Carbon Life

by HR Ringer

  Xiùlán had impressed Mallene Calis, the company’s asari instructor and a huntress herself, by using it to great effect in a simulation against several mechanical opponents; one of the mechs had the misfortune of having Xiùlán grab it from behind, left arm around its ‘neck’, right fist hitting it in its side. The blade had penetrated from right to left through simulated ribs, heart and lungs, with the point and five centimeters of blade protruding out of the left armpit.

  “By the Goddess, Yuán! When we talked during the initial classes on the moon base, I told you then I believed you to be a warrior. I stand by my original appraisal of your prowess… you would fit into any asari huntress unit with relative ease.” As before, the asari placed the palms of her hands alongside Xiùlán’s face and closed her eyes for a moment, only to instantly fling them open in surprise as she dropped her hands. “Yuán Xiùlán! You aura has increased substantially since last we met! I had not believed such a thing could be possible in a human, yet here you are.” Calis looked into Xiùlán’s eyes and asked in a hesitant voice, “Xiùlán, would you be willing to allow me to meld with you?”

  Xiùlán was a bit taken aback. “A… a meld? Isn’t that only for lovemaking among asari?”

  Mallene smiled. “Even you believe in the unfounded myths of asari promiscuity. I can assure you most asari do not enter a meld with anyone on a casual basis, and there are many types of melds Xiùlán; most have nothing to do with sex. I would like to try a light meld in order to gather information… on your history… your education. I will not delve deep, and anything I glean from your memories will be held in strictest confidence. You will be fully in control of what I can see; we may even be able to communicate through the link.”

  Xiùlán thought for a few moments. “Would you mind coming to my quarters this evening, perhaps, shall we say, 1930? I would like to have my roommate with us.”

  “Of course. I will bring additional information on the upgrades.”

  Sam was finishing the last of her evening meal while studying one of the several datapads she always seemed to have in her hand. She looked up in surprise as the entry request for the compartment door chimed; Xiùlán went to open it as Sam watched curiously.

  Xiùlán greeted their guest which, to Sam’s surprise, turned out to be a familiar looking asari. “Sammy? You remember Mallene Calis, the Serrice Council representative who gave us our new omni-tools in January? Mallene, this is my roommate, Samantha Traynor.”

  Sam set her datapad down as she rose to greet their guest. “Nice to see you again, Ms Calis. What brings you out this far past the Citadel?”

  Calis put her hands together under her chin, palm-to-palm, fingertips up, and bowed slightly in Sam’s direction. “Greetings, Samantha Traynor. I am here to install firmware upgrades in everyone’s omni-tools, and provide instruction for the new features Serrice Council has included with the upgrades. It’s a rather intricate modification, involving replacement of one of the sub-miniature control circuits. My team and I have to actually modify the tool physically, which is the reason I will be onsite for several more days.”

  She looked at Xiùlán as she continued, “Ms Yuán impressed me when I met her at the Alliance moon base… her mental growth during the year intrigues me. I asked if she would allow me the privilege of a light meld to explore this growth.”

  Sam was instantly in full-blown combat-ready mode at the mention of a meld with her lover. “I really don’t think that’s a wise idea, Ms Calis." Turning to Xiùlán, she grumped, “I cannot believe you agreed to this, Luv. Shénme tā mā de!?” [什麼他媽的？- What the fuck?]

  “It’s not what you think, Sēn měi. Ms Calis merely wishes to see what changes have taken place in my mind these past ten months. I asked her to come here so you can observe. Is that not okay, darling?” Xiùlán cupped Samantha’s face with her palms. “You know me, Sammy. Never would I do anything to jeopardize ‘us’.”

  Understanding came to Mallene the instant Samantha spoke; it was confirmed by Xiùlán’s actions and words. “Ms Traynor, I can assure you I have no desire to mate with Ms Yuán. She is obviously very much in love with you; you may have even publicly declared your love for each other, or have I misinterpreted your protest?”

  Samantha’s face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and unhappiness. “Yuán Xiùlán is my life, Mallene Calis. We have not declared publicly, but you need to know I would do anything to keep this woman from injury or harm of any kind.”

  “I understand, Ms Traynor. Perhaps…” Calis approached Traynor and brought her hands up as she said in a soothing tone, “…if I may?” She calmly approached Sammy and stood in front of her. Placing the palms of her hands a few centimeters away from each side of Sam’s face, she studied her eyes for several seconds as a look of surprise mixed with amusement gradually became evident in her expression. “Ms Traynor, your aura is nearly the equal of Ms Yuán’s. I do not recall that you displayed anything like this when we met previously. It might prove enlightening to meld with you as well, but only if you both agree. It is not something I would force on any that are unwilling to do so.”

  Samantha nervously looked to Xiùlán. “What do you think, Luv? I can go first, I guess.”

  “Go ahead, Sammy. I’m here if you need me.”

  Looking back at Mallene, Traynor asked, “Okay. What do you need me to do?”

  “Simply relax. Close your eyes. Free your mind of conscious thought.” Mallene placed the palms of her hands on Traynor’s cheeks, eyes becoming dark as her irises dilated fully. “You will feel a slight… tingle…”

  Traynor closed her eyes as cool hands pressed lightly against her face. Within moments, she gasped in surprise. It was like… there was something… someone… looking at her from within. It was rather disconcerting… and pleasurable… at the same time. It was over in mere seconds, the feeling slipping away to leave her feeling alone and… to her great surprise… empty.

  Opening her eyes, she met the cool gaze of the asari in front of her, saying softly, “That was… different.”

  Xiùlán asked with a touch of concern in her voice. “You okay, Sēn měi?”

  “Yeah… fine. Just… it was like…” Sam trailed off, unable to find words to describe the sensations she had felt during the very brief meld. “It was… not unpleasant.”

  “I was able to discern a lot about you, Samantha Traynor. Your mind is very receptive, and also very strong. I saw your pain from years ago, back on Earth,” Mallene said in a sympathetic tone. “No one should ever be subjected to an attack of that kind; the memory… the pain of it is still quite powerful. Should you desire, one of our doctors could easily block that memory for you.”

  “I also saw your love for Ms Yuán here. It partially explains the aura I can detect around you. She has taught you… is still teaching you… how to love, but also how to fight, how to defend yourself. You have a gift for unconscious reactions, Ms Traynor. It is growing stronger, will continue to grow in power the longer you stay with Ms Yuán. Your ability is a rarity among humans. Hone it. Guard it. Nurture it.”

  “Troubling times are coming. Our matriarchal council is professing some fear concerning the future. A terrible darkness is coming, but it is unknown how it will manifest itself. Study hard… learn all you can. You will play an important role in the shared future of humans and asari.”

  Calis added, “I also imparted knowledge regarding the upgrades that will be made to your omni-tool during my very brief… visit. As the evening goes by, you will remember more and more of the information I gave you.”

  Turning towards Xiùlán, she asked, “Are you ready, Ms Yuán?”

  Xiùlán walked up to her and held her hands out in front of herself, palms up. “You may begin when ready, Ms Calis.”

  Mallene placed her palms on top of the hands patiently waiting and looked into the dark eyes of the human woman, unafraid, certain of herself. “Please relax and close your eyes. Free your mind of conscious thought.” Mallene’s e
yes grew dark as her irises dilated fully. “You may feel a slight…”

  She never finished her verbal thought. She was in Xiùlán’s mind, experiencing a kaleidoscopic vision of thought and awareness the likes of which she had never before seen. There was an order to it all, elegant, structured, arranged and stacked neatly in rows and columns. Mallene ‘turned’ a corner and was blocked from further progress. She sensed Xiùlán’s smile as she ‘heard’ words through the link. {You may come no further. Everything beyond is private, personal. No one is allowed inside.} There was no malice, no threat implied, simply a statement of fact.

  Mallene Calis ‘placed’ the upgraded omni-tool data in a perceived ‘in-box’, a place in Xiùlán’s memory that would be immediately accessible; she then gently withdrew from the young human’s mind. As her eyes regained their color with the return of her physical vision, Xiùlán’s face swam into focus – eyes closed, face composed, hint of a smile tugging the corners of her mouth. The hands under her palms turned to grasp hers, thumbs gently massaging the backs.

  “You have an extraordinarily strong mind, Yuán Xiùlán,” Calis quietly said. “I have never touched one so strong at such a young age, particularly in a human. It is readily apparent where Ms Traynor’s inspiration comes from.”

  “You carry strong memories of your parents. Your mother taught you how to be a warrior; your father taught you how to be organized. You carry the best of both of them within you. I can sense your father disapproved of your chosen career path, yet you do not doubt that he loved you, still loves you.”

  “You will do well, but I feel I must caution you as I did your lover. You must be ready for the darkness. It will consume you… consume all of us, if we are not strong enough to stop it.” Mallene finished with, “The data I promised has been placed in your memory… I have no doubt you will be able to retrieve it with no problems.”

  Calis put her hands together under her chin, palm-to-palm, fingertips up, and bowed slightly towards both. “Pleasant evening, both of you. I look forward to talking to you during the next few days, Samantha Traynor.”

  With that, she turned and left their apartment.

  * * *

  Chapter 9: 2180 CE • Year of the Dragon

  Much stronger boys in her class soon learned that it could be quite unpleasant to fight with that skinny girl. Unlike other girls in the class, she never backed down, and she would not for a second hesitate to use her fists or any weapon at hand to protect herself. She went around with the attitude that she would rather be beaten to death than take any shit. - Stieg Larsson, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

  * * *

  * WEAPONS DOME – WEEK TWO *

  Samantha was back in weapons training, and despite Gunny’s promise to teach her about heavy pistols, she was learning the intricacies of a number of other sniper rifles; the logic being that one should be familiar with any weapon that could be retrieved during a mission. She wasn’t expected to qualify on the range with these weapons – she merely needed to have an understanding of their components, how they were put together and how to operate the gun as efficiently as possible. She had advanced from the Volkov to one of the rarest sniper rifles seen outside of the Kite’s Nest, the Lightning Strike model 10 from Batarian State Arms. While its ‘stats’ were certainly less by comparison, it was still a very good rifle, able to take a beating and continue to fire accurately, and it was surprisingly easy to maintain.

  Gunny had a surprise for her at mid-week – he pulled a Harpoon out of its custom case. This rifle was manufactured by Kassa Fabrication, a human-controlled private company. The weapon appeared similar to those manufactured by Elanus Risk Control, Hahne-Kedar and Elkoss Combine. Though it was not quite as capable of inflicting damage as the Volkov, it was a bit more accurate and had a marginally better cool down time. The gun was incredibly expensive, meaning she’d probably never encounter one left behind by a previous owner.

  Gunny saved the best rifle for the last day of the week – a Master line Spectre Gear HMWSR rifle. This was the pinnacle of long-range guns, with an accuracy level 34% greater than the Lightning Strike; it gave up less than 1% to the Harpoon’s cool-down time but was capable of dealing 42% more damage per shot. Firing the gun was a real treat for Samantha… From a prone position with the frame resting on a heavy sandbag, she was able to hit several targets at an incredible distance of 960 meters. It was a real disappointment for her to know she’d probably never be able to own one.

  After using the best sniper rifles available, pistol training seemed a bit of a letdown, until she discovered the adrenalin rush from running, dodging, covering and firing them. Gunny started her out with a basic, no-frills gun from one of the smaller turian weapons manufacturers, Haliat Armory. Their Stiletto model 10, like the rest of their product line, was a basic level weapon of high quality. More importantly, weapons and replacement parts were readily available in the Terminus Systems and Attican Traverse. It was simple to maintain and could do a fair amount of damage, particularly when equipped with ammo mods.

  Traynor quickly worked through two other pistols Gunny had presented to her; she was able to gain a good working knowledge of the Kassa Fab Razer and the Rosenkov Karpov.

  As with the rifles, Gunny finished his firearms introduction with another Spectre Gear firearm, the HMWP heavy pistol. Gunny took his time teaching her everything he could about this gun, as it was the sidearm with which she would be equipped when she was assigned to missions in the Terminus and Traverse.

  The bloody thing was the heaviest of all the pistols she'd worked with, mainly because it was designed for the turians. As Gunny was a survivor of the First Contact War, him having weapons designed for the mostly turian Spectre force seemed unusual to Sam and the other students; when questioned about it, he simply explained he knew a young turian in C-Sec that saw no problem with helping the humans in any manner necessary. As for the gun itself, damage and accuracy improvements over the Stiletto more than made up for its disproportionate weight, it was simple to maintain, used commonly available parts and could take a lot of punishment without failing at a critical time.

  When Gunny had finished showing her everything he knew about the HMWP, he turned her loose on the range so she could practice on the targets that jumped up or out in random, never-in-the-same-place-twice locations. She later felt it’d been the best day she’d experienced so far.

  During this time, Xiùlán had been undergoing advanced omni-tool training under the watchful eyes of Mallene Calis and her small team of huntresses. Calis had been particularly impressed with Yuán’s ‘take no prisoners’ approach to hand-to-hand combat. She had seen few asari with such an attitude; still fewer had been human, and never in her nearly 400 years had she witnessed such a brutally efficient human of either gender as Yuán Xiùlán.

  She had actually had to intervene during one of her supervised lessons – Xiùlán had quickly and convincingly taken Aglyna T’Sega, an asari huntress of nearly 285 years’ experience, to the ground and would have permanently finished her with an omni-tool ‘straight blade’ up into her vitals if Mallene hadn’t hit Yuán with a short-lived stasis field. When the field wore off after several seconds, her victim had been moved out from under Xiùlán’s fist and been substituted with a cloth bag containing a form of ballistic gel, into which Xiùlán had ‘fired’ the blade; when ‘fired’, the blade traveled completely through the gel. Xiùlán, her battle-trance ended, had expressed amazement the asari would put one of their own in such peril.

  The huntress’s pride had been her only injury; after reviewing the recorded vid of her loss to Yuán, Aglyna conceded she had never expected to be taken down in such a convincing fashion by a mere human, and said as much when next they’d talked.

  “How did you learn to be so vicious, Yuán?” T’Sega took a sip of Chandra sweetened Thessian tea as she relaxed during lunch with this most interesting human.

  “I don’t think of myself as being vicious, as you say,” Xiùlán replied
. “Efficient, yes, but not vicious, although I realize how my fighting style must look to someone unfamiliar with me.” She paused to sip from her own cup before continuing. “I have been training since I was a child. Fighting as I do comes naturally for me, like breathing. I don’t have to think about it. I can ‘see’ in my mind what needs to be done – the actions, the moves, all of it, by simply observing my opponents, whether one or twenty.”

  Aglyna was amazed. “How can you be so sure of yourself, Yuán? Asari Huntresses are some of the most highly trained fighters in the galaxy. Surely their biotics…”

  “Ah, that’s where I am defenseless, my friend. I possess no biotic abilities of any kind,” Xiùlán interrupted. “I was born and raised on Earth, in a part of the world that was never exposed to the eezo accidents that afflicted other parts of our planet.”

  “So, you’re saying I would have been able to beat you if my own biotics had not been blocked,” Aglyna said in surprise.

  “My defenses against someone, anyone, are designed to counter physical threats. If I can reach you, I can kill you in the blink of an eye; your biotics would not be able to save you. However, four or more together? I could kill two, possibly three, but only if the fourth person didn’t hesitate to attack me with their own biotics, just as Mallene Calis hit me with a stasis field right before I put a blade through your body.”

  Without the faintest hint of arrogance she continued, “For every action an opponent makes, I have a counter, a reaction. I could fight ten or more huntresses at the same time without any of them laying a finger on me if there were no biotic abilities to consider. Most would be dead before I finished dealing with them all.”

  Aglyna finished her tea as she observed, “Your skills are not of much use against guns either.”

  “Correct. My hand-to-hand skills are just that… for hand-to-hand combat. They were developed centuries ago before guns were in widespread use. That is why I strive for balance. I will master all the tools of the trade before I am needed to carry out an assignment.” Finishing her tea, she asked, “This is very good. Might I have a bit more?”