Chapter 11 - A visit with the Rabbits

Chapter 11 - A visit with the Rabbits.

There were no others in the corridor and Terrence started out with Yvette and the others. I escorted Donna the other direction, listening for any trouble ahead.

"Do we really have rabbits on board?" Donna asked me as we stepped out into the corridor. "Everything I've heard suggests that the confederacy doesn't worry at all about anything except their warriors."

We were almost to pod green seven and I smiled. "AI, are Brenda and Brittany awake? Will it be acceptable to visit?"

Donna looked puzzled as the door to green seven opened up at a level two feet above the floor. I stepped over and then waved for her to enter.

As we did, Brittany appeared from the back, wearing a grey shift, but smiling for the first time that I had seen her. "Sorry, but Brenda is a bit..." she blushed and I nodded.

"Corporal Mattingly is over for a visit, I see," I replied. "Well, I'm just here to show Donna here the rabbits."

Donna was looking about the room, seeing the twenty cages, each with its own rabbit. "So many," she whispered.

Brittany laughed. "This is less than a third. The total is sixty-four, although many of the females should be pregnant. Its all James' fault, or so Brenda tells me."

I laughed at her. "What happened to the terrified girl I helped Sergeant Powell escort here two days ago? You've become as cheeky as Tina."

Brittany stuck her tongue out at me. "I learned it from her."

Donna seemed a bit amazed by the exchange. "Isn't this girl..?"

"I'm not fourteen yet," she said with finality. "Larry killed my mother when she refused to allow him to take me early and then the AI had Sergeant Powell come and take me out of there. I can test in five more days though."

Donna winced. "Well, I just wondered about the rabbits. I had heard they existed, but I didn't quite believe it."

Brittany laughed. "I heard about them the first night because Larry met with some sponsor named Hector and Hector was furious that the AI had allowed it. I never imagined that there would be so many though. Or that they would be so nice."

I was smiling. "I'm just happy the AI was willing to allow it." I was offering a nose rub to one of my favorites, a little gray doe who had the unfortunate name of Gremlin. She just kept pressing into my hand to demand more as I watched Donna wander the room in wonder.

Finally she seemed to remember that we were returning to her pod. "Thanks, James. And I will definitely want one when you can spare one. Lindsay definitely needs some practice in baby care, and a rabbit would help calm down poor Jacque, he is depressed with the inactivity right now."

Brittany looked a bit saddened. "Don't worry, but first the babies need to be born," I told her. "And if we get average litters, we'll have more than one hundred and fifty rabbits soon."

I could see Brittany brighten instantly as Donna laughed. "It will be a population explosion," she said.

We offered our goodbyes to Brittany and asked her to convey our apologies to Corporal Mattingly for arriving at a bad time. She promised to remember the message as we stepped back out into the corridor and headed to the center ring.

"You seem to be such a take-charge type," Donna told me. "Why are you here?"

I sighed. "Because I'm not really happy being in charge. I'm doing it to protect my family, but I want little more than that."

Donna looked surprised and then smiled. "And yet, you'll be a better leader for us because of that," she replied as we reached the turn.

The rest of the walk was made in silence. I was a bit worried about ambushes and was keeping an eye out, and Donna appeared to be deep in thought. Fortunately the corridors were devoid of life and we arrived at Donna's pod in the blue ring without incident.

"I'd invite you in," Donna began. "But..."

I nodded. "You want some quality time with your concubines and time to think. I understand," I replied. "This is going to be a trial for all of us."

Donna smiled and offered her hand to shake. Once that was complete I turned to leave as the door opened and she slipped inside, allowing the door to shut again.

My walk back was also spent in silence. The hallways were cleared of people, so I was a bit surprised when I encountered Sergeant Powell just outside my pod. He smiled as he saw me. "Sorry, but do you have a moment to meet with Captain Nelson?" he asked.

I nodded, and he led me back down the corridor to the center ring, where we turned and proceeded to the small command deck. The door opened as we approached and we went inside to see Captain Nelson reviewing some data and sighing.

She turned to look at us as the door slid closed. "Good, I hoped you could be brought in," she said. "James, do you have any idea of how bad the situation is on this ship?"

I shrugged. "One hundred colonists, more than half of them sadistic monsters who aren't even loved by their mothers anymore. Add in a complete lack of discipline and a planet that will be about as exposed as possible. I figure it's a suicide mission myself."

Sergeant Powell snorted and I could see Captain Nelson shake her head. "You are more right than wrong," she said with a sigh. "The AI tracks the colonists. In the back where you are the ratio is thirty monsters, and twenty mostly pacifists. The front is only twenty-seven to twenty-three, but those twenty-three are seemingly militant in their refusal to participate in the confederacy. The confederacy figures they volunteered merely to get off planet and wants them out of the way fast."

I frowned. "So at best the colony might only have twenty active participants. You mean that..."

Sergeant Powell spoke gruffly. "Your little council of six is the only group of its kind looking to make the colony work. And the rest of the pacifists back here will most likely help, but you can expect no other help."

I put my head in my hands. "Why tell me? At least I had the illusion of hoping we could make it better."

Captain Nelson gave a bitter laugh. "Because the AI wouldn't allow me to do anything! Despite the danger posed by the sadists, they are still considered citizens and the AI has strict rules on what punishments are available. They really do not work in this situation. Meanwhile, your proposed pod upgrades generated a query that went all the way to Confederacy Command. They wanted to know more about the situation, and I got ordered to bring you in."

I shrugged. "I'm just trying to protect my family. If I don't plan for the worst, I could lose what little I have."

The Captain gave me a sad smile. "Well, the confederacy is going to give you a few concessions. They know they put you in a terrible position and want to help. And some think you could improve Ishtar once the civil war occurs."

"Civil war?" I said in shock.

Sergeant Powell sighed. "The AI won't let us do anything to prevent it, but it's clear that Ruth and Hector from this portion of the ship want total control once the colony lands. There is a man, Manuel Matos, in the front of the ship, who is trying to build up an army as well. All our estimates say they will start fighting openly within four months."

I am sure my face mirrored my feelings of shock. "What about my friends? My family?"

The Sergeant smiled. "You already have planned better to protect your family than I imagined. My only suggestion would be to extend the entry passage and provide a couple side hatches that you can use to sneak up on any who attempt to invade. Ruth at least is cunning enough to realize that without someone manning a command post problems will occur so if you have the command post running right away and don't let it get shut down, she's not going to be inclined to attack. She figures she can intimidate you once she controls the rest of the colony."

"I need to ask Yvette more about her former coworker," I muttered, drawing a laugh from Captain Nelson.

"A wise thought, but not why we are here," she said. "I told you there are concessions. First, the four pods you haven't already claimed are no longer showing in inventory. If anyone else asks they have been reallocated for an upcoming mission. They are yours for upgrading the colony. I recommend that you think of a military use for at least one more, but I can't think of any now."

I nodded in surprise by this move, but was unsure of what more we might need right away.

"Second, the AI and Confederacy have been impressed with the rabbit idea and want you to be ready to trade rabbits quickly. They understand that it will most likely be three months after landing before you have many ready, but advise that interest is spreading rapidly through the fleet. They promise if you can transmit trade lists they will make sure all ships heading your way know what you are looking for. And they will allow your extra command post to have its own small transporter pad for use in trade."

I smiled at that. "I thought word of mouth would be needed to spread an idea of what we needed."

Sergeant Powell snorted. "You forget that other marines were on board when you brought the rabbits up. The story that the AI allowed you to pickup pet rabbits was spread to every ship in earth orbit within hours. You have no idea how desperate people on other planets are for pets."

"Why not just pop into a pet store and grab some?" I asked.

Captain Nelson shook her head. "It doesn't work that way. The AIs pretty much run our part of the Confederacy, and they have only been allowing human cargo. We haven't even been able to bring any plants along."

I groaned, which immediately drew the attention of both Captain Nelson and Sergeant Powell. I could see their concern, but waved them off. "It's just that I realized that if those rules hold true, I'm going to get stuck on a rock even after the terraforming. I was hoping that somehow I could come up with a list of a few plants and fish to transport in once the terraforming was complete, to seed the planet with, or at least the area near the colony."

"Expected terraforming date would put such a mission dangerously close to the expected time of Sa'arm arrival. And improper selection would result in a biosphere in instant crisis," the AI said.

I was going to curse, but the AI continued. "What was the selection you were thinking about?"

I looked up in shock. "I hadn't thought it through. I was thinking wheat, hay, hops and barley, just to give people crops to grow. Grass and some wildflowers and a couple of oak trees, for gardens and shade for people to enjoy. Trout for the rivers, with the smaller fish needed to build a biosphere. That was about are far as my thinking got. Just enough to turn some of the rock into a pleasant place to be."

Sergeant Powell started laughing. "You want to turn Ishtar into the best R&R place in the galaxy. A bit of shade, some fishing, and happy people! I can see it now."

There was a moment of silence, but I could see Captain Nelson shaking her head with a smile. I was about to ask her why when the AI replied. "Hydroponic units can grow small quantities of the smaller plants until the terraforming reaches the right point. Have one of your pods converted to that and the Confederacy will see about providing viable seeds in the trade packages. Analysis suggests that oak seeds, also known as acorns, can keep for over a year, so again, the ships heading to you will be informed and attempts will be made to provide seeds."

I could see the shock in the Sergeant's face as the AI emotionlessly offered the colony a wonderful gift. I was wondering about the rest when it continued. "Building a biosphere for trout will be a bit more difficult, especially as no Confederacy technology could keep the fish alive in a pod for three years. However, it might be possible to arrange a pick up from a trout farm at that time. This option will be explored. If trout are not available, will another fish suit?"

Captain Nelson laughed. "Bass, it would have to be bass."

The Sergeant was patting me on the back and laughing. "You get all that to work, and I'm going to want to move," he said.

Captain Nelson smiled. "He's right. You will become the rest and recreation port of choice if this works."

I shrugged. "I'm just trying to plan ahead. Even with only twenty volunteers willing to work, I just don't see enough to do, and a bored population is a depressed population."

The Sergeant laughed. "Wait until the colony is flooded with children and then try to tell me that. You have what, thirty-plus female concubines just with the twenty volunteers in your section, and every one will be pregnant by landfall. It always happens that way."

The Captain smiled as well. "I don't have to tell you how impressed I am with your efforts. Your situation is going to be bad, but I think you can pull through."

"Only if I can figure out how to keep the Sa'arm from coming for a visit," I muttered.

Captain Nelson laughed. "They'll visit. You can be sure of that. The trick will be to keep them from landing."

I nodded. "I need to take more classes on their tactics and such."

Sergeant Powell laughed. "You do that. I want a new fishing spot."

The laughter in the chamber made it clear the meeting was over, and Sergeant Powell soon escorted me back to my pod. He left me with a warning that the problems involving the less desirable members had reached a critical point and it would be wise to remain in the pods unless absolutely necessary.

All four ladies, who had removed their outfits and lined up for me to hug and kiss, happily received my return. They had several questions about the earlier meeting, and wanted to know what the future plans for the colony were.

I decided not to tell them about the promises of trade goods. Part of me was very unwilling to believe that the AI would be able to make that happen. I was pleasantly surprised to see that the ladies had formed a list of items they thought we would want in the future. Many were items I was sure the replicators could produce, but the items requiring artistic skill were probably going to be difficult to find.

The conversation did not last long however, the ladies were feeling a bit energetic and I was soon dragged into the shower for some steamy fun.