The Amelioration Expedition
Chapter 30
Marlin was upset when the shuttle returned with one of the primates. They had risked their lives to take the females home - only to bring another one back? What annoyed her most was the fact that they made the decision without consulting anyone. Donte was teaching Chandler bad habits. They had already lost two days of work because Donte decided to take the female primates home. He was beginning to hamper their progress. Something needed to be done, so she took him aside and privately talked to him about it.
"Why didn't you contact me for permission to bring a primate back?"
Donte looked surprised. "I didn't think you would mind. He wanted to come back with us, and I thought it was a good opportunity to learn about the primates."
She rolled her eyes. "How did you determine that he wanted to come with you when you can't speak a word of their language?"
Donte's eyes expressed humor. "When he tried to climb into the shuttle with us, we leaped to the conclusion that he wanted to come with us."
It was impossible to remain upset with him and she couldn't help but laugh. She shook her head. "Next time ask for permission."
He sobered. "I apologize."
"Where is he going to sleep? We don't know that he wasn't sent as a spy."
"He can sleep in the tent with Rianne and me. I'll keep an eye on him."
Marlin gave him a sour look. "So now you're taking Rianne from me."
Donte lifted a brow. "Do you want her days or nights – or is she supposed to be working all the time?"
Warmth rushed up Marlin's neck. "We never discussed hours. You didn't even want her to come with us, so I can't see what difference it makes if she spends all her time in the building. Suddenly you want to share a bed with her, so…"
His lips thinned and his eyes flashed a warning. "Rianne is my mate. What we do on our time off is private. I realize, being from Oriel, you can't be expected to understand our customs, but talking about intimacy between couples is considered to be in bad taste in Bergen."
"You're not in Bergen. This is Opus and the laws of Oriel apply here, not the laws of Bergen. Everyone keeps making allowances for you and now you're costing us time we can't afford by running off on your own to do things your way. I'm beginning to understand why your grandfather had so much trouble with you."
For a moment he stared down at her, his expression unreadable. Without another word he turned and left the room.
Marlin followed him into the great room, where Rianne was changing Gezant's diaper. Rianne put the diaper in the bucket and lifted Gezant as she watched Donte walk out the door. She walked across the room and handed Gezant to Marlin. She turned and followed Donte.
Apparently, their conversation hadn't been as private as she thought. Maybe she had been talking too loudly. She looked down at Gezant. She shouldn't have said anything about his grandfather – or Rianne. Donte was right. She was interfering in his private life. She might have talked her way out of a considerable amount of help.
***
Donte left Marlin staring after him. He shouldn't have walked away from her that way – like he walked away from his grandfather. After all these years, how could the memory still be so painful? That wasn't the only part that bothered him. He'd had only one night with Rianne in the last six months. It wasn't as though they were having a sordid affair. First Rianne left him and now Marlin resented the idea of them being together. Maybe he shouldn't have accepted this job. Maybe he should take Rianne and his troops and leave the expedition to do whatever it was they wanted to do.
He couldn't do that. Dr. Oriana had said he didn't have to stay long and Marlin hadn't set a time table for his assistance. Still, if they left now, it would put everyone in a bind. What he needed to do was what he was told to do. It wasn't Marlin's fault that he was acting like a ruler instead of her subordinate.
He walked straight to his tent and sat down on the bunk, head in his hands. Seconds later Rianne came in and found him that way. She sat on the bunk beside him and put an arm around his shoulders.
"She doesn't understand, Donte."
He nodded. "I know. I'm the one with the problem. I can't seem to do anything right."
Rianne smiled. "You're used to giving orders, not taking them."
"I'm being stubborn and insubordinate – like I was with Pieter."
"Maybe, but I suspect part of the problem is that she feels her integrity is being threatened."
Donte stared at her. "By what?"
"She has been given a difficult position. If she fails, she will look bad in her father's eyes, in Dr. Oriana's and in yours."
He doubted Marlin cared what he thought about her, but Rianne was probably right about Dr. Oriana and Marlin's father.
He sighed. "I'm trying to do everything I can to make the colonization a success."
"Yes, you are. And if it is a success, who do you think will get the credit?"
She was right, of course. Wasn't she always? He stood and took her hand. She left the bunk and came into his arms in one smooth motion. He kissed her lips and held her tight. "I'm so glad you're back in my life. I don't want to lose you again. I don't think I could go through that again."
She drew back and looked up at him. "I don't know if I could go through it again either. I think I went temporarily insane. I don't think there is a chance that I will ever leave you again, but I promise you that I will never walk out on you like that without talking to you again. It was the most cowardly and disgusting thing I've ever done in my life and I'm thoroughly ashamed of what I did."
He cupped her face in his hands and looked into her eyes. "No one is strong all the time, Rianne. For thirty years you were by my side no matter what happened. I have forgiven you and I hope you have forgiven me."
She stretched up on her toes and kissed his lips. "You have done nothing to forgive."
She sighed and glanced around the tent. "I think we're going to need a bigger bed."
He chuckled. "I'm sure we can make arrangements."
***
Gezant was asleep in her basket and Marlin was sitting at the table working on plans for a lab at the new building site when Rianne returned. She sat down at the table across from Marlin.
Marlin looked at Rianne. "I shouldn't have said anything about his relationship with his grandfather."
"It's probably true, but that doesn't stop it from hurting. He loved Pieter and when he named someone else as his second before he died, it left a deep scar. I don't think Donte even understands that."
Marlin stared at her. "His grandfather named someone else? Why?"
Rianne shrugged. "Donte was inexperienced and insubordinate at times. Pieter didn't believe in the prophecy and thought Donte was being distracted by it. But I think mostly because in the end, Pieter was losing his mind."
"Because of the serum Fontalo gave them."
"Indirectly. His health was failing and I think that was affecting his mind."
"So how did Donte wind up being the Ruler?"
"The cabinet didn't agree with Pieter. They overrode his last request."
It was all news to Marlin. It certainly wasn't in the history books. "Donte never says anything when I hurt him. He just walks away."
Rianne nodded. "He wants to think about it."
"I wish I had thought about it before I spoke."
Rianne smiled. "He'll get over it." She was silent a moment. "Gezant is old enough now that I don't think you need me at night."
Marlin wasn't going to get into that conversation again. She had become so dependent on Rianne that she didn't even consider how it might affect Rianne and Donte's relationship. Obviously, it was important enough to them that they both made it top priority.
"You're right, of course, but the more important issue here is that I have taken you for granted. I didn't intend to do that. I was thinking only of my needs."
Rianne patted her hand. "Considering all you've been through and all the responsibility that has been handed to you, it's no wonder that you're feeling overwhelmed. For whatever it's worth, I think you've done an admirable job so far. I'll…we'll both be there for you."
Marlin hadn't thought about it before, but she was feeling a little overwhelmed. She needed to start thinking before she said things to Donte - or anyone else. What she did was both unprofessional and ineffective. Donte was more experienced and she should be trying to learn from him.
She smiled. "Thank you."
Marlin had enough to do without worrying about the primate now staying with them, so she let Donte take care of him. Gerk was curious about everything they did. Gradually, Gerk began learning their language and teaching them his. His language was basic, with a limited vocabulary. It was probably easier for them to learn his language than for him to learn theirs. After a few weeks, they were actually able to have conversations with him.
When Dr. Oriana went out on field trips with Donte, he took Gerk and Saar with them. When Donte worked with Marlin, Gerk joined them there as well. Gerk slept in the tent with Rianne and Donte and, unless directed to do otherwise, could generally be found wherever Donte was. If Donte sensed other primates, he never said anything about it and the hostile primates never returned.
Marlin had not said anything to Dr. Oriana about the new lab. When it was completed, if Dr. Oriana didn't want to move, they could use it for something else. The male primates that had been chasing the females had not been seen, but Donte believed they were still out there. He always left guards, which kept them short of help. Still, the building progressed faster than she would have thought possible. The walls were complete and the roof and floor structures were in place. They were now conducting the tedious task of sawing planks for the floors and shingles for the roof. The lab was built off the back of the building, where there was a door.
At the rate they were going, the main building would be complete in a couple weeks and they could start on the outbuildings. If they stayed on schedule, they would have everything ready when the colonists arrived.
One day Paden brought her a beautiful cradle made of polished wood. It had a soft blanket folded on the bottom to make a thick mattress. He said Famke and Joep had built it for Gezant. "Thank you" hardly seemed enough, but she had nothing more to offer. Later, when she talked to Donte about it, he said they couldn't have children and it probably gave them pleasure to build the cradle for her.
They couldn't have children because of what Fontalo had done to them, and yet they didn't resent her, even though she represented Fontalo. She was continually amazed at the compassion Mascots possessed.
***
At first, Dr. Oriana had been annoyed that Donte brought the primate with him on their field trips, but after a while she began to think of the primate as a man. Gerk appeared to be a middle-aged primate. He had gray hair sprinkled through the hair on his body, the way the older female primate did. His arms were longer and his legs shorter than the humans, but he walked upright all the time. His skin was dark and his eyes were amber with elongated pupils. When she looked into his eyes, Dr. Oriana thought she saw intelligence. Chandler had discussed the difference in the location of the great toe with her. He thought the aggressive primates might be more evolved than Gerk's group. That might be true, or the primates of Opus may have evolved differently than those on Oriel. Regardless of which group was more evolved or more intelligent, the groups were obviously different. To Chandler's way of thinking, the differences indicated that the females might have been captives. On Oriel, humans held apes captive. Usually, they were apes that had been orphaned and raised by humans. Still, was it so different for primates on Opus to hold less evolved primates captive?
Several times when they were on field trips, Donte sensed a lion. Whether it was the same one they had seen previously; it was unaware of their presence; or it was discouraged by their numbers was unclear, but the lion never came close to them. At one point, when Donte spotted a lion, Gerk made a squealing noise that Dr. Oriana decided must be a call of alarm. He calmed down when the lion ignored them.
One day they found a half-eaten equine with a baby nearby. It took a while for Donte to get close, but he finally captured it. Fortunately, they were on their way back to the shuttle, because Donte carried it all the way. Gerk kept grinning and appeared to be teasing Donte. Donte thought he was calling him the equine's mother. The teasing seemed to be good-natured and Donte accepted it with a cheerful smile. Apparently, the primates didn't hold other animals captive – only primates.
Donte kept the equine in an enclosure they made for a few weeks and fed him a formula that Lori and Chandler created. After that, a primate and an equine followed Donte around everywhere he went. It was comical.
It was Saar who finally named the equine filly Shadow. She stayed at the camp while they went on their field trips, but Donte took her with him when they all worked at Marlin's Castle. Shadow leaped into the shuttle with him as if all equines did that.
Dr. Oriana didn't see much of Marlin. She was gone every day to the building site and when they returned, she and Rianne were always busy with plans. Marlin usually had Gezant in her lap as she worked. She was spending more time with her daughter and appeared to be enjoying it more all the time. Without a doubt, everyone was becoming attached to Gezant.
One day Marlin invited Dr. Oriana to go to the building site with them. Marlin didn't say why she wanted her to go, but Dr. Oriana assumed the main building was complete and she wanted her to see it. With all the help she had, Dr. Oriana was ahead of schedule, so she decided to go.
As they approached the main building, Dr. Oriana was amazed at the amount of work that had been completed. The main building was complete and they were working on several outbuildings and corrals.
After they landed, Marlin led her to the main building and opened the heavy door. It swung in on hinges that Marlin said she had requested before they left Oriel. That must have been a big moment for her.
Inside, the wood floor was smooth and polished with oil that Lori and Traci had extracted from plants on Opus. It was beautiful, as was the staircase that took them upstairs to several rooms lined with bunks. Marlin took her downstairs and across an open area.
"We thought we could put cots down here until the colonists established their own living quarters. It will be crowded, but I think we can handle them all. We are clearing an area for tents so families can be together. There will be a wall around it to protect them from lions or…whatever."
They walked into a kitchen large enough to accommodate several tables. Dr. Oriana was surprised to see a large wood cook stove in the corner. She looked at Marlin.
"You had that transported as well?"
Marlin smiled. "Yes, doesn't it look nice?"
She looked proud and she had every right to be. "It will be so much nicer than the camp stove we have been using at the base camp." Compared to the base camp, the station was indeed Marlin's Castle.
Marlin laughed and led her through a door off the kitchen. "I didn't initially plan this, but I decided later that it might be the perfect place to put your lab." She looked anxious. "I thought it might be safer if we were all here together."
So, this was why Marlin invited her. It was larger than the room they had at the cabin, and much nicer. There was one essential part missing, though.
"It's nice, but we need electricity."
Marlin nodded. "Donte's troops gave us their solar panel to use for the Lab. Donte said he would ask Purlieu to send us a few more for the building." Her face flushed and she looked away. "I don't know why I didn't think of that…maybe because I didn't know how to hook it up."
Dr. Oriana smiled. "I am amazed at what you did think to bring – everything but the kitchen…." She paused and stepped back into the kitchen to make sure it didn't have a sink.
Marlin laughed. "I'm afraid we'll have to continue using containers and haul water until we can get some plumbing supplies. The few pipes we had were used at the base camp. Dad said they have more on the cargo ship. We didn't have the equipment to determine where we should put a well, but we do have a Donte, and a geologist. They are planning to dig a well. Meanwhile, we have containers for water from the little lake."
"Donte can sense where there is water?"
Marlin grimaced. "I wish I had believed that before we fell into the river."
Dr. Oriana didn't want to discuss that fiasco. She looked around the room and sighed. "It would certainly make more sense for us all to be here instead of burning up fuel going back and forth…and it would be much safer." She lifted a brow at Marlin. "So, when did you plan on making the move?"
Marlin's smile was victorious. "At your convenience – we don't want to disrupt your work."
Dr. Oriana shrugged. "One time is as good as another. It will be disrupted, but for a good cause."
"Great! Then we can get started tomorrow?"
"It sounds good to me."
Soft Science Fiction
