By now Laurie and Chris were quite lost! They ran and ran for hours, fearing they were being chased. Chris was worried; he and Laurie thought they were running towards home; but they hadn't even sighted the lake yet. They ran until they came to a river; and realizing they had definitely not passed this way before, they hesitated. As Chris and Laurie slowed and looked around at their surroundings, they couldn't help feeling quite alone.
Laurie sighted a small plank bridge a few feet away that crossed to the other side of the river. They were halfway across the small shaky bridge, when they froze—sitting on the opposite riverbank was a huge iguana!
The iguana looked up in surprise at first. However, as he saw the children looking so afraid, his surprised expression softened and he welcomed them to sit and relax by his fire circle. Apparently, he already knew that, at first, the children would not understand his speech. He repeated his welcome. A gentle breeze wafted through the few sparse trees along the river bank and Laurie and Chris' faces brightened as they suddenly understood him.
The children thought about what their parents used to say about not talking to strangers, and wondered, did an alien reptile count? Whether they chose to talk to him or not, their legs trembled with exhaustion and their lungs burned. They could run no further. Seeing no other alternative, they shyly went and sat beside him. Still sensing that the children were not yet at ease, he decided to ask them what was bothering them.
"Some creatures were trying to capture us," Laurie said nervously staring in the direction of the plank bridge.
"They chased us!" Chris exclaimed.
The iguana frowned in concentration and squinted into the darkness at the grassland around him.
"You are safe now, no one will bother you with me around," he said.
Chris and Laurie both let out a huge sigh of relief and began to relax.
Like just about everything on Exandra, the iguana was larger than any Laurie and Chris had seen. He was, in fact, about the size of a human adult. Even though he had a fierce looking face, he spoke in a kind, soft voice. Just like the other species they had met, he did not seem surprised to see the human children. It was quite a mystery and Laurie could see no solution.
Perhaps this iguana knows which way we should go to get home, Laurie thought to herself, as she and Chris took their backpacks off of their shoulders and warmed themselves by the fire.
Laurie and Chris sat quietly, recovering from their ordeal. As their nerves settled they noticed their host patiently watching. Laurie decided that they should introduce themselves.
"My name is Laurie and this is my friend Chris," Laurie said.
"I am Tarpin; I am part of a group called ECOPs."
"What is an ECOP?" Laurie asked, curious at the mention of an organization she hadn't heard of.
"Exandra's Caretakers of the Peace," Tarpin replied with careful emphasis of each word.
"How can we understand you now, when we did not understand you the first time you spoke?" Chris asked.
Laurie was about to tell him what Trib had told her and the rest of the Star Traveler crew when Tarpin began to explain.
"I was told by my parents when I was small, that it has something to do with the atmosphere here on Exandra," Tarpin explained. "There could be any number of creatures each speaking different languages in a given area and everyone would just… understand, although they may never have heard the language before. From what I just experienced when I saw you two, it is like instantly learning a new language unknowingly."
As Tarpin explained this to Chris, Laurie wondered whether Tarpin would be able to help them. "We were trying to reach our home settlement; our friends have been ambushed and taken hostage by a group, or perhaps tribe of Squirrels, but now we are lost and…"
Tarpin's calm face suddenly twisted. Laurie and Chris stiffened as they realized that he was enraged. "You said a tribe of Squirrels did this!"
Uneasy about the sudden change in Tarpin's demeanor the children nodded slowly.
"Ugh, they are always causing problems. What was your group planning to do at the marshlands?"
"We were on a mission of exploration; we did not even plan to go into the marshlands. We were just walking around them at the time."
"Those wooden-headed Squirrels," Tarpin said, "are always jumping to conclusions; no doubt they thought that you and your team were coming to attack them. The ECOPs have been dealing with this tribe forever!"
"What should we do about our friends?" Laurie asked.
"Well first I should talk to our ECOP leader, Whirlp," Tarpin answered, becoming business like.
He began gathering a few of his things that were scattered around his fire ring and put them into a small bag. He slung his bag over his shoulder and put the fire out.
"I am sure we shall be able to help you," He said, again gentle and reassuring.
"Should we come?" Chris asked as he stood and picked up his backpack.
"Indeed," Tarpin replied, beckoning them to follow.
They walked at a rapid pace for two hours over the grassy plain. David and the other adults had been using their MTD's to map their trek. When the two children ran from the ambush they had no map to follow. Laurie and Chris had no way of knowing if they had walked through this section of the plain before, everything looked so similar, as wide and as empty as it had been. Laurie brought her MTD out to record their current course of travel. Hoping, eventually, to add her map to the adults map when they found their way back.
"Although there are few of us, we have established camps all over Exandra," Tarpin said suddenly, breaking the quiet atmosphere. "It is fortunate that our leader is camped close by, he should hear about this situation. Now that your people have decided to venture away from your colony site, there will be many other species here that will possibly be wary of you."
"It seems our presence has stirred things up that we weren't even aware of," Chris replied, a thoughtful frown on his face.
"Like the paranoia of the Squirrels," Laurie added with a nod.
"It's not your fault. The ECOPs have prepared for this eventuality, I'm sure we can handle the issue," Tarpin replied with a smile.
Reaching the top of the next hill, they spotted Whirlp's, campsite. The children realized that he, too, was an iguana. Tarpin led the children down the hill and they approached the ECOP leader's tent.
Tarpin sat beside the leader on the log and proceeded to explain the Squirrel situation to him.
"Are all of the ECOPs iguanas?" Chris asked after the two had finished talking.
"No, anyone can join as long as they are willing to devote themselves to campaigning for peace. They must be prepared to help in whatever way seems right and to defend those who cannot do so themselves," Tarpin answered.
"But you see, my dear ones," Whirlp added, rising to greet them formally, "only a few have joined our group. Many of Exandra's peoples are too shy, too suspicious, or not inclined to work with any but their own kind."
Laurie and Chris looked at each other for a moment.
"May we join?"
Whirlp softly smiled, "It may be dangerous at times."
"I beg your pardon sir, but if flying through an asteroid belt‒" Laurie began, before being cut off by Chris.
"Or, living many light years from home on an uncharted planet isn't; then this can't be much worse!" Chris finished, shifting his backpack on his shoulders.
The old ECOP leader laughed. "Well then, if you two are that determined, you are very much welcome to join!"
Whirlp turned and went into his tent, re-emerging a few seconds later with a dark brown, polished wooden box.
"Children, as members of Exandra's caretakers of the peace, you will need these," he exclaimed, taking two hard, green, one foot-long, cylinders out of the box.
As Laurie reached for the cylinder she was reminded of the markings on the alien artifact.
Setting the box on the ground, Whirlp then took a key that hung on a dark green rope tied around his neck and pressed it to the bottom of each of the cylinders.
"These are our primary weapon. We call them tegars. Hold these in your hand, shake it twice, and you will see why."
Laurie and Chris did as they were instructed and their eyes widened and their mouths dropped open in shock when the pole grew into a five-foot staff.
"Once activated only you can use your tegar. By long tradition we demand that our members only use them when absolutely necessary. They are virtually indestructible; a very handy weapon," the ECOP leader said as if quoting something that he, too had once been told.
Tarpin explained as Laurie and Chris listened intently, "The ECOP does not believe in using swords or other types of weapons because they bring blood and pain. Where there is blood and pain, there is death and no peace. A long time ago our Founder gave us the tegar to provide us with a defense suitable to a bringer of peace. They can be handled without injury, but will help you control those that wish to harm you."
The ECOP leader, Whirlp, added, "To shrink the tegar again, you need to hold them by their middle and shake them three times. Now then, I won't keep you any longer. I suggest you three head back to the marshlands to help your friends."
They said farewell to the ECOP leader and began their journey northward, back to the marshlands.
*****
"I never thought I'd see the day when humans were taken hostages by animals," Dr. Smith muttered in a rather quiet voice, "this defies all science."
"Well," Eli said, "before we came here to Exandra, I also never thought I'd see an Earth-like animal several times larger than any I've seen before!"
"You can say that again!" David exclaimed.
"You did not understand him the first time?" Trib asked with a grin.
In spite of their situation, the group laughed and as a mist of dust rained from the ceiling, their laughing subsided into chuckles as they tried to brush the debris off their heads.
"Well I suggest we all get some rest; who knows what tomorrow will bring," Captain Mitchell sighed.
"I wish I did!" David replied with a single stiff laugh.
*****
Far away, Tarpin and the children were on their way toward the marshlands‒ the Squirrels' territory.
"I suggest we rest for the night, even though we only have an hour till we reach the Squirrels' territory. We will have to travel slowly and not directly towards them, so we don't raise their suspicion," Tarpin advised, as they came to the top of a hill where the grass was a bit softer. "Sleep well, we do not know what tomorrow will bring."
"I wish I did," Chris sighed as the two children set their backpacks down on the grass, pulled out their blankets, and lay down; Tarpin lay on the grass.
As the three ECOPs slept, they were unaware that a large group of creatures was watching them from the woodland shadows.
"Here they are Captain." said a gruff-speaking Platonian. "The creatures that left that new city full of what those trifling Laskonians call Earthlings."
"Very good. But what is this! Our scanners suggested a large group leaving the city; there are only three here. One ECOP and two children! Grrr‒our scanners suggested no ECOPs!"
"Many pardons, Captain, but these two smaller humans were with that group."
"I wasn't looking for a babysitting job, Clytain!" the captain said, growling, to the gruff voice, "But these three will do, for now!"
Many thoughts and plans ran through the captain's head. The Leader of the Platonians, Escrib, wanted these Earthlings as hostages; he needed them to persuade the other earthlings to leave Exandra. However, this captain knew that it is very, very rare to catch an ECOP off his or her guard, even when they are asleep. Their senses are always wide-awake. Nevertheless, the captain was beginning to form a sneaky plan that just might work.
Satisfied he had covered all the things that might go wrong, the Platonian ordered his troops into action.
*****
"It's another day," Captain Mitchell slurred a bit as he peered at the light filtering through the trap door in the ceiling.
"It feels as if we've been in here for a year," Eli muttered as he tried to shift to a more comfortable position.
"So what might our plans be for this fine day?" David joked.
"Hmm, we might all go have a picnic in the woods," Trib joked back.
"Well then, why don't you two ring up our hosts and order a nice lunch and the rest of us will map out a lovely hiking path," Captain Mitchell replied, laughing at their antics.
"Do any of you still have your MTD's?" Dr. Smith asked.
A chorus of no's sounded from the team‒ David opened his mouth but stopped in mid breath. They all looked towards the packs tossed in the corner of their cell, far out of reach. David took a breath. "Excuse me, Dr. Smith, but I may still have mine here on my utility belt; I was mapping when the Squirrels attacked."
He struggled, twisting and turning in his chains to retrieve his MTD device from his belt.
"I was thinking we could use the one of them to contact the children or Capitol Station in Dirin City," Dr. Smith explained. "I don't know why I didn't think of asking before!"
"There; I got it!" David exclaimed with a loud sigh.
A sound of footsteps coming down the corridor that led to the dungeon reached the EOE Team's ears; David tucked his MTD under his leg before anyone could come around the corner.