by Candy Rae
With the beacons alight around the settlement, Stuart MacIntosh ordered the evacuation of the last outlying farms. Once the majority of the livestock had been freed there was a steady stream of refugees to be seen trudging towards the comparative safety of the settlement walls.
Sadly he watched as the groups arrived. Their Lind protectors escorted them to the gates then departed west towards the woods in order to rejoin their Lindars. He was pleased to note that many of these farmers and their families had grown attached to the Lind who had protected them over the last months. The children hugged their four-pawed friends and said tearful goodbyes, the older ones at least, well aware that their Lind were going into battle and that they might never see them again.
Kath stood by Stuart’s side. Being the human half of the main communications pair within the settlement they were rarely far away. Kath wished James was with her. She had to make do with third-hand messages from her lover, passed by Rozya through her daily mind links with Matvei.
“The Lindars are making good time,” she announced to Stuart. “The last of them will be here in two days. The Larg are taking longer than usual to make the crossing.”
“Mmmm,” muttered Stuart, “I expected them sooner rather than later.”
“The Lind know what they are doing,” comforted Kath, “though I think even they are surprised.”
“I have been reliably informed that the convicts have been making rafts to enable them to get their equipment over. That will hold them up. I only wish we knew exactly what the equipment is. The reports have been most unclear, probably because the Lind doesn’t fully understand what they are seeing. I don’t suppose the Larg are all that happy about the delay though.”
Matvei joined in at this point. “This is not usual,” he agreed.
The delay was causing some logistical headaches for the northern commanders. Stuart had realised that this problem might occur, and taken steps to counteract it. To enable the Lindars to be fed during the waiting period, he ordered, just in time, the farm holdings nearest to the settlement not to let loose their livestock but to drive them to a small valley some half mile north of the staging area. There, the animals waited slaughter in order to feed the thousands of Lind arriving. An adult Lind took a lot of provisioning.
When Jim and his fellow travellers arrived, he refused point blank to avail himself of Stuart’s offer of quarters in the settlement, preferring to remain with his troops. Furthermore, he insisted that Robert bring his infantry up the hill to join them at once. It would enable the men and women to get used to the mass of Lind encamped in the lian. Robert also used the time to good effect by practising battle tactics with the Lindars stationed to his immediate left and right so that when battle was joined both species would be used to the concept of fighting beside each other. The Lindars watched carefully as the infantry drilled, but were totally mystified when Robert ordered them to form a square in preparation for cavalry attack and found it difficult to understand what the manoeuvre was all about.
Jim filched the last reams of durapaper from the settlement and the final battle orders were prepared. All the human commanders had a copy. The Lind could not read, except Kolyei, but were verbally told the orders again and again and they committed them to memory. Each Lindar did have a vadeln-pair assigned to them and they each had a copy. Jim hoped that the youngsters would have the presence of mind to tell their Susa if they realised the plans were going awry.
Jim had done all he could; regular meetings were held but there was not much discussion about the war. They talked of the good things in life. The humans recounted tales of both Earth and life on the spaceship to a rapt audience of Lind. The Lind then told of life in their rtathlians. It was good to relax just a little.
The breathing space also gave Jim and Robert Lutterell a chance to catch up. Two evenings after Robert brought his infantry to join with the Lindars, the two men sat at their campfire mulling over the past year.
“It’s just a whimsy of mine,” began Jim with a smile, “but think what would have happened to us had our positions been reversed.”
“What do you mean?” asked a mystified Robert.
“Imagine if we had landed in the south and the convicts here, amongst the Lind.”
“Hadn’t thought about it.”
“Well,” Jim continued, “if we had survived the landing and there’s no reason why not, as the Electra obviously did…” He stopped, lost in thought.
“If we had landed in the south?” prompted Robert.
“…We would all be dead,” was Jim’s flat response. “The only reason I can see why the Larg have made friends with the prisoners is because they believe they will be useful to them. We would not have been so fortunate.”
“You have a point. And if the convicts stop being useful?”
“The Lind believe the Larg will turn on them. I agree.”
“Good,” said Robert. “I for one would rejoice.”
“And the women and children down there, what of them?”
Robert looked blank.
“And in the future?” pressed Jim, “when their children and children’s children are in danger. What then?”
“That is not our problem,” stated Robert. “Our problem is here and now. There might not be a future if we do not win this battle.”
Jim took a cautious sip of the beverage the colonists optimistically called tea. It was as far from the real thing as a vuz was from a rabbit. He added three teaspoons of sweetener and then another two, reflecting that he would much rather be drinking the caffeine drink the children served at Zanatei. It was called kala and tasted so much better.
He pushed the mug aside and pulled the map towards them.
“Are these contour lines correct?” he asked pointing at one section. “Maybe Larya and I should go and check.”
But Robert was thinking of something else, his face fixed in concentration. An unflappable man, Jim had always thought but with little imagination. He now surprised him.
“It’s not that I don’t care you know,” he said, “about the Electra children and I was as worried as you when our kids disappeared.”
“You were thinking, are thinking, of the welfare of us all,” Jim finished. “You think I didn’t realise that? Don’t tell me that with all that we are about to go through you are fretting about what I might think? Stop worrying. Now – these contour lines – I must make sure that this point has enough Lindars in place to hold no matter how many Larg attack it.”
“Relax man, you’ve done all you can. No one else could have accomplished what you have done, brought us here, set up the defences and planned it all out. With you in command everyone knows we will win.”
Jim remained quietly confident in public. Only Larya knew of his inner worries and wisely, she kept them to herself.
“I’ve never fought in a battle, never thought I ever would,” Jim fretted when they were alone. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m not afraid of dying.”
“I shall not allow you to find the blue pastures on your own,” Larya comforted him. She spoke in Lindish. By now Jim was as fluent as was Tara.
She then remembered what Zanatei and Afanasei had advised her. It was time to show Jim what war against the Larg entailed.
“I will show you if you will open mind,” she offered.
He started to breathe quicker as his mind and Larya’s became as one. He began to sweat and his body to tremble; so terrible was that which he was experiencing.
The images that Larya imparted to Jim were of horror, blood and carnage on a large scale. Jim also ‘felt’ what Larya had experienced during the last time the Lindar of rtath Zanatei had fought. He could almost smell the death and pain.
Then, just as he felt he was going to scream aloud, she cut the link and Jim dropped to his knees.
“How many times?” he managed to gasp out.
“Thrice have I fought and thrice have I survived,” she answered. She was sorry that she had had to do this to her partner, but if he was to lead
the northern army into battle, he had to know, of that she was sure. Better that he got over the shock of what war really was now and not during what was to come, when he would have to have a clear head and not be so full of sick shock to be an effective leader.
“I know that you can do this,” she said, “and you see now that we must fight and stop them. We shall be together, whatever happens. Now you must think of what I have said to you and harden yourself against feeling the pain and deaths of those that you love. After the battle comes the pain and the loss, not before.”
“I will do my utmost,” said Jim, rising from his knees.
“You will lead us to a great victory,” said Larya, pride in her voice.
* * * * *