The First Colony: Book I: Settlement Chronicals

by W. J. Rydrych

  And . . . .

  The village was filled with the bustle of late afternoon activity; hunters lounging in groups while the women completed preparation of the kills of the day, the cooking fires glowing with the evening meals in preparation, and the younger Torgai running here and there with their play or at their assigned tasks. The shadows of the mountains to the west gradually marched toward the village, and the sun would soon drop below the ragged mountain peaks.

  Suth crouched with several of the elders near the council house planning the activities of the next day, and discussing problems which had arisen and required a decision. Above, at the higher elevations, snow glistened on the mountain slopes to the east where the declining sun still reached, but here the ground was bare. At the elevation of the village any snow which might fall disappeared rapidly during the day, and it was rare when the temperature actually reached the freezing point; during many winters it didn't occur at all.

  Suth still nursed the anger that had become a slumbering rage in his stomach. He was angered at the humans, but also at Hath and his village as well. If the human attack had been against his village things would be different; he wouldn't be as accepting as Barco and Hath. The new shaman of Suth's village, at Suth's behest, had used the mind-net to ague against the decision of Hath's village and the now senior shaman Barco not to retaliate, but few villages supported his view. None would move against the expressed opposition of Barco.

  True, Suth's village alone, with its over 2,000 hunters, could overwhelm the human colony, and he didn't need the other villages approval. He had the right to move on his own, and his elders and his new shaman would support him. But if he did it would be in direct defiance of Barco, and even he didn't want to anger the chief shaman. For now, all he could do was wait and prepare for a more appropriate time.

  Earlier that afternoon a courier had returned from New Athens carrying information provided by Rath. The ease with which Rath had been able to move freely around the human's compound surprised even Suth. In a Torgai village the keen sense of smell of the lookouts would have easily detected an intruder, but the lack of this sense by the humans made movement at night much simpler for the Torgai. A night attack on the colony should be simple with the path for entry marked out ahead of time by Rath.

  The humans hadn't even detected the team Suth had stationed near the colony. Hidden during the day, and moving about only at night, they were busy exploring the terrain for several days travel around New Athens, noting protected approach paths and available cover. Overall, it was going well. If the necessity arose, Suth would be prepared.

  Suth noticed a glinting light in the sky far to the northwest, like the sun reflecting off a shiny object. At first it appeared to be a bird, but birds didn't glint in the sun like that, and didn't move that fast. As his eyes followed the approaching object it became apparent it was something else. It was too high in the sky for all except the soaring birds of prey, and at this distance they would look almost stationary.

  Suth stood and watched the object approach, the sun glinting from its surface. Others had noticed Suth's actions and also stood watching, forgetting the meal preparation and the other business which had occupied them. Before many minutes had passed the object had approached to where it could be identified as a scoutplane from the colony. This angered Suth; the agreement had been that the humans would stay away from the Torgai villages except at scheduled times, and even that agreement was being violated by the humans.

  As the object came closer it dropped from its high elevation and disappeared from view. Shortly the low hum of its motor reached the watching Torgai, who continued to gather in groups, watching the sky. The dens had emptied as the occupants joined the silent groups, and soon the scoutplane again became visible, passing directly overhead before again fading away, banking in a turn, and returning to again pass over the village at a height of less than 50 meters. As the scoutplane passed over the Torgai watched uncomprehendingly as objects were dropped, smashing into the ground and releasing what appeared to be fog.

  March 16, Year 3

  Suth walked slowly through the village accompanied by the remaining village elders, from time to time stopping to talk to a group of mourning Torgai gathered near the body of a family member or friend. The bodies of the dead Torgai, wrapped in fur robes, lay in a pair of long rows. Among the bodies groups of Torgai gathered, waiting for the shaman to reach the body for the final rites. Other bodies continued to be brought and added to the rows as the Torgai dens were searched and the dead removed.

  While most of the Torgai, including Suth, had fled the village when the danger of the gas became apparent the evening before, many had retreated to their dens for protection, which became death traps as the heavy, ground-hugging gas sank into the den mouths. Even now some of the Torgai were becoming ill from venturing into the dens, not realizing that the persistent gas still made them deathtraps.

  Many other Torgai were huddled in a crouch, or laying weakly on the ground, the uninjured giving what help and comfort that they could. Although Suth and the others didn't realize it, soon nearly all of those would also be dead. Scattered throughout the village was the debris left by the canisters as they hit the ground; the surrounding ground stained a faint yellow from the contents. Few of the Torgai had been in their dens when the attack had started, and the carnage had been great as the canisters fell in the unprotected open village filled with the unsuspecting Torgai. Even when the village had filled with a 'yellow fog' from the canisters, the Torgai had not fled until their burning eyes and gagging from exposure to the fog had finally sent them fleeing to the false security of the dens. Even now they took little effort to stay away from the stained ground with its deadly residue.

  As the shaman completed his ritual at each body the relatives lifted the dead Torgai to carry them to the place of exposure, where the robes would be removed and the body left on the ground for the birds and animals. Through this act the soul would be returned to Torga, with the animals acting as the intermediary.

  Suth looked at the village, at the remains of his people, at the carnage wrought by the humans, and was filled with rage. Now the Torgai would believe. Even the former friends of the humans would believe. It must end now.

  And, at New Athens . . . .

  Still no sign of the missing scoutplane. Carter had briefed him several minutes earlier on the results of the search, but no sign had been found. The area described in the flight plan had been thoroughly searched starting yesterday afternoon when the scout plane failed to return, and again today, but nothing. The only possibility was if they had flown off course, but if so they could have radioed in. But no message, no SOS, nothing.

  Colin knew the plane had to be out there somewhere, either crashed or with an emergency landing. Its fuel should have been exhausted by early afternoon the day before. Hopefully the pilot had found a place to land, almost any open area providing a suitable spot for the small scout planes, and the area it had been in was largely open savanna. Even if down at maximum range the radio would easily reach New Athens. And if an emergency landing it would have had to be rough to damage something as rugged as the flight radio. All possible scoutplanes were out looking, but so far, nothing.

  Whatever had happened they would find it. It would take a long time to explore all that area, but by gradually expanding the search around the area of the flight plan the search area could be held to a reasonable size. After all, whatever problem they had they must at least have known the general area they were in.

  John Bachman and Margo Kladstrup were in deep conversation in Margo's quarters. At this time of day the residence area was practically empty, so John's arrival had been undetected. "We received the message on the special channel just before the plane crashed," Margo said, "the mission was a complete success."

  "Any idea how much damage, how many were killed?" John asked.

  "Apparently the Torgai were outside watching when the canisters started to drop," Margo responded, "J
anice thinks several hundred at least, it's hard to say. She said they didn't even run when the gas spread through the village. After the drop they circled for several minutes, and saw what appeared to be hundreds of bodies on the ground, which says at least enough were killed the Torgai will have to respond. Plus others will die from the effects in the next few days. Hopefully enough are left that they will have the strength to launch an attack, and the Torgai from the other villages will most likely join."

  John thought for a minute, "that gives us a minimum of two weeks before we can expect an attack even if Suth has the strength to act alone. Probably longer if the attack is coordinated with the other villages."

  Margo nodded, "at least; giving us time to see that the colony is on alert. At next week's board meeting move for an alert status because of the missing scoutplane. Suggest the possibility of sabotage or something like that. We may need a minor incident to make sure the alert status is invoked. Any suggestions?"

  John shrugged, "probably an explosion, or even a fire may be enough. We could also damage some equipment and blame it on sabotage. I'll come up with something. Do you want me to see to it, or do it yourself?"

  Margo nodded, "I'll have my people take care of it, and also put them on alert immediately. Anything else? If not, I've got to get back. I have a meeting with some of my people in a few minutes. One more thing, I'll have my people double check the security systems, brainstorm to see if any gaps need to be plugged. Can you quietly do the same with some of your contacts? Work with Jeff Hanson. With Mark gone he'll now be your contact."

  John looked at Margo in surprise, "Jeff? I never would have suspected he was one of your people. Yasu has been pretty careful in staffing his security force; how did you manage that? Especially someone reporting directly to Yasu? Wasn't he married to the missing scout plane pilot, Janice Bentley? God, how did he accept her assignment?"

  Margo smiled, responding, "you might be surprised by some of our other people also. As for Janice and Jeff, yes, they were married. But they both understood the cause comes first, and there was no need to inform him of the plan. But now it's time to break up this meeting; and I'll make sure the 'incident' of sabotage happens before the board meeting."

  John nodded agreement, and then stood and moved to the door. "I'll be ready. The combination of the missing plane and a sabotage incident should be enough to make the board move. Give me five minutes before you leave; I assume you want all contacts to be secret."

  Several days later at New Athens . . . .

  Colin paced angrily, the members of the board sitting silently at the conference table, watching.

  "What the hell is going on? What happened to our security? Can anyone just walk into the motor pool and do what they want?" This emergency meeting had been called since sometime during the night someone had started a fire in the motor pool that destroyed one of the storage buildings. Until the cause was determined the entire colony had been placed on alert.

  Yasu leaned forward as if to say something, then leaned back in his seat again, waiting for Colin to finish. He saw no point in making the situation worse; he was already in the line of fire. Roughly pulling the chair back and sitting down, Colin leaned forward and scowled at Yasu, "well?" he said. "Exactly what happened, and how did it happen?"

  Yasu spread his hands, "we don't know yet. We don't even know if it was just carelessness on the part of one of the guards; they were the only personnel in the compound". Adding, "or it could have been an electrical short or some natural cause. Or it could have been deliberately set."

  “But,” Yasu added, “it has all the appearance of sabotage; as if it was deliberately set.”

  "Any clues at all?" Colin asked.

  Yasu shrugged slightly, "one guard was inside the fence and there is no sign of a breach. But that means nothing; with help someone could have climbed over. There was also one mechanic working on a vehicle who claims he heard or saw nothing, and we have no reason to suspect him."

  Yasu looked at Colin and said slowly, "but, I think we can rule out accidental causes, such as an electrical short; it looks like an accelerant may have been used. We have to presume it was deliberate, which means either Torgai or one of our own. Finding out which might not be so easy."

  Carter shook his head, "that doesn't make sense. If the Torgai wanted to make trouble, why broadcast their intentions with such a limited act? That would be stupid. I can't believe this is a Torgai action."

  "Why not?" John asked. "We can't understand how they think. As to how they got inside the fence unobserved, clearly someone did. And it seems ludicrous to suspect any of own people; why would they do it?"

  "What do you think, Yasu?" Colin asked. "Any way Torgai from outside could have breached the perimeter?"

  "Possibly," Yasu responded, "our perimeter sensors aren't that closely spaced, and most of that perimeter isn't visible from the watchtowers at all. But if it was Torgai the resident Torgai are the most likely candidates. They have the run of the grounds except for restricted areas like the motor pool. But I question whether Torgai were responsible; it just doesn't strike me as the type of thing a Torgai would choose if they wanted to damage us. I think we have to put dissident colonists first on the list."

  John snorted, "your fixation on the Johnsonites again? Get back to reality, Yasu. If the Johnsonites even exist here, why would they do something like this? What would they have to gain? You're beginning to see bogymen behind every bush. Face it, the Torgai want us out, and that is where we have to look."

  Then, staring at Colin with an angry look, "mark my words; within the year we'll be fighting the Torgai. It's foolish to allow them access to the colony the way we do, allowing them to find all our weaknesses." Pointing at Colin, "you're putting the colony at risk."

  "I don't have a fixation on the Johnsonites," Yasu retorted, before Colin could respond to John's parting comment, "but they do have a history of violence, and in spite of what you say the evidence is incontrovertible that some are here; and there may be other dissidents as well. In fact there very probably are. And don't forget the scoutplane incident; I still find it hard to believe it could disappear without even a distress call. That makes me think we have something going on here more than just the motor pool fire. And," Yasu looked at John, "even you wouldn't claim the Torgai are capable of sabotaging a scoutplane radio."

  Colin interjected, "let’s stop the bickering. Inside group or Torgai, we have to be prepared. What type of security do we have on our Torgai guests? Can they leave their quarters at night without being seen?"

  Yasu nodded, "it's possible. There's a guard post about 30 meters away that has a view of the front entrance, which is lighted. A second guard walks the area. The rear entrance has a fire-release lock with an alarm; which, by the way, shows no sign of tampering. Windows on the side could be used; if I wanted out, that's the route I would take."

  "Could the windows be secured?" Colin asked.

  "Can be, but shouldn't be. Of course, more guards would always help, but we just don't have the manpower. We could install stops on the windows though, and also sensors to give warning if opened over a certain distance. First, though, we'd have to fabricate the sensors."

  Colin thought for a moment, "OK, forget the sensors. But at least install the window stops, and make sure the lighting and guard security is beefed up. Also, " he added, “establish a new policy of not leaving their quarters at night.”

  Yasu nodded, without comment.

  "How about perimeter security? Is it adequate?" Colin asked.

  Yasu shook his head, "probably not," he said. "The sensors are activated at dusk and there is only one zigzag path on each side of the compound, but we don't have enough sensors to completely stop infiltration. We can install more to fill the blind spots as soon as they can be fabricated. Plus better positioning of some of the guard posts. But that does nothing to solve a dissident colonist question."

  Colin was silent for a moment, "if it's an individual it could be a
nyone since we can't screen out all the nutcases."

  "No", Yasu responded, "but running another file review wouldn't hurt. It could be just a single dissident, or an organized group; in spite of John's view there is an active Johnsonite group here at New Athens, and there may be other groups as well."

  After a silence, Carter said, "and we have to factor in the scoutplane loss. Two incidents in such a short time is suspicious."

  Yasu nodded, "yes, I agree. That's what makes me doubtful this was the work of Torgai."

  Margo Kladstrup, who had been sitting listening intently, leaned forward with her forearms resting on the table. "I think we have too much speculation and too little fact. Regardless of whether it was Torgai or colonists security has to be beefed up. Since an attack by the Torgai would be by far the greater threat, that means perimeter security, increased internal security, and air and ground patrols. If there's any chance the Torgai may be turning hostile, we have to be prepared. Does anyone disagree?"

  "What Margo says makes sense," Colin said. "Yasu, would you put a plan together for review at a special meeting tomorrow afternoon? Don't rule out diversion of some added manpower to security if you think its needed."

  Yasu nodded, "will do. I agree with everything Margo said. If anyone has any specific suggestions see Jeff Hanson. He'll be in charge of putting the plan together."

  "One more thing," Margo interjected. "Weapon distribution. Only the security people have access to weapons and they lock them in storage when off-shift. I suggest we do a limited distribution, allowing weapons to be carried by off-duty security personnel and some other responsible people as well. If we were attacked in force right now the colony is virtually unarmed."