Alien Alliance (14 page)

Further down the fish scale, so categorized
by one of the children, were 15 varying sized and similarly
proportioned apartments that were partly filled with water but with
what could be used as sleeping platforms above the water line.
Sarah decided she would hate it but the kids thought these were
cool. Luckily the water was warm. The apartment was built so that
the frequent tides could flush them out. Another 35 decided to stay
there.

And the last were similar to these but out
in the ocean and with swimming access only to them. They were only
platforms and had no shelter. No takers there. Sarah didn’t bother
looking. People were better off under the trees and the sand would
be softer to sleep on.

“Thank heavens there is sand,” said Dan who
liked his luxuries. He had been getting a bit morose.

At this stage, those still unallocated were
looking to alternatives. The Nedris and several others had already
left for the caves, some of which were empty. That took care of
another 26. Sarah and Dan joined those heading for the Avian
shelters which, Sarah saw, were only about ten feet off the ground.
They were like pole houses with large landing platforms. Off these
platforms was a small, weather and draught proof dwelling like a
tree hut; and with plumbing! Inevitably, these too were a hit with
the children. People were already making ladders, out of bits of
driftwood and a fibrous seaside plant, to get up to them.

There were shelters used by tree dwelling
creatures. Many disappointed children really wanted to stay in
these tree huts too. But the lowest were about twenty feet up and
they would have to climb up the trees to get to them. Not
practical. Sarah looked up puzzled, wondering why the tree dwellers
lived higher up than the Avians. The reverse would seem more
logical.

The rest were on the beach. Now
re-classified as Amphibians, they were allowed to sleep on the
beach and would not be picked up for vagrancy. But the climate
control of the city did not extend to the beach. There would be a
little problem with rain and wind…

Inevitably, there were those who complained,
felt others were treated more favourably, and generally bitched and
moaned. They were very much in the minority. Sarah blessed the
legal mind of Helene who had thought of what questions to ask and
who had recommended their debts be individual. All were very aware
of their debt and striving to reduce it. No one could bludge. A few
snide comments were made as to where the likes of Sarah and Dan
were going to sleep but they shut up when Sarah cheerfully
responded that because she and Dan were fit and youngish and not
accompanied by children, they were unallocated so would sleep on
the beach. Of course if it looked like rain, they would head for
the tree huts, she added.

The children were their saving grace.
Inquisitive and curious, they had hated the restrictions,
protocols, rules and regulations of the city. The rudeness of other
races had shocked them. Some children had been literally brushed
away or knocked down. It had been a shock to discover that some
races did not nurture their children, but left them to fend for
themselves. By races like these, children were not valued, even by
their parents, but were seen as a nuisance.

In the middle of the afternoon Anna and
Steve Nilsen came up to Sarah and Dan and Steve said, “We’ve been
talking to the Priskya. I came up with a few suggestions for their
sub things which, we think, are a poor design. My wife is a
biologist and I used to be an engineer. We think we can design a
self propelled sub which will be a great improvement on these.”

Anna continued, “We had a really good look
at their subs. They use a sort of device that oxygenates the water,
and they have a filter for waste disposal device as well so the
Priskya don’t contaminate their own water. They can also have food
in there and, of course, they can drink the water. So that part of
the job was well designed. They can stay in these things a whole
day. But them being so heavy and not self propelled is the big
problem. The Priskya would love to explore their own world and they
can’t. So Karl came up with some designs for them. He thinks
putting an engine on would be relatively easy. I think it wasn’t
done, in order to limit where the Priskya could go and to ensure
they don’t find out just how much damage is being done to their
world. The Priskya think I’m right. Also these subs are not
equipped with anti-gravity which is ludicrous.”

“So I’d like to recruit a few tomorrow to
help with this.” Steve spotted Con and Nial and was off at a
run.

Anna smiled. “He’s like a kid with a new
toy. He used to be an engineering genius but couldn’t cope with
mediocre people, small minds and bureaucrats. He just wants to get
on with things and do them. He switched to politics to try to
understand why he couldn’t cope with people. I thought it would be
a disaster but he’s calmed down a bit. He doesn’t take it
personally any more.” Sarah looked at her. Anna seemed the calm
type. Probably the steadying influence on him.

Near evening, Karl and Julia came up to
Sarah. They were laden with fish. Bea had found out that they were
allowed to catch all the fish they wanted and were also allowed to
cook it! Another advantage of being re-classified as amphibian. Bea
was off with some other children gathering shellfish.

Hastily supervised by Ludmilla, one of the
Russian scientists, a willing group of volunteers was found to
taste test and safety test the fish and shellfish, cooked and
uncooked. They ate tiny pieces raw and waited for any reaction.
Then they ate tiny cooked pieces with each person restricted to
just the same type only. That eliminated only one type of
shellfish, two fish and one eel like creature. Ludmilla decided to
wait two hours before declaring food probably safe. She advised
against a full scale barbeque tonight but was politely ignored.

While all this was going on, an impromptu
fishing contest began. There were points awarded for size,
ugliness, taste (to be determined later), colour (brilliance),
original methods of capture, and the smallest child who caught the
biggest fish. It was Alan’s idea so he got to be the judge. Any
piece of metal available was being turned into a fish hook and
shellfish found themselves the bait. Others were gathering
shellfish in the rock pools. Pocket knives were lashed onto poles
to make spears. Many eagerly asked Julia and Karl how they caught
the fish they had but they had to confess some Priskya children had
caught them. That gave Bea an idea. Sarah favoured the sneaky
method and headed for a rock pool. Her father had taught her to
tickle trout.

People started to straggle in with all sorts
of normal looking and unusual looking fish. A huge cook-up began of
all the foods that had passed Ludmilla’s safety test although she
thought they really should wait two days especially before eating
any quantity. Out voted, she then insisted that all were to
carefully note what varieties they had eaten in order to know what
foods made people sick, if any did. She further advised everyone
only eat one variety of food each. Additionally, she was unhappy
that people, especially children, were drinking sea water. She
argued that although it was clearly not salty like the seas at
home, no one knew if there were any toxins, poisons, harmful
organisms or even minerals that could cause harm. Although her
arguments made sense, most had the attitude that they would chance
it. Ludmilla thought this attitude was stupid. Sarah understood
both opinions. Privately, she had decided to obey Ludmilla’s advice
but not to make a point of it. But the fish smelled so good, she
gave in and ate one variety. Sarah had only caught some small prawn
like fish. They were tawny, the same colour as the rocks, and soft
bodied. They were also amphibian so confining them, while she went
after others, proved to be a problem. In the end, she beheaded them
after many had escaped. Another safety check was that Ludmilla
checked each variety with the Priskya before she allowed it to be
eaten.

Some children had introduced themselves to
some of the other amphibians and invited them to the party. Some
came, but those that ate, ate their food raw. Sarah noted they had
yet to meet any race that liked food hot. Also no People knew how
the goop was made. They didn’t know if it was cooked and cooled or
just combined. Interestingly, no one had reacted badly to it,
except for the taste.

Steve and Anna Nilsen explained to the
others that they were redesigning the Priskya’s subs and that the
Priskya had decided to pay the debt for Steve, Anna and Donny in
payment. Steve said to Simone, “I’ve had a few other ideas and as I
develop them I’ll pay the debt for you and Dieter first. The
Priskya say they were charged a great deal of money for these
inventions. They also said I came up with a few applications they
never thought of.” Steve had his drafting book, which he never went
anywhere without and to the amusement of many, he was drawing as he
was talking.

There was an air of hopefulness. Now four
people’s debts were paid, or earned (Mathew had promptly paid his
in trade goods), the task no longer appeared impossible. The debt
had stopped rising, and was starting to be repaid.

The children had already told their new
friends about the trouble they were in. One Race suggested catching
fish and selling it at the seaside. Trade rules stopped at the edge
of the city. The Priskya did not accept any trade restrictions, or
tax, including Goods and Services Tax, Value Added Tax, or anything
else. So they could sell fish and keep all the credit. This was
fantastic! They also found out they could use the boat-like craft.
Some had cabin-like construction. Would they be allowed to sleep in
them? That would need to be checked tomorrow. The inevitable
singing started up accompanied by various instruments.

But it had been a long tiring day and many
were exhausted. The impromptu party wound down after only an hour
of singing and people straggled off to what passed for their beds.
Many, like Dan and Sarah, wriggled a nest in the sand, well above
the level of the multiple tides a day.

But it was to be a long night. Ludmilla’s
prediction was correct. Within four hours of eating, people started
to be sick with vomiting, diarrhoea or both. All those with medical
knowledge, in anticipation, had organized a roster for the night,
Bert in overall charge. Alan was among the sick and he was very
sick.

“I only ate one type of shellfish but I ate
a lot of them!” he confessed. “It was a type cleared both by
Ludmilla and the Priskya. The little yellowish one with the shell
like an abalone.” Sarah was chastened to find that all the
medically trained, with no exceptions, had eaten only goop for tea
in anticipation. Feeling guilty, she took orders and started to
learn to be a nurse aid. Some felt OK after a while and went off to
bed. Two women with nursing training spent the long night going
around checking on the sick. The seriously ill were kept together
on the beach. Most just needed basic care, but Alan, two others and
three children needed intravenous fluids. No one died.

Sarah spent the long night getting educated
in the methods the human gut has, to rid itself of unwelcome
contents. She was astonished at the attitudes of the medical people
and their macabre sense of humour. They had to tolerate abuse,
appalling language, awfully smelly messes, unco-operative and
ungrateful patients and they did it all cheerfully.

Sarah spent some time talking to Sally
Easton, a nurse, who had a broad South African accent. She was
worried about Alan. So was Sally but for a different reason.

“It isn’t so much the shellfish that worries
me it’s his other medical conditions. You know he’s diabetic?”
Sarah nodded. “Well when his insulin runs out, he has about two
years to live. That’s if his other medical conditions don’t get him
first, which is more likely. No one has any idea how long we will
be stuck here. Although he is Type Two Diabetic, not Type One,
which is worse, he is also very overweight, unfit, he used to
smoke, and he has Chronic Obstructive Respiratory Disease. I wonder
how many puffers he brought with him.”

“Puffers?” Asked Sarah who decided not to
tell Sally that Alan only gave up smoking when he boarded the
spaceship.

“Inhalers.”

“Oh. What will happen without those?”

“His lungs will get increasingly congested,
he will get recurrent infections, which he probably does anyway,
and we will run out of the anti-biotics we brought.”

“How many others are in this category?”

“Too many. Modern medicine keeps a great
many people alive and working who would have died a few decades
ago.”

“When was insulin discovered?”

“I’m not sure. About 1930 or so. My
great-grandfather was on it in the 1950’s.

“What about antibiotics?”

“They were about in the early 1950’s I
think. No. I think they might have come in before the end of the
Second World War. Not many countries had them though. Penicillin
was invented in Britain but the sulpha drugs were in a bit before
that. I think sulpha drugs came into use during the early or middle
part of the Second World War. I learned all that in my training but
I’ve forgotten.”

“That recent? I thought they were in well
before that. I thought that they were the reason for the population
explosion.”

“No, that was refrigeration, better and
faster transportation of food, knowledge of food contaminants and
how to avoid illness and store food properly. Inoculation helped a
lot but the biggest factor was clean water! Contaminated water is
still one of the biggest killers.” Sally got up to check through
her allocated patients returning a while later.

“How many are sick and how serious is
this?”

“None are critical, three are serious,
thirty-six have been moderately ill, twenty-two have gone to bed
and seem to have recovered and we’ll find out about the rest
tomorrow.”