by Scott Rhine
“What about you?” Bella asked.
“I’m going to stay here with you. When they come for us I will tell them that you were acting under my orders. There is a chance that they will spare you.”
“I won’t let you do that!”
“You must. There is no other choice. The Finger is a good ship but there is no way we can escape the Fleet.”
“Omar,” Pulan spoke for the first time. “we do not believe that you are correct. As you say, the Fleet will not attack the Rchald. The Locan possess defenses and weapon systems which they have not shared with the Fleet but whose existence is known to the captains. They are an honorable people and might grant sanctuary to Bella once they understand her actions.”
“You think you can convince them to do so?” Omar asked.
“We have remained in contact with the Locan. Their philosophy is closer to true consensus than we have seen among the human populace, with a few notable exceptions. We believe they would see Bella’s actions as foolish but noble, much like the actions of a child. To this end they would see the value in educating her as one might a child but find execution abhorrent.”
Bella nearly laughed at being described as a child, something she had not been in a long time. Still, if they really could keep her alive she would be willing to be ‘educated’.
“I’ll go,” She said, cutting off Omar before he could try to speak for her.
Chapter 12
Omar was able to get clearance to fly the Moving Finger to the Rchald, the Fleet still occupied with eliminating resistance on the planet. As Bella stood fearfully at the airlock, she turned to Omar.
“I’ve really made a mess of things, haven’t I?” She said.
“No more than I.” He replied. “Give it some time. The anger of the Fleet is strong, but their memory is weak. They may never forgive you but they will forget. Or perhaps we will come across a world where you can find a new home. Who knows, I may even join you.” They embraced and she entered the airlock with Pulan.
The air on the alien ship reminded Bella of the oceans of her homeworld. Though not saturated, there was moisture in the air, as though someone had just finished a hot shower. She turned to her faceless companion with questions in her throat but nothing came out. Pulan must have guessed some part of what she wanted because he began to speak.
“The Locan are an aquatic species, though they have adapted to gaseous and vacuum conditions. Considering the obvious difficulties of manufacturing even the most basic technologies in water, their ability to become an advanced spacefaring culture is remarkable.”
“Pulan are very generous with their praise but we took much longer to achieve space flight than our land based peers. We simply started earlier than sentients in this region of space” Bella turned to the new voice. Before her was a creature which nearly turned her stomach. At its core it resembled nothing more than the love child of a squid and a jellyfish. This upsetting mess of tissue and tentacles sat in a bubbling and churning vat of water, surrounded by a metal exoskeleton with dozens of odd protuberances. The whole was nearly as wide as Bella’s midsection but much shorter, no more than a meter tall. The voice came from one of these waldoes which terminated in a speaker. Bella fought to hold down her lunch.
“Do not be concerned at exhibiting revulsion at our appearance. We are quite used to the reaction humans have to us. Be assured that you are no vision of beauty to us either.” This was followed by laughter and an increased frothing in the vat.
“Hel… hello…” Bella stammered. Pulan moved smoothly to the creature and pressed a protuberance of his own against another of the creature’s metal tools. The two aliens paused and there was again frothing in the vat.
“Too true, Pulan.” The creature said aloud. “It has been too long since we attempted consensus with you. Your perspective is always appreciated. However, communication which leaves out another species is considered rude so we will return to vibration of air particles if that is acceptable. Bella, we are pleased to make your acquaintance. The sense memories we have received from Pulan show high praise for you as an emissary of your species.”
“The what? They do?” Bella felt completely lost.
“Apologies for causing confusion. We have adapted one of our waldoes, these remote manipulators, to receive and transmit the chemical and electrical impulses Pulan give off when communicating among themselves. It is a poor imitation of the true consensus they achieve but it suffices.” Pulan nodded his head in agreement
“As we have said before, it was the Locan that were first able to communicate with us. As we learned the use of vibrational waves to communicate, so too did they design an interface to speak our ‘language.’”
“That’s amazing.”
“It is but one of the miracles you may find living among the Locan. We learned much during our time with them. We should introduce this individual to you. Her name is Tolma. Her rank is roughly equivalent to XO.”
“Thank you for the introduction Pulan.” Tolma said. “While I appreciate the gender assignment it is irrelevant. Perhaps by assigning gender you hope to put our guest at ease?”
“Are you not female?” Bella had met several aliens on the human ships and had assumed they followed a binary gender.
“Our species is very old. We were once binary as humans are. Our males were short lived and died soon after mating. As our intelligence grew so too did that of the males. It was a time of continuous tragedy, where bringing new life meant the end of another’s. Attempts were made to prevent their deaths via genetic engineering but to no avail. Eventually it was decided that it would be a kindness to eliminate the need for males entirely. Now we simply recombine the genetics of two ‘females’ to produce progeny. So in some sense we are female but the assignment is irrelevant as there is no opposing gender.”
“If you have advanced beyond mating, why not simply clone yourselves?” Bella asked.
“Evolution has proven over and over that recombinant genetics produces increased survivability in a species. I would be happy to show you the statistics at some future point.”
“That’s very kind of you.” Bella replied.
“Bella, We must return to the Finger. Omar will shortly require the shelter of the Sikorsky if he is to survive the wrath of the Fleet.”
“I’ll never understand why Captain Kharzin is protecting him. I thank you again Pulan. I owe you my life.” Pulan nodded his head once more and moved into the lock. Bella watched the airlock close behind the alien reluctantly.
“Bella,” Tolma started. “We are happy to provide you shelter from your fellow humans’ vengeance. It is unfortunate that your attempt to save lives has resulted in so many deaths. Young species often mistake empathy as a weakness but we know it to be a great strength, one we have found lacking in the Fleet.”
“Tolma, that philosophy seems very much at odds with the manner in which the Fleet operates. Why do you travel with them?” The creature’s limbs flailed in answer.
“Pragmatism. We are explorers and have found travel among human worlds to be dangerous. We were forced to make many regrettable decisions before joining the Fleet. It was a fortunate event that we discovered the Fleet and have been allowed to travel with them. They negotiate with human worlds for safe passage and we do the same for worlds settled by other species. It is a fruitful partnership. We may abhor the violent nature of the Fleet but have found that the threat of violence from them often prevents attack on our ship.”
“That seems a little hypocritical.” Bella didn’t want to antagonize Tolma but couldn’t help speaking her mind.
“Life is full of difficult choices, young one.” Tolma replied, her ‘voice’ not evincing any irritation. “We are often put in a position where every option will result in a negative outcome. Wisdom is knowing how to choose the least offensive course of action. The Fleet captains have arranged for peaceful trade where xenophobia would have prevented it. I would be happy to discuss this further at another time. I
have been shelled for too long as it is. Allow me to show you to your quarters.”
Tolma’s spidery exoskeleton moved with surprising alacrity down one of the branching passageways utilizing all sides of the corridor equally. She seemed to have no sense of up or down and indeed the doorways opened in all directions. Bella followed as quickly as she could, her bulk making the corridor seem claustrophobic.
Her quarters turned out to be a converted storage compartment. There was a single bunk, obviously a copy of those used in the human ships of the Fleet, and an area had been altered to serve as a bathroom. Tolma stood in the hallway and motioned for her to enter with a waldo.
“I hope this is acceptable. We made every effort to conform this space to your physiology in the time allowed. Let us know if you need anything else and we will try to acquire it for you.”
“Thank you, Tolma. I’m sure this will suffice.” Bella hesitated, unsure of what to say next. Tolma seemed to understand her hesitancy.
“Bella, Pulan’s request for your transfer was welcome to us. We have desired a human companion on our ship for some time as a means to better understand your people. We hope you will be willing to serve as our intermediary in affairs related to the Fleet. Oftentimes we find ourselves unwittingly causing consternation and strife. While it is not required, we would very much appreciate it if you would be willing to serve in that capacity while you remain with us.”
“I’ll gladly do whatever I can to help, though the Fleet captains may not wish to deal with me.”
“Their desires in this matter are irrelevant. While your actions may have angered the Fleet, they have endeared you to us. We have not filled this need before now because we did not trust any Fleet personnel on our ship. Their desire to acquire our technology is obvious and grating. You are the first human we have been willing to accept as crew.” Bella felt a blush of pride. Tolma left Bella to get situated.
Once she was alone, Bella felt a great heaviness fall upon her, even in the microgravity of the ship. She stowed her possessions and strapped herself to the bunk slowly. As sleep overtook her, Bella sighed deeply.
That night she dreamt of Death. Death came to her not as a ghastly skeleton with swinging scythe but as a young woman with dark hair and a creeping smile. Bella recognized the girl as her own mother, as she must have been when Bella was conceived.
“Hey,” Death said casually. The world around them was gray and indistinct, as it sometimes is in dreams.
“Have you come for me?” Bella replied sadly. “I won’t fight you.”
“Oh I wanted to, back when you bought yourself a second lifetime. It really chafed my hide that you were avoiding me.” Death grinned and her teeth felt like tombstones. The grim figure leaned down and the ground they stood upon resolved into a field of wildflowers with a single prickly poppy at Death’s feet. Death caressed the petals of the flower with a single finger, careful to avoid its thorny shaft. Above a sun shone, bright and yellow.
“And now?” Bella asked, fearful of the answer.
“Now I am content to let you live a while longer.” The girl who was Death picked her way down the thorny shaft of the wild flower but did not pluck it. Instead she rose and looked away from Bella, toward the field of flowers. “After all, you have become my servant. It would not do to take you too soon.”
“I am not your servant.”
“Aren’t you?” Death swept out her hand and all around them the field of flowers began to wilt and wither until only one remained, the prickle poppy. “A bargain well struck, one life for so many. Of course they all would have come to me in time but thank you for hurrying them along.”
“I would have gladly traded my life for theirs.” Bella said, her voice cracking.
“Yes, that’s what they all say… after.” Death laughed then, and began to shimmer like mirage. “Be seeing you.” At this Death faded away completely.
Bella awoke covered in flop sweat. She shook for a while before pulling herself together and showering. The water had a slightly salty taste to it and Bella was reminded of Fulton’s Breakhearst Beaches, where she had been on her second honeymoon. That life seemed so far away to her now. She was reminded of Omar’s face on the night they met, longing for a home he would never see again. Bella felt she finally understood why he had tried to turn her away from the Fleet. Perhaps she should have listened.
After her shower, Bella decided to explore her new home for lack of anything else to do. From the outside, the Rchald had appeared to be as large as a human cruiser, much bigger than the Moving Finger but smaller than any of the three largest human vessels. Gliding down the corridors Bella was hard put to figure out where all that space went. Engineering, communications and helm control were all placed near each other and there appeared to be no spaces dedicated to leisure of any kind. The corridors were mostly empty as well and Bella began to wonder how many Locan lived on the ship. She had seen no one other than Tolma since her arrival.
The answer came as she noticed a Locan exiting what looked like a small closet. Though the air was dry enough, she detected a dank smell which once more reminded her of the ocean. Bella felt a flash of realization. The Locan were an aquatic species. While spacefaring technology would require a dry atmosphere, they would not choose to spend their free time in such conditions any more than she would spend hers in vacuum. She stopped the passing Locan to confirm her suspicions.
“Yes,” the creature replied. “Sixty percent of the Rchald is kept in conditions similar to our homeworld’s oceans. We must be shelled when operating or repairing the spacecraft but the confinement is upsetting.” The Locan demonstrated what she meant by flailing her tentacles inside her tank. The churning flesh once more threatened to turn Bella’s stomach. She thanked the creature and turned away to avoid insulting her.
As the shelled alien flew away, Bella realized she would be largely alone on the great ship. If the Locan spent the majority of their time in their aquatic world and only shelled themselves when there was work to be done, there would be precious little company for her.
A quiet despair fell over Bella during the next few days. The long silences gave her more than enough time to dwell on her mistakes. When next she saw a Locan she asked for access to the ship’s comm. The Locan was able to set up a terminal in her room which was modeled after those of the human ships.
From here Bella was able to watch the aftermath of her attempt to warn the rebels. Death on the Fleet side of the conflict had been light, mostly fighter pilots. One cruiser had sustained a nuclear hit which left a dozen with extensive radiation burns. The planet below had suffered much worse. Conrad, captain of the Damascus, had chosen to speed their surrender by targeting civilian populations. The orbital bombardment by the great warship had killed hundreds of thousands and wiped out several of the largest cities on the planet. Bella found images of the devastation and forced herself to look through them all, guilt wracking her body.
She might have kept up the self flagellation for hours had Omar not chosen that moment to contact her. A moment of pride made her wash her face before answering him but it did not matter. She could tell from his expression as the connection formed that she looked terrible.
“Oh Annabella,” He started, “This is all my fault.”
“Nonsense.” She replied. “I’m the one who set all this off, not you.” They might have continued trying to take the blame had Pulan not interrupted from behind Omar.
“We do not see how the bloodshed is the fault of either of you. It is clear to us that Captain Conrad is primarily to blame. Neither of you could have anticipated the violence of his response.”
“Maybe, maybe not.” Bella said bitterly. “It’s a mistake I won’t make again. Have the Fleet captains decided to act against you Omar?”
“They haven’t, though it was a close vote. If you had still been aboard I doubt anything could have stopped Conrad from blowing us to bits. He does seem more subdued since you boarded the Rchald. I don’t think he wants t
o test their patience.”
“Well he has a right to be angry. I really messed this one up.”
“If I may interject,” Bella turned in surprise. A Locan hung in the doorway to her cabin, a waldo gripping the frame at an odd angle.
“Tolma, we are pleased to see you once more.” How Pulan could identify the alien Bella couldn’t guess. She waved at the creature to enter before realizing that the being might not understand the motion.
“Please come in Tolma.” She said.
“Forgive me for eavesdropping but this is an excellent teaching moment and should not be avoided simply due to propriety. I have been considering your actions Bella and have concluded that your primary error lay, as Pulan has indicated, in insufficient information gathering. Many times our best intentions are soiled by such a lack.
“Consider.” Tolma continued, “When the Rchald first entered human space we had only rumors about human behavior. As such we made many mistakes in our first dealings with your kind. Regretfully, we were forced to take human lives in order to protect ourselves when negotiations broke down. Our moral failure was gathering insufficient data before proceeding into human space.”
“I see what you mean.” Bella replied. “I didn’t understand what kind of man Conrad is. I thought he was like the officials of my homeworld. I underestimated his disregard for human life.”
“That may be my fault as well.” Omar added. “I’ve done my best to shield you from the worst excesses of the Fleet, kept the Finger out of the bloodiest conflicts. I didn’t want the Fleet to do to you what it has done to me.”
“That ends now.” Bella decided. “I may not be on the Moving Finger any longer but I can still help. I’ll delve into the Fleet history. I’ve got the time now, after all. We won’t be caught flatfooted again.”
“I am happy that this moment has borne fruitful consequence. I will leave you to your compatriots.” Tolma left as quietly as she had arrived.