Chapter 5

She'd been out all night watching the path of the ship in orbit. She could no longer question it or hold out that it wasn't a ship, and she wasn't sure what she thought about it, either. Part of her was worried about how everyone would react to them coming, and the rest of her was worried about what it would mean to have more people amongst them.

She'd read more of the journals of FIO Merkel, but found no more insight on what she should do. She was not only Palla, but the FIO for them, too. She had to protect her people. She really wasn't sure that the ship was a threat, but she knew that she had to move. She couldn't stay at the Village and find out more. She would go back to the Schule and get more journals. She would then head back to the landing zone.

She sighed when she thought about the landing zone. There were a small barracks and the processing station. It had been one of the big ventures that the Primas had erected. It was there to welcome the new colonists when they arrived. But, no one ever did and the Rangers for the most part abandoned the location. It was still patrolled, but only to make sure that the Praha hadn't snuck in and removed any tech or supplies. She knew that they couldn't get to the supplies because only the FIO had the passcodes to get into that area of the warehouse. And, the Praha didn't have a FIO and couldn't get through the six inch steel and concrete walls. It was honestly the only part of the port that was still regularly powered.

Balt met her at the door. It was still early and the second sun hadn't risen on a new day. He looked worried for her, but he waited for her to say something to him. He knew her better than anyone as she had once been his apprentice.

"Balt," she said as she walked passed him and into the library.

"Did you find something?"

"There is a ship in orbit."

"Have they made contact?" he asked her.

"I don't know. I don't have a radio at my house. All of the communication gear was left at the port. San Joe was established to help the transition from space to Terre. I'll have to go there and see what I can find."

"No one has kept up with the equipment, have they?" Balt questioned.

"It needs some help, I know. Imper keeps Rangers there on rotation, but the barracks is largely empty. I think that we only keep one building habitable."

"Have you spoken with Hrathgar since you've been back?"

"No, I haven't. I need to go home and pack. I don't know how long I'll be gone, so I'll need him and Ferre to watch Lex again."

"Have you spoken with Ferre?"

"Yes."

"Have you really, Palla?"

"Yes, Balt I have. I know that she is Tamma's twin, but it doesn't hurt me to see her. We've talked about this before. I go out and speak to Tamma once a month. Ferre knows this. I am sane enough to do my job and protect the Village. I am not going to let my grief control. I haven't for years. Lex can attest to that. She saved me when I didn't know I needed it."

"I know that, child. Lex was a blessing to us when she wandered into the Village. She gave you a reason to live because you felt personally responsible for her. You've raised her well. She is smart and adjusted as she can be. She's almost six winters old. She's learning well and showing an aptitude for farming like you, Hrathgar and Ferre, but I think that she could be more," Balt said.

"I don't want to hear it."

"Palla, you have to know that she should be a Keeper."

"Balt, I don't want to hear it. I will not condemn her to a solitary life. I know that I started the way and almost took the mantle, but I will not condemn her to that. If you need someone so bad, I will take the mantle after I deal with the ship. I will not let Lex follow me into that."

"And, if she chooses the life?" Balt inquired.

"I'll deal with that when the time comes. She has years to decide. I will not force her into it and neither will you. Let her be a child, but for Eligius' sake, don't stop your search."

"As you wish, Palla," he replied as he walked to a bookcase and pulled some more leather bound journals. "These are what you need. Let me know what else I can do for you and this ship. I'll get a walkie from Imber. I'll be on channel three. I know that it isn't the Ranger's channel."

"You're correct. I'll pack my walkie. I'll contact you if I need anything. Hopefully, this won't take too long," Palla told him as she packed the few journals he handed her.

He watched her go. He could tell that she was at a crossroads and he didn't know how to help her. She had been trained to be a Keeper but had forsaken the position when the wars started again. After Tamma's death, she became FIO after all of her raids and earned the moniker of Palla. No one really called her by her own name. And, she'd proven herself to the people as young as she was. Balt watched in horror as she fought and killed Prahas.

"I wish you would still talk to me, child. Talking to ghosts will only keep the scars open," he said as he turned to leave the library. "Eligius help her find meaning in this coming age and guide her hand. Lex can only temper her so much."

It had been a week since she'd gone back to the barracks and opened them. She found the FIO's radio and video logs. She'd watched them for hours and listened to Merkel as he explained the world that they were hoping to find.

"Fools all of them," she said. "Hoping that this world would save Earth. Hoping that the descendants of the those sent would colonize the planet and make way for more to come."

She shook her head as she cleaned up the processing station. She needed it to be ready. She'd already outfitted defensive positions and armed them. She liked to be ready for anything and she was amazed at how much gear was actually left at the station. She would welcome whomever came, but she wanted them to know that they were on her terms and turf. Either they submitted to the will of Helios or they could leave. She would not allow a war to break out.

The Port of San Joe was open again and ready to be fully manned. It might have been two hundred years, but the landing pad was still ready for a ship. There were still big trucks in a hanger like area by the station. The Rangers left them there because they randomly used them in patrolling. Without real roads, they weren't needed in the Village.

It was late and she was back in the barracks apartment that she'd chosen back in the war. She could still feel Tamma's touch in the decorations and amenities that she had there. Tamma had wanted her to be comfortable while she was in training. It was another reason that she hadn't been back since she turned into Palla. There were too many memories, but she was FIO. She had to put that aside and do what was best for her people. She had to make contact with the ship in orbit. She had to make sure that they weren't a threat to Helios. She would not let another war start because of them. She would kill them all first.

She plugged in the radio and started scanning channels. There was nothing but static. She didn't know what frequencies to use. She had to find the Eligius ship information. She had to find the FIOs personal computer tablet.

She dug around until she found the FIO bags in the back of a closet in her room. She was amazed to find notebook computer. It was old and had a power bank with it. She took it back into the common room of her barracks apartment and plugged it in. She had the log in. It had been given to her from the last FIO. Of course, she changed it to something that she wanted it to be.

She logged into the Eligius system. She started her search. She wasn't sure where the ship was from, but she hoped that it was from Eligius Corp. It would make whatever transition between space and the ground easier. Or, so she thought until she pulled up the information on the other Eligius ships that were sent.

"Prisoner mining ships. Great. Just what we need."

She shook her head. Hope dashed. She didn't want a bunch of prisoners, and most of them violent and considered expendable by society, trying to fit in the Village. It would be detromental for them all. She'd send them to Praha, but they would just help the Praha attack the Village again.

She looked at the radio. She turned it off. She didn't want to have contact with the ship now. She pushed away from her desk in the corner. She moved to sit on the little sofa in the common room. It gave her a perfect view of both the kitchen and the computer on the desk. She sat there thinking as she watched the computer running through Eligius files. When the file on the Eligius commonly used frequencies came up, she sat up a little straighter.

She started thinking about Lex. She thought about everything that Balt had taught her in Schule and everything that he taught her about being a Keeper. She stared at that radio and willed it to tell her something. Instead it was quiet. There wasn't even static or a squelch.

Shaking her head, she leaned up and snatched one of the journals off the desk. She flipped a few pages in. She couldn't make out the date, but the words were particularly remarkable.

"NO CONTACT WITH EARTH OR ELIGIUS."

The words were repeated over and over before thoughts were put to paper. The earliest date was in 2045. What had happened on Earth that they lost contact? She couldn't believe with all the tech that they had that they would just suddenly lose communication. There had to be something wrong. And, that had to be the reason that the Primas hadn't been so optimistic about someone coming to their aid. The third FIO started moving them away from the barracks to make a more permanent civilization. They started "digging in" and learning to use what this planet had to offer. They knew that they wouldn't be able to keep everything running off the fuel from the ship, so they limited what they needed. They weren't exactly primitive, but they weren't living in high tech luxury either.

The notes stated that the hydro-dam was built down river before the falls of Rio Griffin, named after the Captain that got them to the planet safely. They used the falls for the turbines and build a smaller dam below them. It was actually a very ingenious set up. They then worked with the plumbers and builders to work an aqueduct into the Village. The reservoir was built just outside the Village two years later for Winter consumption after the river completely froze the year before. Solar power was brought in to augment and help take the load off the hydro-dam. Thanks to the dual suns, the solar power kept them warm in the winter when the river would freeze. But, power was something that they used very little of in their everyday lives. It was used for lighting, some cooking, and heating water. For the Village, it helped with some simple pumps to keep the water flowing year round to all the houses. They were finding their way.

The farms were started next to supply food and work. The factions grew and jobs became part of their society. Everyone worked for the common goal of survival. That was until the Praha uprising and following wars. It was this that caused the Palla to wonder if letting anyone else into their world was a good idea. It wasn't to say that things were perfect in Helios. They weren't. There was crime. There were arguments. But, they were settled with little bloodshed. She wanted to maintain the peace, but she also worried that if she didn't make contact with the ship first that the Praha would. And, that was something that she couldn't allow to happen. She couldn't let the Praha reestablish themselves with outside influence. She couldn't let them gain more power and then come after Helios. She wouldn't allow that to happen. She would shoot the ship from the sky if she had to, but she knew that she didn't have the capabilities.

Eligius III was a colonizing ship, not a war ship. It had very limited weapons systems and those that it did had already been cannibalized to help the growth of Helios. What little tech that was left was there for the processing station. It was just communications, a small weapons cache, very basic medical supplies and stationing, and uniforms. And, now she was using it all to make sure that everyone would remain safe.

Turning on the radio again, she moved the frequencies around and managed to hook up some speakers that she'd found during her rummaging. She set it up on the desk and went back to the small sofa across the room and just stared at the radio. It was no different than staring at the stars and hoping for an answer. Nothing came and she fell over, asleep...waiting for an answer or a question. She just wanted something. She needed something.

She woke in the early morning hours. The second sun hadn't risen yet to a loud squelch over the speakers. Sitting up right, she stared at the radio and finally got up to go check it.

Before she got to it, she heard a man's voice state, "Eligius III, this is Eligius IV. Over."