Vandergast (5 of 10) - Yellow Clouds

Thanks for your help Tomken and Akarge (and everybody else).

10:32 AM on Vandergast: The general alarm was triggered. A satellite had detected a solar storm approaching the planet. The colony's AI spoke to every sponsor, concubine and visitor at the same time.

<ALARM! Solar storm approaching. This is not a drill. Contact with the atmosphere in eight minutes.>

There had been drills in the past years, so every citizen knew what to do. Rescue teams jumped into their vehicles, asking the AI for direction to people who were out of reach of the nearest tunnel entrance. The AI could have sent out the vehicles remotely but it was part of the strategy for strengthening the colony's community to allow humans to rescue humans. Only two vehicles started without a pilot because the drivers needed more than one minute to reach the garage.

Hostesses talked to the Einherjar visitors and calmed them. Their quarters and the tunnels were as secure as all of the colony's buildings.

The people who were outdoors reached for their face masks. Everybody who was leaving the area of the city had to carry one in a small bumbag. It had been an annoying routine over the years but nobody ignored it with intent. Today, only four kids of a gang of playing children had left theirs at home and they were still near the pods, now running toward their homes.

Huge holographic signs hovered over every entrance to the colony's tunnel system. Within five minutes, every man, woman and child that had been outdoors, was now inside the tunnel system. Nearly everybody who had been farther away had been reached by a rescue vehicle. The rest of them were waiting patiently. They knew that with their masks they had several hours to return safely. They would only suffer from a skinburn.

When the first waves of the solar storm hit the atmosphere, all the force fields of the colony's buildings went up. They were tinted light green to give people orientation when they needed to go in the open.

Zoe was watching the spectacle from the windows of a school building, together with her classmates and the teacher. Zoe was now eleven years old. She already felt very adult, since her breasts had started to grow and she thought she knew everything already.

Class had started in the morning with an open discussion about science themes in general. Once every month the children were asked what they would like to learn. Then the teacher would search, with the help of the AI, for apt sleep learning lessons and rearrange the classes. This was done in class, so other children who maybe hadn't even heard about another child's point of interest, had the chance to learn about its existence. Now the discussion had been canceled.

"Look, the force fields have been erected. They are weak enough to break through, even for the smallest of you, but strong enough to keep the poisonous gasses away," the teacher explained. "Everybody take their masks, we'll go outdoors and check that."

It was the first time for the children that this was not a drill. Most of them had touched security force fields in the past. The light green force field that surrounded the whole local plaza with all its buildings was not that different form what they knew, except that this one was penetrable. "Now what do we do if we want to pass this force field?" the teacher asked. A few of the younger kids looked ditzy. But most of them knew what the teacher was talking about and reached for their masks. "Very good. Now remember, this is not a game. You can penetrate the field if you need to, but every time you do, you allow some poisonous gas to enter the safe area too. Right now it's still safe. The poisonous gas is not yet that concentrated. But look at the sky. The clouds have turned yellow already. In a few minutes you'll see yellowish clouds floating at ground level. Now try to pass the force field. I want you to learn how much you have to push to get through."

Zoe pushed with her hand first. The force field felt like frozen foam. It was hard and it stung like needles. But with a little more force, her hand broke through. When moving fast, it almost felt like a sudden wave of very cold air. Zoe went back inside, where the teacher was waiting.

Children asked all kinds of questions about the solar storm, the dangerous gasses and the security protocols. Zoe finally found her focus for the next month's learning. It would be the planet's ecosystem and its reactions to the solar storm and the nitrogen oxides.

Governor Culhane was looking out of the window of his office when Centurion Evans Benish entered the room. The sky was bright yellow and yellowish-brown fog was lying like a cover between the pods. The green domes of the force fields protruded from the fog.

"Bad memories, Governor?" the Centurion asked.

Governor Culhane turned around. "Not really. After all, my daughter was rescued when this happened the last time and we learned a lot from that incident. I would be sad if we had casualties this time. But I haven't called for you to talk about this. We got mail from Headquarters."

Centurion Evans Benish raised an eyebrow. "That's almost as rare as a solar storm, isn't it?"

The Governor grinned. "Yes, indeed." He reached for a certificate on his desk. "I'm a little old-fashioned, so I let the replicator create this paper. Congratulations on your promotion, Tribune Markus Evans Benish."

The former Centurion saluted; a very rare sight on Evans Benish. "Thank you, sir!"

"Let me tell you that I'm very satisfied with your work. I think I don't say this often enough. Headquarters noticed that, with the growth of our colony, that rank would be more suitable for you," the Governor said. Then he shook his aide's hand.

"I have a batch of other promotions here. I'll hand them out later in an official ceremony. It seems my whole staff has raised a level. But because of this," the Governor pointed out of the window, "I decided to wait for a day or two. There is so much to do in addition to the normal work. I only called for you because Headquarters decided to change the status of Vandergast too. We are now officially a breeding colony."

Tribune Evans Benish sat down on a chair in surprise. "Well, we almost acted like a breeding colony in the past two years. But to know that it is now official is another thing..."

"Yeah, I felt the same," the Governor smirked. "AI, tell the Tribune the major changes that this implies."

<First of all, the colony can use all of its human resources for the colony's benefit. You don't need to keep your Marine Battalions ready for action. Headquarters expects a doubling of population every seven years for several decades. Taking the current growth, this goal can easily be fulfilled. Since we already have our own ships, we won't get regular logistics from Headquarters. We have to get what we need on our own. Vandergast is theoretically no longer bound to instructions from Headquarters. Instead, we have to justify our actions before the Confederacy Council. The Confederacy Council has not yet shown any interest in any human colony, not even those who have collapsed. But that might change in the next years or decades.>

Tribune Evans Benish thought for a while. "Looks like nothing much changed from our previous situation. Only now it's official and all the bored Marines finally can do something useful."

Governor Culhane grinned. "That's what I think too."

"Should I be surprised that you don't mourn about your boys that now have nearly no chance to kick some Sa'arm ass?" the Tribune asked.

The Governor laughed. "Look at it from a greater point of view. All humans are our boys and they already kick the Sa'arm asses. Our colony will support them with all we have. Currently we have a plan to follow. We'll find more to do. Lots more. That's for sure."

The Governor had asked for a meeting of all sponsors of the colony in the Central Plaza. This had occurred only once before, after the city had been rearranged to its current layout. So everybody was curious what had happened.

Major Sanchez had ordered the Marines to stand in formation and when the Governor entered the podium, the Marines saluted.

"At ease, Marines!" the Governor spoke. "Today I have good news to spread and I thought a formal setting is appropriate. Headquarters has finally noticed what a fine job you are all doing here. Therefore I have a stack of promotions here. Major Melanie Sanchez, please step forward... Major Melanie Sanchez, you are promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. Congratulations."

Lieutenant Colonel Sanchez saluted. "Thank you, sir!" Then the Governor handed out the document and shook the Lieutenant Colonel's hand.

"Commander Ralph Hornblower, please step forward..." The ceremony continued for nearly an hour.

"Now that is not all I called you for," the Governor continued his speech. "Vandergast is now officially a breeding colony. We are free in our doing as long as we fulfill some very few tasks. The first and most important change is that all Marines are no longer on stand-by for combat missions. The colony's development and the training of our guests from Earth are our main tasks from now on." The Governor explained the consequences of the change and outlined the plan for colony development. "You see, the waiting is over. You finally get something useful to do. Now go and celebrate. This is day one of the colony Vandergast. The time of the Marine training camp Vandergast is over."

Governor Culhane watched 'his boys' cheer and the formation vaporize with watering eyes. Sure, he had been a harsh leader in the Australian military. He had been sixty-three when the Confederacy extracted him. He had led the colony like he had learned to rule a military camp in his early days. He had learned that that had been inadequate for Vandergast. His aides had done a really wonderful job. Now it was time to learn from them how to become a civil Governor. He was eager to do the best job he had ever done.

When Joacim and L'ielit returned home from the meeting, their concubines greeted them with a glass of champagne and lots of hugs and kisses. The older children were allowed to drink a little alcohol too, but then were changed to soft drinks.

Helga made a toast to their sponsors and then asked with a snicker, "Now that you are Commander and Centurion, do we have to prepare for several more members in the household again?"

Joacim posed to think about it and then answered, "I think that totally depends on the outcome of this evening's fuck feast." The concubines cheered, dropped their clothes and then carried their sponsors to the master bedroom.

L'ielit managed to talk to the teenagers sub-vocally through the AI link, "Sorry kids, it looks like the mothers are busy this evening. Please be so kind and have a look at the little ones. We will compensate in the next days." After that she enjoyed the attention of Joacim and all the concubines.

The event started with Joacim and Ho fucking all the ladies in turns missionary or doggy style while those women not involved hugged and kissed and caressed anybody within reach. When the men were too exhausted they lay on their backs and the women did all the work, riding the cocks of the men. L'ielit smoothly fit into the group of female concubines and had her fun. When the men had regained some of their strength, they gave L'ielit a special treatment. Joacim buried his boner to the hilt in his lover's pussy while Ho sandwiched her from behind and gave her ass a good workout.

Joacim and Ho had come ten times or so, giving the women dozens of orgasms. When they declared that they could not move another centimeter they cuddled with L'ielit between them. The other concubines were far from being finished.

Irene animated the others to give her the ultimate workout for the pleasure of their sponsors who watched. She produced three huge artificial cocks from her room and handed them to Anita, Prudence and Miranda. The artificial cocks were attached with nannitic superglue to the women's bodies, just over their pussy, covering their clit. They would detach on a command of the AI, but until then the connection was inseparable. The dildos were designed to stimulate the clit when the dildo's head was touched. Irene then was fucked by all three 'armed' women at the same time. She enjoyed the feeling of being stuffed to the hilt in every hole. She came constantly on being fucked hard. She swallowed all ten inches of artificial cock that were fed to her mouth by Miranda and she didn't let Miranda go before she had pumped the dildo in and out for nearly a minute. Anita, Prudence and Miranda reached several orgasms too from the stimulation to their clits. The remaining women caressed the four women's breasts with their hands and lips. It was a wild show.

Several hours after midnight they finally fell asleep in a chaotic pile of arms and legs and bodies.

Zoe was disappointed. After only three days she had learned everything by sleep training about the planet's biosphere that was available for children's education. She thought about the new knowledge in her head. She had a lot of questions that the lessons didn't cover.

"AI, I do not have any information about how the native plants and insects survive a solar storm and the nitrogen oxide poisoning."

<I'm sorry, Zoe. This is highly scientific information. The biologists discover new information about that every day. Therefore I have no sleep training lesson about that now and it is unlikely that you will understand it without several other improved lessons about chemistry, biology and genetics. It is not the type of education that suits your age.>

"That's not fair. What's the difference between sleep lessons for eleven-year-olds and fourteen-year-old adults?"

<Lessons for children explain the concepts in a more playful environment while lessons for adults work with a lot of mathematics and scientific based knowledge. I suggest you try advanced sleep training lessons for chemistry and biochemistry for the rest of the month. If it is too much for you, we can search for another focus theme for you.>

Zoe decided to try those lessons but after the first one, she had a headache. "Ouch, that's too much it seems." She tried to remember the content of the lesson but there were only incoherent fragments. "AI, was this a lesson for adults?"

<Yes, it was. It seems you are not yet able to absorb it. May I suggest another focus for the rest of the month?>

Zoe thought for a minute. "No. I still want to know more about the planet's biosphere."

<Zoe, since I have no more sleep training lessons available for you that lead in the general direction you ask for, your antagonism is illogical.>

Tinkerbelle appeared before Zoe and asked, "May I help here? I have a suggestion that might help. The reason for so few sleep training lessons is that we have very little knowledge about the biosphere of Vandergast, among other things. How about a more practical learning session? It would be an adventure."

"I already like it. Your ideas are always fun," Zoe said. "Please explain it to me."

Half an hour later, the AI called Joacim, Zoe's sponsor, <Sorry to disturb you, Commander. Zoe asks for permission to explore the wilderness. You know her current learning focus and she is determined to learn as much as possible. Unfortunately, we lack this knowledge. So Zoe wants to seek for it on her own.>

"You mean she wants to go out there for hours while the atmosphere is still that poisonous?"

<Yes sir, that's what she wants. It was a suggestion from Tinkerbelle.>

"And we lack the knowledge she seeks?"

<Yes sir.>

"I don't want her to go out there alone. But I'll allow it if she manages to find others to join her with this project," Joacim decided. "And I want them all to take lessons for the use of protective suits."

"Thank you daddy!" Zoe shouted. She had listened to the conversation. Now she was happily hoping around.

Zoe needed less than a day to convince four more kids with similar learning focus to join her, and only half an hour to talk Carmen, one of L'ielit's concubines, into it. Joacim asked Gregory, one of the biologists, to lend him one of his scientifically educated concubines for three weeks. First, Gregory wasn't pleased because all his concubines were helping him with his agricultural project. But Joacim convinced him that the time wouldn't be wasted. Any finding could be of use for Gregory's project too. So Gregory sent his concubine Katarina for six hours per day.

The next day at 9:30 AM they all met at the school. Carmen insisted for security reasons on practicing the use of the protective suits near the city. The suits were gas proof and had a foldable helm, not just a face mask. Their excursion led them only into the weed fields between the city's pods, where they learned to use the scientific notepad for identifying plants and searching for differences to known facts. To generate an early success for the children, the AI referred to an older dataset, so the kids found differences between the normal weed and the weed under a nitrogen-oxide atmosphere.

After a quick meal at noon they wandered through the outskirts of the city, searching for more known plants.

In the evening, Zoe was a little worn out but totally enthusiastic. "Daddy, it's so cool! We did real scientific work out there. We catalogue all the plants and take samples for a closer analysis. The biologists have a micro med tube that is only forty centimeters long. There we do a complete scan of our samples. The AI has already found out that the weed changes its biochemistry. Some gene sequences are active now that weren't active under normal atmosphere and vice versa. We have found buds and we expect a weed bloom within the next weeks."

Joacim looked at the happy child. "That's wonderful. I've never seen the weed blooming. Maybe nitrogen oxide is a trigger for this?"

"We'll find out!" Zoe was totally serious about that.

Centurion L'ielit Debir and Lieutenant Colonel Melanie Sanchez were sitting in the Governor's office for a strategic meeting.

"Sir, on my past visit on Earth I learned a lot about the current pick-ups," L'ielit said. "While we have everything under control within an interdiction field, as long as we don't miss too many terrorists, the outside is a battlefield. The bigger an extraction location is, the more casualties we have among the civilians. Big crowds outside an interdiction field tend to lead into a stampede. Longer lasting extractions tend to attract Earth First terrorists who like to shoot at those who want to flee the planet and then they use the chaos to flee afterwards. Therefore the Confederacy has stopped the big extractions in the cities. There was no extraction of a whole mall or a cinema center for a year. But I think that under certain circumstances, an extraction from a big city location is still possible." L'ielit called for her hypothetic scenario number one and a holographic map appeared.

L'ielit pointed at the building in the middle. "This is Beverly Cinema at Los Angeles, USA. It is surrounded by other buildings. There is a shop and a café on the same block. Under normal circumstances this would be a nightmare location to defend against a terrorist attack. This is mostly because pick-up leaders tend to position their defense forces in the building's entrance and have a very limited field of vision, locate them at the open street with temporary barricades or they don't use defense forces at all." Lieutenant Colonel Sanchez and Governor Culhane nodded. "Either you have your main forces at ground level with little chance to pick armed people from the mob or you let the terrorists kill everybody outside the interdiction field. My idea is to bring in more Marines than usual and place them on roofs, parking garages and other higher locations. In this scenario, I would locate my men here, here, here and here, with a rapid deployment force located in the basement of this garage. We won't defend the street or the interdiction field that can't be destroyed with light weapons anyway. We would take down armed attackers with sharpshooters."

"Sharpshooters? Are you serious? We would lose the last support from the officials on Earth," Governor Culhane mentioned.

"Not deadly sharpshooters. Waldo has played around with the focusing crystals of a stinger rifle and now that thing has a range of four-hundred meters. With the help of scanner drones and the AI, we can locate sponsor candidates within a riot and armed people too. In case the crowd starts a stampede, we still can flood the whole area with a stinger field. We would need a day of preparation on any random location to check that we don't drop directly on top of a mine field."

"She's right. This could work," Lieutenant Colonel Sanchez said. "The problem for normal extractions is the number of Marines they have for this task. Even the biggest extractions in the past had only one platoon to control the outside area. We can use a company or two if we like."

"It looks more like an ambush," the Governor said.

L'ielit grinned. "It is an ambush. It worked on regular troops and on less organized militias. With AI support it will work on terrorists too."

"The Marines you need for that will be part of your extraction team?" Lieutenant Colonel Sanchez asked.

"In the long run, yes. But with the Mammoth Class our transport capacities are too limited to carry a company of Marines in addition. I thought about a Tarawa Class Assault Ship to carry our Marines in and out. Since the Tarawa has a far more powerful FTL drive, they'll need only two weeks while the Mammoth needs nine weeks for the whole trip. We are a little short on sponsor-level crew for a Tarawa, so we might ask if some of our Marines are interested in temporarily helping out. After our first extraction with the Mammoth-3 we should have enough sponsor-level crew even for the Kilo that's in the pipeline."

"Okay, you'll get a Tarawa," the Governor agreed. "Looks like it's time to double our spaceship production capacity."

On their eighth day of exploration, Zoe and her team used a hovercraft to reach a further away region that was known for its insect population. Near the city, insects were uncommon since the closeness of humans wasn't healthy for Vandergast insects. The team spread out to search for and collect samples once again.

"Has anybody seen any insects yet?" Zoe asked. Everybody replied no. But after another hour they stumbled over cocoons that were hidden under the leaves of some bushes. Then they dug in the ground and found lots of larvae.

"Congratulations," Katarina said. "We knew nothing about the life cycle of the insects. You are doing a really good job here."

The remaining two weeks were over all too soon. On one occasion even Gregory, the biologist, got involved in the children's research project. They had a discussion whether it was possible to create an augmentation for high nitrogen-oxide tolerance. They came to the conclusion that with more research it would be possible but, since it was not part of the human gene pool, Darjee Med Tubes wouldn't do it. Then they talked about ethics. Where is the limit for body modifications? Would it be ethically justifiable to create chimeras out of humans? Most of them agreed that there should be limits, even though it meant being handicapped in the short term, since humans had good ways to compensate for that.