Page 6 of Devin
"It is near a particularly rich vein of-" Devin began.
The warlord cut him off. "We're not a mining colony. We're producing vegetation."
"I have not been informed of this."
"I do not doubt that you have been kept out of the loop. It is a very small loop. But we are going to need to be close to the jungle. At least the first city. Probably the second as well."
"What specific plant are we producing?"
"That's need to know, and if Etlon thought you needed to know, you would know."
Devin felt the anger rise within him. How could he be expected to do his job if the information he needed was kept from him? He punched in the coordinates for the second site, and said nothing.
He'd never felt the need to be a warlord, to be in charge, but the ineptitude of the colony was wearing on him. He'd seenthem frolicking with their mates, playing games and doing little else besides a few drills. Their mates were no better. On Takalia, mates were expected to be productive members of society. They were helpmates, not just birth mothers. He'd seen them do nothing here but lounge in the sun. These Terrans were fragile little creatures with little motivation to make themselves useful. It was disconcerting to say the least. When he took a mate, she would definitely not be a Terran.
"This is better," the warlord said as they flew over the second site. It was a flat patch of jungle with a large blue river running through it. The river would never be dry, but would need proper harnessing if they wanted to prevent constant flooding during a rainy season. Thermal vents near the surface heated the lakes nearby. They would provide a good source of energy for a large city.
The pilot sat the craft down on a large flat outcrop next to the river. He opened the hatch and then promptly closed it again.
"It smells," he reported, crinkling his nose.
"That's a thermal vent," Devin explained.
"I am not naming a stinky city after my mate. She will never forgive me. This location is also not approved," Devin informed him.
The warlord went back in, sat and crossed arms over his chest waiting to be taken to the next location. Devin mentally noted another reason not to get a mate. She would just be another person to consider, to have to answer to and please. It was best to be free to make your own decisions, rather than worry if she would think the city was too stinky or not.
Looking at his list, he eliminated one of the other two remaining sites for the fact that it too had snow on the ground at times. Once again, Devin plugged in the next set of coordinates, and tried to tell himself that the eliminated sites were at the bottom of his list anyway. There was no reason to be angry withthe warlord. Devin may have eliminated the sites himself if he had gotten out and walked around as well.
The final site was perfect. It was up against a mountain range, and although there was snow on the upper mountains, this was one of the spots where the jungle came up right to the edge of the sloping hills. To the east, there was a river, but it had dug itself into a steep canyon for most of its length. It would never flood in most places and could be easily controlled in the spots where the canyon was less deep.
The jungle wasn't as thick here, and began to support plant life that was not just fern-based, but other evergreen and conifer species that would make for excellent building materials for buildings further out from the city. When they found a clearing on the edge of the canyon, Devin opened the hatch himself and stepped out, not giving the warlord the chance to immediately reject it without a second thought.
The air was fresh and clean, not tainted with the briny smell of the ocean that covered the camp. There was no trace of sulfur even though deep beneath their feet, one could still tap into the ancient and nearly extinct volcanic range. It would take a bit more drilling but the machines Devin planned to import would simply take another month or two to finish the job. When one was calculating in decades, a few months were nothing.
The warlord stepped out of the craft. This time the pilot also came with him.
"That is a very steep cliff," Kavendish stated. "Very difficult to access the water."
"The cliffs lower a kilometer or two to the south. The groundwater is also very accessible here," Devin explained
"It is colder here than at the camp."
"It is colder almost everywhere than at the camp”, Devin reminded him. “But this site is fairly temperate. There might bea freeze now and again, but nothing that seems to prevent the jungle from coming right up to the mountains."
A few dozen meters away, the jungle rustled ominously.
"What about godlip?"
Devin had no idea what or who a godlip was. He just stood there and stared at the warlord, waiting for him to explain. Instead the warlord turned, pulling out his knife and headed toward the rattling brush.
"Kave," the pilot called out before drawing his knife and followed after Kavendish.
"Jane will not forgive me if I do not return with you," he said as he entered the thick vegetation.
Devin sighed. He knew his duty. He would follow his warlord toward death itself. He pulled his own knife and began to sprint to catch up with the other two Mahdfel.
They were several meters into the jungle line, and it wasn't too hard to see what had made the commotion. It currently had a tentacle wrapped around the warlord's neck. The pilot did not hesitate in his attack. He simply jumped in and began stabbing the hairy arm that held his commander in such a treacherous position.
