Star Kitten (38 page)

The Tribal Confederation approved the
measure easily, with only a few dissenting votes. And this was a
vote that had to do with much more than just FOOD, after all. Most
certainly, New Australia should begin preparing for the needs of an
advanced society... a true civilization (even if the current status
quo of being a warrior/pirate culture was still quite appealing to
many on New Australia). Others could already see it now, just like
Solomon did, that a rich new culture of cross pollination was
developing. One that was enhanced by its own diversity of species;
one that could not only survive but actually prosper and grow. New
Australia—given a few generations of time to evolve—could perhaps
become a microcosm of the galaxy itself (even if it was founded on
a planet populated by former prison convicts).

Talk even arose later in the meeting about
populating the surface itself! Building domed cities on the surface
for Nausties to go up and live under tinted glass; enabling their
offspring to grow up into adulthood being able to actually see and
experience sunlight every day.

Of course, this would mean no more piracy;
and some were diametrically opposed to that. To attain a level of
civilization like this would mean piracy must cease. No one was
actually saying it, but the implication was all too clear.
Eventually, this part of Naustie culture (the warrior ideal… to
always conquer and pillage) would have to end. Many had already
begun to accept that as fact, and not just Slarts like Architeuthis
either. Solomon, and the other intelligentsia of New Australia were
a driving force in this new philosophy. Piracy and raiding were a
temporary means to an end, more and more Nausties believed. Now it
was time for New Australia to move forward from its violent
past.

This latest raid…? It would have to be the
last, and many felt that way. Several delegates expressed this; and
Solomon was pleasantly surprised. So was Architeuthis. Not just for
the sake of advancing the civilization either; but from a practical
standpoint too. Raiding was risky. It was essentially a declaration
of war on everyone and every planet in the galaxy. Being outlaws in
an already dangerous galaxy—could only mean facing the wrath of the
entire Interplanetary Authority someday. Everyone knew it, at least
deep in their hearts. Criminal activity could only end up getting
their planet identified as the origin of all the recent pirate
raids… and putting them all right back in prison or getting them
killed.

The next big step then? Begin TRADING with
other planets. Yes, it would be difficult. First they’d have to
make a foray into intergalactic trading via the shady and
clandestine black market… then it would require diplomatic
relations, and trade agreements with other planets. A delegation
would need to be formed; and a diplomatic mission would need to be
sent to Porkonji first; just to get things started. After that,
maybe they’d try Zorgolong… eventually maybe even Pumalar. Solomon
sat back and relished the debate going on in the Assembly that day.
Heated at times, but very healthy, it took the pressure off him
personally because it was after all Solomon himself who’d started
New Australia’s foray into galactic piracy! It would be a lot
easier for him to change his stripes now, since several delegates
were already saying exactly what he'd been thinking all along.

The difference at this
point was merely one of perceived strength in negotiations. When
New Australia was fresh out of its rebellion; and its trade fleet
consisted of nothing but the newly captured
Anarchy
, almost anyone could have
taken advantage of them. Now, things were quite different. The
shady characters in the black markets of Porkonji and Zorgolong
would find out rather quickly that who they were dealing with was
no one to be trifled with.

Once the
Anarchy
and the other
ships returned from Star Pussy; this would need to be discussed
further, it was decided, as the Assembly meeting adjourned. But
meanwhile, Solomon had gained approval for his exploratory
committee on developing a farming network on the surface.
Construction could begin on the first dome within one year, it was
decided. And it wouldn’t need much longer than that either, because
the new facility being built to create a new surface shipping
terminal... that was nearly complete already; and Porko
construction crews were almost finished with its roof.

The first of the ships
finally returned... about 43 days after it had left New Australia.
However it was the
Varanus
—not the
Anarchy
(which everyone expected to
return first). This ship carried the survivors of the Smilodon
Brigade; and the dramatic arrival of this now greatly-diminished
fighting force caused quite a stir. Everyone was quite concerned
when seeing this first ship arrive with so many dead and wounded on
board. But luckily for Solomon, General Bengal had thankfully
survived. Otherwise, it would have looked to many Nausties like the
mission had been a disaster!

Bengal’s condition, though pathetic, was a
welcome relief to his tribe; and to the Terminal staff as well.
After all it was they who had sent him on this mission in the first
place and Bengal was still the Chieftain of the Smilodon tribe;
which was one of the most powerful on the planet. Solomon heaved a
sigh of relief at the news that Bengal had survived the battle;
basically because he fully understood that to Pumalars, victory was
far more important than casualties. And a victorious commander
returning from battle: that brought great honor to his tribe.

In fact, once he got out of surgery (where
Slart physicians removed almost another fist-full of projectile
fragments) he became quite instrumental in bolstering the
reputation of those who'd ordered him on the mission by describing
the bravery with which his warriors fought. Plenty on board who'd
survived the mission or witnessed the action had told the stories;
but when Bengal confirmed their accuracy, the whole population of
New Australia was thrilled. It filled everyone with a sense of
pride.

All the bodies of the slain were transported
out onto the surface of New Australia; a few hundred yards from the
main terminal. A giant pit was dug, about five feet deep using a
huge bulldozer. Then at dusk, when the heat of the day was waning,
nearly ten thousand Nausties rode out from the main terminal on
assorted mining vehicles wearing hoods to protect themselves from
the wind; or tried walking alongside the vehicles to the funeral
site. Even the short distance was exhausting because of the thin
oxygen—especially on the march back. But the Nausties all did their
best to attend and even join in with the elaborate Pumalar ritual
of singing repeatedly the names of all the slain.

Because there was no
particular order or organization to this practice, the spontaneous
wailing and moaning and crying out of all the names of the heroic
dead rattled on and on for quite some time; even after the pit was
set alight and the bodies all cremated. All those who'd fought with
or knew the deceased were to sing his name—that was the tradition.
However in the thin air, it was hard for them to sing out the names
repeatedly, so during this dramatic mass burial, the thousands of
warriors, farmers, female slaves, and miners in attendance just
joined right in; repeating the names and creating a truly
remarkable experience for everyone who'd attended that night. It
really brought everyone together as a united culture of intelligent
beings once again. It
reminded
everyone of who they all truly were, as a
people.

Of course the dead: they got to be lauded as
heroes; permanently enshrined in Naustie folklore as gallant
warriors whose souls could now ascend to join their ancestors in
Fukuoka at the grand table in the Great Hall of Warriors. The
stories of their heroism would be told and retold hundreds of times
over the decades. Grandchildren of the grandchildren of those
standing around that funeral pyre that night would hear of their
deeds.

However, the survivors of the battle,
especially those who’d been severely wounded like Bengal, would
still have to endure the pain of recovery and rehabilitation; not
to mention the longing for the glory they’d missed out on by living
through the bloody carnage of the battle instead of dying
heroically. Something needed to be done for them as well, most
everyone agreed.

A week after Bengal came out of surgery, he
was finally able to visit the next Assembly of the Tribal
Confederation as a delegate once more. To a standing ovation,
Bengal entered the converted arena on crutches, along with 73 of
his troops who'd been singled out for exhibiting extreme heroism in
combat. Some were in even worse shape than Bengal… missing arms,
eyes, or legs. But to their delight, a new citation for bravery had
been created by the Tribal Confederation called the Order of Heroic
Merit. Bengal presented each of the warriors with a scroll that
commemorated their heroism; and each stood with Bengal before the
Assembly while Bengal detailed their deeds to the nearly one
thousand in attendance. It was a proud evening in New Australia’s
history. For the rest of their lives, these warriors would be
singled out amongst their fellow Nausties as “exceptionally
brave”.

These first 73 recipients were all later
given a special medal to wear around their necks. Something
permanent and enduring. Everyone in the Assembly agreed they needed
to have some consolation for not having died as heroes in combat,
so a large industrial diamond was fashioned and attached to an oval
silver pendant for each of them with the words, “Order of Heroic
Merit” etched around the rim. Carvings made of the newly developed
symbol for the independent planet of New Australia, also adorned
the top. Architeuthis himself was said to have come up with the
idea for the symbol; and Porko miners produced the diamonds for it
from the mines of New Australia. It was quite beautiful; and the
new symbol created for this medal would also later become part of
the planet's new flag: A crimson red flag with crossed miner's
pick-ax and spear in white superimposed over a partially-clinched
charcoal gray fist with claws.

Meanwhile, more ships
arrived, including the
Chengshi
. Its complement of
prisoners was three times as large as that of the
Varanus
, and most all of
them were Pumalars. To Solomon this meant even more opportunities
for breeding; and Slart physicians were able to check all of the
supposed “Empaths” to see if they'd actually ever really been
spayed. Solomon suspected many might really be just normal Pumalar
females with a knack for sensing and reacting correctly to others'
feelings. Most any Pumalar female could do that naturally anyway.
Typically Empaths had their uterus removed, so they'd never be able
to have kittens; thus making them the perfect play partner—perfect
gift for an adult of any species, especially male Pumalars. However
Solomon's suspicions proved well-founded; because most all of them
it turned out, had never been spayed after all!

Truth be told, the female Pumalars on Star
Pussy had merely taken injections of medroxyprogesterone acetate, a
synthetic hormone that prevents ovulation in felines. The only side
effect of medroxyprogesterone acetate was that the body was prone
to gain weight easily; and that was one easy way for the Nausties
to tell which of the “Empaths” might actually just be regular
she-cats on birth control. The bigger—or pudgy—females were the
easiest to recognize as being likely taking hormone shots to
prevent pregnancy.

The first one hundred
Pumalar females who'd traveled with the
Varanus
had simply been given to
General Bengal and the Smilodon Brigade as concubines. Tribal
Confederation decided on that; and no one argued. Of course, Bengal
was certainly in no condition to sire kittens! Thus he
magnanimously shared the hundred beautiful she-cats with the nearly
two thousand remaining members of his tribe. He promised Solomon
that they'd be protected and bred to pregnancy if at all
possible... as soon as possible… assuring Solomon that his warriors
were quite "up to the task" of breeding new future Naustie
citizens. However reality was (according to Slart physicians) it
would take up to five and a half months before the effects of the
hormone injections would wear off; and before any of the females
could even get pregnant.

And what of this next
group of nearly 300 more prisoners from the
Chengshi
? Two hundred and
sixty-seven were female Pumalars; and those were distributed to all
the other Pumalar tribes on the planet, divided almost evenly among
them. The rest were a mix of Humans, Zorgolongians, and Porkonjii
which were nothing more than guests on Star Pussy who'd been caught
in the wrong place at the wrong time when the Pirates struck; or
employed in the facilities operating in or around the food court
where the main battle occurred in the Pumalar Environ. These were
distributed to appropriate tribes based on species; and as usual
the several Schpleeftii tribes took the remaining human women that
no one wanted (the more obstinate, complaining ones usually… the
ones the other tribes rejected because they found them somehow
unappealing). The furry rat-like Spleefs put them right to good use
though, all of those females turned down by other tribes. No matter
what they looked like, smelled like, or complained like… Spleefs
just didn't give a shit.

But the 267 Pumalar
females were the real prized haul from that raid, no doubt; and
Captain Kscheeech was proud to also inform Terminal Chief Solomon
that the
Warthog
was also on the way (eventually) from Star Pussy, with
hundreds more
human
females... plus likely some male humans for those who desired
them. Solomon was mildly pleased at best. A thousand new females
from various species; but especially Pumalars—that’s about half of
what he was looking for out of the raid; not to mention the
unfortunate number of casualties. However he was quite aware by now
just how desperate the fighting had been.