Carbon Life

by HR Ringer

  Carbon Life

  A Lesbian Sci-Fi Epic

  The Race to merge synthetic and organic life on a space voyage far into the future. This is the science fiction epic you’ve been waiting for. But it’s also the story of two strong female characters. How they met, fell in love, what they taught each other, and how decisions made then affected their future lives in a post-Galactic War. An Epic Lesbian Sci-Fi Novel.

  Chapter 1: Leaving Earth

  Note: The Chinese/English translations appear in brackets immediately after the Chinese words – these are non-spoken words and are generally in italics for translations of spoken Chinese, or non-italic for translations of thoughts in Chinese. There may be a few words (generally curse words) that don't have translations. Non-verbal thoughts are in 'italics' with single quotes; incoming 'com' speech is in italics with double quotes. If you read and enjoy this chapter, please continue on — I generally post a new chapter twice a month.

  * * *

  *** YEAR 2178 CE, DECEMBER • EARTH, CHINA, CITY of SHANGHAI ***

  Twenty-one year old Alliance Serviceman 1st Class Yuán Xiùlán entered a small, dimly-lit restaurant just a short walk from the old Royal International Hotel on Xiuchuan Road in Shanghai. She had a few hours to kill until she needed to board the Alliance shuttle headed for Earth orbit; from orbit it would make a short, near-light speed jump to Luna Base, where she would begin an intense eighteen-month training program.

  Taking a seat at the counter, she ordered shredded fish with snow cabbage in noodle soup and a glass of Xinjiang Black Beer to wash it all down. She hoped she wouldn't regret her choice of cuisine during the upcoming short trip, but dammit, she was going to have one last meal from her homeland before she left, particularly since she hadn't a clue when she'd be able to return.

  A waitress brought the glass of beer, telling her the soup would be right out as she set the glass down. "Nǐ kàn qǐlái yǒudiǎn niánqīngle, hē píjiǔ," [你看起來有點年輕了，喝啤酒 - You look a bit young to be drinking beer] she commented. "Méishénme dàbùliǎo de," waving a hand at her freshly cleaned and pressed uniform. "Nǐ shì lǎo dé zúyǐ fúwù yú hǎijūn, nǐ kěyǐ xiǎngshòu yībēi píjiǔ." [沒什麼大不了的。你是老得足以服務於海軍，你可以享受一杯啤酒 - No big deal. You're old enough to serve in the Navy, you can enjoy a [one] glass of beer.]

  "Xièxiè," Xiùlán replied with a smile. "Wǒ yào qù yuèqiú. Wǒ bù zhīdào duōjiǔ. Wǒ zhǐshì xiǎng cóng wǒ de guójiā yì xiē shíwù zài wǒ líkāi zhīqián." [謝謝。我要去月球。我不知道多久。我只是想從我的國家一些食物在我離開之前。- Thank you. I am going to the moon. I do not know for how long. I just wanted some food from my country before I leave.]

  She took a long pull from the glass, savoring its full-bodied taste as it rolled over her tongue and down her throat. Leaving Shanghai was going to be tough. It was the only home she had ever known until enlisting in the Alliance Navy on her eighteenth birthday. Her goal since going through basic training in Vancouver was to become captain of an Alliance starship; the intervening two years had been spent filled with classes learning everything she could about starship operation, including piloting, navigation, propulsion theory, personnel and resource management, along with practical demonstrations of her knowledge and skills.

  She had also spent three miserably grueling months undergoing hostile environment assault training at Fort Charles Upham on Titan, where she had been proficient enough to earn a ribbon for unarmed hand-to-hand combat and one for excellence as a sniper. She had her mother to thank for her hand-to-hand skills… Mom was a master instructor in Chinese martial arts, having been her daughter's instructor since she was four or five years old.

  The waitress brought her soup, set it down in front of her with a small bow and left so she could enjoy her meal. She hadn't realized how hungry she really was until the steaming bowl was sitting in front of her. She began eating, pausing only long enough after several bites of most excellent fish and cabbage to take a sip of beer or a bite from the sweet roll on the side.

  The waitress returned as she was finishing the last bite of fish. "Rúhé wèi nǐ de tāng?" she asked. [ 如何為你的湯？- How was your soup?]

  "Most excellent," was Xiùlán's enthusiastic response. "Zuì yōuxiù de! Duōshǎo qián wǒ qiàn de fàn ma?" [最優秀的！多少錢我欠的飯嗎？- Most excellent! How much money do I owe for the meal?]

  "Èrshí xuéfēn, qǐng. Píjiǔ shì yīgè lǐwù," came the cheery response. [二十學分，請。啤酒是一個禮物。- Twenty credits, please. The beer is a gift.]

  Xiùlán smiled as she activated her omni-tool, entered the restaurant's ID code, the waitress's name and the credit amount (including a generous tip), then used her thumbprint to authenticate the transaction and closed her tool.

  The transaction screen behind the counter illuminated for the waitress to inspect; her smile grew wider as she said, "Fēicháng gǎnxiè. Qǐng chóngxīn dēnglù, dāng nǐ zài zhège chéngshì!" [非常感謝。請重新登陸，當你在這個城市！- Thank you very much. Please re-visit when you are in this city!]

  Xiùlán nodded as she said, "Xièxiè," then got up and went out into the cool, drizzling night. She still had a bit of time left, but decided to summon a taxi for the short trip to Pudong Airport, which had added a shuttle terminal fifteen years ago. The aircar arrived within a few minutes; grateful to be out of the rain, she entered her destination in the trip computer, paid the bill and settled in the back, alone with her thoughts. Her personal effects had been sent directly from the hotel and should already be in the Alliance holding area.

  She was about to enter an experimental Alliance program, one that promised to transform her into a skilled operative in what had only been referred to as 'Black Ops'. It sounded interesting, and she hoped the knowledge and experience gained would be a 'plus' in her service record. She had committed to the whole program… eighteen months split between two Alliance marine bases. She also hoped to make some new friends during her time in the program.

  Her father had been against it from the beginning. He had always expected her to follow in his footsteps, into a life on Earth as an accountant. Always a need for someone good with spreadsheets, even if all that meant these days was setting up the formulas in the boxes and watching the computer make all the calculations… no need for an abacus any more. Xiùlán's mother was not totally thrilled about her traveling around in space, but realized her daughter was her own person. She had learned all her lessons, excelled in every school she entered, and she could defend herself against attack. Still, her mom always had some fear in the back of her mind the Alliance military would not take good care of her.

  Her musings were interrupted as the aircar slowed and descended in a curving approach to the Alliance dominated shuttle area; it came to a halt a quarter-meter from the pavement and waited for Xiùlán to leave. Once she was clear, the access panels closed; the vehicle spun on its axis and flew back out on the same path it had used to enter. She strode past several parked shuttles towards what appeared to be the terminal building; entering through the main doors, she moved to the information kiosk, coming to attention as she stopped in front of the operations chief behind the counter. "Serviceman 1st Class Yuán Xiùlán reporting for transport."

  The chief looked at her with the jaded gaze of a man who'd been in the military so long there was nothing he had not seen. "Travel orders?" he asked.

  Xiùlán had a copy of the original papers, which she handed to the bored operations chief. Glancing up at the chronometer on the wall behind her, he grabbed a datapad and scrolled through several 'pages' until he found the confirmation code that matched her orders. "Date of birth?" he asked.

  "57/08/15," she answere
d, enunciating each number individually, then added before he could prompt her, "Service number 8257-Papa-Victor-Golf-09186."

  He set the datapad over the blank corner of her paper and keyed in his own ID; this resulted in the datapad 'stamping' the paper, actually laser engraving it, with that code.

  "Okay, flight is ready for liftoff," he said. Using his thumb to indicate a door behind and to his left, he continued, "Flight line is through there… your gear's already on board. Good luck, Serviceman. Safe flight."

  "Thanks, Chief." Xiùlán grabbed her papers, quickly walked through the indicated door and made her way to the waiting shuttle. Two other people had just entered ahead of her when she reached the hatch. Handing her travel orders to the lieutenant standing beside the UT-47, she waited for him to look them over; as he handed them back, she came to attention and saluted.

  Returning her salute, he asked, "First time off world, Yuán?"

  'Jīngrén! He actually knows my family name comes before my given name! ' she thought, then replied, "No Sir. Spent time on Titan after basic. Thought I'd been transferred to hell, actually."

  He chuckled, nodding his head as he responded with, "You have my deepest sympathies. I went through that hell myself. Major Violitiran still in charge?"

  "Major Sathegz Violitiran… I expect he is still there, Lieutenant. I haven't met that many turians, but he certainly is not the best example of turian friendliness and good will I've encountered. He always felt the Council betrayed the turians by intervening in the Relay 314 Incident, and spent every waking hour taking it out on every human within talons reach."

  "Sounds like time hasn't mellowed him. Real shame. He has a hellova lot of knowledge regarding survival under brutal environmental conditions. Hope you at least managed a passing grade."

  "I did," Xiùlán said, then smiled at the memory. "Surprised the old bird… he couldn't think of a valid excuse not to pass me. Told me so himself."

  "Good for you," the lieutenant responded with a grin. "Hope you do as well in whatever program you're headed for."

  "Thank you, Sir." She saluted, then turned and entered the darkened shuttle. There was one empty seat on the back row, left center. She nodded to the young marine on one side and the woman in blues on the other as she took the empty seat. Other than slightly repositioning themselves as she sat down, they did not acknowledge her presence; fine with her… she didn't feel like making small-talk on this trip. Placing her hands palms up on top of her legs, she touched second finger to thumb on each and closed her eyes, intending to meditate for the next hour or so.

  She heard the pilot enter, close the hatch and sit in the forward control area. She could hear him talking as he began powering up systems: inertial dampeners, navicomputers, turbo-fuel pumps, environmental pumps and impellers, ME generator… "Alliance control, shuttle flight golf-sierra zero-niner-two-five, ready for departure."

  "Sierra two-five, Alliance control: cleared for departure per flight plan. Squawk four-six-eight-two-two. Contact departure control at flight level three-zero-four-eight to confirm vector and velocity for orbital insertion."

  "Sierra two-five cleared for departure, squawk four-six-eight-two-two, contact departure at flight level three-zero-four-eight, acknowledged."

  Xiùlán felt the decrease in the shuttle's mass as she heard and felt the four ventral thrusters light up, lifting the shuttle from the ground. The pilot rotated the forward engine pods downwards, firing them to tip the nose up as he lit the stern thrusters to maintain their relative position. Increasing the ME field, he brought the nose up further, pushed the stern-mounted thrusters to full power and sent the shuttle skywards.

  * * *

  *** YEAR 2178 CE, DECEMBER • EARTH, NORTH AMERICA, CITY of VANCOUVER, B.C. ***

  Twenty-year old Alliance Serviceman 3rd Class Samantha Traynor opened the door and stepped into the vestibule of 'The Farmer's Market' bar and grille. She had a few hours to kill until needing to catch the Alliance shuttle headed for Earth orbit; from orbit it would make a short, near-light-speed jump to Luna Base, where she would begin an intense eighteen-month training program. She removed her shouldered pack and took her overcoat off, which she shook a bit in order to remove some of the water droplets deposited by the light, steady drizzle falling from the mottled grey overcast. The weather outside reminded her of Oxford, where she'd spent the past four years studying physics, mathematics and computer science.

  She had picked this tiny place because it was within walking distance of the Sunshine Inn (an ironic name to be sure, or maybe the original proprietor had been indulging in wishful thinking) where she had spent the past evening. Observing a sign reading, 'PLEASE BE SEATED', she grabbed her pack and ventured into the small dining area, easing past the few people having an early breakfast, to an empty table in the rear corner of the room. A young man, thin face scarred by acne, approached with a menu, which he laid on the table as he asked, "Would you like some water?"

  "Actually, I'd like a cup of tea, please." He nodded and left her to peruse the menu.

  While she waited she opened her omni-tool and browsed the extranet. There was some news regarding Alliance efforts to eliminate the pirates based on the moon of Torfan. One of the articles ran under the headline, 'Butcher of Torfan or Alliance Hero? ', being an account of a young Alliance Navy lieutenant's actions on that moon and her single-minded efforts to eliminate every batarian there; there were interviews of Alliance personnel and from the very few batarian survivors.

  The young man returned within five minutes and set a cup in a saucer on the table, along with a small porcelain teapot emitting a tantalizing scent of freshly brewed tea. "Ready to order?"

  "Yes. I'd like a three-egg cheddar cheese omelet with hash browns and toast, plus a side of bacon," she replied as she poured the steaming beverage into her cup.

  He smiled as he retrieved the menu and said, "Be back shortly."

  Returning to the news article, she could see that the batarians were predictably united in their condemnation of the young lieutenant's actions, claiming she had even killed people that had surrendered. The few Alliance personnel interviewed all expressed skepticism at the batarian's allegations of wholesale slaughter by one person, and also noted that the lieutenant's entire unit had been almost entirely wiped out. One of the Alliance brass mentioned the young lieutenant's family had been murdered by pirates during a raid on her home colony of Mindoir. The only interview Samantha did not see was from the subject of the article. Apparently, asking her opinion might have lent some balance to an article totally biased in favor of the batarian 'victims', even though every last one of them had been a pirate.

  The young man brought her breakfast and carefully set a large platter in front of her as she closed her omni with a sigh. "Would you like me to bring anything else, ma'am?"

  "A bottle of ketchup?" she asked. The omelet looked and smelled wonderful. She slathered butter on one piece of toast, took a bite and followed it with a forkful of eggs and cheese. Delicious! Her waiter brought the ketchup, which she applied generously to the perfectly done, golden and crispy hash browns. She hadn't realized how hungry she was until the food was sitting in front of her. Taking a sip of tea from her mug, she continued to transfer the food from her plate to her stomach, until there was only a few crumbs left.

  The young man reappeared as she was finishing the last of her tea. "Was everything okay?"

  "Wonderful," she replied. "I probably won't need anything to eat until dinner time. How much do I owe you?"

  She was handed a tablet with the itemized bill displayed and totaled; she opened her omni-tool, entered a secure transfer of credits to the restaurant, along with a gratuity for the young server, then closed her omni and returned the tablet. "Thank you. Stay dry… it's supposed to be like this all day," he said as he waved in the general direction of the front door.

  Traynor shrugged her overcoat on and shouldered her pack; she pulled the hood over her head as she stepped into the misty drizzle of a
Vancouver morning. The Alliance flight field, itself on the site of an old hovercraft base, was just south of the old international airport on Sea Island. Her personal effects had been sent direct from the hotel and should already be in the Alliance holding area.

  The field was too far to walk from her current location; she opened her omni-tool and summoned an air taxi, which arrived within five minutes. Once she entered her destination and payment, the vehicle lifted and began moving as soon as she was inside with the hatch closed.

  As the air taxi arced up and over the Fraser River delta on its northward trajectory, Samantha thought about the weeks she had spent in Alliance basic training. The physical conditioning had not been as tough as many had led her to believe, but neither was it a 'walk in the park'. During her fitness training, her instructors discovered she possessed a real talent for close in hand-to-hand combat… she just needed an instructor willing to mold her into a human weapon. She'd impressed another instructor on the gunnery range with her skills for accurately firing high-powered sniper rifles and heavy pistols.

  There was also time spent learning the basics of quantum communications, with much more to learn… hell, she'd barely scratched the surface of what she needed to know to be a competent… no, more than competent… communications, intelligence and operations specialist. The ever so slight jolt through the chassis as the air car touched down interrupted her reverie. Grabbing her pack, she stepped out into the cool, damp Vancouver morning.

  A Marine corporal greeted her at the gate as the air taxi lifted, pivoted and climbed away from the field. "I.D., please," he requested.

  Traynor held her Alliance issued badge out for his inspection, which he scanned through his omni-tool; it trilled once, indicating approval. "Okay Ma'am, you're good to go. Follow the orange paint line into the building and check in with the chief… she'll direct you to your departure gate."