Chapter 10

It was late morning and there was a raucous celebration in the Hopewell village by the time Kara and Pakua returned to it. Kara's role in the battle was known throughout the village and the people cheered when they saw her. Kara was beginning to feel distressed. The sacrifice of her bodyguard was too fresh in her mind for her to enjoy the celebration. At last Pakua led her to the Halau, the main community hall where the war council was meeting. Pakua reported his version of the battle, including Kara's effort to sacrifice herself in order to save her bodyguard. Meanwhile Kara and Mark lost themselves in a deep embrace.

"Oh Kara, I was so sure I was going to lose you!"

"I'm finding it hard to accept I'm still alive. Nine people decided to die in order to save my life! It's something that's changed me, forever I think."

Kara and Mark sat down and Mark quietly filled Kara in with the latest information while Pakua continued his report to the war council.

"Mark, did we win the war?"

"No. Perhaps our long-term victory is very probable now, but the Paleo are switching tactics. If they're doing what we think they're doing, life here might get very difficult."

"What are the results from the battle?"

"A tremendous victory for the Hopewell. Hopewell deaths are l6 warriors, all from the A-team and your bodyguard. Oh, plus a little girl."

"Huh? NOT..."

"Huh? Oh! No, not Mayoni. A girl I didn't know. She lost her balance on the ridgeline from the smoke, fell into the gorge... It's very sad..."

"What's the status of our ammo supply?"

"You fired everything you had, right?"

"Yeah, 5 mags with 2 full sets of reloads, 225 rounds."

"I fired about half that. We have 134 rounds left, enough to refill the clips and 14 extra. It's not much. The days of high-tech firepower existing on this world might be drawing to a close... Perhaps it's just as well... I'll think I'll join you in your nightmares tonight. I don't like being a mass murderer either... I feel a desperate need to lie down and have you hold me..."

Kara just looked at Mark thoughtfully. "And the Paleo?"

"We scored a tremendous blow. We think the surviving male population is about 140 adults and 20 elders, and a lot of them are wounded. Maybe more than half. And in addition, your team took out half of their junior warrior population. It's the group that guards the women, males from 13 to 17 years in Earth age. We think there used to be about 140, and now there are about 70, and almost all of the survivors are the youngest of the group. A group of 70 kids 13 to 15 years old can't guard over 1200 women and girls. It's causing the Paleo to switch tactics entirely."

"What are they doing?"

"We think they're going to break camp soon and move the women away to a more isolated place, beyond where the Hopewell have explored. The Paleo also seem to be scouting out ambush sites around the fields and farms. The spring planting season will start very soon. If the Hopewell can't switch back to being farmers, this society is going to be in really serious trouble. We think the Paleo might switch to small-scale terror actions, and life here is going to be hell. The council realizes the danger. The problem is there doesn't seem to be any solution."

"What's the council talking about now Mark? The singing is so fast I can't follow it."

"Oh yeah. They're trying to decide the status of a bunch of escaped slaves from the Paleo camp. When the teenagers charged after you, there was no one left to mind the store except a handful of Paleo elders. A group of 19 women and 9 female children managed to run off. They came here pleading for mercy."

"Mark, that's wonderful!"

"You think so? The council is debating what to do with them. Their three main options seem to be to stone them, banish them to freeze to death, or turn them into slaves. I'm pretty disgusted by the whole thing."

Kara jumped up from the floor and shouted, "WHAT?!"

The room was suddenly silent. The dim sound of the continuing celebration outside went unnoticed. Kikapua and the rest of the council all had praises they wanted to sing to Kirahani. But they saw the cold fury in her eyes and they suddenly became uneasy and bewildered about what was going on.