Chapter 24: I Can Rebuild

The new community had changed and was changing daily. With the addition of the Silkas the community had more than doubled in size. Tani was now in charge of a unit of twenty-one full time soldiers in addition to having trained all the adults and teenagers in military ways. Each of the soldiers had camouflage jumpsuits and weapons, jumpsuits and weapons for the rest of the non full time people were kept in storage at easily accessible locations throughout the compound and the Silka village. Everyone carried a pistol whenever they were outside.

Naomi was kept busy raising the twins and studying under the critical eyes of Rediya to be a medical tech for now and a doctor later. The twins had been disguised to look like Silkas. Only Naomi, Mika, Rediya, a few of the Silkas and of course Tani knew their true identities. Naomi admired Tani, for the young woman visited if not daily at least several times per week to check on the twins and each time she could see the pain of loss in Tani's eyes. Tani did not find fault with Naomi's mothering in fact she praised her but still the pain was there.

Ujiah now had piercings of his own. He had one ear pierced and his left nipple in keeping with the rest of his lovers. Seth sported a tattoo on his left upper peck with the names of his three lovers Rain, Star, and Autumn over one another.

Rediya, Marie and Jake did not have their bodies pierced and did not have tattoos, what each of them did have was a necklace with all three of their names engraved on a plate shiny silver in color and encircling their necks at all times.

These were not cults but simply a show of belonging to a smaller family within the larger family and their love and desire for other members of that smaller family. Although the original six adults did not care for the piercings or the tattoos they understood and said nothing. The six of them watched their offspring grow and mature and become young women and men each with their own specialty and interests. All of their offspring had one common interest though, they were determined that this community would survive. Zol help anyone or anything that tried to interfere for they would suffer the combined wrath of all.

The Silkas had started calling the Family, Zaflan, from their language, which translated simply meant the others. The Silkas were far from being unintelligent they were just not as educated or technologically advanced as the Zaflan. The Silka displayed an almost voracious appetite for learning and the Zaflan were eager teachers. The exhaustive efforts of the Silka and the Zaflan working together were quickly closing the gap that separated them.

The Silkas had selected Mika as their official leader especially since he had been filling the role of spokes person though unofficially. There were six couples including Mika and Naomi, four single males and fourteen single females. Most of the males had been killed defending their village and then a lot of the remaining females had been killed during their flight singled out for death first, because they had been pregnant. The men hated the robots but their hatred paled to insignificance when it was compared to the hatred of the women. They had seen first their younger brothers and sisters killed and then they had been forced to endure watching their female friends singled out, hunted down and destroyed first because they were with child. Of the force of twenty Tani commanded, eleven of them were made up of these fourteen women. This was not because all fourteen did not wish to be a part of her force but because Tani had been forced to take only the best of the best to be part of her permanent force. The rest of the force was made up of three of the single men and six individuals from the couples. This included Mika's brother and sister-in-law Julian and Laniya.

Then there was Tasha the twenty-first member of Tani's force, she was Naomi's younger nineteen-year-old sister. Though this woman was short in stature, she was only five feet three inches compared to Tani's five foot eleven, she reminded Tani of herself. She was rebellious, aggressive, even fierce at times, she excelled in everything, she was the best in athletic tests, she exceeded in hand-to-hand combat, and she was the best shot with all the weapons she tried. She was the best in tactics second only to Tani herself, it was little wonder that Tani had appointed Tasha her assistant and second in charge. Tasha did not have large breasts but they were firm and erect. They were proportional to her size. She had a flat stomach and hips that flared. The most striking were her eyes, sultry brown bedroom eyes that could captivate a man without even trying.

Steve had his office expanded and Mika joined him, together the two men directed the day-to-day activities of the community. Tani was the leader of her unit and she was also a leader in the community answering only to Mika and Steve.

One day she was walking back to join her unit for more training when she crossed paths with Tes and Rediya, the two women were having a heated discussion.

"No Rediya I can not support this," Tes said.

"Tes I have studied this and experimented with it thoroughly. I tell you it will work," Rediya almost spat back.

"Can you guarantee it would be successful, Rediya. Can you guarantee it?" Tes asked.

"Well no. You know I can't but the probabilities of success are very high."

"Unless you can say the success rate would be better than eighty percent I will not condone it," Tes snapped.

"Whoa," Tani interrupted the two women, "What are you two arguing about?"

The two women turned to face Tani, both becoming aware for the first time of her presence.

"Rediya wants to test one of her experiments on a human subject and I as an elder won't allow it. There Rediya I've said it I will not allow it," Tes snapped.

Rediya turned dark blue. "Since when do I have to have your fucking permission to do anything, you're not my damn boss," Rediya snapped back.

Tani knew this argument was getting very heated since Redi very seldom cussed and she had the utmost respect for Tes. "Whoa," she said again, "let's go get something to drink and sit down like the adults we are and talk." She pointedly looked a Redi when she said adult.