TNL 40 – Research & Navy Part Two

At the naval base, Duncan falls from one surprise into the next. He thought he had learned a lot about the architecture of the old legions at Fort Alpha, but here it turns out that that knowledge is just the tip of the iceberg. The buildings are huge and look nothing like the buildings that are being built nowadays. Even the villas of the nobility are not as grand as the buildings here.

Everywhere the ingenuity of the engineers of the old legions is evident. From the chain for the port to the construction of the tall buildings. Even the kind of buildings that are made today were made very differently back then.

For example, Duncan, although his interest is not there, is very impressed by all the tricks in the forge. Everything is made in such a way that it can be done easier and faster than as it happens today.

It's been a while since he got the chain for the port loose. Since then, Duncan has been looking around everywhere. He still doesn't know where to start. The captain has left no instructions for him and squad leader Ice can't help him either, so he has to see for himself what he can do.

In the end, he decides to have a look at the library to see what kind of books are available that he can benefit from. But when he comes to the door to the library and he can already see the rows of books, the door suddenly slams shut in front of him! While Duncan is still looking in amazement, letters appear on the doors.

"Access only for the order of Mithras," Duncan reads. "Well, there went that idea. Maybe one of the soldiers can get me a book."

But when he goes to ask squad leader Ice if he can spare someone to help him, he is told that the squad leader has thought up something that Duncan can help with.

"The mains gate is getting more and more difficult to open and close. This morning it even took five men to get it open. I'd rather you try to fix that. Then Captain Raidon can arrange those books for you when he returns."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Since the soldiers left the village, Aulis doesn't know what to do with himself. He may have set himself up as one of the first volunteers to stay in the village, but so far there hasn't really been anything he can do. It has already been a week and the village still looks exactly like it did when the soldiers conquered it. Aulis isn't the only one who feels this way. In the past week, several of the former prisoners have become strong enough to take care of themselves and some have even left. The few who just like Aulis stay, only walk around the village a bit, or take care of the wounded. The soldiers who have stayed, meanwhile, do little more than guard the place and take care of the former prisoners.

Aulis decides to ask the squad leader about when there will be tasks for him and the few others who are ready for it. That afternoon he walks into the building where the soldiers are housed. Upon entering, he immediately sees that the squad leader is not present in this room. However, there is a soldier at a desk. Aulis walks towards the soldier and asks about the squad leader.

"Sir, I'm looking for squad leader Mateo. Where can I find him?"

"Squad leader Mateo is doing his rounds at the moment. He will be back in a few minutes. If you sit there on that couch, I will tell him later that you want to speak to him. What name can I pass on?"

The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

"My name is Aulis."

A little later, squad leader Mateo enters the building.

"Otto, I see a visitor. Has anything else happened?"

"No, sir, apart from your visitor it has been quiet. This is Aulis, he would like to speak to you."

"All right then. Aulis, come with me to my office."

The squad leader leads Aulis through a door. When he arrives at the office, Mateo points Aulis towards a chair, after which he sits down at the desk himself.

"So, tell me why you’re here."

"Well sir, it's like this. Me and a few others have decided to stay here as you know, but there is nothing for us to do. We are not allowed to choose a house or leave the village. Because of this, we cannot begin to build a new life. We are trapped in this village. All we can do is take care of the wounded or roam the village. What we want is the chance to set up our lives here. Give us something to do, or let us see where we can settle."

Mateo looks at Aulis for a moment.

"You're right. The problem is that we need help for the people who are still too weak to take care of themselves. If you are all gone, we simply won't make it. I only have ten soldiers here, including myself."

"That's not a big problem for us, sir. It is already the case that only half of us help at the infirmary. The other half does nothing. What if we make a schedule so that you get the help you want, but that gives everyone the time to see what he or she would like to do here in the village or the immediate vicinity?"

"Hmm, that might work. The biggest problem I foresee is that I don't have any soldiers available to patrol around the village. I cannot guarantee your safety out there. I have no idea what kind of wild animals are here, or if there are still pirates around. I haven't heard anything from Sergeant Raidon, who is following the last pirates."

"That's not a problem. For now, everyone can choose a house in the village. My family consists of farmers and I know the most about that myself. I would love to go back to the farms outside the village. As long as it is not safe, I can always go back to the village at night and keep a house here, but I would like to save some of the crops. I also know that there is a hunter who would like to stay. He can see what kind of animals are around."

The squad leader still has to think carefully.

"I think that's possible. I want you to be my point of contact though. I need to know who is outside the village, which houses are going to be put into use and just everything else that happens. I think we want to build a thriving community here. This includes a village council or mayor. I want you to take on that task for now. I arrange the protection of the village, you the rest. But because I have the knowledge and the capacity for now, I will make sure that everything is written down. You pass on who what and how and I will make sure that there are no problems later on. Agreed?"

"Agreed."

The next day, Aulis calls the people who want to stay together. Of the former prisoners, about fifty have already left for Aran. Among the remaining people, there are about twenty who want to stay so far.

"Folks, I have called you together to discuss our future. I spoke to the soldiers' squad leader yesterday and I made an arrangement with him."

Aulis waits for a moment for the buzz to die away.

"I know you didn't ask me to speak for you, but I felt something had to be done. I have agreed with the squad leader that we will look at where we want to live and that we will report it to him. From now on we can also go outside the walls, but stay within sight of the village. He indicated that he cannot guarantee safety outside the walls. I know from Dew, that he is a hunter and therefore he has permission to see what kind of wild animals are around. I myself want to see if I can save the crops at the farms.

In exchange for this freedom, we must ensure that enough people help in the infirmary. What I have suggested is that we set up a schedule so that everyone has the opportunity to look around and pick a house. Furthermore, the squad leader would like the communication to go through me and that we pass on what professions we have, what we want to do and simply everything else that can be useful. With your permission, I will temporarily be the point of contact, the squad leader called that the village council or mayor, until we have everything running."

Not everyone is happy that Aulis has appointed himself mayor, but in general they are far too happy with the news to be difficult to do.