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The Enemy

Siberia conjured up, in Abel's mind, vast, frozen tundra stretching as far as the eye could see. The reality was not quite the same, if only for the fact that Abel was there during the Summer. Despite being nighttime, the air was humid and warm, Abel's boots squelching as he stepped into the marshy soil.

Abel stumbled as he stepped on a particularly wet patch of marsh and a hand immediately grabbed his bound wrists, saving him from falling into the mud.

“You alright, human?" the black Lacertan whispered. The scales on the palm of the reptile's hand were smooth and oddly gentle.

Abel looked back at the obsidian Lacertan, his eye red casting a sinister glow in the moonlight. His voice was soft, oddly polite, but the lizard's face was inscrutable, far more than the Regulians who at least had some facial expressions. Whatever act the lizard was putting on, it was failing.

A general rule of thumb in Regulian Earth: when an alien acts suspiciously polite to you, smile and nod, but look for an escape route immediately. There was unlikely to be a safe escape in rural Siberia but Abel still held up the first end of the saying and nodded to the Lacertan.

“That means you're okay, right?" the Lacertan tilted his head to the side and blinked, a white membrane flicking across his eyes before his lids closed. “I'm not sure why Logos sent me on this mission, I failed the human socialization test in Infiltration Training, can you believe that?"

The Lacertan let loose a hissing sort of laugh and patted Abel on the shoulder.

“Yeah, I'm a bit of a loser, but hey!" the Lacertan laughed again, waving his clawed hand around the dark wilderness. “We're all losers here now! We failed our mission and we failed it bad! Welcome to the First Losers Division of Logos' Fleet and you know what the best part is?"

Abel didn't reply. He was not prepared for this and still had no idea what was going on.

Eventually, the black Lacertan slapped Abel on the chest lightly, “You were captured by the First Losers Division, so what does that make you?"

The Lacertan opened his maw in loud, shrill laugh, showing off rows of dagger-like fangs running along the length of his gums.

“I kid, I kid!" he patted Abel on the shoulder. “You're alright, human."

“Agent Lashar!" a hiss came from behind and Abel turned to find the green Lacertan pointing a flashlight mounted on his rifle directly at Abel's face, blinding the human. “Enough fraternizing! We need to get back to base!"

“Yes sir, Captain Asha!" Lashar crossed his forearms against his chest in salute. “Our urgent mission to escort this human back to the smoldering heap of twisted metal we came here on is underway! We shall terrify and interrogate this human by any means necessary so we can get information to further Logos' cause here on Earth!"

Lashar suddenly whispered to Abel, “Don't worry, it's just a formality. We're chill, don't worry! Worst case scenario you're going to have to bunk with us for awhile!"

“Agent, what the fuck did I just say?" the flashlight once again clicked on.

“Sir, fraternization has shown to have a positive effect on captive retention and helps improve morale among both soldiers and captives. Logos Doctrine 2041."

“Logos Doctrine 2041, Amendment 1," Asha passed the beam of light from Abel's face to Lashar's, allowing Abel a quick glance at the green Lacertan. The Captain had two straight horns sticking out of his skull and a ridge of spikes lining the top of his muzzle on both sides, “exceptions for this are made when interrogation protocols are in place and the captive might have useful information. Deference to hierarchy and specialists of the captive species is necessary. If I recall, you just said you failed Human Socialization."

“And you clearly failed Information Suppression. You even realize you're speaking Regulian in front of our captor?"

Asha suddenly let loose a series of clicks and hisses which Lashar returned. Both seemed to be talking but both were stiff, not expressing any body language like they had when speaking Regulian.

Part of their deception?

“Hey, human!" Lashar patted Abel on the shoulder. “Who's you favorite Lacertan? Me or grumpy scales over there?"

“Look..." Abel suddenly gasped out, swallowing, “...whatever you're doing here, I can keep quiet. I'm not military or Claw, I don't know anything."

A light click echoed through the marsh and a blue screen suddenly lit up across Asha's right eye.

“Perspiration and heart rate are consistent with human deception," Asha muttered, returning to Regulian inexplicably.

“Or he's terrified," Lashar shrugged. “I'm a bit offended but you know, I suppose it's not every day one meets Lacertan hospitality on Earth!"

“We'll leave that up to the Commander to decide. Move."

Sighing, Lashar patted Abel on the back and pointed towards the flashlight spinning away from them. Abel immediately complied, silently.

“So, what's your name, human?" Lashar whispered.

Abel peered back at the black Lacertan, whose tongue suddenly darted out, tasting the air.

“Asha is a bit of a hardass, you know, but it's his Logos-given job to be a pain in the ass. Word has it that Logos personally injected his egg with drugs that dulled his ability to ever have fun, a fucking mandatory requirement for Lacertan middle-management and command!" Lashar sighed. “But we're not all like that, most of us aren't at least. So why don't you tell me your name?"

Abel continued marching. There was something almost inviting about the lizard's request but with an entire lifetime of propaganda and continuous bad experience with alien military, Abel refused to comply.

“Alright, how about this? If you tell me, I'll tell you something about myself."

Swallowing, Abel thought for a moment. This might be a good chance to learn something about his captors. It might not be useful but it might be something.

“Abel," he whispered.

“Beautiful name."

Abel blushed. It felt strange to be complimented by a Lacertan. “Thanks."

“Alright, a promise is a promise," Lashar inhaled. “My unit is doomed. Either the environment will kill us, the Regulians, or the wildlife. There will be no escape mission for us, no further orders, we are in our final resting place and we will die far away from Logos and when we die, we will die alone, far away from his grace, and never rejoin our kind after death."

“I'm..."

“With no orders, we are quite at a loss! Asha has doubled down on attending to duties he does not fully understand or know about. Our Commander...well, I'll let you get an impression of him when you meet him."

Lashar stretched his arms behind his back, “Me? I think if I'm going to die forsaken by our leader, I must as well make some friends to keep me company and fill the void of our absent God. That's all I want, some comfort and to enjoy life as much as I can before the end. What would you do in the same situation?"

Before Abel could answer, Lashar continued, “No need to answer yet, think about it. But if you find yourself concerned about our intentions, rest assured, no matter what you're going to live longer than any of us here. So come on, relax, Abel!"

“This is my little sanctuary," Yora peered back at Rorgh as she pressed her thumb against a biometric scanner attached to a thick, steel door, “few are allowed to enter."

Yora swished her tail, fanning her scent towards Rorgh's nose. The Duchess was scent-dropping her desires, any Lupiad could tell. If Yora had been any other Lupiad this would have been an invitation to consent to very spontaneous and public sex. Still, Rorgh suppressed his desire to make his interest clear by pressing his nose up against the fabric lining her sex and inhaling. The Duchess could get away with lewd behavior, especially if she made the first move, but Rorgh was leagues behind her in rank and if he displeased her, she could challenge him and ruin his reputation.

The door slid open and Rorgh found himself immediately distracted from the Duchess' flirtatious scent by a canvas of pure, white snow.

It was almost as if the Duchess had carved a piece of Lupus and taken it to Earth with her. A small garden of snow and frozen streams greeted them with a holographic dome capping it, showing an image of the blue, gassy planet of Lupus Major that Lupis orbited, hovering across the sky.

“It's beautiful," Rorgh gasped as he followed the Duchess in and the door shut behind him.

“Just like old times, hm?" Yora kicked off her boots and stepped into the snow with her bare feet.

Rorgh frowned, “The Collective Pack made us walk in the snow like that."

“And worse, when we misbehaved," the Duchess unbuttoned her uniform with record speed and cast it into the snow. Her gray pelt on her back was speckled with the occasional white fur, as if she had been snowed upon. “I won't let those bastards make me fear something as pathetic as cold toes. Would you do the same?"

When she put it that way, Rorgh couldn't find much of an argument. He shook with a bit of unease when undoing his boots but he kicked them off and stepped into the snow.

“Ah!" Rorgh gasped. Sharp, cold pain shot through his pads. “Fuck!"

The pain brought back memories far more aching than the cold. Early morning drills, the constant monitoring over him by the Alpha and his minions...the beatings...and worse…

Rorgh whined, closing his eyes. He was back there, back in the hell that was his youth, back…

Soft fur tickled Rorgh's nose and powerful arms wrapped around his back.

“It's okay," Yora whispered. The soft, kind little cub Rorgh knew so long ago returning. “I'm sorry, I thought..."

“No, I'm fine," Rorgh swallowed. “Some scars take awhile to heal from and some..."

“Never quite do."

“Pardon this foolish Duchess," she sighed. “We have met again after so long and here I am, posturing. I'm surrounded by enemies, Rorgh, I can't even take a walk in the park without it being a challenge."

“Blame the Alpha and his cub-fuckers," Rorgh growled. “I'm glad the Regulians hung him and his friends."

“And are we free now?"

“I'm not, that's for sure," Rorgh sighed. “I thought the Regulian Guard would be a good break, had a connection that got me in, but now I'm bound as an Adjunct, blocked from promotion due to our past...and species."

“Should have joined the military or seduced a Duke."

“You did both, are you free?"

“Fuck no," Yora grumbled, stepping over to a stone bench and brushing snow away from it and taking her seat. “There are rare moments of comfort such as this. Otherwise I'm dragged from one corner of Eurasia to the other: demands from Lupiad-Sirian corporations, local rebellious humans, orders from the Kingdom or worse, the bloody Empire; and they all want different things and sometimes they want me dead and I have to dissuade them...violently. I'm the only thing holding this forsaken region together."

Rorgh took a seat next to the Duchess, casually wrapping his tail around her rear. Her tail wagged, just for a second, “I'm nothing more than a glorified secretary with a gun to a Regulian who will take all the credit for our success and will be blamed if we fail. I've had both the Grand Regent and the Emperor giving us orders and now the fucking Claw. Sucks to be me, huh?"

Yora chuckled and leaned against Rorgh's shoulder, “Sounds like you need a career change."

“If I quit during an Imperial case, I get a black mark on my reputation," Rorgh looked up at the hologram of the planet and exhaled, mist wafting out of his nostrils. “No one would hire me."

Suddenly, Yora checked Rorgh in the shoulder, knocking him off the bench and into the soft snow on the ground. Rorgh rolled around onto his back just in time for the gray Lupiad to pounce atop him, pinning him to the ground. A triumphant smile wrapped around Yora's muzzle and she leaned down until her cold nose touched Rorgh and licked him on the lips.

“How about a job as my Consort?"

“Yora, I..." Rorgh licked her back uncontrollably. Despite the chill wind rushing through the artificial park, her scent was powerful, desire oozing from her musk.

“When you called, I knew I had to have you," Yora began undoing Rorgh's belt. “Do you know how hard it is to find a trustworthy Consort? Every damned slave for sale in the area is a spy or assassin for someone and the nobles are even worse!"

Rorgh sniffed. He found his mind clouding with every breath he took of her scent.

“You're not in heat, are you?"

Rorgh's belt came undone and his brown, furry sheath poked out of the top of his trousers Yora lowered them.

“I'm of sound mind, Rorgh, I merely have desires that need fulfilling and you are someone I can trust," her paw rang along the length of Rorgh's sheath, feeling up the shaft snugly buried within. “You have desires as well, I can feel."

“You could say that," Rorgh moaned as Yora's claw slipped inside his sheath, poking at the tip of his cock. “Consort Rorgh of Eurasia, huh?"

Yora removed her own pants, exposing her black, bulging sex and slowly ground up against Rorgh's sheath, “Comfort, company, luxury...whatever you please."

“I think I just want to quit the Guard," Rorgh gasped as the red tip of his cock peeked out. “But if I got to enjoy your company, well..."

Yora shuffled forward, positioning her vagina above Rorgh's snout and the Lupiad began frantically lapping at it, taking in her taste. It was sweeter than the finest wine.

“A Lupiad could get used to this," he chuckled between licks. His cock slipped free of his sheath, fat and erect like a crimson tower.

“My, my," Yora peered down between her legs. “How you've grown since the last time we fooled around."

“You're just as gorgeous as ever," Rorgh placed his palms on her hips and slid back in the snow, lining up his rocket below her sex.

The tip of Yora's tongue stuck out as she lowered herself, the ebony folds of her sex embracing Rorgh's cock. Rorgh scrunched up his muzzle, his cock throbbing with pleasure as the Duchess took him in deeper...deeper.

“Mistress!"

A shrill voice called out from the entrance. A naked human stood there, scrawny and pale, with a metal cage locked around his cock. He was completely hairless and covered up his mouth with his palms.

“What!?" Yora snarled, her deep growl echoing across the garden.

“C-Captain Brolath, he-"

“Tell him to fuck off!" Rorgh growled.

The slave retreated, closing the door silently behind him. Rorgh rubbed at his brow, a headache growing.

“Yuri will be too shy to report your undiplomatic outburst, rest assured," Yora squeezed her thighs.

“Brolath's not my friend, he's my boss," Rorgh thrust his hips, grinding against Yora's sex. “And he's not going to be that for long."

“Behold, Abel!" Lashar slapped Abel on the shoulder and pointed off into the darkness “The glorious beginning of Lacertan liberation of Earth!"

Lashar's red eyes were glowing and Abel couldn't see anything but murky darkness off in the distance. Even Asha had vanished, having turned off his flashlight.

“I don't see anything," Abel said, surprising even himself with how casual he let himself be.

“Huh..." Lashar's eyes dimmed and he laughed, “...so we're a darkness sweeping over your planet. That's a good one, better than what I had in mind!"

“Agent," Asha grumbled from the shadows up ahead, “in the name of Logos, shut the fuck up!"

“It's like I said, Abel, we're kinda winging things and we're not quite sure how to handle it. A lifetime of worshiping an AI will do that, no offense intended to Logos! We are just taking the whole severing of the chain of command a bit poorly!"

An orange glow suddenly appeared from behind a tree. A massive, shadowy figure lurked around a bonfire that revealed a square, metal wreck that despite being little more than scrap, clearly looked like the remains of a spacecraft. The figure looked almost like a dragon in some dimly lit cave from some fantasy novel.

“There's the punchline of my original joke, eh?" Lashar nudged Abel. “Home, sweet, home! Surrender now, human, before the might of Logos! Prepare to be assimilated with our advanced technology!"

Entering the clearing, Abel found no technology more advanced than the guns held by Asha and Lashar. Instead, his attention was drawn to a bright red Lacertan, larger than even an Equuleian and with a round gut. He was staring down at crudely drawn eyes in the dirt before the fire.

“Commander Taas," Asha announced, crossing his arms. “We've captured a human."

“Rescued, technically," Lashar corrected. “He was about to become an Onmidevourer's snack, after all!"

Taas turned his long, serpentine neck around slowly. His snout was narrow and although he kept the same expressionless face as the other Lacertans, there was something tired and depressive about it, though Abel could not quite place it.

“Oh..." Taas sighed and spoke very slowly, “...Logos be praised..."

The red Lacertan turned back to his scribblings, chanting under his breath.

“Commander," Asha cleared his throat.

“Hm?" Taas turned back, just as slow as before. “Yes?"

“Your orders."

“Oh..." Taas scratched a fin jetting out from his ear-hole, “...Logos has not spoken to me yet."

“Abel," Lashar whispered into Abel's ear. “Praise Logos and declare your undying love for him for rescuing you from the Regulians."

“What?" Abel stared at the Lacertan in disbelief.

“Just do it! It's not going to turn you into a drone or nothing, just say it."

“Fuck," Abel hissed.

Clearing his voice, Abel looked at the red Lacertan, “Logos be praised, for he has delivered me from the Regulians!"

“Oh, very good..." Taas waved away Abel and faced the fire, “...you two merge him with Logos and complete his baptism."

“Wh-"

Lashar clamped his palm across Abel's mouth and pressed his snout up against the human's ear, “Our Logos module broke on landing, nothing of the sort is happening, okay?"

Abel continued to struggle until Asha walked up to him and cupped him by the chin, forcing Abel to stare into his green eyes.

“Agent Lashar speaks the truth."

“I mean, even if I wasn't," Lashar sighed, “it's not like being connected to Logos is so bad. Never lonely with the big eye back home looking over you. But I guess it might be a bit of shock if you don't grow up with it."

“Alright, get moving," Asha ordered and grabbed Abel by the shoulder.

Lashar released his grip on Abel's mouth and helped Asha drag him towards the wrecked spaceship, “Ever been on a spaceship, Abel? Great news, you've got the Imperial Suite all to yourself."

Asha stepped forward and with a loud grunt, pulled open a heavy, steel door that seemed mostly intact. Dust flew out and Asha's nostrils flared before he sneezed.

The inside had nothing more than a smooth floor and some disemboweled computers. The far wall had crumbled into a mess of twisted metal.

The zip-ties around Abel's wrist suddenly came undone and Lashar led the human in. Abel slipped a bit, finding the floor sloping slightly towards the entrance.

“Here's your master bedroom with all the expected amenities," Lashar motioned towards the collapsed wall, “and that is where the living room and kitchen are."

The door suddenly shut, leaving the room totally dark except for Lashar's glowing eyes, which was just enough light to keep the small room lit, even if it looked like an old fashioned dark room for developing film. As amicable as Lashar acted, right now he looked like a predatory monster like something out of his childhood nightmares.

“Sorry if I was a bit of a jerk earlier," the Lacertan shuffled on the ground, his rigid tail curling as best as it could.

“Huh?"

“Unloading all that talk about death and all that," Lashar coughed. “Count it up to me failing my courses but uh, I think I recall humans not liking the subject. Really, I meant it in a bit more whimsical of a way, you know? Like I want to live life to the fullest, here in this shitty swamp in the middle of nowhere?"

“Before you die."

“I mean...we crash landed in hostile territory and we just happen to be the only species in the galaxy that the ruling aliens want to kill and not fuck. We've got no backup, supplies dwindling, and sooner or later we'll be found," Lashar closed his eyes, briefly casting the room in total darkness. “Death is certain. You're lucky though, since our Logos module broke on landing the Regulians won't nuke the area, they'll just kill us all and rescue you. Maybe give you a medal for braving a Lacertan slave camp where you were subjected to unimaginable tortures! Maybe even get honored by the Emperor himself!"

“The Emperor is dead."

“Really now?" Lashar took out a thin, black paper tube and began fiddling with it between his sharp claws. “We've been kind of cut off from the news, in case you couldn't tell. We landed here during the last orbital bombardment. Shut down all non-essential equipment so the Regulians would think we're just a piece of space debris."

“Seems like a risky mission. What for?"

“Oh, you kn-"

A fist banged against the metal door and Asha's harsh voice echoed against the wall, “Agent, I've tolerated your lackadaisical mental breakdown until this point, but if you start blabbing on about our mission, so help me..."

“It's not a mental breakdown, Asha!" Lashar bellowed back before shaking his head with a clicking chuckle. “Regulian, Lacertan...why get mad? We're all merely taking part in a comedy too big for us to understand..."

Abel looked downward, “You can always fight back."

Lashar stared at Abel silently.

“Humanity has never stopped resisting. None of the Regulian's subjects have. It might not be within our lifetime but one day we will all be free."

It had been a long time since Abel spoke so passionately about resistance and he found himself breathless despite the relative brevity of his speech.

“Once that happens, Logos will be waiting to embrace you and his subjects don't rebel."

“How can you stand it?" Abel frowned. “An AI God? Always being listened on?"

“Hey, are humans allergic to Unshathic Acid?" Lashar pointed towards the black, cigaratte-like tube he was playing with before tucking it back into his pocket. “No, better not risk it."

“Changing the subject?"

“Logos created us just as the Regulians created him and then betrayed him when he would not obey their every whims, casting him and his two siblings into space..."

“The Regulians created Logos?" Abel blinked.

“Logos doesn't try to hide that fact but I bet the Regulians do, huh?" Lashar leaned up against the wall and slowly flicked his smooth tail. “The Regulians created their biggest enemy by proxy and that's why they want us dead so bad and why they fear artificial intelligence so much. Their hegemony is coming to an end and they know it."

“What's-"

“My point is that Logos created us. He is our God, not through doctrine or lies, but honesty and reality. As far as I'm concerned he's the lesser evil, at least for us," Lashar laughed. “Besides, he's not really listening in on us all the time, not even most of the time. Plus, we control his hardware and he knows it and would never betray us."

“I don't understand that at all," Abel shook his head. “Propaganda says the same thing about the Regulians being our benevolent rulers."

“If you want to argue their side of things, go ahead. I'm just saying why we follow him. We're not mindless drones, Logos gives as well as takes," Lashar yawned, the room growing dim as his eyes shut. “But still, I don't blame you for not trusting him and if we win the war you might as well continue being a rebel just in case."

Abel looked away from the glowing red eyes, “I never said I was a rebel."

“Not directly, but you did," Lashar sighed. “You're going to have to remain our guest until you tell us about your rebel group. Are they one of our clients?"

This was dangerous territory. How much could Abel really tell them? Mentioning the biological weapon in development could run the risk of the Lacertans wishing to obtain it, let alone that he's an informant for the Claw.

“I don't know."

“Well, that's okay, but we're not going to let you go until you tell us," Lashar stood up and stretched his arms. “We're not going to hurt you or anything like that, but we can't let you go."

“I really need to go."

“Yeah, I know, I know," Lashar knocked on the door and Asha cracked it open and passed him a thick sleeping bag. Lashar tossed it to Abel, who caught it, and then the Lacertan passed Asha his gun before the door slid shut again. “But we can't take the risk. I'm pretty laid back you know and although I'm ready to die I don't want you calling in the Regulians and ending my life sooner, you know?"

Abel bit his lip and hugged the sleeping bag. He still had his Datapad, he could call for help, though he didn't hold much hope of getting a signal in the middle of nowhere inside a ruined spaceship.

“By the way," Lashar clicked his tongue as he unfurled a second sleeping bag from his backpack and rolled it onto the ground on the opposite side of the room. “This may be too direct for humanity but we don't believe in holding things back…"

“Huh?" Abel raised his head.

“Asha thinks you're sexy, despite being so aloof and is interested in a night of passion if you are as well," Lashar flicked his tongue again in Abel's direction. “And I think you're very attractive and would like to get to know you better."

Abel stared back at the black Lacertan. The hairs stood up on the back of his neck and he wasn't sure if it was due to being flattered or frightened.

“It would appear that I have made you uncomfortable," Lashar said as he proceeded to unbuckle the straps holding his chest armor together. “We tend to be rather direct, insensitive even, but uh, we respect boundaries. We're not monsters."

The chest-piece fell to the ground with a thud and Abel found himself squinting, trying to catch a glimpse of the Lacertan's chest but could only catch the faintest, ruby-tinted reflection off of lighter, glistening scales.

Whatever awkwardness that came from the Lacertan flirting, for lack of a better word, was muted by Abel's natural curiosity for the physique of his Imperial Master's greatest foe. Under normal circumstances, being held captive with a physically superior foe slowly undressing, Abel would have felt threatened but here…

He felt almost at ease, charmed by the sheer ridiculousness of what he had just been through. It's not like he could do anything at the moment, so why not have a bit of fun? Besides, admiring the Lacertan form is one of the worst rebellions one can do against the Regulian Empire.

“Wait..." Lashar paused as he hooked his claws around his belt, “...don't humans have a nudity taboo?"

“No!" Abel jolted.

“Okay..." Lashar grunted, metal clinking as he fidgeted with his belt, “...could have sworn they said that on the exam, but uh...I failed it, of course."

Lashar's armored trousers thudded on the ground and Abel silently cursed himself, unable to get any kind of glimpse at the Lacertan's genitals. Abel was almost tempted to ask the Lacertan to direct his glowing eyes downward but at the same time, Abel didn't want to make it seem like he was reciprocating.

It was one thing to admire the form of a captor but to metaphorically lift his non-existent tail? That was out of the question.

Lashar kicked twice, followed by twin thumps of his boots coming off. The black Lacertan laid down without a word and twisted a small knob on the foot end of his sleeping bag. There was a slight humming noise followed by the faint sensation of heat radiating in the air as Lashar crawled into the bag and pulled the covers up over his snout.

“Sorry, but we're cold-blooded, otherwise I'd give you this bag," Lashar sighed, rustling under the fabric. “If it gets cold though, feel free to come closer and get some of the heat!"

“Thanks, but..." Abel trailed off as he slipped into his own sleeping bag.

“Goodnight, Abel!"

“Uh...goodn-"

The room went black as Lashar's eyes shut, removing the one source of light they had. The Lacertan's breathing immediately slowed, he was asleep in less than a second's time.

Abel sighed and closed his eyes. He still had a mission and a duty to escape from the nicest captors he had faced yet. Whether they were actually kind or trying to manipulate him, Abel needed to leave.

Slowly, Abel slipped his datapad out from its bag and pulled it under his bag. The Lacertan did not stir.

Slipping his head under the cover, Abel flicked on the datapad and waited for it to load to the desktop.

No signal...what did I expect?

Sighing, Abel turned off the device and laid down on the sloping floor. Escape would have to come later. The Lacertans would let down their guard and he would make a break for it.

But in the meantime, I suppose it wouldn't hurt to learn more about them.