Coyote - A Novel of Interstellar Exploration Part 16

"Sure. Be there in a minute." Wendy continued to stare at the pad, and Kuniko gave up and went away.

Wendy let out her breath; her train of thought had been interrupted, though, and there was little more to be said anyway.

Sure doesn 't feel much like Christmas.

I hate Coyote. I miss my Dad. I want to go home.

Wendy saved the text in an encrypted file, shut down the pad, folded it, and stuck it under her sleeping bag. She let out her breath, shook her head. Then she reluctantly crawled out of the tent, stretched her back, and ambled over to where a small group was attempting to remember the words to "The Twelve Days of Christmas."

Colony Log: December 29, 2296 (Tom Shapiro, First Officer, URSS Alabama).

(1.) Three more acres cleared today for farmland. Controlled fires set five hundred yards NE of town, approx. fifty yards from Sand Creek in order to facilitate irrigation if necessary. Fifteen acres cleared so far, with ten more slated for agricultural use. Soil tests conducted by Dr. Cayle and Dr. Berlant continue to indicate that the ground is suitable for farming. Have put twenty people to work raking the first three acres; others tasked with setting up seed germination trays under guidance of Lew and Carrie Geary.

Should be ready to begin planting within a few days if the weather remains dry.

(2.) Nearby woods inspected by ten-man timber crew led by Ensign Dwyer. Two major species of trees identified and named: blackwood, which resemble very large bonsai except with a deep root structure much like a cypress, and faux birch, a smaller tree closely resembling its namesake in that it has the same sort of flaky bark. Blackwood hard to cut-Paul reports that it took two men almost an hour just to saw through a low branch-but appears suitable for building permanent shelters. Faux birch is easier to cut, but its wood is soft, unsuitable for construction purposes; its fallen branches are good as firewood, Paul believes that it may be useful for making paper, furniture, utensils, etc.Faux birch is plentiful, but Bernie and Lew believe that the blackwood may be old-growth, perhaps hundreds of years old, and have voiced concern that harvesting them damages the local ecosystem. I've reminded them that our first priority is establis.h.i.+ng a self-sufficient colony; tents and prefabs won't get us through winter, and we're already in late summer. If we don't erect warm shelter before the cold weather sets in, then we may pay for our environmental concern with our lives.

(3.) Ensign LeMare surprised Capt. Lee and me by showing us a side project he's been working on-a Coyote calendar. Apparently he's been doing this on his own initiative ever since Alabama entered the 47 Uma system, basing his computations upon local astronomical data. It's not quite finished yet, and it's more complex than an Earth calendar, but Ted claims that it will reliably predict the pa.s.sage of seasons.

Robert has temporarily relieved Ted from well-digging ch.o.r.es to complete his work; he'd like to have the new calendar ready within the next two days, so that it can replace the old one by Jan. 1, 2297 [Oct. 7, 2300, Earth-time].

(4.) Capt. Lee has placed Carlos and Marie Montero under temporary custody of Newell. They were staying with the Levin family, who were close friends of Jorge and Rita Montero, but Jim and Sissy already have two sons of their own; even after they moved the Montero tent closer to their own, having to mind three teenage boys and a little girl soon proved impossible. Wendy Gunther remains under custody of Dr. Okada, and they seem happy together, yet Robert agrees that a more permanent solution is needed in regard to caring for our orphaned children.

Once again, we're reminded that Alabama's, military command structure is ill suited for running a civilian colony. We need to devise some form of democratic government, as soon as possible.

From the notes of Ensign Theodore LeMare: Uriel 59, C.Y. 1 (December 30, 2296).

The Coyote calendar is determined by Bear's sidereal year, i.e. the time it takes the primary to complete a full orbit around 47 Ursae Majoris. This takes ,096 days, with each day approximately 27 hours (Earth standard) in length.

Although Coyote's...o...b..t around Bear is circular, Bear's...o...b..t around 47 Uma is slightly elliptical.

Furthermore, Coyote doesn't have an axial tilt. Therefore, we can expect an Earth-like seasonal cycle, with both northern and southern hemispheres experiencing the same seasons at the same time. As a result, the Gregorian calendar is useless for accurate timekeeping and predicting the change of seasons.

The Coyote calendar is divided into twelve months, with ten weeks in each month and nine days in each week. The months are ninety-one days long, except for every third month, which is ninety-two days long; these third months roughly correspond with the end of the seasons, which are approximately 274 days in length.

I've decided to name the months and days after archangels in the gnostic Christian pantheon, with Coyote's months named after the twelve governing angels of Earth's months. Commencing with the new year, the calendar is as follows: The winter months are Gabriel (91 days), Barchiel (91 days), and Mach- idiel (92 days).

The spring months are Asmodel (91 days), Ambriel (91 days), and Muriel (92 days).

The summer months are Verchiel (91 days), Hamaliel (91 days), and Uriel (92 days).

The autumn months are Adnachiel (91 days), Barbiel (91 days), and Hanael (92 days).

The nine days of the week have likewise been named after the angelic governors of the seven planets inEarth's solar system (according to Aristotle's cosmology).

They are, in order: Raphael, Anael, Michael, Zaphael, Kafziel, Sammael, Camael, Zamael, and Orifiel.

This is a mouthful, of course, so they could be referred to as Rap, Ann, Mike, Zap, Kit, Sammy, Cam, Zam, and Oz.

The calendar would begin with the year in which humans first landed on Coyote; this would be known as C.Y. 1, or Coyote Year 1 (2300 Earth- time; 2296 relativistic time). The date of First Landing would be Ann, Uriel 47, 01 (Dec. 19, 2296 relativistic; Sept. 7, 2300 Earth). The algorithms necessary to convert one calendar to another can be easily entered into a pad; comps may likewise be reprogrammed.

Personal note: I'm not fooling myself-many people won't want to use this, at least not at first. So much of the way we've come to regard the pa.s.sage of time is based upon the Gregorian calendar that ifs become a fundamental part of our consensus reality. If today's date is December 30, then tomorrow is New Year's Eve; time to break out a bottle and sing that German song no one can remember. By my calendar, it's just another Zaphiel (or Zap, maybe Zapday) in the middle of the week sometime in late summer.

The captain is interested, though, so I'll see what he thinks of it. Maybe it'll eventually be called the LaMarean Calendar... that would be a hoot!

From the journal of Dr. James Levin: Uriel 63, Still trying to get used to this d.a.m.n calendar. I know it's more appropriate to use it than the old one, but I still think this is January 4, 2297. Ted's working out the bugs with the program, and once he's done we can install it in our pads, but until then I'm relying on handwritten notes from yesterday's camp meeting.

The new calendar reminds us that we're two-thirds of the way through the last month of summer. We don't have much time left to cultivate sufficient food to get us through winter, and we don't know how much longer it'll be before the first frost sets in. We've already planted the first seven acres; the seeds are genetically tailored to produce hardier strains, and we've had a couple of days of rain, so that should help, too. But the nights have been cool, and even in the last week the average daytime temperature has dropped a few degrees. Capt. Lee has directed the construction crew to build a greenhouse ASAP-Dana Monroe says her people may be able to salvage enough gla.s.s from the module windows to erect a small one-and he's asked Bernie and me to see if any of the native flora are edible.

We've tested the tall gra.s.s (i.e. "sourgra.s.s") that grows in abundance throughout the marshes. Indeed, it's surprising to find gra.s.s here at all; on Earth, gra.s.s was a relatively recent development. One more piece of evidence to suggest that life repeats the same evolutionary steps on other worlds. Not much nutritional content-probably better for grazing once we get around to decanting the livestock embryos aboard Alabama (next summer, probably -too late now, or we'd have to worry about feeding them through winter). Roots may be useful, though; properly fermented, they could be made into something we can drink.

Maybe even beer!

Large patches of a round-leafed ground vine (i.e. "cloverweed") infest large parts of the marshy areas. It competes with sourgra.s.s [and] frequently chokes it out. Inedible, but durable and water-resistant. Have recommended it to Dana as a possible source of roofing material.

And then there are the ball plants...

"I thought you'd want to see this," Sissy Levin said as she pushed through the sourgra.s.s at the edge of the north cornfield. "I mean, it's been bothering you so much.""It doesn't bother me at all," Jim replied. "I'm just..."

"Curious. Right." Sissy favored her husband with one of her rare smiles. "C'mon, I know you better than that." Then she continued her way through the marsh, impatiently shoving aside the tall gra.s.s as if it was a curtain. "It's right over... okay, here we are."

Jim stopped, gazed at the ball plant standing alone in the middle of the gra.s.s. Like the others they've seen growing near Liberty, it was a large sphere, somewhat resembling a wild onion growing upside down, a little more than two feet in diameter, with a long stalk growing upward from its center. From the top of its stalk grew a violet flower petal that, in some people's minds, looked a little like a v.a.g.i.n.a. Most of the ball plants they'd found grew in cl.u.s.ters, but this one had taken root all by itself, isolated from the others.

"That's close enough." Indeed, they were much too close already. The ball plants were usually surrounded by pseudowasps-the colonists' name for the hornetlike insects that tended to swarm the plants, building mud nests in the ground nearby and pollenizing the flower tops. The pseudowasps attacked anyone who came too close to their nests or the plants; it was bad enough that their sting was very painful, but even worse, the venom they carried was mildly intoxicating.

David had been stung a couple of days ago after coming too close to one of the plants. A blues.h.i.+rt found their younger son a short while later, listlessly wandering around camp, singing to himself and giggling at nothing in particular. At first Tony Lucchesi thought the boy had stolen a bottle of vodka left over from the First Landing party, but when he noticed the boil on the back of his neck, he took him straight to Dr.

Okada. Kuniko inspected him, administered a local antibiotic to the wound, and a half hour later David was sober once more. The pseudo- wasp sting was apparently meant to incapacitate its prey; in larger mammals, the effect was less p.r.o.nounced, and fortunately not lethal. After that, everyone was warned to give the ball plants a wide berth.

"It's all right," Sissy said. "No, really... there's nothing to worry about." Before Jim could stop her, she walked over to the plant, gave it a gentle kick. It made a soft rustle, its stalk swaying slightly. "See? It's dead. That's why there are no wasps around it."

Still cautious, Jim emerged from the tall gra.s.s, walked over to the ball plant. Now that he was closer, he saw that the plant had a shrunken appearance; its leaves were brown and dry, the iris of its stem wilted.

As Sissy said, the plant was dead. Now was the perfect opportunity to examine one close-up.

He pulled out his jackknife and knelt beside the plant. Its leaves were coa.r.s.e and leathery; it took an effort to cut through the ball, and as he pulled aside the part he'd incised, a foul odor escaped the sphere.

He gagged and moved back, covering his mouth and nose with his hand; behind him, Sissy made a disgusted sound. Jim waited a moment for the air to clear. Then, putting away his knife and pinching his nostrils shut, he parted the leaves and peered into the plant.

The interior was hollow, as he suspected, and for a moment he thought it was completely empty. Then he saw, at its bottom, a small, lifeless form: the carca.s.s of a swamper, desiccated and curled into a fetal position, mummified within tiny, hairlike tendrils growing from the bottom of the plant. It took him a few moments to realize what he was seeing.

"It's a carnivorous plant," he said. "It draws sustenance from the swampers, sucks them dry. Sort of like a pitcher plant back on Earth." Then he sat back on his haunches, gazed up at Sissy. "But I still don't understand."

I've been observing ball plants for the last couple of days, and noted that swampers tend to give them a wide berth. Indeed, they avoid contact with the b.a.l.l.s, even those whose flower tops are in full blossom.

And the plants remain shut, with pseudowasps warding off anything that gets close to them. So what luresthe swampers inside?

Doesn 't make sense... or at least by terrestrial standards. Once again, I'm reminded of the fact that I'm dealing with an alien ecosystem. Just when it seems as if I've found something that seems to mimic life on Earth, I find something else that is utterly unfamiliar.

Charles Darwin would have loved this world. Or it would have driven him nuts.

From the diary of Wendy Gunther: Uriel 69, C.Y.

Spending most of my time on the farm. Hard work. Calluses on my hands, back sore from all the raking and shoveling. Kuniko b.i.t.c.hes about how much sunburn lotion I use and how it can't be replaced once it's gone. Always enjoyed gardening, though, and it helps me get my mind off Dad.

Some of the adults think I shouldn 't be doing this. Not appropriate for a fourteen-year-old girl to be doing hard labor. Maybe I ought to wear black and cry my eyes out, if that's what they want. But even though I miss Dad, in the last couple of weeks I've come to realize that I really didn 't know him all that well. Something I'm just going to have to work out, and that's going to take time.

Being out here also helps me stay away from Carlos. Like him a lot- really, I do!-but he's just lost his rents, and he's taking it a lot harder than I am.

Have enough problems dealing with my own loss, don't need the ha.s.sle of trying to help him as well.

Since he's with the timber crew and Marie helps out in the kitchen tent, I don't see either of them more than a couple of times a day.

Talked about this with Kuniko last night, when we were alone in our tent (Kuni-if you've managed to crack my encryption, go away/ This isn 't for you!).

Told her about Carlos; she agrees that now isn 't the right time for a boyfriend. Told her he keeps coming over to me at dinner, and she laughed. "There's nothing more pathetic than a fourteen-year-old boy," she said. So true...

(And besides, there's also Chris Levin. Is he cute or what?) Also been studying the swoops...

She had never paid much attention to birds back on Earth. Most of those she'd seen were the robins and wrens that nested in the trees at Camp Schaefly.

Swoops were different, though: a little larger than hawks, with the same hooked beaks and long-taloned feet, but whose wings were twice as long, making them look sort of like pterodactyls when they were in flight. They came out early in the morning, taking off from their nests in the blackwoods just after dawn to spend the day circling the marshes around Liberty. Dr. Levin said they were "riding the thermals," staying aloft on warm air rising from the ground, yet Wendy knew without being told that they weren't up there for show. They were hunting, and that's why she found them fascinating.

Wendy was out by herself in a newly cleared field on the outskirts of town, using a hoe to break ground, when she spotted a swamper sneak out of the gra.s.s about fifteen feet away. She stood perfectly still and watched as the swamper came closer to a ball plant she had been trying to avoid. It stopped and sniffed around its base-interesting, since Dr. Levin thought the swampers stayed clear of the b.a.l.l.s; he had told her about the mummified swamper he'd found in one of them. Wendy waited, wanting to see what would happen if the ball plant would somehow grab the swamper, when a shadow flitted across the ground.She looked up just in time to see a swoop dive out of the sky.

Its wings remained folded against its body until the last moment, then it spread them to brake itself. The swamper never saw the attack coming; the swoop snagged it within its claws-a sharp, dismal squeek! an instant before the rodent's neck was broken-then the raptor flapped its ma.s.sive wings and took off again, never once having touched the ground.

Wendy dropped her hoe. Breathless, she watched the swoop soar away, the dead swamper clutched beneath it, for the blackwoods a couple of miles from camp.

It was a bright and cloudless afternoon, the sky as blue and pure as the innocence of youth, and suddenly she felt something she had never known before: an awakening of the senses, a feeling of direct connection with the world around her. The realization that she wasn't distanced from nature, but rather an integral part of it. In that instant, Wendy arrived on Coyote.

People b.i.t.c.h about how hard it is to live here, and they're right-we're already on limited rations, and we may starve if we don't bring up a decent crop before winter. We've got plenty of tools, but once they're broken or worn-out, we'll either have to make new ones or do without. There're boids in the marshes-come to think of it, I was really stupid to be out there all by myself-and any one of us could all die tomorrow.

But you know what? I love this place. I've never felt more alive in my life.

Minutes of Liberty monthly town meeting: Adnachiel 2, C.Y. 01; recorded by Tom Shapiro, Acting Secretary (1.) Meeting called to order at 8:00 p.m. by R.E. Lee, Acting Chairman. Head count shows eighty-two members present, eighteen absent.

(2.) First order of business was formal introduction and ratification by majority vote of Colony Charter, based upon copies of the draft charter issued to all citizens two weeks earlier.

Mr. Reese went on record to oppose Paragraph 2, which calls for the establishment of a democratically elected government, and Paragraph 3, which annuls all former United Republic Service military ranks. He stated that the colony should continue to operate under military jurisdiction indefinitely, and that all URS officers should be allowed to retain their ranks.

Mr. Shapiro (speaking on behalf of the Charter Committee) countered by stating that an elected government will allow all colonists to have a representative voice in running the colony. The Town Council will be comprised of seven members selected by popular vote, with terms of no longer than one year (Coyote calendar).

Ms. Newell agreed in principle, but stated that she and other URS officers objected to losing their ranks and privileges. Mr. Dreyfus stated that he saw no problem with having URS officers retain their former ranks on an informal basis, but he pointed out that if the purpose of an elected government was to put all members of the colony on an equal basis, formally retaining military rank would mean that "some citizens would be more equal than others."

After an hour of debate, Mr. Lee called for a motion to vote upon the Charter. Motion pa.s.sed 71-11.

Mr. Lee then called for a vote to ratify formally the Colony Charter. Vote was fifty-nine in favor, twenty-three opposed, two abstaining.

Colony Charter was thereby pa.s.sed by majority vote.

(3.) Mr. Lee called for nomination of members of the Town Council. Under Paragraph 5(a) of theColony Charter, any person above the age of eighteen (before Gregorian calendar 2300, or C.Y. 01) is eligible for election. All candidates must publicly announce their intent to run for office or be nominated by others, and all nominations must be seconded by at least one other adult. Eleven members were nominated for Town Council; ten were seconded.

Mr. Lee then called for formal election of Town Council members. Vote was conducted by show of hands, with Mr. Tinsley and Ms. Geary counting. Elected were: Mr. R.E. Lee, Mr. Tom Shapiro, Ms. Sharon Ullman, Mr. Paul Dwyer, Ms. Cecelia "Sissy" Levin, Dr.

Henry Johnson, Ms. Vonda Cayle.

Mr. Dwyer and Mr. Reese tied in their votes. Mr. Lee called for a second round of voting, in which Mr.

Dwyer defeated Mr. Reese by two votes.

Mr. Lee then called for election of Town Council chairman. Elected was Mr. Lee, with Ms. Cayle as vice chairman.

(4.) Mr. Lee called for nomination members of the Prefect Office, which would charged be charged with enforcing Colony Law as pa.s.sed by the Town Council under Colony Charter. Eight nominations received, seven seconded.

Mr. Lee called for formal election of Prefect Office members. Vote was conducted by show of hands, with Mr. Shapiro and Ms. Cayle counting. Elected were: Mr. Gilbert "Gill" Reese, Mr. Ron Schmidt, Mr. William Boone, Mr. Antonio "Tony" Lucchesi, Mr.

John Carruthers, Mr. Michael Geissal, Mr. Ellery Balis.

(5.) Mr. Lee requested reports from standing committees.

Mr. Dwyer (Timber Group) reported that his team had finished its a.s.sessment of the available timber within a three-mile radius of Liberty and were working to cut nearby stands of blackwood and faux birch. First priority is harvesting enough wood to finish construction of the agricultural greenhouse.

Ms. Jacobs asked when permanent shelters will be built, and Mr. Dwyer responded that work on them will commence once the greenhouse is finished.

Ms. Monroe (Construction Group) noted that, while log cabins can be built well into winter, the greenhouse has to finished as soon as possible. She also pointed out that her team is presently undermanned and overworked, and requested additional volunteers for the logging crews.

Mr. Geary (Agriculture Group) reported that twenty-five acres have been cleared and planted. However, he voiced concern that harvests may fall below antic.i.p.ated totals. Cooler weather is not the only problem; swampers have recently discovered the seedlings, and although swoops take out many of those foraging in the farms, the swampers still manage to devour much of the crop. Since no traps have yet been devised, he requested that Prefects patrol the fields and shoot any swampers they see. Mr. Reese agreed to this request for a.s.sistance.

(6.) Mr. Lee opened the floor to further business.

Dr. Okada reported that medical supplies are still available, but no longer in large supply. In antic.i.p.ation of a long winter, she is keeping most of the antib'iotics and antivirals in reserve. She cautioned everyone to avoid contact with pseudowasps, whose sting has a toxic effect, and swampers, whose bite carries a viral infection that leaves the victim with high temperatures, temporary paralysis, and ring-shaped splotches on their skin.Mr. Shapiro warned people to exercise caution when visiting the outhouses and compost pits after dark.

A species of nocturnal animal-"creek cats," faintly resembling Siamese cats but much larger, about the size of Border collies-has been spotted lurking around them at night. Although they tend to flee when someone approaches, some of the children have been caught trying to feed them sc.r.a.ps of food.

Ms. Dreyfus asked when school may resume for the colony children. Mr. Lee said that the Town Council will take this into consideration during its first formal session, but also noted that primary education for the younger children may have to wait a couple of months longer. At this time, every hand is needed to get the colony self-sufficient by winter.

The date for the next town meeting was set for Barbiel 3. Meeting adjourned at 11:26 p.m.

From the journal of Dr. James Levin: Adnachiel 38, C.Y.

Beth Orr complained about a foul stench coming from the compost pit; she said it smelled like rotting meat. I couldn 't imagine anyone throwing away food; we're under tight rations, and everyone cleans their plate at dinnertime. Since Capt. Lee-I still use his rank, but so does everyone-asked me to become the health and sanitation officer, I went to the pit to check it out. Found a dozen or so creek cats: shot at close range, skinned head to toe. No one else has access to firearms except the Prefects, so I knew where to go...

Gill Reese stood in the doorway of the half-finished cabin, arm outstretched to block Jim Levin's way.

"You want to know about what?" he said in mock astonishment.

"Dead cats?"