Winters couldn’t help but laugh aloud as the creature before him, which he now knew to be a ‘Cauthan’ named Veera, attempted to smile at him. He was impressed. She’d pretty much gotten it on the first try. “I think I like you Veera.” He replied offhandedly, knowing she would only recognize her own name. This wasn’t to say they hadn’t made good progress in his opinion. The two of them had established that communication between Human and Cauthan was a definite, physiological possibility. They could both produce, hear, and interpret complex sound. There was only a language barrier; a difficulty, but not impossible to overcome. More importantly it was something that Winters’ own technology could be adapted to solve, if he was ever able to interact with a larger population. They’d covered the ever important ‘yes’ and ‘no’, both verbally and non-verbally. And finally, Winters sensed that Veera was becoming accustomed to his presence. At a minimum it seemed she was no longer concerned for her life, a definite improvement for her and for his chances of long term survival on the planet. The problem was, Winters didn’t really know where to go from there. To tease out more language would require time and effort, something he wasn’t sure he had in abundance given the lengthening shadows they were casting over the charred ground. Nor could he just invite himself back to her village and ask for a cot. There has to be something more I can do to establish a rapport…but what? Winters folded an arm across his chest, propping his chin up with the other. He noticed Veera mimic him again and smiled at her, pleased that she was making the effort actively engage an alien. It was never a sure thing with ‘primitive’ races. Hell, he thought. Even when the Ghaelen found us things didn’t go over particularly well until…that’s it! Winters thought back to the stories his mother had told him as a child, how all the world watched, guns drawn, as a single UN diplomat entered the foreign ship. The ensuing ‘handshake’ would change the course of humanity forever. Tactile…of course!

Winters undid the seals on his right gauntlet, removed it, and then extended his bare hand to Veera. He tried his best to move with purpose and without haste, wanting to pique her curiosity, not frighten. For a few awkward seconds Veera simply looked at him, cocking her head slightly to one side. Her plumage seemed to wave back and forth ever so slightly, as if a visual representation of the gears turning within her brain. Soon enough, the light of understanding lit her eyes and with some trepidation she took two steps to close the gap between them. Winters could make out the individual hairs on her face now. She looks…really soft. Good lord what am I thinking? Pull yourself together Winters! Hrrrm, I guess she actually is quite soft. Veera had just placed her hand on his. As it rested there he could feel the pads of calloused skin on her palms and fingertips. It was a distinct contrast to the soft fur in between. “Hmm, that actually tickles a little bit.” Winters mumbled as Veera traced the creases of his palm before moving to examine each of his digits. She lingered on his thumb, clearly curious as to its differences, so Winters gave her a brief demonstration by wiggling it around, showing her each individual axis of movement that it was capable of.

From his thumb, Veera moved up Winters’ forearm, spending some time to examine the hair there and compare it to her own. Not knowing what else to do as Veera tested the strength and density of his muscles, Winters scanned the horizon, taking in more details of the scenery. From what he could see it looked like the grassy plain he was standing in continued for at least a few hundred meters in every direction and extended indefinitely back past his pod to the west. Other than the tops of trees in the distance there was little else to see, though if he listened closely he thought he could hear running water off to his left. That would be exceptionally good news if we did somehow manage to land that close to a source of fresh water. Winters considered as Veera’s hands made their way over the border between his skin and armor. She was now touching his armored shoulder, getting a feel for the texture and strength of the metal. Looking up, Veera met Winters’ eyes as she hovered an exploring hand over his chest. It looked like a silent request for approval, so he nodded. Though he could only feel the lightest of pressure, Winters felt his breathing accelerate. Were it not for the many extenuating circumstances, the most proximate being the inch thick metal plate encasing his torso, he couldn’t help but think that what they were doing could be considered quite intimate by human or maybe even Cauthan standards. Trying to regain focus, he noticed the feathers on Veera’s arms seemed to be vibrating softly. Looking down, he saw her hand shaking as it moved along to trace the triangular ornamentation he’d painted onto the left side of his armor. At least I’m not the only one feeling a little nervous. Winters thought. Her adrenaline’s probably pumping harder than mine. I’ve got the armored suit at least.

“Are you ok Veera?” He asked, bringing his right hand up to rest atop hers. She’d been drifting a bit too close to his holstered weapons for comfort. The touch broke her of the semi-trance state she’d been in and she snapped her eyes back to his while drawing in a sharp breath. She tentatively nodded, though Winters didn’t think it was because she’d understood his question. A rotation of her arm so that her pads faced upward confirmed Winters’ assumption that she was instead granting permission for him to explore her. Well, here goes… Winters brought two of his fingers to rest on the center pad, gauging her sense of touch. She seemed less sensitive than he was, but that easily could have been from whatever manual labor had caused her callouses. Winters was about to satisfy his curiosity regarding her claws/nails when Veera let out a yell, turned from him, picked up the bucket she’d been holding onto earlier and began sprinting away from him and his pod. Dumbfounded, Winters knelt to collect his helmet and gauntlet, replacing both. “Was it something I said?”

‘Perhaps it’s because you’ve not bathed in over 24 hours.’

“Don’t make me deactivate you.”

‘You wouldn’t.’

“I know.”

‘What now sir?’

“Well, I guess I’ll follow her, see if it gets me anywhere interesting.” Winters replied, crouching down to lift his pod’s door back into place. It wouldn’t do for any curious animals or other Cauthan to root around in there. “The pod should be fine for now and I’m pretty sure it’s not going anywhere. In the meantime why don’t you tell me what else you’ve pieced together about this planet?” Winters trudged away from his drop pod and towards the setting sun as Io began reciting facts about the ball of rock they’d managed to land on.

‘Sir, data from our approach and from the Lancer before she suffered reactor overload indicate that the planet has a rotational period of approximately 21 hours, and an orbital period of 358 solar days.’

“Meaning…” Winters ran the numbers through his head while Io waited patiently. “Their year consists of 409 days, give or take?”

‘Correct sir. I was also able to measure the axial tilt of the planet: 20.6 degrees.’

“Slightly less than Earth’s then, but more than enough for seasonality right?”

‘I believe so sir. Specifically I believe we’ve arrived during the equivalent of early autumn.’

“So winter is coming…great.” Winters sighed, looking again to the horizon. Now that he thought about it, relative to when he’d emerged from the pod the star in this system did seem to be moving at a decent clip across the sky. It would be an inconvenience adjusting to a 21 hour day, but nothing that would adversely affect his health, he hoped.

Returning his attention to the ground, Winters saw he’d just arrived at the corner of a knee high wall of stones that marked off a small farm from the surrounding wild grass. Neat rows of green, leafy shoots lined the tilled soil, indicating to Winters that the majority of the plant in question was probably underground. If not, it was a pitiful amount of biomass. A few moments later, Winters caught sight of Veera as she crested the slope on the opposite end of the farm. The bucket in her hands was clearly laden with water and Winters looked on absentmindedly as she began frantically watering her crop. Noticing the large amount of ground that was still dry, Winters understood Veera’s sudden haste to get back here. The luxury of time was apparently not something she possessed. “She’s afraid of the dark. And no matter how fast she works there’s no way she’s finishing in time.” Winters observed, bringing his hands together and cracking his knuckles. “Well, guess there’s nothing for it. It is my fault after all, eh Io?”

‘Sir, you cannot mean to suggest you’re about to engage in subsistence agriculture?’

“Why shouldn’t I? It’s my fault she’s behind schedule.” Winters argued as Veera’s ears disappeared over the ridge towards what he could only assume was her water source and the river he’d heard earlier. “At a minimum don’t you think we should confirm where the water is?”

‘Of course sir, but I feel I must remind you of first contact protocol-’

“Which we’ve already broken.”

‘Yes but that’s no reason to keep involving ourselves with this particular Cauthan. Surely we could find one of better means?’ The VI suggested, giving Winters pause before he swiftly rapped the side of his helmet. God damn co-developed pieces of junk.

“Io I want you to deprioritize every single subroutine you have that was written by the Ghaelen. Those puffed up pricks enjoy sitting in their comfy ships too much. Invented warp drives but couldn’t handle a platoon of marines. Like it or not we are representatives of our entire species. We’re good enough to survive without such calculated cruelty. Should that change, we will re-evaluate.”

‘Sir, such an action is impossible on my part but I apologize for offending you.’

“None taken and I know you were just trying to help. But right now, we have direct orders from a ranking officer. We are to survive here using any means necessary. That takes precedent over a treaty written by diplomats hundreds of light years away. Besides…” Winters relented and sighed deeply. “If I don’t do something, I think I’m gonna lose it.”

‘Sir, are you alright? I’m not reading any abnormalities in your vital signs.’

“That’s not where it hurts Io. I guess you’ve never really lost anyone, huh? It’s a new experience for me too.”

‘I was activated just prior to this mission sir. I did not have much of a chance to interact with the rest of the Lancer’s crew.’

“Then please just trust me when I say that I need to do this, need to keep busy. I just lost my family.”

‘As you wish sir, lead the way.’

“Gladly. Ah, here comes our furry friend now.” Veera had reappeared, moving hurriedly to another portion of the field. Winters circled around the wall and met her at the point nearest to the embankment she’d been running up and down. Winters was close enough now to easily hear the comforting sound of a fast flowing river. As Veera made to return to the water source, Winters held up a hand. “Veera wait, let me.” The Cauthan looked at him for only a moment before shaking her head and pushing past him. She must have thought I wanted a repeat getting to know each other session. Guess I’ll have to let actions speak then. Winters thought as he quickly caught up with Veera and swiped the bucket from her hand. Ignoring the stream of angry shouting she delivered to his back, Winters began running. In a few moments he’d reached the riverbank, making quick note of the shallow, pebbly bed. Filling the bucket with haste and securing it with both hands, he began the climb back up the hill where Veera was now watching him in stunned silence. It wasn’t nearly as exciting as the time one of his drill sergeants had come up with the idea of using decommissioned demolition charges in a training exercise, but the elevated heart rate felt good nonetheless. Deciding speech was pointless, he simply handed the bucket over when he reached Veera. Despite the confusion on her face she nodded and went about her work. By the time Winters had removed his helmet, eager to feel the breeze on his face again, she’d returned and the cycle repeated.

Winters placed his heel on top of the low wall, catching his breath while Veera worked. His involvement had clearly sped the process, but it was also clear that despite their best efforts dusk would fall before they were done. The star of the system was now just above the line of trees that made up the distant eastern horizon. Now that is something that will take some getting used to. Winters thought. With the bucket empty, Veera rejoined him but this time refused to relinquish it. Instead she pointed to herself and then across the river twice. The message was obvious, it was time to leave. Wonder what sort of things go bump in the night on this planet. Whatever it is she’d clearly rather not deal with them. Winters tried pointing back at the last part of the field they had yet to water. It would only take a few more trips to complete. Veera looked down, lost in thought, before shaking her head ‘no’ and beginning to head for the small wood and rope bridge that spanned a narrow section of the river about a hundred feet downstream. “Well this is just unacceptable.” Winters grimaced and jogged up to her, blocking her way while hoisting his shield off his back.

For all the guns, explosives, and other toys Winters had been introduced to since joining the Human Expeditionary League, his shield was by far his favorite piece of equipment. It was slightly thinner than his armor and covered around half of his body length when standing upright. Some members of the Delta branch preferred tower shields, especially as a compliment to their exo-powered armor, but Winters enjoyed the circular make of his more. It was well balanced, lighter, and could be used as a weapon even without assisted movement. On the front, he had repeated the blue triangular fractal pattern that adorned the left side of his armor. Before Veera could protest he turned, stood in front of her, and raised his shield as if to ward off an imaginary foe. He looked back, hoping Veera would understand his offer of protection. He felt responsible for the half-finished state of her daily work. The Cauthan had brought her hands together and was fidgeting nervously, torn between the two options. Apparently deciding that the risk of losing part of her crop was too great to ignore, she proffered the bucket to Winters once again. Nodding once, he set off to work.

Twenty minutes later Veera practically ran to Winters, indicating it was time to go. Nodding silently, he replaced his helmet and hefting his shield in his left hand. As they headed for the bridge Io’s voice rang in his ears.

‘Sir where are we going? There’s almost no daylight left and the pod is in the other direction.’

“I’m well aware Io. We’ll be escorting the…young lady…home tonight.” Winters replied, wondering if Veera was actually either of those things. “Don’t you believe knowing the exact location of the nearest occupied settlement might be a useful bit of data?” Io chose not to reply as they stepped onto the packed earth on the other side of the river. She knows I’m right. Winters thought, smirking to himself. I must admit though, the resemblance of this place to earth is…unsettling. It hadn’t been long before they’d left the grassy plain behind, crossing into a lightly wooded area. At a glance, the trees looked like they’d fit perfectly in a New England forest, though their surfaces were much smoother, and their leaves shaped differently than terran trees. Wasting no time, Veera beckoned Winters to follow her.

As they continued on in silence, Winters noticed Veera shifting ever so slightly towards him. There was very little ambient light left, and the cover of foliage had become significantly denser. The path beneath them was well trod but narrow. Gazing around, Winters found his ears to be more useful than sight for teasing out details of the world around him. The forest was starting to come alive with the sounds of night. Unfamiliar chirps, calls, and cries of a variety of species could be heard, as well as the distant flow of the river, fading as they headed deeper into the woods. Veera’s ears were constantly turning and twisting, taking in every sound. Meanwhile, Winters was constantly checking the proximity sensors on his HUD, keen for the appearance of anything that could be giving Veera reason to be afraid. While Io had only been able to detect small bio-signatures, the sheer quantity of them told Winters that this forest was very much alive and active now, perhaps more so than during the day. For kicks, he shifted his HUD’s display from visual spectrum to infra-red. Immediately he counted five small bodies giving off significant heat signatures, but the low resolution prevented him for determining more. Looking up as a small heat signature passed above them, Winters swapped his visor back, gazing at the carpet of stars that peaked through gaps in the leaves. “It’s beautiful out here.” Winters wondered aloud, taking in glimpses of the unfamiliar starscape.

‘Your companion doesn’t seem to share the sentiment.’ Io noted, drawing Winters’ attention back to Veera, who was practically bumping into his side, tail twitching as if she were about to bolt at any moment. ‘I wonder what she’s afraid of?’

“The top of the food chain.” Winters deadpanned. “Just because we’ve seen the rough equivalent of some squirrels, bats, and an owl doesn’t mean there aren’t other things out there.”

‘Would that not be the Cauthan though? We have little indication that anything else on this planet is even intelligent.’

“We were killing saber cats long before we even started farming. But if one of those got you alone…” Winters made a choking sound into his helmet. “Something tells me a Cauthan hunting party won’t pop out to save us.”

‘No, you seem to have assumed that burden all by yourself.’ Io retorted with a hint of sarcasm. Winters simply patted the holster on his right hip.

“I’ll take a magazine of .45 hollow points over a hunting party any day. And when did you get so feisty?”

‘Around the time you decided to leave me stuck on that wall while you played farmer.’

“Fair enough.” He checked the clock on his HUD. “So we’ve at this around an hour now. Wonder how much farther.”

‘Indeed. Before we go further sir I must inform you that I lost all contact with the pod around twenty minutes ago. We will have to re-establish contact before I can provide guidance.’

“Understood. Worst comes to worst we’ll follow the river back, but I think I can manage. Besides, it looks like Veera’s calmed down some. Perhaps we’re close.” Winters noted, seeing her tail had ceased most of its hyperactivity. Confirming Winters’ suspicions, he sighted a large clearing ahead of them that was relatively well lit compared to the forest. The area was devoid of trees and even in the dim light he could make out the tilled earth he’d seen during his drop to the planet. Near the center he spotted faint orange lights scattered across the dark bulk of a palisade. “Torches and a wall, this has to be it Io.” Winters exclaimed. It was impossible to know for sure given the lighting, but the wall appeared to be at least several hundred feet in diameter. Winters resolved to return during the day to observe the location in more detail. Even if he was likely the deadliest creature on the planet at that moment, to simply waltz into a settlement would be ill advised. Coming to a stop before leaving the trees, Winters removed his helmet and called out to his traveling partner. “Veera, this is where I leave you. Goodbye.” She turned to face him, her eyes glinting softly in the darkness. Well, I suppose they’re more cat-like than I thought

“Selah.” She spoke, walking up to him and resting a hand on his chestplate. Winters stood still as she continued to speak for a short time. Her voice was soft and conveyed her gratitude. Her language was unlike any language he’d encountered back on earth, but it was pleasant enough in its dictation. Repeating “selah” once more, Veera turned and walked into the clearing, quickly becoming nothing more than a slim silhouette in the starlight. Winters kept his cover and watched, satisfied when a few minutes later a large breach opened in the dark wall in the distance, revealing more scattered lights. With the assistance of his helmet, he could faintly make out the sound of a much deeper voice, likely that a guard, before the gate closed. With a defeated sigh, Winters turned and began retracing his steps. He hated to admit it, but the fact that Veera was no longer within spotting distance was unsettling to him. “Can’t say I enjoy this whole being alone business. That and the whole stranded on an unknown planet thing…but mostly the alone bit. Geez, the psychs would have a field day with me right now.” He muttered bitterly, grimacing as the destruction of the Lancer came unbidden to the fore of his mind. He hoped the exhaustion he could feel setting in would allow him some sleep; otherwise it was going to be a long night.