by Saxon Andrew
Gibbs scowled, “If I even thought about transferring you, the crew would throw me out of the airlock.” Frank’s eyebrows went up. “You and I have been together since I was first promoted, Frank, and I’ve really come to depend on you. You are the best scanning officer in the fleet and I’m often amazed at what you’re able to see that others miss; you’re seldom wrong in your observations. The crew gives you a hard time, but they do love you. However you can be rather ornery on occasion!”
“I think Harmony hates me.”
“She’d be the one that throws me out, Frank. She loves the back and forth between you.”
“Surely you aren’t serious, Sir.”
“I put you on a different shift a while back and she let me know she didn’t appreciate it, Frank. Trust me on this one, she’s one of your biggest fans.”
“Well, if everyone doesn’t have a problem with my behavior, why do you want me to change it?”
Gibbs sighed, “Frank, you should be commanding your own ship and your crew wouldn’t take your behavior like the officers close to your own rank. They would take it the wrong way. I’d like to see you promoted and move up in the fleet; with your talent and perception, you deserve it and the fleet would be better for it.”
Frank snorted, “Is that what this is about?” Gibbs raised his eyebrows. “Gibbs, this is my home and I’m at peace here. If you want to get promoted to Admiral, I’ll take a promotion to go with you, but barring that, I say promotions can just take a flying leap over a cliff. I prefer to just be myself and not worry about anyone’s feelings. I don’t have a family of my own…” Frank paused, “You and this crew are my family. I don’t want to go anywhere.”
Gibbs smiled and patted Frank on the shoulder, “I just wanted you to know that I think you’d make a fine commanding officer.”
Frank smiled, “I’ve learned from watching one of the best.” Gibbs chuckled and turned back to his monitor.
• • •
The Lincoln arrived at the Brazil and took up station above the giant freighter. The Zak’s Jill had arrived a day earlier, and Tal had contacted Gibbs to tel him to send Jab to Commodore Sager’s office. “Sir, would it be possible to have Commodore Talent to meet me in the simulation room?”
“She’s going to be in the meeting with me when I debrief Jab,” Tal explained to Gibbs.
“Sir, it won’t take long, and may I request you delay the meeting for about an hour.”
Tal thought about it and replied, “Tell Jab to report in an hour after you arrive on the Brazil and I’ll inform Commodore Talent you would like to meet with her in the simulation room.”
“Thank you, Sir.”
Tal wondered what Gibbs was up to but put it aside as he started inputting a list of questions into his communicator that he wanted Jab to answer. He delayed the meeting another thirty minutes as his list grew longer than he anticipated. He finally sent them to the computer in Sager’s office and said subvocally, “Ka, it’s time.”
“I’m on my way. Be there in a few minutes. By the way, did you know Jab brought a Brotherhood woman back with him and intends to marry her.”
“WHAT?!”
“Hold your judgement until you meet her. Jab appears to love her, and you need to be careful how you treat her during this meeting.”
“I’ll do what I can, Ka. But I don’t know about this.”
“Then find out!” Tal ended the contact and stood up. He headed toward the elevators wondering how this wrinkle would turn out.
• • •
Jab exited the shuttle with Ryshana in the giant freighter’s landing bay. Ryshana stepped out and her eyes flew wide open. Jab smiled, “It’s an imposing sight the first time you see it.”
“My entire community could fit in this room!” she exclaimed.
Jab shook his head, “Not, really. It just appears that way.” Ryshana looked around and then turned to Jab, “Tell me again why I have to go to this meeting with you.”
“Well, the Admiral has ordered you to go and I’m going to ask him to marry us,” Jab answered.
“This Admiral is one of your great leaders?”
Jab shrugged, “Yes, I guess you could say that. He’s certainly one of our highest-ranking-military leaders.” Jab saw her apprehension and said, “Relax, I’ll be right there with you.”
Ryshana nodded slightly, as Jab turned, and saw a familiar face, “Indie, it’s good to see you.”
Indie stuck out his hand and smiled, “I’m glad you made it back. And who is this?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. This is Ryshana. She assisted me in carrying out my mission. I’m asking Admiral Talent to marry us.”
Ryshana saw the sudden change in the man’s expression and her apprehension changed to fear. Indie forced a smile and said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.” He turned to Jab, “I’m taking you to where you’ll be meeting with Admiral Talent. Please follow me.”
Indie led them to the elevators and Ryshana was amazed at the elevator’s silence and speed. The doors opened, and Indie smiled as he extended his arm, “This way.”
They followed the slim, black-haired officer and arrived at a door just outside a bridge that was gigantic. Ryshana looked at the bridge before entering and was stunned at what she was seeing. This ship was…was…beyond anything she had ever seen. The man pressed a button beside the door and a command emitted from a speaker above it, “Enter!” Ryshana didn’t like the sound of that voice.
Indie opened the door and announced, “Sir, Jab and his companion are here.”
“Send them in; thank you, Captain Wolfe.” Indie bowed his head and stepped aside. Jab pulled Ryshana into the office and Tal waved them forward. He pointed at two chairs in front of the table he was sitting behind, “Please, come in and take a seat.” Jab had Ryshana’s hand and he could feel her pulling against him. He pulled her beside him and she followed him to the two chairs. They sat down and Ryshana stared at the man sitting behind the table. This one was a powerful leader. Even the High Cleric couldn’t match how imposing he was. She felt him staring at her with green eyes that seemed to be staring into her soul for what seemed like a long time.
Tal watched the woman and saw she was highly agitated. His eyes narrowed, as he heard, “Sorry I’m late.” Ryshana turned and saw a woman enter the room, move around the table, and sit down to the right at the end of the table. Ryshana instantly knew that this woman was dangerous, with a capital ‘D’.
Tal turned to Jab, “Please introduce us.”
Jab looked at Ryshana and smiled, “This is Ryshana. She worked with me on the Brotherhood planet in carrying out my mission. I’ve brought her back with me and I hope that you will marry us, Admiral.”
Tal’s expression was neutral, and he nodded toward Ka, “This is Commodore Talent and she is my wife. She will be observing this discussion.” Ka was staring at Ryshana and nodded to her. Ryshana looked into her face and nodded back. Ryshana’s eyes narrowed, as she stared at Ka. Jab hadn’t noticed the Admiral and his wife’s vibes. Ryshana could easily see that they were not happy with her presence.
Ka looked into Ryshana’s eyes and saw this woman was not soft. She broke eye contact first, as she turned to Tal.
Jab smiled, “Will you marry us, Admiral.”
“Before I discuss that, Jab. I want to hear the details of your mission.”
All of a sudden, Jab took note of Tal’s expression and he glanced at Ka and saw her expression was similar. He turned to Tal and his eyes narrowed, “Admiral, this is the woman I am going to marry and you nor anyone else is going to prevent that!” he said abruptly.
Jab glared into Tal’s face and Tal sat back. He glanced at Ka and saw her shake her head. Tal turned back to Jab, “I said we will discuss that after we discuss your mission!”
Jab continued to glare at Tal and Ryshana touched his arm, “Perhaps you should do as he requests.” Jab looked down at her and Ryshana’s fear was gone. She nodded, and he turned back to Tal. Ka saw the woman was in co
ntrol of her emotions and she couldn’t decide if that was a good thing or not.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Tal began, “Did you complete your mission, Jab.”
“I did Admiral. I also collected more than two-hundred hours of conversation between the highest leaders of the Brotherhood. I’ve digitized them for analysis and I’ve brought the data cube with me.” Jab slid a data cube across the table.
“How did you manage to do that?” Tal asked.
“The High Cleric ordered me to bring Ryshana to his weekly card game to serve them. I recorded the conversations with a micro recorder.”
Tal looked at Ryshana, “Why did he select you to do that?”
Ryshana smiled, “The guard that was sent to punish me was replaced by Jab. He took me back to the city with him and one of the Clerics made a bet that I couldn’t be trained to act appropriately.”
“Why were you being punished?” Ka asked.
“I questioned the mission of the Brotherhood with my community religious leader. He turned me in.” Ryshana answered.
Jab added, “The Elder the guard worked for sent the guard to make sure she kept her mouth shut in the future.”
“How were you to be punished,” Ka asked.
Ryshana turned to her, “It started with him hitting me in the side of my head with an armored glove. He was preparing to physically assault me when Jab showed up and saved me.”
Jab lifted his communicator and held it out to Ka, “I kept an image of what she looked like after the guard hit her.” He handed the communicator to Ka and her eyes widened. She passed the communicator to Tal, he glanced at it and then took another look. Jab said, “I used the genetic spray to save her eye.”
Tal handed the communicator back to Jab and glanced at Ka. Both of them knew that sort of damage wouldn’t be done to her if she was a Brotherhood agent. Tal turned to Jab, “I sent you out to answer a question. Did you find an answer?”
Ryshana looked up at Jab as he answered, “I did.”
“And?”
“Admiral, you’re going to have to kill every man, woman, and child in that civilization.”
“Are you sure?!”
“I am.”
Ryshana’s stiffened and Ka saw that his answer shocked the woman…but it wasn’t for the reason she thought. Ryshana’s eyes were narrow and her face was tight as she asked, “Do I understand this right? Your mission was to determine if all of them needed to be killed?”
Jab turned to her with a confused expression, “Yes.”
“You never told me that!”
“It was a secret mission, Ryshana. Why are you so upset?”
“Jab, you could have asked me that question and you would have never had to leave that forest for the city. I would have told you that killing them was the only way to defeat them!! It took you four months to make that determination?!”
Ka saw the woman was becoming really angry. Tal saw it as well and sat back to hear them out. “But this was a serious issue, Ryshana. The decision to kill them all was left up to me and I had to be sure. It could lead to billions losing their lives.” Jab tried to explain
Ryshana looked up at the ceiling rolling her eyes as she said, “Creator help us!” She turned back to Jab, “If you couldn’t see that in the first day of being around the Brotherhood, you aren’t nearly as smart as I thought you were.”
“But Ryshana…”
She interrupted him, “You saw how the guard beat me and knew what he was planning to do with me! That should have shown you how brutal they are and how they treat those they force into primitive conditions to grow their food! You took his memories and you should have seen from them all you needed to know! I thought your mission was to gather information about their military and things like that. Endangering yourself to decide whether to kill them was plain stupid! Killing billions of them is the only answer to stopping them!”
Jab stared at Ryshana in silence as she glared at him. Finally, he said softly, “Ryshana, if I did not take that time to make sure, I would have never fallen in love with you and you would still be there.”
Ryshana glared at him for a moment, closed her eyes, and then wrapped his arm in hers. “You’re right. This must have happened for a reason. I just know how many times you were nearly discovered and could have been killed. It still frightens me when I think about it.”
Tal’s expression was soft, when he asked, “I’m going to ask what he didn’t, Ryshana. Tell me why everyone of them should be killed.”
Ryshana looked at Tal and lowered her eyes. “My civilization is divided into two parts. The leaders and warriors who carry out what they call the Creator’s Mission to go out and kill all non-believers. It doesn’t matter what species they are. They live in the beautiful modern cities that are filled with miracles.”
“What sort of miracles?” Ka quickly interjected.
Ryshana smiled, “Things like hair cleaner and hair lotion. They are so incredible! They have medicines that can heal diseases and they fly around in ships high above the city. It’s truly a place of miracles.” Ryshana paused before continuing, “The other part of my civilization is the communities outside the city that grow the food to feed the cities and fleets. They live in primitive conditions without hot and cold water, except when the hot season or cold season is happening. The water in the holders often freezes in the cold season and even a cold bath can’t be taken.
Ryshana paused and was silent. Ka encouraged her, “Please continue.”
Ryshana sighed, “Even as a young girl I would get in trouble asking inappropriate questions. I made the mistake of asking the Elder that governs my community if he could send us some new tractors that didn’t keep breaking down. I saw his anger at my question and managed to talk my way out of being punished. My mother made me swear to never speak again when the Elder was present…I kept my promise.”
Ryshana was silent again and Ka prodded, “But?”
“My mother came down with cancer. Half of the deaths in the communities are the result of cancer from working out in the hot rays from the sky. I watched her die a slow excruciating death over six months. After she was buried, I asked the holy man why those in the communities were being punished. I asked him several more questions and I could see he didn’t like answering them. But he was supposed to keep any conversation with him private; he reported me to the Elder and a guard was sent to punish me.” Ryshana paused and looked Ka in the eyes, “One of the first things I discovered when Jab took me to the city was expired boxes of medicine that could cure cancer.” Ryshana looked at Tal, “My mother died horribly while medicines that could cure her were allowed to expire.”
Ka said, “It sounds like you hate them.”
Ryshana jerked her head back to Ka, “You have no idea how much!”
“You have more reasons than just your mother’s death.”
Ryshana glared at Ka and said in an angry tone, “Let me tell you about my family. My father died in the fleet before he turned thirty. My two older brothers died before either of them turned twenty-five. Do you have children?”
Ka was surprised by the question and she nodded.
“Imagine how you’d feel if they were taken from you at the age of five and sent to an indoctrination center, where they learned the propaganda spewed out by the clerics. I lost my brothers when they were sent to those camps. My oldest brother had a loving heart and never reveled in another’s misery. He came back from the centers with a heart as hard and cold as stone. What would you do if that happened to your children?”
Ka lowered her chin, “I believe I would have to kill the ones that did it.”
Ryshana smiled, “It takes a mother to understand that.”
Ka chuckled, “I believe I’m starting to like you.”
“It didn’t seem to affect you,” Tal interrupted.
Ryshana turned her head to him, “Women do not go to the camps. Their duties are to have children to feed their war machine and farm in the communities
when their husbands are off at war or dead. The men too old or disabled are also sent to the communities and mines to work at hard labor for the Brotherhood. Many ex-warriors are kept close to the city to clean it and handle garbage and other menial tasks; they live outside the city in huts.”
“How many are like you in the communities?”
Ryshana turned back to Ka, “None!”
“What makes you different?” Tal asked.
“When I was a young girl, my family lived with my father in the city whenever he came home from active duty. He told me when I was five that the way the communities were being treated was deplorable. He said my mother and I meant less than nothing to the leaders and that it wasn’t right. My mother hushed him and told me and my brothers to never repeat what he said. My father made sure we understood the consequences if we did. As I grew up, my father’s words never left me. I quickly realized that he was right, and that the Brotherhood was evil. No creator that was good would ever make a society like them.”
“But there may be more like you than you think? Surely others have seen what you did and hate the Brotherhood?” Tal insisted.
Ryshana closed her eyes, shook her head, opened them and replied, “The only thing that made me different was my father’s words. Those in the communities are the real true believers in the Brotherhood. Believing in the Creator’s Mission is the only thing that gives them a sense of self-worth. If any of your warriors landed in a community, they would attack you with axes, shovels, hammers, or any hand-weapon they could grab. You could kill them in high numbers and they wouldn’t stop coming. They would carry their children and hurl them at you in order to hit you with a hand tool.”
Tal said, “But…”
Ryshana angrily interrupted him, “THERE IS NO BUT! THEY CAN’T BE CHANGED, THEY CAN’T LEARN A NEW WAY, THEY CAN’T BE STOPPED, UNLESS YOU’RE PREPARED TO KILL THEM ALL!!”
Tal was startled by the venom in her voice and Jab said softly in the silence that followed, “She’s right, Admiral.”