Em'brel got up before the others to make breakfast in her usual manner. She stopped for a moment when she remembered it was only one other now. She felt a sharp pang in her chest at the thought but continued her chosen duty anyway. It wasn't as fun as usual, her heart just wasn't in it this morning; however, Em'brel knew better than many that no matter how bad things got, life simply went on.

This time wasn't even as bad as the last time had been. Em'brel still had S'haar and Angela, she had a future that probably didn't include slavery, and in the furthest, most distant parts of her mind, a small voice told her there was still hope. Hope that Jack might come back to them again. To Em'brel again. "But, he wouldn't need to come back if you'd just acted a little faster!"

As Em'brel muttered angrily to herself, her hand spasmed, shattering the egg she'd been holding and spraying all the nearby surfaces in whites and yolk.

Looking at the mess, the girl felt defeated. Somehow this latest trial, as small as it was, was just too much. Em'brel was torn between finishing the breakfast she'd started and cleaning the mess she'd made and found she was frozen with indecision. While the seconds then minutes ticked by, the egg soaked in and dried to various surfaces while the breakfast she'd been working on began to burn. Everything was now worse than if she'd just picked one task and started on that, but she was still frozen. Exactly like she had been when the kovaack charged.

Smoke started spiraling from the pan sitting on the stovetop, and the egg was drying and cracking on her skin. Slowly Em'brel closed her eyes, then forced all her will into her hand. When that didn't work, she focused on one finger. With agonizing slowness, she pried that finger open. After that, she did the same with every finger on her hand. Each finger was a little easier than the one before. Soon her hand, then arm, then both arms were free.

Opening her eyes, Em'brel sighed and finally grabbed some hot pads to pull the pan off the burner. She scraped the breakfast's remnants into the waste, cleaned the shattered egg off everything, and then started over. She couldn't undo her mistake, and it had resulted in ruining her first attempt at breakfast, but she could move forward and try and make another breakfast without making the same mistakes again. A voice in the back of her mind told her there was a more profound lesson contained in there somewhere, but she wasn't ready for that yet.

-

Angela watched the girl get back to work with a feeling of profound relief. Jack had once told her that sometimes he needed to clean up the messes he made to help deal with the emotion that helped make them. There was a particular strength in confronting his mistakes and doing what he could to make it right, or in his words, 'In owning it, sometimes I can overcome it.'

While Angela didn't blame Em'brel for what happened, she knew the young girl blamed herself, and it was clear from what Em'brel had said to herself that this smaller crisis was a surrogate for her more significant internal struggles. For a brief period, Angela had shifted most of her attention from Jack to Em'brel and silently cheered the girl on. The only time she'd interfered was to turn down the burner to buy a little time before something caught fire.

Now Em'brel was back to work. Her face was a grim mask of determination that was utterly dissonant with the task of making breakfast, but Angela noticed all hesitation was gone, and the young argu'n now moved with a will and a purpose.

Angela shifted her attention back to S'haar and Jack. The argu'n woman was still curled up on Jack's legs, but Angela could tell she was now awake.

-

A small voice inside her head told S'haar that so long as she didn't open her eyes, Jack would still be as alive and energetic as he's been in her dreams. The problem was she'd gone and made a stupid noble proclamation about seeing Jack's goals through. To do that, she needed to wake up and confront the truth.

Cracking her eyes open, she could see Jack as lifeless as she remembered him being the night before. At least his stomach and chest were now closed up, and no robotic limbs were digging around inside him any longer. If she squinted, it almost looked like he would get up and start grumbling about how he hated mornings at any moment.

With a sigh, she pulled herself to her feet and started to leave to get some breakfast. That's when Angela appeared in the corner of the room. "You can speak to him, you know."

S'haar's sleep-deprived mind couldn't quite grasp what Angela was getting at. "I'm sorry... what?"

Angela looked over at Jack. Her face conveying both worry and happiness. "You can speak to him. I don't know how much he actually understands, but his brain waves tell me that at least a part of him hears what we say. There have been stories of people waking up from comas who could repeat things told to them while they were sleeping. Not always, but I like to think he's at least somewhat aware that we're here. So anytime you want to, you can come to talk to him. He just might be listening while trying to find his way back to us."

S'haar looked at the man who was starting to mean so much to her before he went and did something stupid and noble that still might kill him. She wanted to scream at him for leaving, beg him to come back, tell him she'd protect him, ask him for help, but mostly she wanted to say to him that she... No, S'haar wasn't ready for these thoughts yet. It was too much.

As she turned to walk out the door, S'haar simply muttered quietly, "Maybe later."

-

Breakfast was a more somber affair than usual. They both ate in silence. Despite Em'brel's initial setbacks, the meal turned out as good as it usually did. After the previous day and night, both argu'n were ravenous. However, they simply gulped down their food in a hurried silence, neither daring to break the sounds of scraping utensils with their voice.

As they were cleaning up, Angela appeared before S'haar and Em'brel. "I know you've...we've had a rough night and morning, but the workers are getting restless. After what they saw, the future seems uncertain, and right now, they need leadership and encouragement. You need to assure them that despite...everything...that they will be taken care of."

Looking over to S'haar, Angela continued. "They know and respect you. You've been Jack's right hand for as long as anyone here has known him. You're already established as someone who will stand up for what you believe in, despite what it can cost you, and you're known as someone who takes care of those in her charge. You're a natural leader."

Looking over at Em'brel, Angela continued. "You are young, but you've already experienced many of the worst things life can throw at you, and you came out the other side with hope and happiness. You've already captured the hearts of everyone who knows your story, and your determination to keep fighting for a better future has captured their imaginations. Every undertaking needs a heart, someone who keeps the lifeblood flowing and lifts people's hopes and spirits. That's a role you are uniquely qualified to fill."

Looking at them together, Angela continued. "I know things look bad right now, but the two of you have everything you'll ever need to make this outpost a success, and I'll be here if you need a little help now and then."

Em'brel looked a little teary-eyed as she spoke with a small voice. "I think... I think I'm going to need more than a little help..."

Angela smiled affectionately at her young charge. "I was underplaying my presence somewhat. I'll be here as much as you need."

Looking toward the door facing the mouth of the cave, Angela cocked her head to one side as if listening. "Now, the two of you might want to get ready to speak to a guest. They're sending in a sacrificial...I mean a representative as we speak.

-

As Lon'thul walked into the cave, he couldn't help but be filled with trepidation. They had been told to never enter the cave without an invitation. However, the workers were more than a little worried about what the future held. Tel'ron had told the rest it had looked like Em'brel was carrying a corpse, and even S'haar hadn't bothered to return after entering into the cave. Everyone was worried that their excursion was over. What's worse, they were wondering how to make it back home without a supply of the heat packs Jack had provided up until now.

It had been decided that since Lon'thul had the most rapport with their hosts, he would most likely be forgiven for trespassing, especially given extenuating circumstances. At the time, he'd eagerly agreed. After all, that meant he didn't have to worry about clearing the snow away with the rest of the workers as they dug paths around the various parts of the camp.

Walking through the gloom of the cave with a torch in hand, Lon'thul started to doubt his earlier logic. What if the dragon took offense and killed him before he even had a chance to explain himself? What if he got lost? What if...

His last through faded into surprise and mild panic as the area around him lit up as if the morning sun had cleared the horizon. The light came from in front of him rather than above. It seemed to be mounted on some sort of stand, but Lon'thul found it was so bright he couldn't stare into the light for long. Blinking away the tears from his eyes, it took Lon'thul a moment to notice there was a large metal wall just behind the lights.

He was just starting to debate going closer to inspect the wall or turning back and finding another route when a portion of the wall simply slid away, revealing what appeared to be a door. Just inside stood S'haar, her head tilted to the side a moment before coming to a decision of some sort. "Well, since you came all the way here, you might as well come inside."

S'haar disappeared back through the hole in the wall, leaving Lon'thul on his own for a minute before he swallowed his fear and followed after. Walking up to the door, he couldn't help but reach out and rap the wall with his knuckles. It was definitely solid and thick, this... building?... could withstand any force known to Lon'thul. He hesitated on the threshold for a moment longer before deciding he trusted S'haar enough to follow her into this strange place.

As Lon'thul stepped forward, the first thing he noticed was how bright and warm the room was. If the lights outside had been as bright as the morning sun, it was like the noon-day sun itself was in this room. The room was more spacious than he'd been expecting, even if it was a little short for a full-grown male, and when he thought of the whole place wrapped in metal, his mind boggled at the sheer quantities of metal that must be involved.

Then there was the heat. It was like the warmth of a campfire was spread evenly throughout the room. The cave had been warm relative to the winter air, but even that felt cold and damp compared to this place.

S'haar was walking over to an area with several odd-looking benches. When she sat down, the bench seemed to sink in a little and fold around her slightly. She indicated he should sit in a chair covered in a material that looked similar to her bench. When he took her up on her offer, Lon'thul felt himself slightly sink into his own seat. If it weren't for his mind traveling a mile a second trying to take in everything and failing, he'd probably have spent more than a moment marveling how, between the heat and his chair, this was the single most comfortable moment of his life up until this point.

S'haar watched Lon'thul look around himself in constant amazement. His eyes focusing on each wonder the room contained only as long as it took to spot the next. His eyes and head were swiveling around the room, darting to and fro in a way she knew her own must have done the first time she'd seen it. When Em'brel was introduced to this place, her reaction had been somewhat muted, possibly due to the trauma she'd been going through. Seeing Lon'thul's expressions of amazement, she suddenly understood Jack's odd smile the first time he'd shown her around his ship. Lon'thul may have the physique of an adult male, but right now, his expression was that of childlike wonder.

S'haar allowed him to indulge his curiosity for a moment longer before clearing her throat to get his attention. As his eyes snapped back to her, Lon'thul tilted his head in curiosity. "Is this where you've been living all this time?"

S'haar smiled sadly as she leaned further back into the padding on her bench. "Yes. Jack, Em'brel, and I have all been living here for a while now."

Her expression reminded Lon'thul why he was here, and he mentally kicked himself for bringing up the subject so callously. However, the issue was broached, and he had a responsibility to the other workers. "Listen, I don't know a good way to ask this, but is Jack dead? Is it time to close this place down and go back to the village?"

S'haar stopped and thought a moment before responding. "Jack is... mostly alive. We hope he'll make a full recovery, and to that end, Em'brel and I will be overseeing the outpost until he can resume his role in the camp."

Lon'thul seemed more than a little confused for a moment before asking, "What do you mean 'mostly alive?'"

S'haar's eyes lost focus as she seemed to look into the distance as she spoke. "The dragon healed Jack's body, but his spirit was damaged along with his body. Right now, he's lost somewhere between this life and the next. We can only hope he'll find his way back the world of the living."

S'haar's eyes refocused onto Lon'thul's. "Given everything I've seen him do up until now, I believe he will succeed!"

Lon'thul closed his eyes for a moment, and when his eyes opened, his expression was stern, or at least as stern as Lon'thul could be. "I hope so as well, for everyone's sake, but I have to ask, what becomes of us if he doesn't?"

S'haar closed her eyes a moment at the thought, then brushed it away and pushed forward. She gestured around the room as she spoke. "You've had a good look at this room and the many marvels herein since you got here, and I can promise you that you've barely scratched the surface of what this place contains. We welcomed you in here to see for yourself we have the ability to fulfill the promises we make."

S'haar now focused her attention on Lon'thul as she spoke, her eyes holding his captive as he looked into the superior predators gaze. "All the compensation promised will be met. If we can't supply what was specified for any reason, it will be substituted with something of higher value."

At those words, Lon'thul took another glance around the room and knew that promise was well within their power. "Ok, I accept that. However, the entire plan behind this outpost currently lies in the head of a man lost in the spirit world. How will we move forward from here?"

S'haar leaned back again, remembering how many times she'd seen Jack do something similar to project confidence he didn't necessarily feel. "I've been Jack's right hand since he set foot in this land. I am familiar with what he's got planned for this outpost. From how it was supposed to be laid out to the purpose each part was going to serve. I'll be taking over the direction of establishing and running the camp."

Lon'thul pressed forward, not willing to so quickly accept the answers S'haar had given. The rest of the workers trusted him to represent them today, and he was going to make sure their concerns were heard. "That's well and good, and I trust you to do your best by us, but this outpost was based on more than just a good location. Jack had dragon magic that allowed him to do things we never could. Those things were the foundation of this whole place. Are you telling me you understand the secrets he knew?"

Em'brel chose that moment to exit the med-bay where she'd been helping Angela change Jack's dressings. S'haar pointed to the girl with her chin as she spoke. "I do not, but Em'brel has been learning from both Jack and the dragon as their apprentice. She might not have all of Jack's knowledge, but she knows enough to fill in where my knowledge is lacking."

The younger argu'n did her best to not wilt from the attention suddenly directed her direction. Instead, she responded with a formal bow. "I'll do my best to apply the knowledge so generously bestowed upon me to meet the needs of this place and all the people who live here."

Lon'thul hadn't missed the fact that there were several doors similar to the one Em'brel had exited from scattered around the room, and apparently, most of them led somewhere other than back to the cave, meaning he had no real idea of how big this place really was. However, now he was focused on the girl standing before him and found himself drawn to her earnestness.

S'haar drew his attention back with another clearing of her throat. "We realize this is asking many things of you all that you didn't agree to before you came out to this place, so go and speak to everyone and decide whether you want to leave or stay. Anyone who wants to leave will be given provisions, including heat packs, to make the trip back to the village after the snow melts with no hard feelings. Anyone who stays will have our gratitude as well as everything else we've promised. We'll give you some time to talk amongst yourselves, but we ask that you decide by breakfast tomorrow, which we'll be supplying. For now, we have a load of heat packs ready to go, sitting just outside the door you came in from."

Lon'thul recognized a dismissal when he heard one and got up to leave. Before he reached the door, a thought stopped him. "I thought you lived with the dragon, but as marvelous as this place is, I don't see any room for such a... creature to live in here with you. Where is the dragon?"

S'haar and Em'brel looked at each other with a smile that only confused Lon'thul further before S'haar turned to answer the hunter. "That is a more complicated question than you realize. This simple answer is that the dragon is closer than you think. She can hear everything that happens inside her caves and a great deal of what happens in a surrounding area outside the caves. This whole place exists with and by her pleasure. In much the same way Jack does, she thinks of us as her family."

Lon'thul's head was tilted to the side, the answer had obviously only served to confuse him further, but neither S'haar nor Em'brel seemed interested in offering further clarification. He nodded his respect to both of the women with a small sigh of defeat as he departed. He was only slightly surprised when the door apparently shut on its own behind him despite only other people in the room being nowhere near it as it did so.

As soon as he was gone, Angela appeared to the two girls. She was jumping up and down in that overly excited way of hers. "That went great! You two performed perfectly! I have no doubt most of them will agree to stay, and we owe it all to you!"

S'haar looked worried. The other two noticed she didn't even realize when she copied Jack's neck rubbing habit as she spoke. "I don't know. I'm not quite as good at talking to people as Jack is."

Angela beamed nothing but pride back at the woman. "I think you picked up more than you realize. Those months of translating for him really rubbed off on you. In some ways, I think you might be better at it than he was!"

Em'brel was nodding along with Angela when the AI's attention was turned toward the girl. "And you! You did great as well! When you spoke, I could practically see Lon'thul's desire to follow you wherever you might go, and not just because of the slight crush he seems to be developing for you!"

Both S'haar and Em'brel looked at Angela with their mouths hanging wide open at her last declaration. Angela looked back and forth, a little confused at their reactions. "What, I wasn't the only one who noticed that he likes her, was I?"