Carbon Life

by HR Ringer

  Samantha Traynor set her loaded dinner tray on the table and slid into the bench next to Xiùlán. Bumping her upper arm companionably with her own, she said, “I am so glad all of that is done!” She looked up at Aglyna T’Sega, sitting across from Xiùlán quietly eating her own dinner. “I hear you and Yuán really excelled at dragging a dummy general out of a bad place.” Traynor smirked as she added, “Sounds like you eliminated a few Marines and kicked up a lot of dirt”

  T’Sega studied Sam intently for several moments before answering, her violet-tinged copper eyes partially hidden behind slightly narrowed lids. “We did. I found the entire exercise to be quite… interesting. It would be better if the Alliance had more trained biotics among their number, but I discovered Xiùlán’s abilities nicely complement my own, and mine, hers. I would consider it an honor to work by her side again.” T’Sega took several bites from her salad before continuing, “I understand you really… ahhh, what is the human expression?… busted their chops?… with your programming and hacking skills?”

  Sam blushed slightly, glanced at Xiùlán, then looked back at the asari commando. “They told me they have never… ever… had any student score higher on that server intrusion test. They even accused me of sabotaging the network so no one else could successfully navigate the damned thing… can you imagine?!” Sam rolled her eyes in an attempt to look like the innocent school girl she most definitely wasn’t. “They actually had the nerve to accuse me of fucking it up so bad their programmers couldn’t fix the bloody thing!”

  Xiùlán chuckled as she added, “They gave Sà mǐ extra credit for going back in and restoring the original programming so they didn’t have to take the system down for a cold-start.” She looked at her lover, pride evident in her expression. “I expect they’ll all be glad when you’re on your way back to Earth, my love, and happy as hell you’ve chosen to stay in the Alliance.”

  Traynor smiled as she placed a hand on Xiùlán’s thigh under the table. “You’ll be coming with me, Luv. We’ll have thirty days leave. I want to see the South Sea Islands… spend some time on a white sand beach, watch the ocean waves rolling ashore. Just you and me alone on an island in the Pacific. Sound good?”

  “Can’t think of anything I’d love better. We’ll also need to pay a visit to Shanghai, see my parents, do some shopping.” Xiùlán put her arm around Traynor’s back so she could pull her close. “Can’t wait to show you the sights, buy a few mementos, sample the local food and beer. We’ll have a great time.”

  Traynor gave Xiùlán’s thigh a gentle squeeze as she smiled and said, “I can’t wait, Luv.”

  * * *

  * ALLIANCE BASE, MARS • THURSDAY, 2180 / 08 / 31 *

  SC1 Samantha Traynor ran to her lover as soon as the presiding officer declared them ‘dismissed’. “Xiùlán!… Xiùlán, we did it!… made it all the way through the program!” Sam grabbed Yuán around the waist and lifted, spun her around twice, then set her back down and hugged her tight as she kissed her. “Eighteen stinking months, only made bearable because of you!”

  “Wait a minute!” Xiùlán was finally able to pull back and catch her breath as she returned the hug. She nuzzled Sammy’s neck and whispered in her ear, “It’s been a long twenty months, Sà mǐ. We’d have been out of here in June if we hadn’t gone on those extracurricular missions in the Traverse.”

  “Ah yes, how could I forget?” Traynor’s brow creased and her eyes looked pained as she thought back to their second mission. “I’d say we received a right proper education at the hands of the four-eyed bastards, Luv… Won’t ever forget the pain they caused me.”

  “Believe me, I won’t forget either… I damn near lost you out there, Sà mǐ, and I never want to experience that feeling of despair again!” Xiùlán finished with, “Let’s go finish packing our gear… we’re departing for Earth tomorrow morning… with any luck, there’ll be no need for either of us to ever return to Mars.”

  Chapter 18: INTRODUCTIONS

  For Chinese people, when it comes to parents, nothing is negotiable. Your parents are your parents, you owe everything to them (even if you don't), and you have to do everything for them (even if it destroys your life). – Amy Chua

  * * *

  * 2180/09/16 • EARTH, CHINA, CITY of SHANGHAI *

  Samantha Traynor and Yuán Xiùlán, after graduating top of their class from the Alliance run Special Ops program carried out over an intense twenty months on Earth’s moon and on Mars, had spent ten tranquil days on a white sand beach and ten very peaceful nights in a vacation condo-unit nestled on the north shore of Kauai, northernmost of the Hawaiian islands chain in the North Pacific Ocean. Yuán was now a Service Chief in the Alliance Navy; Traynor had been promoted to Serviceman 1st Class, just as they had been told by General RaeLee Park almost a year ago during their classes on Mars.

  While on Kauai, the pair had tried windsurfing, gone on two different guided hiking tours, even went snorkeling, interspersing the activities with long, hand-in-hand walks on the beach, simply enjoying each other’s company as they watched the ocean waves rolling ashore. Their time together seemed to fly by, surprising them both when it was time to leave.

  From Kauai, they’d flown to the port city of Shanghai, Xiùlán’s home. Xiùlán had taken Sammy to meet her parents and grandmother, who were all very welcoming of their daughter’s new friend at first, particularly when she presented each of them with a small, gift-wrapped present. Only Xiùlán’s grandmother’s welcome dimmed significantly when it became clear Samantha was more than simply a friend to Xiùlán, who tried to explain how she and Sà mǐ had fallen in love. Traynor attempted to follow the Mandarin language conversation, managing to catch a word here and there, none of them good, mostly when either Chaoxiang (Xiùlán’s father) or Xiuying (her grandmother) were glaring at her, their formerly welcoming manner having nearly vanished.

  Xiùlán’s mother appeared to be a bit more understanding; her father and his mom, not so much… it sounded to Sam as if their chief concern was Xiùlán’s inability to bear any children from the union, as the words ‘yīng'ér’ and ‘háizimen’ [嬰兒 and 孩子 - baby, children] were frequently heard. Sam, fully realizing she was committing a serious breach of protocol, finally placed an arm in front of Xiùlán to gently interrupt their quiet discussion; all three of the elders stared at her as is she had appeared out of thin air, but Sam was not deterred as she carefully addressed Xiùlán’s father in halting Mandarin, “Wǒ ài nǐ de nǚ'ér, xiānshēng.” [我愛你的女兒，先生。- I love your daughter, Sir.] Placing a hand on Xiùlán’s shoulder, she added, “Tā jiùle wǒ de mìng. [她救了我的命。– She saved my life.] Zhè shì yīgè zhàiwù, wǒ huì bàodá de yītiān” [這是一個債務，我會報答的一天。– This is a debt, one day I will repay].

  Sam brought her hands together in front of her, fingertips under her chin, and bowed slightly to the three before turning to leave. She felt terrible to be the cause of Xiùlán’s apparent rift with her parents and grandmother, and wanted to leave before she did any more damage to that relationship. She had only taken a few steps when she felt a gentle hand on her shoulder. In a soft, surprisingly musical sounding voice, Yuán Lì húa said, “Bù zǒu, sà màn shā, qǐng.” [不走，薩曼莎，請... – Do not go, Samantha, please.]

  Sam turned around to find Lì húa, eyes moist with emotion, asking her to please stay. Sam bent down slightly as she wrapped her arms around the tiny woman in a gentle hug; she looked up to see Yuán Chaoxiang solemnly standing beside his mother, with Xiùlán standing behind them both with a faint smile on her face. Grandmother and parents may have been disappointed in their daughter’s choice for a mate, but had quickly decided Xiùlán’s happiness was all that really mattered, and had seen and heard the utter sincerity in Samantha’s expression of love for her. What had started out as a tense confrontation between ancestors and daughter had ended, if not in a totally enjoyable visit, at least in a visit free from any strife.

&nbs
p; The next morning during breakfast, Xiùlán told her mother of Sam’s prowess in hand-to-hand combat, relating the story of Sam’s final meeting with Joesiar and his minions; both parents and grandmother had expressed surprise and grudging admiration for Sam’s abilities after watching video of the encounter on Xiùlán’s omni-tool. The fact that Sam had learned all she knew from Xiùlán had her mom nodding in understanding, as she had been her daughter’s instructor for many years.

  Lì húa took it upon herself to help Samantha hone her technique with her nángùn, waking before breakfast to exercise beside her daughter’s protégé and teach some of the more advanced moves with the two-meter long staff. There were also more lessons in Jing Quan Dao; Sam learned several of the more esoteric defensive moves from an expert teacher – moves that were offensive in part, ways to fight that turned an opponent’s own weight and inertia completely against them. If Traynor thought she was going to have another relaxing two-weeks off after her glorious time in Hawaii, Yuán Lì húa quickly burst that bubble.

  Both parents were surprised and impressed with the asari manufactured omni-tools the pair wielded, particularly the different blades that could be instantly fabricated. Sammy thought Xiùlán would burst with pride when she was able to flawlessly execute the basic exercises employing the liǔyè dāo [willow leaf sabre] and the shuāng dāo [雙 刀 – double knife]; Lì húa was able to help Sam further refine her techniques with these deadly blade weapons, just as she had done for using the nángùn.

  Traynor had also impressed Xiùlán’s father with her vast array of computer knowledge, particularly her gift for statistical analysis of seemingly dissimilar figures. Chaoxiang’s position at the book keeping business he managed was enhanced when the changes she suggested increased the speed and efficiency of the computers responsible for data inquiry and retention.

  They had been staying with Xiùlán’s parents for ten days when Xiùlán finally spoke to Sammy about her parents while the pair were preparing dinner. “They have both grown quite impressed with you, Sà mǐ, particularly my mother. She finds it difficult to comprehend how you could have learned and perfected your skills in such a short space of time; she says you possess a singular gift for close quarters combat… a rarity.”

  Traynor gave her lover a quick peck on the cheek. “She’s just being nice, Xiùlán. I could never come close to matching the skills either one of you possess… I learn something new every time we take the floor together!” She went silent for several moments as she continued to slice fresh carrots. “Your mom has taught me so much in the short time we’ve been here. I really wish I could have met you… met all of you, ten years ago.”

  Xiùlán placed a kiss on Traynor’s cheek in return. “You are so sweet, Sà mǐ. I don’t think you would have learned as much so quickly if we’d met when we were twelve or thirteen years old. You needed your experiences at college, or you might not have been so willing to learn what I could teach you. Our futures could have changed in so many ways if we had known each other as children.”

  Traynor wasn’t so sure. “My interests in girls… versus boys?… would have stayed the same, Xiùlán, even at that age. Meeting you sooner?” Sam looked at her lover as she thought about her own past on Horizon. “I would have fallen in love with you that… much… sooner! Yes! At the tender age of twelve. You need to know that, Yuán Xiùlán; I have never… never… loved anyone the way I love you!”

  Yuán Xiuying had silently entered the kitchen and had listened to the final bits of conversation between the young women, surprising them both when she pointed a bony finger at Sam and announced, “Nǐ shì yīgè dìguó zhǔyì! [你是一個帝國主義！- You are an imperialist!] Zhèlǐ zhǐ chèn rén! [這裡只趁人！– Only here to take advantage of people!]

  Xiùlán quickly leaped to Sam’s defense, explaining to her grandmother that Samantha had been born on Earth, that her parents had moved to a brand new colony on a formerly empty world in 2168; Horizon had been settled by humans from all over, including China, all with high hopes for their future away from Earth. She concluded with, “Sami is no threat to you or this family, Nǎinai. Please. You must realize I would never endanger this house.”

  The old woman’s eyes never left Samantha until Xiùlán’s mother entered the small kitchen to see what was happening. Lì húa surprised Xiuying by taking Samantha’s side, praising her for her abilities and willingness to learn new things, particularly concerning martial arts. She also expressed gratitude for the assistance Sam had given to Chaoxiang’s position at his workplace, enhancing his reputation with the owners.

  Samantha simply stayed quiet and listened; having won over two of the three people that were important in the life of her lover was enough for now. She suspected Yuán Xiuying had lived long enough to remember tales of European colonialism in the Far East, and her own acquired British accent had served as a trigger, bringing back bad memories of hard times. Xiùlán and her mom had things well in hand.

  * * *

  * OMEGA STATION – LOWER LEVELS *

  K’ath Din’sari was absolutely livid. The payment she’d been promised for setting up a deal for Ugrolya Rarfenak to sell an ancient asari artifact in the possession of Terminus pirate Kryllê Ghydgryz to the Blue Suns had been forgotten – Rarfenak denied having promised payment to her, and the Blue Suns had sent a very large turian to intimidate her into keeping her mouth shut about the whole deal.

  She had trailed a gruff looking human from the Spirit World Bar in the lower habitat levels to a series of older, dilapidated space-docks, from where a large amount of illegal activity was carried out. It turned out the human was heading to a group of short-term drop-boxes, one of which turned out to be where the artifact had been stored after Ghydgryz had been paid his ‘finder’s fee’ by the Suns. The human had retrieved the figurine, itself protected by a sealed, flexible clearview container.

  Once the figurine was in the possession of the Blue Suns, any leverage for payment due anyone was completely gone. K’ath had never had the artifact in her possession, so was guaranteed nothing, but she had expected to be treated fairly. Now, she walked about in her tiny apartment near the bar where she worked, getting ready for another boring shift. She had one last trick up her sleeve – she knew a person that could get her in touch with an agent for the Shadow Broker; she’d sell the information on the figurine, make a few credits for her troubles and hopefully cause the person or group currently holding that figurine a great deal of trouble. She knew what she intended to do might place her life in peril, so she needed to be exceedingly careful, but she wasn’t going to simply let this go.

  She left for the bar, carefully locking the entrance door behind her.

  * * *

  * 2180/10/04 • ARCTURUS STATION, L5 LAGRANGIAN POINT of THEMIS *

  Traynor and Yuán had said their goodbyes to Xiùlán’s family in Shanghai the previous Sunday morning as they boarded an Alliance shuttle bound for Arcturus Station, their semi-permanent duty station during their assignment to Spec/Ops. It was from Arcturus they would be deploying on a number of clandestine missions, primarily in the Terminus systems, but also in the Attican Traverse.

  They had been reunited with a few of their classmates upon arrival, and had been introduced to other members of the team; one in particular, Operations Chief Griffen ‘Griff’ Buchanan, would become the third member and nominal leader of their squad. Buchanan’s appearance was quite remarkable – he stood a good 20 Cm. taller than Xiùlán’s 186 Cm. height, with the shoulders-to-waist, triangle-silhouette common to heavy weight lifters; although he had a lot of muscle on his frame, he was well-proportioned, giving the impression that he could move fast with very little effort. His slanted, greenish gray eyes and close-cropped dark hair were offset by a recent knife scar (‘got into a little argument with a turian over a card game’, was all he would say about it), running in an angry red line from his forehead around to his left ear. When asked about surgery to remove it, Griff said there never seem
ed to be enough downtime available to heal from the procedure.

  In addition to his skills as a pilot, Griff would generally be tasked with assisting his partners in completing whatever mission they were assigned until the brass judged they could go in alone, at which point he would become their handler, giving instructions and guidance as needed. Since each of them would need to be capable of covering for either of the other two while on assignment, Xiùlán and Samantha were immediately assigned to flight training classes in order to give them enough familiarity with piloting the UT-47 that they could escape a situation without an assigned pilot.

  Flight lessons proved easier for Traynor, as she was used to looking at the world through vid-monitors. Yuán found it easier to fly with the virtual windscreen and side viewports operational, but forced herself to learn to fly without the use of the visual aids. Both woman swiftly went through the ‘emergency’ flight school, easily earning high marks from their instructors.

  A portion of their flight training included the basics of navigation using the Mass Relays, a subject that really intrigued Traynor. Ever since the 2048 CE discovery of the Prothean data cache on Mars, humanity’s presence had seemingly exploded into the galaxy. The development of FTL travel led to a thorough exploration of the Sol System, climaxing with the discovery of the ice and debris covered relay orbiting Pluto in 2049 CE.

  The first relay jump from Charon to the nearby system of Arcturus led curious explorers to boldly – some might say recklessly – begin traveling to other nearby star systems. It would be eight years before humanity’s violent introduction to another space fairing race, the turians. The brief conflict ended with hard feelings on both sides; the turians were particularly unhappy at being charged as the aggressor for starting the conflict.

  Relay-to-relay exploration increased at an accelerated rate in 2158 CE. Sometime during the ensuing twenty-two years, Alliance cosmic and gravitational physicists had confirmed, in at least three of the long-distance relay pairs, the existence of a special Mass Relay – a booster relay – placed approximately half the distance between the system relays forming each pair. The Space/Time-Corridor created by the relays in the Ismar Frontier and the Omega Nebula had a booster in the middle of the Nemean Abyss. Rather than the single ‘tuning fork’ appearance of a primary or secondary relay, a booster was double-ended, being 22 kilometers long with the revolving, gyroscopic rings set at the middle of an encircling structure smaller than in a prime or secondary relay; the structure was always aligned with the main relays at either end of the S/T-C.