Chapter 2

I rested for a half day and began to recon the area for inhabitants. I found a couple of coveys of the big birds and a small and a large herd of the cattle. I also found a path.

I followed it for a couple of hours and decided I must be going in the wrong direction. I hadn't found anything that indicated recent use. I turned around and made my way back to the van. I arrived a bit after dark. The days were long here, it must be summer, although the temperature was very pleasant.

I had tied a tarpaulin to the trailer to make a lean to, and slept on top of a sleeping bag under my space blanket. I had to get up one time in the night, but other than the usual night sounds, I heard nothing.

I got up early this morning and caught my breakfast. After I had cleaned up and stowed everything, I headed for the path and went the opposite direction from yesterday.

After a couple of hours, I found some tracks that looked human in size and shape, although larger than I would expect.

I continued along the path and came up on an old campsite, and fire pit. This was encouraging, I hoped.

I continued along the path and heard some yelling. I hurried until I could see something. It was a small group of people, if you could call eight-foot tall bright red men people, attacking a single farmstead. I could see (with the binoculars) that an arrow had wounded one of the red men, and that they were behind cover.

I eased up behind them. I heard a voice in my head saying, "Help me, please, they will kill me and steal my food."

I guess they heard it, too. They all turned toward me and attacked, they were armed with short swords and axes.

When they stood to attack me, one was shot with an arrow in the back and yelled and fell. The remaining three came on. I felt like I didn't really have any choice but to protect myself and pulled my pistol and began shooting at them. I had a shotgun, but it was loaded with birdshot and was not really the best thing for giant crimson skinned attackers.

I fired twice at the first one and hit him once in the chest. I was glad that I had my .357. He stumbled and fell, coughing blood. I shot the one who had been previously wounded, I hit him twice and he fell. The last one was right on top of me and I had to dodge a blow from his axe and stuck the gun to his side and triggered two rounds. That was all for the raiding party.

The arrow shot one had bled out by the time I had gotten to him. I picked up my empties, and walked toward the house. It was a solid house built of native stone, with a slate roof.

A person walked out, also assuming six and a half feet tall and bright green was a person. "Thank you very much," I heard in my head again. This is odd, it speaks English.

"You're welcome," I answered. "My name is Fred Hunter."

"My name is Joyous Sounds of Warm Weather Birds," it sent.

"May I call you Joy, since your name is very long in my language?" I asked.

"It would please me for you to call me Joy," it sent.

"It occurs to me that it is strange that you speak my language," I said.

"My people speak directly to the mind, we have no language barriers," it answered.

I keep talking about Joy in the neuter gender because I have no clue what gender it is. "I see that you and the red men are heavily clothed, are you cold here?" I asked.

"Yes, the temperature on this planet is much colder than my home planet or the home planet of these criminals."

"I have just gotten here and am not a criminal. I am looking for a community that I can trade with or a place to farm," I told Joy.