Page 3 of Oret
“I'll take you.”
They headed to the new mine, which was close to where they had been gathering.It was a relief to see that the guys were still working and had done a good job so that they hadn't lost any time.This mine contained jewels, including diamonds, and had a few areas with silver and gold deposits.There were other uses for the jewels, or the chief wouldn't care about this mine at all.Diamonds could be used in some mining equipment for cutting purposes.Victoria knew there were also some scientific uses, but that wasn't really her area, and she didn't care and only wanted the work they were doing to be worthwhile and appreciated.
The shame was that the mine where the dragon was located was the most important one, as it contained a mineral used in the construction of spaceships.The other mine was on lockdown so that the dragon wouldn't be disturbed.It would be going hunting, and everyone had been told to leave the dragon alone if they didn't want to die.It would be a week or more before someone came to pick up the dragon to take it to others of its kind.Victoria hated that it had messed up her schedule regarding the mines, but she was glad that the little guy hadn't been hurt and that no one else had either.
Oret went back to his work, and she went back to hers, finishing out the day at the diamond mine, which the miners had nicknamed.That was as good a name as any, and it would probably stick.Someone had been assigned as caretaker for the dragon, so she wasn't going to worry about it.It would be a good thing if it were taken away and she could have her mine back.Maybe that sounded bad, but she did feel bad for the little dragon who was all alone and glad that it had found some of its people to go back to.Things were tough on a new planet, where everyone had to do their best and reach certain levels to be considered successful.Up until now, she had been doing fine, but not everyone was doing so great.The kitchen was always struggling, and so far, at least half the farms were in chaos.
At this point, Radvar was cutting them some slack in certain areas because he knew that they had started out with people who had no experience and some who just didn't want to work.That wouldn't be the case for much longer, and she felt sorry for her daughter because her areas were struggling more than Fenwick's.That might be because their son-in-law seemed intimidating, and he didn't have the same ease with people that Sara sometimes did.It had really been a miracle that they were doing as well as they had.Several of those people they had to get rid of ended up not being able to do anything except go to the moon, where they would probably die.
Sara had a hard time dealing with that, and at least a dozen people had gone there so far.Victoria had not had a single person go because everyone knew it was hard in the mines, and they didn't volunteer to go there; only volunteers were allowed to go.There might have been a few that were skirting the level she required, but they all seemed to get it in time.Oret was the one who got to send them away, and since he was a Majuri warrior, he understood how the system worked.Even though Sara was not the one sending them, it still broke her heart to see them dragged away.Victoria could admit that she didn't like watching the shuttle being loaded when she knew it was going to the moon, but she understood that lazy people interfered with the way that the colony ran and could risk all their lives.A dozen had left, and so far, only one had been allowed to come back, and they had been changed as far as being a much better worker went.
“Why don't you let me escort you to supper?”Oret asked.
“Why not?”
He smiled, as if he thought she was weakening, and maybe she was.Oret was an attractive man, and his interest in her was flattering.She doubted that he was younger than her, even if she thought he looked it.Majuri aged better than humans and lived longer.It was said that their mates also aged better and lived longer once they mated.Not that this was any reason to mate a warrior.The fact that he was an attractive man, easy to talk to, and the most capable male she had ever met; those were all reasons to mate with him.She had just never thought about mating again when her husband had died; she'd said that would be all, never again.It was hard to believe she was considering jumping in.
Maybe it was because everything was so different that she was having these thoughts, or maybe it was because of him, not only the way he was, but the changes she had gone through since she'd been on this new planet.Victoria would have to give this a little more thought before making a decision.Meanwhile, she would enjoy everything he did to try to change her mind.
Chapter 2
Wooing His Woman
Oret intended to winVictoria no matter what he had to do.The Chief was giving him time to do it before he offered him a subchief position.Mars 2 had two livable moons.One was being called Monster Moon, and the other wasn’t named yet.It was the unnamed moon he intended to offer to him.It was time to go to sleep, and, in the morning, he would prepare for the hunt and get Victoria to accompany him.He worked hard, and once he was ready, sleep would come quickly.It did, and he felt refreshed when he woke.
He headed out to get everyone roused and ready for the hunt.The last one he wanted to get was Victoria because he wanted her to get as much sleep as possible.When he arrived at her tent, she was already dressed and about to leave.
“I’ll escort you to breakfast,” he offered.
“Let’s go.”
They headed to the bikes and rode them up the mountain to the kitchen, which was the first room in what would be the governor's mansion.It was the only room that had been completed, but there were other places where people were staying, even though they had not been finished.Brenda was there, and each was brought a nice plate of breakfast food.The plates were piled up high with generous amounts of everything, and he hoped that Victoria would eat most of it.It needed to be finished quickly because the hunt was going to start soon, and they would be leading it.
Her appetite was good, and that pleased him.It surprised him that she actually ate everything on her plate just as he did.They grabbed a snack bag and took their bikes down the mountain.That was where everyone lined up for the hunt.Once it seemed that everyone was there, Victoria took off because he let her go first.He liked the feeling of having her back since the hunt could be dangerous.That was no guarantee of safety because danger could come from the front as well, but he would do all he could to ensure that nothing happened to his female.
This time, they hit it further than they had ever been.It would let them know a little bit more about what kinds of animals were in their area, and they would also take note of the plants, although it was unlikely they'd have any time to gather them.Never unusual on the various planets that they had been on in the warmer areas, it was like a safari.There were many animals that resembled animals from Earth, but especially in the areas where you could find giraffes, rhinos, hippos, and gazelles.The variety seemed almost endless.Victoria took a shot and brought down a giraffe.That wasn't what it was, but it certainly appeared to be.Oret checked it and gave her a thumbs up.Then he took down a hippo.His shot was perfect, and it needed to be.If they weren't hit right, they could rampage.
