Approaching Oblivion (Jezebel's Ladder Book 4) Read Free Page B

with no time for discussion, she’d win by default.
To that end, she had Mercy arrange a few worthy topics guaranteed to generate
lots of rabbit holes and controversy. Red announced, “I’ll begin with old
business by committee. Chair recognizes Mayor Pratibha for the committee on public
works.”
    Since Toby’s capture, the mayor was
in charge of the nanofabricators—the alien technology to extrude, print, or
weave materials at nearly the molecular level. Although they worked best merely
reshaping the raw materials dumped into them, like linen or nylon fibers, they
also could print complex, multi-layer structures like computer chips. Under her
administration, she had converted fabricator time into a form of ship’s currency.
    The Indian woman stood, displaying
her new sari. Her nut-brown skin was highlighted by the gold accents in the
green cloth. “ We have a petition from Yuki
to increase the manufacturing priority on her prosthetic arm. The committee
looking into it reported that there are 150 sensors in the design. Those are
the hardest parts to create. Each one takes a full day—a citizen’s allotment
for weeks. Even if we skip the sensory feedback for now, it will still need 100
sensors.”
    “That
would be the whole camp’s quota for fourteen weeks,” Red noted. “We need chips,
survival gear, and weapons to get ready for the next landing.”
    “That’s
with only one of the three fab units active,” Yuki said. She had a dancer’s
hard body and black hair so perfectly straight and shaped it could’ve been a geisha
wig for clubbing. She also showed off her legs in a blatant effort to sway as
many of the male votes as possible.
    Pratibha
shook her head. “We have to keep the other units as spare. Without replacement
parts from Earth, fabricators have an expected lifespan of twenty years each.
If we use them all up now, our children won’t have anything.”
    Realizing
Yuki was half her core opposition on the push toward Oblivion, Red threw her a
bone. “Motion for any allotment spent on the current highest medical priority to
count double. Auckland will decide the highest.”
    “That
will still mean dividing the pie by another share, lowering everyone’s output
by about 5 percent,” the mayor warned.
    “I
could live with that, knowing I’d be taken care of if I took a hit for the
team,” said Herk.
    After
a moment of silence, Red called for a vote and the measure passed.
    Yuki
snorted. “Thanks. If I don’t buy any luxuries like clothes, I can earn my replacement
arm in a couple years.”
    Things
had wrapped up too quickly, so Red signaled Mercy with a stretching motion.
Mercy popped out of her chair. “Madam Mayor, the chapel exploratory subcommittee
is ready to give a report.”
    Pratibha
nodded. “Ah, yes. I remember that memo. To remind the crew, Mercy collected
signatures for converting that round niche in the spinward wall into a
meditation chapel. I yield the floor to Ms. Smith.”
    “Mrs. Llewellyn,” corrected Lou.
    The
room went silent for a moment, and then people swarmed the couple to offer
congratulations. Herk stood to establish order again, but Red shook her head.
She needed this to drag out. When the noise died down, Mercy stood before the
group. “I wanted to build this chapel not only because we all lost someone in
the bombing of Alcantara Space Center, but also to express thanks to a higher
power for our good fortune so far. All labor and materials would be donated.
I’m offering these three benches, while Risa and Herk volunteered to build a
simple hexagonal roof. Sojiro has offered to paint the ceiling and wanted to
show us all his vision.”
    The
Japanese artist was dressed conservatively with a pressed uniform, short hair,
and impeccable nails. He appeared younger than most of the other astronauts, as
if he were still in his late teens, although he was actually two years older
than her. She’d heard that people who both looked younger and loved their work
lived