Meanwhile at the Border Camp

Upon arriving, Mac is immediately greeted by a pair of Risuner girls. The two girls are identical twins. Both are fairly young in their late teens, Mac thought. He can certainly feel their short petite bodies rub against his space suit. They're not flat, but they're not va-va-voom either. They both are short. One twin has shoulder length brunette hair, emerald green eyes, and a band-aid across her nose. The other twin has the same eyes and hair color. Except her hair is long and tied in a ponytail. If they had the same hair hair cut then Mac could never tell them apart. Even their long bushy squirrel tails are indistinguishable. Mac sighs. His speaker in the space suit goes silent. The twins stare at Mac confused. Mac points to one of the girls. He speaks, but then the suit's computer attempts to translate his words to very basic Risunese. “Rimba?” Mac asks pointing to the Risuner with the band-aid on her nose. She applauds. The suit translates her words on the helmet: “Yes, Rimba is I.” Mac sighs. “The translation is shit,” he says. Mac points to the Risuner with the pony tail. “Taman?” He asks. Taman jumps on Mac knocking him over. Mac is flat on the ground with Taman sitting on his chest. Taman then grab's Mac's helmet. She tries to twist and turn it to take it off. Rimba grabs Taman and says something to her but the computer could not translate it. Taman and Rimba start a slap fight on top of Mac's chest. A whistle blows. Two of the Sanalite checkpoint guards grab the twins and pull them off of Mac. One of the guards pulls out a pair of hand-cuffs. Mac shuffles to his feet. He holds his hand out. “Wait wait wait!” Mac attempts to grabs the hand-cuffs. “Don't cuff them you idiot! They're just kids!” The border guard pulls a fork on Mac and says “mate, I warned them five times. They're getting cuffed.” Mac grabs the shaft of the fork. “Clearly you lack patience to continue doing your job.” The guard and Mac stare at each other. Mac clenches his fist.

“You two, stand down!”

Lieutenant Caroline steps between Mac and the guard. She points at the guard and commands him. “You! Return to your post.” The guard puts away his weapon. “Yes mam! But-”

“That's an order, private.”

“Yes mam!”

The guard returns to his post. Mac dusts off his suit. Caroline glares at Mac. Then she says “need I remind citizens that they are not to pick fights with the security officers.” The twin Risuners, Taman and Rimba, stand in front of Mac. Mac says “oi! I don't need you two to defend me.” Caroline kneels down to pat the Risuners on the head. She speaks, and the computer translates. “You Risuner help others at campfire.” The twins both nod. They leave Mac and Caroline to meet the Sanalites unloading next to the bonfire. Mac asks “how d'you do that?” Caroline says “I was the oldest of five rowdy kids.” “So you're a lucky one,” says Mac. “I was an only child. My brother was aborted because of the population limit.” Caroline looks away and says “I see. Sorry for your loss.” Mac waves his hand. Then he says “knowing my luck he would have grown up to be a snot-nosed brat.” Caroline once again is unimpressed by Mac's humor.

Just then five living skeletons(?) walk out of the cabin. Judging by their uniforms and hats they're members of the Morigascar Navy. One of the Risuners spots the skeletons. He joins them. The skeletons talk to the Risuner for a moment. Lieutenant Caroline and Mac approach the skeletons. Upon closer inspection they don't look like skeletons at all. They look like very anorexic people with almost no muscles. Caroline straightens herself out. Mac stands attentive. His helmet mists from the sweat. Mac never did like speaking to deadbeat military. The leader removes his hat. He's a fairly tall man, not as tall as Mac. He's completely bald. His lips are almost shriveled up. You can see his sturdy yet handsome jaw bone. He looks at Caroline with his empty gray eyes. He taps his teeth for a second. He speaks in his native tongue. Fortunately we have the full translation. “My name is Lieutenant Desuvius Akai. I am the head of the escort of the Risuner Tri-fleet. I hold just as much authority over the expedition as Enoch.” Enoch steps forward. He looks inside Caroline's helmet trying to get a good look at her. Caroline is not impressed. Enoch twitches his tail and whistles. Caroline growls at him. Enoch lowers his head and smiles. He speaks to Caroline in deadbeat. “I am well behaved. We are very excited to be here. I am Enoch. The leader of this expedition. Now who's the woman behind these sexy eyes?” Mac laughs. Caroline elbows Mac pretty hard. Mac rubs his arm. Caroline speaks and the computer translates. “I am Lieutenant Caroline Summers. You may refer to me as Lieutenant Summers. The man next to me is Mac O'Donnell. He is the diplomat chosen to communicate with your group.” Mac looks at Enoch in the eyes and smirks. Enoch is a little peeved at Mac but he accepts a little friendly rivalry. Caroline continues: “I have been appointed by the Security Forces to escort your caravan to the capitol.” Enoch claps his hands. Then he says “wonderful. I can't wait to see your country. I hear its more fun than the dreadful Owl Republic.”

Caroline raises her hand. “Don't get too hasty,” she says. “There's a few rules you need to know before going near any settlement.” Enoch puts his hand behind his head, looks away, and spits. “So I was lied to?” Caroline shakes her head. “No, but I will explain why. Will you hear me out?” Enoch glares at Caroline. Caroline relaxes her eyes. Enoch sees Caroline's sincerity. He pulls up his pants. “Okay, make it quick!”

Caroline clears her throat. “We Sanalites come from space.” She points in the air. Enoch looks up. He asks “you come from the sky?” Caroline says “we come from beyond the sky. We come farther from the sun. We come from the stars beyond.” Enoch scratches behind his ear. “I don't quite get it. Why do I have to follow rules.” Caroline approaches Enoch. “Because we come from a different world. Which means we do not have immunity to this world's diseases.” “Disease!?” Enoch sniffs himself. “I'm not sick! What are you talking about?” Mac puts his hand on Caroline's shoulder. “I can take it from here.” Mac looks at Enoch. “We come from space. Our ship has cleaner air than outside. If I take off my helmet right now then I will choke from allergies in ten minutes. The outside air makes us sick. Understand so far.” Enoch puts his thumb on his chin. “Makes sense. But why are you calling us sick?” Mac says. “We are not calling you sick. But you don't have to be sick to carry a disease.” Enoch is intrigued. “You can carry a disease without being sick?” Desuvius and the other deadbeats are quite interested in the conversation now. Caroline speaks. “Natives of this world are born and raised to live alongside the world's diseases. Your bodies build up an immunity to the germs that cause diseases. Even if you get sick you will eventually recover from most diseases with good food and rest. However you also carry the diseases in your bodies as asymptomatic carriers.” Enoch is confused by Caroline's big words. Mac breaks the silence. “What she means is you can carry things that make us Sanalites sick. And since we Sanalites don't live in dirty air we can get very sick.” Mac raises his finger and says “also we too carry diseases of our own that can make you and your squirrel friends very sick. That includes our bony friends here as well.” Desuvious unleashes a grunt.

Enoch is still confused by Mac's words. But Mac logic makes much more sense. “So you have to wear your suits to protect yourselves and us from diseases?” Mac folds his arms. “That's correct.” Enoch groans loudly. “Then how do we exchange nut if your people can't take off your cloths!?” Mac yells back. “Idiot! That's the bloody point!” Enoch folds his arms. “Now I'm disinterested. I'd rather go back to the forest and meet the saplings.” Mac takes out something from inside of his pocket. “Oi! I got something for ya!” Mac pulls out a sweet chestnut from inside of his pocket. Enoch immediately lowers his guard and stares. “What is that?” he asks. Mac flicks the chestnut at Enoch. He catches it. “It's a Deep Space Chestnut. We bred this hardy nut over thousands of years to withstand the cold depths of space. Because we drift through deep space the station gets cold. So our nuts need to survive the cold along with the rest of our crops.” The nut Enoch holds is shiny, brown, and very hard. “It reminds me of the golden acorns Risu loves,” Enoch says. “Eat it!” Mac yells. “Try it for yourself.” Enoch uses his buck teeth to crack open the nut. The nut's shell is extremely tough but its no mach for Risuner's teeth. Enoch spits out the shell. He tosses the meat into his mouth. Enoch's eyes widen open. “Its sweet,” he says. “Its sweet but also nutty and earthy. I never tasted a nut like this. Risu would be very pleased if we can bring this nut home.” Mac approaches Enoch. “You probably can't grow it at home.” Mac then says “we barely managed to get it growing up here outside the station. Its literally a nut out of this world. I brought some more samples for your caravan here. It might not be the nut you want to taste. But I'd like everyone to give it a try.”

Back at the buggy Rimba and Taman are helping the other Sanalites pass out Deep Space Chestnuts to the other Risuners. The Sanalites encourage all of the Risuners to eat their nut for a taste. Many of the Risuners do. It seems they are quite pleased with the flavor of the nut. “We have other kinds of nuts too!” Mac yells. “This is just a sample!” The Risuners do get a little carried away and rush the buggy for more. Caroline blows a whistle. “One at a time!” Sergeant Johnson gets a good look at the Risuners. He whispers to Mac. “Many of them look like kids. At least late teens.” Mac scouts the crowd. He says “there's a few adults. They're the ones in charge.” Enoch meanwhile is next to Caroline. Mac hops off of the buggy. “That damn kid,” he mutters under his breath.

Mac hears Caroline talking to Enoch. “I lost him during a live fire training accident,” says Caroline. Mac steps aside. “So your not seeking another mate?” asks Enoch. “Why?” Caroline takes a deep breath. “Simon meant the whole world to me.” Caroline says “when you're traveling through deep space the your world is very small. When we find the mate we want we stay together for life. But when we lose that mate its heart breaking.” Caroline looks at Enoch. “Even if I could take off my spacesuit, I can't help but think of Simon.” Enoch sighs. “I understand. Its hard to lose your life mate.” Caroline then says. “There's also more of you Risuners than us Sanalites. Perhaps if we had a bigger population I could get away with having sex with more people. Problem is everyone knows everybody here. So rumors spread fast.” Caroline holds up a finger. “This means if you managed to have sex with any Sanalites we'll find out quickly.” Enoch stretches. “I don't get it.” He says “this disease stuff is preventing you from having sex with squirrels is stupid. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger.” Caroline looks away. “Its also the Grand Directive.” “The Grand Directive?” Enoch asks. Caroline says “it is forbidden to have Sanalites share genetic material with natives species, whether through genetic engineering or courtship. If a Sanalite mixes their genes with a native then we risk altering that native species evolution path.” Enoch cleans his ears. “Big science words again. I don't understand it.” Caroline walks away. Enoch hops to his feet. “Hey!” Caroline ignores him. She walks past Mac. She stops for a moment. “I heard nothing,” says Mac. Caroline walks away. Enoch growls. He curses in his Risuner language. He pulls up a bit of grass. Mac chuckles. Enoch glares at Mac. Mac raises his hands and says “you'll get used to it. The women here are very particular who they want to mate with. Rejection is normal.” Enoch spits. “A squirrel her age would be dying to get laid by now. Especially if she's a widow.” Mac chuckles. “Well you're not wrong.” Mac puts his hand on Enoch's shoulder. “Its a bit of a culture shock. Come on. We're cooking food at the camp.” Enoch stands up. “Mac, is it?”

“Yeah?”

Enoch looks at Mac in the eye. “What is this Grand Directive?” Mac grumbles. He rubs his shoulder. “I'll tell you about it later. Its a pretty long explanation. Besides its almost grub time. You'll feel better after a meal.” Enoch nods. A meal does sound good right about now. While walking back to camp Enoch says “So you not only drove up to us on your horseless buggy. You also brought us food. Why?” Mac looks up at the dusky sky and says “well the plan's been made for a while now. An old friend of mine had the food set aside for ya out of his own pocket.”

“Huh?”

Mac glances at Enoch and says “truth be told our new principal wanted to send you packing. He'd rather not deal with unplanned caravans. But the old principal before he was fired he knew. 'One of these days the shipbuilding squirrels will learn who made the stainless steel tools. When they do, they'll come visit us.' I think that's what he said.” Enoch stops to fold his arms to think. “There was a man in a spacesuit that came to /risu/. He had stainless steel tools. But a dog-monster grabbed him and ran away.” Mac says, “originally the tools were meant to be delivered to you via official channels using /infinity/ as a courier.” Mac rubs his arm. “Though the smuggler wound up being the safer way in the end because there's a risk of /infinity/ engineers analyzing our stainless steel for themselves. They're not as bad as Hoomans about it. But still.” Somebody whistles. Taman and Rimba are by the campfire waving. They yell something in Risunese to Enoch. Enoch then tells Mac, “the food's ready.” Enoch dashes on one foot. “Oi! Wait for me!” Mac runs three meters behind Enoch and losing ground. “Damn!” Mac huffs. “The rodent's quick. I'll give them that.”

Back at camp the Sanalite support party are grilling veggie burgers and hot dogs. Fortunately nobody asked what was in the hot dogs. The burgers and hot dogs are placed on buns with creamy-spicey sauce. The Risuners were unimpressed with the burgers. Obviously the burgers in /who/ is better. The hot dogs were better with sauerkraut and horseradish sauce. The real star of the evening's meal is Johnson toasting marshmallows on a wire. Johnson puts the roasted marshmallow on a piece of chocolate on a half of a graham cracker. Then he tops the marshmallow with the other half of the graham cracker. Johnson holds out the dessert and calls for Enoch. The suit translates into Risunese. “Fearless leader! I bring you an offering.” Enoch makes his way through the crowd. He takes the dessert Johnson was offering. Enoch puts the whole treat into his mouth. Johnson says, “this dessert is called a smore. Do you like it? Would you like to learn how to make it yourself?” Enoch's eyes widen. A tear goes down his face. He's never tasted anything so pleasant in his life. He's heard about the sky people's cooking. But this is the first dish that's actually impressed him. Enoch swallows. Then he nods with a “mmm-hmmm”.

The Sanalites teach the Risuners how to toast the marshmallows. The trick to toasting marshmallows is to not place them directly into the fire. Though there are a few Risuners who prefer burnt marshmallow on s'mores. Rimba and Taman are arguing beside Mac on which s'mores is better. Mac takes both s'mores and inserts them inside of his food slot. The twin Risuners are surprised. Mac tastes both s'mores, one at a time. He concludes Rimba's s'mores is his favorite. Rimba cheers. Taman folds her arms and pouts. Lieutenant Caroline has spent her evening in a drinking contest with Lieutenant Desuvious. Caroline is the first to succumb. However the winner of the deadbeat drinking contest is Hugor Shiro, the elder deadbeat. Even though there was no party planned the celebration of Sanalites and Risuners lasted fairly late into the night with drinking and s'mores. Though there was more than a few drunken brawls. And obviously the Risuners fucked like mad in their tents. It is a very pleasant time, Mac notes. Sure the Risuners may be a rowdy bunch of kids to him but they're much more civil than expected. Of course that was because the Risuners were tired of their voyage. The test will be how well Risuners will handle Kirby Village during the festival. Scratch that. The real test will be how Risuners will handle quarantine for three days while they get tested.

Mac receives a radio call just before sunrise. “Oi! Mac. You up?” Mac while half-asleep, draws his pistol. He loads it over the radio. “Whoever you are this channel is encrypted.” Mac says “if I find out who you are then prepare to die.”

“Woah woah woah! Mac. Is me! Charlie!”

Mac groans. “C'mon! I don't have time for your shit today Charlie. Its 4 AM, hurry up.”

“Right!”

Charlie tells Mac that Matilda has just finished her meeting with the Saplings. “Good,” says Mac. “Now we don't have to set fire to the forest.” Charlie asks “you don' mean that do'ya?” Mac rolls over to his side. “Oi Charlie. You'll never guess who I ran into today.” Charlie asks “oh did you mate? I got notta clue.” Mac grins. “Oh you're gonna love them,” he says. “I think they came on this voyage just for you.” Charlie swallows loudly over the radio. His voice is shaken. “You-you-y-you don't mean who I think do ya!?” Mac merely whispers a pair of names.

On the other side of the border a man screams off the top of his lungs.

---To be continued.