The Amelioration Expedition
Chapter 19
Marlin waited while Donte swam to the basket, hooked the rope to it and swam back, hanging onto it. Even with the added buoyancy of the floating basket, he struggled and reached the bank as far down river as the rope would allow him to go.
Marlin helped him drag the basket up river and, at his insistence, she got in first. He tucked Gezant in beside her and grabbed the guide rope, walking with her until they were near the strong current. There he leaned down and kissed her lips. "I'll be up in a few minutes."
Marlin returned his kiss. "Be careful."
He spoke into his medallion. "Easy now. There's a strong current and a whirlpool down river. I'll hold on from this side as you pull her across."
"Yes Monomi," came the instant response.
Marlin's heart picked up pace when they hit the swift current, but Donte and whoever was at the other end did an excellent job of coordinating the effort and soon she was airborne, rising toward the fissure and safety.
Donte released the rope as the basket neared the top. Marlin caught her breath. Surely he wasn't going to try swimming across in his condition.
As she came up through the fissure, hands pulled the basket to the side and Dr. Oriana was the first person she saw.
"Someone needs to go down after him. He's in bad shape. He's too weak to swim."
A man in a green uniform stepped forward. "I'll go down after him."
They disconnected the rope from her basket and clipped it to the man. They were lowering him into the hole when Dr. Oriana instructed two other men to move Marlin a safe distance from the fissure.
"I can walk," Marlin said.
Dr. Oriana frowned at her. "You lie still until I've examined you."
A tall lean dark-eyed man knelt beside the basket and felt her wrist with long warm fingers. "I'm Quade," he said. "How are you feeling?"
"Much better than Donte," she said. "He's been giving what little food we could find to me." She glanced down at Gezant. "So that I would have milk for her."
He smiled. "That sounds like Donte." He informed Dr. Oriana of her pulse reading and turned his attention to the baby.
No one seemed to understand the situation with Donte. "I'm worried that he will try to swim across the river. He's so weak that the current might drag him into the whirlpool."
Quade nodded. "Donte," he spoke into his medallion. "Someone is coming down after you. Stay where you are. Don't try to swim on your own."
There was no response.
"Donte!"
After a few moments Donte moaned. "I think I passed out."
"Are you in the water?"
"No."
"Stay where you are. The Premier Infantry is coming after you."
"Good." His voice was weak.
Quade patted her arm. "He'll be fine." He lifted Gezant and began examining her while Dr. Oriana started an IV in Marlin's hand on the other side.
Quade looked at Dr. Oriana. "She looks pretty good, all considered." He smiled at the diaper. "That's creative." He looked up as a woman squatted beside him.
The woman smiled as she took the baby from him. "Let me get some comfortable clothes on her."
If he was Quade, the woman must be his mate, Akira. Quade stood; his attention riveted on the fissure. Marlin followed his gaze and saw men gathering around; some assisting with the ropes and some kneeling and reaching down. A red head bobbed over the top and then a black head was visible. There were so many hands reaching for Donte that Marlin wondered if they were getting in each other's way. They lifted Donte out of the fissure and helped him stand. Immediately two uniformed men brought a stretcher and helped him lie down on it.
Quade knelt beside him, examining him and speaking to the uniformed men in a language she didn't know. Clearly the focus was on Donte – with good reason. Donte said he thought he passed out. He looked pale and thin.
Marlin looked up at Dr. Oriana. "Will he be all right?"
Dr. Oriana smiled. "You just concentrate on Marlin and…what did you name your baby?"
Marlin turned her head as Akira placed the baby beside her. "Donte named her Gezant."
Dr. Oriana lifted a brow. "Donte named her? Is he going to adopt her?"
Akira looked startled.
Marlin shook her head. "No. I'm going to keep her."
Dr. Oriana gave her a broad smile. "It sounds like you two have finally learned to get along."
Traci sighed. "If you have to be stranded somewhere with nothing to eat, at least it's nice to have some eye candy."
Marlin's face grew warm. "You wouldn't think it was all that great if you were eight months pregnant."
Dr. Oriana glanced at Traci and shrugged. "I suppose not."
Marlin turned her head and looked at Donte. He was still surrounded by people. Some were holding bags of medicine and some were preparing to lift him from the ground on the stretcher. "He looks terrible," she said. "I was afraid he was going to die before we could be rescued."
A young man joined them and spoke to Dr. Oriana. "We're going to transport Dad to the Lyra. The Premier Infantry will stay here with you until you are safely where you wish to go. If you need anything, let us know." His gaze rested on Marlin. "I hope you and your baby are feeling much better soon."
"Thank you," Marlin said. When he left, she looked up at Dr. Oriana. "Donte's son – which one?"
Dr. Oriana looked her straight in the eye. "Andras; the one your grandfather tried to kill."
"I'm sorry."
Dr. Oriana looked surprised. "I'm sure he doesn't hold you responsible."
"Not for that, but maybe for nearly getting his father killed."
Dr. Oriana smiled and patted her on the arm again. "Some lessons are hard learned." She stood. "Now let's get you and little Gezant back to the Spero."
***
When Donte woke, his first thought was the welfare of Marlin and Gezant. He sat up and looked around the room. A nurse was instantly at his side.
"How are you feeling?"
"Much better." He lifted his hand. "When do I get this tube out of me?"
She smiled. "Quade said you would be impatient. I'm supposed to let him know as soon as you wake." She turned to the door. "Sit still. I'll go get him."
Quade couldn't have been far away, because he came into the room only a few minutes later. "You look much better," he said.
Donte nodded. "I feel much better. How are Marlin and Gezant?"
"Last I heard; they were both getting some much-needed rest."
"How long have I been asleep?"
Quade smiled. "About eight hours."
Donte lifted his hand. "Can I get this thing off? I need to go to the Spero and talk to Captain McKillum."
Quade nodded. "What's so urgent?" He began working on Donte's hand.
"I need to talk to him about the inhabitants of Opus."
Quade glanced up at him. "The apes?"
Donte grimaced. "You must have been talking to Marlin."
Quade chuckled. "No, actually I was talking to Dr. Oriana."
"They aren't apes."
Quade shrugged. "I wouldn't know. I've never seen an ape." His gaze lifted to Donte's eyes. "And neither have you."
"It doesn't matter. Apes are animals. These are people."
Quade sighed. "This is going to be an issue with you, isn't it? Why? You did what they asked you to do. Let it go."
Donte waited until Quade taped his hand and looked up at him. Donte looked him in the eyes. "I can't walk away from this. I know I'm not responsible for them, but unless I speak for them, they will have no voice. I think I can learn their language – maybe teach them ours."
Quade leaned against the wall and folded his arms across his chest. His gaze traveled over Donte's face. "All right. I suspect you have a better idea about that than anyone else, but if you could learn their language, then so could someone else."
Donte licked dry lips. He didn't want to argue with his father about this. Maybe someone else could learn, but would they? "I think they already accept me."
Quade's brows lifted. "Oh yes – as a captive. They were willing to let you starve down there. Why wouldn't they be willing to shoot an arrow through you if you tried to approach them?"
He had a good point, but the woman had never been hostile toward him – only curious – and someone had fed them.
"They dropped some kind of animal down there for us once."
Quade's brows lifted. "Then they realized you were starving, but only brought food once." He shook his head. "They were hanging around during the rescue."
"How do you know they weren't trying to protect me? Maybe they were trying to bring us something to eat."
Quade studied his face for a few minutes. "You're going to go right back in there, aren't you?"
Warmth crawled up Donte's neck. "I appreciate the fact that everyone dropped what they were doing and came to rescue us. I'm grateful…" He sighed. "I'm not even sure that Fontalo would let me go back after what happened with Marlin."
Quade dropped his arms and moved away from the wall. "That wasn't your fault. Chandler told me what happened. You warned her and she refused to listen. You weren't her nurse – or her body guard, for that matter." He shook his head again. "Donte, I can't tell you what to do…I don't want to tell you what to do. All I'm going to say is that if you go back there, you are not going alone."
"I can't ask the Premier Infantry to risk their lives…"
Quade lifted a hand. "I'm sure they would want to go, but I was talking about me. If you go, I'll go with you."
"Why?"
Quade thought about it for a few minutes. "I don't know – maybe because I'm curious." He shrugged. "You had no reason to defend Nyumbani or Lochfowk, but you did, and now look at us – all working together. Maybe you could help the new colonists and the indigenous people of Opus work together as well."
Donte stood. His energy had returned. "What did you pump into me, miracle juice?"
Quade laughed. "Pretty much. You'll have to be careful for a while – and get plenty to eat."
Donte looked down at his worn trousers. "My clothes are on the Spero anyway."
Quade nodded. "I'll get one of my shirts for you." He started for the door and paused, looking back. "Meanwhile, you'll need to get permission from Andras or Elimu to take a shuttle to the Spero, you know."
He was right, of course. Even if Donte approached this as Gerritt's second, both men still outranked him and the Lyra wasn't his spaceship. Strange that he hadn't thought about that before.
***
By the time Rianne returned from the Spero, they were taking Donte to a room on the Lyra. He was asleep and Quade instructed her to let him sleep as long as he could. He was being fed intravenously and he looked pale and thin. She wanted to sit by his side until he woke, but she did as she was instructed. She had no right to do otherwise. She had released Donte from his vows and he had spent the better part of a month trapped in a cavern with nothing but a pretty young woman to entertain him.
She checked on Donte several times, but he was still asleep. The last time she went to check on him, he had not only awakened, but had gone to the Spero. He said he was going to talk to Captain McKillum, but Marlin was on the Spero as well. No one had told her that he was awake and he had left without talking to her.
Once again, she reminded herself that she had no claim on him. She had treated him badly and he had found someone who appreciated the human part of him. Rianne had told him many times that he was human, but her actions had probably given him another impression.
She wasn't going to give him up without a struggle, though. Not unless he no longer wanted her. She asked Andras to let her know when Donte was returning from the Spero, and she would be waiting for him.
***
Marlin glanced up when Donte and Captain McKillum entered the lab. Gezant was sucking noisily on a bottle and Dr. Oriana was sitting at her desk.
Marlin smiled at Donte. "You look a lot better today."
He nodded. "I feel a lot better. How about you?"
"I'm fine. Hungry, but all they will let me have is broth." She made a face. "But at least it wasn't fish broth. That stuff tasted terrible."
Donte looked uncomfortable and Dr. Oriana lifted a brow, but Captain McKillum took the conversation in another direction. He looked at Donte.
"Marlin has been telling me about the apes on Opus. She said she was never close enough to examine them, but you were." He gave Donte a wry smile. "She says you insist they are people."
Donte's gaze shifted from Marlin to Captain McKillum and his voice held a touch of sarcasm. "I suppose you want me to capture one of the beasts so you can evaluate it?"
The smile vanished from Captain McKillum's lips and his neck turned red. "I don't think that's necessary."
Marlin met Donte's gaze and smiled. "I talked to Dad and he wants to see if we can communicate with them."
Captain McKillum snorted. "Well, that was what Marlin told him he wanted to do."
Dr. Oriana gave Donte a knowing smile, but said nothing.
Marlin shrugged. "A cargo ship will be here in a few months with colonists on it. We…I, have been given the responsibility of organizing the colonization. I hoped you would help me."
Donte shrugged. "I've never colonized a planet."
Marlin nodded. "Not specifically, but you know a lot about leadership - and you have good people skills." She gave him a coy smile. "Besides, you did say you'd help me with Gezant."
Dr. Oriana frowned at Marlin, but remained silent.
Donte turned an amused smile on Marlin. "So what you really want is a babysitter."
She wrinkled her nose at him. "You know that isn't true." She hesitated. "At least I hope you do."
Donte laughed. "I know…but how does Fontalo feel about having a Mascot teach leadership skills to….?"
"Donte," Marlin interrupted in a brusque tone before he could finish. "I don't want to hear another word about Mascots and humans. That's as ridiculous as arguing whether Gezant is a baby or a girl. I think you are the best qualified person for the job. I told Dad so and that I wanted you to help. He has approved you…if you want the job."
Captain McKillum's eyebrows shot up, but he didn't say a word. He looked from Donte to Marlin and Dr. Oriana and then back at Donte again.
Donte shrugged. "Does that mean you would be my boss?"
Dr. Oriana looked like she wanted to laugh. Captain McKillum looked at Donte, his eyes wide with anticipation.
Warmth shot up Marlin's neck. "No…I don't know. I hadn't thought about it, but…" She finally lifted her chin. "Would that be so terrible?"
Donte grinned. "Probably…for you. Ask Dad…or Commander Adriaan."
Dr. Oriana laughed, but Captain McKillum looked like he didn't know what to think.
Marlin rolled her eyes. "I can imagine." She sighed. "I'm sure there have been other times when two butt heads were able to work together."
Dr. Oriana and Captain McKillum looked at each other with startled expressions. They weren't present when that conversation passed between Donte and Marlin, so they didn't know it was in reference to a joke.
Donte laughed. "Then I accept…conditionally."
Marlin lifted her brows. "What conditions?"
"That I can choose the people who work directly with me."
She thought about it for a moment. "Who might these people be?"
"Dad, for one."
Marlin caught her breath. "Do you think Quade would actually be interested? That would be fantastic!"
"I can't speak for him, but I wouldn't be surprised."
Marlin smiled. "And, of course, Akira would want to be there."
"I don't know. I'd have to find out, but if she offered, I'd accept."
Marlin bit her lower lip and looked at Dr. Oriana. "If we had another doctor and a nurse, that would give you more time to spend in the lab."
Dr. Oriana nodded, but she looked troubled. Maybe she thought she was being phased out.
"I don't know how long they could stay," Donte amended. "I'll talk to them."
Marlin shifted Gezant in her arms and held out a hand to Donte. "Then it's a deal?"
Donte shook her hand. "It's a deal."
After Donte and Captain McKillum left the office, Dr. Oriana stood and looked down at Marlin. Her expression was displeased.
"You certainly made a complete turn on your stance about Mascots."
Marlin looked up at her, not certain how to answer because she had no idea why Dr. Oriana would consider that a bad thing. Maybe it had nothing to do with hiring Donte. Maybe it was bringing in another doctor that troubled her.
"I thought you and Quade liked each other. You'll still be head of the expedition. I'll simply be working with different people to prepare for the arrival of the colonists."
"I'm not concerned about my job here. When this one is done, I'll go back to the Taurus and continue my practice. I do like Quade, but he has a practice too. Flirting with Donte is no way to hire help."
Marlin caught her breath. "I wasn't flirting with him!"
"What was this thing about him helping you with Gezant? You know how he is when he makes a promise. Don't try to come between him and Rianne."
Marlin stared at her. "Rianne left him months ago. If she cared about him at all, she wouldn't have left him – and he probably wouldn't be here on Opus. I'm not coming between them."
Dr. Oriana sighed. "Rianne is on the Lyra. She still loves Donte."
Marlin was confused. If Rianne was on the Lyra, why had Donte accepted the position working on Opus?
"Well, I think he still loves her too, but he'd be a fool to go back to her. Maybe he's finally figured that out. Do you know what she did to him?"
Dr. Oriana shrugged. "I think that's their business."
"She left him and went to Bosv… - whatever that colony is – and sent him a message that she wasn't going to come back. She didn't even have the fortitude to tell him to his face. He has no idea why she left. Can you imagine how much that must have hurt him?"
Dr. Oriana shook her head and sighed. "Where is Marlin and who is this person who took her place?"
Warmth flooded Marlin's cheeks. "Marlin died, trapped in that underground chamber. She died giving birth to the baby she didn't want. Donte opened my eyes to the person I was and I don't want to be that person anymore. Donte told me that if I didn't want Gezant, he did. When she was born, he took care of both of us. It finally got through my thick skull that if Donte could drag her all over the universe and still do his job, there was no reason I couldn't do the same. I didn't want a baby, but I have one and I want her now. It doesn't matter who her father is or what he did. I opened up to Donte and told him things I didn't even realize I felt. He told me he'd help me take care of Gezant. I knew he meant while we were both on Opus. I wasn't flirting with him. I was teasing him."
Dr. Oriana was quiet for a few minutes, her expression distant as she considered the information. When her gaze focused on Marlin, she nodded. "I see you have matured, but I still think you're infatuated with him."
Marlin sighed. "I love him, and I told him so, but I don't want to marry him."
Dr. Oriana looked surprised. "Because he's a Mascot?"
"Exactly."
"Then what was all that fluff about you not wanting to hear him suggest there was a difference between humans and Mascots?"
Marlin rolled her eyes. "You don't get it, do you? Even if I loved Donte in the right way, I would grow to be an old woman while he was still a middle-aged man. Of course there is a difference between mascots and us, but it doesn't matter. All mascots are humans, but all humans aren't mascots."
Dr. Oriana frowned. "All babies are babies, but not all babies are girls. There is a difference between girls and boys, but one isn't better than the other."
"Exactly."
"So you don't think Mascots are superior humans."
"I think they are improved humans. That doesn't make them superior. Donte nearly starved to death down there in that chamber. He's mortal. Just because his life expectancy is longer doesn't mean he can't starve to death as quickly as the rest of us. He can do a lot of things faster and easier than we can, but he can't give birth to a baby. He can fly an airship, but he doesn't know how to drive a car. The two things that make Donte so valuable have nothing to do with the fact that he is a mascot. He's psychic and he is an extraordinary person."
***
Dr. Oriana sank back into her chair, stunned by what Marlin was telling her. Marlin had done a lot of growing up in the three weeks she had spent trapped with Donte. Donte didn't change her, though. Marlin had made the change on her own and she liked who she was now. It was there in the absence of a lofty tone. It was there in the way she spoke to Donte – as a friend. Marlin had observed and applied what she learned. She wasn't surly now. She was confident. She hadn't simply accepted the responsibility of her daughter. She was embracing it. She was looking forward to preparing the planet for the colonists. Donte was right from the beginning. Marlin was leadership material. No doubt she would be a good mother as well.
Then there was the other issue; the apes. Donte said they were people, not apes. Dr. Oriana dropped the issue of Donte.
"What about these…apes? Do you think they are people?"
"I didn't at first, but…they had rope ladders to come down into the cavern and clay pots to collect water. In only two short exchanges with a female, Donte taught her to say a word and understand the meaning."
Dr. Oriana leaned forward in anticipation. "What word?"
"No."
For a moment Dr. Oriana didn't know what to say. She started to giggle. "Imagine that; a male teaching a female to say no."
Marlin laughed. "You should have seen them together. She was interested in him. Donte thought it was because he was a strange species to her, but I'm not so sure about that." Marlin related the incident with the button on his trousers. "I kept wondering what was going to happen if she figured out how to get that button open. I could tell he was only interested in seeing if she was intelligent enough to figure out how it worked. Sometimes he is so naïve."
Dr. Oriana had never thought of Donte that way before, but Marlin was right. When Donte had his shirt off playing with the equine, he was oblivious to the fact that they were all admiring his physique. When she said something, it embarrassed him.
Traci had called him eye candy – and he certainly was that. Marlin didn't want a relationship where she grew old and he didn't. Dr. Oriana could relate to that. Donte was five years older than her, but to her, he was still a kid. How could a relationship survive that vital change? There was something appealing to her about growing old together with a mate. Of course, she had never been married and maybe she was the one being naïve.
"Do you think the ape was confused about whether Donte was a male or a female because he didn't have hair on his face or chest?"
Marlin shook her head. "No." Her cheeks warmed. "It crossed my mind that she wondered if he had hair anywhere on his body."
"Well of course he does," Dr. Oriana said.
Marlin's face turned red. "That was more information than I wanted to know."
Dr. Oriana felt her own cheeks warming. "I meant that he has short fine hair all over his body, just like all humans."
Marlin bit her lower lip. "Oh…well, I actually think she was merely looking him over – just curious. She was naked except for her hair. I also wondered if she was up there in hierarchy in their group. She acted like Donte should obey her. When she couldn't get the button open, she yanked the waist open and tried to stick her hand inside to explore, but Donte stopped her and she shoved him. Then, when she was climbing the ladder and he put his hand on it, she slapped his face."
"Maybe they are a matriarchal society." Dr. Oriana mused. She looked at Marlin. "Do you think it is possible she was considering him as breeding material?"
Marlin shrugged. "That occurred to me."
"But not to Donte?"
"I don't know. He didn't say and I didn't ask."
Donte obviously recognized that there was an interest, whatever he thought the cause might be. Remembering the way he cautioned Andras not to hurt them, he probably considered the contact positive. It would be interesting to see how that progressed. She looked at Marlin.
"So, are you going to let Donte be in charge of dealing with the…um…people?"
Marlin nodded. "I can't think of anyone more qualified, can you?"
"Donte learned every language on Purlieu plus our language at an early age. He has a special gift for that, I think."
Marlin nodded again. "Look what he's done with the colonies on Purlieu, and forging a peace with Oriel."
"Not to mention Fontalo – and you."
Marlin grimaced. "I was probably his most difficult challenge." She brightened. "But he never gave up on me."
Actually, Donte's most difficult challenge up to this point had almost certainly been Marlin's grandfather. Marlin might become an even greater challenge to Donte in another way. If Donte still loved Rianne, and Rianne still loved Donte, how would they get back together living on different planets? She had an idea. Maybe she didn't know Rianne as well as she thought she did, but she didn't think that was the case.
***
When Donte returned to the Lyra, he had a surprise waiting for him – Rianne. For a moment they stared at each other. Why hadn't anyone told him she was there, and why was she there?
She looked uncomfortable. "I thought I'd let you rest…and then you were gone."
He wanted to ask her why she was there, but couldn't think of any way that didn't sound inhospitable.
"I had a meeting," he said. "I didn't know you were here."
"Oh." She looked around as if uncomfortable with all the people around them.
Donte nodded at the conference room. "Why don't we talk privately?"
She nodded and followed him to the conference room. He shut the door, but with windows all around, people would still be able to observe them. He'd like to take her in his arms, but first he wanted to know if she was there because she wanted him back or for some other reason.
She sat in a chair at the table and he took a seat in a chair opposite her.
She searched his face. "I got your message."
He frowned. "My message?"
"That you were alive. You were trying to contact me, right?"
He nodded. "So it did work from a distance."
"Yes, I don't think Gerritt believed me until I told him you were trapped in a cavern with a pregnant woman. I heard she had the baby."
"Yes. They're both doing well."
"I brought some of Arabella's clothes for the baby. I didn't know how far along she was, but..." She paused and looked at him. "You don't mind, do you?"
He didn't know Rianne had saved Arabella's baby clothes. "No. I didn't think about where the clothes came from. I just thought Marlin had packed something." He smiled. "That was thoughtful of you."
She looked down and spoke softly. "Well, it wasn't as though we would ever use them again." She hesitated before continuing. "They have a serum now to help women mascots continue estrus." She didn't look up.
"I heard about that," Donte said.
Was that it, then? She stayed with him until their children were grown and now she was back for more? It would take more than a serum to make the male mascots fertile, so he was one of the few options in that gender.
He leaned forward. "I'm not coming back, Rianne."
She looked up and studied his face for a moment before speaking. "Not coming back to Purlieu, or me?"
For a moment they looked into each other's eyes. He still loved her. Maybe he always would, but he wasn't willing to go through that hurt again. Rianne's idea of love and his didn't match. He shook his head and sighed. "Neither."
She placed her hands on the table, palms down, and stared at them. "It's her, isn't it? You love her."
"That has nothing to do with it."
Her gaze lifted to his. "She's going to stay with you. She loves you."
He shook his head. "She's not staying with me, Rianne. She's staying on Opus, and so am I. I think we can both make a difference. It doesn't matter whether we are a couple or individuals. We both want to be a part of progress there. I want to work with the Opus people."
Her gaze searched his face. "What about your family? Don't you care about our children? How can you leave them behind?"
He shook his head. "They're grown now. They have lives of their own. It isn't as though we could never see each other again."
"What about Gerritt? Does he know? The cabinet will be devastated."
Donte smiled. "Gerritt is as capable of ruling Bergen as I ever was. All he needs is a little confidence. He'll build that faster if I'm not there." He sobered. "I haven't told him yet. I just made the decision today. I've been invited by Fontalo to work with Marlin in preparing for the colonists. They'll be here in a few months and there is a lot of work to do. I accepted."
Rianne shook her head. "Who would have thought you would wind up working for Fontalo. Captain Pacilio would roll over in his grave if he knew."
"Marlin is his granddaughter."
Rianne's brows shot up and she pursed her lips the way she always did in a silent whistle.
Donte shoved his chair back and stood. The familiar expression made him want to take her in his arms again. Life wasn't going to be the same without her. "I need to bathe and change my clothes. I've been wearing the same trousers for the last three weeks."
He held out a hand, palm up for the Mascot handshake.
Rianne looked at his hand, her expression becoming grim. Finally, she placed her forearm in his hand and gripped his forearm. "I did this to myself."
She did, at that, but he had the good sense not to agree with her. "I hope we can remain friends."
Soft Science Fiction
