Visler looked over his head. The jungle-like canopy was thick, a perfect place to ensure they are undetected. The wet season was just now coming to a close, and the berries they were picking were especially lush and plentiful.

A sound of rustling bushes could be heard from the rear. Visler and his hoplites raised their weapons. Kopbok emerged from the bushes, running quickly.

"Visler! There's a carrier near us! It's reptilian class! About half a mile from here!"

"Then we need to hide!" Visler exclaimed.

"Too late!" shouted a high-pitched voice. The hoplites all raise their weapons and looked around to see if they could find the source of the voice."

A lanky, light-green-skinned reptilian emerged from the bushes.

"Don't worry" the lizard said. "I won't bite… I'm just dropping in for a little chat." The lizard walked over towards where Visler was standing. Everyone remained silent, not knowing what to think of the stranger who just appeared.

"Let me take some of the tension out of the air and introduce myself. I am Strigwire." the lizard said as he got close to Visler, who lowered his weapon. "

"That insignia" Visler said referring to the medallion worn on the left side of the lizard's chest. "It's one I've only seen in pictures but never on a reptilia. Are you really with the Fire Flower?" Visler asked sounding perplexed.

"That is correct" Strigwire said. "We have all made the trek from the other side of the galaxy to rejoin the empire."

"I see" Visler said taking a moment to try and digest this bit of information. "So what concessions did you have to make to Turraski and the Nal Hirak?" A big grin appeared on Strigwire's face.

"We are not making any concessions to Turraski. He needs us more than we need him. We now have leverage over him like we never had before. You Singed Leaves can come out of hiding and join us." Visler's face narrowed into a frown, galled at the suggestion of cowardice.

"So you came across the galaxy to shed your blood waging Turraski's war on the hominids?"

"We follow her directives, not Turraski's." Strigwire scoffed. "As I still assume that the Singed Leaf does. Her prophecy of the clans uniting under her rule has now been fulfilled."

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"Her?! You mean she that tore the clans asunder and sent your people to live in isolation the first place?"

"Tore it apart, and now is on the brink of making it stronger than ever, just as she prophesized. In our exile we have acquired weapons unlike any the hominids have. Xenon plasma weapons… enough to nullify most if not all of the hardened hulls of the elves armada."

"Fantastic" Visler said not wanting to show any apparent interest in this bit of information. "I guess you won't be needing help from our feeble clan." Strigwire put on a scowl.

"We're going to make a little deal here, Singed Leaf Chief. I need the talisman of the goddess. We only have limited means of communicating with her. Surely you either have it or know where it is. With our batteries and the talisman in hand Turraski won't dare try and cross us, and I can ensure he will leave you and your people in peace."

"After Adella became queen she had the elven technologists do something with it, but I'm not sure what happened to it." Strigwire narrowed his eyes looking at Visler.

"You couldn't even ensure our conduit to her was safe? And you call your clan Nal'Larak."

" You can call our clan whatever you want. We do not answer to the Goddess any longer." Strigwire gave Visler an expressionless face, not saying anything for a few seconds.

"I'm not going to waste my time arguing with you over this. You will join when you are compelled by her to do so. What I will say right now is that even though we haven't been here long, I can smell human on you an already know that your clan is doing commerce with outworld humans. Turraski may be most interested to know you are helping to sustain outworld humans. So if you have the talisman, you had best tell me and not allow me to find out you've got it. I'll warn you that the talisman has its way of finding its way towards her most faithful servants."

"We make friends wherever we can, Strigwire. The Nal'Larak used to believe peace and containment was wiser and more useful than aggression and war. We still hold those values today. Those principles are more valuable than whatever was given to you by some supposed goddess."

"Without her there is no Nal'Larak" Strigwire hissed. "As she says, there can only be peace with races that are evolved to make peace with nature. All the rest need to be subjugated"

"We follow the wisdom of history, not those of any machine or goddess. I don't know where the talisman is, and we aren't searching for it." Visler said.

"You do realize, young chief, that the forces of Dark Gaia are gradually accruing to oppose us. If we do not stop that, Turraski and the hominids will be the least of our concerns. I need - no we need – the goddess more than ever. Why are you so willfully blind as to the problem that we face?" Strigwire said, his voice tinged with frustration.

"Why are you so blind as to not see how the war you want could mean a worse existence for everyone – hominid and reptilian alike?"

"The longer you wait to kill a cancer the more problematic it is" Strigwire quipped. "I can see that this is not going to be a productive meeting. Perhaps I can convince you later on when the problem is worse and more obvious. Mark my words, though, if you get in our way you will regret it." And with that Strigwire quickly scampered back into the brush and couldn't be seen.

"My lord" Kopbok said, "how do you think he found us?"

"I have no idea" Visler said. "We need to finish up here quickly and move on" Visler said.