Chapter 20
Trials and Tribulations (Part A)

Two weeks after her discussion with her lover and two best friends, Gabrielle was summoned to the Healer's hut. She was met by Claudia and brought to meet a young girl from Tala's tribe. Gabrielle immediately recognized her as Riku's daughter. The girl looked to be around thirteen years old. And she was pregnant. When asked who the father was, she wouldn't say. No one could remember the girl being courted by anyone, male or female.

"Would you mind leaving us alone for a little while?" Gabrielle asked the Healer.

Claudia nodded and left the room. She'd seen the fear in the girl's eyes too, and hoped the Chief would be able to make her feel more at ease, since she was essentially the child's Aunt.

Gabrielle sat at the girl's feet and began speaking quietly in Iroki.

"It's alright, Lena. You're not in trouble. We just want to know who the father is so we can talk to him." 'And maybe beat him to death,' Gabrielle thought angrily to herself. She was normally one for talking things out when that was possible, but Lena was just a child and she had very little compassion for anyone who would take advantage of innocence.

It took a while, but Lena finally told Gabrielle who the father was. It was then that Gabrielle knew who their killer was.

"It's gonna be alright, Lena. Claudia will take care of you. I promise."

Gabrielle stood up and bent over to place a gentle kiss on the top of Lena's head. She hugged the girl and then called Claudia back into the room. After receiving assurances that Lena would be okay for the time being, Gabrielle left and went to the school.

She stood in the doorway and watched as one of her people worked with the students from Tala's tribe. Then she stepped forward and asked for Riku to come outside and speak with her. Riku followed her outside.

"Why didn't you tell anyone, Riku?"

"Tell what?"

"About Lena."

Riku's eyes grew cold. "Lena young. Lena can't fight. I fight."

"Lena is pregnant."

Riku's shoulder's sagged and he looked to the ground. "Lena very young."

"You mean Lena is too young."

"Yes. Lena is too young. Lena die. Child die."

"Maybe not. My people know of herbs that can... Well, it will make Lena not pregnant anymore."

Riku looked up with hope. "Lena live? What about child?"

Gabrielle looked uncomfortable. There was no easy way to explain this. "The child will not grow and will never be born."

"To save Lena, child must die. Yes?"

"Yes."

"I tell Lena."

Gabrielle led him to the Healer's hut and he kneeled down at Lena's feet. They both started crying and Gabrielle put a hand on Riku's shoulder to help comfort him as he held his daughter. He spoke in Iroki to explain to his daughter about aborting the child to save her life.

"They will give you plants to make the baby leave your body. If you try to bring the baby to life, you will both die."

Gabrielle wasn't sure that was entirely true, but with their lack of advanced medical facilities, it was a very good possibility. And the Iroka had obviously come to an understanding that carrying a baby to full term before a certain age was detrimental to both the mother and the fetus.

Lena looked around at the adults waiting expectantly for her decision. She was scared and sad that her child wouldn't see life, but relief was clear in her features. She was not ready to be a mother.

"I want to live," she said simply.

Claudia prepared the abortifacient herbs and Gabrielle led Riku to the Main Hall. She told Tristan to call Council and they waited in the central chamber for the members to join them.

Once the Council was assembled, Gabrielle brought the meeting to order.

"New evidence has come to light in the murder of Tormu." Gabrielle brought Riku forward from where he had been seated next to her. "Tormu raped Lena, Riku's daughter, and by their code, Riku fought in Lena's place and took Tormu's life. By their justice, the matter is finished. Unfortunately, Riku and the rest of Tala's people agreed to abide by our laws and so we need to decide what, if anything, we should do about all this."

Gabrielle stopped to try to gauge where her people's thoughts were going. Most of the faces were registering shock. They all knew Riku, knew he was Tala's brother, and that Riku was a fairly mild-mannered guy. And the idea that Tormu had raped a thirteen-year-old child was a lot to take in.

Jonathan was the first to speak. "How can we be sure it was rape? Tormu is dead and can't exactly testify in his defense."

Riku's face turned red and he yelled. "You say Lena lie?!"

Gabrielle put a hand on his arm to calm him down. "Riku, it's a valid question. I personally don't believe a thirteen-year-old can give consent to such an act, but the ways of your people are not fully known to us. Do the women of your tribe engage in sexual activity at such a young age?" Gabrielle wasn't sure Riku understood her large words, so she translated into Iroki.

Riku shook his head and responded in kind. After several minutes of explanation, most of which the rest of the Council wasn't able to understand yet, Gabrielle relayed the message to the Council.

"According to Riku, women in their tribe do not have children until their third year of menses. Lena is in her first."

"I didn't know they could count," said Julia.

"Not the way we do. He described the seasons and the rituals and I did the math."

"Oh."

"But that still doesn't mean they don't mess around," argued Barbara.

"They have no birth control, save abstinence. I'd be willing to allow it in as evidence in a trial."

"You don't think we should do anything about this, do you? You want us to just let him get away with murder," said Robbie.

"Alright, first off, when we talked about these kinds of things in the beginning, we all agreed that circumstances mattered and that the justice system of our time was severely flawed, putting rapists and child molesters behind bars for sometimes as little as a few months, and locking mothers, who killed their abusive husbands, away for life. We agreed to go case by case, letting the circumstances dictate our actions," Gabrielle reminded them.

"Now, we're not dealing with a serial murderer here. Riku killed the man that raped his daughter. I would be willing to bet that only similar circumstances would cause him to kill in such a fashion again. Since the act that triggered his murdering of Tormu was one that we ourselves consider wrong, I'm not sure how exacting punishment against Riku will help anything. And Riku doesn't need to be rehabilitated, though I would suggest help be offered to Lena. She looked tired when I saw her, so I'm guessing she's been having nightmares."

Gabrielle tried to make eye contact with each of her Council members as she went on.

"Remember what our goals were when we set out to make this new world. We do not punish for punishment's sake. We agreed to work for the common good of everyone. I don't believe Riku is a threat. If someone can show me that something would be gained by punishing Riku, besides assuaging our own feelings of guilt or anger, I'll be happy to listen. I intend to bring this before the entire community, regardless. I just thought it would be a good idea if we, as the leaders of this community, talked it over first."

Everyone was quiet and they looked at each other, at Riku, and at their Chief. Tristan spoke first.

"I think Gabrielle is right. But there needs to be some way of getting across the idea that vigilantism is not going to be tolerated in New Gaia. We can't have people acting as judge, jury, and executioner every time they're wronged in some way."

Jonathan spoke up again. "You're right. How do we propose to do that without punishing Riku?"

The question was pointedly addressed to Gabrielle. Gabrielle took up the challenge.

"It's not about punishing people. Studies that were carried out back home showed again and again that punishment was not a deterrent and never had been. That's why we agreed to work on the basis of rehabilitation and consequences of actions taken, rather than just locking people up. What we need to do is let everyone know that there is a judicial process that one can go through to attain justice. That, by turning to the Judicial Council, they're helping their community to be strong." Gabrielle turned to Riku.

"Riku, if you had told us what Tormu did to Lena, we would have tried to help him not ever hurt anyone again and we would have been able to help Lena deal with being hurt much sooner. You wouldn't have had to deal with this all by yourself. And you wouldn't've had to kill."

Riku hung his head down, then looked back up at Gabrielle. "I am sorry. My people do things different. I think your way is stronger."

Gabrielle smiled. "Make sure everyone knows you feel that way. Maybe you can keep someone else from going through what you and Lena did." Riku nodded and Jonathan broke in again.

"Hey. That's what his penance should be. I want to offer up community service in the form of acquainting Riku's people with our form of justice as a possible consequence for his actions. Hopefully, the people will choose that over banishment or even execution."

Gabrielle was caught off-guard. "Do you really think anyone would call for his execution?"

"I don't know. I know we all agreed to form new ways of handling legal proceedings, but I'm sure many people still consider murder murder, no matter what."

"I don't think so."

"I know you don't, but, Chief, you have to admit, you're a little... um, a little ahead of your time when it comes to compassion."

"Interesting way to put that since we're almost ten thousand years in our world's past," Gabrielle said. Jonathan smiled.

They finished their meeting and then Jonathan sounded the horn for the community to gather at the Main Hall. The horn was normally only used once a month to signal the beginning of the town meeting where new laws would be discussed, as well as the progress their community had made so far, and ideas for where they wanted to go in the future. It had also been used for announcements from the Chief, so no one was too surprised at being summoned in the middle of the day.

Everyone was milling about in front of the Main Hall when Gabrielle came out with Riku. She quieted them down and saw Tala standing off to the side. Tala was puzzled at the sight of Riku next to her love, but waited for the announcement the horn had said was coming.

"Citizens of New Gaia. I'm sure all of you remember Tormu's death last month. We were unable to figure out who had reason to kill him. Well, we now know who killed Tormu."

Gabrielle paused for a moment as the voices in the crowd started to rise. She held up her hand to quiet them down again.

"Tormu raped Riku's daughter, Lena, and Riku sought him out to punish him. According to Irokan law, what Riku did was justifiable." Gabrielle repeated herself in Iroki so that the other half of her people would be sure to understand.

There were gasps throughout the crowd with the revelations of the rape and the murder. Several people shouted their disbelief and anger.

"Tormu could never do such a thing!"

"Why isn't Riku locked up?!"

Gabrielle looked to Tristan and the other Advisors and they all realized at the same time that they would indeed have to have a trial.

Tala was up at her brother's side as soon as she'd heard Gabrielle say Riku had killed Tormu. While Gabrielle addressed the crowd, she could hear the conversation between the two siblings, Tala asking about Lena's health, Riku telling Tala about what had transpired at the Healer's hut, then the meeting with the Council.

"There will be a trial to determine what will be done about Tormu's murder and Lena's rape. Everyone is invited to speak their peace, but there will be no further discussion until the trial itself. It will be held four days from now."

Gabrielle mentally calculated out the time, hoping four days would give the Council enough time to come up with protocols for the trial itself. She felt so very far out of her depth.

The crowd dispersed and Gabrielle focused on the conversation still going on in Iroki between Tala and Riku.

"You should have told me."

"It was my duty, not yours."

"Lena is my niece. You are my brother. It was our duty. We live with Gabrielle's people now. Their justice is our justice."

"I'm sorry."

Gabrielle broke in. "Tala, we need to figure out what we're going to do about all this. Our community is still new. We haven't had to deal with a murder yet and our old laws were never really good with this kind of thing. I'm going to meet with the Council. You take care of Riku and Lena. I think you should keep them both out of sight for the time being. Bring them to our home. They should stay with us until this is over."

Gregory had been listening in and spoke up. "I don't know if that's such a wise idea."

"What do you mean?"

"Gabrielle, right now, you're our de facto judge. But you can bet the fact that the one on trial happens to be your brother-in-law is going to be brought up. It's going to be questioned whether you can be impartial or not."

"Gregory, this is a very small community. No one here can be impartial. But I will swear, as Chief of New Gaia, my kinship to Riku will not cause me to make a decision that opposes the beliefs of my people or the Council. Everyone will just have to be satisfied with that. Either they trust me, or they don't."

"I know, and I believe you will be objective, or as objective as you can be, but a lot of people aren't going to be happy with that, especially if you're living with him."

"What do you suggest?"

"Why not have Riku stay in the Main Hall..."

"You want to set up a jail."

"Sort of. I think it would make the community feel better about it all."

"Can't he sort of be out on bail?" It was an attempt at humor in a bad situation and Gregory smiled at it.

"Normally, I'd say yes, but I saw the way a few people were looking at Riku. We're still working out the whole 'outsiders amongst us' thing. It would probably have been better if the killer had been one of ours."

Gabrielle nodded. Even that very statement showed how deeply their two peoples were still separated.

"Alright. Riku? Will you stay at the Main Hall and not leave?"

Riku had been listening to the conversation, getting some of it, and not really liking it.

"Why?"

"Because I want to keep you safe from others who may seek justice against you for Tormu's death."

Riku looked like he was thinking it over. Tala spoke to him.

"I will visit you and so will Lena."

Tala looked to Gabrielle for confirmation that visiting would be allowed. Gabrielle nodded. Riku nodded in return.

"I will stay."

**********************

Gregory and Tala helped Riku set up his pallet in a cleared out storage room of the Main Hall, while Gabrielle held an impromptu Council meeting in her quarters. The Council members perched themselves on various pieces of furniture around the inside of the hut, or simply took up residence on the floor. It was cramped, but everyone eventually got themselves situated and Gabrielle called the meeting to order.

"Well, I guess we're going to have a trial after all," Andrea started.

"No. Riku has already admitted that he killed Tormu. His guilt isn't in question. It's what we should do about it that's posing the real problem here," Gabrielle replied.

There were many nodding heads.

"Well, back home, people were charged with different degrees of murder. It sounds like we're being asked to decide what charge to bring against Riku and then prove that his crime fits that bill so that we can come up with the proper punishment. That sounds like a trial to me," Justin pointed out.

"Okay, I guess we need to settle this right now." Gabrielle took a breath to order her thoughts, then began. "Riku killed Tormu because Tormu raped Lena, Riku's thirteen-year-old daughter. I propose that none of that is in question. What we need to decide, in an open forum, is what, if any, kind of consequence the community should give to Riku. That means listening to what people have to say about what Riku did. We need to figure out how we want to do that."

"Wait. How c'n we be shore that Lena was raped? I know you said their teenagers don't have sex 'til a certain age, but come on. Teenagers mess around. Things get outta hand sometimes. What if she just told her father a story so that she wouldn't get inta trouble for goin' against their laws?" Barbara questioned.

"Actually, it's not a specific age, it's a time. The women wait until they've been ovulating for about three years before they even consider bearing children. Lena has had her period for less than a year, so she's not considered available. If Tormu had been following their customs for courtship before the age of individual consent, he would have gone to Riku first and presented himself for Riku's inspection. Riku would have sent Tormu on various errands to prove Tormu's worthiness while he waited for Lena to come of age. Eventually he would have been allowed to spend time with Lena, but he did none of that, according to Lena and Riku."

"I think Lena should testify," Tristan said quietly.

Gabrielle stared in shock at Tristan for several moments before speaking.

"Do you have any idea how traumatizing that would be for her?" Gabrielle asked, a little surprised that her best friend would even suggest such a thing.

"We need to know her side of the story, Gabrielle. It's pivotal to Riku's defense of his actions. It's her story that is his justification for killing Tormu. Without Lena, Riku simply lost it and killed an innocent man," Tristan pointed out.

Gabrielle frowned. Tristan was right, but she didn't want to put Lena through that kind of public confrontation.

"What if we got a statement from her? You know, her version of what happened in lieu of testimony," Julia suggested.

"I'd accept that," Barbara said.

Gabrielle looked around at the Council and saw everyone nodding their assent.

"Alright. I'll sit down with her tonight and..." Gabrielle began.

"Um, I think someone else should get her statement. You're the judge in this case," Jonathan told her.

Gabrielle thought about her options for a moment.

"Well, I guess Tala could do it. She's fluent enough in English to take down what Lena says," Gabrielle said uncertainly and shrugged her shoulders.

"Oh yeah, I wasn't thinking about that. Well, I suppose if someone impartial were there with you, it would be alright. I just think we need to try to keep this as unbiased as possible," Jonathan restated.

"I know, Jonathan," Gabrielle replied.

"Alright. So we're all agreed that Lena can just give her side of the story in written form?" Tristan looked around at the Council.

Everyone nodded their head or said yes and Gabrielle decided it was time to move on to the next issue.

"Okay. Justin? You said that you thought we were having a trial, whether we called it that or not. If that's true, then I ask all of you. How should we proceed? I'm the Judge. Are there going to be lawyers?" Gabrielle threw the question out to the group.

"I think Riku needs some kind of advocate, at the very least. He knows very little English," Larry said as he looked up from his note taking in order to make his contribution to the meeting.

Larry had been spending one day a week at the school helping to teach English to the Irokans and was very aware of Riku's level of understanding of the foreign language. Without frequent translations of complex sentences into Iroki, Riku would be lost in a matter of seconds.

"I think an advocate is a good idea. But I don't think we need lawyers or anything like that. I think they would get in the way in this case," Robbie offered. He turned to Gabrielle. "I think what you're wanting is simply to hear everyone's views on what's happened, not question whether we believe what Lena and Riku say happened or not. And I have to agree with you. We have no reason to believe that either of them are lying and there's no way to question Tormu about his side of the story. The best we can do is move forward, for the community's sake. The sooner we get this settled, the better," Robbie finished.

"What about the truth?" Justin asked. "Shouldn't we at least make an effort to determine what really happened?"

Gabrielle cleared her throat and everyone refocused their attention on her.

"I believe that Lena is too young to have consented to sexual intercourse with Tormu, whether she said yes or not. She got pregnant, so there is no doubt that she had sex, though you could question whether it was with Tormu or not. I, however, believe that Lena told me the truth when she said Tormu was the father. I don't think she knew what a fuss would be made about Tormu's death, but I think she did know that Riku didn't want anyone knowing what he felt he'd been forced to do in her name. She could have protected her father by lying, but she didn't. That's enough to convince me of her honesty." Gabrielle looked around. "Am I leaving any questions out?" Gabrielle asked.

Everyone shook their heads and Justin finally conceded the point with a nod at Gabrielle's questioning look.

"So, no lawyers. But Riku gets an Advocate. I nominate Tala for that job. She's the only one, besides myself, who is fluent in both Iroki and English. And I doubt she'd let anyone else have the job, anyway," Gabrielle smiled as she thought about Tala, but then turned her attention back to the Council. "Any objections?"

"It's not really an objection, more like a request," Jonathan started. "Tala will still be living with you while she's acting as Advocate for Riku. I think you both should be restricted from talking about the trial. Like you can ask about the health of your brother-in-law and your niece, but you can't ask Tala for her opinion about what you should do or anything like that."

"Hold on. Isn't Tala just going to be a translator?" Julia asked.

"Yeah, that's what I thought we agreed on," Tristan said.

"Maybe we should define what the job of Advocate is going to entail," Gabrielle suggested.

"Translating. And making sure Riku understands everything that's going on," Robbie chimed in.

"Okay, so she's not really taking sides, just sort of keeping everything on the up and up for Riku's sake," Tristan said.

"Yeah," Robbie nodded.

"But she's still going to be biased. It's her brother we're talking about," Jonathan objected.

"Yeah, and she's my wife, and he's my brother-in-law, Tristan is practically my brother, and so is Gregory and on and on. This community is too small to even attempt an impartial hearing. We're just going to have to do the best we can," Gabrielle said. She was getting a little exasperated with the whole thing. "Any other objections?"

No one said anything, so Gabrielle nodded and brought up the next question.

"What about a jury?"

There were a few wide eyes and a lot of opening and closing of mouths, but no one responded.

"Come on. Do we pick a jury of Riku's peers or do we go with what we already decided and allow the entire community to be involved?" Gabrielle prodded.

"I think everyone should be involved. This has affected our whole society. I think everyone should get a say in how it shapes our future," Tristan declared.

"Yes. I think our original setup will work just fine for this," Robbie said.

There were nods all around and Gabrielle accepted them with relief.

The meeting continued for several more hours as the guidelines were refined and Larry wrote down everything they came up with. Gabrielle finally adjourned the meeting and was soon left alone to contemplate everything that had been said.

Gabrielle sat back on her bed and clasped her arms above her head. She hoped they were doing the right thing. This would be a true test of their new makeshift judicial system. Justin and Robbie had been working on more concrete ways of administering the law, but they hadn't been fully instituted yet.

Gabrielle realized what they were about to do would influence all future judicial actions, including the system that was currently being drawn up. She sighed. Sometimes, it wasn't so good being the Chief.

**********************

The following morning, Gabrielle waited for everyone to begin their breakfasts before standing to make her announcement about the trial.

"Good morning. May I please have your attention."

Conversation ceased and Gabrielle heard the sounds of wooden utensils being set aside.

"The Council has created a protocol for the hearings that are to take place in a few days."

Gabrielle felt a nudge on her left and looked down to see Tristan gently shoving a piece of parchment at her thigh. She reached down for it and brought it up so she could read it. It was an outline for the protocol. Gabrielle smiled down at Tristan in thanks and then began reading aloud from the paper. After each idea was expressed, she translated it into Iroki, which kept everyone interested in listening.

When she was done, Gabrielle set the paper down on the table and deliberately took a moment to make eye contact with as many people as she could.

"I know this is going to be difficult, but I want to encourage everyone to sign up to speak at the proceedings. The community needs to hear everyone's voice," Gabrielle stressed.

Tony stood to make his protest, but Courtney beat him to it.

"If everyone speaks, the trial could go on forever," she pointed out.

Gabrielle shook her head.

"No, there are rules governing what people can talk about and repetition won't be tolerated." Gabrielle looked out over the entire group. "Our intention is to come to a conclusion as quickly as possible so that we, as a community, can move on. But we will not forsake justice in our rush to achieve an acceptable outcome."

Several more people began to try to speak, but Gabrielle held up her hand for silence.

"Finish your breakfasts. I'll be spending today at the Main Hall to answer any questions that you have."

She sat back down and Tala rubbed her back to try to comfort her. Gabrielle hadn't slept well the night before and Tala had been unable to help her relax, though Gabrielle had enjoyed how hard Tala had tried.

Gabrielle finished her breakfast and, as soon as she was done with her part in the clean up, went over to the Main Hall, while Tala left to go practice with Gregory and the other Warriors.

Gabrielle spent the day fielding question after question. After the first few repeats, she began writing them down, along with her answers. By the end of the day, she had a nice long FAQ that she posted up outside the Main Hall, next to the sign-up sheets.

Most of the questions had to do with the lack of a prosecuting attorney and a jury, as well as a defense attorney. Once she had explained that Tala would be Riku's Advocate and that in place of a jury and lawyers, there was the Council, as well as the community itself, most people were satisfied and quite interested to see if the new system worked.

Gabrielle explained that this particular way of handling a trial was specific to this case and that other ways would probably be thought up to handle other situations. She was pleased with the responses she got from most people, but it was very tiring and she returned to her hut exhausted. Tala wasn't there, since she was visiting with Riku, and Gabrielle fell asleep waiting for Tala to arrive. When Tala did show up, she carried her sleeping partner to their bed, and tucked her in.

**********************

After breakfast, and a rather passionate farewell kiss from Tala, Gabrielle headed off to catch up with Tristan and Jonathan as they walked towards the Main Hall.

"Morning," Gabrielle greeted the two men.

"Good morning. Sleep well?" Tristan asked.

"Not really. You?"

"Could've been better."

Tristan held the door open for the Chief and Third Advisor, then waited as Julia came jogging up the front steps of the Main Hall. He greeted her with a smile, which she returned.

"Morning. Sorry I'm late."

"Hey, that's the great thing about not having any clocks. Technically, you can never really be late," Tristan teased the Second Advisor.

"I'll have to remember that," Julia grinned back as the quartet made their way to the Council room. "So, what's on the agenda?"

"The usual," came the reply in triple stereo and everyone laughed as they took their seats around the table.

"Well, has anybody figured out what we're doing about seating for court?" Gabrielle asked.

They had decided to hold the court outside, as long as the weather held, since the entire community was invited. If the weather turned bad, they would move to the Dining Hall, since that was the only indoor place that was large enough to hold the nearly two hundred citizens of New Gaia.

Jonathan flipped through a small stack of papers he'd collected on their way to the main room and separated one of the sheets to pass over to Gabrielle.

"Tom came up with this layout yesterday. He says he can pull one of the long tables from the Dining Hall for the Council to sit at and then he'll just scrounge up another smaller table for Riku and Tala. He also said that, with the entire village attending this thing, they can come up with their own means of seating. That way, at the end of the day, or whenever you recess the court, we'll only have to take care of the two tables and the chairs. Otherwise, he said it'll be a mess," Jonathan finished.

Gabrielle looked over the sketched plan, while Jonathan talked, and nodded her head in agreement.

"It looks good. But an announcement should be made that everyone needs to bring their own chairs or do without. And make sure Tom or somebody coordinates a few volunteers to help with chair placement. It's gonna be crazy enough without people getting into arguments about who's sitting where," Gabrielle warned.

Jonathan nodded and made a note on his makeshift legal pad created from binding sheets of parchment to a thin plank of wood. Larry had come up with the design from long hours of work as Secretary for the Council meetings based on the idea of a clipboard. It had caught on immediately and everyone who spent any amount of time writing or taking notes as part of their regular day had requested their own.

"Well, unless there's anything else that requires my immediate attention, I think I'm going to go visit Riku. I haven't gotten a chance to see him since this all started," Gabrielle said.

Gabrielle started to rise, but Tristan reached out and gently held on to her wrist.

"I don't think that's such a good idea," Tristan told her.

"You sound like Gregory," Gabrielle teased. She sat back down and regarded her best friend. "Why can't I just visit him?"

"Look. No one's brought up the fact that Riku is Tala's brother and she's your wife, which is a major conflict of interest, but it won't take much. Right now, everyone's pretty much just going with the flow. You're our Chief, which makes you the natural choice for Judge, and since the Council's backed you on it, everyone else is just falling in line. But if people start thinking you have a vested interest in your brother-in-law going unpunished, they might call for someone else to take over and that could only hurt your position as leader and damage the trust that everyone so obviously places in you. You really need to be careful on this one, Gabrielle," Tristan said.

Gabrielle tried to come up with some kind of argument against Tristan's reasoning, but nothing came to mind. She knew he was right. She was walking a tightrope with this whole thing and she could fall with just the slightest push. It was a good thing she had people like Tristan catching her before she fell.

"Alright. I'll stay away from Riku for the duration," Gabrielle conceded.

Gabrielle stood and nodded to the other two watching Advisors and squeezed Tristan's shoulder.

"I'm going to go see how our Warriors are doing this morning. I'll see you guys later," Gabrielle said and headed out the door.

A few minutes later, she was standing on the edge of the drilling field and watching Tala practice with Gregory and several other Warriors.

It had been over a month since Gabrielle had last seen Tala practice free form. She'd watched the native woman perform drills with the other Warriors and seen her run through her patterns, but that was very different from the skill required for unscripted sparring.

Gabrielle was amazed. The woman was doing back flips! No one, not even Gregory, seemed to be able to touch her. Tala moved around the other Warriors as if they were standing still.

Gregory finally called a halt to the session and Gabrielle could see Tala grin at the First Warrior even from where she was standing. Then Gregory motioned with his head to Gabrielle and Tala turned to see what he was gesturing to. When she saw Gabrielle, her grin became even wider and she bounded over to the shorter woman. She picked Gabrielle up and swung her around. Gabrielle squealed and Tala finally put her down.

"I passed Gregory's tests. I'm a Green Warrior now," Tala quickly spoke in Iroki.

Gabrielle's eyes widened in realization. Being a Green Warrior meant that Tala had earned her green belt. It had taken Gabrielle a full year to earn that rank, passing tests every two or three months. Tala had only been training for a few months, but she spent most of her time on the practice field, whereas Gabrielle had only been able to spare a few hours a week under Gregory's tutelage during that year with the dinosaurs. Gregory always passed his students as soon as he thought they were ready, so Gabrielle knew Tala had reached the same level she had at that time.

"That's great! Pretty soon, you'll be able to kick my butt," Gabrielle teased her lover in the same language.

Tala switched to English and grinned.

"No. You're still a good good fighter, Gabrielle. I'm just a good fighter."

"You're mine. That's all that matters," Gabrielle replied.

Tala's grin was replaced with such a look of intensity that it took Gabrielle's breath away. Then Tala lowered her head and pressed her lips against Gabrielle's.

Gabrielle melted into the kiss. Her body sealed itself to Tala's and she held on to the native woman's shoulders as though her life depended on it. Tala felt the desperation in Gabrielle's kiss and squeezed the smaller woman even tighter. She plunged her tongue deeper into Gabrielle's mouth and swirled it around Gabrielle's tongue.

Gabrielle's heart rate picked up and she could feel her need for oxygen steadily rising. The gasping breaths she was drawing through her nose were nowhere near enough to satiate her body and she pulled away just long enough to take a breath through her mouth before sealing her lips to Tala's again.

Tala whimpered almost inaudibly at the loss of Gabrielle's mouth on her own, but then it turned into a groan, as Gabrielle's lips once again fulfilled Tala's desire to be touched. Gabrielle's hands roamed all over Tala's head, stroking her sweat-soaked hair and caressing her forehead, her cheeks, and her neck. Tala's hands grabbed at Gabrielle's butt and pulled her in even as she spread her own legs slightly to get Gabrielle between them.

Gabrielle felt the intensity of her emotions begin to level out as her body found its home pressed against Tala's, the connection they shared finally anchoring Gabrielle in the storm she felt was twisting all around her. Tala slowly pulled her mouth away from Gabrielle's and stared into the young woman's eyes. Tala's fierce passion was held steady and controlled in her own eyes and the look of adoration she saw reflected in Gabrielle's expression turned Tala's insides to jelly.

"Mine," Tala whispered in the small space between them.

Gabrielle nodded and rested her cheek against Tala's chest.

"I love you," Gabrielle whispered and felt Tala squeeze her a little tighter in acknowledgement.

They stood in their embrace for several minutes before Gabrielle finally drew back enough to speak to Tala face to face.

"I need to get Lena's statement about what happened between her and Tormu. Would you come with me? You can explain anything I don't understand," Gabrielle said.

Tala nodded and they easily refit their bodies together side by side, as Tala turned them to walk towards the other end of town to her older brother's residence. Gabrielle had them stop off at the Healer's hut to pick up Claudia as an impartial observer and then they continued on their way.

They found Lena sitting outside a neighboring hut working on a small woven doll with a group of other young native girls. Tala greeted them all in Iroki and made introductions for Claudia's benefit.

"Claudia, this is Ama."

Tala gestured to the smallest girl, who looked like she hadn't quite crossed the line into puberty yet. The girl smiled up at the older woman and Claudia nodded to her.

"That's Posala and Waneta," Tala said, introducing two of the girls who were obviously twins. "And that's Shada, who will soon be training full-time as a Warrior."

Tala grinned at the sixteen-year-old conspiratorially and the girl grinned back with the same sparkle in her eyes. Gabrielle looked back and forth between the two and wondered about the connection she saw there. She knew she was looking at kindred spirits. She'd watched Tala spar with Shada several times under Gregory's watchful eye and knew the youth was as good at the physical arts as Tala herself.

"And this is Mawsi and her younger sister, Luyu," Tala continued.

Gabrielle was reminded again of the image of a small mouse, as she looked at the girl named Mawsi. She looked younger than Ama, due to her small size, but Gabrielle had learned during her Winter stay with the Irokans that Mawsi was actually seventeen and the oldest of all the girls present. Luyu was a year younger and seemed to use her older sister as a shield between herself and the outside world. It was rare when she spoke and her voice was usually so quiet that only her sister, who was always at her side, could hear her.

Tala switched into Iroki and introduced the Healer to the girls.

"This is Claudia and she is a great healer who is to be respected."

They each nodded and then looked at Lena who had been staring at the ground. She looked up at Gabrielle and Gabrielle answered the unasked question.

"We need to talk to you about what happened," Gabrielle said gently in the child's native tongue.

Lena nodded and handed her partially made doll to Ama before standing to follow Tala, Gabrielle, and Claudia to her family's empty hut. Since Riku had been staying at the Main Hall, Lena had been living with Ama's family.

They all found seats inside the dwelling and Claudia handed over the parchment, quill, and ink she'd brought along at Gabrielle's request. Gabrielle laid out the items on a low table that she could use as a desk and then looked to Claudia.

"This is mostly going to be in Iroki because Lena doesn't know enough English yet to really be able to describe things in any kind of detail, but I'll be translating it all into English for you and writing it down in English for the Council to look over. You're mostly here to make sure that we don't lead Lena into saying anything that isn't true. I know you won't really be able to follow what's being said. You're just going to have to trust that my translations are honest and I think you'd be able to tell if they weren't. So," Gabrielle said. "Let's begin."

Gabrielle, with the help of Tala, explained to Lena what they were about to do and why and then they started the slow process of writing down Lena's testimony. It actually went much more easily than Gabrielle had thought it would. It was just a matter of getting Lena to open up and trust the three women seated around her.

Gabrielle was finally satisfied that they had all the pertinent information by the time lunch came around. Tala led Lena back to her friends so they could go to eat together, while Gabrielle asked Claudia to take the affidavit to the Main Hall for the Council members to go over.

Gabrielle waited for Tala to finish talking with Lena and then they both watched the group of kids head off to the Dining Hall. Gabrielle looked up at Tala and then rested her head against the tall woman's shoulder. Her weary sigh was silent, but Tala felt it nonetheless.

"Let's eat by the river," Tala suggested and felt Gabrielle nod her head.

Tala turned her head to look at her mate and eased Gabrielle into her arms in front of her and just held her for several moments. Then she kissed the top of her head and Gabrielle pulled back to look at Tala's face.

"You go get the food and I'll go get some blankets from our hut?" Gabrielle asked plaintively. She didn't want to deal with the horde of diners that would surely be at the Dining Hall by now.

Tala nodded and gave her a quick peck on the lips, then turned her around and gently pushed her in the direction of their home with a light pat to her butt. Gabrielle turned to look over her shoulder as she walked away and gave Tala a cute smirk. Tala grinned back, then headed off to the Dining Hall to make up a picnic basket.

**********************

They met up at their usual spot by the river. Gabrielle had already laid out their furs to cover the ground, in order to keep their clothes from getting dirty, by the time Tala showed up with the food.

It didn't take long for Gabrielle to catch on to the fact that Tala had more than just lunch on her mind. Gabrielle thought her first clue was probably when Tala started removing their clothes, but she couldn't be sure. When she felt Tala lowering them to the ground, she knew food was a ways in the future.

Tala covered Gabrielle's body with her own and tenderly kissed Gabrielle's lips. She brushed her own lips back and forth across Gabrielle's and then gently pushed her tongue between them. Tala kept her tongue soft and Gabrielle was sure she had never felt anything more erotic. The sensations in her mouth traveled throughout her body and seemed to multiply exponentially until she was desperate for more of Tala.

Tala kept up her slow exploratory teasing, but pressed her body harder into Gabrielle's to help ease the longing she could hear in Gabrielle's soft moans. Gabrielle's legs spread automatically and wrapped around Tala's hips. Tala settled herself naturally into the position and began working on Gabrielle's neck, returning to her mouth every few minutes to fill her own need to be inside Gabrielle.

Gabrielle pushed herself rhythmically against Tala's mound as she attempted to satisfy the ache in her center. Tala took the hint after a few minutes and slowly began making her way down Gabrielle's body. She took her time and covered nearly every inch of skin between Gabrielle's neck and the top of her pubic hairline with licks and kisses, as well as bites and a healthy amount of sucking.

When Tala started moving back up for a repeat performance, Gabrielle whimpered. She was in need, but Tala continued to move back up her body, licking and sucking at the skin that came under her lips. She spent several minutes sucking and biting on the flesh of Gabrielle's breasts, leaving the nipples unattended for what felt like years to Gabrielle.

Tala moved to Gabrielle's neck again and gently kissed all the skin she could reach before moving to Gabrielle's mouth. She had intended to kiss Gabrielle with the same tenderness she'd used before, but Gabrielle attacked her mouth and gave no quarter. Tala couldn't help but respond with the same amount of aggressiveness and she quickly took control of the kiss.

Gabrielle gripped Tala's hair, holding on to the sides of her head, as she felt Tala's tongue enter her mouth again and again while Tala's pelvis thrust against her center. Then Tala jerked her lips away and slid down half a foot to position herself at Gabrielle's breasts. She immediately zeroed in on a nipple and sucked it into her mouth.

Gabrielle felt sexual adrenaline rush through her body at the sudden stimulation of Tala's mouth on her tit. And Tala was far from gentle. She chewed roughly on the taut flesh and Gabrielle was surprised at how easily her body translated the few flashes of pain she felt into arousal.

Tala moved to Gabrielle's other breast, the weight of her body being the only thing holding Gabrielle still enough to allow her to continue her carnal feast, and then made her second descent down Gabrielle's body.

Tala kissed her way across Gabrielle's stomach, careful of Gabrielle's writhing movements. Then she was at the top of Gabrielle's hairline and she nuzzled her nose through the soft pubic covering.

Tala's eyes closed as her hands grasped at Gabrielle's hips and she felt her way through Gabrielle's folds with her chin, tongue, cheeks, and nose. She licked everything she could find and sucked on every bit of flesh that was suckable, which was everything. The taste and scent made her groan in need and she stabbed the tip of her tongue inside Gabrielle's entrance.

Gabrielle's hips jerked up before she even knew what she was doing. She just wanted Tala deeper. But Tala was expecting the movement and went with it. She worked her tongue in and out of Gabrielle's opening, swirling it along the outer edge, and then diving back in as far as she could go.

Tala let Gabrielle set her own rhythm and matched it, only speeding up her tongue's movements when Gabrielle herself moved faster. Tala simply lost herself in the motions of Gabrielle's hips. It was such a natural rhythm, like the beat of her heart, even though the timing wasn't quite regular.

Gabrielle would raise her hips, circle them against Tala's face, then lower her pelvis back to the fur beneath her. Then she would raise herself up again, halt in mid-air, and raise herself even higher, before lowering herself to the ground again. Her hands would alternately grip at the fur and Tala's hair and her grunts and groans came in time with the movements of her hips.

Gabrielle's eyes were closed and her head was thrown back as she bit her bottom lip. There was nothing she could do to stop the mounting pleasure coming from the center of her being and she didn't even want to try. Her hands closed on Tala's head and she lifted her pelvis high off the ground as her climax hit her. She tried to form Tala's name, but she couldn't make her mouth form the syllables and it came out as a half-screamed moan.

Tala pushed her face and tongue harder into Gabrielle's sex to enhance the pleasure she knew Gabrielle was experiencing. Her own center was soaked with her arousal from loving Gabrielle and she unconsciously pushed her mound into the ground to try to soothe herself.

Gabrielle slowly lowered her body back to the blanket and opened her eyes as she gently massaged Tala's scalp where she'd been pulling rather violently at the native woman's hair. She raised her head slightly to look down at Tala and immediately smiled in response to Tala's egotistical grin.

"Happy with yourself?" Gabrielle teased.

Tala nodded.

"Happy with you," she replied.

Tala easily moved up Gabrielle's body to lie beside her wife. Gabrielle naturally lifted her head to allow Tala to place her right arm underneath it as a pillow and then she snuggled into Tala's embrace.

Gabrielle's free hand began tracing circles over Tala's bare stomach and she grinned when she saw the muscles twitch. Tala was definitely ready for anything Gabrielle had in mind.

Gabrielle continued to run her fingers over Tala's torso, circling her breasts, drawing lines down the center of her chest, and using the palm of her hand to rub across Tala's stomach. She twisted her body so that she could lie on her side and quickly captured a nipple in her mouth. Her trapped arm freed itself enough so that she could prop herself up on her elbow and then she used her newly available hand to squeeze the breast she was sucking on.

Her other hand continued its teasing caresses along Tala's body until Gabrielle heard Tala groan quite distinctively. Then Gabrielle moved her hand down to Tala's sex and began a more thorough exploration.

Gabrielle moaned at the amount of wetness she found. There was nothing else like it in the world. Her fingers easily slipped and slid around in Tala's folds and Tala instantly started whimpering at the feel of the soft strokes on her clitoris and labia.

Gabrielle slowly began inching her way down the side of Tala's body to increase her reach, but she kept a firm hold on the nipple in her mouth and simply elongated her body to accommodate the movement. She didn't stop her fondling caresses either, keeping Tala at a continuous level of arousal while she repositioned herself.

When Gabrielle was satisfied that she could reach everything she wanted to be able to touch, she slowly eased her first two fingers inside Tala's vagina. Tala widened her already spread legs and tilted her pelvis up to help Gabrielle go as deeply inside as she could.

Tala began whispering Gabrielle's name over and over again. It was almost as if she thought, if she stopped, then so would Gabrielle. And she wanted Gabrielle to do just about anything but stop.

Gabrielle slipped her thumb between Tala's labia and found the hard little nub she was looking for. With every stroke inside, her thumb was pushed up over Tala's clit. Every time she pulled her fingers almost all the way out, her thumb was dragged back down over the engorged flesh.

Tala held on to Gabrielle as gently as she could, but she was still afraid Gabrielle was going to end up with bruises on her back and shoulders. The constant sucking at her breast and the total stimulation of her sex made Tala feel as though she could do push-ups with a whole family's hut resting on her back, with the family still in it. Her entire body was rigid with sexual tension and she didn't think it was going to take very long before that tension reached the breaking point.

Gabrielle moved her fingers in and out of Tala faster and faster as Tala's upward thrusts increased in tempo. Gabrielle's thumb circled around and pressed into Tala's clitoris with every thrust. When Gabrielle felt Tala's muscles begin to tense and spasm, she gave every last ounce of energy she had to bringing Tala over.

Tala surrendered to the pleasure Gabrielle was giving her and let go. Her body shook with each contraction of her muscles and her whispers turned to gasped grunts that Gabrielle could just barely make out as a continuation of the chanting of her name.

Tala eventually stilled and Gabrielle came to rest with her, her mouth still attached to Tala's nipple and her fingers still inside Tala's vagina. She slowly and gently rubbed her thumb from side to side across Tala's clit and Tala slowly ground herself up into the touch, as she came down from her sexual high.

Gabrielle released Tala's nipple slowly and placed a final kiss on the abused flesh before looking up to see Tala's satisfied expression.

"I love you," Gabrielle said quietly and simply as she stared into Tala's blue eyes.

Tala nodded and mouthed the words in return, her voice having taken a temporary vacation after its constant use for the past few minutes. Gabrielle slipped her fingers from their cozy nest and settled against Tala's side. She closed her eyes and let herself drift in the loving haze that always came over her after she'd claimed her place as Tala's lover.

Tala held Gabrielle for several minutes as she listened to the sounds of the surrounding woods before deciding to speak.

"They were listening to us," Tala said softly in Iroki.

Gabrielle lazily brought her head back up to look at Tala's face.

"What?" she asked.

"They were listening to us. People in the forest. They heard us loving," Tala said.

"What people in the forest?" Gabrielle asked and looked around at the trees that lined the edge of the river.

"They were your people. I could tell by their scent," Tala stated matter-of-factly.

"Shit. Could you tell who it was?" Gabrielle asked as her cheeks flushed in embarrassment and anger.

"No, not from this far away. But I could hear three of them walking."

"I can't believe they would do that. When you hear those kinds of sounds, you're supposed to go in the other direction," Gabrielle groused.

Tala hugged Gabrielle a little tighter before letting her go so they could both sit up.

"You're ashamed of what we did?" Tala asked quietly.

Gabrielle's head whipped around and her eyes widened in surprise.

"No! Never. I have never been ashamed of us or anything we've done with each other. I love you. I just like my privacy. What we do is for us and us alone. That's all. Tala, I could never be ashamed of you," Gabrielle told her wife and then kissed her softly on the lips.

They finished the kiss and drew back from each other and then Tala cocked her head in contemplation of Gabrielle. Gabrielle smiled uncertainly at the frank examination.

"What?" Gabrielle asked.

"What about Tristan and Gregory?" Tala asked in return.

"What do you m-... Oh." Gabrielle realized what Tala was referring to. "I don't know. Somehow, I think that will be different. It's just knowing that someone was watching me without my knowledge or permission that makes me mad. It's an invasion of our privacy and if I find out who they were, I'm going to let them know that I didn't appreciate it," Gabrielle vowed.

Tala chuckled.

"What's so funny?" Gabrielle glared.

"There is no privacy here, Gabrielle. This place belongs to everyone. Only our home is ours to tell others to stay out," Tala gently told the young blonde.

Gabrielle opened her mouth to argue, but then closed it when nothing was forthcoming. There were no laws against having sex outside and so there were no laws against those who chose to take advantage of the scenery. It was just her own personal feelings on the matter that made her feel it was wrong. But if she was being honest with herself, she had to admit that anyone who got a chance to watch her and Tala enjoy themselves had gotten that chance because she'd allowed it by her choice of location.

Gabrielle shook her head in defeat.

"Guess I have to accept the possibility of having an audience if I want to be with you out here, huh?" Gabrielle said.

Tala nodded.

"Well, hey, maybe we can teach them a few things," Gabrielle grinned and Tala laughed.

They got dressed and finished their picnic. Satisfying their appetites for each other had increased their hunger for food and they ate everything Tala had brought. Before the sun could go too far past zenith, they packed up their stuff and went back to their hut.

Gabrielle put the fur blanket away and then walked with Tala back to the Dining Hall to drop off the basket and dishes, as well as the scraps of food that would be composted for later use in enriching soil that had been used for growing crops.

Plants drained nutrients from the earth so that they could grow and only by replacing those nutrients could the land remain fertile. Even so, Gabrielle knew that they would have to move their crops every few years to let the land rest and replenish itself naturally before they could return and plant again.

Gabrielle smiled up at the sky as she walked with Tala. Thinking about the cycle of life always made her feel good and it renewed her hope that they could live in harmony with the world around them.

After the items had been returned, Gabrielle sent Tala off to the school and went to the Main Hall. There was still the normal work of running their community and there were a lot of reports that Gabrielle needed to go over.

During the Winter, the water piping system that Jose had rigged the previous Autumn, just before Gabrielle had left to go live with Tala's people, had practically been destroyed by several of the harsh storms the village had endured. They had only recently begun making repairs, the addition of an entire tribe having sidetracked the focus of a lot of people's efforts, but the work had gone a lot faster than either Jose or Tom had predicted.

The repairs were almost finished and Gabrielle breathed a sigh of relief. It would be nice to have running water again. She'd gotten used to going without from living with the Irokans during the Winter, but the people of New Gaia had been complaining for months about the lack of a convenient home water source.

She signed off on the report and moved on to the next one.

It wasn't actually a report, but a request to build a bicycle shop/factory. Though Barbara had begun working with the herd of horses she'd caught a couple months earlier, they hadn't really been tamed yet and very few people rode them, relying instead on their feet.

Gabrielle had learned from Barbara that though horses had originated in North America, and then migrated to Eurasia, Africa, and South America later on, no one had expected to find any of the great beasts because those that had been left behind had supposedly died out, most likely from disease. Horses had only been reintroduced to the continent in the 16th century by the Spanish conquistadors who came to explore the New World. So, according to paleontologists, there shouldn't have been any equines in the area.

But Gabrielle knew the practical scientists of her time had been working from very little conclusive evidence concerning prehistoric times. It had all been conjecture and theory, but it had been the best they could do under the circumstances.

Gabrielle shook her head and went back to reading the parchment in front of her.

A couple would-be carpenters had come up with a few ideas on how to make wooden bicycles, only using a few pieces of metal tempered in the clay forge the Technology Department and the Historical Society had managed to put together. The bikes would let people get around better and maybe even encourage some sightseeing and exercise, as well as make it easier to explore farther away from New Gaia.

Gabrielle decided to tag it for the next Council meeting. There were a lot of pros and cons to the idea and she wanted more viewpoints on it. She figured they would eventually end up building the bicycles, but how they went about it was important, as were the rules they came up with to govern the use of the vehicles. Bicycles could cause a lot of damage to pristine terrain if people weren't careful.

She moved on to the next piece of parchment.

Gabrielle didn't notice when it became dark outside and probably would have continued to go through the pile of papers if Tala hadn't shown up to escort her to the evening meal.

"How was school?" Gabrielle asked as they walked to the Dining Hall for the third time that day.

"Good good." Tala looked over at Gabrielle a little sheepishly. "I mean, very good. Larry and Shari told me I can read at a third grade level now, which Shari said is like being a Yellow Warrior, so that's pretty good. And I learned my sevens today," Tala finished proudly.

Her 'sevens' referred to being able to multiply by seven up to twenty times. It was one of the experiments in teaching that had been dropped into the suggestion box anonymously in regards to what should be taught in the school their community was setting up.

Though most of the original New Gaians had learned their multiplication tables up to the standard twelve, and had probably only really retained up to ten, it was thought that if new students were taught up to twenty, then maybe they would retain more and therefore have an advantage in the future. The fact that they wouldn't be able to make electronic calculators for the mathematically challenged for a while yet also helped to persuade the Council to give it a try.

They were upping the bar, but Gabrielle knew that most people met whatever expectations you set for them, whether those expectations were high or low. Gabrielle preferred high. And Gabrielle also knew that because their community was so small, they had a lot more resources to put towards their society's children, their future.

Every single student, no matter how young or old, was able to ask for and receive individual attention whenever necessary in order to make sure that they were learning at their own pace and in the way that worked best for them. It was one precedent Gabrielle had been quite pleased to set from the beginning.

"Okay, what's seven times... eighteen?" Gabrielle tested.

"One hundred and twenty-six," Tala responded immediately.

"Nine times seven?"

"Sixty-three. That was easy."

"Alright, what's seven times fourteen?"

"Ninety-eight. I told you. I know my sevens," Tala said confidently.

"Okay, how about seven times three times seven?" Gabrielle grinned.

"Hey, I didn't learn that yet," Tala protested and Gabrielle laughed.

"I know, I was just teasing. But really, it's easy. You just do seven times three, which is..." Gabrielle prompted.

"Twenty-one," Tala supplied.

"Right. And then you take that number and multiply it by the last number I gave you, which was seven again. So, what's seven times twenty-one?"

Tala thought about it for several moments. She'd only learned up to twenty, but she knew what multiplying meant, so she just added the twenty-first seven to the total she knew seven times twenty made and then gave her answer.

"One hundred and forty-seven."

Gabrielle had been doing her own mental calculating and took a few moments longer to come up with the same answer. She grinned.

"That's right. You're really good at that, Tala. You're faster than I am and I'm the one who came up with the problem," Gabrielle said.

"But you're the one who had to show me how to figure it out. So you must be really good at it, too," Tala pointed out.

Gabrielle hugged Tala to her side in thanks for the compliment as they walked into the Dining Hall. The food had already been served and they put together their plates before continuing on to their seats at the main table.

"Hey guys," Gabrielle greeted the nearest people as she sat down.

"Working late?" Gregory asked Gabrielle, as Tala took her seat and nodded to those around her.

"Yeah, but Tala saved me. Oh, I looked at your report. If you think we need permanent lookout posts around the town, then you've got my approval to get Tom or Jose on building them. But is it really necessary? I didn't think we were in that much danger."

Gabrielle took a bite of her food as she waited for Gregory's response.

"Maybe not immediate danger, but it's definitely there. I've been talking to Tala about the ways of the local tribes and Trisha explained a few things to me as well that she found in the archives."

Gregory took a small bite of his own food and then continued.

"That little attack you witnessed when you first went to visit Tala is pretty standard practice among the different nations. They test each other constantly to look for weaknesses and to prove that they're still a formidable people and that they won't be easily beaten if they're attacked in return. It's also one of the ways that they exchange information with each other and keep inbreeding to a minimum."

Gabrielle nodded and quickly swallowed her latest bite of food in order to respond before Gregory continued.

"Yeah. That boy I told you about, you met him..."

"Kall, yeah, he's one of my most promising Warriors," Gregory cut in.

"Right. Well, he'd met Tala before, when she'd gone to his tribe to do some trading, and he decided he wanted to join the Iroka, so that's why he led that war party. He wanted to prove himself to Tala, so she'd accept him into the tribe. He was supposed to be a kind of slave and work for several years for Tala, you know, do whatever she told him, but then they moved here and things changed, so I don't think he's a servant anymore. At least, Tala hasn't mentioned it," Gabrielle said and turned around to see if Tala had been following the conversation at all.

Tala was engaged in a heated debate with another Warrior sitting one table away about a new fighting technique she'd performed that morning and was totally oblivious to what Gabrielle had been talking about. But Gabrielle had only been looking at her for a few seconds when Tala turned her head to look at Gabrielle and smiled her love to the Chief. Gabrielle smiled back, then turned back to Gregory.

"Well, anyway. So you think we might start getting those kinds of attacks from the other tribes?" Gabrielle asked.

"I'd be surprised if we didn't. In fact, I'm a little surprised it hasn't happened already. Tala said they'd figured out a new tribe was in the area right after they'd arrived at their Winter camp. And several of my scouts have reported footprints that they know they didn't make because they hadn't traveled that far until then. So, I think at the very least, we're being watched."

Gabrielle felt chills run down her spine. She thought about earlier that day, but Tala had been positive that the people watching them had been New Gaians and Gabrielle trusted Tala's senses.

"Alright, lookout towers it is," Gabrielle enthused.

Gregory grinned.

"I'll get to work on it next week. I have a feeling we're all going to be busy with internal affairs for the next few days or so," Gregory said.

Gabrielle nodded.

"Yeah, I almost forgot."

Gabrielle stood up and cleared her throat.

"May I have everyone's attention please."

It took a few moments for the conversations to die down, but finally it was quiet and Gabrielle continued.

"The trial will begin tomorrow morning after breakfast. I know it's a day early, but everything that needed to be prepared has been taken care of, so we're ready to move forward with the proceedings."

Gabrielle repeated everything in Iroki, and then went on.

"I want to say once again that everyone is invited to listen and participate in the hearings and, unless there's some kind of emergency, no one needs to go to work tomorrow. If you haven't signed up to speak at the proceedings yet, and you wish to do so, please make sure you add your name to the appropriate list before the end of breakfast tomorrow. Thank you."

Gabrielle finished translating to Iroki and then sat down again. Tala squeezed Gabrielle's knee underneath the table and Gabrielle gave her a grateful look for the unspoken support. Tala knew Gabrielle was worried, but there was nothing Tala could do but be there for the woman she loved. She hoped it was enough to give Gabrielle the strength she would need to get through the whole ordeal.

Her older brother had been holding up pretty well under the circumstances. Riku had told Tala that he had great faith in Gabrielle and he knew that whatever she decided, it would be for the good of the tribe, just as if Tala were making the decision herself.

Kuta, Tala's younger brother, who had been working with Claudia to further both of their knowledge of the healing arts, had been a little less understanding about the ways of Gabrielle's people, but Tala hadn't put up with any badmouthing of her mate and Kuta had quickly shut up.

Tala squeezed Gabrielle's knee again and received another grateful look from the young woman. Tala prayed for strength for Gabrielle, safety for her brother, and peaceful dreams for Lena. Then she added a little prayer for herself and asked that she never have to live a single day without Gabrielle.

A short while later, they both finished their meals and went to bed early.