The Amelioration Expedition
Chapter 6
Donte stood in the hallway for a moment, watching as Marlin walked away. She didn't like him. That much was clear. Not that he blamed her, but it wasn't necessary for her to like him in order to work with him. Had he sensed that she was going to fall or that he was – or both of them?
He turned and walked to Dr. Oriana's door and knocked on it. He had no idea why she had invited him there.
Dr. Oriana opened the door and motioned him inside. "I intended to get you and Marlin in here together so that we could clear up some problems. Instead, I managed to insult her before you got here."
He frowned. "I doubt getting us together in the same room would have resolved anything. What was your purpose?"
She shrugged. "I figured by now you were regretting signing on. She has been relentless. I apologize."
"There is no need to apologize. She needs to get this out of her system. She doesn't like me. She's entitled. If and when it becomes necessary, I am perfectly capable of defending myself."
Dr. Oriana blushed. "I know that, but...." She shrugged again. "All the inferences that you aren't completely human are making everyone uncomfortable."
Donte smiled. "Dr. Oriana, I am not completely human. We all know that. It troubles me more that you all feel uncomfortable about stating the obvious – as if there was something wrong with it."
Dr. Oriana's blush deepened. "You are human. Sure, you have some animal genes, but…."
"I'm a Mascot," Donte said firmly. "I'm neither ashamed nor proud of it. It's what I am. I never understood why it was necessary to prove I was human. I'm neither a pet nor food…I hope…so I don't know why Fontalo thought they had a reason to confine or kill me."
"No one knew what we were dealing with. We thought Mascots were beasts. Once the populace realized that wasn't the case…." She paused as Donte lifted a brow.
He shook his head. "Captain Pacilio was trying to destroy evidence. He wasn't alone in that mission. Fontalo sent him and defended him in a court of law."
"Yes, it was corrupt. Still, everyone at Fontalo didn't feel that way…not when they realized you were actually human and no threat to the colonists. But that was twenty years ago. Things are different now."
He nodded. "I hope so." He sighed. "Call me Donte or a Mascot. I am both. Don't validate her insults by pretending that I'm completely human."
***
Dr. Oriana felt embarrassed. Donte was right. He had no reason to feel ashamed of what or who he was. Denying it was insinuating that he was an inferior human. He certainly wasn't that. Obviously even Fontalo thought he was superior. She looked up at him.
"I'm sorry. You're absolutely right. It isn't that we thought you were inferior. We just thought you would get the idea we believed that."
He shook his head. "You invited me on this expedition. You welcome me and talk to me as you do each other. Marlin has a lot going on right now. She'll get over it."
Dr. Oriana wasn't so sure. Marlin was a stubborn woman, and spoiled. Still, they should let Donte work this out. He probably had a lot of experience at this kind of thing. He certainly had a healthy perspective on it. It was comforting to know he recognized that he was both welcome and admired by everyone in the expedition…except Marlin. He had more patience for that situation than she did. Donte was willing to wait for Marlin to grow up. Hopefully she would. She glanced up as Donte spoke again.
"I wish I understood more about her psychic abilities. I have a feeling that we are intended to work together."
Donte wasn't asking for more information about psychics. What he wanted was cooperation from Marlin. She could request that Marlin treat Donte with more respect, but Donte's intuition about them working together had nothing to do with the expedition.
"I wish I could help with that, but I'm not exactly her best friend right now and we can't make policy on things like that. I can instruct her to be more respectful of you, but I'm afraid that would only make her less willing to cooperate."
Donte smiled. "I have a feeling you're right. Maybe I should stay out of her way for a while."
"I don't think she'd find that to her liking either. Apparently, she has been suffering from morning sickness and hasn't told anyone."
Donte nodded. "Oh, I see. Well, I can certainly help her in that area."
Dr. Oriana chuckled. "She is doing everything in her power to make you miserable, but the minute you realize she is suffering, you're ready to help her."
Donte looked down and grimaced. "Apparently that's not a good thing."
"It's a rare and good quality, Donte. It's one of the reasons so many people adore you."
His gaze lifted to hers. "But maybe not the best quality for a mate."
She met his gaze. "Especially for a mate. You had over thirty good years with her, didn't you? That's a long time…." Warmth flooded her face. "It is for us, anyway."
His smile was sad. "Except I don't have any way of knowing if she was happy all that time, do I? She left as soon as our youngest left home. Maybe she only stayed with me because of the children. It pains me to think that she was unhappy and I was too self-centered to realize it."
So that was it. How did a person answer that kind of question? Maybe there was no answer that she could give him. Rianne needed to talk to him. Dr. Oriana had a feeling that Rianne didn't know what he was thinking, and that if she did, she would set him straight. She was tempted to send Rianne a message.
"You're not self-centered, Donte."
It was all she could think of to say and it stayed on her mind long after he left her chamber. Donte still loved Rianne. Of that she had no doubt. Yes, it had been twenty years since she had seen Rianne, but she couldn't think of her as any way other than in love with Donte. Donte hadn't changed. Had Rianne changed?
***
Marlin kept looking up to see if Donte was watching her at breakfast. Dr. Oriana must have talked to him and told him to stop staring at her, because he was never looking at her. She felt a little guilty about the way she had been talking to him. Maybe Dr. Oriana was right and he was simply good at masking his emotions. Maybe he simply wasn't sensitive about not being human. There were lots of Mascots on Purlieu – and lots of colonists who worshiped Donte. That thought brought to mind the man who had actually bowed to Donte. How often did that happen? He didn't appear to expect anyone on the Spero to bow to him. He treated them all the same, regardless of rank. He was certainly a strange one.
While Donte no longer stared at her, she often turned to find him near her. He was always talking to someone or busy with something, though, so she found something to occupy her time so she could remain close enough to get the benefit of his pheromones. Sometimes when she was feeling nauseous, she would search for him. He was never difficult to find and she was always careful to busy herself with something so she wasn't bothering him. He never gave any indication that he was aware of what she was doing.
The remaining weeks of the trip were uneventful and everyone was excited to see Opus on the monitor. When they reached Opus, they spent most of the first day in a room studying maps and comparing them to images the crew of Spero was taking of the planet. It was immediately apparent to Marlin that Donte was in his element. Captain McKillum was obviously impressed with his knowledge of the planet.
"If I didn't know better," Captain McKillum finally said to Donte, "I'd think you had already been on Opus,"
Donte glanced up at him from the map. "I've never been on it, but our ships have used it for practice. No one has ever landed on it. My son was here several years ago and he told me a lot about it. We have maps of it on all our spaceships and I have…had one in my office at the Groot Thuis."
Marlin stared at him. He tossed out the information as if it was nothing important. Why hadn't they invited his son?
Dr. Oriana finally found her voice. "I didn't know that. Was it Andras?"
Donte nodded and returned his attention to the map, running his finger along a course without touching the map. "Right through here there is a deep channel." He glanced up at Lori. "It has a swift current that you might be able to use for harnessing energy."
Lori nodded. "What about life in the oceans?"
"They have seen large fish, but the airships are usually traveling so fast that it would be difficult to spot anything, let alone examine it. In any case, that wasn't their mission."
Captain McKillum lifted a brow. "If it's not confidential information, exactly what was their mission?"
Donte shrugged. "I wasn't their commander, so I don't know exactly, but they were practicing with airships. When I was serving on the Moeder, we made practice runs on Purlieu – as if defending it."
Captain McKillum glanced at Dr. Oriana, giving her a pleased smile before he turned back to Donte. "So, along with all your other skills, you're an experienced pilot."
Donte met his gaze. "I was a commander. I usually led the training flights. But that was years ago. We have many experienced pilots on the spaceships and on Purlieu."
Captain McKillum frowned. "So, you're out of practice?"
Donte's smile was sudden and beguiling. "A Mascot doesn't lose skills and we usually learn from being shown once."
Dr. Oriana sighed. "There were so many things lost when Fontalo destroyed the records. I keep thinking how we could have applied some of those things to improve others – not simply make them live longer, but to make their lives more meaningful."
Donte looked straight at Marlin. "Life can only be meaningful if we make it that way. There are no special genes for that."
Marlin wasn't sure why he was singling her out for that information. It applied to everyone – and it wasn't anything they didn't already know.
Donte left the subject when he glanced at David and pointed at the map. "There are some unusual land formations as you go through this area, and thick vegetation below them. As you move along here, there is an open area, a little like a river bed, but they have never observed water in it."
"Is that where you want to land the expedition?" Captain McKillum asked.
Donte looked at Dr. Oriana. "I would suggest over here where our airships have indicated a solid rock foundation."
Dr. Oriana nodded. No one was questioning his direction. Of course, he appeared to have more knowledge of the planet than any of them. How did it happen that no one was aware of that fact until now?
Donte straightened. "I'd like to take an airship down to scout it out before we land a shuttle. Would that be possible?"
Gerritt had told them to give Donte anything he wanted. Dr. Oriana was the expedition leader, but it appeared that Donte was taking over. Dr. Oriana didn't offer any resistance when she addressed Captain McKillum.
"That sounds like an excellent idea. I'd like to go. I know the airship can only hold four people."
Donte looked at Marlin. "I'd like to take Marlin."
Marlin's jaw dropped. Of all the qualified people they had, she couldn't imagine why he would select her. Every eye in the room dropped to her swollen middle.
Captain McKillum turned to Dr. Oriana. "Do you think that's advisable in her condition?"
Dr. Oriana shrugged. "I can't see how it would hurt." She looked at Donte, probably wondering why he had requested Marlin specifically, but she didn't ask.
Donte lifted his brows at Dr. Oriana. "What about David?"
David was agreeable and Dr. Oriana had no objections, so they had their four-member team for first contact.
***
After the meeting, Chandler was in the dining area when Lori and Traci arrived. Traci gave Chandler a sour smile.
"I guess we know who the important ones are on this mission – though I shouldn't be surprised that one of them is Marlin."
Chandler had to admit that he had felt excluded during the meeting, and he did wonder why Donte had chosen Marlin instead of one of the others. He was certain that he hadn't chosen her because she was Arlo's daughter. Considering all the things he had heard about Donte, and all the things he had observed, he was certain Donte wasn't concerned about pleasing Fontalo or its CEO. It had crossed his mind a few times that Donte's interest in Marlin might be of the romantic kind.
Chandler shrugged. "Well, the airship will only hold four people; and Dr. Oriana is the leader. Donte was talking about rock formations, and David is a geologist."
Lori grabbed a tray. "I'm surprised he knows what a geologist does."
Traci looked from Lori to Chandler. "Why wouldn't he know?"
"They don't have geologists on Purlieu." Lori looked at Chandler. "Or Archeologists or paleontologists."
Chandler rubbed his jaw. "I doubt they have photographers either, but that doesn't mean he doesn't know what they are." Lori was probably wondering why Donte selected David instead of her, since they both specialized in geology. He shrugged again. "As I said; the air ship will only hold four people, so some of us had to be left behind. We're all going on the shuttle. He probably wants to get a better idea where to land the shuttle safely."
Traci sighed as she reached for a tray. "Donte is intelligent and curious. I'm sure he's absorbed every detail we have offered all this time." She stopped and frowned. "He said that Mascots learn after being told once and they don't forget. Do you suppose all the Mascots have eidetic memories?"
It was a good question. It was a phenomenon that was almost exclusively found in children between ages six and twelve. "Total recall is rare. For all Mascots to be that way, it would almost have to be a result of Fontalo's tinkering with genetics."
Traci grimaced. "Don't tell Marlin that."
Lori finished filling her tray and turned to a table, speaking over her shoulder. "Actually, I think Marlin accepts the fact that Fontalo illegally altered humans. She just feels that her grandfather wasn't responsible for it." She considered it a moment. "He wasn't. In that way, he was innocent."
Traci followed Lori to the table. "That's true. He only tried to kill a 4-year-old boy; and Marlin doesn't believe that. Donte has an eidetic memory and Marlin has selective memory. Aren't they an interesting pair?"
Chandler filled his tray and was considering sitting at a different table when Dr. Oriana entered the room. Her presence would squelch the crucifixion of Marlin. Marlin's negative attitude had alienated her from most of the expedition members, but he couldn't fault her for defending her deceased grandfather. Insulting Donte wasn't going to help matters, but she appeared to be letting up in that area. When they landed on Opus and started the expedition, their minds would all be otherwise occupied. They were six months tired of being confined to a spaceship and everyone was on edge.
***
Marlin was ready early the next morning. Their group boarded the airship and left the Spero. Donte brought the airship into the atmosphere of Opus with very little bumping. Marlin didn't know anything about flying an airship, but Dr. Oriana could fly and she lifted her brows at Donte.
"That's the smoothest entry I've ever experienced."
He glanced at her. "Thank you. This is one area where Mascots have a distinct advantage over humans. Flying an airship requires a number of skills that were specifically targeted in our genetics."
It was the first time Marlin had heard him refer to himself as other than human and it gave her a strange feeling. Was this why he had never reacted to her taunts – because he knew he wasn't human? If he knew, then wasn't the trial a farce?
They came out of some clouds over an ocean. Donte quickly brought the ship down close enough that they could see deep into the water. It occurred to Marlin that he might be looking for obstacles. This looked like the channel he had spoken of. Occasionally they saw schools of what looked like fish. The airship was moving fast, but they could see for a long way.
Donte slowed as the airship approached land, but they were still flying fast and low. Marlin looked at Dr. Oriana but she was watching Donte expectantly. They were approaching a large arch of rock with a waterfall below it. Donte neither slowed nor gained altitude. Instead, he flew under the arch, between rocks and trees.
David looked at Marlin and Dr. Oriana, his brows scrambling for the safety of his hairline. Dr. Oriana smiled and looked at Donte. If he was trying to show off, his expression gave no clue of it. He was concentrating on flying, as if going any higher wasn't safe.
Finally, he brought the airship farther from the ground. He glanced at Dr. Oriana and smiled. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to frighten you."
"What were you doing?" she asked.
"I was trying to detect life forms."
"Well, did you?"
He shook his head. "No."
He said nothing more and Dr. Oriana didn't ask. Marlin kept her mouth shut. She had a multitude of questions, but she'd rather do it in privacy when they got back to the ship than out here where he could dump her out of the ship. It struck her that he held their lives in his hands. It was a frightening thought. She glanced up to find Dr. Oriana watching her.
She smiled. "Don't worry. That's another thing Mascots were programmed for – protecting the colonists."
"I'm not a colonist."
Donte glanced up at her in the large mirror over the display. His smile was wry as he spoke. "Aren't you?"
"No. I'm an expedition member."
"You've never thought about being a colonist?"
She stared at him for a minute. Somehow, he knew. She frowned. Could he read her mind? "Not in this condition." She finally answered.
No one wanted to touch that conversation, so they were silent until Donte circled over the area where he had indicated they could land the shuttle.
"I think we should leave someone with the shuttle when we explore," Donte said.
Dr. Oriana gave him a suspicious look. "What are you expecting to find?"
"I don't know. We don't know what kind of life is on the planet. We need to be cautious."
David looked at Dr. Oriana. "What makes you think there is any life?"
Donte smiled. "We have flown over a diverse forest. We know there is life."
David nodded. "True, but there may not be any animal life – other than the fish."
Donte said nothing more about the subject. He piloted the airship to other possible landing sites and used the same method in each instance. He circled high so they could observe the surrounding terrain and then, like a bird, swooped lower for a closer look.
Marlin was perplexed by one thing in particular. She had never seen this planet or anything like it as far as she could remember, but she felt comforted – as if returning home after a long absence.
It was a beautiful planet in a wild and unsettling way. There were bluffs layered in colors erupting from pea green foliage. Most of the tree trunks were white. It was impossible to determine what kind of leaves they had. There were lakes with pink water, but no rivers or creeks that they saw.
At one point they flew over a high mesa and Marlin looked down. Something was moving on the mesa. As she tried to focus, she was consumed by a feeling that someone was watching her. She glanced at Donte, but his attention was focused on the mesa. He turned the airship away and began gaining elevation.
He glanced at Marlin. "Did you feel it?"
Everyone turned and looked at her.
She frowned. "Feel what?"
He smiled. "Exactly."
He didn't think she had sensed something. He knew she had. No doubt he had as well. Was that why he wanted her along? What was down there and was it safe for them to explore? She had a feeling Donte knew the answer – or at least part of it.
Up to this point, Donte had the advantage. He was using her effectively. Why wasn't she using him? She closed her eyes and concentrated on him. Once again, she felt as if she were falling. She opened her eyes and found him watching her. She had reached him with very little effort. One thing was clear. Donte had done this before – only with Celyn? Marlin had been able to detect things about other people, but it had taken a lot more time and effort, and they rarely knew she was probing them. Donte knew. But then, Donte wasn't human. Still, she had never been able to contact animals before. It was like reading a lion…or was it? Donte was only part animal. Which part was she reading – and why was he so interested in her psychic ability?
Soft Science Fiction
