Forest view settlement

It was a quiet morning. Old man Kigen had just opened his house when he saw two other elders outside his home. They looked as thought they were about to knock. They had all decided to meet up and discuss a critical issue. 

The fishermen had returned with two drowning victims. Moreover, from their appearance and temperament, they were clearly not simple. 

For the moment, the two were in the Rae house. That lady the young man of the house had chosen was already recognized by the entire settlement. She was the one to go to in case of any medical emergency. Many of her patients affectionately called her Doctor. 

Kigen knew a little bit about her background, and she was no doctor. Rather, she had been trained to be a domestic worker in some fancy estate, off-world. He didn't know why she left, but he did find out that while she had been a domestic worker, she had received training in all fields. She was a true professional. 

Finally, the group got to the chief's home, where he latter had been waiting. 

"What took you buggers so long, don't tell me Carrillo's arthritis is acting up, ese?" The chief joked as he saw his old friends trudging on over to where he was. 

"No, Kigen decided to sleep longer, we thought he was dead," 

"Hey, what's that about my arthritis, I can still run circles around you," 

The banter of old men continued on for a while. 

"Now, about the couple, what do you geezers think of them?" Kigen said, steering the conversation back on track. 

"Oh yea, I heard about them. Poor kids, must have been rough," 

"I wonder where they came from though," Another old man called Bennett commented. 

"That's not really the question, is it?" Kigen said, emphasizing his point. 

"And what is the point?" Bennett reported, glaring at Kigen. He never liked the man, always behaving as though he was smarter than everyone. 

"Are we letting them stay? That is the question," Kigen firmly stated. 

"Jesus, they haven't even stayed here five minutes and you're already thinking of kicking them out?" Carrillo asked, perplexed. "They can't even be on their feet by now and you're planning on sending them parking." 

"Think about it, we don't know anything about them. Where did they come, what were they up to? How did they end up in the river? Oh, and why was the girl wearing a wedding dress?" Kigen eyed everyone before asking seriously, "Are we really going to allow such unstable elements around our families?" 

"Don't forget, even you were once a new person, and we let you stay." Carrillo couldn't hold back. 

"How about we find out more about them before dismissing them as threats, they could be of use." Bennett commented. He then shot Kigen a contemptuous look, the fool was behaving like he ran the town. 

"And how do you suggest we do that?" Kigen shot back. 

"Easy, we hold a welcome ball. We wine and dine them, and then once they've let their guards down, we interrogate them. If they mean us no harm, we will be able to tell. If they are cagey and withholding, then by all means Kigen, kick them out." Bennett, and the community, had used this plan before. 

"That's the oldest trick in the book!" Kigen muttered, "They will be able to see right through it." 

"Got any better ideas?" This was the chief asking. After a momentary pause, and a nasty look from Kigen, the chief continued, "Then its a plan. Tonight, we will welcome them." 

"Ah, Chief, you're a genius, tonight is the harvest festival, they won't suspect anything," Carrillo came to the realization. 

Meanwhile, several hundred meters away from where the group was gathered, the couple in question were finalizing crafting and practicing selling their identities. 

As someone who'd had to take on a different identity, Haiser knew a few professional pointers. They both agreed that their names were Tim and Hannah. They were getting married on a cruise spaceship when pirates invaded, killing and pillaging everywhere. 

The couple were fortunate to escape, but the pod they were on broke down, and this was the nearest place they could find. 

By the time Alma had finished selling the story to Mrs. Rae, she was crying bitter tears. They were not fake. The reason why they had to keep the story as close to the truth as possible was because one could evoke real emotions. Alma's tears sold it all to Claire, young Mrs. Rae's name. 

The two hugged tightly. They could both feel it, this was the beginning of an awesome friendship. Their hearts connected. They were also of similar age and they had a lot in common, like the fact that they were both off-worlders. 

As for Haiser, he followed Felix, young Mr. Rae, to the farm. The harvest was mostly complete, and all he had to do was bring in the eaves. Haiser insisted, despite Felix's objections. The two men managed to get quite a lot done, while chatting lightly. Felix didn't ask about the past, so the two bonded over their mutual love of mechs. 

Felix quite enjoyed Haiser, no, Tim's company very much. To him, this fella named Tim was quite a nice addition. Even when he was weakened, he insisted on carrying his own weight. He had also noticed the muscles on the dude. With luck, we can made him quite the work horse.

Soon, it was night time. The town was awash with activity. Children were playing in the streets, the lights were all over, and there was music and cheering. Everyone turned up to make merry, this was the festival of the harvest, and to a small settlement like theirs, this was like Christmas and Easter combined. 

There was even the occasional fireworks to be seen in the sky. Everyone was dressed at their best. From the Rae house, several elderly people and two young couples were seen getting out, heading to the festival grounds. 

One couple was dressed much like the other, only, one could see the bulging muscles which seemed to almost tear up the tight shirt he was wearing. The two held each other's hands, and as they made their way to the county grounds, Alma and Haiser were no more. Tim and Hannah were born.