Lonely footsteps familiar tracks in melting snow. For the uncharted planet of Kan'in it was a warm summer day. As a tanuki woman, the only inhabitant of the woods, followed a beaten path masked by the snow and mud from wetter days past, the sound of dakari bamboo rattles with each step. Slung over Rokumi's back was a large axe, obviously meant for cleaving the wood and not people. 

In the clearing of the Saviki Forest was a stone house, not common among the natives of Kan'in, in which the bamboo cutter made her home. It was small, despite the large, open real estate surrounding the house. Next to her house was a wagon, meant to be carried by hand, filled with large rods of bamboo. It seems like she was about to head into town. At least that's what was planned.

The cool wind gently passed through the trees of Saviki forest as Ryckert trudged his way through the soft snow, gun in hand and anger in his eyes. For the better part of three weeks Ryckert had been hunting down a spice dealer who had failed to pay Ryckert after hiring him for a job. The bastard had proven to be elusive, jumping from planet to planet with Ryckert always a few steps behind. It wasn’t until Ryckert had locked in on him in space that he finally caught him. The spice dealer had panicked, jumping into faster than light travel randomly, hoping Ryckert would not pursue into uncharted space.
 
Ryckert almost didn’t follow, the pay wasn’t even worth it, but he had a reputation to uphold, and in his business, reputation was everything. So Rycker chased him through the warp, where the Dealer finished his fuel cells and had to land on a small, snowy planet. The dealer had been good at evading Ryckert, but here, when cornered, he begged and pleaded like an animal with no dignity.
 
“I’ll double it, tr-tr-tripple it, plase Ryckert for maker’s sake I don’t want to d-“
 
It had snowed lightly that morning, after a few hours the dealers body had completely been buried by the pure white snow.
 
Now Ryckert made his way back to his ship, annoyed he would have to try and figure out how to get back to charted space. It would require a couple of hours looking at charts, running some programs, and praying he put in the right coordinates. As Ryckert walked back he noticed the trees were a little different than where he had landed…thinner, and where had all those small hills been before?
 
“Shit, I’m lost,” Ryckert said to himself.
 
Ryckert knew he would get angry if he didn’t have a smoke, so he took out a cigarette and lit it, taking a small puff and studying his surroundings. From the initial scan the whole planet appeared to be in constant winter, with strange looking trees, it would be a real pain in the ass to find his way back, the scenery all blended together. Ryckert kept walking until he came upon a small clearing in the forest, to his surprise there was a small, stone house out in the middle of nowhere.
 
“Well, this is certainly interesting,” Ryckert took one last drag of his smoke and tossed it to the snow, stepping on it, more out of habit than any real concern.
 

Ryckert walked to the door and lightly knocked on it, holstering his gun, but keeping his hand firmly on the handle. This should be fun, he thought to himself.

Rokumi slowly opened the door. She was a bit shy and she was not expected a visitor for days, so it was a bit nervous.

In front of Ryckert was a small raccoon-like woman. Despite the thick woven clothing it was easy to tell that she was chubby underneath it. Her house was warm and inviting. The furniture was all hand-made, likely by the young hermit herself. 

There was also a noticible lack of electricity of any kind. Candles were used as a safe way to keep the house lit, since it did not have any windows to the outside world at all.

Being curious about the human, she wordlessly held the sliding door open, likely something closer to home if still primitive in its own right.

Hesitantly, she raises up her voice in order to communicate with such a strange creature if possible. "M-make yourself at home..." She used her best observation to assume his gender. "Ma'am?"

The only weapon in the stone house was her cutting tool, her giant axe with its sling sheathe lying right next to it. Deeper inside would further confirm the theory that she was primitive, and maybe her whole race was.

Ma’ma?.....Ma’am?” Ryckert stared at the strange little creature, blinked twice, and then broke into uncontrollable laughter.
 
Ryckert placed his hand on the small house’s stone wall, trying to keep himself from falling as he laughed at the small tanuki’s confusion. It had been a grueling two weeks, he was lost in space on some unknown planet and now he ran into this completely unthreatening creature - the poor thing had invited him into its house! – it felt like Ryckert had crossed into another reality. After taking a few seconds to compose himself and wipe away a few tears from his eyes, he peered into the small home of the tanuki. It was rather nice, rustic, almost artisanal in a way, it was inviting and Ryckert could use a moment to think about his next step.
 
“Well, aren’t you just a cute little thing?” Ryckert said to the tanuki as he pulled another cigarette and lit it, taking a pensive drag.
 
Ryckert would need this little one’s help finding his ship, considering it lived out here and would possibly know the area. Also, this planet was uncharted, and from the look of things it wasn’t very technologically advanced. Ryckert stepped in, having to duck just to fit into the small home. He took a seat on a sofa that he completely filled up and studied the place.
 

“So, little one, what’s your name? I’m Ryckert Crimson of the Crimson Corsairs, mercenary extraordinaire and I would like to know more about this,” Ryckert did a circular motion with his hand,” strange little planet of yours.”

The tanuki tilted her head like a curious dog as Ryckert started bursting into laughter. The man was collapsing in front of her due to the gender mix-up. It was quite a strange sight to behold and her cheeks got a little red from embarassment, with the compliment coming afterwards made her even more flustered.



The inside of the house looked warm. Woven rugs and hides of creatures, almost like that of creatures native to Earth, liven up the otherwise cold and dull stone walls. There was a roaring fire in the living room that filled the entire house with heat.



Rokumi blinked at the man as she headed into the kitchen. Her voice got louder to talk to him, but it's still hesitant. "My name is Rokumi Yoshitaka. I'm just a simple sohei out in the woods, making a living cutting down dakari trees. Wait... The planet? What do you mean by that?"

Ryckert began to feel that warmth of the stone hut wash over him, it was quite enjoyable after spending the last couple hours trudging through the snow. Ryckert was at peace, a feeling he didn’t get to partake in most of the time. In his line of work one had to stay vigilant, dealing with criminals, gangsters, mob bosses, psychopaths, and the occasional pompous aristocrat. Right now at this moment in time Ryckert didn’t have to worry about his reputation, or coming off as dangerous, he was miles away from civilization and could just take a moment to relax.
 
"My name is Rokumi Yoshitaka. I'm just a simple sohei out in…..”
 
“Rokumi, Roooo-ku-mi,” Ryckert tried out the name, saying it a couple times, trying to get it right, not really paying any attention as to how he was coming across, which was strange, he was coming off as strange.
 
“Wait... The planet? What do you mean by that?"
 
“hmm?” Ryckert turned to look Rokumi who was still in the kitchen, she was looking at him with a perplexed look in her face, not understanding his question.
 
Ryckert reached into his pocket and pulled out a small flask of alcohol, opened it, and took a sip.
 
“I mean exactly that, this planet, who lives here, your military strength, the power that rules it, its laws, and, most importantly, where the nearest city lays,” Ryckert said then took another sip from his flask.
 

The Tanuki had been disturbingly pleasant and friendly, letting Ryckert into her house and even preparing some food. If everyone was like that here, Ryckert just might add this place to his list of vacation planets. Places he could go and get lost for a few weeks without having to worry about a gun being pointed to the back of his head.

The tanuki already thought of the human as strange, because he was literally from another world. He was an alien to Kan'in, yet Rokumi let him into her house almost without a single thought of caution.


"Well... It's hard to say. The last kingdom census said there was a population of, oh I don't know, six hundred thousand. As for our strength, we have the finest axes and bows on the planet. There is no real military since we are a united people. The nearest town is about a two hour walk, but I can take you there if you don't mind sitting on dakari lumber. I can tell you more about the world while we walk the way there."


The sounds of liquid pouring into what seems to be a clay mug fills the oncoming silence afterwards. "Do you want some kinomi juice before we go? Maybe some food? If you're tired we can stay here. My delivery is not of upmost importance at the moment." She flashed Ryckert a bright smile as comes in with a metal pitcher somewhat full of juice and two cups, one already filled.

"You'll be my guest until you can go home. You have my word."

Six hundred thousand? Six hundred thousand? Ryckert was amazed, this planet was ripe for the taking from one of the galaxy’s war obsessed factions. Hell, he could bring his mercenary army and be king of this place, though the idea of being a tyrant king was always exciting to Ryckert, he knew it would lose its charm rather quickly. Better to leave this small planet alone and come and visit from time to time. This also put Ryckert at ease, if all he had to worry about was bows and axes then his weapons and armor would be enough to let him go about his business without much resistance.
 
“Yes, I would like to see the town, I’m sure the locals would be interested in seeing me as well,’ Ryckert smiled and took another swig as Rokumi walked back into the room with refreshments.
 
 "Do you want some kinomi juice before we go?”
 
Ryckert raised an eyebrow, some alien food could prove deadly, others would leave him sick for weeks, he wondered what this would do. Well, he wouldn’t know until he tried. Ryckert took a cup of the kinomi juice, sniffed it, and then gulped it down.
 
“Hmmm, not bad,” Ryckert passed the cup back to Rokumi and asked for another cup of juice.
 
“No, I don’t need any food, thank you, I would like to know more of this planet so I’ll take your offer of a walk toward the nearest town,” Ryckert got up and walked towards the door, throwing the clay cup at Rokumi.
 

“Catch.”

[size=58]Rokumi poured the man another cup full of kinomi juice before taking the pitcher back into the kitchen and setting it down with all the other dirty dishes. As Ryckert stepped towards the door, tossing the cup at her, she caught the cup midair and tossed it behind her. The cup then lands perfectly on bottom end on the pile.[/size]


[size=58]The sohei escorted the man towards a pile of large, bamboo-like reeds lying in ontop of a wagon, carried entirely by person. With a surprising feet of strength, Rokumi picks up the wagon's handles and looks back at Ryckert. "You can either walk or ride on the back. Your call."[/size]

Ryckert walked alongside Rokumi, waving off her offer to ride in the cart. Ryckert did wonder if she could pull it off, dragging both the wood and him for two hours across the snow. Maybe these people were stronger than they looked, or was it just her? Ryckert would have to verify this later, if they had superior strength he sure as hell didn’t want to start any trouble, at least not yet. The pair made their way across the snow, it was a beautiful place. The snow was a pure, crisp white and the trees were long and, surprisingly, still had green leaves. What a strange place, Ryckert thought, but he liked it. It had been far too long since he was calm, it was almost uncomfortable.
 
Ryckert pulled out another cigarette and lit it, breaking the momentary silence between the two.
 

“ So, Rokumi, tell me, what brought you to live way out here by yourself? Not a people person? Or did you commit a grave crime that you were exiled to the edges of society?” Ryckert said this jokingly, but he was interested in knowing more about his host, she was interesting in a way Ryckert had not expected.

Rokumi looked over at Ryckert and gave a rather warm smile, contrasting with the cold climate of the woods. She was easily carrying a medium-sized wagon, one that was usually pulled by a single horse. Despite the easy, the weight still made it so she went a slug's pace. However, that might be for the best with how un-optimized the snow is for wheels. Maybe Rokumi should have waited a few days for the snow to become compact, but there wasn't all that much time.

She stops dead in her tracks and looks over at Ryckert, shaking her head. "I'm... not the most social. Beyond that, I like it in the woods. I guess you can say I'm... in my element. Like so."

Rokumi puts her hands up at a 120-degree angle, and closes her eyes. For ten seconds, there was nothing, then suddenly green orbs of solar energy began collecting from the sun, which was directly above them. It was extremely hot and not recommended to touch, but it felt warm to be near. Her position relaxed as she commands the orb low to the ground in front of her, the snow melting near instantly. "This should make it easier to walk."

One of the perks of Kaiyan's job as an agent of the Imperial Court was the ability to go...what the humans would call "off the grid" and freelance.....It improved Kaiyan's knowledge of the galaxy which his superiors found beneficial.Despite this he has been known to go beyond the call of duty to help those in the galaxy,hunt criminals and sometimes to the ire of his superiors use Imperial resources in to help in trivial tasks.

Kaiyan warped to explore rumors of an untouched world east of GSU space,where strange mammalians called the Tanuki thrive....Their race was not yet space-faring and it would be against Imperial code to interfere or to reveal himself.His ship quickly reached the planet of Kan'in an white ball in an galaxy of black.

Arctic worlds may not be habitable to the cold-blooded Varanus but there was an sense of contrasting beauty such worlds had when compared to desert worlds such as New Serpentum. Kaiyan wished to watch the planet from afar and observe the Tanuki and their culture,he was so mesmerized by the thought that he did not notice the pirate frigate that warped 4 kilometers from him until the pirates sent him an message. The  message was clear of its intent.

"Prepare to be looted"

Kaiyan however would not allow himself to be degraded to being an hostage of pirates....again...He began to warm up the engines.Knowing his shield would be able to block any sudden fire,he figured the pirates would attempt to disable the ship in order to loot it.

He did not account that the pirates would by poor judgement fire with the wrong cannons,the heavy batteries of the frigate blasted through the impact shielding of Kaiyan's corvette creating an hole in the hull of the ship.

Kaiyan activated emergency procedures and sealed the cockpit,the resulting damage also seemed to disable the FTL-Drive and with the damages he already sustained,his impact shield disabled Kaiyan saw only one choice.

He began to steer the corvette towards Kan'in,his smaller vessel would easily pierce the planet's atmosphere evading the slower frigate,and while he was right....he took several hits before he began to breach the mesosphere.Kaiyan quickly got up and adjusted his thermal chestplate before he strapped himself to the chair.

He was going to crash,the engines refused to respond...the escape pods damaged in the firefight...

Kaiyan closed his eyes and breathed as his ship shot past Crimson and Rokumi and crashed into the nearby woods to their west.

The impact tore an black scar across the woods,burying the front halve of the ship in snow.

Kaiyan was knocked unconscious in the chair,his thermal chestplate kept his body temperature to survivable levels as the room temperature began to drop.Blood oozed from his scaled head as pieces of glass and metal shot across the cockpit,even if the green scaled Varanus would awaken...He would find himself trapped in his own ship on an world he had no place in being.

As Kaiyan remained unconscious his thoughts turned to vivid dreams..........

Ryckert was surprised by the Tanuki’s magical ability, something he would have to be watchful for. Didn’t want to end up with a fiery hole in his chest. The orb danced around in front of them, slowly melting the snow and making it easier for Rokumi to transport her large wooden cart. Ryckert grinned, this little planet was full of surprises.
 
“Are your people…. Do your people have an affinity for magical abilities?” Ryckert asked in an attempt to learn more about the native population.
 
Before Rokumi could answer a space ship came throttling through the trees, then whizzing right past Rokumi and Ryckert. The ship crashed, hard, on the snow. It tore a huge swath of trees on impact, some catching on fire. The force of the impact mad Ryckert fall backwards, but he quickly got up and ran to check out what the hell had just happened. Ryckert took out both his guns and carefully made his way toward the crashed ship. It appeared battered, but it didn’t look like it was about to explode into a million sharp pieces, so Ryckert headed to the front of the ship. The smoke was becoming thick, so Ryckert put on his filtration mask on, sealing it shut around the edges.
 
The fire in the front of the shipped licked and grasped at Ryckert, making it harder to see and maneuver. The front glass canopy of the ship was broken, inside in the cockpit sat a lone scaly alien Ryckert had never seen before.  Ryckert tried to be gentle when he removen the alien out of his burning ship, but it couldn’t be helped when the large creature scrapped and banged on the edges of the ship. Once Ryckert had put him over his shoulders, he turned and tossed the alien out of the ship, falling a few feet to the snowy ground below. Ryckert followed the creature down, calling over Rokumi.
 

“Hey, Rokumi, help me with this…. thing,” Ryckert grabbed the creature by the arms and waited for Rokumi’s assistance.

Rokumi was about to talk all about their rising use of chi after decades of being passive and stagnant until another ship manages to crash into orbit. Unlike last time, though, this landing was causing fire which was a major problem for the tanuki's well-being. Her hands wave away the solar orb as she dashed off into the forest, surprisingly fast for a chubby creature. 

To help with all the smoke choking the area, Rokumi tries to create a small magical sprig to soak up the smoke but it ends up turning to a blackened, twisted version of what it once be, but it did its best. Lost in the smoke and slowly drowning among a sea of black and red, it was not until Ryckert called out to her that she found her way. She gave him a nod and lifts up the majority of the creature, knowing that she was likely stronger than him. There were no words able to come out of her, since she was trying to save her breath.

Kaiyan fell hard unto the ship's flooring as Ryckert struggled to carry the bulky Varanus out of the blasted ship,he was tossed out of the ship falling into the snow.

Whilst still unconscious Kaiyan's body started to react to the sudden burst of cold,his heart beat started to slow and his breaths became weaker as he entered an hibernation state.The tanuki lifted Kaiyan up quite easily and she could feel the slight warmth of the heat that radiated from his thermal chestplate. Kaiyan gained an shred of consciousness as he weakly pleaded for one thing....Heat....Before he slowly fell back into hibernation. Held totally by the mercy of strangers,he himself being unarmed and wounded with nothing but an greyish jumpsuit and his thermal chestplate to protect him from the elements.

Kaiyan's consciousness expected death....

Ryckert wasn’t surprised when Rokumi took charge and lifted the Varanus with ease, she had already proven to be quite strong for such a short, puffy being. Ryckert smiled, cracked his back and followed Rokumi to a clearing where they could check on the passed out pilot.
 
The Varanus let out a simple command, heat, and Ryckert remembered that these lizard folk don’t do too well in cold temperatures.
 
“Wait, Rokumi, let’s take him back to the cart, we can’t let him rest in the snow, it will kill him, he need heat,” Ryckert said, taking off his long coat and covering the Varanus with it, who looked somewhat familiar.
 
Rokumi nodded and lifted the creature once more, carrying him towards the cart and laying him inside. Ryckert was surprised how much warmer it was inside the cart, but it was still not warm enough.
 

“Well, Rokumi, you got any more of that fancy sun magic to keep our new friend here from leaving this world of the living?” Ryckert asked, his head cocked to one side and an eyebrow raised, hoping his saving of this creature was not for nothing.

Rokumi gave a silent nod at Ryckert, before clapping her hands together. It looked like she was having a little difficulty breaking them apart but in the slowly-growing gap in between them were three small blue orbs. These orbs grew into the size of baseballs before floating in the air like they were in stasis. The vivimancer then twirls around before stopping and pointing at Kaiyan.

The orbs sink immediately dissolve into Kaiyan, before projecting themselves into a warming aura that shield around the reptilian. Unfortunately it did not warm him up automatically but took its time, but he would survive. "Let's get going to town. Tis only a short-term solution to a long-term problem."

Rokumi lifts up the cart once more before breaking into a speed-walk. The fires start dying down miraculously, but the snow melting caused slight flooding in the area. It might be best for Ryckert to hop in the cart, if only to prevent it from causing frostbite on his feet and calves.

As the orbs sunk into Kaiyan his body slowly began to stabilize,for the remainder of the trip towards town he would still be unconscious,uttering nothing but strained blasts of air from his nostrils carried with the occasional hiss as his mind slipped from dream to dream.

In some dream he saw his past,erratic visions of strange happenings and glimpses of the present as he could best remember.

He saw the academy in it's splendor,the endless hallways of marble across New Serpentum that shone his reflection.He saw the titanic frame of the Ceaseless Citadel....He saw an mansion tended to by servants he once knew......As he got closer to the doors of the mansion he saw an shadow looming over the sky.

The dream would scatter into various memories he had from his days as an legionnaire to his current position as an Gurand of his order....

The trauma of the crash still lingered and the cold of Kan'in only added to the troubles Kaiyan faced....Luckily for the unconscious Varanus he had help from one he has met before and another noble soul he has yet to meet.

Ryckert was astonished by Rokumi’s ability with magic, it was rare for him to run into actual magic users, so whenever he came across one he was always excited. Though Ryckert didn’t show it, it went against his whole character, so he just gave Rokumi a simple thumbs up when she finished her spell on the Varanus. The ship’s slow decent into a burning wreck caused the nearby snow to melt quickly, creating a torrent of icy water to pool around them. Ryckert had not brought water proof boots, so he looked around in desperation before Rokumi motioned for him to get on the cart.
 
“I know you’re strong, little lady, but I have a general rule about women carrying my heavy ass around for miles…just not right,” He said to the tanuki, who simply shrugged her shoulders and pointed at the water building up around them.
 
Ryckert noticed how the Tanuki was waiting on him and the Varanus was spending more time in the cold with every passing second that Rycker stood there, so he finally sighed, gave the Tanuki a certain look of ‘have it your way’ and jumped into the cart next to the passed out Varanus.
 

“So, little Tanuki, we got quite a ways to go, tell me more about your people, hopefully this time a ship won’t come crashing down and interrupt you.”

Rokumi started speed-pulling the cart, which was starting to get hard between all the spells she cast and the cart had to be pulled for several more miles, but maybe talking about her culture would help get her fatigue off her mind. She lost her place in talking about her people form before so the woodcutter just start blabbing about the people.

"We tend to have 'soft castes' if that makes sense to you. I'm a Wood Tanuki for example, who are usually woodcutters and carpenters but if I wanted to be a fisherwoman or seer like Water Tanuki are, then I could with only some disapproving looks from the more old-fashioned tanuki. Your caste is decided on the eye color you have when you're born before it changes. Red goes to Fire Caste, Blue goes to Water Caste, Orange goes to Earth Caste, Green goes to Wood Caste, and Grey goes to Metal Caste." She swallows her spit before continuing. Maybe she was getting a little parched.

"The Caste used to have jobs only they could have. For example: Fire Caste were inventors and animal breeders, Water Caste were seers and fishermen, Earth Caste were farmers and potion-crafters, Wood Caste help the Earth Caste farm and tend to be surveyors, and Metal Caste are miners and blacksmiths. Water Caste tend to guide us but any Caste member can hold a position of power. Surprisingly, it's Metal Caste that usually do it."

After a couple hours of walking, the town was finally visible to them. Rokumi was completely worn out from pushing herself too hard and collapses onto the firm snow. "L-Let me rest... Just for a little bit okay?"

Kaiyan kept dreaming.....His mind weak as it slipped into old memories of times past....Then one memory triggered his return as he awoke enraged and pinned Crimson to the floor with his right arm pressed hard against his neck.

He would growl with slitted eyes as he looked at Crimson then after an brief 9 seconds he calmed down and spoke. "Ryckert Crimson?!?" He then released him and looked around confused. "Where....What..Where are the pirates...my ship?" He then touched the broken scar that ran deep into his thermal chestplate. "My plate was breached.....How is it that I still live?"

Kaiyan was entirely confused and huddled in the corner of the caravan as he huddled for warmth.

Ryckert listened to Rokumi with passive interest. The snow covered forest was truly beautiful, almost in a romantic way. As Rokumi explained the workings of her people’s civilization Ryckert began to almost doze off, the warmth of his coat mixed with the cool gentle breeze caused him to get too comfortable. Ryckert wasn’t sure for how long he had slept, but Rokumi stopped the cart to take a breath.
 
“Hmm? What? Oh, yes, don’t worry, I told you it might be too much weight to carry but you insisted-“ Ryckert was stopped short as the giant frame of the Varanus twitched, then brought all its weight down on Ryckert, pinning him against the floor of the cart with one giant, scaly arm.
 
Ryckert quickly but carefully reached for his hand cannon, pressing it ever so gently against the Varanus’ gut. Ryckert didn’t want to shoot him, he was sure he knew the creature from somewhere, maybe it owed him money? Or maybe Ryckert owed him money? Maybe he should shoot him…
 
“Ryckert Crimson?” The creature said after a few seconds of holding Ryckert down.
 
“Kaiyan? No way-“Before Ryckert could finish Kaiyan went off onto something else, talking about some pirates and his breast plate, while still pinning Ryckert down.
 
The Varanus looked confused, then left Ryckert go and huddled against one of the corners of the cart. Ryckert sighed and checked his neck, making sure there wasn’t any broken parts before getting up and dusting himself off.
 
“Well, Kaiyan, you owe your life t our little friend here, Rokoku, no that’s not right….Rokumi!” Ryckert said, pleased with himself,” You crash landed a couple miles from here, you being of the reptilian persuasion we thought it was better to get you somewhere warm, guy.”
 
Ryckert jumped down from the cart and called Rokumi over.
 
“Don’t be scared now, he’s big but he doesn’t bite,” Ryckert pulled out a cigarette and began to smoke.
 

“Now, I think we can all use a quick break, but for Kaiyan’s sake we need to get a move on soon.”

The ruckus behind Rokumi was quite a shock to her and she was almost ready to break things up between the big scaly guy and the smaller... skinny guy? She will have to learn their species' names when they arrive into town. Thankfully, it ended as quickly as it started. The fuzzy woman just listened quietly into the situation, getting acquainted with this Kaiyan fellow. 

"I'm not all that scared, although he probably would put up a good fight." There was a sort of uneasiness in her throat about that from feigning that confidence. Despite the calling over, Rokumi kept her eyes and feet on the road. "We're not stopping now. It's a warm day out but you could still die from the hypothermia due to your... lack of insulation. Lucky for you, the upcoming town is filled with fire-clan tanuki. The constant braziers will let you roam the town freely without the need of heavy weather protection.

Contrary to what she said, the day was cold but it wasn't obsessively cold. The air was almost non-existant and the temperature was just below freezing. It is her first time meeting another intelligent species so the new experience could be throwing her off.

As Kaiyan sat to regain his thoughts,far above their heads the pirate frigate stood in the blank emptyness of space.....Beneath the ship stood the milky white orb dotted with greens...The planet Kan'in,like an shadow the frigate's cargo bay opened and an ramshackle metallic drop-ship shot towards the planet.The pirate drop ship remained far above the clouds as it neared Kaiyan's fallen ship.It then circled once before slowly landing 400 meters away in an clearing.

The drop ship was silent for an moment before it creaked open and it's deadly passengers stepped out onto the fresh white snow.....

Several Duchy men and one Varanus officer wearing power armour walked towards the wreckage,their boots cracking the snow beneath them,one of the human soldiers quickly ran into the wreckage and within seconds ran out screaming..... "He is not here!"

Damn.....The Varanus officer thought....Kaiyan was on the move,he had hoped that the Guarand would die in the crash....It would have been easier to blame his death on an FTL failure or as he originally planned with pirates.....He would have to be quick before his superiors realize that an entire squad is on unofficial business against Imperial orders.The officer was deep in thought when one of the soldiers called to him.

"Sir! Tracks in the snow.....Some Varanus,one human and another unidentified......" The officer nodded and gave his orders.

"Alright men gather your things we move in two minutes.....We must intercept Kaiyan before he can request aid from the Imperium.....Remember all our lives are at stake here.....This Gurand must either be captured or killed!"

Kaiyan huddled for warmth as the occasional chill hit across his body.

"Braziers sound wonderful,I must thank you for saving my life once we reach your settlement....."

Kaiyan was breaking Imperial jurisdiction,one of the few laws his order enforced despite them having their own law system.....He was not supposed to be here....Between pre-Space age Zodarrin....They called it "external development contamination" as the law clearly states that pre-Space age civilizations need to develop themselves without alien support....Otherwise they will be reliant on that support. Kan'in was one of the few dozen worlds selected in that group.

Kaiyan would do his best to limit his interaction with the locals to preserve their culture and current conception of the world.....

“Well, you could thank us now, but if being choked out is part of your people’s idea of thanking, I think I’ll pass,” Ryckert said as he took a drag of his cigarette in the cold winter evening.
 
Ryckert gave a grin to Kaiyan as he let out the smoke from the cigarette out of his nose. Ryckert wanted to let the Varanus know he wasn’t being serious, but Ryckert wasn’t too sure if Varanus could read human expressions.
 
“You know, I like the scenery, but I could go for something a little warmer right now, so let’s get going, we don’t want Kaiyan here turning into a popsicle,” Ryckert snuffed out his cigarette and walked over to Rokumi.
 

“You ready to head out now? I am itching to see this city of little bear people walking around, sounds exciting.”