Chapter 11: A visit with the Rabbits

There were no others in the corridor and Terrence started out with Yvette and the others. I escorted Donna the other direction, listening for any trouble ahead.

"Do we really have rabbits on board?" Donna asked me as we stepped out into the corridor. "Everything I've heard suggests that the confederacy doesn't worry at all about anything except their warriors."

We were almost to pod green seven and I smiled. "AI, are Brenda and Brittany awake? Will it be acceptable to visit?"

Donna looked puzzled as the door to green seven opened up at a level two feet above the floor. I stepped over and then waved for her to enter.

As we did, Brittany appeared from the back, wearing a grey shift, but smiling for the first time that I had seen her. "Sorry, but Brenda is a bit..." she blushed and I nodded.

"Corporal Mattingly is over for a visit, I see," I replied. "Well, I'm just here to show Donna here the rabbits."

Donna was looking about the room, seeing the twenty cages, each with its own rabbit. "So many," she whispered.

Brittany laughed. "This is less than a third. The total is sixty-four, although many of the females should be pregnant. Its all James' fault, or so Brenda tells me."

I laughed at her. "What happened to the terrified girl I helped Sergeant Powell escort here two days ago? You've become as cheeky as Tina."

Brittany stuck her tongue out at me. "I learned it from her."

Donna seemed a bit amazed by the exchange. "Isn't this girl... ?"

"I'm not fourteen yet," she said with finality. "Larry killed my mother when she refused to allow him to take me early and then the AI had Sergeant Powell come and take me out of there. I can test in five more days though."

Donna winced. "Well, I just wondered about the rabbits. I had heard they existed, but I didn't quite believe it."

Brittany laughed. "I heard about them the first night because Larry met with some sponsor named Hector and Hector was furious that the AI had allowed it. I never imagined that there would be so many though. Or that they would be so nice."

I was smiling. "I'm just happy the AI was willing to allow it." I was offering a nose rub to one of my favorites, a little gray doe who had the unfortunate name of Gremlin. She just kept pressing into my hand to demand more as I watched Donna wander the room in wonder.

Finally she seemed to remember that we were returning to her pod. "Thanks, James. And I will definitely want one when you can spare one. Lindsay definitely needs some practice in baby care, and a rabbit would help calm down poor Jacque, he is depressed with the inactivity right now."

Brittany looked a bit saddened. "Don't worry, but first the babies need to be born," I told her. "And if we get average litters, we'll have more than one hundred and fifty rabbits soon."

I could see Brittany brighten instantly as Donna laughed. "It will be a population explosion," she said.

We offered our goodbyes to Brittany and asked her to convey our apologies to Corporal Mattingly for arriving at a bad time. She promised to remember the message as we stepped back out into the corridor and headed to the center ring.

"You seem to be such a take-charge type," Donna told me. "Why are you here?"

I sighed. "Because I'm not really happy being in charge. I'm doing it to protect my family, but I want little more than that."

Donna looked surprised and then smiled. "And yet, you'll be a better leader for us because of that," she replied as we reached the turn.

The rest of the walk was made in silence. I was a bit worried about ambushes and was keeping an eye out, and Donna appeared to be deep in thought. Fortunately the corridors were devoid of life and we arrived at Donna's pod in the blue ring without incident.

"I'd invite you in," Donna began. "But..."

I nodded. "You want some quality time with your concubines and time to think. I understand," I replied. "This is going to be a trial for all of us."

Donna smiled and offered her hand to shake. Once that was complete I turned to leave as the door opened and she slipped inside, allowing the door to shut again.

My walk back was also spent in silence. The hallways were cleared of people, so I was a bit surprised when I encountered Sergeant Powell just outside my pod. He smiled as he saw me. "Sorry, but do you have a moment to meet with Captain Nelson?" he asked.

I nodded, and he led me back down the corridor to the center ring, where we turned and proceeded to the small command deck. The door opened as we approached and we went inside to see Captain Nelson reviewing some data and sighing.

She turned to look at us as the door slid closed. "Good, I hoped you could be brought in," she said. "James, do you have any idea of how bad the situation is on this ship?"

I shrugged. "One hundred colonists, more than half of them sadistic monsters who aren't even loved by their mothers anymore. Add in a complete lack of discipline and a planet that will be about as exposed as possible. I figure it's a suicide mission myself."

Sergeant Powell snorted and I could see Captain Nelson shake her head. "You are more right than wrong," she said with a sigh. "The AI tracks the colonists. In the back where you are the ratio is thirty monsters, and twenty mostly pacifists. The front is only twenty-seven to twenty-three, but those twenty-three are seemingly militant in their refusal to participate in the confederacy. The confederacy figures they volunteered merely to get off planet and wants them out of the way fast."

I frowned. "So at best the colony might only have twenty active participants. You mean that..."

Sergeant Powell spoke gruffly. "Your little council of six is the only group of its kind looking to make the colony work. And the rest of the pacifists back here will most likely help, but you can expect no other help."

I put my head in my hands. "Why tell me? At least I had the illusion of hoping we could make it better."

Captain Nelson gave a bitter laugh. "Because the AI wouldn't allow me to do anything! Despite the danger posed by the sadists, they are still considered citizens and the AI has strict rules on what punishments are available. They really do not work in this situation. Meanwhile, your proposed pod upgrades generated a query that went all the way to Confederacy Command. They wanted to know more about the situation, and I got ordered to bring you in."

I shrugged. "I'm just trying to protect my family. If I don't plan for the worst, I could lose what little I have."

The Captain gave me a sad smile. "Well, the confederacy is going to give you a few concessions. They know they put you in a terrible position and want to help. And some think you could improve Ishtar once the civil war occurs."

"Civil war?" I said in shock.

Sergeant Powell sighed. "The AI won't let us do anything to prevent it, but it's clear that Ruth and Hector from this portion of the ship want total control once the colony lands. There is a man, Manuel Matos, in the front of the ship, who is trying to build up an army as well. All our estimates say they will start fighting openly within four months."