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"No Father she-" He cut me off with a glare and paced around me. Though he had gotten older and was slightly bowed over more often than not, I always felt like I was still a small child in his presence. I wondered, in that moment, if this was the way all children felt when their parents were displeased.
 

He didn't answer right away; instead he seated behind his desk and motioned for me to take a seat. Only then, with the rather large piece of heavy oak between us did he finally say something.
 

"Son. I've never understood what you'd seen in that thing." He held my gaze as he spoke; again there was no bitterness or disappointment in either tone or expression. "However I've stood by your choice to try giving it a good home and the treatment any of God's creatures deserves. However Billy is what Billy is, and you can't change their nature no matter how hard you try." He put the note he waved to the crowd between us, and then gently nudged it in my direction.
 

Mister Fawkes,
 

Due to the kindness your son has shown one of our own, and because of her bargaining on the behalf of your settlement, we will allow for a negotiator so that this needn't escalate further. Send anyone you wish. However your son must accompany them both as a measure of good faith, and so that, no matter how slanted an opinion is given of our terms, his view will hopefully balance it out enough so that you might see the truth somewhere in the middle.
 

Included are directions to a place where we may discuss things in relative security. It will be well away from our encampment, so don't think that you can send armed men and hope to '"dispose 'of the situation" by taking advantage of our offer. You have three days, starting tomorrow at sunrise, to respond. On the Fourth day, if we either cannot come to equitable terms, or you fail to send anyone to negotiate, we will continue with the attacks until your entire population surrenders to us totally and unconditionally. I can promise you that if it comes to that, Sir, none will like what we will do, least of all us.
 

As with Billy's note there had been that funny sun/moon symbol, only the halves were reversed. I looked from the note to my Father, reread the note, and then sighed. "Who do you wish to go with me and how long before we leave?"
 

"What I want," He snapped, "is for you to have nothing to do with any of this." He took the note from my hand and placed it in the center drawer. "Since what I want is irrelevant at this point I won't endanger anyone else. They seem to think highly of you, and ordinarily you're a levelheaded boy. Just remember." He leaned forward, "They will not hesitate to kill you or wish they had, and having a trained pet vouch for you isn't likely going to stop them either."
 

He leaned back in his chair and looked towards the window before he added dismissively, "I'll have Gina pack for you. If my judgment of distance and travel times are right it'll take a day to get there and a day to get back if you make good time. If you are not back in four days I will assume you are dead and act accordingly."
 

This had grown surreal. My father,
MY
father trusted my judgment? Something, as the expression went, smelled. However because politeness dictated it and because our meeting was apparently at an end I got to my feet and offered a slight bow before turning for the door. I had no idea what to think at this point.
 

Oh there's Gina and Jason, it seemed while I was inside they loaded my horse up, trusting that I would do as my father asked, as I usually did. This made sense, I suppose, given the urgency of the task, but why me? He never trusted me alone with anything of importance.
 

Date: 22 May
 

Mood: Unsorted
 

It had been roughly a day since I left town. As I hammered the stake down and clipped my horse so we could both eat, I looked at the mid-day sun and sighed. This was messed up; then again constantly thinking the obvious isn't going to force the situation to start making sense. At least father provided well for this trip.
 

At least the load was distributed a bit, plus Star has carried heavier before. Wish I'd thought to bring my walking stick, but oh well, too late now. Not that I actually need it since the terrain here seems to be mostly gentle slopes with none of the usual rubble and overgrowth associated with the ruined city. It was just something that would have been nice to have.
 

The ride yesterday and this morning had been uneventful, so I shall skip these things, and after I finished eating a few more of my own musings on what's gone on would be added.
 

After Lunch
 

There we are. I let the horse rest for another few minutes while my feet enjoyed the open air. Though in hindsight I doubted very much the local wildlife enjoyed the smell. Let them suffer, I needed to tend to my hurts before continuing on.
 

Speculation time. My father got a note from a pack of gholem that threatened to resume their killing and destruction two days from now if I couldn't work out some kind of agreement. The problem was why didn't my father send somebody else? He knew I am biased on these things, and I couldn't, in all honestly, see anybody else buying anything I would have to say about whatever happens next, City business or no.
 

What were his words? 'Didn't want to risk more lives than he had to?' It was something to that effect anyway. Why was I suddenly afraid? No. My father wouldn't send me on a suicide mission. He might have had his cold moments, but he was not that kind of man.
 

Were this any other man then I could
almost
believe that he was willing to sacrifice me to buy time for everyone else. Trouble is while that would be an almost expected move with 'the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one.' used as justification it wasn't something my father is capable of. Oh well, break over, got to clean up and see if I can't get where I'm going from here.
 

Late Afternoon/Close to Sunset
 

It would seem I had arrived; as roughly two minutes ago two lean looking Gholem stepped out onto the road I was following. Presently they were tending to my horse, much to Star's dismay, as he wasn't fond of strangers. However he is a well-trained animal and only snorted and tossed his head rather than rear and attempt to trample. Oh well, it was the thought that counts I guess. I had been riding all afternoon; they were sitting here for who knows how long. Rather polite gesture on their part actually.
Billy
. There she was waiting for me.
 

Date: 22 May
 

Mood: Pensive
 

Apologize, Gentle Reader, but the following entry will be a bit different, as I had to transcribe as well as act as a major participant, so please forgive any irregularities. Oh who am I kidding, my journal, much as my thoughts, are in a general state of disarray anyhow. This isn't a word for word quotation. As with the meeting two days past I'm no good at taking dictation.
 

A summery of the meeting
 

Billy was flanked on either side by two other gholem. The one on her left being roughly my height, thin save for the telltale curves of femininity, and was generally disposed towards a 'sour' expression. The one on her right was quite tall; my best estimates put him at a good six and one half feet and of a heavy build. He, as this one seemed to lean more towards the masculine than his partner, but still maintaining that somewhat androgynous quality all Gholem have, seemed curious about my appearance and apparent solitude. Both wore thoroughly worn and patched clothing consisting of trousers and long sleeves. Perhaps they were attempting to make a statement by way of dress, perhaps it was simply conceding to the practicality of their nomadic situation. After all, running and skirts don't generally go well together.
 

For her part Billy seemed to have dressed in a mix of her usual clothes; blouse and scarf, pair of knee high black breeches, and knee-highs. I could only assume she got these from our 'guests', as I wasn't even aware, till just now, that anyone even made knee high 'breeches' anymore.
 

My musing on the origin of Billy's pants were cut short by the Gholem on her left, "While we disapprove of them sending you alone," She took a deep breath, "We can only work with what is available." She bowed then backed away.
 

"I do not see how this will be of any use," the rather large male on Billy's right stated calmly, "Seeing as they have decided to leave out the counterweight to your own optimism, but what has been agreed upon has been agreed upon. So we shall allow the course of events to continue." With that he too bowed and backed away, leaving Billy to face me alone. I have never been good at recording our conversations verbatim, so I shall summarize her explanation on why the Gholem are here.
 

 
It seemed that they were the remnants of an all-gholem settlement, funded by a man with a similar attitude towards their humanity as myself, but with orders of magnitude more funding than I could ever have laid hands on. At the beginning of the year they had been contacted by the local garrison that had been ordered to monitor them. In of itself this was nothing special, as they had to put up with observers, researchers, anthropologists, and the like on a regular basis ever since they had begun this experiment two years ago.
 

However rather than the usual heckling and goading, they posted on the doors of their town hall, a notice that they have a week to vacate 'in the interests of public safety and security'. Billy practically growled when she cited their excuses. None there at the time knew what was going on save that the myriad of groups that had been against their settlement project had finally found a suitable excuse to muscle in and be rid of them instead of the usual harassment and containment. They tried reasoning with the other observers sent there, and while they unanimously agreed that they conducted themselves as well as, if not better than, most towns of similar size, the military it seems had turned a deaf ear to any but the one or two malcontents out of a group of three dozen.
 

The next morning, not a week later, or even a hand full of days.
The Next Morning
. The entire garrison, consisting of roughly eight thousand troops plus support personnel, arrived to forcibly remove them from their homes. These were men armed with everything from mortars and rockets that could bombard their target from at least a half-mile away, to armored vehicles, flamethrowers, assault weapons, body armor, and it seems anything else you could have wanted for land warfare. Despite this show of naked aggression the settlers though that if they could stay they would be safe.
 

At dawn the next day, the shelling began and didn't' stop till dawn the morning after. Several families had tried escaping that night amid the bombardment, and while no bodies were ever recovered, none have heard anything since then. Dozens were injured in that long bombardment, and most of their town had been shelled into ruin.
 

When the shelling stopped the slaughter followed. Any who offered resistance, even a mis-spoken word, was executed. Those that survived the roundup were herded to a prison camp euphemistically labeled as a 'resettlement and processing center'. Their escape from this place probably saved their lives, though over half were lost as a result. They were hunted like the natives of the western plains almost six centuries ago. They are still being hunted in fact, which is why they're here. Supposedly, so Billy claims, they believe a vault exists under the old city where pre-war weapons are preserved. She doesn't believe it exists, or if it does time has turned whatever is inside into useless slag. Sadly she can't convince anyone among the survivors.
 

Unfortunately all these people have for even a temporary peace is a slender hope, and with what they had already endured they will not hesitate to kill anyone and anything that stands between them and what they think will protect them from the rest of the world.
 

I don't know what to tell her, so I looked to the two observers and swallowed, realizing I had even less an idea on what to tell them. Even if what they wanted was here none knew how to open it, much less had the knowledge to use whatever was inside. Before the war everything seemed to rely on electronics and fragile devices that controlled much sturdier locks than what we're currently capable of breaking open without destroying what was on the other side.
 

 
Seven days, that's how long they estimate till their pursuers catch up to them. I told them I didn't think I would be able to convince the others of their story or their need. Even if I could convince the rest of the town of their need they would counter with overblown doomsday fears of gholem armed with weapons that would make them masters of everything.
 

As I made camp I at least could take some solace in the fact that Billy, who embraced both of the other gholem before they left, returned with me. Small comfort, but it seemed that was the best I could have.
 

What do I do? I could run with Billy for the hills, pick a random direction and run since if any that survive the gholem attacks would surely be killed in the crossfire when the army regulars showed. The problem was that this is my home, and even if defending it was a hopeless cause, we had spent so much to get what we have now.
 

The last thing I remembered before the pen fell from my hand was Billy's arms wrapped 'round my middle from behind and the sound of her crying.
 

Date: 23 May