by C. R. Daems
"Whether I host a Riss or not, my country is now Freeland and my duty will be to help the Leader of the Riss protect the Riss Nation."
The conversation subtly shifted to their lives and interests while probing his likes and dislikes. He was so engrossed in their tales he failed to notice that Nadya had returned.
**Yes, Leader. I think that is enough for today.** The white-haired Riss bowed to Sean. ** Thank you, Sean.**
Sean rose and stretched. "Time flies when you’re having fun. Well maybe not fun, but the time with the Riss was very interesting." He kissed Nadya tenderly and put his arm around her as they walked back to the shuttle. "Knowing you and Thalia, I knew that each Riss was a unique individual with an area of expertise. But talking with them made it real. For a while, I forgot I was being interviewed. What's next?"
"Depends on the Riss. If they want more time with you, you'll meet with them tomorrow. If a Riss feels comfortable with you, they will let us know. Then you will have a choice."
"I guess that means they didn't reach a decision?" Sean asked, concern in his voice and his expression.
"Although there are three Cerberuses and therefore three potential openings for the position of Riss-human, it's up to the Riss to decide. They may pick three, or only one, or no one."
"But then you will have no one to fly the Cerberuses," Sean said, stopping and staring in wide-eyed shock.
"Sean, the Riss-human bond is like a marriage. It's for life. A bad match wouldn't benefit the Riss or the human, and the Riss would have to be removed. I won't force the Riss and humans into a marriage. In reality, very few of us humans wanted to host a Riss for the Riss' sake. We entered the program for our own selfish reasons." Nadya's gaze locked onto Sean and he nodded, knowing it was also true in his case. "Therefore the Riss are the best judge of whether the match will work. So far they are batting one hundred percent."
Sean lay awake that night going over the Riss' questions and his answers. It was early morning before he finally fell asleep.
* * *
During breakfast he learned the Riss had requested another meeting with him. He wasn't sure whether that was good news or bad. At least he hadn't been rejected, and wondered if it meant he was competing with others. When he arrived, he was surprised to find only four Riss.
**Welcome, Sean.** The salt and pepper Riss waved him to sit. The next several hours were more like a history review as the Riss talked about long dead philosophers and their work, and probed Sean for his thoughts and comments. When they stopped, he felt exhausted.
The Riss were saying goodbye when Nadya arrived, and Sean looked asleep on his feet. It had been a long grueling day.
"How are you feeling, love?" Nadya asked, kissing him on the cheek.
"Like after the battle of Freeland." he grinned. "Today, the questions were primarily from three of the Riss. I don't think I asked more than a dozen."
Nadya's eyes lost focus, and he knew she and Thalia were conversing. Then she smiled. "Come, we've wasted all day and half the night—dinner, then bed." She gave him an evil smile.
"I'm not sure—"
"Believe me, love, you will not be much good for the next several weeks. The Riss called the Patient One for short has agreed to be hosted by you. The insertion will begin tomorrow."
Sean stopped walking, picked Nadya up, and swung her in a circle—and almost dropped her. "Well let's get food in me so I'll have good memories to keep me going."
CHAPTER SIX
Preparations for war
The month flew by as Freeland worked night and day preparing for an unknown confrontation with the SAS. I limited my staff meetings to weekly because we were all busy and their time was better spent on projects. This was the first time Bradshaw joined the meeting. Everyone clapped when he entered wearing a Riss Navy uniform with two stars, designating a Riss captain.
"Damaass, what is the status of the Irises?" I asked after everyone had gotten something to eat and drink and had sat down.
"I worked on upgrading the Irises rather than building more. We now have forty Irises in Freeland space. They have all been upgraded with new software and contain the latest Spiders, which means they can't be modified except by the Riss. Ten each have two red-Wraiths installed." He stopped, awaiting comments. When no one said anything, he continued. "We can produce more if you want."
"No. Forty should be sufficient." I looked to Elissa and Zhang. "The status of the Riss on Saipha?" I already knew, but the purpose of the staff meeting was to get everyone up-to-date and give them a chance to comment.
"Elissa and I evacuated every Riss on Saipha, except for twenty elderly Riss who chose to stay so that the SAS couldn't claim we had abandoned the enclave. The others were settled on the fifth planet from the Red Dwarf. Since they don't plan on using electronic equipment or building structures, their presence should be next to impossible to discover without a visit to the planet."
"Alena, what is the status of the Sabotage Project?"
"We've inserted the new Spiders in all the software. The factories can be made non-functional within minutes—or they can appear to be functional but produce products with the wrong specifications. We have committed ninety percent of our manuals and product specifications to electronic storage using the Riss symbols and can destroy everything else within a few hours."
"Excellent. A copy should be on every Riss cruiser…protected by Spiders." I looked to Sheva. "Sheva, the status of our missiles?"
"By the end of this week, every Riss cruiser including Cerberus-1 will have two red-Wraiths and a full load of missiles. As Da'Maass mentioned, ten of the Irises each have two Reds. I believe every cruiser will have an additional fifty percent within two weeks and a double load by the end of the month."
"Pavao, the status of the Riss-human candidates?"
"We narrowed the original list of forty-six down to eight. The indoctrination seminars eliminated the first eight individuals. Our subsequent interviews eliminated another sixteen because they didn't have the experience we need, and the simulator tests eliminated another fourteen. I'll let the Riss choose the best of the remaining eight." She shrugged. "If the Riss select one or two, whoever is selected could be operational within a month."
"Iglis, what is the status of the Comrelays?"
She smiled like she had just hacked into the SAS Intelligence Agency's database. "All messages are delayed until I approve them for delivery."
"Anything interesting happening?"
"The SAS Council promoted Yorke to Defense Secretary. He's promising to teach the parasites and murdering raiders their place, or words to that effect. Ironically, there is no talk about increasing the size of the SAS fleet. They have three fleets designated Home, First, and Second. Admiral Gleason remains in command of Home Fleet, Admiral Dobbin has First, and Admiral Faletti Second."
"How about Butler?" I asked, wondering about the changes Yorke was making.
"With Admiral Munoz’s retirement, Butler is now in charge of Naval Intelligence. What's strange is that he hasn't revoked or reduced my clearance."
"Do you know the size of the current fleets?"
"Home Fleet has eight squadrons, whereas first and second have six each. A squadron consists of a Heavy, a Hunter, and four Light cruisers."
"Their superiority has gone to their heads," Da'Maass said. "They effectively have only two fleets, since they can't use Home Fleet without leaving Eden undefended. That's insufficient to take on the UFN."
"Oh, another strange bit of news. Ossicwater has gone dark…could the Aliens be back?" Iglis sounded amused.
"Iglis, your top priority is monitoring Port Lost, Lord’s Landing, and Sparrow’s Nest. Hint to Butler that I don't think it's a local problem."
* * *
"I think I've died and been taken to where the gods live," Sean said after a long and tender love-making session. "I'm married to the woman of my dreams, Athena is a fantastic companion, and Cerberus-1 is a magical cruiser."
"The prob
lem is that the pesky humans know where the gods live." I instantly regretted spoiling the moment with reality, but trying to anticipate Yorke's response was all consuming. If I judged wrong, it would cost lives, maybe even the existence of Freeland and the Riss.
"Too bad we can't take the Riss and blow this galaxy." He laughed. "I'd even be willing to take the Freelanders along. I know they did some awful things, but it's hard to visualize the current-day Freelanders as raiders."
"The problem is that we are all human. We even excuse our behavior by saying we're human, like that excuses our actions. And what's worse is that we are all capable of evil, given the right circumstances. Look how I've pulled the Riss into war." I felt a sharp pain of remorse.
"It was necessary to save the Riss from eventual extinction—"
"Exactly! See how easy it is to justify war, killing. That's what scares me. Should a human be speaking for the Riss?" Tears slid down my cheeks.
"I see why no one wants to be Leader." Sean tenderly kissed each eye and pulled me closer. "What do you think is happening in the SAS? I mean with Ossicwater," he asked while stroking my back and shoulders.
"The Ecitoni have migrated into our space," I whispered, too content at the moment to care. Maybe it was time for the Riss to leave.
"Ecitoni?"
"The Riss on the Red Dwarf believe the Aliens discovered other intelligent life in this galaxy. More humans—possibly descendants of Earth, the Bat-like Issog, the Lizard-like Arrith, and the Ant-like Ecitoni creatures. The Issog and the humans are presently at war. The Riss believe the Arrith are waiting to see who wins. They are several light-months’ travel distance from us. The Ecitoni, however, are much closer to our space. It's possible they’ve found us, or rather, the SAS."
"And if they have?" Sean propped himself up to look down at me.
"Who knows? The SAS and the UFN have reduced their total fleets, and the Riss are only a small nation, less than one fifteenth the size of either empire. And the SAS wants a war with us, which will reduce the pool of available cruisers even more."
"Can't you warn them?"
"Do you think they would listen to me, the Riss, or the Freelanders? If Plimson was still in charge and could honor the MSA, maybe. He's not, and Yorke won't honor the MSA. More likely they would blame the problem on us. Anyway, I have no proof it's the Ecitoni. Maybe Iglis will have more information at the staff meeting tomorrow."
CHAPTER SEVEN
Candidate Katlin
Katlin didn't know what to expect as she entered the Freeland Courthouse, along with several other people. They were a mixture of Riss Navy personnel and Freeland citizens. Few were young, ranging in age from her current thirty-eight years to sixty. She followed the stream of people down a long hallway lined with framed documents depicting landmark decisions—judging by the titles—into courtroom #106. Inside, more than twenty men and women sat in the ten rows of wooden benches. The first four rows on either side of the aisle were full, so she entered the fifth row and sat near the far end. Over the next half hour, the room continued to fill to near capacity.
Exactly at noon, a Riss-human captain who Katlin thought flew the Elpis entered and stood facing the assembly as two Cobras took up positions back against the wall. "I'm Captain Sheva, a Riss-human. Today's session will be an orientation on the Riss-human program—what is involved, what it takes to qualify, what it takes to be accepted, and what it means to be a Riss-human." She paused, scanning the room. "What is involved? Your body will become a host for a Riss. Not the large alien you see everyday that looks like a cross between an old-earth gorilla and the legendary Bigfoot. That is the Riss' current host. In fact, the Riss are parasites who long ago inhabited the animals you see today and over time took control of their functions. If you could see a Riss, it would appear something like a jellyfish. Its tentacles attach to the host's nervous system, allowing it to control the animal. However, when hosted by a human, the relationship is symbiotic. Your cerebrum currently has two hemispheres, and hosting a Riss will be like adding a third—but really will be an intelligent life form with whom you will be able to communicate." Sheva paused, giving them time to digest the concept.
Everyone knew Riss-humans had an intelligent entity in them, but Katlin had never thought about the specifics. The unanimous first reaction appeared to be repulsion—at the word parasite and the image of it attached to your nervous system. Yuck! But then what did she expect, a miniaturized Riss running around inside her skull with a megaphone? She gave a snort, which attracted a variety of glares from those close to her.
"It sounds like the Riss can take control if it wants," said a middle-age man. His face looked to have seen action, and he dressed like a Freelander.
"Yes, they can…and they have." Sheva waited for the side conversations to quiet. "Early in the program, one candidate used the Riss's symbiotic relationship to enhance his abilities to cheat and abuse people. The Riss took control to stop behavior abhorrent to the Riss' ethics until he could be removed. And to answer your next question, the Riss can be removed if you or the Riss choose to terminate the relationship." Sheva surveyed the audience before speaking again. "I'm told there are refreshments in the hallway. For those still interested, I will begin again in thirty minutes."
Katlin couldn't remember what she ate or drank. Her mind spun in turmoil. She didn't like the idea of a parasite attached to her, but the thought of being a cruiser captain drew her back into the courtroom like a puppet controlled by strings. A glance around the room revealed several vacant seats.
"What does it take to qualify for the program? Ideally, experience as a captain of a cruiser with war experience and good tactical judgment." Sheva looked around the room and a small smile appeared. "As I said, ideally. We will accept other wartime command experience, but you will have to demonstrate you have good tactical judgment."
"Is there an age requirement?" The same middle-aged man asked.
"No. And before you ask, neither is there a health one, so long as you're in reasonable condition for your age."
"What about education?" Katlin asked. As far as she knew, all the Riss-humans had a college education since they had been naval officers. She didn't know about the Freeland and UFN Riss-humans, but she had heard they had been captains of cruisers in wartime.
"No. The testing you will undergo will not be academic."
Katlin sighed in relief. She had a basic education on Echo but had chosen to enter the navy fighter program rather than attend college. She wanted to fly rather than sit in a classroom studying subjects she wasn't interested in. Ironically, the year of fighter pilot training at the SAS Fighter's school, Horus, had included considerable mathematics and physics.
The first gate is meeting the minimum requirements as I've just outlined and a willingness to be a candidate. For those still interested in being a candidate, we will meet here tomorrow at the same time to discuss the next step."
Katlin remained seated after everyone else had left. The idea of something attached to the inside of her body—and in her mind—terrified her, but the thought of commanding a Riss cruiser excited her. Not the excitement she had experienced learning to fly fighters or being a hot-shot navy fighter pilot. During peacetime, that had been exhilarating, and she had felt special just for qualifying. The war years changed had that as she watched friends die and realized the difference between hot-shot heroes and professionals. Meeting Leader Reese had changed her even more. Reese had become her idol, causing Katlin to study the art of war in an effort to cause the maximum damage to the enemy with the least casualties to her squadron. She hoped she was the kind of person Leader Reese wanted in command.
She must have fallen asleep, because when she woke the room was dark. After freshening up at her hotel room, a restless night's sleep, and a hurried breakfast, she returned early to the courtroom and sat waiting for Captain Sheva to return.
* * *
"Yesterday’s decision was one of the most critical a candidate must make—whethe
r you feel comfortable hosting a Riss. As you can see by looking around the room at the empty seats, not everyone liked the idea. You need a compelling reason to even consider it. That’s why we're candid about the Riss and what will happen. It helps to eliminate those who are either repulsed by the idea or who aren't motivated. I think all the Riss-humans admit the reason they applied for the program was not the reason they are content and will never give up their Riss companions. So you have passed a significant entry consideration…a willingness to be a candidate." Sheva smiled as she looked around the room, taking stock of each potential candidate before continuing. "Today I'd like you to provide me with a brief history of your experience. Send a synopsis to Captain Sheva on the Elpis and copy Captain Zhang on the Maat. We will review them and let you know by the end of the day if you qualify."
Knowing they were only interested in wartime experience, Katlin limited her response to her participation in the wars of Freeland, the Aliens, and the JPU. When she finished, she felt older than her years and hoped her success was due to a matured tactical awareness and not just luck. After a quick review, she sent it and left to get something to eat, confident her experience would get her into the program.
While enjoying a spicy meat stew in a local restaurant, her SID buzzed, indicating a message:
To: Lieutenant Commander Katlin
You have been accepted as a Riss-human candidate. If interested, be outside the court building at ten hundred hours tomorrow.
Signed: Captain Zhang
Now the real evaluation begins, she mused.
* * *
Tactical testing.
Katlin rose in plenty of time to shower, have breakfast at the hotel, and be fifteen minutes early. Two old buses which looked like they hadn't been used in years sat waiting. Inside, everything was clean and in good repair. She took a seat on the second bus, and a few minutes after ten the doors closed and they were off. The bus weaved its way through the city for what seemed like hours. Sometime later, they entered an industrial complex—judging by the warehouses—and stopped at a large two-story steel-grey building. The only windows were narrow and near the roofline. Inside sat thirty folding chairs, several large monitors, and three modern simulators. The group had no sooner gotten settled when two Cobras entered, followed by Captain Pavao.