Sisterhood of Suns: Pallas Athena

by Martin Schiller

  “Almost none, ma’am,” the Marine replied. “I’m happy to report that the operation went quite smoothly. I also took the liberty of segregating the males from the female residents. I thought that this measure would make the interviewing process easier.”

  “I imagine so,” Lilith replied, trying not to sound reproachful. “Tell me, have you learned anything from the settlers?”

  “We haven’t bothered to speak with the males yet. Not that they would have had anything intelligent to say. And the women have proven surprisingly uncooperative, despite being given the opportunity to get away from them. Really, Commander, this place--”

  Lislsdaater groped for the right words, “--this place is a complete reversal of what’s right. The women seem to actually care about the males like you or I would care for a wife. It’s completely bizarre, ma’am. There’s no other way to put it.”

  “Yes. Naturally,” Lilith responded tautly. “Now, if you would be kind enough to escort me to the crew of the Atalanta?”

  “This way, ma’am.” Lislsdaater gestured for them to follow. She took one step, and then stopped and turned around to face her superiors once again. “I must warn you before you see them, ma’am. They’ve… they’ve changed from what you might expect.”

  Lilith paused midstride. “Oh? How so?”

  “They’ve, well, to borrow from an ancient expression, they’ve ‘gone native,’” Lislsdaater explained.

  “Native?”

  “Yes, ma’am. They’re like the rest of the women now. Some of them have actually paired with the males here and borne offspring by them!”

  Lislsdaater was clearly disgusted by the concept. “They’ve refused to speak to us, although we are fairly certain that they still speak Standard. The rest of the population speaks something only the neoman understands, and we’ve had to use him for most of the interviews, so it’s been rather slow going.”

  “Yes, I can imagine,” Lilith grimaced. “Let’s get on with this, then.”

  ***

  The crew of the Atalanta sat around a table inside the Main Gathering Hall, accompanied by several uncomfortable-looking Marine guards. Jon fa’Teela had also been brought in. Lilith signaled for him to stay, but waved the other guards outside as she took her seat.

  “According to her psiever signature, that’s the Captain there,” he said indicating the oldest of the group. “But she hasn’t talked to me yet.”

  Lilith addressed the woman directly. “Captain? My name is Commander Lilith ben Jeni of the United Sisterhood of Suns Naval ship Pallas Athena. I want to find out what happened to your vessel, and how you came to be here.”

  The woman simply glared at her, folding her arms and shaking her head in negation. Jon repeated the question in Espangla, and got the same result.

  At that point, one of the younger women, who had been staring at them with an expression of pure contempt, leaned forwards and slammed her fist on the tabletop. “We want our children back! Now,” she snarled in Standard, “or we’re telling you nothing!”

  The Marine guards started to come back into the room, but Lilith stopped them and addressed Col. Lisldaater. “Colonel? Is this true? Do we have their children in custody as well?”

  “Only the males, ma’am. It was—“ the officer began to say.

  Lilith cut her off, barely able to contain her anger now. Orders or no, she had had enough. “Colonel, find their children and bring them here immediately.”

  “All of them?“ Lislsdaater asked incredulously. “Even the males?”

  “Yes,” Lilith said coldly. “Straightaway. And while you’re at it, release the rest of the people we have in custody. I don’t believe that they will prove to be any danger to our forces.”

  “But, Commander--”

  “That is a direct order, Colonel!” Lilith snapped. ”This farce has gone on long enough.”

  Before long, a rather harried-looking trooper returned with a crowd of children of varying ages. One of them, a male, maybe 10 years standard, broke away as they entered the hall, and ran to the woman who had hit the table.

  Watching them embrace, it was clear to Lilith that she was seeing mother and child, reunited. A moment later, the woman looked up at her, and nodded sullenly in gratitude.

  “Now,” Lilith said, taking in a breath to master herself, “perhaps we can hear your story now?” This time the captain spoke, and at length. Her Standard, while somewhat out of date, and interspersed with Espangla words, was still quite clear.

  ***

  Dr. Adalpha Martana looked nervous.

  And well he should be, Lilith thought as he was brought into the room. As despicable as their own actions had been, what this man had done was just as intolerable. Although he was not entirely the criminal that Colonel Lislsdaater had described, he was also not the angel that the crew of the Atalanta, or the native born residents, believed him to be.

  Lilith nursed her czigavar, glad for the strength that it was lending her, and wishing at the same time that it produced smoke so that she could blow it directly in the man’s face.

  “Doctor,” she said through Jon, “I have had the opportunity to speak with the crew of our long range exploratory ship and they have related to me a most involved tale. One that is part aggression, part rescue, and part kidnapping from the sound of it. Frankly, I do not care for its overall tone.’

  “For this reason, I have invited our Ship’s Advocate to sit in on our interview, as I value her legal opinion.” She indicated N’Dira, who had come downside as soon as Lilith had relayed the story to her.

  “What we have here, if I understand the circumstances correctly,” Lilith said carefully, “is what started as an accident. The Atalanta was entering this system and attempting to contact you, when your defensive batteries attacked it. It was forced to make an emergency landing on your planet, sustaining casualties in the process.’

  “Apparently, the crew did send off a distress beacon, but for some reason that we have yet to determine, it was lost in Null. According to Captain n'Talla, once they had landed, your people found them and cared for their injured. However, before they could affect repairs to their ship, you placed them in confinement.”

  “Commander,” the man interrupted in Espangla, “surely you can understand why. We had no idea whether they were friend or foe. We’d never seen anything like their ship before, and we had to take precautions.”

  “That sir, is a lie,” Lilith retorted icily. “You nation has been aware of us for a very long time. You confined them because you received orders from your government to do so, and you kept them isolated in this little ‘school’ of yours for over a year before you released them into your general population. You studied them, and more importantly, you prevented them from leaving by having their ship destroyed.”

  She paused for a moment. “Why is that, may I ask?”

  “We saw no other choice,” Dr. Martana explained. “We had to learn what we could about your civilization, and we had to protect ourselves, and our society. It is nowhere near as advanced as yours and we would have had no chance of surviving a conflict.”

  “Understandable,” N’Dira interjected, “but what you did could also be considered an act of war. Those women are our citizens. You held them here, and although they eventually acclimatized to your way of life, their adjustment could easily be interpreted as a form of Stockholm syndrome. The fact is, they were not free to leave, and had no alternatives.”

  “We saw no other way!” the doctor protested. “Our civilization must be protected! The culture shock alone—”He didn’t finish.

  “Which brings us to an interesting subject, Doctor,” Lilith said steepling her fingers. “This ‘civilization’ that you are talking about. How often does it send supply ships here? Are they military vessels? And if so, what kind?”

  “I won’t tell you anything,” he answered defiantly.

  “No, I didn’t imagine that you would,” Lilith said, “but I am required to at least ask the qu
estions. I’ll leave these, and other equally important matters to be revisited by women more capable than I. Personally, I tend to agree that any sustained interaction between our two cultures would be catastrophic, but again, this is a matter for others to decide.”

  “However, one issue that I will resolve immediately is the fate of the Atalanta’s crew. I plan to offer those crewmembers that wish it, passage off this world and the opportunity to return to the Sisterhood. I will also extend the same offer to any native female who wishes it.”

  “I’m in no position to protest, am I?” the Doctor asked her.

  “No, Doctor Martana,” Lilith answered. “You most certainly are not.”

  ***

  Upon their return to the Athena, Lilith and her officers were bio-scanned, and when their inoculars confirmed that they were disease free, they were allowed to pursue their duties. Lilith made for her office immediately and had Navcom contact Naval Command on a secure channel.

  This time, when Ebed Cya came on, she was alone, and Lilith was grateful for that. She didn’t want to speak with anyone from the OAE, or Thermadon just then.

  “It is done, ma’am,” she said, keeping her tone carefully formal.

  “Good,” Ebed Cya replied. “How many members of the Atalanta’s crew decided to accept your offer of repatriation?”

  “Only two,” Lilith answered. “The rest have assimilated too much. They have families now. Return for them is not even a possibility. They think of themselves as natives, and frankly, seeing them with their children and their… husbands, I can appreciate their sentiments.”

  Ebed Cya nodded gravely. “Have we had any takers from the native women?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  Her superior paused, then, “Lily, I know how hard that order was to carry out, and for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”

  “May I speak freely, ma’am?” Lilith asked, and when Ebed Cya assented, she dropped her controlled façade. “What we did down there was wrong!” she said. “We terrorized those people.”

  “We did,” Ebed Cya agreed, “and it was wrong, but the holo that we took is being passed along by the Dauhgters of the Coast to their leadership. It will demonstrate our resolve and I seriously doubt that they will hold any more of our sailors captive, or continue to ignore our requests for a dialogue.”

  Lilith had very strong misgivings on this score, but she bit her tongue. She had already said enough. Instead, she sat up straighter, and once again, became the professional soldier.

  “What will happen to them now?” she asked. “To their world?”

  “I’m afraid that you won’t like it,” Ebed Cya answered gravely. “We’re going to stay at HSL-48 2124A. The Pelé and her battle group are on their way to relieve you.’

  “They will be bringing an extra detachment of Marines with them, along with a group of intelligence specialists, and the battle group will quarantine the system. From here on, Thermadon considers HSL-48 2124A to be a Sisterhood military reservation. That will send a clear message that we can, and will, take what we need—unless our neighbors choose a friendlier alternative.”

  The Admiral had been completely correct in her surmise. Lilith didn’t care for this news one nano, or the part she had been forced to play in it. It was not the place in history that she would have chosen for herself. Nor was this the government that she had upheld and defended for so many years. It had become something else, she had decided. Something that she didn’t particulary care for at the moment.

  “I see,” she said, her features taut with suppressed emotion.

  Ebed Cya went on. “Commander, you will immediately classify all data concerning HSL-48 2124A, Class Radiant. You are also to mark that area of space off limits to anything but military vessels and personnel with Radiant-level clearance.’

  “While you are awaiting the Pelé, remain on station and intercept any non-Sisterhood craft that attempt to come into the area. You are also to notify this command of any such event immediately.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Lilith said.

  “In addition, you will also make certain that all of the personnel involved in the ground action are debriefed fully. To the fullest possible extent. Staff officers such as yourself, are excluded from this requirement however.”

  Lilith did not understand. “Ma’am?”

  “To be a bit plainer, once you are relieved, I want everyone’s memories of the place scrubbed during the PTS-debriefing, except for your command staff. We cannot have the news of this civilization leaking out to the general populace. Not now. Not when we are poised for another conflict with the Hriss. We will need total solidarity if it comes to war, goddess forbid.”

  “I understand, ma’am.”

  The call ended, and Lilith relayed the information to her subordinates. After that, she gave command over to Katrinn and returned to her quarters. There, she put on her realie headset and re-started the Celina realie. She needed to lose herself in something, and wash the bad taste out of her mouth. The fate of nations would have to wait.

  USSMC Training Facility, 75th Training Battalion, Hella’s World, Hecate System, Artemi Elant, United Sisterhood of Suns, 1043.03|03|02:50:67

  Every week, the recruits were called into Sa’Tela’s office for mandatory personal counseling. Normally this involved a review of training scores and a discussion of areas that each recruit needed to improve in, but Kaly found herself dreading the affair as the day approached. She knew that the letter she had received would come up in the conversation.

  Sa’Tela confirmed this when she stepped into the DI’s office, and stood at attention. “N’Deena,” she said, “I understand that you received some mail from home the other day.”

  “Ma’am, yes, ma’am.”

  “I also understand that you did not write back. Why not? You know that the Corps encourages recruits to stay in touch with their loved ones.”

  “Ma’am, this recruit decided not to,” Kaly replied.

  “And why is that, N’Deena?” sa’Tela inquired.

  “Ma’am, this recruit considers that a private matter,” Kaly answered.

  “Well, its not,” Sa’Tela informed her. “You’ve been coming along quite nicely in your scores and the last thing I want is for something from the outside to interfere with your becoming a Marine. Everything in your life is my concern. Nothing is private as far as the Corps is concerned. So, out with it, hatchie.”

  Kaly had no choice but to obey. “Ma’am, the letter was from my home. From Persephone. They want me to come back for a visit.”

  “And?”

  “Ma’am,” she said. “This recruit—this recruit is not ready. I can’t face them. I can’t go back there. Not yet.”

  Sa’ Tela nodded slowly. “Believe it or not,” she finally said. “I know what you’re going through and I also know how hard it might be for you to believe that right now.”

  Kaly blinked, nonplussed.

  “You think I’m some kind of martinet without a human bone in my body, don’t you?” Sa’Tela asked her. “You should, it’s only natural at your stage of training. You’ve probably even sworn to show me a thing or two and make me eat my words.”

  Kaly was astounded at how much the DI knew about her, and felt embarrassed.

  “Don’t be ashamed,” the DI said as if reading her mind. “I was a young recruit once, just like you. And just like you, I stood on that same carpet and told my DI that my letter from home was none of her business. You see, I came from a small fringe world just like Persephone that was settled by Kalian immigrants. We were raided by the Hriss, just like you were. I lost half my family in that raid. I watched them die.”

  “That was back in the last war, and I joined up for exactly the same reason that you did. I wanted to kill the Hriss for what they had done to me and mine. The Corps made sure that I got my chance and then some.”

  Kaly didn’t know how to respond. She’d never given much thought to the personal histories of her instructors. Like everyone else
, she had often joked that drill instructors were speed-grown in a vat somewhere and came bursting out as full-fledged Marines, with bayonets clenched in their teeth. It was very hard to picture Sa’Tela as a young woman with loved ones. Or as a clumsy hatchie like herself.

  “Trust me in this,” Sa’Tela said. “The best thing you can do for yourself is to write her back, and when you’re ready, go back for a visit. It’s the only way to heal-up. I know. I went through the same thing with my people. That’s not an order by the way, just a suggestion from someone who’s been there.”

  “Ma’am, yes, ma’am.”

  “All right N’Deena, dismissed.”

  Pensive, Kaly returned to her rack and joined the platoon in a timed drill led by Troop Leader n’Vera, assembling and disassembling her Mark 7. They were all just about perfect by this point, but of course, not perfect enough to suit N’Vera. That, they had learned was an impossibility that rivaled a spaceship surviving a trip through a black hole. By now, everyone just accepted this, even “the rebels.”

  The assistant DI made them repeat the exercise over and over, and for once Kaly was glad for this. The drill helped take her mind off Sa’Tela’s advice. She didn’t want to think about Persephone any more.

  The recruits had just managed to barely satisfy the assistant DI, when Aliz bel Jeera’s turn came up for an interview. After her humiliating defeat at the hands of the Hriss prisoner, Bel Jeera had been strangely withdrawn, and had eschewed even the company of her fellow agitators. She said nothing to anyone as she went into the office, and her expression was dark and troubled.

  Shortly after this, a Corporal from Operations appeared in the barracks and went in. When she exited, Bel Jeera was with her. She said nothing to anyone as they left the barracks together, and kept her eyes straight ahead. She was opting out.

  As they walked away across the parade ground, Sa’Tela appeared at her doorway and watched them go. Kaly saw an expression of sad resignation cross the DI’s face before she closed the door again. Had she not just had her own session alone with the woman, and glimpsed her human side, she would never have believed it.