Celta Cats

by Robin D. Owens

  So I decided to make an “Extra” portion of this book and put the full, long scene there, if you wished to read it.

  IN THE CONFERENCE ROOM

  They walked through double doors into Conference Room A. The place felt a lot nicer than any other human room on the Ship. One whole wall, longer than the small lounge, contained a window. Not opened to the view of space. Pale, patterned fabric forbidden for the Fams to claw covered the other walls.

  Around the beautiful, long and thick red wood table sat ten people. Peaches only knew the Captain and Captain Lady.

  Peaches had lived on the Ship his whole life, as had his FamMan. Everyone else in the large room had been sleepers in some sort of stupid tubes, set out from Earth itself as Colonists, about three whole sets of claws worth. The ones Awakened today all looked yellow from getting out of those tubes. Didn’t look at all like the crew who’d lived and flown the Ship for generations.

  Peaches didn’t pay much attention to them. He and FamMan had been born on the Ship and cared more about the crew people like him.

  You couldn’t have gotten Peaches into one of the tubes. Not for all the catnip on the Ship.

  These people had paid for the Ship and all the food and equipment and hired the crew.

  FatherDam Chloe had slept in a tube, once. So had the new Captain and Captain Lady.

  Peaches had heard that all three ships had gotten lost a long time ago and wandered many, many, many years, but lately FamMan had helped find a good planet for home.

  Every single one of the Awakened stroked the big wood table. Not much wood in the Ship outside of the GreatGreensward, where trees lived. Very valuable.

  These new people had asked to be Awakened within two weeks of Landing on our new planet we named Celta.

  A second after he and FamMan and Chloe entered, a timer dinged as if noting when they’d be late. Peaches didn’t like timers so much.

  “What is that?” asked a red-headed woman with a saggy face, pointing rudely at Peaches. “A cat!” she screeched and began sneezing.

  “You’d better leave,” FamMan murmured, waving the doors that had closed behind them back open.

  FatherDam Chloe muttered, “She didn’t list any allergies to animals on her medical history.” Chloe sounded disapproving of the woman, on FamMan’s and Peaches’ side. Good.

  The Captain stood, tall and strong and with his head fur cut too short. His face displayed new creases than when FatherDam had woken him up more than four paws of claws ago. Captain said, “That is a Familiar Animal Companion, an intelligent cat.”

  “What?” snapped the man beside the woman who’d buried her face in a cloth so only her thin head fur showed.

  “As the briefing we loaded into your computers noted, things have changed over the course of the journey,” the Captain said. “Including the development of intelligence in domestic pets who can now bond with people—”

  “Humans,” corrected the Captain Lady.

  “Get it out!” shrieked the woman.

  Peaches jumped from FamMan’s shoulder and darted out the door, heard whiny woman’s male mate say in a shaky voice, “Off course for two hundred years.”

  Trotting around to a duct that ran through the Ship, Peaches opened the grate with his Flair, slipped inside, then slunk back into the conference room. The Captain saw him and raised a brow, but didn’t comment on his presence.

  FamMan Randolph and FatherDam Chloe sat facing the window. They saw him, too. Randolph smiled, FatherDam Chloe frowned but said nothing.

  Peaches padded to a spot near the window wall and behind the older complaining woman so she couldn’t see him, but he could watch the other people at the table.

  He figured most of the humans wouldn’t want a FamCat listening to their talk, some even discounted the smarts of the Fams, but he was there to stay. And maybe report to the other Fams, if he cared to.

  Captain and Captain Lady took their seats at the head of the table. He said in a bored voice that meant he humored the other humans, “We are here at your request to discuss the new surnames we will take that will indicate our status as Founding Members of the Colonists.”

  Captain Lady, small and pretty with short black hair and beautiful violet eyes, slanted a narrowed glance at him and added, “Surnames that will reflect the culture we decided upon when boarding. The Celtic society the first of the founding members established on our voyage and which has been adopted by the crew.”

  “Of course,” the peevish red-headed woman said. She sat up straight in her plush chair. “One of the reasons I, we,” she patted the hand of the man next to her who only sat and watched, “requested we be Awakened now was to be able to choose our names first.”

  When no one spoke more, she continued, “Since we are here, we are the ones who care the most about our surnames, who particularly want one of the twelve letters of the Ogham alphabet that denote months of the year. Just think, we will have a month of the year named after us!”

  Peaches got the idea that the woman really didn’t care about a name, she just needed always to be the first to do something. He wondered if she stepped into the tubes first.

  He eyed FatherDam, she appeared not to be listening, and he wondered if she would continue to fuss with the name and scold FamMan here in front of others not family. Peaches had the sinking feeling she would.

  The red-head glanced down at a sheet of papyrus before her. “We have decided to choose ‘Reed,’ my birthday month.”

  FatherDam Chloe sat straight. “The previous Captains of this voyage, those who bought shares in the venture and worked hard to keep this Ship running, who lived and died before us, got to choose first. Some names have been taken, ‘Reed’ is one of them.”

  The woman’s expression set in dissatisfied lines. Her nostrils widened.

  “And of us here and awake, I think that the current Captain and his Lady should choose first.” A smooth-smiling man said. Though Peaches didn’t usually trust charm, he sensed the man meant well. He’d smiled at Peaches when they’d walked in.

  “I don’t care,” muttered the Captain.

  “You deserve your due,” Captain Lady said, too quietly for anyone’s ears except Captain and Peaches. Then she cleared her throat, “We will defer to our Executive Officer, Chloe . . . Hernandez . . . Ash. She, and her grandson, her Son’sSon, have given more service to the crew and the Ship and us than anyone living.”

  Uh-oh.

  FatherDam Chloe blinked. Like Captain Lady surprised her by giving Chloe first choice of names.

  “Of course, the Executive Officer.” Smooth guy made a little sitting bow.

  “Ash, the World Tree,” FatherDam Chloe murmured. “The most important tree. The most important month that includes the Spring Equinox. Such a responsibility to live up to, such an honor to have that name. I’ve done well. Given good service, but . . .” Her gaze slid to FamMan as if he was lacking, though he’d proved and proved himself. Had worked hard to get a new planet. Loved her. Loved Peaches.

  Peaches’ fur stood up in anger at her obvious doubt.

  She pressed a hand to her side, and sagged a little in her chair for a long moment while everyone looked at FamMan Randolph.

  I don’t like this! Peached projected to his FamMan.

  Randolph’s mouth tightened and he sat straight and still but redness came to his cheeks. You were right earlier. She is more afraid than irritated at me. We can tough this out until she finds her own peace of mind again.

  Peaches hissed inside his head. He preferred fixing things.

  FatherDam Chloe continued querulously. “I don’t know. I’d decided decades ago, but I don’t know . . .” She eyed her grandson.

  “Do you want a name separate from your grandson?” pressed Woman-Who-Must-Always-Go-First.

  “I like that you chose ‘Ash,’ a good, solid name.” Captain Lady nodded.

  “That was then, this is now,” Chloe said.

  Stupid answer. FatherDam Chloe’s thinking fuzzed
. Randolph looked sad before his expression blanked. Peaches hunkered down and stared at her, into her. Her anger at Peaches’ FamMan, at Randolph, stirred her up again, and so soon. Not good.

  “Randolph might not want Ash as a name,” FatherDam Chloe tapped her fingers, slid another look at Peaches’ FamMan.

  Randolph angled his head. “Because I’m illegitimate?” he asked.

  The Captain growled. Peaches looked at him since the Captain hadn’t done that before. Not really a good Cat growl. “That should not matter.” Captain hit the table with his fist. “Not with us. Not with our religion. Not—”

  “Outdated Ship customs are not acceptable when we land on our new planet. There will be no concept of illegitimacy. All children are welcomed and legitimate,” Captain Lady said firmly.

  FatherDam Chloe shivered and frowned.

  “What?” snapped the Captain.

  “Just a hunch,” FatherDam said, reached out and briefly touched the back of FamMan Randolph’s hand. “I think you’re right, all children will be . . . welcome.”

  Randolph inclined his head. “I’ll let you decide our name, FatherDam.”

  A huff came from redheaded woman. Her finger touched the papyrus. “Perhaps we’ll go by Beithe.”

  Captain Lady stared at her, eyebrows up, then leaned toward the other lady and smiled with teeth. “No. Not as a surname. You mis-remember our agreement with the colonists on the other two starships. Those who also paid for the ships and the food and the crew. We may call ourselves by the names of trees and plants from the ancient Ogham alphabet. The other founding colonists get the names of the letters.”

  Red-headed Woman-Who-Must-Always-Be-First frowned, looked again at her page and opened her mouth.

  The doors opened and the Pilot breezed in. “Meeting still going on?” she asked, in a voice like she’d wanted to miss it. She didn’t sit down, and stood as tall as Captain, but with female curves that humans prized. For himself, Peaches liked sleek, athletic, long-backed females.

  “We are choosing our surnames—” Captain Lady said.

  “You’re late.” The Cat-hating woman sniffed. Peaches wandered under the table near her feet. She didn’t cough.

  All pretend. Peaches didn’t like that. He moved back to where he could watch.

  The Pilot raised silvery brows that matched her light-colored head fur, glanced at the woman. “I have duties.” She smiled with sharpness. “If you want me to land this baby well.” She stroked a nearby wall.

  “We are discussing the names—”

  “Holly,” the Pilot said. “I’ll take Holly. I’m single and I bought two shares in this venture, the same as you couples, so I’ll remind you I get first pick. I choose Holly.” With a brisk nod, she turned and left.

  “Well!” huffed red-haired lady.

  The older man sighed. “She had the gilt — the money — to buy two shares.”

  Captain went stiff.

  Captain Lady leaned close to him so their bodies brushed. “Our money. The best investment we ever made. A new land. A new world!” She paused, then said, “Pilot Holly hid her psi powers, had a good job with a good salary in the mainstream culture.”

  “Not rebels like the rest of us in the ghettos for psi people,” Captain ground out.

  “We recognize your contribution and your leadership, Captain Bountry,” repeated the smooth-talking man, his expression turned serious.

  Still sounded too smooth, still felt sincere.

  Pilot Holly is right, FamMan sent to Peaches. This meeting is taking too long. Randolph stood. “I ask that my grandmother, FatherDam for those of you who don’t know our Ship slang, Chloe Hernandez, be allowed to reserve three names at this time, including Ash.”

  “Agreed!” Captain and Captain Lady snapped in unison.

  FatherDam Chloe gasped surprise.

  “That’s not fair!” complained the red-headed woman.

  “It leaves you with several names to choose from,” Randolph said, and listed them.

  Redhead sniffed again. A puny sniff that absolutely showed she had no nose problems with Peaches being near.

  FamMan inclined his head to the rest of them. “I, too, have duties.”

  Captain grunted and stood, swept a scowl around the room. “I’d hoped to have all this set before landing.” He made a cutting gesture. “Think about it, consult among yourselves. Give me a list the morning of landing. I’ll announce our new Family names when we stand on Celta.” He strode to the door that opened when he got near. Some of the crew lingered in the corridor and glanced in. The two guards standing beside the door, didn’t. Captain nodded to the crew and said, “Upon landing, we will encourage the crew to take plant names.”

  I will stay and listen and watch, Peaches broadcast to FamMan and Captain and Captain Lady and FatherDam Chloe. Glancing back at those still sitting at the table the Captain ended, “Later.” He walked out of the door, followed by FamMan Randolph.

  “The trip lasted too long,” Captain Lady said quietly, staying seated. “Our crew lost purpose and splintered into factions. We must all pull together upon landing to forge a new community. A commonality of names reflecting our new lives and culture instead our old biases on Earth is important.”

  The doors closed and FatherDam Chloe smiled. “The Captain is canny. Gossip will spread through the Ship and everyone will be focused on the names they want to choose.”

  Ash is a good name for you AND FamMan Randolph and ME, Peaches sent to her.

  The smooth man looked at Peaches and smiled. “I like the name, ‘Apple.’”

  “Not one of the twelve months,” the grumpy woman said.

  “But one of the twenty-six Ogham names we are keeping for us Founders,” he replied, leaning back in his chair as if ready to watch the rest of those who hadn’t said anything. They looked at their own papyrus lists.

  “I’ve made a decision,” said Woman-Who-Must-Always-Be-First, sounding still irritated at the Pilot, maybe at the Captain because he left. She stood up, nose in the air. “We’ll take Alder, January, the first month.” Pushing back her chair, she marched toward the door.

  Which didn’t open automatically for her. She stopped and looked at FatherDam. Sniffed. Yes, Peaches’ sniff was lots better. “I’ll let you reserve your three names, Chloe, because you’ve contributed so much to this voyage.” Her tone said she didn’t think so.

  Peaches shot under the table and pounced and thwapped her ankle with a soft paw. She squealed like a mouse, and jumped toward the door and it opened and she had to flop her arms around so she didn’t fall down. He sniffed a GOOD sniff.

  All around the table humans did the cough-laugh thing. Even FatherDam Chloe’s expression turned more cheerful.

  Standing on the threshold so the doors had to stay open and not squish her, whiny woman gestured to her mate. “Come on, Henry.”

  He stayed sitting near the window wall. “I was second to get in the tubes behind you, Beatrice, because you wished that. I wanted, want, to see space, experience space flight. That’s why I agreed to be Awakened two weeks out.”

  “Oh, you!” She flounced away and the doors closed behind her.

  Everyone in the room relaxed.

  Now FatherDam Chloe’s mood had improved, Peaches thought about reminding her how good FamMan was.

  But the mate of the woman who left turned his chair and nodded to the wall previously behind him. “This is a porthole?”

  “Yes,” FatherDam Chloe said. She stood and touched a button in the wall and the whole side of the room opened onto the blackness of outside.

  Big, scary dark, eye-sizzling stars in different colors. Huge drifts of suns like roads to other places. And the green-blue planet dominating the view, getting bigger every minute.

  All too big for Peaches, he moved close to FatherDam, let himself huddle by her feet since no one watched him.

  “Wow,” said the smooth-man-now-named-Apple. He stood and crossed to the window wall.

  “From thi
s view, it appears to be summer in the northern hemisphere,” said the mate of red-headed woman. “I read the information you sent us on our new planet. That the angular tilt of Celta seems to be close to Earth’s, even though the rotation is slower.” His mouth quirked. “We’ll be on Celta for some time before our new name month of Alder rolls around in the winter. Good. Gives me time to acclimate.”

  A slight silence fell, then FatherDam Chloe cackled, sounding in better humor. “Your wife is wrong in what she believes. She’s reflecting old Earthan ideas of time. We, here on the Ship, are already Celtans. We celebrate the New Year on Samhain, November first. Birch is the first month of our year.”

  Captain Lady chuckled, then glanced at the woman’s mate. “Sorry.”

  He just gave a tired smile and shrugged, but replied carefully. “I haven’t studied our new religion that well, either, to know the attributes/characteristics of Alder.”

  The door opened and FamMan stepped in. “I was studying our new planet and informed that the porthole here, the best view, had been activated.” He seemed easier, more confident. He’d been among people who respected him. Walking past Peaches, Randolph scrubbed his head in rough affection, then stood right next to the window wall! Peaches shivered.

  “Magnificent view, isn’t it?” Randolph asked.

  “Something to tell our children and children’s children,” said smooth-man Apple.

  A long breath came from the Alder, “Yes. I’ve yearned for space flight all of my life. I would have stayed awake the whole time, if it had been my decision.”

  “Best that you didn’t,” Captain Lady said softly. “Things did not go well.” She stood on the far side of the room, angled so she could only see a little of the window. Peaches strolled to her and sat on her feet, giving them both comfort.

  “No, things didn’t go as we’d planned. It would have been a tragedy for my wife,” now-Alder said.

  FamMan Randolph cleared his throat. “The journey took very long, but we have developed a culture from the seeds you all planted. As for Alder,” he dipped his head at the shorter man. “It is shield and defense, foundation.”