Chapter 27: Exploring a Hot New World

With her experience as a multi-engine pilot on Earth, it didn't take Misty long to master the shuttle's controls. Once she began flying it more like a helicopter than an airplane it didn't take her much time to perform a few standard maneuvers to her own satisfaction. Like Nancy, Misty had an aversion to flying into a hangar, but even that hurdle didn't take more than a dozen approaches for her to overcome her instinctive reluctance.

Misty was impressed by the skill and confidence of her young instructor. Once she had the handling characteristics mastered, Misty began showing Nancy how to fly the nimble craft using the instruments built into the shuttle to perform the standard flight patterns and maneuvers used by instrument-rated pilots on Earth. Nancy was strictly a visual, seat-of-the-pants pilot. The sleep training had covered the maneuvers Misty flew, but some things needed to be demonstrated. Misty impressed Nancy when she blacked out the windows and brought the shuttle in for a soft landing at the agricultural dome.

They left the small craft near an airlock in the botanical research complex's central dome. The airlock gave access to the exterior of the complex as well as the exterior components of the cooling tower that serviced the facility. Instead of taking the transporter nexus that was built into the shuttle, they donned oxygen masks and lowered the hatch. The heat that flooded into the small craft was almost as though someone had opened an oven door.

Misty gasp, "Good God, it's hot here!"

Nancy picked up a bag containing additional breathing units and laughed into her mask, "You should be here in the summertime!"

Misty hesitated as she studied Nancy's body language, but couldn't get a clear reading. "You're pulling my leg, right?"

Nancy's only reply was more laughter.

They found Margret, Avalareddy, Brown, and two men that neither of them recognized in the spacious conference room that was part of the administrative offices of the agricultural complex. Avalareddy and Brown appeared to be very excited about something on a display screen.

Through the opened door the two women could hear Margret talking as they approached, "The small lake is between three and five meters deep in the center for its three kilometer length. It varies from 10 to 300 meters wide, probably averaging about 100 meters. The water exiting the pipe at the head of the lake is saturated with oxygen with nothing in the way of contaminants. It took about a month for the water to reach the top of the low-head dam we installed at the mouth of the canyon. I have no idea what the oxygen and carbon dioxide levels are along the length of the lake, but I'm sure it varies."

The taller of the two strangers asked, "What about nitrates, phosphates and potash?"

Margret shrugged just enough for it to be noticed. "None, unless the water has leached some out of the ground. The water leaving the pipe is just about as pure as we can make it. We use it for makeup in the evaporative cooling towers and for the glycol solutions that are circulated through the interior of the settlements and structures. I'm sure we can set up something at the discharge pipe to contaminate the otherwise pure water going into the lake and make it suit your needs."

"Hi, guys," Nancy interrupted the group as she and Misty entered the large room. "This is Misty. I've been introducing her to the shuttle controls, but I think she can already teach me more that I can teach her."

Misty blushed through her amber skin as she acknowledged the greetings given to her by those in the room.

When no one else spoke up, Margret introduced Naveen and Jason to Misty, and Ensigns Anton Deveraux and Jack Farrell to both Nancy and Misty.

"Misty and I are headed to Demopolis to fetch Governor Grayson. She asked for a tour of the agricultural complex. Are you guys ready for her and whomever she wants to bring along?"

Naveen smiled, nodded, and quipped, "Bring them on!"

The two young women took the lift down to the atrium and asked the AI to activate the nexus to Demopolis. In less than ten seconds they were walking toward the administration building that housed the governor's office.

"From a dark cave into bright sunshine," Misty complained lightheartedly. "Those transporter nodes are a rush and take a bit of getting used to."

Nancy laughed, "You'll get used to them soon. Before long they'll be less exciting to you than a limp dick."

Misty snorted, "A limp dick is sad, not unexciting. It's a condition that can usually be quickly corrected by a motivated woman."

The giggle-fest continued as they entered the governor's office. Martha looked up and commented, "You two appear to be in a good mood. What have you found that's so amusing?"

Misty caught her breath. "Nancy was comparing traveling by transporter stream to trying to ride a limp dick."

Nancy blushed and retorted, "That's not what I said! Misty said that stepping onto a nexus was a rush. I told her that after a few rides she'll find the transporter about as exciting as a limp dick."

Martha observed, "That sounds terribly juvenile of you both. I'm not sure flying with either of you today is such a good idea." She stepped around her desk and headed toward the door. "What's our first stop?"

"Where are my manners," Misty gasped with a hand over her mouth. "Nancy, this is Governor Martha Grayson. Martha, this is Nancy, a concubine in the Tuan Nguyen household, and my shuttle instructor."

"Thank you, Misty, but I had lunch with Nancy yesterday," Martha responded. "We're well on our way to being close friends."

"Won't someone else be joining us?" Nancy asked.

"No," Martha replied. "I don't have a staff position for terraforming. I was just curious to see if there was a plan to make the atmosphere breathable."

"There's a group working on that," Nancy replied. "Our first stop is to meet with Naveen Avalareddy. He was a professor of botany in Atlanta. My sister concubine, Margret, has been designing facilities to house his experiments and Doctor Brown's amazing collection of plants. They were with a couple of new people who arrived on Chronos or Aurora with marine plants, I think."

Martha ushered the women out of her office before asking the AI to close it until she returned. "Would that be the quiet lady sitting next to you yesterday, Nancy?"

"Yes, ma'am," Nancy replied. "She and Celeste are incredibly smart. Judith and Leroy are also showing a lot of promise. Judith is a bit shy and usually stays out of sight when Ms. Constance entertains, but I'm sure you met Leroy a couple of nights ago. He always runs the bar for her and is becoming a skilled geologist. He helped me locate a number of valuable mineral deposits."

"I'm so pleased to see that concubines are allowed to be more productive than the briefings aboard Zephyrus indicated," Martha observed. "Is your household a rare case? Wait, you just said that Constance's concubine, Leroy, is studying geology. I really need to start processing what I'm hearing. This is all very encouraging, indeed."

"Very few of the original concubines are only used for the sexual gratification of their masters," Nancy informed Martha. "I remained a virgin until long after I was taught to fly shuttles. Most of the stay-at-home group is best described as caregivers for the youngsters. My sister concubine Beatrice is like that. She not only takes care of the minors in my house, but coordinates with others in her situation to share the responsibilities and give the children an opportunity to socialize outside the home."

"Outstanding!" Martha enthused. "I don't want to do anything as radical as what Governor Flowers did on Demeter, but didn't want such a valuable pool of resources to be squandered. Am I safe in assuming that there are few instances where concubines are mistreated?"

Martha became concerned when Nancy didn't respond. In fact, the young girl almost visibly withdrew. Martha stopped before they entered the transporter facility. "I'm sorry if I broached a subject that makes you uncomfortable, Nancy. Please forget that I asked."

Nancy fidgeted for a moment. It was clear that she was not comfortable with what she wanted to say. "Being away from Earth and out here all alone can be very stressful," she finally stated her observation. "Mistress McKinsey had a bit of a breakdown, but my master was able to help her through the worst of it. No one was seriously injured and I believe that she has totally recovered."

Martha took Nancy's hands in hers, "I didn't expect you to betray a confidence, Nancy. I apologize for putting you in an awkward position.

"Now that you mention it, though, I recall Constance making some kind of remark about an event that she associated with having such a large and elegant residence."

Nancy was clearly conflicted. "I wasn't told to keep it to myself. I don't know if the incident was reported to anyone else, and you're the governor. Isn't it right for me to answer your questions if my master hasn't told me not to?"

"Yes, I suppose it is," Martha agreed. "Since you seem to think the matter is closed, I'll treat it as such unless someone else brings it to my attention. Thank you for your honesty and candor, my dear."