Crazy things you do for the people you love.

"Morning. You guys ready to start moving?" Jamie asked, sticking his head inside the tent.

"Eve found Cass' terminal in the wreckage." Jade said, being the first to see Jamie, and quicker to react, since Eve was looking at the screen.

Eve held the display up to him, to see the output she'd managed to get of energy signatures. Eve handed it over.

"We were hoping you would be able to figure out which signatures are the others from this." Eve said as Jamie took it.

"Hmm." Jamie said, looking at it, scrolling it this way and that. "From the density, I'd say this only has a range of 5 miles or so. I bet this clump here." he said, indicating a large collection of marks, "is on the river bank where it meanders. If we delay for a couple of hours and go visit my old house, we can scan in the map I made when I was here last, and get some greater definition."

"I'm surprised Efof hasn't come down here to see us." Jade said. "Do you think he's even here?"

"He's not. I asked about him... Slavers came here and tried to take the kids. Efof gave himself up so they would be left." Jamie said, with a sad smile for Efof's bravery. "I also found out that with all the time jumps we've had, it's been 5 years since we were here last. That's why they didn't recognise you and tied you up." he added to Jade.

"That's... Horrible.." Jade said. "But that was very brave of Efof."

"So they'd forgotten most of us because we weren't here for very long?" Eve asked. "But they all remember you because you were here for... 10 years?"

A female Ssala voice interrupted them, and Jamie turned around, said something back, and then his head reappeared in the tent.

"Finish your Coffee and we'll head out. I'll be in the centre." Jamie said, and disappeared.

He walked to the centre of the Ssala village, where he spoke to the elder for a while. The conversation ended with a bow from both sides, and a younger Ssala handed him a bow and quiver of arrows. He slid them over his shoulder like he'd done it a thousand times, quickly and smoothly. Then, he sat on the dry dirt floor, closed his eyes and waited.

Shortly after, the girls joined him. He opened his eyes as they approached, and stood up.

"You meditate?" Jade asked, recognising the position and signs.

"The Ssala taught me a few techniques when I was here last for supressing certain feelings. How else do you think I survived here without human contact for 10 years?" Jamie replied.

Jade looked at him skeptically for a moment.

"What?" he said, defensively.

They all turned towards Jamie's old house, and started to walk.

They made the climb to the empty house to get the map, and see what else was there.

<Tag. Onion wanted this to happen to Efof...>