The Starfarer

by Petra Landon

  “You wanted to see me, Medic Vh’raal?” he asked the older Ur’quay warrior.

  Vh’raal looked agitated, thrown off-kilter. Even more so than the medic’s stunned reaction earlier when Zh’hir had explained Sila’s injury.

  “She’s Tseka’ki” he’d explained succinctly, using an Ur’quay word the medic would understand immediately.

  Shock had flashed across Vh’raal’s face. “Are you sure, Star Captain?” he had whispered.

  Despite the suspected mind-readers on the Ketaari battleship, Vh’raal, much like other Ur’quay, had a hard time buying it, without more evidence. After all, the Ur’quay had never encountered another species with this ability, not even in their corner of the galaxy.

  “I am sure, Medic” Zh’hir had reiterated. “The three Budheya on the Brutaniyr were also Tseka’ki.”

  “More Tseka’ki!” Vh’raal had muttered.

  “The Budheya connected with her mind” Zh’hir had explained urgently. “She was still linked to them when they died.”

  Sensing the Star Captain’s desperation, Vh’raal had roused himself, to shove away his consternation.

  “I will see what I can do, Star Captain” the medic had promised.

  It had been a few hours since that conversation. And the elderly medic looked more agitated than before, unable to hide it anymore.

  “I would like a few words in private with you, Star Captain” Medic Vh’raal said urgently.

  Zh’hir’s eyes went again to the bed where Dr. Uish watched over Sila, monitoring her vitals closely.

  “The Ambassador is fine” the medic hurried to assure him. “She will make a complete recovery, Star Captain. The damage to her mind was not extensive, though it might take a little time to heal completely.”

  Zh’hir closed his eyes briefly, almost light-headed with relief.

  “Thank you, Medic Vh’raal” he murmured gratefully. “We can talk in the Captain’s Chamber.”

  The Captain’s Chamber was where he had locked himself in while the two medics worked on Sila in his rest-chamber. He had not wanted to be in their way. And there were a few loose ends to tie up before the Henia rendezvoused with the other ships. True to their training, his warriors had allowed no hint of what they now knew about him to slip, either by word or deed. Disciplining him for his transgression was a job for his superiors in Space Force. They would rake him over the coals, Zh’hir knew. To his surprise, the prospect didn’t worry him. His career with the Ur’quay Space Force was over.

  “The Mind Repair device was able to heal the Ambassador” the medic announced precipitously as the door closed behind him to seal the two males in the small chamber set aside for the Captain of the Henia.

  “I am very happy to hear it, Medic Vh’raal. Thank you for your efforts.”

  “No, you do not understand, Star Captain.” Vh’raal shook his head. “The Aralokan races are fundamentally different from the Ur’quay. The device should not have worked on her.”

  Aah, now he understood Vh’raal’s agitation. It was one thing to discover that an ability you thought the exclusive purview of the Ur’quay had shown up in the inhabitants of a sector far away, it was another to discover that this might not be a coincidence. Zoran had called it correctly, he mused. The Ur’quay had much to be ashamed of for what they had perpetrated on the Aralokans. But Zh’hir was grateful that his Hadari’Kor friend had guessed it right — without Zoran’s intuition, he’d never think to ask Medic Vh’raal to use Ur’quay technology on Sila.

  “She has traces of Ur’quay genetic code in her” Zh’hir stated matter-of-factly. Now that his fear for Sila was abating, other emotions were rising to the fore, prime amongst them fury at his people.

  Vh’raal looked incredulous. “You knew, Star Captain?”

  “No, I suspected it. But you just confirmed it, Medic Vh’raal” the Star Captain said wearily.

  “I don’t know what to say, Star Captain” the elderly warrior stuttered in confusion. “This is impossible.”

  The gold eyes hardened. “No, not impossible. Just a dirty little secret we have been hiding for a long time” the Star Captain said implacably.

  Vh’raal stared at him. Highly regarded on Ur’Qia, the warrior had had an illustrious career in the Ur’quay Space Force.

  “I have never heard any whispers about this, Star Captain” he said quietly, in a calmer voice. “In my entire career in Space Force. And I have had a long career.”

  Zh’hir’s expression tightened. He believed Vh’raal, an honorable warrior and a genuine Space Force hero during a time when they had been in short supply, since the starfarers had been restricted to few forays outside Ur’Qia.

  “I have no other explanation, Medic Vh’raal” he said.

  “Could she not have evolved naturally, much like our Ur’quay ancestors once did, Star Captain?” the medic suggested hesitantly, without much conviction.

  “If so, there should be no Ur’quay code in her genetic makeup.”

  The medic said nothing, looking numb and shell-shocked.

  Zh’hir took a deep breath. He had to think through this with a clear mind.

  “Can you confirm the presence of Ur’quay genes in her, Medic Vh’raal?” he inquired.

  The medic nodded mutely. “I … the device made me suspicious, Star Captain. That it could read her and diagnose the problem was puzzling. When I pored over the device scans of her mind patterns, there was something very familiar about it. It astonished me for I had expected nothing familiar in her physiology. So, I took a life-sign scan of her. That is when I noted the Ur’quay marker. It was a long time ago but the Ambassador once had an Ur’quay ancestor.” The medic’s voice was subdued.

  “The three Tseka’ki that invaded her mind also had an unusual non-Aralokan marker in their genetic code. Dr. Uissh has access to their genetic material. Could you verify if they too had Ur’quay blood in their veins, Medic Vh’raal?” Zh’hir asked.

  The medic goggled at him.

  “Yes” the Star Captain reiterated. “This was a conspiracy, not an accident.”

  “But one thing puzzles me” he remarked as the medic continued to stare at him. “I gave Dr. Uissh access to my genetic material a few months ago. He is very good at what he does. Why did he fail to note the resemblance of my genetic code to the unusual markers in Sseela and the other Tseka’ki?”

  Vh’raal considered the matter. “It would not be easy for someone unfamiliar with Ur’quay genetic code to pick up on this” he said slowly. “The Ur’quay genes in the Ambassador have mutated to conform to the differences in our physiologies. I cannot tell whether this is something that happened over generations or when an Ur’quay mated with her ancestor to produce a youngling. Only an Ur’quay medic familiar with our genetics would note the similarity, Star Captain.”

  Silence descended on the chamber as both the old warrior and the younger Star Captain eyed each other, each grappling with a jumble of emotions, even as the ramifications of the discovery on Space Force, the Ur’quay, the war and Sector Araloka simmered in the air between them.

  “Are you sure about this, Medic Vh’raal?” Zh’hir asked heavily.

  The warrior’s eyes met the Star Captain’s gaze. “I have never heard even a whiff of this in Space Force, Star Captain.”

  “But it is puzzling” he expanded. “Based on the Ambassador and the Budheya, there was more than one warrior fraternizing in Sector Araloka. This went against regulations. Active Space Force warriors must report any potential younglings. How could no one in Space Force know about this?”

  “They did.” Zh’hir was confident. “Perhaps, Space Force was persuaded to keep it quiet.”

  The medic’s eyes opened wide, as the implication of the Star Captain’s words hit him. “When the Ur’quay were here last, Ur’Qia was starting to isolate itself” he muttered.

  “They convinced the highest echelons of Space Force to bury this” the Star Captain said grimly. “Probably suggesting that since it
was unlikely any Ur’quay could ever travel to Sector Araloka again, it would serve no purpose to publicize their warriors’ misbehavior.”

  The elderly warrior paled. As drastic as the Ur’quay situation was, it would worsen with this revelation. Sector Araloka had been their last hope, at least until more shtoal could be discovered elsewhere. Now, the Ur’quay’s fate appeared doomed — the Aralokans would not take kindly to what had been perpetrated on them.

  “What will you do, Star Captain?” he inquired, his expression grave.

  Zh’hir’s voice hardened. “Have a chat with Satorik Jh’hrok.”

  Only the Ur’quay High Council had the power to override Space Force. If they had buried the consequences resulting from the warriors’ fraternizing with aliens, it would explain why a veteran of Space Force like Vh’raal had heard no whispers about it. All those years ago, it had been a civilian decision to disengage with the galaxy. And it was the civilians who continued to demand control of the desperate mission to save their civilization now, despite their missteps having brought the Ur’quay to the brink. By all accounts, centuries ago, Space Force had merely followed the civilian decree - it was Ur’quay law for the civilians to oversee military operations and the Star Admirals had believed that the misguided policy of isolation would be temporary. But the Star Admirals had been wrong. Only after four centuries had passed and old history almost forgotten did Space Force send their warriors to Sector Araloka again, thus jeopardizing the long-buried secret of abandoned Ur’quay genes and abrogated responsibility.

  d

  “Are you saying the Ambassador … the one whose world is trading food with us …” Satorik Jh’hrok paused, clearly astonished by what he was being told.

  Nine elected Satoriks sat on the Ur’quay High Council, the civilian governing body on Ur’Qia. Satorik Jh’hrok had been nominated by his peers to liaise with Space Force on their mission to Sector Araloka. This was a critical, strategic and special undertaking, different from Space Force’s usual directives. Only if the military, civilian and diplomatic objectives were met, could the mission be a success. Since the assignment was so paramount, the responsibilities had been divvied up and Space Force allowed to retain only military control of the operation. The Star Captain had been given responsibility for the Ur’quay Fleet on the ground — this included all negotiations as well as the relationship with their allies, the Kampuchan Alliance. On military matters, he reported to a Star Admiral in Space Force while Satorik Jh’hrok of the High Council oversaw the civilian and diplomatic aspects of the mission, to ensure its alignment with the directives of the Ur’quay civilian authorities.

  “Ambassador Gatherer is a Tseka’ki” the Star Captain confirmed steadily. No more beating about the bush for him. Zh’hir was determined that none of his warriors would be forced to choose between their loyalty to him and their duty to Space Force which called for them to report their Captain. He was willing to accept his punishment for breaking Ur’quay law. But he was damned if he would allow the High Council to get away with the lie they had perpetrated for this long. Revealing it would have repercussions on the fate of both the Ur’quay and Sector Araloka but he refused to stay silent anymore.

  “You do not seem surprised by the news, Star Captain” the Satorik commented shrewdly.

  “I am not. I have known about this for ten months.”

  The Satorik’s brown eyes with the black irises narrowed on him. “Ten months” he murmured. “You must have been aware since her first time on the Henia.”

  As the High Council liaison, the Satorik had access to all official Space Force reports on the Henia’s voyages to Sector Araloka.

  “Yes, since the Henia accidently autoported her from her world” the Star Captain stated precisely.

  “You did not report it then, Star Captain?” Jh’hrok inquired silkily.

  “No” Zh’hir said bluntly. “She was born a Tseka’ki on a world with no others. I do not believe it is right or fair for us to penalize her simply because there has been no one to teach her to handle her powerful gift.”

  The Satorik looked thoughtful.

  “How did you keep a Tseka’ki secret on the Henia, Star Captain?” he asked curiously. A ship full of Ur’quay were unlikely to miss one. And there had been no reports of any Tseka’ki in Sector Araloka. Jh’hrok was confident about this because he had been on the lookout for just such an eventuality.

  “Star Captain Pe’luk made me responsible for her and I housed her in a shielded rest-chamber during her time aboard the Henia.”

  “I do not remember any details of a shielded rest-chamber on the Henia” Jh’hrok remarked, a slight frown creasing his forehead. Rest-chambers were reserved for Space Force senior officers and any loss of control in a warrior would be logged. It was Space Force regulation.

  “I shielded my rest-chamber for her.”

  The Satorik looked astonished.

  “She shared your rest-chamber, Star Captain?” The exclamation held both consternation and confusion.

  “The Henia had no rest-chambers to spare. I barely spent time in mine with the extra duty rotations. And the holding cell was not an appropriate place for her. She was not a prisoner and the cell was not conducive to her health or well-being.”

  Jh’hrok pursed his lips. “It could not have been easy with an alien female sharing your rest-chamber, Star Captain. Especially, a Tseka’ki with no discipline of the mind.”

  “I did not mind it, Satorik.” Zh’hir’s response was candid. “We had done her wrong, inadvertently, of course, but the Ur’quay owed her. She had never been off-world and the experience was frightening for her.”

  “Did you inform her of Ur’quay law regarding mind-breaches?”

  “I did. She was both pleased and astonished to discover others with the same ability as her. She was also eager to learn to control her gift and I spent some time tutoring her with a Mind Examiner.”

  Jh’hrok contemplated him silently. A Mind Examiner was widely used on the home world to train younglings and others who had potentially lost the ability to strictly discipline their minds, as Ur’quay law demanded.

  “Our inadvertent kidnapping of her set into motion a chain of events that had catastrophic consequences for both Sseela and her world” the Star Captain said. This part of the story had not been chronicled in any of the reports dispatched to Ur’Qia and Zh’hir wanted the Satorik to know what Ur’quay’s actions had cost Sila and the Terrans.

  “What do you mean, Star Captain?”

  “For one, it attracted the attention of slavers to her world.”

  “Slavers! There are slavers that operate with impunity in Sector Araloka?” The Satorik’s voice held distaste.

  “This is a war zone, Satorik” Zh’hir pointed out soberly. “These people are weary from a long, brutal war with no end in sight. Such a situation is favorable to vermin like slavers.”

  Jh’hrok shook his head in disgust. The Ur’quay might be teetering on the brink but the remote corner of the galaxy they wanted their new allies to oversee sounded much worse to him.

  Zh’hir said nothing, as rage rumbled through him. If he harbored any doubts about what he was about to do, the Satorik’s reaction made it clear that he was on the right path. Clearly, the High Council had not learnt any lessons. This was the same misguided thinking that had doomed the Ur’quay. An inability to walk in others’ shoes coupled with the reluctance to learn from other civilizations, instead preferring to segregate themselves to preserve Ur’quay culture and heritage. Their hubris and blunders had brought their people to the verge of extinction. Yet, they still persisted in judging other civilizations from the narrow lens of the Ur’quay experience, disastrous as it had been. The Aralokans might have a war on their hands but they had obviously done something right, for the civilizations here were thriving. The Ur’quay could learn from them, instead of looking down their noses at the Aralokans. On Ur’Qia, the High Council was starting to get some blowback as the Ur’quay grasped wh
at their policies had cost them, but the Satoriks were still refusing to accept any culpability or responsibility for the disaster.

  “The Ambassador has done well for us” Jh’hrok acknowledged.

  “It is thanks to Sseela and her connections that Ur’Qia will soon receive half of the food resources we need to feed our people for the next three months” Zh’hir said evenly.

  “She is to be commended for her efforts, Star Captain. But the Ur’quay High Council cannot have a Tseka’ki without control of her gift working for us.”

  Zh’hir contemplated the Satorik, his expression impassive. He had anticipated correctly, he mused. They would not dare punish Sila for that might raise awkward questions about her ability and force their secret out into the open. But they would distance the Ur’quay from Sila Gatherer and her Tseka’ki ability.

  “I understand why you protect her, Star Captain — you believe the Ur’quay owe her for the accidental autoport” Jh’hrok continued. “But what if she loses control on the Henia one day? Have you considered that? The High Council and Space Force will have no choice then but to apply our laws to her. And you know what the penalty is under Ur’quay law.”