The expedition was put together not only to recolonize Alpha 2, but also to punish the Torgai. To help gain popular support the cry of 'rescue' of any remaining humans was raised, but quietly, in the centers of power, the feeling was there would be none to rescue.
The nature of the new expedition was considerably different than that of the first both technologically and politically. This was no longer a marginal operation pushing the limits of technology and facing an unknown planet. The 22 years between the first and second expeditions had resulted in major improvements in space technology, and the unknowns about the new planet had been settled. Larger ships were on the drawing boards and were rushed through construction. The drive systems had been improved with a wider range of fuels which could be obtained from materials that could be mined and processed on Alpha 2. Not the least of the new innovations were portable fusion power plants that would effectively make the new colony energy independent.
The expedition also was considerably larger and better equipped than the earlier one, with over 4,000 persons with more and better equipment. The violent end of the first expedition had also shown the need for a trained and properly equipped military force, something sadly lacking with the first expedition. A formal military contingent with advanced weapons and trained officers and men was included, and the starships were armed with laser weapons; one of which would stay in permanent orbit as a manned space station and someday be used for exploration of the balance of the Alpha Centauri solar system. The other fourteen starships would return to Earth as soon as adequate fuel was available. Scoutplanes were now armed, faster, and with a longer range. All in all, the new expedition was capable of facing any likely threats the new planet could provide, and had the capability to address most situations that might arise.
A hard-bitten veteran of numerous military campaigns, Colonel Gardner had molded an efficient military capability broken into three areas. Captain Yitzhak Meyer, who on the flight served as captain of the flagship Eretz Israel, would later command both the orbiting ship and the naval forces for the planned small navy. As a spaceship captain he also ranked as second in the military command structure after Colonel Gardner. Captain Geno Gallucci commanded all internal security personnel, such as police and perimeter guards, and Captain Kevin Murphy commanded the 60 person full time military unit. All told the personnel assigned to Colonel Gardner's military and security command slightly exceeded 200 with a wide international representation.
Overall command of the expedition was under Governor Maesaka from the Eastern Alliance. The political and organizational faults in the original colonization were clear, as was the problem uncovered about the personnel selection process itself. Early in the expedition planning, as the reports on the previous colony had been analyzed, it had been decided not to repeat what was viewed as the mistake of allowing a weak or fragmented government for the colony. Someday democracy would follow, but until the colony was firmly established and all possibilities of Torgai dangers at an end leadership would be in firm hands; those of Governor Maesaka.
Takai slowly unfolded his legs and arose from his sitting position. Standing, clothed only in a pair of tan military shorts, he stretched his burly body to remove any muscle stiffness from his long period of silent meditation. Below average height, Governor Maesaka showed little sign of his age, and gave the appearance of energy and vitality. His piercing black eyes below heavy brows, and his thick, slightly graying hair, gave him a distinguished appearance, capable of dominating any room. His appearance was in no way misleading. For generations his ancestors, of the old samurai aristocracy, had dedicated their lives to public service. Numerous cabinet ministers, military leaders, and even one prime minister could be counted among his ancestors. His habits and lifestyle were almost 'acetic', and he was able to command fierce loyalty within those for who he was responsible. Now his responsibility was the full multinational expedition, and here his leadership was unquestioned.
Takai had risen rapidly through the officer class in the Japanese army, partly fostered by his excellent political connections, but also because of his outstanding capabilities. By his late 30s he became the youngest general in the Japanese army, an army noted for its discipline and general competence. In his early 40s Takai was assigned to the United Nations, where he served as both military commander and viceroy of several trouble spots on Earth. During those years he gained broad respect and support throughout the international theater. He had first been thrust upon the international stage as a major player during the abortive attempt by factions in the United Nations to sterilize the African content.
The raging epidemics that continued to arise in sub-Saharan Africa had never been controlled, with the ever mutating Ebola virus sporadically escaping from the blockaded continent and infecting other areas. A group in leadership positions and several military units of the United Nations had begun the abortive effort to completely depopulate the continent south of the Sahara through the spread of an airborne biological agent. General Maesaka had learned of the effort and rebelled against his own commander, taking control of the military units and halting the effort. Disclosure to the world of the abortive attempt at genocide had caused governments to fall across the world, few of which hadn't been implicated to some extent in the conspiracy. Even elements in the United States government had been involved.
Following this, Takai acquired international prestige, and had been viewed as one of the few individuals sufficiently neutral to gain the support of all the major power blocks as the leader of the mission. Some in power in his own homeland had other motives; a fear that, with his popularity, he might pose a threat to the present leadership of the Eastern Block if not removed from the scene. It was this prestige that he carried to the expedition.
When the position of command of the new expedition had been offered it had required considerable soul-searching on his part. It was something he neither sought nor wanted. To leave Earth, his homeland, and his family ties forever was, for someone with a background like Takai, very difficult. Takai viewed the assignment to Alpha-2 as an unwanted duty, but a duty none the less, and his heritage did not allow a duty to be shirked. He had no choice but to accept. While widowed several years before he had one son and one daughter who stayed behind. Staying behind was not their choice, but Takai insisted that they stay to carry on the duty to his homeland and the family name.
Later . . . .
Kevin sat in the deserted, darkened lounge, looking out the viewing port where, far below, Alpha 2 showed its darkened side. It was after 2:00 AM, but Kevin had been unable to sleep, his mind active with thoughts of the planet below. Today he would spend with the landing team reviewing the recordings of the landing site and the old colony site of New Athens until every detail was etched in their minds. Then the next day he would embark on the final act in his long years of planning and preparation; planning and preparation that had started while he was still in high school, landing on Alpha 2.
Kevin had been at the military academy when the messages from Alpha 2 ceased, and when a year later confirmation of the destruction of the colony had been received from the resupply expedition. Shortly thereafter, when it was clear that a new expedition would be launched, Kevin had concentrated his efforts on gaining the training and experience that would allow him to become a part of it.
By the late 2130s, when the staffing for the expected 2140 expedition departure was underway, Kevin had pulled all the strings he could to gain an assignment. Even former President of the United States Atkins, now in his 90s, had used his influence on Kevin's behalf. Even then it was touch and go. Colonel Gardner made the final selection, and initially it was a temporary assignment to her staff for planning purposes only. There Kevin had proved himself an effective assistant, which gained him a permanent assignment.
Kevin hadn't been slated for command of the land military and scout forces, but only as a unit commander in that force. His promotion came during the flight with the untimely death of Captain Kr
ueger in a freak, on-board accident. Even now Kevin didn't feel completely comfortable in overall command, but was daily gaining more acceptance from the unit commanders, two of whom were older than he was. And Colonel Gardner seemed to have full confidence in him, which is what counted.
Below, dawn was beginning, with the bright edge of daylight moving slowly across the planet. Kevin rose slowly from his chair, stretched, and walked through the darkened lounge area to the hall, and then to the quarters he shared with Annette.
On the planet's surface . . . .
Far below, on a darkened mountain slope, several figures sat watching the cluster of new stars moving across the heavens. The group of clustered lights looked like a new constellation, only moving across the sky at a much higher rate. One of the figures was Eric Moffa, and next to him Margie Kaminski. A distance away Hath and Hath-Boc, with several elders, crouched silently. Next to Hath-Boc sat Tommy Ford, Jeff Armstrong and Amanda Moffa, dressed much like the nearby Torgai. All sat largely unspeaking, deep in their own thoughts. This high mountain area was the last refuge of the Torgai, hunted to near extinction by the Kraa. Only here were the remaining Torgai safe, and then only as long as they remained undiscovered.
Two nights before, just before dawn, a sentry had reported the appearance in the sky of a new shining object. Then, as darkness fell the following night, the single light had become a cluster of lights moving together across the sky as a single group. Tonight there were even more. When first reported Eric had immediately understood what it meant, and had met and discussed the situation with Hath and Barco. No decision had been made on what to do, and Eric was at a loss. He felt torn in two directions, one the desire to contact his people, and the other his deep concern for the Torgai.
"I count fifteen," Eric said quietly, "a large expedition. Much larger than the first. Probably three or four thousand people, maybe more."
Margie pulled the fur wrap around her, the cold mountain air at this high altitude having a chilling affect. "Any doubt at all?" she asked.
"No, not really," Eric responded. "This is about the right time for a relief expedition. And they're moving in an orbital path, so that pretty much answers it. It's something we had to expect."
Years before, Margie and Tommy Ford had been saved by Hath-Boc. They had been his friends, and when the attack started Hath-Boc had, with the assistance of another Torgai from Hath's village, rushed to the residential module where they stayed and convinced the attacking Torgai to spare the lives of Margie and Tommy. Since Eric had been left behind at Hath's village he was never at risk. Only one other had survived, Jeff Armstrong, the infant son of Carter and Sonja Armstrong. Hath had found the child and taken him with him. Perhaps to save a human as a companion for Eric; he wasn't even sure why.
Now 65, Eric had spent the years aiding the Torgai evade the Kraa and learn new ways to survive in their new habitat. Margie, now 57, as the only human woman, had become his wife. During the early years they had one child, Amanda, now 17. Tommy, Jeff, and Amanda, having lived from childhood with the Torgai, had nearly become Torgai, particularly Jeff and Amanda, who had never known another live. Accepted into the village, both Tommy and Jeff had become acknowledged as hunters; the former 'manhood ceremonies' having become a thing of the past with the isolation of the Torgai remnants in the mountain fastnesses. But Amanda was in a strange position among the Torgai women, who normally married at the age of 14. While she shared the work with them, as an unmarried woman she always felt a little left out.
"How do we contact them?" Margie asked.
Eric was silent for several moments, before responding, "it’s not going to be easy. With the Kraa in the lowlands we would never make it to wherever they plan to land, which will probably be the old colony site. And we can't leave signals to bring them to the Torgai village, since I suspect one of their goals is revenge on the Torgai. We have to protect them; whatever they did in the past they've been our friends."
"I suppose," Margie responded, "but what do we do? We have to make contact some way."
Eric shook his head, "I just don't know. Yes, we have to find a way to make contact. But it has to be a way that doesn't expose the Torgai to the Kraa and gives us time to intercede with the new expedition leaders."
Margie looked at Eric, "will they let the Torgai live? Or exact their revenge for the last colonists?"
Eric responded, "oh, I think they'll let them live. The Torgai aren't a threat anymore. And once they become familiar with the Kraa I suspect they might welcome the help of the Torgai. At least I hope that's true; it's the only hope the Torgai have."
Far to the north . . . .
There were other eyes watching the sky. Far below on the darkened planet Kraa-Ki lay stretched on a rock surrounded by her dozing pack, her eyes on what appeared to be a group of new stars shining in the sky above. She had first noticed the new lights the night before, and had recognized them as something different. The night time sky pattern was very familiar to her and anything that was different was of interest. Reaching back into her memory she recalled a time many years before, before the Torgai had been destroyed, when similar lights had appeared, and then after a time disappeared. That had been a time of change, when the packs had united and reclaimed their destiny. But also a time of other strange things, like the flat-faced, largely hairless Torgai they had found dead in the above-ground dens by the western ocean.
With the destruction of the Torgai the Kraa had been free to spread over the planet. Naturally prolific, with the constraints on food supply removed, the Kraa population had exploded, moving into the lower mountains, with some packs even finding their way across the mountain chain to the eastern side of the continent. And all these Kraa answered to Kraa-Ki.
The Kraa were highly intelligent, and the only thing really limiting their development was the highly specialized nature of their paws, built for seizing and killing prey, not for handling tools. With the ability to develop or handle tools limited their progress was stagnated; and instead the Kraa had developed a combination of instinct and reasoning, and a strong memory to record their oral history.
Kraa-Ki had thought long and hard about those limitations. She had seen what the Torgai could do with their front paws, and she had also carefully examined the paws of the 'flat-faced', hairless Torgai they had found, and suspected they could do even more. Kraa-Ki had a vision of the Kraa developing into something more than mere hunters; in spite of her hatred she had admired and envied the Torgai and understood that much of what they had accomplished had been through their ability to make and handle tools. She understood the limitations placed on her species by their lack of that capability, and had taken steps to at least partially solve the problem.
During this last year there had been little challenge to the Kraa or to Kraa-Ki, and it was over a year since the last wandering band of Torgai had been encountered. There was no question; the planet now belonged to the Kraa. And the Kraa belonged to Kraa-Ki. And Kraa-Ki was bored from inactivity.
Kraa-Ki thought; perhaps, just perhaps, these new lights were a sign for the Kraa of changes to come. She would watch and wait, and see what they might mean. Change meant danger and excitement; and opportunity.
CHAPTER 2: New Beginning
(June 3, Year 20): Overhead the sun had risen completely over the horizon, adding a reddish glow to the string of clouds. The gently rolling countryside, with its expanse of tall prairie grass broken by scattered clusters of trees, rock outcroppings, and dry ravines, glistened with the morning dew which had not as yet burned off with the last of the ground fog. It was but one sunrise typical of many before.
But all was not normal.
A light pall of smoke and dust drifted on the light breeze, and near the center of the bowl-shaped meadow a circle of low flames was visible, attempting to make headway, occasionally flaring up, before sputtering out in the damp grass. Partly obscured by the billowing smoke and dust a squat, beetle shaped landing craft stood silently cooling in the center
of a circle of scorched earth, heat causing a halo in the surrounding air, with no sign of movement. The only noise was a subdued 'crackling' as slight changes in the heatshield resulted from the gradual cooling. Dust from the force of the landing rockets slowly settled, allowing partial visibility once more to return.
After about 10 minutes a hatch in the side opened and one by one figures emerged and gathered in a small cluster off to the side. After additional minutes several of the figures returned to the craft, and opened a larger hatch on the side for which the door served as a ramp, and drove two small vehicles out. Then the figures began removing boxes and crates and stacking them next to the craft, while other figures began unpacking the crates, assembling the contents of the larger ones section by section into a pair of dome-shaped huts, carrying equipment into the huts, or, in some cases, stacking the items under a cluster of trees close by.
As the morning progressed the pace slowed, and as the necessary work was completed a break was made for a late morning meal. About half an hour later, with the sun at its zenith, about half of the group began to cloth themselves in protective outerwear, picked up weapons and helmets, and gathered around one who appeared to be the leader. After a few minutes discussion they started in single file in a westward direction, the rest of the group staying behind.
Resurrection: Book II: Settlement Chronicals Page 2
