by Damon Alan
“We'll see. You need to keep working, Alarin.” Sarah looked at Harmeen, and he nodded back. He knew what she was asking. The power to respond with military force was available. “My people will see what we can do about the villages.”
Alarin’s shoulders slumped and his voice dropped in volume. “I am your prisoner. I surrendered. I have no choice but to comply.”
The last thing Sarah needed was for Alarin to give up. “I think we both know better. You’re here as an ally.”
Alarin’s tone didn’t improve. “If I am imprisoned, I must do as you bid. If I am an ally, I must return home to assist my people.”
Sarah sighed in resignation. Maybe Alarin just needed some time to rethink. The Seventh Fleet needed him, now and in the future. “As you wish. Corriea, lock him up if you need too. If being a prisoner steers him down the right path, then that’s how it will be. In the meantime, keep researching.”
Corriea gave her a resigned smile. “I'm working on it, Captain. On an undisturbed site that has no atmosphere to disrupt the optics, we can unleash all sorts of destruction remotely. But the atmosphere of Refuge scatters the light, and with it the information Alarin needs to be effective at the surface. It's quite possible he will have to be on Refuge, or a drone camera on Refuge, for us to enable him to engage Merik. We don't know yet. It's very strange to see this effect on top of the singularity effect. I guess the universe has built in limits to what can be changed.”
Sarah nodded. “Just keep me informed. I want results. Now.”
“Do I tell Eislen about this?” Corriea asked.
“Not yet, let me get Dr. Jannis’s opinion. Until then, hasty results from your work will lessen casualties on Refuge.”
Corriea sighed. “Aye, Captain. We're working around the clock.”
Sarah felt his frustration. “I'm sure you are, Lieutenant. Keep it up. Dayson out.”
She breathed deeply. In and out. A decision rattled back and forth in her mind, until it solidified. She was about to escalate things. And eager to do so.
Poor Eislen. We’ve taken it all from him.
“Lieutenant Seto, feed the coordinates for Kampana to the grapplers on station over Refuge. Tell them to open fire on the bonfires. I want the adepts to know that when villages are burned, we will respond.”
“The village will be destroyed, Captain. It’s not very big,” Seto said.
“I’m aware of that, Halani. The village that matters is already destroyed,” Sarah replied.
Sarah rolled her head back and stared at the ceiling, trying to understand the storm she was caught in.
* * *
During dinner at the officers' wardroom, Sarah toyed with her food. Across from her Commander Gilbert ravished a plate of reconstituted beef.
“You should eat, Captain. We should keep our energy up,” Gilbert said with his mouth half full.
Sarah's foot rubbed the side of Gilbert's calf under the table.
Sitting next to Sarah, Lieutenant Seto watched Gilbert eat, disgust on her face. She picked at a vegetable plate. Harmeen sat across from Seto, fasting for religious reasons.
“Something is bothering you, Captain?” Harmeen observed.
Sarah jumped with a start. “What? Oh, no Lieutenant. I'm fine.”
Harmeen smiled a gentle smile. “Sorry, I didn't mean to pry.”
Sarah admired Harmeen. His faith was strange to her, but his personality and presence as an officer was well developed for someone so young. “It's okay, I appreciate the concern. I should be honest, I suppose. Something actually is bothering me, but it's not a burden I believe is fair to put on any of you.”
Gilbert slurped in a gravy covered slab of cow as Seto turned her head away. “Captain, that's all changed. We're all we've got. You can't call Command anymore and defer, not that I ever saw you do that anyway. But we're alone out here, and this is your immediate family. We can, and will help.”
“This is a military decision, Commander, and mine to make if it ever arises. I don't want to have to make a snap judgment.”
Gilbert smacked his lips, sat back, and smiled. “Is this about crew morale and getting down to Refuge? Because I've been thinking about that.” Gilbert waved his fork at the table. “No jokes about danger and marines thinking.” He separated his beef into two piles. One very large pile, one smaller. “The way I see it, this large pile is the people of Refuge. This small pile is us.”
“Great, we look like two piles of shit,” Seto muttered.
“What's that Lieutenant?” Gilbert asked.
“Nothing, Commander, just a personal thought.”
Gilbert stared at Seto for a few seconds, increasing her discomfort, but then turned back to his plate. “We can't just sit here orbiting a dead moon waiting for something to happen. We need Refuge, and they need us too.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean living under the adepts as slaves sucks. I've met the locals, at least for a bit, and they celebrated when my men took out a patrol of the adept soldiers,” Gilbert said.
“Nobody wants to live under tyranny,” Harmeen agreed.
“Damn right,” Gilbert said, nodding at the Lieutenant. “Captain, we said we'd protect these people, but we can't do that sitting here. We need to make a difference, not just wait and watch. If we have to prune a few of the bad branches to save the tree, that's what we have to do.”
“Do you mean we attack and kill the adepts?” Harmeen asked. “That’s not gone well so far.”
“If we have to cut out some of them,” Gilbert turned back to the piles of beef on his plate and separated a piece from the big pile, “then we have to do what we have to do. But then look how nicely this little pile, which is us, fits in that gap.” Gilbert pushed the smaller pile into the hole he'd cut from the larger pile.
“That's not my first choice,” Sarah said. “I want a solution that minimizes casualties on both sides. I want Alarin to become our weapon, and if Corriea's research pays off, we'll have that. He's a moralistic man, and cares about his people.”
“I’m sure he is. But he’s still an adept,” Gilbert said. “We haven’t known him that long.”
“I hear what you're saying, Franklin, and this Merik character is undeniably a threat. I'm not beyond nuking her personally, as you did the adepts that killed Satier.” Sarah nudged Gilbert under the table. “The damage would be localized with a small tactical weapon. But we will not eliminate the adepts on a large scale so we can move in and take over. That's not what you were implying, was it Mr. Gilbert?”
“No, not at all. Surgically removing troublemakers is what I was saying, Captain.”
Sarah took a bite of her food as she considered his words. “I can agree with that, if necessary it's what we’ll do. But we will not, I repeat not, replace Refuge's rulers with ourselves as the new overlords. Do you have any idea how often that's happened in human history? Not this time.”
“We can't live in space forever, Captain. Someday our ships will break down in some way we can’t fix, and we'll have to make a decision. If we make it when our ships are broken, it will be a desperate decision.” Gilbert spoke more slowly, with carefully chosen words. “How long do we wait for Corriea's breakthrough?”
Sarah stared at Gilbert for a moment, thinking. “That's a valid point. I agree with you. I will think on it and set a deadline. If it’s us that uses force instead of Alarin, we will make a small cut to behead the adept power structure. Precision. Not a bludgeoning fiasco.”
Harmeen exhaled, drawing everyone’s attention.
“Comment Navin?” Sarah asked.
“I think we're playing with fire, Captain,” Harmeen replied. “We still don’t know her limits.”
“And how are we supposed to find them?” Sarah didn’t wait for an answer. “I think this is coming to a head. Merik has to be pissed that Gilbert blew up her winery. Hell, I'm pissed that Gilbert blew up her winery. I don’t think it’s any secret that I’m fond of the stuff, and this lunkhead blows up
the only winery I know of within twenty thousand light-years.”
“I didn’t know it was a winery until you told me,” Gilbert said in his defense.
Sarah laughed. “It’s a joke, Mr. Gilbert. A sense of humor is all that will keep us sane right now.”
Gilbert’s face was blank. “Oh.”
Sarah rolled her eyes. “The reality is I want Merik found and killed. She's attacking civilians. She's killed our people. She's unstable.”
For the next thirty seconds the only sound was the clink of utensils on plates.
Seto finally shared her thoughts, her eyes red. “I have sensed this confrontation coming too. Like Navin, I don't like it. My home planet was settled by people fleeing tyranny on Earth several thousand years ago. We, at the time, went where we thought we'd never be found. Eventually, however, galactic civilization found us and despite our very different culture, we took steps to fit into galactic society. Refuge is found. We either have to die, or we have to make them adapt to our presence. Those are the choices.”
Sarah didn’t want this talk to turn toward mourning losses in the Hive War or projecting losses in a fight with Merik. “This has taken a turn I didn't expect. Harmeen, you said we're playing with fire, tell me what you mean.”
“My opinion is based upon faith, Captain. I'm not...”
Sarah interrupted his attempt to hedge. “I want your opinion, Mr. Harmeen. If you have one. If you don't, get one pronto.”
“The thing that comes to mind for me, Captain, is the final lament of the Book of Erea, the Book of Pain.” Harmeen paused and gulped. Sarah knew he rarely shared his religion with his crewmates. “The last lament states, 'If there is no way to peace, the price of peace is to make your way.'“
“What does that mean?” Gilbert asked.
Harmeen looked at the ceiling, then back at Gilbert. “There are two schools of thought. One, and this is the one that most of my people subscribe to, is that you must simply try harder to maintain the peace. The second, and the one I am coming to believe, is that if there is an obstacle to peace, it must be removed before peace can exist.”
“I like your interpretation, Mr. Harmeen,” Sarah said.
“If you must fight Merik, Captain, if she doesn't give us a path that leads to peace, then you must kill her. She is a danger to everyone, including her own people. The sacrifice of her life is the greater good if peace is the result.”
I wonder if religions are founded on nuggets of brilliance that impress those who need a path...
She found Harmeen's words compelling, but the association with superstition made her uneasy. “Is there anything else I should know?”
Harmeen's head drooped toward his chest. “None of you believe any of this.”
“I'm interested,” Sarah said. “I have no doubts about your wisdom.”
“Yes, Captain. There is a prophecy in my religion. One I have been hesitant to share.”
Gilbert pushed the last bite of beef into his mouth. “I can't wait,” he said with a touch of sarcasm.
“Commander...” Sarah said, her eyes narrow slits. “Lieutenant, I want your input.”
“Bunduism has several books that guide us, each equal to the other. One is the Book of Prophecy. In this book there is a prophecy toward the end.” Harmeen drew in a breath. “The prophecy says that man's days are numbered, that the end will be when the children of man speak to the god above all gods.”
“What do you think that means?” Sarah asked.
“I'm not sure, Captain. But Peter and Dr. Jannis said this might be a new species. The children of mankind. He also said they speak to the universe. My religion believes the gods are infused in all things. Gods are in this plate, that bulkhead, the Stennis, the moon below us.”
“So you think you're witnessing a religious event?” Gilbert said, incredulous.
“I'm almost certain of it,” Harmeen answered.
Sarah held her hand up to keep Gilbert from making a bigger ass of himself. “Navin, listen to me. That opinion does not leave this table. Do you hear me?”
Harmeen looked shocked. “Have I offended you?”
“No, not at all. Your beliefs are your beliefs. You are entitled to them. But I believe that your thoughts on this will only stir up the crew. I don't want them thinking our command is based on religious views, and I don't want them thinking we're on some sort of holy mission. Got it?”
“Very clear, Captain. I'm sorry.”
“Don't be. I'm honored that you shared with us. But we have crew unity to think about. After we have found and walked the road to peace, you can share as you like. I promise that.”
Gilbert laughed. “The crew isn't going to be spooked out because of some religious book, Captain. They're smarter than that.”
Sarah sighed. She wasn’t taking any chances on damaging the faith her crew had in her ability to lead. “Yes, they’re smart, but they're also in a stressful situation. So until we've settled the issue of Merik, discussions on the matter stay in this room.”
“I'm with you one hundred percent, Captain,” Gilbert said as he stood up to leave. “I have bridge duty. I'll see you all later.” He dropped his plates in the recycler, then left the room.
Sarah watched as Gilbert left, then resumed the conversation. “Harmeen, what comes next in that prophecy?”
“A great evil wipes man from the universe, but our children ask the god above all for mercy. The request is answered and the children of man destroy the evil, wiping it away.”
“I'm not ready to see humans wiped from the universe,” Seto said.
“I agree,” Harmeen said to Seto, before turning to Sarah. “With the discovery of this fifth force I think we must consider the possibility that what is discarded as superstition might have more value than most think... That we are on the rails of a track and cannot depart our path.”
“Well I don't like that idea at all. I like the “make a path to peace” thing much better,” Sarah replied.
“I am just a lowly believer, Captain, but if this is prophecy unfolding, then you cannot eliminate all of the adepts. They are our children, the children of our species.”
Sarah smirked. “If the prophecy is real, I won't be able to eliminate all the adepts. I don't want to eliminate them anyway. Just the ones that harm our crew, and their own people.”
“I'm grateful for that, as I expect, are the gods,” Harmeen said.
“I don't believe in prophecy, Mr. Harmeen. But rest assured I'll do what is right for this crew and for the people of Refuge.”
“I didn't write the prophecy, I'm only sharing it. I have the Book if you'd like to borrow it, ma'am.”
“I'll drop by later and pick it up. I haven't read a new book in two years.”
“I'll deliver it to your cabin, Captain.”
“Thanks, Lieutenant.” Sarah stood up to leave. “Thank you all, I have even more to think about.”
Chapter 36 – Eislen’s Rage
07 NODER 15327
Eislen sat at the desk in the common area of the Outhouse, watching a holovid about the history of galactic colonization. He still had a hard time grasping the idea of his people originating someplace other than Nula Armana, although the name did mean New Home.
“Eislen,” Alarin called from the lab.
“I’m doing my lessons,” Eislen called back.
“Come in here. We need to talk.”
Eislen paused the holovid and walked into the lab. Master Alarin, Malco and Peter sat on stools. Peter looked sad, but Alarin’s face was emotionless.
Peter gestured toward the only comfortable chair in the room. “Have a seat.”
This can’t be good. I get the good seat?
Eislen sat down in the chair, confused.
Peter coughed and avoided eye contact with Eislen. “There’s no good way to tell you this, Eislen.”
A twinge of fear gripped Eislen’s stomach and twisted. “Tell me what? Have I messed up? Broken something?”
Peter e
xhaled his next words as a sigh. “Kampana is destroyed.”
Eislen’s blood felt cold in his veins, and a roiling anger settled in his guts. “What do you mean destroyed?”
Alarin remained silent.
All fear dissipated into anger, and despite Eislen’s attempt to control that anger, objects around the room vibrated as he lost some control of the gift.
“Merik sent adepts and soldiers to Kampana trying to find Alarin. They failed to find him, and she had the town burned,” Peter answered. He looked uncomfortable as a piece of equipment slid the width of a hand on the table.
“Everyone is dead?” Eislen hoped his voice wasn’t a wail.
“We don’t know for sure, but Captain Dayson attacked the adepts on the ground after she found out about the burning of the village. She killed the people who did it.”
Eislen’s vision was tunneling as his rage rose. An empty chair flipped over and hit the floor.
Alarin, looking nervous, finally spoke. “Control your gift, Eislen. Sarah Dayson did the right thing in killing Merik’s assassins. But it’s not enough. Help me fight for the people.”
“Gods damn you adepts!” Eislen screamed and flew from his chair. He was across the room inside of a breath and struck Alarin in the face with his fist. “Gods damn you. You bastards take children and do who knows what to them, you tax the people into starvation, you bend everyone to your will. Jalai take every last one of you bastards away.”
A groaning sound erupted from the metal bulkhead next to Peter and paint flaked off the wall.
Alarin raised his fingers to his bleeding face, a purple splotch spreading out from the point where Eislen struck him. “I was not part of the decision. Had I been I would have died to defend Kampana. Your anger is misplaced, not all adepts are the same. You need to control your gift or you will destroy us.”
Eislen was not placated. “You are the same. The gods give you a gift and you use it against the people the gods demand you protect. I hear the priests, Alarin Sur’batti, do not lie to me.” Eislen flexed his fists as he considered striking Alarin again.
