by Shawn Jones
“We know that General Addison would be willing to do so, but we do not believe that his military force would follow him in a venture that would have such long-reaching effects on their physiology. Certainly not to rescue just one child.”
“Very well. I wish a daily status update, Che.”
“Of course, sir.”
When Che left his office, Miku looked inward. You must be patient. We have planned this moment for eons. Taking the child will sideline Addison. And thanks to Addison himself, no others have the ability to stop us. We must be sure, though. Too much is at stake.
Miku sent Che a message instructing him to review the entire operation. After the message was sent, he returned to his other work.
Solitude
“Bazal, it’s good to see you again,” Kim said as the octopod left the shuttle that had landed at the
Isthmus compound.
“Hello, Kimberly. It is good to see you as well,” Bazal said. After greeting Heroc and being introduced to Doctor Tsao and his wife, Bazal turned upside down in his tank and waited for Dalek to get within his reach. Once the child was near enough, a tentacle came down from the top of the tank and slowly extended toward the boy. As it touched his belly, Dalek giggled and began scrambling up the appendage.
“Is it always like this, Kimberly?” Tsao Lian asked.
“My son thinks every alien in the galaxy is his playmate, Lian. And those two are the worst offenders,” Kim said while pointing at Heroc and Bazal. “They spoil Dalek like they were his grandparents. I guess in some ways, they are.”
“They clearly love him, Kimberly. That is never bad.”
Bazal now had the boy upside down and was dunking him in the tank, causing Dalek to laugh and scream and sputter all at once.
“You are right, Lian. Loving a child is never bad.” Kim reached up to take Dalek from Bazal. “That’s enough you two! Let’s go inside. I’m sure Doctor Tsao would like to get started, and I need to get this one back home. After he changes into some dry clothes.”
Bazal asked, “Kimberly, will Cortland be available to see me today?”
“No, Bazal. There are some cadets who have been harassing other species, so he is on the base teaching them a lesson. He has cleared his schedule for you tomorrow morning, though. I’ll have a shuttle here to pick you up then.”
“Thank you.”
Three
Argyre Research Facility, Mars
Dale Frame handed a box to Speral and activated a holo-projector. “This is how you will put the clothes on,” he said as her holographic image donned a representation of the suit. “For us, the seal is on the side, but because of your dorsal spines, it makes sense to have it seal between them. They will be fully exposed, however. We can put a nanotube sock on them, but we do not believe it would help much, and it is possible that they could limit your ability to defend yourself.”
“I see. What are its attributes beyond covering my skin?” Speral asked.
“You will have the same switchable camouflage as the human form of the FALCON, as well as its armor and strength enhancements. But there are two key differences.” More for Jeff’s benefit that anything else, Frame said, “Since you need parts of the light spectrum to reach your skin for some of your biologic processes, the suits will also have fiber optic properties that allow the necessary light to pass through. In addition, the power pack is able to project an artificial form of the light directly onto your skin. It is a power drain, but if you only do it once a day for a few minutes, it will meet your needs and the suit will be able to recharge fully in less than an hour.”
“That is very helpful, Dale,” Speral said.
“There is one other thing, Speral. It also replaces your tank.” Dale pointed at the hologram and zoomed in on the image’s head. “Do you see this part near the helmet?” Jeff manipulated the image as Dale continued, “It is actually a part of the suit. Similar to a balaclava, it will cover the lower portion of your face and supply you with the gas mixture you need in our environment.”
Jeff said, “Dale, you said ‘suits’ earlier. Are we marketing these to the Nill as well?”
“No, but my people made several versions of the suit for Speral. My group thought she might get bored wearing the same outfit every day, especially since she is not in the military. There’s one more thing. These are actually gen two. I saw the video of the attack on you, so I reprinted them to allow for her spine to contort the way it did then.”
“Ah. Okay. What do you think, Speral?” Jeff asked.
“It will take some getting used to, Jeffrey, but I believe I will enjoy it.”
“One more thing, Speral,” Dale said. “Just like your tank kit did, when you first start wearing the suits, they will irritate your skin. I would suggest the same lotion we gave you last time to prevent chafing.”
“I understand,” Speral said. Turning to Jeff, she smiled, baring her fangs, “Will you help me apply the lotion, Jeffrey?”
Poltava Medical Facility, Earth
“Why is Munroe still here?” Cort asked as he walked through the facility with Admiral Jones.
Remembering an incident at the end of the Cuplan war, JJ weighed her options. General Addison hated surprises, but she really didn’t feel like she had the right to spoil this for the woman who had contacted her two weeks before. “General, in order to tell you that, I would have to betray her trust. I’m not willing to do that. So as much as you hate surprises, you have to trust me on this one. It’s good, and that’s got to be enough to get you through the next few minutes.”
Cort felt himself tense up immediately. Not only did he hate surprises, he had already warned JJ about them once. “This had better be worth it, JJ. If it’s not, you are going to be my new sparring partner.”
“It will be, Cort,” JJ said, uncharacteristically using his first name. “I still cannot believe it myself.”
Jane Munroe lived two years of her life in an agony that only one other man in the Ares Federation could understand. When the Ithaca was lost in the initial attacks against the Cuplans, she lost both legs just below the hips as a tungsten slug weighing millions of tons rolled over her lower body. The prosthetics that were made for her were functional, but as advanced as they were, she still didn’t have the same control over them that she had over her old legs. General Addison had met with her once after the war, offered her his support and thanks, and told Dar Sike to give her anything she needed to make her life easier. Jane had a different plan, so she took a page from the General’s past and did what she needed to do for herself.
When Addison and Jones walked into her hospital room, she stood from the chair she was in, walked across the room, and saluted them. Cort looked at her, in her dress uniform, and saluted back to her. “You look well, Munroe. I was surprised to hear that you are still in the hospital, though. What’s the story?”
At twenty years old, Munroe could barely contain her excitement. Looking down, she said, “Oh, I am sorry, sir. I chose the wrong uniform. Just a minute please.” She stepped into the bathroom as Cort looked at JJ questioningly. Less than a minute later, Munroe stepped in front of him and saluted again, saying, “Petty Officer Jane Munroe, reporting for duty, sir.”
Her new uniform was identical to the old one, except she was wearing a blue skirt instead of slacks. Cort looked down and saw her legs. It took a moment for it to register that the petty officer was standing on human, flesh and bone legs. “How the hell did you get those back, Munroe?” he asked.
“The same way you got your hands back after the Mars attack, sir,” she beamed. “I didn’t want to be broken, so I had my stumps amputated and spent the last eighteen months regrowing my legs.”
Theoretically, synthetics could not regrow complete limbs. Blood vessels sealed and scar tissue formed too quickly. Years before, after Cort’s forearms were destroyed by two ancient Claymore mines that he detonated manually during an attack on one of the Mars colonies, his hands had been grown back. Doctors continuall
y pumped synthetics into his comatose body while they abraded the wounded limbs, allowing him to heal normally.
“Holy hell!” Cort reached out to shake her hand again, but she grabbed him and hugged the towering man. After hugging her back, they separated and he said, “Munroe, I remember how painful my arms were after I grew them back. What you are feeling must be way more intense. How long were you out for the procedure?”
“I wasn’t sir. I had pain inhibitors, but they could not keep me out that long. Most of the time, I was awake.”
“But the last time I saw you, your prosthetics were just fine. Why did you go through that?”
“Because I want to serve again, sir.”
“You would have been able to serve with prosthetics, Jane,” Cort argued.
“I want to be a Marine, sir. I don’t want to be on a ship, General. I never did, but I went where I was needed. I believe I have earned the right to ask this favor of you. May I be a Marine, sir?”
Cort remembered the pain he went through when his arms were blown off by the mines. The memories flooded back as recalled Kay’s lifeless body and Sköll’s remains in the hallway of the original Mars colony. Fighting the urge the smile, he turned to JJ and said, “What the hell is wrong with you Admiral?”
Taken aback, JJ said, “Sir?”
“This woman is clearly a Marine. Why on earth did you put her on a ship?” Cort smiled. “If you make a mistake like that again, you may find yourself serving as the junior navigator on a botany barge.” Turning to Munroe, he said, “Cadet Munroe, you will join the officer’s college at Solitude immediately. You are two weeks behind the rest of your class, and I expect you to rectify that failing on your part as quickly as possible. Furthermore, you are out of uniform. When next I see you, I expect you to be in a Marine BDU. Do you think you can accomplish that, cadet?”
“Yes, sir!”
Bergh Station
“You’ve got to be kidding me! She grew her legs back?” Kim asked.
“Kim, I can’t even imagine the pain she went through. I talked to her docs while she packed her gear, and they said that they’ve never seen anything like it. Apparently, even with the neural inhibitors, she was feeling something like having her legs on fire, every single waking moment. And she was awake at least ten hours a day for eighteen months.”
“Wow.”
Cort picked Dalek up, placed the boy on his shoulders, and added, “Yeah. Wow. That kind of agony should have fucked with her mind, so I asked Bazal to check on her mental state. He said she has a very strong will. Apparently she still feels a lot of pain, but to take her mind off of it, she mentally draws the Marine logo in her mind.”
“We need to fast track her.” While Kim was officially out of the military, she still oversaw base placement on colony worlds, academy operations, and she worked with the wolfpacks, helping pair wolves and humans.
“Yeah, but she wants to fight and I’m giving her that. See how she does with wolves. If she is good with them, I want her in a wolfpack. If she doesn’t fit there, make her a company commander. But do not put her behind a desk. And make sure Lex knows about it. She will be his equal before either of them expect it.”
“Poppa! Look! A big dinosaw!” Dalek screamed from his father’s shoulders.
Cort and Kim both turned to see trees moving. After a moment, a large herbivore appeared and stood outside the enclosure. It stared at the humans for several seconds before it turned and began walking back through the forest. All three of the wolves were growling, but Dalek just leaned to the side of Cort’s head and tried to reach the great reptile. As it moved away, the wolves calmed and looked at Cort and Kim for guidance. The family moved on as well, and Kim said, “Dinosaurs are so much smarter than scientists ever believed. There are a few idiots back on Earth who think Terran dinos were less developed, but the consensus is that they had a communal structure similar to elephants.”
“That reminds me, I don’t want to separate military bases and your sanctuaries. Solitude is a great model. Dar said something about it once to me. Having a base in the middle of the park gives the military a visual cue to remind them what we fight for.”
“It would make logistics a lot easier too,” Kim said.
“Okay. I’ve been talking to H’uum’s people to find out which systems have the most potential for development and he’s accelerating the evacuation of planets that can have their native species reintroduced.”
“Heroc told me something about that. Honestly, I’m surprised they are working so hard to integrate and honor the peace treaty.”
Cort thought about a discussion he once had with Heroc. The insectoid refused to turn over the crystal technology, but she asked him to accept it in the name of peace. Cort agreed to the request, and he suspected the H’uumans were so committed to the treaties they had signed because of his willingness to trust Heroc. “I’m not. They are an honorable people.”
Kim put her arm in Cort’s and said, “I am always amazed that you can find the good in your enemies.”
Cortland.
Yes, Bazal?
The senator you asked me to observe has ordered the theft of military equipment from a storehouse in a place called Raven Rock. It is to take place in three days.
Thank you. I will get the details from you in the morning.
Please make time for Doctor Tsao and me after you have dealt with that. We would like to discuss our progress.
Okay, I will see you in four days.
Thank you, Cortland.
After a short pause, Cort said, “Bazal just told me the esteemed former senator from Hawaii is making his move. I don’t think I can find good in him.”
“Even your optimism has its limits, baby,” Kim said sarcastically.
Raven Rock Mountain Complex, Old Pennsyvania
Ten men and women attempted to steal military equipment from Raven Rock. They failed.
“You made a huge mistake, gentlemen,” Cort said coldly as he stood over the ten men who had been captured minutes before. “But then none of you look smart enough to study your enemy. I used to take part in drills designed to breach this facility. Of course that was a few dozen decades before your mothers decided to spread their legs.” After he cleared his throat and spat on the back of the head of one of the men, he picked another man up by his arm and said, “I know who all of you are, who you work for, and what you’re getting paid. But more importantly, I know who your families are. I can have them moved to any colony I choose. Or I can divide them up among a dozen alien worlds. That choice will be made by each of you. If you cooperate, you yourselves will be punished. If you don’t cooperate, your husbands, wives, parents and children will also be punished. Take your time and talk it over.” Cort dropped the man and moved away.
“He will kill us if we talk. I would rather take my chances with you, General,” one man said.
“I’m going to kill you anyway. But your testimony will save your families.”
“Not from him.”
“You must mean the disgraced senator.” As the words left his mouth, Cort saw several of the shackled men react. “Yes, I told you that I know who is behind this. He will be dead by morning. I would like to use him as an example to prevent others from committing treason, but I can only do that with your help. If you don’t, I’m still going to kill him, but I will have to justify it.”
Oahu
“The apple didn’t fall far from the tree, did it, Governor Dole?” Cort asked drily.
“No, General, it did not.”
“Tell me, Governor, are you related to the historic Doles?”
“The folklore in my family says so, but I doubt it. I do love pineapple though,” the governor said with a slight smile. “Thank you for allowing us to execute him legally, General.”
“It would have been legal my way too. This way is better in the press. My people will guard him until it’s over, though.”
“Will you attend the execution?”
“No, Governor.
It would be better if you handle this as a civil matter. I would prefer to not be associated with it.”
“I will make the confessions and the vid of the arrests available to the press.”
“Your copy has already been edited to remove my role in it. I appreciate your cooperation.”
“Of course, General. I am ashamed of Hawaii’s part in this entire debacle. This is the least I can do to make things right. Tell me, how is the alien?”
“She is fine. The spines she lost are almost regrown, and she has been back at work on Mars for two weeks. Governor, this doesn’t reflect poorly on Hawaii, just one Hawaiian family.” Cort looked at his watch and added, “I don’t mean to be rude, but I should go before the island wakes up.”
“Of course, of course. A hui hou kakou, General.”
“Goodbye, Governor.”
Solitude
“Hello, gentlemen. How is our subterranean mystery coming along?”
“General, your inquiry is not accurate. As this is Solitude, it cannot be a subterranean mystery,” Tsao observed.
“Seriously, Doc?”
“Cortland, I believe we are well along the journey to find the solution,” Bazal said.
“How so, Bazal?”
“The being is ninety-seven million years old. The same age as the humanoid you found in the cavern.”
“That cannot be a coincidence, General,” Tsao added.
“Okay, what else do you know?”
“It does not trust biotic life forms. Specifically, it has a strong distrust for humanoids.”
“Why?” Cort asked.
Tsao looked back at the holotable that was projecting the entity’s shape.
“We cannot answer that yet. But Bazal is working on it, General.”
Cort walked to a window and looked in the general direction of the being that lived under the surface. He thought about its size and shape and realized he was standing over the southern tip of the massive life form.
Looking down he said, “So what do we do to gain its trust?”
Bazal said, “I am working it, but as our communication is still very basic, it will take time.”
