Tales of Reign

by M E Wise

  “Dr. Drakos?” I waited for a reply but she didn’t hear me. “Diana, can I speak with you.”

  Her first name did the trick and she groaned getting up from her position. I moved deeper into the hall away from prying eyes. Dr. Drakos followed shortly behind. “What is it Dae? We were relaxing as a unit?” She complained.

  “Has anyone from the Orbital Guard contacted you on my behalf? Seeking information?” She didn’t appear shocked by the questions. “They did!”

  “A Vice Admiral Molnar, claiming to be head of a science division of the OG inquired about you, yes.” She tilted her head. “Weeks ago. I told him to go fuck himself.”

  “Did he say what he wanted? Mention anything about running background checks on me or anything?” I was a little angry and a little worried. People off-world didn’t want the attention of the OG if they wanted to stay free of their control. “No. Why?” Dr. Drakos was the sincerest now than I think I have ever seen her before. “Did someone approach you at the Mall? Dae that’s almost criminal!” Di barked.

  “It wasn’t like that. He was trying to recruit me I think.” I was trying to keep the conversation even keyed.

  “What are you going to do? What was the offer?” Dr. Drakos was now being shadowed by her wife Laine. They both stared at me blankly.

  “I don’t know. I’m not sure what to do. They have my credentials, my information and persistence. You don’t come or go without their passports.” I was growing more concerned by the moment. I left them to their viewing party and headed toward my cramped quarters. I felt the sudden need to lay down.

  

  If the Orbital Guard were going to play hardball I was going to join under my own conditions. I sat dressed nicely in a pant-suit combination looking like someone to contend with, the Red Cross director read over my resume with great intrigue. Over qualified kept echoing in my head. I had yet to receive my doctorate in any field but I had submitted my thesis in both Bioengineering and Genetics. The Orbital Guard had tinkered with my credits for ten months now. The previous six months before that they lost essential request forms for Red Planet Discoveries. We couldn’t get patients, we couldn’t get supplies and we couldn’t leave.

  “So you’re 24 and have one of the most impressive resumes I have ever come across. Ms. O’Shea, or should I say Dr. O’Shea because we know that is coming soon; why join the Red Cross?” CRC Director Wilhelm Schmidt was going right to the meat of the conversation. “I think I can contribute. I am certain that I can contribute actually. My current options seem to carefully suggest this is a good course of action.” I answered candidly.

  The Director leaned back into his chair. “You want to join with the Cross to avoid the draft!” He laughed. There was no draft but it sure felt like some form of forced conscription. I didn’t return his comedic reaction. “Ahem.” He consoled himself. “Sure you could sign with the Red Cross, even join the upper echelon with this resume. But you won’t avoid the OG. They hold a great deal of authority on where we are stationed off-world. Once you leave Earth and hit Luna they transfer you right into OG controlled space and things change.”

  “But I would not be an Orbital Guard.” The statement may not be completely true but the tone it struck was.

  “That is somewhat truthful. If you are looking to keep your own divinity, then the Red Cross would love to have you!” Director Schmidt stood up and offered me a hand. I took it and shook it firmly like my father had taught me. “I will put in for the proper documentation and see where it lands us.”

  I left the office of the director and went straight back to our facility. Dr. Drakos and Laine avoided me like I was some sort of pariah. I spent the next three months in near incarceration.

  “Dae.” Mom drug out my name with a sigh. “I’m so sorry honey. I wrote several Congressman but nothing happened.”

  “It’s ok Mom. I’m a big girl now and I get to see more of the galaxy too.” I was trying to appear upbeat.

  “Those damned professors and politicians can suck an egg!” She bellowed.

  “Maybe I could do some good, my role can be quite influential.” I turned my tour papers over to see the official Orbital Guard stamp firmly pressed on it again. Little good my high ranking inception into the Red Cross got me. “At least they expedited my doctorates!” Those too were in the manila envelope.

  “Still Dae! You worked so hard to achieve what you have. Being forced to work for the enemy is just nasty!” Mom was bitter.

  “I need to go Mom. I love you. I’m not sure when we can talk next. There’s training and more training.” I felt defeated. “Keep your head up Dae, your father would be proud!” The compliment stung with sincerity. “Thank you Mom.” I slid the screen closed and continued packing. I had a virtual tour of my quarters on the Flagship Stonewall. It was impressive and was nearly the size of our lab for just myself. The lab there boasted some incredible equipment too. I think Diana was jealous in many ways. But even she didn’t want to get tangled in with the Guard.

  I tried searching the web for anything on this Dr. Molnar character. All I found were some articles on his appointment and the development of the Science division of the Orbital Guard. The Orbital Guard Interplanetary Flagship was the pride of the fleet though. If my goal was to land myself in the middle of political intrigue, powerful positions and otherwise intimidating company I had achieved greatness! But sadly I wanted so much more from my life. I wanted to build a career and save some lives. I wanted to have a family and escape the bounds of our worlds by living above them. In many ways I had done those things and I knew deep down that dwelling in self-pity wasn’t going to improve anything.

  I’m young and capable. I’ve been in control of my own destiny for the greater part of my adolescence and certainly had more options than the greater population of Earth. I needed to look at this in a positive light. At least I wouldn’t be under Dr. Diana Drakos anymore. My accomplishments from here on are my own and not shadowed by anyone else. Maybe the Orbital Guard really want to find some way to stem the suffering of the Halfers. Only time will tell.

  

  Lost Tales of Reign

  A Day in the Life chapter 3

  Season’s Change

  “On this day, June 4th 2103; I, Sara Dae O’Shea tender my resignation as Red Cross Director on Special Assignment. I can no longer in good conscience lend assistance voluntarily or forced to the atrocities being committed on the OGFS Stonewall by Vice Admiral of Science Stroud Molnar. I have recorded my grievances in great detail and will be requesting a full leave pending any investigation my resources and resignation will incur.”

  It felt really good to see this on the screen. Attaching this two a mail group of over one hundred contacts should be enough to get me the hell off this drifting terror barge! Today they brought in a Benjamin Edison Itou, a Halfer nearly beaten to death. I nursed his wounds and tried to separate myself from the fault of his condition; not the Halfer Syndrome but the complicity I feel in his captivity and his treatment. Sadly, he isn’t the first.

  Molnar is a disgustingly obsessed man. He used some distorted video of an alien encounter he claims happened on a Luna station some twenty-five years ago to justify a hidden agenda to find Halfer’s connected to this alien invasion. His paranoia was coupled by a monstrous protégé in Lance Leader Pri, a special appointment in his SPEAR initiative. They shared some insidious hatred for all things unnatural. I felt like I had been captured by an armed cult that readily displayed their authority and control.

  “You know this won’t do. All transmissions are monitored and vetted Dr. O’Shea.” A pop-up message appeared center screen of my monitor. It had to be Molnar!

  “God damn it!” I flung the material from my desk.

  “Take a few days to clear your head. We have much work to do. You’re fighting the good fight!” More text filled the message box. It was definitely Molnar!

  The exit light above my door went from a clear green to a flashing yellow. I was now under
watch and nothing I could do would change that. Same damned response every time. Maybe I have gone completely crazy and these repetitious attempts of mine were the mental disorder fighting reality. I’m stuck here. I’m fucking stuck here!

  

  Several weeks went by and I settled back into the painful routine of researching Molnar’s serums and the possibility mankind can develop preventative vaccines against the alien impurity. An ironically unnatural use of science. Protecting nature from an alien nature is still nature. He seems to have some sick disconnect as to Humanities place in the hierarchy of the universe. This same attitude fuels his angst when it comes to the possibility of an alien presence in our galaxy.

  I still feel he is stretching reality to a breaking point with this preoccupation. My theory suggested a germ or some simple organism gaining symbiotic relationships with human beings. A sentient species was something I avoided greatly! Imagine HOT alluding to real aliens!

  “Allotrios!” Molnar’s voice cried over the COM. “I repeat Allotrios! Report to receiving.”

  Allotrios? Greek for belonging to another. Molnar preached this everyday like gospel. I had never heard him use it as a way to call us to action. I sprang from my desk in the lab and hurried to the corridors of our black sector lab. We were a secluded part of this massive vessel. Our staff was carefully selected for the program. I was aware of other doctors and scientists but we weren’t allowed to communicate. We were like monks of the old Catholic order that translated the holy books. We were allowed portions of a problem and those were random.

  I bumped into a doctor leaving his area and he was panicked. We continued down the corridor to the receiving bay which consisted of a small series of airlocks without a docking station for stowing transport. Having nowhere to land and leave a waiting vessel was a measure of security to prevent escape.

  “I cracked him once good!” Bragged an Orbital Guard in full ready armor. “At least I think it’s a he?”

  Molnar was already there. A critical care containment and transport unit was being rolled into the patrol vessel. “Come! Come!” He barked at me and the other doctor. Molnar stood over a very pale man. He had Halfer traits without any visible deformities. I could strangely hear a heartbeat in my head. I paused for it to pass though I didn’t feel feint! I felt my own pulse and it wasn’t my own heartbeat. I rushed to Molnar’s side to help him and the other doctor lift the person into the CCCT unit. He was beautiful, almost angelic!

  “He’s bleeding from the head!” I observed my observations as the other doctor documented everything.

  “It’s bleeding from the head!” Molnar angrily corrected. “Don’t be fooled by the outward appearance.” Molnar strained with the being’s weight. “This isn’t Human, Halfer, or anything we’ve yet encountered.”

  “Take him to containment and begin running everything! I mean every test we can think of!” Molnar was passionately ranting. “Ladies and gentleman we are about to break our enemy!” He pressed by us and headed for the control rooms for clearance to allow the new organism into the Lab’s containment area. The military had a protocol for everything.

  The doors swung open with a loud tone and we carted the man into the containment area. Molnar accompanied us to the containments cells. This was oddly outside of his normal contribution. “What a fantastic opportunity! Document all the information you can and we will soon introduce our guest to the committee!”

  “Who’s my new neighbor?” Joked patient Itou. His demeanor was always more content than I felt it should be for a prisoner. He carried on about some birthday present or something. I had no time to give him more attention.

  I ignored all of the surrounding distractions and hadn’t realized how crowded our space had become. Six OG Cell guards were huddled around. Only two were allowed in the area at a time unless we had an emergency. I guess this could qualify. If Molnar was correct we had a definite situation to contain. The Guards did a lot more then crack him once in the head. He was bludgeoned badly. I injected him with tranquilizers to help him sleep through this for his and our protection. I couldn’t give him anything for the pain as we didn’t have a set blood analysis to tell what would help or possibly kill him. His physiology may only appear normal on the outside. Part of his head was shaved? Someone took a biopsy! Molnar! That sick bastard ran ahead to hide his claim not get clearance for the door. How long did they have him before his Allotrios announcement? His poor face. What have they done to you?

  I bandaged and wrapped the poor soul. His eyes fluttered once and they were incredibly pale blue with a centered universally dark pupil. I swear I could feel him reaching out to me but he never moved. Something, there was definitely something exchanged. I worked fast for the patient. The crowded cell wasn’t a distraction as much as the harassing guards were. One guard was arguably interfering and demanding an account of misplaced equipment. “Yes.” I replied flustered. I’m not sure if I even answered correctly.

  They ushered me from the cell and into the hall. “Romania!” Whispered the patient next door. I had no idea what he was talking about and the Guards and I pushed the equipment cart back out if the lab. Lance Leader Pri was arguing with his neighboring Halfer. Gorgon Pri was a mentally unstable man for his position. Molnar and himself had established a twisted kinship way before I arrived on ship. He was the monster to Molnar’s Frankenstein. Pri, Molnar and now this have more than fertilized a fearful earth here. Such a strange way to phrase that thought, I dwelled shortly, my angst grew by the moment.

  I left the cell area and slumped against the wall. The adrenaline dump felt like I had ran a marathon in under a few minutes. I closed my eyes and the new patient’s image was burned deeply into my mind. Where did he come from? Why, of all places, did he think here was safe? I walked toward the observation station nearby and looked into the cells from a reverse mirrored observation portal. I logged into the data store and began recording anything I could recall. Anything explainable.

  I was lost in thought when I noticed Patient Itou screaming at the camera. I alerted the guard. I glanced upward one more time to see Patient Allotrios face down on the floor. We ran into the containment area and I brought a larger dose of the tranquilizer with me. Blood was running from underneath his cell door. I rolled him over and his eyes peered deep into my being. Mother, the sense of the word filled my head and seeped into my emotions. I fought the urge to cry. I felt this knowledge fill me, the pieces of someone but not the details. I knew this person like my own self. I dosed him and the guards placed him onto the raised bunk in the mid-room.

  I went for a disposal cart to clean up the biological waste reflecting the going’s on like a deeply crimson theatre screen. Patient Itou was noticeably wobbling around his cell. “Are you experiencing pain?” His eyes were glazed. “Mr. Itou are you unwell?” I called to him. He covered his ears.

  “Can’t you hear that?” He whispered loudly. “There’s a heartbeat? And a baby crying?” He questioned.

  Apparently I wasn’t alone in the strange experiences with Patient Allotrios! I motioned the guards to open the cell. They went in too aggressively as usual and pinned Itou to the floor. I gave him a sedative to prevent them from harming him. A sleeping prisoner was less likely to resist, unlike the guards who routinely gave into violence first if challenged. I wanted desperately to continue the conversation with him, but under our circumstances I don’t think it possible. We cleaned up the mess and I stared at the being who now belonged to Molnar. Something stirred in me that I would have considered insane years before. Risk nothing and gain nothing. Risk all and at least however you survive or don’t, cleans your conscience of the gore.

  

  Days went by and Molnar subjected Patient Allotrios to numerous injustices. I feared for his life. We gathered his sex from the stark nudity Molnar usually required for his examinations. When exploring the patient’s circulatory system Molnar flat-lined him on purpose. It was an ignorant excuse to test how his regenerative abilities co
uld compensate for death. I helped revive him before we would know. Molnar scolded me but relied too heavily on my assistance to remove me from his experimentation. I felt a sudden need to always be present whether I could stomach it or not. Whoever, whatever this being was deserved much better than slow dissection. I would prevent the worst. I had no idea yet how to free him though.

  The humiliating presentations Molnar made to high ranking officials who funded our work made me sick. He would display the victim like a trophy, completely exposed and would carry on like he didn’t exist as a sentient being. From the strange experiences we all had around this patient, he was sentient and under duress. What I know of him, felt I know of him, made every wrong he endured my own. I had secretly begun lowering his tranquilizer dosage. Each encounter I hoped he would do something magical! Maybe he could transport off the ship like some Saturday night science fiction flick. Each day though his escape seemed less and less likely.

  “Allotrios is awake and conversing.” A guard nearby said. I scrambled to the monitor.

  Patient Allotrios was standing and speaking with Patient Itou! This was amazing! “Is it a language we understand?” I questioned out loud and rolled the volume in the room to a higher setting. “An immigrant?” He said clearly. “I can be considered an immigrant.” He again spoke clear English.