Ken Neumann had returned to the base with the kids, and was sitting down on a mat spread across the floor of the hollow tree, wondering just [i]why[/i] the mercs were so reasonable. After all, these were rough men, and that reptilian person with them was clearly a hardened soldier. So why was their commander so...kind? Kind in a way that made him hurt so much, that reminded him of what he didn't have?

He shivered at that, his mistrust warring with gratitude which in turn fought with a deep, overwhelming sense of loneliness. The boy - for boy he still was - was 18 and bloodied now, but in the (unwilling) absence of parents and adult guidance had developed both a cynical personality and a secret, suppressed desire for [i]someone[/i], anyone, to sheperd him through the torturous path of growing up.

And other teens and especially children could not help him with that. Not even Puevi can help him; that guy was a bundle of fun, but still not that much older than Ken was. Ugh, Force-kriff this; time to take a risk.

Moving out of the hollow strangler fig that had made up the residential headquarters, he waved to Puevi, Terrence, Corrin, and Rika as they trained and played on the dry and dusty ground before walking to the comms suite hidden inside another hollow trunk. Ken was going to try and figure out what comm frequency that captain used so that he can privately message him. Why was he doing something so risky? Well, let's just say that the Merc Leader was [i]literally[/i] the first adult who had given him pure, unadultered kindness for an entire year, perhaps even longer. And he missed that; wanted to latch onto that even though it might be unhealthy.

Right now, the only thing Ken Neumann mistrusted was himself.

[@CaptainBritton]