Jonis will spend the time helping around, making contacts, and try to cement the relationship between the Tomorrow Legion and the town.
Auriel, meanwhile, will spend his time volunteering to help the people that were taken with building them shelters and the like.
Burgurk, after resting up for a day, will help psionically Heal anyone with wounds...
You and your group spend a few days making yourselves known in Garnet Town and setting up a hopefully temporary base of operations to work from. Just how temporary seems impossible to tell, as Grim hasn't contacted you for over a week. Lithari, the mayor, has recruited your help in setting up better defenses and helping the small population with menial tasks and making their lives more comfortable and efficient. Old Man Duncan is very happy to receive help from Burgurk and Jonis is able to establish a sort of trade agreement with a local group of scavengers that will help supply the town with much needed resources. Auriel's ability to lead shows in how fast the town is able to repair the damage that was done from prior assaults and even start work on more homes. All in all, everyone here seems to like you well enough and so far you haven't heard a peep from the CS or the Feds. Things seem pretty well in hand...
As you are on patrol one evening, you come across the deceased body of a CS soldier in the woods. At least judging from what is left of his armor it appears to have been one, but whatever got him was able to tear the chest piece to shreds...
"That's lovely. Something supernaturally strong running around here." says Auriel as he begins searching the body for datapads or disks or anything that had intelligence on it.
From inside her Glitter Girl, Jonis makes a prayer for the poor soldier.
Burgurk uses his Presence Sense to see if he can detect any living creatures nearby.
Auriel roots through what is left of the soldier's equipment. Oddly enough his weapon, a C-12 Laser Rifle, is lying nearby. He still has a pistol in his holster and his utility belt has most of his equipment. There is a datacard inside one of the pockets on his belt, plus a CSID. It says his name was Private Marcus Downs from Chi-Town, 245th Expeditionary Battalion.
"Anyone have a device that can read one of these things?" asks Auriel as he holds up the datacard.
"No, sorry!"
Burgurk says quietly "There is someone else nearby - possibly young, maybe scared. Should we go quietly searching for him and possibly accidentally surprise him, or call for him to come out? I do not know what is best to do in dealing with a young human."
Jonis, moving the less possible on her Glitter Girl, scans around the area trying to use her Power Armor sensors to find the person Burgurk says.
Through the comms, Auriel will say "I'm going to try talking to it. Hold on." he will then stand and say aloud "Please come out. We mean you no harm." in his best reassuring tone.
Jonis's sensors pick up a heat signature nearby which is soon replaced by movement tracking as the small humanoid comes into view. For all intents and purposes, it looks to be a young, maybe 7 or 8 year old human. Dark brown hair that is disheveled covers one of his brown eyes and his clothes look as if they were torn recently. He is dirty from head to toe...
As he sees you, he cowers a bit, but Auriel's voice seems to keep him from bolting...
Jonis gets out of the Glitter Girl and stands behind Auriel, letting him do the talking.
"Don't be afraid. We mean you no harm."
Auriel takes a tentative step forward and says "Are you harmed?" showing concern. "Can you understand what I am saying?"
The boy nods. "Ye...yes Mr. Auriel. I.. I understand. You're not gonna tell anyone, are you?" He fidgets with his hands.
Jonis seems puzzled...
"Tell what? To whom?"
She smiles warmly.
"We won't do anything to harm you. You are safe with us."
"You're not in any trouble. We are just worried about you. Why don't you tell me what happened?" Auriel asks, concern clear on his face.
The boy wrings his hands harder. "I.. I was out here in the woods. Ma said I wasn't supposed to go too far, but I thought I saw a deer and I chased after him. I lost him, but then I saw the man in black and he said nasty words to me. I got angry at him and then... I don't remember." He looks at each of you. As he is talking, you note a speck of blood on his neck. "I woke up like from a dream and then you were here."
Jonis moves forward to hug him (and check the blood on his neck).
"Don't worry, everything will be ok. Where did you wake up?"
Noticing the blood on his neck, Auriel holds out an arm to bar Jonis from approaching and then closes his eyes, concentrating for a moment to attune his senses to his ancient enemy, the Vampire and it's spawn.
The boy is surprised by Auriel stopping Jonis from moving forward, as evidenced by his cringing form. He recovers though and answers her question. "Over.. over by the big tree. The sun was in my eyes and I was scared and I didn't know what to do and then I heard you coming, so I tried to hide. I'm sorry. Was I bad?"
Burgurk says "Excuse me, boy, I need to talk to my comrades alone for a minute." And motions them to at least 20 feet away from the boy. He then whispers "I can tell there is something very odd about this child, but I can't tell what. We should stay cautious and alert around him, and do nothing to excite, scare, or anger him."
"I thought for a moment that the child was touched by Vampires, which is what my order was created to fight, but he is not. I do agree, however, that there is something off about him."
Auriel thinks for a moment then adds "But it seems clear he likely does not know he's been effected, and is still a scared child. You are correct that caution will be needed Burgurk. Let us take him back to town and have the doctor take a look at him."
Jonis seems somewhat annoyed.
"Until we know something for sure, he is a small child, and needs our help."
She goes to him, and hug him.
"Welcome to our group! You will be safe with us. I am Jonis, and you? Where is your family? Your town?"
The boy accepts Jonis' hug and seems more leery of the two men. He points toward the direction of Garnet Town. "Ma is in Garnet Town. She's bakes for everyone." He looks back at Auriel and Burgurk, staying close to Jonis. "They aren't going to turn me in, are they?"
Jonis lets out a small laugh.
"Let me introduce you to Mister Auriel Acherean, a great and just warrior, and Burgurk, a powerful but kind psychic. They both are very good friends of mine and are members of the Tomorrow Legion, a group of heroes defending the innocent. You can trust them."
She looks at the boy's eyes with a friendly smile.
"So, what is your name so I can introduce you to them?"
Calming down a bit, the boy starts to speak a little more excitedly. "I'm Kaldern, but Ma just calls me that when I'm in trouble. Most people just call me Kal." He waves at the other two. It doesn't seem to bother him that both men are D-Bees. "Do they eat normal food? Ma makes a really good strawberry pie! I'm sure she'll make one for you!"
The boy goes on describing his mother's cooking, though you don't seem to recall a baker in Garnet Town. Then again, you haven't met everyone yet. It is only a matter of time though, as the town population is not that big and you have no idea how long you are stuck here. While you are pondering this, a flight of Coalition Sky Cycles jets overhead, in a hurry to get somewhere. Just as your mind is brought back to reality, you sense something just ahead, though you aren't sure if it is your physical senses or something else...
Jonis follows the Sky Cycles with her eyes, trying to discern where they come from and where they are headed.
"I feel a little peckish... I think is time to go meet you Mom."
"Agreed. I think it's time that we leave."
Shakti turns to regard the figures upon the road, taking in their features; both those visible to her two eyes, and those visible to the third.
She adjusts her clothing, keeping her arms under the bulky cloak she has taken to wearing. For some reason the locals seem to find any deviation from their own form to be disconcerting; signs of a limited outlook, no doubt.
As Auriel says it's time to leave, Burgurk takes him aside and says in a whisper "I think it would be wise to look over the area where the boy said he got angry, had his 'bad dream', and woke up. Want to accompany me?"
Auriel and Burgurk both get a sense of something off with the being before them. Though she looks human, a more powerful presence seems to surround her.
The boy looks ahead. "I wonder if she's hungry too.."
Shakti allows herself an inner smile at the wolf-boy's form. As something of a predator herself, she can respect the cunning of the ruse. As a guardian of nature, it is also not her place to betray his secret, should his prey be unable to see through the disguise themselves.
Of course, should his interests come into direct conflict with her own, or if others have the wherewithal to ask someone with such capabilities for assistance, then the matter might change.
The figure that steps out of the woods and onto the path appears to be a human woman, though a few things hint at an extra-dimensional origin. Her skin is dark, but bears a touch of blue-grey to her skin tone, and her hair is definitely an inhuman shade of blue-black. She is dressed in a bulky cloak, with two swords strapped across her back. The bulk of the cloak, if nothing else, indicates she is probably wearing armour. Her hood however is thrown back, providing a clear look at her face. Confident eyes look out at look, appearing to take in every detail.
Shakti takes a few steps towards the group, trying to look non-threatening. One hand reaches out from under her cloak, clutching a wooden staff or walking stick, and she switches the staff from one hand to the other to give the impression that both of the two hands are empty, though in truth a third rests on the butt of her TK Revolver.
A thick accent of some sort clings to her words, but they are clear nonetheless, "What is this place? Has it a name?"
Taking in the scene, she gestures towards the corpse with her chin, "Is that your work?"
Jonis slowly puts the children behind her, as she turns to greet the stranger.
"Hello! We are members of the Tomorrow Legion and mean you no harm. You are on the planet Earth, in a continent named North America. Did you come via a Rift? We can help you get your bearings, and with food and shelter, if you are in need. They are Auriel Acherean and Burgurk, my companions, and the child is Kal. I am Jonis Witta, and I am glad to meet you."
Shakti takes in Jonis' response with a bit of a raised eyebrow, perhaps finding the assumptions interesting for some reason.
"By rift yes, but it was months gone by. I have learned something of Earth already, and particularly of those," she indicates the Deadboy (Dead-Deadboy? Double Dead-boy?) again, "That kind have been far less welcoming than you have been. Thank you for your offer of hospitality. I haven't the need for aide, but would welcome it for comfort's sake. You may call me Shakti. What is the name of this village? Do those exclusionists dwell here?"
Over the comms, Auriel will say "Burgurk is right. We should check the area where the boy was attacked, but I don't want to leave you alone with a complete stranger Jonis. Burgurk, how comfortable would you be checking on your own? If not very comfortable, then I would be happy to go on my own."
Basic issue with showing one definitive version of Hindu is that there are hundreds of variations on Hinduism, each with slightly different mythology. A lot of the variation is regional, in that different versions will exist in India, vs. Nepal, vs. Bangladesh, Burma, etc., but in some areas conflicting versions will exist in the same place.
The concept I was envisioning was a part of Hindu called Shaktism, where the divine is feminine, and all the goddesses are aspects of the same goddess. As a result, I am picturing Shakti herself as being from a less likely (and therefore small) splinter of reality where the three major deities of Shaktism are expressed simultaneously through the same individual. She is simultaneously the creator, the preserver, and the destroyer/renewer. This is what gives rise to her Druidic view of the world, in that predation is natural, death is a part of renewal, and that allowing to the weak to parish while the strong survive enhances the strength of the whole.
Shakti comes from a tiny splinter reality/dimension, like a Discworld only 100 miles across. It would have been a primitive jungle paradise, where the only humans lived basic hunter-gatherer lifestyle, or small scale horticultural settlements at best. Shakti was the deity that presided over this small world.
Presumably, whatever caused the coming of the Rifts on earth altered the borders of the Dimension, which caused it to take over the superposition previously occupied by Shakti's small splinter of reality. She (and possibly other denizens of her world) was deposited rudely on Rifts Earth with only a fraction of her original power (the source of her power having been tied to her reality), and forced to try and make sense of the resulting situation. She strives to find or recreate her reality, though in all likelihood it is actually splattered all over the windshield of Rift's Earth.
She was aware of the existence of other realms before coming to this one, but had no specific knowledge of Rifts Earth before ending up here. She has likely been on Rifts Earth for somewhere between 6 months and year, has come to learn some of it's basics, such as the main language and major players.
Jonis advances with an extended hand to the new arrival.
"Glad to meet you! Yes, the Coalition soldiers sometimes shoot first and ask questions later, especially if you don't look like them. You have to understand them, as they live in fear, as many people do. The Tomorrow Legion don't. And Garnet town, the nearest town, is learning to live without fear. You seem like a capable woman. Maybe you can help us. But first, let go back to town. We need to take this young man home. And we can talk there, over a good warm meal."
When Shakti scans Auriel, she discovers that he is considered a Mega-Damage being, and though he appears human, he is not. He has 10 PP, and his power comes from an odd source, located throughout his body.