Chapter 21: The New People

The AAC cruised on patrol as they did daily now. It was crewed by Ujiah the pilot, Tani and Autumn. The patrol had been uneventful and they were just preparing to head back to the compound having reached the farthest extent of their patrol. Suddenly in the distance ahead of them they heard a loud boom. Instantly all of them came to alert. With his instruments Ujiah spotted the source of the noise. They climbed in altitude and cautiously approached. They heard another loud boom and shortly after that spotted an air car that was flying toward them at treetop level. Tani and Autumn quickly aimed their guns at the intruding air car and at the same time Ujiah accelerated and made the AAC rise to its max altitude.

As they got closer, Ujiah was able to identify the approaching air car as a six-man model crewed by six robots. The robots were intent on something below the trees and so did not see them. Ujiah placed the AAC in such a way that when they attacked they were coming out of the sun. They swooped down both Tani and Autumn fired. The air car and all robots inside disappeared to be replaced by a cloud of falling debris. Only seconds had elapsed.

"I wonder what they were bombing and shooting at?" Autumn said over her helmet radio expressing the thoughts of all.

"I don't know what they are but I'm picking up thirty heat signatures on the ground below," Ujiah stated.

Just then, Tani spotted a figure that darted into the open between two trees and then vanished under cover. "That was a human," Tani said excitedly. "Drop lower Uji, so I can get a closer look."

Tani caught glimpses of other figures as they darted from cover between trees.

"Find a place to land Uji I'm going to see if I can make contact with them," Tani said over the radio.

Ujiah found a clearing ahead of the approaching humans and set the AAC down. Tani grabbed a translator which each air car was luckily supplied with and jumped to the ground. She walked to the center of the clearing and stood waiting for the approaching humans. Autumn in the mean time covered her with a rifle.

Before long Tani detected movement in the trees in front of her. She spread her hands wide, palms forward, to show that she was unarmed and waited. A last a man slowly approached and stopped about ten feet in front of her. Tani slowly raised one hand and pointed to herself. "Taniea," she said and repeated it several times then pointed to the man and was silent. After she had repeated this several times the man pointed to himself and said Mika. Tania then started to speak asking who he was and from where and anything else she could think of knowing the man would not understand a word but he hopefully would speak back and let the translator start its work.

She was not to be disappointed. The man started to speak and point and slowly the translator started to decipher the new language. First one word, then five words, then ten and after hours of talking she was able to carry on a limited conversation. As they continued to speak the learned vocabulary increased. The hours continued to pass but at last, Tania was able to understand enough to determine that Mika was the person in charge.

As their communication improved Tani learned that Mika and the ones in his company had been on the run from the metal men, he called them, for many months. Their village had been home to almost three-hundred people. Their village had been on the other side of the mountain chain. He and about one hundred others had fled their village as it was being destroyed by the metal men and had been on the run ever since. Each time they had stopped they had been discovered and were forced to flee once more. They had finally stumbled on a pass and snuck through it. They thought they had escaped but the metal men found them and pursued them once more. During this flight their numbers had been reduced till only thirty of his people including himself remained. The metal men had found them again and were chasing them down when another metal beast appeared in the sky and destroyed the one chasing them.

"I came from that metal beast," Tani said to him, "we call it an air car."

"You destroyed the metal men?" Mika asked incredulously.

"With the help of the rest of my crew," Tani said.

"What do you intend to do with us?" Mika asked suspiciously.

"Nothing, you may go where ever you wish," and then Tani had a thought. "Or, with the approval of my people, you may join us because the metal men, we call them robots, are our enemies too."

"My people are proud; we will not be your slaves," Mika said with fire in his eyes.

"I do not expect your people to be our slaves but to be our equals," Tani answered. "I will leave now and talk to my people and you do the same. I will meet you at this spot tomorrow and tell you our decision and you will tell me yours. If my people accept and yours do too then we will make plans from there. If for some reason my people are against our joining forces or if you decide not to join us then we will tell each other at our next meeting and part as friends," With that Tani turned her back on Mika and walked to the AAC. When she climbed on board, she told Ujiah to lift off.

"What happened?" Autumn asked.

"I'll tell you when we're airborne but for now Uijah just lift off."

When they were once more aloft Tani told them of her conversation. Ujiah radioed the compound and told them what had occurred. When they got back they were greeted by a large crowd with lots of questions.

Tani kept her mouth closed and walked toward the office of one of the few who were not there to greet them. She entered Steve's office and relayed the whole story. For the first time in a long time, Steve smiled at her.

"So you offered for them to join us did you?" Steve chuckled.

"Well yes... , But then I told them that it was dependant on the community here approving," Tani stammered.

"I'm not scolding you Tani, far from it. I'm commending you for thinking on your feet and making a split second decision. Welcome to leadership Tani. Sometimes you have to make a decision that is good for the community without consulting the community members. Oh we'll go through the process of discussion to make it look like everyone was able to give their say so, but don't worry with your support and mine the others of this community will welcome the strangers to join us."

That evening a meeting was held in the cafeteria. Tani told the whole story and then told of her offer and Steve told them of his support. Just as Steve had predicted the offer was approved enthusiastically. The next day Tani, Autumn and Ujiah returned to the clearing and Tani went to the center.

She did not wait long before Mika walked out of the jungle and approached her.

He spoke first, "I talked to my people and if you have the approval of your people and your offer to join you still applies we will join you."