Coalescence (Dragonfire Station Book 3)

by Zen DiPietro

  “My legs work fine. It’s my brain that’s taken a shore leave. I’ll meet you down there.”

  She smiled. “Good. I’ll see you then.”

  As she made her way to ops control to give the captain her morning report, she hoped an hour wasn’t long enough for him to think too much about it and spook himself. Sometimes a person’s worries could be his worst enemy.

  Fallon realized she hadn’t told Lim that Brak was Briveen. He stared at her, his mouth open slightly. Words seemed to have escaped him. Jerin closed the door to the infirmary’s private room.

  “This is my very good friend Brak. I trust her completely.” Fallon put a hand on his shoulder.

  “Right. Of course. Pardon me.” He bowed clumsily, like someone new to the practice.

  “I take it you haven’t met a Briveen before?” Brak’s amusement was clear to Fallon, though she doubted Lim would recognize it.

  “Not that I recall. But I don’t recall much.”

  Jerin chuckled. “I can assure you that I’ve never seen her eat a single human.”

  Lim laughed. “Well, that’s good to know. Is that something Briveen are known for?”

  “No,” Brak answered. “The doctor thinks she’s funny.”

  “I’d have to agree with her,” Fallon said.

  The humor loosened Lim up enough that he was able to lie back on the techbed and remain still.

  “I know you won’t care for this,” Jerin said from the controls behind his head. “But I will need to apply restraints, to ensure that the images aren’t blurred. If at any time you want me to release them, just say so. Okay?”

  “Sure.” His jaw had clenched, and he said the word through his teeth.

  “We’ll get through this as quickly as we can,” Brak assured him. “It won’t take long to thoroughly map your brain.”

  Fallon stood next to him and put her hand on his forearm. It felt odd for her to be in the role of support. It was not her usual gig.

  Brak and Jerin worked through the imaging, talking as they went to reassure Lim. His muscles remained tense beneath Fallon’s hand, but he didn’t complain.

  After a few more minutes, Jerin said, “There we go. We’re through.” A moment later she added, “You can sit up.”

  Lim pulled himself up and looked toward Brak and Jerin. “What did you see in there?”

  Fallon smelled ammonia, and knew it didn’t bode well.

  Brak’s discomfort showed in her posture, too. Her back rounded and her shoulders pulled forward. “I’m sorry to say that your brain has experienced extensive damage. Your memory cortex has essentially been removed and replaced with an implant.”

  “Removed? Does that mean I’ll never remember anything?”

  “It’s encouraging that you seem to have no difficulties in creating new memories and being able to recall them. That must be a mechanism of the implant, but without further study we won’t be able to tell. You also have some basic skills. You can speak the PAC standard, for example.”

  “I can do some pretty extreme math,” Lim offered.

  “Really. Now that’s interesting.” Brak looked thoughtful.

  “Does he have the same kind of implant I had?” Fallon asked.

  “No. Very different. This is far less advanced. An early prototype.”

  “So I was a test subject?” Lim’s fists curled in his lap.

  “Possibly. Like I said, we’ll need to run a lot more tests and analyze the data. I don’t want to jump to conclusions.”

  “Did you see anything that might make sense of the ‘put your head to the ground’ thing?” Fallon asked.

  “Not yet,” Brak said. “I need to study that implant.”

  Jerin finished her work at the techbed controls and moved to join them. “You should stay here and work on that.”

  Brak clicked her teeth in irritation. “I’d planned to go with you. I’m sure the planet has numerous people in need of cybernetics adjustments and recalibrations.”

  Jerin nodded. “I know. But we’ll make our way back there again soon. This is important to the well-being of the entire PAC. You need to stay.”

  “You’re right,” Brak agreed. “But please have nurses document the people who need my help.”

  “Of course.”

  “All right.” Brak looked to Lim. “I’m going to compile a series of tests that I want you to take, so I can get some functional data on the performance of that implant. Can you return this afternoon?”

  “Sure.” He seemed relieved. “Taking some tests is no problem.”

  Fallon asked him, “Would you like me to walk you back to your quarters?”

  “No, thank you. I’m starved. Didn’t eat breakfast. I think I’ll go to the boardwalk for an early lunch.”

  Fallon checked the chronometer on her comport. “Very early. Have a good meal.”

  “Thanks. And thanks for coming here with me.” He gave her another of his sheepish smiles, which she had begun to find endearing. “It’s nice to have a friend to count on.”

  His sweet statement hit her hard. She remembered being in his position. She knew how much it meant to have someone in her corner when the entire universe seemed like a giant question mark.

  She clasped his hand in both of hers and looked into his green eyes. “I’ll be here whenever you need me.”

  He brightened, then surprised her with a hug. “Thank you. I’ve been wandering around for a year and haven’t felt like I could trust anyone. It’s a relief to finally have someone.”

  She returned his hug and he stepped back. “Right. I’m off to get some food.”

  After he left, Jerin shook her head regretfully. “He has a lot ahead of him. He’s going to need a great deal.”

  Fallon wasn’t daunted. “We’ll work it through. I did, with the help of friends. I’ll make sure he does, too.”

  Despite her attempts to handle business on the station as usual, Fallon found that her mind kept wandering. She felt like she’d regained her seat at the helm of the universe and was ready to navigate. All she wanted to do was drive.

  She was glad when Kellis called on the voicecom and asked to visit. Fallon gave her a temporary passcode to get onto Deck Four and responded to a non-urgent message while she waited.

  “How are you?” Fallon asked when Kellis arrived. She guided her to the sitting area of her office.

  “Great. Excited. I’ve been waiting for the chance to do more ever since we hit the Tokyo base.”

  They engaged in more small talk before Kellis got around to asking what she really wanted to know.

  “What’s going on with the PAC? It’s bad, isn’t it?”

  Fallon had to think about how much she should tell Kellis. She deserved at least a general idea. But she couldn’t tell Kellis anything of strategic importance.

  “PAC command is at war with itself. There are two factions battling for power. My team and I are working to keep the would-be usurper from getting control, but the actions already taken may be enough to plunge us into war. We believe we know who is at the heart of it all, and we’re working to contain him.”

  “What if you can’t?” Kellis didn’t look as upset as Fallon would have expected. But Kellis was from a planet torn by war. She’d seen more greed and tragedy than most people.

  “I’m guessing all of our treaties will be dissolved, and the PAC will splinter into hundreds of sovereign planets. Allegiances will undoubtedly form, while existing governments and economies will collapse. From there I’d say we’re looking at a few decades of mass chaos, war, and poverty. Eventually, new governments and leaders and alliances will emerge. But not soon enough for the billions who will be long dead.”

  Kellis frowned, but her gaze stayed steady. “I guess we have to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

  “That’s the plan.” Fallon was impressed with the nerve Kellis had. It reinforced her feeling that she could handle this kind of work. Kellis was green, but she had a certain quality that Fallon recognized. A hung
er to do more, to be more.

  “Until the Onari returns, I have no duties to attend to,” Kellis said. “Arin only has so much time to work with me. Is there a way I can do more?”

  Fallon smiled at the idea. “A spy boot camp?”

  “What’s a boot camp?”

  “Never mind. Historical reference.” Fallon thought about what else she needed to get done that day. “I need to do my rounds on the boardwalk. How about you walk with me? I’ll show you what I’m looking at, how things appear to me. It will help you start thinking tactically. When we’re done with that, we’ll begin with some hand-to-hand combat. Sound good?”

  Kellis nodded so hard her curls bounced. “Sounds perfect.”

  “Watch my weight shifts,” Fallon advised as she circled Kellis in a security staff training room. “Smaller people like you and I can’t rely on brute strength. We have to fight smarter. You must know how to throw them off balance and use their strength against them.”

  “What weight shifts?” Kellis asked, turning slowly to keep Fallon in front of her. “You move like a cat.”

  “You’ll learn that too. Keep your guard up. Be ready.”

  “It’s a lot to remember.” Kellis frowned in concentration.

  “It will feel awful at first. Awkward, ungainly, and just plain impossible. But it will become natural. Eventually, you’ll have a hard time not thinking and moving that way.”

  “If you say so.”

  Fallon lightly shoved Kellis’ left hip, causing her to stumble. “There’s your weight shift. Smooth your gait. Don’t shift your weight until your foot is solid under you. Never let your weight be in between your steps.”

  Kellis adjusted and her movement became more fluid.

  “Better.” Fallon stepped closer and drew back her fist. She held that posture. “Now look here. I’m going to step forward with this punch. What does this tell you about my weight?” She stepped back and slowly pantomimed the motion. Kellis awkwardly stepped to the side to dodge, then brought her foot down on the back of Fallon’s weight-bearing knee.

  “Good.” Fallon stepped back to reset. “That’s an excellent tactic. If you’re fast enough, you can also attack the other leg to make sure I go down. Or you can hit my body from the side. If you do that while I’m moving forward, I’m almost certainly going to go sprawling. It depends on your desired effect.”

  Fallon walked her through that exercise, showing her in slow motion how it would work. “Okay. Let’s practice.”

  After she repeated the exercise for the hundredth time, Kellis had improved the timing and the confidence of her attack. Fallon was pleased to note that in spite of the significant exertion, Kellis was not exhausted. She clearly kept herself in excellent shape.

  “That’s enough for today.” Fallon let her arms fall to her sides.

  “No, show me something else. Teach me how to throw a punch.”

  Fallon couldn’t say no to something like that. So she spent the next two hours teaching Kellis how to strike. Then Kellis asked for more.

  But sometimes enough was enough. “You need a break. Food. If you want to do some more work later today, I’ll hook you up with Ross. He’s one of the finest instructors the academy has ever had. And I’m going to make him your personal trainer.”

  Rather than look daunted, Kellis brightened. “Really?”

  Fallon laughed. Only someone with the heart of a BlackOp would be so pleased.

  Fallon got on the lift with Kellis. They went up a deck, where Kellis got off, then Fallon went down to Deck One alone. Her shift had ended two hours earlier, and she was starved.

  She lingered as she passed the Bennite restaurant but continued to the noodle place. She was in the mood for lots and lots of carbs. And soup. And slurping. The fact that the noodle shop had dim lighting was also a plus. She felt like being alone. She’d said more in the past weeks than she had the entire year before all of this had started. At least it felt that way.

  She selected a bowl of noodles in a seafood broth that reminded her of a dish her mother often made. When it arrived, she took time to savor the steamy aroma, so hearty and fresh smelling. Her chopsticks seemed to dig in of their own free will, though she remembered her manners enough to slurp the noodles properly.

  She received some offers to join others, but politely declined. Yet when she finished eating, she found herself reluctant to leave. She liked the hum of voices and the clank of dishes. She liked seeing people she knew talking and laughing. This was life. One evening among many, as time wended its way forward. It was friends and family and work and everything she was fighting for.

  She finally paid her tab and left the restaurant.

  Wren’s face lit up when the doors opened and she saw Fallon. “Hi. I didn’t expect to see you tonight.”

  “Why not?”

  Wren gestured her into the quarters and toward the couch. “Because I just saw you, and even though you’ve had some personal epiphanies, you’re still you.”

  “You expected me to want some distance,” Fallon translated.

  “Bingo,” Wren said in Earth standard.

  Fallon laughed and sat down with her. “I don’t think I’ve ever heard you say that. It sounds funny coming from you.”

  “I’ve been studying. I thought it would be nice if we could talk in your language.”

  Fallon felt a little bad about what she would say next. “Actually, I grew up speaking Japanese at home. I think of it as more mine than Earth standard.”

  “Oh. Well, I’ll start working on that, then.”

  Fallon laughed. “We could speak your language,” she said in perfectly accented Sarkavian.

  Wren’s mouth fell open. “You sound like a native! I didn’t know you could do that!”

  “It wasn’t part of my cover.”

  “Well, what else don’t I know about you?” Wren leaned back to peer into Fallon’s face.

  “There is one thing I’ve been wanting to tell you,” Fallon admitted.

  Wren’s forehead crinkled with apprehension. “What?”

  “That fish thing you make with the herb sauce. I don’t like it. It gives me indigestion and I end up burping all night.”

  Wren laughed in relief. “Why didn’t you tell me before?”

  “You made it the first time and told me it was your favorite. I didn’t want to hurt your feelings, so I said I liked it. But then you kept making it, and I could hardly admit to not liking it at that point.”

  “So you kept eating it anyway?” Wren giggled and Fallon felt the vibration through her chest and stomach.

  “Yeah.”

  “That proves it. You definitely love me. Nobody eats food they hate on a regular basis to spare the feelings of someone they don’t love.”

  “Maybe Sarkavians wouldn’t. But Japanese will put up with a tremendous amount of displeasure in the interest of being polite.”

  “Really?”

  “Really.”

  “Hm. I guess I’ll have to study being Japanese.”

  Fallon smiled. “Nah. Not really. I haven’t kept many of the traditions out here.”

  “You might want to take me there to visit sometime, though. You could show me where you grew up, where your parents lived. I’d want to be able to behave myself appropriately.”

  “Oh. Well, actually, that reminds me of something. You know you thought my parents were dead?”

  Wren nodded.

  “They aren’t.”

  “You have parents?” Wren sat up in surprise.

  “A brother too.”

  “Oh, wow! I definitely want to meet them. And hear all about them. I mean, if you want me to meet them. Someday.” Wren went from enthusiastic to uncertain.

  “I’d like you to meet them.” She was sure her parents would like Wren. Everyone did.

  Wren gave her a knowing look. “Let me guess. Japanese people are a monogamous bunch.”

  “Not everyone is as enlightened as you Sarkavians.”

  “A shame.
Think of how peaceful life would be.”

  “You might convert me, and that could be the beginning of the revolution.”

  Wren laughed and snuggled up with Fallon, wrapping her arms around her. They sat in cozy silence for several minutes, then Wren straightened and asked, straight-faced, “Are you converted yet?”

  “I’m working on it. It’s a difficult convention to break free of.”

  “Hmm. Maybe I should set up a meeting. You, me, Raptor, and we talk it all out. Think that’d do it?” The wicked glint in Wren’s eye made Fallon laugh.

  “I don’t think so. This is just in my head. A frame of mind I need to adjust. I mean, I never minded that Sarkavians aren’t monogamous. I think your dad’s boyfriend is lovely. Great at chess.”

  Wren made a dismissive gesture. “Oh, he’s not seeing him anymore. He’s in between amores at the moment.”

  “Has your mom found a new one? She’d ended things with one, last I heard.”

  “Not yet. She’s very picky. She sometimes goes years between.”

  Fallon stretched her legs out, resting her feet on the table. “Since we’re on the subject, have your parents’ amores ever caused trouble between them?”

  Wren stretched out too and wriggled her toes. “Only once that I know of. My mom was seeing a guy that my dad thought was an obnoxious jerk. And she admitted to me in private that she thought so too. But she said his personality was worth putting up with because he could use his tongue to—”

  “Nooo, that’s enough, I don’t need to hear that. I’m working on the other thing, but you’re never going to convince me it’s not squicky for parents and kids to talk about their sex lives.” Fallon cringed, refusing to even contemplate that with her own parents.

  Wren snickered. “You humans are so sexually repressed.”

  “Only some of us. I happen to be from a particularly ancient and traditional culture.”

  “It’s a fine culture, I’m sure.”

  “It is. Beautiful. We have music that will touch your soul. Art more engrossing than any holo-vid. Stories that will make you weep.”