“Yes, half-sisters actually. Karl Lloyd married one of the women from the valley after several years. She had lost all of her family in the sickness. She’s a very fine woman too.”

“And technologically?”

“Oh, they built a small generating plant on the river to provide their basic electrical needs. Once the surrounding areas were decontaminated, they made scavenging trips to nearby towns and villages, such as Idaho Falls and Logan. They brought back commodities that they could not manufacture themselves—light bulbs, medical supplies, tools, and equipment. They also gleaned the best books from several libraries to help in the education of their children. They even raided a video shop. For years they had a video tape recorder, with about two dozen movies on tape, but gradually it wore out and the tapes gave out. They still talk about the old movies.”

“So other than a minimal level of technology,” the Major said, “they were essentially a nineteenth-century farming community.”

“That’s right. All in all, they lived very well off the land, both through farming and hunting.”

The Major stood up. “Great!” he said enthusiastically. “Some excellent farmers are exactly what we need. And won’t it be a thrill for them to have tractors and electric pumps for irrigation!”

“You do plan to send most of them to Serenity, don’t you?” Travis asked.

“All of them. I had originally planned to use three or four men from the village, but I’ve changed my mind,” he said. “We need the men too badly for farming. If we hadn’t lost those six—”

“We also lost thirteen Guardians,” Travis reminded him.

“Yes, I know. But we have the other villages we are working on right now. If all goes well, we’ll obtain sufficient replacements for the Guardians from them. Right now we desperately need help in getting Serenity fully operational, or we’re going to lose the wheat harvest. So all of the villagers will be implanted. Except for the Lloyd boy, of course. He’s exactly what we have been looking for.” He turned to Nicole and smiled. “Are you ready for a real challenge?”

“Yes, sir, I think so.”

“Good. Travis won’t be much good to us on this one.” He turned to him. “The boy will blame you for his father. You know him best, but you’ll have to work from the background.”

“Yes,” Travis agreed. “I still feel terrible about that.”

“I know. But you aren’t to blame. You did a great job for us.” He clapped Travis on the shoulders. “I want you to take a couple of days off before you take over your new command.”

Travis’s head jerked up. “Command, sir?”

The Major waved his hand impatiently, but there was a twinkle in his eyes. “Yes, of course. Byers’s command. Who did you think I would give it to?”