Chapter 32: Selection
Pietor looked at the screen in front of him, there was no sound in the cells but the body language he could see between the two people on the monitor said as much as any words would. Indicating the screen to Harvey he said, "We may have to find a more forceful way of ensuring fertilisation; we need more suppliers that produce as much power as he does. I will give him two more days as we have a supply planet that we will reach today and then in a couple of solar cycles we will reach another planet that the technicians are saying ships readings indicates there may be a small number of providers on it."
"We have not managed to recalibrate the beamers to pick up only the providers regardless of who is touching them" Harvey admittedly nervously, it wasn't his job to recalibrate the beamers but that wouldn't stop Pietor from blaming him, "we thought we would have more time between collections."
"Very well, just make sure it is fixed before the next collection."
Harvey almost skipped out of the room as he went to organise a work party, Pietor must have been in a good mood today, a rarity to be sure; he had been sure he was going to disappear. He headed to gather his collection team, Pietor hadn't told him to but the fact that they would soon be reaching a supply planet was enough to prompt him to take some initiative and begin gathering people to work on the planet. He needed to build some more points in his favour for the next time Pietor was in a bad mood. Walking down the containment corridor he tried to select the same pairs from each cell that he had done before, the last time they had worked very well as a group and they had had a record intake of supplies.
The look he got from the big man with the thick hair made him nervous but he kept moving. They had had a new batch of providers and workers in recently and he took his time studying the individuals before choosing the strongest looking ones. He wanted to try and improve on last time's record haul.
Reaching the end of the occupied cells Harvey took a minute to inspect their prize provider; the man was asleep with his back to the far wall and the woman was sat in the corner, her knees bent up and her arms wrapped around them. The man looked better than he had in weeks there was more colour in his face and he seemed to be sleeping peacefully, something he had not seen in the man since he had arrived. As he watched the man's breathing pattern changed almost imperceptively and when he looked back at the man's face he had to stop himself from taking a step backwards; the defiance radiating from the man's now open eyes was almost physical and Harvey suddenly wondered whether it would be sensible to keep the man in a weakened state.
With a lot to think about he moved the group towards the transport pods, ready for them to arrive at the planet.