Jumping to the ground, followed by four troopers, Kevin motioned his men to take a kneeling position, and motioned the VLV off.
Kevin watched the running humans and Torgai as they approached, "let the Torgai in the perimeter, but you," pointing to one of the troopers, "keep them covered. Any hostile moves and take them out. The rest of you, fire on the Kraa as soon as I give the order."
Within seconds the two humans and two Torgai passed through their perimeter and stopped behind them, spear throwers at the ready. The designated trooper held his rifle trained on them, the rest keeping their rifles trained on the oncoming Kraa. About 20 meters away the pursuing Kraa stopped, milling around in apparent confusion. Kevin gave the order to fire and the beams lancing out from the laser rifles cut through the confused Kraa, dropping several. Those that tried to escape back to the protection of the wooded hillside were quickly killed by fire from the VLV.
Kevin and the rest of the troopers turned and took up a position with their weapons aimed at the two Torgai. One of the humans, the older, gray haired one, said something to the Torgai, who quickly placed their weapons on the ground. After several seconds the older human walked slowly over to Kevin and stood in front of him. Smiling and putting out his hand he said, "good timing, I'm Eric Moffa."
An hour later . . . .
The VLV was again on the ground, engines idling ready for takeoff, the troopers beginning to board. Eric and Ha had just returned from the ambush site to see if any of the ambushed Torgai remained alive. None did, but they took the time to drag the bodies into the nearby brush to be disposed of by wildlife as was their custom.
"You're sure you don't want to come along?" Kevin said to Jeff.
"He probably wants to, but one of us has to get back to the Torgai village and properly translate what's happened," Eric said, answering for him, "I should go back too, but I guess you're right, someone has to give the colony the complete story."
"Well," Kevin responded, "we have room for more. Do you want to bring any of the Torgai? Or have us take them to their village?"
Eric thought for a moment, "no, best not to. They need all the hunters they have. And," he said glancing over at Kevin, "I don't want any mistakes made before I know of your peoples' reaction. Besides, none of the Torgai here can speak for the village, so it would serve no purpose. I can carry on any discussions or negotiations.”
Adding, “we expected this to happen, and I think I know what Barco and Hath would agree to."
July 21, Year 20 . . . .
Eric felt uncomfortable with his newfound celebrity status. As an original colonist everyone wanted to talk to him, or at least shake his hand. Tonight, after completion of the debriefing sessions, a reception was planned to allow the other colonists to greet him.
Takai Maesaka and his staff, plus the other invitees, had sat mesmerized as Eric related the events leading up to the destruction of the first colony and the events following. The reason for the Torgai attack on New Athens, the poison gas attack by some of the colonists on a Torgai village, came as a shocking revelation. The subsequent near-destruction of the Torgai by the Kraa was new information, but something Takai had long suspected. The smoldering anger against the Torgai for destroying the first colony was largely replaced by an 'ambivalent' mood, with some of the anger remaining, but now laced with understanding and compassion.
It was clear the Torgai no longer were a threat, but Eric's information on the Kraa made it evident they were much more to be feared than even Takai had suspected. While they had realized the Kraa were very intelligent, just how intelligent and well organized was news. It did, in fact, lead to some question of the ethics of wiping them out, but the danger they presented outweighed that concern.
If, or when, they were reduced in number to a point where they were no longer a danger the colonists could give consideration to preserving some residual population. But for now they had to be considered a threat to be destroyed.
Sophie Gardner leaned forward over the table looking at Eric, "are you sure you can convince the Torgai to help us hunt the Kraa down? And, if they agree, how useful will they really be?"
"Oh yes," Eric responded, "the Torgai and Kraa are hereditary enemies, and the Kraa have now killed off most of their people. As far as usefulness, they understand the Kraa very well, and have tracking senses we can never match. If, as Captain Murphy says, you plan to track them down, they should be invaluable. Their sense of smell is phenomenal, and if they cross a Kraa trail, even days old, they'll find them. Finding the Kraa in the open is one thing, tracking them down in the northern forests is another matter."
Eric continued, "getting the Torgai to agree shouldn't be hard, but that's not the big problem. The Torgai are so few now that if we bring in many of their hunters to serve as scouts who'll protect the village? The total village is no more than 300 souls counting women, children, and the elderly, and they only have about 60 hunters; and, as far as we know, that's all the Torgai left. Believe me, the Kraa are still a big threat to them."
"You're sure we can't convince them to relocate here at the colony?" Takai asked, "we could arrange a protected area a short distance away."
Eric looked at him for a moment, "I wouldn't even try to convince them. It would destroy them; we should have learned that from the past. For now they're too unsophisticated to survive the culture change. In fact, we have to be very careful to isolate as much as possible any hunters we bring here to help."
Takai nodded, "I suppose you're right. What then?"
After a moments silence, Sophie asked, "earlier it was suggested relocation was a possibility, but there wasn't much discussion. How reasonable is relocation? Could we find a place they would agree to that's close enough we could give them air support? And, I suppose, we could consider a small guard detachment."
Eric nodded, "I've been thinking the same thing. But it would be risky. There are a lot more Kraa north of the river than south where the village is now. And, to be effective, it would have to be fairly close; meaning north of the river somewhere. Also, if it were high enough in the mountains it should be Kraa free, and once the Kraa are under control they could move to a lower valley.
But again, it would be hard to make our support effective even at that distance. It's worth looking into; the current location isn't a hereditary home so they have no particular attachment."
Sophie looked at Takai, before saying, "I'd suggest we look at relocation. We could supply a radio link to give a rapid notice of attack; possibly provide a few laser rifles if you could train them in their use, and we could set up some warning devices around the village. We could also provide a small unit to help defend the village. Not many, maybe eight or ten, and station them away from the village but in ‘quick response’ range.
Looking over at Kevin, "have your staff work on a plan for moving the village and how best we can defend it. Work with Eric to look for suitable locations."
Kevin glanced over at Eric, who nodded back before he said, "very possible. Just a few troopers could provide a lot of security. And I agree they should not be stationed at the village; otherwise it would be nearly impossible to control interaction. The troops would have to highly disciplined and kept separate from day-to-day contact."
"What do you think, Governor?" Sophie asked.
Takai nodded his concurrence, "I haven't heard any other suggestions that sound workable. Captain Murphy, your opinion?"
Kevin responded, "we should be able to work something out. Plus, with respect to Eric's concern about limiting interaction we could carefully hand-select the squad assigned for security. I agree with Eric's feeling of limited contact, but it's all workable."
Takai nodded thoughtfully, then to Kevin, “we’ll need a preliminary plan as soon as possible. When could you have it?"
Kevin thought for a moment, "we can get something by day after tomorrow. That's if we can find a suitable new site or set of possible sites. If we have a set of defensible sites picked out before the To
rgai are consulted it could simplify things."
Eric interjected, "establishing a new village isn't simple. The Torgai are used to underground dens and digging them is a long, tedious job. Even now, after twelve years at their current location, many of the dens aren't complete. Just possibly we could locate an abandoned village in a remote enough area to qualify."
"Good idea," Kevin nodded, "I'll get a list of all we've discovered so far from the analysis people."
"And," Eric continued, "the logistics of the move will be a major problem. They have infants, old people, a few cripples."
"Understood," Kevin replied, "but we'll find something workable."
"OK," Takai said after looking around the table, "I think it's time we broke up the meeting." Smiling at Eric, "time for the reception, celebrity."
As they left the room Kevin took Eric's arm and took him aside, "if you have time I'd like to have a talk with you. There's a personal matter I'd like to discuss."
Eric responded, "personal matter? Of course, whatever you want."
Kevin led Eric into one of the offices where they first took seats, "I'd like to find out whatever you remember about Colin Murphy. What happened to him if you know, how he died."
Eric looked at Kevin for a moment, "of course. Governor Maesaka referred to you as Captain Murphy; you hadn’t mentioned your last name before. I didn't tie the names together. Was he you father?"
Kevin nodded, "yes, and you may not remember, but I met you once before the first fleet left."
Eric looked over at Kevin, nodding, "sure, I remember. At the expedition's farewell party at your house. How old were you then? Eight or nine?"
"No," Kevin laughed, "six, going on seven, but I remember you too, although you seemed a lot bigger then."
Eric looked closely at Kevin, "you resemble him when he was closer to your age, which is when I first met him. Here, at New Athens, he was a quite a bit older and the burden had changed him, aged him."
Thoughtfully, "I considered him a good friend. My wife Margie also knew him well, at least during the final years. She knows much more of what went on at New Athens than I do. I was off with the Torgai after the first few months."
Kevin nodded, and smiled, "I'm looking forward to meeting her."
"And I know she'll want to meet you," Eric answered, "she thought highly of Colin, as I did."
July 26, Year 20 . . . .
All the humans from the village, plus Hath, Hath-Boc, Cormo, and several of the elder hunters sat around the fire with Kevin and Kari Erickson, the flickering fire casting shadows on the large mass of the VLV a distance away. Barco remained in his den resting from the long discussions that had filled the day. In the light from the entrance of the VLV Sergeant Magda Steiner was going over assignments with a group of troopers before they relieved the guard posts. They had brought the VLV to the village just that morning, first landing several kilometers away and walking the remaining distance to warn the Torgai. Only hours later had they brought it near the village.
Tommy Ford, of all the survivors of the early colonists, was most excited about the presence of the new arrivals. Now a tall, muscular man of 31 with rugged features, blond hair and unusually blue eyes, he well remembered life at the colony where he had lived until the age of 11. Of the humans at the village he was probably the only one who really yearned for the old life. While in his 20 years with the Torgai he had learned the Torgai ways and assisted on the hunts, he never developed the full immersion into the culture that the younger Jeff and Amanda had. He felt torn between two worlds, the human world he had known for his first 11 years, and the Torgai world of the last 20. In this way he was different from both Eric and Margie, who had grown content with their life among the Torgai, and Jeff and Amanda, who had never known anything different.
Now, with New Athens again a reality, Tommy was eager to return and begin his old life again. Any hesitation about returning evaporated when he learned that Hath-Boc, his best friend, would also be returning to the colony with the group of hunters assigned to assist the colonists against the Kraa.
Of the Torgai only Hath-Boc had lived with the original colonists at New Athens for any length of time, and Barco and Hath felt his knowledge would be most useful there. While Cormo, Hath's eldest son and an experienced hunter, was in nominal control of the Torgai hunters who would transfer to New Athens, Hath-Boc was the one that spoke for Barco and Hath; an unheard of situation since he was not a hunter. The other hunters wouldn't want to take direction from a non-hunter, and Cormo didn't like it either, particularly from a younger brother; but he followed Hath's orders.
For Jeff Armstrong, the newcomers were interesting strangers, but he felt very little in common with them. Only 21, the son of Carter Armstrong and Sonja Evans, his mixed heritage was evident in his cream colored skin, dark eyes, and black hair, worn long and pulled back into a pigtail. Almost 'Torgai thin', his long, slender body had unusual endurance from his years of living with the Torgai, and while the other humans sat or lay on the ground Jeff crouched like the rest of the Torgai. He had grown up with the other Torgai youth and, while the old manhood ceremonies were no longer followed, he had gone through the substitute ceremonies with the Torgai youth and was considered a full-fledged hunter.
In fact, Jeff felt more Torgai than human. He would not have minded if the colonists had never returned; he would some day have probably married Amanda and lived out his life among the Torgai. Now his whole life had changed and his former well planned future was no longer there.
To Amanda this was a time of fascination and excitement, the opening of a new world. Only 17, she was the image of what her mother, Margie, had been as a young girl. Below average height, she had her mother's active, curious mind, and lively, vivacious personality. To her Kevin and the others, and the life they led, was of intense interest. Always more inquisitive and more of a dreamer than Jeff, her imagination had been filled with the stories told of Earth and New Athens by Eric and Margie. They had told her the humans would return someday, and she had believed it. Now she couldn't keep her eyes off the new arrivals, particularly the VLV pilot, Kari Erickson.
Among the Torgai women stayed at home and tended the fields, were excluded from most religious events, and excluded from anything related to hunting or fighting. After the first few years the unmarried females weren't even allowed to talk with the young males unless in the company of an adult. But Amanda had not been raised that way by Margie, and had been raised with the freedom of a human girl, and for that reason she didn't fit in or have many close friends among the Torgai.
Now here, among the humans, was a woman who mixed with the fighting men and was one of them. In fact actually flew the ship. Ever since the humans had arrived and Amanda had met Kari she had been her shadow, asking constant questions and following her everywhere. Amanda was in awe of tall, blond Kari, never dreaming there were women like her.
In her mid thirties, and used to living and working with the hard-bitten soldiers around her, at first Kari didn't know what to think of Amanda's attention. It wasn't long, however, before she welcomed her 'constant shadow', looking at her as an unusually unsophisticated little sister.
While Amanda became the shadow of Kari she didn't know what to think of the other woman in the unit, Sergeant Magda Steiner. A middle aged, hard-bitten veteran in a powerful, blocky body, Magda Steiner kept her hair cut short like a man and, in fact, at first Amanda had thought she was a man. She swore like a man, acted like a man, and the troopers in the unit knew better than to cross her. She could, and would, enforce her orders with her fists if required. But she was also one of Kevin's best and most dependable noncoms, and Kevin trusted her with the hardest assignments.
Both Eric and Margie felt at home among the Torgai, and had dedicated themselves to helping the few remaining Torgai survive. They had been certain the humans would return, the only question being when; while they were still alive or later. In anticipation they made sure Tommy, Jeff and Amanda were taught t
he human language and culture and provided what informal schooling they could. Now, since the agreements had been reached, the changes in the lives of all of them were starting. Tommy, Jeff, and Amanda would return to the colony with Kevin and the ten Torgai initially assigned to act as scouts for the colonists, where they would act as translators between the Torgai and the humans, and, for Jeff and Amanda at least, begin more formal schooling.
While they would miss them, Eric and Margie felt it essential that the three younger persons have exposure to the colony. They also felt it essential that the three receive some formal education beyond the limited education they had been able to provide. For now Eric and Margie would stay with the Torgai, along with seven troopers from Kevin's command stationed in an isolated post about a kilometer away; far enough to avoid accidental interaction, but close enough to allow rapid support.
Someday, perhaps, Eric and Margie agreed, they would return to the colony, but for now neither had any great desire to give up their life among the Torgai. Besides, the Torgai needed them, perhaps more now than ever.
The Torgai had readily agreed to provide hunters to help the humans hunt the Kraa, but as expected, were concerned with the safety of the village. It had taken hours of discussions to convince Barco, Hath, and the elders of the wisdom of moving to an area where they could be protected. Keeping a squad of troopers near the village was a particular bone of contention, but, eventually the Torgai agreed.
Selection of where to move turned out to be simple. After very little discussion the old village of Suth had been selected as the destination. While the Kraa had destroyed the village in their sweep years before, it was located in an area sufficiently isolated from where the Kraa roamed, especially now that most of the Kraa had retreated further to the north. If they ever did return in any force, it was also in range of the colony scoutplanes and VLVs.
Also, as an existing village it saved the Torgai the years of effort to construct new dens and common houses, but the really deciding factor was that Suth's village had been the ancestral village of the Torgai hundreds of years before, and it was only fitting that as the last Torgai they return to start again.
Resurrection: Book II: Settlement Chronicals Page 6
