Chapter 6 #2
“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.
There was no way to do everything at once, and his people needed places to live.
Tents just weren't sufficient, and they needed houses, especially those with children.
The plan was the same one the Empire had followed as long as anyone could remember.
Was it possible that the rules they had followed had begun here, and were the rules brought back from their time?
Could something like that work anyway? That was a lot like the question of whether they were their own grandpas?
Did it matter? Probably not, but they all wondered if that was what happened.
Was this the beginning of their great empire?
If that were the case, they would all need to work hard; otherwise, the empire would never have reached its current state, and what would happen to them then?
Would some invisible hand come back in time and snatch them away because they had never been to begin with?
Oret needed to get back to work and stop worrying about something he couldn't change.
They were knocking out two houses a day, which was good considering the inexperienced crew.
At least the builders all seemed to be putting forth an effort and trying to learn so they could complete the task.
He couldn't help but worry about how the mine was doing, even though he knew that Victoria would put her best effort forward and get the best possible results out of the miners, who were even more inexperienced and doing a harder job.
He knew that mining was the most demanding job, and it took the hardest toll on the body.
Their equipment was not the best yet, but he knew that the chief would upgrade it every time they met their goals.
That was important because mining could cause numerous illnesses, and sick miners were unable to perform the necessary work.
It was the next day, and he and Tol headed out to the one farm that had been established already.
They were a little disappointed. They had expected more with the time they'd had to establish that farm.
Next, they headed to the farm where Tasha and her kids were working.
She would be with them until the farm was established.
With so much to do, that was necessary even though, for now, that would leave all the mining on Victoria's shoulders.
They had just started this morning, but they were already sowing two fields with the equipment that the chief had sent and had the hives set up where they would be safe, but the bees would have no food until some plants were raised.
That's why the plants they had chosen were flowering ones.
They had also planted wildflowers around the yard, and those would come up in a few days.
While the two daughters tended to the fields, Tasha and her sons built a barn to house the animals that the chief had sent with them.
They had decided to do that before building the house, and Oret wasn't sure if that was the best approach.
That meant they would have to stay in the cave and trek back and forth to the farm every day.
He was sure they had a plan, so he was going to stay out of it.
They had been through this once before, but he was sure that when they had arrived, a house had already been provided on Mars 2.
He was surprised when, right before lunch, Victoria arrived with food and began to work on the house they would need.
Building their house was an excellent way for her to help them get started.
Tol and he jumped in to help, and it was amazing how much progress they made by the end of the day.
One floor was complete, so they would be able to stay on the farm, and he was sure they would choose to.
He did have to wonder if the children would be out here alone or if one of the ladies would stay with them to ensure their safety.
Thirteen might be old enough to be in charge of something, but the other children were younger than that, and it would worry him.
“Tasha will be staying with them for now. We will be hosting a family that will be training on this farm before they start their own. Once we meet them and are sure that they will be trustworthy, we can leave the children with them. Of course, we will be checking on them regularly.” Victoria explained.
That sounded good to him. While he believed in children taking responsibility, he also believed in ensuring that they were all right every step of the way.
While young Majuri children were sent to military school, they were always under supervision.
They would have to set up a military school because the chief had found some more orphans that would be divided between here and Mars 2.
Even though many of those children would be adopted, they would still be sent to the school at a young age.
The chief had also identified some military personnel who would be divided between the two locations, with one of them assigned to run the school.
At the very least, military personnel should be well-trained, shouldn't they?
That was his hope, and he was considering the possibility of having the military personnel and orphans build the school.
Maybe they would take more pride in it that way, and that was not unusual among the Majuri.
Many schools were built in this manner, especially in the colonies.
It was a surprise that every time they said that there were no more humans to bring to colonies, they seemed to find more in pockets where they had been unharmed.
Monsters, on the other hand, seemed to be available in huge numbers even with the restrictions that the chief placed on their conditions.
“Are you ready to quit for the day?” Oret asked.
“We're at a good spot. They can stay out here safely, and we can finish the other level soon. We still need to figure out how to get water here, but they aren't far from the river.”
“At least they have the server that runs to a lagoon. That should help, but water is necessary at some point. We also need to make a hunting trip, but someone needs to stay in charge.”
“I'm going on the trip, and I assume you are. That only leaves Tasha and Tol to be left behind.” Victoria observed.
“This won't be necessary later, but until then, everyone will have to take a turn staying behind. This time, it will be Tol.”
“That sounds fair. Right now, we need to get ready to eat supper and get a good night's sleep. Do you want to hunt in the morning?”
“I think that would be best, so we don't run low on food. We won't take many with us because I'm not sure how well they'll do, and I don't want to be shot.” Oret explained.