Notah said, “I’m more than willing to have you tag along. I would think that you have a crush on me if I didn’t know better.”
Loni said, “Nothing could be farther from the truth. I just want to survive. I want to have meat at some point in the future, and the only way to make that happen is to wake the mother animals and implant the embryos in them.”
Notah said, “Well, let’s go get them. I don’t like the idea that perfectly good animals are forced to sleep in a freezer any longer than necessary.”
Loni said, “Then let’s go get them.”
Loni and Notah got into a truck and drove to the hangar to retrieve the animal embryos and the females that would be used to carry them. They placed the freezer containing the embryos on the truck bed, and then they woke the female animals.
Notah said, “We need to stand clear of the animals once they wake up. They’re not going to be happy at first, and they’ll need to be sedated to transport them.”
Loni asked, “Why didn’t we just take them to the biodome still frozen?”
Notah answered, “Because that would’ve required us to take the whole freezer with us. The truck’s not that big.”
Loni said, “We could’ve taken the semi.”
Notah said, “But that would be dumb. It would waste a lot of fuel. Now, when the animals wake up, I need you to sedate them with this gun.”
Notah handed Loni a dart gun and four darts. He attached a steel leash to the first animal. It was a sheep. He deactivated the freezer and removed the sheep. He had to be very careful not to bump the animal against anything, as the extreme cold made it very brittle. He carefully placed the sheep on the floor and allowed the heat in the room to wake the sheep naturally. Once the sheep was awake, he instructed Loni to shoot the animal with the dart gun. She fired the gun and sedated the sheep. Notah moved the sheep to the truck bed and tethered it to the wall of the truck while activating the life support system.
Loni said, “I still think that it would have been easier to use the semi.”
Notah said, “Just do what I tell you to do, and keep your opinions to yourself.”
Loni thought to herself, “What an ass. I know he’s working against us, I just can’t prove it. He’s doing everything way too perfectly. It’s just because he doesn’t want to raise Scout’s suspicions. I should warn Scout about this prick. He’s going to destroy us all.”
Notah asked, “Are you going to help me, or are you going to daydream?”
Loni replied, “I’m coming, even though I think this is the dumbest way to do this.”
They went back into the hangar and woke the next animal, a cow. Then they awoke a pig. The final animal was a dog, because the colonists wanted dogs to help them with their work.
Loni said, “Okay, all the animals are on board.”
Notah said, “We can take the birds in the freezers, because they’re really small.”
Notah and Loni took the freezer with the birds and placed it in the back of the truck. The freezer contained a chicken, a rooster, a male and female turkey, a male and female duck, and ten sparrows. It also contained twenty of each bird’s eggs. The birds were all very young when they were cryogenically frozen so that they could produce eggs for both propagation of their species’ on the new planet and for food for the colonists. The animals and the birds were now secured to the truck, so Notah and Loni returned to the biodome.
Loni asked, “Are all the animals safe and secure in the back of the truck?”
Notah answered, “Why wouldn’t I secure the animals in the bed of the truck?”
Loni said, “I don’t know, maybe so that they die and the colony fails.”
Notah asked, “Why would I try and sabotage the colony?”
Loni replied, “Because you’re working for our enemies and supplying them intelligence about us.”
Notah said, “What the hell makes you think that?”
Loni replied, “Because you disappear for hours at a time while the rest of us work, and then you’re always volunteering to perform very sensitive work that’s extremely important to the survival of the colony.”
Notah said, “I volunteer for the sensitive work because I’m Navajo. As a Navajo, I respect all life more than most people in the universe. All life, and all things, for that matter, are sacred to us. I want to make sure that this colony gets the best chance to survive, and treating life with the utmost respect is the best way to do that.”
Loni said, “Then explain why every attack so far has happened right after you disappear.”
Notah said, “I’m unaware of this pattern. I’m sure that it’s nothing more than an unfortunate coincidence.”
Loni sarcastically said, “I’m sure it is. You just happen to disappear right before we get attacked. I know that you’re feeding the General information about us.”
Notah said, “Then tell Scout about your suspicions. I’m willing to undergo any investigation he wants to perform. I want the colony to succeed, and the security of the colony is of the greatest importance, so share your findings with Scout so that he can eliminate me as a suspect and find the weak link in our chain.”
Loni said, “I’ll do that.”
They drove up to the biodome’s parking lot and parked the truck. They removed the freezers from the back of the truck and took them inside. Once the freezers were inside, they began to escort the animals into the building. They were still sedated, but they were awake. They took all of the animals into the building and tethered them to the walls.
Scout said, “We need to get all of them pregnant before they wake up. Let’s get to work.”
Mark said, “I’m not very experienced at doing this with animals, but it can’t be that different from working with people.”
Mark inserted an embryo into the sheep’s womb by inserting the laparoscope into the curved cervix of the ewe. The ewe was forced into estrus with hormones before the laparoscope was utilized. At the same time the ewe was forced into estrus, she was injected with a mixture of more progestogen and pregnant mare’s serum gonadotropin. The ewe was the most complicated artificial insemination because of the curved cervix of the animal. The other animals’ inseminations were more straightforward. Mark successfully inseminated all of the animals that day.
Scout said, “Now that we’ve got the animals ready to reproduce, we can let them wake up. Notah, can you take them to the far side of the biodome to wake up.”
Notah asked, “Have you already microchipped them?”
Scout said, “There’s no need. Jordan and Kathy built a fenced area for the animals, so they won’t destroy the crops.”
Notah said, “Oh, so you want me to just place them inside the gated area?”
Scout said, “That’s the plan.”
Notah took the animals to the far corner of the biodome, near the beehives. He placed the animals inside the gated area. The fence was made of concrete, and was three meters tall. The gate was made of iron, and was just a single sheet of metal hinged to the rest of the fence. The animals were taken off their leashes and allowed to wake up naturally. Notah then returned to Scout.
Scout said, “Loni says that she suspects you of being a spy, and she says she already told you.”
Notah replied, “She has informed me of her suspicions. You may investigate me. It will clear me of all suspicion. I want this colony to succeed more than you do.”
Scout said, “You have no idea how much I want this colony to succeed. I’ll investigate the allegations. I know that I trust you, and I want to continue trusting you. I hope my investigation clears you.”
Notah said, “It will. Now, what do you need for me to do next?”
Scout replied, “I need you to bring me the freezer with the birds. We need to wake them up and get them ready to start reproducing.”
Notah obeyed and brought Scout the bird freezer. Notah took the birds out of the deep freeze very carefully, just as he had done with the animals. He allowed the birds to wake naturally. T
he birds were then taken to the aviary section of the biodome, where they would be allowed to roam around freely.
Scout came up to Notah and checked on his work. He saw that the bids were unharmed, so he decided to give Notah another instruction.
Scout said, “I need you to put the eggs in the incubator, and then put the incubator in the protected area of the biodome. Every day, we’ll check on the eggs until they hatch. Then we’ll put the baby chicks in the aviary with the adult birds.”
Notah said, “Sounds like a plan to me. I’ll get right on that.”
Notah went back to the freezer, where the eggs were still in cryostasis. He took the eggs out of the freezer and placed them in the incubator. Then he moved the incubator to the protected area of the biodome, which was near the control center. Once the incubator was in place, he activated it. He watched it for a moment and made sure it was working properly.
The biodome was fully operational. The plants that would produce food were in the ground, as were the trees that would produce food, building materials, fuel, and oxygen. The animals that would provide clothing, food, and assistance were in place and pregnant. The future looked very bright for the colony.
Everything was prepared in the biodome. It had taken about a week to start the biodome’s operations. Beginning the next day, the colony would grow and harvest its own food. The first harvest, though, wouldn’t be available for two months. For now, the crew headed to Scout’s home for another round of fish and chips.
Chapter Forty-One
Supplies
The terraforming team noticed the ship while it was still in orbit. The ship circled the planet twice so Heath could find the town. The crew had been waiting for this ship for months. They were excited about the fresh food supply on the ship.
Scout called everyone to the hangar. The ship landed shortly after the crew arrived at the spaceport.
Scout said, “We have a lot of work to do. We have to unload the ship before we can go back to our regular jobs.”
Shai asked, “Is there food on this ship?”
Scout answered, “Yes, there is. There are not any more fish and chips.”
Everyone clapped and yelled in approval. They were all tired of fish and chips, so anything different would be a welcome change.
Jordan said, “I hope there’s more concrete, water, and seed for the biodome.”
Scout said, “And molds for metal pouring. There’s also some animal embryos, more medical equipment, and other supplies.”
Lane opened the hatch of the ship and looked inside. He saw tons of dirt and a large tank of water.
Lane said, “All I see is tons of soil for the biodome and a lot more water.”
Scout said, “You’re only seeing the back half of the first deck. There’s tons more stuff on this ship.”
Kathy said, “Well, I see everyone standing around looking in amazement at the supplies. There’s work to do, and it’s not going to get done if we’re just standing around. Let’s get moving.”
Scout said, “Yes, let’s get a move on. We need to get this ship unloaded so that the ship can restock.”
Becky asked, “You mean that there’s going to be a second supply ship?”
Scout answered, “I’ve said that before. I thought everyone knew that. Now let’s get moving.”
The team began to unload the ship and stocked the supplies. The dirt was placed in the beds of the trucks and taken to the biodome. It took six trips to move all of the soil. Then the robots helped the crew move the water to the storage tank. It took only one trip for the robots to pull the water to the tank. Once it arrived, they lifted the tank from its platform up to the opening of the desalination chamber and poured it inside the chamber. Once the water was in place, the robots returned to the hangar to help with other heavy lifting.
Shai walked into the galley and saw the food that the ship had brought from Earth. All of it was frozen to preserve it during the long trip through space.
Shai thought, “There’s beef here, and lots of it. I can do so much with beef, and it’s not frickin fish and chips. I see pork, potatoes, and beans. I don’t know how to react. I need to get this stuff to the freezer.”
Shai started putting boxes of food in her truck. As she worked, she sang a song that she made up on the spot.
She sang,
“I’m never gonna eat no fish no more.
Never gonna have no chips.
I’m tired of fish and chips so never more
Never going back to that again.
I’m gonna eat beef from now on.
I’m gonna eat fried chicken.
I’m gonna eat everything
But no more fish and chips.”
Scout heard Shai singing and said, “I take it that you’re tired of fish and chips.”
Shai said, “I think we all are. I’ll make something else tonight. Then I’ll be popular again.”
Scout told her, “I guess I shouldn’t tell you that I have fish coming on the next supply ship. I have live fish and animals on the way.”
Shai said, “If they’re alive, I can do something with them. Frozen fish only presents so many culinary possibilities.”
Scout said, “The rest of the crew will fall in love with you all over again when you serve a burger. Imagine what they’ll do when you present them with a steak.”
Shai said, “They’ll all want to marry me the instant they smell the food cooking.”
Shai continued loading boxes of food in the back of her truck until it was filled. Then she drove to the storage freezer and unloaded the truck. She did this four times. After the fourth trip, the freezer was full and the food storage galley was empty. She would only get one more chance to stock the storage freezer with food from Earth, unless the colonists’ ship had any food left from the trip. After that, she would have to stock the food storage freezer and pantry exclusively with food from the Martian biodome.
The second level of the ship had some heavy equipment. Becky saw the treasures that Scout procured for the team, and was in awe at what she saw. She saw a finished rail car, a rail engine, another kiln, molding material, replacement auto parts, a small backhoe, a tunneling drill, and other machines.
Becky thought, “It looks like Scout really took care of us. I wonder what else he can bring.”
She started moving the supplies to their proper places. She put the smaller things in the back of her truck and drove them to their place. Becky needed help with the larger things. She called Snicker and Skittle. Once the robots came, they moved the train car to the railroad track and drove the heavy equipment to the mine. It took her the better part of the day to move everything.
The third deck contained more supplies. Everyone worked together to put away the supplies for the rest of the first day and the better part of the second. They worked for 17 hours on the first day, slept for six hours, and then worked for 14 hours the second day. Once the supplies were unloaded, the ship needed to be inspected.
Scout said, “The ship hasn’t had an inspection since our trip from Earth. That’s too long.”
Jordan said, “So the last inspection was the one that we did in New Mexico?”
Scout said, “Yes, it was. Let’s get to work and make sure that he ship is still safe.”
Kathy said, “We’re only moving supplies right now, but we’ll have human passengers again very soon. This inspection has to be thorough.”
Scout said, “That’s right, this next trip is the final supply trip. Then the colonists will start arriving.”
Lane asked, “Will the colonists get here the same way we did?”
Scout answered, “No, they won’t. Their journey will be more crowded and they’ll have less food available.”
Becky asked, “So how many people are coming?”
Kathy answered, “We have two ships coming. Each ship will have 120 people. That’s 100 more people than we brought with us. The ship can handle about 200 passengers, but we don’t want to try and pack everyone
on one trip.”
Scout said, “It seems like a lot of people, but we were really living in luxury on the ship. They’ll easily fit on the ship.”
Jordan said, “The ship can hold massive amounts of food, as well. We couldn’t have all that food on board because we needed to bring all of our supplies.”
Becky asked, “So the colonists won’t bring any personal effects?”
Scout answered, “They’ll be allowed to bring a car for every four people, and all of the same things that we brought with us.”
Becky asked, “So they won’t bring any more supplies with them?”
Scout replied, “No, we’ll have everything we’re going to have when the second supply ship arrives.”
Jordan instructed, “Let’s all take up our inspection positions and take a look at the ship.”
The crew obeyed. Each crewmember had been assigned a section of the hull as well a section of the interior. They needed to check the structural integrity of the ship as well as the functionality of the interior’s amenities and controls. The inspection took two hours and resulted in a few minor repairs, which would have become worse over time if they had not been fixed.
Scout said, “The ship is ready. It’ll take a year to return this time because the planets are at opposite ends of their orbits.”
Kathy said, “The quick turnaround couldn’t last forever.”
Scout said, “That’s okay, because when the colonists come to join us Earth will be as close to us as it was when we departed.”
Becky asked, “So the colonists will get here three months after they leave?”
Scout answered, “That’s the plan.”
Heath Goodbar took the controls of the ship and pulled away from the hangar. The crew took cover from the powerful engines of the Renaissance. The ship accelerated to takeoff speed in just a few seconds, and it was free of the gravity of Mars a few minutes after that.
Chapter Forty-Two
Wedding
MARS: Renaissance Page 30