Life On Ampelus

By Grant Winston

Life on Ampelus is author Grant Winston's second novel following his debut work, The Lost Petal of the White Rose. Life on Ampelus is a cross-genre work of light science fiction and political intrigue and suspense with some humor, suitable for adults and young adults.
The tale is of the challenges human scientists face to terraform and colonize the faraway planet of Ampelus. Life there is varied and enchanting, but not always benign as scientists Cydippe O'Toole and Naoko Kimura discover. Adding to the dangers they face as they work to preserve native species while transforming Ampelus into a place that can accommodate more pioneers is a colonial governor who is dramatically unsuited for his job; an egomaniacal, narcissistic, temperamental man who values only his own wants and needs. While O'Toole and Kimura fight to enhance life on Ampelus, they gradually become aware that Governor Cramp means to stop at nothing-- including murder-- to frustrate their efforts and promote himself by exploiting his office and the planet he is supposed to govern.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: May 25, 2018
• ISBN: 9781543932249

Book preview

Copyright ©2018 by Grant Winston. All rights reserved.

Print ISBN: 978-1-54393-223-2

eBook ISBN: 978-1-54393-224-9

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Chapter 33

Chapter 34

Chapter 35

Chapter 36

Chapter 37

Chapter 38

Chapter 39

Chapter 40

Chapter 41

Chapter 42

Chapter 43

Chapter 44

Chapter 45

Chapter 46

Chapter 47

Chapter 48

Chapter 49

Chapter 50

Chapter 1

The Ampelusian without a name began undulating toward the exit of her little back room in the hangar on her ambulatory flaps located beneath her fundament. This Ampelusian was only nominally a she. There were no actual male or female or any otherwise gendered of its species, but the aliens had identified her by an arbitrarily determined female name; thus, for purposes of discussion and other interaction with the aliens, this Ampelusian was known and referred to in the feminine. The aliens had named her species stools because their appearance to the aliens resembled a four-foot tall pile of excrement from a bovine species on their own ancestral planet.

She was on her way to the hangar’s main section to greet the friendly aliens who were due to arrive in their small space shuttle at the nearby landing site they had built. On her way out of her little room she protruded one of her body’s adhesive extensions onto a small nameplate and affixed it to the upper portion of her knobby gray-brown torso. The nameplate bore the name that the aliens had given her on an earlier visit, so that they could identify this particular native of the planet. They had dubbed her with the appellation Martha. The aliens had explained to her that individuals of their Earth-descended species were given names for identification purposes. Martha accepted without understanding why the aliens needed to have a special name for every member of their species. Strange, she thought, that they could not, as any stool child could, look at another of their own and recognize who they were after having seen them for the first time.

For the hour or two before leaving for the landing site, Martha had been practicing the strange communication method she and one of the aliens had developed over their relationship. The aliens had no telepathic and little if any tactile communication ability. Stools, in return, could emit no sounds from any bodily orifice, as they had, in lieu of that, evolved the ability to convey information, thoughts, and emotions between themselves by merely peering into or touching one another. Ampelusian stool telepathy, however, could not effectively reach through to the aliens’ thoughts which had evolved to be densely shrouded under their natural tendencies to dissimulate, manipulate, and hide their true meanings. Aliens also were deficient in clarity of thought and clarity of speech. So often would they be undecided or conflicted about their feelings, or make lazy efforts to articulate them, that some stools at times thought the aliens must be mentally disordered. So, at best, any telepathic information that would be received from the aliens, even when possible, the stools would devalue as likely untrustworthy. It was essential to Ampelusian stools, on the other hand, having telepathy as their primary evolutionary way of communication, that they be honest and forthright, clear and transparent, in order to be understood, and most important, for the very survival of their species. Lying and dissembling were foreign concepts to them. Communicating something that wasn’t true, or was misleading, or imprecise, would be counterproductive and harmful to the individuals and the group. And stools were never conflicted about what they needed to say or do.

What had bridged the interplanetary communication divide between Martha and her alien friend she was expecting to see arrive at any minute, was the aliens’ form of communication they had developed and used when communication was desired with a member of their own Earthly species who lacked their evolved communicative noise-making ability and any functional sound-gathering receptor orifices to receive another’s noise communications. Martha had been protruding two elongated extensions outward in front of her bulky, bumpy, chitinous torso, each tipped with five smaller protuberances replicative of the aliens’ upper appendages. She had mastered the technique of moving these parts independently or in concert to convey information to the aliens in a way they could understand. They, in turn, would move their appendages in like manner, and Martha had learned to understand the sign language.

But Martha did not envy the aliens their having appendages permanently fixed and dangling from their upper and lower bodies, and unable simply to retract or extend them at convenience when needed. The poor descendants of Earthlings had to endure a lifetime of having their body parts awkwardly sticking out even when not being used.

Martha’s ambulatory flaps had dexterously moved her through the doorway of her room and into the roofed and partially enclosed landing site’s hangar where the alien craft would taxi to a stop. The positive early results of alien terra-forming on Ampelus meant that Martha’s alien friends could debark into the hangar wearing only a lightweight coat to be comfortable, except for the jumping jinns.

Chapter 2

And these Bissivian creeping three stars are really supposed to grow like magic on Ampelus? The shuttle pilot, Filip Pierson, asked Cydippe O’Toole shortly before he guided the 124-foot shuttle into its atmosphere entry trajectory for a soft landing on Ampelus.

They should be magical for the colonial governor. Governor Dimwood Cramp himself demanded them for his gardens. Dr. Cydippe O’Toole, aged 42, was an astrobiologist specializing in the field of plant and botanicaloid species. She had been employed by the colonial government through public-private consortium funding to travel to Ampelus and work with the continuing terra-forming project, which was yet merely in the advanced early stages.

He saw images of the creeping three stars on his computer, and that they were native on Bissivi, and decided he had to have them in the governor’s residential gardens. Cydippe was talking to Pierson while keying into her wrist communicator her final expressions of a mother’s love to her two children back on Nieflheim, Jocell and Jacen, daughter and son, respectively. I don’t fault his taste in beautiful plant life, but his whim is a distraction from my real job, not to mention a profligate use of water. She sent that communication, and immediately began writing another, also to Nieflheim. But, when the colonial governor asks for a pretty flower for his gardens, word comes from on high that we must satisfy him. The governor has powers to make many things we attempt to do on Ampelus easy or difficult, depending on his other caprices. So we had to make a side trip to Bissivi just to collect some specimens.

And how do you know these creepers will thrive on Ampelus? Pierson asked while piloting the craft into its landing approach trajectory.

You’re leading us into the weeds Pierson, but since you asked: A Bissivian creeping three star’s physiology has something in it similar to the Golgi apparatus of Earth plants, and as such it operates to conduce reproduction at its normal evolved rate on Bissivi, but we think the nutrient composition of the topsoil on Ampelus’s terminator line, along with the genetic modifications yours truly and others have made to these particular creeping three stars, will catalyze the Golgi apparatus-type functions, and make the three stars flourish on Ampelus, thereby blanketing the gov.’s gardens with enormous clusters of deep red flowers.

Philip Pierson was an experienced shuttle pilot, but this trip was his first stop at Ampelus. Still, Cydippe had imparted to him more information than the pilot needed to know. O-kay then. Better strap in O’Toole. We’re about to enter atmosphere. Pilot Pierson had been monitoring the solar winds buffeting Ampelus and had just seen a subsidence in their force that opened a window of opportunity.

Cydippe put her wrist communicator to sleep after a final good-bye and Thank you to Nailene’s parents for all they were doing for the children. After Cydippe’s wife Nailene had been killed during the final dry run of her latest daredevil stunt, just before she was to perform it before what would have been a record attendance at Nieflheim’s largest indoor stadium, Joce and Jace had been taken in by their grandparents. Nailene was killed well over a year ago, and Nailene’s parents had extended their loving beneficence so Cydippe could support her family with what was to be a six-month stint on Ampelus. Strapped in, Cydippe was thinking about the last four months remaining of her obligation on Ampelus, and how fast or slow the time might pass without seeing her boy and girl.

Pierson was an excellent AV-312 shuttle pilot, and he landed the craft at the Ampelusian landing site smoother than a slide down a greased mirror. Need any help unloading your cargo, doctor? Pierson offered. The shuttle needs to be inspected and cleared for the return trip to the mother ship, and the solar winds are going to be kicking up again for a while, so I have some time.

Oh, thank you, Pierson. Yes, that would be nice. Naoko and I will start and you can pitch in after you make your log entries. Naoko Kimura was Cydippe’s fellow terra-forming scientist who was on board the shuttle, but had for the past several minutes been engrossed in his carry-on reading material of the latest astrobiological reports from Paros colony. The material was saved on a mini-facstic about five millimeters square that was placed in his wrist communicator. Kimura was an autodidact whose formal education ended after a few years on Paros colony, but in his 38 years of life he had taught himself more about the animal wildlife biology on Paros, Ampelus, and nearby planets in the same star system than Cydippe or anyone else known to humans, and then taught some of what he had learned to others, even some with Ph.D. after their name. The two of them had been carrying on the work of making Ampelus the next stepping stone on the meandering route of habitable exoplanets Earth’s descendants could use to hop one to the next to inhabit and ensure survival of their species for at least a few more centuries.

Ampelus, being a tidally locked planet without axial tilt, orbited its star in 122 Earth days, always with the same half of its globe permanently facing its red dwarf star and the half opposite permanently facing away from its star. Hence the red sun of Ampelus never set or rose for those who were on the surface of the planet. Being tidally locked with an obliquity of zero, Ampelus also had no seasons; no annual change from frigid winters to searing summers. What had attracted the children of the children of the children of Earth to Ampelus was a sliver of the planet, about 50 kilometers wide, banding north-south all around the approximately 30,000-kilometer circumference of Ampelus, and known as the terminator line, or term line for short. The term line was sandwiched between the two sides of total darkness and constant sunlight; an inhabitable ribbon around the planet where its weak dwarf star provided a permanent half-light-half-darkness, and the conditions that had originated life on Ampelus. As terra-forming of Ampelus had been ongoing at an aggressive pace, the work was beginning to achieve a still-Spartan level of colonial pioneer life at discrete settlements up and down the terminator line, separated by hundreds of kilometers; places that could eventually support more colonists more comfortably. Yet it remained a rugged, undeveloped, and in many ways uncomfortable and even threatening place for human aliens. But the scientific pioneers such as Cydippe O’Toole, and Naoko Kimura had joined the team on Ampelus with the unique enthusiasm of those curious for discovery.

For years, by increasing the carbon dioxide levels in the Ampelusian atmosphere, geo-engineering scientists had been gradually able to catalyze a greenhouse effect which, along the terminator line, had raised the surface temperature there to a balmy, nearly constant temperature of 16 degrees Celsius, sufficient to melt the water ice in the small frozen lakes, rivulets, and streams in the middle of the term line. Ampelusian atmosphere along the terminator line had become similar to Earth’s; 70% nitrogen, 25% oxygen, and most of the remaining 5% helium. The latter elemental component had the side effect of raising the pitch of the aliens’ voices to a slightly higher level when they spoke on Ampelus after physical exertion, while winded and breathing deeply to replenish the oxygen level in their lungs. But Martha didn’t mind. The human aliens had always sounded strange to her auditory sense receptors.

Chapter 3

Martha watched the shuttle taxi into the hangar and stop. She then saw an alien debark from the shuttle, an alien that she immediately recognized as her friend. Martha recalled in her mind how to make her extensions move in the special way to greet her friend by her personal name and communicate the alien Hello and Welcome. Then Martha saw another alien beside her friend, the second one she recognized as her friend Naoko. He hadn’t learned to make his appendages move in the special way to communicate with her, but Cydippe had introduced him to her, and he was nice. Martha watched as the two walked to the aft cargo doors and began removing metal containers. A third alien Martha had never seen joined them and they all began removing the containers and setting them down in the hangar. Martha undulated toward her alien friends.

The third alien Martha noticed, besides her friends Cydippe and Naoko, was trying without much success to perform the same motions her friends were. But this third alien was using his upper appendages, when they were not briefly lifting and carrying the containers, mostly to smack himself on the neck and head. Martha knew that he was smacking at the small life species that were trying to feed on him.

What on the rings of Chios are these things? Some sort of insect with fangs? They’re chewing me to pieces! Pierson needed a few more appendages so Cydippe started using hers to help him swat.

They’re not insects Pierson; insects live on Earth. Naoko was edifying Pierson while Cydippe was helping to save as much of the pilot’s skin as she could. And they’re not flying. Those are jumping jinns. They can jump up to about five meters from the ground, which would be roughly like you jumping up more than 300 meters, Naoko added as he was jogging over to some metal shelves next to the hangar wall.

You had your shots before we left the mother ship didn’t you, Pierson? Cydippe asked.

Every shot the doctor had.

Then it’s not so bad. You’ve been inoculated against the worst possible scenario from jumping jinn bites. Cydippe and Naoko had removed or squashed all of the ravenous four-centimeters-long biters from Pierson’s neck, arms, legs and hands.

Which would be? Pierson asked, rubbing his small bleeding neck wounds.

Death. Naoko had returned from the shelves with a spray bottle containing a light blue liquid. But with the shots the doctor gave you, you should experience nothing more uncomfortable than an itching like a mosquito bite, after the bleeding stops, that is. Here. Spray some of this on the bites; it’ll help.

I don’t see any of them feasting on you guys. Pierson observed, spraying himself blue.

We’ve taken scented repellent tablets. You should’ve been given some of these. Cydippe handed Pierson a small bottle of orange colored pills. Swallow two. They’ll produce a scent on your skin, unnoticeable to humans, but the jumping jinns won’t come near you.

Thanks. Pierson swallowed two.

Cydippe turned and saw Martha. Oh hi, Martha! Cydippe smiled and spoke greetings to Martha in voice and standardized sign language.

Martha responded, using her appendages in almost flawless signing, Hello Cydippe. Very I’m happy to see you again.

What are you talking to O’Toole? Pierson asked.

This is our stool friend, ‘Martha’. Cydippe was voicing and signing simultaneously for Naoko’s, Pierson’s, and Martha’s mutual benefit. Martha this is Filip Pierson, our shuttle pilot who flew us here this time.

It looks like a pile of shit. Pierson accurately, if not politely, observed.

Lucky for you she can’t understand what you just said. Naoko said indignantly. She does look like a pile of shit, yes, which is why many aliens on Ampelus call her species ‘stools.’ Not the scientific name, of course; which is Chetinus Ampelusium."

"Martha, will you