Lewis felt fresh and rested. He was sitting on a folding chair next to the DeLeahs, Captain Inu, and Sir Trun and watching the everyone as they ate their morning meal or hustled about performing some task. They were discussing the steamers that would be used to tow the wrecked ships out of the harbor. Lenon intended to build sea barriers with wrecks and rubble that extended a couple of hundred yards out in the shape of horns on each side of the harbor. Also, on the agenda was starting a school, since there were about twenty children there and Dayel wanted them to be properly educated.

“You know,” she said. “It’s been seven generations since the war yet the literacy rate seems to still be about twenty percent. It’s in everybody’s best interest to turn that around. We have a couple dozen computers now and I think we will have gotten ten running by the end of the tomorrow. Pretty soon Michael will be able to start training the team on how to assemble them.”

“Good,” Lenon said. “What about power, Sir Trun?”

“I will have a team start working on that power plant you found, but it is too early to say how that will go.” Sir Trun replied. “I would expect there might be some fires around town if we get it running.”

“By the way,” Lenon said, turning to Lewis. “Drop working on the computers from your priority list, and pick up the pace on the building evaluations. We need to keep looking for structural problems, but let’s make sure there are no more hostiles in that building. Sweep through each floor as quickly as you feel safe. Be careful on the roof, there may be some of those flying things up there. If you find a backup generator let us know right away.”

Two new families had arrived the previous day, so Lenon asked Lewis to recruit one of these men to replace Danis, who would be laid up for a while, if he even survived at all.

Dayen spoke up as Lewis left. “The new families are camped by the west roadblock close to the old theater. Tell the other guy to come see me and the woman and children should go see Dayel as soon as they can.”

Lewis found the camp easily. There were three tents and some chairs surrounding a small fire ring, where a cooking pot was heating.

“Greetings,” he said. “I’m here looking for help, and to deliver some messages.”

“Let’s hear your messages first,” said a gruff voice from the nearest tent.

“Fine, one of the men should come with me, the other one will go to see Dayen DeLeah for instructions. Dayel DeLeah would like to meet the woman and children,” Lewis said to the voice in the tent.

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A man appeared from the nearest tent, dressed in combat armor that looked like it had been used before the war. His hair, skin and eyes were light brown. He had dreadlocks to his shoulders and a beard to match. The man was five foot six inches tall and stout, and he was carrying a submachine gun in one hand and a helmet in the other. “My name is Faldar, this is my wife Tempra.” The tall, thin woman who followed had dark hair and eyes with very fair skin. She was in a night gown and looked worried.

The couple who came out of the other tent were nondescript; average was the best description Lewis could think of at the moment.

“My brother Larry,” Faldar said. “And his wife Martha.”

Larry came up to Lewis and offered his hand. “And you are?”

“Lieutenant Lewis,” Lewis said, shaking his hand.

“What kind of help do you need Lieutenant?” Larry asked. “I fix things to make ends meet, but mostly I read and ponder the past. Faldar was a sergeant major in the Port Mist militia. Martha was a schoolteacher and Tempra cooked in a restaurant.”

“Why did you leave Port Mist?” Lewis asked.

“Faldar resigned from the militia,” Tempra said. “So we cashed in everything we had and we were heading to Ladzoo.”

“Word has not gotten out about what is going on in this place,” Faldar told Lewis. “It looks interesting, maybe we’ll stay awhile. But you still haven’t answered Larry’s question, what do you need?”

“Sergeant Major, will you sign up to work with me for a few days while you decide whether you’ll stay?”

“What would you be doing, Lieutenant?” asked Faldar, putting his helmet on his head.

“Yesterday we started clearing a building. It’s a large one and it might take a couple more days,” Lewis told him.

“You said we, how large is your team?” Faldar asked.

“We had thirteen but we ran into some raptors and one of them is being taken care of by the medical team now,” Lewis said, watching for a reaction.

“We call them reapers,” Faldar said. “How many were there?”

“Five.”

“If thirteen can face five reapers and come out twelve, then I’d be proud to serve on that team,” Faldar stood as for a military inspection. “Where do I report, sir, and when?”

“Say your goodbyes and expect to be back for the evening meal,” said Lewis, turning on his heel.

The rest of the team was assembled when he got back; Faldar arrived a few minutes later.