by Ben Winston
Three other queens were very old and appeared to be nearing the end of their life cycle. While six others where mature and were still laying eggs when the teams found them, deep underground. The queens were not the only Aracs to have their life accelerated. There were several different types of Aracs found as well as lots of bodies that had died naturally. There was a separate, secured part where the ‘normal’ queens did their thing and worked on creating a long-term colony. That area had been heavily protected by the largest Arac soldiers so far recorded.
How they got their weapons so quickly was solved by the discovery of an Alliance designed replicator that had been built with parts from a smaller replicator that had been included in the pod. However, while utility equipment, ventilation systems and drinkable water systems had been located; only a few smallish computers and no communication equipment at all had been located. None of the devices one would expect from a modern, star-spanning civilization were discovered. So the question became how did the hives communicate with one another? How did they communicate with the main hive? The only answers offered so far were some form of metaphysical link in the species, but as yet there was no proof either way to validate that theory.
As for the dissemination of knowledge, that remained as much a mystery as how they communicated and currently had a similar explanation. Either the spiders were telepathic, or they had somehow passed knowledge down to their offspring in a type of instinctual or genetic knowledge transfer.
The Marines tried to capture a few of the immature Aracs, but they would simply die as soon as they were captured. The immature queens were killed as they tried to escape. What was strange was that none of them had tried to run for an escape tunnel, but instead had been heading for the room holding the small, strange computers the Aracs used.
One of the more important, at least to me it was important, discoveries in the hive had been the rescue and recovery of Sergeant Tul-sa, two of her Marines and one of the Terran Marines that they had managed to save before he was to be killed and fed to the immature queens. They had been found, blocked in a room by a pile of dead Arac bodies. All of them had been wounded badly enough to be taken straight to the medical ward aboard the Honor of Vengeance.
I was there to meet them when they finally arrived at the moon base hospital for treatment. The Terran Marine was still with them and I learned later that he had decided to join the Alliance Marines. He had spoken to his commanders who had been receiving treatment on the command ship as well and it had been agreed that it would be reported that Private Collins had survived the battle, but had asked for asylum with the Alliance forces due to the amount and type of treatment needed to heal him. It wasn’t actually a lie and the Alliance had gained a few other Marines in this manner as well. Several Terran Marines had lost limbs, or had suffered severe internal damage that required cybernetic implants.
Although full recovery and restoration was not possible due to the need to use biocytes, it was believed that the Terran soldiers would be subjected to very unethical and inhumane examinations and experimentation upon their return to Earth. Of course, there were some that scoffed at the very idea of the United States Government doing such a thing - especially to its own soldiers. They learned a very important life lesson very shortly when the United States Government reported the loss of command integrity of the Seventh Marines. What that meant was that so many of the seventh had been killed that the unit no longer existed as a viable unit.
However, the truth was that over half the unit had indeed survived. However, they had all been wounded and needed treatment. The fact that the government had already reported those soldiers as killed in action did not bode well for the men and women being treated. Vance had made certain that the commanders of the Terran Marines remained in contact with their leaders. Those Commanders gathered their people together, and based on the information they had gotten from their own Chain of Command as well as the media, decided to ask to remain with the Alliance and work to protect the planet. High Command agreed, but stipulated that they would have to undergo some additional training to get used to Alliance equipment and procedures.
In the Marine embarkation bay, a magnetic launcher had been installed for a very specific use. Today, it would get used quite a bit; today we would say good-bye to our friends, husbands, wives and protectors that had fallen during the action on Earth.
Vance spoke of their bravery and sacrifice, of social contributions to the Alliance and of those they were leaving behind. Colonel Cren’lith, with the assistance of a medical exo-suit, spoke of their heroism and bravery under fire. Finally, he spoke of their deaths. It was part of the Simonian grieving process to tell of how the being passed. Although the Marines had been Human as well as Simonian, no one protested his tribute to the fallen.
I had been surprised when Colonel Cren’lith asked me to take part in the ceremony, since several of the fallen soldiers had been my friends. I agreed immediately. The Naming was a very important part of the ceremony in the Alliance. It served to give one last individual tribute to each person, as well as being the formal listing of death for the fallen. As each name was called, Sarah would officially record them as deceased in the Alliance census.
I was asked to perform The Naming. Sarah helped me assemble the list and the information needed. I decided to part with my own beliefs slightly. Instead of wearing a black suit to the funeral, I would wear the armor they had given me with all the unit crests and holographic ‘patches’ I had been given. However, the shell of the armor would be polished to a bright ivory.
I walked alone to a place before the launcher so I could see each casket as it was loaded. I knelt to one knee and removed my helmet.
It was considered disrespectful to read the names and information from a list, but there were so many that there had not been time to memorize all the information I would need so Sarah whispered to me over an earwig.
As the first casket was loaded I spoke the name out loud to the assembled Marines and relatives. Then I was expected to give their planet of origin, their parents, mates and offspring. That was what I needed Sarah for. I honestly hadn’t known a lot of those who had fallen, but I would not dishonor any of them by forgetting something this important.
However, my voice did crack when I got to those I did know.
“He’rsree; Captain, United Alliance Marines Corp., proud Daughter of the Novan Republic born at the Daitilus Mining habitat to Miner He’veran and Environmental Tech Ver’rsree both of whom are waiting for her at the gates. She has a sister, Ver’veran of Hearlis V.” The casket was lifted into place, then shot out of the tube on a long parabolic orbit that would eventually drop into the Sun.
The next casket was loaded and it was another one of my friends. The Naming lasted for almost two hours. By the end of it, I had a sore throat that had begun to get hoarse from contained emotion.
Later that day, the Marines and I used the beer I had ordered for the wake to say our own goodbyes to those we lost and to welcome our new friends. Not that many civilians had been invited, but the Marines didn’t actually see me as a civilian, although I don’t really understand why.
Although we had lost good people, life had to continue. Our fight would go on. There was still the threat to Earth in the other Arac hive, and the Alliance still had the main Arac hive to deal with. Our work was far from finished.
About the Author
Ben Winston (1965 - ?) was born in Iowa and grew up in Minnesota on the family dairy farm. Upon reaching adulthood, he joined the United States Army as a communications technician. Before getting out of the military, he decided to go to school for computer electronics.
Shortly after getting out of the military, and after getting a new job with an over-seas company, he was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease. A month after beginning the new job, he was laid off due to budget over-runs on the project he was hired for. Upon returning to the United States, he had difficulty maintaining employment because of the chronic illness.
Ben Winston returned to school for literature, after completion, he began writing professionally. Being an avid fan of science fiction he focused on this genre. He was, and still is, influenced and inspired by Gene Roddenberry, Anne McCaffery, David Weber, Isaac Asimov, and Ray Bradbury. Some of his favorite movies and TV shows are; Battlestar Galactica (both versions), Andromeda, Star Trek, Firefly, Star Wars, and many of the B-rated movies that were actually box-office bombs.
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Books Published by Blue Space Publications, LLC.
by Ben Winston
Pollux Paradox
Tides of Mars
Tides of Mars (Omnibus)
Ascension
Conflict
Talosian Chronicles
Olympus
Star Dancer
Talosian Alliance
*Neptune’s Massif (Dec 2015, on presale now!)
*Raptor Squadron (First Quarter of 2016)
Novellas
Abraxis Complex
Origin of Prometheus
Sword of Damocles
Abraxis Code
Book of the Guardian
Home – Part One
Pest Control – Part Two
The Last Mission – Part Three
Resolution – Part Four
Bedouin’s Travels
Twilight Earth
A Long, Dark Night
*Terra Dawning (Dec 2015)
*New Day (First Quarter of 2016)
Series
Temple of S.A.R.A.H.
Prototype – Episode I
Subroutines – Episode II
Base Functions – Episode III
Hard Wired – Episode IV
Debug Mode – Episode V
*Beta Test – Episode VI (First Quarter of 2016)
by Michael McClain
Chronicles of Atlantis Series
Chronicles of Atlantis (Omnibus)
Atlantis Rising – Book I
Euthara – Book II
