Tads had the morning shift, as usual, and was up to watch the dawn. The mountains made it a strange affair – the summer season should have given them a very early sunrise, but the steep mountains kept the sun below their horizon for several hours, and they found themselves in odd shadow for some time. She checked the area out as normal, before settling down for a few moments to pray, offering up her thanks to Elk and the world as she normally did, before calling on the night spirits as they were just about to leave her and thanking them for their service to her, then summoning fresh spirits from the astral realm and the land about her to protect them for the day.
Aswon was up fairly soon after, having gotten his four hours of sleep – Tads had long given up being envious of his sleep pattern and had just accepted that it was something he did, and something she didn't. She prepared some fresh foods, and Aswon explored the galley in the Broadsword, working out how to prepare some hot drinks and food. Whether it was the clattering around of utensils or the smell of fresh coffee and soy-bacon that woke the others was hard to say, but soon the team were tucking into breakfast and getting themselves ready for the day.
"So – how long are we planning on being here?"
"Several days, I think Marius. At least that's my plan – assuming all goes well. I can't see it being a problem. We're not exactly far from the market location, from what Hunter tells me, so it shouldn't take long to get there from here."
"Then we should prepare the aircraft. It needs to be camouflaged if we are leaving it here for an extended period."
"Or we could try the hanger idea again? Like we did in Turkey? Assuming Tads is willing, of course…" Aswon suggested.
"We could. I would prefer not to be enclosed like that, though – it makes us very dependent on Tads and her ability to cast her spells."
"How about a compromise? Tads, could you make us a couple of tall rock pillars, at the corners of the aircraft – something to string the cammo netting from? Would make it easier, without boxing us in."
"Sure, I can do that…"
Once they had finished their food and drink, the team dragged out the new bundles of cammo netting they had purchased and started to unroll them, while Tads quickly shaped four large mounds of rock and earth to give suitable anchor points. Though the body of the aircraft was larger than the old tilt-wing, it was actually easier to get the netting in place, without any of the huge propellers to get in the way or catch the net.
"Hunter – can you do me a quick bit of research, by the way?"
"Sure, whatcha need? And I'm staying here, by the way. I figure the locals ain't gonna like the look of me."
"Fair enough. On the research side, I'm curious about hospitals and medical clinics in the area, around here, of course, but in the country in general."
"Well I can tell you now it's not gonna be impressive. But sure. Just the basics?"
"Yes, that's fine. Just a general overview." Hunter nodded to him then headed back into the Broadsword, setting up his deck and then jumping onto the sat-link to gain access to the matrix.
"What next, Kai?"
"Well, while Hunter's doing that, let's get together a bunch of packs with the supplies we do have – a little bit of everything. Hopefully he'll be done by the time we have them assembled, then we can head off to meet this friend of Tads. If you and Tads can work out what's most immediately useful, Aswon, let's start with that. We can always come back for more later, but let's start off with some good stuff and see if we can make some friends."
They headed into the cargo area and started to break down the bulk boxes of supplies that they'd loaded, splitting them up into loads that each of them could carry. Lighter but bulkier supplies like blankets were mixed in with heavier but denser supplies – medical equipment, knives and tools, water purification kits. They assembled five packs, some larger than others – Shimazu could carry a load far heavier than Tads or Kai could manage, and got them ready to travel. With a series of grunts and heaves, they loaded up their packs and then headed out, sealing the aircraft behind them as they picked their way down the floor of the spur they were in towards the main valley. Hunter called them just as they neared the main valley, filling them in on what he'd found so far.
"So, it was pretty much what I said. Kabul has a hospital, reasonable size but doesn't have that good a reputation, and lots of smaller surgeries and clinics scattered throughout the city – but it's the major population centre for the country, and where most of the international companies or presence is. Outside, you're lucky to get a clinic that has an injury or trauma centre within three or four hundred kilometres of most of the country, and they're ropey as all hell. Probably some smaller doctors' surgeries in the bigger towns, and maybe some wandering medics and such like – but if you get injured out here, you're in trouble. Very definitely sub-par."
"But that means if we turn up somewhere with medical supplies and a willingness to use them, we're probably going to be well received."
"Yeah, guess so. If we don't get swamped or have someone try to kidnap us and hold us hostage."
"They can try." Aswon grinned, revealing his incisors. "Long time now since those Chechens managed it. Things would be different this time." Shimazu gave him a grin and a nod, agreeing with the sentiment, feeling the reassuring weight of his blade on one hip and his hand-cannon on the other.
They reached the main valley and turned to start heading slightly uphill, following the watercourse as it cut through the generally arid landscape. The sky was a clear azure dome stretching overhead, not a cloud in sight, and formed a stark contrast to the deep brown rocks and earth of the mountains below. Slopes on either side of the narrow valley rose at nearly sixty degrees, steep climbs full of loose rocks and patches of treacherous sand and gravel that looked poised to rumble downwards at a moment's notice – indeed they saw piles of material scattered around that looked just like landslides or avalanches of the past, forming mounds of slightly different coloured material from the valley floor.
There were a few tiny patches of green, mostly in the area near the most prominent rocks, areas that might catch some shade during part of the day and where the cooling rocks would attract moisture that would condense and drip down their sheer faces at night – but they were few and far between, with vast tracts of monotonous monochrome earth between them. It was a barren and unforgiving landscape, with their lines of sight limited acutely in multiple directions. Moreover, the terrain gave huge amounts of cover to hide in or behind, and walking up the valley floor made them feel like ants under a microscope.
"Great to be a sniper on the defensive out here." Aswon glanced up the slopes to either side of them, then frowned a little. "But pretty frakking sucky if you're on the offensive against someone well dug in. This place would be hell to fight over."
"Yeah, I found some records of various wars and conflicts while I was looking at the medical info. Lots of people tried to conquer the land over the years. Most of 'em ended up paying for it in blood." Hunter sniffed, then continued, his voice crystal clear over the digital radio. "Easy enough to sweep and clear an area, not so easy to keep it clean, I think."
"From what I can gather, this whole area is the result of two big areas of land smashing into each other. I saw on the map once that the area to the south is India, and that's a big plate of earth that's moving north, hitting Asia. Formed the highest mountains over millions of years, and that's why the area is a big mass of ridgelines and valleys, all in different directions. Just smashed the land until something gives, and it crumples into mountains that just get pushed higher and higher." Tads waved at the peaks on either side of them. "Each of those would have been flat once, but they just get pushed up and up and up." She fell silent, looking up at the mountains again, contemplating the forces involved, marvelling at the power of nature.
"Is that the village?" Aswon asked, gesturing further up the valley. "It looks… that's crazy! Those houses are stacked on top of each other, and built onto the side of the mountain!"
"Yes, that's the village. And they have to build them there. You can't use up land on the valley floor – that's the only place you can grow something, near the river. The land is too valuable to use up for houses. And the winters here are horrific, so I'm told. The houses are driven into the mountainside and that helps insulate them… only one wall faces out, and they build them thick, to stop the cold. And the heat in the middle of summer – I mean it's still early, but you can tell how warm it's going to get." She wasn't wrong – the sun was just edging over the peaks now, and already they had a good sweat on, not helped by the altitude and their exertion.
"I can see birds circling. One moment." Aswon bought his rifle up and checked out the birds through the scope, zooming in to examine them. "Drek… carrion crows."
"That bad?"
"Yeah, Kai. They're like normal crows, but about twenty-five percent bigger."
"That doesn't sound too bad."
"You didn't let me finish. Bigger – but they eat everything. Like literally everything – including waste. Got a kind of acidic mucous they spit out onto stuff to break it down and make it easy to tear up and swallow. Nasty stuff – if you leave something lying around, you can expect them to come and try eating it. Leave a gun out on the floor, and five minutes later they'll have melted a hole through the barrel and made it useless. And you don't want to have a snooze out in the open and have them think you're dead. Otherwise you wake up in agony as half a dozen of the frakkers start dribbling on you and melting holes through your flesh."
"Ahh – right. Ok, that's bad, then. Why are they here? Or over there, rather. You think something is wrong with the village? A curse? Or full of dead people?"
"Nein. I think the answer is simpler. People. People throw things away. Waste products. Easy food. Why hunt if someone will provide you with food?"
"I suppose. Let's keep our eyes open though, yeah?" Kai waved them forward again, and they continued up the slope. After another few minutes they saw people moving around – and it became clear that they'd been spotted. Word spread quickly, and they saw people running between the houses, spreading word about the newcomers. They didn't look particularly happy to see the team.
"Climbing up there is going to be a pain." Kai muttered, looking at the slope. They could see a trail, worn partly smooth by the constant flow of traffic as it snaked up the slope, switching back and forth as it climbed the steep rocks. Above them a new figure emerged from one of the houses, distinguishable even from here by the difference in dress.
"That's Mary Pat." Tad gestured, then waved her arm from side to side. The figure returned the wave, gesturing then at the villagers nearby, who seemed to be vaguely reassured. Certainly they slowed their headlong dashes from house to house to a much more sedate and calm pace. The team reached the bottom of the slope and began the climb, heading up towards the midpoint on the slope, which seemed to be a common area between a large number of the houses. The climb was tiring – between the thin air and the heavy loads, they were all breathing deeply by the time they made it to their destination – even Aswon and Shimazu, who were the fittest of them all.
"Hello Tads. I wasn't sure you were actually serious about coming. It's been a while."
"Hi Mary-Pat. I did say we'd come… but, we're here now. These are my…friends. This is Kai, Shimazu, Aswon and Marius." She paused for a moment, glancing at Kai and then continuing slowly, keeping him and the others visible out of the corner of her eye in case they tried to interrupt her. "And we've got one more in our team, Hunter – but he's elsewhere right now. Everyone – this is Mary Pat. I met her a couple of years ago while I was walking. There'd been an avalanche, and lots of people were hurt. So I tried to help out."
"And you did. A great deal." Mary Pat gestured to a small piece of flat land, a shelf almost on the side of the slope. "Please, put your packs down there. They'll be fine while there's lots of us about." She gestured up at the crows, and gave them a tight-lipped smile. The team had a chance to examine her as they stripped off their packs and took a few deep breaths, trying to relax after the exertion of the climb. Mary Pat seemed to be in her forties, possibly early fifties – an average-sized human woman in good physical shape, with brown curly hair that framed her faintly freckled face. Her grin was a little wonky, and one of her front teeth seemed to be a little discoloured when she grinned at them, though it was hard to say what from. A large survival knife was in a sheath slung from one hip, and she had a large tool belt strung around her waist with a heavy-looking pouch on the opposite hip. Some kind of shotgun was in a back scabbard over her right shoulder, and she wore a long sleeved cotton shirt and densely woven trousers along with some sturdy hiking boots. "So, what are you doing out this way? It can't be the cuisine that's bought you here…"
"We're picking up some things from near Kabul, and taking them west – a delivery job. So as we were pretty much passing right by, I asked Kai and the rest if we could stop."
"Oh, right. Where's your vehicle then?"
"Just down the valley a bit, and then off in that spur to the side. We got here late last night – well, early this morning, I suppose. Didn't want to come too close and wake everyone up, or scare anyone with the noise."
"Probably best – especially not arriving in the dark. Would certainly have frightened them and made them much less welcoming."
"Why would that have frightened them?" Aswon had some fairly good guesses, but thought it would be best to ask.
"Warlords, freedom fighters, Taliban, Mujahedeen, smugglers, drug lords, freedom fighters, corrupt officials, thieves, murderers, kidnappers…" Aswon nodded along, trying to keep any expression off his face as she went through the list. The team could potentially make an entry onto that list multiple times – not that he had any intention of explaining that to her!
"And what about the crows? They seem to be a bit… unusual," Kai pointed out, gesturing up at the handful of birds that were soaring around overhead, riding the thermals and surveying their kingdom.
"They're common around here – have been for years. Actually, I think they're a bad thing, but only because the villagers have got so used to them they don't do anything about their rubbish, and just throw it out of the houses. They're so used to having a natural garbage collection that they just litter with everything, and pay no attention to the impact. It's… not a sustainable attitude, but it's hard to argue with something that works that well." She sighed and pushed a bit of stray hair back out of her vision. "But they don't generally give us trouble. Just don't leave gear lying around that you don't want to be eaten or melted."
"I see your point. Well. Hopefully they're hungry… we've got some stuff for you, and there's probably going to be some rubbish generated. Just need to get it out of the packs and distributed."
"Mary Pat… how do the villagers feel about magic? Last time I was here, most of the time I was healing people they were unconscious, and they never actually saw anything… the ones that did probably had other things on their minds."
"Well, they're superstitious of course, and technically they're Muslim. But the particular style is pretty liberal – you can see that the women have headscarves on, but that's as much about protection from the elements as it is an article of faith. They're also treated equally, go to school and everything else. So while magic might be taboo in some ways, it's only the 'bad' kind, consorting with devils and demons… I don't know what you're thinking about, but if there's a way to express it positively, they should be fine with it."
"And what about steps – these trails are horrible. How would they feel about steps and flat paths?"
"They'd love them, I think. But who has time to carve that much stone? They spend enough time tending to the goats and livestock, fetching water and all the other things."
"Well, we have some options. But let's start simple. Could you translate for me?"
"Sure?"
"We have some supplies for the village, things to make their lives a little easier. Blankets, food, medical supplies, filters – all sorts."
"That's very generous. If you want, I can help distribute them – I've got a pretty good idea of what each of the families has or needs."
"Thanks, that would help."
"Let me call them over…" Mary Pat raised her voice, calling out in Pashtu, turning to face different directions and repeating the message several times. Aswon listened in, trying to determine some of the basics of the language, letting the words wash over him and be absorbed into his consciousness.
It took a few minutes, but the entire village appeared to head over to them, about forty people all told, gathered around them in a large arc that rose and fell over the landscape, people finding rocks to sit on or rest against, or just squatting on the steep slope as they listened to Mary Pat, who was presumably introducing them. The villagers were spread out from the very young to very old, evenly split between men and women, though entirely human. The team weren't sure if that was just representative of the odds of different birthrates here, or a darker indication of their thoughts on metahumans – but it could be innocent enough, and there was no sense in going looking for trouble. All of them were dressed simply and wore minimal jewellery, and there was no sign of cosmetic use. Clothing was sturdy and hard wearing, with most of their attire showing signs of repair, and everyone over teenage years appeared to have weatherworn and calloused hands and lined faces.
Mary Pat finished her announcement and then looked over to the team. Kai was just about to speak when Tads stepped forwards and raised her hands up over her head.
"Sun and wind, witness these people." She glanced over to Mary Pat, who looked confused for a moment, but then translated her words to the villagers. "Stone and rock, support these people." She paused again, trying to read the blank faces and body language, while she listened to the translation. "Ancestors, those who came before, protect these people. Drive out the devils and demons, leaving only purity and faith, protection and aid…" Nobody seemed upset by her words, so she called forth the mana from the mountains and air about her, channelling it into the ground and extruding the rock on one side, scooping it out on the other, forming the mountain into a flat plinth about five metres long, a metre deep and high – making a single giant step in the side of the hill. People gasped and pointed at the flowing rock as it obeyed her will, excited – but not angry or upset. She finished the spell, letting the excess power flow away gently, and then turned her head to look at Kai. "Got a table now to put the stuff on. And I think they're not going to freak out if we make them some steps."
"Good work, Tads. Right then!" Kai raised his voice and gave the villagers a smile, lifting up his rucksack and placing it onto the smooth rock and unclipping it, then starting to pull out the contents. "We have gifts for you people, that Mary Pat here will help us distribute. They are to show we are friends, and to help you thrive." He spoke in short sentences, pausing to let the translation go over, and using the time to hold up each of the items in the pack to let the villagers see the type of things they had. The rest of the team also grabbed their packs and started to unload them into the area, forming neat stacks of materials grouped by type.
Mary Pat started to call people to her by name, beginning with handing out blankets until the stack was gone, the villagers clutching them to their chests and feeling the material excitedly and showing them off to family and friends. Next were the survival knives, given to a selection of men, along with sharpening stones. Solar stills, purification tablets, medical kits, vitamins, all were handed out to the villagers, until everyone had something from the stash. The team saw several of the villagers ripping open the packaging eagerly and disposing of the waste by just tossing it down the mountain – and sure enough crows were soon swooping down to collect and carry off the packaging as if it were food, disappearing further up the mountain with it.
The villagers seemed to disperse then, with a good quarter of them heading back to their houses, carrying arms full of supplies, chatting excitedly amongst themselves. They soon returned, carrying small dishes, carefully held as they scrambled over the uneven paths. The first villager reached Aswon, and then carefully grabbed a small pinch of white powder and throwing it over Aswon, aiming at his breast.
"Stop Aswon! Relax…" Kai blurted out quickly as he saw the tribesman start to react. "I've seen this before. It's flour, or maybe ground rice. Depends on the area. But it's food – it's a sign of welcome. Think about how hard up these people are, how little food they have. But they're willing to give you some as a symbol, to make you welcome." As he was describing the ritual, each of the team found themselves being coated with a little of the coarse flour, until their clothing was a wild pattern of white dots and splodges. Once they'd thrown the food over them, many of the villagers clapped a hand onto a shoulder or upper arm, speaking to them earnestly, presumably with messages of greeting or welcome. They nodded and smiled, and said positive things in return, hoping their body language and facial expressions conveyed the message better than their words…
Once the welcome seemed to be done with, Tads looked around for the closest house, and then checked the terrain between where they stood and the house, then called mana to her again, starting on the first path and set of steps. Rock flowed from the upward side of the mountain down and outwards, cutting from above and building up from below until it made a path about a metre wide, flat and even, rising in a short flight of steps and then forming another short section of flat area before rising again. She built the first ten metres of path, ending up near the house, then cast her spell again, levelling out an area before the house and joining it to the new path, putting a very slight angle on the ground to ensure water would run away from the house, not into it, and fashioned a couple of spouts to channel the water away from the path.
"So, Mary Pat… are the villagers armed?" Aswon asked, looking around at the houses and the slope, then down at the valley floor. The buildings here would be difficult to assault from the valley floor if they were armed, as the defenders could lay down good suppressive fire while attackers tried to climb up to them.
"Yes, they have some. Very basic, mostly hunting rifles. Not a lot of ammunition generally, and they tend to keep them hidden away. Mostly to avoid antagonising any of the armed groups in the area that are passing through. The last thing they want is to provoke an attack by appearing aggressive."
"Tads! A moment, please?" He wandered over to her, testing out the new pathway and waited until she'd finished the current section. "Can you modify the design a little? What I'd like is a lip, or a wall on the outer edge please. About half a metre high, and maybe twenty centimetres thick, if you can. Enough for a person to duck down next to, or maybe take a knee." He dropped to one knee himself to demonstrate, moving his hands to hold a virtual rifle, and then panned over the mountainside. "It's enough that from below, most of the person would be covered by the wall, giving them really good cover and protection from people trying to assault from below."
"I can do that… hmm. I'll build some little holes into the wall as well then – otherwise they're going to stop the water from draining out, when it does rain. Or snow… but sure. I'll do that from now on."
"Excellent. I think the rest of us are heading back to get some more stuff to pass out to the villagers. You ok here?" He flicked into astral space and spotted her guardian spirit hovering nearby, and felt confident that she wasn't going to be too worried. Mary Pat overheard him, though, and wandered over.
"If you're fetching more supplies, I can get the villagers to come and help carry them from your vehicle? It seems only fair…"
"We should be fine, thank you. The exercise will do us good." He gave her a closed mouth smile and she nodded, not pushing the issue. A minute or two later they headed off, half-walking, half-sliding down the mountain to the valley floor, heading back to the Broadsword. As soon as Tads finished the section of path she was on, she turned around and headed back to where they'd descended the mountain and instead started to build a set of steps down the slope, replacing the uneven track with a nice level set of steps, a metre wide and well dressed. There was no point making the ascent any harder than it had to be for her team-mates when they returned, after all!
Back and forth she swept the steps, descending the mountain in a series of zig-zags, carving out the rock and earth to make an ascent that was regular and far easier than the slope they'd had to climb the first time. Above her she heard shrieks of joy, and somewhat startled looked up to spot a number of the children throwing themselves off the path over the parapet to land on the level below, before bounding up the steps. Baffled, she studied them for a moment, before it dawned on her that these children had never seen steps ever before – they'd probably never left this valley – and despite them being remarkably mundane, their childish innocence had made them into a game to be explored. She just hoped that nobody would hurt themselves in a fall – though she was pretty sure that she could fix a broken arm or leg if it came to it. None the less, on the next set of steps down, she rounded off the corners of the stones, trying to make them as safe as she could for the youngsters – and probably any of the more elderly village residents.
By the time the rest of the team came back, loaded down again with full packs, there was a series of switchback steps that led all the way up from the valley floor to the 'table' where they'd first handed out gear. It was still a climb, the equivalent of a twenty-storey building, but it was a far easier climb than the first time. As they reached the top, Mary Pat came out to meet them again, examining their fresh donations and then calling out to the villagers to come and receive additional supplies.
Coming back for the third time, with the last of the supplies, they were met by a large contingent of villagers, who had been hard at work cooking, it seemed. Fresh bread, rice, some kind of stewed goat and pitchers of cold mountain water were provided, and gratefully consumed by the team, after they'd shucked their rucksacks off and let Mary Pat sort out the last of the supplies. Tads was still busy, it seemed, working on the other side of the village now, putting in more paths and steps and linking the last of the houses to the network that she'd built – though it now seemed the villagers were making requests of her, and she was also flattening out yards or building walls as part of her efforts to link the houses together.
The temperature was rising rapidly, the sun clear of the mountains now as they edged towards ten o'clock, and they were glad that they'd finished the movement of the kit and had a chance to sit down and relax a little, parking themselves on the stone slab and letting their legs dangle over the edge while they finished off the plates and bowls of food.
"On behalf of everyone here – thank you. I think you do realise how much of a difference this is all going to make to their well-being and happiness. You know they can't pay you, though, right? They barely make enough money to pay for food and supplies from their farming and crafting."
"We know, and it's not about the money. Sometimes making friends is worth the effort." Kai gave her a broad smile. "What is it that they do actually do here, then? It's not like there's fields of crops…"
"Goat herding is one of the main earners. Not so much in this valley, but some of the others have some vegetation, and the goats can graze there. They're sheared, and the hair is used for cashmere, which does fetch a decent price – but you need a lot of hair to get not very much cashmere. Average yield from a goat is only about a hundred grams, so you need a couple to make even a single spool of cashmere thread. And goat meat sells well, though of course you're cutting into your wool herd then – though they normally have more goats than grazing land, so that balances out a little. Otherwise, they do some carving – a little wood, and some stone, and those go to the market with traders that pass through the area. Normally they barter for rice, wheat, other foodstuffs, things for the houses and so on – swapping those directly for the wool or carved goods, rather than swapping for cash or Nuyen."
"I see. So they rely on the traders – and are somewhat at their mercy?"
"A little. But there's several that come through here at different times – they have routes up and down the valleys and try to stick to a reasonable schedule. People out here need them – but they need the people too. Can't visit a village too often, or they won't have replaced their stock or used their supplies, and then the traders don't make money either. And I've been coaching them a little on how to get a good deal, where I can."
"What about plants around here? Are there any notable herbs, or strange plants or flowers?" Aswon asked, wondering what the odds would be for a spot of talismongering.
"Not so good. Growth down by the river, but that gets eaten by the goats pretty quickly, before they wander off to the slopes. But nothing notable, really."
"A shame. Several of us quite like botany. Might be worth a little wander around, see what we can find. Maybe something in the other valleys." He tried to sound a little disinterested, now that he'd planted the seeds of an idea. "One thing we could also do with is a building we can make use of, at least for a little while. Kai here is an excellent doctor, as is Shimazu, and several of the rest of us have picked up some first-aid skills along the way. I'm sure there's more than a few injuries or persistent wounds that we could help deal with."
"Hmmm. We can ask Massoud. I'm sure he'd be ok with that. Let me check…" She headed over to one of the closer buildings, rapping on the door and then speaking with the man who answered for a minute, before waving them over. The team gathered their kit, making sure they hadn't left anything of value lying around for the crows to devour, and wandered over to the house – though house might be overselling things a little. Hovel was probably a more apt description, all things considered.
The door was jammed into the walls at a slight angle, catching on the door frame at one side and with a gap at the other that must have let in an awful draft. Inside the floor was bare earth, compacted down until it looked almost like rock, undulating gently through the building. The roof was pretty low, and Aswon had to stoop considerably to avoid bashing his head. The interior was split up into three sections, with partial walls built from the back towards the front, leaving a gap to move through between 'rooms'. The first section was a living area, the largest of the three, with cushions scattered around the perimeter, and several throws neatly piled up. A quick glance over into the next one showed a kitchen, not particularly clean or well-equipped, with larder built into the back wall, where the rocks of the mountain would keep food at a near constant temperature year round. The last section was presumably the sleeping area, and from what they could see looked to be much the same as the rest of the dwelling.
Massoud seemed to be a typical resident of the village, a slightly below average man, probably in his forties, spry and slender, but with deep lines on his face and very rough hands. From the tools lying around in the main room, he appeared to be a stone carver, making some kind of geometric shapes that could perhaps be used for floor mosaics.
With Mary Pat to translate, they quickly explained what they wanted, and got Massoud's agreement, and then set to clearing a space in the main room, as close to the tiny window as they could, setting up an ad-hoc treatment centre. Once all the medical supplies were laid out and ready, they got Mary Pat to start rounding up the villagers, sending them in for a health-check and treatment at the hands of Kai and Shimazu. Aswon headed out, climbing up the slope a little and sat down with his rifle, scanning over the valley and keeping an eye out for anything going on, while Marius headed down a little back to the stone slab, and sat there, using his sat-link to download a couple of articles to read, having nothing better to do.
He saw a villager approach a little while later, out of the corner of his eye, and looked up at him. The man gestured to the slab of rock, and then motioned to put down the items he was carrying – some kind of lamp. Marius wasn't sure quite what he was asking, so he smiled and nodded, and turned back to his article. The villager put down the lamp, an old-fashioned 'hurricane' lamp, and a couple of rusty and battered tools, then started to turn the lamp over in his hands, checking it out. It looked like he just wanted to use the area as a work-bench, which given the lack of furniture or facilities in the village probably made sense.
Marius had just gotten back into his reading when he heard rhythmic banging from next to him, glanced up and then stared in horror as the man started to smash a cross-head screwdriver into what was clearly a flat-head screw using a loose rock, trying to imprint the head into it.
"Nein! Das ist das falsche Werkzeug! That is the wrong tool!" He tried Russian, then Azerbaijani, then gave Turkish a quick try – but the man just looked at him blankly. He reached over and almost snatched the lamp from the man's hands, who just looked at him slightly fearfully.
Marius sighed, then put the lamp down on the slab next to where he'd been sitting and tried to make calming motions with his hands, forcing a smile onto his face and trying to work out how to explain. He picked up the screwdriver, and then pointed at the end, then at the slot, and then wagged his finger at the man. The other man nodded, but then shrugged. Raising his eyes to the skies, Marius gave a deep sigh, and then grabbed his own bag, pulling out the remote control deck first, and then rummaging around until he found his toolkit. Opening up the roll of fabric, he spread the kit out onto the slab, ignoring the noises of admiration from the local, and then selected an appropriate bit to fit into the screwdriver handle.
After a moment of consideration, he also grabbed the small oil bottle and fitted a tiny nozzle onto it, squirting a few drops around the edge of the screw, watching as it spread around the perimeter. A quick partial twist clockwise to try and break the rust holding the screw in place, and then a slow steady pressure anti-clockwise had the screw moving, and he carefully removed it – working slowly and steadily to ensure that the screwhead didn't suffer any more damage.
Careful, patient fingers took apart the lamp, piece by piece, until he found the broken link between the external control and the mechanism that raised the wick, and with deft movements he repaired the cracked piece, using some quick bonding glue from his kit. A moment for it to cure, and then he tested the work, before reassembling the lamp, fitting all the pieces carefully together.
"There. All fixed. You just need to have the right tools…" Marius said, knowing he wouldn't understand the words, but might get the context. The villager in turn bowed his head several times in thanks, pressing his hands together as he bobbed up and down, before taking the lamp and scurrying away back towards his house. He stopped to discuss with one of the other men, chatting away excitedly for a minute, and making the second man turn towards Marius with a considering look, before he disappeared into his own home. Two minutes later he was approaching Marius, holding a very battered old water pump, covered in rust and with a cracked handle. He babbled away, gesturing at the toolkit and then at the first man, with a hopeful look on his face.
Marius nodded, and put away his book-reader, then grabbed the pump to examine it, turning over the device which was probably older than he was in his hands as he checked the condition. Without realising it, he sucked in air between his teeth as he appraised the mechanism, then reached for the oil once more as he went to work…
That set the tone for the rest of the day – Kai and Shimazu were busy with their clinic, slowly working through the village and dealing with a host of ailments and health conditions. Occasionally they called Tads in to help, using her magic to heal a particularly nasty issue, especially in one case where they had to re-break a badly set bone that had given someone a permanent limp and probably quite severe ongoing pain. When she wasn't helping with the medical side, Tads continued to extended the paths out, until every single building had a clear and stable route leading into the village, all with neat steps providing a much easier transit between them, as well as several new rock benches, work areas and clear spaces near the houses. Aswon wandered the mountain side, scoping out the environment and looking at the defensive situation, as well as keeping an eye out for any trouble, while Marius slowly worked through a catalogue of battered and broken equipment and small machinery, fixing things up as best as he could. Some items were beyond repair – at least without a microtronics work-bench and spare equipment like fuses and capacitors that he could solder on.
In the evening, the team were treated to a veritable banquet as household after household turned up to Massoud's place, bringing a small bowl or plate of food with them, providing them with a wide variety of foodstuffs in thanks for their efforts. Aswon managed to secure an earthenware pot with a tight fitting lid, and scooped up a decent amount of food to put inside it, then headed down the stairs at a jog, heading back to the Broadsword to deliver some of the food to Hunter.
"How's it going?" Hunter asked around a mouthful of stew, once Aswon had turned up.
"Pretty good. Marius has been fixing a bunch of equipment, Kai and Shimazu have been doctoring, given all the gear out. Situation looks under control. Natives are nice enough. Very basic lifestyle – subsistence farming and basic crafting. They've got frak-all in the way of possessions, really poor. We've probably more than doubled the net-worth of the village today with what we've given them."
"So what's the plan. You coming back here?"
"No. Think they're going to stay in one of the houses there for the night. Don't know what the plan is for tomorrow, think we're playing it by ear."
"Well, have fun. I'm staying here. Beds are pretty comfy actually…" Hunter grinned at him, then scooped up another mouthful of the lightly spiced rice and jamming it into his mouth, chewing noisily.
As Aswon headed back to the village, he caught a faint whiff of something unusual when he reached the stone slab in the centre of the village. A tang of something strong, a harsh chemical smell that made his nose wrinkle slightly. He looked around, but couldn't see a source, and that intrigued him. He spent a few minutes tracking back and forth across the side of the mountain, bounding up and down the stairs from house to house, but the smell seemed to have faded away.
"Guys, just back, outside… got a really weird smell for a moment. Like some kind of cleaning product. Sharp, like something burning, maybe."
"Ja. I smelt something like that too earlier. I could not find what it was. It was there for a moment, but then gone. I do not know what it was."
"Huh. Odd…" Aswon shrugged, then shoved open the door to the hovel, carefully wedging it shut behind him as he rejoined the team, sitting down on the ratty and thin cushions around the large rug, picking at the few remains of the banquet that had been provided, and settling down with the rest of the team.
They set their watch schedule, and slowly settled down for the night, wedging the cushions together to form mattresses and sleeping pressed up against each other to share body heat. Any reservations they might have had about being in close proximity to one another were long gone, and though Tads had heated up some rocks to use as warming stones before they settled, the inside of the house was still pretty cool.
Overhead the stars twinkled slightly in the clear night, rotating slowly about them as the village slumbered, the night passing uneventfully.