Two more days passed. It was afternoon.
The sentry standing on the easternmost watchtower of the industrial park was the first to spot the silhouettes of boats on the river.
The sentry immediately rang the warning bell. "Commander! Boats spotted on the river! More than one! They're heading toward us!"
Calista and Leah immediately climbed onto the highest watchtower and raised their binoculars.
Sure enough, on the surface of the Tennessee River, three boats of different sizes were approaching the abandoned dock area on the outskirts of the industrial park in a loose formation.
The one in front was a modified medium trawler, fairly large, the kind of vessel that could put out to sea.
Steel plates had been added to the hull, and figures could be seen on deck, along with equipment that looked like fishing nets and harpoons. Behind it followed two smaller motorboats, also visibly modified.
They did not try to rush the shore. Instead, they stopped outside an old dock about a hundred meters from the riverbank, where the water was still deep enough.
That distance was not aggressive, but it also left them room to advance or retreat.
On the deck of the trawler, a tall man with bronze skin walked to the bow.
He was not holding a weapon. Instead, he raised both hands above his head, then picked up a fishing boat loudspeaker and called toward the shore.
His voice was somewhat blurred by the river wind and the water, but the words were clear enough. "Friends on shore!
We're the Riverbank Guerrillas! We mean no harm. We want to talk business with whoever's in charge! Can you send someone who can speak for you?"
"Riverbank Guerrillas…" Calista lowered her binoculars and raised an eyebrow.
A bold name. Judging from their approach, they had probably figured out a few things about Rock Fortress before daring to show up.
She calmly issued a string of orders. "Leah, notify Rickson, Maya, and Hank. Have them bring their two squads and assemble at the forward defenses of No. 1 Dock. Full equipment, but no one fires without my order."
The other side really had come to trade. They had chosen a sunny day and appeared openly, neither humble nor overly cautious. If anything, they carried a bit of confidence.
Calista liked dealing with smart people, as long as they knew their place.
A few minutes later, the atmosphere at the industrial park's original No. 1 cargo dock, where sandbags and barbed wire had been piled up to form simple forward defenses, suddenly became tense.
More than a dozen fully armed Defense Force soldiers showed themselves behind the defenses. Their muzzles were not pointed directly at the river, but their presence alone created pressure.
Leah, Rickson, Maya, Hank, and the other core members stood in the middle of the defensive line.
Calista stood slightly behind them on a higher concrete base, her pale golden hair stirring faintly in the river wind as she calmly watched the water.
There seemed to be a brief stir on the Riverbank Guerrillas' boat at the speed of Rock Fortress's armed response, but it soon settled down.
The tall, bronze-skinned man raised the loudspeaker again. "That's quite a welcome. Looks like we found the right people. I'm Jack, captain of the Riverbank Guerrillas. We just want to trade.
You've got walls and territory, so you've got to have supplies. Us? We've got fish. Fresh, dried, salted, all kinds. We even have live fry!
In times like these, meat isn't easy to come by. So, interested in talking?"
Captain Jack's tone was deliberately rough and casual, but Calista heard the probing beneath it, along with a hidden edge.
They had not come to beg. They had come to trade, and they clearly believed they held a scarce resource.
Calista almost wanted to laugh.
Did they think Rock Fortress only had the industrial park, and that this was their main base?
She raised a loudspeaker as well, her voice carrying clearly across the hundred meters of water. "Jack. I'm Calista, the person in charge here. We can talk trade.
But your boats move back fifty meters. Send one small boat carrying no more than five people, with no heavy weapons, and come ashore to talk. Those are our rules."
Silence lingered over the river for several seconds.
Clearly, going ashore into the other side's controlled area carried risk.
But Calista's tone left no room for negotiation.
Finally, Jack's voice rang out again. "Fine! Miss Calista! Straightforward enough! We'll follow your rules!"
A small motorboat was lowered beside the trawler. Jack got in with four men, and they slowly made their way toward the shore.
On Calista's side, only she, Leah, and Rickson stepped out from behind the defenses and waited on the dock, showing a measure of sincerity.
But behind the defenses was a row of gun barrels. At hidden high points, Jenson had a sniper rifle set up. Above their heads, the tactical UAV controlled by Bossie circled quietly. Every detail showed who held the advantage.
The small boat reached the dock.
Jack was the first to jump ashore.
He was even taller and sturdier than he had looked from the boat, his face weathered by wind and sun. Years of river wind made him and his people look older than they probably were.
Jack's sharp eyes swept over Calista and the others. He was first taken aback by how young and beautiful the other side's leader was, then his gaze paused for a moment on Leah and Rickson.
Clearly, he judged those two to be the greater threats.
The four men behind him were tough-looking as well, dark-skinned, with rough fingers and a faint fishy smell about them.
They all had fishing knives at their waists, and some carried crude bows or harpoon guns on their backs.
"Jack." Jack extended his hand directly.
"Calista." Calista shook his hand briefly. His grip was rough and strong.
"Let's get straight to it. What do you want, what can you offer, and how do you plan to trade?"
Jack had not expected her to be so direct. He paused for a moment, then laughed. "Good! I like direct! We don't want much.
Medicine, especially antibiotics and anti-inflammatories.
Clean clothes and shoes.
Tools, metal tools, the kind used for repairing boats and mending nets.
And salt and sugar, if you've got extra.
We'll trade fish for them. All kinds of fish. Guaranteed fresh, or dried fish.
We also have a few kinds of fast-growing fish fry that aren't picky about water quality. We can give you some as a bonus.
As for the exchange rate… one-to-one won't work. Fish takes work to catch, and processing it isn't easy either.
One crate of medicine for two hundred pounds of fresh fish, or fifty pounds of good dried fish. How's that?"
He quoted a ratio that clearly left room for bargaining, his eyes fixed on Calista.
"Not good." Calista waved it off. "Your fish would improve our meals, but it isn't essential.
Our medicine, tools, salt, and sugar are life-saving strategic supplies right now.
One-to-one? Maybe you should negotiate that ratio with the walkers."
Jack's face darkened. The men behind him also showed anger.
One scar-faced man could not help growling, "Captain, they're looking down on us! Our fish costs our brothers their lives too…"
"Shut up!" Jack snapped, cutting him off. But his eyes sharpened as well. "Miss Calista, don't talk too big.
On this river, we're the only ones. Without us, getting a mouthful of fresh meat won't be easy for you. We came here in good faith…"
...
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