Out of the Fire

Part 11 - Conflict

The thump and kick of the Hummer hitting a rougher rough patch broke Geo from the reverie. He had been attempting to process all he had seen and experienced during the past two weeks, then the American's magic Hummer rolled noiselessly to a stop. He glanced down at his comrades sitting along the same side of the crew compartment, Koplic, Laurent and Lynch, alert, they were looking around with the same curiosity. Along the other side of the vehicle, the large Americans, who said they weren't Americans anymore, sat with the bored expressions of those only too familiar with the situation. One of them, the biggest man Geo had ever seen, Phil, Geo thought his name was, leant forward and asked the man in the front, sitting next to the female operating the vehicle, what was up.

Geo could make out "Putting us into defensive harbour for lunch, be good to stretch the legs" and "Our bridge is coming along" from the reply.

For Geo, It had been a strange, even exhilarating experience sitting in the back of the American's strange vehicle while being transported almost smoothly across the type of terrain that would destroy any of his clan's horse drawn trucks. From his seat, Geo had been able to see past the legs of the soldier standing in the hole in the roof, through the front window to watch the landscape zooming smoothly past at an unimaginable speed. The rear door opened and one of the American leaders looked in making some sort of tactical signal to the three Americans in the vehicle.

The leader then directed his attention to Geo and his colleagues, "For your own safety, stay in the vehicle until someone comes to get you." Stepping aside, he allowed the soldiers to alight, then closed the door again. The soldier standing through the roof and the operator stayed in the vehicle, but the other man in the front also alighted.

Geo turned to Koplic "We can't have a war with these people, they have great power," he said. "We should instead try to get them to help us rid the world of the unworthy, I will speak to my father, you should speak to yours as well, these non-Americans would be worthy allies. I have never seen such wonders as at their settlement. Their houses seem so flimsy, but I pushed against one and it was very solid. They have light at night like small suns in the roof of their buildings, much brighter than lanterns. They can talk to each other through the small glass boxes even when they are a long way away. And their weapons are loud but can kill further than the strongest bow can reach. Truly the world lost a lot of knowledge and power at the cleansing."

"If they have such powerful weapons, why are they training with swords and bows?" Koplic asked.

Laurent interrupted. "Charlie told me that they are preparing for a time when the American magic runs out and the powerful weapons stop working."

"Did she say when that would be?" asked Geo quietly.

"She said maybe in the next hundred years," replied Laurent.

"Well that still gives us time to align with them," Geo mused aloud.

"Did you see their swords and bows?" asked Lynch, "They are so much better than ours, even yours, Geo. I had a try and the sword was so well balanced, so sharp and not as heavy as my own sword."

Geo agreed. "They have some nice weapons, maybe we can trade for some,"

Laurent suppressed a giggle. "Some of them even drill almost naked, then they all shower together and no-one cares, they truly are strange."

Lynch joined in, "One female asked me if we knew how to make good beer, how strange, doesn't everyone?"

Geo sobered the conversation, "Mary told me that they hadn't even been there for two years, yet they have built farms and houses and towers and defences, all in that time, attacking them would be madness. The General Stuart might be the leader, but it seems that the wounded Major is really in charge, and his wife, Mary, I think is the most dangerous person I have ever met, we would do well to not underestimate her."