The Battle for Eden. Mark E. Burgess
The woman blushed and said shyly, “Oh, you can call me Amanda, Mr. Roy.”
“Simon, if you please,” he replied with a grin. “Any combat experience in your family, Amanda?”
“Well, officially only my husband Tyrus; but the rest of the family has trained at home. I guess you could say we’re survivalists. Especially Tyrus. He’s been through this once already, and he’s always sworn to not be caught unprepared again.”
Great, Simon thought to himself. A family of would-be troopers, amateurs playing at war. They’ll probably wind up shooting me—or themselves—before the enemy does. Still, it was better than finding a bunch of soft city-dwellers who pissed themselves and curled into the fetal position at the first sight of Knackers. I wonder if we can gather more people to us.
“How isolated are you out here?” he asked the women. “Any close neighbors? Where is the nearest town?”
Amanda answered, “Altonia is about thirty minutes away to the south by floater; Ironwood is even farther, maybe forty-five minutes off to the northwest.”
Sarah added, “We’ve got no neighbors really close; the Towbridges live about fifteen kilometers down the road. This is pretty rural country; it’s a mix of farmland and private homesteads like ours. We raise our own food to supplement what we buy in town, but we’re not commercial farmers. No cash crops or livestock. Unless you include the Dire Bucks, but they’re protected wildlife. We just let them live on our land.”
She caught herself rambling and clamped her mouth shut.
Simon nodded thoughtfully. So they were likely on their own for the duration. That wasn’t all bad; one thing he had learned was that cities were hit hard and early when the Crabs came calling. Unless there were major military installations, there was no safety there. In fact, they might last longer out here, where the invaders would not think to send as many troops.
Amanda seemed to read his mind, for her next words echoed his thoughts, “Tyrus felt it would be better living in the country when the aliens came. He knew it was only a matter of time; you can’t hide from them forever. We just tried to stay prepared.”
“Exactly what does that mean?” Simon asked. “You’re growing food out yonder, I saw that. Have you stocked supplies? What about weapons? Have you prepared hideouts or bunkers?”
The women exchanged glances, and Sarah looked like she was suppressing a grin. Her mother eventually said, “I think you should talk to Tyrus and the boys about that. They’ve done most of the work and planning since we moved here.”
“Good idea,” Simon replied. “I should introduce myself to the others, regardless. Where is everyone?”
The older woman looked thoughtful. “Well, I think my husband is out in the equipment shed. That’s the big metal building with the large doors; it’s out front just past the house. The boys are off checking the perimeter fences. My sister Katie’s upstairs washing away the road dust.”
“Well, I’ll wait to say hello to her later,” Simon said, somewhat stiffly.
“Yes, I think that would be best,” Amanda replied with a serious face, and then she and her daughter looked at each other and started to giggle.
Simon was surprised to feel his face grow warm. He really wasn’t used to socializing with civvies these days. He backed toward the front door awkwardly, saying, “I’ll make for the shed, then, and say hello to Tyrus.”
“Yes, go ahead,” Amanda said, shooing him out with her hands. “We girls got some catching up to do.”
“I’ll be out shortly,” Sarah called after him as he quickly exited the house.
Simon exhaled a sigh of relief as he descended the steps off the front porch. The sun was setting low toward the western hills. He stopped for a moment to take in the wide-open country, and as the warm afternoon breeze enveloped him, he breathed in deeply, savoring the sweet scent of the air. Feeling more relaxed, he reflected on the situation facing him. He missed social contact, needed it, but after years in the Service it was obvious that he was out of his element when dealing with civilians. Especially women. Great Ares, even Knackers seemed easier to understand. It would definitely some take time to get comfortable here. He wished he could shake the sinking feeling that time was running out.
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