Date: Tue, 23 Apr 2013 16:05:53 -0500
From: Vic James <vicjames2@hotmail.com>
Subject: Peabody and the Host - 22

                      Peabody and the Host
                            Vic James
                      vicjames2@hotmail.com
                   Copyright 2013 by Vic James
                       http://vicjames.com

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                           Twenty-Two

   Peabody  went  for a walk around the park with  Oscar.  As  he
looked  around, he thought some of the plants had grown  already.
He  wondered if they were being fertilized. He decided  he  would
ask  Pon. He walked over to the large rock in the center  of  the
park and sat.
   Fon and Lan walked up to Peabody.
   "Hi, big daddy. Hello, Fon!"
   "Hello, Peabody."
   "I  thought to cheer Abbott up over losing the baby, we  would
take him to see the Valles Marineris. Would you like to go?"
   "Sure! That sounds great!"
   Lan  made  food for them. Peabody smiled when he saw  Lan  put
the  food  and drinks in a picnic basket. A picnic  on  Mars.  He
shook  his head. His life was nothing like he expected it  to  be
and he was delighted about that.
   "It  will be just the four of us. The others are going to  get
started on the cavern expansion for the pool."
   "Oh, good! How long will that take?"
   "A  few  days. It depends on how creative Ban and Pon  get  on
the design. A simple pool would take a few hours."
   "And  theirs  won't be simple," Peabody said, remembering  the
pool they already had. It was multi-level and very beautiful.
   "No.  It  will  probably take three days, with  most  of  that
arguing about the design. That's my guess," Fon said.
   They  all got on the new electric vehicle and drove it to  the
shuttle. They boarded it and took off.
   As  they flew to the canyon, Fon said "There are a great  many
tributaries to the main canyon. Most of them are very similar. We
are  going to fly over the main canyon, which is the deepest one.
It  is  so deep that the Martian atmosphere is about twenty  five
percent denser at the bottom of the canyon."
   "If  there  is more air there, why didn't you build  our  home
there?" Peabody asked.
   "We  chose  our location based on three considerations.  Water
availability,   predicted  seismic  stability,  and   degree   of
protection  from meteor impacts. The canyon was formed  primarily
through seismic activity. We were concerned that it might be less
stable, geologically. We also were unable to find water near  it.
It has probably leaked into the canyon and evaporated."
   The  floor  of the shuttle was transparent and they could  see
the Martian surface flowing beneath them. Occasionally they would
fly  over  a large crater. And then they were over it. They  flew
inside  it so they were able to see it below and to the sides  of
them.  It  was  very  impressive, but Peabody thought  the  Grand
Canyon was prettier. The Grand Canyon was more colorful.
   "I  read  that  it  is  almost  one-quarter  of  the  planet's
circumference," Abbott said.
   "Yes.  It  is  approximately three thousand miles long.  Parts
appear  to  be the results of water erosion, but most of  it  was
formed  due  to movement of the Martian crust. It  is  very  old.
You'll  notice  that most of the rock is the same color.  However
there are some areas with layers of different kinds of rock."
   Peabody looked back and saw Abbott was leaning against Fon.
   They  flew  through the canyon. Occasionally, Lan  would  turn
and go up a tributary before heading back to the main canyon.
   "Are you having a good time, beautiful?" Lan asked him.
   "I am. I have to say, though that space travel is more fun!"
   Lan  chuckled. "I agree. I would like to be doing to you  what
Fon  is  doing to Abbott. Peabody turned around and saw  Fon  was
licking Abbott's erection.
   Peabody started laughing.
   "What is funny, beautiful?"
   Peabody  grinned  at Abbott. "Mars is really the  gay  planet,
isn't it?" They all began laughing.
   "It  is.  They  thought naming it after the god of  war  would
butch it up, but it didn't work," Abbott said. Peabody laughed.
   A few minutes later, Lan saw a warning flash on his display.
   "There  has  been a quake. It was centered about  two  hundred
kilometers northwest of the colony site,"
   "How bad?" Peabody asked.
   "It  wasn't extremely powerful. Hopefully not much damage  was
done," Lan said.
   Abbott and Fon walked to the front of the shuttle.
   A moment later, they heard Ban's voice.
   "Comm to Lan and Fon."
   "This is Lan."
   "We  just  had a quake here. We are lucky Peabody  and  Abbott
are  there  and safe. There was damage. The sensors indicate  air
loss  in  several  spots, including the surface  airlock  to  the
shuttle corridor and the corridor to the park."
   "How about the park itself, Ban?" Fon asked.
   "No  air loss has registered yet. We will keep monitoring  it,
but it doesn't seem to be affected."
   "Is everyone all right, Ban?" Peabody asked.
   "Oh,  yes. We are all fine. Don't worry, Peabody. We were  all
in  the park and we are fine. The dogs and birds didn't like  the
shaking,  but  that is all. The shuttle corridor is  pressurized,
but  we  can't bring the shuttle in until the surface airlock  is
fixed. We haven't seen the damage yet. It could take a few  hours
to repair. We will let you know as soon as we see it," Ban said.
   "I'm glad I brought plenty of food," Lan said.
   "How much did you take with you, Lan?" Ban asked.
   "We  have enough for lunch and supper. We have snacks  to  get
us  through breakfast tomorrow. And of course, travel rations. If
necessary,  we  can  take Peabody and Abbott to  Earth  and  then
return to help," Lan said.
   "I don't think the damage is severe enough for that."
   Peabody looked at Abbott who was frowning.
   "I  don't think either of us want to go to Earth, regardless,"
Peabody said. "I, for one, would worry like crazy."
   "Me, too," Abbott said.
   "Once  we have viewed the damage, we can decide what  we  will
do,"  Ban said. Peabody nodded. "I will let you know when I  know
more. End comm."
   Lan  found  a spot in the canyon to land and they  settled  to
the ground.
   Lan passed out sandwiches and they ate.
   "I hope the power station wasn't damaged," Peabody said.
   "Ban  would have mentioned that. That would be much worse than
an  airlock.  We have always assumed there would be quakes,"  Lan
told  him.  "We  have  always  known  the  shuttle  corridor   is
vulnerable. Part of it is on the surface, and the surface airlock
attaches  to  rock which may have shattered. The most  vulnerable
areas are the corridors and the illuminated cavern."
   "Oh,   yeah.  I  would  hate  to  have  been  in  there   with
stalactites falling to the ground!" Peabody said.
   Abbott nodded.
   "That  is  why Pon removed them over the path in the  cavern,"
Fon said.
   "This  is  the  first  quake since you've been  here,  right?"
Peabody asked.
   "Yes."
   "It's  funny  that  we were talking about seismic  instability
moments before a quake," Peabody said.
   "Can we get to the park in spacesuits?" Peabody asked.
   "Yes,  but  let's  wait  until we know  more  before  we  make
plans," Fon said.
   They ate their sandwiches and Peabody noticed Lan grow erect.
   "I love that!"
   Lan chuckled. "You used to love all of me."
   Peabody laughed.
   Peabody  wrapped his hand around it while he held his sandwich
with his other hand.
   "The sandwiches are good, but I would rather eat that, Lan!"
   Abbott laughed.
   "We  have to make it last. We may be more bored later and wish
we had a beautiful erection to enjoy," Lan said.
   "That's true. But won't Abbott get Fon's erection?"
   Abbott laughed.
   Lan started to say something but Peabody hugged him.
   "I will just sit here and admire it for a while."
   He leaned against Lan.
   They finished eating.
   "Could  we  go see the south polar ice cap? I read that  there
is an enormous amount of water locked up there," Abbott said.
   "We can," Lan said. "Do you want to see more of this canyon?"
   "Yes. I do anyway," Abbott said.
   "Me, too," Peabody said.
   They took off and continued their tour of the canyon.
   About  an  hour later, Ban said, "We have made a list  of  the
damage. The shuttle corridor air lock should be repaired in about
six  hours.  The other air leaks can be easily fixed and  Pon  is
working  on them. The other damage is minor. A pool wall  cracked
and  the  water  ran out. The illuminated cavern had  some  minor
damage.  The  power room is fine, but there is a minor  air  loss
there.  It  is  probably a seal around one  of  the  power  lines
leading to the surface airlock."
   "Oh, that's great!" Lan said.
   "Would  the  repair  be  faster with  you  and  Fon  helping?"
Peabody asked.
   "It would help," Ban said.
   "Let's  head  back then," Peabody said. "I can't really  enjoy
the  sightseeing  that much while I am worrying about  our  home.
What do you think, Abbott?"
   "I  agree. I'm trying to force myself to enjoy this.  I  would
rather do it while I wasn't worrying."
   "We'll head back. We can come back any time," Lan said.
   He turned the shuttle around and they headed home.
   Lan  looked over at Peabody, who was sitting in the front with
him.
   "Try not to worry, beautiful. Everything will be fine."
   "What if you can't fix the airlock? Is that a possibility?"
   "Not  really.  At  worst, it could take a couple  of  days  to
fix."
   Peabody nodded.
   "Sit on my lap."
   Peabody grinned and got on it.
   "Better?" Lan asked.
   Peabody wrapped an arm around Lan's neck.
   "It is."
   Peabody  rested his head on Lan's shoulder and  was  surprised
to find he had fallen asleep.
   He woke to Lan's voice. "We are here, beautiful."
   Peabody sat up and then got off his lap.
   "That was nice. Thank you, big daddy!"
   "I loved it, too."
   Lan and Fon got into space suits.
   Peabody  saw that the shuttle was about fifty yards  from  the
airlock. He could see two Alaphin-he wasn't sure who they were-in
space  suits  already working. Lan and Pon left the  shuttle  and
Peabody and Abbott watched them walk over to help.
   "Do you have any idea what they are doing?" Abbott asked.
   "No.  I've  never  even  noticed  the  air  lock  before."  He
grinned. "I was always distracted."
   Abbott laughed. "I know what you mean!"
   They watched them work for a while.
   "Does  it bother you that Ban left you to go with me?"  Abbott
asked.
   "No. I know why he did it, so I understand."
   "You mean he went because someone had to?"
   "Yes  and  no."  Peabody wondered if he ought to  mention  the
reason, but Abbott probably needed to know.
   "I  will tell you what Lan and Mun have told me. It isn't from
anything  Ban said. He was always wonderful to me and I  do  love
him.  They said Ban is very competitive and he wanted  to  be  my
favorite.  He  was Aracatal's favorite and he  wanted  to  be  my
favorite.  He  thought  Lan and Lin were my  favorites,  and  Ban
didn't  think  he could displace them. When the opportunity  with
you  came up, I don't think that is the only reason, but I  think
it helped make up his mind. He could be your favorite. Fon is not
competitive at all, at least according to Lan."
   "What  does that even mean, favorite? Just simply the one  you
like most?"
   "I  assume that's what it means. I'm not sure whether there is
any  more to it. I know I love Lan most, so I was told he  is  my
favorite. I think Fon hoped he would be closer to you, since  you
only have two mates than he would be to me. So it is a good thing
for  both of them. By the way, Lan said Ban and Fon love you very
much."
   Abbott smiled. "I love them."
   Peabody  nodded. "They are both fine people. I could live  the
rest of my life, happily with either."
   "I'm  not  sure  I  understand the host-parent  relationship,"
Abbott said.
   "Me,  either. I think about it a lot. I always wonder if I  am
thinking  human  when I should be thinking Alaphin.  I  tried  to
treat  them as human spouses when I first came. What  do  I  know
about  Alaphin relationships? They kept telling me  I  shouldn't,
but  it was all I knew. I still treat them as human spouses. It's
easier having only four, I can tell you that!"
   Abbott smiled.
   "You  have no idea what a relief it is that you don't  feel  I
stole them from you."
   "I  don't. I still love them and if they are happy, I am glad.
We all live together, after all."
   They sat and watched their mates for a while.
   "The  whole favorite thing bothers me a little," Peabody said.
"I  can  accept the fact that it is impossible to love  them  all
equally,  but  I still feel a little guilty for loving  Lan  more
than the others."
   "I  understand that completely. I have been trying to love Ban
and Fon equally."
   "Exactly! That is exactly how I felt-and feel. I want to  love
them  equally. Lin said that was not possible, and  not  to  wear
myself  attempting it. But each of them is my mate. And  each  of
them  is a wonderful person. Take Mun, for example. He is  sweet,
romantic, and considerate. Yet, because he is not my favorite and
he knows it, I feel bad that he isn't my favorite."
   Abbott nodded.
   "Am  I  supposed  to treat Fon differently than  Ban?"  Abbott
asked.
   "I  have  no  idea. I tried very hard to avoid doing  that.  I
guess  you  get  to make your own rules. Do what makes  you  most
comfortable. I think if you treat Ban as your favorite,  it  will
please him very much. What I don't know is how Fon would feel."
   Abbott nodded.
   "Do you ever regret leaving Earth?" Abbott asked.
   "No.  I  had nothing on Earth. I was ready to kill  myself.  I
had  stockpiled drugs to do it. My health was poor, and my  lover
and  dog died in a car crash. Coming here is the best thing  that
ever happened to me.
   "What  are  you going to do about all your things?  Your  home
and car and all that?" Peabody asked.
   "I am having the lawyers sell everything."
   "You didn't bring much."
   "I  have  collected things my whole life. When I got  here,  I
realized I didn't need any of it. Especially money."
   "What if you can't carry a baby?"
   "I don't plan to go back," Abbott said.
   "What do you mean?"
   Abbott sighed. "I shouldn't have said that."
   "Well, now you have me curious."
   "I'm  determined  to  carry  one  of  their  babies.  If   the
supplements make me sick, I will accept it."
   "You could die."
   "Exactly."
   "Oh, Abbott. Why would you want to do that?"
   "Peabody,  how  do you think I would feel if I  went  back  to
Earth? I would spend the rest of my life miserable. I would  miss
Ban  and Fon terribly. I would also miss this-" Abbott waved  his
arms. "-incredible adventure."
   Peabody  slowly  nodded. That made perfect sense.  He  decided
that  if Abbott could not host an Alaphin baby, he would  try  to
convince  the others to let Abbott stay on Mars. Lin had  offered
the same thing to him when he arrived.

   Ban  showed  Lan and Fon where the seal between the  rock  and
the airlock had broken. There was no damage to the machinery.
   "I  am  wondering whether we should replace it with  the  same
seal," Ban said.
   "What are you considering instead?" Fon asked.
   "I  would love to use a permeable seal, like the ones  between
floors and get rid of the machinery. Use passive technology.  The
problem is the large size and the pressure differential.  If  the
shuttle  corridor  was  at half-normal  air  pressure,  it  would
probably be strong enough."
   "What about both?" Fon suggested. "If another quake takes  out
the airlock, the seal would keep most of the air in."
   "If  the corridor was at full pressure, I think the seal would
be  forced open. It wouldn't close until almost all the  air  was
gone."
   "What about automatically dumping air to half pressure in  the
event of an airlock failure?" Fon suggested.
   "We  discussed  all  this when we put it in  originally,"  Mun
said.
   "I  know. I just thought it might be a good time to reconsider
it. But we need to get Peabody and Abbott in here. Let's just fix
it," Ban said.

   "Beautiful,  we  finished and now we  are  repressurizing  the
corridor between the two airlocks."
   "Thanks, Lan."
   "Why don't the two of you eat something?"
   "That   sounds  like  a  good  idea.  Was  any   more   damage
discovered?"
   "No.  It's mainly just this airlock and the one that  connects
the shuttle corridor to the corridor that leads to the park. Both
of them are closest to the surface."

   Lan,  Ban,  Fon, and Mun entered the shuttle in  their  suits,
once  they  were finished. Lan went to the front  and  took  them
home.
   When  Peabody got off the shuttle, he was surprised that  that
there was no visible sign of the quake. He had expected rocks  to
be  lying  in the corridor. Then he remembered that the walls  of
the  corridor had sealant on them. He assumed that had  prevented
it.
   They  got  back to the park and Oscar leapt up into  Peabody's
arms.
   "Did you miss me?"
   Oscar licked his face.
   They  walked  to his cabin. Peabody grinned as  he  watched  a
squirrel  chasing another squirrel on the grass. These  squirrels
wouldn't have to worry about hawks or cars.
He went into the cabin and nothing looked different.