Sergeant Halvorson took the short knife from Baz, looking over its intricate decorations.  He looked Baz in the eye and smiled broadly.  "That's a friendship I'll never regret.  Thanks for this."<br/><br/>He listened to the serpent.  "Alcohol and aloe.  Seems basic enough.  We'll make sure to ask for 'em when we find the safe house."  The truck suddenly slowed to a stop, then made a left turn into a more narrow back street.  "Guess we're getting close."<br/><br/>"Alcohol I've got," said the medic, and he pulled a bottle of it from his bag, getting to work cleaning out the female serpent's wounds.<br/><br/>"I suppose you think you're in charge of this platoon now, Halvorson," came a mutter from nearby.  It was the blond lieutenant, leaning up on his good arm and eyeing Halvorson with some contempt.<br/><br/>"What do you mean, lieutenant?" asked Halvorson, a bit put off.<br/><br/>"You're giving orders and making assurances like you've got all the power here," said the lieutenant.  "You're taking in furs and scalies without so much as a question.  You've even made an alliance with a furry outfit we know nothing about.  And now you're letting a fur shadow us - you<span style="font-style: italic">knowingly</span>are letting him follow us to this 'safe house.'  What the hell gives you the authority?!"<br/><br/>Halvorson glared at him.  "I made no alliance, sir.  This guy offered me his group's friendship.<span style="font-style: italic">Me</span>, sir.  Not the Resistance.  Though I'm pretty sure we could count on 'em to help all of us out if they wanted to.  As for these guys-" he gestured to Chiro, Baz, and Bane "-these guys are also my friends.  You owe them your life,<span style="font-style: italic">sir.</span>"<br/><br/>"Oh, is that it, then?" spat the lieutenant.  "You're creating your own little platoon now?  Wonderful.  They've got a word for that, Halvorson.  Insubordination."<br/><br/>"You said Bane was my responsibility, sir," said Halvorson, taking great care to keep his cool.  "I assumed that meant I could treat anyone that approached me as a friend under my protection also."<br/><br/>"YOU ASSUMED WRONG!" shouted the lieutenant, shooting to his feet and closing to within breathing distance of the sergeant.  "You are not in command of this platoon,<span style="font-style: italic">Sergeant.</span>I am!  Now stand down and let me make the decisions!"<br/><br/>"I never stood in your way, sir," said Halvorson.<br/><br/>O'Toole rose to her feet, eyeing the lieutenant.  "Truth be told, sir, you ain't done<span style="font-style: italic">shit.</span>"<br/><br/>The lieutenant whirled on her.  "I wasn't talking to you, O'Toole!!  And if you make one more remark like that, you can count on being stripped of your rank!"<br/><br/>"<span style="font-style: italic">Oooooooh!</span>I'm scared!" said O'Toole, waving her hands.  "I had worse stripped off me before.  Seems to me if anyone should be in charge of this thing, it's him."  She pointed at Halvorson.<br/><br/>"O'Toole, let it drop," said Halvorson in a low voice.<br/><br/>"I DON'T CARE WHAT YOU THINK!" bellowed the lieutenant to O'Toole.  "This MY platoon!  Your jobs are to take orders!  That is ALL!"  He turned to face Halvorson again.  "Understood?!"<br/><br/>There was a long silence aboard the truck.  Janus and Collins, along with the rest of the soldiers, were alternatively watching O'Toole, Halvorson, and the lieutenant warily.  After a moment, the truck slowed to a stop.<br/><br/>"Found it!" came a call from the truck's cab.  "Blue square on the wall.  This must be it!"<br/><br/>Halvorson looked over at the building.  Sure enough, there it was.  A little hole-in-the-wall place, dark and shabby, but with a blue square painted on the wall facing the street.  He looked at the lieutenant, who was seething in his face.  "Orders, sir?" he prompted.<br/><br/>The lieutenant sniffed and stood back.  "We're going to brigade HQ to make a report and get new orders," he said.  He walked over to the cab and called down, "You made a wrong turn, private!  Back us out of here!"<br/><br/>"...sir?" came the puzzled reply.<br/><br/>"You heard me!" shouted the lieutenant.  He turned to Halvorson and O'Toole.  "We're not stopping here."<br/><br/>---<br/><br/>There was a shuffle from the darkness surrounding Karogen, more pronounced this time.  A low moan came from the darkness.  "No... don't... humanity rises..."