REDEMPTION

— by Jeff Karamales

Chapter 29
New Day Dawning
 

Suzette and Etienne de Chevalier actually had tea waiting for the Abeona colonists and almost fell over themselves playing host to the new arrivals. The tea was actually something that the original Bastiens had been enjoying since their fifth month, and while very different from traditional Earth grown tea leaves, the two physicians informed them there was a definite caffeine content to the brew. It was sweetened with a substance that was similar to honey that was harvested by a burrowing arthropod that set up hive-like colonies in a particular species of fallen trees. The ‘honey’ was used as a winter food source after it dried into something resembling rock candy that dissolved easily in water.

By far, the most intriguing possession of the two Bastien Vulps was the pair of kits that Suzette had given birth to the previous autumn.

“This is Jean Michele,” the proud mother said lifting a tiny anthrofox baby with vibrant orange-red fur and almost black arms and legs with two white spots on either side of his muzzle, “and this is Abrielle.” The tiny vixen had a little more white on her front than her brother and the only black on her body was at the very ends of her pudgy fingers, toes and the tips of her ears.

Both had bright, amber eyes and looked just as precious as any human or animal baby. The other Furs that gathered around were absolutely enamored by the kits that hid their faces against their parents shyly, though no one was as thrilled as Julie Henderson, the First Officer of the James Cook. What was amazing was the reaction of the kits, neither one finding the strange, furless creature that doted on them in the least bit frightening and let out soft yips of delight.

“Well,” Etienne observed with a chuckle, “I think we have found a nanny while we help you unload.”

Sofiya shook her head and smiled. “No, that would not be right. You have been through too much, I am thinking. That you have refreshments is already more than we could be asking for.” The vixen did speak with both of the original colony Vulps, Captain Tananga and Commander Henderson, determining that the placement of the new colony would be slightly closer to the ship, though well outside of the danger zone for the powerful engines that would carry the ship back into space.

As soon as the details were ironed out, crewmen began to ready the cargo trailers while a handling team led by Emanuella began to revive the livestock. No sooner did a group of herd animals get revived than they were guided to the pens that Suzette and Etienne had maintained. Sofiya noted with approval that there were far more goats, cattle, sheep and chickens than she’d anticipated, the amount almost doubling what the Abeona group brought along. The pens would have to be expanded, and a small work team began that task while adding the new sensors that they’d help test during their simulation.

As trailers were pulled from the ship and lined up, Furs descended upon them, knowing what needed to be done from their time at the simulation site in Washington State. They had learned from working together for so many months how to divide into efficient teams, and despite wanting to carry what she considered her fair share of the burden, Sofiya was politely, though firmly, told by the different groups of workers that they had things well under control. Just to mollify her own desire to feel as if she were contributing, the red fox began to shuttle materials to the different staging areas.

Following the same plan as they had during simulation, the colony was built in a circular pattern with the Great Dome in the center along with the smaller operations dome attached. When the two Vulps from the original colony attempt asked the new group why they didn’t move into the already existing settlement it was Hector that explained that Sofiya’s intention was to maintain the site as a sort of memorial to the Felis colonists that had died. This impressed the original foxes that the memories of their friends were being honored in such a way, and both were unashamed by the tears that were spilt. As far as that went, a new double dome with connecting walk-through was put together for the Vulps family within the new compound.

During the construction phase, upon completion of the kitchen facilities, Victor Rushenko, Mina Brinkley and Myao Shin Tam began the preparations for a fairly lavish supper. Despite trying to help the new colonists, the de Chevaliers were politely declined, though Valerie Muir and Riva Weicz were more than happy to accept their assistance on putting together the medical dome which was a little larger than the standard units being constructed and discussed some of the more recent medical breakthroughs and developments.

While the new site was being constructed to maintain the integrity of the previous colony domes and structures, Sofiya called Richard over and asked him to put together a team to start bringing over equipment from the first settlement, including all of the communications systems and the armory. By the time it was all moved over and work was halted towards sunset, more than two thirds of the site had been established, complete with water purification, latrines, expanded pens for all of the animals and the Great Dome.

Supper was again a mix of three different continental cuisines, something that the various Furs had grown accustomed to and enjoyed, as did Suzette and Etienne, the vixen happily nursing her kits after her own supper without any sense of shame or embarrassment. She smiled slightly chagrined at the other Vulps when she realized that some of them were staring at her, most with smiles, a few with a little surprise.

“I apologize,” Suzette said with a slight lowering of her head. “When…when we started having children, there really wasn’t time to head to a private place to nurse, especially if we were in the middle of a task. To be honest I didn’t even think about what I was doing.”

When the vixen started to rise, Sofiya waved her to remain seated and tend to her children with a warm smile. “Many of us are very much looking forward to having our own children. I am thinking that it is truly a beautiful and natural thing and for you not to be ashamed.”

“She’s right,” Richard said in agreement. “We already knew that a lot of the things that we have grown up with on Earth don’t apply, and this is one of them. As we have children, they will become more of a priority than the colony because they will be our future.”

“You…you are not offended?” Suzette inquired with amazement.

“Not at all,” Matthew Sykes said where he was lounging with Nan Pi-lei Quang and Neelu Rajpur. “We’ve already figured out that a lot of what was normal don’t mean nothing out here. I know I had a problem with things, but I had a friend help me understand that I was being a little thick. By the way, Richard, thanks for that. Well, that and not giving me a beating when I deserved it!”

The silver fox chuckled. “You’re welcome. I think.”

Captain Tananga and his crew sat with the Furs, mixed evenly with the colonists and not really clustered together. The large man nodded, his traditional Obo hat bobbing with the motion, the hat looking like the simple round Kofi that was popular on the continent while the top section resembled a beret. It was colored a deep, vibrant red with designs in glittering, metallic blue. “I have seen several ‘First Days’ on other worlds, having been on slipships for many years,” he began in his deep voice, “but I do not think I have ever seen another group work so well together. If this is an indication of what your time will be like on Bastien, then I think yours will be one of the most shining examples of success.” He lifted his plastic drinking cup of tea and stood, nodding to the assembled Furs. “I hope for the best to all of you, and may you all of you know long and prosperous lives.”

The sentiments were agreed with by everyone and the mood continued to lighten, the colonists for having made it to their new world, and Etienne and Suzette for new friends. The time that they had spent alone on the world, both trying and incredibly lonely, was now over and they were surrounded by other Vulps that seemed to be going extra lengths to make them feel wanted and welcome. It was a little overwhelming to the two that had endured an almost exile, and it affected them substantially to be part of a community again.

“What we didn’t understand was why the slipship that deposited the colonists for Second Chance on Bonestell didn’t retrieve us,” Etienne said. “First we were told that it would come for us, then when the appointed time for the landing came and went, and still no ship, we believed that not only had something terrible happened, but that we were, to be completely truthful, considered a loss as well. It is a terrible thing to feel so…disposable.”

Tananga shook his head. “You didn’t hear? No one told you what happened to the Meriwether Lewis?” He watched as Etienne and Suzette shook their heads, a gesture repeated by several other Furs. “She suffered damage when she encountered spatial debris as she entered this star system. It wasn’t that bad and there were no hull penetrations, thank the heavens, but the aft port landing motor suffered enough damage that was deemed to hazardous to attempt atmospheric reentry and liftoff. That and it looked as if some of the reentry heat shielding had been damaged as well. Even a small perforation in the heat resistant material could have a catastrophic effect.

“Because of that, retrieval was deemed unsafe and the Lewis was ordered to return to the Terran Colonial Coalition’s dry dock in lunar orbit. It wasn’t until the technicians and dockyard crews began their preliminary inspection that they discovered the extent of the damage. There was a through penetration of the port wing, and as for the landing motor, if it had been activated, it would have ignited a small fuel leak and turned the ship into a very large ball of fire.”

“Mon dieu!” Suzette squeaked. “I am thankful they didn’t try to land! To think that more lives could have been claimed by this world…that would be terrible!”

Beley shook his head, surprised that it had been overlooked to inform the two Vulps why they weren’t going to be retrieved by the Meriwether Lewis. “I know the news was not released on Earth to prevent detractors of the colony efforts we are undertaking, well, and I hate to admit this, that and to ensure it was a completely random event and wasn’t deliberate sabotage. There are some very odd groups back on Earth that feel it is against their beliefs and will stop at nothing to halt the progress of interstellar expansion. The fools do not realize that Earth is literally being eaten to death with so many people. No matter what we do, what kinds of advances in agriculture, sea-farming, greenhouses and the like, we must find other worlds or we will slowly die off as populations squabble over diminishing resources.” He sipped his tea before accepting a refill from Myao Shin with a vibrant white smile. “Fortunately there are those like yourselves that will brave the unknown to find new homes, and to that, I sincerely hope for your success.”

“As do we all, Captain,” Sofiya agreed.

***

“The James Cook is on her way,” Amanda said as she closed down the transmission link to the slipship and set the communications terminal to stand-by mode. “We are now officially on our own.” She added a jaunty salute to Sofiya, though the giggle that bubbled up ruined the effect the fennec was attempting.

“At least the tachyon field of the slip drive will keep them safe from what happened to the Lewis,” Richard said as he leaned against the doorway to the operations dome. “Unless they pass too close to a gravity well like a star, they should be fine. Captain Tananga is a solid officer,” the silver fox observed and pushed off the door to enter the dome. “His ship’s in good hands.”

Sofiya smiled as Richard stepped up behind the red fox and began to massage her shoulders. “Mmmm. You can continue doing this all day,” the vixen mumbled happily as her head dropped forward. “I did not know I was being so full of tension.”

“I’d be more than happy to continue,” the male replied softly. “But there’s something rather important that we need to do.”

“Is it having to do with the crate that is having your name on it?” Sofiya inquired, leaning into her mate’s ministrations.

“It is.” Richard let his hands slip to the vixen’s shoulders and spun her chair about before kneeling in front of her. “It’s also…well,” he sighed and looked up with his bronze colored eyes full of sympathy. “The crate was a request that I put in with Marcelo and he passed it on to Ásmundr Gustavsson.”

“Now I am curious,” Sofiya told him. “What is it?”

“I really don’t know how to tell you this…I…I thought it would be proper at the time. When we were in Donetsk, at the hospital, I sent a message requesting help with your father’s funeral arrangements. Apparently Marcelo agreed with what I asked, as did Ásmundr. I…I asked them to let us bring his ashes. And I also asked for a selection of roses in the stasis tubes that the AHCP uses for plant specimens to take back to Earth for study.” Richard swallowed hard. “I know I should have asked, but, well, you were already coping with so much. I thought it would be…um, appropriate if he was with us, to be here as we make that new world the two of you were talking about.”

Sofiya’s eyes grew wide, her pupils dilating so far that the yellow-green of her irises were only a thin ring of color and her paw-like hand lifted to her mouth as tears instantly welled up in her eyes. Before the silver fox could react, she threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in the juncture of his neck and shoulder as silent sobs shook her body.

It didn’t take long for the vixen to get herself under control and she leaned back while wiping at her eyes with the back of her wrist and sniffing delicately. “Poppa would have liked that,” Sofiya husked. “I only wish Mamma…that we could have been brought her as well so they could rest together.”

“We did,” Richard said as he tended to a tear for his vixen. “Both of them are here. And roses to plant for them.”

That was all it took to completely break the red fox down, and as Richard held her, Amanda couldn’t help but get out of the other chair and join her family, trying to wrap both of the other foxes in her sandy colored arms. “And things like this are what makes you so special,” the fennec said as she kissed both of the other Vulps on their cheeks.

Pausing to grab a shovel, the three eventually made their way to the small meadow where Suzette and Etienne had buried their Felis friends. They looked around the peaceful little glade, two of the grave markers that bore the names of Shawna Lambert-Madsen and Thomas Madsen surrounded by a selection of wild flowers from Earth for Major Aaron Lambert of the Washington State Police. Sofiya had even taken pictures and sent them via the second communication message beamed to their former home planet.

“I think that Mamma and Poppa would be liking that tree,” the red fox vixen said as she pointed to what the original colonists had called a plume-pine, the branches of the strange looking tree having a rough cone shape though instead of needles there were long, furry looking tendrils that were a dark blue-green. “Mamma was always liking her garden and would have found this to be a happy little place.”

Before long there was a good sized hole, Richard panting a little with the effort as the morning sun climbed higher in the sky, the temperature climbing with it, though the breeze that came in from the southwest brought cooler, salt tinged air from the ocean and kept the colony site relatively comfortable. Resting the spade against the tree, the silver fox opened the small crate they’d all helped carry, revealing the contents to be two brass urns with plates that looked like electrum riveted to the vessels that bore the names of Sofiya’s parents.

“I’ll leave you two to do this,” Amanda said softly, though before she could do more than turn around, the red fox snagged her paw like hand and pulled her back.

“No. I would want my parents to be meeting all of my family,” Sofiya said as she hugged the other anthrovixen. “I am loving Richard, but that does not mean I am not also loving you, silly fennec! They would have been caring for you very much.”

Amanda was caught off guard by the amount of affection in the embrace, and stiffened for only a moment before melting into the attention, Richard unable to keep from smiling at the younger Fur’s reaction. Amanda was truly a happy individual, but seeing how she reacted to Sofiya, him and Elena was astonishing and was like watching the sun come out after a cloudy day. The shy, quiet and reserved desert fox truly thrived being part of their family group and it was sweet to see just how much that positively affected her.

When they parted both vixens stepped up and knelt down next to the hole and Amanda reached into the plastic shipping crate and pulled out the first urn, handing it to the red fox with something akin to reverence. Sofiya whispered something in Ukrainian, then looked at Amanda and smiled sadly.

“This was my Mamma, Ksenyia Talova. She was a teacher of history in school when she met Poppa. On the weekend she would teach students how to be playing the violin. I will always be remembering her from when I was a little girl, cooking and making of special dishes, especially for holidays.

“Her favorite pastime was to be in her garden planting flowers and things of beauty, though she was also having a small garden herbs and vegetables. She was always beautiful for Poppa and me, making sure she was dressed nicely with her hair in braids and ribbons, or falling free.”

Sofiya placed the urn in the hole and kissed her finger pads before touching them to the electrum nameplate. Then she accepted the second urn. As before she said something in her native language before looking at the fennec with glittering eyes.

“This is my Poppa, Nikoli Vladimir Talova. He was a hero in the little war with Russia when they tried to be taking our Ukraine again. He was a communications sergeant, and lost part of his leg from a hand grenade. Despite missing one leg when Mamma met him, she was knowing that this was the man that she would marry and be having a family with. Poppa loved her and me so very much. He would take us sailing on the Black Sea from the city of Yalta every summer when I was little, or there would be trips to my Uncle Oskar’s farm. He was always so strong and seeming that he would be around forever.”

The red fox Fur dashed away the tears that began to spill and smiled again as she put the urn next to the first, once more kissing her finger pads and putting them to the attached plate on the side.

“I learned so much from both of them. I…I am believing that they are watching me from heaven, and that is how I try to act. I wish for them to be proud of me…”

The fur beneath Sofiya’s eyes grew quite damp, and when she finally sighed and looked at Amanda, she found the fennec crying as well. “Then they are very proud of you,” the sandy colored vixen said with a catch to her voice, “because you make me want to be just like you. Strong, compassionate…the kind of person others can depend on.”

Sofiya pulled the other vixen to her. “You are being all of these things, malen’kyy sestra! You are one that brings love, joy and smiles to all, especially when they are needed most, my little sister! You are being very special, and that is how I know that Mamma and Poppa would have been loving you so very, very much.”

Even Richard had to wipe at an eye as he watched the two of his vixens, realizing not for the first time just how fortunate he was. As he considered the family that he was a part of, Elena stepped up beside him, her arm slipping easily around the silver fox’s waist. The two stood there for a moment before kneeling in the strange, feathery tipped grass to help cover the urns and plant the roses that had come across so many light years with them, all of them working silently though each happy as they regarded the others.

As Sofiya brushed the dirt from her pads and the fur of her fingers, she sighed with content and looked at the other vixens. “I am thinking that the rest of the colony can take care of itself for a little while, do you agree?” Amanda shrugged, though she caught the mischievous gleam in the red fox’s eyes while Elena was already smiling. “I am thinking we should get a little something from the Great Dome to be taking with us and then some of the horses and go and see this beach all of us had heard so much about.”

“I am liking this idea,” the platinum vixen agreed with a smirk.

“I’ll get the horses ready!” Amanda exclaimed, nuzzling each of the other Furs before loping off back to the colony site on all fours.

“I sort of wanted to look at the perimeter sensors,” Richard began before seeing the other two shaking their heads.

“Oh, no, my beautiful silver fox,” Sofiya said in a husky tone. “The three of us have been talking very seriously and there is something that we are feeling is very important to be done.”

“Um…what’s that?” Richard answered feeling a slight pang of nervousness.

“We are thinking that it is very important to be giving Abrielle and Jean Michele some friends to be growing up with, and you are being very crucial to our plans,” the red fox said as she stalked towards the male with a warm look in her eyes.

— NEXT CHAPTER —

Unless otherwise noted, all material © Ted R. Blasingame. All rights reserved.