As they entered the village the Torgai walking beside Eric pointed out some of the differences in coloring and clothing that distinguished the various clans. Several of the leaders walking beside Hath, and some of crowd that had developed, wore clothing very similar to those of Hath's Torgai; those, as was explained to Eric, were members of the Clan of Kraka. Glancing at Suth, Eric noted that while his coloring was that of Hath, his dress was considerably different. His waist wrap was made from the skin of a short-haired, faun-colored animal. That, the Torgai explained, was the symbol of the Clan of Shema, the largest of the Torgai clans. The skin was that of the large saber-toothed cats that the colonists had named the 'Moffa Cat', the totem of the Shema Clan; the totem of most of the Torgai of the northern mountains. Hath's Clan of Kraka concentrated in the highlands nearer and north and south of the Great River. The other major clan, the Kraa Clan, were further to the north, and few of their leaders had as yet arrived. They were distinguished by their dark brown waist wrap, the skin of a Kraa.
Once in the village Eric could see how much its size dwarfed that of Hath's village, with hundreds of den mouths and fire holes, and thousands of Torgai. The village itself was at the edge of the eastern slope with den mouths extending several hundred meters upward. Apparently no other village even came close to matching it in size or, legend said, in age. Eric had been told that, as Torgai villages go, even Hath's village with its over 150 dens, would be considered large. Most Torgai villages were only a few dozen dens, over 100 a rarity.
At what appeared to be the center of the clusters of burrows Hath's party stopped and, surrounded now by many hundreds of Torgai, lowered Barco to the ground and removed their packs. Hath motioned for Eric to accompany him to one of the den-mouths a short distance away, and, as they entered the den, was told by Hath he would be staying there with him, a guest in Suth's den. Telling him to stay, Hath and Suth left the den and, with Barco and his two attendants supporting him, entered the den mouth next to Suth's. This was the den of Cormandai, the shaman, where Barco would stay. Now, before they rested, they would have their first meeting with Cormandai. The leaders had much to discuss before the council started.
CHAPTER 14: Watching and Waiting
(October 20, Year 2; New Athens): Back and forth, back and forth. Hath-Boc swung himself in long, crutch-assisted strides from one end of the room, a turn, and back. Three strides across, and three strides back. Only two days before Margie had brought him the crutch to try, and he had rapidly mastered its use. His own people used similar things. It was just the thing to improve his spirits, knowing he had the ability to move on his own and wasn't dependant on others for everything.
As the guard unlocked the door and let Tommy in, Hath-Boc retreated to the far corner and, putting the crutch beside him, crouched with his attention on Tommy. Tommy walked over and sat in the opposite corner with his hands resting on his knees, saying nothing. They both sat quietly for several minutes before Hath-Boc initiated a conversation by using hand motions, which Tommy watched carefully before attempting to respond. This had become a daily ritual, each trying to learn something of the others language.
Shortly after Hath-Boc was brought to New Athens Margie had brought Tommy to visit, thinking Hath-Boc might respond better to someone younger and smaller who didn't pose a threat. She was right, Hath-Boc seemed to enjoy having Tommy around. At first Tommy spent time with Hath-Boc out of curiosity, and because Margie had asked him to; but now he spent most of his time there because it was fun, and he wanted to.
Communication had been difficult at first, mostly by signs, which wasn't very effective. Later Hath-Boc had coached him in the Torgai language, teaching him some of the rudimentary sounds. While Hath-Boc could make some of the human word-sounds, his mouth and voice box didn't seem able to handle anything very meaningful. His understanding of the human language was, however, reasonably good from Eric's teachings, and he had experience in teaching Torgai to Eric.
Tommy liked Hath-Boc, and thought of him as one of his few friends. There were few other youngsters in the colony near his age, and he guessed Hath-Boc, in spite of his height, wasn't yet an adult. Shortly after Tommy started his daily visits Hath-Boc had managed to communicate Eric's name to him, and that he was alive and lived with them far to the south. Realizing its importance, Tommy had immediately told Margie, who had passed the information on to Colin. But in spite of all the efforts by Tommy and Margie, Hath-Boc was either unwilling or unable to communicate the whereabouts of his village, perhaps being afraid the humans would go there and kill his people like they had done before. Perhaps it was because of that prior experience that Hath-Boc refused to try to communicate with any of the adult personnel of the colony, restricting any shows of acceptance to Tommy, Margie, and to a certain extent Sonja.
Today Tommy had permission to take Hath-Boc outside. They had done that once before and Hath-Boc had liked the break from his confinement. This afternoon the guard had agreed to drive Tommy, Margie, and Hath-Boc up to the grove of trees on the hill overlooking New Athens and let them spend the afternoon. Hath-Boc needed the sun and the feeling of openness to alleviate his confinement. Additionally, this would be his first opportunity to practice with his crutch outside the confines of his room.
Hath-Boc pushed himself to his full height, balancing on his one leg, and using the wall for support hopped over to where Tommy was sitting and crouched beside him. He felt the need for companionship. His people, the Torgai, were used to their small, cramped dens filled with other people, and being alone for long periods was unfamiliar to him. Besides, he thought of Tommy as a smaller, younger version of Eric, who was his friend. Sitting together in the corner the two of them spent their time practicing each other's language, but also to learn or teach anything else their limited communication ability allowed. For Boc this was more than just curiosity, he was driven by his desire to learn all he could to help protect his people.
Elsewhere . . .
The conference room had become crowded with the entry of the final group of people, all chairs taken with the overflow standing against the walls, before Colin motioned to close the door and for everyone to quiet down. "This morning," he started, “I want to get through the final briefing session on the alien situation. This seems like a good time since the survey of the island where the aliens, rather the natives, were discovered is now complete. Everyone appears to be here, so Buchan, can you start by updating us on your findings?"
Buchan rose and walked to the front of the room. "As you are all aware, I was in charge of the latest Argonaut voyage to investigate the site of the recent incident with the natives. The information we gathered fits pretty much with what John brought back, but since we had more time and special equipment were able to develop more detail. First," Buchan said, "there was no sign of a return of the natives after the incident; the bodies of the dead still scattered around, with some still in the pool along with the giant lobster. Our first step was to remove the bodies and give them a decent burial, but unfortunately the body of the lobster was too large to remove. We were also able to locate the main trail from the ceremonial site to the east shore of the island, where evidence of boat landings and a lot of recent activity was present, but for now at least the island has been abandoned."
Continuing, "later, when we left, we circled the island and went up the major channel of the river delta for about 50 kilometers, but found no signs of landing places or trails. During high tide there is little land above water, while at low tide there are large areas of mud flats, with the entire delta a maze of confusing and intersecting channels and dead end lagoons. While we have no direct evidence, we can only conclude the natives at the island were from upriver, and probably from fairly far inland. This isn't surprising, since the daily and seasonal flooding makes the delta itself inhospitable" Glancing over at Colin, "unfortunately, we never made it all the way to the main river, and finding a navigable channel will require another trip."
"Second," he continued, "r
eturning to the island itself. The pool area was investigated and photographed, with detailed records of all the pillar engravings, and other engravings as well. Originally very deeply incised into the stone, most of the inscriptions are heavily weathered, some almost completely worn away. They're clearly very old, and, since from what we've seen the natives appear pretty primitive, who built the site is open to speculation. Initial tests indicate the site dates back 2,000 to 2,500 years, certainly no more recent than that.
“Without knowledge of the language spoken by the writers it's going to prove extremely difficult, if not impossible, to decipher the text itself; at least with the resources we have here. As to any conclusions reached on their source Alicia Cohn can better answer questions you may have. In any case, the engravings are definitely script, not just decorations.
The pool itself is quite interesting. While we found debris and mud covering the bottom, below that it was finished in stone blocks similar to those used for the sides and adjacent walkways. We also found debris piles back in the forest, probably the result of pool cleaning. We were not, however, able to find the source of the stone used. There is no sign of a quarry on the island, and it’s likely the stone was transported to the island from the mainland. Difficult, but not impossible, even for a stone age culture."
Following the update Colin again took the floor. "As most of you have heard by now we have determined Eric is, or was, still alive at the time of the incident, and was held by some of the natives, who refer to themselves as Torgai; and the survivor we hold is from their village. We also know that village is far to the east at the base of the mountains, and we assume south of the river, since that fits with the location where Eric was captured and the direction the trail took from there. However, captive might no longer be the proper term, since he appears to have been partly assimilated into the life of the village.
We can't predict whether the incident on the island will change the Torgai treatment of Eric or even have caused him to be killed. In any case it's unlikely he could or would be allowed to return on his own. Unfortunately that entire area is beyond scout plane range, so we know little more, only the general terrain from the orbital photos. A primary question we will have to address is what, if anything, we should do about attempting a rescue.
And," Colin added, "what the colony's posture, in general, should be related to the Torgai."
Following roughly a half hour of general discussion, the meeting adjourned.
Later . . . .
Colin remained sitting at the head of the table in the conference room, shuffling the papers in front of him, as Carter waited. The colonization board had been meeting since early afternoon and had just adjourned, with Colin asking Carter to remain. Nothing was said for several minutes. "Well, Carter, what do you think?" Colin asked, glancing up.
Carter responded, "I think you've go a tiger by the tail."
Colin shrugged, "but what do we do about Eric? Now that we know he's alive we can't do nothing, the people just wouldn't stand for it. It's a very touchy situation."
Carter nodded, "I know. But after what happened at the island we could lose any party we send. We have no idea of what the strength of the Torgai really is, or what their current attitude is. But at least we pretty much know where the search would have to start; and I expect if followed the trail from the river would lead to the village."
Colin shook his head, "but we can't afford to lose people, particularly key people. What do we use? A small group from the security forces is the logical thing to do, but they need some strong leadership."
Carter was silent, finally, "I think that's our only choice. If they're approachable, a small team is enough. If not, a larger group, at least the size we could spare, wouldn't help an awful lot."
Colin nodded, "true."
Carter continued, "I'd like to volunteer to lead the expedition if we send one; I'd take Yasu, who knows the terrain, and four picked men. If they're hostile, we'll have our answer." Smiling, before adding, "and maybe be dead a little sooner."
Colin looked at Carter for a few seconds, then responded, "it’s a very dangerous venture, and I don't think the odds of returning alive are very high. I hope you realize that."
Carter nodded, "I know. But we have to. You may not be as aware of the feelings among the rank and file as I am. Something has to be done or I don't think we can control events. You are aware, I suppose, that John has a lot of rank and file support."
"Yes," Colin responded, after a short pause, "John's been agitating to take direct, immediate action ever since he came back. Find the natives and wipe them out. I didn't, however, think he had Carlton and Margo's support to the extent he apparently does. That's a serious development, since Buchan could be swayed by his old friend Carlton, which could be a complete catastrophe if both you and Yasu were gone. John would have a four to three majority."
Colin got up from the table and stood looking out the window for several moments, his hands folded behind his back, before saying, "I buy your proposal, with one change. You've pretty well given the reasons yourself why you can't lead the expedition. It'll have to be someone else." Adding, "In addition to the problem of John, I'd rather limit the expedition to people without personal obligations here. Sonja and Jeff need you here, and so do I."
Carter started to object, and then lapsed into silence, before commenting, "maybe you're right. How sure are you of Wayne and Rolf? Will they support you all the way?"
Colin thought for awhile, "I think so. Rolf is solid, and with you here I don't think Wayne would switch. He seems to pretty much follow Rolf's and your lead. That's one reason I want you to stay. You have a lot more influence over Wayne than I do."
"I guess Yasu probably could handle the expedition," Carter said, "he's pretty cool and level headed, but is he a good enough diplomat for this type of thing? If he's willing to volunteer, Ken McDaniel would make a good second in command. But that should probably be left up to Yasu."
Colin responded, "that could work, but Buchan is also a possibility, with Yasu as second in command. The Yellow Sea situation and loss of his family took a lot out of him, and when his best friend Frank was lost it just complicated the situation further. He seems to have lost interest in everything." Continuing, "maybe an expedition like this could give him the challenge he needs; the follow-up trip to the island worked out, and seemed to jog him out of his lethargy for a time. More than anything else right now I think he has to keep his mind occupied and get involved in challenging assignments."
Carter thought for awhile before commenting, "you might be right, and the risk might not be that high if Yasu goes as second in command. The other people would be from Yasu's security forces, so if Buchan had problems they would back Yasu, even if Buchan was the nominal leader. In fact, the more I think about it, the better idea I think it is."
Colin nodded, "we need his talents at full capacity. Of course this assignment has to be volunteer. It's too dangerous for anything else."
Carter nodded, and rose from his seat, "that's what we do then?" When Colin nodded, Carter added, "if you approach Buchan, I'll get with Yasu and brief him, and work with him to set the expedition in motion. I'm sure he'll jump at the assignment. I think you should also have a private discussion with Yasu related to the Buchan situation so he understands what is expected if problems arise. When do you think it should leave?"
"Well, it's the 20th today, and I think we might want an extended air survey first. I'm told we can reach 200 or 300 kilometers south of the river if we install an auxiliary hydrogen tank. We may also want to see if we could cache supplies along the route. If we allow time for that, how does the 25th sound?"
Carter nodded, and left.
October 25, Year 2
Preparations for the scouting party had begun as soon as the decision to proceed was made. Buchan would lead, with Yasu as his second in command, accompanied by four volunteers from the security and scouting groups. One of them was Mike Ford, Tommy's older brother,
who had been with the exploration team the year before. Since once the river was reached they would have to abandon the landrovers they would have to partially live off the land to supplement the supplies they carried. Now the day had finally arrived.
Yasu closed the outer door to the residence pod and strode across the dusty central plaza toward the motor pool. The sun was just tipping over the horizon, and a light morning breeze shifted the thin layer of ground fog into sinuous streamers. The sun would be welcome, since the morning chill was damp and clammy. Sleep had come slowly the night before. Up late he had finished packing, and finished several letters he had left for Carter. Not to be mailed now, but only if events dictated. As he passed the other buildings Yasu could hear the sounds of the early risers, with the occasional window lighted; mostly the buildings and yard were still. Passing the guard at the entrance to the motor pool Yasu waved, without comment. The guard waved back, with "good luck, Commander, play it cool."
The other team members were already at the motor pool readying the landrovers, and Colin was also there talking to Buchan when Yasu arrived. Stowing his gear in the back of one of the land rovers, Yasu took one last look around and shook hands with Colin. "Well, wish us luck," he commented, "we'll see you again in two or three months, God willing."
"Yes," Colin said with a quiet smile, returning the handshake, "God willing. May the wind be at your back. Remember," he added, "daily radio reports if you can."
Yasu climbed into the landrover, took a last look around, and nodded to the driver to start. As the landrovers left the compound and started up the road Yasu looked back at New Athens, still shrouded in semi-darkness and the layer of ground fog. More windows were lighted now and activity was increasing, with several people moving between buildings. Yasu raised his hand in a half salute as they topped the rise, and returned his attention to the road ahead.
The First Colony: Book I: Settlement Chronicals Page 16