After the civil war ended, Rhin the rhutz returned to the Doral Mountains, where she had become a mother. Her family was glad to see her and accepted her back into the pack without hesitation. They knew she had become a hero and loved her all the more for helping to rid the planet of the tyrant, Videl Lai.
Rhin, however, had changed. She’d seen and experienced much tragedy, but more importantly, she’d grown fond of her friend and companion, Leek Lanzia. Once satisfied with the peaceful life of a rhutz, tending to her family, now she missed the friends she’d made and the excitement and drama of life as a Loyalist soldier.
So, she was glad when she felt Sgt. Ponde’s presence in her mind. She had spent a lot of time with the big seafolken while she was at the 3rd Army’s Doral Mountains headquarters during the war. Sgt. Ponde was one of only a handful of non-rhutz who could communicate telepathically with her, so it was not surprising that they had grown fond of each other.
“My friend. I trust you are well,” Sgt. Ponde thought.
“Yes. Doing quite well. Where are you?”
“Not too far from you. The Chancellor has sent me here to seek your help.”
“Help? But the war is over.”
“Officially it is, but bands of marauding ex-TGA soldiers now plague our lands and must be stopped. At a time when we should be relishing our victory, our citizens are frightened that at any moment they may be robbed, killed, or their children kidnaped.”
“So, why can’t the army deal with this or the local police?”
“They’ve tried but with little success. The bands move so quickly and disappear without a trace. The Chancellor is taking much heat from the General Assembly. They say she is more worried about saving Earth than keeping the peace on Tarizon.”
“So, what would the Chancellor have me do?”
“Both of us, actually. She wants you and me to recruit a rapid response team to be called in whenever these cowardly bandits show their faces. With our skills she believes we’ll be able to rid Tarizon of these skutz and bring a well-deserved peace to our people.”
“I like our Chancellor. She is a fine leader. I’ll do as she wishes.”
“Excellent,” Sgt. Ponde thought. “How much time do you need before you can leave with me?”
“Just give me time to say goodbye. I’ll meet you at dawn tomorrow. Where will you be?”
“At the 3rd Army headquarters.”
“Good. That’s not far from my pack. I’ll see you in the morning.”