Page 22 of Darken
“We have a supply of these tablets to give out that will give you access to information from the Federation AI net and to communicate with the Enclave for your special needs. Eventually, they plan to send people out to help get essential manufacturing back online. It’s very expensive to import basic necessities from offworld,” said Gina. “Like your clothes… Do you make them yourself?”
“Yes, we grow cotton for cloth and make them all ourselves. Joaquin makes leather from the cattle hides. We make moccasins and clothing from those two.”
“We have a small shop where some residents prefer to work rather than in the fields or with livestock,” said Joaquin. “We were fortunate my great grandfather set most of this up before I was born.”
“I think the Enclave will be pleased with what you have done here. Rural communities fared much better than the cities, as you have done here,” said Darken. “Once we make our report, the Enclave will send representatives to help people with small manufacturing operations to expand their businesses to sell goods outside their individual communities.”
“I’m not sure that we want to expand from what we have here,” said Joaquin.
“No one would pressure you to do that, but perhaps they could help someone else duplicate what you are doing here on a larger scale at another location.” Darken took a sip from his mug before he went on. “Maybe you have a surplus of cotton or hides that you can sell to others.”
“We actually do have a stockpile of materials that could be shared, but nobody has any money since the war. All we can do is barter. Sometimes, it’s hard to find people that have something we need.”
“They are still working on restoring the monetary system. Meanwhile, restoring mass communications as we did in the north will help you network with more people to give you more opportunities to trade goods. It’s working up north, and a digital monetary system is expanding availability.”
Gina touched his arm.
“Do you have something to add?” Darken asked her.
“Instead of credits, you could also set up trades with the central exchange for your surplus for things you might need that you can’t get here.” Gina took the tablet out of her bag and handed it to Darken, who took the next few minutes to show them how to use it.
“The tablet is interactive. All you have to do is touch the screen and say what you want, whether it’s information or to contact someone at the Enclave.” Darken finished. “If you have no more questions, we will be on our way. We have a lot of territory to cover.”
Darken pushed out his chair and stood with Gina following suit. “Thank you for your hospitality,” he said.
“Thank you,” said Gina. “It was so nice to meet you.”
Joaquin and Isobel followed them outside. Their foreman and four men rode up as they emerged from the house. They stopped their horses, and surprise flickered across the unnamed foreman’s face.
He quickly covered himself with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Well, this is a surprise! I see you made it out of the desert all right.”
“Yes, we didn’t need your assistance after all,” said Darken evenly.
“Wayne Stockman, this is Ranger Darken Wolf and his wife, Gina. Ranger, the other four are Jake, Manny, Bruce, and Hardy. They manage our livestock.”
“Ranger Wolf is the lawman assigned to our territory by the new government of this region,” Joaquin simplified.
Wayne couldn’t hide his displeasure fast enough for Darken not to notice. At the same time, he felt Gina stiffen next to him. He took her hand, nodding stiffly to the foreman, and led her to the sky cycle.
They didn’t speak again until they were in the air and flying away.
Chapter Fifteen
“What is it? Why are you trembling, Gina?” Darkan asked as they took flight.
“He was there. Wayne was at Devlin’s after I was kidnapped,” she said shakily. “I remember his voice, but I didn’t see him. He was talking to Devlin. I am sure they didn’t know I was conscious because I pretended I wasn’t.”
“He’s a dead man,” Darken vowed.
“You can’t just kill him. You’re a ranger.”
“Don’t worry, my mate. When I kill him, it will be justifiable. If he was at Devlin’s after you were kidnapped, he is corrupt.”
“I don’t think Mr. Morenza knows it, or he’s a good actor.”
“He was not acting; his respiration and heart rate didn’t change when I told him who we were. I think he was dismayed by Wayne’s treatment at the waterfall,” said Darken. “Let’s fly around over that area. There must be something they don’t want us to see.”
They glided over an area west of the waterfall a few minutes later. They found a large Quonset hut surrounded by a high chain-link fence with coiled barbed wire all around the top. “That’s interesting. What kind of livestock needs a fence that tall with barbed wire on the top?”
