Daughter of Ethos

by L M Lacee

  Growing up in an isolated environment, unfortunately has not equipped her for dealing with the wider world. She will freely admit that most days she struggles with her ever changing world, when asked she will freely admit that she is socially inept, others would be kinder and say she is just introverted or naïve.

  Darby had taken a very suspicious approach to the agreement between the Coalition and the Government. It was only a matter of time until her curiosity was aroused enough for her to make the decision, to hack into both the Coalition and Governments computers. Then only a matter of moments for her to bypass their security and seconds to crack the code they used.

  With an almost fanatical dedication she translated all the communications between the two governing bodies, as well as setting her nanobots to search out any information pertaining to the secret agreement. Four days after breaking into the computers, she had absorbed everything there was about what and who the Coalition were, unfortunately what she discovered, she did not like.

  That was two days ago and since then Darby has spent her time wavering between despair, fear, and righteous anger. Finally, last night she set her bots to comb through the military computers, in the hopes they would find her a trustworthy person for her to speak with. She had no idea who else to turn to for advice, logic said that this was one way to proceed.

  This morning Darby’s computer had given her only one name. Lieutenant General, Melody James, retired as of two days ago. Darby was still in two minds about contacting the general, even after everything she had discovered about the secret agreement between the Coalition and the Government. If she was honest, her indecision came from not following the rules which she has done for a lifetime. She was finding breaking that conditioning tremendously difficult, no matter the provocation.

  Like everyone else she knew women were leaving Earth, although what she had not known, until she read the Coalition scientists report was the reason. What she found out haunted her dreams, and she knew it would do so for many nights to come. It seemed that thanks to a quirk of genetics, human DNA has become a very sought-after commodity. The report stated women had been abducted from Earth since they were able to walk upright, due to one simple inescapable fact; Human DNA, is malleable and women are able to be impregnated by almost any alien species.

  After analysing the DNA, the Coalition’s scientist discovered that even though there would be some races that were not completely compatible with humans. The worlds would still be able to obtain breeders, because human DNA is easily altered and adapted to most species requirements, whether that be inside the uterus or in a test tube. It made no difference to the recipients as long as their planets received human eggs in either form. Now their species would have a better chance of surviving well into the future.

  Another report was written to the Coalition, this time from an unknown Earth scientist. Darby really wanted to know who had written this report but so far had not found the source. Regardless, it said that the introduction of Earth’s DNA to most species was readily available, as women's oestrus cycle normally occurred between twenty-eight and thirty days.

  This was very exciting for the Coalition scientists who had never heard of this before, most life forms in their universe had long intervals between producing children. Now they had the potential to save worlds from becoming extinct for a price of course. All they had to do was crossbreed with the new and largely untapped supply of human DNA.

  Furthermore, they were pleased to find that breeding could potentially start as soon as the women were introduced to a planet. Even in some cases, while they were still in transit.

  The part of the agreement that saddened Darby more and frightened her the most was the section that specified women who were termed exceptional in their fields of expertise. Women like her and her co-scientists were to be auctioned by the Government, to the highest bidding planet within the first year of the Coalition’s takeover.

  This baffled her, she could not understand why the Government would give up its smartest people. What were they worried these clever people would find out, other than what she now knew?

  Then as she read another report from a Coalition under-staffer, she realized they were not being sold for any other reason than worlds would pay a fortune for them. Not only for what they intellectually could bring to their worlds, but for their exceptional genes.

  These worlds were playing the odds, hoping the women would breed children with intelligence and abilities, who then could be used in trade. It was barbaric in its simplicity and totally unpalatable to her, just as she knew it would be to her fellow scientists. This in truth was what tipped her over the edge and made the decision to contact the General easier.

  THREE:

  Melody James had climbed the ranks in her beloved army through hard work, determination, and grit. At thirty- one, she had been in the army since she was fifteen years old. Melody was tenth generation armed forces, so she came by her exceptional aptitude for warfare naturally. She had been the most decorated General in recent history and was an imposing woman due to her bearing and profession, which was in opposition to her appearance. Thanks to a wayward ancestor, Melody possesses the delicate features of a woman from one of the Asian nations with her chin length, black hair and arched eyebrows over almond-shaped blue eyes. Sadly, her looks at one time or another have led many to think she possessed a sweet, gentle disposition, usually to their determent.

  Melody stands six- feet-tall with a trim athletic build, defined by muscles that she has worked hard for. She runs three hours every morning and exercises every evening. Now though she exercises to chase unwanted demons from her thoughts, being dismissed so arbitrary from her position within the army was still very raw. On days like today she wondered why she had dedicated her youth to keeping her world safe.

  She had been told by the Ambassador for the Coalition on the day of her termination. Human females, will be unable physically or mentally to stand up to the rigours of training, which the Warriors in the new army will have to undertake. Even it seemed if they had been the youngest Lieutenant General in the history of her planet. Furthermore, she was told it was not seemingly for a female to think she could issue orders to males as it was not the Coalition way.

  Something in his words and tone had not rung true for Melody, it was like he was almost telling the truth but not the whole truth. Regardless of what she had thought, she along with all twenty-two thousand of her female soldiers were dismissed from service. She had heard that other regions armies who were predominately female, also found themselves quickly retired and replaced with male soldiers and Warriors.

  As much as the Coalition wanted her gone they found leaving a Government department, especially the armed forces was not as simple as just packing up her desk and saying goodbye. There were security measures to attend to, as well as procedures for handing over her command to the next general. It had taken weeks to get to where she was now able to pack up her personal life.

  She had spent these last few days vacillating between anger at the Coalition and her own Government and the generals who had stood by and allowed this to happen and relief it had happened now before she found herself beholden to the Coalition and became their puppet as she saw other generals becoming.

  Tonight after completing her nightly routine of exercises, she had started the arduous task of packing up her two-bedroom house. Now as she looked around her at the many boxes cluttering up each room, she realized how much she had collected since being stationed here at Oaks Army Base.

  She had been sorting and packing for the last three hours when she decided she needed to forget for a while why she was packing up her life. Decision made, she zapped some popcorn and was in the middle of downloading one of her favorite vids, when her computer seemed to turn off for a minute then restart, with the face of Doctor Darby Kline appearing on screen.

  Melody raised a brow and stared at the small heart-shaped face and shy brown eyes that stared back at her, finally she asked. �
�How can you hack my computer? This is the army’s best secured, anti-terrorist un-hackable software in the world?’

  Darby’s small serious face never changed expression as she replied. ‘I did the programming.’

  ‘Of course,’ Melody smiled, ‘I know who you are Doctor Kline.’

  Darby’s exclamation of. ‘You do!’

  Held so much surprise that if Melody had not seen the amazement on the woman’s face, she would have thought she was trying to be amusing. Melody ate some popcorn then nodded. ‘I do, the powers to be make sure all generals receive that information. Especially about someone we may be assigned to guard and protect at some point. You did not know that?’

  Darby frowned. ‘No, I did not know that... hmmm!’

  Melody waited, it seemed as though the woman had nothing else to say for the moment and she was in no hurry. This was the most exciting thing to have happened to her in the last month, other than being booted out of the army.

  Frowning as her mood took a downturn as the depression she had been pushing away came back and swamped her again. Sighing, she mentally shook her head at the stupidity of her government as well as the aliens. Then quietly grunted as she thought about the word alien, a word she had never imagined she would use other than in an abstract kind of way. But then again she never expected to be the only living member of her family still alive. Not that she had any idea what aliens had to do with the death of her family. It was just that when she thought of them, the same kind of anger filled her.

  She ate some more popcorn trying to chase away the pain she still felt from losing her parents, siblings and other relations. It was a deep scar on her heart that time did not seem to be erasing. Only with a determined effort had she remained sane and healthy since their deaths but now without her career, she felt the first tremors of fear shake her soul.

  What could she do to keep herself whole, to keep herself from falling foul of the depression she could feel waiting for her? Worse than all of that, she worried about what she was going to do with all the training and knowledge she possessed; she had heard some of her soldiers were thinking about joining the troopers? She grimaced as she thought about that career path and knew it was not for her. She was not cut out for that branch of law enforcement and to start at entry level again would chaff at her heart. She decided to put off thinking about what she was going to do with her future until later… much later.

  Melody ate another two handfuls of popcorn as she shoved those thoughts away and returned her attention once more to the woman on screen. Finally, after three or four more minutes, when she realized the doctor was not going to continue her conversation she said.

  ‘Ahh! Doctor Kline?’

  ‘Oh, call me Darby, please.’

  ‘So Darby, why did you hack my computer?’

  ‘Oh, well, I thought about who could help me. I read the reports my bots found out about you, as well as the report from a colleague who studied the army for something...’ She screwed her face up in thought then asked. ‘I do not recall at the moment what that report was for, is that important for you to know?’

  Amused Melody shook her head. ‘No!’

  This was met with a nod of Darby’s curly head. ‘Good, after reading all that. I thought I would take the chance you would be willing to listen and maybe help me. Especially after you have been told, your services are unwanted now.’ She stated this bluntly and did not see or register Melody’s wince of pain.

  Melody manage to keep the irritation from her voice when she asked. ‘So, Darby you need my help?’

  Darby frowned. ‘Is that not what I just said?’

  Ignoring her, she asked. ‘How can I help you doctor?’

  She hoped it had something to do with the Coalition because Melody had been stonewalled constantly, when she had tried for weeks to find out what the Government and Coalition were up to. Because deep in her suspicious soldier’s soul, she knew there was something happening on Earth, she believed there were more women being shipped off world than what was being publicly stated.

  She was also sure there was much more to the Agreement than what had been told to the people. Maybe she thought ruefully, all those questions she asked, led to her dismissal or at least it gave the Government the impetus to retire her. So if there was a part of her that very much wanted to spike the Coalition’s jets. Especially Senator Thanikis Jenerika, the asshole representative of the planet Jenersar and Ambassador to Earth. Reportedly the supplier or owner of the Warriors, depending on your point of view, then so be it. Melody was never one to pass up a chance to help fate along.

  Darby asked. ‘Lieutenant General, do you know what is happening now?’

  Melody cocked her head to the side as she replied. ‘Call me Melody, and I am guessing you know Darby?’

  ‘Sadly I do!’ Darby then explained what was actually happening and what was going to occur in the future to the women of Earth. Then she downloaded the secret agreement to Melody’s computer.

  Melody read and then re-read the agreement, when she was finished she placed her head in her hands. While she thought of every ultimate scenario, she could envision for Earth and came to the same conclusion Darby had. ‘We are screwed, aren’t we?’

  She lifted her head to stare at Darby from eyes filled with anger and despair. ‘We can’t stop them, can we?’

  Darby shook her head. ‘I am sorry, no. I thought of every viable outcome to opposing the Coalition as well as making the agreement public. I cannot see a way for us to win. The odds are we would die or be shipped off world. I am sad to say, I can see no way of stopping them.’

  ‘Cheerful little thing, aren’t you?’

  Darby grimace as she replied. ‘Not really, no. Sorry!’

  Melody tried not to smile as she asked. ‘So what can I do for you Darby?’

  ‘Well, as to that, if the others and I who are trapped here could get out of where we are. Then maybe we could at least determine where and when we leave but to do that. The two hundred and fifty of us here and scattered around the world, would somehow have to be removed physically from where we are. Melody, I am frightened, I know within the next year. When the Government and the Coalition decide that my associates and I are of no use to them or they receive the right amount of credits for us. We will be some of the first scientists to be sold.’

  Darby shrugged. ‘As much as the others and I wish to see what is out there in the universe. We would like to do so at our own determinism, not because we have the right DNA or because there is a possibility we may be able to breed an intelligent child.’ She looked at Melody from eyes filled with fear. ‘So will you help us?’

  Never one to procrastinate Melody agreed. ‘Of course I will, and I also know who we need to help us. Is this computer secure?’

  Darby’s tone sharpened as she said. ‘If you are asking if anyone can compromise our conversation, the answer is no, it will never happen.’

  ‘Good… good. I did not mean to offend you?’

  ‘You did not.’

  Melody eyed the small woman and opened her mouth to apologize once more, because it certainly sounded as if Darby was offended. But thinking better of it she asked instead. ‘Can you hook in two more people?’

  ‘Easily!’

  ‘Okay, give me a minute to make sure they are available.’ She quickly tagged both women to make sure they could talk. Within seconds her friend Heather Wilson, surgeon and well-known medical researcher tagged her back. At thirty-one, Heather was the only survivor of her large family, she was five foot-eight, slender with medium length blonde hair and calm sky blue eyes, which always seemed to be at peace.

  Melody was always amused by Heather’s, Zen like demeanor because she knew underneath all that calm was a woman with a temper. She often told her, that it was as though the serenity of the oceans followed in her wake, which usually made Heather laugh.

  The last member of their group to be contacted was Peyton St. Hill, who was five- foot-four inches tall of mixed Eur
opean ancestry. She was twenty-five-years old and was the assistant to the mayor of her home town.

  Peyton was slightly curvy and had shoulder length sandy hair and had what Melody teasingly referred to, as the girl next door look. Unlike Heather, serenity did not follow Peyton around, her moss green eyes held far too many secrets, for her to be considered a calm person.

  Melody had met both women within the last five years. When a small outbreak of the Virus had struck several years previous on an Island in the South Pacific. Melody had decided to lead the mission to contain the outbreak. Heather was still hopeful at that time of finding a cure, so had been willing to go as the researcher. Unfortunately not many survived the outbreak as it swept across the Pacific and the data she received did not help in her endeavours.

  Peyton, Melody had met when one of her generals had been injured while on a reconnaissance mission. His road vehicle had exploded due to a poorly maintained battery, forcing him and his escort to stop at Runnerdale for assistance. Apparently while he had been receiving medical treatment, his escorts had looked around and discovered a well-ordered town, which would have been ideal for a new army base.

  Peyton had organized a doctor and then persuaded the General that his idea of taking over her town would not work. After a meeting that lasted less than an hour, he decided she was right. Even though he was advised to stay and heal more, he had fled the town as though the devil herself was after him.

  Melody had spent longer than an hour laughing after he had warned her from having anything to do with. ‘That Woman!’ from Runnerdale.

  Out of curiosity Melody had finally tracked Peyton down whereby, she had proceeded to tell her how much she admired her for scaring one of her generals.

  When Melody got confirmation, both women would be willing to speak to her, she asked Darby to make sure she hooked both women in discreetly and did not even flinch when she had frowned and said. ‘I do everything that way.’