I’ve been focusing hard on not being depressed. Things are
difficult here, although a lot of good has happened. Our water continues to be
slightly briny, so Ghadir has made huge vats of shellfish and seaweed soup for
us, which keeps us hydrated throughout the day. She also has been working with
Ihsan on an herbal supplement that seems like a crazy witches’ brew of
substances: water, thick chunks of aloe (she says it will soothe our stomachs),
and a hint of coffee senna, to keep us “regular.” We’ve been drinking the brew
at mealtimes, chewing toasted pieces of nutritional loaf – not so bad once it’s
been heated – and soup or lettuce salad.
I still miss fruit, and I look forward to planting some strawberries.
Some of the blossoms have fallen off the tomato plants, which Durada says a good sign – they will produce fruit soon. Everyone helps keep the lettuce at bay by snacking on it regularly, and the fiber seems to help.
Samira seems content working on her knitting projects with Budur, and dreaming up weaving patterns. I am surprised that she allows her imagination to roam so far, because the Ikin are known for their sturdiness, their present-moment hard work, and not for their long-ranging ideals and vision. But she fixed the water and waste systems as much as she could, and since recovering from her illness, she has spent many hours at a computer terminal, creating different weaving patterns for these systems. She has also designed a few additions to our survival suits, which I hope she is able to implement with at least a little of the material in the next shipment, if we can spare it. When she’s not at the computer terminal or eating, slowly and meticulously in the cafeteria, she and Zariah and Chloe stand in the halls and talk. I am continually amazed that those three have so easily stepped out of their castes.
The e. Coli symptoms seem to be gone in everyone, and the waste filtration system is in fine working order, but no one has figured out yet why the water, uncooked or without additives, makes us sick. Our shellfish and kelp like it just fine, and even the algae in the air system seems to like it. It’s just us, and we don’t have enough scientific equipment to figure it out.
Oh, speaking of the water! We released our four octopus friends into the pitch-dark Europan sea, and they seem to like it there, too. I knew octopuses preferred the dark, but they love this water! They swim far away, possibly looking for places to nest, until we send out a sound wave and then they come back, congregating in the beam of our one search light near our one camera outside. Our supplies are about a week out, but I think they are already investigating the barrels and playing with them. We throw food out to them every few hours, and we will also release the wriggling fish schools out to them soon, so they won’t have to return to us nearly as often.
Vivien and I are already working on the next round of octopus hatchlings.
Yuda asked me an interesting question today. Haven has been busy “organizing” our information catalogues and books, and I have been responsible for most of the communication with Breathe Easy. Everyone knows, of course, that our next shipment is on the way, but Yuda has been especially distracted since I broke the news.
I was writing up some growth cycle information about our bivalves outside, when she came up to me and sat down. She doesn’t interact with me often, but I’ve tried hard to make myself available to the lower castes. I stopped writing and turned to her, smiling. We stared at each other for a few seconds, she awkwardly studying my eyes, then she finally spoke.
“I wanted to ask, Aelis, if you knew when the next group of colonists would be coming.”
I told her that official strategy suggested that they would come in another 4 months – at the six month point for the entire mining operation. She looked disappointed.
“Are you tired of the rest of us?” I playfully suggested. She shook her head.
“No, I um. I heard that there would be arrangements made for each of us … for partners?” She seemed very embarrassed to be asking this. I’d worry about sending information about this conversation out to the world, but I think Breathe Easy would be pleased to know that at least one of the colonists here is looking forward to some male company, so if any of you out there reading this are on your way …
I know the plan with the second round of colonists is to send mostly, if not entirely, men. Those of us that want to stay past our repayment will have the option of marrying and beginning to populate Rabbah. The base isn’t large enough, but perhaps the next ship will be bigger, or we can begin eventually get enough extra printer material, or a larger printer, and we could begin to expand the base in ways of our own devising.
I can’t imagine children down here, but I will admit that I also miss a man’s touch. Sometimes, when I’m completely alone and my mind is wandering, I miss Alan. Not enough to go back to my old life. He and I were not compatible enough to live on the same planet.
I hope that he is well.
I explained as much about the project as I knew to Yuda, that Breathe Easy would try to send us compatible men but I didn’t know how many of them would be in the next wave. If we need more workers, I assume they will send more women, with only a few men. That might create some jealousy problems, I understand, but women are traditionally harder workers than men. Men in each caste dream large dreams, and women work to make them real, as we are working to make Breathe Easy’s dream of fresh, uncontested water a reality.
Yuda seemed satisfied with my explanation and walked away. I have put a note in my latest transmission to Breathe Easy that perhaps they might consider sending more colonists sooner. Four more months is a long wait. We could use the storage capacity for more goods, as well. But, I also suspect there are more of us that miss the presence of a man than are willing to admit. Durada might be the only one resistant to the idea, because she still mourns for her dead husband.
The worst news so far: Unfortunatley, Breathe Easy has denied my request for more antibiotics. They say that what they’re sending us is already on its way, and only half of what we needed as far as printer supplies and seeds could fit in the load. It’s sad, but I suppose the transport was a specific size so that it could accelerate more quickly in the StarTram.
I have not broken the news about the latest shipment to the other women yet, but I must figure out a way to do that soon. We have to decide who will pilot the ship in, and who will communicate to the octopus pod to load the barrels. Those will need to float to the top a few days before the ship arrives. Maybe I will talk to Haven, and she can talk to everyone for me. She is here to be our leader, and although she was originally a lower caste, I can tell that she wants to lead the group. If she does not want to do it, I will volunteer to pilot in the ship if she will speak to everyone.
I don’t think anyone will be happy to hear about the smaller-than-hoped for amount of supplies.
While I’m thinking about it, we have not taken the glasses out of their containers and hooked them into the computer system yet. I will also ask Haven to speak to Zariah and Yuda, and perhaps get Budur and Chloe to help them.
I still miss fruit, and I look forward to planting some strawberries.
Some of the blossoms have fallen off the tomato plants, which Durada says a good sign – they will produce fruit soon. Everyone helps keep the lettuce at bay by snacking on it regularly, and the fiber seems to help.
Samira seems content working on her knitting projects with Budur, and dreaming up weaving patterns. I am surprised that she allows her imagination to roam so far, because the Ikin are known for their sturdiness, their present-moment hard work, and not for their long-ranging ideals and vision. But she fixed the water and waste systems as much as she could, and since recovering from her illness, she has spent many hours at a computer terminal, creating different weaving patterns for these systems. She has also designed a few additions to our survival suits, which I hope she is able to implement with at least a little of the material in the next shipment, if we can spare it. When she’s not at the computer terminal or eating, slowly and meticulously in the cafeteria, she and Zariah and Chloe stand in the halls and talk. I am continually amazed that those three have so easily stepped out of their castes.
The e. Coli symptoms seem to be gone in everyone, and the waste filtration system is in fine working order, but no one has figured out yet why the water, uncooked or without additives, makes us sick. Our shellfish and kelp like it just fine, and even the algae in the air system seems to like it. It’s just us, and we don’t have enough scientific equipment to figure it out.
Oh, speaking of the water! We released our four octopus friends into the pitch-dark Europan sea, and they seem to like it there, too. I knew octopuses preferred the dark, but they love this water! They swim far away, possibly looking for places to nest, until we send out a sound wave and then they come back, congregating in the beam of our one search light near our one camera outside. Our supplies are about a week out, but I think they are already investigating the barrels and playing with them. We throw food out to them every few hours, and we will also release the wriggling fish schools out to them soon, so they won’t have to return to us nearly as often.
Vivien and I are already working on the next round of octopus hatchlings.
Yuda asked me an interesting question today. Haven has been busy “organizing” our information catalogues and books, and I have been responsible for most of the communication with Breathe Easy. Everyone knows, of course, that our next shipment is on the way, but Yuda has been especially distracted since I broke the news.
I was writing up some growth cycle information about our bivalves outside, when she came up to me and sat down. She doesn’t interact with me often, but I’ve tried hard to make myself available to the lower castes. I stopped writing and turned to her, smiling. We stared at each other for a few seconds, she awkwardly studying my eyes, then she finally spoke.
“I wanted to ask, Aelis, if you knew when the next group of colonists would be coming.”
I told her that official strategy suggested that they would come in another 4 months – at the six month point for the entire mining operation. She looked disappointed.
“Are you tired of the rest of us?” I playfully suggested. She shook her head.
“No, I um. I heard that there would be arrangements made for each of us … for partners?” She seemed very embarrassed to be asking this. I’d worry about sending information about this conversation out to the world, but I think Breathe Easy would be pleased to know that at least one of the colonists here is looking forward to some male company, so if any of you out there reading this are on your way …
I know the plan with the second round of colonists is to send mostly, if not entirely, men. Those of us that want to stay past our repayment will have the option of marrying and beginning to populate Rabbah. The base isn’t large enough, but perhaps the next ship will be bigger, or we can begin eventually get enough extra printer material, or a larger printer, and we could begin to expand the base in ways of our own devising.
I can’t imagine children down here, but I will admit that I also miss a man’s touch. Sometimes, when I’m completely alone and my mind is wandering, I miss Alan. Not enough to go back to my old life. He and I were not compatible enough to live on the same planet.
I hope that he is well.
I explained as much about the project as I knew to Yuda, that Breathe Easy would try to send us compatible men but I didn’t know how many of them would be in the next wave. If we need more workers, I assume they will send more women, with only a few men. That might create some jealousy problems, I understand, but women are traditionally harder workers than men. Men in each caste dream large dreams, and women work to make them real, as we are working to make Breathe Easy’s dream of fresh, uncontested water a reality.
Yuda seemed satisfied with my explanation and walked away. I have put a note in my latest transmission to Breathe Easy that perhaps they might consider sending more colonists sooner. Four more months is a long wait. We could use the storage capacity for more goods, as well. But, I also suspect there are more of us that miss the presence of a man than are willing to admit. Durada might be the only one resistant to the idea, because she still mourns for her dead husband.
The worst news so far: Unfortunatley, Breathe Easy has denied my request for more antibiotics. They say that what they’re sending us is already on its way, and only half of what we needed as far as printer supplies and seeds could fit in the load. It’s sad, but I suppose the transport was a specific size so that it could accelerate more quickly in the StarTram.
I have not broken the news about the latest shipment to the other women yet, but I must figure out a way to do that soon. We have to decide who will pilot the ship in, and who will communicate to the octopus pod to load the barrels. Those will need to float to the top a few days before the ship arrives. Maybe I will talk to Haven, and she can talk to everyone for me. She is here to be our leader, and although she was originally a lower caste, I can tell that she wants to lead the group. If she does not want to do it, I will volunteer to pilot in the ship if she will speak to everyone.
I don’t think anyone will be happy to hear about the smaller-than-hoped for amount of supplies.
While I’m thinking about it, we have not taken the glasses out of their containers and hooked them into the computer system yet. I will also ask Haven to speak to Zariah and Yuda, and perhaps get Budur and Chloe to help them.
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