Daughters Of A Coral Dawn Part 8

I do not know if her intention was to release me, but as her hands left me I thanked her, not only for my physical safety, but for giving me as well my full freedom. Mother had been totally correct; I needed to concentrate every fibre of my being on guiding us safely through the settlement of our new world.

Lighthearted, I led our group to the ocean, then sat to watch our spectacular evening descend. Even penetrating, deepening cold could not disturb my euphoria; I continued to delight in the changing colors of sea and sky. Venus again held Miri; I glanced once without paina"without actual interest.

My reactions sometimes seem contrary to what they should be, as in my urge to cry when I am truly happy or moved, an urge I ruthlessly control. Since there are things I do not understand in myself, it is no great wisdom to say that I sometimes do not understand the emotion of other women.

As we were preparing to leave Maternas, Miri and Venus came to me, Miri asking permission to remain on the surface, Venus surely knew that I could not permit this. But if puzzled, I answered truthfully, "We are close to selecting a permanent site and I need to consult with you, Miri. I can permit only Venus to stay."

"I have no wish to stay," Venus said, smiling at Miri.

*Realizing that they wished to remain together because there would be no opportunity on Amelia, I said, "I can arrange to make my quarters on Amelia available to you both for any period of time you wish."

Miri smiled. But Venus's face froze. "You are," she said in a glacial voice, "too kind."

And she took Miri's arm and walked from me.

We have been back on board Amelia for some hours now, and I have questions for Miri, But Venus and Miri are together; they use not my quarters but J artel's, who is on orbital duty watch. They have been behind that sealed door for hours and I will not disturb them, but I muttered to Minerva, the kind woman so dearly beloved and respected by us all, "It seems the time Venus and Miri spend together could be used to greater advantage."

Minerva looked at me with such sympathy that I resolved never again to speak of matters of which I have so little knowledge.

XVI.

1.1.3.

Knowing that the decision about our coiony site was imminent, I walked impatiently into the command room to wait for the rest of us to a.s.semble. Mother was resting in her quarters, and Venus reclined in Mother's chair, gazing at Megan who slept.

We have learned how it is that Megan works so many hours without rest: she sleeps briefly, perhaps half an hour at a time, so deeply that even loud noise does not penetrate the sh.e.l.l of sleep, her breathing so slow to be scarcely perceptible. She awakens as suddenly as she sleeps, refreshed and revitalized.

She had been examining an element of surface data; the same figures continued to repeat across her screen. But her chair was adjusted to its level position and she lay with an arm under her head, dark hair spilling over the vivid white of her sleeve, her body turned so that its slim taut curving was emphasized, the long graceful lines of her legs.

"Where is Miri?" I inquired of Venus.

"Asleep," she answered absently, returning her attention to Megan after the briefest of glances at me.

*I asked quietly, "Was it your plan to create jealousy?"

She sighed. "Yes."

"It was a grievous error." I gestured to Megan. "Whatever hold you once had on her is gone."

Venus's eyes did not leave Megan. "Minerva," she said in the dangerous voice f remembered from our childhood, "how would you like to be stuffed into a decomposition tube?"

Megan stirred, and so I held my retort. She turned fully toward us, settled again. I joined my sister in gazing at her, at the lovely line of throat, the deep curve of hip, the slim leg drawn up .. , She stirred once again, awakening; and sat up, rubbing and blinking sleep from her eyes like a child. She looked at me and smiled, and glanced at Venus; but Venus had turned Mother's chair and was staring at the viewscreen as if fascinated by the slowly revolving vista of coral cloud and ocean below. Megan raised the back of her chair and turned her attention to the data on the screen before her.

Much as I love my sister, I am secretly glad that this young woman with her rare gifts and pure beauty has somehow managed to escape her all too expert hands. Venus's face seems drawn, her eyes troubled .. .

But my sister has loved a great many women in her lifetime, and so I cannot truly gauge the level of her distress.. .

We have a.s.sembled, the command room crowded with usa"the Inner Circle and all the members of the exploratory teamsa"some seated on the floor, others finding room along the walls and under the crystal windows near Kendra's command chair, all of us facing the viewscreen as Megan has instructed. As we sit talking among ourselves, Megan walks to the viewscreen and stands under it, arms crossed. The room abruptly quiets.

I have seen her among small work teams, amid meetings of committees where she was easily in control; never have I seen her formally before a group so large as ours, nor so formidably const.i.tuted. Mother and we of the Inner Circle possess the mystique of our position and years, the expertise of our specialties and the acquired knowledge of decades. Others of us are highly trained in our fields, many with achievements noteworthy enough to accrue some degree of fame on the world we have abandoned. All have in common singular independence, strength, and a.s.surance.

If she is apprehensive about confronting such a gathering, it is not apparent. Silence has fallen and still she contemplates us, standing very straight, her long legs set slightly apart, dark hair tousled as always from previous absent-minded strokes of her fingers. Her remarkable eyes are calm as they survey us; their emerald meets my gaze for an instant, then seems to look into the eyes of each of us. Our own eyes are riveted to her as if she is possessed of a current that magnetizes us.

"The choice of where we will settle was made by you." She speaks in her normal tone, her voice reaching *us with bell-like clarity. "The choice indeed has been an easy one because of your knowledge, your talent, your ability. With the wisdom and expertise you have contributed, each of you has made the choice."

There is a pleased murmur. Her understanding of leadership has deepened yet further, she has even greater command of her gifts. I glance at Mother, who leans back in her big chair stroking the whoofie asleep in her lap; she watches Megan with a half-smile, looking very pleased indeed.

"With Kendra's permission we have temporarily linked our ship's computers with the viewscreen so that we may see most of the factors that combined in our decision. First, we will see why certain sites were eliminated."

On the viewscreen images form and swiftly vanish: vistas of ice fields and grinding glaciers; harsh mountain ranges of barren, twisted rock; sharply etched giant earthquake faults; boiling caideras; thick towering forest.

"All seven continents, no matter how formidable the terrain, are of course within our capability for settlement a" with appropriate terraforming. But consultations with our cosmogonist Patrice, as well as many others of you, have resulted in certain convictions about the manner in which we must approach our new home planet."

If any of us is slightly puzzled as to how Megan has synthesized our various contributions, we hoid our peace; we all exchange pleased glances and smifes.

"We are not traditional colonists. Indeed, with our superior awareness we have the most profound philosophical obligations as we choose among seven biomesa"seven ecological regionsa"with evolutionary processes very different from each other because of the barrier to common evolution presented by the oceans. And our obligation to the future compels us not to interfere in the ecological balance and evolutionary process of our world. On this basis, the decision has been taken that no terraforming shall occur on Maternas."

The murmur that pa.s.ses through the room is one of approval.

"The decision not to terraform narrows our search to climatic and topographic regions most naturally friendly to us. These conditions are most ideally found on the continent we have named Feminaa"and it was by no accident that we landed there."

Megan smiles as several familiar vistas of Femina appear on the viewscreena"high waving gra.s.s, ivory-colored coastline. "She is our third largest continent. On her land ma.s.s of six million square miles, there are many specifics to consider."

The viewscreen shows the extensive earthquake fault we had flown over, an irregular st.i.tching in the earth, a spine along the eastern side of the continent "Our planet is young and geologically volatile-we'll be subject to earthquake tremors wherever we settle.

And further, a million square miles in the northeast of Femina is a vast plain where forest cover is rapidly breaking down and changes are occurring. Augusta is responsible for these remarkable magnifications of *detail you see now."

We stare, murmuring, at armored creatures lacking horns, and huge elephant-like creatures without tusks.

They graze peacefully on gra.s.s and shrub. Another squat long-necked spotted mammal delicately strips berries from a bush. We watch a small sabre-toothed cat leap from a tree and streak across the plain; we start in surprise as an Ivory-spotted animal with a thick flat tail materializes from the gra.s.s to leap onto the back of an armored creature which promptly, if ponderously, rolls in the heavy gra.s.s to dislodge it.

"Dominance is still being resolved here. We will not-must nota"intrude where we would interfere with such highly specific life-forms. Which brings us to the southwest area of Femina,"

High waving gra.s.s flutters on our screen; low flowering-shrubs in yellows and golds; trees sculpted into torturous shapes by the wind. Then we look at jagged mountains descending to the sea.

"Erika informs me that while all the mountains on our planet are young, these show much evidence of exfoliation and other indications of moderate rainfall, and the soil continues to bre,ak down to fertile elements,"

The screen shows fruit-bearing trees, shrubbery adorned not with flowers but berries, pods, seeds.

"Venus and Miri inform me that all of what they test so far is edible, some quite edible indeed. Vesta has experimented with one of the pod-like fruits with most interesting results." She pauses, grins at Vesta.

"It makes the most wonderful wine!" Vesta cries enthusiastically.

When our laughter and applause finally die down, Megan continues, "Much remains to be tested, but all empirical evidence is highly promising. There is ample food, varied and interesting and safe for our consumption. Again, consider this mountain range that reaches to the sea."

We watch in silence. Hundreds of miles of rugged mountains perhaps six to ten thousand feet in height descend to humble peaks of Jess than a thousand feet, enclosing a system of lakes and streams and inland valleys.

"The fresh water lakes are part of an integrated drainage system which Jolan tells me provides artesian conditions for an ample water supply. This lovely land," Megan continues softly, "is very near the sea ..."

She remains silent. We watch other vistas slowly unfold: polished obsidian faces of mountainsides, dramatic waterfalls, sparkling coral lakes, gentle sloping foothills, wide valleys of trees and flowers and high waving gra.s.s.

Megan speaks again. "We have the problem that Astra first warned us of, and then Erika. Wind. And wind is a most serious problem. From an a.n.a.lysis of probable wind patterns along the coast and out of these mountains, I have produced my own contribution."

We stir in antic.i.p.ation as she pauses.

*"In this area of Femina, the mountain range presents a formidable barrier to the many large life forms in other sectors, and will protect us from them and them from us. But while we must be concerned with our effects on the varied life on our land, we netd have no such concern about the sea. jolan advises that all our oceans and lakes teem with life, and that evolutionary paths are well established in all the waters of our planet. Sea life is so bountiful that to impact negatively upon it is an impossibility. It is a certainty that a vast variety of foodstuffs from the sea and protein plants from the land will be available to us without drawing on any animal lifea""

"Meat-eating is barbaric," Vesta says with a shudder.

"Not if it's necessary," growls Erika.

"Argue later, dears," Mother says.

Grinning, Megan continues, "As for where and how we might live, when I determined that our precious synthesizers must be placed well inside a hollowed-out mountainside to protect them from climate and from earthquake tremor, an idea glimmered then. And when we first experienced the violence of the nocturnal winds, I realized then that this is how we also should live."

I exclaim, dismayed, "You mean in caves?"

Megan says gently, "Not in any sense that you imagine, Minerva. Foothills must be at least a setting for our homes, our main colony. Living amid the hills will minimize the effect of earthquake by absorbing seismic tremors. And will also protect the basic ecology of Femina. Our synthesizers must mine for minerals and elements we need, but as we carve ore from these mountains and hills, we can at the same time carve our homes. Erika, will you a.s.sist?"

"Gladly, Megan." Erika strides to the viewscreen, picks up a laser pointer and faces us, her face animated, her eyes intense. "Megan has discussed her plan with many of us, sought our collaboration."

She circles an intricate grouping of foothills partially enclosing a gently roiling plain. "Consider this as a central building site. The curve of mountain would somewhat deflect the nocturnal wind, and carved rock homes would further^and completelya"protect us from both wind and rainfall, which will be more than ample in this temperate zone of Maternas. Megan has already made preliminary renderings of the beautiful structures that could be our homes, homes that will combine architecture with art and individuality, will give us flexibility of location. Megan's ideas are in all ways brilliant. And most of alla"" Erika's voice drops dramatically, "her plan will allow us to be ecologically one with our world."

"Erika is totally correct," Patrice interjects.

"These nearby streams descend to run over flat land, minimizing land erosion from down-cutting. And on this gra.s.sy and fruitful plain we may accomplish any cultivation necessary. As important as anything else to us, this land is beautiful. And all of us will have considerable choice. Ail of this area of Feminaa"a hundred thousand square miles in total, a thousand square miles of fresh water, five hundred miles of coastline without factoring in the inlets and other permutations of our coast. Those who choose to live *away from our main colony will have many nearby hillside sites to choose from, near lakes or streams, beside the sea."

"I ask this question not for myself but for others," Astra says. "What if some wish not to live in this area of Femina at all? On a continent other than Femina?"

Megan replies. "Astra," she says quietly, "I fully expect that some of us will not live here. A colony of four thousanda"which will rapidly growa"will have sizeable impact on whatever area we choose to settle in. But the small number of us who choose to live elsewhere can do no conceivable ecological harm. Anyone who chooses not to remain with us will be given every a.s.sistance we can provide. We came here to live freely.

And all of us shall be free."

Megan, smiling, holds up a hand to interrupt the applause which greets these words. "One other matter remains. To Mother has fallen the decision for the name of our colony."

"Simple, quite simple," Mother says, gently stroking her sleeping whoofie. "Our colony will be called Cybele. Explain, Minerva."

I reply: "In antiquity, Cybele was the symbol of universal motherhood. She was a Greek-Roman deity known as Great Mother of the G.o.ds, and special emphasis was placed upon her maternity over wild nature. She was also known as Mountain Mother, and her sanctuaries were on mountains arjd in caves."

"Excellent," Mother says. "Simply excellent."

"Lions were her companions," I continue.

Mother pats the head of the furry creature in her lap. "I suppose whoofies will do as well."

"And," I push on, "her special affinity with wild nature drew rabid followers, their worship manifested in highly orgiastic behavior."

Mother looks around at us with glittering eyes. "That seems also fitting. Enough of this palaver," she says tartly. "Let's get down to Cybele and go to work."

I myself lead the cheers.

XVII.

1.8.28.

*It has been many months. . .Record-keeping, visual and aura! recording of our history, have kept me far too occupied to a.n.a.lyze and place events into perspective.

We continue to create our homes. Createa"rather than build or constructa"because never have such extraordinary structures come into existence, never such a flowering of architectural artistry.

The majority of our homes are in Cybele, but many of us have settled nearby. At our insistence one of the first houses to be crafted was Megan'sa"because she is our leader, and to give her rest, privacy, and solitude from her labors. We carved her own design into the hillside site she chose very near Cybele, on an isolated spit of land jutting into the. sea which she has chosen to call Damon Point.

Her house is soaring planes and angles of weathered gray and brown striations that meld with the rocky mountainside, blend with the rugged coastline. The interior is an artful series of interconnected curves; fleece covers the floors, the tapestried walls conceal the myriad data and monitoring equipment she has installed throughout.

Our houses have been created and furnished by all of our artisans. Enhancing colors have been added to obsidian and igneous rock, and our incredible homes, glazed and polished, glow in the blaze of our two suns and under the light of our brilliant night sky.

A singularly noteworthy contribution has been made by Zandra, the sculptress. Using Astra's comprehensive studies of the winds coming off the water and down the mountain pa.s.ses, she has carved into each house an individual series of artful hollows. When the winds blow, these carvings play like flutes; glorious soaring harmonies warn us of oncoming nocturnals. They add unique beauty and charm to our houses; I have made many recordings when the wind has come up and our homes begin to sing . . .

Our homes are no two alike. Mother's is high on Cybele's main hill, and overlooks Radclyffe Falls and Vivien Lake, sparkling in the distance. My history chamber is in a complex of structures bordering Cybele's main square; but my house, a small simple square of peaceful grays and gray-blues, is beside the Woolf River.

Venus has chosen to live in Cybele. "Privacy is of course lovely, Minerva dear," she has told me. "But I prefer. . . the pa.s.sing scene."

She is still with Miria"an unusual length of time for my sister to remain with anyone, and I doubt it will continue much longer. Old habits, especially the amorous habits of a lifetime, are hard to break, I suspect that Venus is attempting to justify to herself the miscalculation that cost her her tenuous hold on Megan, whom she continues to gaze at with ill-concealed desire.

Demeter also resides in Cybele, her skill in the medical arts on call every hour of the day and night. And she watches over and cares for Mother. Diana, quiet, gentle Diana, lives happily within the tiny artists colony which has formed along Stein Lake. More of Diana, later. . .

Vesta and Carina have settled near Diana on the Toklas River, their modest home one of the first we created; Vesta requires privacy in her work as a psychologist. Many of us, suffering from homesickness and other adjustment problems, needed to consult with her when we first landed on Maternas, and so we *created a place affording peace and solitude. More of this later, also ...

The previous denizens of Cybele, a reptilian population and a vast number of marsupialsa"a most comical cross between kangaroo and primatea"have been carefully encouraged by various non-lethai means to relocate outside our borders. Whoofies, which inhabit the foothills in goodly numbers, of course have the run of Cybele. Venus's studies have determined that the overall reptilian population of Femina is insectivore a"only four species are poisonous. And we have learned to contend with the mildly toxic stings and bites of our myriad insect life. Therefore, in spite of Megan's warnings, most of us including myself had chosen to wear no protective devices, trusting to our security teams and our wrist beacons and the forcefieid barriers that protect our settlement.

Until early this morning. Vesta was collecting from the banks of the Toklas River a fungus which we have discovered to be a rich meat-like delicacy, while Carina was keying in her sector a.s.signment and food quotas for this day. Then Carina heard Vesta's faint scream. And at the same time received, along with the rest of us, the distress signal on her wrist beacon. She rushed from the house in a state of alarm that can only be imagined.

She found Vesta backed against a tree by three small but armored and razor-toothed Crocodylia camouflaged in ivory and blue striping. They had crawled up from the depths of the river to ravage the fungi, and now meant to make a snack of little Vesta. Carina tore a limb from the tree and beat the creatures across their snouts; they retreated sufficiently so that Carina picked up Vesta and carried her to safety. Then over Vesta's shrieks of protest, she returned to further inflict a furious pummeling upon the creatures which had dared threaten her precious Vesta. And so it was that Danya and her security team, summoned by Vesta's wrist beacon, found Carina pursuing creatures which scuttled about in panic, dodging her blows and seeking only to return to the peace of their river bottom.

After this incident with Vesta, and until the mysteries of our new world are fully unravelled, we have been ordered by Megan to wear the device designed by hera"no larger than my little finger and emitting a non-fatal current of adjustable strength which will repulse small creatures and seriously discourage larger ones.

Several mild earthquakes have rumbled through Cybele, causing dismay but producing no damage. A more severe one flung us about and frightened the children, and generated a seismic wave which roared inland, crashing over Megan's housea"harmlesslya"and reaching almost to Stein Lake. The children were counseled so successfully by Vesta that I believe they now almost enjoy our occasional tremors. Erika proceeds with the work on seismic prediction, and a.s.sures us it will soon be completed.

We continue to discover the vagaries of our weather. Clouds come in over the mountains so swiftly that Astra's rainfall predictions are of limited benefit. Waterspouts whirl in off the ocean, rising over the hills to deluge us; they delight the children as much as they exasperate us. Rains are brief if frequent and drenching, and are moderate, warm, never unpleasant. All our clothing has been made impervious, and since few of our Unity care to wear hats, hairstyles have shortened. We no longer take shelter from the rains; we simply go on about our work, afterward drying our hair with a few strokes of a warmcomb. We have a.s.similated the rain into our lives.

*Our year has been calculated at precisely 336 days, a fact which is convenient as well as mathematically pleasing. We can divide everything perfectly, our days into twenty-eight day months and seven-day weeks.