None so blind will take ages to write. That chapter is all I've managed to do so far. I haven't wriiten anything for it in ovewr eight months, which is why I need your help with it.

This is the next installment of Station Watch. Enjoy, Samdagger.

Chapter 15

That evening, with the leaders and Ambassadors assembled, the Commander started off.

"Because of the invasion and attacks on Trikru land against the Skaikru, I require Azgeda to pay restitution, that is giving goods or other things in payment for those that were killed or attacked. For now we will only deal with the Skaikru. Between us, Heda Clarke and myself, we have come up with an appropriate compensation. I called Queen Cooper to a meeting with myself and Heda Clarke and told her what she must do for those attacked at her villages. The peninsula north of Trikru lands and east of Podakru lands shall be given to the Skaikru for their own territory. Right now, that piece of land is not used by Azgeda. That is what we demand for the unprovoked attacks on Skaikru." Mutters sounded around the gathered people. The Commander held up her hand.

"Azgeda must also provide compensation to both Trikru and Podakru, but it will not be land. Skaikru has no lands at the moment so they need it. Both Podakru and Trikru have their own lands. We - Trikru and Podakru - can come up with something else Azgeda can provide for us." Clarke stepped forward.

"I agree to this deal. We can live on our own lands and return the lands we are currently on to their rightful people. We will be going to find the rest of our people to bring them up to the land once called Michigan. This is the only compensation we require." Clarke stepped back and Cooper stepped forward.

"Even though I was not Azgeda when it happened, I am now their queen and as such, it falls to me to provide that compensation. I have agreed that the unused land - once called Michigan - will be forever Skaikru lands. We will not go there unless invited by the Skai Heda." She turned to Clarke and the two shook arms, clan style to finalise the deal made. The Commander nodded her head.

"It is done! That land now belongs to Skaikru!" There was mostly shuffling and murmurs heard, but most of them were smiling.

"Once we have established our goods and food stocks back to feeding and clothing everyone in Azgeda, I will be looking for trade opportunities. Right now I need to figure out how much we need and how much we can grow or produce. If Trikru and Podakru can think of anything we can recompense you with, please let me know," Cooper said. Several of the leaders and Ambassadors were nodding as they thought of trade deals they could make. With the new queen who seemed willing to play nice with the other clans, it may be a good time to explore those trade deals and maybe in a few years, Azgeda would settle down and peace would reign instead of Azgeda aggression and terror. Hope bloomed in a few hearts and more than one of them was happy about the prospect of peace.

xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx

Clarke returned to the warehouse and gathered everyone around.

"Alright, listen up! We have found a place we can go and be on our own lands!" Cheers erupted around her. She waved them back down. "Queen Cooper of Azgeda has given us the old state of Michigan! It is over 200 miles long and almost the same width. It used to be excellent for farming and it will be again. There are hundreds of lakes and ponds throughout the land and the lake water is freshwater not saltwater. Now, Queen Cooper has marked places on the map she thinks would be good places for us to build settlements. Before any of you think differently, she came up with this plan while she was still one of us. In fact, it was one of the earlier ideas she had about a month after we came here, so she didn't do this as the Azgeda Queen, but as one of us planning on where we can live. I want people to go there and check to see if it is possible. I want people from farm station to go there and start planting crops. It's spring and an ideal time to start. If we leave it any later, it would be too late to plant for this year. We need to do this now!"

"Who goes?" asked Bellamy.

"I have no idea, but we need messengers to go to the stations we already know of and tell them of our new homelands. We need people to travel there to check the places out. Hydro, Tesla and Farm are the nearest of our people to that land so they can move there immediately. Hydro may need permission to travel around the bottom edge of the lake if Podakru can help them."

"Actually," said Harper, "if I can talk to the Podakru Ambassador and get their permission, they could take them straight to the land itself. The island Hydro came down on is not that far from Michigan."

"I know, but it's at the top end and the settlements we want to start will be at the bottom. If you can persuade Podakru to take them to the lower part of Michigan, that would be better, it all depends on what they want to trade for their help."

"I understand. With your permission, Heda, I can go and ask them now."

"Okay, take Monroe with you. Their leader is there as well, so make sure you have his permission, not just the Ambassador's." Harper nodded and the two moved off.

"Do we have maps of the area?" asked Monty.

"We do, sort of. It's not a detailed map, just one that shows which clan has which territory." She stopped to think about it. "Raven, why don't you and… Justin go to Mecha station and see if you can print off old world maps of the area. Include city maps too if you can and find out as much information about the state as you can. After that, go to Arkadia and tell them of the new lands that now belong to us. I'll give you a letter to hand to the Chief of the village. We will no longer be using Chancellor and whoever has that title needs to learn that they are not the leader of Skaikru, I am. Whoever is in charge there, is just a village chief and nothing more." Raven smirked and nodded.

"We can do that, but what about if they decide they go there and start ordering people to move to other areas or that they should be in charge now they are on their own lands?"

"We will become the thirteenth clan soon and that means we do things the way of the clans. That means no more elections. I am the Leader and only I can appoint chiefs of villages if I think they aren't doing right by all their people. They are allowed to vote for the chief, but I can overrule them and install someone else if I want. Make sure that either Kane or my mother, whichever one is in charge, that this is the way it will be. Reinforce it everytime you can. It may take a few times to get it through their heads that adults are not the ones who know what they are doing on the ground." Raven nodded again.

"Doug, Candace, do you want to take my letter to Factory station? It's around 15 klicks south of Arkadia and they do at least want peace and understand that I'm in charge of everyone. Ariel should still be in charge there and she's the one to talk to." Doug and Candace nodded.

"Monty? Want to take someone and go tell Jasper and Farm station that a new home has been found and we need to get them there asap to start planting?" Monty grinned.

"I'll take Bruno." Bruno nodded. He was from farm as well and knew both his parents had survived.

"Okay, Jeff? Want to take some people and go down to Orchid?"

"I can do that. It'll be a long trek though," he said.

"I know and with that many people, it'll be a long walk back carrying all that equipment and personal stuff. We only have one wagon and we need that for trading and finding other trade goods. There's also the fact that Arrow station is down in Yujleda territory too. I've spoken to the Yujleda Heda and he has assured me that Arrow station has been playing nice with them and some of them want to integrate into their clan. I need you to go to Arrow after you go to Orchid and talk to whoever is in charge there. Find out who wants to stay and become Yujleda and who wants to come live with us. Warn them that they'll have to traverse the country all the way up to Michigan." Jeff nodded. "I'll draw some more maps of the clan lands and you can show them how far they need to walk to get there. If they are where I think they are, it would take most of the spring and summer to walk there." Most of the kids were surprised at that.

"We'll figure it out," Jeff said with confidence. Clarke grinned at him.

"We will have a lot to do and the added bonus of some of the adults will be welcomed, but make no mistake, a lot of those adults will try to take over, thinking they know best. We were the ones searching for our lost people, we were the ones who have started integrating into clan culture and society and we are the ones willing to make the deals we need to survive. Cooper did a lot of that as one of us. She is now the Azgeda queen and as such, she has no more say in what we do or how we do it. I don't like that as Cooper is one of my best friends, but we must be allowed to live OUR lives. Search out those who do want to work with the clans, trade with them, learn from them and take note of who doesn't. We may have to have a settlement for those people far from the borders."

"How long before we go there?"

"Within a week. We need to start planting, people. It is imperative to our success as a clan. We need to stand on our own feet and not keep taking handouts from the clans to get us through another year. Sterling, I want you to take a handful of our people up there and start searching. I'll give you a copy of the map Cooper made. Go to Tesla first and get some of them to go with you to start planning. We need as accurate a count as we can. We can't have everyone in one place so we need to spread them out and start them off in small villages. Cooper planned on 400 to 500 in one village, but I think we need less people in them. Say a maximum of three hundred. That should give them a chance to plant enough food to last them until next spring. After that, we can figure out how much more they can plant for trade or for emergencies."

"So around ten villages?" Sterling said.

"Yes, Cooper marked ten settlements, but if you find a better place, then mark it as a potential site. Cooper's villages were all around thirty miles apart. If you can make it twenty miles, that should let people travel for one day to the next village so they are not out overnight."

"Maybe we can build way stations," Alex shouted from the back.

"Waystations?" Clarke asked, frowning.

"Yeah, kind of like a place to stay over for a night. Maybe a small cabin and a stable so that people can stop overnight before moving on in the morning."

"Not a bad idea," Bellamy said. "If we did that, then we can stick to the thirty mile limits."

"We'll talk about it some more. Right now I want those going to the stations to pack your gear and get ready. You'll leave in the morning. I'll write the letters tonight." People nodded back and began to move away, either going back to their jobs or to pack.

"Bellamy, Murphy, with me, please," Clarke said. She led them to the small office she used. "Sit," she said.

"Right now I need both of you to help me." She held her hand up as Bellamy opened his mouth to speak. "Hear me out, Bellamy." He nodded so she continued.

"I need you here because Cooper can't be. You need to take over from her as my right hand person. Miller is my chief bodyguard and has a small team who can protect me so you don't need to do that aspect of it, but you do need to do the rest of it and that includes meeting the Commander. Cooper did so much that I never realised just how much she did until she went off and became a queen. She made deals for the good of our people and did so on her own authority. She didn't need to ask me if it was okay when she knew I would approve it anyway. The wagon was just one of the deals she did without me knowing about it beforehand. She went to look for old world military places to get goods for trading and for our people to keep warm over winter. She - and you - have found old world stores we could raid for goods as well. She keeps - kept - the peace around here too. She went off and found lost stations, negotiated with the leaders and taught them how to survive, she made deals with the Commander too, though she did run them by me first. I need you to step into her shoes, Bellamy. I know they are big shoes to fill and honestly, I don't think I could if it was the other way around." Bellamy looked at her and saw the seriousness in her face. He reluctantly nodded.

"Okay, but you'll have to help me figure out just how much authority I have and what I'm allowed to do." Clarke grinned as she nodded.

"We'll figure it out," she said. She turned to Murphy.

"I need you to help with those who don't want to play nice with the clans. We need a place for them far from anywhere else, preferably right at the top of Michigan! The further away they are, the better!"

"What do you want me to do?"

"When Raven gets back, check with her about who is being stubborn about integrating with their ways. I suspect my own mother is one of them and as much as I hate it, I may have to banish her to the nothern part as well. I want you to go to northern Michigan and find a place for them. Find them a place they can live like we will be. Farmland, freshwater, and whatever else we need. Once there, it's up to them to figure it out. If necessary, I'll ban them from other settlements. They'll be outcasts."

"Harsh, but understandable," Murphy said. "It's no more than you did with me." Clarke nodded.

"I know, that's what gave me the idea. I just hope they don't act like those outcasts Finn and you saw with our clothing when I was escaping from Mount Weather."

Murphy grunted as he remembered that time.

"So what am I supposed to do with them?"

"All I need from you at the moment is to find a place for them. You can take three others and ride there. I'll ask the Commander to loan us some horses for it." Murphy winced. He still didn't like riding.

"Okay. Can I see some maps first? I want an idea of where to go. The sooner we find a place, the sooner we can come home," he said. Bellamy and Clarke smiled at his use of home to describe the warehouse.

"Sure, I have to copy them anyway."

"So who goes where?" asked Bellamy. "With Harper and Monroe off to Podakru and Hydro, Doug and Candace to Factory, Raven and Justin to Arkadia, Sterling and whoever goes with him to Tesla and Monty and Bruno to Farm, not forgetting Jeff and whoever goes with him, that won't leave a lot of people here."

"I know but it needs to be done. I can't leave it to Arkadia or one of the other stations at the moment. I still don't trust them not to either fuck it up or try to take over." Clarke sighed.

"Are we still living here afterwards?" asked Bellamy.

"Yes. This is our warehouse and our embassy. Each clan has one so this will be maintained. I need to stay here, but I need a representative up there in Michigan. Maybe going between the settlements to make sure they are behaving and growing the foods we need for the entire clan and not just their own village. We need more information on just what Michigan produced and if there are any mines or anything in the area. Any towns or basements you come across, you can dig out and use anything they find - except for guns. I would suggest that each settlement area is thoroughly checked for weapons before we put people there, but at the same time we have to start planting. I can't stress that enough."

"Got it. I'll go see who wants to come with me to the northern end and we'll set off when we get horses. We can't really wait until Raven comes back, we need to go now," Murphy said. Clarke nodded.

"Bellamy, once everyone's gone on their travels, we need to make sure that we can still honour any deals we've already made. Were we planning on any other journeys for inventory?" Clarke asked, frowning when she couldn't remember.

"Not yet, but we were thinking of going back to the store and picking up more building materials. Raven was thinking about turning one of the other buildings into workshops for other things like pottery and clothes making. She wondered if we could build a loom or something and figure out what we could collect and spin into yarn," Bellamy said. Clarke looked surprised.

"Well maybe one of the settlements up in Michigan can do that. Right now we can't have everyone here, we just don't have the accommodation nor the people. Each Embassy is limited to seventy people. We're nearly at that limit now." Bellamy and Murphy both nodded.

"Okay, I'm off to find three others who can ride and want to join me," Murphy said, hopping off the table he had been sitting on.

"Take one of the hunters with you, Murphy. We can't give you enough food to last your entire trip." He nodded and left.

"So how are we going to do this?" Bellamy said.

"I'm going to write letters to each of the stations we already know about. Granary, Freight and Arrow will have to wait. I want Sterling to start at village four and then go on to village eight - that's the one that would be on alert for any unauthorized crossing by Azgeda into our territory. Whoever's in charge there needs to know not to jump at shadows. I'd rather one of our people was in charge of that one and only people who can hold their nerves and actually do their jobs on watch go there. Even though it will be self-sustaining in time, I need that area covered. Cooper will make sure that her people know the consequences of crossing into our lands."

"Who will be in charge?"

"I don't know. Right now the only person I trust with that is you, but you may want to stay here. I'm not making you go, Bellamy, I need you here as well."

"Tough decision," Bellamy said, rubbing his chin.

"I know. Can you think of anyone else you would trust to keep the peace there and stop them from just shooting anyone who crosses into our lands?"

"Not off the top of my head, but I'll give it some thought. Was there anyone you met on your travels to the stations who you think could do the job?"

"Not really. Most of them came from the Ark and to some extent, stayed true to those rules. About the only ones they didn't follow was killing those who committed crimes and who were in charge."

"Once everyone's out and about, we can figure out who could do it. If we can't then I may - and that's only MAY - go and take charge there until I can find someone who can do the job and will abide by your rules and decisions." Clarke nodded.

"Okay," she sighed. "I need to start copying those maps and writing the letters."

"You need anyone to help you?" he asked.

"This is where Cooper would have been invaluable. She loved to copy the maps during history and geography classes. She was the one who drew those maps we have of where each station is."

"I thought you did that?" Bellamy said, shocked.

"Nope, that was all Cooper," Clarke said, scrubbing her face with her hands. "Okay, I need to get on with this. Can you make sure I eat something later on? I may be too into the letters and maps that I forget." Bellamy smiled.

"Will do. I'll go and see what the rest of them are doing." He got up and left. Clarke sat there for a few minutes and then sighed once more. She got up and went to the filing cabinet where her writing pads were held and took one out, along with a couple of sketch pads and writing and drawing materials before returning to her desk and beginning the arduous task of trying to tell her mother what was happening without actually telling her anything!

xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx

The following day, Cooper got up her nerve and went to call on the Skaikru Embassy. She wanted to see her mother and persuade her to stay with the Skaikru. Cooper had no intention of staying in Azgeda and would return to Skaikru or Trikru once her job was done.

"Queen Cooper of Azgeda to see Julia kom Skaikru!" Koby announced loudly to Alex Sharpe who was on door duties that day.

"Wait here please," he said while he disappeared inside. A grumbling of Cooper's other two guards that day could be heard.

"Patience, it is the way of Skaikru. He was not insulting me, after all I did the same thing when I was a door guard when I was in Skaikru." They shut up and waited with their kwin.

Both Clarke and Julia came to the door.

"Queen Cooper," Clarke said, bowing to her. "Welcome to the Skaikru Embassy." Both of them knew it was just a formal greeting for anyone else who was watching. Cooper gave a short head bow and then entered the warehouse to see a lot of activity going on. They stopped and looked up to see Cooper standing there. Cooper raised a hand to stop them going to her. She turned to her bodyguards.

"Okay guys, I'm dropping the queen part of me for a few minutes. These are my friends and I want to greet them in my own way. Do not take offense at anything said or done." She waited until she had confirmation from each of them that they would not do anything. She nodded and took off her outer coat which announced who she was. Once it was off, she turned to Clarke.

"Right now, I'm Cooper, not the queen." Clarke grinned and hugged her. That was the release needed for everyone to swarm her, hugging and slapping her on the back. They laughed and some of them cried a little bit.

"Okay guys. How are you all?"

"We're good, Cooper," said Harper. A growl from Jardin was heard and Cooper rounded on him.

"What did I just say?"

"But she disrespected you by not using your title!"

"Right now, I'm not the queen but their friend and they can call me by my name!" Koby went to him and pulled him back, whispering to him in Azgedasleng. Jardin wilted and stood back. Cooper turned around.

"Alright, as you saw, my bodyguards are still not used to people calling me by my name instead of my title. While here, you can use my name. Once I leave, you'll have to call me by my title. I dont like it, but it's protocol." Cooper sighed. "I came here to see my mother." She turned to Clarke. "Is there a room we can use? I don't want to know any of your clan workings other than what my mom's allowed to, but I do want to visit with her." Clarke nodded and led them to one of the small offices.

"You can meet her here. I'll go get her."

"Thanks, Clarke," Cooper said.

xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx

"Hey mom," Cooper said as her mother came through the door. Julia rushed to her daughter and hugged her tightly.

"God, it's good to see you!"

"I can't stay mom, I need to return to Azgeda in a couple of days. We have to move people around and start planting our crops for the year. The old queen had them planting in poor soil and then kept most of it for herself and her handpicked thugs. I want crops planted for the entire clan to feed them throughout the winter. Only then can we begin to recover from the ravages of Nia's reign."

"Are you looking after yourself?"

"Mom! I'm the queen of an entire people! They make sure I'm looking after myself by doing it for me! It's fine mom, I'll get used to it eventually, but right now, I can't even turn around without one of them asking if they can help me!" Julia burst out laughing.

"Sorry, it's just that you were always self-sufficient even as a toddler!"

"Yeah, that's the hard part of all this." Cooper sighed. "So how are you, mom? You doing okay here?"

"Yes, Cooper, I am. I've taken over the cooking for them. They all help out with food prep and whenever they go looking for stuff I ask for food prep things like peelers and grinders and graters."

"You? Cooking? Do you like it?"

"I love it! I've even been asking in the markets about the foods they sell there. Once we get more settled, I think I may even try my hand at making things to sell as well. Maybe pies or sausage rolls or something like that. Something easy to carry and eat."

"I'm glad mom. I need to go to Azgeda, but I want you to stay here. They'll need a lot of help in establishing their new lands."

"Do you want me to go there or stay here?"

"That's up to you, mom. As long as you're happy and safe, I don't mind. I'll write to you here though. If you move, Clarke can send the message to you there." Julia nodded. They continued with the small talk and tentative plans to visit Julia if she stayed in Polis. Cooper knew she wouldn't be allowed to visit Michigan yet so could only visit her mother in Polis.

Soon enough it was time to leave. Cooper went out and picked up her outer coat. She turned around to whoever was around.

"Before I put this coat back on and become Queen Cooper again, I just want to say that I will be returning, but it may take a couple of years. Please help Clarke with her endeavour in building the clan in the image we had already started. I can't do that with Azgeda, but you can with the Skaikru. Prove to the adults that you can be more than they think you are, prove to yourselves that you are more than they want you to be. Be proud of what you achieve and never let anyone tell you that you can't because you're a kid. We proved we are more resilient than them when we were captured by the mountain men. We fought for our lives in there, we fought for each other in there and that bond will still hold no matter where I am or who I am. Each of you are my people whether I'm Azgeda or Skaikru or Trikru. Hold your heads up because you've already proven yourselves to the clans. It's up to the adults of Skaikru to catch up with you now. They have to prove themselves to you that they can fit in and do the jobs needed to stay alive. You have nothing more to prove! Stay safe, and stay alive. I will return!" Cooper was mobbed again and soon Cooper had to leave.

She put her coat on again.

"Queen Cooper, thank you for your visit," Clarke said, bowing to her. Cooper sighed but nodded back.

"Thank you for your hospitality, Heda Clarke. I hope we can continue our friendship across the clans."

"That's my goal too, your Majesty." Cooper's lip curled with distaste.

"Not that one, Clarke, I hate being called 'your majesty'. If you must, please keep it to Queen." Clarke nodded. "Thank you. I need to leave now." She turned to Bellamy.

"Can you go and see Echo tonight please? The Commander has given me leave to take her back to Azgeda with me." Bellamy was surprised but nodded. "We leave in two days so don't wait too long." Again he nodded. Cooper turned around and left the building.

xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx

Julia looked at Bellamy.

"Was she like that before she became the Queen?" she asked. Bellamy nodded.

"Cooper was one of the main people here. She was second only to Clarke."

"She was never one to put herself forward on the Ark," Julia said in wonder.

"She learned when in the mountain," Bellamy said quietly.

"She never talked about that. I don't know what went on in there."

"It's not nice, Julia. Everyone captured by the mountain men were to be killed for their bone marrow. It was only when one of the mountain people turned on her own and showed Monty and Jasper what was actually happening and what would happen to our people in there that they truly knew their fate. They decided to fight back. Remember, the mountain was a self-contained environment just like the Ark. Think about what a guerilla action on the Ark would be like and you've got a little bit of an idea what was happening in there. Imagine if the prisoners of the Ark escaped the prison and waged a war on those in charge and anyone who sided with the council." Julia was horrified at what she pictured. Bellamy nodded at the horror on her face.

"Yeah, that's what it was like in there. I won't go into details, but it was not nice."

"She killed people?"

"She had to, Julia, it was them or us and we had no desire to die. We'd already been killed once by our own people. We were prisoners on the Ark and we were prisoners in the mountain - well they were. I snuck aboard the ship because my sister was there and I volunteered to go into the mountain to find a way to get them out."

"How much has she changed?"

"How much change did you see in her?"

"Not much," Julia said truthfully.

"Cooper is still Cooper, she's just got the added pressure of being a queen to a group of warriors who like to fight and has taken over from a queen who didn't care for her clan, just her own handpicked people. Sound familiar?" Julia realised that the ground had mirrored the Ark. Both times the kids were held as prisoners, both times they were let down by people who claimed to be doing it for the betterment of their people and both times they had to fight to survive.

"I hope this Commander is doing a better job than Jaha or those in the mountain did."

"She is. The Commander is probably the best person on our side right now. She won't let anything happen to us without taking action against whoever tries."

"That's good." Julia watched as her daughter walked through the streets on her way back to her embassy. Julia shook her head. Her daughter was a queen! No matter how old she lived, it would be hard to come to terms with the person she was now. Maybe when she returned to Skaikru, she could let that go and just live in peace. She got the impression that Cooper was trying to steer Azgeda in that direction. She sighed and turned back to the warehouse and the meals she was currently preparing.

xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx

Cooper left Polis surrounded by her bodyguards and her entourage. They rode until they came to the old town of Lewisberg, where they stopped by the river to fill up their water containers.

"Echo!" Cooper called.

"Sha, Ai kwin?" Echo said, riding up to her shoulder.

"I need you to go towards Michigan. That's the old name for the peninsula that used to be Azgeda lands. Find Prince Roan and bring him to me at the palace."

"Sha, Ai kwin." Echo turned her horse towards the supply wagon and took a couple of days worth of food and water before taking off.

"Is that wise, Ai kwin?" Koby asked quietly.

"Sha, I need to see Roan. He saved my life before I was even his queen."

"You killed his mother though."

"Yes, but when he was told of it, he just laughed. I think he knew how resilient and resourceful I was, but knew his mother dismissed others as not being intelligent or as cunning as herself. He knew that my winning was one way of proving his mother wrong." Cooper shrugged. Koby nodded. They stayed there for another hour to rest the horses before remounting and carrying onto Azgeda.

Once they crossed into Azgeda, she detoured to Farm station and went in with Koby by her side.

"What are we looking for?" he asked.

"Some of the farming seeds. We'll take only a little. Call it a finder's fee. This is right on our border but we shouldn't be doing this. I think some Skaikru will be coming here to take the seeds back to plant. I want some before they do." Koby nodded and followed his queen through enemy territory. Cooper found the main storage area for Farm station and went in. She opened boxes and drawers and cupboards looking for the seeds she needed. She noticed that most of them must have been moved when they went down into Trikru lands. She sighed and went to a secondary storage area where she did find some seeds. She smiled and gathered some of them and put them into a bag which she passed to Koby. She took another bag and packed some more seeds into those before leaving Farm station.

They carried on until they came to Cooper's palace. Cooper sighed in relief to be finally home. Home? When did the palace become home? She wondered. She shook it off and took the pack from Koby and went into her offices, calling for Charles to meet her there.

xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx-xxx

For the next three weeks, Cooper, Charles and Katsuri worked and plotted and started moving people around to make more use of their lands. Almost as soon as Cooper got back to the palace she had units of her loyal soldiers moving to the farming communities and getting them to move south for better land to farm on. It was only the previous week that the plants had started to be planted and it would take another month until it was completed. The yield was expected to be higher, but with a shortened growing season, Cooper was still expecting to need to trade for excess food from other clans to cover her people through winter. She'd had people talk to everyone she could about where fruit and berry bearing trees and bushes were and she'd had some of them transplanted in the lower regions of her lands. They may not produce much this year, but she was hoping they'd be established enough for a good crop the following year.

Next was the farmed animals they still had. Luckily for Azgeda, some of the farms in Canada had been able to keep their animals and breed them to keep the animals alive. RIght now there were horses, cattle, pigs, sheep and goats, not to mention a whole slew of chicken houses to the north. Those she wanted to distribute around the clan lands so every place had some. It would help them over winter if they had a large stock of chickens to slaughter for meat if the hunting was bad. The other animals would be bred for both meat and other products like milk and wool.

There were also herds of wild non-native deer in the lands too, but Cooper could not think how they could have survived with predators such as bears and wolves roaming the lands. There were also large herds of moose or reindeer - she wasn't sure of the difference yet - far to the north as well. All in all, if she could get their farming and ranching up to speed, they would have enough food to feed themselves and help out other clans in times of need. Cooper was determined that the clan not slip back into the old ways. They were slowly coming around to the idea that they did not have to be scared of the soldiers anymore. Sure, there were still pockets of Nia's Own that had not been rounded up yet, but they were getting smaller with each passing week. She hoped to hear that they were no longer a threat within the next four months. Once that happened, a lot of other things could be put into place and the economy should start to pick up.

One thing she still hadn't found yet was Nia's stash of trade goods. Either she'd already used them or they had been consumed or used by others. Cooper was also concerned about the enclave on the other side of the country that Nia had there. There was no way to recall them either. The area that they were in was between two warlords who hated each other and Cooper was of the opinion that they'd run over whoever got between them once they finally went to war with each other. For now, it was a lost cause to be dealt with at a later time. She would concentrate on getting Azgeda back on its feet and its population holding their heads up instead of being cowed by bullies and thugs with the authority of Nia.

ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo

Shorter than usual but it was a natural break. More next week. Samdagger.