Cooperative: The Destination

Snippet 1 – James meets Steven

“I think I tracked down the integration issue,” James said as he typed furiously on the keyboard. He desperately hoped that Ashley was computer-ignorant enough to not comprehend what he was typing.

“Those are our records on Steven.” Ashley leaned over James’ shoulder.

“Do you mind?” James looked back at him, masking his fear with irritation.

Ashley shrugged and stood up.

“There’s corruption in the data files on that cluster. I’m working to verify the backup and restore the records,” James said, trying not to look Ashley in the eye.

“You should have RAID redundancy. Should be trivial to recreate the lost records.”

James looked around, startled. An Elf had walked in and stood looking at the screen critically.

“Um… is he allowed to…”

“That doesn’t look like you’re running a checksum on the data. What algorithm are you using to parse the…”

“Are you authorized to see this?” James interrupted, defensive. The Elf looked at him, amused. He glanced at Ashley then returned his attention to James.

“Your trojan was pathetic. I mean really? Built in backups? You don’t trust the systems’ own redundancy?”

“Uh…”

“A hacker with ethics.” The Elf looked at Ashley. “Who’d a thunk it?”

“He doesn’t have clearance to see this,” James stammered, looking at Ashley.

“Perhaps. I’ll wager we’ll be re-examining your clearance too.”

“You called me. Remember?” James stood up. Ashley looked at him sternly and James sank back down into the chair.

“You arranged for us to call you. Steven here noticed something odd and suggested we play it through.” Ashley winked at the Elf.

“Ste… you? You’re Steven Crow?” James half stood up. “But… you’re an… you’re one of them.”

“One of…” Steven looked around dramatically then leaned forward. “One of… who?” he whispered conspiratorially.

“This is all wrong. You’re supposed to be human. Your pictures.” James sank back down in the chair, dejected.

Steven sat on the desk and regarded James curiously. He blinked then closed his eyes as he looked at James. He glanced at Ashley then returned his attention to James. “How long have you known?”

James looked up, clearly dismayed. “What?”

“You couldn’t have gated on Terra. The Sadari have had it locked down for nearly twenty years. You can’t be more than, what… forty-five?”

“Gate?” James fidgeted.

“Yeah. You might call it teleport.” Steven crossed his arms.

James stood up quickly, making Steven hop off the desk. “You know? How do you know?”

“You glow. When I close my eyes,” Steven said. “All Gatekeepers glow.”

James looked at his hands. “Gatekeeper. That’s really what you call it?”

“Well, it’s the simplest translation of Mar’e Or’helling ha Astrelin. I think…” Steven looked up at the ceiling for a moment. “Opener and Traveler of the Fracture” is a bit of a mouthful.” He looked at Ashley. “You know… it’s the same name in Common and Elvish. And Craolin even. I wonder what the root of that name is.”

“You’re asking me?” Ashley said, laughing. He shook his head, clearly amused.

“Of course not. Just musing.” Steven grinned. He looked at James. “You’re Terran. I can smell it. But you survived the Awakening with just Terran genetics?”

“Awakening?” James looked at Steven, shaking his head.

“Gatekeepers need to be Awakened by another. I… I was Awakened by my nature. But you’d need another Gatekeeper…”

“Aris said I was the only one that wasn’t Awakened,” James said quickly. “She said that I was the first.” He got a distant look. “But… I… I was there and then I’m here. I mean, not here on Endard. On Earth.” James looked around then at Steven. “I need to go back. But I don’t know how.”

“You’ve never gated before?”

“I went there and she helped me come back,” James said quietly, looking down, as he remembered. “I saw… I fell. I was falling.” James looked up sharply. “That’s what that was?”

Steven looked at him blankly.

“I tripped. I was falling. I knew I was going to die. But I saw it. A stone chamber. The floor, I felt it… I opened my eyes and was there.” He sank back down into the chair.

Ashley looked at a couple of security officers who were hovering around the door and shook his head. They nodded and departed. Steven leaned against the desk and looked at James. “You still don’t know what you are?”

“I’m a systems analyst,” James mumbled. “I was just trying to find something nice to put on my apartment wall. My old roommate moved out and my new roommate didn’t have anything…” James stopped and sighed. “You’re supposed to be human. That’s what I saw. What she showed me.”

Steven smiled. “Part human. This fur is actually new.” He looked at his arm and played with the fur. “And it’s really weird.”

“You’re not one of them?”

“‘One of them’ would be Elf. It’s okay to say it,” Steven said, annoyed.

“Sorry… I just keep… Elf sounds corny to say,” James stammered again.

Steven regarded him for a moment. Another Elf walked in and Steven glanced back and said something to him in a beautiful flowing language. It sounded just like how Aris sounded, but different.

James squinted. “You want my blood?”

“You understood that? Have you been tended by a Teacher?” Steven looked at him, startled.

James shook his head. “I just knew it when she was talking to me. Like I had learned it.” James said, scratching his head as he warily watched the other Elf grab his arm and place a small brass patch on it. He glanced at Steven. “I need to go back. I don’t know how.”

“Just remember it… see it… and go,” Steven said simply, trying to find a way to explain it in easy terms. “Kinda like a remembered taste.”

“I tried,” James said.

“If you were on Terra, you’d have failed,” Steven said. “Unless you’re… special. Like me.”

The other Elf shook his head and said something. James looked at him then at Steven. “I guess that means I’m normal?”

Steven made a face and sat on the desk. He said something to the Elf and James interrupted. “Listen, I know what you are saying but not all of it. At least have the courtesy to speak in English, or slower.”

“I was asking how you would have survived the Awakening. Terran genetics are not robust enough.” Steven said, perplexed.

“Well…I wasn’t Awakened. I just touched a painting.” James said defensively.

“Oh. Well… that explains everything.” Steven said sarcastically.

James scowled and crossed his arms. “I’ve been seeing her. But she can’t see me.” James said hesitantly. “And the other… the Younger…”

“You’ve met the Younger?” Steven stood up abruptly, interrupting James.

“Well… yeah. She is the one who helped me get back.”

“She would have been able to break through the Sadari blockade,” Steven said to the other Elf.

“But…a Terran?”

“Enos’rel, for a time I thought I was a Terran,” Steven said.

“Terran…” James said then stopped, implying a question.

“Human…but not human. Humans are different. You’re Terran.” Steven said as he considered the ramifications of what he had heard. “I need to see it.”

“Sorry. I didn’t have time to take a video,” James said sourly.

“No. I mean, see it.” Steven reached out and grabbed James’ arm and James yelped, startled, closing his eyes while his consciousness was flooded with memories of his encounter. Steven focused and looked at Enos’rel. “It’s her. The Younger. But Aris… I’ve never seen an Elf carry a sword.”

“A sword?” Enos’rel asked, perplexed.

Steven nodded. “There’s a castle. Here.” Steven put his hand on Enos’rel’s cheek as James scooted away from him in the rolling chair, rubbing his arm.

“Steven… that castle has been gone for many thousands of years. Our archaeologists are still examining the remnants and matching it to our lore.” Enos’rel looked at James. “But…it appeared to be new.”

“The sword?”

Enos’rel shook his head. “There are stories of wars in the early Cooperative days. There was some resistance to unifying.” He stumbled back and sat down in a chair. Steven looked at him, concerned. Elves were not usually clumsy.

“Yeah…okay. What does that mean? How can I go back?” James asked impatiently. “Where is this place?”

Steven looked at James, bewildered. “James…where is not the issue. We can go there now if you want. But…when.”

“When what?” James asked, irritated by the ambiguity of what he was hearing.

“The Cooperative is over a hundred thousand years old, master James,” Enos’rel said. “Even our Archives don’t go back that far. Our oldest citizen is only fifteen thousand years old.”

“Except the Faeries,” Steven interjected.

Enos’rel looked down. “Maybe. No one knows how old their elders are. But…” He looked at Steven. “Is this him?”

“Who?” James asked, looking from Enos’rel to Steven.

“He knows more than I do. I just helped Asherah with her homework,” Steven said quietly.

Enos’rel nodded. “The Younger is supposed to be the mother of the Cooperative.” He looked at James. “You could very well be the father.”

Cooperative: The Destination

Snippet 2 – James reunited with Aris

“Cory, are you getting my feed?” James banked the ultralight as he circled the castle. “It looks worse from up here.”

“Yeah. Man, I can see where their ship crashed into the west wall.”

“Brutal.” James shook his head sadly. “They come here and fight their war on our world and destroy our heritage.” He glanced at the distant horizon at one of the vast destroyer ships hovering ominously in the haze. “And they’re still here.”

“Focus, James. I want more of the east wall.” 

“Cory, I’m the one flying up here.” 

“There. No, I can’t turn the camera any more. Bank some.” 

James sighed as he turned the ultralight a little more. “I’m still getting into position. You know, it kinda looks like Tel’range from up here.”

“Whatever, space-boy. Bank some more. It’s a good shot. Morning sun really brings out the details.” Cory squinted at the screen. “There’s still debris embedded in the wall.”

“Must be why they’re not letting us on the grounds,” James grumbled. “It’s just wreckage.”

“Spaceship wreckage. Could be radioactive.”

“Yeah, and there could be swamp gas too.” James banked more. “I’ve been on one of those and it was just fine.”

“I heard you screamed like a child when they made the floor transparent,” Cory said, laughing. “Hey, what are you doing? I had a good shot there.”

“I’m turning to make another pass. This castle is toast, man. Just breaks my heart.”

“I don’t know. Just a couple of walls damaged. I think it can be restored,” Cory said thoughtfully.

“Hmph. Looks worse than the castle ruins I explored on Tel’range.” James banked again as he rubbed the back of his head. The headache was back. He sighed as he remembered his recent trip off-world. “I remember that castle when it was like new too. Actually looks kinda like this one. Without a spaceship stuck in the wall.”

“Yeah yeah. You got to see an alien castle on an alien world and do some weird time travel thingie. Let’s bring it back to Earth, James. I need…Hey, wiggle the connectors on the camera, willya?”

“I miss it. There are answers there. I know it. Aris was there. We were there. Thousands of years ago. But they won’t let me go back there because of this stupid war.” James glanced down at the camera mount in the floor of the aircraft. “Wires look good.”

“Tell it to someone who hasn’t heard you whine about it a thousand times. James, I’m losing it. Signal is falling apart. Just wiggle the…it’s gone. Crap,”

“Here.” James reached down and checked the connections. “They seem tight to me.” He wiggled them again. “Are you getting anything?”

Silence.

“Cory?” James looked up at the radio settings. The display was still lit.

Silence.

Sighing, James sat up, then flinched. A spacecraft zoomed by, chased by another that was firing on it. “Crap!” James banked sharply. “Cory! Take cover man. It’s happening again!” 

Still no answer.

James looked down out his window at the landscape. He didn’t recognize anything. “Cory?” He banked the aircraft hard as he tried to find the castle again. But there was nothing but forest below him. “Cory!” He rapped his knuckles on the radio. 

A bright flash momentarily blinded him and his aircraft lurched. James saw wreckage from one of the spacecraft impacting the ground below, and noticed that part of his wing was torn off. “Cory, I’ve been hit.” James cut the engine and pulled the parachute. 

A metallic pod fell past him, and another bright flash dazzled him. When his sight returned, he saw the second spacecraft flying up out of sight. The pod was in pieces as it crashed into the trees below and scattered across a clearing. James couldn’t help but grimace, imagining the state of the pilot in that pod. 

“Okay, I’m about to touch down. Cory? My GPS is blank. I have no idea where I am.” James fiddled with the radio again as he glanced up at the sky. He blinked. “Oh, crap.” He gaped at the gas giant that dominated part of the sky. “It happened again.”

The landing was jarring. The ultralight crashed through the branches of trees close to the wreckage of the spacecraft. A sapling strained under the weight of the aircraft as the parachute settled in the trees beside it. James took in a deep breath, then looked up at the sky again. “I’m really here. I actually gated again.” He pulled out his cellphone and tried to dial Cory. But he had no bars. “The gate here amplifies the signal. I should have five bars” James mumbled as he looked at it. “Maybe I’m too far away. And…talking to myself. Again.”

He closed his eyes and tried to envision where he was from what he remembered. The gas giant seemed lower on the horizon, which meant he was closer to the southern hemisphere, at least according to the season. He looked out at the trees. Fresh growth. Spring. “I’m on the correct half of the planet. Maybe just the wrong side.” 

He tried to visualize the gate area, by the old castle ruins, but his head hurt again, and his vision blurred. “Oh, this gating thing sucks.” He rubbed his temples and tried to relax, taking deep breaths. “Steven said to just see it and be there. Just…make it real. Maybe back home.” He tried to mentally see the damaged castle he was just surveying with Cory. He furrowed his eyebrows as he struggled to focus. “I can do this. I know I can!” He hit the console angrily, then gripped the chair as the aircraft shifted. “I should get out of this thing.”

James looked around and found a flare gun as he unhooked his harness. He wasn’t aware of any conflict on Tel’range, but after seeing what he did on Earth, he wasn’t taking any chances. He reached back behind him and grabbed his survival backpack then jumped the few feet to the ground. 

The ultralight shifted in the sapling and James had to jump back as it fell to the ground in a crumpled heap. “Well, you’re not flying again.” He sighed. “Cory is going to be ticked.” 

He looked at the smoke coming from the neighboring crash site and gripped the flare gun. “Don’t go towards the evil spaceship, James. Nothing good will happen. Just walk away.” He squinted. “I’m not walking away. Why am I not walking away?” He frowned as he set off towards it.

The wreckage of the spacecraft was still smoking when James stumbled out of the underbrush. He kept the flare gun out in front of him as he tried to sneak past the various pieces of the wreckage. He heard a cough and crouched as he snuck up on the source.

The pilot of the spacecraft lay on the ground, with what looked like a rod of metal impaling his leg. James grimaced again, trying his best not the empathize with the pain. For all he knew, he was looking at the enemy. As he approached, the pilot sat up and looked at him. James couldn’t see through the pilot’s visor, however. The pilot seemed to look around frantically, then tried to scoot back as James kept him covered with his flare gun. 

The rod caught on something and the pilot screamed in agony. James blinked. That was the scream of a woman. He squinted and noticed hints of a feminine shape under the flight-suit. He glanced back at the rod and couldn’t stand it anymore. His own leg almost hurt as he looked at it. “Wait. Wait!” James lowered his flare gun and held up a hand. “See? Look, I’m lowering my gun.”

The pilot held her leg as James approached her. She looked around again, and James noticed a short sword near the wreckage of the pod. It was too far away for her to reach, however, and she returned her attention on him, then lay back, as if resigned to her fate.

James knelt down beside her as he tucked the flare gun into his backpack. “See. Not going to shoot you.” He looked at her leg. “That’s going to have to come out, though.”

She did not respond. James reached into his pack and pulled out his first aid kit. “Just be happy I have this.” He pulled his knife from his pocket and carefully grabbed her leg. “I’m going to have to cut your pants…hey, stop.” 

The pilot tried to pull away and James had to grab her leg tightly. She gasped in agony. James made a face. “I’m sorry, but you’re making it worse.”

He looked at her then pointed to the rod with his knife. “I’m going to cut your pants away.” He made a motion with his knife and pulled at her pants a little. The pilot seemed frozen. After a brief moment, James carefully cut her pants where the rod impaled her leg. “Okay. It’s through the side of your thigh, and…you have fur.”

The pilot remained motionless as James inspected the wound. “It’s mostly under your skin. Probably not much muscle damage even. No arteries.” He shook his head as he grabbed an antiseptic spray and applied it to the entry and exit wounds and part of the rod. He looked at the pilot then pointed at the section of rod below her leg. “I’m going to grab that and pull it straight out.” He made a pulling motion with his hand. “Please tell me you understand my Common.”

The pilot did not move. 

“Right. Okay.” James sprayed the rod on the upper part of her leg again. “This will make it go through faster and disinfect the wound as I pull it through. It’s a clean rod, so it should be quick and easy.” He glanced at her as she remained frozen. “Okay, I am going to put your leg up on my shoulder to elevate it.”

Still no response. 

James tenderly lifted her leg until he had it secured on his shoulder. The pilot squirmed a little from the pain and he held up a hand. “On three, okay?” He held up three fingers, then folded one finger at a time as he counted down. After the last finger, he gripped her leg tightly and yanked the rod out. The pilot screamed, but he held her leg tightly as he dropped the rod and put his hand on the wound. “See? It’s not even bleeding that much.” He looked at the leg again and shook his head. “Your fur looks Elvish.” He looked up at the pilot who was frozen again, seemingly staring at him. He wondered how she could see through what looked like an opaque visor. “Are you an Elf?” He hoped his Elvish was understandable.

The pilot reached up and disengaged her helmet and threw it to the side as she stared at him, her already large eyes opened wide. “You…you know me?”

James gaped and almost dropped her leg. “Aris?” 

Aris returned his stunned look. 

“But…” James looked around. “I’m back. Not just back, but back back.” He laughed a little as he looked up at the sky. “I made it back. I’m really here. I can’t tell you how long I have been trying.”

“You’re not human?” 

James felt a hand on his as he kept pressure on her wound. He pursed his lips, remembering what the Younger had told him. She wouldn’t know him. “No. Yes, but no. Not what you know as human. I’m from Earth…Terra. I’m Terran.” He looked at his backpack. “I don’t have anything for your pain. Nothing that’ll work on Elves anyway.”

“Why are you helping me?” Aris asked quietly. “You are…not us.”

“Because we are…” James stopped as he inspected the wound. They were apparently not life-mates yet. “You are injured. What am I supposed to do?”

Aris squinted at him. “James?” 

James looked at her, startled. Did she remember him? But, according to the Younger, they had not even met yet. Maybe he didn’t go back far enough? He found the differences in the timeline discombobulating. What he knew of her was after she had known him for years. They were married. But now, they were meeting for the first time, again. He sighed as he looked at her. The last time he had met her was confusing for him. This time was turning out little better. “Is it actually happening? Finally? I’ve looked for you since the last time. Is it really a hundred thousand years ago?”

“Your memories…I am having trouble making sense of them.” 

“Oh, that.” James looked at her hand, disappointed. No, she did not know him after all. “Well, we’re not enemies, if you’re worried about that.” He looked up in the sky. “But, why would you think I was your enemy?”

“You don’t know about the war?” Aris shifted a little, wincing as she did. 

“Keep that leg elevated.” James held it on his shoulder. “There was a war on Terra. Between the Sadari and the Cooperative. Made a real mess. That’s the only one I know of.” 

Aris shook her head. “I’m not familiar with Terra.” 

James opened his mouth, then shut it. He didn’t know much about the universe Aris lived in. The Cooperative he knew was over a hundred thousand years old and did not seem to exist yet. “Well, it’s a planet in another galaxy far away, a long time from now.” He smirked as he remembered a similar statement from a movie. 

He felt a hand on his cheek. “You seem to know me. But not know me.”

“Yeah. It’s been a pretty weird year.” James smiled wanly. He reached into the medical kit and pulled out a couple of bandages. “I think it’s just oozing now.” He looked and gave the entry and exit points another spray of the antiseptic, then placed the bandages over the wounds. “I hope your fur doesn’t screw things up.” 

“Who is the Younger?”

James glanced up. “Well, I guess we haven’t met her yet in this timeline. But we will. I certainly have a lot of questions for her.” He wrapped gauze around her leg to hold the bandages tight to the wounds. “We really need to get you to a doctor. I wish Enos’rel were here.”

“I see him in your memories, but I don’t understand,” Aris said.

“He’s an Elf. Like you. Steven introduced me to him. Sort of.” James sat back as something dawned on him. “Are you fighting humans?”

“This planet is in contention,” Aris said. 

“I thought Tel’range was under Elvish jurisdiction?” James looked around. “But this is ancient history, I guess. Oh God, I’m really here.” He shook his head. “Where I come from, you guys are all friends. Family even. Steven’s father is human. Mother is an Elf. But he has fur. Like you. You guys were at war with the Sadari. Not each other.”

Aris just looked at him, confused. 

“An ancient enemy that is probably not so ancient to you yet,” James mumbled. “There was a gate on this side of the planet. I was going to look at the stars tonight to figure out where it is.”

“Gate?”

“You know…created by Gatekeepers. Lets us travel to other planets.” James waved a hand. He looked down. “You really haven’t met the Younger yet, have you?”

“There is a portal over this planet that we use.” Aris said, looking up. “We don’t know who created it, but it’s impossibly old. The humans use another portal. There are several more portals too but the humans guard them.”

James looked up thoughtfully. “Which would be why this planet is in contention.” He sighed. “This is so different from what I imagined it.”

“You’ve been here before?” Aris kept her hand on his while he pulled the cut parts of her pants over the gauze to help keep it in place. 

James sighed, looking at her hand. “Elves.” He rubbed his eyes. “You can see it in my memory. Why ask?”

“Because I don’t understand what I’m seeing,” Aris said. 

“Yeah, well, I don’t much understand it either.” James sat down next to her and inspected the rest of her. “I’m stunned you survived that attack.”

Aris glanced at the debris that was scattered across the clearing. “I should not have.”

James regarded her for a long moment. “We need to find the Younger.”

“Who is that?”

“You introduced me to her. I guess a few years from now.” He looked around. “There’s a cave we can shelter in for the night. Is anyone going to come looking for you?”

Aris pursed her lips. 

“Aris?”

“I was not supposed to come. It has been forbidden.”

“I wonder why,” James said sarcastically as he looked at the wreckage.

“The dreams would not stop. I was losing my mind. I had to be here,” Aris said quietly. “And, now I am sharing this secret with you. You are not even us. Who are you?”

James smiled sadly. “A pawn in someone else’s game, apparently. When I first met you, we…had known each other for a very long time. Or you knew me, at least. I was just a guy at an art market in Seattle until I ended up…here. You even had that sword.” He nodded to the weapon. “Now it appears to be the other way around. I know you, but you don’t know me.”

“We have never met. But your memories are so clear,” Aris said quietly. “You are an anomaly, James. And you have no fur.”

“No. I’ve met an anomaly. I don’t remotely compare to him.” James grinned as he self-consciously rubbed his arms. He had always thought he was on the furry side for a Terran. 

Aris just looked at him.

“I guess you had to be there.” James looked down. He shook his head. “You’re not going to walk, so I’m going to pick you up, okay?”

No answer. James took that as confirmation. He carefully lowered her leg off his shoulder and stood up. “It might hurt a little, but I’ll be careful.”

Aris continued to stare at him. James knelt down and put an arm under her shoulder, with her arm wrapped around his back, and another arm under her leg above the wound. Then with a grunt, he stood up. He was surprised and almost tripped backward. She was much lighter than he would have imagined. 

“Please don’t drop me,” Aris asked as her grip on his back tightened. 

“Forgot that Elves were very light.” James smiled sheepishly. He picked his way carefully towards the cave and ducked in under the tree roots that mostly covered the entrance. “I can’t see in here. Anyone home?”

Aris shook her head. “I don’t sense anything close. But the cave is deep.”

“I wish I had your eyes,” James said as his vision slowly adapted to the dark interior. “Okay, setting you down here.” He knelt down and tenderly set her down. “You okay?”

Aris didn’t answer. She stared at him as he adjusted her. 

“I need to grab my backpack. Is there anything I should look for out there?” James waited. But he still didn’t get an answer. “Okay then.” He jogged back to the crash site and packed up the first-aid kit back into the backpack. He glanced and noticed the sword. He shouldered the backpack and grabbed the weapon and looked around again. Nothing presented itself as anything that resembled useful technology. Most of it was scorched or fragmented. “I really can’t believe she survived.”

He looked up at the darkening sky, then trudged back to the cave. “Here. You seemed attached to this.” James put the sword down next to Aris. She looked at it, then back at him, a confused look on her face. James sighed. “I know you don’t believe me…”

“I don’t understand you,” Aris interrupted as she put the sword in her lap. 

James shrugged. “Neither do I.” He looked outside the cave. “You’re at war with people who look like me.”

“They look like you?” Aris sat up straighter.

“You’ve never seen a human?” James blinked, surprised. 

Aris shook her head.

“How did you know to be afraid of me?”

“You don’t have fur.”

James slumped. “Yes. Humans look like me. Which is interesting, because on Terra, we refer to ourselves as humans. But we’re Terrans.” James scratched his arm, thinking for a moment. “Where…when I came from, you’re not enemies. I just can’t understand how this is happening.”

“When?” Aris shifted.

James knelt down and dug in the soil of the cave with his hands. “We need a fire.”

“You’re avoiding my question.”

“I guess I am.” James pulled some dead roots from the entrance of the cave and broke them up and set up a little pile in the shallow pit. He sat back and rummaged through his backpack, pulling out a lighter. “Aris, I don’t really understand it myself.” He lit some bark and shoved it under the pile of wood. 

“You must try.” Aris shifted then winced. 

“Careful there,” James said. He took in a breath. “The Younger said I was not…attached to time. Where I come from is over a hundred thousand years from now. None of you are fighting each other. And there are a lot more of you. Many worlds.” He took another breath as he collected his thoughts. “And she said that I was a Gatekeeper, though currently I’m not in control. At all.” 

“Gatekeeper?” Aris cocked her head.

“Those portals you were talking about?” James looked out the entrance of the cave into the sky. “People like me created those.”

“You’re the Portal Master?” Aris’s eyes widened.

“No.” James held up his hands, laughing nervously. “Those are not mine. People like me can create a gate but we have to consciously maintain it.” James looked down and poked at the fire with a stick. “Steven Crow, he can create a gate and it just stays there. I think someone like him created those.” 

“The Younger.” 

“You read my mind.” James grinned. Then he frowned. “I guess you did, didn’t you?”

“You are still a mystery to me, James.”

“Yeah, well, that’s part of my mystique.” James grinned as he sat back, waggling his eyebrows. “I’m a mystery.”

Aris giggled. It was music to his ears and he smiled widely. He was finally home.

Cooperative: The Destination

Snippet 3 – James bonds with Aris

James squirmed a little. Something was holding him down. He snorted and opened his eyes, only to find himself face-to-face with a set of large eyes. Aris. She looked pensive, however. His eyes looked to the side and he saw her sword resting on his arm, while her other hand gripped the side of his head. He opened his mouth to speak but noticed that her own eyes seemed to focus on something behind him.

Their eyes met again and they stared at each other in silence. James heard rustling behind him, from deeper in the cave. Her eyes focused behind him briefly then continued to stare at him. He blinked and tried to turn his head, but her grip was firm. He looked back at her as she shifted her sword ever so slowly. He relaxed and nodded slightly. He could tell that even though she looked at him, her attention was behind him. The sword was not meant for him.

Then he saw it. Almost as if it was in a reflection. But, not. He blinked hard and looked at her, trying not to gape. Not at what he saw, but how he saw it. Her eyes flitted to him briefly then returned to cover the intruder that was poking at the glowing embers of the fire. It had come from deeper in the cave, waking from its slumber to go on its hunt. He was seeing it through her own eyes.

She nodded almost imperceptibly. Confirmation. It was like she knew what he was experiencing. James rolled his eyes. Of course she knew. She was an Elf.

As the newness of the experience wore off, he focused more on the intruder. It had yet to notice them. No doubt the smoke from the fire hid their scent. He wondered if they could stay hidden until it eventually left the cave. But they were lying across the entrance of the cave. It would have to step on him.

She continued to hold him still as she slid her sword ever so slowly over his shoulder. He got the distinct impression that she was coiling for a strike. He looked at her leg, then back at her, shaking his head slightly. She squinted at him, scowling. He shook his head again, then looked at his backpack. She followed his gaze, knowing his thoughts. The flare gun.

But the risk was high. Every movement they made increased their chance of discovery by what looked like an apex predator. The element of surprise could be lost, and with such a creature, surprise was all they really had going for them. It had huge digging claws and an armored head that contained a mouthful of sturdy, sharp teeth. Though it had fur, James couldn’t help but wonder if it was a reptile of sorts. The fur was sparse and the armor plating seemed to cover most of its body, as if a pangolin got crossed with a massive bear. Currently, the creature seemed distracted by the warmth and glow of the embers.

James focused back on Aris as his foot hooked the shoulder strap of the backpack, and he slowly started dragging it towards them. He froze, seeing through her eyes as the creature raised its head. But an attack never came, so he pulled his backpack within reach of his hand. Without moving his arm, he carefully unzipped the backpack and started to reach in. A furry hand stopped him, and he froze when he felt whiskers on his cheek. A heavy huff behind his head blew a lock of hair in his face.

The creature was still oblivious of him, however. It seemed interested in the discarded gauze from when James had changed Aris’s bandages. He realized that he had been sleeping close to where he had folded the old, bloody bandages up. Grimacing, he looked at Aris, who kept her sword ready. Somehow he could not imagine the sword causing much damage to such a massive, armored creature. She glanced at him then at the backpack. James nodded as he slowly continued reaching into the pack to find his flare gun.

As he rummaged around, a massive paw suddenly stepped on his chest. James screamed, startling the creature. It instinctively flinched, raking the claws across his chest as it jumped back. Aris let out a terrifying yell and thrust her sword at its eye, causing the creature to retreat even more. James continued trying to find his flare-gun until another heavy claw landed on his chest, forcing him to exhale. The creature was trying to get at Aris, however, since she seemed to represent the greatest threat.

Aris cried out as its other claw knocked her into the side of the cave. She scrambled to retrieve her sword and James could see the creature stepping over him as it charged at her. He punched up at its soft underbelly with all his might and the creature squealed and curled up to bring its mouth at him. He rolled as he tried to avoid the teeth, but found himself getting partially lodged under a root. The bite caught part of the root, saving him. He grabbed the jaw and tried to push it away.

But its claws easily shattered the root and the creature leaned into him again, using its weight. James closed his eyes, dreading the inevitable when he was easily overpowered. But as he closed his eyes, he saw the wrecked castle he and Cory had been surveying.

Part of him wondered why he would think of that in his last moments rather than the fact that Aris would be alone. Suddenly he felt hands pulling at him, dragging him away from the shattered root. He flinched and cried out, then opened his eyes. Aris had his head in her hands and in a torrent of relief, he felt a flood of memories and emotions washing over him. The creature had vanished and Aris was gaping at him, her eyes wide as she gripped his head. His entire world became hers in that instant. She was safe. She was not alone.

Blinking, he put his hand on her cheek, then the back of her neck as he took a deep, shuddering breath. He felt her calming him and his racing heart slowed a bit. He really was alive. And so was she.

“How?” she asked. James wasn’t sure if he heard the question with his ears or head. Aris stared at him, breathless.

Licking his lips, he glanced around to be sure the creature was actually gone. His vision was peculiar, however. He saw himself from her perspective. She released him and stumbled back, still staring at him. He could still feel her in his head. “Aris?”

“How?” Aris asked again. She shook her head and glared at him, her irises taking on a bright yellow hue. “How!?”

“I don’t know!” James yelled back defensively. He sat up a little and looked around. “I think I sent it back to Earth. Terra. The castle we were surveying. Oh God! Cory’s going mess his pants.”

“No! Not that,” Aris said with restrained fury.

James looked at her, not understanding.

She took a shuddering breath and put her hand on her chest. “You are here.” She then put her hand on her head. “And here.”

James blinked as vertigo washed over him. Laying back down, he stared at her, then understood. “The Elvish bond.”

Aris held herself as she glared at him.

He looked up at the ceiling and still saw himself. Through her eyes. “Aris. When I first met you, we had been bonded for years. You told me it was impossible. An impossible bond.”

Silence. He looked back at her and she met his gaze, wiping her eyes. She shook her head. “I was terrified. I was…you were…it was going to kill you and I was terrified.”

James smiled sadly. “So was I. You would be alone.”

Aris took in another breath and looked out at the moonlit forest. “But then you were alive. You survived. And I…” She stopped as she rubbed her temples. “This doesn’t just happen. Not like this.”

“Can you…undo it?” James sat up a little.

She shook her head. “Our bond is for life.” She rubbed her face. “We are life-mates.”

“Aris,” James started, then stopped. He sighed and lay back down, then winced. “Oh, I think I need the first-aid kit now.” He rolled over to reach for it, but she already had it out and open. He tried to wave her off. “I can do that.”

Aris pushed him back down and ripped the rest of his shirt open. “I can see better. And now…I can feel where it hurts.”

James pursed his lips as he looked at her. He could tell she was furious. But not at him. Not at anything, actually. Confused, scared, angry, and something else.

“Stop it.”

“What?” James looked at her.

“Just…stop it. Please,” Aris said as she wiped her eyes.

“I didn’t do it. I just…Aris, please don’t hate me,” James stammered.

Aris sat back and put the rest of the bandages away. “You’re lucky it was just a scrape. Had it meant to hurt you…”

“I’d be dead,” James finished her sentence, inspecting his chest. The worst of the scratches were bandaged. The rest were just sprayed with antiseptic. “My chest hurts.” He pulled his ripped shirt back over him. It was more like a vest now.

“Your ribs are not broken. But you’ll be sore.” Aris squinted at him.

“Aris, I’ve been looking for you for a year. Please understand, I would never hurt you.”

Aris regarded him for a long moment then slumped. “I know. I’m just…” She looked down. “Bonding wasn’t supposed to be like this. I was supposed to dedicate myself to my mate, and he to me. We were supposed to have our Blessing.”

James nodded. “You were not supposed to crash into this planet either. Or survive.”

“You are impossible, James,” Aris said quietly. She shuddered. “I’m…this wasn’t supposed to happen.”

“I think it was,” James said.

“I control my fate!” Aris glared at him. “Me! Not you. Not…that!” She waved her hand at the wreckage down the hill. “Not some dream!” She rubbed her face. “What am I going to do?”

“Aris.” James sighed and looked at her leg. “You’re bleeding again.”

“I don’t care,” she said, her voice muffled by her hands.

“I do. It hurts.” James adjusted the gauze holding her bandages. Touching her sent a shiver up his spine and he took in a sharp breath. Shaking his head, he finished adjusting it and sat back.

“You wanted this.”

James looked at her thoughtfully. “I wanted what we had when I first met you.”

Aris just looked at him.

“It felt like a piece of me was missing, Aris. When the Younger sent me back.” He shook his head. “I never meant for this to happen, not like this. But…it’s like I’m whole again.”

“I was deemed unworthy to bond,” Aris said, sullen. “My dreams. They tried to fix me, but couldn’t. They were going to banish me from flying even. The dreams would…I would be somewhere else. Not in control. I nearly crashed once. They thought I would affect a mate too, so they made me untouchable. That’s why I came here.”

James gulped. “I didn’t cause your dreams, Aris.”

“I know that.” She wiped her nose as she looked at him. “I couldn’t help it, either. When that thing disappeared, and you were still alive…” She took in another deep breath. “I was just so scared, but so happy…and…”

James grinned.

Aris shook her head furiously. “Stop it. Stop being happy.”

“I can’t help it. Part of you is happy too,” James said.

“This is going to take some getting used to,” Aris grumbled. She scooted closer to the fire pit and tossed another couple of sticks on it.

James sat where he was, unsure of what he was supposed to do. She lay down next to the fire, facing it with her back to him. Suddenly he felt utterly alone, confused, abandoned. He blinked and realized it was her feelings. He scooted over to her and wrapped an arm around her. She grabbed his hand in hers and pulled it to her chest as he cradled her head on his other arm. “You’re not alone, Aris. And you will never be alone again. Got that?”

She nodded and wiped her face with her free hand as she watched the fire.

He felt her relaxing a little, being less hurt, and embraced her tightly. “We’ll figure this out. Together.”

Cooperative: The Destination

Snippet 4 – James and Aris embark on quest

James snorted and opened his eyes. A pair of large eyes were looking back at him. He blinked and focused, suddenly feeling a sense of deja vu. Didn’t this just happen? Aris continued to stare at him.

“Is this real? Or another dream?” James asked hesitantly.

Aris didn’t respond. But she didn’t have to. Her thoughts were in his head. James gaped as he remembered. The bond. “Aris…”

“Who is Steven Crow?”

Unexpected question. “Well, he is a, um. An Elf. Who wasn’t an Elf, but was…” James trailed off. He shook his head. Her lips had not moved when he heard the question. “You’re really in there.”

“You knew about the bond.” Her eyes continued to stare at him without blinking.

James fidgeted. “Yeah. When I was at the Tel’range ruins, Steven kinda tried to teach me about gating. And…tried to explain the bond to me. But Aris, I didn’t do it on purpose. Please believe me.”

“It is done,” Aris said, vocally this time. “Your world is most peculiar.”

“Terra? Or the Cooperative?”

“Yes.”

James grinned. “Yeah, I guess it is.”

“You looked for me all that time?”

“Aris, I was desperate to get back. I felt like part of me was missing. It was excruciating.”

“You experienced the bond before you were bonded,” Aris mused thoughtfully. “That’s why we…bonded. Why it was so easy.”

“I didn’t mean to. Please…I didn’t want it to happen this way. We were supposed to…” James stopped.

“Fall in love?” Aris squinted at him.

“Well, we…you really seemed to care about me last time.” James fidgeted again.

“That’s not me,” Aris said sharply. Her irises flashed yellow briefly. She frowned and he felt her calm herself. “Not yet.”

James nodded. “You don’t believe in fate. I get it.”

Aris blinked finally, much to James’ relief. She sighed. “It takes two to bond. Something in me connected with you, too. I just don’t understand it.”

“Well, you will. I promise.” James grinned, then sobered under her glare.

“We must find this Younger of yours. Where is she?”

James pursed his lips. “Well, the last time we met, we were at the castle.” He looked out of the entrance of the cave. “It’s still dark out. I need to see the stars.”

Aris sat up, and pulled James to his feet when she stood up. He stumbled, not expecting how strong she was. “Careful. Your leg.”

“It’s healing. You should know.” Aris adjusted the gauze.

“Well, it was a pretty bad wound,” James started. He sighed. Elves did heal quickly.

Aris looked at him for a moment, then briskly stepped out of the cave and looked up. James grabbed his backpack and followed. “At least let me change your bandages.”

She pretended to ignore him while she looked at the stars.

James hesitated when he caught up with her. He was thrilled to have found her, but scared at the same time. He knew the struggle she was dealing with. He could feel it. Her frustration, and fear. And it seemed focused on him.

“Stop it,” Aris said quietly as she scanned the skies.

“Sorry. I can’t help it.”

She pointed at a bright cluster of stars. “I saw that in your memory.”

James nodded. “It was over there, though.” He squinted. “It’s almost sunrise. So, it should be…” He turned a little. “There.”

Aris nodded and pointed toward some distant mountains. “Then the castle and portal are in that direction.”

“Yay. Another quest,” James said ruefully.

“Another?”

“Cory liked to go on quests. To explore castle ruins.” James sighed. “At least I got to fly us in our ultralight.”

“Your relative. Cousin?”

“You’re just reading me like a book, aren’t you?” James grinned.

“And I am still not understanding what I am seeing.” Aris squinted. “The humans, they didn’t build castles?”

“We don’t know who built the one here.” James nodded. “The Legracian humans live in these big tree things. In the trunks of living trees.”

“Legracia. You have not been there.” Aris looked up. “What are these Temples?”

“Aris, I only know what I’ve read, or watched, or was told. So no, I never actually went to Legracia. Just Endard, Syagria and here, that’s it. Only three worlds I’ve been to, except home.” James sat on a large rock. “I met several humans, though. Selkies. Elves. Keratians. A Troll. Scared the crap out of me.” He rubbed his temples. “And their Temple complex? They are just…massive. A bunch of the biggest trees I have ever seen, all growing into one big…thing. Structure. Inside it’s open and there are these platforms on huge branches that grow into the interior.” James interlocked his fingers in front of him to illustrate. “That’s where common people go to travel by gate to thousands of Temples across the Cooperative.” He glanced at her. “Portals.”

Aris sat down next to him, looking at him curiously. “We’ve only known Elves. And Syagria. But we have stories of others.”

“Well, there are others. Lots of others.” James scratched his head. “I remember a time when we didn’t know of any others. Not even legends. No hint of life anywhere. Scratching around Mars looking for scant evidence of microbes. Then it all just kinda landed in our lap all of a sudden.”

“The Younger?”

“A Selkie. But…more. Much more. Like some sort of goddess.” James shook his head. “Whenever I talked about her, people would freak. Like I met King Arthur, or Santa Claus or something.” He sighed. “You know, she dropped me from the sky. Told me to gate home or hit the rocks below. We are going to discuss that when I see her next.”

Aris looked at him curiously. “I see me. But…” She frowned. “We apparently have a long way to go.”

“Yeah. You..the other you, she said years,” James said sheepishly. He waved a hand. “At least you seemed happy with me. Or the me she knew. It can’t all be bad.”

“We shall see.” Aris frowned at him, then looked up. “We must begin our journey.”

James looked down at his chest. “I could use another shirt.”

“We’ll just go get one then.” Aris stood up.

James looked at her, then grinned. “That was a joke, wasn’t it?”

“We’ll have to make do with what we have, James.” Aris adjusted her gauze again.

“I need to change that.”

“No. Save your bandages.” Aris shook her leg a little as she pulled her pants over the bandages. “The wounds are closed already.”

“Wow.” James lifted a flap of cloth to look at the bandages. “That’s fast.”

Aris pursed her lips. “Faster even, thanks to the bond.”

James looked up and grinned.

“No. Don’t even.”

“Well…it’s already helping, right?”

Aris scowled and started walking.

“Just trying to be positive.” James trotted to keep up. “My chest is sore.”

Aris grabbed his hand, and the pain subsided significantly. James looked down at his chest, then at her appreciatively. She kept her eyes on the field before them. James followed her gaze. “You know, it’s okay to have feelings.”

“Right now, we are in survival mode.” Aris glanced at him briefly. “Keep your focus.”

“Sure. Survival.” James looked around. There was no Earth to go home to, no Cooperative to call. But, for some reason, he didn’t seem to care. He had Aris.

Aris looked sideways at him, then sighed.

James looked down at her hand in his. “You didn’t freak. I would have freaked. Well, I sorta did the first time. You scared me to peeing. Just left a puddle and everything.”

Aris furrowed her brows as she scanned the thickening forest around them. “I was terrified when you found me. You were the enemy to me.”

“Yeah. Enemy. But after that?”

She glanced at James. “We already expected that others existed. And we have been in contention with some of those others recently. What is so surprising?”

“That there were others, I guess.” James looked down as he stepped over a clump of ferns. “I mean, this would be like, first contact or something. I should be at a musical keyboard or making weird hand signals or…” He grinned. “Putting a paper sack on my head and laying down.”

Aris cocked her head, perplexed.

James shrugged. “Something Steven liked to say.” His eyes widened. “Oh, I get the reference! That’s hilarious! No Vogons here, though.”

“You are peculiar, James.” Aris looked up.

He got the distinct impression she wanted to climb into the trees. “Your leg may be better, but that could open the wounds back up.”

“Unlikely.” Aris glanced at him. “We travel faster when we climb.”

“I travel faster when I drive.” James smirked. “An ATV would be nice about now.” He looked down. “You took your shoes off. No wonder my feet feel weird.”

Aris glanced down. “They were no longer needed.”

James pursed his lips as he regarded her. “Sure. We’ll see about that when we walk across stickers.”

“The ferns have thorny stems, James.” Aris looked at him, annoyed. “Our feet are not quite as soft as yours.”

James made a face as he looked around. “Our feet are not quite as soft as yours. Blah blah blah.”

Aris grinned as she continued scanning the forest.

James coughed, trying not to laugh. “I’m married to an alien. It cannot get much weirder than that.”

“I’m not an alien. Neither are you.” Aris glanced at him. “We are fellow sojourners in life and have much that is in common.”

“Like being hungry?” James raised an eyebrow.

“Yes. We must find food. And water.”

“I have a water bottle.” James rummaged through his backpack and pulled out a large sport-bottle. “It was the biggest I could find for my emergency pack.”

Aris grabbed it and looked at it. James pointed and she glared at him. “I know how to open it.”

“Yeah. Sure,” James said, not convinced. But she figured it out and took a long drink.

“Here. Drink.”

“Trying to ration it.” James started closing the bottle.

“Better in you than not in you, James. You must preserve your strength.” Aris tipped the bottle.

James sighed and took a sip. Aris glared at him and he took a longer drink. “There. Happy?”

“There is water over that rise.” Aris nodded ahead of them. “Rationing will just weaken you and lessen your chance of survival.”

“Yes ma’am,” James snarked as he put the bottle in his backpack.

Aris shook her head. “Are you always this annoying?”

James shrugged. “Some would call it an endearing characteristic.”

Aris laughed, making James grin. She glanced at him and shook her head. “Peculiar and annoying.”

James raised an eyebrow. “I think you like it.”

“I think…” Aris started then stopped, freezing almost in midstep.

James almost tripped when she didn’t release his hand. He looked back at her, then pulled his hand from her tightening grip. “Aris?”

She just stood, staring into nothing.

James wrapped his arm around her and put his hand on her cheek. “Come back to me, girl. Please…you’re scaring the crap out of me.”

Aris started falling back and James held her upright as he put his forehead on hers. “Aris?” He closed his eyes and saw something. He focused on it and found her in her mind. “Aris, it’s okay. I’m here.”

Aris was kneeling in a barren field, trembling in fear. She started when she saw him, and he found himself immediately in front of her, kneeling. “I’m not going away. You can’t scare me away.”

“I’m not alone?” Aris was breathless. She trembled as she looked around. “They’re all dead. Everyone.”

“We’re in a forest, Aris. Just a plain ol’ boring forest. Come back to me.” James grabbed her hand and suddenly he was back, holding her up. Aris blinked and took in a shuddering gasp. James held her cheeks as he looked in her face. “Aris? Are you back?”

“How did you do that?” Aris shivered and closed her eyes.

“I have traveled over a hundred thousand years and God knows how many galaxies to find you,” James said solemnly. “I may joke a lot, but…you are my center. My life.”

Aris took in another breath, calmer this time. She wiped her eyes. “You don’t know me. How can you be so…” She hesitated.

James smiled. “In love with you? Frankly, I don’t have a clue.”

She looked around and coughed. James took a step back, keeping his hands on her shoulders. She looked back at him. “You were there.”

James nodded. “Freaky.”

She gazed up into the sky. “It’s only been a few minutes.”

“Well, yeah.”

“James, normally it is days,” Aris said. “I’d wake up and days are gone.”

James brushed hair out of her eyes. “I guess there are fringe benefits to our bond after all.”

Aris looked at him for a long moment, then turned and started walking again.

James sighed, and threw his arms up in the air. “Hey. I just went to hell for you. That’s all. Whatever that place was.”

“Syagria.” Aris wiped her eyes. “It used to be Syagria.”

James frowned. “Well it’s not like that now.”

Aris stopped and spun around. “And it will never be!” Her irises flashed yellow as she glared at him. She shook her head, trying to control her composure. “Don’t you understand? This, right here, could cause that. What we are doing.”

“We’re walking through a forest,” James said carefully.

“To what? To who? A goddess? Some…gate? What about the others? There are several portals, and one enemy that is already a threat.”

James chewed his cheek as he regarded her. “What if we do nothing then?”

Aris slumped and started walking again. “We are not supposed to be. This was not supposed to happen. How can I bond with…you’re not even an Elf?”

“Sorry for being Terran,” James grumbled.

“Too many things that are not supposed to be. And now the same dream again. My world. Dead.”

“Maybe we are supposed to prevent that,” James said quietly.

Aris didn’t respond as she tried to stay ahead of him.

“You know, Steven…”

“You are not this Steven. Are you?” Aris stopped and glared at him.

“Um. No.” James was taken aback. “But I know that doing nothing is as bad as doing something.”

“It was a mistake coming here.” Aris turned and continued the trek. “I thought the dream would stop. I thought it was my fault. It might still be.”

“It was shorter. That’s gotta count for something.” James scratched his chest as he trotted to keep up with her.

Aris shook her head and stopped again. She rubbed her face and looked at James oddly. “You fear nothing, do you?”

“Spiders. And Trolls,” James said, grinning.

She cocked her head. “You’ve seen war, and devastation, but you keep pushing forward.”

James got serious. “Aris, I push forward because there is always a tomorrow. Another chance to make things better.”

“Or worse.”

He shrugged. “We make mistakes. But I think the trend is still for the better.”

“You are a strange creature, James.” Aris squinted at him. “And I am bonded with whatever you are. That’s even stranger.”

“Well, I make a mean brisket. Give me a chance.” James smiled wanly.

“James, usually years goes into the bonding courtship. Hundreds of years even.”

“I’ve known you for a year. And when I first met you, you’d known me for years too. Surely that counts?” James crossed his arms.

Aris shook her head and continued walking, forcing him to trot to catch up. After a long period of silence, she sighed. “Thank you.”

James had stayed behind her, but caught up with her when she said that. She glanced at him. “You are not even an Elf, and yet accept me when my own have rejected me.”

“I love you. And I hope for the best,” James said seriously.

Aris continued walking briskly. James wondered if it was a mistake, telling her his feelings. But he realized she already knew. Their bond. She had apparently already sifted his memories and thoughts exhaustively. He coughed and was about to comment on how hungry he was when Aris stopped and knelt down by a fallen trunk.

“Here.” She ripped a cluster of mushrooms off the trunk.

“Are they edible?” James sniffed them. “Bad mojo if you get the wrong one.”

Aris stood up and glared at him. “You need to learn to trust me, James.”

James grimaced and broke off a piece and ate it, staring at her while he dramatically chewed and swallowed. He licked his lips and looked at the rest. “That was actually pretty good. We’re on an alien world and…plants are plants and fungus is fungus. Go figure.”

“There are differences.” Aris chewed as she looked around. “But all life is based on a narrow set of parameters. Water does not naturally flow uphill after all.”

James nodded as he finished off his handful. “Well. Breakfast for a king.”

Aris just looked at him as she finished her last morsel, then started walking again.

“It’s okay to joke, you know,” James said as he caught up with her yet again. “Levity. Good for the soul.”

“I have not had reason to be happy for a very long time, James.” Aris looked sideways at him as they walked.

“Then find a reason,” James said resolutely.

Aris opened her mouth but James interrupted. “It’s a matter of survival. Your outlook on life will determine how likely we are to survive.” James squinted at her. “You do want to survive, right?”

“James.” Aris glanced at him, then looked down. “I will try.”

“Do. Or do not. There is no try,” James said, grinning. “A wise movie character said that.”

Aris smirked. “I see your reference. Your entertainment is very odd, James.”

James laughed. “I’ll take that as high praise, coming from an actual alien.”

“Wait,” Aris said, stopping. She cocked her head, then disappeared up a tree before James could ask. He was about to call up to her when she dropped silently to the forest floor, looking worried.

“What?” James asked.

“Experience your bond, James,” Aris said quietly. “We must change direction.”

“Why?”

Aris just looked at him impatiently. James returned her look, then saw what she had seen, in her memories. “They’re hunting us. The people who shot you down.”