The world of Aeolus

Krios takes a step back from her bombardment of questions. "My race...we are called Mar'aki...there is another race similar to mine but they live underground and are called Har'rooks...as for being wary, you always be wary here. After the nuclear war everything ha changed. So if not your race or a sure friendly do not trust them at all."

"Are the Mar'aki all friendly? Are the Har'rooks? How long ago was the nuclear war?" She worried about radiation poisoning suddenly. Hayden started coming down and she heard him call out to her. "Over here," she called to him. 

"Don't worry about that it's just Hayden. Do you come up on land every day?" She saw Hayden just as he saw Krios and Hayden went into protect mode and she stepped in front of Krios and yelled "NO!" Hayden skidded to a halt about 5 feet in front of her.

Krios had already assumed a fighting position before she stepped in between them keeping his eyes on the newcomer and a hand resting on his sword hilt.
"You wish for more answers...then send him away...I trust you enough to talk, but him I do not."

"Hayden take the samples back to the camp. I am safe here. My friend will not harm me." She saw Hayden's expression as he looked at Krios over her shoulder. He hesitated and she said, "That is an order, now go back." Hayden handed her a gun and went back up the trail slowly and muttering about females being stubborn. 

Lexa turned back to Krios. "Sometimes it's good being the leader. He has to listen to me." She grinned.

Krios grins a bit as he relaxes his grip on the hilt, "yes it is...sometimes...now you asked about the world's history...the planet is safe from radiation...the war was over six hundred years ago, my father fought in it....now what is it you really wish to know?"

She smiled and said,  "I wish to know everything. What is a Har'rook? Are they human-like? Tell me everything." She took his  hand and pulled him to the rock to sit.

"A Har'rook is the well other half of my race...you see after the war the survivors had to adapt to the world...my group lived on an island at sea that sank because of the bombing...well being scientifically advanced we we able over time to adapt our bodies to living under water as well as on land...the Har'rooks became a nocturnal race living in the caves up in the hills." Krios replies.

"Now I've answered several of your questions...answer one of mine as to where you came from?"

"We are humans from a distant planet called Earth. We came down to your planet from our space ship on a shuttle. We are too far from Earth and are looking for a planet that can support us. We think this one will work. If we can't survive here we will all die."

"The world should be able to support you...but take heed...just because something here may remind you of home...do not trust it." Krios rises to his feet and checks the twin suns location in the sky.
"Always remember to be in your camp...preferably behind walls after sunset."

"Wait, why?" She stands as he does. "We already conquered the flying reptilians. What happens if I am not in my camp? As it is now I am well over 2 hours away from camp and it is going to be dark in under an hour. What should I fear?"

Krios verifying her time line he grimaces..."I can get you to your camp in time...if we do run into any Har'rooks you have to let me lead...understood...now grab your things so we can move."

Pulling her partly dried clothes on she grabs her backpack and heads into the woods with him. They had gone around some of the hills earlier in the day and she was glad he was with her as they were going back another way. It appeared to be much shorter and much more rugged. 

Lexa was glad she had on her boots. The rocks would have been killer on her feet otherwise. She noticed he was wearing pants with heavy boots. She couldn't tell what the jacket was made of but it looked to be of a durable material. He was not wearing a shirt at all.

 Lexa remembered that he had said the nuclear war was 600 years ago and his father was there. She realized that made Krios much older than she thought.

Lexa snapped back to reality as she ducked another thorny branch and she realized her arms were taking some serious scratches. She kept up with him so well she ran into him when he suddenly stopped. She looked around him and saw 2 albino men gutting a large pig. She caught her breathe and waited for Krios to handle the situation.

Krios recognizes the two albinos as members of the local Har'rook tribe. He tries to make way to the next trail entrance when the first one sees him. A large male over six feet six inches tall. muscular with a long snow white beard.

"Little green man...what are you doing on land after dark...are you trying to break the treaty?"

Krios faces the man, "no I'm not...this stranger is trying to get back to her camp away from your hunting grounds, all I'm doing is helping her."  The mans gaze cuts to the bag Krios carries his game from earlier in. "Are you sure you're not hiding any thing are you?"

Taking the bag in hand Krios removes his catch tossing it to the man,"as I said I'm not here to break the treaty...those were trapped in the daylight, but to show you I mean no harm they are yours."

The male takes the small animals and returns to his companion, Krios grabs Lexa by the hand hitting he trail hard and fast.

Lexa's mind has about 300 questions at this point but before she can say anything Krios has grabbed her hand and pulled her through the woods on the trail. 

"Krios? What treaty? How violent are they and how many of them are there? Are there any other humanoids besides the Har'rook and the Mar'aki?" She had to stop talking to catch her breath and duck as a particularly heavy branch nearly took her down.

Krios shakes his head..."not now...I can answer your questions but not out here...either at your camp or tomorrow." He keeps his fast pace until they are about fifty feet from her camp. "Here you go...I can make it back from here."

"Wait! I can replace the food you paid the Albino's with. Is there some reason you need to go right away?" Her voice sounded sad and  a little upset that he was going to go now. "Is there a problem with you being out after dark?" She looked at him and forgot she was still holding onto his hand. Standing there she hadn't realized that he was nearly 6 feet tall until just now.

"What do we do if the albino...er the Har'rook come to our camp?"

"They won't come to your camp...too many lights that it would blind them but good...as to me being out after dark....I'm allowed, but do to our treaty we tend to avoid the mainland so there is no chance to break the treaty." Krios pauses as the sights of her camp confuse him a bit. "The treaty came about after the war...basically it was signed to eliminate war again after the worldwide destruction the first time...as to your food, not sure if I can digest it personally don't want to get sick."

Lexa hits her comlink and asks Hayden to bring her meat from today's hunt. Moments later Jerrick appears out of the camp carrying a large slab of pig and 3 or 4 rabbits. He looked at Krios and Lexa still holding hands and he tenses up visibly. 

Lexa walks over to him, takes the meat and gives it to Krios. "Thank you for your help today and this should make up for the meat you lost on my account. I hope you will come back and speak to me more." 

Jerrick stares at Krios "Yes thank you for helping Lexa today." and then he possessively puts his arm around Lexa's waist.  Jerrick grabbed her and kissed her. Her reflexes raised her knee up and into his groin very hard. His eyes hardened as she wriggled out of his embrace. "I told you NO Jerrick."


Lexa watched as he slowly walked back to the edge of the camp and waited for her. She was obviously a little shaken.  She looked up at Krios a little embarrassed and said "sorry, he is persistent..... too much so."

Krios hands her the meat back, "I cannot accept this...first this is meat the Goddess has given your tribe it is not meant for mine...and second if I run into those two Har'rooks or if they have warned any of their kin and I have more meat on me it will look like I am hunting during their time." 
He turns and begins to climb a nearby tree..."I will go by treetops to make sure but either way the meat is not mine...look for me on the beach tomorrow when the suns are at their zenith....farewell."

Lexa took the meat back, her heart feeling low. She felt bad that she had cost him his spoils. After returning the meat to the proper place she she grabbed some dinner and instead of the bonfire tonight she spent a long time on her video log. She checked in with the scientists, had Junnie look at her foot and got it cleared. 

She also sent for more gava root and asked that they incorporate it into most of the food as a seasoning. She also stuffed many of them into her bag.  She slept in the shuttle that night.

 In the morning she worked with the botanists and the archaeologists. Some of the historians wanted to hear everything she had been told. She decided to record Krios next time if she could. 

Putting things onto the speeder, she undocked it from the shelter. This morning she was not going on foot, she wanted to cover more ground if she got the chance. There were 4 other speeders on the shuttle and she assigned them accordingly before she went into the woods.

When the suns were at their Zenith Lexa was basking in the warmth on the beach next to her speeder. When Krios stepped out of the water she smiled.

Krios exits the water, dressed in leather like breeches and boots no jacket. His green skin shines in the suns rays as he joins her..."I think today we will stay on the beach for our visit...or in the waters near here...if this is okay with you?"

Lexa had been hoping to get him to explore the area via speeder but apparently yesterday's events had gotten to him. She was surprised that she was able to understand him without more gava root. "Alright if that is what you want. We can stay here." 

She pulled out a blanket and laid it out on the beach to sit on. Lexa grabbed out a recorder and pulled out a couple of drinks. She motioned for him to sit with her. 

"I really would like to talk to you and get some of this information on record so that I can help our kind and your kind live together in harmony, peacefully."

Krios takes a seat on the blanket as he does he pulls his long hair back into a ponytail then sips the drink. It had been too long since he had just relaxed, his place in the hierarchy is the role of a hunter bt with the majority of his people preferring to stay below the waves one day off won't hurt..."what is it you wish to know?"

Lexa watched him pull his hair back and smiled. She pulled out the recorder and asked him, "Can you tell me about the Nuclear war, and how your Dad was there if that was 600 years ago? Obviously Mar'aki age differently or is it likely that we might age the same now that we are here as well?"  

Lexa stretched out. She was wearing a tank top and shorts and she had taken her shoes off. Her bathing suit was visible underneath her tank top.

Krios goes silent for a second but then decides to tell her a bit of the war..."we used to populate the surface fairly well...our cities and technology made our lives simple and easy...the problem is in any perfect society you have ones who prefer anarchy over order...we had a group splinter off then all hell broke loose...fast forward you get war." he paused for some more drink.
"This tastes good by the way...as to our long lives our scientists are still baffled to this day as to why we live so long...before the war our lifespan was only one hundred and fifty years tops...I myself recently turned four hundred and twenty years old...what else do you wish to know?"