The next few days were relatively uneventful. They had to spend a reasonable amount of time preparing everything for the representative. Well, at least Samuel had to. He was not about to have Scarletra do anything with how injured she was.

　　Samuel did not let her leave the bed for three days, waiting on her hand a foot so she could be allowed ample time to heal, rest, and recuperate. Even though she pushed back a bit, insisting that her injuries would not keep her from working and helping. His stubbornness easily won her over, especially the concerned look in his eyes.

　　Between bringing scarletra food and performing his regular duties Samuel spent the first day moving all the now-frozen corpses out of the outpost and burning them. He did not want the bodies left out and attract megafauna, nor did he want the representative to see the bodies. Samuel could show him the security camera footage of the events if he wanted proof of their claims and desire for reassignment; the massacre remnants should not be needed.

　　Moving the corpses was a massive pain for Samuel. The Varintol were painful to look at. The majority were mangled beyond belief by scarletra, while the ones he shot were at least mostly intact save for gaping holes. While removing the corpses near the gates, something odd caught his eye. A trail of old blood and a rut through the snow.

　　One survived and must have limped off while Samuel followed scarletra. He had half a mind to grab his rifle and tie up that loose end. But he could not bring himself to do that. Fighting to defend Scarltra in a heated battle was one thing, but actively choosing to go find a sentient to blow their brains out felt like a step too far.

　　With Sethun arriving in less than a week, the Varintol couldn`t make it to the Ursana village and return before Scarletra and Samuel had vacated the area. But Samuel would do his best to be on high alert during the interim, knowing that this group of soldiers were scouts and more could be just over the horizon.

　　Everything was going so smoothly until a storm to end all storms rolled in for two straight days. It was so sudden it caught both Samuel and Scarletra off guard fully. They had been asleep when the notification system on Samuel`s datapad alarmed him in a way he had never experienced. A loud alert system screamed at him in standard that damage had occurred.

　　The primary satellite up in the mountains had sustained damage from the storm. To Samuel`s chagrin, there was such extensive damage that the computer could not even run a diagnosis from the outpost. This meant Samuel had to go up to the satellite to manually run wires and fix whatever went wrong.

　　That brought them to their current and regrettable situation; Scarletra would have to meet Sethun and explain why they needed to be extracted from this area immediately.

　　"You have everything you need, right?" Scarletra questioned while Samuel tossed on his boots.

　　"I got everything I should need. There are supposed to be tools and all the replacement parts I need up there." Samuel replied.

　　Scarletra nervously fidgeted with Samuel`s backpack, having cooked him lunch and stuffed it inside earlier, "Do you have to go? I am nervous about meeting the Sethun alone.

　　"Yeah, I do. Don`t worry; you will do fine with meeting him, and in a few days, we will be getting out of here." Samuel replied, standing and walking up to her. "All you have to do while I`m gone is make sure you pack anything we need."

　　That was not the only thing she planned on doing while he was gone. She was going to double-check the craftsmanship of Sarah`s statue. As soon as Samuel returned, Scarletra would give him the gift she had spent weeks working on. His being away would be an excellent chance to ensure it was flawless. While they had other issues, having something else to do other than dwelling on her family would be good for her state of mind.

　　Scarletra was going to miss having him to snuggle with, especially because over the last week, he refused to have sex, claiming she would bust her stitches, despite her only having a few under her right tit, where he lung was punctured—and holding her ear together.

　　"I understand, but I still don`t like it. What if there is a warband just over the hill? They will kill you—or worse. And what if they come here?" Scareltra bemoaned.

　　Samuel reached up and patted her shoulder, "It will be alright. Just keep that ax you took from the commander nearby, alright?"

　　Pulling him into a hug, Scarletra nodded. Even though both were armed and would be cautious, the idea of leaving Samuel alone still worried her. All it would take would be them running into another scout unit alone, and it would likely be over. Samuel might be able to repel them given enough standoff with the rifle, but she would rather not put that to the test.

　　"Alright, just please be careful," Scarletra said, looking down at him buried in her bust.

　　"I will. I will radio you every night and morning," Samuel smiled.

　　"Good, I will look forward to it," Scarletra replied, leaning down and kissing Samuel deeply, neither wanting to be separated when the Ursana were on the move.

　　After letting Samuel go, Scarletra walked him out to the Varintluk and watched as the taillights vanished into the swirling snow, leaving Scarletra to stew in her worries about his return and meeting with the representative in two days.

　　Why the fuck did the GU care so much about that Satellite, Samuel tried to explain its role in the system`s communications and that without it contacting the wider GU would be impossible. However, she did not have a strong enough grasp on the concept to understand more than they needed it to be working as soon as possible.

　　—

　　Looking up toward the calm, clear sky, Scarletra crouched behind some heavy supplies outside the outpost, knowing damn well that Moi was piloting the ship and might attempt to recreate his dangerous stunts as last time. She hoped this time the little bastard would keep his hands to himself. Why did that one have to return out of all the pilots in the universe?

　　From the word she had gotten from Samuel that morning, he would be back in two days. The damage to the satellite dish was far more extensive than he had initially thought. At least he seemed to be in high spirits and enjoyed the time there. It is a shame Scarletra could not have gone there with him; she wanted to work with him. But she had her place in their relationship and roles in the outpost, and he had his own.

　　Either way, once this was over and they were safely away from the outpost, they would have plenty of time to work together, safe, sound, and without the Ursana ready to rip their throats out in some misguided holy crusade.

　　It was not a long wait for the ship to arrive. Scarletra`s data pad chirped and informed her of the transport arriving. Unlike Samuels, hers did not have a direct line of communication to shuttles bound for the outpost, so Samuel had just sent her a message.

　　Breaching the lead grey overcast, Moi`s shuttle came into view, unlike last time the little gremlin brought the ship in from on high and in a gentle, caring manner. No theatrics, insane stunts, or thrill-seeking. That was curious. Scareltra assumed the little bastard would have no qualms with subjecting Sethun and his entourage to a horrendous trip until Scarletra caught sight of said entourage; they were intimidating. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

　　Pouring out of the ship was a platoon worth of GU soldiers; at least, she assumed they were soldiers based on their attire and equipment. Each was clad from head to toe in black, wearing armor of the same color, leaving no skin, fur, or scales exposed. Most carried rifles not unlike Samuels`, but they were far shorter and had magazines thrice the length of the ones in Samuels` rifles.

　　The few that did not have that had what looked like heavier weapons with belts of ammunition leading into them. Scarletra spotted one with the same rifle as Samuel, but that alien was far shorter than the rest but was far more agile, quickly moving over the top of the snow, barely even leaving prints.

　　 The GU warriors were fascinating, and that curiosity in her brain racked up a million questions instantly, but she held it in for now; Scarletra had no doubt she would have a chance to meet them while they waited for Samuel`s return.

　　After the platoon of soldiers flowed out of the ship and took defensive positions around the location, a trio of individuals emerged behind them. Two were clad in similar attire to all the other soldiers; one stood nearly as tall as Scarletra but had a similar appearance to Liro, evidenced by their long snout and ears that poked out from a black helmet. By the Great Mother, their eyes were intense; even in the drifting snow, their whitish-blue color was piercing.

　　 The other soldier was a far smaller, avian in build with a pair of wings flowing out the back of their armor; in one hand, they carried a large bag, and their other hand supported a small weapon similar to the primary rifle the other soldiers had, but clearly was a more handy version. The gun was likely not made for an assault but was more of a sidearm, not unlike the dagger she and many other Urasana carried when at home in the village.

　　The other individual, the other two flanked, drew Scarletra`s eye heavily. They stood a head shorter than Samuel and had a survival suit similar to his, only theirs was bright orange. A brown leather bag was in one hand, while the other was tucked inside a coat pocket for warmth.

　　After stepping off the ramp, the tall soldier spoke into a radio, and the shuttle began to lift off. They all waited as Moi took off; the sounds of his engines were so loud they would not have been able to hear each other anyway, so waiting for the sound and jet wash to pass was all they could do.

　　"Mr. Sethun, It is lovely to meet you," Scarletra said once the ship and the annoying goblin esc man left, angling her head down in a slight bow.

　　"Miss Scarletra I presume," Sethun replied in a smooth voice. "I am surprised. I was under the impression you did not speak standard."

　　"I did not, but Samuel taught me," Scarletra replied.

　　He paused and looked at the taller soldier next to him as if for some form of advice, but the werewolf-like alien shrugged and gave no other input. "Well, that is impressive. Allow me to introduce Captain Shama and our medic, Stulit."

　　The men and Scarletra nodded in acknowledgment of the other but kept it at that; not much else was needed between them. If they required a more in-depth introduction after Scarletra explained the going-ons of the outpost, they would get one then.

　　"Now, sir, would you like to come inside, along with your soldiers? I have a lot to explain, and you all probably are not built for the cold like I am," Scerletra said, gesturing to the main building, doing her best not to sound pleading.

　　Scarletra did not care about the cold; she worried Ursana scouts were already watching them, and keeping the warriors out of sight as much as possible would be for the best.

　　"Thank you for the invitation. And yes, while Shama`s men are quite capable, I`m certain even they do not wish to be in frigid temperatures like this," Sethun replied, gesturing at the soldiers spread out around the outpost.

　　Scarletra turned about and began to move to the door; as she did, Shama addressed his men with authority Scarletra had not heard in a while. "Everyone fall in on the lady."

　　The squads flowed in after Scarletra, Sethun, Shama, and Stulit in smooth, well-practiced movements. None of them wasted any energy while leaving defensive positions.

　　Scarletra sat on the broken sofa while Sethun, Shama, and Stulit sat on chairs across the table. All the soldiers stood around the main room, filling it to the brim. In an intimidating display, they were all dead silent; Scarletra could not think of any time other than while scouting when any Ursana squad was quiet, much less a whole platoon.

　　"Now, miss Scarletra, can you explain what you need to tell us? I was under the presumption that this was just a meeting to discuss your integration." Sethun earnestly questioned while unbuttoning his survival suit, clearly uncomfortable with the heat.

　　Scarletra sighed and looked around the room. Each set of eyes was on her, waiting to hear what she had to say. She had passed word to large groups before while filling her role as the future matriarch, so this was nothing new. But something about these aliens` myriad shapes, sizes, and builds made it intimidating—the soldier`s black-as-night masks did little to help with the foreboding, judgmental feeling.

　　Shama watched her keenly after removing his face covering, letting Scarletra look at the golden fur around his face, but half of it had clearly been burned off and healed long ago. "Take all the time you need, Scarletra. Spare us no detail. I need to know exactly what`s happening," He said with the authority that could only learn from years of combat trials.

　　Scarletra nodded and began to weave them a tale outlining all the critical details from the day she ran away up to Samuel having to leave for the deep space satellite for the next few days. She included every relevant detail and explained that she and Samuel were more involved than just friends, even if she kept the significant information to herself. Samuel did explain that not everyone needs to know those, and she could agree: their favorite positions and ways to get the other to finish did not seem vital to the issues at hand.

　　Throughout her briefing, Sethun looked horrified. Each new detail brought a look of horror and disgust to his grey-skinned face. The man clearly was not built for austere situations like this, having been used to peace, love, and care. Scarletra doubted the man had a violent bone in his body.

　　The ones who held more of Scarletra`s attention were Shama and Stalit; neither flinched as the story went on. Each would occasionally whisper to the other or jot a note on a datapad. They clearly relied on the other wisdom when tackling issues. But their demeanor was comforting. They had boundless confidence, showing that this was just another day at the office for them.

　　After nearly an hour of listening to Scarletra explain the current on-the-ground situation, Shama finally made a reaction more than a simple nod. Just calling it a reaction did not do the man justice; no, he took command.

　　"Alright, team leaders make a watch roster, two men on at all times. The rest of you go condition one and get outside until the shifts are disseminated." Shama said firmly.

　　With zero question to his instructions, the rest of the soldiers charged their weapons in a cacophony of loading and checking chambers before filing outside, save for four of them, who quickly began to speak with each other. The display surprised Scraletra, having never seen how a whole unit armed with the rifles of the GU operated.

　　 They were efficient and well-practiced in everything she had seen so far. If they waged war with such precision, they could quickly annihilate a single warband. They likely could handle two or three without many issues. A comforting idea, to be sure.

　　"Now, Scarletra, you said those bodies were out back, correct?" Shama questioned.

　　"Yes, they are out back. Samuel burned them there," Scarletra affirmed.

　　Shama stood up and gestured for Stulit to follow him, "Perfect, we will be back. You two get comfortable while we work. Team leads, hurry up. We have to start working on defenses and try to raise Samuel to get him back, ricky tick."

　　"Yut," the four team leaders barked in flawless unison.

　　"Wait, Shama, aren`t you being a bit too forceful?" Sethun questioned, "Can we not attempt to be diplomatic with the Ursana?"

　　"Sir, no, I`m being cautious. If they are as She describes," Shama said, gesturing to Scarletra, I doubt they will wish to be talkative. And I have to protect my HVI`s(high-value individuals). Now, you can try diplomacy on your side if they show up, but the moment that goes sideways, I`m enforcing the last five hundred meters of that diplomacy and getting you all out of here without issue."

　　Sethun nodded reluctantly, having surrendered to the fact that this mission was one the captain and his men would have to take point on. They always managed defenses, but this time, by the looks of it, there will actually be combat.

　　Once the soldiers had dispersed around the outside, Scarletra turned to Sethun. "Is there anything else I might be able to answer that is more pressing to your job—sir?"

　　"No, not now. Let`s wait inside where it is safe and let Shama handle the defensive plan. He will let us know what is and is not safe," Sethun replied.

　　"Oh, if that is the case. I am going to go speak to Shama. I was a warrior in the Ursana. I might be able to advise him," Scerletra replied, standing, knowing her in-depth knowledge of their tactics, units, and abilities would come in handy in any defense.

　　"But Scarletra, would you not rather just wait until it is safe? Moi won`t be back for at least two days. I`m certain Shama has a handle on this," Sethun protested.

　　Scarletra shook her head in a bit of disappointment. While she understood the GU was not the Ursana and they did not have a warlike culture, a small part of her still respected a man or woman who could at least show a spine and did not wish to cower. "No, it`s my home they have to defend. I intend to aid them as much as possible," She replied before walking outside.