Page 23 of Oret
Chapter 8
Life Improves
Oret felt happy ashe watched his mate dancing around.The mine had hit its levels, and they had gotten their first bonus.It wasn't a big one, but it was a substantial load of fishing gear.Not all the miners were pleased with it, because many of them had not yet gone fishing.The gear was in different sizes, and some of it looked like it would work for a child.There had been some extra gear after she had handed it out to those who had earned it, including most of the managers who had helped in the mines to reach the required level.Those that were left over after that had been handed out to grandchildren.
Victoria had offered trades to those who had fishing gear that they said they would never use.Most of them had accepted the trades and seemed happy enough.The mine wasn't the only thing running better; the builders were hitting their levels and even exceeding them.They had also given them a bonus in the form of surplus goods.Most of them had chosen a bottle of wine.Victoria had started the wine as soon as they arrived here.She made sweet wine that was almost like drinking dessert.Anna had the kitchen and cafeteria running like a well-oiled machine, and the food had improved so much that they no longer received complaints.The only area that needed help was farming, but that was because those had to be established one at a time, since they were getting inexperienced families.Other places had families with at least one experienced person.
The family that had come to train with Tasha's family had been so upset by the hard work and the routine of farming that they had been moved elsewhere.Oret wasn't sure that they would make it anywhere.The children were older, which should have been a plus, but none of them were interested in doing a day's work.That was something they had probably learned from their parents.Now they were bringing in the next family, and they would be moving in when the ship landed in the morning.That was also the ship that would pick up the next load from the mine.It would bring the next upgrade of equipment, making it easier for them to qualify for another upgrade sooner.
The chief had a plan and a system, and those who understood it and were willing to do what was required would do well.Radvar had said that the monsters had earned the next upgrade and would be getting their equipment next.The pressure was easing, and things were getting better one step at a time.Those miners who could be trained were doing well, and those who couldn't were now with the building crew.Two of the builders had traded and were now working in the mines.They were hard workers, and Gabe had hated to see them go.Gabe’s two oldest children did a good job assisting with the builders.They worked with their dad the most, but they also helped in other areas from time to time.Things with the builders had improved enough that they were now getting one day off every week.Sometimes they would go fishing or hunting on that day if a trip was made to another planet.It would be two days before the next trip to the supply planet, as their ship was scheduled to arrive in the morning, and they had to be there when it arrived.
In the kitchen, things were better, too, because no one was having to work seven twelve-hour days.They were all getting at least one day off each week, too.The miners were also getting a day off every week.Their biggest concern was getting the farms up and running, and there was nothing they could do about that until the people came who were willing to take on the job.Tasha's farm was doing well, and they had provided the other farm with extra help; it was almost up to standards.It would take time for the harvest, and that was when they would really know how things were going.
It was still dark outside when a sound woke him.The ship was landing, and it was hours ahead of schedule.It would make loading and unloading difficult because they were human and would not be able to see well in the dark.Oret got up, trying not to wake his mate, but it was too late, and she was moving too.He wondered if the early arrival was accidental or if there was a reason the ship needed to proceed to its next destination.That's something he would be asking when he saw the crew.
“What's going on?It's still dark outside, which will make things harder to do,” Oret informed.
“Radvar needs us to get back to Jaded as early as possible.He didn't tell us why, but I assume it's important.”The captain said.
They immediately began unloading, and Victoria headed up the mountain to prepare the load for shipment to the ship.Everything had been set up so that the loaded containers could be moved down the mountain on rails.She immediately got the first container out the door and moving down the mountain.Victoria moved out one container after another, leaving the prescribed amount of distance between them so that one container wouldn't run into another and cause issues.As soon as the first container reached the bottom of the mountain, the ship's crew took it with their equipment and loaded it onto the ship.The setup was perfect because Victoria was able to get all the containers moving down the mountain on her own, while he assisted the crew with unloading the ship and reloading it.They were done, and the ship was on its way to the monster moon before it was light.
“Not much point in going back to bed,” Oret observed.
“I hope whatever the emergency is, it's dealt with easily and doesn't cause too much harm.”
“I hope that the monsters can move things along as well as we did.”
He knew that might be a problem because they didn't have the same experience with mining, and they might not be pleased at being woken up or disturbed at a time when they weren't expecting anyone.Oret decided not to worry about it because it was beyond his control, and he had plenty to worry about that he could exert some control over.
They went to the kitchen, where they had a leisurely breakfast, and then they both headed to their jobs.Water was now going to several of the buildings and tents in the lower area.One of the problems was that there was not enough water, and the nearby stream would be drained if everyone were using water from there.One of their plans had been to expand the stream and add a large amount of water to it.To utilize that water, they would have to establish a method to prevent it from leaving the area.Some type of dam would have to be built.Because of the limited amount of supplies they had, they would be taking trees from their supply planet and building them that way.While addressing the water and sewer issues, he also allocated a certain amount of time to other areas to ensure everything was running smoothly.The place he was needed the least now was the mine because Tol was working with Victoria, and they had things under control.
He had to admit that he enjoyed working with Anna in the kitchen and had gotten quite good at baking.That had been one area in which he had not learned a great deal.Most Majuri warriors were good cooks, although they mostly cooked in a fire pit.Oret found the baking to be especially relaxing, and he enjoyed doing it with some of the little children who were kept in the kitchen.Because Anna's children were kept in the kitchen, some of the other ladies had expressed an interest in having their children kept in the same area.So, he had fixed up a room where the children could stay and be near their parents or grandparents.It seemed to make some of the ladies work harder because they appreciated that benefit.Sometimes the children would help with baking cookies and cupcakes.
Oret worked on his plumbing issues until lunch, and then he switched to working in the kitchen.The last half of the day passed quickly, and he knew that tomorrow they would be going on a hunt and gathering the necessary supplies.Anna and Gabe would be going, along with their children.The two oldest were already trained hunters.The youngest would be riding in front of Gabe, and the second youngest would be on a bike with Anna.Riding with someone else could make hunting a little harder, but it was worth it to spend time with family.Two of the miners had decided to try hunting, and they would be going as novices.He hoped it would work out because they needed more hunters.Eventually, the moon would have a good supply of animals, and they would be able to hunt in their own place.
It was early morning, and their ship had been loaded the night before, ready to take off right after breakfast.The other planet they visited for supplies was just a little bit further away than Mars 2.That planet was so close in fact that it affected the orbit of the Monster Moon.That moon orbited further away than their moon did.It got caught and was pulled away for a time before breaking free again.That was when the Monster Moon had its cold month.That would be here soon, and Victoria wanted to get furs to trade with them.They had a tuber on their moon that Anna and the kitchen were able to use like a potato.Victoria would be happy enough to take some of that in trade for the furs.If not that, then some of the minerals they were mining could also be used, as they could be traded if they couldn't be utilized.
Everyone was excited about the hunting trip when the ship landed on the planet.Twenty-five people, excluding the children who accompanied their parents, were on the trip.Only four of their hunters were beginners.Victoria and he would be working on training what was probably the least experienced one.Each trainee was assigned to work with two seasoned hunters.Gary was the one they had.The only thing he’d done at this point was acquire his needed bike and hunting gear.At least that was a step in the right direction.He’d gotten a weapon and knives with a sharpening stick.Those were all things he’d have to learn to use.At least everyone in the hunting party seemed excited and willing to learn.
The hunt began with Victoria taking down something that she said resembled a buffalo.He confirmed the kill and dropped a tracker on it.Oret took down a deer, and then everyone began to hunt.Gary tried to shoot the equivalent of a turkey and missed.
“You really need to try to shoot something larger so that you have a better chance of hitting.Small birds are usually for more experienced hunters,” Oret explained.
Gary gave up on the turkeys, and this time he went for a deer.He hit it in the shoulder, and Victoria finished it for him.Her interest was mainly in things with fur, so she would have something to trade with the monsters.Others were shooting everything you could imagine because they were on a plain that was loaded with herds of various types.The first truck filled up quickly, and they began loading the second.The crew was loading water because they couldn't seem to get enough of that.Once they were done, they would be able to hunt or fish if they chose to do so.If they filled the trucks quickly enough, they would fish.That might be stopped early to do some gathering.
The next trip would focus on fishing and gathering.It was the way they’d been doing things, and it worked well enough.Their plan seemed to be providing what they needed, and adjustments could be made as needed.By the time all the trucks were full and they had gutted their kills, it was lunchtime.They moved away from where all the guts were, as it would draw scavengers they didn't want to deal with.Oret picked a good spot by the water, and after giving warnings to everyone fishing about standing too close and not being observant enough, they began fishing.There was no doubt that the fish were biting, and they caught a large amount.Once they cleaned the fish, they spent the rest of the day gathering.With only one scanner, it was decided that the others would simply bag the items and not concern themselves with whether they were useful or not until they got back home.Oret scanned everything he and Victoria found, and they marked it for its usefulness.
They had fish for supper, and after the campsite was cleaned up and the fire was put out, it was time to head home.On the trip, Oret took that time to start scanning the bags and writing the results on them.He was amazed at how few items were poisonous.Most items were edible, and a few had mild medical applications.Everything was scanned before they arrived at the moon, and the purposes of the items were discussed with those who had collected them.Some donated the medical items, but others kept them.Oret didn’t know what they thought they’d do with them.They had little trade value since they were mild in nature.Perhaps they had heard about how some items had generated large amounts of money, but none of these items would yield the same results.
It was good to be back with a full ship of the things that they needed.Their work wasn't done yet, as they would now cook one of the large kills in the fire pit, and then they would cut everything else and store it away in one of the freezers or refrigerators.Those in the kitchen had mixed feelings because they would be learning to cut up kills, but they would have the meat cooked outside for the day.That meant that their work would not be harder because of the kills that had been brought back; it would just be different.One of the older men was already very good at cutting up the kills because he had been a butcher.The lady who was interested in him had begged him to show her how to make the cuts.He seemed frustrated because she was not a quick learner, but he continued to try.
Everyone with any skill at all was trying to train someone.That included a handful of older children.It was causing a little resentment because the new hunters did not want to be trained by someone who could be their own child.It was clear that the children were talented and had no trouble making the cuts.Once they had a good start on the meat, they had to get on the fish because it would spoil quickly.Victoria was on the fish alone, doing an excellent job while he was training two of the new hunters.They were doing well because they knew better than to ignore him as he instructed them.Some of the hunters with only a little experience were already hunting small animals on their own.That was a bigger help than it sounded like.It was early morning before they completed the necessary work to ensure that all the meat and fish were ready for storage.
Oret was impressed with the amazing job that his mate did.It was obvious that she was tired, and he hurried her away so that she could get at least a little bit of sleep.They had told those who worked that they could take two hours of extra sleep.However, overly tired workers often performed poorly and frequently had accidents.That was not something they wanted.They hurried home and crashed, completely worn out.He had set the alarm because she had not even thought of it.She was getting more tired than usual, and it worried him.Victoria was hard to wake up in the morning, but once she was up, she dressed quickly, ate, and went to work.He intended to keep an eye on her, but since he wasn't in the mine with her, he told his friend, Tol, to watch her.
Life was settling into a pattern.They traded with Mars 2 and the Monster Moon at least once a month.Mostly, the items they traded were from their supply planet because their moon didn't have much that anyone would want.Oret hoped that would change in time as they developed the farms and discovered items on the moon.Water, fish, animals, and worthwhile plants were brought over every time they went on a supply trip, which was at least twice a month and sometimes as often as once a week.The chief was pleased because the mine was hitting the proper levels, and they were supplying much of their own needed food and other necessities.Victoria had not only hit the required levels but also exceeded them slightly.
