“Yes, my Queen. You honor me,” General Olthan said. She bowed deeply, then turned to walk away. Two Queen’s Guard, and another much smaller light dome escorted them.
There was some underlying current in the General’s voice that cast some doubt in Nina’s mind. She believed the General was very upset at this development, and it was clearly visible. Nina herself was not sure how she felt about serving with Azin. The queen turned Talin’s face to some far away point out in the blackness. She gave a great sigh.
“This body is tired, and it needs rest, so I will be brief.
You all know how important this mission is to our race, and now you know what a grave danger we face that we have never faced before. This is why the seed mission will happen at the end of two cycles.”
The surprise from the soldiers added another measure of silence to the void.
“It is late, so my Guard will show you to quarters. At newcycle, you will receive your orders and train,” the Queen continued. “Nina will stay with me for a moment. The rest are dismissed.”
Two Guards moved forward, and Azin, Nayar, and Osae followed them off into the void. The Queen waited for their footsteps to fade before addressing Nina.
“I tolerate your impertinence because I am grateful for your service, and I understand the pain you suffer.”
“Do you?” Nina asked. She was more hopeless than bold.
The Queen held Talin’s blind, ruined face neutral, said, “Yes. And my tolerance has limits.”
The statement needed no edge in Talin’s voice to carry menace.
“Is Talin alive?” Nina asked.
“This daughter, your friend is very much alive.”
“Why?” Nina asked. She didn’t think it possible to surprise the Queen, but it seemed she had. The Queen thought long before responding.
“Because she must be. Because we must be. Because you allowed her to be.
Our existence is cruel, Nina, and now you are one who realizes this more than most. This is why I ask you to take on this most important task. I know that you are one who will do what is best. When that is true, you do what is best for us all.”
“Can I … talk to her?” Nina asked. She found her voice to be very small in the cold blackness.
“I’m sorry, Nina. Perhaps next cycle. My daughter is sleeping, and this body is in great pain. If I wake her, she will feel that pain, and this is something I do not want.
I know you think your Queen is heartless. I feel every one of your deaths as I have for a hundred-thousand years. I mourn the passing of billions of my daughters every day. I will never mourn our purpose, Nina.”
Nina was still numb. She tried to hang onto the words, but they were already fading. She knew this was important. She wanted it to be important. She couldn’t grasp the words and what they meant. There was only the cold, the blackness, the hard stone chair and the broken body of her friend who now dreamed.
“Go now, daughter. Try to rest,” the Queen said.
A single Guard approached. Nina rose and followed her out into the trackless darkness, surrounded by a small bubble of light.
Nina paid no attention to direction. Without landmarks, it was impossible to figure a heading. She wondered how the Guard could tell where they were going. Nina followed the massive living statue as if in a dream. She began to wonder at her numbness, and realized she should be afraid of it, but she wasn’t. She tried to hang on to that fact. She had orders, and that would bring some sense back into the world. Her problems seemed to happen when she stopped following orders to the letter.
The floor descended. It took her by surprise. A gradual incline defined a broad ramp leading to a wide round opening that appeared in the light bubble. They passed through phase-shifted stone and into another large cavern.
The entrance to the cavern was at its top and led to a balcony defined by a low stone railing set on a series of thick stone pillars that lay a few paces in front of them. Two staircases on either side of the balcony swept down the wall of the cylindrical space. The walls were a silica-rich stone that sparkled in the bright light. It was much warmer here. The sounds of gently running water and the unmistakable sounds of birds filled the air. This was another habitat chamber with life from Earth. Nina was beginning to recognize the sounds and smells. They took the staircase to the right, which wound around to another landing. This landing was the flattened top of a pyramid of stairs that descended another ten meters or so to the chamber floor.
A series of arched doorways were set into the chamber walls. There was a broader arch near the stairs. The Queen’s Guard led Nina to one of the doorways on the opposite end of the chamber. They walked across a green carpet of plant life consisting of thousands of slender leaves. Small, thin trees grew in random patches, and a little stream flowed from a cistern in the garden's center. They reached the doorway and Nina jumped a little when the Guard spoke.
“Captain Nina,” she said, apparently amused by Nina’s reaction, “you will find everything you need in this sleeping chamber, clean robes, bedding, even some food. You will find a complete bathing room beyond the wide arch near the landing.”
The Guard’s voice was deep but surprisingly soft and pleasant. It was nowhere near the bass rumble of General Zebrak.
“Thank you. What should I call you?” Nina asked politely.
“Call me by my name. It is Imran,” the Guard said with a disarming smile and a small bow. “Please sleep well, Nina.”
“Just Imran? No rank?” Nina asked.
“The guard has no ranks,” Imran replied, to which Nina cocked her head.
“Sleep well,” the smiling Imran repeated, then walked away.
Nina pushed the curtain aside stepped into a domed cell with its floor set down three steps. There was a cubby formed into the wall opposite the entryway containing several robes hanging on stone pegs. At the center of the room was a collection of pillows, coverings, and cushions. Nina changed into a fresh robe and made sure to keep her new staff close as she burrowed into the cushions. She managed to count ten deep breaths before she slipped into a thankfully dreamless sleep.
When newcycle came, she was disoriented in the dark beneath the soft cushions. She remembered where she was in an instant, but her heart still raced as a tentative voice spoke near the room entrance.
“Hello?” the voice said, “Good morning. Captain, are you awake?”
Nina could see cracks of pale light from her burrow of blankets and pillows. The air surrounding her was hot and humid from her body heat and sweat. She was in some primal place just past wakefulness, and she dwelt there not understanding in the moment how to leave it. After twenty-five years of sleeping on stone sleep risers, Nina found it hard to leave bedding like this. She was slightly annoyed.
Nina slipped the staff into her robes. Whoever was at the door produced soft footsteps that moved further away, and more light came to her as some pillows slipped from her head. Nina stood slowly with a deep breath, coverings falling from her like sheets of water. She tried to rise from her slumber in a dignified way but doubted that achievement as a lock of her wild black hair fell in front her right eye. She tried to toss it back, but it fell again. A small, blond-haired soldier stood just inside the chamber archway.
“Good morning, Captain,” she said, not bothering to hide her amused smile.
Nina stood and stared with the pervasive numbness returning. Now the soldier hesitated. Nina was only grateful for the second good night of sleep she had for the second night in a row. She could not remember sleeping so well in decades.
“I just wanted to let you know that there will be an assembly within the hour. There is food outside in the courtyard.”
“And you are?” Nina asked. “We were never formally introduced.”
The soldier hesitated and a strange expression crossed her face. She said. “Nayar,” and walked away.
Nina kicked some cushions out of her way and stepped out of her nest. She walked past Nayar outside without furt
her words and headed straight for the bathing area. It felt good to sink into the large bath set flush with the floor. Nina realized she was on another upward trend of proper bathing opportunities. Bathing rooms like this were few and far between in the fleet, and time usually didn’t permit such luxury. Washing on the ships consisted of quick, walk-through troughs shared by hundreds.
The tub could easily accommodate ten, but she was alone. From the pattern of simulated daylight in the chamber, it was already an hour past newcycle. It was easy to recognize that the chamber light was adjusted for standard time and spectrum. All of these calibrations were set by the normal conditions of life on Earth. She wondered for the second time in her life why the patterns and cycles of their lives were calibrated to a planet the vast majority of Advocates would never see. She was distracted from her thoughts by Nayar.
“Captain. The others are wondering what to do next. We have seen no Guard, and there seems to be no communications network in this chamber,” the Sergeant said.
Nina thought for a moment, said, “Bring everyone here.”
A few minutes later, Nayar returned with Azin and Osae. The three stood in casual robes by the edge of the tub. The robes were obviously from the chamber, as they were made from the same soft, white material that was not spinstone.
“Are you waiting for an order?” Nina asked.
“Captain?” Nayar replied, not understanding the invitation.
“I’m calling a meeting. I thought it would be good to have it while bathing.”
Azin just stared down with her scarred face neutral. Nina was almost grateful the bald contempt was gone from that face, but there was something like it behind Azin’s eyes that could not be concealed.
“If you order it,” Azin said.
“Very well,” Nina said, “Everyone get in the bath. This is a meeting.”
The three dropped their robes and complied. Nina tried to hide her notice of the knotted scars across Azin’s chest and abdomen that matched the two slightly thinner scars that ran across her face. Her right breast was missing, and there was a pink crater of scar tissue below her left ribs. Nina noticed another similar, but larger crater on Azin’s torso just behind and below her right armpit. Entry and exit wounds. Something passed through her, Nina thought. The other, much younger warriors looked strong and unblemished. Nayar was pale and muscular and showed signs of baby fat. Osae was very slender, and her deep brown skin was unmarred. The other two hadn’t seen much direct combat, it appeared.
She waited for them to settle.
“I don’t want this to be any more difficult than it has to be, nor any more difficult than it already is,” Nina said. “We have orders, and we will carry them out. That is what matters.”
She was surprised to hear Azin speak without hesitation.
“I agree,” Azin said but her face held the same guarded, neutral stare. Nina noticed there was very little contrast between her pupil and iris. The effect was like staring into the chamber darkness again.
“I don’t want our first meeting to be so formal, so speak freely. But first, I don’t think I’ve been properly introduced to Nayar and Osae,” Nina said.
The two soldiers faced at each other with surprise. A memory suddenly triggered.
“You were both on the Third Arm,” Nina said.
“Well, yes Captain. You picked me up off the ground after the failed drop,” Osae said.
“I was your Communications Sergeant,” Nayar said.
That surprised Nina. How could she not recognize the voice? Signals replaced names on the battlefield, but that voice had been a constant throughout the battle. It disturbed her not to remember. She could only conclude that her efforts to forget the third arm made her forget these soldiers also. Still, it was bad form.
“I remember now,” Nina said.
That made two soldiers from the Third Arm Warsphere assigned to this mission. Why had the Queen selected soldiers who were considered mutineers by Olthan’s command? Nina’s actions put her on the side of the dissenters. Could assigning dissenters to this important mission be a way to co-opt them? Nina thought that unlikely because the Queen had ordered Olthan to keep the assignment quiet. Whatever the reason, it certainly did not have a positive effect on Olthan.
“Well,” Nina said. “I’m sorry not to recognize you, but I remember how well you served. I am very grateful you are all here.”
“Thank you, Captain,” Nayar said. “Osae and I have been here for five days. The Guard has been briefing us on mission systems.”
“Mission systems?” Nina asked.
“Yes, Captain. We will have our own ship,” Nayar said. Her pride was obvious.
“Of course,” Nina replied. “It’s just so surprising. All of this is Completely unexpected.”
“Yes,” Azin said. The hard edge returned to her voice, “This is a complete change.”
Nina seized on this as an opportunity to diffuse some tension.
“I Agree,” Nina said. “Serving together will be a welcome change.”
“The change occurred when Queen spoke her judgment,” Azin replied.
Nina silently questioned Azin’s meaning. To which part of that judgment did Azin refer, she wondered, the part where the Queen declared Nina insubordinate, or the part where the Queen declared her a trusted soldier?
Nina turned her attention to Nayar.
“What have you learned of our mission?” Nina asked.
Nina remembered that Nayar was in the communications section of Engineering Division, and Osae was from the Intelligence Division. But Nina wasn’t sure what Osae’s specialty was.
“We will fly a special shuttle for this mission. It is equipped specifically for Earth.”
“In what way is it specially configured?” Azin asked.
It was a valid question. Shuttles were very versatile vehicles. They were based on drop pods but were equipped with permanent doorways. While usually not capable of blinkpoint travel, they were capable of passing through the outer corona of most stars and could easily handle Jovian planets. The atmosphere of Earth would be a trivial matter for any shuttle.
“The shuttle is designed to hide,” Osae said, “The humans possess technology capable of detecting our craft, especially in the atmosphere.
They have defensive systems that can’t harm a shuttle, but can certainly interfere with one. Beyond retrieving the seed, direct contact with humanity is not authorized.
Also, the shuttle will have logic systems capable of working with human information technology. We will also have a complete database of human language, history, and culture.”
“I wasn’t aware we had to hide from the Seed Creatures,” Azin said with disdain.
Neither Nayar or Osae could answer that.
“Osae,” Nina asked, “what is your specialty in Intelligence division?”
“I am in the Cultural Section of Intelligence Division,” Osae said.
Osae hesitated before answering. That did not escape Nina's notice.
“And what was your assignment in the Third Arm,” Nina asked
“I was with an intelligence platoon,” she answered.
“A full Intelligence Division Platoon?” Nina asked, surprised.
“Yes. We had two hundred in our pod.”
“We had mixed troops in ours. What were your orders?” Nina asked, perplexed.
“We were to attach to Warsphere Command for coordination and control functions.”
Osae again hesitated before answering. Nina was convinced Osae was filtering her answers. She made a point to pursue this. Every other platoon was blended with a range of specialties. This information was strange, if not significant. Nina thought Azin noticed this too. She was watching Osae very carefully.
“I see,” Nina said. “And have you seen this shuttle?”
“Yes. The shuttle is here,” Nayar said. “These chambers are in the outer mantle.
The area is known as the Queen’s forge. The enormous pressures and temper
atures were used to form the Great Ships as well as the shuttles themselves.
The chamber we were in was a dry dock for the Ancient Ships.”
Nina was impressed. The chamber above must be several kilometers in all directions. Azin also looked impressed.
“How do the ships get from here to the surface?” Azin asked.
“I asked the same question,” Nayar replied. “The answer is they do not. Not anymore. The last ship was built thousands of years ago.
The Guard called Shirin told me that all the Queen’s Cruisers were launched from this chamber and others like it through lava tubes.”
For the first time, Azin and Nina exchanged a look other than anger or contempt. They both recognized awe in the expression of the other. They had the same thoughts. The volcanoes must have been massive to accommodate the ships, kilometers in diameter alone in the throat. The craters themselves must have been like inland seas. Nina tried to imagine the Great Ships erupting from such a volcano.
“The forges are mostly closed now. Smaller ships are made in the forge and sent up through some of the smaller tubes that still run to the surface. Those tubes are dry. There is no more volcanic activity in this region. We are scheduled to leave by the end of next cycle.”
“How are we to train for this and make it back to the surface in time?” Nina asked, once again perplexed.
“There will be time,” came a deep voice from the bath chamber door.
The Guard called Imran stood inside the chamber, arms akimbo.
“Please finish bathing and come to the main chamber. You will eat, and we will begin training,” And with that, the massive soldier turned and walked back into the chamber.
Chapter 17: Earth, Maryland, Flight
The special passenger compartment built into the Unit’s customized C-130 cargo plane was intimate. The jump seats were arranged so that six people could fit with about a hand-length between them. There were two rows of seats facing each other. One set of seats was bolted to the bulkhead separating the cargo bay from the nose section of the aircraft that contained the avionics and pilot deck. The other wall was an additional bulkhead to which the other three seats were bolted. This additional wall separated the passenger compartment from the cargo bay proper. The rows were staggered so that passengers facing each other almost touched knees. Rachel, Donna and Major Spivey sat on the cargo compartment side, while Chase and Ray sat opposite.
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