Sasha gasped, her chest rising as she engulfed a lung full of air. She stared at her hands, claws flexing in and out. Her body felt light as a feather, the debilitating injuries a forgone memory.

“Woah. What the heck is in that medicine?”

Mr. Erin withdrew the syringe.

“Polymethylenes. Synthetic Glucose. A touch of Remadrin. Feel free to read the package if you’re curious.”

The squirrel held up the box, but Sasha shook her head. Whatever the stuff was, it was effective. While she couldn't lift a finger before, she felt strong enough to do a cartwheel now. Stretching out her arm, she made her God Tool appear so as to get in a few test swing. But besides a bit of stiffness in her joints, she felt good as new. Just where was this stuff back on Shiny?

“Are you two almost done in there?” a voice called.

At the entrance to their tent stood a collection of rocks with eyes and a mouth. Curved stones of slightly darker color ran down what Sasha assumed must have been its head. It almost resembled a beard, but there wasn’t a speck of hair on the creature. Or skin. Just a bundle of rocks wearing what looked to be a coat. The rockman spoke in a low voice.

“I would advise you to hurry your business along,” he said. “The Elders are growing impatient.”

“We were just finishing up, sir,” Mr. Erin said.

The squirrel cut off the bandages, handing Sasha her shirt. The fabric was a bit sandy, but she’d managed to keep it blood-free. The same couldn’t be said for her helmet, though the material seemed to be self-cleaning. Even the fog from her breath was nonexistent on the clear glass-like substance. The rockman tipped his hat, stepping back to usher the two outside. Beyond the walls of mesh fabric, the rock people’s encampment revealed itself.

Everywhere she looked, she saw stones walking upright like any other sapient creature. Some were sitting near a metallic slab, tossing out shiny pieces in what looked to be a game of some sort. Others had gathered in an arena, trading blows with their bare hands. A thunderous crack followed the chipping of pebbles. It reminded her of the boys back home. They always loved sparring. Wonder if I…The thought drifted away as the memory of her earlier encounter replayed in her mind. A single punch from a legionnaire knocked her flat. A punch from a stone guy would no doubt kill her.

“I see you’ve got quite the outfit here, sir,” Mr. Erin said.

“It’s commander,” the rock guy said. “Commander Weston.”

“Oh. I meant no disrespect.”

“Of course you didn’t. Outworlders tend to make that mistake a lot.”

Sasha raised a brow at the insinuation, but Mr. Erin kept up his pleasant smile. In the open, she could see their guide was a fair bit larger than the others. Not quite Xan’s size, but big enough the panda wouldn’t need to look down far to see him. Weston stopped at a set of tents on the far side of camp. Several rockmen stood guard outside. They all moved aside, their gazes lingering on Sasha as she and Mr. Erin passed.

“Elders of the Argos Fleet,” Commander Weston said with a salute. “I’ve brought the outsiders.”

Within the tent, Sasha found a set of raised chairs. The so-called Elders seemed to bend and stutter as they sat upon them. More projections. Weston dropped his arm, stepping back outside and shutting the tent door.

“Greetings, my gracious Elders,” Mr. Erin said with a bow.

They didn’t return the gesture.

There were three of them. One was tall with a similar rock beard to the commander. Another looked like a round boulder with stubby arms attached, the narrow slits of his eyes barely visible. And the last reminded her more of the fighters she’d seen outside. The many rocks surrounding his frame almost looked muscular. Or rather, her frame. When the rock creature spoke, their voice made that distinction clear as day.

“Why have you invaded our home, outworlders,” asked the rockwoman.

Sasha almost blurted out “Wait, you’re a girl” but was cut off by Mr. Erin’s hand landing over her mouth, the squirrel holding it there while he shot her a warning look. His smile returned when he looked back to the Elders.

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“We are not invaders, gracious Elders,” he said. “I am Erin Tull of the AIC. This is my associate, Sasha the Panther. We came from-”

“I don’t care who you are or where you came from,” the rockwoman cut him off. “Tell me why you’re here. Before I have our men gun you down on the spot.”

Sasha stopped struggling, her anger switching from Mr. Erin to the talking pile of rock. Did she just threaten them? The people who came all the way down to her sorry excuse for a planet to help? Mr. Erin let Sasha go, straightening up.

“We are here to eliminate your legionnaire problem,” he said.

The rockwoman’s gaze narrowed. The other Elders spoke up.

“And what makes you think we were asking for help?” the round one demanded.

“Those portals we just saw, my gracious Elders,” Mr. Erin said.

“You mean the portals that our people took care of?” the tall one asked. His gaze landed on Sasha. “While you were lying on death’s doorstep, no less.”

She flashed her fangs. “That-”

“My associate was simply caught off guard,” Mr. Erin said, cutting her off. “You have to forgive her. She’s still young.”

Sasha looked up at the squirrel, whose warning glare made it clear as day how he felt about the subject. She growled, choking back her words. Adults were always the same, weren’t they? Mr. Erin continued on like she wasn’t there.

“Her skills aside, your people will need a graduate’s assistance.”

“We’ve gotten along fine without outside interference,” the rockwoman said. “As we will continue to.”

“But surely that can’t last, my gracious Elders. The legionnaires spread like a planetary virus. Even if you’ve managed so far, you’ll be fighting a war against an enemy that will come back stronger and stronger with each attack. You’ll be burning resources you’ll never get back. Lives. Only a graduate has the power to cut the infection at the source. It is what they’re trained for.”

The rockwoman gave Mr. Erin a long look. The other two rocks seemed to size Sasha up, the panther hissing at them from behind the squirrel’s back. Sure they were holograms, but if she had to, she’d claw at a rock. When the rockwoman spoke again, her voice was laced with contempt and finality.

“No,” she said. “Now get off our planet.”

Mr. Erin, who’d somehow kept up his smile, flashed with surprise for the briefest of moments. Long enough for Sasha to notice. None of the Elders said another word, the trio sitting back before the holograms disappeared altogether. The pleasant smile faded. For several moments, the two stood there, staring at the empty chairs. The tent doors peeling open broke the silence.

“You heard the Elders,” Commander Weston said. “We do not require further assistance.”

Mr. Erin’s smile returned. As it did, Sasha saw his hand ball up at his side. It was for barely a second. When he turned to face the commander, his cheery attitude was as chipper as before.

“I suppose that’s true,” he said. “In that case, I must wish you luck in your endeavors.”

He grabbed Sasha by the wrist. Hard.

“C’mon, Ms. Panther. We have other planets to protect.”

He didn’t wait for her response, the squirrel suddenly dragging her away with him. For such a slim man, his grip was surprisingly resilient. He kept his hold despite her protests, pulling her through the camp, and not letting go until they were back in the long stretch of sand overlooking their ship. Sasha pulled away, rubbing her wrist.

“Don't ever do that!” Sasha shouted. “You almost broke it.”

Mr. Erin didn’t respond. He had his commpad out, the device raised in front of his face.

“Hello?” she screamed.

The squirrel stayed silent. She went to grab his shirt when his hand shot out, catching hers. There was a beep from the device.

“There.” He let her go. “123 degrees longitude. 175 degrees latitude.”

“What?”

“The next portal location. Or at least, where the others are spreading from.”

“I thought we were leaving."

“Why would we do that? We still have a job to do.”

Sasha stared back at the squirrel. Did he forget the part where they’d just been told they weren't welcome? Or the part where they were threatened with getting gunned down just for visiting?

“Didn’t you say you were willing to kill any legionnaires on the way to your friends?” Mr. Erin asked.

“Huh? Uh…yeah, but those rock things-”

“Are a non-issue.”

There was a serious undertone to his voice. One that made Sasha’s protests die on the spot. Mr. Erin looked down at his commpad, typing away at the holographic keyboard.

“I’m not letting them doom themselves,” the squirrel said. “They’re getting our help whether they like it or not. Now, do you plan on doing your job, Panther?”

Sasha winced. The way the squirrel spoke. How there was almost an edge to his voice. She’d never seen an adult like that before. But she knew she didn’t like it.

“O-okay,” she said.

“Good. Now, c’mon.”

The squirrel started out ahead, his steps considerably longer than before. Sasha jogged after him, trying her best to ignore the rising pit in her stomach. Was this what being a graduate was all about? Mr. Erin showed no signs of slowing down.