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Ra'Jirra awoke at dawn. Her head felt a little odd, but she chalked it up to the lack of sleep and turned to the jet black form of Ko'Manir. What had she been thinking? She knew nothing about this woman. It wasn't her first time with a woman, true. She was beautiful and wild last night and Ra'Jirra obviously had wanted her too. But she was normally in better control over herself than that. Maybe she'd drank more than she'd thought.

And she wondered how much of Ko'Manir's story was true.

She stroked the khajiit's arm gently. "Ko, we'd better get moving. We've a better chance of not being seen if we leave early."

Her lover turned over and smiled at her. It was nice to see her face in the light.

"Ra'Jirra. It wasn't a dream."

"If that was a dream, you've got some damn kinky dreams, kid."

"Kid! I'm 23 years old. I've read your bio. You're five years older than me. I'm hardly a kid!"

"No, sorry. You're right. What did you bring with you?"

"Nothing. A little money, a notebook, and some travelling clothes."

"Feel like a bath?"

"With you? Sure!"

"Okay, but only a quick one."

An hour later was longer than she'd have liked, but it had been worth it. Well, she figured, after last night what could a little more hurt? She gathered up her own belongings after sending Ko'Manir out ahead of her.

The taxi ride out of town had been circuitous, but she wanted to be absolutely sure she wasn't being tailed. At last she was satisfied and directed the driver to a spot near her true destination. Once there, she caught another taxi to deliver her to where the caravan waited. In fact, technically it had already started. She was one of a few stragglers, but there were still some camels for hire by the local khajiit merchants and she had her luggage stowed with one of them, and hired a horse for herself to ride. It was a smallish horse, and not terribly well trained, but she weighed little and it ran like the devil when she let loose of it's reigns.

She kept the briefcase with her, but once she saw the camel and its rider were under way, she let the horse go to catch up with the main body of the caravan. The day was again blessedly overcast and hadn't gotten too hot yet, but the feel of the wind through her hair had her laughing with joy.

"I think I'll call you Arrow, my little friend!" she called to it in Ta'agra. It didn't seem to mind, but it seemed to be having as much fun running at full speed as she was having. All too soon the she reached the caravan proper and slowed her ride. She looked back as she continued up the caravan and saw the city fading away behind her.

"Good riddance, Rihad, and I hope never to cross your border again!" she yelled at the stinking city and made an obscene gesture towards it. As soon as she did so, she regretted it. She'd probably sealed her fate that she would return.

She turned back to the caravan and squinted. A black horse rode beside a brown. Surely not...

But then she confirmed it. Who else would be riding a black horse, after all? It was Ko'Manir, and beside her rode Sarosh. She caught up with them quickly, then let Arrow cool down with a slow walk that still managed to move faster than the glacial pace of the pack camels.

"Ahoy!" she called and the two turned around and rode back to meet her.

"Ra'Jirra!" called Ko'Manir, smiling broadly.

"Nice of you to join us!" Sarosh said. "Romanov wanted to wait for you, but I told her you'd catch up soon enough."

"Please, please Sarosh," Ko'Manir said with a sour look on her face. "'Ko'Manir' please? If I never hear that silly name again, it will be too soon."

"Sorry... Ko'Manir," he apologized. "So, any problems? You weren't followed?"

"No. I took a hell of a route to make sure, but I'm sure I wasn't," Ra'Jirra answered. "But Ko... really? A black horse?"

She shrugged as they turned back to follow the caravan. "Don't you think it suits me?"

"All too well. You know, black absorbs heat."

"Ah, I thought about that. Can you believe it, one of the khajiit men gave me his headwear!"

"Better check for lice," Ra'Jirra laughed,

"Well, besides that, it's not too hot out with the clouds," Sarosh noted.

"So how long do you think we'll be on this slow train?"

"We should cross into Cyrodiil by nightfall. We camp overnight before heading on to Kvatch.the next day. I have a contact there where we can drop off the device. Then it's on to Skingrad. I'll be staying there where my family awaits. That's the end of the line for the caravan, it circles back at that point. You and Ko'Manir will travel south from there to Elsweyr."

Ra'Jirra looked at Ko'Manir who was smiling at her. She cringed a little. What was she thinking last night? She sincerely hoped the cryptologist wasn't too infatuated with her. As much as Ra'Jirra did enjoy the previous night, it was a mistake. But what a mistake!

The landscape changed slowly but perceptibly as they continued eastward towards the Cyrodiil border. They'd been travelling north to skirt the wide Brena river. When finally the trail turned back eastward, the hard ground had turned into low grass and the river allowed them to ford it easily, still wide but shallow.

The caravan stopped on the far side of the river, and Ra'Jirra breathed a sigh of relief. Finally they were on friendly turf. They continued on some few miles before stopping as night came on. Her belongings were brought to her and she elected to purchase a tent for her, Ko'Manir and Sarosh which the khajiits erected for them - for a fee of course.

They sat outside the tent around a fire and spoke in low tones, what with other travelers and their tents pitched nearby. Sarosh was relaxed, knowing he would be reunited with his family soon, but Ko'Manir seemed tense.

Ra'Jirra spoke up, "So, Sarosh, what will you do now that you can't go back?"

Sarosh shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe I'll retire. I've saved quite a bit, actually. I could probably buy a small shop and go into business for real."

"Well, if you do, let me know. Metalwork?"

"Jewelry specifically. I think I'd enjoy that. What about you, Ko'Manir?"

The dark head looked up from the fire, as if lost in her own thoughts. "Me? Oh, I haven't thought ahead that far. I suppose I'll have to work with the HMSS for a while. At least till they wring everything out of me they think might be worthwhile."

"You don't think that," Ra'Jirra started, indicating the briefcase she kept always in sight, "that will be enough?"

The orange eyes turned on her. "Even now they will be notifying every agent they can to stop using it. At best it will be worthless within a few months. Messages already sent will decrypted, but that will only help for so long. The HMSS will want me to do more, but Hammerfell will make sure that the work I was doing is purged."

"You sound like you regret your decision already," Sarosh observed.

"No. I don't regret it. But I can't help having second thoughts. Espionage is such a fleeting business. Today's enemies are tomorrow's friends and vice versa. A few months ago Ra'Jirra was my sworn enemy, even though I still admired her. Now..."

"Now we're friends," Ra'Jirra said, taking her hand.

"Friends," Ko'Manir repeated, and lay back on the short grass. "Are we?" she said to the stars.

"After last night, I certainly hope so!"

Sarosh looked at her, then back to Ra'Jirra, an eyebrow raised.

"Stow it, soldier," she said with a smile, repeating his words.

"Yes SIR!" he said with alacrity.

"I think last night may have been a mistake," Ko'Manir said, still not looking at Ra'Jirra.

Ra'Jirra turned to her and put a hand on her shoulder. "It may have been, but what's done is done. I don't regret it."

"Not yet," she said in almost a whisper.

"Enough of this," Sarosh declared and stood up. "I'm off to take a piss. Who's with me?"

"Well aren't you suddenly a free spirit?!" Ra'Jirra laughed. "No, you go on. I don't think I want to see that."

Sarosh looked back to Ko'Manir who was looking at the stars and not paying attention, then back to Ra'Jirra. "No, I guess you probably don't."

"Hey!" Ra'Jirra said, throwing some grass in his general direction.

"Be right back."

The two khajiits stayed quiet for a whilie. Ko'Manir broke the silence. "Do you know, the stars look exactly the same in Cyrodiil as in Hammerfell."

"They do. I suppose from their perspective, there are no borders."

"Do you think that could ever happen? No borders I mean?"

"Not in our lifetimes, no."

"But someday maybe. Someday."

"Perhaps," Ra'Jirra said and moved next to Ko'Manir and put her arm around her. She didn't think Ko'Manir's wish would ever come true really, but she appreciated the desire anyway.

Suddenly the sound of a thunderclap rolled over the flat plain and someone screamed. Ra'Jirra leaped to her feet but put a hand to Ko'Manir's chest when she stood up too.

"No. You stay here. Get in the tent."

The dark khajiit didn't protest. Ra'Jirra drew the gun from her pocket and ran in the direction of the scream. She found Sarosh a few yards away with a couple of the caravan khajiits, looking down at a dead man.

"What the hell?"

"He's from Rihad. Secret police. He had me on the ground. Said he was administering justice. I think your Dominion friend..."

Then a second thunderclap was heard and Sarosh dropped to the ground.

"SAROSH!!!!" Ra'Jirra cried. She looked around desperately. The other khajiits had dropped to all fours, looking for the source of the sound. Yet even with the vaunted khajiit Night Eye, there was nothing to be seen. The plain was too flat and the sound had given only a vague clue as to its direction.

But Ra'Jirra wasn't paying attention to any of that. She was holding her friend's head in her lap, the red blooming from his side.

"Ra'Jirra... My family..."

"Sarosh," she cried. "No. You can't..."

"Tell them... I tried. And I love..."

"Oh Sarosh! No!"

And then he was gone. Ra'Jirra ripped open his shirt and saw the gaping wound. It was no longer flowing blood. The heart had stopped. The chest she had so recently felt so safe resting her head on no longer rose and fell. Sarosh was dead.

She cried then. She wailed the song of the khajiit into the sky. She kissed the face she had grown to love, as a friend. In other circumstances, surely as more. But he did not kiss her back.

"What was it?" she heard a khajiit voice whisper in her ear. She turned to see one of the caravan drivers squatting next to her, knives in both hands. "Are we under attack?"

She raised her head and looked out at the dark grassland in front of her.

"No. I don't think so. Set a watch, but stay low. If anyone comes into camp, be wary of them. They have a weapon that can reach far - like an arrow, but even faster."

"Do you know who caused this?" the khajiit asked, but he put a blanket over Sarosh's body and she looked at him, tears still flowing but her face hardening.

"My 'friend'," she spat. She stood up then, daring the unseen assassin to take one more shot. She pulled out her gun and began walking towards the darkness. She walked in circles, trying to find the person who had killed Sarosh, but she found nothing and the thunder did not come again.

Finally she returned to her tent. The bodies had been taken away. Within, Ko'Manir was in one corner, a knife at the ready, but she set it down when she recognized Ra'JIrra.

"What happened? Where's Sarosh?"

"Dead. A Hammerfell agent came for him and nearly killed him, but then a shot came out of the dark. Killed the agent. Then it came again, and killed Sarosh."

"A shot?"

Ra'Jirra realized she wasn't making sense to the frightened woman. She looked at the gun in her hand, and explained everything.