Walking to the center of the village, Ecurben and Drachcirn followed the compressed track through the snow.
“Seems like we have had more sunny days,” Drachcirn said.
“It has been better than that one period of bitter cold.”
The community had experienced two heavy snow storms, and there was a web of tracks where they had tramped down the snow. Off the tracks, there were drifts in some places waist-deep.
Nevertheless, the sunny days had made life bearable. Everyone could be out, and the sunshine raised spirits. Two hunting parties had looked for game, but their success was limited. Moving through the snow drifts was exhausting work.
Drachcirn's data from the solar cells showed more frequent sunny days and a gradual temperature increase. As the days got longer, the snow receded, hunting parties went out more often, and the community finally had some meals of freshly roasted meat.
Ecurben had continued to meet with Cariden and Drachcirn on all but the most bitter days. Retlawon, the food scientist, had become a regular and always had entertaining observations. His interest in birds led to scattering some leftover seeds on a board by his cabin. Watching the different species hop about picking them up fascinated him.
Esojon, the old Mamlaka, came when the days were mild. Ecurben had come to respect Esojon. His comments reflected experience and sound judgment, and the lack of class distinctions didn’t bother him. He had asked how they would replace the supplies and clothing brought from Tridon. He had a quiet, subtle way of introducing new issues.
This morning, Retlawon brought up the skull that one of the Amilikut men had found before the weather had turned cold. He asked if any hunters had seen smoke from a campfire like the one seen before the Cold Times.
“So far, no one has seen any signs of native life,” Ecurben answered.
“I was thinking that might explain the skull.”
“The snowpack is down. We could send out an exploratory patrol,” Cariden suggested.
“Yes, organize a patrol and have them explore the area away from the river. We need to understand better what's out there.” Ecurben had felt the inclement weather had protected the community, but it looked like that was passing.
“Could I go? I would like to see more of the countryside,” Retlawon asked.
“Sure. You might notice something my men would overlook.”
“Be careful of the river ice. The warming temperatures may have produced some thin spots,” Drachcirn warned.
“One last thing. Our supply of ammunition is still adequate, but we will run out before the next Cold Times,” Cariden said.
“I know. We brought many things we can’t replace. We will have to address that in the days ahead,” Ecurben said, disheartened. He hadn’t said anything when Esojon had first raised the concern because it seemed too daunting a challenge.
After the meeting, Ecurben and Drachcirn walked through the community.
“On Tridon, the year consisted of periods named after the famous warriors of the past. However, that doesn’t seem appropriate here. Any idea?” Ecurben asked.
“The year here is longer. Let me think about it and get back to you.”
“Thanks, Drachcirn. One other thing. Ecinajee wants to have a baby. She thinks there should be something making couples official.”
Drachcirn smiled. “Adnilla asked if couples here had to get approval to have children.”
“Couples shouldn’t have to get our permission,’ but maybe there should be some way of celebrating a couple's relationship. We want families, and we want couples to take raising children seriously.
“I like that, and I think our community would like it too,” Drachcirn responded.
“How do we do it? Who should be involved?
“Let the couple make an announcement. Maybe do it formally before friends and someone from the Community Council.”
“And there should be a Community record in case a dispute arises later,” added Ecurben.
“We’ll get the Council to approve the procedure. Problem solved.”
“The Council will love having an official role, but we must clarify they are just a witness.”
“Gotta go. Ecinajee will like our plan.”
Thirty-five days Later, at the First Settlement
The warming weather had made the days pass quickly, and the settlers had adjusted to life in the log shelters. Many even made use of ceramic night pots. Going outside on a bitterly cold night was very persuasive.
The Commander even addressed Enaida's request for a way to make the relationship between couples who wanted children official. He found in their community several men who were notary publics on Tridon. They agreed to witness a couple's declaration of their relationship. Then, they counter-signed a simple statement expressing the couple's intentions, signed by both parties. Of course, no one had to do it, but surprisingly, most did. Gergin and Enaida were among the first.
Hunting parties were again active. After weeks of eating dried meat, processed tree nuts, and preserved fruits and vegetables, the desire for anything fresh was insatiable. When the hunters were successful, the Amilikut women butchered the meat and provided a portion to each cabin. There were a few holdouts, but most welcomed the change and quickly became comfortable grilling it in their shelters. The food bundles seldom had more than two meal bars brought from Tridon.
One creative Amilikut man made simple bows with arrows for hunting. Their sharpened wood point made it necessary to be close to the target. Nevertheless, they worked exceptionally well on the brownish birds with strange heads, which had become a favorite food source. Another made snares that caught rabbits and foxes. Their fur was a favorite for hats.
Sirodee, who made pottery dishes and other household objects, was the first trader, and she had found a man who helped build her business. After that, several Amillikut women started making fur-lined hats and leggings, which were in demand when the first snow fell. A man who liked to carve made wooden spoons and other small objects. Gradually, trading became commonplace.
Nireem spent part of the milder days walking through the community. Most knew him and would stop to talk. Of course, some complained, but the complaints declined as everyone took more responsibility for their welfare. He was pleased with the changes he noticed. He heard people sharing plans for when the weather was warmer. Most wanted to enlarge their small huts. Some talked about gardens. A new society was emerging.
But the Commander knew the colony had many more challenges ahead. The patrols had seen a few clues that intelligent life had once existed. He feared they just hadn’t encountered it yet. They knew almost nothing about Wenobek.
They had lost the use of their digital eyepiece technology because there was no way to recharge the batteries. He knew from his space experience that parts broke, and they could not replace any of the equipment brought from Tridon. The walks through the community were for more than seeing neighbors. It was his time to ponder their future.
On one of these walks, Nireem decided to meet with Ecurben and the other settlement's leadership. They needed to plan their future together and share experiences. A coordinated strategy would give them the best chance to survive.
The Commander met with his advisory council every three days. He brought up his concerns for the future and the idea of a planning meeting at today's meeting.
“Sir, What about Salguodir and his gang?” Eteppon asked.
“We can manage that. While we are gone, we will confine the ring leaders in one of the half-domes. I plan to leave Retepin in charge while we are away.”
“I’ve been talking to women, and they are concerned about giving birth and caring for their children. On Tridon, the medical facilities made it routine and easy. What should we tell them? ” Enaida asked.
“Amilikut women never had the benefit of those medical facilities. They have lots of experience helping mothers through natural childbirth,” Nevetson suggested.
“We have several doctors and nurses here. Talk to them. See what they need,” The Commander directed.
D^Lanoden had been patiently waiting for an opportunity to say something. Finally, he blurted out,” Sir. We need to start making things.”
His statement startled everyone. “What do you mean, ‘making things’?” Gergin asked.
“Everything we use either came from Tridon or is something we find. Well, we’ve started making log huts and pottery. But that's low-tech. We have to start working with metal and chemicals. It takes time to learn how to make things. Otherwise, we’ll be just another primitive tribe living off the land,” the scientist exclaimed.
“Can we do that? It required the expertise of many engineers and technicians on Tridon. There, complex machines produced the parts for sophisticated electronics. Maybe a few in our colony have some technical knowledge, but we are essentially starting over,” Eteppon said dejectedly.
“D^Landon, you’re right,” the Commander said. “I’ve been worried about that, too. We have to start. We know the science. We have repaired many things. Let's use our knowledge. Eteppon, we need your help!”
“I have some machine tools and some skilled maintenance guys. But we should focus on immediate needs.”
“We need more gunpowder and more bullets. Also, we need to make clothing,” Nevetson suggested.
“OK! Let's talk to our people and find those who have related skills or experience. And let's start looking for raw materials. Solracin, think about materials we should look for.”
“I can organize teams to go out looking for minerals and rocks. They will need guidance on what to look for,” Nevetsin offered.
“I would like a glass window in my cabin, Enaida said. “But where do we get glass?”
“Silica sand is the base material for glass, but it requires very high temperatures,” D^Landon explained. We should start building a kiln and experiment with producing primitive glass.”
“That's a start. And if we find any ore containing metal, we will need a kiln to melt it,” Solracin continued.
The meeting broke up. They were excited about their new challenge. However, everyone realized the colonists had come from a technologically advanced society but left the technology back on Tridon. They worried about their future.
Leaving the domed structure, Nireem asked Gergin to set up the meeting with Ecurben's top people. He knew the settlements were no match for a technologically advanced society.
As Gergin and Enaida walked out, he mused, “I didn’t know you wanted a window.”
“A window would be nice. And, the scientists needed something to focus on,” she said.
“I need to stop by the radio room. Sending the Commander's message regarding a meeting will not be easy. Ecurben's reception from our meager transmitter is problematic.”
“OK. See you back at the cabin. I want to find Aterga. She might know colonists skilled at making things.”
In the radio room, Gergin divided the Commander's message into several short phrases. Then, the radio operator would send each part, repeating it until he got a confirmation reply. They had used this method in the past with some success.