The Travelers - Chapter 7

*Principle Hamlet - a capital city
*Protector - a weapon similar to a gun, although it has different levels on it to manage the degree of harm done.  It is called a Protector because Arlytians are a primarily peace-seeking culture.  Weapons are meant to be used to defend their safety, not risk someone else's.
*Full Protection - the term used to set a Protector to "kill".  It is only used at this level when absolutely necessary.
*Milia - How Arlytians measure long distances.  Basically the same thing as a "mile"
*Heated Season - summer; Warm Season - spring; Cool Season - Autumn/Fall; Cold Season - winter
*Bearded Deer - an animal that looks like an elk, except it has a pure white section of fur that hangs from its chin all the way down its neck.  The males have antlers.  The females do not have antlers and their "beard" is usually shorter than the male's.

*****

Chapter 7

Seren hoped for a good night’s sleep as the morning would bring the extensively-prepared-for first mission onto Neveah.  Excitement and anxiety warred within him.  He’d sympathized with Cayson a few days ago when his compatriot detailed out his growing claustrophobia and homesickness.  Seren himself had grown up in a small and rather isolated community on Arlytia.  It was by no means an ignorant area, but it lay far off from the most populated townships and was a place thriving with nature and openness.  He’d missed his home greatly when he’d had to move to Arlytia’s principle hamlet to continue the intense and specialized education being given to the top students across their globe.  He missed it even more after spending weeks on an admittedly large spaceship with admittedly small rooms.  He longed for fresh air, the scent of flowers, the feel of earth, and the chance to run without anything in his way.  Neveah was his hope for all of that, and the hope for a lot more for him and his people.

Letting his thoughts float in the hopes and fantasies of a beautiful land and a beautiful future for those he cared about, Seren eventually found a good night’s sleep.

*****

The light shining through the ship’s windows reminded Seren once again that he was finally back on a planet that enjoyed the natural shifts of day to night, and that he was about to actually feel sunshine again. 

He could sense the anticipation of the men around him; men who were carefully chosen for this first voyage onto Neveah, to explore their new world’s layout, its life-holding properties, and how safe it might be to hold the precious lives of the hundred and twenty people keen to experience the hope this venture held.

The outer doors opened at his signal and the light through the windows now shone through the larger opening and brought an uncontainable smile to Seren’s features.  He stepped outside, the five men with him following his lead, and took a breath of the air that their extensive testing had proven was as pure as it could get.  He felt giddy as oxygen filled his lungs and the unexpected heat of the day touched his skin.  There were murmurs of appreciation from his team and he silently but fully agreed with the comments being made.

“All right, men,” he said after a minute, pulling on his rank and authority to start things off right.  “Make sure your packs are secure and your protectors readily available.  We’re going to head toward those hills.”  He pointed north where the planet’s terrain ascended into a series of hills that appeared approximately ten milias from where they stood.  You’re to keep an eye out for anything that would pose a danger, be it animal, plant, or terrain.  If you feel sick or receive any type of injury, no matter how small, you are to let Backer Medic Eris know immediately.  Do not let your pride get in the way of speaking up.  I chose strongly capable men with common sense for this mission, not foolhardy ones who take risks.  Remember that.”  He met each man’s eye to make sure they fully understood his seriousness.  When he was satisfied, he turned his attention to the tallest and broadest of the men with him, who also happened to be his Charge of Security.

“Charge Carter, I’ll be taking the lead to start.  I want you in back as a watch.  We’ll rotate periodically.”

“Yes, Charge Seren.”

With an approving nod, Seren stepped forward and luxuriated in the open space and the chance to explore Neveah’s land.

*****

Very little was said for the first couple hours of their trek across the land.  Most of the area they were crossing was open and welcoming.  Long aqua green grass brushed across their legs, sometimes reaching as high as their knees as they waded through it.  Birds of several sorts could be seen flying overhead, but none close enough to determine if they were a familiar species or ones completely new to them.  However, insects of several kinds were noticed and had pictures taken of them from a safe distance.  Some looked very similar to bugs on Arlytia, but Seren insisted that nothing be touched or provoked if it could be helped until the science and biology teams could start testing.  Backer Lux, a member of the biology team, had a very hard time keeping himself to this order.  While he never broke the command, he was often hard pressed not to get closer to the small insects.  The excitement danced in his eyes every time a new creature was noted.

Hours later, when they were finally setting up a temporary camp, Seren felt pleased with the relatively uneventful day.  He didn’t want his men to get slack in their watchfulness, but he was very happy to see that the milias they’d walked thus far hadn’t shown any obvious dangers, nor had his men felt any ill effects from the new air and climate they were experiencing.

However, something he was noting was that it appeared they’d arrived during Neveah’s heated season.  That was different from where Arlytia currently stood in her year.  It was the warm season there. 

The brightness of the day was also taking longer to fade than he’d expected.  They’d begun their trek on the seventh hour of the day and Neveah had already been bright with sunlight.  On Arlytia, their twenty-two hour days usually experienced the fading of light around the seventeenth hour.  He and his team were a good length of time past that and the light of day was only just beginning to fade.  Seren suspected that Neveah turned a bit slower on her axis than Arlytia, and his people were going to have to adjust to longer days than they were used to.  That thought made him wonder how similar the seasons and length of them would be on Neveah.  From the distant studies they’d been able to do back home, it had appeared that Neveah’s travel around her sun was almost identical to Arlytia’s, but Seren knew that the possibility for error was strong given their limitations.

Truthfully, it would take years of study to learn some things, and the adaption process would be easy in some ways and difficult to impossible in others.  But right now Seren saw a promising start, and the next day they’d explore more of their new homeland.  He took in the sight of the five men who were trekking with him.  They looked tired but at ease, and he would have loved to offer them all a full night’s rest, but wisdom told him that a guard throughout the night was needed. 

“Listen up, men,” he requested, although his team definitely took it as an order.  “Good job today.  I’m grateful for all of you and I think we all might feel similarly the excitement about the possibilities we’ll discover.  We can’t be unwise though.  We’re going to each have a watch during the night in pairs.  Backer Eris, you and I will take first watch.  Charge Carter and Backer Lux will take second, and Charge Benton and Backer Fen will take third.  I hope you rest well gentlemen.”

A brief round of chatter and good nights followed before there was quiet in their camp.  Seren and Eris drank cups of hot nectar, each aware of each other and the building night around them, but each caught up in their own thoughts of the coming days.

*****

Day two of their trek held a little more excitement.  The open land they’d been crossing was slowly elevating and the higher terrain brought with it more numerous plant life.  Seren was pleased to see that Neveah held some plants they had back home on Arlytia.  He and his men recognized several varieties of trees and flowers, as well as edible berries—including bellberries, which were a favorite or Seren’s.

There were unique plants as well which brought awe and interest to all of them.  One type of tree was massively tall with branches and leaves only at the very top of it.  Seren thought his eyes spotted some sort of nut within those high branches, but he couldn’t be sure.  Another tree was much lower to the ground with branches that bent like rainbows and leaves of a purplish red color.  In between those leaves were deep purple fruits about the size of his palm.  They looked delicious and he silently hoped they were edible.

As they hiked through land that became increasingly wooded, their guard went up a notch.  They started to spot small animals.  Some popped out of holes in the ground or hung from branches of trees.  Birds chirped in branches, and the occasional rustling noise let them know that there were unseen creatures scurrying away from them.

About mid-day Charge Carter, who was currently in the lead, stopped the group abruptly and put a hand up in a motion of silence.  He then pointed directly ahead of them and they saw what he did.  A beautiful animal, and one they were familiar with, stood tall and graceful a short distance away.  At home on Arlytia they called the animal a bearded deer.  This one was clearly male with antlers towering on its head and a soft white length of fur hanging from its chin down its slender neck.

Seren felt a moment of emotion at the sight.  These were gentle creatures, and ones protected—not hunted—on Arlytia.  It was fairly rare to see them, but the sight of the magnificent creature felt like a welcome into their new world—a piece of home that had followed them.  It was delightful and surreal.

The end of the second day took them to the foot of the hills they’d seen from the ship.  Looking upward, the whole of the incline appeared covered in a finer grass than the long aqua green blades they’d traveled through the previous day.  This grass appeared more delicate in its minimal height, but when Seren knelt to run his hand along the blades, he found them mildly coarse.  The color was also a richer, darker green.  He smiled to himself.  A good majority of the Travelers had a shared passion for nature, and the differences he’d seen on this planet thus far were going to keep many of his people happy and excited to explore and discover.

He was about to comment on his thoughts when a shiver of apprehension suddenly went through him.  He never knew how it happened, but he frequently felt an approaching danger before anyone else.  He stilled immediately and quickly searched out the cause of his anxiety.

There…no more than forty paces away, he saw it.  It wasn’t an animal he was familiar with, but the eyes glinted with predatorial instincts and its size was enough to do damage if it managed to reach them.  Seren avoided catching its gaze, knowing from experience that many wild creatures saw that as a threat or a challenge.

“Men, be still,” he ordered with deceptive calmness.  He was greatly pleased with those in his team when they immediately obeyed, not questioning his authority, experience, or knowledge.  “Up and to the right, forty paces away,” he explained quietly.  They looked with practiced subtlety and Seren heard a couple quiet intakes of breath.  “Move slowly and do not make eye contact.  I want you to get your protectors out and set them to third level stun.  Carter, you set yours to full protection.  If one of us has to do a stun shot and it doesn’t work, you take the final shot.”

He heard the quiet rustling of his men obeying him.  Keeping a discreet eye on the animal who had taken two steps nearer to them, he rose slowly and kept his voice low. 

“We’re going back the way we came and moving in an outward facing circle.  Everyone be alert and ready.”

As a unit and moving in sync, they did their best to appear as unthreatening as possible, but they were a new and frightening menace to this animal and its instincts told it to attack.  With a growl that carried on the air and made all six men jump involuntarily, it reared up and ran at them at a fast speed.  Seren wasted no time.  He lifted his protector and released the stun shot.  The animal looked like it hit a brick wall when the shot contacted.  It fell backward and rolled to its side, its chest breathing heavily but its body not moving.  

“Men, stand guard.  There could be more,” Seren ordered.  “Charge Carter, keep your protector ready and come with me.”

The two of them approached the stunned animal.  Seren was relieved to have judged correctly at the level of stun he had used.  They had approximately twenty minutes before it would wear off completely if it did its job.  Keeping his protector at the ready, Carter hovered by the animal’s head as Seren took a vial and needle from his pack.  He quickly withdrew a blood sample, took some quick pictures so the Travelers back at the ship would know that this animal posed a threat, and retreated.  He had every intention of getting his men away before the creature awoke and decided to attempt a second attack.

*****

The final few days of their trek took them by streams, woodlands, more hills that would be explored at later times, and a collection of animals and nature that was photographed and catalogued to the best of their ability.  There was so much to learn!

Seren had also been keeping a map of as much detail as possible of where they’d been and the location of every water source, food supply, and potential areas where small homes could be built.  Over time he knew they would increase and expand across the planet, but for now the Travelers who had safely arrived on Neveah would be sticking fairly close together.  They needed each other for safety, for learning, and for the basics of friendship and family.

The six men who’d traveled this initial mission together were already bonding as a group.  Carter and Lux had become connected at the hip, which made Seren believe they might be the start to a new Trio.  Benton, Fen and Eris had also found a fast growing friendship.  Seren didn’t see a romance developing among them, although Trios of all men weren’t uncommon, but there was more brotherly affection that was tying them together than sexual or emotional desire.

Personally, he’d enjoyed the men’s company and the companionship this venture had brought him, but he’d been purposeful in those he’d chosen to accompany him.  First and foremost he’d picked men who were capable, quick-thinking, intelligent, and could be trusted to take orders. 

A secondary requirement for him—and not one he’d mentioned to anyone—had been that these men were not romantic interests for him.  It wasn’t that he wasn’t seeking a Trio of his own, but he believed he couldn’t afford the distraction.  As Charge Pilot of the ship as well as an accomplished pupil in several other fields, he was the highest ranking Traveler among the hundred and twenty.  As Chief Win, his mentor and friend, had told him before they’d left him behind on Arlytia… “You will be the one they look to, Seren, both because you are their leader and because it will come naturally.  Your skills and abilities are leading them to a new home.  Your accomplishments surpass all other Arlytian’s to date, and they’ll look to you for guidance, confidence, and hope.  Are you ready for that?”

It had been a terrifying question, and despite being a natural and strong leader, he shook his head at the white-haired man who had taken him under his wing.

“I don’t know, Chief Win.  I want to be ready, but I fear letting them down.  I don’t have the perfection I think they’ll want in me.”

Chief Win had surprised him with an affectionate smile and gentle kiss on the cheek.  “That tells me more than anything that you are ready, Seren.  A good leader recognizes his weaknesses as well as his strengths.  He knows when to be a servant and when to be the master.  These people are your people.  They aren’t looking for perfection.  They’re looking for someone they can trust and who can share their dreams.”

         Seren knew he did share the dreams of those he traveled with.  He wanted a new home for his people and a place of safety and growth for future generations.  He wanted that for all of them, and he wanted it for himself too, but he knew his personal dreams couldn’t be his focus yet.  He needed to be available to the Travelers and not distracted by his private life.  Hopefully, when life was more settled and not such a mix of excitement and fear, he could allow his heart to wander.