Reality: The Struggle for Sternessence

by Daniel A. Liut

  “I also want to disclose a piece of classified information. The operational performance of this team has been ranked as top excellence. I’m sure this is the main reason for our having been picked for this job. High Command would not have hesitated to assign this mission to any other team, had any out-ranked our competence. We just happen to be the best, erandie, and we will show that once more tomorrow.”

  O’sihn paused, looking at his audience. “And keep in mind: we can’t afford the luxury of failure. There is much more than our lives at stake in here. If we lose this planet, we will most certainly lose the entire quadrant, which would further compromise our situation in this war.”

  The room was getting very hot, and the air quite stuffy. It was becoming uncomfortable for everybody, and O’sihn was aware of it. But he still had important matters to discuss.

  “I don’t want to lose anybody in the field tomorrow,” O’sihn continued, holding his wooden pointer with both hands. “We are to resolve unexpected situations with our brains, not our guts. I don’t want fits of corny heroism. The Realdom can’t afford dead heroes nowadays, only reusable winners. Questions?” O’sihn drummed his fingers on Captain Gueelmietl’s desk. “Very well, let’s move on to our last topic.

  “Though ten of us are to be launched on this mission, we will be eleven fighting together. I intend to make a new addition to our group, and this is the main reason I asked Erina to attend this meeting.

  “Over the past two days, I’ve been delving into the possibility of Erina’s joining us in the field tomorrow.108 As some of you are aware, I’ve been discussing the issue with members of this team.”

  O’sihn paused. He seemed uncomfortable with the decision he had made. “I’d rather have you here on board this submarine tomorrow, Erina, monitoring our deployment.”

  Erina pushed her hair back with one hand. “I didn’t expect this decision, Captain.”

  “And I am not fond of it myself,” O’sihn said. “But you are a very valuable element of a team that is about to get involved in a complex operation. It’s neither reasonable nor fair that you should engage your first mission under such circumstances.”

  “So my first assignment will be to wait onboard this submarine, while Dahncion and everybody else are out there exposed to all kinds of trouble.” Erina scowled. “The least I can say is that I am not fond of this either, Captain.”

  “I understand.” O’sihn wrinkled his forehead.

  The name—Dahncion—stung Clara’s ears each time Erina pronounced it. Clara tried to hide her feelings behind her hair, though not very successfully.

  A hand went up. “Yes, X.O.”

  “I regret we haven’t had the chance to discuss this before, Captain, but this course of action will probably not help anybody, particularly Erina.”

  Everybody turned towards Laida with surprise. It was very out of the ordinary that she would openly question the captain’s decisions.

  “Certainly, X.O.,” O’sihn said, without showing disapproval. “I guess we have all been pretty busy during the past few days. But we are here to discuss all alternatives, so please go ahead.”

  “Thank you, Captain. It is true that Erina has no combat experience, but she has displayed very promising qualities. On the other hand, I don’t think she’s going to be safer on board this submarine than on the island. If we fail, this ship will most likely be detected and immediately destroyed. The enemy has a very good antisubmarine capability—enhanced by Establishment technology, of course. But if we succeed, she would have had the chance to engage in her first mission, which will be a tough one. This would give her a great deal of confidence for future assignments.” Laida’s tone was firm, though respectful. O’sihn remained pensive as the X.O. continued. “Besides, I don’t think there is going to be any major operational complication if we were to include her in platoon number three.” That was Clara’s and Dahncion’s team.

  O’sihn nodded. “The X.O. may have a point here.” Leaving his pointer on the desk, the captain turned to Erina. “Very well. Any objections to being assigned to Lieutenant Commander Clara’s team?”

  “None, Captain.”

  Almost simultaneously, Duncan raised his hand.

  “Yes, Lieutenant?”

  “I think we’re overlooking something,” Duncan said, frowning. He was clearly upset. It would have been improper for him to question the captain outright, but he could try pointing out obstacles. “Erina has no battle suit, and without a battle suit, none of us can survive in a reconfigured environment.”

  “She could use mine,” Clara said from behind him. “We don’t have large physical differences. And I could wear one of the Australitian battle suits available on board. These uniforms are cruder than ours, but still safe and pretty functional.”

  “Unfortunately, they don’t have suits for human beings,” Duncan objected. “Not even uniforms for humanoids,” he added, fixing his eyes on Clara for a couple of seconds.

  “First Lieutenant Ber-Pli’ Petlakan’s uniform will suit me fine,” Clara replied, referring to one of the Australitian officers assigned to the submarine. “I’d have to make some adjustments to it. Nothing that couldn’t be done on board, though.”

  “Pli’ Petlakan is an ursidean!” Duncan snapped.

  “An ursidean of a small size. I’ve lived in Veritas for some years, which is mostly inhabited by ursideans, and during that time, I had to adapt myself to many of their ordinary things—including their clothing.” Clara kept her eyes on O’sihn, evading Duncan’s censuring eyes.

  “Very well. Try on First Lieutenant Pli’ Petlakan’s uniform, make all adjustments you judge necessary, and when you’re done, please come see me,” O’sihn said. “I’ll make a final decision on this matter only at that time.”

  However, Duncan was not giving up yet. “We may be rushing into a decision which may not be the best for Erina.” His comment and tone lacked the deference that Duncan’s junior officer status demanded.

  “Indeed? You need not worry about that, Lieutenant,” O’sihn remarked calmly. “No hasty decisions will be made under my command. And, of course, Erina has always the final word. She will have our total respect in whatever decision she makes.”

  “And my decision is to go along on this mission, Captain,” Erina added, taking Duncan’s arm. She and Duncan had been sitting side by side during the meeting. “I just couldn’t stand being left onboard without knowing what is going on out there. Besides, being with Dahncion—and under Lieutenant Commander Clara’s command—I have nothing to worry about.”

  58.

  “Make sure to double-check the procedure with—”

  “Excuse me, Captain.”

  Turning around, O’sihn was somewhat taken aback by the unfamiliar costume, but recognition quickly dawned. “That suits you well,” he said, muffling a chuckle.

  Clara took off her helmet. Her expression was tense.

  “Though it doesn’t seem to allow much mobility,” O’sihn pointed out.

  “It’s not like ours, but it’s acceptable, Captain.”

  “Good, good. Now I wonder how your uniform suits Erina.”

  “I’ve already taken care of that. It suits her almost as well as me.”

  “So, I guess it’s all set, then.”

  O’sihn turned back. “I’ll meet you in a few minutes.”

  “Aye, sir.” Lieutenant Jartung saluted and left.

  O’sihn stared at Clara for a moment. “All right, we’ll carry on with the mission according to the X.O.’s recommendation. Erina will be assigned under your command, in addition to Lieutenant Dahncion. Watch out for the boy. He has learned a lot—he’s a good soldier already—but he’s still inexperienced. Keep an eye on him.”

  “I certainly will, sir.”

  “Very well. And, concerning Erina, this will be her first mission. She’s totally inexperienced.” O’sihn pursed his lips slightly. “I am still concerned about letting her go. Regardless of what’s been said so far, if you
concur with me about her staying onboard, it would settle the matter. She’d stay.”

  “I think I can handle the situation, Captain.”

  “So be it, then. During the navigation from the submarine to the beach, I doubt you will encounter any difficulty. You will be using active vectors,109 so it won’t be physically demanding. But climbing the cliffs won’t be an easy task, especially with inexperienced personnel.” O’sihn looked intently at Clara.

  “Anything else, Captain?”

  “Yes. Remember what I stressed during the meeting. Be objective.” O’sihn raised one eyebrow.

  “I sure will,” Clara blushed slightly. “Like in any other mission.”

  “Certainly, but unlike any previous mission, somebody special to you will be your direct subordinate.”

  “Sir?”

  “I mean Dahncion,” O’sihn replied slowly.

  “I . . . how do you know, sir?”

  The captain smiled and nodded. “But during this operation, he’s just another soldier, like Erina.” O’sihn kept his eyes on Clara, who lowered hers slightly.

  “Platoon number three, to the bridge. Platoon number three, to the bridge.” The message came through with a soft blinking of lights, with the pattern of a Realitian code.110

  “I guess the X.O. is summoning you,” O’sihn said. “Tell Private Erina about her being confirmed in your team. I also want you to double-check the breathing system of your uniform thoroughly. You won’t leave this ship without giving me a satisfactory report regarding the operational status of all your equipment. Any questions?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Carry on, Sub Commander.”

  Clara saluted and turned back. She looked clumsy walking through the narrow submarine corridor in her modified Australitian uniform. O’sihn stared at her for a moment, and shook his head slightly.

  59.

  Having been released into the partially reconfigured111 cold waters of the Fire Seas, Clara was immediately exposed to the freezing environment. Lieutenant Pli’ Petlakan’s uniform protected her from everything, except from the pervading cold. Her body had gradually grown numb, to the point that she could neither feel her feet nor her hands. It took her team more than one and a half hours to complete the navigation to the beach.

  Once on shore, Clara, Duncan, and Erina started towards the mouth of the Keteketl, which belched out a slimy waterfall into the Fire Seas below. The first step was to climb up the sheer walls of the ridge in front of them. Though not very high, negotiating that obstacle demanded a considerable effort. A local storm was not making matters any easier. The intense wind produced drafts that made the ropes they were using for the climb oscillate and vibrate menacingly. It was difficult for Erina, but excruciating for Clara. Her Aquaelitian uniform was heavy, and as Captain O’sihn had pointed out, not very functional. As a matter of fact, it was very dysfunctional. Every time Clara moved a hand up on her rope, she felt a juncture scraping her wrist.

  As she came across the initials P. P.112 on Pli’ Petlakan’s gloves, Sergeant P. P. Kloph’s “prophecies” came back to her mind with a sense of fulfillment. Kloph—Clara’s drill sergeant in boot camp back in Veritas—had truly been the Prophet of Pain that he liked to boast he was.113

  Despite the pain and the exertion, Clara reached the top of the cliffs right after Duncan and Erina. The next phase, the ascension of the Cieventetl, had started. The mountain was not very steep, but it was still a long way to the spot from where the Keteketl sprang. As Clara and the members of her team reached higher altitudes, the temperature dropped. A thick layer of clouds covered the sky completely; it was much colder than what was to be expected for near-equatorial latitudes on the planet.

  The Realitian suits Erina and Duncan were using provided them with a comfortable seventy-degree114 atmosphere. The only indication they had of the outside thermal conditions came from their suits’ sensors, which displayed readings on one corner of their visors. The situation was quite different for Clara. Although she was somewhat warmed by the physical demands of the climb, she could still not feel her frozen toes and her fingers. Her heavy and uncomfortable Australitian uniform was wearing her out very fast. All this, plus a very intense thirst she could not dismiss, was starting to affect her blood pressure and her concentration.

  The team had started toward the mouth of the Keteketl, which belched out a slimy waterfall into the Fire Seas below.

  A persistent drizzle had started, which was paving the trail they were following with mud. This slowed down the platoon, which had already used more time than expected to climb the cliff. Late as it was, Clara realized she was pushing her team to its limits. For a moment, she thought of leaving one exhausted member waiting there until after the target had been reached. But Clara rejected the idea immediately. Were her feelings starting to interfere with her mission? The thought crossed her mind.

  “Keep going. We haven’t reached our target yet.” Gathering strength from her own exhaustion, Clara supported Erina around her hips to help her walk.

  “You look tired,” Duncan said to the captain.

  “Focus on the mission, Lieutenant.” Clara’s tone sounded grim, though weak. Erina stumbled and fell to the ground. Duncan hurried to help her up.

  “Let’s stop, just for a minute,” Erina muttered.

  “We can’t stop,” Clara replied. “We must reach the target with no delays. We have no choice.”

  “Hey Clara, it’s just a minute. This is her first mission,” Duncan said.

  “I’m well aware of the details, Lieutenant. We’re already running behind schedule, and we just can’t afford to be late. The whole operation—the lives of everybody—depends on our being on schedule. Come on, Erina,” Clara added. “One last effort and our part of this operation will be over.”

  Duncan helped Erina up and supported her as she walked.

  Twenty minutes later, they made visual contact with their target, a bubbling spring of thick water on top of the mountain. The three started moving faster. A hundred yards from the spring, Clara’s communicator started beeping. That was the signal they expected from platoon number two.115 Clara’s platoon had very little time left to complete its mission.

  It was at that point that a disk appeared in the sky, on top of the mountain.

  Moving along a soundless trajectory, the disk headed swiftly for platoon number three. Clara grabbed the heavy-particle howitzer she carried on her back, threw herself to the muddy soil, and clicked on the power magazine. A high-density plasma vector struck the approaching disk on one side, and a dumb flare of light flashed off its surface. For a moment, the vehicle remained hovering in its position, oscillating and vibrating in an unstable manner, until an object was ejected, right before the disk exploded.

  The three Realitians kept their positions, their bodies on the ground, anxiously watching the descent of the jettisoned object. War regulations forbade shooting down ejecting capsules or parachutes.

  Soon it touched down, and three heavily armed humanoid figures jumped out. They immediately adopted a searching pattern and opened fire in the direction of the platoon. Captain Clara returned the fire with her handgun, but the aliens evaded her gunfire.

  “Hurry up, behind that rock!” Clara yelled, gesturing for Erina and Duncan to take cover.

  “Look out!” Duncan shouted. Immediately, Clara threw herself to the ground behind a tree trunk. A shot pierced clear through the trunk, barely missing the captain.

  Duncan returned the fire, killing one of the attackers. Having found cover behind a rock a few yards ahead, he was now trying to locate the remaining two soldiers.

  “Drop your weapon,” an unexpected gravelly voice came from behind. One of the aliens had taken hold of Erina and was pointing a sharp cutting tool into one of the seams of her battle suit.

  Duncan was confronted with a critical decision: give in to the enemy, rendering the whole mission wasted and facing an uncertain future, or open fire, risking taking Erina’s life in th
e process. Captain O’sihn’s pre-combat briefing played back in his mind. Objectivity had been the major point. However, Duncan’s feelings towards Erina seemed too strong for him to overcome.

  Unexpectedly, Clara appeared from behind the alien and cracked a large rock over his head, rendering him unconscious. The remaining soldier, who had been covering his comrade from a distance, opened fire. In an attempt to protect Erina, the captain instinctively jumped in front of her.

  Duncan returned the fire at once. Waiting for a reply, he immediately heard a subtle hissing noise. He turned around and saw a foggy gas gushing out of a rent on Clara’s uniform, above her right knee.

  The alien had been mortally wounded, but even so, his last shot had struck the captain, rendering her suit useless.

  Clara was lying on the ground struggling against a caustic pain. Although the shot had only damaged her uniform without injuring her, the lethal reconfigured air was penetrating rapidly into the suit, causing serious burns on her skin. Clara was gasping with the searing pain. Duncan tried to fix the rent, but the rustic cloth pattern of the Australitian uniform was making the task very difficult. No standard procedure seemed to work. Not knowing what to do, he looked back at Erina.

  “He may have something we can use,” Erina said, pointing at one of the soldiers lying dead on the ground.

  Duncan searched the body without any success. Finally, stripping off its jacket, he rushed towards Clara and started working on a coarse patch for her uniform.

  “Never mind me, go reach the objective,” Clara said. But Duncan kept working on a double tourniquet using the alien’s jacket.

  “I gave you an order, Lieutenant!”

  “Stop moving, Captain,” Duncan said, putting a hand on her right shoulder and pinning her down onto the ground.

  A few seconds later, both the hissing sound and the foggy emanation coming from Clara’s uniform had stopped. Duncan’s improvised effort had been successful. Carrying Clara over his shoulder, Duncan began moving towards the target.