Sisterhood of Suns: Daughters of Eve

by Martin Schiller

  “I? Nothing,” Skylaar answered. “It is Lady Ananzi’s doing. Now, I need you to listen to me, Sarah. Listen very carefully; I have slept in the arms of twilight, and I have dreamt my way unto the darkest night.”

  Sarah’s eyes fluttered as a wave of profound fatigue washed over her. It was a hypnotic compulsion of some kind, she realized. The trigger phrase, and her reaction, confirmed this. Clearly, Lady Ananzi had betrayed her.

  Although a thousand questions raced through her mind, the need to fulfil her obligation to Angelique, and the Conversâzi, overwhelmed them all. She had to finish what she had come to do. She had to redeem herself. By killing Maya. Now.

  Dropping the needlegun, Sarah cocked her fist, intent on delivering the death blow with her bare hands.

  Skylaar spoke again. There was more force in her voice.

  “Stop, Sarah! You will leave this cabin immediately! You will go into the crew’s quarters. You will climb into a bunk and you will sleep.”

  Sarah’s arm suddenly joined in her finger’s mutiny. It locked itself in place, and although she channeled every ounce of her will into it, it steadfastly refused to comply. Sweat broke out on her brow as she tried to overcome the spell, but it was impossible. She might as well have been trying to push a planet from its orbit.

  “You will do as I say, Sarah,” Skylaar barked. “Obey!”

  With a ragged cry, Sarah finally reached the very limits of her strength. Her arm went limp, and she collapsed to her knees, gasping for air.

  “Get up, Sarah. Go into the crew’s quarters,” Skylaar told her firmly. “You are feeling tired. You can rest there.”

  To her horror, Sarah realized that she was rising. As she watched it happening from some distant dreamlike place, her body became erect, turned of its own accord, and began to walk out of the cabin. It had become like some kind of living puppet, totally subservient to Skylaar’s commands.

  Now she understood why the woman had been so cooperative, and so unconcerned. But what her motives were, or Lady Ananzi’s for that matter, remained an utter mystery. Only one thing was certain; their plans involved Maya.

  It also didn’t matter. She was tired, right down to the very marrow of her bones. Afterwards, when she had rested, she would expend the energy that she needed to think. Just then, she had nothing to spare.

  Grunvaald Haarmaaneplaatz, Vaalkenstaad Township, Zommerlaand, Sunna 3, Solara Elant, United Sisterhood of Suns, 1049.01|13|08:11:21

  The drone in the holo had been configured to perform and respond exactly like the latest Valkyrie aerospace fighter. The moment that it entered the invisible zone around the Seevaan ship, and right at the point where it might have been within firing range, it vanished. A bare half-second later, a small flare of light appeared on the opposite side of the Seevaan vessel, and then winked out.

  This was all that Lilith would ever see of the drone’s destruction. The field that it had entered had compensated for the energy created by its disintegration by venting it out into space. To the best of her knowledge, and the Navy’s most gifted technical advisors, this ‘Death Field’ could resist any attack the Sisterhood could mount against it, and no one had even established if there was an upward limit to how much punishment it could handle. In fact, it seemed to have no limit whatsoever.

  She frowned, and viewed the next clip. This showed Seevaan fighters engaging more drones. Instead of employing railguns and missiles, they used a violet-colored ball of plasma that locked onto their targets just like a missile could. It wasn’t fooled by any known form of countermeasure, and once it made contact, it had the same effect as the ‘Death Field’. The drones simply ceased to be.

  Although her nation’s Navy was two hundred years ahead of the ETR, the Seevaans were that and more in comparison with the Sisterhood. If it ever came to a war, it would end quickly, and the Sisterhood would be the clear loser.

  Lately, this had been the very thing worrying her superior, Admiral ebed Cya. An unprecedented event had recently occurred; for the first time ever, the Seevaan Chaotic factions were displaying their military might outside of their own space, and holding war games in the Xee Protectorate.

  As the holos amply demonstrated, their exercises were specifically calibrated towards the Sisterhood. On the diplomatic front, there wasn’t any indication that relations were breaking down, but as far as Rixa saw it, that alone was no guarantee that the peace would last.

  While the games went on, and the Seevaans continued to practice a mock war with Womankind, they had every reason to remain vigilant. Lilith’s job was to analyze the information that they had, and if she could, discover anything that seemed like weaknesses in the Seevaan arsenal. So far, she hadn’t found any, but she persisted, hoping that the Goddess would grant her some useful insight.

  She was deep into a replay of the drone footage when Hanna came bursting through the kitchen door. From her expression, Lilith knew that something terrible had just happened.

  “What’s wrong?” she asked.

  “It’s Concordance Station,” the other woman blurted, half out of breath. “They bombed it! The Marionites bombed the station!”

  Lilith couldn’t quite believe her ears. Suddenly, the Seevaans had lost all of their importance. “What?!”

  “It’s true! It’s on all za ‘cast channels!” Hanna answered, beckoning her to come into the living area. This was where Grammy kept her rather ancient, and oft-repaired holojector.

  Marina and Ingrit were already there, and they had switched the machine on. The local station, out of Vaalkenstaad, was just repeating the headlines. The ‘cast was in Standard, with Zommerlaandish captioning, so Lilith didn’t have to struggle with what the journalist was saying.

  “To repeat our headline story, there has been a bombing at the Concordance magnorail station. The attack came at the very height of the Summertyne holiday, and according to authorities, several devices were involved.’

  “While casualty figures are not complete, our sister station in Thermadon reports that a preliminary figure is 190 dead and 1,200 injured by the blast. Local area hospitals have been inundated with patients, and they have been transferring the less serious cases to satellite facilities, using city hoverbuses and ambulances.’

  “In addition, two other bombs were found and disarmed at the Cyrene and Marpesia stations, and a stolen ‘van carrying bomb-making materials and Marionite propaganda, was discovered near Concordance Station. While the terrorist group calling itself the ‘Daughters of Eve’ has not yet claimed direct responsibility, police officials say that the evidence linking them with this attack is conclusive.”

  “In the meantime, Chairwoman bel Rayna visited the disaster site, and addressed the nation.”

  The scene cut to a medium close-up of the politician, flanked by two RSE generals in somber black uniforms. One of these was a striking blond that the interactive ‘cast identified as General Angelique bel Thana, and the other, was her superior, General Susa ben Paula. Together, the group seemed to embody the Goddess in her triple form, and in her sternest and most resolute of moods. Lilith stood stock still, listening intently to Bel Rayna’s words.

  “Today, a craven act of terror was perpetrated on innocent citizens,” she said. “On mothers, and daughters and grandmothers whose only crime was being at the wrong place at the wrong time. We have taken steps to help the survivors of this vicious attack, and our hearts go out to the dead and those they leave behind.’

  “I want to assure you that we will find the ones who are responsible for this atrocity. We will find them, and we will bring them to face a swift and terrible justice.”

  The image changed again, returning to the newscaster. “There was immediate reaction to this event from members of the Supreme Circle, not only expressing outrage, but concern over the causes behind it, and how to prevent future tragedies like this from ever occurring again.’

  “One of the most vocal representatives was Senatrix Tanya t’Tallya of the Uni party who immediately
raised questions about why more device-sniffing waste receptacles and scanners weren’t present at the station.’

  “In response to this, a spokeswoman for the Metropolitan Transit Authority stated that while more units had been placed on order, that their Maintenance Department had been forced to deploy ‘dumb’ receptacles in order to cope with the larger than usual holiday traffic.’

  “The Senatrix reacted to this by pledging to launch an investigation into the matter, and mentioned that it would dovetail with a larger probe being launched by Senatrix Layna n’Calysher concerning the scope of Marionite terrorist activities throughout the Sisterhood.”

  Ingrit took in a deep, ragged breath. “Can’t they give it a rest?” she asked wearily. “We need unity now, not infighting. Fekking politicians.” Lilith nodded absently and sat down in the nearest seat.

  Without realizing it, she had ensconced herself in Grammy’s favorite rocker and when the old woman entered a minute later, she quickly apologized and surrendered it. Beyond this small interaction, no one spoke another word, or even moved, and when one of the children tried to wander in, Marina quickly shooed her out. This was not the kind of thing that a little girl needed to hear.

  The newscaster had more to say. “In a related story, our armed forces and police agencies have placed themselves on a state of high alert. Interstellar travel for civilians has been sharply curtailed, with all flights except those of an emergency nature, cancelled until further notice.”

  “Mehn gaate,” Grammy finally said. “Za ice comes.” She made a gesture that the other Zommerlaandars in the room copied, and Lilith didn’t have to ask them if it was intended to ward away evil or not. At the moment, she also had more on her mind than understanding another facet of Zommerlaandar mysticism.

  “I have to call Rixa,” she announced. As she rose, Jan bar Daala joined them. The woman was in uniform, and wearing her side-arm. For once, Lilith found the sight of the weapon reassuring.

  “Already done, ma’am,” Bar Daala stated. “Admiral ebed Cya is in a conference call right now with the Admiral of the Navy, but her adjutant advised me that she will be expecting to hear from you within the hour.’

  “We also got a call from the Vaalkenstaad Police. Their Chief would like to speak with you at your earliest convenience, and she’s offered the use of the Com in her office for your appointment with the Admiral.”

  “That was thoughtful,” Lilith replied with bitter sarcasm. Although the Chief was well within her rights to ask for the meeting, given the situation, she knew that it would only amount to so much hand-holding. Juta Haarasdaater was a good police officer, and an able administrator, and she had plans in place that she could call on to deal with the emergency. But she was also a small town cop and this event was well beyond her scope. It was obvious that she was hoping for some kind of advice, or at the very least, Lilith’s stamp of approval.

  Not that Lilith was any more experienced. Her skill-set was limited to starships and naval warfare, not handling terrorists. She was still a Vice-Admiral though, and possessed the mystical aura of ‘high officialdom’. She was also a new resident. If nothing else, it was her neighborly duty to help the Chief in her hour of need.

  ”Let me get changed and we’ll go see her,” she agreed. “Ingrit can you drive us there in Betsi?”

  “Sure thing, Lily.”

  “No need, ma’am,” Bar Daala interjected. “The police are sending a car around for us.”

  Lilith caught the slight hesitation in her adjutant’s voice. There was obviously more to it than that. “And?”

  “Well--ma’am,” Bar Daala said, “They’re also sending a detail by—to—um-- watch the farm.”

  “A detail?”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Great goddess in heaven!” Lilith exclaimed. “As if we don’t have enough to contend with! Who in all space do they think is going to come out here? We’re in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by nothing but cows! The last thing that we need right now are some clumsy kaapers blundering around here and tripping over the milking stools!”

  Despite the gravity of a police presence at the farm, her imagery evoked a well-needed chuckle from Grammy and the others. It was also an absurd objection, and everyone, including Lilith, knew it. The officers assigned to the detail would undoubtedly be local girls, and know their way around a farm—at least enough to avoid mishaps with any mischievous stools.

  “Ma’am, I tried to change the Chief’s mind,” Bar Daala said, “but she just wouldn’t budge. She said that the orders came straight from the Governess’s Office itself. They want their Vice-Admiral to stay safe.”

  Lilith shook her head. “’Their’ Vice-Admiral—since when am I--? No, never mind. I’ll just be quiet now and go get myself changed.”

  She went upstairs to don her uniform, adding her own energy pistol to her duty belt. In the event of a national emergency like this one, naval regulations required it, regardless of rank, or assignment, and this rule had been in place since the First Widow’s War. Like Bar Daala’s weapon, the weight of the blaster pistol on her hip brought with it a greater sense of order and control, and she strongly suspected, that aside from the practical aspect of having military personnel arm themselves during a crisis, that this was part of the reason behind the measure. In a small way, it made her feel a little more capable of facing the emergency.

  By the time she had finished and come back down into the living area, the police had arrived and were knocking on the front door.

  ***

  Angelique paced her office like a kaatze. If it wouldn’t have been unattractive to have done so, she would have been howling in rage at the officers standing before her. She kept her cool though, and carefully composed her features.

  “Let me see if I can understand all of this,” she said quietly, “We have one half-trained agent who manages to survive an air attack by two of our armed ‘cars. This is thanks to one of our own policewomen and a professional assassin who is a known associate of Colonel n’Jan’s.’

  “Somehow, they all manage to leave the planet, right under our noses. In addition to this, you’re telling me, what--exactly---?”

  The senior-most officer shifted uncomfortably. “That we also lost the three women we had posted at N’Kaaryn’s apartment, ma’am. But it wasn’t Skylaar taur Minna. We know that much. Taur Minna was with N’Kaaryn and Signysdaater at the time. Someone else took them out.”

  Bel Thana raised a single perfect eyebrow. “And you expect me to believe that this mysterious ‘someone else’ actually managed this by turning our agent’s own weapons against them? Is that correct?”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the woman answered. “Whoever she was, she was a professional. From the look of it, the agents put up quite a fight, but she finished them all off without getting a scratch herself. We ran an analysis of the scene and all the blood matched our assets. It also confirmed conclusively that their wounds came from the weapons they had been carrying.”

  There was obvious admiration in the woman’s tone, and Angelique glowered at her in disapproval.

  “I want them all found, “she instructed. “Including this mysterious ‘professional’. Use whatever resources you need to, but find them, and terminate them. I also want you to make certain to terminate anyone that helps them, no matter how minor their assistance is. We must make an example of everyone involved.”

  “What if we determine that Colonel n’Jan is helping them?”

  “Then you are to terminate her as well,” Angelique answered leadenly. At that, she turned away and faced the window. Her subordinates quickly departed.

  Angelique barely noticed. She was too hurt and too shocked. Sarah, she thought with anguish, how could you do this to me? To us? And for what? A little guttersnipe barely worth the dirt scraped from our boots?’

  When her agents caught up with her, she would see to it that Maya paid dearly for the part she had played in this. Just like Trina had.

  No, she though
t. Worse than Trina.

  Gripping the edge of the window sill, she sent a message to the officer who had just conducted the briefing. It was by psiever and encrypted.

  I want you to make certain that Maya n’Kaaryn’s death is as slow and as painful as you can make it. And I want the same thing for Colonel n’Jan. They must suffer.

  Once she received the acknowledgement, she had her AI set her as Away/Unavailable, and then let her tears run their course, unconcerned about what this was doing to her make-up. A careful re-application of cosmetics would erase the damage, and once her agents caught up with Maya and Sarah, revenge would heal the wounds that were in her heart.

  Hotel Bel Lyyra, Agamede District, Thermadon Val, Thermadon, Myrene System, Thalestris Elant, United Sisterhood of Suns, 1049.01|13|08:21:21

  Just as Angelique had warned, the press was waiting for Kaly at the Hotel Bel Lyyra like a pack of starved Nyxian Taarq-beasts. Everyone wanted to interview the ‘brave heroine of the RSE’ who had ‘single-handedly rescued her fellow citizens from certain death’. They also wanted her personal opinion on the Marionite issue, the Daughters of Eve, and the role of her agency in stemming the tide of interstellar terrorism.

  The problem was, Kaly didn’t have a ‘position’ on any of these issues that she wanted to share publically. She knew exactly what the press was looking for, and she wasn’t about to give it to them. They wanted to see her anger, and capture clips of her demanding bloody revenge.

  And while she was angry, and did want payback, she was too tired, and too confused, to crave anything more than a hot shower, and the chance to reconcile her feelings. In private.

  Fortunately, the police officers who had escorted her there, and a squad that had been pre-positioned at the hotel, knew their business. They ran interference for her, blocking off the newshounds, and Kaly was able to take a lift up to her room in relative peace.

  She still couldn’t bring herself to believe that N’Elemay had been involved in the atrocity. As clear as the facts were, they were in direct conflict with the woman that she had fought alongside with.