The Purlieu Experiment
Chapter 33
Copyright 2015 & 2021
Kafil met the ship from Libertad. A few weeks earlier, he would have been glad to see Donte step off it, but now he was relived Donte wasn't there. He had promised to take care of Donte's children and now he only had one left. He'd like to say it wasn't his fault, but at least in part, it was his fault. As it turned out, there was no reason to keep them locked in that cellar. In an attempt to save their lives, he had caused the death of Chiku.
Halisi didn't blame him. Incredibly, she blamed Donte. In fact, she had sent him to make sure Donte didn't get off that ship. He wasn't sure how he would have done that. He had enough men to enforce it, but he didn't agree with Halisi. Donte had a right to visit his daughter's grave. It occurred to him that Halisi was afraid of what Donte would say. He wouldn't have blamed Halisi. If he knew anything about Donte at all, it was that. Donte would blame himself.
Kafil had been concerned about what Halisi would say when she discovered he had made a decision to contact Pieter and Quade without her direction, but she had praised his initiative instead. She even gave the ship commander authority to discuss terms with them. After all, it would only delay assistance if they had to send a boat back and forth relaying information. Kafil would have gone, but she wanted him to stay close because Chiku was so sick.
The day Chiku died he had sent a ship to Playa with a message for Donte. As it turned out, the second ship was needed to bring back livestock that had been donated by three different colonies.
It wasn't until the second ship arrived from Libertad that he discovered the aid included a medical team to set up a hospital and teach the Nyumbani basic medical skills. They would only be there a short time, so they had to make the most of it. Since he knew nothing about the medical team, he had made no preparations.
He had been shocked to see that one of the team members was the captive Lochfowk woman. Why would someone agree to help people who had treated her so badly? It made no sense to him, yet she was there, helping. He welcomed her with the others, as if nothing had happened.
When Halisi learned of the arrangement, she had immediately ordered a large building to be surrendered for the hospital. Their empty warehouse had been filled with food that was to be distributed to those in need. Halisi was so organized that he felt underfoot. To make matters worse, the Mascot Kwasi was constantly with her, translating and advising.
It would have been much easier for him, though less productive for Nyumbani, if he didn't like Kwasi, but that wasn't the case. Kwasi was one of the most likeable and competent men Kafil had ever met. Halisi had been taken with him from the beginning – and therein was the problem. The situation in Nyumbani was far too critical to let personal feelings interfere with his patriotism.
It seemed that Kwasi was everywhere. The people instantly warmed to him, always following his instruction without question. He instructed a few in the use of the farm equipment and they, in turn, instructed others. They had a plan. Plant the seeds that were delivered and grow enough crops to trade with other colonies. They had a year-round growing season and with the equipment, they would be able to clear fields in a fraction of the time it would take to do it by hand. The bovines and caprines they received would be used for breeding stock. They were going to try crossbreeding with the wild bovines.
Inside of a few weeks, the colonists were looking and feeling much better. They were more productive and positive about their future. They had Donte and Kwasi to thank for all of it. Yet when he brought that to the attention of Halisi, she immediately corrected him.
"They have you to thank. You were the one who asked for help. If it had been left to me, I would have been too concerned about Donte getting involved."
He stared at her, speechless.
She gave him one of her rare smiles. "It is you that I love, Kafil. Kwasi is a wonder, but you have no reason to feel inferior."
He took her in his arms and held her for a moment, trying to find the courage to ask her. He took her hands and looked into her eyes. "Will you exchange vows with me, Halisi?"
She hugged him. "I wonder if it is too soon. Things are going so well right now. I don't want to mess it up by doing something that would make the colonists uncomfortable." She drew back and looked up at him. "Yes, I want to exchange vows with you, but we should wait a while – until the colony becomes productive."
He smiled down at her. "We have waited this long. We can wait a little longer. For now, it is enough that you have agreed to exchange vows with me."
***
When the boat docked in Nyumbani, Akira's stomach had twisted with anxiety. She had no reason to fear the Nyumbani. They had asked for help. Donte wouldn't have let the medical team go if he thought they would be in danger - other than the primitive environment. All the same, it troubled her that he had not come with them. He wanted to, but Pieter had demanded that he return. Was Pieter afraid Donte would be harmed? Of course, Pieter knew little about the colony of Nyumbani. Rianne had hinted that there was some discord there. Was it over Nyumbani?
When Kafil welcomed them, he had been surprised to see her. She could hardly blame him for that. Until she arrived in Nyumbani and saw the "humans," as Donte referred to them, she was doing a little wondering as well. Donte was right. They were good hard-working people. They worked until they were exhausted getting the hospital ready. Kwasi was ever present, translating and assisting – always a smile on his face. He was happy to be free and with his people, no doubt. He was taller than most of the Nyumbani men and good-looking. Everyone appeared to like him. Kwasi was an inspiration. As bitter as she had been about her capture and treatment, it had only lasted a few days. Kwasi had spent thirty years as a captive and he still had a positive outlook.
When Kwasi wasn't with the medical team, he was with the colonists, teaching them farming skills. In addition to the food, they had received live domestic caprines, fowl and other livestock in a second shipment from Libertad. The little news she received was that Donte and Rianne were coordinating the efforts of Bosvrouwen, Bergen, Vlaktes, Libertad and Anialwch. That must have been quite an undertaking for the two of them.
Akira and the medical team spent a month in Nyumbani and in that time they learned enough of the Nyumbani language to communicate. When the time came to leave, they picked the most promising students to go back to Lochfowk for training. Those people would, in turn, train the others.
Of all the things she heard and saw, the most shocking was the death of Donte's daughter. What a blow it must have been to him. If Donte had been there, he almost certainly could have saved her. From what she understood, it sounded like pneumonia. Donte would never have allowed them to put her in a cellar for days on end. Hopefully they had learned enough in a month to prevent that kind of thing from happening again. Now they had the medicines they needed and the knowledge of how to use them. They had done all they could do for the present. The rest could be done from Lochfowk.
The Nyumbani vessel arrived at the dock in Playa the day after leaving Nyumbani. The medical team members and their students took the tram to Cuna the next morning. Kenyon was supposed to meet them and escort them to Lochfowk. She was surprised that Donte didn't go but apparently, he was otherwise occupied.
Akira had given a lot of thought to Quade's invitation to work at the hospital. If the position was still open, she was going to accept it. She sent him a message that she wanted to talk to him. He immediately replied that he would meet her at the station.
At the station, Quade took her arm and led her to a covered buggy. "I was delighted to get your message. I hope this means you have reconsidered my offer of a job at the hospital here in Libertad. We could certainly use your skills in training people."
She gripped the back of the seat as the buggy jerked into motion. "After a month in Nyumbani, it sounded like heaven."
He studied her face; his soft brown eyes as kind as she remembered. "Was it bad there?"
"It wasn’t good, but we had it better than the Nyumbani people. I had no idea how bad it was for them. Donte tried to tell me.… By the way, how did Donte take the news about his daughter?"
Quade grimaced. "I'll talk to you about that later. He and Rianne are staying at my place temporarily."
She put a hand to her mouth. "Oh no. I was afraid Pieter was pushing him too hard."
They said no more about it until after the evening meal when Quade invited her to his office. He briefly explained what had transpired between Donte and Pieter.
"I'm sure I don't have to tell you that pushing Donte doesn't work. I learned very early that setting him down and talking to him worked when punishment did not. Donte wants to do the right thing. When he's convinced it is the right thing, there is little you can do but offer reasoning that might change his mind. It makes him a poor subordinate, but coupled with other skills, it will make him a superb leader – better than Pieter, I think. I would have handled the request for the captives completely different than Donte did. He knew what he was doing. In spite of all the obstructions that Pieter threw in his path, he succeeded. Still, I can appreciate how Pieter felt. I wasn't convinced that he knew what he was doing either."
"I thought you were going to tell Sima to turn them over to him."
Quade grunted. "I thought about it." He shrugged. "Pieter sees the potential for a great leader in Donte, but he wants him to blindly obey. Donte will never blindly obey, but he is loyal."
"To a fault." Akira agreed.
"Possibly. Donte felt responsible for Chiku's death. He felt he betrayed her – not only in leaving, but in not going back when she needed him. Pieter's response probably led him to believe Pieter felt betrayed as well. Pieter saw Donte's response as insubordination, so he pushed him harder. I tried to tell him that approach wouldn't work, but he told me I had spoiled him and what Donte needed was a firm hand."
"Pieter should have been there for him, like Rianne."
"I think so. Pieter thinks Donte is weak, but I think he's stronger than Pieter or me. Donte went into Nyumbani knowing that they might kill him. He eliminated Farasi when the need arose and faced his execution for it without flinching. Donte isn't weak. Pieter put himself in a position where he was between Donte and his mate and children. He should have known better than that after what happened with Liana and Bjorn. Donte will be that way as a leader. He'll fight for the colonists - to his death. The colonists know that and that's why he was so quickly confirmed. I wouldn't want to be Pieter facing that cabinet right now."
"Do you think Donte will ever go back?"
"Yes. There is no question in my mind that he will go back, and soon. He doesn't know what to do with himself now. All he needs is an offer. Pieter better swallow his pride, because if he doesn't offer, my bet is that the cabinet will."
If Donte was going to be an effective leader, he had to stop blaming himself for everything. Faced with an enemy other than that, Donte would be a brave and formidable force, but not if he ran off to lick his wounds every time someone made him feel like he had betrayed them. To some extent, Pieter was right, though. Donte was strong-willed to a large degree because he insisted on things going the way he thought they should. He was a little spoiled in that way. But he would listen and did change his mind sometimes. When Donte made a promise, he felt obligated to keep it, regardless of any new conditions. "He made no promise to Celyn." Akira mused, not realizing she spoke aloud.
Quade frowned. "What?"
Donte should have told Quade by now. Rianne knew.
"Celyn had a vision that she and Donte would exchange vows when she turned nineteen. Donte rejects the idea as a little girl's interpretation."
Quade sucked his breath in and gave a slow exaggerated nod. "Oh, I see. He didn't tell me that." He smiled and shook his head. "So he immediately exchanged vows with Rianne. So predictable."
If Quade thought Donte exchanged vows with Rianne to avoid being pressured to do so with Celyn, he didn't know Donte as well as he thought he did. To Donte, that would be dishonorable and he was all about honor. "He loves Rianne. They have a close bond."
Quade nodded again. "He does, and he wouldn't exchange vows out of spite. But that probably explains why they exchanged vows when they did. They were returning from Anialwch. The exchanging of vows is a private thing in Bergen, but usually there is an announcement that they are going to do so." He shrugged. "Of course, he did send a message to Pieter before they exchanged vows…that evening."
His gaze travelled over her face. "I didn’t bring you here to discuss Donte, though. How about that job at the hospital?"
For a while they discussed the duties and benefits of the job. Finally, they stood and walked to the door. For a moment he stood looking down at her. "There was a conversation that you and I didn't finish."
She stared up at him. If there was, she couldn't remember it. "You’ll have to refresh my memory."
He smiled. "I'd love to." He leaned down and kissed her lips and drew back. "Now do you remember?"
She smiled. "I remember. That wasn't a conversation, though. When you have a conversation, both people participate."
He chuckled. "True. Let's just say you initiated the conversation and walked away before I could respond."
She stood looking up at him. He wouldn't have brought it up if he didn't want to pursue it, but at the moment she was having trouble trying to forget who he was – the President of Libertad and soon to be her employer.
He reached for her, drawing her into his arms and suddenly she forgot. She answered the invitation in his lips with enthusiasm. Passion pushed aside any thought of his being too far above her to be interested. She would have given herself to him completely right there if it hadn't been for his next request.
"Stay with me tonight." His voice was husky with passion.
She pulled away from him. He wasn't interested in her personally. He was interested in a promiscuous woman from Lochfowk. There was nothing honorable, or even flattering, in his request. He simply wanted a night of pleasure.
She jerked away from him; her tone scathing. "What's the matter? Can't you find anyone in your colony to sleep with you without benefit of vows?" She grabbed the door knob and tried to jerk the door open, but he put his hand against the door.
"Wait a minute."
She looked up at him with all the loathing she could muster. "I fell for all your tricks. I thought you were interested in me, but all you wanted was someone to sleep with for the night." Her voice sounded cold. "Take your hand off the door."
He immediately took his hand off the door and let her escape. She marched around and started up the stairs to her room. Rianne was walking down the stairs and smiled at her. Akira couldn't muster a smile. In fact, she hurried up the stairs because tears were escaping her eyes.
"Akira?" Rianne called after her.
Akira was sitting on the bed, wiping the tears away when someone knocked on the door. If that was Quade, she was going to kick him in the shin.
She opened the door to find Rianne standing outside.
"Can I help you, Akira? Would you like someone to talk to?"
Rianne's Lochfowk had improved substantially since the last time they met. Unfortunately, Akira had not learned to speak their language any better. She needed to improve on that situation. She stepped back and Rianne came into the room.
"I saw you coming out of Quade's office. What happened?"
"He propositioned me."
"Oh?"
Rianne probably had her own idea of who propositioned who. Akira wiped tears from her eyes with the back of her hand. "I understand why he would think, being a promiscuous woman from Lochfowk, that I would be willing, but if it's inappropriate for a couple to be intimate without vows in Libertad, then surely it would be inappropriate for him. Or does Libertad think that it's only inappropriate for the female?"
Rianne frowned. "It's not inappropriate in Libertad for either the male or the female. Bergen is the one that has that rule." She sighed. "You think he was being disrespectful of you."
"He was."
Rianne smiled. "Yes, he was, but Quade could have all the one-nighters he wanted. If he asked you, it was because he felt a special attraction to you."
He felt a special attraction alright. She had planted the idea in his head with her response. She wanted to spend the night with him. No doubt he had picked up on that fact. Now he probably wondered if she was trying to trap him into exchanging vows. She wasn't. In fact, she hadn't thought any further than the moment either. How could she blame him?
She gave Rianne a sour smile. "I guess I owe him an apology."
Rianne shrugged. "Oh well, I'm sure he'll forgive you in a heartbeat…but if you want that one night, I suspect you'll have to do the asking now."
Rianne still assumed that she invited his attention. She did, but why would Rianne think that, other than the reputation of the Lochfowk women…unless…surely Donte hadn't told her about their one kiss.
Rianne sat on the edge of the bed. "I wanted to ask you about something. You know Donte pretty well. "I wondered if..."
"I don't know why everyone assumes Donte and I were intimate just because we travelled together for days," Akira interrupted. "For once and for all, we weren't."
Rianne looked uncertain. "I never gave that much thought. What two consenting adults do with their days or nights is their business. I'm not Donte's first love and he's not my first experience with intimacy. I doubt that I will be his last, but that isn't what I wanted to ask about."
"Celyn?"
Rianne shook her head. "No. Not even that. I just wanted to tell him something and I wasn't sure if I should wait a little longer since Chiku’s death."
"I'm sorry. I'm usually not this sensitive. What is it?"
Rianne watched her a moment, probably wondering if she was going to bite her head off for the next question. She finally shrugged. "It's not like he won't eventually find out, but…" She smiled. "We’re going to have a baby."
Finally, there was a situation that she could respond to with a certain degree of confidence.
"I think you should tell him now. First; if you wait, he's going to wonder why you were reluctant to tell him. Second, he wants a family now. He told me so. Third, he welcomed the coming of Chiku soon after the death of Bjorn and Liana. This baby will make him feel better, not worse."
Rianne nodded. "You’re right, of course. I'm glad I asked you." She put a hand on her abdomen. "I hope…" She paused, as if thinking better of her words. "I hope he is happy about it."
She was probably crazy for bringing the subject up again, but if she was going to spend more time in Libertad, she wanted to know the rules of the colonies.
"You said that the intimacy thing was a Bergen rule…"
Rianne waited for her to finish, and when she didn't, she smiled. "I had a few relationships that went nowhere. Anyway, I'm from Bosvrouwen, not Bergen. Generally, we feel the same way about intimacy as Bergen does, but there is no law against it. Actually, there is no law against it in Bergen, either. It's simply not considered proper behavior."
So, on the tram, when Donte had confronted Chait, he had been defending Rianne's honor, not his. Did he know he was not her first? Probably. Knowing Donte, it wouldn't matter to him either. Still, Rianne had said she probably wouldn't be his last. Was she thinking about Celyn? She wished she had as much confidence as Rianne. Of course, Rianne had more experience, being a representative of Bosvrouwen. Donte could benefit from her experience. He probably knew that, though.
"Where is Donte?"
Rianne's smile broadened. "He went to Palangana for the day. It's a little settlement east of here. It's the last stop before you get to the main colony of Libertad. He was taking care of some business for Kenyon while he is away. He'll return this evening."
Soft Science Fiction
