“How did you alert the others?” the Major asked. Tyler took his hands out of his pockets. He was holding a walkie-talkie.
“Ah,” said the Major. “You held the button down as we talked. They heard everything we said. Simple, but effective.”
“Yes,” Tyler replied. “It was our Chief’s plan.”
“Do you mean, Mike?” the Lieutenant asked.
“Yes, I mean our Chief,” replied Tyler, emphasizing the word, ‘Chief.’
The Lieutenant nodded. “Your Chief,” he repeated.
They were getting close to the farm. Alert to everything around him, Major Collins noted the fields, the barns, and the other structures. A well kept place, he thought. Orderly. A lady, a young man, two little ones, and five older kids came out of the house; among the kids was the girl, Makayla. The lady was carrying a shotgun, and the little boy had a toy spear.
“Welcome to Davis Brown Farm,” the young man said. “I assume that you are Major Collins.”
“Yes, I am,” the Major replied. “And this is Lieutenant Lincoln Kennedy. I thank you for your welcome. It’s the second one today.” He looked at Tyler and smiled, as Tyler blushed.
Ralph introduced his workers and the guards from Petersburg.
Then he said, “This is my son, Comet, and my daughter, Star. This is Mary, their mother. And these are my nieces, Kylie and Paige.”
“Please, come in,” Mary said. “You are just in time for dinner.”
“Uncle Ralph, me and Kylie will take dinner with the guards and the boys in the barn,” Paige said.
“Kylie and I,” Mary corrected the girl, but her kind smile took the sting out of it.
“Kylie and I,” Paige repeated. “That way, there’ll be more room at the table.”
“Thank you, Paige,” Ralph replied formally. “That would be nice.”
“We can eat in your barn. We’re not here to cause you any trouble,” the Major protested.
“Oh, it’s no trouble,” Mary assured him. “The kids like to get together without adult supervision.”
“Dad, can I go too?” Star pleaded.
“Me, too,” Comet insisted.
“Yeah, you can both go,” said Ralph indulgently. “But Tyler, you stay here.”
Once inside the house, the officers’ rifles were discretely locked in Mary’s gun case. The soldiers were not happy about this, but Major Collins decided to accept it. Shortly after, they sat down to dinner.
Nectar, thought Major Collins later. He could not remember the last time that he had been so full. When they were finished eating, the four adults and the boy went into the living room to talk.
“How is your area doing, Major Collins?” Mary asked.
“As well as can be expected, I suppose,” Major Collins replied, “Given the nature of our situation. Our greatest difficulty is finding or producing food for everyone at our post. We were glad to rescue those children, but of course, then we had extra mouths to feed.”
“Oh?” Mary said.
The Major hesitated, and then he said, “We have plenty of meat. We came across a shepherd with a flock of sheep. We’ve started a breeding program. Our men have brought in plenty of mule deer. Our real problem is finding starches and vegetables. We don’t have enough of either. I’m afraid that some of our people are suffering from vitamin and mineral deficiencies.”
Mary glanced at Ralph, and then she looked back at the Major. “How many people are at your post?” she asked.
“There’s thirty-five of us. Nine Army Engineers, eight Army Rangers, five adult civilians, counting Erin, and thirteen children.”
“Thirteen children. Thirty-five in all,” echoed Mary. She looked at Ralph. “That’s not so many.”
Ralph said nothing. It was Mary’s decision. She looked at the Major.
“I think we can help you, Major,” she said. “The problem is going to be transportation. But maybe we can let you take our wagon, or at least take it part of the way. We’ll have to dry some of the vegetables, otherwise some of them will ruin before they get there.”
“That would be very decent of you, Mrs. Brown,” replied the Major gratefully. “The haulers could eat some along the way, and even if some of the produce spoils, we can use the seeds to replant. We’re trying to develop a biodiesel fuel to run our trucks. If we ever manage that, we can cut the travel time down to about a day or two.”
They talked well into the night, and Tyler listened carefully. Ralph had taken him aside before dinner, and he had instructed Tyler to remember what was said. The Chief would want a report. Information was valuable.
Before dawn, the Army officers, and Tyler climbed into the wagon with Ralph, who drove them to the RV guard post. Ralph told them that he regretted not being able to take them the rest of the way, but that he needed to return to the farm. The Major thanked him for the lift. Soon after they arrived at the RV guard post, one of the guards mounted the motorcycle and roared off towards Petersburg carrying the heaviest part of the officer’s gear.
“And I thought we could scout them quietly,” said the Major to the Lieutenant with a rueful glance at Tyler.
“If we hurry, we can reach Petersburg by nightfall,” Tyler said.
They hurried, and they did reach Petersburg by nightfall. On the way, they passed a tree with a noose hanging from a branch. There were four graves nearby. Tyler gave them a brief account of the hanging. The officers looked at each other with worried concern.
When they arrived, there was no welcoming committee. The few people still out of doors looked at them with natural curiosity, and they nodded politely. Tyler was greeted warmly though. The Major noticed one young girl, hanging around, pretending to be busy, but she was obviously waiting for the boy to notice her.
“Hi, Tyler,” she finally said, glancing bashfully at the Army officers.
“Hi,” Tyler responded. “This is Gabby,” he said to the officers.
“Gabriella, actually,” said Gabby primly.
They made polite noises, and then she followed them to Chief’s Headquarters. While the officers and Gabby waited, Tyler knocked.
“It’s open,” they heard.
Tyler and the officers entered. Gabby snuck in behind them, before Tyler shut the door.
“Hi, Chief,” Tyler said. “Got them.” He pointed to the officers.
Mike gazed at the officers. “One moment, please, Major,” he said.
He got up from his desk, went to Tyler, and stuck out his hand. Startled, Tyler shook it.
“Good work, Tyler,” Mike said. “I knew I could depend on you. Go get something to eat and come back here in a half hour. And take Miss Nosy with you.” Gabby blushed, and she followed Tyler out of the room.
Then Mike greeted the officers. “Hello, again, Major Collins. I’m happy to see you too, Lieutenant Kennedy.”
“Mike,” the Major acknowledge the young man. “You’re looking well.”
“You too,” said Mike. “Thanks for getting those kids out.”
“You’re welcome. Of course, it was your plan.”
Mike laughed. “What are you talking about?” he asked innocently.
The officers chuckled, and then Major Collins’ expression turned serious.
“You could have explained, you know,” he said.
Mike shook his head. “My people were not willing to make contact then. To be honest, they are not exactly happy about you being here now. But I knew you would come, so I thought that we might as well meet you.”
The Major nodded. “Your man, Tyler, did well,” he said.
“Yes. Look, it’s getting late,” said Mike. “You’re here. Let’s get used to that fact before we try to feel each other out. When Tyler gets back, I’ll have him take you to a room in the Lodge. Just rest, look around, and we’ll talk in the morning. Okay?”