Then the influx had stopped; now for nearly five years no new Torgai had been brought. Because, the Kraa said, all the other Torgai had been wiped from the land.
Ta scratched himself while he waited for the signal from the commander of the camp, a Kraa nearly as large as the members of Kraa-Ki's pack had been. A Kraa that Ta understood was also a daughter of Kraa-Ki herself, but an older daughter that had formed her own pack. When the Kraa leader signaled him to approach he would fulfill the daily ritual of crouching in a position of submission while the orders were given. But today was different. What Sula had accomplished had changed everything. While there were still free Torgai there was always hope.
And, in a large canyon nearby . . . .
The heavily wooded canyon, with its high protecting walls, was teeming with activity. Dozens of Kraa packs were gathered under the trees or moved in groups, while others were coming and going through the narrow pass to the east, bringing backpacks loaded with food and other supplies for the resident packs. In this remote location the supply of game was inadequate to supply so many hungry Kraa. But these packs were special, and even the Kraa who appeared to be at rest were in fact busy. Within each pack the Kraa who had received language training was busy teaching what she had learned to other pack members. Other Kraa were busy with what were in fact military maneuvers; learning to operate as a well drilled unit. In fact, the valley was a large school and training ground, as well as a haven from 'flat-face' attacks.
Kraa-Ki prowled restlessly from group to group, her personal pack in constant attendance, watching the activity. This, she thought with satisfaction as she watched the orchestrated movement of the packs, is what they could not accomplish without the Torgai. It was something she had envisioned years before, and had been a primary reason for her insistence on the Kraa adopting the more sophisticated Torgai language; in effect abandoning the limited Kraa language for a patois that combined with it elements of that of the Torgai. The move to this valley was made when it became clear even the northern forests were no longer safe from the 'flat-faces'. Less than two months before more than thirty packs had been destroyed by a fire from the sky which came in the middle of the night. Now, except in these mountain fastnesses, only roving hunting packs were safe; those hunting for game, and those hunting for isolated 'flat-faces'.
Located between two of the strings of mountains that rose to become the north-south range the valley and associated canyon was only accessible through a high, narrow pass guarded by Kraa patrols, and since they had moved their main concentration here they had not been molested or seen any of their flying machines. But then Kraa-Ki had thought the northern forests were safe, and had been proven wrong. If attacked here the only recourse was to make the long, difficult move to the eastern side of the rugged mountains.
But not now, not yet; she still had work to do here. Moving to an area isolated from the main activity Kraa-Ki stopped and sat back on her haunches, watching in satisfaction the progress of a different kind of pack she had established; a 'mixed pack'.
Each mixed pack contained one or more young Torgai who had been raised as Kraa. Raised as Kraa, they thought of themselves as Kraa, but with the added capabilities the Torgai provided. The ability to use weapons and run long distances at speeds the Kraa were incapable of. This, in Kraa-Ki's mind, was the future of the Kraa if they were to advance their culture. They could not depend forever on a few captive Torgai who must be constantly guarded. They would raise their own.
When first brought to the Kraa the young Torgai had been assigned to and raised by the leader of a pack; their 'Kraa-mother'. There, for several years they lived and were raised as Kraa until they had forgotten any Torgai heritage. At first there had been problems. Kraa-Ki hadn't realized how delicate the young Torgai were. Several died from rough handling by the Kraa-mother; others had sickened and died before she realized they were unable to stand the cold without warm clothing and protection from the elements. But now, following changes made in their care, it was going smoothly. When they reached the age of seven or eight their training began.
For training in special skills a group of six middle aged Torgai males and six middle aged Torgai females had been removed from the Torgai compound and isolated in a special, heavily guarded camp near the valley. These were the instructors who taught the young Kraa-Torgai the special skills the Kraa were incapable of. To ensure no contamination of the young Torgai occurred these instructors were only allowed to communicate with the young Torgai for the limited purpose of teaching and in the presence of a Kraa guard who understood basic Torgai. The young Torgai males were taught how to use the Torgai weapons, primarily the spear thrower, and the additional skills of Torgai hunting methods and weapon making. The young Torgai females were instructed in the arts of fire making, crop planting and cultivation, and how to make the goods the Kraa wanted, which had previously only been available from the captive Torgai compound.
The mixed packs had already shown their worth, thought Kraa-Ki. The hunting method of the Torgai, which was to chase and run their prey to exhaustion, making them easy for the kill, had proven its worth. The Kraa themselves, while capable of short bursts of speed, lacked the ability of the Torgai to sustain a high speed for a long period. Kraa packs with the older Torgai males had adopted a form of these tactics. The Torgai pack-member would herd groups of animals to where the Kraa pack was hidden, simplifying the kill. The spear-throwers of the Torgai pack members also allowed taking smaller, fleeter animals the Kraa could not normally catch. Once a Torgai male reached the age where he could hunt his pack rarely went hungry.
Someday, Kraa-Ki thought, there will no longer be a need for keeping the Torgai in the Torgai compound alive. The older of the young Torgai, those five or six years old in the first year of removal from the compound, had now reached the age of thirteen and fourteen, and were able to do much of the instruction of the younger Torgai, supplementing the group of Torgai instructors. The next step of Kraa-Ki's plan was about to start. Since the oldest of the Torgai had reached maturity they were ready to mate.
The oldest of the young Torgai belonged to Kraa-Kuk's pack, and Kraa-Kuk had been told to arrange for the mating. Unfortunately, this had led to considerable confusion, and showed a gap in their knowledge of the Torgai. Neither Kraa-Ki, Kraa-Kuk, nor any of the other Kraa knew anything about Torgai mating customs. If they were at all similar to that of the Kraa it could be dangerous for the male. Among the Kraa the smaller males were often killed during the mating frenzy; in fact, a male rarely survived mating with Kraa-Ki. But the young male Torgai were too valuable to risk.
Kraa-Ki's solution to their lack of knowledge was simple. She called for two Torgai instructors, one male and one female, to be brought to her and ordered them to mate with each other so she could see how it was done. The procedure seemed to have little danger for the male, so she decided that, as soon as Kraa-Kuk and her pack returned from their current trip the mating would take place. However, realizing the young Torgai were ignorant of how to mate, Kraa-Ki decided that was an added area of instruction for the Torgai instructors.
Ever cautious, however, Kraa-Ki decided that a Kraa guard would stand by during the mating to ensure the female could not harm the larger male, although it seemed very unlikely. Still, while she lacked claws, she did have sharp teeth.
Slowly but surely Kraa customs were changing. Normally a Kraa pack consisted of the mother, daughters, and one or two sons. The females did all the hunting and fighting, while the male was tolerated as a 'necessary' hanger-on. Now not all excess males were killed, with some put to use as all-male packs under a dominant female and used as porters to haul supplies. And soon, now that the breeding was about to start, she would start to incorporate the mixed packs into her campaigns, but only selectively. Their use as scouts would extend her capability, and their throwing spears added a new dimension. Perhaps they could even learn to use the weapons captured from the flat-faces.
And, in the narrow pass approaching
the valley . . . .
Kraa-Kuk-T loped easily at the side of his Kraa-mother, running at a slower than he was capable of to allow the Kraa pack to keep pace without tiring. Behind, the members of the pack followed, and behind that several male packs heavily laden with meat from the recent kills. Kraa-Kuk was only part of his name, since it was the name of the pack leader, with all the members of the pack having the same name, differentiated by pronunciation and movements which denoted status in the pack. In his case, the Kraa-Kuk of whom we speak was its Torgai member, Kraa-Kuk-T, a Kraa-Torgai. Now a full fourteen years of age Kraa-Kuk-T was a full fledged hunter and fighter, skilled with the throwing spear and fluent in the language.
Over the years Kraa-Kuk-T had become Kraa. He knew he was different from the members of his pack, except for his one pack-sister who looked like him, and also different from most of the members of the other packs. He didn't understand why he was allowed to be a full member of the pack while the other males, the regular Kraa that ran on four feet, weren't allowed to hunt and had to exist on scraps. But then, he could do things none of the four-footed Kraa could do. He could make and use the spears and spear-throwers. He could dig the flint and make spearheads. He could outdistance any pack when he wanted, and run for hours without tiring. While the other Kraa could bring down large game with their teeth and claws, he could outpace and kill many other kinds of game, and kill from a distance.
Yes, he was a little different, but so were some of the members of the other packs who looked like him. But still, they were Kraa.
Another unusual thing was the different treatment afforded the Torgai female in his pack. She never left the canyon, even when the pack went on trips, and wasn't allowed to hunt. Instead she stayed in the canyon under the supervision of a special group of Kraa-mothers. Only when the pack returned did she return to her home pack.
Kraa-Kuk-T glanced at his Kraa-mother running at his side. He had been told when he returned from this trip he was to mate with a Kraa-Torgai female, the first of the Kraa-Torgai to be given that right. This had him worried. He had seen mating among the Kraa, but knew nothing of what was expected of him. The Kraa approach clearly wouldn't work; both he and the female lacked the sharp claws to fasten to the other. He also didn't know if the Kraa-Torgai female would kill him as had happened to most of the male Kraa in his pack. This didn't, however, seem likely. Kraa-Torgai females were much smaller than he was and he didn't see how one could hurt him. But he was still nervous.
Kraa-Kuk-T had become fully a Kraa. He accepted them as his people, but sometimes thoughts surfaced that he didn't fully understand. Memories, or dreams, of a different time, of a mother and father who looked much like him, of a different existence.
But that, thought Kraa-Kuk-T, could not be. It must be a dream of things he had imagined. He had always been a Kraa, raised and protected by his Kraa-mother.
CHAPTER 7: Contact
(November 14, Year 20): Kevin checked his watch; it was already 8:45 A.M. and New Athens was still not in view. Below the undulating savanna extended to the west, finally ending in a streak of blue where the ocean began. The low hum of the scoutplane engine had a relaxing effect, making it difficult to keep his eyes open. By the time he arrived in camp from the night operation the scoutplane had been at the landing strip waiting for him, and he hadn't even had time to change clothes. The flight had lasted through the night and Kevin had managed to doze most of the way, including during the short stop enroute.
"About 20-25 minutes and we should be on the ground," the pilot commented. "Sorry about being late."
Kevin nodded without comment, watching the scene passing below. He wished he had time for something to eat before the meeting. He hadn't had anything since noon the day before, and the sudden call hadn't allowed the luxury of a late supper the night before.
At this time of the morning the bleakness of the savanna disappeared; the low sun making long shadows that highlighted each rise and depression. The scattered clusters of trees, especially those lining the winding creeks and small rivers, highlighted the otherwise dull sameness. Even the herds of animals grazing on the rich grass were highlighted by their shadows. Within minutes different patterns began to appear below; occasional signs of disturbed soil, and off to the right, near the bank of a small river, a building seemingly connected to the west by an umbilical of vehicle tracks. Over a hill to the west a column of three landrovers came into view, winding their way down toward where the building was located.
Soon the buildings of New Athens began to come into view, clustered inland from the ocean, a cluster which seemed to have increased in size during the weeks he had been gone. New Athens from this altitude almost had the appearance of a 'barbell', with the old colony section constituting one end and the new the other, connected by a road along which buildings were beginning to appear. The ocean shore a short distance from 'old New Athens' had lost its pristine appearance, with buildings, piers, and partially constructed ships standing out.
The scoutplane began to reduce speed and lose altitude as it turned to approach the landing area which had come into view southeast of the 'new New Athens' end of the barbell. On the ground sat one VLV, dwarfing a nearby cluster of scoutplanes and landrovers parked near a set of hangers. Lining up on one of the two short runways, the east-west orientation, the pilot expertly guided the scoutplane to a smooth landing and taxied over to the hanger area and cut the engine.
Kevin jumped to the ground and jogged over to the waiting landrover. Settling into the seat beside the driver, Kevin motioned to head out. Colonel Gardner hadn’t said why he was being called back, but the earlier ‘heads up’ call from Lieutenant Kelso saying he should wait at the base until notified pretty much told the story; it was something important. He only hoped that, whatever it was, it wouldn’t interfere with their operation; they were in the middle of a sweep of the sector to the northeast of New Athens near the foothills, and he didn't like leaving the men.
Well, he certainly hoped it was worth the trouble. Dirty and grimy from over ten days in the field, Kevin wished he had time for a quick shower and change of clothes, but the meeting had been scheduled for 9:00 and already he was late.
The short drive from the landing area to the new section of New Athens was a matter of minutes along the bumpy, dirt road. Ever since the last of the equipment and supplies had been landed maintenance of the road had become a second priority, with completion of the new section and repair of the old sections of the town, plus construction of the harbor facilities, taking precedence.
The speed of the changes never ceased to amaze Kevin. During his absence new buildings had been added, additional areas leveled for even more construction, and a paved road now connected the new and old areas of the town. As they crossed a rise the harbor area became visible where the docks were nearing completion, and, on the shore the hulls of the first two sea-going ships were nearly complete. The entire area was changing from an encampment to a bustling, organized community.
Shortly they reached the nearly empty parking lot of the administrative module and the landrover braked rapidly in front of the entrance. Stepping quickly from the vehicle, with a wave of thanks to the driver, Kevin walked rapidly into the building, nodding to several acquaintances, and proceeded down the hallway to the conference room. Opening the door and entering Kevin noted the other occupants, obviously waiting for him. They included Colonel Sophie Gardner, Captain Yitzhak Meyer, Dr. Tanya Moore, and Eric Moffa. Also present was Governor Maesaka.
The makeup of the meeting came as a surprise to Kevin. He had thought he had been called back for a meeting with Colonel Gardner and possibly other members of her staff, but that obviously wasn't the case. The presence of Dr. Moore, head of the colony technical staff, Eric Moffa, and also Governor Maesaka himself, said something else was in the wind.
As Kevin pulled back a chair and sat down he nodded to the others, and commented, "sorry about being late, and so dirty and smelly, but I just got off the scoutplane.
I hope you can stand me."
"No problem," Takai responded, as he also pulled up a chair and sat down, "we know this was short notice. Since we're running late, I'd like to get started. I know you have to get back as soon as possible, as does Eric here. The meeting was requested by Eric about a situation that has just developed. I'll let him comment directly on what it’s all about."
Eric nodded, and leaned forward. "Something happened at the Torgai village the night before last that called for immediate attention. I radioed in yesterday morning, and Colonel Gardner sent a VLV to pick me up.”
“As you may know, the Torgai shamen have always been able to communicate with each other while in a dream state. We don't understand the process, and only a few Torgai have developed the ability; but as a result shamen are able to keep all villages up to date. Following destruction of the bulk of the Torgai by the Kraa, Barco tried to keep the network alive, but gradually they lost contact, and four or five years age the net went dead; there appeared to be no other Torgai shamen left with whom to communicate.”
“But there's been a new development. Earlier this week Barco disclosed he thought he had detected an attempt to communicate with him. Then, the night before last he was able to 'catch' the mind and succeed in, as he called it, 'tie it into the net', and is now in full communication with this other Torgai."
Kevin raised his eyebrows and glanced at Colonel Gardner, "I'm afraid, while interesting, I fail to see the emergency nature of finding another Torgai."
Colonel Gardner leaned forward, "apparently it isn't just another Torgai, but a group of about 300. The real point of interest is they're captives of the Kraa, and have been for about ten years; used as slave labor."
Governor Maesaka added, "not only as slave labor, but as farming and manufacturing labor. Apparently the Kraa are using them to supply items they're incapable of making, and also to teach the Kraa the Torgai language. This points to how much we may have underestimated the Kraa; they are clearly exploiting the Torgai to improve themselves.”
Resurrection: Book II: Settlement Chronicals Page 8
