Captain Moore stared at the synthetic specialist and frowned. "So… they're a branch of Den Elves that lives in this forest?"

Specialist Smith, now dressed in MultiCam and wearing a standard kit, stood at attention before him. "Correct, sir. From what I managed to garner, the Danj Tribe, the name of the elvish tribe that lives in this forest, is not nomadic, unlike the other Den Elves. Additionally, they do not refer to themselves as 'Den Elves,' perhaps due to their relative isolation from surrounding civilizations. She stated that it was her tribe's… magic that led the monsters to clear the area. They were preparing for an upcoming ceremony: a coming of rite passage from what I gathered.

"Your AI has received a more detailed report about the subject matter. As General Bassot requested, we are to watch over her and make her feel welcome, along with providing any information she requests except those involving any standing orders or military equipment."

"I see," Captain Moore mused. "Any suggestions or thoughts based on your observation?"

"From what Caelu, the elvish woman, stated, her tribe is rather primitive. Something along the lines of a Bronze Age civilization, with a few advancements made possible due to magic and… her tribe's patron god, so she claims. I have already included my suggestions in my reports, but I believe it is prudent to approach this tribe with increased caution and upgrade to Level Foxtrot."

"They are unlike the civilizations we had planned to encounter in this world; we expected extreme wariness of outsiders and fanatical religious zealots, but not on the level of 'never seen any foreign entities up close.' Further contact may necessitate going underground for extended periods to negotiate with the tribe."

He nodded. "Iris."

"Already organizing the UN brief about the planet and similar historical situations on Earth, boss," the AI quipped, her hologram sitting on his desk.

"Thank you," Captain Moore said. "Specialist Smith, you are dismissed. Thank you for your time. Make sure to get that checkup with the engineers as soon as possible."

The specialist saluted him and exited his temporary office. The temporary abode was not too dissimilar to his office back on the Nimitz, with copied furniture and his few personal possessions on his desk. His office was one of many small rooms within the HQ building on the west side of camp.

Everything was preassembled and prebuilt, shipped onto the ground rapidly after the perimeter was secured. He had heard that Bechtel Corp and a few others had created thousands of buildings for this mission, enough to crank out an entire city if necessary. He witnessed its effects now; a small fenced town had been built within a single night, and more was yet to come if things proceeded smoothly.

It was reminiscent of the stories of Bunker Hill, though instead of a small earthwork fort, it was an entire settlement made of steel.

He leaned back into the stiff steel chair and vacantly stared at the ceiling. Despite the captain's personal objections to the rest of the division landing in the forest, General Bassot reiterated that the soldiers had looked forward to getting off the ship, and delaying the landing by days or even weeks could have disastrous effects on morale. Not to mention, the alternatives were significantly more difficult or just as problematic.

With that in mind, he had been told that once the UN forces established contact with the local tribe, negotiations would be made to ensure an equal partnership… or at least attempt to do so.

If what he had heard from Specialist Smith was accurate, that would be no easy feat.

"North Sentinel Island, still uncontacted to this day, potential contact in the past led to a disease outbreak that potentially wiped out a chunk of the tribe. Evangelists approached an uncontacted native group in 1981 called the Nukak in Colombia, leading to an outbreak of various diseases and other conflicts, resulting in the death of half of the tribe within a few years…"

"The only saving grace is that the doctors and the medical AIs managed to synthesize vaccines and treatments for the diseases on this planet… Though the reverse is the bigger concern."

"And it will take time to synthesize that much vaccines and medication, even with our resources," Iris stated. She continued to read her data. "In 2016, almost a hundred years and fifty years ago, the Peruvian government and a Chinese mining company covered up several incidents of exploitation into lands with native tribes. Same thing occurred in 2076, during the War of the Pacific, since fighting spilled over into South America and several native tribes were flattened… by our government due to resource concerns."

Captain Moore groaned. "Any resources on this planet that might draw interest from some… unsavory companies?"

Iris' eyes glowed. "According to the UN Environmental Report 201E-R19, palladium, rhenium, iridium, rhodium, and osmium are several hundred times more plentiful on this planet than on Earth. There are also traditional gold, silver, iron, titanium, and other resources. Even more importantly, there are resources unavailable anywhere else on this planet, including specific metals and minerals that look to be infused with well… magic."

"So basically, this entire planet has a bucket load of resources, including those required for building starships, electronics, and everything that glows on our planet. Not to mention, new unknown resources that could reap huge rewards?"

"Yep."

"... Maybe our government and the Chinese government were right; we should've never stepped foot on this planet."

"I can keep an eye out for any new reports being filed from Earth or Roana if you would like."

"Please do. For now, let's keep our minds off of this issue." Captain Moore stated, massaging his temples. He stood up and looked out a small window by his desk. The forest was a strange mix of green and purple, but the sight was wondrous in a mysterious way. "We can't do anything about what command wants, and I'm getting a splitting headache."

"Just a heads up, you have a message from Lieutenant Doe. Something about Captain Blake and the elf?"

Captain Moore's hands were suddenly on his iPad, his eyes reading the message in record time. "Looks like I need to head over. Iris, how updated is the database for the Dunj language?"

"Approximately 87%."

Which meant a few stutters and pauses in between his words. "Good enough. Let's go."

He swept out of the room like a hurricane and jogged over to the temporary lodging section of the soldiers. While outside, he took inhaled the crisp air, far fresher than even that of the forests on Nova, and smiled at the clear blue sky. The smell of various plants and trees, a pleasing mix of pine and citrus, wafted in his nose despite the various machines and equipment assembling the camp. Giant trees loomed over the small slice of modernity on this planet, and even a few unknown animals, looking like chimeras of Earth animals, wandered by the outside perimeter.

Due to the limitation of the clearing and orders from command to avoid damaging the forest for the time being, many of the buildings were several stories in height. The camp was about three kilometers long from one end to the other. One of them was the barracks for Bravo Company, where their new 'guest' was also residing. It was located on the far side of the base, towards the southern perimeter, and stood four stories tall.

Said guest was now being courted by one Marine officer, whose grin looked far too crooked for Captain Moore's comfort. Several members of Bravo Company were standing in front of the barracks, looking displeased at Captain Blake's presence.

"Captain Blake," Captain Moore said in the Dunj language, walking up to the Marine and attempting to speak to the frightened elf hiding behind Specialist Smith, who was the elf's liaison for the time being. "For the last time. We are here on a diplomatic mission, and you're here scaring our only point of contact with the natives in the area!"

"You can't fault a guy for trying," the blond officer stated, flashing his pearl-white teeth with a smirk. He also responded to the elvish language with ease. "Relax, I'm just trying to talk to her. I'm interested in her… people."

The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.

"You, being interested in learning? Iris, can we get a statistical probability for that?"

"Zero percent!" Iris rang out from the cell in Captain Moore's pocket.

"Right. Off you go, captain. If you want to learn about Caelu and her people, it'll be in the report you were given a few hours ago."

Out of nowhere, Lieutenant Doe appeared and hovered near Captain Blake, staring him down with a frown. The Marine glared at the soldiers around him but clicked his tongue and backed off. "Fucking party poopers."

After Captain Blake was out of sight, Captain Moore glanced at the elf with an easy smile. He adjusted the MicroTranslate to help with his speech before speaking. "Sorry about that. Uh… Leader Blake is… unique. He's a great warrior but otherwise…"

Some familiar words were missing in the Danj language, especially more modern or military terms such as "captain." The translator automatically chose the closest option available.

"I understand," Caelu answered, stepping away from Specialist Smith. Her foreign words were quickly translated into a strange accented version of English. "I assume he is not a High Leader or Elder, considering his strange behavior?"

"Definitely not."

"That is acceptable. There are a few akin to your Leader Blake within my tribe, though they are more subdued. Perhaps it is universal among all tribes."

"Regardless, I apologize for his behavior. I will ensure that the… elders are informed." Captain Moore cleared his throat and stuck out his right hand. "I just realized this is our first 'formal' meeting. I'm Leader Jonathan Moore, in charge of… Brave Group."

"Caelu of the Danj Tribe," the elf responded amicably. She stared at the hand in front of her before hesitantly shaking his hand. Her skin was still laced with dirt, though slightly less than what he had seen yesterday. "I heard from Elize that you were the one who guaranteed my safety and protected me from harm two days ago, so I thank you."

"Of course. My warriors were a bit shaken by your tribe's ambush as they were expecting monsters in the area. They responded out of surprise if anything else. We would've changed our plans if we had known your people were here."

"So you say. Yet, if anything, it looks like your people plan to stay in the forest regardless of what we have to say."

Captain Moore looked at the imposing buildings and structures from the corner of his eyes and grimaced. "For the time being, yes. We hope to reach an agreement with your tribe before then."

"I have already told Elize, but unless Tesa himself agrees, I'm afraid that will be impossible."

"Tesa, your god?"

"Tesa, the God of Earth and Hearth," Caelu emphasized.

"Right. So… how do we gain his approval?"

"We can commune directly with him at the Spring Equinox, which is not for at least another one hundred and fifty-night cycles."

"One hundred and fifty-night cycles... I don't think we can wait for an answer that long."

"The only other possibility is for Tesa to reach out to us on his own accord, which is a rarity. For the past one thousand rotations, such an event has only occurred four times."

"Thousands of… rotations around the sun. I see."

"So please, if you can, please inform your elders that Tesa will not be pleased if you trespass upon his domain without his approval. Additionally, my tribe may be in great danger if you choose to remain here and draw in other humans."

"I will do my best," Captain Moore answered. He knew his words of protest would fall on deaf ears, but he resolved himself to send a detailed report up the chain of command about the issue. "But I can't promise anything."

Caelu looked down at the ground and sighed. "I understand. More importantly, where is my brother, Chiu?"

"He's still recovering aboard our… uh… ship, I believe, is the word in your language? He should be returning to the ground in a few days."

"Ship. My people have not used the word for a long time."

"I assume it's because you live under the earth?"

"Within the earth," Caelu clarified. "But yes, my people do not stay on the surface for extended periods, with few exceptions. As I have mentioned to Elize before, Tesa blessed us after we were expelled from our old homeland in the far east. He took pity upon our people and guided us to this forest, where we decided to hide from the world as our people were preyed upon by others… especially humans."

"You have the reassurance of me and my elders when I say we will not harm your people."

"From what I have seen so far, it remains so. I hope that this peace will continue."

A loud growl escaped the elf's stomach, causing her to keel over and look around with flushed cheeks. "Forgive me… I had some of your people's food last night in my quarters, and it seems as though my stomach is asking for nourishment once again."

Captain Moore chuckled while covering his mouth with his hand. "No problem. I could also use some food; it's almost noon. I'll lead the way to the… dining hall."

The two of them walked inside, followed by Lieutenant Doe and Specialist Smith. They entered the mess hall, which was simpler than the one on the Nimitiz yet clean and serviceable all the same. The cream-colored walls and polished tan tiles reminded him of Fort Benning back at home. "What's the chow for today?"

"Country fried steak, mash, corn, dinner rolls, and salad," Lieutenant Doe responded.

"Country fried steak? Looks like Specialist Marsh is cooking."

"What is a "country fried steak?" Caelu asked.

Lieutenant Doe's southern twang dripped through his everyday 'standard' American accent. "God's gift to man."

"Can you eat meat?" Captain Moore asked the elf.

"Yes?" Caelu answered with a puzzled expression, her ears twitching. "As we are blessed by Tesa, the wildlife, both plants and animals, are free to be consumed for nourishment. That is, as long as we are not wasteful."

"Huh," Captain Moore said. "I thought elves were vegetarians."

"Why would we only eat vegetables? If I am to be honest, I prefer meat."

"I believe Captain Moore is a bit confused about the matter due to… literature about elves from our home," Specialist Smith spoke up. "I did not think you were interested in such… literature, captain."

The captain cringed and waved his hands, feeling the judgemental gazes of the synthetic soldier and even his own executive officer. "What! No, no, it's not me. Lieutenant Choi read crap like that out loud back on Nova and the Nimitiz. It's not me, I swear."

"Literature about elves was considered manure in your homeland?" Caelu asked, her ears raised in alarm.

Specialist Smith clarified with a lecturing tone. "It is a figure of speech in our language; it is not meant to be derogatory. He means that the literature involving elves was usually regarded por…"

"Anyways, let's get some food," Captain Moore interrupted, pushing the group toward the serving area and handing each of them a plate. He took a whiff of the chow and grinned ear to ear. "Hope you're hungry."