<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: 150%; line-height: 116%;"><span style="color: #80BF00">Ernest Glen Stevens</span></span></div><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="color: #80BF00">Professor Stevens</span></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: center;"><a class="postlink" href="http://i1343.photobucket.com/albums/o793/Galvin_Fugazi/0b949cc1-f3e3-4b2b-9453-c391a496997f_zps8c4edb79.jpg">[ img ]</a></div><br/><br/><div style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #FF8000">"...I have to admit that I have never carried such a beautiful field pack."</span> Tom's words confused Professor Stevens as he had been so certain that Tom had been interested in Karra. Perhaps he had just read the situation incorrectly.<br/><br/>Then again, Ernest really didn't have much room to speak on the matter as he had cheated on his own wife--why should he judge a man who wasn't even married? Likely very easily as he had quite the interest in the little Latina. If it was unlikely for them to make it back home he wanted to pursue the young woman--hell, if they made it back home he was divorcing his wife. He cared for her, but he did not love her and she did not love him. <br/><br/>If he had learned anything within the past few hours, it was that he could no longer live in the misery that he did. <span style="color: #80BF00">"I can always carry her if need be,"</span> he offered. He wasn't exactly weak, he just wasn't someone who had been in a lot of combat. Surely a woman on the Major's back would hinder his ability to fight. It made more sense to give the woman to the man who was not trained in fighting than it would be to give her to the man who was trained in fighting.<br/><br/>Tom spoke again, speaking about the transmitters and how they could possibly block them. Gleywine seemed curious about what snipers were and the professor just felt tension building in him. He wasn't a violent man and he tried to remember the last time he had been violent--excluding the minor shoving of Karra of course. He found that he couldn't. He was distracted from his thoughts as the medic called them over to look at what they had found with the princess. They had located the transmitter--a highly advanced transmitter. <br/><br/>Ernest was impressed by the technology for a multitude of reasons, but it was absolutely terrifying how dangerous of a procedure they were willing to perform in order to implement the small chip. <span style="color: #80BF00">"That's insane. These people are fascinating!"</span> the professor was having a hard time withholding his joy at the new discovery. He was very aware of the dangers, but the need for knowledge made him disregard whatever consequences there would be. He had to get into the capital and watch their way of life. <br/><br/><span style="color: #80BF00">"Gleywine, do you know anything about this technology...how it came about or anything like that?"</span> Ernest asked. Gleywine had made them aware of the transmitters and what they could do, but he wanted to know the history of how they came about. It had to have taken centuries to come to such technology. It was mind boggling to say the least.<br/><br/>Ernest paused in his excitement though to take in the grim face of the Major. It seemed the major was not exactly thrilled at the prospect of the chips. Perhaps he was shaken by the danger of it. He slumped some when he thought through the situation a little more. There was no way he would be able to document the culture as it was without putting himself and others at great risk.</div>