Sisterhood of Suns: Pallas Athena

by Martin Schiller

  Landing on the southern continent, they identified themselves to reception security and were shown to a small cubicle in the Incoming Personnel Section. There, a private computer terminal had been set aside for their use. Katrinn laid her case onto a counter, and Lilith began the formal ritual of debriefing.

  “Ben Jeni, Lilith 567984138, Commander, Pallas Athena, USSNS 1323,” she stated.

  “Acknowledged,” a soft voice replied from nowhere, and everywhere. “Please submit your inocular for vaccination and medical records verification.”

  Lilith exposed her forearm and submitted it to a scanner beam that issued from the ceiling. The light played over the permanent vaccination site, and then winked out.

  “Medical records verify current vaccination history,” the voice said. “No additional measures are required to meet local conditions. Voiceprint and Bioplasmic signatures confirm identity. Welcome back to Rixa, Commander ben Jeni”

  Katrinn went next. “Bertasdaater, Katrinn, 597667518, Lieutenant Commander, Pallas Athena, USSNS 1323.” Like it had with Lilith, the voice requested to inspect her inocular and verified her identity.

  It was Mearrin’s turn after that. “D’Rann, Mearrin, 590231475, Lieutenant Commander, Pallas Athena, USSNS 1323.”

  And finally, the Advocate and Col. Lislsdaater went through the process.

  “All required officers are present,” the voice stated, “and match voice and bioplasmic records. Vaccination records are current, and egress on-planet is granted without restriction. Please submit your ship’s log in the data receptacle for processing.”

  Katrinn opened the case, and took out the data sphere, inserting it into the waiting arms of the reader. After a moment, the voice spoke again.

  “Is this the full and complete record of your patrol?” it asked.

  “Yes, it is,” Lilith answered.

  “I can vouch for an unbroken chain of custody from the ship to this terminal,” N’Dira said.

  “So can I,” Lislsdaater added.

  “Due to the nature of the action that you saw, and special flags placed in this system by Topaz Fleet Command,” the voice informed them, “an appointment has been arranged for you with Fleet Admiral Myrelli ebed Cya this afternoon.’

  “It has been automatically scheduled for 07:70 hours in her offices in C Quadrant. All officers currently present are to report there immediately. Captain taur Minna and Bel Sarra have also been notified, and will also be in attendance. Do any of you require directions?”

  “No, thank you,” Lilith replied. “We know the way.”

  ***

  The offices of Fleet Admiral Myrelli ebed Cya overlooked the famous Valley of the Veils. Outside her windows, and hanging over the nearby mountains, huge diaphanous shapes created by the union of millions of living microorganisms floated on the updrafts created by the warm air from Rixa’s shallow seas. The planet orbited a binary star, and at that hour, the twin suns were setting, catching the Veils with their golden light as the translucent communal organisms rode the wind. It was a breathtaking spectacle, and although Lilith had visited the Admiral’s office many times, the gigantic yet fragile entities never failed to captivate her.

  “You’re in luck, Ladies,” the Admiral said as she took in the view. “The air over the Valley is busier than normal for this time of year. You couldn’t have come at a better time to see the Veils”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Lilith agreed, standing at attention with her officers. “They are quite lovely.”

  Myrelli smiled, and turned away from the window. For just an instant, the light caught the skin on the side of her face, and Lilith could just detect the slight difference between her natural flesh and where the Navy Doctors had re-grown it. Most women wouldn’t have even noticed, so perfect was the science of re-growing damaged tissues, but Lilith, like many of the officers trained at the Naval Academy on Calaphis, knew Myrelli’s history intimately. And in all their years of association, she had never been able to look at her superiors’ features without recalling it.

  During the War of the Prophet, at the Battle of Wrede 178, Ebed Cya had been in command of an Isis-Class starship, facing a vastly superior enemy fleet. Against astronomical odds, she’d managed to destroy the entire opposing force, but not before her ship, the USSNS Brigid, had taken a hit from a final enemy missile. The strike had failed to destroy the Brigid, but it killed most of her crew instantly, and set the bridge ablaze.

  Ebed Cya survived this catastrophic event, but only just. When she was rescued, seventy percent of her body had been covered with second and third degree burns, and she had hovered precariously on the very brink of death for weeks. But thanks to a combination of the Goddess’s luck and sheer willpower, she had hung on to life. A long and painful rehabilitation period had followed this, and then, miraculously, she had returned to active service.

  For her bravery in battle, Ebed Cya was promoted to the rank of Vice-Admiral, and had the singular distinction of being one of the few living recipients of the Supreme Circle’s Medal of Honor with a Star-Cluster. Eventually, she had been appointed to teach tactics at the Star Service Academy on Calaphis, and had risen to the rank of Admiral, and finally Fleet Admiral, overseeing the Topaz Fleet. A mentor of Lilith’s from her earliest days as a cadet, Ebed Cya was, without question, one of the finest military minds in the Star Service, and a living legend among its officers.

  “I understand that you saw some action in Sagana,” Myrelli remarked, taking her seat behind her huge desk. “You may be seated, ladies.”

  While Lilith and her companions took their chairs, a holo of the enemy cruiser being destroyed over Persephone materialized in mid-air and played itself out. It had been taken directly from the Athena’s Log.

  “One light cruiser and a battalion of infantry,” Myrelli observed. “I also understand that another battle group attempted to join them.” Another holo appeared, depicting the second Hriss squadron.

  “Yes, ma’am,” Lilith answered. “We managed to persuade them to retire from the area.”

  “Yes, I can imagine,” Myrelli remarked dryly. She looked at the enemy battle group thoughtfully. “Tell me, Commander, what do you make of the forces that you encountered? Give me your opinion of them.”

  “The light cruiser captain was an amateur, ma’am,” Lilith responded. “He failed to fully neutralize the colonies communications swiftly enough, and he had no remote listening posts on standby in the system. Instead of a hit and run raid, he chose to linger, and when we arrived, he seemed to be genuinely surprised that we had responded, and his defense was inadequate.”

  “And his infantry?”

  This was Col. Lislsdaater’s cue. “Equally mediocre, ma’am. They appeared to be totally untrained to deal with an opposing force. Their defense measures were inadequate, and they were slow in responding to our attack. In addition, their armor was of insufficient numbers to provide any meaningful support for their ground forces. Our greenest recruits could have put up a better fight.”

  Ebed Cya nodded. “What of their relief group, Commander ben Jeni? What did you make of them?”

  “They were cut from a completely different cloth, ma’am,” Lilith answered. “Their maneuvers were disciplined, and from what I gathered from my conversation with their Commander, they were veterans.”

  “A rather odd mix, don’t you think?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Quite odd.”

  “And what would you make of this encounter overall?”

  Lilith suddenly felt like she was back in the Academy, facing Ebed Cya across a classroom. “I would venture that it was a test, ma’am. I believe that they used their most expendable forces as bait in order to gauge our strength and response time.’

  “I also believe that the veteran force arrived with two missions; the first being to assist their forward elements in securing the resources that they had come for, and the second was to observe the nature and reaction of our forces to their incursion.”

  Ebed Cya nodded. “I
tend to agree, Commander, and I thank you all for your frankness. We’ll discuss this matter in greater detail when you return from shore leave. In the meantime, there is one other issue that I need to discuss before we end this meeting. It concerns the transfer of a marine to your ship, Commander.”

  Lilith sat forwards a little, thoroughly puzzled. The transfer of a single trooper to a ship was generally not an issue that concerned any of them at their rank-levels. Unless there was something very special about that trooper, she thought warily.

  “I am sure that you are all aware that the High Court recently heard a case brought before it by the Marionite Church concerning the rights of neomen and their status in the armed services,” the Admiral said. “Their suit specifically addressed the so-called right of neomen to serve in combat units.’

  “While you were on patrol, the Court reached their decision, which was to allow this to occur. Naturally, the Navy disagreed with the ruling, and immediately filed a formal appeal, with the Marine Corps filing their own petition simultaneously. Unfortunately, the High Court saw fit to deny our respective pleas, and the Supreme Circle subsequently issued an order to our two service branches to abide by the decision.”

  Lilith paled and glanced over at her officers to gauge their reactions.

  Col. Lislsdaater was sitting straight as a ramrod in her chair, her face an impassive mask. But her fists were tightly clenched, betraying her anger. Katrinn, Mearrin and N’Dira seemed equally stoic, but Lilith could tell from her years of association with the trio, that her Second was somewhat surprised by the news, Mearinn was reserving judgement, and N’Dira was actually slightly amused. As for Bel Sarra, the Captain of the Demeter looked worried, probably fearing that her ship would become involved, and although Erin taur Minna looked calm enough, her tail twitched with an unhappy agitation that was a match for Lislsdaater’s dark mood.

  Admiral ebed Cya, undoubtedly perceiving the same things, continued on, “Towards that end, a single trooper, Jon fa’Teela, was selected from the neomen we currently have in the service, and he was issued orders to report for duty aboard the Pallas Athena. He is to arrive in two weeks time and once there, he is to serve with the 115th under Col. Lislsdaater just like any other Marine.

  “Ladies, I will state for the record that I do not approve of this experiment, especially now, with the raid on Persephone still fresh in the public mind. But, like yourselves, I am a soldier and I will follow the orders given to me by the Chairwoman and the Supreme Circle. I expect that while he is in your battle group, you will hold Fa‘Teela to no more and no less than the same standards that every servicewoman is expected to conform to.’

  “I must add that this event has also generated a considerable amount of interest with the news media, and that you should each expect to be contacted by journalists. I am required to remind you, and the officers and crewwomen serving under you, not to make any comments, nor to agree to any interview unless it is approved and monitored by this office, and by the Commandant of the Marine Corps.’

  “On a personal note, I would also like to extend my apologies to you, Commander ben Jeni, and to your officers. When this matter came to the Admiralties’ attention, we were compelled to find the right ship to place Fa‘Teela aboard, and considerable pressure was brought to bear concerning its selection. There were several candidates, but because your battle group has such a distinguished service record, yours was the one we chose.’

  “To be frank, while the situation is unpalatable, there is no other group of officers, and no other crew that could undertake such an assignment and enjoy any more of my confidence. I realize that this is not welcome news, but I also know that you and your staff will handle the situation in the proper manner. That is all, ladies. You are dismissed.”

  Everyone stood up, and saluted the Admiral. The debriefing was over. No one said a single word about it until they were at the magnorail station, waiting for the train.

  N’Dira ventured the first comment. “I must say that that was a surprising decision for the High Court to reach,” she said. “The Justices are usually much more conservative. I didn’t think they would rule that way when the case was brought before them. It’s really quite a turnaround.”

  “Yes,” Lilith replied sarcastically. “A landmark decision for all of us to celebrate.”

  Erin taur Minna snorted, and spat into a nearby waste can. “It’s fekking blow! A goddess-damned disgrace!”

  Mearrin shrugged, and waved off Taur Minna’s upset with a webbed hand. “I think that until we see how he performs, we should keep an open mind. According to the Admiral, he has been serving for some time now, and may manage to adapt to his new role.”

  “That I strongly doubt,” Erin growled. “More the like, he’ll bring us nothing but dishonor. What the fek was the court thinking? Men have no place in combat! They’ll force us to lower our standards to accommodate them.”

  “Well,” Katrinn offered carefully, “There is one small point of light. We only have one neoman to deal with, and not a whole company of them.”

  The train had arrived by this point, and everyone except Col. Lislsdaater got aboard.

  “Aren’t you coming?” Lilith asked her.

  “No, Commander,” the woman replied stiffly. “I am going to remain here. I have some business with the Commandant’s Office, and after that I plan to get very, very drunk.” Her features were unreadable, but the look in her eyes could have melted hull plating.

  “I’ll see you in two weeks, Marya,” Lilith said. “Try to make sure that your hangover is gone by then. We’ll all need our heads clear. Until then, you are dismissed.”

  The corner of Lislsdaater’s eye twitched slightly, but beyond that, she remained expressionless. She gave her superior a brisk salute, turned sharply on her heels, and marched away.

  The train doors hissed shut, and Katrinn shook her head ruefully, “I pity any poor trooper that she runs across on her way to the Commandant’s Office.”

  “If I know the average sailor or Marine, we’re going to be dealing with some serious morale issues when we get back,” N’Dira cautioned.

  “I’ll say,” Lilith agreed. “The Athena is going to be the laughing stock of the whole Fleet over this. Goddess, I don’t know, maybe once he’s aboard, everyone will just get used to the idea and forget all about him.”

  “Let’s hope so,” Katrinn said, but none of them really believed that that was going to happen.

  So much for the rosy glow of shore leave, Lilith thought unhappily.

  When they reached the next train station, Ellyn n’Dira excused herself for an appointment at the Advocate General’s Office. Mearrin also left them for a meeting with the Dean of the University Extention program. And Bel Sarra and Taur Minna also bade them farewell. They didn’t mention what their business was, but Lilith guessed that Erin at least, was probably going to seek out Col. Lislsdaater, and join her in her pursuit of the perfect hangover.

  Lilith and Katrinn had no such aspirations, or obligations, and looked to one another for ideas of what to do next. Despite the news about the neoman, Katrinn was determined to enjoy her leave, and she urged her superior to do the same.

  “He isn’t going to be an issue for another two weeks,” she observed. “And I for one would like to have some fun before we have to report back to the Athena and deal with him.’

  “What do you say we visit the PX and do a little shopping? I have some things to get for my family, and you might want to browse some of the stores yourself. You know there’s no better medicine to help brighten your mood than a little shopping.”

  Lilith had to concur with her Second’s advice. She did have a rare bookstore that she wanted to visit, and any excuse to think about something other than Fa‘Teela was a welcome distraction.

  “You’re right, Kat,” she agreed, “I could use a dose of that medicine right about now. Let’s meet back for lunch at 05:83. How does the Jenah Nari sound?” The restaurant served a combination of Kalian
and Aran cuisine that was the finest available outside of the two worlds themselves.

  “Perfect,” Katrinn beamed. “05:83 it is. I’ll see you there.”

  ***

  Like many military installations throughout history, Rixa offered special shopping facilities for its resident and visiting personnel. Being the largest of all Sisterhood naval facilities, the PX on Rixa was much more than just a single building. Instead, it was an entire complex that covered several kilometers of the planet’s surface.

  The Rixa Naval PX boasted its own realie theaters, restaurants and shops, each of which rivaled their finest civilian counterparts in quality and selection. For a crew coming off a long, hard patrol, the shopping center was a welcome reward for both officers and enlisted alike. Whether it was simply a taste of home, a gift for a family member, a night out, or a comfort item, something could be found at the Rixa PX to satisfy almost any desire, and credit-balance.

  While Lilith went off in search of her bookstore, Katrinn visited several shops and in short order, picked out the perfect items for her sisters, her mothers and her grandmother. In addition to a new, compact robochef unit that she knew they wanted, and several other bulky, but necessary items, she also purchased a fine pair of plastisteel knives guaranteed never to loose their edge, and exquisite linen shawls from the Kalian world of Sita.

  Hefting her heavy bags, she then went into a branch of the largest toy store in the Sisterhood, Stelli and Leese Inc., for what was to be the toughest part of her shopping excursion.

  There, playthings from every corner of Sisterhood space, and even from non-human worlds, could be had by servicewomen interested in buying something for a young loved one back home. In Katrinn’s case, she had several little nieces that she wanted to get presents for. Zommerlaandar custom was to purchase each child their own gift, and also something for all of them to share together. Not only did this ensure that everyone received their own present, but the single, shared gift, reinforced the values of family, and the concepts of working and playing together.