by Mark Wandrey
“New targets,” the Fiisk CI called just as the dreadnought blossomed into fire and debris.
“Where did they come from?” Lilith asked.
“Inside Dervish.”
A smarm of small and medium sized ships were erupting up out of the swirling plasma storms of the three dancing stars. Lilith tried to identify their origin only to quickly come to the conclusion that there was no one design scheme. Ships of a dozen or more species (many extinct for eons) all few in tight formation, breaking off to engage T’Chillen battlecruisers or the Mok-Tok fighter squadrons still trying to form up after losing their carriers.
The enemy hung in just long enough to realize their position was untenable, and began to disengage. The newest arrivals attempted to flank them and were blocked by a strong defensive line of Mok-Tok cruisers that had just come though the quantum gateway. Tasked only with holding the point, they were able to put up massive and coordinated fire. The aggressor swarm fell back, only staying close enough to ensure the snakes and what remained of their allies knew that the fight would stay lost for them. Unlike their attack, their withdrawal remained orderly.
Lilith turned to the first ship/ships that arrived to help her, sending hails on every frequency she could. The dozen ships were returning to their carrier and redocking with the same precision as they deployed. Their formation was adapted to assist for two of their number which were damaged. The ship turned after the last was docked and a tactical jump portal formed.
“Please, your ships resemble The People, who are you? Why have you helped us yet again?” Lilith asked in the clear. The ship left with the same fanfare with which it arrived, gliding through the portal and away.
Lilith controlled her anger and filed away all the data on that enigmatic ship and its riders for later analysis.
What appeared to be the flagship of the ragtag fleet came to a relative stop a hundred kilometers off Lilith’s beam. It was a design for which she had no records, not much bigger than a light cruiser but heavily modified and carrying enough firepower to make it a match for the Kaatan. The ship hailed her, in of all things, The People’s script.
“Ship of the line, do you recognize our signal.”
“I do,” she replied. “My name of Lilith. To whom do I owe my thanks?”
“I am Sure Strike, of the command cruiser Octal 1.” Video was enabled and the bucktoothed visage of a Squeen resolved in her mind.
“While I am grateful for the assistance, Squeen ships have been belligerent with us in the past. May I inquire why that has changed?”
“It would be best explained by my passenger.” The view changed and Lilith gasped in surprise, then smiled.
Minu struggled to stay conscious through the seemingly never ending waves of pain. An indeterminate amount of time ago the ship had shuddered so violently she’d feared that it had been cut in half, or was about to explode. The power had fluctuated wildly for a time, then stabilized and there was no more signs of battle.
“It’s over,” she thought, “one way or another.”
As more minutes passed the pain grew and grew, turning from waves to an all-encompassing blanket that threatened to drown her out.
“You are progressing well,” she dimly heard the MI say through the veil of endorphins. It was finally becoming more than she could stand. The pain, the pain, the all-encompassing soul stealing pain that never relented and only became more, and more, and more.
“I can’t anymore,” she gasped and it turned into a sob. Tears ran down her cheeks and she shook her head from side to side. “I… I… oh please, it hurts so bad!”
“You can do it, baby,” a new voice spoke. Through the agony, some part of her mind refused to believe it could be who it sounded like. A ghost had come to help her.
“I’m right here…” A strong hand took her left hand and squeezed. She latched onto it like a line thrown to a person in the final stages of drowning and squeezed with all her might. The hand stayed firm, holding but not squeezing back.
She turned her head and opened her eyes. Through the tears, Aaron looked back at her dressed in an unfamiliar spacesuit. His black hair had grown long and was pulled back in a ponytail and he had a short but well-trimmed beard now, but it was him.
“But you’re dead,” she said in wonder, more tears flooding down her face.
“It’s not that easy to kill me,” he said.
“The Tanam said—”
“Worry about that later,” he said and ever so gently wiped the tears from her face. “You have something more important to finish here.”
She nodded. His hand was such a simple thing there holding hers, but it was as if it poured pure energy into her being. It invigorated her body and filled her heart with joy and determination. Aaron was alive! My husband is here. The pain hit her, but now somehow it was bearable. And our baby is being born!
Minu sat up a little, the bed instantly forming to her body, and bore down. A sensor wand was moving slowly and methodically back and forth over her distended belly as she pushed. She felt the baby move… downward. It was a disconcerting sensation.
“How’s the baby doing?” Aaron asked the MI.
“Bio readings are within norms. She has entered the final stage of labor.”
As the machine said, in another two pushes the head crowned. Aaron’s eyes sparkled in wonder and Minu managed to reach down a hand between her legs and felt the dome of the baby’s head. There was damp hair.
The next two pushes were without progress and the MI seemed at a loss until Aaron spoke up. “My mother had to have an episiotomy.”
“Please explain,” the MI requested. When he did, it was again at a loss. “This is a most illogical situation.”
Aaron just shrugged. “We’re humans.”
The MI analyzed what it was seeing and the instructions from the non-birthing parent and decided it was correct for the situation. Further analysis of the birthing canal verified the location and design of the sexual organs, including the secondary stimulative organ necessary for the female to experience heightened pleasure. A small amount of anesthesia was administered, and a precise laser scalpel cut was made bare fractions of a millimeter from the unborn life.
Minu pushed again and the baby’s head popped clear instantly, stopping on the shoulders. A pair of robots came forward with specially shaped manipulators. They gently turned the baby’s shoulders, and she pushed a final time. Aaron moved in and with the machines’ help, caught the baby.
One of the robots produced a thin soft blanket which the baby was wrapped in as others dealt with the flow of post birth fluids. Minu was dizzy and out of breath from the exertion, but held out her hands. “Our baby,” she said, her voice a raspy whisper of fatigue, “I want it.”
Careful because the cord was still attached, Aaron came along side and placed the little bundle in her arms. The face was wrinkled, splotchy, and covered in a sheen of amniotic fluids and blood. She had a full head of raven black hair, like her father. Minu gently moved the blanket aside and looked the child over as the baby opened eyes of almost jade colored green and regarded her in return.
“We have another daughter,” she said.
Aaron nodded, he’d already seen but let his wife say it the first time. Besides, if he said anything just then, he’d break down and cry like the baby who seemed to be regarding them.
Minu looked around for the first time and realized they weren’t alone. A pair of Squeen were just outside the isolation shield of the medical bay. Aaron gave her a ‘later’ look so she shrugged. Lilith floated just a meter away, the look on her face was of utter and complete dumbfounded joy.
“That was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen. Can I see my sister?” she asked.
“When can we cut the cord,” Minu asked the MI.
“Whenever you are ready,” it replied as a scanner wand passed over the baby several times. A robot with lasers for arms stood by.
“No,” she said and gestured the machine away and tur
ned to Aaron. “Honey, on my equipment belt,” Minu said and gestured to where she’d dropped her clothing as the MI took over her care.
He turned and checked her belt and found her old combat knife. “This?” he asked, drawing the somewhat scared blade he recognized it. The same one she’d been through the trails with, taken her first life with, fought the Tanam highborn with, and carried for countless missions.
“Yes,” she said, nodding. “MI, sterilize the blade please?”
A robot took it and it disappeared into a wall slot to emerge a moment later. It steamed slightly but when Aaron took it gingerly it was only warm to the touch. “Do you want to?” he asked.
“It should be the father,” Minu smiled. She was still light headed and disconcerted by robots doing unknown things between her legs. “I’ve done the hard work.”
“Yes you did,” he said. Aaron came back over, Minu opened the blanket and a robot deftly clamped the cord on either side a centimeter from the baby’s belly. With a quick easy slice the cord was cut and the same robot laser cauterized the cord.
Lilith was obviously eager, something Minu had seldom seen from the mostly emotionless girl. As she floated closer Minu felt the telltale flutter of the girl’s gravity neutralizing field. Lilith held out her arms and Minu introduced the sisters.
“Do you have a name for her yet, mom?”
“She’s Mindy,” Minu told her, “Mindy Groves.”
Aaron moved over and put and arm on his older daughter and one on his wife. Minu reached out and touched Lilith. And now they were four.
“Hello Mindy,” Lilith said seriously to the newborn, “I am Lilith, your older sister.”
“You know she can’t talk yet, right?” Minu asked.
Lilith looked at her confused, then with a little twinkle in her eye she smiled.
“Nicely done,” Aaron chuckled. And then Mindy began to cry.
“Is she ill?”
“No,” Minu said, “probably just hungry.”
“Shall I have the MI produce something for her?”
“No,” Minu said and reached for her daughter. “I got this.” She placed the baby against her stomach, angling her as she’d read, and took a nipple between two fingers and fed it into Mindy’s mouth. The baby nuzzled her mouth back and forth, coughed once, then clamped on and began sucking enthusiastically.
“Oh,” Lilith said, and looked nonplused, “I understand now.”
“If this birthing is complete, we need to discuss issues,” the Squeen said, speaking for the first time.
Chapter 15
February 15th, 535 AE
Dervish Star System, Galactic Frontier
Against the better judgment of the MI, Minu had insisted it give her drugs to normalize her system and return some stamina. The situation surrounding Aaron’s sudden and unexpected appearance meant that the Squeen couldn’t wait for her to recover naturally.
Mindy had nursed some from both breasts, puked up a little, cried for another minute, and then passed out. The MI took charge of her temporarily. “Your infant will be monitored to be sure there are no lasting effects of the birthing.”
Minu was back in uniform and almost out the door when she suddenly stopped and turned back. “MI?”
“Yes, Commander Groves?”
“If my daughter is augmented in any way, modified in any way, or advanced in age so much as one day when I return, I will dig through this ship until I find your core and rip it out with my bare hands and pound your circuits into smoking ruin. Do I make myself perfectly clear?”
“Perfectly.”
Minu nodded and went outside to find her husband giving her a dubious look. He’d had just enough time for the ship to synthesize him a proper Chosen uniform but the beard was still there.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” he wondered. Minu fell into his arms, her head against his chest and sighed as his powerful arms encircled him.
“I am now,” she said. “Quite the dramatic return, and your timing couldn’t have been any better.”
As they walked Aaron took a few moments to give her a quick description of his saga. The capture and interrogation. Then the death of the Tanam tech trying to dissect the shock rifle, which made Minu grin. Then being taken offworld on the ship and sent to parts unknown, only to have the ship attacked.
“So that much jives with the Tanam’s story.”
“Oh yeah,” he agreed, “the ship was all but destroyed. If I hadn’t managed to get into a storage locker that held a spacesuit, I would have been dead meat. So after the battle, a Squeen boarding team found me and took me prisoner. At first they thought I was working for the Tanam.”
Minu rolled her eyes and snorted. “Like that was a possibility?”
“I know, right? Well it wasn’t easy convincing them so the captain of the ship that trashed the cats, same one waiting to talk to you, decided to take me to meet his boss. And you’ve met that one.”
“Quick Finder?”
“And another one named Strong Arm.”
“What’s with those names?” Minu wondered.
“I think the translators struggle with their native language. But the place they took me was like a gathering point in space. They have a huge fleet. And I mean simply fucking massive! There must have been a thousand ships. I couldn’t tell what kinds, though. I think a lot were support ships, freighters and such. But a lot were warships, I’m sure of it.”
Minu nodded and chewed her lip. It explained why no one ever encountered them on planets, not since she’d run into Quick Finder during the Tanam war.
“I talked with them and couldn’t convince them to take me home, or even to a portal. They don’t much like going to planets. They said ‘it’s not in our best interest’.”
“So how did you convince them?”
Aaron stopped him outside of one of the Kaatan’s conference rooms just before the automatic doors would have opened. “I had to offer to trade.”
“Trade what?”
He looked embarrassed and rubbed his beard. “Some of the ship-class EPCs from Dervish here. I knew you’d be along sooner or later, just wasn’t expecting it to be with an alien battle fleet in tow. Sure Strike, the admiral inside, was pretty pissed about that. He wasn’t going to intervene until that weird jump rider showed up and started kicking ass.”
“That was yet another surprise during a surprising day.” Minu sighed and nodded. “Nothing is free in the galaxy.”
“I’m sorry dear, but I couldn’t think of how else to get home.”
“I’d pay anything to have you back,” she said and rubbed his furry cheek, grinning a little. “This is interesting…”
“I was going to shave it off,” he said, but cocked his head at the look on her face.
“No,” she said with a mischievous look, “let’s see where that goes.” Minu took a deep breath and tried not to think about what condition her body might be in and the drugs covering it up, and stepped into the room.
The Squeen captain known as Sure Strike was seated at the conference table with a tablet in one clawed hand. Seated next to him was another Squeen Minu didn’t recognize. As she entered they both stood.
“Chosen Groves,” Sure Strike said with a slight bow, “I am Sure Strike, captain of the cruiser Octal 1 and in command of this task force which relieved you. This is Tall Glyph, in command of our fighter squadrons and my second.”
Like his leader, Tall Glyph seemed typical for a Squeen. A little under a meter tall, a little plump, thick fur from brown to orange with touches of white. Minu began committing the color patterns to memory, glad they were easier to tell apart than the Tog. His legs were short but arms long and dexterous, nearly reaching the floor. His face would pass for a slightly more expressive squirrel down to the oversized buck teeth. He looked at her with black on black eyes and snarled through his translator. “I lost four good pilots today.”
“I am truly sorry for that,” Minu said and bowed deeply, “we find every loss of life t
ragic.” Tall Glyph narrowed his beady eyes and let out a snort the translator did not render into English. “First let me say thank you for rescuing my husband.”
“That was an accident,” Sure Strike pointed out.
“It was,” she agreed, “but you could have simply left him to die a slow, painful death on the Tanam ship, and you didn’t.” Aaron nodded enthusiastically.
“We did not bring him back out of some sense of altruism,” Tall Glyph reminded her. “We’ve known about this fueling station for many thousands of years, but The People made certain none but them could access it. Your mate explained that you have access.”
“I do.”
“Give us access then, and we are done here,” Sure Strike demanded.
“No,” Minu replied simply. The Squeen couldn’t have been more shocked.
“What did you say, human?” Sure Strike demanded.
“Not just no, but hell no,” Minu reiterated. “If you were under some mistaken impression that I’d just give you this fueling base you were delusional. We’re orbiting just outside the influence of a rare stellar phenomenon that the People harnessed as an energy source almost a million years ago.”
“You don’t think we know that?” Tall Glyph barked, his translator conveying his anger. “Our people have had this facility under observation for untold thousands of years, as have the deceitful T’Chillen and Mok-Tok. We find your claim to have unlimited access dubious, at best.” Sure Strike watched the interchange without comment.
“You are aware of the type of ship you are in right now, aren’t you?” The Squeen both nodded their furry heads. “And how many Kaatan class ships of the line have you seen in those thousands of years.”
“Many derelict,” he grumbled, then shook his head. “But none operational.” His tone was nothing if not grudging.
“If you just want to get paid, call it a ransom for my husband and then tell me how many charged full-sized ship EPCs this payoff would require. How does one hundred sound?”
Both Squeen’s mouths dropped open.
