Beasts II Chapter 10

Beasts II

By Vic James

vicjames2@hotmail.com

Copyright 2016 by Vic James

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This story is fiction. None of the characters are based on real people.

You can see a list of my stories at the Nifty Prolific Authors page by my name.

Revised May, 2016

Ten

"Mommy! Mommy! It's them!"

We all pulled out pants in a hurry. Crap! I thought. I turned around. Roberta and Em were in the doorway. Her eyes widened when she looked at Lucius' crotch. It was impossible to hide his erection in a pair of shorts. They looked like they were about to rip apart. Lucius moved behind me.

"We are in 104," Em said.

She called me silently on my meme.

"You are bright red, Eric! I'm sorry we interrupted you."

"That's OK. I need to start being less—"

"Slutty?" Em suggested.

I laughed out loud.

"No! Kind to the needy!"

Em laughed.

"Uh huh. So now you help the hungry and the horny."

"Exactly! As long as the horny are hot men. I will be more careful. I'm not used to being around children."

"Al, the colony AI, can alert you when children are approaching. You just have to ask," Em told me.

That was great news!

"Will you do that, Al?" I asked the AI over meme.

"I will."

I realized Roberta was talking.

"I'm sorry. What did you say, honey?" I asked her.

"We are over there," Roberta said, pointing. "Right over there!"

"That's wonderful! We're neighbors!" I said. "And I'll be able to bring fresh Brussels sprouts to you twice a day."

I suppressed laughter. Roberta was speechless.

"He's kidding, sweetie," Em said.

"It wasn't very nice," Roberta said to me.

"I'm sorry. I thought you would think it was funny."

She looked at me like I was an idiot.

"It was a bad joke," I added.

She nodded. I changed the subject.

"Did you see Mars out the window?" I asked her.

Roberta nodded her head, rapidly.

"Almost all of the units in this wing are identical. Only the furniture, color scheme, and artwork differs."

"I like this," I told her.

She nodded.

To be honest, I hadn't paid any attention at all to the furniture. I looked around the room. It looked like a very luxurious hotel suite.

"It looks great to me," I said to Digger. "What do you think?"

"It's fine. Very nice."

"We will have maid service once all the colonists arrive," Em said. "The colonists who couldn't pay their way to Mars or contribute anything to the colony need to work thirty hours a week for their room and board. If it is a family with more than one child, the parents have to work forty hours between them."

"I'm working for the colony," Lucius said. "I'll go crazy just sitting around doing nothing."

I nodded.

Digger walked into a bedroom. Em, Roberta, and I followed him. It also had a view of the canyon. It was strange to know that half an inch of plexlite was what separated the bed from a hostile planet. The living room didn't bother me. I would be awake, if the window shattered. And I could figure out where we needed to go. But if we were asleep?

"Al, what happens if the window shatters while we sleep?"

"The same process occurs anytime there is an air loss. First, an alarm sounds as the entire window is sealed with foam. Each unit has an emergency supply of air. Once the window is sealed, the air is quickly replaced. The process takes five seconds in a unit this size. You don't need them, but there are breathers under the beds, chairs, and sofa. They are ejected onto the floor and a light on them begins flashing if there is an air loss."

"Thanks, Al."

"How many bedrooms does this unit have?" I asked Em.

"Three on this level. The unit can be enlarged, with two more rooms added above," Em said. "But 105 is empty. Richard and I thought you would want to take both rooms."

That would give us six bedrooms. "Is that being greedy?"

"Not with the size of your family," she said. "And it's bound to get bigger." Em looked at Lucius and then at Roy. Em didn't miss a thing. "You need room for kids, too. And good grief! You paid enough to have a dozen units!"

I nodded. That was true. I had given Jeff over a billion dollars for the colony. That was three quarters of what I had at the time. Fortunately, I'm made more money while I slept.

"I was told to give you whatever you want, Eric," Roy said. He winked at me and then looked down at his own crotch. "There are more apartments than colonists."

I turned to Digger.

"Do you think Pan and Jock will want to live together in 105?"

"I don't know. Let's remove a wall and make it one big apartment," Digger suggested. "Then the question will be moot."

I nodded. I liked that idea.

"Hello, honey," a voice said. "Surprise!"

I turned around. It was my mother, carrying a baby. I stared at it.

"Is it yours?" I asked her.

She nodded, smiling.

"You have a brother. His name is Jerold," she told me.

I walked over to them and reached for him. I carefully lifted him up and held him against my chest.

"He's six months old."

"Wow! He's beautiful!"

"Was there a doctor here, six months ago?" I asked her.

"A medic, but they aren't really necessary with Beasts 3.0. The baby fell out of me, practically! I barely cursed at Jib."

We all laughed. I knew she had trouble giving birth to me. She was in labor for a long time. I knew how easy Em's delivery of Roberta had been. The umbilical cord didn't even have to be cut. It dried quickly, once exposed to air and could be torn off like a piece of paper.

Em wanted to hold my brother. I handed him to her. Em got down on one knee to show Roberta.

"Isn't he beautiful?" Em asked her daughter.

"He's little," Roberta said.

I chuckled.

"He definitely is."

Em stood and talked to the baby, briefly before handing him back to my mother.

"Are you going to have any more?" Mom asked Em.

"Yes, but we are still discussing when," Em said.

"What's the view like on your level?" I asked my mother.

"All of the units are nice," she said. "Even the smallest ones on four. I watched as they were built and decorated. There wasn't much else to do. You know you are lonely when you try to make small talk with a construction robot."

We all laughed.

"The only difference between the second floor and this one is the size of the rooms and the fact the units on this level can be enlarged," she continued. "Oh. And the outside ledge is a little wider on this level. We could have taken a room on this floor, but I don't plan to have any more kids. Just grandkids." I grinned at her. "We've got three bedrooms. That's plenty of space. You need the space, though, if you are still planning to have a lot of kids. Hint. Hint."

We all laughed.

"I am, Mom."

I got to thinking. My family would grow. I definitely planned to have kids. Maybe we should claim more space than we needed. We could always give it up, if we didn't. But we would only have the one chance to get any rooms we wanted.

"Can we get 107, too, or has it already been assigned? I asked Roy. Digger frowned at me.

"It's available." After a moment, he said, "Rooms 105, 106, and 107 are registered as yours in the computer. I need to leave, soon. Lucius, do you want to pick out your unit, now?" Lucius nodded.

Roy and Lucius left.

"Let me show you something," Em said to Digger and me.

"I want to see, too, Mommy!" Roberta said.

"We're going to talk about your birthday. If we talk around you, we can't have a party. But maybe we should just skip this birthday."

Roberta shook her head about twenty times. I laughed. Roberta's birthday was in only two days. I had lost track of time. I didn't know how old she was, because I didn't know how long she had been in hibernation. I wasn't sure you should actually count the time you were in hibernation, since you didn't age. But legally, your age was based on your date of birth.

Em led us out of the apartment and down the hallway to an unmarked door next to our unit. She placed her palm on the door and we heard a sound as the door unlocked. We entered another short hallway and climbed up a flight of stairs. There were two doors on each side of us. Em placed her palm on one of the doors on our left. It unlocked and we entered what I assumed was an airlock. That made sense; we were close to the canyon. The door behind us closed.

"Do you mind going outside for a minute?" she asked.

"No. Not at all," Digger said.

She placed her hand on the door.

"It checks our nanites to make sure we can survive outside," she said. "It doesn't unlock, if they won't."

I shook my head. That was amazing.

Em sighed.

"I know I'm silly, but I don't want Roberta going outside unprotected and she's grown so much she can barely fit in her suit," Em said.

"I don't think you are silly," I told her. "Let adults be the guinea pigs, not Roberta."

"I agree," Digger said. "I would feel the same way if we had a child."

"Thanks," she said to us.

We heard the hiss of air being evacuated. When it was gone, the door in front of us opened. It was a narrow patio with two patches of lichen about a foot high, and a table and chairs. The view was unbelievable. There was a rail around it for safety. While I was sure it was safe to lean against, I shuddered to think of Roberta climbing over it. It didn't seem child-safe and it was a very long drop to the bottom of the canyon. I wondered if any other kids, or even adults were in danger of falling. In the low gravity, a toddler could climb over the rail. I could easily jump over it. We needed a net or something under the colony. I sent Harry a message asking whether there was anything to catch children or adults who might fall over the edge.

"This is your patio. I don't know if you noticed it, but the window in your living room window is angled inward, freeing space for this ledge," Em said over meme.

Behind us was rock with more windows higher up. I wondered if I could see my mother's window from there.

"If you enlarge your unit, a window and door will be there," Em said, pointing.

I nodded.

I walked to the edge and looked at the view. It was incredible and truly awe-inspiring. I looked at Digger, who was grinning. He put his arm around me. I was happy.

"Why are there tables? We can't open our mouths out here," I said.

"Maybe Jeff's planning to fix that," Em said. I smiled at her and nodded.

I received a message on my meme. Food would begin being served in ninety minutes. Considering the people were just off the shuttle, that was surprising. But there may have been colonists who came down earlier with Jeff. Or the whole kitchen could be automated.

We went back inside.

"What are we going to do for her birthday?" I asked Em. "It just occurred to me that there aren't any stores here to buy her something. The nearest mall is months away."

Em nodded.

"It's a problem. The colony has a store, but there's not much in it, yet," Em said. "You can give her candy or ice cream." I nodded. "By the way, Dack is opening a store, too."

I chuckled. I remembered what his prices were like on Earth. What would they be like on Mars, when the stuff had to be brought from Earth? But where else would I spend my money?

"We are having a party for her the day before her birthday. That way she really will be surprised," Em said. "Then we will have another cake and ice cream on her birthday."

"Hey! That sounds fun!" I said.

Em nodded.

We rejoined my mother and Roberta.

"Did you plan my birthday?" Roberta asked.

"Yes, we did. Uncle Eric is going to buy you a big bottle of cough syrup," Em said, holding her arms out wide.

I burst out laughing.

"Liver-flavored," Digger added. All of us, except Roberta, laughed. Roberta's bottom lip began trembling. I knew tears were imminent.

"They're telling you a fib!" I said to Roberta. "I learned my lesson with the Brussels sprouts!"

Roberta laughed.

I squatted and turned around. Roberta climbed on my back.

"Let's go see your units," I said to Mom and Em.

We left our new apartment. Em's looked exactly like ours, except for the furniture. The style was a little different and it was arranged differently. We took an elevator to the second floor to see my mother's unit. Mom and Jib's place was laid out differently, but, as she said, it was very nice. It would have been an expensive apartment on Earth. Her patio was smaller than ours, but she didn't care. She didn't think she would ever use it.

"Let's go see Daddy and tell him where Eric and Digger will be," Em said to Roberta.

I squatted, so Roberta could climb off my back. Roberta took her mother's hand and they left.

Mom put Jerold to bed.

"I bet he helped with your boredom," I said to Mom, pointing to my brother.

She nodded.

"I wish I had done it sooner. I felt completely useless for a year."

I hugged her.

Mom told me about her extended stay and the high points. She and Jib had watched a huge chunk of space ice crash onto the surface.

"Let me show you the lake," she said. "That was Jib's idea. It's marvelous."

"Oh, great!"

We took the elevator down to the lowest level of the colony. When the elevator doors opened, the first thing that occurred to me was that we were outside. It was very bright. We walked towards the lake. Grass was growing in the red sand on the ground and small bushes were scattered here and there. We were the only ones there, but I was sure it would be crowded once all the colonists were awake. The lighting was not just on the ceiling of the cavern. The walls seemed brighter than they should be if lit only from above. They had to be lit, also. The walls were the pale yellow of the normal daytime sky. They gave the illusion of a horizon and made the area seem not only larger, but outdoors, on the surface. There were chairs, tables, and benches around the lake. I walked to a table and sat.

"It is marvelous, Mom. Jib should be proud," I said.

She nodded.

"I think he is prouder of how pleased Jeff was when he saw it. The plans called for a very large swimming pool. It was a complete surprise to Jeff. He was delighted and gave Jib a huge bonus."

"I know optic cables bring natural sunlight from the surface. Is there artificial lighting at night?"

"Yes, but it is kept fairly dim. It's quite romantic at night," she said. "The walls and the ceiling change color, by the way, to match the color of the sky above the colony. It's normally yellow, but at sunrise and sunset the sky is a beautiful pink color."

I nodded my head. It was amazing.

We walked around the lake. It wasn't round; it had an irregular shape. That made it more interesting. At the widest it seemed like it might be a hundred meters across. I walked over to touch a wall and found that it was further away than I thought. The cavern was much larger than the lake. It had to be deliberate.

"I need to go," my mother said. "Al, he's the colony AI, just told me Jerold is awake and crying."

"OK."

"When are you going to give me my first grandchild?" she asked.

"I'm not sure, but probably soon. I'll wait until everyone is awake and discuss it with the family. The first one will be Digger's, for sure."

She nodded.

I hugged her and she left.

Digger and I sat on a bench. We were alone and his cock was within reach. So I reached. I began stroking him. His cockhead got wet, quickly, and I rubbed the precum into the head. Digger sighed and smiled at me.

"What do you think of Roy?" Digger asked.

"I liked him. I was glad he was a little aggressive—"

Digger barked out a laugh. "A little?"

"Well, yeah. In my pre-Digger human days, I wouldn't have had sex with him for a couple of weeks. There would have been dates, getting to know each other, eventual sex, followed immediately by a break-up."

Digger laughed.

"Why a break-up?"

"We are sexually-compatible. None of the men I dated were anything like you."

Digger smiled and put his arm around me.

"I wonder how crowded this lake will be in twenty years," I said.

"I wonder how crowded it will be when everyone is awake," Digger said.

I nodded my head.

Digger sighed and stretched out his legs, while I stroked him.

"Are you still planning to work at the club?"

Digger planned to run a gay sex club on Mars. He knew it would never be crowded—there weren't enough gay colonists to keep it filled. But he didn't have to pay rent, and it would be something to do.

"I think so. I've been thinking about letting some of the customers fuck me."

Digger's cock got harder in my hand. His precum began flowing over my fingers. That was exactly the response I wanted.

"Any customers in particular? Maybe Lucius or Roy?" Digger asked.

"Why did you say 'or'?" I asked, grinning.

"Touche!" Digger said.

"You did say you wanted to see my mouth and ass wrapped tightly around Lucius' cock."

Digger groaned. I swallowed his cock, just in time to catch the first spurt of his orgasm. Several powerful spurts hit the back of my throat. There was more than I expected. After I swallowed the last of it, I sat back up.

"What do you think?"

Digger chuckled. "Your uvula knows what I think."

I laughed. "Yeah, but I can't hear him."

"Did you mean it?" he asked me. "About letting customers fuck you?"

"I'm thinking about it. The thing is, can I do it sober. Would a bunch of men in clothes be watching, or would everyone be naked, like me?"

"Yeah. I can understand that. And I thought about that. We can have the front of the bar be the place people stand around drinking and watching video. The back room, which is where you'd sit to work the gloryhole can be the sex room. If you see someone in the front bar who appeals to you, we can invite them to the back room. If you are surrounded by naked, horny men, some of whom you know, you might feel more at ease. If you have trouble getting started, we'll get Roy and Lucius back there to get you in the mood. The people in the front bar can watch video of what is going on in the back bar. What do you think?"

"I like the idea! I guess you'll be working the front bar."

"Yes. Selling drinks and keeping things running."

I nodded. "Then I definitely want Roy and Lucius back there with me. If they are willing to perform, of course."

"Roy is smitten with you. He's got a hot, new body and he feels like a stud."

"He is a stud!"

"He didn't used to be. He will love showing off. Having sex with you will be icing on his cake. And I can't see why Lucius wouldn't. He went to sex clubs on Earth."

Digger put his arm around me. I leaned against him.

"We might not be able to do that again, here," Digger said. "Sex, I mean. I expect there will always be kids in here."

I hadn't thought of that.

Al spoke to us on our memes. "The lake will be adult only at night. The cavern will never be completely dark. The light will stay at dusk level throughout the night. You can have sex then."

"Thanks, Al," I said.

Digger bent over and began sucking me. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the sensation. But something felt a little off. I tried to think what it was. I laughed out loud. Digger pulled off me.

"What?"

"I was just thinking it was weird that it was just the two of us. I'm not sure that's a good thing. I keep thinking it should be better when it's just us."

"No, Baby. I feel the same way. I love you so much, and sex with you is great, but it's more fun when you share it."

Digger had me sit on his cock while he sucked me. I came quickly while holding onto his head.

He pulled away.

"Better?" he asked, grinning.

"Yeah."

"We need to get Alek defrosted," he said.

I nodded. "Sex with both of you is always perfect."

Digger kissed me.

I received a high-priority call. I touched my meme, so Digger would know I was on a call. He nodded.

"Eric, my name is Ed Stavros. I am captain and half-owner of the Far View."

The Far View was the ship that brought us to Mars.

"Oh! Hello! What can I do for you?" I asked him.

"Well, to be blunt, I'm a fan and I would like to...meet you."

I touched Digger's meme to bring him into the call. He stroked my cock while we listened.

The captain sent me a photo. It showed an attractive, bearded Dog in a navy-blue uniform.

"Do you have any interest at all?" he asked.

"I don't suppose you have anything more revealing. At least show me your knees."

He laughed.

"Hold on."

I received a photo of an erection. That was better than knees! A hand with a gold ring was wrapped around it. He either had a small hand or a large cock, because several inches extended past his hand.

"Are you married?"

"Yes, but my wife decided to remain on Earth to help take care of her grandparents. I will be living on Mars, between flights. I hope she'll join me, but it will probably be a several years before she can get away."

He sent another photo. This one was taken from above. An erect, veined cock rested on a glass table. The foreskin was pulled back. A puddle of cum pooled on the surface of the table. I groaned and Digger began sucking me, again.

"Do you like that photo?" the captain asked me.

"Yeah. I like it a lot."

I groaned as I shot in Digger's mouth, again.

"Are you all right?" Ed asked.

I laughed. "Your picture made me come. My husband Digger started sucking me when you sent it. That puddle looks awfully tasty."

"My cock really made you come?" he asked.

"That and your cum."

"Do you mean that?"

I chuckled. "Of course I mean it! I just shot in Digger's mouth. Why?"

"I've never seen you having sex with a Dog."

"Well, that wasn't deliberate," I said.

I heard a loud noise over the meme. It sounded like some sort of alarm.

"What the fuck?" the captain said.

"Something is very wrong."

I was disconnected.

"Something is happening on the Far View," I told Digger. "I heard what may have been an alarm and then I was disconnected."

Digger looked as worried as I felt.

"Al, do you know what is going on?" I asked.

"Wait please," Al said. About a second later, Al continued. "The AI on the Far View just informed me that the Far View's shuttle exploded as it was leaving the ship for another trip to the surface. The copilot and the two passengers on board are presumed dead. Part of the Far View has been destroyed, including the other shuttle. However, the explosion in the shuttle bay did not affect the portions of the ship with hibernating colonists. That is all the information I have at this time."

Digger put his arm around me.

"I wonder who the two passengers were," Digger said.

"I'm glad no one in our family was in a hurry to arrive."

"Al, is there a third shuttle?" I asked.

"No."

How were all those people going to get off the Far View?

An alarm sounded.

"Dr. Rosenbloom requests that all colonists gather in the auditorium on level 2," Al said. "I will direct you to it."

Digger and I took the lift to level two. We didn't need directions. I saw my mother and Jib. We walked up to them.

"Did you hear?" my mother asked.

"Eric was talking to the captain of the Far View when it happened," Digger said. I nodded.

"The captain? Why? Did you become friends on the trip here?"

"No. He called to tell me he is a...fan." I shrugged. It was silly of me, but I avoided discussing my 'career' with my mother whenever possible. Just about everyone on Earth knew what I did for a living—the fliks, but I liked to pretend my mother wasn't very aware of it.

We followed them into a large room. Others were walking in right behind us. I saw Roy and Lucius enter. I waved at them. They joined us. True to Roy's shy nature, he pushed his hand in the back of my pants. Three feet away from my mother!

My mother walked to the front row and sat. Roy pulled his hand out and we sat, too. Everyone was talking softly, but excitedly.

An enormous Bear who had to be almost eight feet tall and more than three feet wide walked up to Jib. The huge Bear smiled when he saw me. I smiled back. He spoke to Jib.

"Who is that?" I whispered to my mother.

"That is Jib's cousin, Buck Adams PhD, also known as Dave Parsons. He's over agriculture at the colony. He has two doctorates. Jib calls him Dave sometimes and Buck other times. It drives me crazy."

I smiled.

"Wow! He looks like that and he's smart!"

"He wants Jib to introduce you to him. He's either a fan or he has a crush on you. Or it could be both."

That was hard to believe!

I sat between my mother and Digger. Buck sat down on the other side of Jib, who was seated on the other side of my mother. Jeff Rosenbloom walked to the front of the room.

"I have rather bad news. Some of you are already aware of the fact that there was an explosion on the Far View. The copilot and two colonists who were maintenance workers were killed when the Far View's shuttle exploded. The colonists were a married couple named Ann and Tom Wilkins. Jeff sighed. I'd met Tom. I only spoke to him once and I told him he was an idiot." I tried not to smile, but anyone who knew Jeff had been called an idiot by him, or worse. "I really wish I hadn't. I never met the copilot, but he was a good friend of Captain Stavros'. Needless to say, it is a very tragic event. The shuttle was also carrying equipment for the colony. I'm very glad we decided to bring the equipment down, first. Otherwise the shuttle would have been filled with colonists."

Jeff closed his eyes and sighed.

"At the present time, we do not think sabotage was involved. The Far View's AI has the most sensitive odor detectors available. They were used to ensure no explosive devices were smuggled onto the ship. The AI was able to detect minute amounts of fuel leaking from the shuttle prior to the engines firing. We think the explosion was caused by a fault in the shuttle's fuel line. The shuttle, like the Far View was old, although they were both serviced regularly. We didn't deliberately choose an old ship. There was nothing else available to bring us here.

"All the other colonists are trapped on the Far View."

I thought about Alek, Pan, Jock, and George. I was glad they were all right, of course, but it was scary not knowing when we'd see them again. On the other hand, they were lucky. They weren't worried a bit. Once they awoke, everything would be fine. We would be worried the whole time.

"There is no safe way to get them to the surface. There are things we could try, but all are dangerous and I refuse to risk anyone's life when they are safe and unaware of the situation. Captain Stavros assures me that the Far View can remain where it is until help arrives. No vital systems were damaged by the explosion. I know this is an alarming situation and I'm sure all of you with loved ones on the Far View are worried. But the colonists on the Far View are unaffected by this. They are asleep and the Far View has enough power to remain in orbit for almost twenty years. We will have a solution long before then. Now for more bad news. We have begun looking for a ship that can bring a shuttle from Earth, but even if we find one very soon, it will take months to get here. And there is an excellent possibility we won't find one for several years. There are no more interplanetary ships available now than there were when we left. We will try to arrange the hiring of one, but we would have to wait until whatever missions it has scheduled are completed. That's why I said it could be several years."

I looked at Digger. He looked alarmed.

"What about a mining ship?" a deep voice to my right asked. "Maybe one could tow a shuttle." It was Buck speaking. "Like the ship that brought us the ice."

Jeff looked thoughtful.

"If it can tow an asteroid..." Buck continued.

"That is a good suggestion and definitely worth investigating. And we need good suggestions from all of you. There is no easy fix here," Jeff said.

"I am going to focus on the positive," Jeff said. "Only three people died. The other colonists have only been delayed. We have a farm capable of keeping eight hundred colonists fed, and there are only sixty-three of us. By the time the other colonists arrive, we will have massive surpluses of food. We may have a second, larger lake. How many of you have family members on the Far View?"

Digger and I raised our hands. I looked around. Maybe a third of the people in the room had their hands up.

"They are safe and as you probably know, can remain in hibernation safely for decades. However, we can't wake any of them. If we did, they would have to remain awake until another ship arrives and we don't know how long that would be. We don't have personnel or equipment to put them back in hibernation. The Far View is not a passenger ship. There is no provision for people living on it indefinitely. Captain Stavros has enough packaged food to last him two-and-a-half years. However, the Far View has hydroponic tanks. They are currently filled with algae for oxygen recycling. But it is an edible strain. If he is still on the ship when the food runs out, he will have to live off the algae.

"The final thing I need to mention is that almost all of the colony employees including maintenance workers are still on the Far View. I am afraid all of us will have to chip in, on occasion and help with the work they would have performed. Even I will be doing it. Any questions?"

"Is parachuting from low orbit not a possibility?" a Gorilla female asked.

"I don't know if there are parachutes on the Far View. If there are, it is a possibility. But there were four drops with supplies for the first Martian colony. One shipment crashed and was destroyed. That's a seventy-five percent success rate. One in four colonists could die. I suppose if we have no other options, it can be a last resort. For now, we need suggestions that will get everyone down."

The Gorilla nodded and sat.

"Any other questions?" Jeff asked.

"How certain are you that it isn't sabotage, " a male Tiger said.

Jeff sighed. "The evidence we have now doesn't show any signs of sabotage. Also, the third trip of the shuttle, when it is nearly empty is a strange place and time to detonate a bomb. If it was sabotage by our normal enemies, they would try to blow up the Far View. If there is a conspirator on board the Far View, I think they would wait until it was full of passengers. Al, the colony AI and Adele, the AI on the Far View agree that it seems unlikely to be sabotage. If the shuttle were brand new, I think we would be more inclined to believe it could be sabotage, despite an almost empty shuttle being a poor target. But the shuttle is—was eighty-two years old."

"Eighty-two!"

Jeff nodded.

"The matter isn't closed. Adele and Captain Stavros will be investigating the matter very thoroughly. After all, they have little else to do."

"Any other questions?"

No one asked any. "Al will be able to provide you with updates at any time. I doubt we will have more information until tomorrow. Adele is using waldos to collect pieces of the shuttle that were blown out into space. Obviously they are needed for the investigation."