Chapter 9

It was a warm night. Elena and I enjoyed “camping out” for the night. I think both of us were reminded of our early time together.

Honso was keeping most of our village away and hidden. I went into the village to check the radio and the captives along a few other men and women of our village. They were untying them. The captives were then given food and water. None were allowed to have clothing.

I went to the radio. I heard, “Abide, this is Kingston calling. Abide, this is Kingston. Come in Abide.”

“This is Abide. Go ahead, Kingston.”

“Where have you been? We’ve been calling for hours.”

“We are staying off site and spread out. A few volunteers came in to care your people. I came in to check the radio. We don’t trust you.”

“Abide, this is Kingston. We are waiting for instructions. The leaders of our entire mission are requesting instructions from home.”

“That’s not good. This stalemate should not last for a long period while you determine if you will treat people humanely or not. There are forty of your people here after your bullets killed two of yours. I think the plan was to kill them and then those of us who were going to talk. Our people were ready to duck out of the way. We did. Even our kidnapped leader was able to get loose. We remain at war. I will tell our leaders what you have said. I believe we will come after you in Kingston to free the people of Peace who you have enslaved. Their leader, Jonso, is here. He had escaped and eluded your fliers.”

I added, “You people know that the way you’re acting is wrong and that we find it morally reprehensible. I am suggesting that you do right before it is too late to fix what you have already done. I may be back tomorrow. Abide is out.”

I switched off leaving the radio there in the village. I helped our people tend the captives. One of the younger women asked, “What are you going to do with us?”

“We hope to return you to our people eventually. We don’t enslave nor do we sexually abuse captives. Your people have done both. You are kept here to, we hope, prevent your people from bombing our village again.”

“We’ve never bombed this village nor any other.’

“Bull. Your Captain Willoughby did it after our people resisted your first attempt to enslave us. We are not fighters by habit but will and are learning quickly. We will fight you and we will win.”

She looked reflective. I went to a man and released him. He wasn’t happy to have been tied up all night and some of the morning. I said sternly, “Quit complaining. Dead is permanent. We are waiting for your people to come bomb the village and kill you. I think they are stupid enough. They will, of course, blame us.”

After he drank and ate and used the bathroom facilities, I retied him and left him. We all left the village. Elena was worried. After hugs and kisses, I talked to Honso and Jonso.

Honso said, “I want to free Jonso’s people. We will have to carry the fight to the Britishers in Kingston. I presume that nothing has changed.”

“Yes, Sir. The person in Kingston says they are still waiting for instructions from their home world. I think they know their situation is morally wrong. Sending the decision to those who live where the manual was written will result in an attack on us, probably without warning. What will we do about our captives?”

“If we go to Kingston, a small group will remain to feed and water them twice a day. The alternative is to take them with us. I don’t think they would do well on the trail.”

“True. They would slow us down severely.”

He said, “Josh, I want you to stay. You will talk on the radio though I don’t expect much anything from them.” He looked a me. “Why do you expect trouble when their home sends them instructions?”

“The people here know us and the history. Those on their home world only know that some natives are not knuckling under and will insist that the methods in the manual be followed. It will not be good.”

“You think they will attack on instructions from their home?”

“Yes Sir. That instruction manual was written with a preconceived set of attitudes and those people will not know of any reason to change. I think the decision to attack could not be carried out but those who want to attack had the power to force a request to their home world. Those people don’t have any knowledge of this particular situation and I’m not sure how many persons who are here and understand will send their thoughts. We’ll see. However, I’m not optimistic.”

“We will continue our preparations as if they will attack including more effort to protect ourselves. We will also notify other villages.”

After a moment, Jonso said, “I wonder how many villages have been impacted by the Britishers. Are our two villages the only ones impacted or are the Britishers here in sufficient numbers to cover the world?”

I shrugged. “My opinion is that we are the beginning of what they will be doing. Our subjugation will be the toehold in this world. We need to stop them if we can. That fits the history that I understand. The parallels seem to fit.”

Elena and I joined a small group that was staying to watch over and help our captives. We went into Abide twice a day. We did vary the times some. While there, Elena helped those close to the Britisher house. I called Kingston on their radio. They had no new news and I simply reiterated that the captives were place around the village and that we were at war with the British. I also commented that our captives were getting good tans since they were all naked and outside. I suggested that, if their own people didn’t kill them, they would eventually return in better physical shape than they had been before their ill-fated battle.