“Then what of me? I caused the deaths of many sentients as well.”
“Your actions caused the deaths of many but the intention was to prevent death, not to cause it.”
“This is absurd. You would become murderers yourselves in order to prevent others from doing the same. You’re no better than they are.”
“We will not murder the guilty parties. They will be well cared for.
“As prisoners.”
“We have an obligation to…”
“Yeah, I heard you say that. You have other options available. You could send the Fleet back the way it came. You don’t need to do this.”
“We would be responsible for the deaths they cause in the future. We have the power to prevent them and must use it.”
“So now you have responsibility for the actions of all sentients? Why only now? Where were you when they were they were killing all those innocents? You choose to act against them just because they showed up on your doorstep? That isn’t moral superiority.”
“We need not answer to you.”
“That is exactly what the Fleet captains would say.” There was a pause.
“Annabella Baker, you are aware that if we let these ships leave here they will continue to cause the deaths of many sentients. If you were to convince us to let this occur, those deaths would be on your head as well.” Bella felt Tolma over her shoulder as she replied.
“No. I act here to save lives I believe are worth saving. I am morally responsible only for that action. I cannot and will not accept responsibility for the actions of others in the future. All beings must make their own way in the cosmos. Each shoulders only the burden of their own actions.” Perhaps she had learned something from the Locan after all. Bella felt herself let go of the guilt she had felt since joining them.
“What would you have us do then? Simply release these ships to ravage this region of space?”
“No, send them back the way they came. They are humans and humans should deal with their own problems. If you have really studied our records you should be able to see that some you would call guilty are seeking redemption. In time maybe the rest will as well. This is something that cannot happen if you take them prisoner.”
“Very well. You are correct. We cannot protect all the galaxy and perhaps it is good that we cannot. We will return you to the Rchald. We will leave you with this warning. There are worse things in human space than your Fleet. We have seen the beasts which swallow stars and fear for your kind’s future.”
Bella blinked once more and found herself back aboard the Rchald. Tolma turned and her tank frothed in confusion at Bella’s sudden appearance. Before she could ask though, a voice cut through the air.
“A plea was made for your lives and has been granted. The ships of the Fleet will turn back the way they came, never to return to this region of space. You may thank Annabella Baker for convincing us to act with mercy. May this act of compassion prove a valuable lesson to you.” There was a pause and then the voice spoke again.
“Locan of the Rchald, your people are invited to stay with us a time. Your ship is also free to travel onward. You are welcome here, as is your human companion, Annabella.”
Bella felt relief mix with fear in her mind. If the Fleet turned back and the Rchald moved on, where would that leave her? The part of her that was alien wanted to travel the stars with the Locan forever, an adventure that would lead her to worlds beyond comprehension. The part of her that was still human though did not wish to be forever parted from humanity.
Omar called a short time later to give her the news. The Fleet had decided to forgive her. All it had taken was her personally saving all of their lives.
Chapter 14
Bella knew she had made the right decision. Leaving the Locan had been hard but they had decided to leave the Fleet and the human part of her was still large enough to feel the need to stay. Besides, she had set the Fleet loose once more and regardless of what she had said, that made them her responsibility.
Omar made her feel at home. Even so, she found herself spending more time with Pulan than ever. The aliens, for she had come to see them as the Locan saw them, tended to be quiet and she had grown used to silence. As Omar was a man of few words as well, the Moving Finger lived in a comfortable silence more often than not. This changed when the Fleet entered the Preci system. They were attacked and, after boarding and taking prisoners, Omar received some surprising news about their guests.
“They’re artificial constructs.” Omar said. He was looking over Pulan’s report on the three prisoners they had taken. Bella was watching them on the viewscreen. They had locked up two of the prisoners and left the third tied up in the medbay. They looked human enough to her.
“Like clones?” She asked.
“Perhaps they were long ago but not anymore. These people are designed, programmed and decanted fully grown and ready for combat. Their genes are handcrafted to provide special benefits and design characteristics. It’s ingenious.”
“You sound envious.”
“I’m fascinated. You and I have augmented ourselves to adapt to the world with gene therapy and implants. These soldiers don’t need that because they are already faster and smarter than a normal human. They are born with the training for war in their heads.”
“Their tech level doesn’t match up with that kind of advancement. They couldn’t even make a dent in the Finger’s defenses.”
“Technology moves forward from its starting point. Whoever created these people had access to genetic manipulation tech but not superior weapons technology. I’ve seen similar examples of uneven technology in other systems. Cut off from the advanced worlds when starships became outlawed, each world has to manage with what they had and build from there.”
“So they’re supersoldiers with popguns. Does this change how the Fleet is going to deal with them?”
“Probably not. Conrad might recruit attempt to recruit them. It does raise some questions though. From what I’ve been able to gather both sides of this conflict use these soldiers exclusively. Even the generals and admirals are designed and cloned. We have evidence of designers but no idea where they are.”
“So if we have all this access why do we need the prisoners? What do you want to do with them?”
“I’m not sure. If they’re just automatons we can dispose of them but structurally they aren’t really much different from humans. The question is whether they are human or if they are just caricatures. One has inherent value and the other does not.”
“If we are going to eliminate them,” Pulan interrupted. “We would like one for study and dissection. As you have pointed out Omar, we have had little hands on experience with human anatomy and the opportunity to examine one would facilitate my studies greatly.”
Omar’s face hardened as Pulan used the phrase ‘human anatomy’. Bella saw that Pulan had just made up Omar’s mind about what these supersoldiers were.
“Not yet. We’re going to talk to them first. The question is whether they are human enough to grow beyond their programming or not. If they are human then they are prisoners of war and have certain rights. Bella, see what you can get out of the two we have locked up. I’ll try the other one and then we can compare notes. The data suggests the little one has the highest intelligence of the bunch and might be the most open to discussion.”
“Sure thing.”
Bella floated into the room cautiously. The room only had one bunk so the two prisoners were bound to each end in sitting positions. Bella took in the deadly glare from the woman before turning her attention to the small man. His features were a bit out of proportion, his head larger than his frame with a thick neck supporting it. His torso and legs were also heavily muscled but his arms were abnormally long and thin, as were his fingers. He looked quizzically at her as she approached, unafraid.
“My, aren’t you the large serving?” The man said.
“Aren’t you the small one?” She replied.
“
Touché. Come to torture us for information?”
“Not really. We already have all the information we need.”
“Expecting us to grovel and beg for our lives then? Sorry to disappoint you but Serena is incapable of groveling and I don’t really see much point.”
“No point? You don’t want to live?”
“Oh I want to live but I don’t expect to. We only take prisoners to extract information and then they are executed. I expect the other side does the same as I’ve never heard of someone escaping or being released after being held captive.”
“We’re not from the other side, we don’t need any information from you and we haven’t killed you yet. Can you explain that?” Did these creatures understand the concept of mercy, she wondered.
“Yet is likely the operative word. Also you might be lying about needing information. You came here for a reason. Clearly you want something.”
“True enough. We’re curious.”
“Curious about what?”
“Curious about you. Are you aware that you are a mass produced soldier? Does that fact that you were created only to kill and be killed bother you?”
“Don’t answer her.” The thin woman’s voice cut the air like a razor. “She’s trying to manipulate you.”
“Of course she is, my dear Serena. The question is, why?”
“I’m not trying to manipulate you.” Bella interrupted. “We just want to know if you can be reasoned with or if you are merely automata.”
“I am the sum of my experiences. Does the fact that many of mine were implanted before decantation make them any less valid? I was created as a being fully capable of reason moments after consciousness. By comparison I expect that much of your life was spent learning by rote that which I was gifted with. Is one data set superior to the other? I follow the orders of my superiors, yes, but I’m willing to lay odds you do the same thing. Does that mean you can’t be reasoned with?”
“Of course not.”
“Then you’ve answered your own question. As one reasoning being to another, I’d like you to release my bonds. Will you do that?”
“No.”
“Why not? You are three times my size and have already shown your willingness to kill. Are you afraid of me despite my obvious feebleness or are you simply an automata following orders?”
“I’m not going to release you because you are a prisoner and enemy combatant. Your crew tried to blow up this ship and me with it.”
“Yes but we are now helpless. The man who gave us those orders is dead. If you want to deal with us the first thing you’d have to do is release us. Any bargain made under the duress of capture could not be trusted.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“You do that. Now run along, Beautiful, and tell your boss what we talked about.” Bella grated her teeth as she left the room. The little man certainly seemed human enough.
Omar had no better luck getting through to his captive and Pulan declined to comment as he believed his experience with humans was too limited to offer an opinion. Omar decided to let them stew for a while and returned to studying the information streaming from the Sikorsky.
The next time Omar talked to the third prisoner Bella watched from a viewscreen. She had reservations about releasing the captives but Omar seemed convinced that the one named Zane’s word was good. She insisted on the spinal implants though. Trust was earned and as the little man had said, their word was worthless as captives. They might prove useful on the command ship Omar had found. They might also prove more trouble than they were worth.
Sometimes Bella hated being right. As expected, things had gone sideways on the station. She felt terrible that she had been forced to kill the woman but replaying the events in her head she couldn’t see herself doing anything differently. The woman had been about to kill Omar. Seeing the dwarf weeping by her body was hard though. It answered any questions she might have had about his humanity.
Bella hadn’t wanted to take the men back to the ship. They both seemed too unstable to be trusted. They also served as a constant reminder of the moment she pressed the button on her wrist and killed Serena. The fact that she knew the woman’s name now made her feel worse. It gave her victim an identity, one whose existence had been cut short through Bella’s actions.
She avoided both of them over the first week before running into Zane in her workout room. She hurt him more than she meant to, finding it hard to control her emotions. She left before he could see the tears forming in her eyes. She was starting to hate this life she had chosen for herself.
Bella hid in her cabin, tears floating in the air around her like tiny crystals. She did not want anyone to see her weakness. Omar was always so resolute, so sure of his decisions. For him death was a certainty in life and his part in causing it to others was an unwanted necessity he attempted to minimize. Bella couldn’t separate herself from events like that.
She didn’t hear the light rapping on her cabin’s hatch. Nor did she hear the click as it opened. She did feel the soft hand that rested on her own. She looked up through her tears, almost unbelieving, into the face of Franklin, the dwarf. Gone was the murderous rage that had burned in his eyes when they passed in the corridor. In its place was a tenderness she couldn’t understand. He said nothing but moved to sit beside her, his own tears falling silently into the air. The two stayed that way for a long while, sharing their sorrow, their tears merging in the air around them forming a nimbus of grief. As the man embraced her, Bella felt an ever present tightness in her chest release. She leaned into the small man lightly, her shoulders shaking.
Bella lost track of how long they wept together in the tiny room. When she had recovered her composure Franklin moved lightly away from her. Bella began to speak, to tell him how sorry she was but he shook his head and left as silently as he had arrived.
The next day Bella passed Franklin in the corridor. He gave no indication of what had passed between them except that his eyes no longer held any anger. Bella wanted to talk to him, to tell him how much she appreciated his gesture. She couldn’t find the words. It was he who spoke first and what he said confused her.
“Drink!” He commanded, a smile forming as he spoke. “For you know not whence you came, nor why. Drink! For you know not why you go, nor where.”
“What?” Bella had considered many things the little man might have said, but never this.
“It’s from a book of verse I found lying around, an affectation I must admit I did not expect in a warship.” Franklin continued. “I’ve known hundreds of people over my short life, all of them killers of one sort or another, myself included, most of them dead now. I could moralize and justify forever but there is no real meaning in death, only loss. I think inner peace is only possible by turning away from death, refusing to let it get a handle on you. So I’m going to sneak over to the Sikorsky, find a bar to drink in and try to find some measure of happiness while I’m still alive. I’d like you to join me.”
“That’s… yes, I’d like that. I know just the spot.” Bella brought Franklin to a loud, boisterous bar. The two drank and danced until they could take no more. When they reached her quarters, Bella did not give the small man a chance to say no, instead pulling him into her room roughly.
While she’d had many lovers during her time in the Fleet, none made her feel loved half so much as Franklin. There was tenderness in his touch that made her shiver and his size made her careful in her movements, more intimate than she might have been with another.
As they lay together afterward she told him of her life on Fulton. He was a good audience, quiet when needed but knowing just when to ask a question or murmur a word of understanding. Once she finished, he told her about his life as a soldier. Though his gene line were strategists and thinkers, he was no stranger to death. Bella could feel the sorrow he felt as he recounted the countless men and women who had died as a result of his actions.
He did not try to justify those deaths either. For him there
was no moral high ground, no greater purpose. He saw the universe as a cold, ruthless existence. She found that she could offer him no real solace because he could not conceive of absolution from his guilt. It was enough for him to simply be accepted for what he was and that realization gave her the ability to accept her own sins.
Bella was surprised in the following days by how easily she slipped into love with Franklin. The feeling was not one of burning desire but more like stepping into the soft embrace of a hot bath. Tensions she had thought impossible to release eased and faded away. Weeks turned into months where she began to simply enjoy her life. She began to consider leaving the Moving Finger with him if they found a suitable world.
For his part, Franklin appeared to have no desire to leave the Fleet, though he was amenable when she brought the idea up. Bella thought that she should have found his indifference infuriating but she found it impossible to be mad at him. He seemed content with any plans she made but showed little initiative of his own concerning the future. She asked him once why he felt that way. He answered that he had always believed his life would be brutish and short. Freed from the endless war which birthed him, every day with her was a prize he felt he did not deserve. She blushed at his words and changed the subject.
When the Fleet entered Unity system Bella’s only thoughts were whether the system might be a home where they could leave war and death behind. She enjoyed the attention the locals paid her and happily told them all about life on her homeworld. When the claxon sounded and she fled back to the Moving Finger with the rest of the crew she was a bit put out. This world seemed to have everything she could have hoped for.
The death of the ambassador was bloodier than most she had seen and it took place in the ship where she had begun to feel safe. She was shaken but held herself together until Pulan came out of the medbay and told her what Franklin had done.
“Why?” She cried as she held her lover’s frail frame in her arms. “Why would you do this?” His eyes opened and he looked up at her.
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