Chapter 60

I walked up the small incline now looking for the reset trap and worked my way around it into the cave behind. Instead of finding the girls ready to fight with rocks, I could read their abject fear of the Samutz and what that meant when coming here. They hid behind the rocks as the children had done not long ago.

Removing my invisibility I said in their language, "Get up girls, we are leaving now." The ground shook as weapons struck the enemy positions nearby.

There was no movement for they feared the Samutz even more than they feared a male's command. Walking around the rock I picked up Mona and she just fell to her knees and grovelled on the floor trying to find any way to escape.

Picking her up again I slapped her as easy as I could to bring sanity back into her mind. "Mona, stand up." She recovered a little to look at me but hung back as if very afraid of me and what I might force her to do. The cave was their only refuge for such a long time that it was the only place they could think of to be.

"Stand up. We are leaving and going into the ship. The Samutz will not be able to hurt us then."

She heard my words but could not believe that such a thing were possible. Her mind along with the rest could not grasp that idea. I walked forward and she shuffled back till she hit the wall. I took her arm and pulled her to me. "I will protect you."

The words seemed to sink in and a small amount of clarity came into her mind. She came to the decision that the only one that would protect her was her husband. Her thought processes came to the conclusion that I would take her for my woman.

I looked at her again. She was a beautiful Tandra woman. Just as beautiful as almost any other on the planet. It was enjoyable to have sex with her but there was no love, at least not yet. She had only cooperated because she was told to. I thought of her mate's plan to abandon them and what might become of them if left on their own. I suddenly saw the children, like those on the ship destined for the Samutz dinner table and said, "You will be my woman but you must do as I say, now."

This was enough for her to pull herself together and for me to slap a shield on her and activate it. "Help me with Fenna."

Given a job she could understand we picked the woman up and I slapped another shield generator on and activated it. She was carried to the centre of the cave and lowered to the floor. She just got on her knees and crawled back to her hiding place. The rumble of energy strikes from the surrounding area made ominous sounds within the cave.

Deactivating her shield we picked her up and I slapped her as I did Mona. In for a penny and I guess I was also in for a pound. "You will be my woman too. Stay here and do what you are told."

I looked at the scarred face of the young girl of about 20 Earth years, and saw a what would have passed on Earth for an eleven or twelve year old, apart for her larger eyes and long fingers. She was unresponsive as the rest and just got Mona to hold her up while I placed a shield on her and energized it.

"Tom, can you hear me?"

A faint call said, "Yes Jim. Do you want me to come now? Both Frieda and Jonesey can't find any more targets but just think some are hiding."

"No, not yet. Send the drones down for a better look. I don't like the idea of being exposed with the girls. The stuff they were throwing would take out my suit never mind the girls'." A few moments later the drones reported no sightings and Tom descended very quickly.

"Mona, put Fonza over your shoulder and carry her. When we get under the falls I will make all of us invisible. Fenna, you will stay right behind them to assist if necessary. I am going to carry the rifle in case we get any company and you will be able to see it."

Again I got lots of head shaking and fear. There was no other way except threats. "You both will go out when I say or I will take her myself and leave both of you here and never come back." It was blustering and harshly delivered, but the only hold I had at the moment.

Their fear rose and I think for the first time the fear of the Samutz was only secondary to their desire to stay with me.

I led our small procession and found the booby trap sprung from the shaking of the ground. I passed it easily and both girls worked hard to get Fonza by the obstruction. I could see nothing with my eyes and tried to link with Jonesey. The area was clear and the high ground around the waterfalls was clear as well. Deep holes in the surrounding landscape attested to the energy discharges and were all over the place. The walls of the gully were eroded in many areas and the water was heavy now with silt. The once peaceful area looked like the war zone it really was.

I engaged each of the suits to render our party invisible. "Girls, you can see my rifle, I am going out first. Run to the ship and do not follow the rifle. Do you understand?" I got no reply and asked again more firmly. This time I got two voices saying "Yes, master."

Racing out I ran around the large rock and saw that the ship was as close as it could get. I was on the other side from the ship and saw nothing that should endanger us. I turned and ran for home, I felt a shock as if a giant fist hammered my back. I flew forward and to the ground. A much larger blast shook the ground and rained water mud and rock down on me. The shield was able to withstand a massive boulder as it drove me into the already hard ground. I could not see and only felt a pain in my lower back that the suit quickly administered to. I didn't know for sure where the first bolt came from but felt it to be in the turbulent waters at the base of the falls.

The next thing I knew I was hoisted on tractors and hauled into the ship. Laying on the deck I felt Tom trying to get my suit off as I read the telltales and saw no real problem. The suit was damaged but its repair circuits were at work while administering something for the pain in my back.

The ship rocked a bit as Tom finally got the suit parted. He could read my condition so was not as kind as usual. "What were you planning? The ship was visible and all you had to do was run up the ramp."

"I love you too, Tom." I had to look for myself to see that the ship was safe in orbit. The sensors were accessed and I saw that the entire area was being hammered by satellites and the cruisers circling the planet. The once beautiful riverway was a massive wound. I thought of Mary and looked at the adjoining section.

"Jonesey, take us down."

"What are you doing Jim? The Samutz are down there."

"Our job is to draw fire so the ships can take the Samutz out. Don't you remember? Besides Mary and Rosie are down there."

Tom hung his head and I could see his shame. It seemed as if his military persona had fallen in the last few minutes.

After coordinating with Frieda we descended very quickly, our drones once again flashed out to find Samutz or donai. The hillside above the den had slipped and the den was hidden, if not completely collapsed.

"Jonesey, use your tractors and remove the soil. There are donai buried here."

Tom monitored for the enemy while I looked for life within the soil. Rocks came out easily but more fell from above and many tractors had to be used to hold the flow back. The pace was slowing because now only a few tractors could remove the overburden.

"Jonesey, take some large rocks and push them into position above the den so that it will stop the flow."

One large rock slammed into the loose dirt and then more tractors were freed to start pulling loose soil from the area.

Dirty white fur appeared and Jonesey dug frantically and pulled the donai from a small depression. I held my breath for it looked like Mary. The readings said we were too late and the animal was dead. The tractors burrowed further in and again we found a donai dead. Working around it, we found a small body just underneath it that had managed to remain alive.

The cub came into the ship and was worked on by Jonesey's medical section. Getting it here alive was not always enough and she worked feverishly while digging further into the side of the slope. We encountered a large alluvial rock and worked around it. Pulling it forth we found another adult donai with a crushed pelvis and legs that were definitely broken in many places.

The animal was near death and I looked at the cub we already had and saw it was recovering. With a form of tirage the cub was placed on the deck and the bleeding adult animal took its place.

Behind the rock was a small free area and two young donai. Jonesey pulled them forward and the sensors showed them near death from asphyxiation. The cubs were pulled in and Jonesey said, "The limits of the den have been reached. There will be no more donai."

"Head for Souts, quickly."

Yes, Sir."

I had time to monitor the action and found that the ships had no more targets. A lone fighter came to investigate and possibly draw fire.

"Jim, what have you been getting into?" came from Dmitriy Baranov. I could feel his second wife Nosa present.

"I don't have time to talk now Dema. I have to bring the donai to Souts. Let's talk later." He could see the urgency so just said bye and we flew on.

I ran to the cubs and used the med unit on each of them. One of the latter cubs to enter the ship was larger and looked much like Rosie. I kept the unit on her because she looked like she would make it. Her steady breathing made me switch to the other and within a moment those sets of lungs now rose as well.

We settled to the ground just outside the medical unit and two gravsleds awaited us. A few late night wanderers looked at us and we felt our minds being searched for the reason for all the excitement. Jonesey's tractors placed the adult on the one sled while the other took all three cubs. I ran with them as they were cleaned. Each was deposited into one of the many available tanks waiting for us.

Frieda through one of her surrogates said, "The donai will survive. Why did you bring them here?"

I knew what she was talking about and said, "The donai are intelligent creatures. They have a faculty for finding Samutz even when they are invisible. The Samutz are very frightened of them. The donai are predisposed to following Tandra and I think Humans too. They will make good allies in ridding this planet of Samutz."

"I did not know of the second piece of data. It was not in any of your reports."

"I only found it out a hour or so ago when the Samutz came toward our camp and the donai warned us of their approach."

The conversation abruptly ended and I knew we had finished. In all my years I had never heard of intelligent machines outside of science fiction. Now I had one that was rude.

Checking the Donai, I instructed the doc to insert a small recording crystal the same as we all had into the four surviving donai. If things happened as I hoped, we would have proof of their abilities. The computer was quizzed and it was found that they could be augmented to be stronger and smarter just as Humans were. When battling for survival sometimes we needed everything we could get, so I ordered it done.

The adult donai was indeed Mary and all of the cubs would survive, but she would need to be in the tanks for at least two Earth days, or four here. The cubs would be out in an hour after taking care of all their ailments.

The tanks made me remember Fonza and her scarred skin. One of the children had a cleft palate and there were a few others that would require time in the vats. I walked back to the ship and walked up the ramp. Tom was holding a child while talking to the rest. He turned around as I approached and searched my mind for the condition of the donai. The others bowed low to me as if I were a king. At least after their education that would come to a halt.

"It is good to see that they will recover. Do you plan on keeping all here as your family?"

"Not only them, but the donai too. I think we can make a strong unit that can survive the Samutz and all they can throw at us." Then looking at the others I said to Tom, "I want all of them, in the tank. They need to get the same treatment as the donai and perhaps this will get them to realize they can fight and win. This ship is just large enough to carry all of us and I am sure that we can find jobs so that all possible stations are covered."

There was no need to clear this because many Tandra had already undergone this treatment. It just happened in this case that we would be all riding in one ship. Tandra law was being skirted very close because of the children that would be riding with us. With five hours to go we started on my plan. Everybody was put into the tanks and assessments made to what each needed.

Tom and I had enough time to get all the supplies we needed for our larger family along with weapons, portable tutors and survival equipment. My new family would not start to be decanted for at least 30 more minutes. As an added precaution I had four more combat suits stowed in our limited space and hoped I forgot nothing important.

The first to get out was one of the little girls and I just realized that I knew none of their names. She awoke and started to cry but after I picked her up she began to quiet down. I decided to name them after my sisters and other brother. This one would be Abigail, the next would be Sarah and the last would be Robert. Within a few minutes Sarah awoke and had to be treated the same way as Tom held the child. Robert didn't cry, which was surprising, he just clung to us as if his life depended on it.

There was no time for the cafeteria so we had gotten lots of food brought over ahead of time and Tom and I fed the children. They seemed to enjoy the games we made with the food till it was time for Boko to awake.

Boko held me close and snuggled like I hoped my previous wife had been able to do when we were married. He came over, sat with the children, and ate his fill.

The cubs were next and groggily came to the conclusion that we were harmless after being given lots of food and water.

Mona and Fenna came almost together and Tom helped me while Boko watched the children.

The two women were frightened and had to be calmed down, but saw almost all of their number here and unhurt.

"I hope each of you can hear me better now." Their faces showed a little shock as I perceived their amazement at the quality of information now passing between us. "The place you just left has given you many gifts. If you are to stay with me it is necessary to use these gifts as best you can. We are going to be hunting Samutz and do our best to make this planet safe for our children."

"How is this possible?" Came from Fenna. She was very fearful of the thoughts of trying to hunt the Samutz.

"Your own people made these machines and then forgot about them. I plan to teach you many things and you will be able to do the same things Tom and I can do." This revelation was just too big, to be believed.

They ate much of the strange food even if it was not to their taste. Frieda materialized some clothing for them and they had their first meeting with an AI. Their eyes opened as Frieda went into her standard spiel for the local Tandra.

The cubs had eaten so much that they wanted to sleep. They sniffed around and looked for their parents now that they had been fed. Rosie after looking all over came to me and rubbed my leg like a cat. I picked her up and stroked her damp fur. I gave her to Boko later. He was very upset because a godough was very dangerous and they were never domesticated.

Tom and I picked up the smaller pair. They growled and hissed, but stayed with us as we moved about. It wasn't too long before I could feel their feelings of security.

We talked and the Tandra learned from the tutor much of their history. Later they were informed about the part that Humans millions of years ago, and now, played in it. Before too long we all walked back into medical as Fonza magically arose from the tank. The transmitters left and the small wounds healed.

She stared at us wide eyed and we all smiled. She was now sure of the Human smile and its meaning. Her face was now beautiful even by Tandra standards. The slight pink colouration would eventually leave. Her legs and arms looked the same now and no doubt equal in strength. It was time to see if her slight limp had been alleviated.

She was frightened by the cubs, but satisfied herself with keeping a watchful eye on them. She came to the conclusion that they were safe because we carried them. Her glance went to the clothes the children wore at the camp, then the new ones everybody else wore now. She wanted one of her own even though her usual nakedness was more common. Her mind had not grasped the fact of her own rebirth or the fact that all the rest were staring at her.

I shifted the cub and gave her my hand and said, "Time to get up Honey. We have to leave. Our mission is about to start." She was surprised like the rest and stared at me in particular.

"Let's get you dressed and fed. It is time to go."

We walked through the empty room and out the door. Fonza balked at the ship, but followed the rest inside. Her limp was almost all gone and probably it was only her memory of it that made her continue.

The hatch closed and Jonesey got the latest updates before a small hum signified that we were airborne. Tom and I lowered our loads and got some blankets for the cubs and the children to sit on.

Fonza was looking at her hands now in amazement after trying to find out what the rest of the family were looking at. Her hands shot to her face but only found smooth skin. She had seen how the fasteners worked on the children's clothing and undid her own to investigate.

When all of her body was searched and no scar tissue found she turned and ran to me. She fell over her unaccustomed clothing and into my arms. She quickly remembered I was a male and tried to get back. I held her for a second and gave her a little Human kiss and said, "You don't have to be afraid of me. I do not hit people weaker than me," then looking at Tom who hung his head, "well not often, and never hard."

She was not sure of me yet and could only go by what the other women told her about our last time together. At that time I was a typical male and demanded satisfaction. This had got the cooperation I needed to find out about them.

I helped her up and got Jonesey to provide seats at the various stations. With a little bit of juggling there were six, enough for everybody except the children.

Tom and I took each person and sat them on an invisible seat that formed around them. Though very hard they were quite safe. The addition of the tutors kept them quiet as Tom and I took our stations.

We came over the northern pole to the continent almost as large as the one we left.

Our map had no names as yet, only reference numbers. The Samutz had not been too interested in this area except for hunting the local Tandra and only one other couple patrolled this continent with us.

Nikolai (Kolya) Petrov was from the Russian city of Samara and was currently covering the southern section with us. He had a small hidden camp with six wives and word was out that he was looking for more. I had fought alongside the man but had little chance to know him very well.

Our first trip here showed us most of the continent. A long chain of mountains ran the entire width of the land mass and extended into the ocean on either side. The chain was quite wide and showed many lakes, rivers and beautiful secluded valleys. One mountain range was the highest on the planet and actually had ice covering half of the range. Two glaciers on the northern side provided large snow fed lakes and made me think of my home.

The north of the continent was mostly jungle and looked more densely packed than the amazon on Earth. The lighter gravity allowed the trees to reach unimaginable heights and proportions. The lesser vegetation ran riot and made ground navigation all but impossible, except on the wide rivers. Water was very abundant and comprised almost 20% of the continent's northern surface.

The south was almost a desert, but not quite. The area was as large as Australia and had the usual lush fringe that only extended a few hundred klicks into the interior. Here a very large salt lake bellow the level of the surrounding ocean harboured life seen nowhere else.

Our arrival this time was different. I had a family and at least some potential new members. A very good ship and a new commitment to keep all of them alive. Perhaps I would remember my own hide now instead of just jumping in to a situation.

Tom released the drones and we descended to an altitude of ten klicks. The repeaters would keep us informed of the short range drones findings while allowing us to cover a wider area. With the new knowledge of Samutz inhabiting many water courses the drones took particular attention to this environment.

Turning around in the chair at the abrupt cessation of noise, I saw the children tentatively touching the donai cubs while the cubs tried to rest from their full stomachs. The cubs were not annoyed yet but eventually they might snap at the children. They were not much different than what my own children were like when young.

Tom and I checked the readings from the drones and found a profusion of animal life in the jungle below and it varied as we headed along the coast. A very large predator, much like a small tyrannosaurus, fed on an armadillo like creature the size of a modern rhino only longer.

Jonesey catalogued all the different forms of life and its dispersion, hoping to find a correlation that would mean Samutz presence.

Because of all the sources of life our speed was drastically restricted, but our attention was the same as before. The coastline alone would take an entire day and I knew the donai and new members of our crew needed a break.

"Tom, look for a safe place to set down for a few days. They are not used to being this cooped up." A half hour later an island in a large river delta filled our bill. We came in and Fenna looked over our shoulders at the display to see the small tract of land. It was wooded with a large beach. A prominent outcropping of granite and no large predators on the island or in the surrounding waters. This made the area ideal for our needs. Though only a few hectares in size. It had a herd of antelope of the smaller variety.

The constant low level hum brought the children's attention back to their surroundings. The ramp lowered and they looked around wondering where they were now. The donai all sniffed the air looking for both prey and predator.

"Ok you guys, it is time to stretch your legs. There are no Samutz around and nothing that can hurt any of us. I want to set up a temporary camp and stay here for a few days."

Tom left first, with a rifle and the rest followed. The last to leave were the donai. Their first steps into the hot sand brought them back onto the ramp. The children were empathetic enough to pick them up regardless of the growls and place them in the shade within the tree line.

I got out four of the combat suits and had them stand guard with the drones overhead as an insurance policy and then stepped out too with my own rifle. Our camping supplies came next and I shouldered the small burden and walked into the trees and to a small clearing that we saw from above.

Tom removed obstacles and got the rest to help till the units four corners were pushed into the ground and activated. A green coloured dome appeared about three metres high and three and a half metres on a side.

The newest members of our crew jumped back at its materialization but the children just dove in as if they had lived in such a structure all their lives. They seemed to be tuned in to me and saw no danger from the sudden occurrence. The donai were not as rash and ventured in only after smelling all around the large opening.

Boko and Tom were close so I said, "Let's see what we can find to eat. If nothing shows up then we can bring out some of the bison in the hold."

"Why don't we eat what we brought in the ship?" Tom asked.

"Real food tastes better and it is preferable to rely on the land and not the ship."

Mona was frightened of the four new suits and her new environment but was quickly told by Fenna the reason. All of them had been given different courses but all would eventually get the same thing. I doubt if any of them could have perceived this way of living even a day ago.

The children were running around, and the donai with them seemed to fit in as well as dogs did when I was a boy. Interrupting their games, Boko told them to gather fire wood and they would eat later.

Tom and I went hunting. After a few steps I knew that Boko was right behind me and I let him follow. Within a few hundred metres we found some of the smaller antelope feeding in a small hollow.

"Boko, come here." He came very quietly and I removed my rifle and adjusted it to shoot for him. "Take the rifle and aim it at the animals in the depression. When you think you have them in your sites tell the gun to fire." I had to visualize everything twice but he felt he knew what I was talking about. Raising the large, but light weapon, he sighted on a large buck and did his best to get the gun to shoot while keeping the rifle trained on the animal.

With a silent burst of energy the buck fell to the ground and lay still. Boko whooped in excitement and the herd vanished into the brush faster than most animals could do. Boko hung his head in shame for what he had done. With a bowed head he handed the rifle back to me.

I clapped him on the shoulder with one hand while taking the gun and said vocally, "That was good shooting. With a little training you will be able to kill Samutz too."

His head came up and a smile magically appeared. We worked our way down the embankment and Boko ran up to the animal he hit. There were many berries protected by long thorns but our clothes proved better. The animal was dead. The stun killed it instantly because of its small size. I picked it up and draped the carcass over his shoulder to carry back. A few berries I picked and placed in my pocket to check later.

We walked further to see the rest of the island and after only a few moments found the large silt laden waters of the upstream side. The shore was covered with waterfowl that screeched at our arrival and flew out into the river. They landed close to another small island and seemed to cast reproving glances at us. Turning around we followed a new path and soon found ourselves on the beach with the ship only a few yards away.

The smell of the animal sent the donai into a frenzy. They ran to Boko through the warm sand and climbed up his legs to try to get to the meat. If they were dogs they would get a small slap and a stern voice. Here I just used the voice and they immediately dropped to the sand and appeared to be very well mannered dogs. Their parents had probably taught them well but they tried to pull the wool over our eyes.

Boko was familiar with butchering and used our very sharp knife with great caution to clean the animal. A water washed rock in shallow water served as his table. The donai paced or sat very impatiently, Rosie went into the water with no qualms and sat down with the water up to her chest.

When the organs were separated he cut them up at my urging and I said to the children, "Come out into the water and feed the donai."

I did not have to ask twice. They bounded out, and Robert fell into the water but got right up and arrived at the rock. "Take one piece at a time and toss it to the animal that seems to like you the most. Go slow so they don't choke and keep your hands away from their teeth." They were careful but the donai did not choke though I wondered how it was done.

Tom came back with one of the combat suits loaded down with things our training told us were edible. They were originally cultivated by the Tandra that decided to farm this planet. He found a long tan coloured vegetable that hung from a tree and resembled a yam in many respects. Another like a coconut provided a good tasting juice though Tom or I had not had any yet. Finally he had a few of the berries I had in my pocket. He took his to the ship and Jonesey passed them with the comment that they were edible but slightly diuretic.

We had a good meal, and Tom and I made ready to depart to fulfil our mission. Boko and Fenna ran up to us then the rest followed. They fell to the sand and aimed their asses to me. They were very upset and thought that I could possibly abandoning them.

To calm them I said, "Tonight we will talk and then you will be given a choice of what you want to do with your life." This was making them more nervous so I continued, "I would like all of you to stay with Tom and me but if you want to go to Souts and be trained to your full capabilities I will not stop you." I took a piece of drift wood and pushed it into the sand gaging the sun's position, I estimated where the shadow would be in four hours. Another small stick marked this position. "When the shadow reaches here it will be about the time I will be back. I want all of you to enjoy your time here even though you were always looking out for the Samutz. The combat suits will provide all the protection you need and warn us if something serious happens."