Chapter 7
Dakota and Chip spent the rest of the day helping the colonists erect barriers and strengthen defenses using materials salvaged from the Xini ship. The horses and handful of cattle, chickens, sheep, and pigs were put into the center of the settlement. Other materials from the Harvester were fashioned into shields, traps, and fences.
“What about the crop fields?” Chip asked, pointing to the northwest.
“They’re far too spread out for us to defend all of them,” Welch said. “But from what we’ve learned about our enemy, they’re out to get what food they can eat immediately. If it isn’t ready to eat, they ignore it. The biggest danger is that they’ll trample the plants and do more permanent damage.”
Late in the afternoon, a young Hispanic woman whom Dakota knew to be part of Welch’
