Carbon Life

by HR Ringer

  Xiùlán moved her hands to Sam’s upper arms and pushed her away slightly so she could look into her eyes. “Sammy, come over here. Sit down.” She moved Traynor to one of the chairs in their small lounge. “Let me make a few calls, okay?” She grabbed some tissues from her desk and handed them to her distraught companion.

  Sam wiped her eyes and blew her nose. “Thanks, Linn. It’s… I can’t believe she’s gone.” She closed her eyes and took a shuddering breath. “We need to find out why, Xiùlán. There cannot possibly be any justification for this. We need to find out who did this… who felt that killing someone… hell, a student… at an archeological dig site… was necessary.”

  “We’ll get some answers, Sammy. Let me make a few calls…”

  * * *

  After a mostly frustrating hour and forty minutes, Xiùlán leaned back in her chair and cursed. Looking over at Traynor, she frowned as she said, “No one was really forthcoming as to exactly what happened there. I finally did manage to talk with a Gunnery Sergeant…” Yuán looked at her notes before continuing, “…Barton McBride. He and a corporal… a Claudine Phillips… were first responders, caught the people involved. Woman that killed Gonzales was from our own unit, name is Marianna Walsh. Recognize it?”

  “No. But then, there were a number of people in our class we never met. Might recognize her if I saw ’er. The only reason we knew…” Samantha’s voice hitched yet again. Taking a deep breath to steady herself, she continued with “… Heather… was because she was being harassed by Joesiar and his friends. You don’t suppose that’s what got her killed, do you? She wouldn’t be targeted because of me helping her to stand up for herself, would she? Oh god, Xiùlán! Am I the reason she’s… dead? How the hell am I to live with that?”

  Yuán moved quickly to kneel in front of Sam. Taking her hands, she looked up at her friend and replied, “Sammy, you have to believe me when I tell you that Heather’s death is in no way your fault. Gunny McBride told me Walsh and the man Heather stopped, some mudsack assigned to the maintenance department named, ummm, Darius Holden, were working for some syndicate called Cybaru…, no, Cerberus.”

  “What kind of group is that, Xiùlán? Who in ’ell are they?”

  “Some kind of human-centric organization – believe humans should be the supreme force in the galaxy. They’re looking for whatever edge they can buy, beg, borrow or steal in order to further their anti-alien agenda.” Xiùlán gently rubbed the backs of Sammy’s hands with her thumbs. “McBride said the general consensus among the scientists at the dig site is that it holds an immense wealth of information concerning the race of people that had spread galaxy wide – the information doesn’t just concern the relays and FTL travel, it hints at the actual cause of their extinction. They were obliterated as if they never existed… just a few traces left here and there. They’ve barely even scratched the surface of what’s buried there.”

  Xiùlán brought Sam’s hands up, kissed her fingers, then stood and went to their kitchen, where she set a kettle of water on the stove to heat for tea, then returned to her desk and activated her extranet terminal. “I’m going to make one more call, Sammy. After we have some tea, we’ll see about getting a ride over to the dig site.”

  * * *

  Samantha sniffled as she looked sorrowfully through the clear cover of the stasis pod at the body bag containing her friend. Heather was going to be taken back to the main facility for an autopsy (cause of death wasn’t in question, but the procedure was routine in any murder case), as the aid station here didn’t have the necessary equipment or even a medical examiner. “Will we be able to see her back on the base, Xiùlán?”

  “You wouldn’t want to look at her right now, Sà mǐ. The ME will get her body cleaned up and dressed for the trip back to Earth.” Xiùlán looked at Traynor as she continued, “Heather’s in a better place now, Luv. She would not want us to cry at her death, untimely as it was. She’d rather we smiled because she lived, and because it was our good fortune to know her, to be a part of her life, however short that time was.”

  “I want to see her murderer, Xiùlán,” Traynor said through clenched teeth. “Just five minutes alone with her, no witnesses. I can guarantee she’ll be in a much better place when I’m done with ’er.”

  Corporal Claudine Phillips happened to be walking by and stopped short when she overheard Traynor’s comment. “You her friend, Serviceman?” Phillips looked intently at the pair standing by the stasis pod.

  “Both of us, Corporal,” Xiùlán answered as she introduced herself and Traynor. “Been together since the course began on Luna.”

  “Claudine Phillips,” she responded. “Word of advice, for both of you. You want to avenge her death? I understand that, and I totally sympathize. But you need to go up the chain. Two people we have in custody?… bottom of that chain.” Phillips gently reached out, placed one hand on Sam’s shoulder and the other on Xiùlán’s. In a low voice she said, “Satisfying as it’d be to kick the shit outta Walsh and Holden, it’d get us no closer to apprehending their handlers… the people that sent those two here in the first place. That’s who we need to bring to justice.”

  Samantha placed a hand on top of Phillips’s hand on her shoulder as her eyes bored into the corporal’s. “Word of advice for you, Corporal Phillips. Don’t turn your back on either one of those people you’re holding, especially Walsh. I did a quick bit of research on my way over here. If those two are truly employed by Cerberus, they’ll die before giving up anything useful. You need to have someone watching them every minute of every day they’re in your custody, or they’ll be dead, or you’ll be dead, either by their own hand or by someone tied to them.”

  “We’ll be careful,” Phillips responded. “We want to see them answer for their crimes just as much as you do, Serviceman.” Pulling her hands back down, Phillips thought for a moment, then asked, “The bastard Gonzales stopped before she was killed… he was impaled on some sort of ceramic blade. Recovery team had a hellova time getting him down. I think they did more damage to his shoulder in the process. Any idea what she used?”

  Xiùlán looked at Sam before responding. “Omni-tool blade. Can be fabricated and launched from atop our omni-tools. Edges have micro-teeth… tipped forward on one edge, backwards on the other. Very difficult to extract from whatever it’s imbedded in.”

  Phillips nodded her head at Xiùlán’s explanation. “Team said they had to break the blade off between the wall and his back. We’re going to take him to the base for surgery to remove what’s left. Went through his shoulder blade like it was tissue paper. Can’t simply pull it out.”

  Sam grumbled, “Too bad it wasn’t coated with vorcha toxin. All the pain-killers in the galaxy wouldn’t be enough to quiet the screaming.”

  “Speaking of omni-tools, did you or the gunny recover Heather’s omni-tool?” Xiùlán showed her bracelet to Phillips. “It doesn’t look like a standard tool – very limited production… each one is bio-keyed to the individual wearing it, so it’s of no use to anyone else. The organic key cannot be changed once it’s set.”

  Claudine looked at Xiùlán’s bracelet with a great deal of interest. “I wouldn’t want to have that come out of my pay. I’ll check… see if it’s among her personal effects. It may even still be on her wrist.”

  “Serrice Council’s rep, Mallene Calis, is still at the base with several huntresses. I’m sure she would appreciate having Heather’s omni-tool returned so the company can evaluate its performance; that said, I have to believe any data retrieved will ultimately be perceived as not being worth the cost of a person’s life.”

  The corporal nodded in agreement as she replied, “I’ll do some looking, see if we can turn it up. If we can’t, I’ll let you know so you can ask the ME to look for it when the autopsy is performed.” Phillips looked at her chronometer. “Shit! I have to get going. Good to meet you Traynor… Yuán. Remember what I said about going up the chain… and good luck.”

  * * *

>   * ALLIANCE BASE, MARS • WEDNESDAY AFTERNOON, 2180/01/12 *

  A solemn Samantha Traynor sat in the outer waiting room of the Alliance ME assigned to perform the autopsy on Heather Gonzales. She was still somewhat in shock at the sudden death of her friend, and even though she had read and reread the incident report a number of times, she felt like she was not seeing everything, as if something had been left out of the report.

  Now she just wished to see Heather one last time before her body was transferred back to Earth for burial. She could not imagine the anguish Heather’s parents must be feeling about the death of their only daughter; Traynor started to tear up at that thought and quickly shifted her thoughts elsewhere, anywhere but the here and now. She had learned the ancient aliens responsible for all the artifacts discovered on Mars were called ‘Prothean’; it was thought the site here at the Martian south pole had been used to clandestinely observe human progress on Earth, although ‘modern’ humans were thought to have only appeared about 100,000 years ago.

  Her thoughts were interrupted by the unexpected entrance of a visitor. Mallene Calis walked into the waiting area and quietly asked, “Am I disturbing you, Ms Traynor?”

  It took Samantha a moment to remember why the asari was here. She stood and, much to Mallene’s surprise, embraced her as she whispered hoarsely, “My god, Mallene! I’m so glad you’re here.”

  Somewhat taken aback by Traynor’s greeting, Mallene briefly returned the young human’s hug before gently grasping her upper arms and pushing back in order to look at her. “It is never easy to lose a friend, and that difficulty is only compounded when that loss is a result of homicidal violence. You have my deepest sympathy. But why are you here, Ms Traynor?”

  Traynor nodded her head as she dropped her arms. “I’m waiting to see Heather before she…,” her voice hitched at the thought, but she swallowed the lump in her throat and continued, “… before she’s… transferred back to Earth… back to her parents.” She returned to her seat, motioning for Calis to sit beside her.

  “I will wait here with you, then,” she answered as she took a seat. “You should not be alone, waiting here by yourself. If you don’t mind my asking, where is Yuán Xiùlán?”

  Traynor replied quietly, “Ahhh, I think… well, I’m not really sure, but…,” Sam rubbed her temples with thumb and fingers of one hand. “…she may be in a field exercise with Huntress Aglyna T’Sega… she said she’d be here as soon as she could. I had hoped she’d be…” Traynor used both hands to ‘scrub’ her face.

  Mallene placed a hand atop Sam’s shoulder. “Your siame will be here for you, Samantha Traynor. In the meantime, I will wait with you.”

  Sam dropped her hands heavily in her lap and cocked a quizzical eye at the asari. “ ‘Siame’? I’ve never heard that word before. What does it mean?”

  “It’s Thessian… means ‘one who is all’… a loved one cherished above all others. That is how you feel about Ms Yuán, is it not?”

  Samantha smiled shyly, still not totally at ease speaking about Xiùlán with nearly total strangers. “She is my… siame… as you say. I’ve loved her since the first moment I laid eyes on her, my god, just a year ago. It took her a while to see me in the same way.”

  “You are not at ease discussing your love of another human?”

  Traynor looked at the asari for a few moments before understanding the meaning of the question. “What? No, well… yes. It’s… damn, how do I explain?” She covered her eyes with her hand as she thought about all the things… all the different ways… she loved Xiùlán.

  Mallene was patiently waiting as Traynor looked at her again and hesitantly continued, “You do realize that humans are not like asari, in that we cannot reproduce with others of the same gender. There are still places on my home planet where I… we… could be killed for our love of each other.”

  “But why should your love for each other be of any concern to others?” Mallene was clearly puzzled by this revelation.

  Traynor was starting to answer when the door opened for Xiùlán and Aglyna T’Sega. Xiùlán greeted Traynor with that broad grin she never displayed for anyone else. “Sà mǐ! I… we… got here as soon as we were done. You haven’t been called in yet?”

  Xiùlán took notice of Mallene Calis and quickly acknowledged her presence. “Ms Calis. Nice to see you again.”

  Mallene stood and greeted Xiùlán. “You brought Aglyna with you?”

  Aglyna answered for Xiùlán. “I asked to accompany Yuán. She said she was going to bid farewell to a fallen comrade. I wish to pay my respects as well…,” here she looked at Samantha, to whom she had not been introduced. “… if it is permitted.”

  Traynor stood and held out her right hand. “Thank you for coming… Heather… would appreciate it.” As she clasped Aglyna’s hand in greeting, the double doors on the far side of the room swung open. After glancing in that direction, Traynor continued, “Your presence is…” she began tearing up again, but managed to finish, “… is… most welcome, Aglyna T’Sega.”

  The ME approached the group and asked, “One of you Serviceman Traynor?”

  “That would be me, Doctor,” Traynor sniffled. “Can we see her now?”

  The ME frowned as he looked at the four people in front of him. “I wasn’t expecting a tour group today, but yes, you may see her, as long as you realize she is not dressed. We have her covered with a sheet, but her wound will be visible… everyone okay with that?” After everyone nodded their consent, he turned as he said softly, “Follow me, then.”

  Xiùlán quickly moved to Samantha’s side where she took her hand and gave it a reassuring squeeze; receiving a sad smile in return, she stayed by Sam’s side as they entered the small storage area. The doctor stopped beside an examination table upon which a body was lying; the form under the sheet bore the unmistakable contours of an adult woman. Xiùlán heard Traynor attempt to swallow past the lump in her throat. “It’ll be okay, Sà mǐ. Have courage.”

  The group of four split into two pairs of two; the asari on Heather’s right side, Xiùlán and Sam on her left. The ME looked each of them in their eyes before grasping the top edge of the drape and folding it back over itself, stopping at just above her breasts. Traynor had her free hand across her mouth as she closed her eyes against the sight and squeezed Xiùlán’s hand.

  “You sewed up her wound, Doctor?” Xiùlán asked. “I expected there would be a ‘Y’ cut on her chest.”

  The ME grimaced at this for an instant before explaining, “In cases such as this, we can generally perform all the needed tests without violating the body any further. We use omni-tools with specialized software to take all the readings we need. We only make that ‘Y’ incision when there is no clear cause of death, such as poisoning, heart attacks and such.” The doctor paused as he looked at Heather. “Oh, she was wearing a bracelet similar to each of yours when she was brought in. I removed it… saved it for her next of kin.”

  Mallene Calis spoke up. “Actually Sir, that’s a very specialized omni-tool, manufactured by the company I represent. Would it be possible for me to regain possession of it?”

  The ME frowned as he studied the asari. “Anything found with or on the deceased is generally returned to the family with the body.” He shook his head as he continued, “You would need to make a request through Alliance Command.”

  Xiùlán held her own wrist up as she interrupted. “Serrice Council is the manufacturer of these tools, Doctor. It would be of great benefit to the company if they had the tool back for inspection; it’s of no use to anyone else - it’s biometrically keyed to the individual wearing it. Are you sure you cannot give the tool back to Ms Calis?

  “I’d like to keep my job, Ma’am. I’d need someone way up the chain to authorize me to release a personal item to someone other than next of kin.”

  Xiùlán thought for a moment. “Can you hold the tool until I get back to you - might be a day?”

  The ME thought for a few moments. “We won
’t be shipping her back home for a couple more days. You have some time yet.”

  “Thanks, Doctor. I’ll get back to you soon.” She said goodbye to Mallene and Aglyna, then whispered in Sam’s ear as she drew her back to the waiting area.

  Xiùlán grabbed both of Traynor’s hands and brought them up between them. “Sà mǐ, love. I’m going back to our quarters. I need to make a call, get some help retrieving Heather’s omni-tool before it’s irretrievably lost to us.”

  Samantha looked as if she were ready to start weeping. Xiùlán sighed as she leaned in and gently placed her lips on Sam’s. Sam hungrily grabbed Xiùlán’s lips with her own for just a moment before pulling back. “Dammit, Linn… this is killing me. I’ve never felt so much distress, even when those bitches attacked me in college. Seeing Heather laid out on that table? That cut on her throat? I keep thinking about her last seconds alive, trying to breathe… trying to live. Shit! We need that omni-tool in Mallene’s hands, Xiùlán. I don’t think she’d deny us a look at the recorded footage. Who are you planning to contact?

  “I’ll tell you when we succeed, my love. I want to be sure we have the support I’m looking for before I jinx myself talking about it.” Xiùlán kissed her again. “I’ll see you in a bit. Let’s have dinner out. I don’t feel like fixing, and I’m sure you don’t.”

  “Okay, Luv.” She took a long, shuddering breath. “But I think I’d rather order in if you don’t mind… don’t feel much like going out. I’ll be along shortly… just need to say goodbye to Mallene and Aglyna.”