Donald of Mars Episode 61-65

A story on building a new colony on Mars and what it will take to live there

Chapter 61 Apex Predator

Donald still had two more floor brackets to cement in place and all the wall ones to do when he ran out of cement. With a sigh, he set down his bucket and headed up the steps to his now cold dinner.

One floor up, instead of two and getting her work done, he found Miray.

Donald let out another sigh. Miray hadn’t done a single thing on the list he left her. She sat on the floor; the kitten curled up in her lap, sleeping, while she talked quietly with the others two.

He cleared his throat. “Li, about Prince Albert. I didn’t design the ecology of my life support with a cat in mind as the apex predator. Most everything he can damage is on this or the lower floor. I either completely redesign it, or I confine him to the top floor. I can do the redesign now and the new system would be the same price as the old. Or I can keep him upstairs. Is that open Dojo enough room for him to get all the exercise you say he needs?”

“I want him allowed downstairs,” Miray said with force. “He gets to sleep in my room when he wants.”

“That means I get rid of both the hummingbirds and Bee-Eaters. You picked those. Neither bird has a chance of staying out of reach.”

“You might still be able to keep the hummingbirds,” Li said. “But the Bee-Eaters are out, if he has access to the whole place. And even if he doesn’t, you would have him constantly try to get down there and at them.”

Donald looked at the small woman. “The hummingbirds are not a significant part of the balance. The Bee-Eaters were. They were supposed to be my apex hunters. The breed I was getting would have left the larger geckos and largest of the spiders and mantis alone. This guy is going to eat anything that eats the smaller insect, giving me a huge imbalance.”

“You could use mice instead of geckos,” Li offered.

“Mice!” Miray shrieked, waking Prince Albert.