The Amelioration Expedition
Chapter 22
At first, Marlin was concerned about Donte or Dr. Oriana taking over the assignment she had been given. Andras had made it clear that the troops answered only to Donte, but then, Donte answered to her, so that took care of his part. Dr. Oriana was another situation. Marlin suspected she resented the restructuring, which was probably what lead to her appeal to Donte. It should have been no surprise that Donte immediately included Marlin. As a leader, Donte understood chain of command. Dr. Oriana should have come to her.
Marlin recognized her error in not asking if Dr. Oriana still needed Donte before giving him a position on her team. She had apologized for it and was trying to resolve the need. She couldn't go back and fix her mistake and they needed to move forward. Dr. Oriana would simply have to accept things as they were. Marlin had no intention of wasting time and resources in an attempt to placate her.
All the same, the issue underlined the need for better communication. The teams had to work together regardless of their specific projects. In the future, she would call a meeting before she made changes that affected other people.
Marlin took Gezant into the women's room and placed her in the basket. She was outgrowing it and they needed to make her something more stable and durable. She sat on her bunk and picked up her sketch pad, drawing a draft of what she would like. That got her to thinking that they needed to build a saw mill.
She stared blindly at the wall; her mind lost in thought about the waterfall inside the cavern. Could they build something inside the cavern to harness power? She'd have to ask Lori about that.
For the lumber they had used on the base camp, they had cut trees where they had fallen and the men carried the logs to the building sites. What they needed was wagons – and horses. Immediately she thought of the equines on Opus. Could they be trained to do work? How would Donte feel about capturing wildlife to use it for that purpose?" He certainly hadn't been against killing wildlife in order to eat. Of course, that was an emergency, but they couldn't rely on Purlieu or Oriel to provide them with everything. What kind of livestock was on the cargo ship? She needed to get a list from her father. They would need a place to keep the stock until the colonists could build something. They could build a barn and a corral.
She was still musing about it when Rianne came through the door. Rianne looked at the tablet in Marin's lap and smiled.
"It looks like you've been drawing some plans."
Rianne shut the door and glanced down at Gezant. She spoke softly so she wouldn't wake her. "She's really growing, isn't she?"
Marlin nodded. "Dr. Oriana said she was doing better than average, considering the circumstances of her birth. It's probably all the love she gets."
Rianne sat on her bunk and looked at the tablet. "What are you up to now?"
"I was making plans for a bigger cradle for Gezant. Then I got to thinking about how we would cut and haul the wood. That led to livestock and what we needed to do to prepare for what is on the cargo spaceship." Marlin sighed. "All that thought and I haven't accomplished anything."
Rianne smiled. "Well, that's the thing about thoughts. People can't see the results until the labor is done. It's progress, all the same."
That was true. Rianne always seemed to find the right words to make her feel better about herself. She lifted the tablet. "I've got an idea. We'll have to talk it over with Donte and Dr. Oriana, but I don't see how it would be a problem for her." She flipped the page on her sketch pad and began writing on it.
"I think the first thing we will need when the colonists arrive is a central location to unload and house the colonists and livestock. We will need grazing access, outbuildings and a building – a station that could be used later."
Rianne stood and walked over to sit beside Marlin. "So the first thing we actually need is a way to cut the lumber and haul it."
"Exactly. I wondered if we would be able to capture and train some of those equines for that purpose."
Rianne tilted her head to the side as she considered the idea. "How long do you think that would take?"
Marlin gave her a wry smile. "I'm a hiker, not a rider. I'm a city girl, so I don't know much about beasts of burden…beyond the fact that they can be useful. I don't have a clue how long it would take. I hoped maybe you or Donte would know."
Rianne chuckled softly. "I'm not sure what you think I am, but a city girl. It's merely a different kind of city – and life. However, our transportation on Purlieu relies on the…um…beasts of burden." She thought about it for a minute. "I seriously doubt we could capture and train them in the time it would take to get a ship from Purlieu here with a few equines and a wagon. Why don't we make a list of the things we will need, and while we are waiting for the supplies, we could scout around for the right location."
"Do you think Purlieu would do that – send us horses and a wagon?"
Rianne winked at Marlin. "If Donte asked for them, they would have a race to see who could provide the best animals and wagon…and probably a dispute between the spaceship commanders about who was going to have the opportunity to bring them here."
Marlin grimaced. "I don't want to use Donte or Purlieu. I want to do this on our own, but I also want to be ready for the colonists. They are depending on us."
"Of course, you could always pick a tree with a large diameter and saw off some wheels. You could make some axles…" Rianne smiled. "You realize, of course," that Purlieu colonists brought equines and wagons with them from Oriel."
Marlin sighed. "I know, and I can't expect to build everything from clay and rocks. Still, I don't want to start out by taking advantage of everyone, either."
Rianne shrugged. "What are a couple horses and a wagon to Purlieu?"
"And don't forget the fuel to come to Opus and go back – plus the time."
"We make our own fuel. Speaking from experience, I know the crew would enjoy something different."
Marlin stared at Rianne. "You were in the service?"
"Yes – before I exchanged vows with Donte."
Marlin shook her head. "You're amazing."
Rianne smiled. "I needed to hear that. It's not true, but I needed to hear it anyway."
Marlin looked at the tablet in her hand. Everyone needed to hear it now and then. Everyone needed to say it now and then. Did Donte ever tell Rianne? Reyse had said it more than once, and she thought he meant it. Maybe he did, at the time. She had a deep-down ache to see him again. She wanted to tell him how right he was. He needed to hear that too.
Rianne stood. "I'd better start the evening meal."
***
Rianne didn't know what to think about Donte. If it hadn't been for Marlin, she would have been left on the Lyra and forced to return to Purlieu. At first, she thought that Donte was in love with Marlin, but if he was, Marlin obviously didn't reciprocate. That was unique. Most women were drawn to Donte, if not outright desiring him – like Sima. It always came back to that. Marlin was different, though. She had seen it in Marlin's eyes when she challenged Donte on the Lyra. Marlin wasn't going to back down to Donte. Maybe that was what concerned her most. Donte admired a woman who would stand up to him. It was something Rianne used to do…before she walked out on him and didn't have the courage to tell him to his face. She had become less appealing in his eyes. And yet, he still wanted to be part of her life. His lips didn't say that, but his eyes did. Sometimes she wished she had been the one trapped in that cavern with him. What they needed was some time alone so they could talk. Maybe Donte was intentionally preventing that from happening.
When Donte leaned over to take Gezant from her arms, she thought for a moment that he might kiss her lips. She wanted that, and she was certain he did too. What would he say if she told him she wanted to speak to him privately? Would he make the time, or would he make other things a priority?
When Donte left the next morning with the others, he left Marlin a shirt. In their room, preparing to leave, Marlin handed the shirt to Rianne.
"Here. I'm sure you know more about using this than I do."
Rianne took the shirt and couldn't resist lifting it to her face. She closed her eyes and held it against her cheek, enjoying the fragrance that was Donte. When she opened her eyes, Marlin was watching her.
"Don't use it all up," she said with a wry smile. She sighed and sobered. "Why don't you two just spend the night together?"
Rianne folded the shirt and tucked it in the bag with the bottles. "I released him from his vows."
Marlin frowned. "So?"
"Donte is too honorable to be intimate with someone unless they had exchanged vows."
Marlin rolled her eyes. "Oh for…you spent thirty years together. How could it be wrong for you to spend one night together?"
Rianne shrugged. "It wouldn't be for me, but it would be for him. You don't know Donte."
Marlin groaned. "That's an understatement." She tucked her paperwork into a bag. "Still, three weeks was enough to teach me that he was honorable. He wouldn't eat anything until I ate more than my share. Under normal circumstances, I probably would have refused to let that happen, but Gezant would have starved. I'm sure he felt the same way."
Rianne smiled. "I think most people would have done the same thing. I'm sure you would have."
Marlin thought about it a minute and shrugged. "You're probably right." She looked around the room and sighed. "He felt responsible for me and I feel responsible for the colonists."
"You two are a lot alike."
Marlin stared at her. "We're nothing alike. We argue all the time."
Rianne laughed. "You are both stubborn – like he was with his grandfather. They were both certain that they knew what was best for the colonists, even though their concepts were so different. Donte was so young and inexperienced. I think it frightened Pieter at times."
Marlin lifted Gezant from her basket. "I'm young and inexperienced. Do you think it frightens Donte?"
Rianne hadn't thought about that possibility, but when she did, she was certain that wasn't the case. Donte might not always agree with Marlin, but he did agree with her ultimate goal. Marlin's loyalty lay with the colonists – and her daughter. So much like Donte. She looked at Marlin.
"You are living proof that what makes Donte special has nothing to do with being a Mascot."
Marlin gave her a wry smile as she turned toward the door. "I don't think Donte would see it that way."
Rianne chuckled. "I'll bet he does."
Marlin glanced back at her. "I don't understand you two."
Rianne sobered. "Everyone thinks we are still young because we look young and our bodies are still young. People think that humans mellow in their sixties because of their age. They mellow because of their years of experience. Experience teaches you to set priorities and stop worrying so much about what other people think. It gives you confidence. The difference with mascots is that in their sixties, they have so many years ahead of them after the mistakes of their youth. Pieter was a great ruler – in my opinion, the greatest in his time. He died when he was only 225 years old. Because of his health issues, he had reached the point that he saw himself as an old man. Look at Quade. He's over 120 years old, but he thinks like a young man. He's excited about starting over again on another planet. He can still make a difference for colonists for centuries to come."
Marlin stopped and turned to look at Rianne. "Are you saying that our usefulness has nothing to do with our age and everything to do with our outlook?"
It was hard to believe Marlin had never thought of it that way before. Had the people of Oriel ceased to appreciate the wisdom of their elders? Did the elders on Oriel think of themselves as a liability rather than an essential part of the community?
"Of course," Rianne said. "On Purlieu, we don't have a retirement age. Not being driven by the need to earn money, our efforts are turned toward specific goals. Everyone helps to the best of their ability. There is always someone to watch the children for those doing the physical labor, and someone to teach the children. There are gardens to tend, cows to milk and homes to build. Life has purpose for everyone."
"That wouldn't work on Oriel," Marlin said, "But maybe it would work on Opus. I wonder how the first colonists of Purlieu adjusted."
Marlin said nothing more about the subject, but Rianne was certain she was thinking about it off and on throughout the day. Life on Oriel was so different than Purlieu. What would Opus be like?
***
Lori was in the lab with Quade and Akira when Marlin came in with Rianne and Gezant to announce they were also going to be working in the field. Paden was going to take them with the Lyra shuttle.
Quade glanced at Akira, but neither of them protested. The Lyra didn't belong to Oriel and neither did its shuttles – nor was Paden part of the expedition team. Donte worked for Marlin, though. Was that the way she saw it?
When Marlin asked Lori about the use of the waterfall in the cavern for power, she had been deliberately vague. Wasn't that cavern currently Donte's project? If the cavern was a frequent water supply for the Opus Natives, it might disrupt their lives – or Donte's plans to communicate with them. Was that her intent? Marlin hadn't pressed the issue. She said she could look at that idea later.
Donte and Rianne; now there was a mysterious topic. What was going on between those two? At supper there wasn't enough table space for everyone, so Donte and Saar took their plates and squatted down by the wall. Rianne filled her plate and sat down on the floor beside Donte. If the way they looked at each other was any indication, they wanted to get back together – and not merely as coworkers. Someone needed to lock the two of them in a room together and not let them out until they resolved their problems.
Marlin's baby was the first to be born on Opus. How many of these people would stay on Opus? Donte had a well-established colony longing for his return. Marlin had a mother and father who surely wouldn't want to miss out on a grandbaby or their daughter. Dr. Oriana had a practice on the medical spaceship Taurus. Traci was already homesick. She was a good worker, but this wasn't the vacation she had expected. The accident with Marlin and Donte had opened her eyes to that. Chandler was hard to figure. He spent a lot of time with Donte and Saar when they were at the camp. David was clearly enjoying the primitive environment with all its undocumented plant life. Would he stay? Lori had no particular reason to go back. There was no one waiting for her. She had spent a lot of time working on fundraisers for one thing or another, but here on Opus her assistance to the colonists could be direct. She liked that idea.
Andras was a young good-looking man, yet he was setting himself up for a lifetime – in his case, three or four hundred years – on a spaceship. He was going to make a good commander, but she didn't like the way he had bullied Captain McKillum. He had only been there minutes before trying to take over the rescue. Then again, the Spero had been unsuccessful in three weeks and Andras' father was involved. As it turned out, their rescue was barely in time.
What mattered most was that Donte and Marlin had been rescued. Captain McKillum could defend himself if he was of a mind to. The truth was that he probably felt guilty about how long it took them. He shouldn't. Andras had an unfair advantage. Andras said he would put a word in for Captain McKillum. If he was anything like his father, he had probably already done that.
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