be not afraid. it issss only a housssse. i have heard it ssssaid . . . that in ssssome partssss of the universssse, they a very common.

then you are not lisssstening, ki-ki. we are all patchworkssss of our ssssupersssstitssssionssss. i, mysssself, included. i have told you of my desssstiny.

hoh-kus-poh-kus. i think i have heard of thissss urf figure.

pa-ra-noyd? what issss thissss?

i ssssensssse a great dissssturbansssssce here.

i wonder what this . . . masssschine doessss.

the godssss sssshow usss the way, thia-of-clan-dek; ssssometimessss, their wayssss are myssssteriessss to ussss, but they will alwaysss sssshow ussss the way that issss right for ussss. even if it sssseemssss our time isss wassssted, that issss not sssso. we have gained . . . ssssomething.

no.

sssscattered, or dead. or worsssse; they have given up their wayssss and followed . . . other idolssss. *falsssse* idols. the ssssword of tuburr, and hissss might, will sssshow them the true way.

it will. it hassss. but under another'ssss name. the people of urf have colonissssed my home.

A party? I do not undersssstand.

my . . . armour.

fasssscinating. i ssssee that you, too, wear the sssskinssss of your foessss.

what issss . . . ssssaturday?

i am alwayssss weary of vanity.

hmmm . . .

it issss . . . unlikely. the lasssst water on marssss wassss many, many thoussssandssss of yearssss before my birth. however, it issss ssssaid that our planet was onsssse frozen in the isssse, full of glassssierssss rather than . . . mud.

you have a way with wordssss, thia, that would make a martssssian sssstoryteller purple with envy.

only the godssss could ssssay.

travel . . . broadenssss the mind, but it doessss not necessssarily . . . improve it. it issss the traveller . . . not their adventuressss . . . that we sssshould be consssserned with.

i ssssensssse your uneasssse. water wasss sssscarssssce upon my planet for many generatssssionssss. it issss like . . . perhapssss a holiday, to ssssit sssso closssse to sssso much of it. it is much like life; from little on marssss, to vasssst richessss of it in the universssse.

i undersssstand. the betrayal of one'ssss clan cutssss deeper than any blade . . . even tuburr'ssss . . . ( returning to his meditation. )

( bowing his head. ) you are . . . mosssst kind, ki-ki.

yessss. a favorite of mine issss . . . ⏁⊑⟒ ⌇'⍙⍜⍀⎅ ⟟⌇ '⋔⟟☌⊑⏁⟟⟒⍀ ⏁⊑⏃⋏ ⏁⊑⟒ ⌿⟒⋏, ⋏⍜ ⋔⏃⏁'⏁⟒⍀ ⍙⊑⏃⏁ ⋏⟒⍀⎅⌇' ⌇⏃⊬.

thissss issss . . . one of your ssssayingssss?

thissss issss a primitive planet indeed. there issss much glory in war. perhapssss too much.

a warrior of many battlessss? yet you sssseek to glorify war? who issss your audiensssse? that would depend upon the tassssk. my blassster is quick and effisssient, but sssswordssssmanssssship issss my firsssst ssssport.

war isss not to be trifled with, sssscribe. it issss brutal, hideous and raw, desssspite our besssst effortssss; i leave itssss romansssse to the artisssstssss and politisssscians to find. though i have crussssshed headssss with my thighssss before.

ahhh, it isss radio. primitive, but it can be effissssient in timessss of war and poverty. i am approxssssimately two-hundred and eighty-nine kelrakssss tall, and i have been known to lift weightsssss assss much asssss eighty-four berssss. doessss thissss ansssswer your quesssstion, sssscribe?

⍙⟒⌰⌰ ⋔⟒⏁, urfman. i am known assss avaar the mighty, sssssservant of tuburr, bearer of the ssssssword. what issss thissss device? a . . . recorder? you are . . . a sssscribe?

on life we can agree. a mosssst fasssscinating phenomenon . . . to ssssee the budding of a lotussss-flower in firsssst bloom; to hear the criessss of a redtail hatchling, and feel the cold heat of morning ssssunssss. the transsssience, the beauty. they are now all gone from my planet.

of coursssse. it issss my missssssion and honour to sssspread martssssian valuesss acrossss the universssse. i would assssk you the ssssame, thia of urf. how would *you* define your own valuessss?

in a way. it hassss a ssssliver of hissss ssssoul. it issss ussssed to fight for hissss name, and the valuessss which he hassss insssstilled in my people.

ssssuch issss life.

ahhh. ⏃⏁⏃⍀'⏃⌖⊬. i know it . . . well. the consssstant quesssst. you are right to call it the way of the warrior. ( sitting down to join her. ) i am known assss avaar the mighty, sssssservant of tuburr, bearer of the ssssssword. ( then he says nothing more, cross-legged, breathing heavily. )

lookssss like . . . a ssssysssstem failure.

i will admit . . . between ussss . . . that hu-man food issss generally much nisssscer than martssssian food. there is more . . . . flavor.

martssssian sssspiritssss . . . would *kill* a ssssmall thing like you.

no, they are very different. hu-man alcohol issss ssssub-optimal.

⌿⎍⏚ ⍾⎍⟟⋉⋉. i have . . . ( a little . . . sheepish? hesitant, for sure. ) partissssipated in . . . perhapssss a few. though my . . . recollection of them issss . . . dim.

ahhh, yessss. ⌿⎍⏚⍾⎍⟟⋉⋉. i know them . . . well.

what issss a 'pub quiz'? i did not learn thissss term from urfmen. it issss not mentssssioned in the ssssettler'ssss texsssstssss.

upon my planet, the purssssuit of knowledge wassss conssssidered an admirable career. though it wassss not my path, i had many brotherssss and ssssissssterssss who could resssscite whole librariessss for our parliamentssss and rulerssss. thissss issss to ssssay that knowledge is a vital asset,

( chittering. ) there issss sssstill much to learn. ssssuch assss that marssss hassss *two moonssss*.

there *issss* a cure: touching inssssectssss. it issss kind of you to offer ssssuch a trip, ki-ki. i apresssssiate the gessssture as a cusssstom of goodwill.

zen? what issss zen? correct. ( a bow, a fist to his chest. ) ⍙⟒⌰⌰ ⋔⟒⏁, urfman. i came to ssssit by the waterfall and reflect. ssssuch issss the way of the warrior. do not be afraid; i will not disssturb you further.

finally. a like-minded urfman.

a mosssst kind offer, but one i musssst refusssse. i cannot . . . fit.

ah. perhapssss there you are correct. evolutsssion. you have sssskin, not sssscales, nor armor. we had no need to conssssern ourssssselvessss with inssssectsssss. more proof, issss it not, that hu-manssss are sssstuck in their wayssss?

but ineffissssient in all other regardssss. it issss interesssting, at leasssst from my own persssspective, how humanoid, what i might call urf-like, culturessss acrossss the universssse overwhelmingly ssssettle for 'good enough'.