Oleander.
Chapter 6 – A Perfect Summer Day
Two weeks under the
iridescent sky passed rapidly for Yvette. At first, the daily rhythm of farm
chores with Mercy felt more like a vacation than work. Then the stooping to
plant more rice crops taxed her body. When her pregnant friend had to take one
of her frequent breaks for fatigue and urination, Yvette asked, “How did all
this get planted before we arrived?”
“Sensei
probably had robots do it, but now it’s our job,” Mercy answered.
“Why?”
“Maybe
we needed to make one of the planners a food specialist, and the six we chose
were all pilots and engineers.” Mercy shrugged. “I’ve also been reading about
parenting, and they say you should never do something for a child that they can
do for themselves.”
The
casual remark detonated something inside her like a land mine. Irrational anger
flooded through Yvette. “Sensei is no parent of mine.”
They
worked the rest of that day in near silence.
By
the end of their time in subspace, Yvette had to collect the afternoon eggs
because the smell of chicken manure or raw eggs made Mercy nauseous.
On
the first day in the new solar system, the two emerged from the cave together,
and the glare of true sunlight beat down on them like a physical weight. “Do
they have to get this close to the star?” Yvette moaned.
“Unfortunately,
yes,” said Mercy. “There aren’t any full planets in this system, so the nexus
points are close to the fire. This blast is coming from just one open window.
All the others are still shuttered. The biosphere is scheduled to heat up a
little more each day. We’ll be able to open more shutters as we drift farther
into space. Light cycles and temperatures will stabilize in about three weeks.”
“What
about the brutal sun for today?”
“Not
a problem; I grew up in the tropics. We just need hats. I’ll show you how to
weave a straw hat out of saw grass or something.”
“We’ll
look like we belong on Little House on the Prairie .”
“Better
than sunstroke. Water-conservation measures kicked in today.”
“Then
you need to eat more fruit. Your body likes the vitamins, and it gives you
extra fluids.”
Mercy
nodded. Gazing up at the new sky, she asked, “I wonder what they’re doing on
Earth right now?”
“I
don’t know, but it probably involves lying, murdering, and stealing.”
Taking
her hand, Mercy whispered, “Are you having another bad day?”
“No.
I’m just wondering whether we’re doing the right thing, opening up the rest of
the universe to our kind. We did everything we could to choose the best of the
best for this mission, and we still brought the contamination with us.”
“We’re
not what we’re supposed to be yet, but we can get there.”
The
nurse held her tight, wanting to believe.
****
After
weeks of ranging to the far corners of Sanctuary for harvests, Mercy celebrated
the removal of her hand bandage with a nap. Pregnancy and hard labor in the relentless
heat had exhausted the young woman. Yvette suggested they hike the hills near
the Hollow for a change of pace. The morning after their hike, Mercy woke her early
at the women’s dormitory in the storage caves. Barefoot, she showed the nurse
her red-spotted ankles. “I think its some kind of plant-induced rash. I’ve
never been allergic to these things before.”
“It’s
the baby,” explained Yvette. “Your body is changing. You may heal more slowly
as well. Stay here.” She retuned with a bottle of white goo and handed it to
Mercy. “Squirt this on, let it soak for a few minutes, and then you can scrub
off the plant oils.”
The
younger woman read the label. “They use this stuff for radioactive fallout.”
“It
has more mundane applications as well. Today we find some duty to keep you out
of the weeds and me out of the heat. Maybe you could join your husband?”
“No.
He’s already in Olympus.”
“An
early day for him.”
“Zeiss
is an early riser. He
Chapter 6 – A Perfect Summer Day
Two weeks under the
iridescent sky passed rapidly for Yvette. At first, the daily rhythm of farm
chores with Mercy felt more like a vacation than work. Then the stooping to
plant more rice crops taxed her body. When her pregnant friend had to take one
of her frequent breaks for fatigue and urination, Yvette asked, “How did all
this get planted before we arrived?”
“Sensei
probably had robots do it, but now it’s our job,” Mercy answered.
“Why?”
“Maybe
we needed to make one of the planners a food specialist, and the six we chose
were all pilots and engineers.” Mercy shrugged. “I’ve also been reading about
parenting, and they say you should never do something for a child that they can
do for themselves.”
The
casual remark detonated something inside her like a land mine. Irrational anger
flooded through Yvette. “Sensei is no parent of mine.”
They
worked the rest of that day in near silence.
By
the end of their time in subspace, Yvette had to collect the afternoon eggs
because the smell of chicken manure or raw eggs made Mercy nauseous.
On
the first day in the new solar system, the two emerged from the cave together,
and the glare of true sunlight beat down on them like a physical weight. “Do
they have to get this close to the star?” Yvette moaned.
“Unfortunately,
yes,” said Mercy. “There aren’t any full planets in this system, so the nexus
points are close to the fire. This blast is coming from just one open window.
All the others are still shuttered. The biosphere is scheduled to heat up a
little more each day. We’ll be able to open more shutters as we drift farther
into space. Light cycles and temperatures will stabilize in about three weeks.”
“What
about the brutal sun for today?”
“Not
a problem; I grew up in the tropics. We just need hats. I’ll show you how to
weave a straw hat out of saw grass or something.”
“We’ll
look like we belong on Little House on the Prairie .”
“Better
than sunstroke. Water-conservation measures kicked in today.”
“Then
you need to eat more fruit. Your body likes the vitamins, and it gives you
extra fluids.”
Mercy
nodded. Gazing up at the new sky, she asked, “I wonder what they’re doing on
Earth right now?”
“I
don’t know, but it probably involves lying, murdering, and stealing.”
Taking
her hand, Mercy whispered, “Are you having another bad day?”
“No.
I’m just wondering whether we’re doing the right thing, opening up the rest of
the universe to our kind. We did everything we could to choose the best of the
best for this mission, and we still brought the contamination with us.”
“We’re
not what we’re supposed to be yet, but we can get there.”
The
nurse held her tight, wanting to believe.
****
After
weeks of ranging to the far corners of Sanctuary for harvests, Mercy celebrated
the removal of her hand bandage with a nap. Pregnancy and hard labor in the relentless
heat had exhausted the young woman. Yvette suggested they hike the hills near
the Hollow for a change of pace. The morning after their hike, Mercy woke her early
at the women’s dormitory in the storage caves. Barefoot, she showed the nurse
her red-spotted ankles. “I think its some kind of plant-induced rash. I’ve
never been allergic to these things before.”
“It’s
the baby,” explained Yvette. “Your body is changing. You may heal more slowly
as well. Stay here.” She retuned with a bottle of white goo and handed it to
Mercy. “Squirt this on, let it soak for a few minutes, and then you can scrub
off the plant oils.”
The
younger woman read the label. “They use this stuff for radioactive fallout.”
“It
has more mundane applications as well. Today we find some duty to keep you out
of the weeds and me out of the heat. Maybe you could join your husband?”
“No.
He’s already in Olympus.”
“An
early day for him.”
“Zeiss
is an early riser. He
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