Second Chances (74 page)

Both visiting leaders nodded wryly.

------*------

The next morning Jackie and Jesus took off and then guided them to Dunn's base. They had to make a few wide S turns to keep in sight of the ground vehicle. Dunn was a bit put out over that when Jesus radioed in they had company coming in a day behind them.

Jackie did this a few more times until Jesus was clearly uncomfortable with the ride and fuel use. She finally reluctantly set a straight line course for Dunn's fortress and waggled her wings just as they went out of sight.

Colonel Dunn for his part erred on the side of caution and martialed his people and forces for war. Sam was amused but went along with it. No war was needed; everyone was happy to see each other when Klinger's beat-up improvised four wheeler crested the horizon the next afternoon and trundled in to them. Many of the natives cheered when they saw the improvised machine. “Nothing like seeing ingenuity in the face of adversity to get people's juices going,” Joe said, grinning.

“Too right,” Sam said. “They are survivors,” he said, indicating the vehicle still trundling towards them. “If they can do that with what they've got, we're all going to go far. If we pull together,” he said. Joe nodded.

When Klinger's people unloaded the colonel was the first to greet them. A crowd formed as they admired the vehicle made out of landing gear and other bits. Sam passed out a couple bottles of hootch to each group, and the ice was broken.

“I thought about what Miss Smith said,” Klinger nodded to the woman as he took a drink and then passed it on to Neal. “If you think Mister Chambers is willing to deal and if the colonel here is willing to play host, I think we,” he indicated Neal beside him, “can work something out tradewise.”

“What do you have in mind? Oh, stage it through the towns and villages?” Dunn asked. He rubbed his jaw thoughtfully as he caught Caira's subtle nod of encouragement. “We could look into that. For a cut of course. I mean, we're going to have to store it and protect it while it's here,” he said.

Klinger's eyes flashed, but he nodded grudgingly. Jackie winced slightly, unhappy about how that had gone. “We can work out the details later,” Klinger said, voice cooling ever so slightly.

“Of course,” Dunn said.

Discussion on communities joining together stopped when Dunn stuck that provision in. Attitudes cooled towards him from both Neal and Klinger. Jackie wasn't sure what to make of it other than that she was in over her head. The two new groups were clearly being bullied by Dunn, but he had the advantage. That got things off to a rocky start.

Sam held a cookout. Ciara donated sides of meat for them to cook while Sam's cook kicked in with fresh baked bread she made in the oven of the motor home. The bread was a big hit with everyone as was the ample meat.

Everyone settled down and seemed more amiable to talk on a full stomach. They swapped stories and compared notes about the aliens. Everyone was excited to hear news of any more alien sightings. Sam related third hand the map the aliens had altered in Mitch's office.

But Dunn was brought up short by the real military personnel in the group. Klinger sized him up quickly realizing the man wasn't a true officer just from the way he spoke and a few leading questions he had asked. Dunn had evaded any discussion of his past sticking to the statement that it didn't matter; what mattered was what they did with their future.

Dunn backed off on twisting Klinger's arm. They got into the details about setting up basic trade between the communities, but it was clear there was some bad blood. “So we're set on the basics? Gunpowder and baking soda for meat, salt, fish, and hides? That doesn't seem quite balanced,” Dunn said, frowning and rubbing his chin.

“How are you folks doing for power and equipment? I mean none of you came with your gear,” Jackie asked, changing the subject. “I know someone mentioned a vehicle trade or parts,” she said, looking at Junkyard Joe.

“We can figure something out,” Joe said, nodding. “I'll take gunpowder. Primer if you've got it. Hell, some of that hootch Sam was passing out. That went down as a treat. Much smoother than the rotgut we've got around here,” he said shaking his head.

“We've got power,” Klinger admitted. “Solar, some radios and a few wind turbines from the generators off the aircraft plus a couple we cobbled together.”

“It sounds like you've got some good people,” Jackie said, complimenting him.

Klinger smiled. “We do. We've got a professor with us. Engineering Professor Hinkley. He's brilliant. I wish I'd had him come along but his wives said no.”

“Wives plural?” Jackie asked, blinking in surprise. “Did I hear that right?”

Klinger shrugged. “Different world, new customs,” he said. “From what I understand of it, the girls didn't give him much of a choice,” he said. Jackie snorted. “They've got two kids with two more on the way. So they told him he's staying put,” he said making a face.

“Wise man,” Jackie murmured.

“I don't envy him,” the colonel muttered. “One's enough of a handful,” he said, looking at Ciara. She made a kissy face to him and then smiled. He snorted. “What else have you got?” he asked.

“Lights, some fans, air conditioning in some parts of the cave fortress, some other stuff,” Klinger said. He went on to describe some of the dangers, many of them airborne.

Klinger's group had managed to cobble primitive radar together using bits from both aircraft. The military hardware had been destroyed by self-destruct charges when the aircraft crew had triggered them. “Kind of stupid when you think about it in hindsight now, but then again the crew of the AWAC were following protocol and orders. They were like us; they didn't believe we were on an...,well, alien world. At least not at first.”

“Yeah, sometimes it is hard to believe,” Dunn said, rubbing his back.

“Oh, before I forget again,” Sam said holding up a finger. He got up from the log he had been sitting on by the fire and went to one of the trucks. He went through it as the colonel and others watched him in bemusement. Finally he pulled out a couple packs and came over. He plopped them down in front of the colonel, Klinger and Neal. “Compliments of Mitch Chambers and Capital Base. Some survival gear, radio, that sort of thing,” he said, pointing out the various items in the pockets.

“The radio is a combination set up with a very long antenna. We've had some success with balloons. If I remember I'll see if I can leave you a couple; I need to check and see how many I brought along,” he said.

They worked out the basics of the radio network. Klinger went through the pack, then nodded and velcroed it shut once more. “My thanks to Mitch. This will help, especially the penicillin and other medical supplies. We're pretty good for radios but they are short range,” he said. He pointed to the whip antenna on the back of his jalopy.

“Ah,” Sam said, nodding as they looked at the thing in the dying sunlight.

Klinger went on to explain that in the past three years they had also explored the area around their base extensively. They had found the wreckage of other aircraft in the area. Two other people had been found shockingly alive just before their first winter.

Winter for them was milder than northern communities. It was a light dusting of snow but cold. A lot of animals showed up making hunting a bit more dangerous but easier. The plants still grew but at a slower pace, but the competition with the animals made it tricky. Many of the airborne animals flew south.

Apparently their resident engineering genius, Professor Hinkley, had rigged up not only the first aircraft's generators to a water wheel powered by the waterfall, but they'd also salvaged the generators from the AWACs as well to do the same. Each of the engines of the smashed AWAC's plane had two generators producing one megawatt of power for the massive radar array. They had required a tremendous amount of fuel, but the two they had managed to salvage and rigged with overshot waterwheels provided plenty of additional electrical power for the base. And since it didn't drop to below freezing except at night, the waterfall rarely ever froze over so they had that power year-round.

Professor Hinkley had rigged up electric heaters, improvised power tools, an electrical grid, lights, and other things, but the best thing by far was the electric fencing defending their home and farms. The resident animals learned quickly to stay away from the painful wires. The migrants learned after one or more of them got zapped.

They had surplus power to spare. Not as much as a city but close. They had learned to balance the power to conserve the equipment but keep up with demand.

Klinger's group was quite proud of their achievements over the past three and a half years and were therefore fiercely independent. They wanted to trade; a few wanted into the other better communities but most don't want to give up independence and what they had achieved in their home. Many had set up roots and had kids, so they were also afraid of traveling in the bush or by air.

“Is it a jungle?” Sam asked, taking notes.

Klinger shook his head no. Sam nodded. Klinger described the area until Sam pulled up his cartography program on his tablet and had him sketch it. “Thanks,” Sam said when the Corporal was finished and had handed it back. “This will come in handy. We're trying to get a map of the continent. One of the goals this year is to get into contact with everyone and set up trade,” he said putting the tablet away.

“I think we're off to one hell of a start,” Jackie said. “We're what, a week away from summer and we've found what, seven?” She cocked her head thoughtfully then shook it briefly. “No, make that eight other communities in the past two months. No wait, the islanders. That's nine. That's very cool.”

“Nine?” the colonel asked, “in two months?”

“It's not bad,” Sam said. “But we've still got a ways to go. From what we picked up in the meeting and what Mitch said there are twenty-four surviving communities,” he said. “Including base and here,” he said hastily.

“So...”

“So, that's fourteen communities in contact with each other with periodic trade for some,” Jackie said. “Eight of them have airstrips I can land on,” she said with a smile.

“It's a start,” Sam said. “Ten more to go.” He smiled. “And the good news is, we know in the general direction to look.”

“I'm still not following on that,” Klinger said, frowning. “The aliens...”

“The Memes filled in the blanks. We combined intel resources to create a composite profile,” Sam said. Klinger nodded but Dunn looked confused. “The first was the reports from the Meme meeting. That's what we're calling the squid aliens. They are Memes, energy robots,” Sam explained. Klinger and Ciara nodded. Joe whistled softly. Neal looked confused but shrugged gamely.

“Anne the base's domestic manager worked with Chief Roberts and Gunny Hodges and others to get the reports and then had Jolie, April and Pete work with people in Copper Town, Iron Village and East to compare notes. That got us started.”

“But then they got the idea to see what Mitch and his psychic ability could turn up,” Jackie said, picking up the narrative.

“Psychic. Yeah right,” Dunn scoffed.

“I dunno mon. Too many voodoo things going on,” Neal said. “Spooky shit.”

“Voodoo,” the colonel growled, eyes flashing until his wife put a restraining hand on his arm. He fell silent after a moment.

“Whatever you want to call it, it works,” Sam said with a shrug. “He's been right so far. They stuck him in a chair, had him close his eyes and then point in the direction of each community and how many were there.”

“And he's been right?” Klinger asked. He held up a hand as Jackie inflated to rise to Mitch's defense. He held up a hand. “I'm not doubting you, just asking.”

“Yeah. Yeah, he's been right.”

“I'd say for a guy who can win the lotto
twenty-two times
in a year he has something going on,” Sam said, eying first Dunn then the other leaders. He's been right so far. Don't knock it.” Klinger and Neal nodded.

------*------

Once Klinger and Neal had an initial agreement with Dunn, they asked to refuel based on Jesus' promise the next morning before their departure. Jesus squirmed uncomfortably under Dunn's cool gaze. Sam finally stepped up and offered to refuel them with the ethanol he had in his fuel tankers.

“I'm going to head back anyway. Paul's supposed to drop off some fuel halfway to East. If he does I'll work on the roads in the area. I don't think we're going to go much further out this year,” he said.

“And I don't think the islanders have a landing strip,” Jackie said, shaking her head. “It's all rocks and hills over on that island. Not a lot of animals there either. I don't envy them. A lot of sheep though,” she said thoughtfully. “At least I think they were,” she said then shrugged. “I can do another flight before we go,” she said.

Sam delayed Klinger's departure to talk with the base over his ham radio. Everyone was interested when he inflated an orange balloon and sent it aloft.

The colonel saw the potential for such a rig right away. If the damn birds left it alone they could send a spotter up to get a look around and warn of things in the area. Hell, just keeping an eye on the weather would make such a thing worth the trouble of inflating it and deflating it. The whole antenna thing was just gravy. He made a note to talk to his own people about copying the idea for their own purposes.