Chapter 10: A Long Trek, With Too Many Lads, Lasses and Lassies

It took a while fashioning leather straps to latch two of the longer spears for Biscuit’s travois and much soothing to accomplish, yet Beks was there the whole time. Carrying not only each set of short and long spears but also extra furs and whatever they may potentially need. Now Ty needed to figure out how to construct a proper teepee, making it perfect.

Knowing the basics, though not the specific stitching, which would be difficult without suitable needles, taking even longer. Everything seemingly required further delays. And now with everything on the line, they had little to spare.

Leaving a couple hours later, Ty and the girls had plenty of time to catch up. At first, Ty was distracted by too many contrasting issues, continually guiding people doing different things and enthused about their adventure, especially Till.

The worst thing was they needed to travel fast and light. Now, they were the opposite: ponderous, dozens of feet trampling at once and few silently. It’s hard keeping a large group quiet, more difficult on the common trail. And then there was feeding them all!

They had the hunters, though there wouldn’t be anything moving locally for weeks afterwards. So, what do you do, when everything’s chaotic, everyone wants your attention, and you can’t hear yourself think? Once again, you take the lead.

“We need to split up,” he called back to his girls. “Most of you head down to the stream. We’ll continue calling to each other, so we’ll know when the two paths diverge. You can hunt, there’s just no need for us to appear as an invading army.”

“Roger that!” Tiss replied, making Ty wonder where she’d learned it. He didn’t think she and Anna, Tanya and Till spent that much time alone together. Maybe she was following his lead, using them to gain vital intel. If so, she was doing an excellent job of it.

They were quiet, so he mainly noted it quieting further as they each slipped away. He kept the animals with him. Needing to remain quiet, they were better at fighting off unexpected attacks, or at least noticing them earlier. And Tiss didn’t need the distraction, handling everyone else.

Thus he already wasn’t nearly as frazzled, when he noticed the animals part, warily issuing a low-grade growl of displeasure.

“Hey,” Till chirped. “I finally get to spend some time with you. Good call on separating everyone.”

“Just remember, if everything suddenly stills or all hell breaks loose, back off and we’ll handle it.”

“I still need the practice,” she gazed at him. “And what’s better then practice under fire? That’s where you learn the most.”

He bumped shoulders with his daughter. “You sure you weren’t in the military?”

She shrugged, glancing up to gauge his reaction. “I wouldn’t think so, yet I come from a military family, so I guess I picked up enough, inadvertently.”

“If you want to keep the girls on their toes, keep using terms like that, reminding them you’re in charge and are always one step ahead of them.”

“Except, they’re always a couple steps ahead, and with three of them, likely to encircle me like ravenous wolves.”

“Still, you’re thinking strategically, showing more leadership skills than they are yet. They’re getting better, every day, yet you’re still way ahead. Plus, you have hundreds of thousands of years of DNA development, giving you more potential than them. So never doubt yourself.” He paused, glancing at her. “You’re my kid, I don’t raise me no dummies!”

Her cheeks colored, which after this long, observing her reddish-hued cheeks was refreshing. “I was that obvious, huh?”

“You tried to cover it, but ... I’m good at picking up disquiet among my team, as if it’s not controlled, it gets everyone killed.”

She chuckled, her cheeks dimpling. “You can’t help it, can you?”

He laughed too. “No more than you can. Two peas in a pod, kiddo.”

“I hate saying it, all it took was a few minutes to feel like a family—which I needed.”

“Understandable. Though for everyone else, I’m the family they never had. Here, they expect eighty percent of their children to die before coming of age at ten or eleven. Thus, no one ever learned how to properly parent or even support someone. Instead, it’s everyone for themselves, as a spouse will help keep food on the table, yet you still can’t count on them to keep the wolves from the door.”

“You need to update your references,” she teased.

“Fine. Keeping the ligors at bay, since they’ve never encountered a door.”

She paused. “Were they really so terrifying?”

“Compared to everything else they face, hardly. Though at the time, no one had ever survived even seeing one.”

“So, changing the topic, from the girls to the girls,” she countered, “how are you doing? Do they still bother you?”

He grinned, perceiving what she wasn’t saying. “You mean, why the hell do I keep sleeping with them?”

She flushed again. “I was trying not to. This is nice. And not just enjoyable, I think I never had this personal connection to anyone before. More than anything, I feel safe with you. Before, I considered others helpful, though only as far as their own interests were concerned, never trusting they’d ever be there when I needed them.”

He chuckled again. “Yeah, it’s what got me in trouble with the girls. They never had to worry about my intentions. They had to twist my arm to get me to lay with them. And trust me, they’re very persistent.”

“So I gathered, though they’ll only grow more insistent in the future. Yet you’re right. After this discussion, I’m more than willing to speak with them. I think we have a lot to teach each other. After all, they’re better trained and know the local environment better.”

“Exactly. They’re eager for someone to lead and they’ll make you more effective, just as they did me.”

“That’s a lot to consider. Let me drop back and offer support, while I consider everything you’ve said.”

Ty’s steps and his perceptions lightened as he relaxed. He realized Till was struggling, yet he didn’t want to come sweeping in to the rescue, knowing she’d likely resent it. ‘I have to say,’ he thought, ‘it’s never easy being the smartest one in the room. We have to work harder, we also need to ensure those resentments don’t fester, when all we want is to slink away and live our lives without worrying about anyone else. Like most doubled-edged swords, it oft cuts those nearest it.’

“So, you talked to Till, I see,” Tanya said, rushing to catch up and spoil his sweet solitude. “She seemed pleased, so I take it things went well?”

“Yeah, they did. She was notably nervous, yet couldn’t ask the elephant-in-the-room questions outright. I personally doubt she ever knew me, nor I knew I had a daughter.”

She giggled. “If these are supposed to be your rewards, it makes you wonder what they’re trying to tell us. Maybe they’ll send someone to answer some questions.”

“No, her mother likely could, yet if they sent her, she’d know as little as the rest of us. And even if she could, it’s a mere curiosity. It won’t impact anyone’s life here in the least.

“We don’t need more gifts, we need to start determining things for ourselves. I’ve been playing it slow, training others so we trust each other. Though now, we have the makings of a small well-trained crew capable to taking down—or at least undermining—most current period armies. So, it’s time we take charge and change things for real.”

Tanya chuckled. “Well, at least it hasn’t diluted your confidence. But you’re right. You’ve spent way too long preparing without any objective. Now, with only your first real target, you’re ready to cry havoc and let the wild ligors loose. Just save some of your fury for when it’s truly needed. Because whoever sent us here, likely sent others, and sooner or later, when we meet, only one will remain.”

“Not on my account,” he assured her, his expression unreadable, “though if they try, I won’t pull any punches nor let them throw the first punch. We’re playing for keeps. We’re changing history, a history which will ultimate prevent any of our births.”

“That’s a real paradox, isn’t it? If it’s true, do you think we’ll live the rest of our lives here or will we all vanish once we finally alter the long arc of history?”

“Frankly, I don’t much care. As long as we change how humanity interacts, hopefully it’ll be enough. A well-lived life is reward enough, however abruptly it ends. Yet, a pointless, unfruitful life, helps no one, least of all the person living it.”

She chuckled again, enjoying the discussion. “Humanity’s future, the Ro’s, neither or both?”

“Does it matter? I’m guessing they decided humanity’s already lost, yet even if I can’t change Earth’s, I can at least alter Ro’s, for when we finally arrive a few...” his eyes momentarily glazed, “megaannum, otherwise known as mega-years from now.”

She shook her head. “I should’ve expected you’d know that, as it’s a term I never imagined using. I get your military/special-forces background, yet this doesn’t fit with any of it.”

“Me neither and I can’t tell why it’s familiar, yet somehow, it is.”

“So, does mega-year mean a million, tens of millions, or hundreds of millions?”

“As the name implies, only a million, though the latter is likely closer.”

It took Tanya a moment to recover, providing Ty a few moments of solitude to absorb the concepts. ‘Where did those memories come from?’ he wondered.

“So, what do you think your ultimate role here is. Clearly, they aren’t sending those you know best for no reason. You must have agreed to this beforehand. Our losing our memories possibly set them back, yet what happens when they realize you’re actively undermining their efforts?”

“Am I? If I’m here for anything, it’s not to reinforce the role of masters and slaves, leaders and cannon fodder. Instead, we’re building a future civilization based on a people standing with and supporting one another. And if some potential king-maker doesn’t like it, let them chew on the end of our spears. I’ll be sure to shove it in deep, just so they can truly sink their teeth into it!”

“Seems I touched a nerve, just as you soothed Till’s. Just don’t assume it will be a cake walk. Once people realize what’s at stake, they’ll start picking sides and choosing potential victors and history makers.”

“Good, while they’re cherry-picking, we’ll make real changes rather than just planning.”

“Why do I get the feeling I’d prefer this version of you, more than the one I left back in the future?”

“We’ll never know. I could have been a bigger dick than I am now? There’s a benefit to starting afresh, with few preconceptions limiting your choices.”

“By the way, I talked to the others after the girls joined us. They brought the early rough samples of paper. It’s unlike ours, yet we can start teaching everyone to write and read—in that order—and then send the lessons back with each returning runner. That’ll accelerate both groups, even while separated. If you stir up trouble here, they can prepare for it.”

“It’s good you’re thinking as I never considered it.”

“That’s the key, you now have plenty of faithful supporters, spanning different ages and backgrounds, each willing to play their own role in your success. You’re now a figurehead, representing each of us and we share your successes. You focus on your strengths, while we handle the other details. Our number one item is keeping everyone alive, everything else plays a secondary role to that.”

“Don’t worry, the key to any military excursion isn’t fighting. Instead, it’s circumventing fights by having the people in place to counter the threat, before anyone suffers harm.”

“That’s what we’re counting on. Now, since we have plenty of extra hands, do you need anything else? Any awaiting tasks, additional training we should arrange?”

“Not really, the girls have been training those we brought from Tri-ford, so they can each fight and defend themselves, which is our biggest concern. If anything, you can see how Ta is doing. He’s done well with his smaller to mid-sized animals, yet he’s too skittish with the larger animals. Animals sense fear, often smelling it in our sweat. Not only will it attract predators, it’ll also panic those he’s already trained.

“We need to convey—’there’s nothing to fear, but fear itself’. Fear is natural and beneficial, keeping us alert and on our toes. But when working with animals, he needs to project confidence. It’s fine faking it, as they’ll respond to confidence over anything else. A confident animal, even when cornered, will fight aggressively, inflicting serious damage and won’t simply roll over and play dead.

“So the adage ‘fake it till you make it’ applies. Even if he isn’t confident, just acting so will transmit it to those around you, and as they respond in kind, voluntarily backing down, your confidence directly increases. If nothing else, I’ll let him work with my animals until he gets more used to this world’s larger creatures.”

“Sensible advice, though one few here are likely comfortable with, though it’s what you’ve been teaching the newcomers, to project a confident, unflappable show of strength—even when facing overwhelming odds. It’s not a hard sell, and why you prefer younger people, rather than the older, more staid, overly cautious ones.”

“We’ll need additional backups.” Tanya glanced back, though Ty wasn’t worried why. “Not just those able to defend themselves, but those able to stand in for the girls, whenever we’re off searching for intel before our primary mission or slipping silently into the woods. If we need to investigate the enemy, we still need to project a confident, consistent front. So, a little refresher should go a long ways.”

“Good. I’ll get them working on it. They likely already know who the most promising prospects are and how to train them to your specifications.”

As she headed back to speak with the others, Ty thought he had time to himself, though it too was short lived.

“You’re taking a lot with you” Tims noted, catching up and walking beside him, “more than we’d initially agreed on, and Triilr, our first stop is a fair distance. Loford is even further.”

“Don’t worry, we aren’t undermining you. It’s more a show of force, a public demonstration proving our women are every bit as well-trained and ferocious as our men, while their best can’t compete with either.

“Don’t worry, we aren’t undermining you. It’s more a show of force, a public demonstration proving our women are every bit as well-trained and ferocious as our men, while their best can’t compete with either.

But every person in the party has their own spear. When we make the initial trade, every fourth person not on guard duty will surrender theirs for the trade. Leaving them essentially defenseless, and when relieving the other guards, they’ll have to trade spears. So, if they’re not interested in the full amount or won’t offer a decent trade, maintain your price, as the spears are much more valuable to us, than they are to them.”

He held up a shorter babfoo segment, blunt on both ends. “Each person is also carrying one of these. There isn’t enough for everyone, but they’re sharing, as each carries a full day’s drinking water, so that ends our long thirsty hikes, draining us of energy, when we may require it most.

“These, like the others, will be volunteered in trade. I’ll personally give one to each village’s chief, knowing they’ll order several times more, which we’ll then cut and prepare once we return. That’ll provide yet another continuing trading item.”

“I’ve been using one,” Tims acknowledged. “The ones with not one, but two holes are incredible, allowing water to flow freely, as if from a cup, without spilling a drop. You’re right, they’re invaluable in trade, as everyone in each village would benefit from having their own.

“With these, everyone can march further, crossing distances once unheard of. They’ll not only march further every day, but walk faster, spending less time exposed to dangerous wild animals and inclement weather. Though, it’ll take some convincing them to purchase either of these valuable tools for their women.”

“It’s fine if they don’t,” Ty assured him. “If not, the women, seeing the vital role ours play in our own village’s strength, will happily quit theirs, joining ours. Once the chiefs see the size of their villages dropping significantly, they’ll reconsider. Though by then, it’ll be too late. Once they leave, those women, their husbands and sons, will no longer be a helpless part of their village. They’ll instead be a valued and essential part of ours.

“That’s when you’ll sweep in on your next trip down and sell as much as you can carry. When word spreads, and it will, other villages will want the same thing, regardless of their chief’s approval. And those chiefs, if they refuse, will face the same losses.

“Which means our village will continue expanding, while other villages rapidly diminish, meaning ultimately, they’ll rely on us to help defend them. Not just by offering additional spears, but by providing fully armed women, capable of training any local woman how to fight and defend themselves.

“There is no way the chiefs can deny them. So, they’ll quickly capitulate and agree to whatever terms we stipulate.”

“I thought your objective was not to increase your own village, but to find a larger one to join.” Tims argued. “Have you changed your mind?”

“Not at all. It’s only the one we decide to join, must be worthy of the honor. As we’ll not only vastly increase their village’s size, we’ll also increase the number of active hunters and gatherers, as well as training them in the care of life stock, essentially domesticating animals. So their days of scrounging to eat will be over. As planned, the animals themselves will plow our fields. As we’ll grow our own life-sustaining plants, no longer needing to search the nearby forests for yet more untouched trees and fruits to chop down.

“In short, we’ll grow our own food, virtually never running out, with enough to trade with whoever wants them. It won’t be long before you’ll have your own Biscuit, pulling a load of trading supplies you never considered carrying before, every trip you make.”

“You dream incredible things, yet you and your people seem confident you can achieve whatever you imagine. There will always be those who’ll oppose you, yet you’re already prepared for that too, so no one can oppose you for long. I see the making of a village unlike any other.”

“It will be no mere village,” Ty clarified. “Eventually, there will be cities, with strong unbreachable stone walls, which will hold not dozens, but thousands, each of whom will accomplish more than full villages now. Once that starts, there’s no reversing the trend.

“We’re not talking a few isolated cities, but a vast number, stretching across the region as far as the land covers, until it reaches the furthest seas. Then, when we do, we’ll build wooden ships to cross those seas, to trade with those we never imagined existed before.”

“You are a great dreamer, and I’ll be proud to claim once knowing you. And I’m sure to do better than I ever could without you too. Though I’m likely already too old to ever see such wonders myself. However, I wish you and your people every success. As you say, your success will be their success, with everyone winning by joining you, while no one dares resist.”

“Oh, don’t be fooled,” Ty assured him. “They will resist. Only, instead of sending men to fruitlessly fight us, they’ll instead bribe others to bed me and either stab me in the back or slit my throat. Fighting through duplicity than via brute force.”

“So, the next objective is training everyone to take over, once I’m no longer around, making our progress irresistible. For if anyone can carry on in my stead, there’s no way they can hope to overcome our advances.

“I too won’t be there to see it, yet the changes I instigate will change the whole world, in ways you can’t imagine. Only, rather than yielding incredible power, we’ll share it with whoever wants, to yield as they wish. Defending not just themselves, but whoever they befriend in united communities, called first city states and then countries. Openly trading and exchanging new ideas, building on what I started, carrying our ideas to ever greater heights.”

“You’re right,” Tims agreed. “I’ll likely never imagine it in full, yet I’m glad for the small role I’ll play in aiding you and those who follow you.”

“Except, with your new capabilities, you’ll need to settle down and marry, producing children of your own. Who will join us, growing as we grow, and their children’s children will also be there with us, witnessing our every accomplishment.

“Again, our advances are not ours alone. We’ll freely share it with whoever wants to accept it. My ideal is not to build ever more powerful empires, but to establish open trading and sharing of resources, so everyone is better off and the need for petty fighting banished forever.”

“I like and admire your dreams, though they’re much too grand for my tired old shoulders. I’ll do my part, though I can’t imagine it ever being so grand.”

“No?” Ty questioned. “Haven’t you noticed how stronger you are, how your breathing has eased, even on these long marches, carrying greater loads. Your days of rapidly aging before suddenly dying of old age are hardly gone, yet they’ll be greatly diminished.

“You’ll live to see the things you now can’t imagine, knowing the role you played in making them real.”

“Maybe so, yet time awaits no man, nor entire villages. Soon, it’s hand will weigh on you too, my friend. Both you, your women and your children’s children too. Such things are irreversible. You may buy a few days, weeks or even an additional year or two, yet you and your kind will fall just as surely as we all will. That is the way of things.

“We each fade away, the earth swallowing our bones, never remembered again. There is no denying time, as he’ll forever reign supreme over us lowly men and even our ever-more powerful womenfolk too.”

“Now that’s something I too believe,” Ty assured his friend. “As I acknowledged, I already imagine how I’ll pass, just not which specific day it’ll occur. There’s no denying it’ll happen, though as you’ve noticed, I’m made of sterner stuff than most men now. Soon, everyone will be just as tall as I, men and women both.”

“Ah, the dreamer,” Tims laughed. “They never cease dreaming, their dreams growing faster than even they can follow. Again, I commend your dreams, though soon, you’ll join me as we’re both consumed by the earth, leaving fleeting and fading memories.

“Though as you say, your dreams will continue among your people, ever growing greater, slightly diminishing as they change over time.