A Bellicose Dance

by Patrick M J Lozon

  “We will need to find something that will work for us.”

  "This base would have to be independent and self-sustaining, mobile perhaps, and equipped with adequate weaponry for protection," hinted Tmaurau. "Perhaps a compliment of fighting vessels, as well. Would access to over a hundred retired warships interest you?"

  "Of course!" Ryan exclaimed. "The ships within the Maskaffa Spider!"

  Taldig interjected, "We were instructed not to board the mothership by Tseman. I believe it would be unwise to consider that option at this time."

  Ryan heard a persistence in Taldig's voice that was highly unlike him. But the suggestion remained a good one. "What's this mothership?" he inquired.

  "It is a very large vessel constructed by the Ancient Ones, comparable in size to 10 Xi-Empire cruisers at the very least."

  Ryan was excited at the prospect. "Can we get it operational?"

  "It is too dangerous, there are too many unknowns," retorted Taldig again. "Tseman does not provide idle warnings, there is a reason for her request."

  "Maybe so, but we must consider all options!" scoffed Tmaurau. "We cannot be afraid of shadows within the hulk of an abandoned vessel. You know as well as I that this vessel presents a perfect solution to the problems we have mentioned."

  Ryan remembered the damage to the War Spritzer - signs of a powerful and incredibly fast creature.

  That must be what the two older Xeronians were concerned about - something incredibly dangerous.

  "I recall some evidence of an alien life-form on board the War Spritzer. Is that the danger, Taldig?"

  "I cannot say with certainty," he replied grudgingly.

  Ryan continued on. "Either way, it's been over a thousand years, and this vessel is exactly what we need.”

  Silently, he put a question to Gem, asking her to dig up every piece of information on the creature. The investigation teams might have found more information since he had left.

  "Let us not conjecture,” offered Tsaurau. “I propose we bring all of this information to the council and await suggestions. We will ask Tseman what precisely her concern is."

  "Fair enough, Tsaurau, please arrange it with the Elders."

  The small group broke apart slowly. Ryan and Tsaurau waited for everyone to clear out before he topped up both their glasses, once again.

  “You are beginning to like this stuff, old friend.”

  “We synthesize alcohol differently than humans. It is present naturally in many of our fruit genus.”

  “Oh, well, OK then. On a more serious note, I feel like we’re dragging in the mud. This civil war is a gift that we cannot pass up. We must begin attacking Xi-Empire bases soon."

  "Perhaps you are approaching this problem from the wrong direction."

  "What are you suggesting?"

  "The one who wins in a conflict of brute force is the one who has the most force available at his disposal."

  "OK, I'll agree to that. So where does that put us?"

  "If this is the case, we must find the superior force that will work against the Xilozaks."

  "What are you leading at - biological warfare?"

  “Such a weapon could be deployed to affect a large portion of the population in one single coordinated effort. There are, however, the moral arguments of killing non-military citizens."

  "Well, Tsaurau, the argument is simple. If the act of destroying the enemy makes you worse than them, then you have become them, haven’t you? How can you justify yourself, then?”

  “I certainly understand the moral dilemma. I wanted to understand your position.”

  “Consider me officially on the fence. I wear too many scars.”

  “Then you feel you can justify such an action?”

  Ryan changed the subject, irritated at his friend’s line of questioning. “Tell me, what was Taldig so worried about?"

  "I am not sure. Tseman’s words should not be considered lightly."

  "Do you know what her concern is?"

  "I do not know. We must ask Tseman."

  They walked out into the brightly lit corridor. Ryan squinted.

  "You realize this mothership could be the answer to a number of our problems."

  "I do comprehend the nuances of the situation."

  “If we go out there and get it, I’ll guarantee you one thing.”

  “What is that, Ryan?” Tsaurau was intrigued.

  “The lights will not be set so damned bright.”

  * * *

  They met up with Aviore in the medical center. The doctors had completed their recovery work on her jaw.

  "Looks like they've given me the A-OK," she reported perkily. "Apparently you do good work, Doctor Ryan James."

  "Thank you, and you make a good patient," he kidded back.

  "You have requested a vaskpar implant for her?" Tsaurau inquired more for confirmation than anything else.

  "Yes. Can you do it?"

  "I assume you have already discussed all implications involving the surgery?"

  "Yes and no."

  Aviore frowned. "What implications?"

  "There are always possibilities that things will not go exactly to plan," Ryan replied, in his own self-defense.

  "Like?"

  "Things go wrong, could result in anything ranging from insanity to death, but our Xeronian friends are experts in this field. They didn't make a mistake on me."

  "Are you sure?" Aviore answered back coyly. "Just tell me, again, why I need this thing."

  "Because you're my backup. Unless you’re a bloody genius, there's no way you're going to learn everything you need to know before we move out on our next mission."

  She took a moment to respond. “Fine. Let's just get it over with."

  "I have already conferred with the medical team about your request. They will be able to do the operation tomorrow."

  "Tomorrow! How? Have you already constructed her vaskpar?"

  "We have constructed many, although they are not exact replicas of your unit. Your version had modifications that introduced additional risks with interfacing. We cannot justify such modifications with others.”

  “Oh. So, I was the guinea pig? No need to expose anyone else to insanity or mental breakdown.”

  “The modifications to your unit were necessary due to the time constraints and extended transfer rate saturation."

  "Of course. There you go, Aviore. They inserted an experimental unit into my brain and they didn't even bugger it up. Your unit will be plain-jane vanilla. That should make you feel better about the whole thing."

  "Well, it does help, but I'll feel better about the whole thing once it's all over."

  He pulled her into a hug. “Don’t worry. I trust them implicitly.”

  "I forgot to mention. Your fellow humans have been asking about you. I am sure they would like to see you."

  "Oh yes, my fellow Earthlings." Ryan chuckled. "They've all been sterilized I assume, and allowed to move about freely?"

  "Yes. They have proven a bit… troublesome. They tend to explore areas where they should exercise more caution."

  “Typical,” laughed Ryan. “I feel like a walk. How about a field trip?"

  Aviore smiled. "Sounds great."

  * * *

  McClary was the first to spot them when they turned the corner. He announced their arrival in his familiar Scottish tone. "I believe our hero has arrived!" He jumped ahead to become first in line to provide a warm handshake. "Good to see you made it back, lad. I was beginning to fear the worst."

  "Well, I am back, and the worst didn't happen." He turned their attention to Aviore. "Meet my future wife, ladies and gentlemen."

  They acknowledged her with friendly nods and the odd hello. One of the women gave her a warm hug. "You are a lucky girl. You have the catch of the galaxy."

  "So, you've decided to take the big plunge, my boy," exclaimed McClary, his eyes twinkling.

  "Don't do it!" laughed Smith, joining in on the fun.

  Ryan smiled,
he looked over at Aviore. She was biting her lip, and a single tear was rolling down her cheek.

  "What did I say?”

  “I love you, Ryan James," she said to him softly, “I just didn’t know you wished to marry.”

  "Oh. Um. It’s just an Earth custom. I assumed you would be fine with it. Well, what do you think? It’s a yes, right?”

  "Of course," she sniffled, a bright smile pushed away her tears. "As you can tell, I certainly understand the meaning of this custom of yours. And yes, we have a similar one on Signus. I gather this is your form of a proposal?"

  "I ah. Yes, I guess I should have made it more formal?" fumbled Ryan.

  She only laughed. "Yes, I will be your wife, Ryan James."

  They kissed – a little more passionately than normal.

  The small group of humans cheered.

  "Well, we were going on a tour,” announced Ryan. “If anyone else is interested. Doesn’t matter if you’ve seen it before. I understand more than a few of you have been itching to get out of your sanctioned areas."

  The Native American, the one the group they had called Geronimo, approached Ryan and held out his hand.

  "I am indebted to you," he said quietly. "I am Kanook." His grip was firm and sure.

  "You've recovered well, I see.”

  "I understand you have requested volunteers. I tell you now, I will join you and fight by your side, and I will not accept any form of refusal."

  "You won't get one, am proud to have your help."

  "And what about me, lad? I did lay out that there offer, prior. You did bother to think about it, didn't ya?"

  "Of course I did. This applies to every last one of you. If you wish to join me, you're welcome. If you don't - that's fine too. But I'm afraid a trip to Earth right now is still out of the question. I'm sorry."

  Low murmurs emanated from the small crowd. Faces turned away. Some did not want to share their disappointment.

  "What are we waiting for? Let's go on this grand tour!" Aviore stated enthusiastically, at the same time taking Ryan by the arm. The group started off, those with dashed hopes falling into step last. The tour, if anything, took all of their minds off their grim reality, if only for a short time.

  * * *

  Ryan and Aviore married that evening. The ceremony was short and quiet. Captain Lortay gave the official sermon, standing on the ramp of the Dancing Queen. Tsaurau was best man, and McClary gave away the bride. Ziggy was the ring bearer.

  A large portion of the colony managed to cram into the starship bay - a strange array of Humans, Signites, Showmish, Brogs, and Xeronians to witness the earthly custom.

  Aviore wore a dress that Ziggy had secretly manufactured on the trip back to Xeronia. He had done an incredibly good job considering the limited information Ryan had supplied.

  He couldn’t take his eyes off her, to him she was absolutely radiant.

  At the end of the reading, they sealed their marriage with a long, passionate kiss. The Humans and Signites cheered, the Showmish hissed, the Brogs purred, and the Xeronians flooded the Par with their shared kind thoughts.

  When the two turned to face the crowd, Ryan heard a familiar voice in the back of his mind - a voice of a friend.

  "Congratulations, Captain Ryan James."

  "Thanks, Gem."

  The celebration came afterward. It was an ad hoc deal, thrown together in no less than an hour by a collection of volunteers, mostly human, and a few Xeronian.

  People of mixed races intermingled and talked, aliens no longer.

  Ryan couldn’t believe it. It all seemed to be moving so fast. His freedom, a pilot of a starship, and a wife - a beautiful, complicated woman from another star system.

  Was this all a dream?

  She looked up from her discussion with Wharsoff and smiled.

  He felt like he was going to wake up any second and realize that he was laying half-dead, immersed in a cold puddle, mining machines rumbling by.

  “Ryan, are you OK?”

  She wrapped her arms around him and pulled him down to kiss her.

  “You’re real, right? This is real?”

  “Yes, this is. I know what you’re thinking. That you don’t deserve to be happy. I’ve asked myself the same thing so many times. No, we’re not moving too fast. We’re not. We are living. We are seizing the moments. We have to make up for all the lost time.” She stared into his eyes. “I am real and you aren’t dreaming.”

  The party broke up in a few hours. Ryan and Aviore escaped into the Dancing Queen, alone.

  “Finally, the ship to ourselves.”

  “You are quite the hermit, aren’t you?”

  “Let’s go on a little trip, just you and I."

  He relayed his intentions to the Xeronian docking steward. The bay doors slid open to the dusty winds outside. Ryan fired up the Dancing Queen and brought her out slowly. Once safely positioned, he pointed the nose up and shot up into the night sky. The winds and the dust fell away to a silent darkness, interrupted by a million white specs called stars. He hit the controls to retract the ceramic-quartz shielding fully.

  The cockpit was bathed in a soft, white light.

  He looked over. She sat beside him in the co-pilot's chair, eyes twinkling.

  “Still think this is a dream? The first time you took me up here that’s when I knew that I wasn’t dreaming. I knew I wasn’t just imagining this new life while I slowly died in that dingy slaver cell. No dream can make these stars. Your mind can’t create this clarity of detail.” She smiled warmly, softly. “You see?”

  He did. God, he loved her.

  ”Aviore, no matter what happens, I'll love you forever.”

  She leaned over, her beautiful face radiating the colored starlight, and placed her hand softly on his cheek. "Till death do us part then, Ryan James."

  She slid over to nestle in his arms.

  “I know this can’t last forever. I can’t help but feel something bad is coming.”

  He shivered.

  “Shhh... Live now. No one can take this, what is now, away from you. And this can last forever. All you need to do is remember it.”

  He held her quietly. They gazed at the beauty around them, and for a moment they felt a true peace.

  For the moment.

  "Captain, you are requested to join Tsaurau in the Chamber of the Elders," interrupted Gem.

  "Damn it. It's time for the Xeronian Council meeting. They always seem to have this unique sense of timing. We have to go back down."

  "The good things never seem to last long enough, do they?"

  "No, they don't. You realize they'll be prepping you for the operation shortly. Tell me you are you ready for this?"

  "I will be fine," she replied confidently. “So I guess we have no time at all to consummate our marriage?” She moved suggestively over him. “You think they could wait a few more minutes?”

  They kissed passionately.

  They arrived in dock slightly later than planned.

  * * *

  13. The Strengthening

  L ortay, McClary, Wharsoff, Gor, and all the members of both Xeronian councils were already present. All heads turned when Ryan came in.

  "Sorry, I ah... go ahead, continue."

  Tseman's old eyes gave a twinkle of amusement. "Ryan," she said, "you have done well. Events have put into motion a greater destiny that awaits us all." Her mysterious old voice demanded the attention of all of them.

  "Elder Tseman," he addressed her respectfully, bowing slightly. "As you must already know, the Xi-Empire has fallen into civil war. This is our chance to move. We need to make plans, cultivate ideas on how to attack when they're weakest."

  He waited for her to respond. But she was not one to answer quickly, be it her age, or her own ponderous wisdom that held her back.

  "You must ask yourself man-from-Earth: What is your purpose? When does the value of life decline? These questions hang heavy on the soul, far beyond one’s death and regrets can slowly tear on
e apart. There are those that can disassociate from others, stand apart and claim oneself superior. But you are not that way, are you, Ryan James? There will come a time when you must look inward, and ask: Who do you serve? It is the authentic you who must answer, for there is no one else who can."

  What could she possibly be talking about? She sounded like the Sisters-of-Soom with this line of questions. He had a hard enough time sorting out Tsaurau sometimes, let along these Elders.

  "Not quite following you on all this. What, exactly, is your meaning?"

  "It is what you make it, Ryan," she replied. "Time will explain, much more effectively than I can aspire to. Reflect upon my words. You need to consider what you have not already."

  She stood up slowly, her brethren followed suit. "We can serve no further purpose here. Do what must be done, ask of my people, ask of our allies, but only do what must be done."

  They left, filing out quietly behind the massive semicircular bench. Their bent gray forms faded into the darkness like ghosts.

  Such a damned penchant for the theatrical - answering questions with questions. Do only what must be done.

  "Tseman," Ryan called after her. “I need an answer I can understand.”

  But she was gone.

  "She has answered your questions," stated Taldig, the only remaining Elder.

  "How?"

  Taldig only blinked his large, glassy, dark eyes, providing more of an impassive response than an answer.

  “Great.” He took a deep breath. This was going nowhere.

  Tsaurau took the floor, effectively seizing command of the meeting. "Work is to be done. Decisions must be made. Issues have been put forward of which we currently have no resolution. I encourage all to open the discussion. Plans must be formulated."

  Troyka, the head of engineering, offered some good news. "I am obliged to announce that we have established a model for an acceptable communications network."