Carbon Life

by HR Ringer

  Ugrolya glanced at Kryllê then returned his attention to the datapad. “Ugly is right! What makes you think this thing is even worth sixty-five creds, much less sixty-five million?”

  “Figurine was found on Mavigon in Gemini Sigma. Made from Bolan wood - a single piece. Tree is extinct… hasn’t been seen anywhere in the known galaxy for centuries. I've done some research into ancient asari history. That figurine is in perfect condition, as if it had just been carved yesterday, and there simply isn’t any of that wood available anywhere, even as scraps.”

  Rarfenak raised his empty glass and wiggled it at the young batarian waitress; she approached them and smiled as she picked up the empty glass and wiped the table. “Can I bring you another Batarian ale, sir?”

  “Only if you have some that hasn’t been cut, sweetheart,” Ugrolya responded with a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “I like to actually taste the alcohol I’m paying for.”

  The smile on the waitress’s face vanished. “I don’t… I’m not sure, that is… ”

  Ugrolya cut off her stammering reply. “Listen, doll, There must be a barrel behind the bar containing your main supply… the stuff delivered by your broker? Simply draw a glass from that barrel instead of the tap at the bar that mixes in whatever the owner is using to cut the ale.” Ugrolya held up a five-credit chit. “This is for you, if I can get a glass of uncut ale. Okay?” Drawing his hand back as she reached for the chit like a greedy child, he added, “Soon as I taste what’s in the glass you bring me… not before.”

  She frowned as she turned and returned to the bar.

  Kryllê followed her with his eyes as he observed, “Not going to win you any points. You’ll be fortunate if she doesn’t piss in it just to spite you.”

  “Wouldn’t be the first time… probably won’t be the last,” he said in a contemplative voice. “If it’s cold and has the right amount of alcohol in it, there won’t be enough piss in it to make a difference.”

  Ugrolya looked at the datapad one last time before handing it back to Kryllê. “No promises. Give me two days to shop this around. You have stills without your face?”

  Ghydgryz put the datapad away and activated his omni-tool; after making several entries, the tool produced an OSD. “Just the figurine, same chronometer showing date and time,” Ghydgryz said as he handed the OSD to Ugrolya. “Price isn’t negotiable. I took a huge loss my last trip out. Oh, and your fee? Add it to the asking price… I get sixty-five, regardless of what you get for brokering this deal.”

  Standing to leave, he added, “Contact information is on the OSD. If I don’t hear from you in three days, I’m back to Harsa.” He turned and walked out of the bar, failing to notice the resentful gaze of the waitress bringing Ugrolya’s glass of ale.

  Chapter 17: Betrayal of Trust

  There is no such thing as unlimited trust. At some point, all beings with free will can, and will, betray you when you're no longer pursuing the same goals. – Rachel Caine, Unknown

  * * *

  Ai'a me – a trusted friend and unquestioned ally (Thessian)

  GST – Galactic Standard Time

  NDA – Non-disclosure Agreement

  n’Tuj raugh – Hell (Batarian)

  Stropharia – manure (Batarian)

  * * *

  K’ath Din’sari had the good sense to keep her thoughts to herself as she stalked away from the table where Ugrolya Rarfenak was talking with a dark, surly looking greenish-brown unknown with pale yellowish stripes along his crest. Rarfenak was an arrogant sack of stropharia; he had all but accused her of personally watering down his glass of Batarian ale, then used the promise of a fifty-credit chit to order her back to the bar to draw down an uncut glass of the beverage. The more she thought of it, the angrier she became.

  Din’sari had left Khar’shan less than eight months ago, hoping to make enough money on Omega to further her education in cryogenic preservation; she had been disappointed at the lack of available employment for batarian females on the station… well, dignified employment… good paying jobs that didn’t involve lying on one’s back or crouching on the edge of a bed in a small room somewhere in the bowels of the habitat section, ass in the air, arms supporting upper body while some smelly half-drunk male used her to satisfy his primitive urges.

  She glowered at the pair as she stepped behind the bar; placing the empty glass in the washer, K’ath pulled a clean one from the overhead rack and set it under the spigot to the right of the one used for the majority of the bar’s patrons. Pulling the tap towards her, she filled the glass with straight, uncut Batarian ale. Before the foamy head overflowed the edge of the glass, she dropped a few tiny crystals in the liquid, where they instantly dissolved as she brought the head of foam to the edge of the glass. A perfect pour… bastard would never know what hit him.

  With her smile – insincere though it might be – firmly in place, she carried the glass full of ale to the table, glaring at the unknown male as she passed him. ‘Too bad he didn’t stay… I might have been able to toss him as well’ she thought as she set the full glass on the table in front of Rarfenak.

  Ugrolya grinned up at her as he immediately hoisted the glass and took a long pull of the frothy green ale. “Excellent!” He handed the fifty-credit chit to K’ath as he took another swig from the glass. Placing a ten-credit chit at the edge of the table, he said, “Please, bring me another glass drawn from the same tap.”

  “Of course, Sir. Right away.” K’ath grabbed the credit chit and headed back to the bar. ‘This is going to be easier than I thought.’

  * * *

  WIDOW SYSTEM – CITADEL PRESIDIUM

  2180 / 07 / 12

  Raesia Tevos, closely followed by Huntress Nizia Tenir and accompanied by Septivus Vulpez, strolled through the wide halls of the council section of the Presidium, each silent as they thought about their just concluded meeting with Salarian Councilor Valern.

  Attempting to look at the positives from their meeting, Tevos quietly observed, “At least he expressed gratitude for the recovery of the League of One medallion, Septivus.”

  “He as much as accused the asari of having something to do with the destruction of the Crystal Scarab and its crew, Mistress.” Nizia took no satisfaction in having correctly predicted Valern’s suspicious nature concerning the survival of Septivus after the freighter’s destruction.

  Tevos scoffed as she replied over her shoulder, “I don’t think having Septivus along with us either helped or hurt us when we told Valern and his staff about that freighter. The Salarians were operating in a region notorious for the number of people committing acts of piracy.” Tevos sighed as they reached the guarded rear entrance to their chambers. “We relayed the truth, and offered our assistance in hunting down those responsible. Valern believes their STG will be just a capable, so our part in all of this is done, except…” Tevos paused as she looked at Septivus, “… for an introductory letter for our guest to present to the Thessia Guildhall, and instigating our own search for the figurine that went missing.”

  At the mention of the figurine, Septivus hung his head for a moment before looking up at the asari councilor. “It’s very likely it will remain in the Terminus, Madam Councilor, at least until it can be sold. I suspect the Blue Suns will acquire possession of it first, after which they’ll try to move it… make a profit on it. After that…,” he shrugged his shoulders as his sub-harmonics took on a frigid tone, “…there is really no way to predict which of many possible paths it will travel. There are a lot of well-heeled antiquities collectors out there; most do not mind if some of their collection comes from sources that are, shall we say… questionable.”

  Tevos thought about this as she moved to sit behind her desk. “If it reaches Illium… someone will be waiting there to intercept it,” she declared. Looking up at Septivus, she smiled as she said, “With the information you’ve made available to us, we’ll find that figurine, Septivus. Thank you.”

  * * *

  OMEGA STATIO
N – UNNAMED BAR, LOWER LEVELS

  K’ath Din’sari had successfully spiked two glasses of Ugrolya Rarfenak’s uncut batarian ale, and the difference in his attitude had really started to show; he had actually come over to the bar in order to talk to her. There were a few other people sitting about, but none so close she did not feel relatively safe in speaking with him, using the power of the alcohol reinforced drug to coax information from him.

  It turned out he needed to broker a deal for a rare piece of asari art; he had two days in which to find a buyer willing to pay the asking price plus sales commission for the figurine Captain Kryllê Ghydgryz – the surly looking greenish-brown unknown that had been talking to Rarfenak – was offering to sell.

  That something so small, not to mention unsightly, could be so highly valued… apparently, Rarfenak felt he had a number of buyers already interested in the piece. Din’sari didn’t know anyone that well-heeled, but she did know a member of the Blue Suns that would pay her handsomely for information concerning the location of the dropbox where the figurine was currently stashed.

  Ugrolya’s head was buzzing, both from the alcohol in the ale (which he expected) and the crystalline additive K’ath had been surreptitiously adding to each glass (about which Ugrolya knew nothing). The drug would metabolize in the unfortunate batarian’s system and leave no trace of its presence; while he was under its influence, Rarfenak would willingly sell his mother into bondage if he was asked to do so. K’ath needed to be careful not to overdo it – too much would render him unconscious.

  The longer Rarfenak sat at the bar drinking ale, the more he liked this female. She was cute, and her provocatively cut, figure hugging clothing allowed him to see tantalizing glimpses of her body… the more he stared at her, the more captivated he became. That she was using this to obtain information he would not be otherwise inclined to reveal failed to register on his befuddled brain.

  “I know a fellow that might be interested in obtaining such a relic,” she purred while using her fingers to stroke the back of the thoroughly intoxicated Rarfenak’s hand. “I can have him meet you here, or somewhere close by.” She put on her most beguiling smile as she wiped the surface of the bar with a damp towel.

  He agreed to meet with her potential buyer near the club called Spirit World the next day. Handing her an ID chip to give to the buyer, he stood up, clumsily pushed back from the bar, said good night and made his unsteady way out the door.

  K’ath looked at the ID chip before tucking it into a pocket inside her skirt. Glancing at the chrono over the door, she mentally noted it was almost closing time as an automated voice announcing ‘Last Call’ sounded over the comm speakers in the ceiling.

  * * *

  ALLIANCE SPEC OPS TRAINING FACILITY – MARS

  2180 / 07 / 31

  Xiùlán entered the quarters she shared with Samantha Traynor and immediately went to her desktop terminal as she shouted Traynor’s name. “Sà mǐ!”

  A distant “…coming…,” could be heard from their sleeping and bathing area. In a few moments Samantha came out into their living area and walked up to Xiùlán, where she planted a loving kiss on her partner’s cheek. “What’s happening, Luv?”

  Xiùlán glanced up at Sam, unhappiness evident in her expressive brown eyes as she brought up her extranet connection. “The program, Sà mǐ… it’s being terminated!”

  Traynor felt her gut clench into a knot. “Terminated? Why in ‘ell would they do that?”

  “It’ll be easier if you just read this… it’s an internal memo to regional commanders… something I was only able to discover because of the training I’ve received here.” Xiùlán turned the view-screen towards her lover and waited as Traynor began to read half-aloud…

  ‘The ‘O’ vocational code in the Systems Alliance military will be discontinued as of midnight 2180/12/31, GST. The ‘O’ designates covert operations, with proficiency levels of ‘1’ through ‘7’. The goal of the O7 Program, begun shortly after the Skyllian Blitz, was to train teams of highly loyal commandos and operatives. Unfortunately, the heavy psychological training and conditioning to which the O7s were subjected often led to mild xenophobia, particularly towards batarians.’

  Traynor frowned as she paused to glance at Xiùlán, who chose not to comment as Traynor returned her attention to the announcement. ‘The O7 program’s first major combat operation was the Battle of Torfan, where O7 commandos committed some of the most brutal actions of the conflict.’

  “Well, isn’t that just a bunch of utter bullshit!?” Traynor declared. “N7 soldiers were every bit as brutal! Who was that lieutenant, Xiùlán?… the one in trouble for killing all those batarians? Shepard? Yeah, Lieutenant Shepard! Seems to me the batarians wanted her head on a pike and her ass burned at the stake! She’s an N7! How’d the Alliance get all that crap to disappear?”

  Xiùlán shook her head slightly as she encouraged, “Read on, Sà mǐ… it gets even better.”

  Traynor returned her attention to the screen. “Okay, where was I…?” ‘commandos… brutal actions…’ “Okay, here,” ‘Since Torfan, the Alliance has been attempting to bury the project. Most of the O7s have since left the Alliance with a significant number joining the human supremacist organization Cerberus.’

  “What the bloody fuckin’ ‘ell, Luv?! Our people, Alliance trained and conditioned… leaving? Joining up with goddamned Cerberus? How can that be happening? How many? Does anyone know?”

  “There are no hard and fast numbers, Sà mǐ. And this announcement doesn’t admit to it, but I’d bet a month’s pay the Blue Suns are benefiting from these defections as well.”

  Sam thought for a moment before replying. “Bet that’s where Joesier ended up … I seriously doubt he’d fit in with Cerberus.”

  “You see the problem, Sà mǐ? We’ll just be through the program middle of next month,” Xiùlán said in a weary voice. “We’ll get our promotions, our certifications, maybe do a few missions… then we’ll be done! Alliance will close down the program, and I guarantee we’ll all be forced to sign NDA’s before they ship us off to wherever.” Leaning back in her chair, she used the thumb and fingers of her right hand to massage her temples.

  Samantha was quiet for several minutes as the reality of the news sank in. “You’ll be assigned to a warship,” she said sadly. “I’ll probably wind up on the ground or at Arcturus. We’ll get split up, Luv.” Sam looked around her and lifted her hands to shoulder level to indicate their quarters. “Once that happens…,” her voice hitched as a tear slid unbidden down her cheek, “…we’ll hardly ever see each other.”

  Xiùlán rose from her chair and embraced her companion. “Sà mǐ, it does not matter.” She applied a kiss to the bridge of Traynor’s nose. “This program is the reason we are even together. Our love is a by-product of this. And look at what you have learned here. And I have learned so much, especially from you! We’ve each been good for the other, and I cannot imagine how lonely I would be or how alone I would feel if I had not met you! Do not worry, Sà mǐ. We’ll get through this, and we’ll do it together.”

  Traynor melted into Xiùlán’s arms and hugged her tight. “I’m always amazed at how you can remain so calm, even in the face of bad news.” She pulled back a bit so she could plant a kiss on Xiùlán’s lips. “Just another part of the adventure our lives have become, right? So, what kind of ship do you want to be assigned to… frigate?… corvette?”

  “Haven’t thought that far ahead, darling,” Xiùlán smiled. “I just want to finish up here, see what happens next. You? Where would you like to be assigned?”

  Samantha thought for a moment before answering quietly, “Vancouver Naval Yard. It’s where some of the really cutting edge research is taking place. It’d be a good place for me to make a real difference in communications technology.”

  “Then let’s get out of here… go get some dinner. I have to study for my finals, as do you. We need to be better than the best if we’re going to graduate with a high
enough score to receive a good recommendation.”

  * * *

  2180 / 08 / 03

  Yuán Xiùlán was beginning her final exam – a covert exercise under the watchful eyes of Asari Huntress Aglyna T’Sega. Xiùlán silently advanced through the brush and low trees of a simulated environment designed to look and feel like a semi-arid plateau on a high gravity planet, with low humidity and relatively high daytime temperatures. In addition to evaluating Yuán’s readiness for actual real-world operations, T’Sega was accompanying Xiùlán in this exercise; it had been designed to foster cooperation between the human operative and asari huntress, a goal that had been explained as occasionally necessary in the field. As Xiùlán had already become friendly with Aglyna, all that was left was for them to quickly finish the task at hand – infiltrate an ‘enemy’ compound and extract a political ‘prisoner’.

  The defenses were real enough: VI-controlled turrets would target and shoot them with non-lethal rounds; there were a number of booby traps placed at random in the main path towards their objective, and a few Marines were patrolling the area. Xiùlán’s training officer had taken great pains to explain to her that seriously injuring or killing anyone was not an acceptable outcome for this exercise. She was free to render them unconscious as long as she didn’t cause permanent physical injuries… using a modified ‘sleeper’ hold was acceptable; slicing them in two with an omni-blade was not.

  Unfortunately for them both, no such constraints had been placed on the Marines, leaving both infiltrators at a slight disadvantage in an unarmed hand-to-hand fight. The best Aglyna could do was envelope them both in a biotic shield that would deflect weapons fire or physical assault from outside for a number of seconds; the downside was neither of them could safely move beyond the shield’s influence while it was active, and Xiùlán would be unable to fire her weapons for the shield’s duration. During pre-mission planning, they had discussed this and decided that Xiùlán would target the most immediate threat before the shield dissipated; it would appear to shimmer from within as it thinned and disappeared, allowing Xiùlán to either fire the instant her shot would be effective or charge her opponent and take him or her down physically. In the meantime, Aglyna would cover her partner’s six while she was so engaged.