by J. S. Fields
“Wait, what about Yorden and the Ardulan woman? Why are reinforcements coming? Are we still in the Charted Systems? You can’t just take Emn!” he blurted out, words tumbling over each other as his mind raced, any thoughts on cultural sensitivity forgotten.
The captain began to float back up and away from Nicholas. When she reached the interface, she touched the black panel lightly with her body. Three red lights appeared. The captain emitted a low whirring noise and was answered with a series of short clicks.
“A security team will escort you to your room. Neek and Emn are there, waiting for you. We are still in the Charted Systems. We are not far from where the Pledge exploded. Our recovery team was unable to locate Captain Yorden or the other altered Ardulan onboard. Reinforcements are arriving because the Alliance now has the power and the resources to stop the blasphemous Risalians and destroy their genetically manipulated monstrosities. There will be no more Emns, Terran Nicholas. No more child weapons and no more altering of the Gods’ plans.”
Nicholas was stunned into silence. Gods’ plans? Were there more deities to contend with? If the Mmnnuggls were as superstitious as the Neek, no wonder Emn scared them. And what did she mean, Yorden hadn’t been located? They were all together on the ship. How could he and Neek have been found, but no one else?
The security guards floated in, and Nicholas allowed himself to be led away, unable to form even the simplest response. Neek would know what to say. She’d know where Yorden was. It was probably all a plan, anyway. Throw the Mmnnuggls and Risalians and Neek and whoever else off so they could get Emn to safety. That had to be it.
The corridor arced perpetually, which made sense since the ship was a sphere, but having to hunch and constantly turn corners was not helping Nicholas’s mood. When they stopped, Nicholas was relieved to see a doorframe that extended well beyond his head. “We’ve received word that the textile garments you requested are en route,” one of the guards informed him. “We apologize for the inconvenience in the interim. Should you require anything else, please do not hesitate to ask.”
Nicholas nodded his understanding. Another guard tapped its body against the door, which promptly slid aside, revealing a small room with some type of furry floor, a few pieces of what Nicholas assumed to be strangely shaped furniture, and a very large bay window.
“Neek!” Nicholas called out, forgetting momentarily that he was completely nude. “Are you in here?”
“Nicholas?” Neek called back. The young man took several tentative steps into the blissfully bipedal-designed room and spotted Neek sitting off in the back corner next to Emn’s cocoon. Neek’s face broke into a large grin when she saw him, and she sprang to her feet and ran over, enveloping Nicholas in a firm hug.
“It’s really good to see you, Nicholas,” Neek said breathlessly.
“Guess I missed a lot,” Nicholas returned, becoming uncomfortably aware of the proximity of various body parts. “But it’s good to see you, too.” He felt Neek’s hip jerk slightly, and the pilot backed away, a wry grin on her face.
“Sorry, kid. I got a little caught up in the moment. Didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable. The nude thing may work for Nugels and Ardulans, but for the rest of us mere mortals, it’s just awkward.”
Nicholas blushed and turned away, pretending to find something interesting on the green-tinted wall while he waited for his body to settle down. He buried his toes in the thick ply of the carpet, trying not to think about what animal it could have come from. “Uh, Neek,” he began tentatively, catching his big toe in a fur tangle, “Yorden isn’t…I mean, he’s not dead, right? And that Ardulan woman…”
Neek looked away. “Y—Yorden,” she stammered. “Yorden gave you a sedative—it looked like you were going into shock. I went back to the cockpit to try to do a little creative steering. When the Risalians fired again…the blast stripped most of our armor and opened sections of the hull. Thank andal that Yorden thought of the decompression suits. We all got in them in time, even the Ardulan woman.”
She paused, and Nicholas could hear the soft drops of stuk falling onto the floor. “I lost my grip on the main console and was pulled away from the Pledge before the cutter rammed us. I don’t know what happened in the cargo bay, but I watched the Risalians aim right for the Pledge and skewer her through the midsection. She split apart a few seconds later. By the time the Nugels found me, they already had you and Emn onboard. They said they couldn’t find anyone else and, with being locked in this room, I haven’t been able to do much questioning.”
“But it’s a plan, right? You guys always have a plan. You knew the Neek would take Emn, that’s why you went with her. You knew they’d try to separate you two, that’s why Yorden and I stormed the capital building. This is just like those times, isn’t it?” Nicholas was out of breath when he finished. He’d thought Neek would stop him halfway through—smile, pat him on the back. Realization dawned on him slowly, but Nicholas fought it. “Right, Neek?”
Neek’s eyes finally met his, and the silence that stretched between them hurt worse than if she’d actually said something. Nicholas looked away then, too shaken to respond. Abstract death, death because you were defending yourself—it was horrible, but he could deal with it. This…
“He helped me out after I got exiled from my planet. Met him in a spaceport bar on Mars, talking big about his antique ship, how she was one of the first the Terrans ever put in space that could make it past Earth’s moon. One of the first commercial spacecrafts.” Neek sat back down next to the chrysalis and stared blankly out the window. “He was so proud of that fucking ship. So excited that I could drive it despite the insane upgrades he put in. Never cared about who I was, or that my whole planet hated me, or that he’d lose every Neek haul job by having me onboard.”
Nicholas still couldn’t bring himself to add anything. What stories did he have that could compare to Neek’s decade of hauling freight with the captain? Maybe, when this was all over, they could sit and Neek could share some stories about Yorden—stories about close calls and contraband goods and a ship comprised more of tape than metal. They’d be safe stories, too, because Nicholas would know they’d pull through in the end. Yorden had always pulled through, until now.
“I don’t really understand what he did, what you two did for a living, since it was smuggling—smuggling for the Risalians. But it was a good education, I think. I don’t think I’d ever want to be like Yorden, but I’m glad to have met him. Glad I met the Ardulan woman too, however briefly.” That sounded stupid and trite, but Nicholas didn’t know what else to say. The reality of the situation hadn’t hit him yet.
“Yeah,” Neek agreed, her eyes wandering to the large window. The star field was stable, and Nicholas watched Neek’s eyes flit from one star cluster to another, her mouth forming words that never sounded.
“What about Emn?” Nicholas managed to squeak out after the uncomfortable silence stretched too long. He walked slowly over to the chrysalis and squatted down, running his fingers over its surface experimentally. He would keep to safer topics, focus on the crew that had survived. “Feels warm and hard, not sticky like the first time I touched it.”
Neek’s response was lighter, as if she, too, was happy to move on to another topic. “When it starts flaking, that’ll let us know that she’s about done in there. At least that’s what the old texts say.” Neek took a heavy breath. “I know you just woke up, Nick, and things are pretty shit right now, but we have to escape—we have to get Emn away, but I don’t know how to do that without endangering her. The cocoon is a pretty big target, especially if you’re running down the halls with it.”
Nicholas felt Neek’s hand on his shoulder, her stuk wet on his bare skin. The familiarity was welcome. Not as comforting as Yorden’s big paw of a hand, which always made the youth stoop a little from the weight, but comforting nonetheless. “We’ll figure something out, Neek. No way we’ll let the Nugels have her.”
“We have to figure out how to not le
t the Nugels have us first.” Neek shook her head and managed a tight smile. “I know this probably is not the Journey experience you were looking for, huh? Battles, death, war. It’s a lot for anyone to handle.”
“I adapted,” Nicholas murmured. He could lighten the mood, too. “I mean, I can fire guns now. What do you think my mom’ll have to say about that?”
Neek grimaced. “She’ll never forgive us. You might have to consider a permanent life of petty space transport. The heretic lifestyle is also an option.”
“I don’t think transport cabin boy is a legitimate career path.” The mental image of himself in brown cutoff pants with a mop in one hand, swabbing the cockpit of the Pledge, made Nicholas snort. Neek smiled back, but the sadness playing at the corners of her eyes sobered him. There wasn’t any way to get around the weight of their current situation, apparently.
“Where do we go from here, Neek?” he asked softly. “The Nugels and their Alliance have declared war on the Risalians. Without the Risalians, the Charted Systems will fall apart. Emn’s caught up in the middle of it all, and she can’t even defend herself. We’re naked, weaponless, and on a Nugel ship with no viable means of escape.”
The corners of Neek’s mouth twitched again. “That’s not entirely true.” She pointed to a pile of metal objects near a wooden bed that Nicholas hadn’t noticed. “They gave us back all the loose parts from our suits. I was armed when we got in them. They must not consider us much of a threat, since they’re going to let us go.” She walked to the bed and picked up the knife with the curved blade. “We have a weapon.”
“We have a vegetable peeler.”
Neek grinned. “True. But don’t you think the Nugels look pretty ripe?” Her smile broadened as she wove the blade through her thick braid, securing it with a loop of hair at the base. “C’mon, kid. Time for a plan worthy of Yorden and the Mercy’s Pledge.”
Chapter 24: Markin Council Room, Risal
We’re holding position at Oorin, as instructed. Alliance vessels placed throughout the Charted Systems have spotted an estimated fifty Risalian ships moving from their posts at the border and heading towards our location. More Alliance reinforcements are arriving daily. We’re set to outnumber the Risalians two to one. Ardulum smiles upon us.
—Encrypted communication sent from the Llttrin, November 12th, 2060 CE
Xouy was acutely aware of the empty chair to hir left. There hadn’t been time to select a replacement for Kelm—there hadn’t been time for anything really, except constant schematics, deployments, and fatality reports. The Markin were losing. The Systems were losing. If they couldn’t drive the Mmnnuggls and their allies out soon, there would be nothing left in the Charted Systems worth protecting. Forget the loss of the Terran and Neek systems. Now the Risalian failure would be absolute.
Xouy watched the live-feed hologram flicker as another two Risalian ships materialized and joined formation with the rest of the fleet. The Risalian ships were holding position just outside of the Callis Wormhole, with the Mmnnuggl fleets on the far side of Oorin. For every Risalian cutter that arrived, it seemed like three times that many appeared of their adversaries. Xouy couldn’t even begin to guess at the operational capacity of most of the unknown ships. Kelm had been their space technology expert, but Xouy doubted that even the late markin would have been able to separate warships from transports within the mottled Mmnnuggl fleets.
“Both sides continue to hold their positions,” Sald said wearily, flipping text on the electronic sheet in front of hir. “Captains from several cutters report the continued influx of Mmnnuggl and unknown ships.”
“Well, they’re not coming through the Callis Wormhole,” Raek said. “We haven’t received any reports of a non-Risalian utilizing the wormhole since the Mercy’s Pledge incident.”
Raek’s comment brought the conference room into silence once again. We mishandled the whole situation from the beginning, Xouy thought to hirself bitterly. Maybe we’ve become too much like the other Charted Systems inhabitants—too quick to compromise; too slow to violence. We let our guard drop and the systems we swore to protect paid the price.
The silence dragged on for several minutes, each markin buried in hir own thoughts.
“Risal will pay the price for our arrogance,” Sald said finally. “We will pay the price. Thus far, the Mmnnuggl forces have shown no interest in any of the other systems, even those left undefended. They’ve chosen to take their stand against us alone.”
“We’re the only reasonable threat,” Sandid cut in. “What resistance could Neek or Earth realistically offer?”
“At this point, I think we’ve realized that this isn’t about conquering,” Xouy cut in. Xe leaned over the table and switched the holographic display to a greater Charted Systems map. “More proof. Look here. The attacked intersects are highlighted in red. Now, look at the ships that were attacked at those locations.” Xouy tapped an inset monitor, and images of Risalian cutters popped into the hologram. “If we look at the data starting just from the first incident with the Pledge—the first truly violent encounter with the Mmnnuggls—and ignore all previous encounters, the pattern we suspected emerges.”
Xouy watched the other markin study the hologram, their heads nodding in defeated agreement. Xe leaned over and rotated the hologram, pointing at intersection 201. “Here, from two-oh-one to two-fifty, where we had the training ships for fresh second dons. Intersections twenty through twenty-five, where we attempted to reinforce the border with extra Ardulans. Somehow they knew.” Xe sat back in hir chair and rubbed hir neck. “Kelm was right to be concerned. It’s uncanny how they know which ships carry Ardulans.”
“They targeted strategically.” Sandid turned to Xouy. “It seems likely that the Mmnnuggls wanted to secure the upper hand before engaging us face-to-face. That would be a solid strategy for assuming control of the Systems.”
Xouy shook hir head. “I thought so too, at first. But if taking control of the Charted Systems was the goal, why ignore Earth and Neek? If you argue that they went after the mining system to cut off our supply base, then why not also our financial center on Baltec? Why not take the Alusian System which has plenty of hostages, no defenses, and is situated directly in the middle of the Systems?” Xouy tapped the Oorin projection three times, and the planet lit up to a bright blue. “I think the motivation is less complex than conquering. I think that at first they simply wanted to destroy the Ardulans for some reason. Maybe the Mmnnuggls and this alliance of theirs met the original Ardulans and didn’t like them. Who knows? The point is, I believe we had more than they initially thought. When hit-and-runs weren’t proving effective, they decided to get our attention here, at Oorin.”
“You’re suggesting that we are playing into their hands by sending our strongest forces to Oorin.” Sald growled, hir already purple-tinged neck slits turning an even deeper shade of violet.
“Yes. What we view as a last stand to defend the Charted Systems, they see as a well-planned chance to eradicate every Ardulan in our fleet. Eradication of us as a species may be an added bonus.”
Sandid visibly considered the information, one of hir pointed teeth lightly puncturing hir lower lip as xe did so. “It fits with our intelligence reports. There have been no reported acts of violence against anyone on Oorin. No ships other than ours have been attacked throughout the Charted Systems. Xouy may be correct.”
“What course of action does that leave us?” Sald’s voice raised several octaves. “We’re outnumbered at Oorin. We stay and fight—they win. If we pull our forces back, they will destroy those already stationed outside the Callis Wormhole, thus taking out over sixty percent of our Ardulans and over twelve thousand Risalians. After that, it would only be a matter of time before they picked off every last cutter.”
Sandid scowled. “You make it sound like the Mmnnuggls have already won.”
“Haven’t they?” Sald pointed at the hologram. “If Xouy is right, we’ve already made our biggest misstep by sendin
g the bulk of our fleet to Oorin. We will certainly lose those ships—we hadn’t planned on the Mmnnuggl forces being so organized, or so very, very large.”
Xouy made a sweeping movement with hir hand, causing the hologram to disintegrate. “Markin, if I may have your attention,” Xouy said softly as xe brought up a template holo of the Charted Systems. Several quick taps of hir finger on the embedded computer screen created ship icons and numbers above each inhabited planet.
“Don’t even suggest it,” Sandid said, outraged. “I know what you’re thinking, Xouy. We swore to protect the Charted Systems. The other species here, they don’t understand war. They don’t have weapons. Their ships barely have armor. If we bring them to Oorin, they will be slaughtered.”
“Actually, I don’t think so,” Xouy responded calmly. “If we assume that the Mmnnuggl forces are acting upon some impulse to eradicate the Ardulans and have not done violence to any other sentients other than those responsible for the Ardulans…”
“The entire planet of Risal,” Raek muttered under hir breath.
Xouy continued, ignoring Raek. “If we make that assumption, I think it is a logical step that the Mmnnuggls will not fire upon other species. At least, not without provocation. They took on Risalians because we alone defend the Charted Systems. We utilize the Ardulans. The other species, however—would they not be viewed as innocents in all of this?”
Xouy folded hir hands in hir lap and waited two long breaths, giving the other markin time to intuit where xe was going. “The Mmnnuggls encountered Mercy’s Pledge, but no move was made against Captain Kuebrich or his crew. When our cutter rammed the Pledge, the Mmnnuggls searched for survivors.”
