Lost Alliance (Dragonfire Station Books 1-3): A Galactic Empire series

by Zen DiPietro

  “What if you can’t?” Kellis didn’t look as upset as Fallon would have expected. But Kellis was from a planet torn by war. She’d seen more greed and tragedy than most people.

  “I’m guessing all of our treaties will be dissolved, and the PAC will splinter into hundreds of sovereign planets. Allegiances will undoubtedly form, while existing governments and economies will collapse. From there I’d say we’re looking at a few decades of mass chaos, war, and poverty. Eventually, new governments and leaders and alliances will emerge. But not soon enough for the billions who will be long dead.”

  Kellis frowned, but her gaze stayed steady. “I guess we have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  “That’s the plan.” Fallon was impressed with the nerve Kellis had. It reinforced her feeling that she could handle this kind of work. Kellis was green, but she had a certain quality that Fallon recognized. A hunger to do more, to be more.

  “Until the Onari returns, I have no duties to attend to,” Kellis said. “Arin only has so much time to work with me. Is there a way I can do more?”

  Fallon smiled at the idea. “A spy boot camp?”

  “What’s a boot camp?”

  “Never mind. Historical reference.” Fallon thought about what else she needed to get done that day. “I need to do my rounds on the boardwalk. How about you walk with me? I’ll show you what I’m looking at, how things appear to me. It will help you start thinking tactically. When we’re done with that, we’ll begin with some hand-to-hand combat. Sound good?”

  Kellis nodded so hard her curls bounced. “Sounds perfect.”

  “Watch my weight shifts,” Fallon advised as she circled Kellis in a security staff training room. “Smaller people like you and I can’t rely on brute strength. We have to fight smarter. You must know how to throw them off balance and use their strength against them.”

  “What weight shifts?” Kellis asked, turning slowly to keep Fallon in front of her. “You move like a cat.”

  “You’ll learn that too. Keep your guard up. Be ready.”

  “It’s a lot to remember.” Kellis frowned in concentration.

  “It will feel awful at first. Awkward, ungainly, and just plain impossible. But it will become natural. Eventually, you’ll have a hard time not thinking and moving that way.”

  “If you say so.”

  Fallon lightly shoved Kellis’ left hip, causing her to stumble. “There’s your weight shift. Smooth your gait. Don’t shift your weight until your foot is solid under you. Never let your weight be in between your steps.”

  Kellis adjusted and her movement became more fluid.

  “Better.” Fallon stepped closer and drew back her fist. She held that posture. “Now look here. I’m going to step forward with this punch. What does this tell you about my weight?” She stepped back and slowly pantomimed the motion. Kellis awkwardly stepped to the side to dodge, then brought her foot down on the back of Fallon’s weight-bearing knee.

  “Good.” Fallon stepped back to reset. “That’s an excellent tactic. If you’re fast enough, you can also attack the other leg to make sure I go down. Or you can hit my body from the side. If you do that while I’m moving forward, I’m almost certainly going to go sprawling. It depends on your desired effect.”

  Fallon walked her through that exercise, showing her in slow motion how it would work. “Okay. Let’s practice.”

  After she repeated the exercise for the hundredth time, Kellis had improved the timing and the confidence of her attack. Fallon was pleased to note that in spite of the significant exertion, Kellis was not exhausted. She clearly kept herself in excellent shape.

  “That’s enough for today.” Fallon let her arms fall to her sides.

  “No, show me something else. Teach me how to throw a punch.”

  Fallon couldn’t say no to something like that. So she spent the next two hours teaching Kellis how to strike. Then Kellis asked for more.

  But sometimes enough was enough. “You need a break. Food. If you want to do some more work later today, I’ll hook you up with Ross. He’s one of the finest instructors the academy has ever had. And I’m going to make him your personal trainer.”

  Rather than look daunted, Kellis brightened. “Really?”

  Fallon laughed. Only someone with the heart of a BlackOp would be so pleased.

  Fallon got on the lift with Kellis. They went up a deck, where Kellis got off, then Fallon went down to Deck One alone. Her shift had ended two hours earlier, and she was starved.

  She lingered as she passed the Bennite restaurant but continued to the noodle place. She was in the mood for lots and lots of carbs. And soup. And slurping. The fact that the noodle shop had dim lighting was also a plus. She felt like being alone. She’d said more in the past weeks than she had the entire year before all of this had started. At least it felt that way.

  She selected a bowl of noodles in a seafood broth that reminded her of a dish her mother often made. When it arrived, she took time to savor the steamy aroma, so hearty and fresh smelling. Her chopsticks seemed to dig in of their own free will, though she remembered her manners enough to slurp the noodles properly.

  She received some offers to join others, but politely declined. Yet when she finished eating, she found herself reluctant to leave. She liked the hum of voices and the clank of dishes. She liked seeing people she knew talking and laughing. This was life. One evening among many, as time wended its way forward. It was friends and family and work and everything she was fighting for.

  She finally paid her tab and left the restaurant.

  Wren’s face lit up when the doors opened and she saw Fallon. “Hi. I didn’t expect to see you tonight.”

  “Why not?”

  Wren gestured her into the quarters and toward the couch. “Because I just saw you, and even though you’ve had some personal epiphanies, you’re still you.”

  “You expected me to want some distance,” Fallon translated.

  “Bingo,” Wren said in Earth standard.

  Fallon laughed and sat down with her. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that. It sounds funny coming from you.”

  “I’ve been studying. I thought it would be nice if we could talk in your language.”

  Fallon felt a little bad about what she would say next. “Actually, I grew up speaking Japanese at home. I think of it as more mine than Earth standard.”

  “Oh. Well, I’ll start working on that, then.”

  Fallon laughed. “We could speak your language,” she said in perfectly accented Sarkavian.

  Wren’s mouth fell open. “You sound like a native! I didn’t know you could do that!”

  “It wasn’t part of my cover.”

  “Well, what else don’t I know about you?” Wren leaned back to peer into Fallon’s face.

  “There is one thing I’ve been wanting to tell you,” Fallon admitted.

  Wren’s forehead crinkled with apprehension. “What?”

  “That fish thing you make with the herb sauce. I don’t like it. It gives me indigestion and I end up burping all night.”

  Wren laughed in relief. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “You made it the first time and told me it was your favorite. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings, so I said I liked it. But then you kept making it, and I could hardly admit to not liking it at that point.”

  “So you kept eating it anyway?” Wren giggled and Fallon felt the vibration through her chest and stomach.

  “Yeah.”

  “That proves it. You definitely love me. Nobody eats food they hate on a regular basis to spare the feelings of someone they don’t love.”

  “Maybe Sarkavians wouldn’t. But Japanese will put up with a tremendous amount of displeasure in the interest of being polite.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Hm. I guess I’ll have to study being Japanese.”

  Fallon smiled. “Nah. Not really. I haven’t kept many of the traditions out her
e.”

  “You might want to take me there to visit sometime, though. You could show me where you grew up, where your parents lived. I’d want to be able to behave myself appropriately.”

  “Oh. Well, actually, that reminds me of something. You know you thought my parents were dead?”

  Wren nodded.

  “They aren’t.”

  “You have parents?” Wren sat up in surprise.

  “A brother too.”

  “Oh, wow! I definitely want to meet them. And hear all about them. I mean, if you want me to meet them. Someday.” Wren went from enthusiastic to uncertain.

  “I’d like you to meet them.” She was sure her parents would like Wren. Everyone did.

  Wren gave her a knowing look. “Let me guess. Japanese people are a monogamous bunch.”

  “Not everyone is as enlightened as you Sarkavians.”

  “A shame. Think of how peaceful life would be.”

  “You might convert me, and that could be the beginning of the revolution.”

  Wren laughed and snuggled up with Fallon, wrapping her arms around her. They sat in cozy silence for several minutes, then Wren straightened and asked, straight-faced, “Are you converted yet?”

  “I’m working on it. It’s a difficult convention to break free of.”

  “Hmm. Maybe I should set up a meeting. You, me, Raptor, and we talk it all out. Think that’d do it?” The wicked glint in Wren’s eye made Fallon laugh.

  “I don’t think so. This is just in my head. A frame of mind I need to adjust. I mean, I never minded that Sarkavians aren’t monogamous. I think your dad’s boyfriend is lovely. Great at chess.”

  Wren made a dismissive gesture. “Oh, he’s not seeing him anymore. He’s in between amores at the moment.”

  “Has your mom found a new one? She’d ended things with one, last I heard.”

  “Not yet. She’s very picky. She sometimes goes years between.”

  Fallon stretched her legs out, resting her feet on the table. “Since we’re on the subject, have your parents’ amores ever caused trouble between them?”

  Wren stretched out too and wriggled her toes. “Only once that I know of. My mom was seeing a guy that my dad thought was an obnoxious jerk. And she admitted to me in private that she thought so too. But she said his personality was worth putting up with because he could use his tongue to—”

  “Nooo, that’s enough, I don’t need to hear that. I’m working on the other thing, but you’re never going to convince me it’s not squicky for parents and kids to talk about their sex lives.” Fallon cringed, refusing to even contemplate that with her own parents.

  Wren snickered. “You humans are so sexually repressed.”

  “Only some of us. I happen to be from a particularly ancient and traditional culture.”

  “It’s a fine culture, I’m sure.”

  “It is. Beautiful. We have music that will touch your soul. Art more engrossing than any holo-vid. Stories that will make you weep.”

  “See, Sarkavians are distinctly lacking in stories. We have tons of poetry. But we don’t have a great tradition of literature.”

  “So it’s a trade-off.” Fallon couldn’t remember ever having a conversation quite like this with Wren.

  “All things are.” Wren nodded sagely.

  “What’s your trade-off for being with me?” Fallon wasn’t sure whether she was a good thing with a negative trade-off, or vice versa.

  Wren sat up and turned to face Fallon, her expression serious. “That we’re mortal, and one day, you might die and leave me alone.”

  From Raptor, those words would have simply been pragmatic. From Wren, they were romantic.

  Fallon didn’t stay the night. She needed to hit the ground running the next day, and knew she’d have a hard time doing that in the coziness of Wren’s quarters.

  So when her alarm sounded, she jumped out of bed and got going. Excitement crackled through her. She was getting close to finding Krazinski, she was sure. And close to setting the trap to bring Colb in. Then she could finally fix the PAC, and life could go on the way it should.

  She met Brak for their run, bursting with questions. Once they got up to the track and began, she restrained herself to one word. “Well?”

  “Good news and bad news. I asked Lim to meet us in an hour in the infirmary.”

  Fallon knew she’d have to wait for specifics. “That’s cryptic. And doesn’t give me much time to exercise and deliver my morning report to the captain.”

  Brak shot her a sidelong look. “I guess we’d better run faster.”

  Lim wore an odd expression that seemed to be a combination of eagerness and dread. It turned out that he was right to feel both.

  In the private room of the infirmary, Brak pulled up brain images on the voicecom terminal. “On the left side, we see Fallon’s brain. On the right, we see Lim’s.”

  Fallon squinted at the images. “Reading brain images is not my strong suit.”

  “Mine either,” Lim echoed.

  “Okay. See this small dark spot?” Brak pointed to Fallon’s brain. “That’s the implant I put in.” Then she pointed to an area in Lim’s brain. “This large gray area is Lim’s implant.”

  It was huge. Fallon stared at the expanse of brain that had been taken away from him. Prelin’s ass. Her stomach clenched.

  “What does this mean for me?” Lim asked in a soft voice.

  “With the implant, you’re able to retain as much new information as any highly intelligent person. Your IQ is very high, and your mathematical skills are fantastic. Further, you’re not in danger of losing anything you’ve experienced in the past eighteen months.”

  “Why do I sense a ‘but’ coming?” he asked in a stronger voice.

  “A great deal of tissue has been removed. I could possibly regenerate some of it, but it wouldn’t return any prior memories. I’m very sorry.”

  Lim’s back bowed, and he stared at his lap. “I see.”

  “I can upgrade your implant, though. The one you have isn’t meant for long-term use. I can give you one that’s made to last, and will transfer the memory you already have. The new implant will be smaller, which means there will be room for me to see how much of your brain tissue I can regenerate.”

  “I like the idea of getting my brain back, but changing out the implant sounds scary. I don’t want to start over again.” Lim didn’t look optimistic.

  “I know, but it’s actually a simple process. Just a copy and transfer of data from one device to another.”

  “Is there a risk of me losing my memory, though? That’s my main worry.”

  “No. You already have a device. I won’t be doing anything that hasn’t already been done in that regard. I’ll just be improving the technology. As for the brain matter, it’s essentially like any wound repair. The tissue will be brand new. The great thing about brains is their remarkable ability to rewire themselves in the event of damage. My hope is that once you have that tissue back, you can transfer what’s in your implant into your actual brain matter. If that happens, we can eventually remove the implant entirely.”

  “I do like the sound of that.” He seemed slightly more encouraged by the idea. “Will it be painful?”

  “You can expect to feel fine after, except maybe a slight headache from the surgery itself.”

  “When does it have to be done?”

  Brak tilted her head. “There’s no rush. I wouldn’t recommend waiting more than three months, though. Like I said, that implant wasn’t built to last.”

  “Right.” Lim sat up straight. “When can you have the new implant ready?”

  “Probably four days if I start immediately. That will give me time to manufacture it and run extensive testing. Plus, Jerin will be back to lead the regeneration of your lost tissue. Hardware is more my specialty, while the squishy bits are hers.”

  “Squishy bits.” Lim smirked. “Right. So message me with the time you’ll want me here. The sooner this is done, the soone
r I can move forward with my life. Such as it is.”

  “Of course. If you have any questions—”

  He cut her off, jumping to his feet. “No. You do what you do, and I’ll do…well, I’m working on figuring out what I do. But I’ll leave this part to you.” He took a breath, seeming to rally himself. “I know I’m incredibly lucky to have your help. And I appreciate it.”

  “I could not be more glad that I’m able to help,” Brak answered.

  He bowed to them, then left.

  “He took the news well, considering.” Fallon wasn’t sure how she’d have handled knowing that she’d never get her past back. Especially since Lim seemed to have none of the retained skills she had.

  “They made him into a blank slate. Wiped clean. Probably multiple times. It’s horrifying.”

  “I can’t imagine.”

  Brak growled softly. “I’d like to take the doctors who did this, tear their heads off, and feed them to mandren.”

  Fallon blinked. “Wow.” She’d never heard Brak say anything violent or threatening. “So how can we help him?”

  “Make sure his health is good. Support him emotionally. Help him rediscover himself. Or develop a new self.”

  Fallon suspected she knew the answer to her next question, but she had to ask it. “Could you give him back his lost memories if we could reconstruct them from fact? If we found out who he is?”

  “I could give him data. Facts. Images. I couldn’t give him skills. But I don’t believe it’s ethical to give someone memories, even if they’re based on fact.”

  “He’d experience those things as real memories?”

  “Yes. But as I said.” Brak clearly didn’t like this line of thinking.

  “I’m talking theory right now. That’s all.”

  “It’s a slippery slope. It worries me.” Brak’s discomfort was clear by the way she ducked her head.

  “I know. Don’t worry. I’m just curious about the mechanics. Strictly hypothetical.”

  Brak’s jaw clenched and released. “Okay. Theoretically, yes, it might be possible to plant believable images. But they might also appear as nightmarish and be ultimately traumatic.”