Em'brel noticed that while breakfast and dinner had always been a favorite time for everyone, that was especially true these days now that it was the only time all four of them were able to get together anymore.

They'd tell each other about their plans for the day during breakfast, then they'd talk about how the day had gone during dinner. There was laughter, teasing, sarcasm, and a warmth that had nothing to do with the room's physical temperature. Whenever Em'brel and Angela were away from the table, they would catch Jack and S'haar glancing at each other like they both wanted to say something but seemed to feel that now wasn't the right time. The anticipation was killing her, and Em'brel knew it was just a matter of time before those two hit a boiling point. Until then, she'd simply have to enjoy the show.

S'haar and Lon'thul had been surprisingly successful in their hunts. The two had been at it for only about a week, and the meat supplies were nearly plentiful enough that Lon'thul could handle the rest on his own again.

They were currently eating a breakfast Jack had called 'steak and eggs,' a meal who's name was also the description. S'haar was talking about the hunting progress as they ate. "I think a day or two more is all we'll need. With a bit of luck, we'll have enough meat in storage to feed everyone for a month without having to tap into your stores."

Jack looked like someone trying to hide how excited he was and was failing. "That's great! We could use your help with construction again. We've got the first building ready, but we need more lumber. Em'brel has a hard time moving the trunks the way you do. She's not quite as... umm... developed... as you."

He was doing his best not to stare at S'haar's physique as he spoke, and S'haar wasn't doing anything to hide from his glances. Em'brel couldn't help but let a small giggle escape, which immediately caused the two romantic interests to suddenly shift their focus.

Jack was rubbing the back of his neck in his now signature move, indicating embarrassment. "We... uh... have the cables laid for the uhh... transceiver. Em'brel and I were going to hook it up today... What direction are you going hunting in today?"

S'haar's manner shifted to all business in her attempt to redirect the attention directed at herself. "We're going to be venturing to the south today. It's been several days since we last hunted there, so there's been enough time for some animals to move into the territory."

Jack had finally calmed down a bit and returned to his natural pallor. "That's good, south, good, ok, I'll keep that in mind."

Angela and Em'brel were looking at each other, laughing to themselves. These two were so awkwardly adorable.

Sadly the time for talking was coming to an end. S'haar was suiting up for the cold and storing her weapons for travel. Jack spoke up as he watched her prepare. "Hey, be careful out there, ok? I know I say it every day, and I know you laugh it off, but I want you to come home safe and sound. After all, what would I do without my bodyguard? The weather could turn any day."

S'haar was securing her spears so they wouldn't jostle loose easily but could be quickly grabbed if the need arose. Finally, she turned and somewhat gently grabbed Jack by the shoulder. "I'll be fine. We keep a close eye and the weather as we work, and even if something unexpected happens, that's why we have the tent and all those extra heating pads. You'll just have to come to fetch us once the snow dies down if it comes to that!"

Jack nodded and visibly calmed himself. "Yeah, you're right. Still, just promise me you'll keep an eye out for any trouble?"

S'haar looked like she wanted to step closer to Jack to say or do something more for a moment before the spell broke. Instead, she shook her head to clear it. "Alright, alright, I'll be careful. Take care of Em'brel and yourself while I'm gone. You two are too good at getting into trouble whenever I'm not around!"

Jack watched as she walked out the door. He told himself she'd be fine, and he needed to stop worrying. "Alright, it's a deal. Be safe out there!" Then she was gone. Jack stared into the gloom of the cave for a moment before shaking his head, then turning back to the house. He had to get ready for his own day of work.

Em'brel finished putting away the dishes and obviously hadn't been eavesdropping for the last couple of minutes. Jack turned and smiled. "Ready to go out and hook up the transceiver? After that, we can go back to the lake and get some more material for the daub, but this time Angela can come along for the ride!"

Em'brel and Angela were jumping up and down, clapping at the idea, and Jack couldn't help but feel a bit of their excitement. "Alright, let's do this! You're going to have to carry the transceiver since I don't want to be walking out into the worker's area in my mining suit. I figure we should keep a few aces in the hole. Lucky for you, it's not too heavy!"

-

After carrying the transceiver most of the way on her own, Em'brel was starting to think Jack's definition of 'not too heavy' was drastically different from hers. Once they had gotten out of the cave, Tel'ron had come over to help. He was inspecting the impossibly perfect metallic shell. "This is amazing. I've never seen anything like this! The purity of the metal alone is worth a year's wage, if not more, and I don't even know what the device does!"

As soon as they settled the transceiver down into the mounting Jack and Em'brel had set up the day before, Jack was inspecting every inch of the device. It was mounted on top of a large rock just outside the entrance. It was as heavy as it was because of all the layers of protection that Angela installed to guard against weather and wildlife. She proudly proclaimed that it could shrug off even a direct lightning strike if need be. Despite the claim, Jack set it up low enough that he hoped that they wouldn't have to test her theory.

As he tightened down the bolts, Jack decided to tell Tel'ron at least part of the truth. It would be evident soon enough, so he might as well give the smith something. "Well, hopefully, this will allow us to communicate with each other over large distances. It will require a headset, and I can't make too many of them just yet, but even if it's only available to a few of us, it could mean the difference between life or death in the field."

Tel'ron Looked at Jack as though he were speaking in riddles. "This feels like more 'dragon magic' to me. I'll stick to learning new alloys, thank you!"

As the smith walked away, Jack hooked up the power and took out a pair of headsets. They were a simple design with an earpiece on one side and a mic extended toward the mouth. The set was held in place by an adjustable metal circlet that wrapped around the head. It was designed to be durable and hard to lose during intense action. It also had a few sensors so Angela could ride along with whoever was wearing one.

As Em'brel and himself put on the headsets and activated them, Jack spoke into the receiver. "Angela, are you with us?"

Angela's voice came through loud and clear for both of them. "Finally, new input! I could only scan the interior of the ship and the surrounding mountain a few trillion more times before I went insane from lack of new stimuli!"

Em'brel was looking around, half expecting angela's avatar to show up next to her. Also, it was slightly disorienting hearing Jack's voice twice, a split second apart. Jack responded to Angela while she adjusted. "You know, you can't go insane if you are already insane, though I suppose you could go more insane..."

Angela didn't bother to respond. She was too wrapped up in her new sensors. "I didn't get much of a chance to scan the area when we were crashing down. This place is beautiful! It would feel a little like an Icelandic forest... if the trees didn't look so weird..."

Em'brel was looking up at the trees inquisitively. "What's wrong with the trees?"

-

As Jack and Em'brel approached the lake, Angela was still busy going on about the planet's flora and fauna. "This is a perfect example of convergent evolution. I mean, there are many many differences, sure, but they are still clearly plants that follow the same rules as Earth. Trees, bushes, and ground matter are similar in nature, if not form, to what we'd see in any earth forest. The animals are a bit harder to place, often riding a line between what we would consider different species but still clearly having the basic forms and senses you would expect on Earth. Eyes, ears, mouth, and nose are all there, admittedly sometimes in different quantities and forms than would be usual where we come from but still amazingly similar given completely separate evolutionary origins!"

Jack was barely listening to her, as his attention stayed focused on the weather. He would steal a glance behind them to the south at every opportunity. However, Jack couldn't focus all his time and energy on worrying about S'haar. He had a job to do.

Em'brel focused on getting the fibrous plant matter while Jack got the mud and clay, the latter being the colder job made Jack's exothermic physique better suited to the task. They were more than halfway done when Em'brel stopped Jack. She was holding some sandwiches. "I know you're probably too distracted at the moment to realize it, but we both need some food. You won't do anyone any favors by collapsing because you neglected yourself."

Jack looked up and wiped his brow. Despite the crisp air, he'd worked up a sweat with his shoveling. "yeah, you make a good point. Grab a towel for me, will you?"

Jack walked over to the stream, feeding into the lake, and washed off the gunk he'd caked on. That's when he heard Angela say something in a stern but forcibly calm voice that made his blood turn to ice. "Em'brel, Don't move!"

Jack turned as slowly as he could force himself to move, but the sight before him didn't do anything to ease his mind. Em'brel was by the cart they'd brought with them, towel in hand. Just behind her was the treeline, on the edge of which was a kovaack, horn lowered and pawing the ground. He'd obviously walked out of the trees just after Em'brel had turned her back to him, and he looked pissed that these two interlopers had dared to invade his territory.

Jack's mind raced. He'd brought his gun, but it was in the cart next to Em'brel. Maybe if Jack could shout and make himself look big, he could scare the beast off, but given that it seemed to show no fear of an argu'n, he doubted a human would have any luck in that endeavor. Maybe Em'brel could race for the gun... but she didn't know how to use it. Perhaps she could get the gun and toss it to Jack...

Then the time for thought was over. The kovaack launched itself forward, and Jack did the same. As his foot slammed into the ground, Jack shouted, "EM'BREL, RUN!" but the poor girl simply looked behind herself in confusion.

Jack's second foot slammed into the ground, launching himself forward while the kovaack did the same. Em'brel gasped and froze in place, her instincts choosing the worst possible option between fight, flight, or freeze.

Jack's first foot struck the ground again, and he and the kovaack both narrowed the distance between their shared target. Jack wanted to shout at the monster, shout directions to Em'brel, or just shout at his frustration, but every ounce of oxygen was needed to force his muscles past their normal limits.

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Jack's other foot slammed into the ground, propelling him forward faster than ever, but he wasn't the only one gaining momentum. The kovaack lowered its head, the horn pointed right at Em'brel's chest.

Something in the girl's mind clicked, and her brain switched from freeze to flight, but it was going to be too late. She'd never get out of the way in time.

Jack's foot slammed into the ground one last time, propelling him into his young charge with as much momentum as his adrenaline-filled body could muster, but the kovaack slammed into the two of them barely half a second later.

There was blood everywhere, and Em'brel was screaming. Despite his best efforts, he'd been too late. As his failure stabbed into him, all the adrenaline seeped out of Jack, and his limbs hung down from his body like lead weights.

Barely half a second passed when Jack noticed something was off about the girl's screams. Those were not the screams of a painful death. Those were the screams of loss and rage.

Feeling himself oddly jerked to the side, Jack looked down and noticed a horn protruding from his chest. All he could think was, 'Huh, well, that's alright then.'

Em'brel had been flung to the side by Jack but was now racing toward the kovaack that was currently shaking Jack loose from its horn. Jack held out a hand to the girl and tried to say, 'No, this is ok, you're safe, that's what's important!', but all that came out was a cough of blood and a gurgling sound.

Jack didn't have many choices after that. His body was getting heavier by the minute, and it was all he could do to keep his eyes open and watch Em'brel make her charge. At some point, the ground had lept up to meet Jack, now Em'brel and the kovaack were fighting sideways, standing on the new wall of grass and dirt. A small part of his brain told Jack there was something wrong with his observations, but all his remaining attention was reserved for Em'brel's well being. He had no energy to spare for something as insignificant as mere physics.

Em'brel's scream was something to hear. It was a defiant rage that seemed to shout to the world that she wouldn't let it take anything else from her. Jack couldn't help but think that S'haar would be proud.

The girl lept impossibly high into the air, reaching both arms behind herself as she did so. The kovaack seemed at a loss for what to do and simply raised his horn toward her and waited. Jack was worried that the kovaack would impale Em'brel just as he had Jack, but when the girl came down, she had her arms just off to either side of the horn, and her head twisted just out of its reach.

Em'brel put all her weight into the blow as she drove the spikes on her elbows into the beast's skull. It immediately collapsed like a puppet whose strings had been cut.

Seeing that Em'brel was safe, Jack finally allowed the darkness at the edge of his vision to rush in, and all the problems in his world suddenly ceased to exist.

-

Em'brel was rearing back to strike the beast a second time. One of her elbow spikes had torn off in her assault, her whole arm was numb, and blood was pouring out from where the spike had been, but she didn't care. There was no way she could punish the corpse of the kovaack enough for what it had taken from her, but she was going to try. That's when Angela spoke up in her ear. "EM'BREL, I NEED YOU TO LISTEN TO ME! I still might be able to save Jack, but you have to get him back to the med-bay on the ship as fast as possible. Every second is vital. Now go!"

Em'brel had a thousand questions swirling around in her mind. Every one of them centering around the ridiculous idea of saving the obviously dead man she had come to care so genuinely for in such a short amount of time, but Angela had said every second was vital, and so Em'brel shoved every thought to the side and launched into action.

Picking up Jack's body, a small part of her mind took note of just how tiny and light he really was. He'd seemed so much more imposing moments before when he'd shoved her out of the way.

Em'brel shoved that thought out of the way as well, and she started to run. Angela was speaking in her ear as she moved. "The human brain can only go about six minutes without blood flow before the damage becomes permanent. You've got about a half-mile to go, if you can get Jack to me in that time, there's... a chance."

Hearing that, Em'brel pushed herself harder. Lunching forward, she ignored anything other than running. Trees flew past, startled animals dove for cover, icy winds pelted her face, it started snowing, but Em'brel ran on.

As she ran, her breathes became ragged, and Em'brel cursed herself as her pace slowed slightly while she gasped for air. Em'brel ran on.

At one point, her foot snagged on a root hidden from view, but Em'brel only stumbled for a moment before she resumed her run. Her vision was getting blurry. Her legs felt as though her muscles were tearing themselves from her bones, but Em'brel ran on.

Eventually, the camp came into sight, but Em'brel didn't have any reserves left to feel something as unimportant as relief or hope. Precious seconds were slipping past. As she ran past unseen workers, they noticed the girl was not running so much as rapidly stumbling. When someone reached out to slow her in an attempt to help, the young argu'n merely snapped her jaws at him and almost bit a few fingers off, all without slowing her stumbling pace. Into the cave, Em'brel ran on.

Reaching the house, Em'brel fell against the walls in her stumbling attempts to reach the med-bay in time. Angela was doing her best to guide the completely exhausted Em'brel the last little bit. "You have to get him to the med-bay. You're almost there, but I can't help unless you go a little further. Please, just a little further!"

Picking herself off her knees, Em'brel lurched herself the rest of the way. Angela was still speaking. "Into the chair there. Just set him down, and then I can do the rest!"

With a final Gasp of effort, the young girl dropped Jack into the chair that was fading from view, threw up in the corner, then passed out.

-

S'haar was returning to camp just in time. Jack's feeling this morning had been spot on. A storm was coming. It didn't look like it would be too rough, but it was better to err on the side of caution. So she and Lon'thul had started back early. The kovaack and churlish tied to their sled would just about top them off anyway. She'd been worried once or twice that they'd have to settle in for the storm, but eventually, the camp came into view, and she sighed in relief. A few of the workers were waving at them, obviously relieved that they'd made it back safely, but there was something odd about the waves.

Tel'ron approached at a run, stopping just shy as he rested his hands on his knees to gasp for air. His explanation came out between gasping breaths. "Em'brel came running back to camp carrying Jack. He didn't look good. When I tried to help, she practically bit my hand off and kept running into the cave. That's the last we've seen them. We were just debating on whether to venture into the cave or not..."

S'haar dropped everything she was carrying and took off into the cave at a dead run. She was a blur of motion as she crossed the familiar landscape in record time. The ship's door was open, and S'haar launched herself inside and tore through the living area into the med-bay.

Jack was laid on a chair that had been turned into a table. Far too many of his insides were exposed to the air. Metal arms were poking and prodding his body as they dug around inside the corpse. S'haar was ready to jump to his side when Angela appeared in front of her, hands held out, and a pleading look on her face. "Stop! Jack is in a critical moment right now, and I might be able to save him, but anything could tip the balance. Even your breath could be a threat to him!"

S'haar looked at the AI with unthinking eyes and, for a moment, seemed like she might try and walk past anyway when a weak hand grabbed her by the ankle. Looking down, S'haar saw a pitiful looking Em'brel feebly holding on with what little strength she had left. Her body was so bruised and broken; she barely looked alive herself.

The girl was lying in a pool of her own vomit. Her legs looked as though they'd been beaten until they could no longer work. One of her elbow spikes was missing. The blood clotting at the end made it clear it had not been treated. Her voice came out small and feeble. "Let her work. Jack...Angela...she needs all her attention right now."

The sight of the young girl in such agony but trying desperately to help Angela was enough to snap S'haar out of her daze. She still desperately wanted to reach Jack's side but held herself in check. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

Angela looked relieved for a moment before sparing a worried glance over her shoulder as she spoke. "Honestly, no. I'll know more in about an hour, but at this time, it could go either way. Em'brel almost literally tore herself apart getting Jack to me in time, but I haven't had the chance to treat her. I'm still trying to stabilize Jack and don't have much to spare."

S'haar nodded and stood there a moment longer, staring at the lifeless body that used to be Jack. Metal arms were sticking out of his stomach like some horrible insect digging its way into him. But S'haar knew that Angela was second to none in her concern for her brother. So S'haar nodded a second time, for her own benefit as much as for Angela's, and reached down to gently pick up the young argu'n from off the ground. "Alright, alright, let's at least get you cleaned up."

Over the next hour, S'haar washed and bandaged Em'brel while the younger argu'n got the story out between bouts of fear and frustration and the occasional gasp of pain at S'haars treatments of her injuries.

She told the story of the kovaack charging, Jack shoving her out of the way, Em'brel killing the kovaack, and finally running Jack back to the ship. Em'brel was still sobbing as she spoke. "I couldn't... I didn't... I wasn't able to protect him!"

S'haar was applying a bandage to the end of the girls missing spike as she spoke. "Hush! It's not your job to protect Jack. It's Jack's job to protect you, which he did. Besides, from the sounds of things, there's no way he could have carried you back to the cave in time. You did well. If Jack lives, he'll owe it all to you."

That was the moment when an exhausted and bedraggled Angela made an appearance before the two of them. "Well, he's alive... kind of..."

Em'brel looked worried and confused, but S'haar simply narrowed her eyes in suspicion. "What do you mean, 'kind of'?"

The AI pointed them to the med-bay as she spoke. "That's complicated, but you can come see him while I try and explain."

As S'haar walked into the room, Jack's body was laid out on the reclined chair. He looked smaller and frailer than ever, and his face was far too pale even for a human. S'haar would have thought he was dead if not for Angela's insistence otherwise.

Jack's sister looked both relieved and defeated, looking down at Jack's body with sadness as she explained. "Well, Jack's stable. All his vitals are fine, and I'm confident I can finish healing the damage done to his body, though it will take quite some time."

Angela took a deep breath while S'haar and Embrel waited for her to continue. "The problem is, he's not waking up. The amount of damage sustained was immense, and despite Em'brel breaking every expectation I had of her capacity, Jack went a long time without proper blood flow to the brain. Normally, once he was stabilized like this, I'd fly him to the nearest proper facility for better, more in-depth treatment than I can offer in this emergency med bay. However, that's beyond my capacity at the moment, so we'll just have to do whatever we can with what we've got. Right now, he's in what we call a coma, a kind of deep sleep on the border between life and death. He might wake up in a day, a week, a month, or never. It's impossible to say. At this point, all I can do is heal his body and hope."

When Em'brel spoke this time, her voice came out small and frightened. "What... what do we do?"

S'haar face hardened as she stared down at the man she'd come to know so well in such a short time. "There's only one thing we can do. Jack has a plan in place that he's put everything on the line for, and Angela's very life depends on that plan. So, we continue to work to make his vision a reality."

Angela and Em'brel were looking at S'haar with surprise clear on their faces, but the AI quickly switched to a bittersweet smile. "Jack... well, if... no, when he wakes up, he'll be proud of you both. But you both need your rest. There's nothing that can be done tonight that can't be done tomorrow. Get some sleep, doctors orders."

The two argu'n nodded wearily, and S'haar helped Em'brel get into bed before finding her own. Even when the light faded, she continued staring up into the dark ceiling long into the night.

-

Em'brel and her father were traveling across the plains again, but this time when they got captured, it was Jack she watched get murdered. While he died, Dol'jin laughed at Em'brel, telling her there would be no one to save her this time.

Em'brel shot awake in an instant, but it took a moment for the dream to fade enough that she could place where she was and what had happened the day before. Tears started flowing as her memories returned, and it took her several minutes to calm herself back down again.

Once she did, she realized something was off in the room. She was alone.

She'd gotten so used to sleeping with S'haar in the room that S'haar's absence left Em'brel feeling almost as vulnerable as the dream had. The girl slowly and painfully dragged herself out of bed. All her limbs were in agony. Every movement sent pain shooting up and down her nerves, but Em'brel wasn't about to give up just because of a little thing like that.

Eventually, the room lit up with a gentle glow that told Em'brel Angela was beside her. Em'brel turned while wrapping the blanket around herself, as much for the feeling of safety as for the warmth. "Where's S'haar?"

Angela looked at Em'brel as though she wanted to protest the girl getting out of bed before she'd had a chance to heal. Instead, she shook her head and answered. "She's in the med-bay, with Jack."

Em'brel nodded and limped over to the bay. Opening the door, she saw S'haar sitting in a chair beside Jack. Her head was resting on her arms, which were lying in Jack's legs. She was asleep, but Em'brel could see the trails her tears had left.

Em'brel brought another chair over. When S'haar startled awake, Em'brel wordlessly wrapped her in the blanket as well, and they both settled in beside Jack.

It wasn't as comfortable as their beds had been, but Jack's presence somehow chased away the nightmares for the rest of the night. In their dreams, the three of them shared breakfast, laughter, and bacon.