Chapter 8

March 2263
New Kiev
Safety Officer and Bus Driver Johannes Lenk

I woke up on the lander for the last time. Our house was nearly finished. We’d put the roof on today and have a real home at last! As I walked off the lander, one of my wives Frida greeted me with a slap on the butt and a crushing hug. She was the biggest human female on the planet, and if it wouldn’t hurt the feelings of my other wives, I might say she was my favorite. I’m exactly 2 meters tall myself, and I barely need to lean down to kiss her. In the old movies we liked, the traditional male romantic lead was ‘six foot two with eyes of blue’. Frida has light brown hair, blue eyes, and the same height. She also has the largest breasts of any woman here, nearly the size of my head!

Her test scores were only a little above average, but she was appointed Lead Builder. She’s very capable at constructing things according to plan, has a booming, fear-inspiring voice when she wants to, and can out-work most of the men. She’s as likely to give me a high-five or knuckle-bump as kiss me, and I like that. She’s kind of like a best buddy, that also has the right anatomy to sleep with me. When we were married, I followed the tradition and carried her to my quarters. When we woke in the morning she surprised me by insisting on returning the favor and carrying me to the mess hall for breakfast.

Alaki is my tropical wonder. I’m sure there are at least two copies of her in an old Elvis movie. She looks like the stereotypical hula girl, and even makes grass skirts for her and the other ladies. Being a Technologist, it seems like she can magically make anything from just a few sticks and some dirt. I’m very lucky to have her.

Maria is the prettiest of my girls. I swear, she looks exactly like the female lead in that old movie Desperado. With her plump, full lips, kissing her is amazing. She’s an Educator, and great with the kids. She’s also super-fertile. I joke that she could probably blow me a kiss and have a baby an hour later. Including the two sets of twins, she’s had sixteen kids in that many years. She’s a regular munchkin factory. I love playing sports with the older kids, and I love that about her.

Therese ... what can I say about Therese? She’s technically my wife, but she’s just too small for me. I like her, and she likes me, but that’s about it. My twelve-year-old son is larger. When my other ladies spend time with Demitri, she’s my little teddy bear. She sits in my lap as we eat or watch videos. When I’m tired, I sleep on my belly and she lays on my back. I worry that if I spoon with her, I might get excited in my sleep and hurt her by accident. I save my physical love for the less fragile ladies, and Therese is happy about that.

Demitri is Mayor of our village, my co-husband, and a good friend. Since I was First Officer on the ship, my pal Governor Rito asked me to be Mayor of another village, but I would need to switch to another family. I love mine, and I couldn’t do that.

I’m the village Safety Officer now, and very happy doing it. I haven’t encountered anything dangerous on the ground yet, other than a few shouting matches that got out of hand.

I walk around the village two or three times a day, making sure everything is in order and everybody is alright, then I coach tennis or basketball when the kids get out of school. I don’t see any way I could be happier.

Since I was the Chief Pilot, I also drive the weekly ‘bus’ between villages. A lot of people might be upset, going from piloting a starship to driving a ground vehicle that can only manage fifty kilometers an hour. I just think it’s kind of funny. Sometimes I’ll say, “3, 2, 1, IGNITION!” as my sleepy snail of a machine takes over five seconds to reach jogging speed.

The villages were built 30 kilometers apart, to prevent all of us from being wiped out by a fire, flood, or other disaster. It’s still close enough to walk from one village to the next in under a day or drive the ‘bus’ in about an hour. One of the first things we did was connect the villages with cables, so we could share electrical power and communicate easily.

Mainly I carry food and other cargo back and forth. On a typical trip, two to six people ride along. The vehicle isn’t really a bus, but more like a dump truck, with tracks instead of wheels, and three rows of seats in the cab. It doesn’t run on oil or gasoline, but wood. It has a ‘Combustible Organics Gassifier’ or something. I just know I need to throw in about 30 kilos of wood before we leave and again halfway between villages. It puts out a lot of smoke, but works pretty well. A couple of engineers are building a cargo and passenger aircraft. I can’t wait to fly it.

Technologist Alaki Manu

Aloha! I’m writing this to clear up a few misunderstandings. Please consider that I come from a culture where people are more honest and open than most. I hope you won’t be offended if I’m too direct for you.

A lot of people see the term ‘Technologist’ and think of things like advanced flying robots and wireless power networks. We brought a lot of modern technology on the ship, but what happens if your advanced robot breaks down and you don’t have spare parts? Or an electronics factory to make parts? Or even bricks to build a factory?

Advanced modern devices are only a small part of what we do. We study technology, as in tools and methods, all the way from the stone age to the most modern. I and the two other Technologists on our mission plan to focus on the simple things first. We need basic tools to produce food and homes.