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Through the light rain tapping on the roof, I hear Xuela return up at the balcony, and I need to talk to her. So, I put down my tools and take a final look at the windows. Yeah, this is getting good. There will be so much window glass made as being able to close the windows will feel better and help if the weather is really windy and rainy. But tomorrow we need to focus on scouting a harbour and making a discrete path to that harbour. Then getting the dugouts there and starting converting them to be a catamaran. Actually, we might as well do that scouting today. Still, as I walk up the stairs to the balcony, I can't help plan a future glass furnace so we can blow glass and letting it slowly cool so the glass won't shatter. Xuela is lying on her bed, and doesn't say anything as I sit on the stool. Her head is turned the other way and it becomes apparent that she isn't really in a speaking mood, which isn't the norm for her after returning from a journey. I expected to hear her complaining about the rain and wanting to be praised.
"Xuela; have you, Reiley and Bokyli an agreement that men shouldn't be guided here?"
"Yes. It is obviously the wisest choice until our numbers grow strong enough and you have a solid base of followers. You are a wise man and a good leader that wants the best for all of us, and you have more then proven how valuable and skilled you are in a lot of things. It's stupid to risk that for some unknown persons qualities and contributions - man or woman - so I won't lead some people here. Kima seems eager, servile and desperate enough to be worth rescuing. Kima is a woman, although she is strange, brown and lizard like just like Koru said. The news that we killed Koru's group, and Koru have bound her life to serving you, was taken well. Kima understand that it will take some time to get a watercraft to fetch her, as this is very dangerous land to walk and she sleeps in one of the caves she found. Apparently Kima comes from a desert and loves the trees, vegetation and the river with more water than she's ever seen. Kima will continue to wait, and appreciated the pots, meat and salt I left. Kima is an omnivore, but she is from a very primitive culture and didn't even know how to make fire - A fire! - so I told her about the bow drill, tinder and dry wood as that might be easiest for her, but I warned her that fire and smoke could attract unfriendly people."
Xuela really isn't her normal self, and I expect her to at least complain about the light rain and so on.
"Xuela, you seem to be in a foul mood. Did something happen?"
"I was trapped! Trapped! On the low ground!" Xuela's wings cover her a bit, like she is trying to hide or cover herself. "On my way back from Kima, I decided to do a longer loop north. Something caught my eyes amongst the low hills, and I landed to take a close look as it seemed safe and there wasn't any dinosaurs close by. And I was caught! Before I could cut the rope I had an arm round my face and a big knife pressed against my throat!" Shit. "The horrible person wanted information. About this world and other people here. Where my camp was, and how many more were in it. I panicked! Panicked!" Shit. "I told about King's Camp far up Raider river to stall for time, and I got an idea. I said I would tell everything, if my capturer swore to the mighty spirits that my capturer wouldn't hurt me on the pain of death. It did not go over well as that oath took hold. Person was furious and almost broke my arm, and that was enough for the oath to do it's thing and my capturer died. I freed myself, took the knife and stabbed the weirdly camouflaged body and left it for the dinosaurs to eat." Shit. Well, that is a creative way to use oath binding on an unsuspecting person. "I was terrified, but the oath option popped into my mind. Without oath bounding I might be dead or tortured. I might have been a Walker. I hate this world."
Xuela tries to cover herself a bit more with her wings, and I lay her blanket on top of her.
"How badly are you hurt? Do you need that healing ointment?"
"No. I'll be fine."
"Then just rest until we eat. We got another blue Star Fall while you were away. Beside bottles of spices, it had a bow and rewards for Bokyli, plus soap."
"I saw she was wearing something pretty. Could you tell the others what happened?"
Xuela tone of voice and complete disinterest in the Star Fall makes me ask:
"You want to be left alone?"
"Yes."
"I'll leave. Just shout if you need anything."
As I leave I assume that Xuela will be even more careful around landing and trying to help unknown people from now on. I can't really check what Xuela is doing as she leaves on her flights, so no point in trying to force her to do something she doesn't want to do. In the end, cautiousness is wise in this horrible place. And it is not like I complain that my team members conspire to keep me as the leader. Or as the only man. I don't mean that as in I want a harem type situation, and the situation with Reiley and Bokyli is already way too complicated. I like that there obviously won't be a sexual relationship with either Xuela, Koru or Kima, but it is kind of nice not having male posturing or competition for Reiley or Bokyli. Or fear for their safety more than I already do.
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"Yes! It charges! It charges! Muhahahahahah!"
Seeing my smart watch starting to charge is such a huge relief it's hard to describe. The watch isn't that important in the big picture, but it is a high tech piece that have real practical use - especially if I can use its barometer and so on - and I just really want it to keep working. It's a piece of my old life and world. I increase the water flow a bit more and I will just have to keep refilling the top vessel with water from the lower vessel. The water wheel and generator isn't that effective, and the wiring and charging cradle is ugly, but it doesn't matter. My smart watch is charging! It just feels glorious to see the charging symbol and the percentage increase. Reiley is happy that I am happy, and we just sit there and cuddle and kiss as the percentage slowly increase. Reiley is working on disassembling that man's body armour since we noticed it is made from a thick bundle of layered cloth, like 20 layers thick. So we will sew clothes, underwear, pillows and other things from the layers. Creature comforts should not be underestimated.
But; my generator actually work! I'm going to try to charge a phone battery too with the help of a carbon resistor, but that won't be today. I refill the top vessel, and since it will take a while for the top vessel to empty, I lay Reiley's work to the side, and start kissing her neck and collarbone as I let my hand wander. Reiley smile as she instantly and enthusiastically react on my advances.
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It have stopped raining and both Reiley and Bokyli comes along as we scout the cove between the ridges while Xuela stays high above, and we find an okay spot that will work as a hidden harbour, where the catamaran will be hidden and protected from the sea and waves. We move some rocks and with the hoe and spade we dig a channel in a sand bank to make a deeper area for the catamaran to move in or out, before we call it today and start working on improving the trail back. It is a lot of work, and in the future we will have to split logs to make boards and stake them into the ground to make stairs for some passages that are steep with loose ground, but we make progress. I try to avoid looking at Bokyli in her corset, but every time I happen to and then glance at Reiley, she seem to have noticed and don't like it. Shit. This is not the problem I though having Bokyli in the group would mean. Our talk have been all business since we left the hut, but I guess we need to have a talk after we return. What words to say and how that will make it better, I have no idea.
"Your deeds have earned you a gift, and a star is falling."
The orange animation confirms, so I guess the first words are: "Incoming Star Fall."
Reiley and Bokyli looks at me as I repeat the phrase before cupping my hands and shouting it to Xuela resting on a cliff. The blue Star Fall will land somewhere on the inland section of the next ridge, so it could be worse. Xuela zooms away to get it as we hurry to get back home. It just take time, and we see Xuela return with stuff way before we do, and we hurry back.
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Koru and Xuela is waiting in the community hut, and there is two red, two large white and a blue package, and one of those white is large and fairly heavy. Luckily it was a short return trip for Xuela, but I still praise her that she collected it. Koru can't believe we've gotten two blue Star Falls in one day. Two Star Falls! And blue! Koru is really proud over me as the leader, and just beaming. We start with the red packages as both contain something flexible that might be clothes, and that first contain camouflage... hats? Yeah, this is four camouflage hats with wide brims. A bit like a boonie with loops and such for attaching vegetation. We recognise the feel of the armour material, and sure enough; it is armour material. Armoured soft hats? Really? Actually that is not a completely crazy idea. It's not a helmet, but better than nothing, and a hat will help against the sun and rain and be worn or stored folded in a pocket most days.
Huumm... Actually if I tie a string in the loops to hold the wide brim down on the side and back, it will kind of work as a bad helmet. The size is adjustable so a little bit of padding could be added, but blows against the head will still be very bad. Still, it would be far better than nothing and might save a head from getting cut open or arrows.
Reiley and Bokyli have been a bit jealous of my hat when it rains, so I give them their own hats, and it will help protect them. I take the third. Xuela's opinion of hats, camouflage and so on is well known, and she politely thank for the offer, but decline. Hats might be practical and work, but it's not for her and she wouldn't be caught dead in camouflage. She also loathes being out in rain, and prefer to have excuses to not be. Even adjustable, the fourth will not fit Koru's big head and just look silly.
The second red package quickly turns out to contain two camouflage vest that basically looks like normal human body armour vests to use under clothes with front and back piece overlap in the sides and over shoulders to make it very adjustable, and it will cover the torso and stomach with a little bit of neck and throat protection. There is two top opening pockets in the front and a few loops to attach stuff at the sides, bottom, chest and shoulders, but it is not a complicated piece of kit, so we all get how it works. The armour is stiffer and much thicker and heavier than our coveralls, so it is likely to protect way better, and I kind of wonder if we got this because I tested the coverall against my crossbow and have been talking about sewing a vest with some kind of improved protection to wear underneath. If we need to go to war again and can spare it, I would be happy to use one of these body armour vest underneath my camouflage coverall, but I suspect it will be too warm and slightly uncomfortable to wear each day. The vest can absolute be used as stand alone armour by someone else with less protection than me. One will probably be used by Bokyli if there is future combat, just to give her increased upper torso armour, as there is no way that Bokyli will replace her corset with a less sexy vest, and together they cover more. Koru's hauberk covers far more and these vests aren't adjustable enough to really fit her, and Xuela nope'd before we realised it wouldn't work with her wings. I would have been very happy to wear this body armour every day before I got the coverall, and so would Reiley and Bokyli before they got their armours.
I open the smaller of the two white packages, and it contain four camouflage rucksacks, but they're not in armour material. The DAB's are really going all-in with the camouflage theme, and I'm truthfully happy for that. Beside those machetes, boots and first lever-loaded crossbow, everything we've got so far is in the same camouflage pattern as the coveralls. It would probably annoy me unreasonably much if everything was a different camouflage pattern. Luckily the DAB's don't know that, and I'm also happy that the machete, first crossbow and boots have basically the same colours so they don't stand out too much.
Will other factions get other patterns? That is not unlikely, and it would be a smart way to tell groups apart, and where certain gear came from. We did get a matching set in that first blue Star Fall and might have continued with that, but everything after the coveralls have been in that camouflage, since that is the largest most visible pieces we have. The tarp Xuela found was in a completely different camouflage and colour scheme, and so are those tarps from King's Camp. Actually, why didn't that then match the coveralls? Does the DAB's give King's group things in different camouflage patterns just to annoy King? It wouldn't surprise me as it is kind of funny and good that King firmly wants his warriors and people to have matching pretty and shiny uniforms in bright colours, and King have been annoyed and complaining that they are getting some stuff like the tarps in camouflage. I assume that the damn alien bastards did that deliberately, so they might have given King's group everything in different patterns just to annoy him more, and honestly it annoys me too as I want my potential enemies to have bright shiny kit that makes them easy to see. Is there a 'prayer war' going on in King's Camp?
Well, thoughts for another time, and I claim one rucksack for myself and give another to Reiley since I want her to feel special too, and we'll keep the other two in the equipment pile for borrowing. Xuela have sewn a custom rucksack she carries on her front, so I could give Bokyli and Koru the other two, but that would diminish Reiley's who needs to feel special after Bokyli's Star Fall stuff. So we'll keep them in the storage, but Bokyli might get it quite soon as she do move about a lot and fetch stuff. The large white package contains four more decorated blankets, but we won't complain about that either. Blankets are blankets, and they have many uses or could be repurposed. More blankets are also good for when Bokyli visit my bed, so her scent isn't on Reiley's pillow or blanket.
The last and blue package contain ... a vessel from fine twisted copper wire with four squarish black rods with weird pattern and groves? I play with one of the black rods and as I feel the recessed hole with a symbol, blinding white light shine out and there is plenty of exclamations. I repeat the finger in the recess, and the light turn off. Quick tapping and the light turns on and off. I try more and this is obviously a flashlight with a lantern mode. The recesses work as touch sensitive buttons, and the front recess makes it act as a quite focused flashlight, while the second recess makes it work as a lantern giving wide light, while the third recess change the intensity. There are four illumination levels for both modes and they remember the last setting, and if I 'hold the button' the light instantly turns off when I remove my finger. The flashlight seems to be completely sealed and it feels a bit like the water bottles, and I sure won't try to open one. There is a sturdy belt clip, plus a lanyard hole in the back end for hanging it on a hook or something, and that sun symbol on the sides, so I guess they're charged by the sun, and once activated there is four white dots glowing by the 'buttons' that I assume is power level indicators. Damn. We got electric light.
Yes! We. Got. Electric! Light!
No more working in just the bad weak light of a small fire! I quickly explain about flashlights and how these seem to work, and they're all awed. This is obviously a reward for me successfully making electricity and charging my watch, and I'm so very happy. Hell, there is even more copper for me to play with since the copper wire vessel can be unwound and untwisted to make good wire in what looks like three different thicknesses, and they have some kind of thin covering too. Sure, the damn alien bastards could have just given me a roll or coil of copper wire to save work, but they are damn alien bastards.
We have to be careful about using these flashlights in the dark as bright light and movement will attract attention, and I explain about reflected light and how looking into the light source is much more visible than seeing reflected light, but they all know that. They're just not used to this bright directed light from such a small source that can be turned on and off, and light that is so pure white. Since they all say the light is white, it is very wide spectrum light. Beside hut lightning, we can use these to signal with during the day by holding the button, or by covering the light with a hand and using a form of special morse. The brass mirrors will be used with the same kind of signalling pattern. The community hut and my hut will get a flashlight each as general light, but I will keep one as my personal flashlight. We have to see about the last one. Letting Xuela have it just for her hut feels a bit too generous and she want a fairly open airy hut, which is very high up too, so the light will be like a bloody lighthouse up there, but not using the flashlight is more dumb. So we will see. Xuela might trade for it. We will have to make and hang curtains over the windows on my hut and the community hut, and check how much light escape through gaps and so on. A head mount would be useful, so a simple headband to carry it at the side above my ear will be made. It will be so nice to have proper light while working indoors. I will also do a simple mount to attach a flashlight to my crossbow and some kind of pouch for my rucksacks shoulder strap.
Seriously, knowing about technology and going for that have been damn rewarding and almost feel like cheating. We have gotten so much good Star Fall stuff with plenty of very useful bonuses. According to Reiley and Koru, Lake Camp and King's Camp haven't even gotten half of it over all the time they've been here, and we actually sort of taken two red Star Falls from them, plus six water bottles and so on. I don't think the DAB's really planned for anyone going hard for tech level just to get the stuff, and if we had been a group of say 20, the bonuses might be very spread out, and we would actually have gotten more water bottles, machetes, blankets, shoes and stuff like that, instead of things like rucksacks or armoured hats. It is also unlikely that many would have enough knowledge to go for stuff like Astronomy, Glass or Electric power, and it sure wouldn't be a priority for most. Just the damn packaging is useful, and it will be turned into clothes and stuff like a couple of maps. White background, blue thread for water, green for forests, black for hills, and red for objects, camps and such. We might use grey for rocks, cliffs or marshes. We really have to be careful about letting others know what we have since it will make us a target.
I am far from a good hunter, tracker or warrior. I am not that strong, fast or extremely mobile, and I can't fly. I don't have exceptional vision, hearing or sense of smell. I am 'old' too. But I kind of feel I have the right to be smug about all the good living accommodations, crafts, tech and stuff I managed to arrange for my group. If we meet another group with a human, it might be the other group that feel their human is lacking.