by Doug Farren
“Cassandra, I would like you to meet Lashpa. She and I went to the academy together.”
“It is an honor to meet you,” Lashpa said, extending a hand in a very human-like gesture.
“I…I’m glad to meet you,” Cassandra hesitantly replied, taking Lashpa’s much larger hand. Turning to Tom, she said, “They do look like dragons!”
“They do indeed,” Tom replied, reaching up and putting a hand behind Laspha’s jaw. “I’ve missed you. What are you doing here?”
“I waited to see if you would contact your sister on your own,” Lashpa replied. “But when it became obvious you wouldn’t, I felt compelled to step in. My supervisor on Glish is Rouldian and when I told her we were gragrakch she was more than willing to allow me to come to Earth.”
Cassandra’s head snapped around and looked at Tom. “Are you two married or something?”
“Not exactly,” Tom chuckled. “We’re soul-mates, which means a lot more than you might think.”
Leaning down to whisper in his ear, Cassandra asked, “Do you and her…you know…are you—”
“No!” Tom said. “That’s not even anatomically possible.”
“We are two parts of a single soul,” Lashpa tried to explain.
Cassandra looked at Lashpa then back at her brother then back at Lashpa. “So you’re not…I mean, you don’t…”
Lashpa’s rumbling laugh, followed by Tom’s, caused Cassandra to turn red with embarrassment. She reached out and gave Tom a shove. “Booger breath!”
“Booger breath?” Lashpa asked. “I am not familiar with that term.”
“I used to call him that when we were little,” Cassandra said, smiling. “It’s because he—”
“Don’t you dare!” Tom silenced her.
“Come,” Lashpa motioned toward her ship. “I have prepared a light snack to celebrate your reunion.”
The group retired to Lashpa’s ship where they found an assortment of snacks and bottled beverages laid out on a table in the ship’s small kitchen. Cassandra sat down next to Lashpa and put a tentative hand on her armored arm. "I can't thank you enough for letting me know my brother was on Earth," she said.
"You are welcome," Lashpa replied, dipping her head. "In my culture, family relationships are very important. It was my duty to ensure that your brother be given the opportunity to forgive you for the death of your parents."
Tom suddenly felt as if someone had punched him in the stomach. The death of his parents had always been a forbidden topic of discussion, even amongst his closest friends.
Cassandra put her other arm around Tom and said, "I'm not sure I've been completely forgiven, but at least my brother is talking to me again. It took me a long time to forgive myself, so I can understand if it takes Tom awhile to believe I'm no longer the same person."
Lashpa leaned forward so she could look at Tom. "I am sorry I had to force the issue," she said, "but I would expect you to do the same for me if you thought it was necessary."
"I'm not mad," Tom said. "Well…I was, but not any more. You did the right thing. Just give me some time to process things."
Lashpa grunted and nodded her head.
Reaching for a slice of cheese and a cracker, Cassandra said, "I want to know how you two met."
"We met at the academy," Lashpa replied.
"I know that," Cassandra said, sounding more like a little girl. "I want the details. How did you two become graget or whatever it is you called it earlier?"
"Gragrakch," Lashpa rumbled.
"Yah, that."
About an hour and a half later, the Orion informed Tom that Sorbith was approaching Earth. “I’m afraid I’m going to have to go,” he told the others. “Sis, do you want me to call you a cab?”
Cassandra looked at Tom then at Lashpa. “I’d like to stay and talk to Lashpa some more it that’s okay.”
“I would enjoy that as well,” Lashpa replied.
“I might be awhile,” Tom said. “How long will you be in town?”
Lashpa and Cassandra both tried to answer at the same time then abruptly stopped as their words collided. “I do not have to return any time soon,” Lashpa said.
“I have an open return,” Cassandra said. “I can head back any time I want as long as I get back by next Monday; John has to go back to work.”
“All right then,” Tom said. “I’ll check back after I talk to Sorbith. I’m taking the cycle.”
After a round of hugs and goodbyes, Tom climbed into his cycle and headed for the spot where Sorbith’s ship would soon be arriving.
Chapter 24
Chyr drove up on her own cycle, parking it next to Tom's. A few minutes later Sorbith’s ship touched down. It didn’t stay grounded for long. As soon as everyone was aboard, the Tri-Star rose into the air and established level one security. Sorbith was brought up to date on what had transpired with the Barstock. Chyr then told him about the conclusions she and Tom had reached during breakfast as well as the order she had sent.
“Very good,” Sorbith said, nodding his head in agreement. “The background check of the Barstock’s crew was completed while we were gone. On the surface, everything appeared to be normal. But after digging deeper, it was discovered that their military records had been fabricated. The Captain, for example, was supposed to have served aboard several ships before being assigned to the Barstock three years ago. This is reflected in his service record as well as the historical rosters of his previous ships. Yet, several people who should have known him could not recall ever meeting him, including at least one of his immediate superiors.”
“That means they have the ability to alter the Alliance military database!” Chyr exclaimed. “Who the hell are these people?”
“They’ve managed to penetrate more than just the military network,” Sorbith said. “Two of the crew are supposed to have family members living on Earth. They were quite upset to learn that someone was using the identity of a deceased family member. All electronic evidence of that person’s death has been erased and some of the information altered. As it stands right now, we have no idea who the crew of the Barstock really was.”
“This has to stop,” Tom said. “If they can manipulate our systems well enough to assign an entire crew of their own people to one of our ships and order weapons to be built so they can be delivered to their own people, there’s no telling who they have put in a position of authority.”
“Which is why I’ve insisted on such strict security and ensuring that only Peacekeepers and those non-Peacekeepers who have been thoroughly checked are involved in this investigation,” Sorbith said.
“I would like to continue cross-checking the weapons inventory,” Chyr announced. “At least we’ll be able to discover which cargo ships are crewed by the AOH.”
“There are other Peacekeepers already working on the analysis of our weapons inventory,” Sorbith said. Turning to Tom, he continued, “I was informed you were at Tanami station. What have they found?”
Tom quickly summarized what he had learned from Dennis.
“This confirms my earlier suspicion that our communications have been compromised for many years,” Sorbith said, sounding very concerned.
“What are we going to do about it?” Tom asked.
“I will alert the other hubs via courier and have them begin checking their systems. In the meantime, we will continue our investigation,” Sorbith replied. He paused for a moment in thought, looking at the deck. Coming to a decision, he looked at the others and said, “I would like the both of you to interview as many Tholtarans as you deem necessary to confirm what I overheard a few months ago. See if you can’t get some additional details. I’m going to pay a visit to the Tholtaran Supreme Fleet Commander; perhaps they’ve already investigated this incident.”
“We can’t continue to allow the AOH to monitor our secure communications!” Tom said.
“I agree,” Sorbith replied, a sour look appearing on his face. “But what do you propose we do at the moment?”
Tom didn’t have an answer and remained silent feeling a bit embarrassed. Finally, an idea came to him. “We could start using high-speed courier ships to deliver sensitive communications.”
“That would dramatically increase the delay in sending such messages. Besides, I am not convinced the AOH is the organization behind all this.”
“What?” was all Tom could say.
“Think about it,” Sorbith replied. “As far as we can determine, the Tholtaran military network was breached before the Terran-Tholtaran war. Earth had just joined the Consortium and was still technologically challenged. Could your people have penetrated the most secure communication system in existence back then? The AOH was a terrorist organization. It did not have the resources or the technology to breach Tholtaran security. Someone else did; someone who would benefit from triggering a war between your two races.”
Tom was momentarily speechless. He never considered what it would take to do what had apparently been done. “Nobody benefited from the war,” he finally said. “Thousands of people died.”
“Actually,” Chyr said, “everyone benefited.”
“What?” Sorbith and Tom simultaneously asked.
“Before the war, the Alliance did not exist,” she explained. “The Consortium was a flawed attempt to keep the peace. I, for one, am actually glad the war happened. Tensions had been rising for years between several of the other races and if they had gone to war with each other, the death toll would have been far higher. Because Earth was so outmatched, the war was short. It served as a wake-up call to the other races. The Galactic Alliance is a far better organization than the old Consortium.”
“She has a point,” Sorbith admitted.
“Who could have predicted that the Alliance would replace the Consortium?” Tom asked, still not convinced.
“Perhaps we should look into the origins of the Alliance,” Chyr said. “If we are being manipulated by someone and their plans included replacing the Consortium, they would have planted the seeds for the Alliance before triggering the war.”
Sorbith’s eyes grew wide. “I never thought about that,” he admitted. “Since it was your idea, I would like you to look into it.”
Chyr nodded her head.
“How did your investigations go?” Tom asked Sorbith.
“The Barstock delivered everything listed in the shipping manifest to each of its destinations except the manifest the crew presented was not the one transmitted to the ship before it left. When the Barstock arrived at SR2, they delivered three standard anti-ship missiles. The station’s armory officer signed for them and transmitted the document back to Earth. The message that was received here showed he had signed for five; the same number that appears on the original manifest.”
“Son of a bitch!” Tom exclaimed. “That explains why nobody has ever caught on. Both ends involved in the transfer think the right number of missiles had been delivered.”
“My thoughts exactly,” Sorbith said. “Whoever is behind all this not only has the ability to read our messages, but can quickly alter them as well. You have your assignments. I know you two just got back but this is important. I’d like you to leave for Tholtaran space tomorrow. Let’s plan to meet back here no later than four weeks from today. Good luck.”
“My ship is compiling a list of still-living Tholtarans who were involved in the initial attack on Olympus,” Chyr said as they walked back to their tricycles. “I’ve instructed her to limit the list to those individuals who might have knowledge of the phantom fleet. Once the list is complete, she’ll try to locate their whereabouts and then generate an efficient plan for the two of us to conduct as many interviews as possible in the time allotted.”
“Excellent,” Tom replied, climbing into his tricycle. “How long do you think it will take?”
“Not more than three or four hours.” Chyr reached out and laid her hand on his. Even though both were cybernetic, the gesture had meaning. “We’ve been in space a long time,” she said, her voice taking on a silky tone. “And I have never been intimate with a Terran before. I have heard that our two species are quite compatible. Would you like to join me in my ship?”
Tom was stunned. He was well aware of the fact that Shandarians were more open about their sexuality than humans, but being on the receiving end of such a blunt proposition without any warning was completely unexpected. Even Brenith had not been so forthcoming. She was however, correct; they had been in space for a long time and her suggestion was very enticing. He was suddenly torn between conflicting desires. He wanted to spend time with Lashpa and his sister before he left and now he had Chyr’s proposal to consider.
Seeing his hesitation, she added, “I’ve been curious about Terrans but I would not be offended if you refused. I have heard that some Terrans view interspecies relations as aberrant—a belief I’m afraid I do not understand.”
Tom glanced at the tricycle’s chronometer and noted the time. Perhaps there was a way to achieve all his goals. “I’ve been with a Shandarian before and found the experience to be quite pleasurable. I would be honored to be your first human encounter as long as you don’t mind waiting a few hours. My sister, whom I’ve not seen in years, is here and I would like to have dinner with her first. I can be at your ship in—say—three hours.”
“I will be waiting. My ship will be expecting you and you have my permission to come aboard without first announcing yourself,” Chyr replied. Climbing into her own tricycle, she turned and drove away.
Tom watched her back for a moment then shook his head. Shandarians and humans were so alike physically they could almost have been different branches from the same genetic stock. There were even Shandarians with different skin colors making the similarity between the species even closer. Their cultural differences, however, would always define them as being alien to one another.
There were several high quality restaurants available within the spaceport. Utilizing his continuous link to the Orion, Tom located one that could provide a suitable meal for both Terrans and Rouldians. After figuring out the transportation arrangements, Tom headed for the restaurant. He was the first to arrive and stood outside the door enjoying the warm evening air while he waited for the others. Lashpa arrived in her own Rouldian tricycle, closely followed by Cassandra’s taxi.
As soon as the group was seated, Cassandra turned to her brother and said, “Lashpa explained to me about you two being true-mates. Does that mean you’re a Rouldian as well as a human?”
Tom had never considered that aspect of being declared gragrakch. As far as Rouldian law was concerned, he and Lashpa were one and the same but did that also apply to his species? “I don’t think so,” Tom replied. “I think that when an entity is created it has no species. But an instant after being created, that entity is split. Each half inhabits a physical body thus defining its species. We,” Tom looked at Lashpa to emphasize his point, “appear to be the first known case of two true-mates finding each other across species. I would imagine that it doesn’t normally happen that way but I’m not an expert in such matters.”
Lashpa set her menu down and said, “I have also wondered about this. I've been in contact with our spiritual experts and they agree with your belief.”
“Wow!” Cassandra said. “My brother’s true-mate is a dragon!”
The server arrived and took their order. As soon as she left, Tom changed the subject. “How’s your assignment on Glish?”
“It is a fascinating planet,” Lashpa replied. “I would never have believed an entire world’s economy could be based on catering to the sexual needs of other species.”
“What?” Cassandra’s eyes were wide with surprise. “I’ve never heard of Glish before.”
“Oh—I’m sure you have,” Tom told her. “Only not by that name. Most humans call it the Porn planet.”
“Oh—My—God!” she exclaimed, staring at Lashpa. “You’re stationed there?”
“Unlike many other species,” Lashpa explained, “
my race does not engage in sex for pleasure. It fulfills a basic natural instinct—nothing more.”
Cassandra looked at Lashpa with pity in her eyes. “Oh you poor soul. Nature has played a dirty trick on you. You don’t have any idea of what you’re missing.”
Lashpa looked at Tom and laughed. “I’ve been told that before.”
The conversation continued throughout the meal. While they were enjoying dessert, Tom reluctantly informed them that he would be leaving in the morning. Cassandra pouted but seemed satisfied when Tom promised he would call the moment he got back. Lashpa seemed pleased with this development.
“If it’s all right with you and your brother, I would be happy to take you back to your home city in my ship,” Lashpa announced.
“Oh, can I?” Cassandra pleaded with Tom like a little girl asking her mother for candy.
“Certainly,” Tom replied.
“But what will I do with my return flight?” Cassandra’s smile turned into a frown of concentration. “I’ve already paid for it.”
“I’ll make sure you get a refund,” Tom said.
Tom paid the bill and the group left the restaurant, stomachs full and spirits high. On the way out the door, Tom turned to Lashpa and lowering his voice said, "Thank you."
"You are very welcome," she replied in Rouldian.
After bidding Lashpa and Cassandra goodbye, Tom climbed into his tricycle and headed straight for Chyr’s ship. He was in the mood for an after-dinner treat.
Chapter 25
Tom’s first stop was a light-gravity world named Anar-B’ren. The planet had been discovered by a Tholtaran mining company. They found a world with little to offer in the way of natural resources but it did have a pleasant climate and abundant plant life. Thinking it might make a good agricultural world, the development rights were sold to an agricultural company.
Seeking to make the most out of their investment, the company now owning the planet performed an extensive survey before deciding how best to develop their new acquisition. The result was a world with vast, profitable farms as well as places for vacationers to come and enjoy the beauty of carefully preserved, natural wonders. Separated from both of these were large, peaceful, retirement communities. Two Tholtarans who had been at the first battle of Olympus were living in these communities several hundred kilometers apart from each other.
