A Long Time Until Now - eARC

by Michael Z. Williamson

  Spencer said, “Goddamn, it never ends. We’ll have the locals help drag firewood and we’ll cut.”

  Elliott asked, “You said eight cords, based on some event?”

  “Yes, sir. It should be more than enough, since we’re already six weeks into heating season. We have a cord or more at present, but we’ve been burning it as fast as we stack it.”

  “That’s a lot of goddamned wood.”

  “Yup. Saw the thinner sections, break what we can, chop the rest. We’ll have the Urushu help.”

  Bob said, “I need to start smoking more bacon, then smoking and drying every damned thing we can kill. Get me hardwood I can make chips from.”

  “Will do.”

  “Goddamit!” Ortiz shouted.

  “What?” Spencer asked, reaching for his carbine.

  “The Urushu who left yesterday killed another goat and dragged it off. We really need to teach them about property rights.”

  Bob snickered. “You’re going to need at least five thousand years for that. They really don’t get it. From their point of view, these goats are close and easy, there are plenty of others, and of course good neighbors would share anyway.”

  Alexander said, “The first livestock raids.”

  Spencer said, “Yup. And in twelve thousand years, the Irish will turn it into a saga.”

  Bob turned back to the kitchen. He had cooking to do if they wanted dinner, and apparently, a crapton of firewood to chop.

  He was going to have awesome pecs and shoulders before long.

  CHAPTER 21

  Winter had come up fast. The frost turned to snow the next morning. It blew and eddied around the kitchen, and they huddled on their chairs and benches.

  Sean Elliott wished he knew more about the climate here. Everyone had cold weather gear, but would the weather be cold or arctic? How wet? What would they have to do? How would they stay busy?

  “I know everyone wants to crawl back into the tent, but we’ve got to keep working. Gina’s got the project list. We’re managing.”

  Alexander had a spreadsheet of food, consumption, fuel, and date estimates. She kept the solar panels charging, though they were less effective this time of year.

  Ortiz had organized the gathering of heaps of hay and greenery as fodder for the goats, and a windbreak for them that would protect two sides plus offer a bit of overhead. It was woven twigs, as they’d eat any actual thatch or green. The Urushu didn’t seem to grasp the concept of keeping or shielding goats, so they just said it was some of Alexander’s animal magic and they accepted that.

  “I hope you don’t mind us crediting her,” he told Ortiz.

  Ortiz shrugged. “As long as they goats are warm and we’re eating, I’m cool with it. By the way, I think we can make pancakes, when we milk a goat. I don’t know what to use for syrup or jam, though.”

  “Just a straight pancake sounds great.” Who knew you could miss bread so much, and have too much meat for comfort? But they did. Bread was taken for granted in the modern world. When someone said, “The greatest thing since sliced bread,” they had no idea what a compliment they were offering.

  One idea occurred to him. “I have a small but useful project,” he said.

  Dalton was first to reply, “Yes, LT?”

  “I want a bunch of small rocks and gravel from the stream. We’ve already done inside and outside the tepee door. I want a walkway starting at the outhouse, working this way.”

  “When do you want it done?”

  “I realize it won’t happen all at once. I’d say get a good five feet done, and the rest can be a handful every time someone goes. And I know it’s getting cold, but I don’t want any stinking piss behind the tent. Everyone goes to the stream, hooah?”

  “Hooah. Then let’s get all hands on it for a half hour or so.”

  With shovels and boots they got a good pad laid out. Eventually he’d like to add slaked lime and sand and let it concretize.

  “When we run out of gravel, we’ll have to sift more from the stream, or crack slate and other rocks to use. That needs to go on the task list.”

  “Got it, sir,” Alexander said.

  It was sobering how much their productivity had increased with Urushu help. A few more bodies made that much difference. They’d make even more now, he realized, clutching his stinging hands. The wind was cold.

  He really wanted a recon of the Neolithics, to keep an eye on them, but that posed a danger. So did not doing so, though. He thought back to the fight and having to slice the poor fuckers’ throats. He didn’t want to do that again.

  “I’m detailing Oglesby and Trinidad to take a discreet look at the Neolithics. I want an intel assessment, and Oglesby’s in case of any contact. I need one more experienced sneak to go along.”

  “Me,” Spencer said.

  Alexander said, “Photos, sir.”

  “You’re sick list, Gina. I’d love to send you as well, but I want someone who’s fit for backup or running.”

  “Yes, sir. I understand.” She scowled in disappointment. Her foot was mostly healed, but she still limped. It was building up scar tissue, too.

  “Why you, Spencer?”

  “I can shoot, I can run, I can fight, and I’m one hell of a sneak. And I know what I’m looking at as far as their development. It should be me or Barker. We need his knowledge here.”

  That made sense. “Good case. Do it. Get any phone photos you can. Tell me what they’re up to and what they’re planning. Try to avoid contact. Can you overnight?”

  “It’ll be cold, but yes. We should be able to get in closer, and we have NVG.”

  Alexander said, “Take too many photos. I’ll sort them later, and organize them for Trinidad. Make sure they’re timestamped. Any notes you can record help.”

  “Hooah. So let’s grab some goat jerky. Can we take one magazine each, sir?”

  “Yes, with ten rounds each.”

  “Roger. We better not need more than that.”

  “Disengage if it’s not safe. There’s nothing I need to know about them worth sacrificing anyone, or more than a couple of rounds of ammo. And I’d rather be on good terms if we can, or at least neutral, not actively hostile.”

  “Roger that.”

  Felix was glad to finally be doing his job. He’d wanted to look at the various native settlements the whole time. That first visit to the Urushu had been a blast, watching their lifestyles, gestures, movements.

  This was even a combat-related function now, with the hostile Neolithics.

  They walked west, wrapped in goretex and hats. He wished for long underwear. It was frigid with the wind blasting through the cloth of his uniform.

  The ground and grass crunched underfoot, and they had to avoid occasional frozen puddles. There hadn’t been a lot of rain, but it had settled in low spots.

  “I wonder if this would have been easier down by the river on the game paths,” he said.

  Spencer stopped in mid step.

  “Shit, son, you’re right. It would have been, and that’s pretty much how everyone approaches us. We should have the gate on the downhill side, too. That way they’re attacking uphill against it.”

  “Yeah.”

  “Hell, we can fix that next year or the year after. Gah.”

  Oglesby said, “It’s all work, all the time. Forever.”

  Spencer said, “Interspersed with movies, music and masturbation.”

  “No shit,” Oglesby said as he threw a chunk of stick. “We need women.”

  “Yeah, but some of us are still missing our families. They’re not dead, just not born yet. Somewhere they exist. I . . . dunno.”

  They were silent for a while, moving over the terrain, stopping to whiz, then continuing. It was cold and was going to be a short day.

  Spencer said, “I want to head uphill and possibly around. It’s unlikely they’ll expect us from the far side.”

  That was a longer hike, but made sense.

  “Probably. Are we going to lo
ok first?”

  “First, last and always. Have you done any infiltration exercises, or hunting?”

  He shrugged and grinned. “PI, man. You learn to be quiet around some of the toughs.”

  Spencer nodded. “Roger. Oglesby?”

  “Not really. I went hunting once and didn’t spook anything.”

  “What were you hunting?”

  “Rabbits.”

  “That’s pretty good. Do you mind hanging back and covering us if need be?”

  “Sure.”

  “We want to get Trinidad in close.”

  Felix said, “Actually, I can do a lot of it from photos. Close visuals are a nice plus for context and possible HUMINT.”

  Spencer actually seemed to listen to him, which was cool.

  “Do we want to get them in daylight, or wait for night?”

  He said, “People will be around in daylight. At night we can get closer and look at resources.”

  “Right, but remember they have dogs.”

  Good point. “Yeah, we’ll need to avoid spooking them. Downwind?”

  “Crap, that’s on the open side, or else we stay uphill.”

  Oglesby said, “I’m more concerned about lions in daytime and wolves at night.”

  He shrugged. It wasn’t going to be easy.

  Spencer eased into a crouch, then down behind scrub, without disturbing it much. Felix followed, Oglesby was just behind, moving slightly aside to avoid bunching up too much. They were about two meters apart each.

  “See something?”

  Spencer said, “No, I just want to make sure we don’t get seen. We’re within two miles. It gets slower from here.” He raised his rifle and sighted through a large optic that probably wasn’t issue.

  “Hooah.”

  After scanning with the glass, Spencer said, “Okay, let me know if you see anything, and when you want to take over. Let’s move cautiously, avoid making silhouettes or bunching up, and head for that rock crop over there.”

  From brush to rock to brush again, they moved in closer. At each hide they waited several minutes and looked around for possible hunting parties.

  “Didn’t the Urushu mostly hunt in the woods?”

  He replied, “Yes, that’s probably easier with spears.”

  “I won’t ask how you know that. What about with the bows?”

  “They could do open ground, too, but it’s easier to hide and corral something in woods.”

  Spencer nodded. “I only ever used mine on targets.”

  They got within a half mile, and Spencer said, “I want to chicken out and stay here for a while.”

  “Okay. Makes sense.”

  Spencer was tall, but slid easily under the bush and disappeared in shadow. He reclined, looked quite comfortable, and raised his rifle again.

  Lowering it, he said, “Looks good. The hunters seem to be sticking to the woods. A couple of our casualties are still limping.”

  “Am I correct they’re all wearing pants and coats?”

  “They seem to have leather leggings belted on, and tunics. Leather hats. They’re wearing a lot of leather. Want a SALUTE report?”

  “It wouldn’t hurt if you want to log one.”

  “My phone doesn’t record. Does yours?”

  “Sure, here.”

  Spencer fumbled with it, snapped a photo, and started recording. “Neolith camp. Estimate three five adult males, two five adult females. Most of the females are taller, suggesting Urushu. Common daytime activity including preparing meals and scraping hides. Visible weapons include spears and light bows, probably under four zero pounds draw.” He ended the report and handed the phone back.

  “How did I do?”

  “You didn’t mention the pen of six dogs, the animal pens with goats, antelope and birds with cropped wings. They’ve cleared an area for farming. They have different fish traps from the Urushu. They’re working much more together and under direction. They’re more industrious overall. I see a large pit that might contain fruit. They’ve built quite a bit more than Gina saw in her photos two weeks ago.”

  “And that’s why you’re the expert. Anything, Oglesby?”

  “It’s definitely expanded. I think they’ve added more huts, too. Those are cruder than the Urushu, actually.”

  “They probably had seasonal migrations back home. Huts in a couple of locations. I think it may be supposed to get colder again in their time, and smaller huts hold heat better. Or it could be that more work on herding and farming means less time building.”

  Felix said, “They’ve built up that wall, and they have all those drying frames for food. They’re smoking a lot of fish very fast.”

  Spencer asked, “Those small mounds, are those burials for the dead they dragged back?”

  “I think so.”

  Oglesby said, “Can’t blame them for preparing for winter.”

  Felix said, “They seem to have food covered, and a source for hides. Fuel isn’t a problem. They’re short of women. Either they have to double up, bunk with men, or they’ll be aggressively looking for more. They want at least one female each, ideally. These don’t seem to be the same tribe as was here. I think they found others.”

  “They’ve done that once already. This doesn’t makes sense. They seem to have been a hunting party. Few women. But they act like they have proto-herding and proto-agriculture.”

  “They didn’t have those?”

  Spencer said, “That area’s now under ocean. We don’t know. Farming had started in the Fertile Crescent, but it took quite some time to reach up there.”

  Oglesby asked, “Is it farming supplemented with hunting like the Native Americans?”

  “Must be. They could have been after something big. Buffalo or mammoth. Oglesby, what time of year was it for them?”

  “When they came through? I gather it was a similar season. They didn’t say, but didn’t mention it. Would they have mammoths if they’re later than us?”

  “Farther north, there are mammoths right now. I think they might still exist then. If not, a large, all-male group would be hunting something else large. Aurochs at least, and planning to carry them back in chunks. Buffalo. Something.”

  Spencer asked, “Do you see any signs of baskets?”

  Felix scanned with the scope. “I see a couple, and a fishing net, if that is similar.” The baskets were being used to carry fish from the drying fire to a storage hut.

  “That’s crochet rather than weaving. We guess that women did work like that while men were hunting, but we don’t know. It could have been more egalitarian.”

  Oglesby said, “Well, that will make Sergeant Caswell happy.”

  “Actually it would make me happy. It means they won’t be desperate for women to fill in positions.”

  Felix said, “If they want women, they aren’t much of a threat to us.” Although they seemed to really like blondes and redheads.

  “No, but they may like our location. It’s not ideal for gathering, but it’s pretty good for ranching or farming. We also have that awesome wall.”

  He nodded. “I’m also concerned that they haven’t been back in violence or peace. Ignoring us is not what I’d expect.”

  “Yeah. They’ll be back at some point.”

  Felix said, “I think that’s all I need. Are we leaving now, or overnighting?”

  Spencer said, “It’s cold. We can overnight, but we can’t have a fire. But we could get closer with night vision. Will getting closer help?”

  “Not especially. They’ve got a lightly walled village, plenty of resources except women, which they’re developing fast, and we know they can be aggressive.”

  He summarized out loud for their benefit, and to help him remember as he took photos. “Two meter separation between huts. Probably very flammable, since they’re grass-lined and supported with sticks. They seem to have two adults per dwelling and few children. I think I’ve counted ten, maybe twelve. That means they only captured women, or killed children. I’d bet
the first. The camp is mostly soft targets. The wall is close cover only. They don’t seem to keep a regular watch, but do remain armed with bows and spears nearby. I don’t see any temple or centerpiece, but I do see a probable head man, in that hut to the north. They all seem reasonably well fed.”

  Something struck him.

  “Oh . . . I don’t see any older people. No one infirm needing support. The Urushu do that. So either none came with them or they got rid of any locals, or both. They’re staying close to the camp as it gets dark, and the terrain wear doesn’t suggest a lot of travel outside the penned areas.”

  Spencer said, “And I saw all that, except the old people, but didn’t note most of it. Thanks very much.”

  Oglesby asked, “Will they be herding on our plains next year?”

  “Likely. We’ll need some diplomacy come spring.”

  Spencer said, “Then if you’re done, let’s slide out and head back. We can move to a run once we’re over that ridge.”

  Oglesby said, “We have lions.”

  Felix looked over his shoulder.

  “Oh, tangina,” he swore.

  It was a lioness with two half-grown cubs. It was weird to see them in a cold climate, but they did have fur coats.

  Spencer said, “Okay, carefully, get guns on them. If you have to shoot, make sure you hit the goddam face. A lot.”

  “They’re awful close to a settlement.”

  “Well out of spear range, and the female prey attract male prey. They’re not going to be afraid.”

  “I am.”

  “Okay, we’re going to walk out slowly, stand up and be as big as possible. Watch your thighs. Armor helps with the torso, but our legs are exposed. We’re going to spread up as wide as we can, move toward them and spread out slightly so we have good field of fire. They should decide we’re too many and too big to mess with. Otherwise, we shoot if they charge.”

  Felix said, “They may squat down like a cat about to pounce.”

  “Yeah, that,” agreed Spencer.

  The lioness didn’t seem sure how to respond. The men stood, stood tall, stepped apart, and following Spencer’s lead, raised an arm up high. She hesitated, stepping back and forth, darting but not pouncing.