The rocks shook as the ground moved and the storm raged overhead. Then a hand suddenly shot up out of it.

Victor reached forward and grabbed the hand and pulled. Jace came out of the hole and cracked his neck as he did. "Aaahhh..." He groaned in annoyance. "I really should aim for something else when I fall. Water and mountains really do not do it for me." Jace declared as he stretched and could feel his muscles were a bit tighter while the armor he wore felt a bit lighter on him.

"You never answered Eduta’s question about your mind." Victor pointed out as he waved at the being named Eduta that Victor was talking about. Whose appearance actually surprised Jace for a change.

"Oh..." Jace hummed. "This is... well..." He trailed off as he thought of the words. "It is nice to meet you Eduta." He switched languages as he spoke. "I have learned the local dialect, so you can speak it instead of trying to speak into my mind."

There was a moment of shock from the Xenar before it nodded. "I see... I wanted to ask how your mind has been shielded so well. Because I wanted you to put them down since I could not communicate with you. But who would know that you know the local common language. It took me years to learn to speak it."

"I knew the root language and was able to work from there to create a translatable language." Jace explained. "But I am surprised to find one of your species here. Although I have a feeling I know why and how one of you came to the Milky Way."

"You know this galaxy?" Eduta asked in surprise before leading them down the side of the mountain face that Jace had impacted into. As he walked, the water washed off the dirt and grime from his armor to reveal the white underneath.

"Yup I-"

"Are you speaking their language?" Victor asked suddenly. Reminding Jace that Victor could not speak it.

"Yes I am." He switched back to their common tongue from their own galaxy as he sent a short range data packet to Victor’s armor. "I just sent you a translation program for the most common language on this planet."

Victor nodded and started focusing on his helmet and probably the controls so he could install the program and start running it. Just like Jace, he probably did not want someone digging around in his head either.

"You did not answer my question." Eduta pointed out as Jace stopped near the front of the monastery and stretched. "I apologize if that came off as aggressive. But I am genuinely curious."

"I had an ex who was a telepath. We had intimate conversations and she wanted to keep them confidential so she made a wall in my brain. Eventually I figured out how to expand and grow that wall." Jace explained. Not really giving the Xenar the truth, that he developed a method of mental defense using his electrical powers.

"My master sent me down the mountain with Victor after we fought some creatures that know how to damage a person’s soul." The Xenar explained he nodded at the entrance to the monastery which currently had a bunch of people moving around. Mostly moving some rubble that had fallen along with a giant bell that looked like it was dented.

Jace looked at the damage for a moment before nodding. "I went through one of the bell towers of the monastery. I apologize for that. You can tell your friends that I will be leaving immediately."

"They will be glad to know that. They are wary about someone who could fall from the heavens and survive." Eduta nodded and stepped away.

"So Jace-" Victor started but Jace held up a hand to stop him.

"As of this moment until I say otherwise. All communications with me will use the title of Major or my callsign ’Gladiator’ is that understood?" Jace asked as he checked the status of his armor as he stood here waiting. It had taken a beating and then some.

"Uh... yes. I suppose I can do that. But why?" Victor asked, switching to their private communication channel that was available with their close proximity.

"I would prefer not to share with a telepath present. I apologize." Jace answered honestly as he glanced at Eduta. "The Xenar are the species that existed in our galaxy that we came from before our ancestors came to inhabit it." Jace informed him. "We have to be careful with how we interact with your friend. But I assume his ’master’ wants him to come with us so he can return to his original galaxy."

"So we have a way home?" Victor asked with a grunt. "What about the others? I have not been able to contact anyone."

"We do indeed. I will not share anything else with you regarding that. As for being able to contact them, we cannot at the moment. There is a jamming signal encompassing the continent. Which is why we have to get off the continent and onto another one." Jace explained to him as Eduta joined them.

"How are we going to do that?" Victor asked.

"We are going to have to get across the continent first." Jace explained before turning and looking at Eduta and switching languages. "I am guessing you know the way to the end of the continent."

"I do. It takes us through some ravines. We will have to be careful of the secret military base that is at the bottom of the ravine." Eduta declared and bowed his head slightly.

"Damn." Jace cursed in his native tongue. "Was..." He said in the local common language.

"Was?" Victor asked, having managed to start using the program to understand and speak the local common language.

"Yes, there ’was’ a military base nestled between some mountains and ravines. Apparently we have to pass through or by it on our way through the continent. I guess we are going to have to deal with the core of the problem that is affecting this continent and in turn the planet." Jace explained with a groan. "Are you two ready to leave?"

"Umm..." Jace looked at Victor who sheepishly rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah I have a problem. I can’t exactly walk in the sunlight." He explained.

"Ah..." He had forgotten about that. "Well, I guess that is fairly important." Jace agreed with the importance of that information. "We need to get you an umbrella or blanket to cover you. Fortunately your armor mostly covers your body."

Victor nodded at that in agreement. Then he nodded at the wall that marked the edge of the plateau the monastery was on. It also marked the edge of the safe area. "What are we going to do about the creatures?"

"Fight and kill." Jace shrugged. "I imagine most of them are not from this planet so we do not have to worry about screwing up the ecosystem of this planet. Especially since the ecosystem of this continent is going to undergo a massive change anyways."

"Okay, but keep in mind I will be limited until the sun goes down." Victor reminded him.

Jace sighed as he nodded before waving his hand. A box appeared out of knowwhere. Stunning them. "Either way we are going to have to make some preparations. I suggest that you two collect some food and other things you might need to travel for the course of a few days."

"I can sustain myself on some jerky and water." Victor nodded at the rations that Jace had in the box. "The sun may damage my skin but I do not need to maintain a diet of blood." Victor reminded Jace.

"I know." Jace nodded at Eduta. "I was being considerate of your friend. I do not know what a Xenar eats."

Victor flinched back and then looked at Eduta since he did not know either.

"I do not need much either." Eduta explained as he bowed his head. "My species can survive on small mounts of what you call vegetables and fruits."

"No meat?" Victor asked in surprise.

"No." Eduta shook his head. "We once did but learned that it causes our aggressiveness and hostility to increase. Although I barely remember learning about that."

"Okay... then grab some greens or fruits you might need for a few days." Jace told him as he materialized his wisp rifle and started reloading the magazine. Once he was done he put it on his back. Then he summoned his long sword and stabbed it into the ground as he checked all the items in the box. Making sure he had enough ammunition, which he was running low on the ones for his wisp rifle.

Soon Eduta arrived with a bundle of something that looked like apples and put them in the box at Jace’s encouragement. Then Jace closed the box and dematerialized it. "A soulbound item?" Eduta asked.