Sage Elvan and Jal circled the statues curiously. Sage Elvan reached out and touched a sleeve only to find that it did not feel like fabric. “This is some sort of glass?” it asked.

“We have no idea. We found them, but don’t know what to do with them.”

“Have you asked around the area about them?”

“No. What would we ask?”

“Perhaps they could be identified,” Sage Elvan suggested as it looked closely at the faces.

“It would be helpful if you could arrange for them to be moved out of here,” Milen said.

“How do you propose I do that?”

“You have friends. You could suggest that they come and get them to be identified. They could be put in a museum.”

“A museum?”

“They are clearly not alive, but are perfectly preserved.”

“I don’t know,” Sage Elvan said slowly. “I don’t know who would display them, let alone move them. Maybe you should leave them here.”

“If you think that is a good solution. This cavern will eventually be filled with the rock that we find unusable.”

“How do you think they got here?” Sage Elvan looked around the subterranean area.

“Come this way.”

Sage Elvan and Jal followed Milen through a natural tunnel to a small cave which opened at the river.

“How far does your property go?

“To the tall pole with the light,” he pointed.

“Are there more caves?”

“I believe so.”

“Any other abnormalities like these?”

“I have no idea.”

“I need to think about how to proceed. Can you show us where we can access the signals from the satellites?”

Milen led them back to the main cave, and into a tunnel that sloped upward. At the top, there was a small manmade grotto with smooth walls. He pushed a button and the ceiling slid aside, and then left Sage Elvan and Jal.

The two discussed the situation and made a list of things to research and people Sage Elvan could contact. Jal began to research missing people in the area, beginning with current news reports and documents from the Protectorate offices. It searched archives that went back decades, but found nothing that seemed to be connected with the statues.

When Jal finished with that, it searched the local news for articles involving harassment of cargo carriers by the Haybuti or Zibran people. “Listen to this, Master. ‘Self-appointed leaders of the Zibran people in the area between the three rivers enacted a law this week that may impact local mining efforts. Shipments may be stopped by anyone suspecting transport of illegal substances. The list of illegal substances can be obtained at the following information access on the international data system.’ There are nine links to stories that are accounts that masked individuals stopped transports, claiming that various illegal materials were being moved. Several names are listed as people and companies that are suspected of creating explosive devices that will be used in the ongoing conflict.”

Sage Elvan made a note. “I’ll reach out to my contact regarding this law. If anyone can stop the transports, it may be why Milen and Kudon’s shipments were hijacked.”

“Hey! There’s nothing that says what happens to the transports that are being seized.” It looked at Sage Elvan. “Somebody may simply be seizing transports to sell the contents, or there may actually be illegal substances in them. Do you suppose someone suspects that illegal substances are being mined and sold from here? It might be why Luka and Meja are being stopped.”

“Maybe the bullies are searching the speeder for traces of the mined material,” the sage said slowly. “See what you can find about heclil.”

The two worked in silence until Sage Evan stopped and asked Jal for a report on what it had found.

“Heclil is a component of kethium. It’s the newest substance that’s being used to manufacture large structures, like space transports. Monitron Industries has a research and development site near Patiru. The transport distance is not far.” Jal went on, “When the heclil is found, there’s often jaderye and taenrine alongside it.”

“So?”

“Both substances are listed on the information access point posted by the Zibran leaders.”

“Can you find pictures of the substance?”

Several minutes passed as Jal typed and searched. “Master, I can’t find any pictures.”

Sage Elvan didn’t share its thoughts. “I can’t find Milen or Kudon Badam’s names in the local directories. They’re not registered as property owners. I wonder how long ago they began this mining operation. The main living area doesn’t show signs of much use. If we could get a picture we might be able to run a facial recognition program on them, but we’d have to be at the Peace Foundation to do that. I’m going to contact Urzith Azseth. He’s the person who gave them my name. Maybe he can tell me more.”

“Jal, we’ve done enough here for right now. Here’s what I want you to do. Bring your tablet into the main living area tonight. Try to work on your schoolwork. Can you do that?”

“Sure.”

“Discreetly, try to get pictures of the family members, particularly Milen and Kudon. Hide them in a file where no one would look. Let’s see if someone will take us back to the cave where the statues are. We need pictures of them. I’ve sent messages to several museums and historians. You don’t need to hide those pictures. We’ll search along the river for other caves to see if there is anything else unusual. I’d like to try to climb as high as we can. I’ve never been this far into these mountains.”

“Does it matter where we are?”

“I’m curious how close we are to the zones that are used for transporters.”

At the noon hour, Gera found them, still researching who the statues might be. “Any luck?” she asked as they passed a plate of vegetables around the table.

Sage Elvan shook its head. “There aren’t many records of people going missing in this area.”

“No one may realize it with the cargo transports going back and forth,” she responded. “People just assume that someone may have gotten a ride and returned on a different one.”

The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

“How far is it to the transport zone?”

“About sixty kilometers west.”

“Through the mountains?” Sage Elvan asked in surprise.

“There are long valleys where the transports can pick up speed. Some trees have been taken out of the edge of the forests, but not many.”

“We’d like to go back to the cave where the statues are this afternoon,” Sage Elvan told her.

“I can take you there,” she nodded.

“Your accent seems like that of the local people,” the sage observed.

“I grew up in this area.”

“Did you hike in the mountains?” Jal asked interestedly.

“I didn’t. But a group of my friends did. They would travel north where the mountains are steeper. Always coming back, telling of something thrilling that happen. Someone would slip on a rope, or they would have to jump between gaps. They loved taking risks like that, adrenaline junkies,” she laughed.

“Are there stories of unusual creatures around here?” Jal asked.

“Like what?”

“Like the tales of giants beyond the mountains and unusual animals with large horns.”

“Oh, those stories!” Gera thought for a minute. “There are stories of people who changed from light into human form. Large snakes, big enough to eat a man that lived along the rivers. I suspected that my parents told us that to keep us away from the water.” She took a bite and chewed thoughtfully. “I remember my mother’s father telling stories of a monster named Blem. It was a hairy, tall creature that was bigger than any human. It had a single white eye and could rip a person apart in seconds. Mother would always tell her father to stop, that he was scaring us and we would have bad dreams,” She chuckled at the memory. “We didn’t want to go to bed; we were afraid there were monsters at the windows that would get us.”

“Children’s imaginations can create horrible things.” Sage Elvan changed the subject. “Where did you meet Milen?”

“On Capesia, at the university there. I was in the medical program, and he was studying geoscience. He was born on Tresdonia. His parents are part of the research group for space transport.”

“That’s a very good university. I have friends that attended there,” Sage Elvan remarked. “The science programs are outstanding.”

“They’re hard. We both studied around the clock. We came here and he began mining after he finished his degree.”

They finished the meal and Jal helped her clean up. “You must have water piped in from the river?” it asked. She nodded. “Do you ever go fishing?”

She laughed at this. “No way! I don’t know the first thing about how to prepare fish or cook them. No, we pick up supplies in Darej.”

She led them through the passageway and showed them how to find their way back to the main living area, and left them. Sage Elvan and Jal studied the statues. “The clothing doesn’t really tell us anything,” Sage Elvan mused.

“I disagree,” Jal countered. “Those are sturdy boots, likely meant for hiking. The belts are ones that an outdoorsman might wear. See the tools hanging down? This is shaped like a hatchet. A knife. Heavy cord. “ It studied them from the back. “It seems to me that the coats are worn along the inside of each shoulder.” Jal took pictures of them and began to look around in the cavern. Although there were stalactites and stalagmites, it appeared that everything was dry.

“What are you looking for?”

“I don’t know. I thought there might be something here that would tell us what they were fighting. I don’t see anything.” Jal moved methodically through the cave searching behind rocks and even crawled into a low tunnel that stopped after a few meters. It backed up and continued to search. “Sage Elvan! I found something.”

It was a knapsack with a drawstring closure. Upon examination, the bag contained two blankets, firestarter rocks, a map, and a compass. Jal took pictures of the map before putting everything back in the bag and resuming its search.

Sage Elvan spoke, “Here’s a tunnel.” It went several steps in, “I can see light,” it returned to Jal.

Jal followed the sage through the tunnel to another cave. This one was smaller than the other two. “Bones,” Jal observed. There was nothing else there.

The two made their way from one cave to another along the river. After the fifth one, Sage Elvan saw that they had gone past the pole indicating the edge of Milen and Kudon’s property. “I wonder if this land has been claimed by anyone. I don’t know that we should go on, Jal. We’re not here to get ourselves in trouble with the locals.”

“Don’t they have to put markers up?”

“I’m not certain. You want to keep going, don’t you?”

“I’m having a great time,” Jal admitted. Sage Elvan looked at its timepiece. They agreed to continue for another hour. They went in and out of the caves along the river, finding nothing but bones in piles, as if an animal had eaten there. There were no fresh tracks. It was nearly time to turn back when they saw two people in the rocks overhead.

“Hello!” Sage Elvan called out. There was no response. He shouted louder. “Jal, let’s climb up to talk to them.”

As Jal picked its way up the incline, Sage Elvan followed. “Hello,” it said to the two people. Their shields were raised to cover their faces and the weapons they held glinted in the sunlight. Sage Elvan reached out to touch them, and found they were covered in the same glassy texture as the four statues they’d looked at.

“Jal,” Sage Elvan ordered. “I’ll take pictures. Would you look around for some sort of evidence as to who they are, or where they came from?” A short search turned up nothing. Jal marked the location on the electronic pad, and they returned to the Badam property.

That night at the meal table, Luka and Maja told again of being stopped and the speeder being searched. This time, Maja had been talking on her communication device. She had managed to get pictures of the people who were stopping them before they were ordered out of the vehicle. “I got a picture of their speeder as they left,” she said. “I thought they saw me hold the device up as they went past, and thought they might come back, but they didn’t.”

Kita scolded her, and admonished her to be safe. She sighed, “I simply want this to stop.”

“I’d like those pictures, please,” Sage Elvan told her. After the meal, Maja brought her communicator to it, and they moved the pictures to a tablet. Each person looked at them, but no one knew who they were.

The three youth sat at the table working on schoolwork. “What are you working on, Jal?” Gera asked.

“I just finished anatomy. I’m working on Documentation of Research Sources.”

“Why would you take that?”

“It’s part of the requirements for completion of my certificate.” She looked at Jal oddly. “I’m required to complete a research project over the next fifteen months.”

“I thought you were an apprentice.”

“I am. I also attend school.”

“Your classes sound like university-level ones.” Jal responded that it didn’t know anything about that. “Anatomy classes are required for medical training.”

“There’s a very good medical program at the university in Nik,” she pointed out.

“Did you go to classes there?”

“Yes. I finished the medical program there.”

Jal looked at her intensely. “I’d like to hear more.”

As Luka and Maja continued their studies, Gera told Jal of her classes in Nik and then on Capesia. “Milen and I met during one of the science classes there.”

“Gera!” Milen nearly shouted.

“What?” she looked puzzled.

“The young man doesn’t need to know all that!”

“He wants to be a doctor. He’s going to have to go off-world to complete his training. Capesia has a good program.”

“Let him do his own research! Don’t you have something better to do, rather than run your mouth?” She got up and left the table. When Luka and Maja closed their books, Gera came back and checked their schoolwork, giving them guidance on the things that were incorrect.

“How do you do homework on one of those?” Luka asked, pointing at Jal’s tablet. Jal showed him that it would read a section, then answer questions. “That’s pretty neat. But it takes batteries. We don’t have enough power to charge things like that here.” Jal tried to not show its surprise at this statement; lights had been turned on in several places in the large cave. A chilling unit hummed in one area next to a stove.

As the three youth finished up their studies, Sage Elvan called Jal over to show the adults the pictures of the two statues they had found. They passed its tablet back and forth. They had no idea there were more statues, and said that they didn’t recognize them.

The next morning, Sage Elvan told the group that it and Jal were leaving shortly. “I’ll do some research and check with some people I know about the hijackings and harassment. I’ll also see what I can find out about where the Protectorate is in the process of determining the boundaries. I do have a few more questions before I go.” He paused. “What’s the name of your business?”

“Does it matter?” Kudon said belligerently.

“I need it to find out whether the Protectorate has you on the voting list about activity on the referendum regarding Zibran’s annexation of this area. I’m wondering if you’ve been overlooked in their communications.”

“KM Extraction,” Milen responded.

“Is it in both of your names or just one of you?”

“It’s in both of our names.”

“What’s the size of your property claim in this area?”

“Ten hectares.”

Sage Elvan continued down the list of questions it had made. “Where were you born and what are your parents’ names?”

“You don’t need to know that!” Milen was angry.

“I do. I won’t contact them. If the Protectorate officials ask me why you live here, they’ll ask who your parents are and where you were born. They may be more willing to give me the information I need.”

“Very well. Gera’s parents are Servak and Zita Distor, and she was born in southern Trazene. My parents are Orto and Maruto Tona. I was born on an island of Zelatori. They were killed when the volcanos erupted.”

“I’m sorry to hear that,” Sage Elvan said quietly as it wrote the names down. Jal turned away, but not before Sage Elvan saw its look of surprise.