The Exxar Chronicles: Book 03 - Acts of Peace and War

by Neal Jones

  "A position that he held for a little over a year, correct?"

  Reldun thought for a moment. "Yeah, that sounds about right."

  "So that means he had been employed at Lykenshy since 2619."

  "Yes. We hired him as a adjunct researcher. As soon as I could, I promoted him to my junior associate."

  "And what kind of projects did you work on?"

  "Oh...a little of everything. My specialty was biogenetics. Fifty years ago there was the T'Cosh-Inon Wars going on, and the government was always looking for ways to improve the stamina and physical endurance of their soldiers."

  Varis paused in her typing, startled, and glanced up. "You're right. I'd forgotten about that conflict." She furrowed her brow, thinking, and then continued typing.

  Ojin nodded. "It was a bloody mess, and it was always in the news every night. Didn't last very long, though. My project did yield a new discovery that improved the rapid-healing wound regeneration process. You know that new stuff you buy at the med-stores for scrapes and cuts? That patent was registered by my team in 2624."

  Varis smiled, nodding. "I see now why you could afford a place like this."

  "Oh yeah. We had a lot of little breakthroughs like that." His tone and expression turned wistful. "Nothing major, though. That's what I was really hoping for – something big. Something that would help us cure neurological diseases, or even increase the ability of the current gene therapy used to retard the aging process."

  "So your team never found a way to improve the physiology of infantry soldiers?"

  "No. We came pretty close, but the field of bio-technology is very...tricky. It takes a lot of mistakes before you finally get the recipe right. After the conflict was over, we were assigned something else, and I had to abandon that project."

  "Uh-huh," Varis replied, typing. "When you say 'bio-technology', do you mean cybernetics? The same science that created bio-nets?"

  Reldun nodded again, sipping his tea. "Yes. Most of our experiments involved nano-technology, the basis of bio-nets and other such applications. We were trying to improve the science."

  "How exactly?"

  "We were trying to find a way to successfully merge a humanoid host with nanites that would continually regenerate themselves without overwhelming the hosts' natural processes. They were supposed to enhance them instead. Superior physical strength, better vision, less need for sleep and thus able to fight for longer periods before rest – you get the idea."

  Varis sat back, frowning. "I thought that had already been accomplished with the current applications of the bio-nets and gene therapy. When I was in basic twenty years ago, my squadmates and I only needed four hours a sleep a night."

  Reldun chuckled over the rim of his mug. "True, but you still needed sleep. Your body still tired after a full day's training. My team and I were tasked with improving the symbiotic relationship between host and machine."

  "I see," J'Soran replied, even though she didn't quite understand. "Did any of your tests involve Ralorian soldiers?"

  "Oh no, no. We used tree cats from the jungles of Oughtono regions, but none of them survived. We could never get the programming of the nanites exact enough so as to be in perfect balance with the host's organic physiology. They seemed okay at first, but then they would suffer something like blindness, or organ failure, or even – in some rare cases – unexplained hemorrhaging of the brain tissue." He shook his head, frustrated. "We could never explain it. And since we weren't allowed to test on humanoid subjects, we never got satisfactory answers. I have always believed that there was something in the physiology of the cats that made them poor test subjects, but it was the best we could do in the constraints of the law."

  "Were there any other projects like this, Ojin?"

  He shook his head. "Not really. Even though our research department was considered one of the best among the universities here on homeworld, we were focused primarily on curing diseases, improving the quality of life, all that sort. This particular project, the one we did for the military, that was the most radical."

  "And Doctor Moru helped you on this?"

  "Oh yes. As I said, he was one of my brightest students. He had some very…keen insights, and we would never have gotten as far as we did without his help. I was very disappointed when he chose to leave."

  "Yes, I wanted to ask you about that. What happened? Why did he leave Lykenshy?"

  Reldun frowned as he reached for his tea. "I don't know. He said he had received a job offer, but he couldn't tell me from whom or what it was about. All he said was that he had two days to pack up his apartment and that he was leaving homeworld. It was the strangest thing, really. He acted very excited, and yet...I don't know. It was as if he was...distracted in some way, or maybe afraid." Ojin shook his head. "No, afraid isn't the right word."

  "Anxious?"

  "Yeah, that's better. Anxious, nervous maybe. I thought it was something I'd done or said to him, but he assured me it wasn't. I asked him why he couldn't tell me, but all he did was apologize and say again that he couldn't talk any more about it. He said he had only two days to be ready to leave. That's what I thought was so odd. I assumed he had been hired by another university or a private research corporation, but why would they only give him two days to quit his current position and relocate? It didn't make any sense to me."

  "Did he stay in touch with you after he left?"

  "No. And that was the other part of it that disappointed me so much. Korik and I had become good friends in the course of our work together. I had even begun to view him as almost a son. My own children have never displayed an interest or an aptitude for the sciences, and Korik was so eager to learn everything he could about my work."

  "How many children do you have?"

  "Three." He motioned to a holo-photo on a shelf above the nearby counter. "That's them there. The older two are here on homeworld with their families, the younger one is a banker – or something or other – on one of those colonies in the Kursavid systems. I can never remember which one."

  "Are you very close to your children?

  "The older two, yes. The younger one – " Ojin smiled ruefully. "Well, you know how it is. Sometime you just can't see eye to eye, not matter what. We haven't spoken for quite a few years."

  Varis nodded, reaching for her water glass as she reviewed her notes thus far. Reldun walked to the stove to refill his mug.

  "So Korik didn't write you at all after he left? No communiqué, no letter, not even a screen call?"

  "No. For several weeks afterward I went back over that that last conversation, trying to remember exactly what he had said and the way he had acted. But there was nothing very suspicious about it, nothing to make me think that he was in any trouble. It was just...odd."

  "What about his behavior in the months or weeks leading up to that day? Was he acting strangely at all, anything out of the ordinary?"

  The doctor shook his head as he sat. "No. I thought about that as well after he left, tried to remember if he had said anything or acted oddly about anything. The other researchers and students were just as surprised as I was when he left. They hadn't noticed anything unusual either."

  "Uh-huh." J'Soran finished typing, and then stared at her screen, lost in thought. Reldun sipped his tea, watching her. Through an open window above the sink, the distant squeals and laughter of children playing in the courtyard below drifted into the somber silence of the kitchen.

  "Brantar," Ojin said at last, prodding her out her reverie.

  She glanced up and smiled. "Sorry. I was just...thinking."

  "Yes," he nodded. He paused, leaning forward, and then said, "Is it safe to assume that because you're asking these questions that something has happened to Korik? What did he do after leaving Lykenshy? Was he working at another university? Or for the military?"

  J'Soran hesitated, wondering just how much of the truth she should reveal. "Actually, Ojin, Korik's body was discovered last week. That's all I can tell you. My office ha
s been tasked with investigating the circumstances surrounding his death."

  "Ah. I see. Was it his heart?"

  "We're not sure yet. I'm sorry to have to be the one to give you this news."

  Reldun nodded, staring into his mug. "Such a shame. I hope that he spent the rest of his life doing what he loved best."

  "He worked for Athdan's College and then the Bri'Nai Institute."

  Reldun glanced up, surprised. "Bri'Nai? Well, yes, he did well for himself then. I had quite a few students who ended up there."

  "Really? Is there anyone there now that might have worked with Korik in the last few years?"

  "Oh, I don't know. I haven't kept in touch with my former students these days like I used to, not since I've retired anyway."

  "That's all right. Is there anything else you can think of that can help me? I'm trying to find out what happened to Korik after he left Lykenshy?"

  "He didn't go to Athdan's?"

  "No. Not until 2638. I can't find any employment record for him for about ten and a half years before that."

  The doctor sat back, rubbing absently at his chin. "Huh. I guess that makes sense, doesn't it? He must have been working for the military, or some other branch of the government here. They've always got something percolating in back rooms and secret laboratories. It wouldn't surprise me if Korik found his way onto a project or two."

  Varis nodded. "It would explain his absence from the private sector."

  "And you think that whatever he was involved with back then may have led to his death now?"

  "I'm not sure. I'm just looking into all possibilities right now. Are you still in contact with anyone else who worked with you and Moru at Lykenshy?"

  "No. I haven't been for several years now. I'm sorry."

  "I understand." Varis shut off her compad. "If you do think of anything, would you screen me?"

  "Sure." He stood to fetch a pad and she typed her comm number on it. "It was his heart, wasn't it? He had a genetically inherited defect. He was taking medication for it. He said that's why he wanted to research biogenetics. He had always hoped to find a cure to conditions such as his."

  Varis stood, closing her travel case. "We're not sure yet. It appears that he died of a heart attack, but –"

  "– you can't say anything more. I understand." He walked her to the door. "It was nice meeting you, brantar."

  "You as well, Ojin. Have a good day."

  As Varis left the building, she glanced across the street. This time, she didn't fail to notice a Ralorian man seated in the park across from Reldun's building. He was looking away from her, towards a group of children on the playground, and she continued on her way, taking note of his appearance. He didn't seem too out-of-place or suspicious, but she had been trained long ago to never discount any feature of her surroundings. She continued to the corner and then turned right, heading up the street towards the nearest train stop.

  ( 4 )

  As soon as she was out of sight, Avyrem rose and strolled casually to the corner, watching Varis from a distance as she headed for the train depot several blocks away. He turned, glancing towards the building she had just left, and then tapped the skin behind his right earlobe as he walked back to the park.

  "Yes?"

  "She's left the apartment of Doctor Reldun."

  "Find out what he told her."

  "I can tell you that already. He doesn't know anything about what happened to Moru fifty years ago. He told her nothing of consequence."

  "But we don't know that for certain. Make sure of it."

  Avyrem gave an exasperated sigh. "Yes. Of course." He severed the connection, and then walked back across the street.

  ( 5 )

  Gabriel pressed the door chime and then adjusted his sash as he waited. The door slid aside and Taelon smiled.

  "Marc! Please come in."

  "I'm a little early, I'm sorry."

  "Don't be. I was just finishing an early supper." She motioned to a nearby table that had been laid several exotic looking dishes.

  "All of this is for you?"

  The ambassador laughed. "No. My staff always dines with me. I don't like eating alone. But they've left to work on my speech for the state dinner." She motioned to the empty chairs. "Please join me."

  Gabriel accepted the invitation and then reached for something that he hoped was fruit. It looked like a cross between a pear and a mango. "Is everything all right?"

  "Pardon?"

  "You look a little...anxious."

  Taelon smiled. "I am little nervous, actually. It's been many years since I last spoke with a Tiralan."

  Marc nodded as he sliced open the fruit. "The last time I was in the same room with them was twenty-one years ago at a security conference. I was just an ensign at the time, assigned to the extra security detail, and it was all I could do not to stare." He chuckled as he bit into the fruit. It was surprisingly sweet, almost too much for his taste, but he continued eating anyway.

  Taelon laughed as she poured herself some more juice and then reached for a slice of bread. "They are rather mysterious, aren't they? This will be my fourth encounter with one."

  The commodore glanced up, surprised. "Really? In your entire career?"

  She nodded. "You would think it was more given how many times I've been involved with treaty negotiations and peace initiatives, but I discovered long ago that the Tiralans only appear in the flesh – so to speak – for what they deem to be momentous occasions."

  "They consider these talks with the Chrisarii to be momentous? We've had an agreement of non-conflict with the Alliance for over eleven years now."

  "I know, and I'm puzzled by this as well. I would have expected the Tiralans to be present for the signing of the final treaty, the one that will give the Chrisarii full membership in the Federation. But that's still many months away, possibly a year or more."

  Gabriel shrugged. "The Tiralans have mediated peace talks before – eleven years ago, in fact. Maybe they're here to do the same once again."

  "I was thinking that too," Taelon agreed. "The thing is, I had to do everything but beg on my hands and knees for them to mediate the cease-fire eleven years ago. It took me two years of persistent and careful badgering to get them to even listen to my request, and then another year before they finally agreed."

  "Ah, now I understand. You never bothered to check with them before arranging these talks now."

  "No, I didn't. Their presence was necessary ten years ago because we needed a neutral party to negotiate the cease-fire. The Alliance and the Federation have been at relative peace with one another for over a decade now. Not only that, we have Exxar-One. This station was built in order to serve as a neutral ground for us to meet for talks such as this. There's no real need for the Tiralans to be here, except, I suppose, as a ceremonial presence."

  "That makes sense."

  Zar shook her head. "No, actually, it doesn't. The Tiralans do not appear in person unless there is a specific need for them. Eleven years ago, for example. As far as I know, they never go to all the trouble of leaving their home star system unless they have some specific purpose in mind. Their presence here is not just ceremonial. They are actually here for something specific, something important."

  "Well, maybe the representor will tell us when it arrives." He glanced at his commlink. "Which is in ten minutes, by the way."

  ( 6 )

  The door slid aside, and Gabriel allowed Zar to exit the PTL first. The honor guard was at the ready, and the entire senior staff – minus Garrett, of course – was present. Since Lieutenant Cadman was acting chief engineer in Kiran's absence, Gabriel had ordered him to be present for this arrival, and he was looking slightly uncomfortable. The commodore inspected his staff as he walked past them, and then gave an approving nod before taking his place at the head of the column. The honor guard was lining the opposite wall, and Ambassador Zar took her place in the center of the corridor at the head of both columns. All eyes faced the docking hatch as
the light on the com panel beside it flashed from red to green.

  The door cycled open.

  "All company, atten-shun!" Gabriel ordered.

  The first one to cross the threshold was the Elzrai attendant. It had to stoop to enter, and its large, almond-shaped eyes immediately focused on the ambassador. The Elzrai were nearly seven feet tall, with narrow torsos atop slender legs. Their arms, too, seemed unnaturally long and narrow, and the three fingers on each of their hands had three knuckles each. The deep, violet hue of their eyes matched the silky, shimmering shades of their clothing, something that appeared to be both loose and yet form-fitting – an odd looking cross between a robe and a body suit. The one that this attendant was wearing was a deep emerald with slashes of navy and gray on the sleeves and thighs. All of that color only made the Elzrai's pale skin seem even more white, almost spectral, and when the attendant bowed to Zar, the overhead lighting reflected off its hairless dome. When it spoke, its voice had a pleasing, almost musical quality to it, a tone that was at once soft and firm, yet raised at the end of every sentence so that everything spoken sounded like a question.

  "We are pleased to be in your presence?"

  Zar bowed as well. "As are we. Welcome to Exxar-One."

  "You may address me as Lanoth?" the attendant continued. "I am pleased to present the Representor Oryakk?" It stood to one side to allow the Tiralan to enter the room.

  Where the Elzrai was very distinct in its manner of dress and physical appearance, the Tiralan appeared almost mundane and ordinary next to the attendant. The Tiralan biosuit was a roughly shaped head and neck atop a cylindrical torso which descended all the way to the floor, and the obsidian material seemed to flow and shimmer in much the same way as the clothing of the Elzrai. The front of the head had a vaguely outlined facial structure, as if the eyes, nose and mouth had been molded from black, soupy clay that flowed and shimmered in various patterns depending on the mood of the one occupying the suit. Around the "neck" and "shoulders", a piece of the biosuit jutted up and outward in a V-formation on either side of the head, almost like two bones. When the representor spoke, its tone was soft and mellow where the attendant's was lilting and musical, and the Tiralan's voice seemed very much male where the Elzrai's was more gender neutral.