The first sign of the camp was the smoke from the fire. Decker followed it the rest of the way.

Kel and Zaire's main camp now consisted of three large thatched-roofed log-and-mud buildings, along with the original lean-to which was now used for storage. A large fire, the source of the smoke, was at the camp's center.

Kel and Zaire sat around the fire. Zaire was cooking a small mammal skewered on a stick. Kel was deep into her latest unsuccessful attempt to build a compound bow out of sticks and animal sinew. They both immediately turned their head as Decker came noisily running into the camp, gasping for air.

"How much of what's going on do you know?" he asked, as he struggled to regain his breath.

"I'm going to guess none?" said Kel. It was almost a question.

"Is this about the ship that flew overheard a little while ago?" asked Zaire.

Decker was speaking rapidly, trying to pack as much information into every word as he could.

"Aliens have landed, I think from the wormhole network. They're hostile. I greeted them in Galach and they shot at me, sent a probe to finish me off. They already killed Ophelia. They have her deathward as we speak. The three of us need to go get it back. Now."

"Woah, woah, woah," said Kel. "Cool your drive. You want all of us to go confront these aliens? You already said they're hostile."

"Didn't you hear me? They have Ophelia's deathward," said Decker, breathlessly.

"So they're interested in collecting deathwards," said Kel. "That makes attacking them even less attractive. What if they do the same thing to us? That's not just losing the trial that's permanent mind death. If you're lucky that is. I'm not sticking my neck out like that for Ophelia. She's no friend of mine."

"This is bigger than our babbleskite. They have her sprelling deathward Kel," insisted Decker.

"Yeah and I'm not keen to give them mine too," said Kel.

"Zaire?" asked Decker.

"It's a lot to ask Sam," said Zaire, not wanting to look him in the eye.

"Not you too," said Decker, his eyes pleading.

"We can fortify the camp," offered Kel. "You can stay too and help. That's the best move. We'll be far safer fighting them on our turf than going to them and fighting on theirs."

"What if they don't come looking for us though? What if they just leave?" asked Decker.

"So much the better," said Kel.

"But Ophelia," said Decker.

"I'm not responsible for Ophelia, and frankly neither are you," said Kel, annoyance beginning to show. "What has she ever done to inspire such loyalty anyway?"

"This isn't loyalty, this is basic human solidarity," said Decker. "This is being able to live with myself. If you're not coming I can't waste any more time here."

"Sam, surely you're not going alone," said Zaire.

"If that's what I have to do."

"Don't be a sprellhead. This doesn't have to go all widdershins," said Kel.

"Do you have any more hammers I could have?" asked Decker.

Kel sighed.

"You know I do. Come with me to the lean to I have so many weapons. You don't even realize."

Kel gave Decker a few more stone hammers, three wooden javelins, and a slingshot. He strapped everything to his body and immediately headed for the alien landing site.

* * *

Decker had to travel in a wide arc to avoid a giant spider. He could hear the creature's hum and couldn't afford to waste any time fighting it. This made the trip a little longer than it would have been otherwise. The entire time Decker was sweating, full of existential dread that at any moment he would see the alien ship take off into the sky.

Finally he made it. The aliens were still at the landing site. They didn't show any signs that they were getting ready to leave either. Decker breathed a slow and methodical sigh of relief, careful not to make any noise. He watched from high up in the hand-trees with inhuman stillness.

The two of the aliens were facing in opposite directions, clearly keeping watch over their makeshift camp, swiveling their entire bodies around to react to every small noise. Decker made a note of the fact that they definitely had a sense of hearing.

The other alien was inside the folded open starship, working some kind of input console. Decker was virtually certain it was a computer of some kind. Likely analyzing Ophelia's deathward. Hopefully just analyzing.

It didn't look like they had any probes left either. Good. That meant, barring unforeseen tricks or unusual alien sensory organs, they'd be limited to sight, hearing, maybe a thermal sense or echolocation, and whatever close-range microsensors they had in those helmets. If they had anything better than that Decker figured they'd have spotted him when he spied on them the first time.

Decker liked the looks of their helmets. They couldn't possibly be as fragile as they looked but they were still a point of weakness. If he could puncture one even slightly it stood to reason the gas would leak out and the alien would suffocate. Decker might also take out their needlers at the same time. He would go for the helmets.

He might be able to get close enough to take one alien by surprise. Maybe. But that would still leave two aliens, both with needlers, and him limited to stone age weaponry. Death was a virtual certitude.

He was going to have to try to take out one of the aliens and then hide again before any of them caught him. Neutralize them one by one and disappear between each attack. It was a long shot but Decker wasn't exactly in a position to be picky with his shots.

Decker swallowed hard and climbed down the tree. He crept closer and closer to the landing site. His muscles tensed. Decker wasn't sure which senses the aliens had, what to concentrate on masking. He had to focus on a million tiny things at once all the while prepared to leap into action at the first sign he had been made.

Hoping that the aliens had a sense of front and back he weaved his way behind the closest of the two aliens keeping watch. He made sure to keep out of what he hope was the line of sight of either.

Keeping low and running swiftly but silently Decker came upon the alien. He raised his stone hammer into the air and brought it down as hard as he could. The helmet cracked but didn't yield. The alien was startled.

Decker smashed the hammer a second time, breaching the helmet. Green gas billowed out as the alien began to run wildly back and forth making a low-pitched wail. The other two aliens turned their entire bodies to look.

Decker took advantage of the commotion to hide behind a quarter-egg shaped piece of the unfolded starship.

He could hear the gas leaking from the cracked helmet and the wailing alien. Thanks to his enhanced ears he could also hear the other two aliens' steps as they approached him from either angle, hoping to cut off his escape. They couldn't see Decker but they knew he was there. And he knew they knew. Both sides had to be cautious.

Decker guessed where the two aliens were from the sound of their movements. It was now or never. He concentrated on one alien, picked out where it was, and leapt out at it swinging his stone hammer.

The aliens filled him full of needles from both sides. His entire body seemed to explode with them from the inside. His limbs were paralyzed and he fell to the ground.

Everything went black.