Sisterhood of Suns: Daughters of Eve

by Martin Schiller

  She proved correct. Saantoz had noticed the direction of her gaze and explained. “That marca that Sarah and Sa’Tela told you about is getting his first job from us. If he completes it, he’ll be well paid, and no one will know he’s a homosexual.”

  “What if he doesn’t? Or he decides to become a double-agent?” Maya asked.

  “Fueradaa oya la Sola,” Saantoz answered with a shrug. “Out into the sun. He gets outed.”

  “There’s more to it than that, isn’t there?” Maya inquired.

  Saantoz rewarded her with a feral smile that was just as unpleasant as the one the soldier at the checkpoint had given them. “Siya. Outing him could make him desperate. Enough to expose us, or maybe do what you said and work for the ESN as a ‘double’.’

  “So when he makes his visit to the cart today, he’ll get a special Epanada with the same protein that your sisters use in your wonderful roses. It’ll tell him what to do and he expects this. But the secret sauce will also have something else. A little extra pepper.”

  She went silent at this, and Maya knew that she was expected to ask more questions. “Annnd…what’s that?”

  “Poison. As long as he stays faithful, it’ll remain inert. If he doesn’t, then at his next visit, he’ll get a condiment containing another coded protein. It activates the toxin, and death will come looking for him ten minutes later.”

  “Remind me not to go out and eat with you the next time I get hungry,” Maya commented dryly. “In fact, I think it’s about time I went on a diet.”

  This earned her a laugh.

  When the late afternoon shadows had begun to swallow up the streets, and the office buildings started to disgorge their employees, Saantoz positioned them across from the parking lot of a government building. Eventually, an unremarkable ‘lectri exited, and she pulled out and began following it at a discrete distance. The target car was being driven by another ETR citizen that the Sisterhood wanted to turn. She was Ms. Mariaa Estovaal, the same woman that Sarah had decided that Maya would handle.

  Their quarry made no attempt to elude them, and it quickly became obvious to Maya that she was completely unaware that she was even being shadowed. Eventually, the woman led them into a quiet suburban neighborhood, and the home where she lived.

  “So,” Maya asked as they pulled in up the street and parked. “What now?”

  “Now we wait,” Saantoz advised her, activating a palm-sized monitoring device. “My hijja’s have already been here earlier, and they planted some eyes around the place. We watch our mark, and see what we can learn about her. And later, we pick up the trash.”

  Maya understood why this final step was so important. It was basic agent training; targets often discarded important information with no more care given to it than to crumple it up, or in the ETR, where they still used paper, by tearing it into quarters. A good ‘dumpster dive’ could yield important data, and household trash was rarely guarded by anything more imposing than a lid.

  “Ah,” Saantoz declared. “She’s already giving us something. Here, look.”

  Maya leaned in to see. The image on the tiny view screen was in black in white, but still very sharp. The broadcast was coming from the ceiling in the woman’s living room, and as she watched, their target finished dusting the mantle over the fireplace, and then carefully straightened a holopic of her late husband. Then, with obvious ceremony, she set down a glass of beer next to an empty chair and took her own seat. After that, she turned on the holovid and began to watch. Every so often, when something made her laugh, she spoke to the empty chair as if someone was there, enjoying the show with her.

  Maya looked away, feeling a deep pang of guilt. According to Mariaa Estovaal’s file, her male partner had died just a year earlier, and it was obvious that she was still having trouble coping with the loss. It was also abundantly clear what her weakness was; the house itself, and her memories. This was only confirmed later, when they collected the woman’s trash and inspected the contents. With her husband’s income gone, Estovaal was hopelessly in debt, and her home was in imminent danger of being seized by the bank.

  Under such circumstances, it would be all too easy to ‘turn’ the woman, Maya realized, and as they drove back to the Embassy, she found that she had problems with the idea. She had scammed plenty of marks in the past, and she knew intellectually why this woman was so valuable to the RSE’s efforts, but that still didn’t make it right. Despite what other women might have thought, thieves like herself did have their own personal codes, and putting pressure on Mariaa Estovaal felt more like beating up on a helpless cripple than getting something over on someone who really deserved it.

  Because of this, sleep came with difficulty that night, and as she expected, she had more dreams about the Drow’voi. And they were a welcome relief. They didn’t involve strong-arming an old woman, or selling glass. They were just weird, and that was perfectly fine.

  Undisclosed Location, Kyme District, Thermadon Val, Thermadon, Myrene System, Thalestris Elant, United Sisterhood of Suns, 1048.08|21|08:71:03

  The Voice watched as Jon went to the small shrine, genuflected, and lit a stick of Kalian incense. Enjoying the full access he now had to Mikal’s talents, he could read every nuance of the man’s thoughts and his emotions.

  Jon was confused. The Voice could sense the deep respect and adoration that the neoman had for what he believed to be the Redeemer, and the desire that he felt for him as another man. The conflict within him was so obvious, and so deliciously painful, that the Voice nearly laughed aloud.

  He didn’t do so however. He knew that this would have confused Jon even further. He also realized that this was not what he wanted from him. Since he had taken full possession of the body he was in, he had come to appreciate its needs. Not having possessed a corporeal form for centuries, his condition had taken him some time to recognize, but now he knew it for what it was; the need for another’s touch. The same need that he sensed warring in Jon’s soul.

  He briefly considered the entire situation for a few seconds, and then decided to honor what his body was clamoring for. He went over to the neoman, and to his satisfaction, Jon responded by turning and looking at him with dark, haunted eyes.

  “Jon?”

  “Yes, Lord?” Jon answered. His discomfort, and his longing had increased by a factor of ten and the Voice allowed a smile to form on his lips.

  “Jon, I need you. I want you. Now. With me.” He reached out and stroked Jon’s cheek.

  Jon stepped back, flushing deeply. His confusion and embarrassment were now at their apex. So was his own desire.

  “I want you,” the Voice repeated. “Be with me.”

  “B-but I can’t!” Jon stammered. “You--you’re the Redeemer. It would be a sin!” Despite this protest, it was also painfully obvious to both of them that he wasn’t attempting to leave.

  “I am certainly the Redeemer,” the Voice agreed. “I am also a man Jon. With needs like any man. I need you.” He stepped closer and put both hands on his shoulders. His need was as plain as Jon’s confusion, and when Jon looked down at Mikal’s robe and saw it, he began to sweat.

  The Voice had waited more than long enough. His body was demanding satisfaction and there was no point, or any reason to delay things any longer. Before Jon could offer up another feeble protest, he drew the neoman in, and kissed him.

  Jon’s resistance, such as it had been, crumbled completely. He returned the kiss with a passion that utterly intoxicated the Voice.

  This, the Voice told itself, was going to be truly enjoyable. The only regret he had was that he had not taken over Mikal’s body sooner. Too much time had been wasted, and now he intended to make up for every lost second. The Voice also decided, that when this was over, he would have to visit Mikal in his prison and thank him. Having a body was wonderful.

  Grunvaald Haarmaaneplaatz, Vaalkenstaad Township, Zommerlaand, Sunna 3, Solara Elant, United Sisterhood of Suns, 1048.08|23|04:16:66

  Not wanting to s
poil the surprise, Lilith had kept her visit a secret. As a result, no one was there to meet her at the spaceport and she had been forced to take a hovertaxi out to the farm. When she arrived, she had the driver stop at the head of the long dirt road that wound down from the highway, and with Jan bar Daala trailing behind her, walked the rest of the way.

  To her total astonishment, Grammy was waiting for them on the front steps of the farmhouse. “Vaalkom, Lilith,” the woman said. “I have been expecting you.”

  Lilith’s eyes widened slightly. “Hello Grammy. It’s good to be here,” she answered, a little nonplussed.

  Grammy had had no way of knowing that she was coming. Unless she accepted the reality of Zommerlaandar witchcraft, which she certainly didn’t.

  Grammy however, didn’t provide her with a rational explanation. She just grinned and inclined her head towards the fields.

  “You’ll find Ingrit in the west field just now. I didn’t tell her that you were on your way, so it will still be a surprise--double for what I think you have to say to her.”

  Lilith’s eyes widened a little more, and as if to punctuate Grammy’s words, Old Meg suddenly appeared and landed on the roof. The huge bird looked straight down at them and gave out a raucous cry.

  For some reason, this made Lilith recall that she had seen a bird very much like Meg at the spaceport, and then at other points all along the road. In fact, if she hadn’t known any better, it had been Old Meg herself.

  Of course this was utterly impossible. Ravens were quite common on Zommerlaand, Lilith assured herself, and they didn’t have the intelligence to seek someone out and follow them, much less anticipate their arrival on a spaceship. The whole thing had probably been nothing more than a coincidence.

  But Old Meg regarded her with a gaze that strongly suggested otherwise, and when Lilith looked to Grammy, the old woman had the same mysterious gleam in her eyes. Lilith shook her head, and forcefully put it out of her mind.

  “Thank you, Grammy,” she said, setting her bag down for Bar Daala to take inside. Then she turned from her, and walked out into the west field.

  She found Ingrit sitting astride her horse, watching the agribots as they tilled a field of wheat. She didn’t announce her presence, and spent a moment quietly gazing at the woman who had come to mean so much to her, taking in every detail; her shining blond hair, her strong muscled body and the natural way that she sat in the saddle, looking as much a part of the land around her as everything else. Ingrit was Zommerlaand, and she was in love with the woman, and her world.

  Sensing that she was not alone, Ingrit turned around in her saddle, and did a double take as she realized who it was. “Lily!” she exclaimed, “It’s so good to see you! Why didn’t you write or call and tell me you were coming? I could have met you at the spaceport!” She jumped down from the horse and embraced her.

  Lilith let herself be swept up by Ingrit’s powerful tanned arms, but then after a moment, broke away and stepped back. “Because what I wanted to ask you was something that couldn’t wait for a letter. I had to come straight here.”

  At that, she dropped down onto one knee, heedless of the dirt and straw that was soiling her otherwise spotless black uniform, and clasped Ingrit’s hands. “Ingrit Bertasdaater, will you make me the happiest woman in the galaxy? Will you marry me?”

  Ingrit blinked, and as she comprehended the full import of her lover’s words, tears welled in her violet eyes. Tears of pure joy. She picked Lilith up and spun her around.

  “Yes!” she exclaimed. “Oh Yes! Yes! YES!”

  ***

  When Lilith had made the decision to relocate to Zommerlaand, the move hadn’t been a matter of simply packing up her kit bag and speaking with Admiral ebed Cya. It had also required her official reassignment to Rixa by way of Zommerlaand, and the transportation of all her possessions, not the least of which was her cat, Skipper.

  Like any kaatze, Skipper had not been pleased with the change one nano. Despite the fact that Lilith had taken the time to tell him all about the move, he had still pretended surprise when the moment had come for him to be put in his travel box, and had given a truly virtuoso performance of profound outrage and deep unhappiness all the way to the Military Spacelift Command.

  This hadn’t spared him however, and with a certain amount of relief, she had seen him packed off to Zommerlaand. Once there, he had been required to spend several days in quarantine before she was able to come and claim him. Ingrit accompanied her on this errand.

  You won’t believe the terrible things that they did to me, the kaatze complained. I was starved the whole time, and it was freezing cold!

  In fact, the dark, dank dungeon he had just described was a complete fiction. His travel box had had an automatic food and water dispenser, and the cargo hold had been climate controlled.

  The two women exchanged knowing glances as they left the quarantine area and walked out into the port commons. “That sounds like it was quite an ordeal,” Lilith replied with a half-smile.

  Yes! It was! I want to go home now! the animal demanded. I want to get out of this box!

  “This is home,” Lilith told him. “We’re going to live here now.”

  Skipper moved to the front of his cage and sniffed experimentally. This doesn’t smell like home, he observed.

  For him, home had always been the Athena, with all its processed air and subtle chemical smells. This was a strange and alien place with scents that he couldn’t readily identify.

  “Well it is home. Your new home,” she said, stopping and turning the cage around so that he could see them. “This is Ingrit. She is my friend, and she will be your mommy too.”

  The kaatze eyed the blond giantess with deep mistrust, but grudgingly allowed her to extend her finger towards him. He smelled the digit, but then retreated to the back of the cage.

  “You really will like it here,” Lilith added.

  Skipper was not convinced in the least. This big noisy place wasn’t the Pallas Athena, and he didn’t like it. He was even less amused by their next stop; the local veterinarian. Her office was in Vaalkenstaad, and although she normally cared for livestock, she was more than happy to accept Skipper as a new patient.

  After the receptionist had verified his Certificate of Health and Quarantine Record, they were shown into an examination room, where shortly, the doctor joined them. Everything else might have been unfamiliar, but Skipper knew what a veterinarian’s office was, and who the stranger was. He responded by turning himself around and stuffing his head into the crook of Lilith’s arm in a vain attempt to hide.

  “That’s funny,” the woman said chuckling. “I could have sworn that there was a kaatze in here just a moment ago.” Then she petted his back. “Ah, there he is. What a clever fellow! Now, Mommy, you might want to stroke his ears. I have to take his temperature.”

  Not only was Skipper not a fan of veterinarians, he also didn’t care overmuch for rectal thermometers. As she went about the task, he made a great show of squirming and fussing and the instant that she was done, he tried to wiggle his way through Lilith’s arms, and off the table. She was forced to tighten her grip, and this only agitated him even further.

  “Excuse me, doctor,” she finally said. “May we have a moment alone?” The vet smiled in understanding and busied herself over in a corner of the room.

  Then Lilith grabbed ahold of the scruff of the animal’s neck and looked him straight in the eyes. He immediately stopped his wriggling and went completely rigid. For some reason, all kaatzes were absolutely positive that if they displeased their mothers, death was imminent. Such a thing had never happened in the entire history of the feline species, but they all believed it, including him. Lilith used this to her advantage.

  “Skipper,” she said sternly. “How do we behave with the vet?”

  We bite and scratch them! he answered rebelliously.

  “No. We do not.” Lilith countered. “We behave. We let them do what they have to do, or we spend the nig
ht locked up in the bathroom.” In Skipper’s mind, this was definitely on par with summary execution and she now had his complete attention.

  “So, are you going to behave?” she asked him pointedly.

  His answer came only with the greatest hesitation, and only after one final poisonous glance at the doctor.

  Yes.

  “Good.” She set him back down on the examination table.

  Not that this spared Ingrit and Lilith any histrionics after the visit had been concluded. Skipper yowled loudly all the way back to the farm. It was only after they had arrived, and he was let out of his plastic prison, that he ceased his caterwauling and ran underneath the kitchen table to hide. Tor, the resident ginger tabby, sauntered in just then, hungry as ever, and equally curious about the cause of all the excitement. Skipper made his acquaintance with a savage hiss and a swat, and the older kaatze prudently backed away, making a wide circuit around the table.

  “Zo, how do you do?” Ingrit asked. “My name is Skipper. Pleased to meet you. May I tear off your face now?”

  Grammy joined them, laughing right along with them, and then she got down on her haunches to inspect their new arrival.

  “Zere now,” she said. “Poor little fellow. He’s just frightened by all these new things.” She extended her hand and after giving it a careful inspection, the animal calmed and extended himself so that she could stroke his head.

  “Would you like some catfish?” she asked him. “I just happen to have some.” Then Lilith noticed the little plate she had brought in with her.

  Skipper was still quite upset, but not so much that he was about to pass up a treat. He graciously allowed her to put the dish before him, and then gorged himself. As he ate, the old woman stroked his back, and made meaningless, but comforting noises.

  His meal only took him a few seconds. In fact, he had outpaced the emergency vac-units used aboard ship to clear compartments of smoke, and the instant that he was done, he came all the way out from under his hideout and allowed Grammy to take him into her arms.