Serene darkness surrounded Jaruka. His body floated in the emptiness with no pain, no hate, and no cares.

So this is what bliss feels like. Finally. He smiled.

It felt right. There were no more worries to juggle; no more Denverbay, no more Galactic Council, no more Terra Firma, and certainly, no more staying afloat in space. Nova Company and his family would miss him, but life kept going, at least his wants were met.

Peace—it was what Jaruka strived for in his life, and he had gotten it. He thought for a moment that staying in the darkness would not be so bad.

A disturbing idea surfaced. He could not remember how it had happened and horrific childhood memories jarred him awake.

Oh goddess, my promise!

Jaruka opened his eyes and red water obscured his sight. Blood, he thought. "Crog!" As he spoke water rushed down his throat, tasting sweet and acidic. My blood! Some dipshit stabbed me! He flailed his body as water splashed, he gripped a sturdy edge and pulled himself out of the water.

Once he was able to sit up, Jaruka coughed and took huge, gasping breaths. His skindreads felt heavier; it had to have been three hours in the water, or his blood, to swell them twice the size as before, but they were still strong enough to withstand a blade. He pushed his skindreads back from his face, letting the remaining water splash onto the window and wallpapered walls.

He checked himself for stab wounds, mostly on his back. There was nothing so….

Jaruka jerked his head to the left felt an intense headache that caused him to yell. He had no mirror to see, but he was certain that there was a blue and purple bruising lump on the back of his head.

“Ah...what the...," he said. "What the crog happened?"

Blinking, looked at the white bathtub he had been in, filled with the red water. The smell was the same, but it did not match to anything he had come across before. The rancid smell from the furry animal was gone. "Aw, did I get sneezed on?" His clothes were still on, soaked, strained, and weighing him down, but his universal translator was on the white tiled floor. He grabbed the translator and froze as he realized where he was.

The bathroom decor was alien to him, there were too many odd knickknacks for comfort. He cursed under his breath. It was a human bathroom, the bathroom at the winery. "Just my luck. I got to get out of here before bullets fly."

He buckled his universal translator back around his neck and stuck the earbuds into his earholes. A red-tailed hawk perched on a towel rack across the bathroom let out a short cough to gain his attention, unamused by Jaruka's actions.

"Oh, it's you," Jaruka said in clear English. "You must be...what's your name..." He snapped his fingers. "Ms. Walsh's bird...Kisada!”

"It's Arana," she corrected him sourly. "No doubt some brain damage is present."

"It's a headache, smartass," he lied. He barely knew Scott and Katie's totems, having only spoken to them for a few seconds at Groom Lake. "So tell me. What Terra Firma creature sneezed on me? And why am I not itchy or smelly? I can think of a dozen creatures hocking red mucus at me but none with medicinal properties."

Arana said nothing, and did not move.

“Alright. Please tell me the truth.” Jaruka ground his teeth with the second word.

“After what you did? You ain’t going nowhere until you apologize.”

“Not from me.”

Arana jabbed a wing at him. “Deal with it.”

Jaruka shook his head as he grappled with the idea of listening to a spirit animal. He looked through the window toward the sky. “It’s afternoon?”

“Yes.”

“Crog! How long...”

“Were you out?” Arana finished for him, and Jaruka slouched. “A few hours.”

Crap! Not good!

"Forget it, bird, I need to leave before--"

"Ah, no, you are not, mercenary," Arana said and jumped off the rack. "You have some explaining to do. You stay put." She skipped to the cracked door.

“No wait um...I have bird seed!”

Meeting Scott and Katie again had to wait, just until he knew he would not jeopardize them. Jaruka struggled getting out of the tub, but Arana left before he could lift himself from the water. His soaked clothes were far heavier than he had thought. The water sloshed and pushed him forward onto the floor chest first as more water spilled out.

"Teal is awake!" The bird yelled.

Jaruka stood as he heard footsteps coming up the stairs. "Crap, crap, crap."

Jaruka went for the door, but Scott pushed it open before Jaruka could lock it. He blamed his clothes for slowing him down. He was not sure how far Scott’s mana heart had healed and did not want to test it.

"Finally," Scott said. "Explain yourself." Katie was right behind him.

Jaruka grumbled. "I get it. You two are mad. I have no reason to fight. Look at me, I'm soaked.” Several spits of water flew from his long tunic cuffs, right onto the couple. “Why don't you two let me go and we'll settle this later."

"No, right now," Katie said harshly. "You promised. We had a deal before you left. You scared my parents half to death.”

She went past Scott to stand between him and mercenary. Somehow, it reminded Jaruka too much of the cell at the airbase.

“I had to talk them out of calling the National Guard for hours while you were unconscious, but somehow Deryl found out. That smell from you nearly made Mom puke.”

"And the skunk you squashed," Scott said nodding.

"Oh so that's the creature's name," Jaruka said. "Wait. Squashed? I kicked it at a rock."

“Before, maybe. I don’t know. Robert smacked you in the head pretty hard with a shovel though. Then you dropped, hard. I’m not sure how you did that.”

Jaruka thought for a second. He had been hit in the head with metal blocks, staffs, hard-shelled fruits, and fists from countless species before, but not garden tools.

"At least thank us for dragging you up here and stick you in a tomato sauce and calamine gel bath," Scott said. "How much do you weigh exactly? I nearly broke my back and ripped my chest open, no thanks to Robert."

Jaruka thought for a moment. "About...hundred four kilos,"

"Pounds, Jaruka, pounds," Katie said. "Look, I'm going to get some clothes for you to wear. Just don't go anywhere."

Jaruka's eyes widened. "Human clothes? Ah no, not for me. I'd rather leave with my dignity intact."

"In this house, we like to keep things clean, especially selling wine," Katie retaliated. "And another thing. Deryl is here.”

“Who’s he?” Jaruka asked with suspicion, but he already knew the answer to his question.

“He’s your other watcher besides us, and some agent with him. Who he is I don’t care. God.” Katie stomped out.

Scott shrugged and nodded. "That’s her pissed off mode," he said. "You must have been messed up bad to screw this up, or did you do it on purpose?"

"Kid, it wasn’t my fault, those leaves were horrible," Jaruka said.

"With poison ivy? Why?"

"Oh so that's what that plant was," Jaruka said raising his chin. “It’s noted that I have no Terra Firma survival guide. Brill forgot that.”

"Answer the question."

So much for that joke. "I thought that some plants rub off fowl smells. If I found them on other worlds, why not here? Sucks not having a guide, and being too drunk to have second thoughts."

Scott coughed, but was really holding back a laugh. Okay, maybe not.

"You know, we never agreed with Denverbay to watch you."

"And nobody has to."

"But, if you are stuck here for two years, can you at least act...normal here? Like taking a shower? And don't get me started on Jacob."

"Kid, I'm pissed. I'm covered in that stuff you said. I need to leave before things turn bad for all of us."

"For what?" Scott asked as he squinted.

"Because the..."

"Here, take this," Katie said holding a bundle of clothes, startling Scott. "These are Dad's old clothes he's been meaning to get rid of. Take them. I'm hoping they fit."

Jaruka stared at the clothes. "You expect me to dress like a human?"

"You're filthy! We have standards," Katie said.

"Eating local food is one problem I'm successfully avoiding, but clothes is another. Granted I'll be happy to accept other species' clothes. Maybe nothing at all and show everybody how Halcunacs reproduce."

Katie closed her mouth and swallowed, but kept her composure enough to push the clothes in Jaruka's arms. "Do it quick, then come down for your papers, I think." Katie stomped out again.

“You just had to put that image in our heads,” Scott said, then followed Katie out.

“At least I’m not ashamed for what the goddess gave me.”

The couple kept on walking.

"Does anybody take me seriously on this planet?" He yelled to himself.

Avoid the family and visitors by any means had been his quick plan. Hospitality had to wait until things had settled. He wanted least of all for the government, the one power of Terra Firma, to get involved more than they had been told to.

Jaruka hoped that Brill had spoken to the government, or someone. He wondered if they had listened at all. He could only hope and continue to keep himself isolated.

His dropship was unattended, between the knockout and waking up, he had no memory of whether or not he had locked and cloaked the ship.

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

The satellites were coming and he was scared to think that they could already be there.

----------------------------------------

Jaruka had no choice but to clean up, thinking that might help alleviate the hate from the Walsh family.

His clothes—still soaked from the tomato juice bath—had been stashed in a white trash bag in his hand. The Halcunac mercenary glared at his reflection in the bathroom mirror, grimacing at the loaner human clothes. He had been given a red and white plaid buttoned shirt that was a bit tight but long enough to cover his toned stomach. The dark brown pants were not even close to covering the digitigrade middle of his legs, their bunching up could prove to be a problem later. He found the fabric, which he found out later was cotton, to be itchier than he would have liked.

He had gone from mercenary to urbanite and grimaced at the thought of everything he owned turning out to be Terra Firma loaners. First the Lunar Spear, and then his style. He took a breath to stop himself from punching the mirror.

"Treat this as temporary," he said. "Just leave without meeting the family, hear what those two want, and get back quick. Good plan." He walked out of the bathroom.

A window was over the staircase as Jaruka peered at the leafless vineyard. Jaruka remembered they were grapevines; he hoped to avoid the wine, just like the country’s obsession with processed fast food. He walked closer to the stairs and could hear the couple’s distressed voices as they talked about their bodies, the state of the world, and Katie’s parents. He paused when they moved the conversation onto him.

“I can’t tell how lucky or unlucky you two are,” a man said. “Scott, are you sure those aliens didn’t take anything out of you, or put things in?”

“Oh, now you make me worry, Deryl, thank you,” Scott said. “Can you be grateful he saved us? Saved me?”

“Scott, we don’t know much about him. He needs to be contained. Questioned. Examined for parasites and viruses for God sake, he was in a bathtub.”

“He seemed fine, we’re fine. He probably has some alien tech to keep us healthy.”

“But still in a bathtub. This must be controlled.”

“This is going to suck,” Jaruka muttered.

He walked down the stairs briskly, determined to make no eye contact. The house felt stifled; his mood and the gasps that came from the family and newcomers when he came into view did nothing to help.

“Jaruka, stop,” Scott said.

He ignored them.

“Corporal gunslinger Jaruka Teal?” Deryl Porter asked.

The U.S. Marshal’s authoritative tone, and the fact that he knew Jaruka’s full title with Nova Company, made Jaruka stop before opening the door. He hummed. Dammit. He turned toward the crowd.

Deryl Porter was a middle-aged man, still physically fit from his years in the Marines, stood tall in a suit. Despite his age and the years of stress, he kept a full head of brown hair. Jaruka noted the gold ring on his left finger and he assumed that it was a human custom. Deryl’s dark blue suit jacket was open and Jaruka could see the gun holster and badge next to his chest. Deryl looked content with himself, but gulped as Jaruka’s eyes fell on him.

“Good God,” Deryl said. “Big difference from the Gray and that red bodyguard.”

Jaruka flexed his shoulders. “That’s what you call Brill and Kantra? Have some respect, they are family to me,” he said. “Except Kantra, he’s a cheater.”

Deryl nodded. “They also warned me of your attitude.”

“Which one? Brill is trustworthy.”

Jaruka glanced at the other man beside Deryl, he was the same height as the Marshal, but wore a black suit, a spring microphone earpiece, and a very hard stare on his green eyes. His black hair was slicked back and he was rigid, full of pride, and serious; he could take on Jaruka. He reminded Jaruka of many hard-tailed bodyguards, but the human did not wear pounds of metal body armor.

To note, he did not flinch as Deryl had, which could mean he had psyched himself to go against the alien.

Jessica Bane came to mind and he shoved the memory behind him.

Scott, Katie, and their totems were in the middle of the living room while the rest of the Walsh family, including little Jacob, stood near the kitchen.

“You’re Scott’s godfather?” Jaruka asked.

“Y-Yes. How…”

“Scott muttered about you and Brill mentioned you. See, not all brain cells are dead.”

Arana blinked.

“Yes again,” Deryl said. “Not sure what to say for being your babysitter.” For a military man, he seemed able to keep his composure. “And to not feel left out,” Deryl continued, “I read about the conditions. Risky stuff. I’ll respect them, sir.”

Jaruka nodded once. “Memorize them,” he said. At least one human here is smart.

“Wait, what conditions?” Katie asked.

Deryl shifted his weight from right to left. “The sa…”

“Later,” Jaruka said. “I have to go.”

“Not just yet,” the unknown man said. “If I recall your…friends contacted Marshal Porter and the White House about your visitation and made Porter a candidate, but certainly to no other agency, including mine. Those conditions are non-negotiable for one cent.” He took a few steps toward Jaruka. “You may be here on this planet, our country, for two years, but that doesn’t give you the right to shove us out of your motive.”

Deryl coughed and said, “Corporal Teal, this is…”

“CIA Foreign Affairs Officer Victor Mathews,” he interrupted. “I’m the one overseeing your visitation.”

“On whose authority?” Jaruka asked.

“You tell me, alien.”

“Well, don’t make it a bigger deal. And you’re ticking me off. And I smell something rank on you.”

Mathews clenched his jaw.

“Whatever. Keep your thoughts about me to yourself. I’m out.” Jaruka reached for and turned the doorknob.

“Unacceptable,” Mathews said.

“Here we go.”

Mathews walked closer to Jaruka. “The CIA, including me, cannot let your parade out in public or park your space ship on private property.”

“It’s a loaner.”

“There are rules, sir. We had protocols for hosting extraterrestrials.”

“And I have mine, and my government’s. Follow them.”

“No,” Mathews said. “All that planning is shoved out the window because of your government’s orders. What about this family and the mutant couple? You terrorized and harassed the parents. You think those conditions keep us out? Forget it. I have orders and you are coming with us.”

“They weren’t harassed, he needed help,” Katie said.

“Don’t tell him anything, Katie,” Jonathan said. “He threatened my little girl. He owes me new furniture. Arrest him already.”

“But…”

Jonathan cleared his throat and quieted Katie.

Amidst the argument, Jaruka laughed under his breath.

“This is no joke, alien,” Mathews said.

“It kind of is.”

“By scaring American citizens?”

“Nope. The arresting part.”

Jaruka blinked, Mathews” attitude did not waver. The agent was determined to go through with the arrest. It seemed that the human culture did not understand that they were too far below and behind the political spectrum to have any weight on the galaxy's hierarchy of politics.

He was certain of one thing: he had to leave, fast.

“Look, are you going to criticize me anymore,” Jaruka said, “or do you have those citizenship papers Brill told me about? Otherwise, I’ll head back to my ship and deal with myself for the next two years.”

“We do, but I—,” Deryl said as he held the envelope in his hand, but Mathews raised his hand in protest.

Some of the humans seemed smart enough to follow rules, but Mathews was a prime example of a human not evolved enough. It saddened Jaruka that Terra Firma was occupied by them, even though it was technically their home world.

“Those paper are ours still,” Mathews said. “We have protocols. Background checks for one. I don’t know who you really are.”

Jaruka grumbled. “I’m a multi-system sociopathic mercenary without a care for anything except fulfilling my engorging ego on fear, destruction, and death. Is that what you want to hear?”

Mathews was quiet for a second. “That’s a lie.”

Jaruka hummed. “You’re good.”

Mathews opened his suit jacket enough for Jaruka to see the gun holster similar to Deryl’s. “Don’t make me do something drastic.”

“Because that is what you humans want? To make what you believe is true?”

“You’re an ass,” Brenda said.

“Agreed,” Scott added.

“How about a different task,” Jaruka said. “Stop worrying about me. Focus on your country’s security, like those rotting bodies on the street, and wherever Griffon skipped off to. And the terrans? Come on, be reasonable. Who’s the real threat to your country’s way of life? Me, or the extinction of human culture?”

Mathews’ jaw moved slightly. “Wash your mouth,” he said. “I’ve lost men and women. Good people. Close friends. From the Wave, and as zombies. I shot some with the same firearm. Don’t you fucking test me.”

Jaruka glanced at Deryl and grabbed the envelope from him. Mathews kept his footing and did not sway for the Halcunac.

“How about you don’t test me. You know what will happen.” Jaruka said and walked out.

“Subdue the suspect!” Mathews yelled.

As he walked onto the porch, two shadows converged on Jaruka’s sides. One fist hit his skull, and a strong arm made impact with his right ribcage. The patio came up fast at his face. He had little strength or readiness as the two humans pushed him down, grabbing his arms and pulling them behind him. It was too late for Jaruka to pull his hands from the cuffs, the same cuffs that he had broken out of in Area 51.

“Bastards! Let me go!” Jaruka yelled.

He was hauled up to his feet by two strong Marines in full gear and enough ammunition in their pockets to blow through Jaruka’s chest.

Deryl rushed out of the house but was grabbed by another Marine and pinned to the wall. “Mathews this is stupid, you’ll trigger them!”

“We have our laws. His government must follow them,” Mathews said after coming out of the house and onto the porch. “Jaruka is being detained. If anybody has any real information about what happened at Groom Lake, it’s you and the terran couple. Take him.”

Jaruka was led off the porch with Deryl as four more Marines marched into the house with guns drawn. Jaruka looked out toward the driveway and cursed at the sight of his Howler Cycle on its side on the front lawn.

The driveway was packed with military personnel and vehicles. he wondered how long they had been there Every one of the soldiers had rifles drawn, aiming at him and he wondered if they knew the conditions of his stay on Terra Firma or were working on orders alone.

“You might not know that the House and Senate are broken. My agency, Porter’s and the NSA are scrounging for every resource we can grab. Our strong military is shattered. You think we would leave you alone? Priorities and securities must be set,” Mathews said, as if he was telling everybody.

“You’re going to die you croging idiot,” Jaruka yelled. “You’re probably pissing off the satellites right now!”

“No alien is dumb enough to attack us. Whatever those two aliens said was nonsense. NASA confirmed it.”

Jaruka thrashed in the Marine’s grasp; he looked back at Mathews as Scott and Katie were escorted out. “You selfish bastard! I hope one of these soldiers is enthralled and I’ll let them rip you apart!”

“Look who’s talking. Tell the rest at Langley,” Mathews said. He pulled his cell phone out and dialed a number.

As the couple were taken, the family came out screaming for their release. Keeji and Arana ran out of the house and a soldier by the motorcycle shot them. “Hold your fire!” A fellow soldier ordered. Both totems dropped to the asphalt and became light before being absorbed into the terran’s bodies. Scott and Katie’s eyes glowed blue and their skin lit up with their terran markings. Neither terran attempted to break free, but the soldiers quickly aimed their guns at the couple. The terrans were returned to the porch with Scott yelling from chest pains.

Jaruka grunted. “Mathews, free me! It’s all true. Contain me and horrible things will happen.”

“Save it. The bluff won’t work.”

“The Galactic Council doesn’t croging bluff you dunderhead! This is a mistake and you croging know it!”

Jaruka was shoved into the back of a black van by three soldiers, all with rifles aimed at his head.

Mathews produced a smug look at the mercenary as he spoke on the phone. “Ah, sir, I have the objective. I’ll be se…What?”

Mathews’ expression turned from “I have an alien. I might get a raise today” to downright disbelief. Mathews was confused for a bit, sneered at Jaruka, then turned his back on him.

“Bluff you said?” Jaruka asked with a smile.

Soon, every soldier’s radios blared with chatter. Deryl’s cell phone went off but the Marine holding him prevented him from answering.

Jaruka sighed and let his head hang. “Idiots.”

“Dear…God,” Mathews said, slowly turning to Jaruka. With disbelief plastered on the agent’s face he lowered and closed his phone.

"Tell me. What area did it hit?” Jaruka asked. “Must be somewhere important. Somewhere personal.”

Mathews shook his head, with more shake than normal. "What the fuck did you do?" Mathews asked.

“Me? How could I? Your planet is a threat. You free me and that spire shuts down, or else—and I'm being hypothetical about this—a spire fires on this town and gets everybody here killed. Drop the authority crap and follow what your galaxy’s government as ordered.”

Mathews’ hand shook, still holding his phone tightly. "Le-let him go,” he said lowly, then repeated louder, true fear evident in his voice.

Jaruka’s hands were freed, his wrists were sore from the cuffs.

The chatter from the radios and cell phones went steady, and without another order, every soldier lowered their weapons.

Before leaving, Jaruka approached Mathews.

"Word of advice,” he said low in Mathews’ ear, “pay attention to your gods. Brill never lies. Get over yourself.” He went to his Howler Cycle and mounted it. The engine came to life and he rode off the property