Lu sighed, then said, “They’re sick. That boy is dying.”
“Did you get anything?” Rona asked pointing to the HMS.
Lu checked the readings and shook her head. “Didn’t have a clear view or enough time to hone in on just one child. I’ve got nothing conclusive.”
Rona wasn’t surprised. Even though she was less than a meter away, at that distance the device would have picked up several people, instead of just one, which would have produced a false reading.
“We should speak to their doctor and find out what’s wrong with them, and see if we can help,” Lu said.
Rona knew they had no idea how to find a doctor since no one would talk to them in the first place, and she doubted anyone would let them in either of the main buildings to look for a doctor’s office. “Why bother? If everyone distrusts us, do you honestly think a doctor would be any different? They avoid us like we’re flesh-eating bacteria.”
After a moment’s thought, Lu said, “We’ll have to examine them ourselves.”
“We can’t examine them if we can’t get near them, Lu.”
“And if we don’t, we’ll never know what’s wrong with the children.”
“And we won’t be able to help them,” Rona finished with a disappointed sigh.
“Exactly,” Lu said. “Have you noticed how everyone wears thin green gloves? I wonder what that’s all about.”
Another mystery. We’d have plenty to keep us occupied, if only we could get started, Rona thought.
As they turned to leave, their way was blocked. A woman, as solid as a stone wall, stsood in front of them. “You are not wanted,” she said, none too kindly. “You must leave.”
“We just want to help,” Rona said.
“Your help is unwanted,” the woman said. “You were told to stay in your area. You do not speak to our life-givers. You will stay away from our children. You will leave all of us alone.” She loomed closer. “It is best for you to return to Earth.”
“But your children are sick,” Rona said.
The woman interrupted her. “I am Mercener,” she shouted. “You will do as I am saying.”
Mercener raised an oversized hand. Fearing she might strike them, Rona and Lu involuntarily cringed. Instead, she snapped her fingers and five angry dogs appeared on the path at her side.
“These will be helping you back to your living area,” the woman said.
The dogs dropped their heads, their eyes locked on Rona and Lu. Low menacing growls rose from their throats. Slowly, they began to advance.
Rona and Lu turned and ran.
The dogs gave chase. Above their yelping and howling, Rona heard the woman’s harsh cackle of laughter.
CAPTAIN’S LOG
Akiane Colony
Captain Faris Assetti
Second year, day 35
We have returned—32 days out. It was only supposed to take afew days. It seems like a lifetime.
It took us a week to find the fish. They had migrated to a red line one-third kilometer wide and many, many kilometers long. The line meandered across the ocean much like a river. We didn’t follow it to see how long it was or where it originated, though our oceanographer Adryel wanted to.
We should have been able to gather the fish and return to the colony that same day.
We saw the storm clouds on the horizon, but thought we had time. Once finished, we planned to fly over the storm. But the storm was too fast and we were too slow.
The success of this mission was important. It was my decision, but all were in agreement. I was a fool. We all were. We had no idea of the swiftness or the severity of an alien weather system.
Sensing the approaching storm, the fish scattered. The waves weren’t too bad at first. Several of us were standing on the shuttle wings concentrating on pulling in the last of our nets when the first big wave hit. It swept five of my crew away. I would have been one of them, but by the grace of Allah, the priest was there. He saved me.
The rest of us had just managed to get inside the shuttle and secure the fish in freezers when another, larger wave hit us. We were unable to start the engine before a third wave overcame us. The combination of waves waterlogged the engine.
We had no choice but to strap in and ride out the waves that battered the shuttle. We were tossed and rolled over and under the water. At the worst of the storm, a half-day into it, we thought we were going to die, but the shuttle was tougher than the storm.
The engine took four days to completely dry out. I hadn’t planned on engine problems, nor that our communications and life support might go out. I had not thought to bring an engineer.
There was little land so we worked while floating on water, keeping a wary eye out for more storms.
Our oceanographer, Adryel, has recorded his report on Akiane’s waters and storm in his logs.
We managed to fix the engine enough to limp home, but we could not fix communications or life support. Flying low, we could leave the door open for fresh air, which meant we had to fly just above the surface of the water at a frustratingly slow speed, delaying our return by weeks.
Adryel’s hobby is Scandinavian myths. He has named this storm after a war god called Wuodan, who causes much trouble. He says from such trials and tribulations, one becomes a mighty warrior able to withstand any adversary. He says we have become stronger.
I tend to agree with him. Together, we have survived Wuodan, grieved the loss of our comrades, worked to fix the shuttle, encouraged, and entertained one another on a long, tedious and claustrophobic trip home. We have grown closer, know each other better, and are more able to trust one another.
Personal Log
Despite the hardship, it has proven to be a worthwhile trip. The best part of the trip was the two people with whom I hope I will become closer friends, Adryel and Father Joseph. The trip back allowed us long talks about life, our likes and dislikes, and spiritual matters.
We honor the same great men in the history of our respective beliefs, though we know them by different names. We read our Holy Books and faithfully pray each day.
I have often missed such discussions with friends at my Mosque.
Most importantly, my new friends ease the loneliness for home.
Personal Log three weeks later
Father Joseph is proving to be more than a good friend. He is becoming one whom I can trust with my thoughts. He listens without interruption and without judgment. Then he offers words to unscramble my confusion. Getting my thoughts out in the open has helped me to overcome the doubts of my faith. He is truly a gift from Allah.
But it is Adryel who continually lingers in my mind. He drifts into my dreams and is there when I wake. My heart races when he is near. I miss him when we are apart.
I am his superior officer. It is not proper for us to be together. I have spoken to Father Joseph. He reminds me that we are on a new world where the rules are different.
Yet I am still a captain in WSC Space Force. I am torn by my affections for Adryel.
Chapter 20
Difficulty Sleeping
Morning of Day Five
RONA HAD spent her whole life pursuing her dream of becoming a researcher. She pushed herself; she had to. She stayed up late reading and studying. She’d risen early to be the first in the lab, and was usually the last to leave. It worked. Now she was team leader for the Akiane Genome Project.
Aboard ship, she’d finally learned to relax. There was little to do and few responsibilities. She still studied, read, and wrote papers for publication. She and Lu completed their PhDs in microbiology. But the stress of deadlines had evaporated. The next phase of her goal would not start until she reached the colony. Rona ran on the half-kilometer track, did power yoga, and entered virtual reality role-playing tournaments, which was something she’d always wanted to do, but had never taken the time.
Since the on-board games were localized to the ship and did not communicate back to Earth, some of the technicians rewrote the game’s code
to make the game more interesting. The gamers, military and civilians, were highly competitive. The games became challenging and addictive, but not physically harmful.
It had been a fun and relaxing trip, almost a seven-year vacation. Now she was here at the colony and ready to get started, but all her plans of research and dreams of Nobel Prizes were quickly trickling away. The colonists had made it plain that they didn’t want her, or the others, on their planet. Without personal contact, the Akiane Genome Project was on hold. Rona needed to regroup.
First thing in the morning, after a good night’s sleep, while her head was clear, Rona enjoyed lying in bed, thinking and processing. She wanted to plan her next move and decide how to study the colonists without their cooperation, and how to develop a cure for their children. But it was impossible to think when sharing a room with thirty-four women.
The dorm room was full of voices and activities, as women got ready for the new day. A good part of the morning’s discussion was going on right over her head.
Lu and Jess’ bunk beds were on either side of Rona’s bed.
“All these dogs appear to be female.” Lu sat on the side of her bed brushing her hair.
“How do you know they’re all female?” Jess stood by her bed towel drying her hair.
That was another thing Rona missed. Though there was plenty of electricity, there were no electrical outlets. No hair driers. Hair had to air dry.
Lu asked Britannia’s technicians for help, but they’d said they didn’t have the time. Rona wasn’t sure they wanted to take the time; they saw nothing wrong with a few whiny scientists roughing it. Even if the women were not interested in the latest hair fashions, why did they have to start each morning with a wet head of hair?
“I checked,” Lu said.
“Why were you checking dogs? What were you looking for?” Jess asked.
Rona wanted peace and quiet so she could think. She pulled her sheet over her head. They didn’t get the hint.
“Why not check, Jessica?” Lu let out a silly little laugh.
Jess joined in. “If that doesn’t sound like a scientist, I don’t know what does.”
Today, she’s in a good mood, Rona thought unhappily. Usually Jess was somber and quiet, but not today. No, today she was talkative.
In frustration, Rona slapped the sheet back down. She was beginning to understand Jess’ bad moods. Rona was feeling one coming on.
Lu stopped brushing her hair and rested her hands in her lap. “I guess it does.” She smiled proudly.
“So I guess it’s not out of character for you to lift doggy tails,” Jess said.
“I guess not,” Lu said. That giggle of hers was becoming annoying. “Every dog I’ve checked so far is female. I haven’t found one single male.”
“How many dogs have you checked?” Olivia plopped on the end of Rona’s bed, without an invitation.
At least she had the decency to have her bathrobe securely wrapped around her. Lu sat in her lacy pink undies. Jess stood in her military-issued underwear, no lace on them.
There was no such thing as privacy when one shared a room with thirty-four women. With a sigh, Rona moved her feet out of Olivia’s way.
“Twenty-two so far,” Lu said.
“Wait until they start mating, Lu, then you’ll find males,” Jess said, with a laugh.
“This is serious, Jessica,” Lu said with genuine earnest.
“Why?” Jess asked. She pulled on a pair of dark blue military pants.
“Because,” Lu said, “how do they reproduce if they’re all female?”
“They’re dogs,” Jess said, “not worms. There must be males somewhere. You just haven’t found them yet.”
All this talking. Rona wanted to wake up slowly, let her mind drift into a solution mode, but she needed to pee. She threw her sheet and blanket to one side and sat up.
A dog, her five puppies trailing, wandered throughout the dorm. The mother dog sniffed at beds as she passed through the room. So many dogs. They were everywhere. All of the time.
Rona was on the verge of disliking dogs as much as Jess.
“Lu, have you checked the puppies?” Olivia asked.
“No, just adult dogs,” Lu said. “The pups are so squirmy it’s too difficult to tell.”
“You need someone to hold the pups for you,” Jess said.
“You volunteering?” Lu asked hopefully.
Jess shook her head. She pulled her Space Force blue tee over her head and tucked it and zipped her pants.
“Want to help me check puppies, Rona?” Lu asked. Now she was excited at the prospect of having a partner to help her.
Rona looked over her shoulder at the wall where the latrine drains sat. She hated squatting. At least Britannia had sent curtains. She stood and stretched.
“Where are you going?” Lu asked.
“Lu, I’m not awake yet.” Rona ran her fingers through her hair. “Give me time to dress and have breakfast.”
“I’m going for breakfast now,” Jess said.
“Give me time to finish dressing and I’ll join you,” Olivia said.
“If you must,” Jess said under her breath.
Those two were like oil and water, Rona thought, not for the first time. She couldn’t blame Jess. Olivia seemed to thrive on continual bickering.
Olivia was pretty when she smiled, which she rarely did. Her face was usually set in a frown with the ends of her mouth turned down. Her husky voice sounded as if she were growling.
Rona noticed Lu looking at her expectantly.
Oh, yes. Puppies. The idea was uninteresting.
“I didn’t come to check under puppy tails, Lu.” Rona said.
“I was thinking we’d do it around our original research,” Lu said, with her usual childlike enthusiasm.
“Lu, we haven’t even started our original research.”
“Well, then, we could do this in the meantime. . .”
“We’re not going to create a relationship of trust with the colonists by examining their dogs, Lu,” Rona said. Do I sound as surly as I feel? Yes. She didn’t care. “Give it up, Lu. I’m not studying dogs. Instead of checking the sex of dogs, you should be trying to befriend colonists. Then maybe we could start our project and get some serious work done. Like find a cure for their children.”
Lu dropped her head. “It was a b-bad i-d-dea.” Her shoulders sagged in disappointment. “I’m sorry.”
She could be such a child. It was time for her to grow up and deal with grownup research.
“Why is the floor damp?” Jess asked. She was standing near the door examining the floor while waiting for Olivia.
“People are taking showers,” a voice said.
“No, it’s wet here by the exit. It’s coming from the other side.”
“Olivia,” a man’s voice called from the work area.
“What?” she bellowed.
“Come out here.” It sounded like one of her teammates, Emil.
“I’m not dressed,” she answered, pulling her pants up and zipping them.
“Better come now.” That was Jorg.
Olivia growled, loudly. She quickly pulled a tee over her head, ran out and screamed.
Those already dressed followed to see what had happened.
Rona forgot about peeing. She and Lu quickly dressed so they could see what the commotion was about.
Olivia was cussing not only in English, but in her native Dutch language as well.
Those who understood blushed.
Someone had drilled holes near the bottom of her three aquaria tanks. Water was everywhere.
Since there weren’t enough desks and chairs for everyone, several people had set up their equipment on the now-flooded floor, like Rona and Lu.
They ran to recover their equipment and shook the water out of their computer headphones, wrist units, and neck carriers.
“You know, a couple of centuries ago, all this would be ruined,” Lu said. “Back then, water was a killer of anythin
g electronic.”
“Who would do such a thing?” Olivia screamed. She’d calmed down enough to return to English, but not enough to lower her voice. “I’ll kill them. I’ll string them up and dangle them over one of their godforsaken volcanoes.”
“Don’t blame the volcano,” Spago said, trying for humor.
“Oh, shut up,” Olivia growled.
“Well, at least we didn’t have any marine life in them yet,” Emil said.
That positive statement didn’t seem to help either. Olivia stomped and kicked at the water.
“What are we going to do about all this water?” someone asked.
“Who do you think did this?” Rona softly asked Lu.
“I think it’s our fault,” Lu said.
“What? Our fault? As in you and me?” Rona asked incredulously.
“Yes.”
“Why, Lu? I don’t understand.”
“If we hadn’t been out in the habitat trying to talk to people and scaring them.” Lu was now teary eyed. “Mercener would not have done this. We got her angry and she retaliated.”
“Lu, you don’t really think it was her do you?”
Lu solemnly nodded her head yes.
“I wouldn’t put it past Mercener,” Rona said. “Still, it’s not our fault that she’s vindictive.”
“But she wouldn’t be if we had just stayed here where we belong.”
“Lu, it’s not our job to stay in the bay area. We’re supposed to be out there meeting people. This isn’t our fault and we’re not even sure it was Mercener.”
Lu pointed out the bay door.
Rona turned and saw nothing, but she did hearMercener’s cackling laugh just outside.
Chapter 21
Community Meeting
Fifth Morning of Intruders
“WHY DOES World Space Coalition come now?” a voice loudly asked.
Everyone had gathered for this morning’s meal, which had been dried tupilak soaked in blubber then slowly baked overnight in stone ovens. Fresh bowls of yellow figs and orange tomatoes had lined the tables. They’d eaten quickly in silence, each contemplating the upcoming meeting.
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