“Not right now,” Mike said. “The reason I stopped by is that I’m going to have some visitors. They’re going to be staying for a while. Now, I could send them to town for the joys, but I’d rather not. Nothing against your house; it’s a security issue. What I’d like to do is borrow some of the girls for the time they’re here.”
“You mean rent I hope,” Yakov said, his eyes narrowing. “Borrow is a different meaning.”
“Rent then,” Mike said, sighing. “And they’re going to have to help with some stuff around the house, especially with everyone that’s going to be there. Actually, I’d like to leave just one with you, maybe Katya, and take the other four.”
“If you take Katya it’s a deal,” Yakov said. “I’ll keep Esfir. If your friends get tired of the other girls, you will perhaps send them up here?”
“Be sure of it,” Mike said. “The guys are arriving week after next. Go ahead and send the girls over middle of next week.”
He left the brothel whistling. Having the girls around would keep the troops happy and he wouldn’t have to go visit the girls in this crappy “house.” He should have done this a long time ago.
He stopped whistling as he realized he was going to be letting Katya in his house. That wasn’t going to be fun. But he could handle her. And if she couldn’t be handled, well, there was a backhoe arriving on Monday.
“Father Kulcyanov,” Mike said, shaking the old man’s hand, then going on to the other elders. “It is good to see you,” he continued, louder, looking over the crowd of Keldara gathered outside the houses, “all of you.”
There was a cold wind blowing but not as cold as it had been, and it was blowing from the south. The temperature was well above freezing and the ground was slushy and nasty. But it was Monday. He stepped back onto the dais so he could see the whole group and nodded.
“When I first spoke to you, I said that I would promise nothing,” Mike said, reaching down and hitting the transmit button on the radio at his side twice. “I said you would have to see what I would do. Last week, the men of the Keldara helped unload two containers of material. This gear is now housed in the caravanserai until trainers arrive. But they could see what was in the boxes. Uniforms, boots, ammunition vests, communications, guns and ammunition. All of the things that we will need to make this valley secure from any threat.”
He paused as there was a brief buzz and didn’t look over his shoulder as the buzz got louder and people began pointing behind him excitedly.
“But there is more to this valley than its security,” Mike continued as he heard the sound of truck engines revving on the flat. “This is a farm, first and foremost, and a farm cannot function without tools. So now you see the other side of what I have not promised, but have been able to deliver.”
He stepped down as the first of the tractor trailers negotiated the turn into the valley and then kept going down into the flats. He’d had the Keldara plow and gravel a large area, completely mystifying them, but it now gave the six tractor trailers room to maneuver into place.
Two were car carriers loaded with pickup trucks and SUVs, red diesel F-350 flaresides and black diesel Expeditions. The others were loaded with tractors, including one monster for pulling a combination harvester. The combine was going to be delivered later since there hadn’t been enough trucks to bring everything at once. There was also a large container truck that pulled in next to them.
Mike joined the group of Keldara that crowded forward to see the arriving equipment and smiled at their talk. The equipment was a big hit.
He smiled even more broadly when Genadi pulled up in a big black Expedition.
“Good to see you, Genadi,” Mike said as the farm manager got out of the SUV.
“Yours is the first to be unloaded,” Genadi said, pointing at one of the car carriers as the driver got out and started undoing the chains.
“Just getting this stuff unloaded is going to be a chore,” Mike said. “Especially the container vehicle.”
“There is a forklift in it,” Genadi said, smiling. “The equipment is on pallets. A bit more expensive but we should be able to get it unloaded quickly.”
There was more than tractors on the flatbeds; they were loaded down with attachments. As it turned out, even with the willing help of the Keldara it took more time to unload the flatbeds than the rest of the material combined and when all the equipment was down off the trucks and the trucks were gone, Mike shook his head.
“I need to see the elders,” Mike said. “And Oleg for Kulcyanov.”
When the group was gathered Mike waved at the equipment.
“There is one forty-horsepower tractor for each family,” Mike said. “Most of them have a forklift attachment, a dozer blade, a bush-hog, a hay cutter and a couple of other minor attachments. Spread them out to your houses and barns. The big tractor is for the farm in general; there will be a harvester and some planting devices delivered next week. Each family gets a truck and an SUV. The SUVs are for the fathers so they can move around and they can let people use them as they wish with one exception: they are also for the use of the militia when we get it going. The militia has first call on the SUVs. The pallets have general tools that Genadi thought would be of use. There are shovels, hoes, axes, chainsaws and other items. Distribute them equally among you. Yes, I own them, but you are to use them as you would use your own tools. Use them to cut wood until we can do something better for heat, use them in your gardens. Do not think that this is debt; you will surely use them in service of the farm in general as well.”
“Kildar,” Father Shaynav said, nodding at him. “We thank you for these items.”
“If the farm has good tools, good seeds and good people, it will prosper,” Mike said. “There was no way that we’d be able to make anything better without the proper tools. Next week the trainers will be arriving. They will take a few weeks getting acquainted and looking at the land to figure out where to do training and some projects I have in mind. With the tractors many of the young men will be available for training even during planting. When the trainers get here I’ll come up with a schedule and get it to you. While we are still unable to work the fields, however, we’ll start introductory weapons training with some of the Keldara. I’ll run it, starting tomorrow,” he said, handing Oleg a sheet of paper.
“That is a list of the first group to be trained,” Mike said. “I would like to see those men at the caravanserai tomorrow morning about nine. Genadi has another list of Keldara who will start training with the tractors tomorrow. Put the gear away today and I will meet with those men tomorrow.”
Chapter Eleven
“Oleg, Vil, Pavel, Sawn, Padrek, Yosif,” Mike said, shaking hands with the group when they got to the caravanserai. Each was from a different Family and each had shown enough intelligence and initiative in the time he’d known them that they might make good leaders for the militia. “We need to get some gear and set up some stuff. Petro has some wood to set up target boards. For today, we’ll probably just work on setting up the range up here. Oleg, you brought the Kulcyanov tractor with the posthole attachment and a wagon?”
“I did,” Oleg said, his normally somber mien breaking into a grin for a moment. “I liked driving it.”
“We rode up in the wagon,” Vil added. “I felt as if I was being lazy.”
“There will be work enough today,” Mike said.
There was a cargo door to the cellars on the north side and Mike led them down to the cellars, then over to it.
“Oleg, get the tractor and bring it around,” Mike said, looking at the pile of material he’d gathered near the opening. “We’ll start hauling this stuff up.”