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Thecoolness of the tall trees all around seems to swallow us up just a few steps inside their domain, and my footsteps are noisy compared to theCommander’smassive form behind me.Momentslater, the fields appear sheltered in the middle of the trees we were just walking through.Istand at the edge, looking at all that has been accomplished in such a short time.Jamesmust have seen us as he gets up from the ground, motioning tothe girl a few rows away.Hisfriendly smile makes me grin back as he approaches us.

“Laciedear, it was nice of you to switch withDawnbecause the poor thing has been unwell and only getting worse these last couple of days.”

Asneeze reaches us right before she walks up behind him.Hereyes and nose are red, and you can tell she’s simply miserable.Grabbingan old-fashioned handkerchief thatIwould bet money wasJames’ at one time, she sneezes into it again. “Thankyou for switching with me,Lacie.I’mnot sure how much longerIwould’ve made it out here.I’vealways been highly allergic to certain things, butIwas hoping that would no longer be the case on this new world.”

“You’remore than welcome,Dawn.Youshould’ve asked sooner.Itdidn’t take me long to figure out thatI’mnot much help in the kitchen, so hopefully, you will be better suited there thanIwas.”

TheCommandermotions forDawnto come with him, “James,IleaveLaciein your care whileIescortDawnback to thePavilion.”

“Comeon, youngin, let me catch you up on what we’re trying to accomplish.I’mgoing to start you off whereDawnleft off.Therewere seeds found in one of the pods, and we were able to kick-start some of them inANDI’sconservatory.Theyseem to be thriving so far, but we’ll need to keep a close eye on them.Thatsmall cart over there has everything you’ll need.Ifyou look around, you’ll see that they’re spaced out every couple of feet.Whenyou get the ones on your cart in the ground, we’ll come back and water each one individually.Haveyou ever done anything like this before?”

“Well,I’vewatched myPapawplant tomatoes and other things but never participated much.”

“I’llshow you how to do the first couple and as long as you have a gentle hand and a strong back, you should do fine.Iknow it doesn’t feel very hot out here right now, but it will get warmer as the day goes on.Ifyou need a break, take it.Weare in no race out here, but we do need to get these in the ground.Thiscrop will tell us what lies before us as a civilization.”

“Nopressure at all, huh?”

Hepats me on the back playfully. “Maybejust a little.”

“Ok, let’s see whatIcan screw up today.”

“Lacie, if you don’t know something, yell.I’mjust gonna be a few rows over.Tarencewill be out soon with another set of carts and then he’ll start watering what you’ve already planted.Thatpart seems to take forever.Youneed to understand there’s no fixing this if it’s messed up.Weonly have one set of seeds to work with, and it’s not like we can just run to the local hardware store and get more.”

Hemust have seen the horrified look on my face because he throws an arm around my shoulders, laughing.JamesandIbegin with the area thatDawnjust vacated.Afterplanting several seedlings to his liking, he moves on to tend to another row of different crops.Whilecrawling over the uneven ground,Iensure there are no rocks or debris in the holes whereI’mcarefully placing the tiny plants.Theday flies by quickly only interrupted by lunch, whichIhadn’t noticedCarlahad brought out to us in the fields untilIheard her calling my name.EventhoughI’mfilthy, my knees are sore and more than likely bruised,Ilook back over the neatly sown rows of plants and feelgood for a change.Asharp whistle has the few of us working out here looking toward the woods whereJamesis motioning for us to come with him.Layingmy small shovel down,Ihesitate to go, asIstill have several more to plant beforeI’mdone.

“Theplants will keep until morning,Lacie.TheCommanderis requesting all of us to gather together before we leave for the evening.Justmove them to the shaded rack on the bottom of your cart.”

Iquickly put everything away, andItry my best to dust off my pant legs.Forthe most part,Ilook likeI’vebeen rolling around in the dirt like a puppy.WalkingbehindJamesalong what is becoming a well-worn path,Istill trip over a root, and beforeIcan pitch forward, a large hand grabs my elbow, steadying my footing.Notlooking up,Iutter, “ThanksJames, that was a close one, andIreally would like to make it through an entire day without another screw-up.”Onlythen a growl reaches my ears, andIrealize it wasn’tJameswho just caught me, it wasMeK.

“Ugh, sorry about that.Ididn’t have a clue you were in the area.”

“Youwere gazing up at the sky instead of watching your steps, so of course you would not see me.Andyou are filthy as well.”

“Well, excuse the hell out of me.I’vebeen working in the dirt all day, and that naturally happens.”

“Iwas informed you were in the sustenance area.”

“Planschange, andIwas transferred out here to helpJamesandTerancewith the planting.”

“Iwill speak toFather.Thisis unacceptable work for a female.”

Stopping,Iyank my arm out of his grasp. “Whathas your panties in a twist?Thereis absolutely nothing wrong with whatI’mdoing, not that it’s any of your business.AndIdidn’t see you out here escortingDawnto a better location when she was sick, if things are so unacceptable for us females.Heavenforbid you take a moment out of all your growling and snarling to actually learn our names, as we are just objects placed here to aggravate you.”

Theirritating man doesn’t say another word, he simply stomps off in front of me, andIswearIwould scream ifIthought it would help.Irub my elbow where he had grasped my arm, as my skin is still tingling.Ican’t decide whetherIwant to stab him or kiss him at this point, but one thing is for sure, he knows how to push all my buttons.

Chapter Ten

LACIE

Joiningthe crowd that has gathered in front of the pavilion,DaRis standing on one of the crates near the front, and it takes me a moment to make my way closer so thatIcan hear him.

“Ihave a few announcements that need to be addressed, but beforeIstart,Iwant to personally thank each of you for the hard work you are doing in your assigned areas.Youraccomplishments are evident with each rising.Thatsaid,Ibelieve this new world of yours needs a permanent name other thanE-311.Ithink the best course of action would be for you to submit any suggestions you have on your holo pad this darkness and next rising, we will show you the results so that you can vote on the final choices.Iknow everyone here is ready for some sustenance, as my own stomach is growling loudly, butIhave one more issue to address.Asyou know,MeKis now securing the foundation of the first permanent dwelling pod.WhatIdid not take into consideration is who to assign to it.So,Iam once again asking you to vote on this on your holo pads.Withthe arrival of several maintenance bots in the next few risings, the dwellings will be assembled quicker, and we need to establish some sort of system so that you know your place on the list.

Considerthe location and future you envision while enjoying your last meal of the rising.Somedwellings can be easily expanded, while others cannot.Ifyou are planning on having a large family, we need to know this in advance.MeKis directly overseeing your dwellings, so expect those questions from him to arrive on your holo pads in the next few risings.Thatis enough for now.Pleasehead on in, and do not forget to thank the two lovely females who prepared this feast for your consumption.”

Theline seems to go on forever, and the closerIget to the main table, the moreIunderstand why.Everyoneseems to be stopping either to talk toCarlaorKira, and both are all smiles.Rickyis in front of me, and this is the first timeI’veseen him since we landed here. “Hi, where’ve you been hiding?”

“Patrollingand learning the layout of the land mostly.Thismoon is as fascinating as it is deadly.I’veseen more than a few thingsIdon’t understand, that’s for sure.TheCommanderhas assigned me,Owen, andEricin securing the perimeter fence line.We’vedivided the area so that it’s all monitored throughout the day, but when we leave, the sensors go off like crazy.Unfortunately, we don’t have video feedback yet to see what is causing the disturbances, which only occurs at night.Whatdo they have you doing?”