating, and easier to repair. If you can get this section up here." Jack pointed first at the schematic and again at the spot of ground he indicated. "S'haar and I will get the next parts ready."

Fea'en looked at Jack with a combination of curiosity and skepticism. "You know, my father had a saying about people promising things too good to be real, but I'll give you a chance to prove you know what you're talking about. After all, you have to pay us whether or not you waste your time."

S'haar's face expressed her confidence in Jack's ability to follow through with his promises as they parted ways.

-

Jack and S'haar brought along Em'brel and Lon'thul to help with this portion of the plan. Jack was explaining, and S'haar translated for Lon'thul. He held up a branch about three inches thick and seven feet long and a thinner sapling only about an inch wide. "So what we need are a combination of long thin branches like this and even thinner saplings like this."

Waving toward the forest near the lake Jack continued. "S'haar and Lon'thul can gather those. Meanwhile, Em'brel and I will get the clay, mud, and reeds we need by the lake. Just get as much as you can and load the cart up before lunch. After we eat, I'll show everyone what we'll be doing with everything."

As they worked, everyone stayed more or less within sight and sound of each other, and the required materials accumulated quickly.

Em'brel laughed as she worked, brightening the morning work. She had mud up to her elbows, streaked across her forehead, and all over her clothes. "You know, I've never done work like this before. My father always said things like this were for other people to do, but this is so much more fun than learning to read and write!"

Wiping her hand across her forehead in the same movement that had first put a streak of mud on her face Em'brel continued. "I'm curious what you have planned for the dirt, clay, and reeds. It's exciting to see strange human technology at work!"

Jack grinned as he heaved another shovelful of dirt into the bucket Em'brel would take to the cart once it was filled. "This is an ancient technique used by humans for thousands of years. There are better building materials, and we might switch to those eventually, but this method was used for so long precisely because of how quick and easy it is to assemble while also providing significant protection from the elements. I wouldn't be surprised if this technique quickly spread to surrounding villages as well. Throughout human history, it was often the least flashy technologies that had the most significant impact on the quality of life."

Em'brel tilted her head to the side with a mischievous grin on her face. "Said the man who traveled here on a ship that sails between the stars of the heavens?"

Jack shrugged as he worked. "As impressive as that sentence may sound, indoor plumbing had a more substantial impact on people's lifespans than faster than light travel ever could have."

Now Em'brel looked confused. "You mean like your sinks and toilets on the ship? It's nice that I don't have to go fetch water from a well, but I don't see how that could make a person live longer."

Jack felt a little sorry for the lessons in store for the poor girl because of such a simple question. "To understand that, you first have to understand microorganisms such as bacteria. To introduce you to the subject, let me tell you the story of John Snow and the Broad Street pump!"

Em'brel had an odd combination of interest and dread on her face while she listened as they continued working.

-

S'haar watched Jack and Em'brel laugh as they worked and wondered what crazy ideas he was explaining to her this time. As much as S'haar enjoyed the benefits of human technology, she was more interested in the fact that it worked and less interested in how it worked.

Still, it was good to see how far the young Em'brel had come in such a short time. As it was, she was probably now the third most educated person on the planet, and if Jack wasn't careful, she might become the second. Somehow S'haar didn't think that would bother Jack in the slightest, though he might take that as a challenge.

Lon'thul was also watching the two laugh, but his expression was one of confusion. At S'haar's raised eye ridge, he finally voiced his thoughts. "How is it you and Em'brel came to understand Jack's language in such a short time? You haven't even known him for a season, and Em'brel has known him for an even shorter period, yet the two of you seem to understand and translate for him with ease."

S'haar's hands continued to work as her thoughts turned to the memories of both her and Em'brel going through the procedure of learning the language. After seeing it performed on Em'brel, she had no more understanding of what had happened than she had when it had been done to herself. "Jack would hate for me to use the term 'human magic,' but that's the best way I can describe it. He simply gave us the language."

Lon'thul looked stunned at the idea, his hand frozen mid chop. "He simply gave you the language? Just like that? Can he give you any knowledge you want?"

S'haar Shook her head, not noticing Lon'thul's inaction. "No, apparently this only works because our minds already have the framework for the language. It didn't teach us something new so much as attach certain sounds to already existing knowledge. I'm probably the worst one to explain the idea since I don't really understand it myself, but he can't add new information. He can only expand on existing information. There are still many words he uses that I need him to explain before I understand, and several that I still don't understand after the explanation."

Lon'thul was having a hard time reconciling the many feats Jack had performed in such a short time with the small, unassuming man the hunter was familiar with. Then something else occurred to him. "Why didn't Jack just come in and take over everything? The more I learn of him, the more powerful he seems to become."

S'haar smiled as she worked. "Jack is an odd man. He doesn't think twice about wielding power the likes of which you and I could never dream of, but he's not interested in using it for anything other than protecting his family. Although mostly, Jack simply wants to be left alone."

Lon'thul looked confused again. "If Jack only wants to be left alone, why is he putting this outpost together? Even for him, it seems like a lot of work, so why do something so ambitious if he's not interested in being in some kind of lord?"

S'haar considered how best to answer without giving away information that wasn't hers to reveal. "Everything Jack does is for family. As he once said, he will 'move heaven and earth' to protect those he considers family."

Lon'thul worked silently for a moment, contemplating the explanation. Eventually, the question he'd had on his mind since his revelation the other day worked it's way to the surface. Looking back at Jack and Em'brel, he gave voice to his thoughts. "So how did Em'brel become a member of Jack's family? I understand how you bonded your way into his house, but Jack's relationship with Em'brel is more like father and daughter, despite there being no shared blood between the two of them."

Lon'thul noticed a slight chill in the air before turning and seeing a dark expression on S'haar's face. "Just how exactly do you think I 'bonded my way into his house?'"

Lon'thul realized he'd absent-mindedly said the wrong thing again, and looking back at S'haar's string of issues in the village, it was easy to see where. Holding up his hands in surrender, be quickly back-peddled. "I didn't mean to imply that you slept with him just to get into his house! I just meant it is evident that there is a connection between the two of you! You two are already more close than most partnered couples in the village!"

S'haar's expression quickly morphed from anger to confusion as she contemplated his words. True, Jack was one of her closest friends these days, along with Angela and Em'brel, but Lon'thul was all but outright calling them a couple. Looking at Jack, her feeling only seemed to grow more complicated on the subject. She was more protective of Jack than the other two, but that's just because he's so small and weak, right?

Then there was the night at the inn. Holding Jack tightly against the wall had certainly evoked some odd emotions within her, but they'd been quickly dispelled when they were interrupted by Sur'ruin. Looking at Jack now, smiling as he taught Em'brel some new piece of human knowledge, she couldn't help but feel something warm and unsettling in the pit of her stomach.

Lon'thul couldn't have been more surprised by S'haar's reaction if she'd turned into a wolgen in front of his eyes. Looking at the expressions flittering over her face, something finally fell into place. "Wait, you mean you and he haven't... you don't... you're not....?"

S'haar turned and attacked Lon'thul, pinning him by his throat against a tree. "If you value your life, you will not say another word on the subject!"

Lon'thul nodded emphatically, but S'haar couldn't help but notice the laughter hadn't left his eyes. "Whatever relationship the two of us have is none of your business, understand?"

S'haar stared at him a moment longer before realizing he couldn't answer as long as she cut off his air supply. Letting him go, the hunter slumped to the ground. He took a moment to catch his breath before looking up with a big grin on his face. "Just promise me that when you two make it official, you'll invite me to the bonding ceremony. I want to see what kind of party Jack's going to throw!"

S'haar was undeniably the better combatant, but her mind was elsewhere at the moment. Even if Lon'thul hadn't been expecting the clawed swipe that followed his statement, it had been so clearly telegraphed that he had plenty of time to get out of the way. Standing back up, he held up his hands in surrender and voiced his peace offering. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I just couldn't resist a little fun at your expense. Usually, it's me one step behind, and I couldn't help myself. I'll stop, though, I swear!"

She glared at him with narrowed eyes measuring his response before she turned and walked away, still trying to work out her feelings on the matter.

Still grinning to himself, Lon'thul gathered up a handful of saplings and followed her to the cart.