The Lost Aria (Earth Song Book 3)

by Mark Wandrey

  “Cherise, talk to me.”

  “There isn't much to talk about,” the taller woman said and tried to slip by. Minu moved in her way and saw anger flash on the other girl’s face. “You going to get out of the way?”

  “No.”

  Cherise backed up and put her hands on her round hips. The set of her shoulders, the stance of her feet, the anger in her eyes all made Minu wonder if she was about to get in a fight. The two women knew each other’s fighting styles better than they knew themselves, but Cherise was still a notch better than her. Minu was pretty sure the only way to beat her was to cheat and use cybernetics where ability fell short. Luckily, it wasn't necessary. Cherise backed up and dropped into a chair, gesturing impatiently for Minu to join her. “Have your say, then.”

  Minu sat and took a deep breath. But she admitted to herself that she didn't know what to say. “I'm sorry it worked out this way.”

  “Liar.”

  The words were like a slap in the face. “Okay, I'm sorry you are hurt.”

  “Are you now?”

  “Don't be a bitch,” Minu said, a little menace slipping into her words. “You've been the best friend I've ever had.”

  “So good that a day after I admit that I'm in love with you, you go fuck Aaron for the first time?”

  “Should I have run it by you first?”

  “A simple no to my proposition would have been nice before you got all crazy with him.”

  “It just happened.”

  “Like I believe it was so spontaneous.”

  “And you and Gregg in that cave?” That brought her up short. “And don't even try saying it was different. I understand you two, and how it happened better now. The difference is Aaron and I have had...feelings for each other for years.”

  “And still you pick this time to go for it, right after I bleed my heart dry to you?”

  “If you think one event predicated the other then you're an idiot.” Cherise opened her mouth to say something, then closed it and sat back. Pain was laser etched on her face. “Yes, we slept together, and did again last night. He moved into my cabin because we finally admitted we were in love.”

  “After I-”

  “Damn it, Cherise, your admission didn't have anything to do with it! We've basically been in love since we met on the dirigible to the trials. You admitted you fell in love with me slowly, over the years. I am truly sorry, he had first claim to my heart. I love you; like my sister, but that is all there will ever be. What we had and did was special, but just not right for me.” Minu felt herself blushing at the unsaid part. She just loved having a man inside her. Cherise looked down, big tears rolling down her face and wetting the front of her uniform. “I want to be your best friend, always. But I understand if it will be too painful to you.” Cherise continued to refuse to look up, her chest heaving as she quietly sobbed. Minu nodded and got to her feet. “I'll always love my big sister,” she said, frowning in the effort not to cry herself, as she turned to leave.

  “Please, don't go!” Cherise sobbed.

  “I don't want to. I need a friend like you to face whatever is ahead. And more important, I need you because I don't have a real sister like you do.”

  “You are my real sister,” Cherise said. With an obvious effort she stood and held out her arms. The two women hugged and then Minu did cry. The two bawled on each other for several minutes. “I can't stop loving you and wanting you.”

  “I didn't ask you to, I'm just saying that I can't give you what you want. Part of me wishes I could.”

  Cherise nodded and sniffed, wiping away tears and the ever annoying cry-snot. “Are you two going to get married?”

  Minu was a little taken aback. She'd never considered it. Married? Me? “We're just boyfriend and girlfriend, for now.”

  “Okay. Well, if you do...”

  “You're the maid of honor, of course.”

  “You're god damn right I am.”

  Minu nodded and hugged her again in happiness, the tears finally gone. “Workout tomorrow? I'm getting creaky stuck in this damn ship.”

  “Three times a week,” Cherise agreed. “Bring Aaron; it'll give me a chance to punish him for stealing my lover.” Minu laughed, then wondered if her friend was kidding.

  It took two more days for the Kaatan to reach its maximum speed, inching up on five thousand times the speed of light like a spider approaching a wasp. For the first time as Minu wandered the halls she found sections without heat and lighting. She questioned Pip.

  “I'm trying to squeeze as much power savings as possible. You'd be surprised how much power even the cabins consume. The people who built these ships didn't understand the concept of frugal power use.”

  “How about we shut down power on a couple decks,” Minu suggested. “Maybe double up staterooms?”

  “Can't put Ted and Bjorn together,” said Pip, “they get on each other’s nerves too quickly. But I'll bunk with Ted.”

  “Bjorn can keep his own cabin,” Minu said, “I hear he sleeps in the buff anyway.” Cherise made a face.

  “Every erg is appreciated,” Pip told her.

  “But we'll turn one of the saved rooms into a common space. Call it a game room. I don't want everyone getting into the habit of hanging out in the CIC.” They'd all been standing in the aforementioned CIC watching dynamic displays of the ship and where their precious power was going. All of a sudden a cramp nearly doubled Minu over. “Ugh,” she grunted and put a hand to her abdomen. She could feel the muscles bunching through the fabric.

  “You okay?” Cherise asked. To her credit everything seemed back to normal between them. Their workout yesterday was just as brutal as usual so she couldn't credit any attempt to get even. Aaron held his own well enough, but he had the typical male muscle density to compensate for his less refined fighting style. She had a couple cramps yesterday but she'd just attributed it to the renewed workout, and her renewed sexual activity. The implant inside her left forearm made sure her menstrual cycles no longer bothered her either. Then why did that feel a lot like a menstrual cramp?

  “Just some cramps. You did kick me pretty hard yesterday.”

  “Only after you tried to dislocate my arm!”

  Pip watched the two with mild interest. Of course he'd observed their sparing match. After reviewing their scene in the galley it was the next logical step. When they were done he masturbated to the images. He was in the middle of reviewing his own reactions to perceived sexual stimulus, and was becoming both amused and a little disturbed that almost anything had that effect on him.

  The additions the ship had made to Minu's uniform, and then all of them at her insistence were much more than just enhanced defensive capabilities, and Pip was sure she didn't know the half of it. The ship now recorded constant data on all of them as long as they wore those suits, everything from electromagnetic brain activity to pulse, blood pressure, respiration, heart rate, and even perspiration levels, something the ship's Medical Intelligence was coming to grips with since the intended occupants, long dead, didn't sweat. He'd been checking those numbers and noticed Minu's temperature was up a quarter of a degree, her heart rate average up five beats a minute, respiration once a minute, and she appeared to have gained a half a kilo in weight. He couldn't tell if it was in relation to her nightly sexual escapades with Aaron. She'd found her room's sensor and disabled it.

  Minu moved over and sat in the command chair, but that only made it worse so she stood back up. “I think I must have pulled something.”

  “Better have Dr. Brain check it out,” Cherise told her, making Minu smile at the euphemistic title they'd given the Medical Intelligence.

  “Not a bad idea,” she decided and headed for the door. The cramp was bad enough that she almost tripped as she stepped out of the CIC and turned to walk down the hallway. Luckily medical was only a deck away and a minute later she was sitting on a table explaining to the emotionless Dr. Brain her problem.

  “Symptoms noted,” it told her in its
now flawless English. “Have you experienced any dizziness or nausea?”

  “I was a little sick to my stomach this morning, but I figured it was from the sparring.” A sensor wand emerged and swept over her sitting form, concentrating on her head for a minute before moving over her abdomen and going back and forth. She always felt self-conscious when it did that. “Do you want me to lie back or anything?”

  “That will not be necessary,” it said. Please hold your biological arm out.” She did and the wand moved over, produced a little needle, and painlessly sampled her blood.

  “What's wrong with me?”

  “Stand by, confirming diagnosis.”

  “Probably that damn synthetic food,” she grumbled. She'd secretly wondered for weeks if the ship was recycling their crap and feeding it back to her. She hadn't built up the courage to ask Pip. The very thought sent a wave of nausea floating up from the depths.

  “Diagnosis is complete. The patient is pregnant.”

  Chapter 11

  February 25th, 522 AE (subjective)

  Deep Space, en route to the Rasa Leasehold, Galactic Frontier

  It took almost a full minute for the meaning of the word to completely surface in her brain. Pregnant was not a word she'd ever associated with herself, not even since a young child. Her mother would talk about 'when you have a baby', but as soon as she was old enough she began to paint herself as a Chosen, and such thoughts were quickly replaced by her life plan. Then there was the realization some months ago that she would never be able to have children. In the wake of the Christian disaster, it didn't seem that deep of a loss. At least it didn't seem that way until the damned computer told her she was pregnant.

  “Are you sure?” she asked in a whisper.

  “There is no doubt. Your species possesses very specific hormonal triggers in your codex; the blood test confirmed their presence. Based on the amounts, the pregnancy is approximately five weeks old.”

  “That sounds about right,” she said and then sighed. “The problem is I had a birth control implant,” she told the machine, “it was supposed to keep me from getting pregnant.” Having the device put in seemed a little hypocritical, after almost killing Dr. Tasker for doing the same thing. But this was her decision to make.

  “That device was removed when your reproductive system was repaired along with your burn damage and inoperable prosthesis.”

  “You could have asked.”

  “The drug implant was scanned and deemed somewhat detrimental to the patient. A better matched birth control can be formulated using the codex data of your species, but birth control is against regulations on war vessels.”

  “Well that's interesting, but it doesn't change my situation.” She put a hand on her stomach, just as flat and taunt as it had been since growing up. The terrible scar from the trials was almost invisible now. “Was my uterus completely repaired as well?”

  “Yes, it is returned to normal. There is additional information.”

  “Hold on.” She pulled her radio from her pocked. “Aaron, come to medical. It's important.”

  He arrived in less than a minute, concern cut into his face. He saw her sitting there; hand on her stomach and a very strange smile on her face. “We've had a little incident.”

  “What do you mean? Are you okay?”

  “Oh, we're fine.”

  “We? What do you...” his face twitched and he looked at her stomach, then at her, the question on his face obvious. She blushed and nodded her head.

  “Really?”

  “I'm pregnant, Aaron.”

  “And I'm the....”

  “Father? Absolutely. There hasn't been anyone else for a long time.” Unless you count Cherise, but let’s not go there right now.

  “Oh, wow,” said Aaron, the color draining from his face. For a minute she was afraid he'd faint, then he got control of himself. “I'm going to be a dad?” she gave a little laugh and nodded again. In a second he'd raced over and swept her into her arms, spinning her around and around while giving a little cheer. “Wahoo!”

  Minu heaved a quiet sigh of relief. For a second there she was afraid it would have gone badly, what with them only being an item for a few weeks. Her head filled with thoughts of the future. A family, a little boy or girl, potty training, first steps, school, and on and on. Then it all came crashing in.

  “There is still additional information,” the medical intelligence broke in. They both looked up at the ceiling in the universal anachronism.

  “What is it,” she said with a smile on her face.

  “You cannot carry this pregnancy to term.”

  Her smile broke with a jarring sensation. “What do you mean? You said I was fixed.”

  “Yes, but the damage has not properly healed. The stress on your uterus is going to cause sutures to fail, or perhaps internal hemorrhaging. A miscarriage is the highest probability; the death of the patient is also a high probability.” Minu looked at Aaron, the color drained from her face. This couldn't be happening. “The Medical Intelligence recommends aborting the pregnancy at this time before the risk factors rise above the single digits.”

  “This isn't happening,” Aaron said. Minu looked at him, his eyes shining with tears. “I want to do this, why are we being tortured?”

  “I don't know,” she said and began crying on his chest. From celebration to mourning was just too fast. Her legs gave out and Aaron grabbed her under the arms, easily bearing her weight as he turned and sat her back on the examination table. It was all hitting her at the same time. Tears she hadn't shed yet because it was safer to keep them inside. Her mother, dying in her arms crying for a man who didn't love her. Her father, surely gone after all these years. The terrible rape and nearly fatal injury during the trails. Pip's years of torture in a half-death. Her painful affair with Christian. All the setbacks trying to rise within the Chosen; seemingly blocked at every step only to have the Tog step in and push her one step farther on. Finding out she couldn't have children, and now being told she is pregnant only to realize it was all for nothing. She let forth with one bone chilling visceral scream of frustration against the universe, the tendons standing out on her neck and spittle flying from her lips. “Why, damn you?” Aaron took a half step back, caught in a moment of fear at the power of her rage. Then she fell back, sobbing uncontrollably.

  She cried for what seemed like hours. Tears that came from the depths of her being and threatened to encompass her totally. During all of it Aaron held her, gently stroking her red hair and whispering in her ear that it was okay, and that he loved her. In the end, it was him that brought her back. Maybe the only thing that brought her back.

  “Are you going to be okay?” he asked as she finally focused on his dark face. His own eyes were red from tears as well, and she realized he'd suffered a loss maybe as big as she did.

  “Computer,” she spoke, “what are the odds of my bringing this baby to term?”

  “Statistically zero.” The pronouncement was cold and calculating. “There are too many factors involved.”

  “Can she have children later?” Aaron asked. She looked up in his brown eyes with hope. Did he mean that?

  “Yes, if this one is removed prior to any more damage being sustained to your reproductive organs.”

  Minu sighed and looked up at Aaron. To her surprise there were more tears still and they fell on her now soaked uniform front. “I want to try...but-”

  “But that would be crazy,” he finished for her.

  “It's your baby too.”

  “I know, but you came first, and we can try again.”

  “I think I'd like that. After we're back on Bellatrix?”

  “Sure.”

  She nodded and looked up. “Okay, abort the pregnancy.” As always when she made a life or death decision, her voice was firm and full of resolve. It was the first time she realized that she really did have what it took to be a commander. Men and women had been dying at her command for years, and only in that moment was it
all real as she decided to end a life barely begun.

  A few minutes later she was naked under a light sheet on the table, Aaron standing next to her as medical sensor arms swept over her body. “There will be no pain,” the computer told her.

  “Almost wish there was,” she sobbed. Aaron gently squeezed her hand. She'd made sure he was on her left side, just in case.

  “The procedure is beginning.” A tiny prick in the small of her back and she felt herself going numb from the hips down. A moment later the table gently spread her legs and she dimly felt an instrument lightly slide into her, then retreat. And it was over. “The patient can return to her quarters. Any bleeding should be noted to the Medical Intelligence, otherwise slight cramping for a day or two is normal. Light duty should be observed during that time.” Minu nodded and carefully got to her feet. The Medical Intelligence provided a robe for her to wear while Aaron carried her uniform over his shoulder. He didn't stray more than a few centimeters from her arm in case he was needed. “What does the patient wish done with the extracted fetus?”

  Minu sobbed and felt her knees weaken. “Do whatever it is you do with similar results,” she said. Aaron slipped an arm around her back and under her other arm and she leaned into him gratefully. “Please take me back to our room?”

  After the patient left the Medical Intelligence was stuck with a quandary. The patient’s instructions were simple and straightforward, but there were no such precedent in its files. The program was designed to be infinitely resourceful, and after the meddling by first Bjorn then Ted, it was now also relentless.

  The program queried the Steward program first, the only other self-aware program currently in residence, that it was aware of. It was no help at all, having come out somewhat worse for wear after being temporarily merged with the Medical Intelligence then rudely separated by the new biological operator, Pip. It refused all but requests specifically outlined in its uploaded parameters. The Medical Intelligence widened its search.

  Briefly the program considered going to Pip, then decided against it. Biological operators, unless specifically medical staff, were not consulted on medical matters. Only the vessel’s commanding officer was privy to medical files, and in this case the commander was also the patient. So it moved on.