Decker saw another closed-top repulsorcraft approaching from above.

<Does that one show up on your sensors?> he asked the Suit.

<Oh, so now you want to hear me talk?> the Suit replied.

<Don't. Even. Start.>

<It's not cloaked. It's them.>

Decker sighed and reactivated his deathward.

He looked down at the bleeding xalaxian under his foot. Her environmental helmet was cracked but didn't appear to be leaking. He didn't think she was capable of getting up on her own but he kept his weapon leveled at her, just in case.

<You hurt my feelings when you said I wasn't a person,> the Suit complained.

<Well get used to the idea because you're not,> Decker replied darkly. <You're a tool. You got a good person killed because you have no will of your own. I'm finished pretending you're anything but the voice associated with a non-sapient computer.>

<That's a horrible thing to say.>

<It's an even worse thing to be.>

The Suit didn't have any reply to that.

The repulsorcraft came to a landing nearby, blasting up dirt everywhere as its repulsors aimed directly beneath it. It settled onto the ground and Aranarth and Eyeye/Eeeek jumped out.

"Squire! Get your foot off that prisoner!" shouted Aranarth, his cloak flapping behind him as he rushed over.

"She'll live," said Decker, not moving his foot, "which is more than I can say for Jeeke/Gyeee."

"If you can't keep your emotions in check you're unfit to be a ranger, now step away from the prisoner."

Decker dramatically removed his foot, and took a step back.

Anarath went over to the prone xalaxians and kneeled down to check her wounds.

"Could you get the medical kit?" he asked Eyeye/Eeeek.

"Your squire is accurate," replied Eyeye/Eeeek, "we xalaxians have many sphincters in our limbs that can seal them off if dismembered. The Long Shadow agent will not bleed out."

"She's still wounded," said Aranarth, "could you please get me the kit?"

Aranarth said "please" in a way that didn't sound like he was asking. Eyeye/Eeeek went back to the repulsorcraft, muttering about the relative sizes of human internal organs. The idioms didn't translate.

"The weak shall never rule the strong," the Long Shadow agent struggled to say, in Low Xalaxian. "My death will inspire a thousand thousand martyrs to the cause." She spat up some gold fluid which dripped down the inside of her helmet.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," replied Aranarth, mostly ignoring her.

Eyeye/Eeeek returned from the craft with the medical kit, a small grey box. She handed it to Aranarth with one of her long twisting limbs.

"Do you even know how to use one of these on a xalaxian?" she asked.

"I'm not going to apply to a xalaxian medical school any time soon but I think I can handle waiving dermal regenerator around," said Aranarth.

He did just that, and the Long Shadow agent's wounds began to close. Aranarth tossed the dermal regenerator back in the kit and stood up. He walked up to Decker.

"If I ever see you mistreating a prisoner again you're finished, do you understand?"

"I was-" Decker began.

"If the next thing out of your mouth is an excuse for your behavior you might as well hand me your insignia right now. Do you understand what I just told you?"

Decker glared at Aranarth.

"Yes," he said.

"Good."

Aranarth turned to Eyeye/Eeeek.

"Let's get this sprellhead restrained and loaded in the 'craft."

They pulled the agent to her feet and secured her inside the repulsorcraft. All four of her remaining limbs were immobilized. She wasn't going anywhere.

"So did you find the warp gate?" Aranarth asked Decker.

"No," said Decker. "I didn't really get much of a chance to look around though. It could have been in there. I guess we'll never know now."

"Oh the warp gate was in there alright," said Aranarth. "Otherwise why would the Long Shadow attack this remote strongpoint but not the headquarters? Bombing this place put them at a significant exposure risk, as evidenced by your downing of their repulsorcraft. They wouldn't do that just to blow up some ruins."

"I did find a sealed supply pod with a few of these," said Decker, holding out the gug-gug-gug ion rifle. Aranarth took it, turning it around in his hands for a better look.

"Now this is interesting," said Aranarth.

"Came real in handy since you and my suit are so concerned about-"

"Save it, Squire," interrupted Aranarth, still looking over the weapon. "Not the time."

Decker threw his hands up in the air and walked away.

"Are there any more?" asked Aranarth.

"Maybe," replied Decker, his back still to Aranarth. "If they didn't get pulverized by the kinetic lance or annihilated by the 5d bomb."

"We should go check," said Aranarth, screwing a piece he had removed back onto the weapon, "and then head back to Cluster Prime."

"What of the Long Shadow? Or the warp gate that was important enough to risk my people for?" asked Eyeye/Eeeek. "Now these things do not concern you?"

"You have a living member of the cell restrained in the back of our 'craft," said Aranarth. "If there are any surviving Long Shadow agents in that cell, and I doubt there are, she's the key to finding them. As for the warp gate I'm virtually certain they annihilated it with that 5th dimensional bomb. On the off chance your people find it you need to get in touch with A.R.C. immediately but I don't see any value in staying here looking for it. Once we've wrapped things up in Cluster Prime my squire and I will leave."

Eyeye/Eeeek Slithered closer to Aranarth.

"One of the best civil servants of my generation was killed to get you that weapon," she said. "Put it to productive use."

The xalaxian got back in the repulsorcraft, followed by Decker. It began to power on again.

After standing in silence for a moment Aranarth joined them.

* * *

Huayi/Eeeek and Eyeye/Eeeek stood in the starport surrounded by lonely desolate ruins, seeing Decker and Aranarth off. The Overdog's ramp was extended and ready to receive them.

"Make sure to let us know if you uncover any further Long Shadow activity," said Aranarth.

"Once the Planetary Security Directorate has appointed a new liaison to A.R.C. they will initiate contact," replied Eyeye/Eeeek, tersely.

"I'm sorry things went the way they did," said Aranarth.

"I share this sentiment," said Eyeye/Eeeek.

"You are not responsible for what happened to Jeeke/Gyeee," said Huayi/Eeeek.

"We're all responsible for the consequences of our own actions," said Aranarth. "Goodbye."

"Goodbye," Decker chimed in.

"Have a safe journey," said Huayi/Eeeek.

Eyeye/Eeeek remained silent.

The two humans walked up the ramp and into their ship. They both took their seats in the cockpit. Aranarth began preparations for blast off.

"Did we leave them better than we found them?" Decker asked, finally.

Aranarth stopped what he was doing.

"The two of us?" he asked. "No. We didn't."

He took hold of the controls, engaged AG, and the Overdog shot off into the sky.