Jade Star (Tanager Book 1)
Page 9
Small stock could be kept in stasis boxes, although they were expensive, and Jem never had enough of them. Stock was always in demand, to add fresh breeding genes. Genetic manipulation was expensive, and out here in the rim worlds, the last frontier, live cover was far more desirable. He carried frozen ‘pipes’ of genetic material, of course, but the woolies would sell. People, as Walter had been fond of saying, were crazy. Jem figured the woolies were even dumber than the beeves, and that took work.
He spent some time pitching hay and manure, adding to his compost pile. The ship’s garden didn’t use it all, but he sold the excess, too, sterilized and certified, on the rocky world of Loki. They could use all the dirt they could get, and paid almost its weight in gold, he thought the first time he’d sold it, under Walter’s watchful eye. His street kid background had helped him learn the gentle art of negotiation, and he could read ‘tells’ better than any poker player, Walter had informed him in a rare burst of praise.
The puppy was asleep in the bottom of the crate, a boneless heap of fur with a nose, when Jem put his head in to check on it. He backed out as silently as he could, and headed to take his morning ‘fresher. He’d learned to appreciate the cleanliness Walter had insisted on, as much as he’d fought it at first. Today wasn’t as good as the shower with water, but the cleaner towels took most of the feeling of grunge away. Then he sat in the bridge, with the door open to the galley, and pulled up today’s homework.
He was musing over organic chemistry when he heard the little dog’s howl. It was a welcome interruption. Jem unlatched the crate and caught the furball as it lurched out in one hand, then carried it straight to the pads. The book said the best way to train a young puppy was to anticipate the need, and that right after a nap, voiding would occur. He watched anxiously as the small animal snuffled about, then with relief as the puppy took care of its business. He never thought he would be this interested in a creature’s bowel movements.
He let the puppy gambol around his feet, watching carefully so he didn’t step on it again, and went back to his books. This, he quickly learned, was not going to work. The puppy tugged on his pant leg, wanted to play, chewed on his shoe, and finally disappeared under the control desk, where a welter of wires ran into the bulkhead. Exasperated, Jem pulled the wriggly pup out, both of them sneezing from the dust.
The man held the pup out at arm’s length, keeping him up at eye level. The pup relaxed and panted slightly, only the tip of his tail moving.
“Look,” Jem explained as patiently as he could. “Me ‘n you, we have some time together before Altressa. I’m to teach you some manners, and you are to leave me alone while I’m working. Got it?”
The pup stuck out his tongue and wriggled, obviously wanting to give the face above him kisses. Jem gave in and cuddled the puppy, who slobbered enthusiastically on his cheek. Then he carried him back into the galley and got them both lunch. He looked at the book on dogs while they ate.
Basically, a puppy at this age was an eating, pooping machine. If he could learn to predict when the puppy was going to go, he would be able to solve that problem. Food wasn’t an issue. The replicator could be set to produce nice, fresh food tailored to the puppy’s needs. And sleeping... Jem eyed the puppy, who was play-attacking his plate on the floor... that would be a nice break, and time to get some work done. He got up and put the puppy on the pads.
Contents
Chapter 1: Ending, Interrupted
Chapter 2: The Beginning of the End
Chapter 3: Fighting for Life
Chapter 4: Reasoning out the End
Chapter 5: The Ending of the End
Chapter 6: End of Humanity
Chapter 7: Dancing with Death
Chapter 8: A New Beginning
Chapter 9: The Cat Walks Alone
Chapter 10: Waving His Wild Tail
Chapter 11: The Cold Wild Lone
Afterword:
Preview of Tanager’s Fledglings
AUTHOR BIO
Cedar Sanderson was born an Air Force brat in Nebraska and spent her childhood enroute to new duty stations. Her formative years after her father left the Air Force were spent being home-schooled on the Alaskan frontier. She removed to the "more urban" climes of New Hampshire at the beginning of high school. She has had the usual eclectic range of jobs for Fantasy/ SF authors, ranging from Comedy Magician to Apprentice Shepherdess. She counts the latter as more useful in controlling her four children and First Reader. Her fascination with science dates to her early childhood spent with her grandmother on the Oregon coast studying the flora and fauna and learning to prepare a meal from what she could glean from a tidal pool. This lead to a lifelong interest in science, cooking, and herbalism.
At present she is attending college in Ohio pursuing a STEM major in forensic science and molecular biology this time around. Her first two times in college were for theology and liberal arts. She is maintaining an average of nearly 20 credit hours while running a household, an entertainment business, and writing multiple novels on the side. This has the result of leaving those watching her indefatigable efforts panting in exhaustion.
OTHER TITLES BY CEDAR SANDERSON
Pixie For Hire Series:
Pixie Noir
Trickster Noir
Dragon Noir
Children of Myth Duology:
Vulcan’s Kittens
The God’s Wolfling
Other Titles:
Warp Resonance: A collection of Five Space Opera Tales
Twisted Mindflow: A collection of short stories
The Twisted Breath of God
Little Red-Hood and the Wolf-man
One-Eyed Dragon
The Eternity Symbiote
Memories of the Abyss
Snow Angel
Sugar Skull
Stargazer
The Dwarf’s Dryad
Plant Life
Fairy Little Sister
Voyageur’s Cap (published by Naked Reader Press)
Mindflow (published by Something Wicked)
Milkweed (published by Mythic Delirium)