The Amelioration Expedition
Chapter 8
For three days they used the same method. Their sample packs were getting full when Dr. Oriana announced that they were going back to the spaceship that evening so that they could use the lab.
Marlin had been staying close to Donte all morning, so she noticed when he suddenly appeared alert. At first, he didn't say anything, but after a few minutes he stepped aside and motioned them to move ahead. Marlin was certain he was trying to put himself between them and danger. He tapped his medallion and spoke to someone. It wasn't Dr. Oriana, so it must have been the shuttle pilot. She wasn't close enough to hear what he was saying.
Dr. Oriana took her arm. "Come on. We're going to climb up to that mesa where the shuttle can land."
Marlin looked back at Donte. "But we can't leave him here."
Dr. Oriana reached back for Traci. "Donte will follow us. Come on Traci. Keep moving."
None of them wanted to leave Donte behind, but they followed Dr. Oriana's instruction. When they were almost to the top, Marlin looked back to see Donte following them up the bluff. He was staying far enough behind them to protect them from something. He had sensed animals every day, but had never reacted this way.
As they reached the top, the shuttle came in and landed. Only then did Donte join them. Dr. Oriana went to him.
"What was it?"
Donte shook his head, a bewildered expression on his face. "I don't know. Something…several of them watching us."
"Stalking us?"
He was silent a moment, still alert. His attention was fixed on an area below them. He walked to the edge of the mesa and squatted, watching the forest.
This was why Dr. Oriana had wanted him on the team. None of them had been aware of anything, and wouldn't have been until it was too late.
Donte stood and returned to the group. "They're gone."
"Did you sense that they were going to harm us," Dr. Oriana asked.
Donte turned and looked at the forest again. "No…I think they were curious – maybe frightened."
"Maybe something like deer?" Traci suggested.
Donte shook his head. "No." He turned and looked at Traci. "I can't explain it."
"But you felt we were being threatened." Dr. Oriana said.
"I don't know. It didn't feel right."
Dr. Oriana nodded. "That's good enough for me." She turned to the others. "We were going to leave in a few hours anyway. We might as well go now. We'll come back in a few days and start again from this spot."
Nothing more was said about whatever it was Donte had sensed until they were eating their evening meal. Donte had joined them in the dining room wearing what Marlin would have described as casual clothes. He wore a light blue shirt that looked like some kind of knit and light gray trousers. It was the first time Marlin had seen him in short sleeves. His arms were muscular and his skin had a golden tone. She might not have noticed what he was wearing if he hadn't looked so good. She might not have noticed that everyone in the room was watching him if she hadn't been the farthest away from him when he entered the room. He accepted a tray from the woman behind the counter and sauntered over to them with his usual grace. He pulled back a chair opposite Marlin and placed his tray on the table. He smiled at them as he sat in a chair and scooted it close to the table.
"I don't know about all of you, but I'm hungry."
His comment made them all aware they were staring at him. Dr. Oriana cleared her throat. "It was a long three days. I imagine we'll all sleep well tonight."
Traci blushed. "Donte, you look refreshed. How do you manage that after all you've been through today?"
Donte looked surprised. "I haven't been through any more than the rest of you."
Chandler looked up from his tray. "Not physically…maybe, but you certainly did more than your share in other areas. How did you know they were out there? Exactly what did you feel?"
All eyes were still on Donte, but they were no longer admiring his physique. Donte shrugged. "I don't know how I did it. I've been that way ever since I can remember. I know when something is near." He frowned; his expression distant as he searched for a way to describe what he felt. "It's a presence." His gaze sought Marlin. "Like you feel before you look up and find someone watching you…only stronger." He shifted his attention to the others. "On Purlieu, I can usually identify the presence. I know which species and whether its intent is harm or otherwise. On Opus, I couldn't do that. I only knew there were several of them and they were close…watching us. I felt fear mingled with curiosity. It wasn't the same as when I sensed the other animals. I don't know how to explain it. I've never sensed anything like that before."
Dr. Oriana sipped her drink. "Was it the fact that you couldn't define it that spooked you or something else?"
Donte shook his head. "I wasn't spooked. If I had been alone, I probably would have tried to find them. I was intrigued – and curious. I was also concerned for the safety of the expedition members. Since I couldn't analyze their emotions or identify what they were, I couldn't be sure that you weren't in danger."
Dr. Oriana set her cup down methodically, and studied Donte. "No more of this hanging back and taking all the risks. That wasn't why I asked you to come with us. Your life is as important as any of ours. When we are out there, you are not a Mascot and we are not the colonists you were created to protect. We are all equal members of the same team."
Donte met her gaze. "I can do things that you cannot – because I'm a Mascot. We are not equal. I can run faster, leap higher and last longer than any of you. I needed you to go ahead of me so that you were not in my way if I needed to do any of those things. I need you to do as I say when I say."
For a moment Donte and Dr. Oriana stared at each other, neither willing to surrender, but it was Dr. Oriana who finally conceded.
"All right. I see your point, but I hope you realize how much trouble we will be in if something happens to you."
Donte glanced at each of them before his attention returned to Dr. Oriana. "If something happens to me, contact Purlieu and let them decide what to do. Don't risk your lives trying to rescue me. I understand the risks I am taking and I accept them. In most situations my odds of survival are better than any of yours. This is what mascots were created to do."
For a few minutes everyone was silent. David finally leaned back in his chair and looked at Donte. "That's quite a responsibility to bear for several hundred years."
"Yes it is," Traci said. "Fontalo may have created you for that purpose, but that doesn't mean you are expected to perform the rest of your life. You are free to do as you wish, just like the rest of us."
Donte nodded. "I chose to do this. It will be more difficult and dangerous for me if you are reluctant to accept it."
Marlin had heard enough. "Well, I don't accept it. I appreciate that you want to protect us, but we have the right to defend ourselves as we see fit. I, for one, don't intend to become dependent on you. That isn't why any of us came here. Dr. Oriana is the expedition leader and Captain McKillum is in charge of the shuttle. Whether or not something happens to you, they are in charge, not you."
Donte's stern gaze fell on her, trying to melt her spine. She wasn't going to let him take over the way the others were. She stood. "And I can carry my own back pack!" She turned and walked out of the room. She wasn't hungry at the moment and she wasn't sure she wouldn't cry.
***
Dr. Oriana watched Marlin stomp out of the room and wondered if all expeditions had this kind of problem or only those with Mascots and spoiled daughters. She turned back to find Donte watching her. He smiled.
"I'm afraid she is probably right. I managed to make this about me."
Maybe he had but she was the one who had let it get out of control. As Marlin had so rudely pointed out, she was the leader and she had allowed Donte to take charge. She sighed.
"No, I'm the one who let things get out of control. I'm sure she could have found a kinder way to say it, but she was right about one thing. I am the expedition leader."
Donte nodded. "I see a lot of potential leadership in Marlin."
It was news to Dr. Oriana. What she saw was a self-centered immature girl. But wait. Hadn't Donte described himself as self-centered?
Chandler leaned forward with interest and looked at Donte. "I guess you would know what it takes to be a leader." His tone issued an invitation that Donte accepted.
Donte grimaced. "My grandfather saw it in me early on. Sometimes the way Marlin responds to me reminds me of the way I argued with my grandfather. It wasn't that I disliked him – although I did dislike what he was doing. I thought it was wrong for the colonists." He shrugged. "Marlin thinks what I am doing is wrong for the team members, the expedition and ultimately the future colonization of Opus. She's right about the fact that you need to rule yourselves. You don't need a specially designed human to do it for you." He paused a moment before musing aloud. "No wonder Gerritt was having so much trouble…."
Chandler broke into his thoughts. "So, you see a lot of yourself in Marlin?"
Donte considered the question for a few minutes. "I don't know. I never thought of it that way. I see a lot of the same circumstances and I think I understand her approach. I think she doesn't recognize that she can be more effective if she is less rebellious. I was the same way."
Traci looked surprised. "You were rebellious?"
Donte's laugh was short and humorless. "I'm still rebellious. What do you think this exchange was about?" He shook his head. "It wasn't my intent to challenge my grandfather's authority and it wasn't my intent to challenge Dr. Oriana's authority, but that was the result." He sighed. "When I look back, I realize why Papaw responded the way he did. People were listening to me instead of their elected ruler. They could have elected him out of office, or he could have stepped down and let the majority have what they wanted – and he might have done that if I hadn't been so inexperienced. It wasn't until he died and I was the ruler that I realized you can't be their friend all the time. You have to establish authority." He looked at Dr. Oriana. "That was what I was instinctively doing, and I apologize. You are the leader of this expedition, not me."
Dr. Oriana smiled. This was one of the things that made Donte such a good leader. He listened to people and accepted blame. Unfortunately, sometimes he accepted blame when it wasn't his.
"You were challenging me because you knew where you could be best used for the benefit of the entire expedition. I wasn't letting you do that. Thank you for sharing that information. I think I understand both you and Marlin a little better now. I'm probably not the best leader here, but I have been assigned the position and I intend to do my job to the best of my ability. Next time I'll have a better idea how to address it."
She paused, sipping her drink as she considered how and if she wanted to word her next suggestion. There really was no good way, so she plunged in.
"The first time you have the opportunity, you might tell Marlin about your relationship with your grandfather. You might be surprised to learn you have a lot in common with her. As long as she feels you aren't lecturing her, she might benefit from it."
Donte considered it a few moments before responding with more information of interest to all of them.
"I listened to Beier when I wasn't listening to my grandfather. Beier had lots of stories…" He paused, as though the memory was painful. "He was the best friend I ever had and I didn't know it until I lost him. I regret that – and the fact that I never told him."
David frowned. "Beier. He was the one Marlin's grandfather killed, wasn't he?"
Donte nodded but didn't say anything. After twenty years he was still emotional about it. Marlin should have heard this part of the conversation. She might change her mind about the human side of Donte.
Dr. Oriana stood. "I think he knew how you felt, Donte. Sometimes the people who befriend us know our minds better than we do." She pushed her chair under the table and lifted her tray. "I've got to get back to the lab."
***
Donte sat at the table sipping his drink for a long time after the others left. Dr. Oriana was probably right about talking to Marlin. He wasn't sure how to broach the subject or how to word it so she didn't think he was criticizing her. He hadn't thought about the fact that her personality was like his. No two people were identical, though, so thinking he knew how she felt because he felt that way was folly. They had completely different upbringing and their environment was literally worlds apart. He didn't want to make it sound to her like he understood her. Beier didn't do that. How would Beier have handled this? How would Rianne have handled it? Did he get along so well with Rianne because they were so different?
Once again, he felt the agony of losing each of them. Seeing Beier's lifeless body on the ground with a bullet hole between the eyes was no more painful than reading Rianne's note. He missed them both immensely and felt as responsible for the loss of one as he did for the other.
Beier wanted to go to Oriel but Donte had felt that Bergen needed him more. He had gone against his gut feeling and allowed Beier to go with them. If he hadn't done that, Beier would be alive today. With Rianne, it wasn't as clear cut. He still didn't know what he had done to push her away – or what he hadn't done. Logic told him that he needed to put her out of his thoughts, but he kept thinking that if he knew what he had done, he could fix their relationship. How immature was that?
He was still sitting at the table when Marlin entered the dining room. Heat surged up his neck. She probably thought it was safe to come in and eat her evening meal because he would no longer be there. He kept his back to her and pretended he didn't notice she was there. Maybe he should apologize – at least tell her that she was right. Then again, maybe this wasn't the time or place.
***
Donte was still in the dining area when Marlin arrived. Was he waiting for her? She wasn't going to take a lecture from him. He kept his back to her while she filled a tray. Did he honestly think she didn't realize he knew she was there? He could sense animals far into the forest. He would have to be asleep to miss the only person in a small room. Obviously, he didn't want to talk to her. He probably thought she should apologize. She probably should but…. Oh, why not? She had been rude and disrespectful. Yes, he had been out of line, but he was used to giving orders and having them obeyed without question, wasn't he? She was the only one in the group who didn't treat him with the respect a high official deserved. Donte had been, and probably would be again, the ruler of a colony. The fact that he was put there because he was a Mascot was no more his fault than the fact that he was a Mascot. He was doing what he had been programmed to do. What, exactly, did that mean? How did one go about programming a human brain? Was it instinctive or was it something Donte assumed he should do because he had the ability?
She finished filling her tray and turned toward him. She did owe him an apology for being so rude in her approach. She walked around the table and placed her tray on the table opposite him. He looked at her as if he expected another tirade. She wasn't going to do that again…hopefully. She pulled out the chair and plopped into it. When she scooted forward, her knee bumped his.
Heat rushed up her neck. "Excuse me," she said, hopping her chair back a little.
Donte did the same, his gaze searching her face. Surely he didn't think she had done it on purpose.
She shrugged. "These tables are narrow, aren't they?"
He smiled. "It could be that one or both of us has long legs."
She poked a fork into her food and didn't respond. They both had long legs but anatomy wasn't something she wanted to discuss with him. She ate a few bites and looked up to find him studying his cup.
"Is it cold?" she asked.
He nodded. "Has been for a while." His attention remained on the cup.
"Look," she said. "I shouldn't have talked to you the way I did."
His gaze lifted from the cup and found hers. "You were right."
"The content, not the tone." She sighed. "I don't know what it is about you that lifts the hackles on the back of my neck."
His entire face suddenly transformed into a bright smile. "Probably the same thing that bothered me about my grandfather. I didn't like him telling me what to do when I thought he was wrong."
His grandfather had been the Ruler of Bergen before Donte, but she had never heard there was a conflict between them. "I don't think you're wrong."
He sobered and leaned back in his chair. "But you don't like me telling you what to do."
"There's a difference. Your grandfather had the authority to tell you what to do."
He watched her eat for a few minutes before responding. "Yes, he did. We got along fine until he started doing something I thought wasn't good for the colonists. Then we would argue and I would walk away angry. I regret that."
He was probably trying to say she shouldn't have walked away. Yes, she should have. She didn't do it to shut him out. She did it to keep from saying something more that she would regret. Maybe that was what he was doing with his grandfather. It was hard to imagine Donte mouthing off the way she did, though. He was probably respectful toward his grandfather."
"He sounds like he was almost as stubborn as you."
Donte's lips slipped into a wry smile. "My mate seemed to think that was part of the problem."
"Was your grandfather a lot like you?"
Donte shook his head. "I don't think so."
"So Rianne was probably just tired of listening to the two of you butt heads." She took a sip of her drink.
Donte leaned forward and a twinkle came into his eyes. "What did you call us?"
She choked on her drink. It wasn't so much that the joke was funny, or even original, as it was a surprise that Donte had cracked a joke. Too bad Dr. Oriana hadn't been there to hear him. When she stopped choking, she finally responded.
"I didn't call your grandfather anything."
He leaned back in his chair and sobered. "What if we make a deal? You let me carry your backpack and I'll try to stop ordering you around."
She groaned. "What is it with you and that backpack? If I thought it was too heavy, I wouldn't carry it. If I thought I couldn't handle the hiking, I wouldn't go. I can do both. Besides, I only have to carry it in and out of the shuttle."
He nodded. "I know. You don't complain and you keep up with us. That doesn't mean you don't suffer more than the rest of us. It must be difficult for you. I want to make the trip more enjoyable and safer for you. It isn't your fault that you are in this situation. I don't understand why you won't let me do anything for you."
She rolled her eyes. "Because you don't stop there. If I let you carry my backpack, you think you should help me up the slope. If I let you help me up the slope, the next thing you'll be doing is getting my food and water for me. I don't want a hand servant. Why can't you understand that? No wonder your wife left you."
For a moment he didn't answer. He leaned forward and stared into his cup. She shouldn't have added that last part, but he was so exasperating. Nothing she said seemed to get through his thick skull.
Finally, his gaze lifted to her eyes. "I guess I can understand. I just never thought about it that way before."
"I'm sorry I said that about your wife…mate. Why do you call it your mate?"
He stood and picked up his cup. "It isn't the same thing. You exchange traditional vows. We exchange individualized vows."
She sighed. "Anyway, I'm sorry I said that. I don't know anything about your relationship."
He looked at his cup and swirled the cold liquid. "She didn't leave because I did too many things for her. Maybe not enough…." He shrugged. "I'd better get back to my room."
He walked to the counter, set his cup on it and left the room.
She felt like a jerk, and she had every right to. She wouldn't have said that to anyone but Donte – because he didn't have any feelings. He wasn't human, and he had killed her grandfather. It didn't matter whether he had feelings or if he had killed a hundred people. The more she talked to him like that, the less humane she became. The truth was, if she didn't steel herself against his pheromones, she might begin to like him. No, she had already passed that stage. She didn't want it to go any further.
Soft Science Fiction
