Page 17 of Oret
Chapter 6
Moon Bound
Oret was relieved.The monster was where he needed him.The ship doctor called him Larry, though names didn’t matter when he attacked people.It was hard not to wonder how he’d do among his own kind.Radvar thought their king would control them.This one, though, didn’t like being controlled.Thank the gods it wasn’t Oret’s problem.He had enough trouble after the chief offered him the moon.Victoria agreed to take it but was clearly unhappy.No surprise there.
There was a surprise.Tasha, her oldest daughter, was coming with them, along with her four children.Tasha’s husband had disappeared on Earth and was assumed dead.That prompted her decision to join the group for safety and support.The chief was sending Tolberton, a Majuri warrior, to serve as his second.This assignment would give Tol training for his next likely posting—probably another colony.Leaders needed preparation in comparable locations before taking command.The chief was intent on developing his people through such placements.Oret didn't care if Tol stayed for long, but he valued Tol's help during his time there.Having Tasha present would give Victoria comfort and stability.That mattered most to Oret.
Victoria was very close to Tasha's four children.They were old enough to hunt, fish, and gather alongside her.The children excelled at all of these activities.He’d take one of them over many of the adults sent.Though only 13, 11, 10, and 8, they could rival the adults working with them.Tasha had a farm that all the children worked.It was the best on Mars 2.She contributed to the community by sending food to the cafeteria, and sometimes one of her children worked there.None of the other farmers contributed at Tasha’s level.
Victoria had raised her children right.None were lazy.All were intelligent and capable.Without her family present, he doubted they would have succeeded.Tasha's family's farm was impressive—it yielded strong crops, they had domesticated native animals, and they produced honey from ten hives.All of this was done without outside help.Tasha and her children were impressive.He suspected she would oversee the farms and assist with the mining operations on the moon.
Tol would oversee building and assist elsewhere.Setting up the cafeteria, likely his area of responsibility, would be a challenging task.Ninety percent of his people would arrive from Earth completely untrained.When Mars 2 had settled, miners from Earth and some from Mars had gone there.That left only inexperienced people for the moon.That was likely why he was getting Tol, and Victoria was getting Tasha.They needed help to navigate the chaos about to descend upon them.
The only bright point was that the chief sent a scouting party to find the best settlement spots, then dispatched a small group to set up camp.They even began mining and started a small farm.Once he and Victoria went to the moon, that group would return to Jaded, but at least something had been built to continue.The moon had one area designated for mining a rare and valuable element.Scientists theorized that a meteor made entirely of that element had crashed there, leaving a large deposit.Though the moon had other valuable resources, this was what the chief wanted most for now.
They would be going to the moon in a week when the small ship that the chief had promised him arrived.Victoria was very excited about the ship because it could easily go to Mars 2 and, with some planning, could even make it to Jaded with a few stops.That put all of her children within travel distance, so there was hope that she would be able to see them occasionally.Family was the most important thing to his mate.Since he was now part of that family, it was the most important thing to him as well.He headed to the builders where he would work until supper time.Until he was gone, he would give the work here everything that he had.That didn't mean that he wouldn't stockpile certain items that would be useful once he arrived on the moon.A little of some of the minerals and ores that were here were worth taking with him.A few of the herbs of medicinal value were also worth taking with him.Oret had big plans, but he was smart enough to know that he needed all the help that he could get.He saw signs that Victoria had also been stockpiling certain items, and they would go with them.
They both knew plants were sparser on the moon, and animals were scarce.The few waterways weren't teeming with fish—important factors to consider.Radvar had arranged to send breeding pairs of wild animals from Jaded and Mars 2, with the hope of establishing a population.That would take time, but there was plenty to do while they waited.Two other planets in the solar system were also available for resources.Oret was confident both planets would eventually be colonized, but for now, the chief prioritized colonizing those that could fill a need.Currently, nothing on those two planets is needed, but that would likely change in the future.
That was a positive thing for them because it made the resources on those two planets available to them.One of those planets was lush, with a wealth of plant and animal life.It would provide the water and air needed for a ship traveling into space.Oret found that he had plenty of time for thinking while he was helping his builders try to catch up to the point where they should have been, if all those bad things had not happened.With the mining caught up, Victoria was also here helping him.He had to admit that she was an amazing builder.The only area that would be behind by the time that they left would be farming.As far as he knew, with only a little bit of time left in the growing season, it was too late to do anything about that.Fenwick was moving in with a family, including Tasha, so that she could provide them with the training she could before it was time for her to leave.He knew that she would be taking some personal things, including half the beehives, with her when she left.
Whatever family was given her farm would still be ahead.Some things would be left behind, like half of the beehives.Fenwick would keep a close eye on the bees.She would ensure they were properly cared for.If not, the bees would be moved where Sara could oversee them.Tasha would take all her animals and some of the plants, so she would be starting over on the moon.From what he understood, her oldest child would be in charge of the farm.Tasha would assist Victoria wherever she was needed.Among the Majuri, a thirteen-year-old taking over a business was not unheard of.Doing so in a new colony was more difficult.Tasha’s daughter, Sasha, would probably need help.She would get whatever help they could give her.
The time had finally come.They made it to the moon.They looked down at the planet that had been their home.The ride was short and sweet, but now the real work would begin.They had always worked hard, but not for their moon.Fenwik and Sara would struggle without him and her mother.Radvar seemed to have no one to help him with the loss.At least they helped the colony get started.The mines ran well, so those weren't a problem.Builders were ahead, too.Even the kitchen was doing fine.Farmers would be the problem, especially since Tasha was gone.
It was time to forget Mars 2 and focus on the moon.They would unload their baggage and other items, then move into the space prepared for them in the cave.Oret knew they still had work ahead to make it a home.In the morning, they would meet their people and begin real work.Victoria would handle the mine and cafeteria.Everything else was his responsibility.He didn't mind, since those were the hardest jobs.The mine, especially, was the hardest and most important.If they did well and hit the chief's targets, they'd earn the extras they needed.
The cafeteria was important.It employed unskilled people.The workers in the other areas needed to be well-fed.He'd not been aware that Tasha had worked in a mine before—on Earth and on Jaded.It made even more sense that she had been sent to assist Victoria.The mineral that Radvar wanted was crucial for keeping the ships running.All Oret could do was hope that the people they had been sent to work with were willing to do so.As they walked toward the mountain where their home was, he could see that some houses had been built.Even though he couldn't see it, he knew a farm was waiting for the children.The children would stay with them tonight, along with Tasha and Tol, and in the morning, everything would be sorted out.Not everything Tasha had brought with her was unloaded.The gear from the farm—including the animals, plants, and beehives—was all left on the ship overnight.Someone had been left to guard the ship so that no one would get into what was on it.
It was unfortunate that the other ships lacked the protective shield their original ship had.Assigning overnight guards seemed almost wasteful.Still, he thought it necessary, as he didn’t trust these people or their intentions.The cave was bare—no comfort, just the essentials: several rooms, some with bathrooms, and a small kitchen.A communal cafeteria occupied another section.The more he saw, the more work became apparent.His mate must have sensed his thoughts.
“It'll be alright.It's nothing that we can't fix.Right now, it's not even the most important thing.We need to bring our mine up to the level that the chief requires.That's the most important thing that we have to do.”
“What's the next thing?”Oret asked.
“We need to see to our personal needs.Food and water, then shelter.It's not good to rely completely on what we are sent.You know that as well as I do.”
He did know that, but there was so much that the moon needed, and right now, looking around, it seemed overwhelming to get this place to the point where it could support a large colony.Eventually, the mineral that the chief wanted so much would run out, and then they would need other ways to provide for themselves.Mining was a good start, but farming and other industries were what would eventually support the colony here.They used the furs they had and the items they had brought from home to fix beds for everyone, and then it was time to go to sleep to get enough rest to deal with what tomorrow would bring.
No one seemed particularly rested or happy in the morning.There was not much of a cafeteria, and the food was not particularly interesting.They ate some food they had brought with them, but that wouldn't be something they could continue to do.Victoria just continued to look unhappier as the day progressed.Perhaps it was fortunate that she went to the mine, and he headed to the builders to see what was happening there.Tasha stayed in the cafeteria, and she had a similar look on her face to that of her mother.Her kids stayed with her today, and all of them outworked the people who were in the cafeteria.It didn't seem to bother those who were there; they were just happy that someone was doing the work.
It was obvious to him that they needed to go to one of the other planets, have a hunting trip, and gather plants for their survival.There wasn't enough food here, and if they started hunting now, they would run out of animals altogether.The planet just above them had plenty, and that is the one they would go to.He wasn't sure if any of the people he had been sent could hunt or fish.It's a shame that he would find out by letting them try and probably be very disappointed.At least he had a few people he knew he could count on.Oret would probably find Tol working with the builders.The fact that he had been working with them for a while was probably why so much work had been completed.
