Chapter 2

I let Maggie go up first, she is slow. I wonder, not for the first time, why she is not as strong as the rest of these health conscious folks. Once we are at ground level Maggie leads me over to a cluster of women, I know many of them. I helped rescue them late last night. Was it really only last night.

"Chronos!" one of the women calls out to me and holds out her arm to hug me.

It is Gwen or should I say Gwenivier. A beautiful blonde bombshell of a lady. I walk gladly into her arms and hug her tight. We have been through a lot together.

"Gwen," I give her a once over to see how her wounds are doing. Not just the physical ones but the mental ones as well. She is dealing. "Thank you so much for the change of clothes," I add as we step apart.

"It's the least I can do for the savior of the ladies," she gives me a sad smile. Not all the way healed, I think.

I laugh at the title she gives me. "All part of the service," and tip my head to her. "But did you have, to send the chatter box to wake me up?" giving her a wounded look.

Gwen looks over to Maggie and laughs. "Secret weapon."

The ladies, who have been watching us join in our laughter as well.

Each of them in turn comes over, hugs me and says thanks. I am not expecting this. It would have brought tears to my eyes if I could still cry so instead some of the ladies cry for me.

"Thank you all," I say when they are done. "I just did what I could to keep us alive. You were the ones who held up under some of the most trying of times, you were real troopers."

I look over the smiling faces. As happy as they are to be home they are still shaken by what has happened. I need to get them back on track.

"Maggie mentioned a corn harvest?" I look over at Gwen for confirmation.

"That's right," she perks up. "It's our last harvest. We bring in as much corn as we can and anything else that is ripe. Then in evening we have a party," she explains.

The ladies have been milling around till now, gather up the baskets that are piled at our feet.

"Even if I don't know what a ripe corn looks like I can still carry," I swing two baskets up and follow the ladies out to the waiting field.

I remember corn from my childhood, golden ripe and sweet, I hope this is the kind you want to eat so I ask.

"Is this field corn or sweet?" I get a lot of laughter from my question. "Oh come on, I am not a farmer, I have been in space," they laugh at me some more. I feel no anger at their teasing only warm contentment at their acceptance of my presences.

Maggie bounces up to join me. "It's sweet corn," she says politely and gives me a half knowing grin of delight. For once she knows something I didn't.

It is a short walk out to the fields. They are in part of the the compound's interior. I am beginning to think the compound is bigger than I had originally thought. Once at the field, the ladies spread out. There are more people out there than just the bachelor ladies, men and women are scattered around. My best guess is they are the rest of the farmers. And watching from the four corners are the Protectors. One for each of the sides they will not be caught flat footed this time.

The corn stalks are tall and neatly planted in rows. They look well tended. I look out over the rest of the farming industry to see there are many rows of different types of vegetables. Tall ones like the corn, flax and tomatoes. Low to the ground like lettuce and carrots, vines of squash and cucumbers, there is even some cotton and tobacco. They have a great assortment. And with the meat they hunt they can supplement the vegetable diet.