Carbon Life

by HR Ringer

  “You were armed less than ten seconds ago, so I’m guessing you stashed your pistol before standing to face me,” Traynor replied. In a voice cold enough to freeze the air around her, she finished with, “If you turn and leave now, I may let you live.”

  He hesitated for a moment before common sense dictated his actions – he turned and started running, leaving the alleyway to Griff, Sam, and the dead bodies on the ground and in the warehouse. Buchanan rose and trotted to catch up to her as she turned and strode back to the warehouse. “I think Lang was inside, Griff, but with all the noise from our little war out here, it’d be a safe bet he’s long gone, along with the deuterium that was outside that office.”

  The pair carefully made their way back through the warehouse; picking their way past Samantha’s handiwork, they came around the containers at the far end to an office devoid of life. The deuterium was gone as well, but there were several items in the office that proved to Traynor they were on the right path. “We need to gather this up and get clear before C-Sec arrives to see what all the fireworks are about.”

  “Agreed,” Griff responded as he nervously watched the warehouse for signs of movement.

  Traynor hacked into the terminal on the desk and uploaded all the current files to her omni-tool – she’d peruse them later once they’d returned to Spirit’s Rage.

  Looking around on the floor, she spotted a datapad lying in the shadows under the desk; her fingers had nearly closed on it when Griff roughly jerked her arm away. “Just a bit suspicious, don’t you think? Something like that, lying loose in here that could tie Lang to this place?”

  Sam looked at the big man for a moment, the surprise at his action turning to chagrin. Taking a deep breath, she turned the light from her omni-tool on the shadow enveloping the datapad, revealing an attached motion detector. “Damn it,” she huffed. “I’ll bet this desk is packed with enough explosives to level this side of the building. Thanks, Griff.”

  “Don’t mention it,” he grinned. “I don’t fancy being part of whatever that thing was going to activate either! Let’s get out of here… let C-Sec deal with this place.”

  * * *

  * WIDOW SYSTEM • SPIRIT’S RAGE • AT LARGE *

  By the time Buchanan had moved Spirit’s Rage back into the nebula and Traynor had docked the shuttle, the pair had been without sleep for close to twenty hours. Griff had Sammy go to her bunk and get some shut-eye while he cleaned up their weapons and armor. After a three hour nap, Traynor felt a whole lot sharper, a condition not lost on the burly Service Chief. “Perhaps I wouldn’t have had to pull your hand away from that datapad if you had been a bit more rested.”

  Embarrassment colored her cheeks slightly as she replied, “Maybe so… I just hope the files I uploaded from the desk terminal will provide enough information to solve our puzzle.”

  Griff wasn’t done. “I got a message from Serrice Hospital while you were napping… Dr Shakia re-admitted Xiùlán to the hospital to treat an infection in her leg. Sounds like she’s planning to get Xiùlán back into the rehab unit as soon as she can, probably in three days’ time.”

  “Damn! I should be with her, Griff. Did the doctor say I needed to be there?”

  “She didn’t, and I expect if she had needed you, she’d have had to ask for your presence with a request sent through Ambassador Goyle. General Park isn’t going to cut either of us loose from this investigation, especially when we’re so damned close to bagging Lang.”

  Traynor ran her hands through her hair as she thought about her Inamorata, alone on an alien planet. Xiùlán was getting the best of care, but she was only a one-relay jump away… ‘I could be there and back before anyone missed me!’ came the unbidden thought.

  Buchanan was not stupid… he could see the wheels spinning and said, “I miss her too, Sammy, and I can see what you’re thinking. You know damn well she’d kick your ass for even thinking about going to see her.” The Service Chief placed a gentle hand on her shoulder as he smiled at her. “The Alliance would call it dereliction of duty, along with being absent without leave, not to mention you’d put me in an impossible position.”

  Traynor smiled at her friend. “I’d never do that to you, Griff. I’d kill you first, then go.” Sammy was immediately sorry for saying that as Griff’s smile vanished.

  “Dammit, Sammy! Don’t even joke about that, okay? That’s not even remotely funny.”

  “Sorry. Guess I need some more sleep… speaking of which, time for you to turn in, catch a few Zees.” Before Griff could raise the obvious objection, she raised her hands, palms facing him and added, “I promise… I’ll still be here when you wake up. I’ve got to look at a lot of data, so… go! Head for your rack.”

  Buchanan wasn’t about to argue – he was nearly asleep already. “Wake me if you find anything significant, otherwise…”

  “I don’t expect I’ll find anything, but if I do, you’ll be the first one I call.”

  Three hours later, Sammy stood and stretched in an attempt to work out the kink in her neck. She had discovered how Lang intended to assassinate Raherix Ursivus, and believed she now knew the date he’d make the attempt.

  Lang needed to add one piece of non-standard equipment to the fuel system controls aboard the Anixara – something that would be small enough to escape a cursory inspection by engineering personnel. The Cerberus agent had acquired a high-pressure fuel injector assembly originally intended for a much larger ship – say, a frigate, or a cruiser. Installing it in the fuel supply system of the Anixara would require precision placement, something that could only be done by a trained technician; Traynor suspected such a person would come from Cord-Hislop.

  The timer was the really ingenious part of the entire scheme. Lang’s device was equipped with a smart receiver that would ‘listen’ to the signals generated by the paired relays during FTL transit. During the two-to-three second long FTL transit, the signals from each relay would reach the same relative strength approximately mid-way through the space-time corridor – the instant that happened, the timer would trigger the injection of deuterium into the fuel being pumped at high-pressure to the fusion reactor; a catastrophic core breach would occur within milliseconds, destroying the ship and killing all the people aboard.

  Traynor carefully prepared her report for General Park, including all her sources of information so there would be no doubt concerning Lang’s willingness to sacrifice thirty-five to fifty people in order to eliminate one target. Based on her data, the Anixara would be destroyed eight days from today, on a trip from the Citadel to the turian home system in the Apien Crest. After rousing Buchanan from his slumbers, she explained everything she was placing in her report, appended Griff’s notes to the report, then transmitted it all to General Park, along with a request for follow-up instructions.

  Samantha felt confident Park would have them disable the device immediately prior to the Anizara’s departure, and was already working out the plans in her head as she opened the comms terminal and placed a call to her lover on Thessia.

  When the call went through and Xiùlán’s image appeared on the viewer, the radiant smile on her face brought tears of happiness to Sam’s eyes. “Xiùlán! I’ve missed you so much! How are you doing, Luv? Is your leg getting better?”

  “It’s much better, Sammy!” Xiùlán exclaimed. “Dr Shakia tells me I’ll be released back to rehab tomorrow, so I should be able to come home in a couple more weeks!”

  “That’s wonderful news, Darling. I can’t wait to hold you in my arms again… seems like it’s been forever. Will you be able to go home when you get back… visit your parents?"

  “Don’t know… I’ll have to wait, see what assignment General Park has for me…”

  The pair chatted for several more minutes, until an incoming call forced Traynor to end her call to Xiùlán. “Call me tomorrow after you’ve been discharged from hospital, Luv. Maybe I’ll have some news from General Park. Gotta go… Love you!”

  Traynor an
swered the incoming call, and was surprised to see General Park on the screen. “General… I wasn’t expecting you to call so soon. What may I do for you, Ma’am?”

  “I’ve looked through your report, Ms Traynor,” came the grim-faced reply. “I need to meet with you and Buchanan in person, here in my office. File a flight plan and send me the details as soon as possible.”

  “Yes Ma’am… right away, Ma’am.” The general terminated the connection before Traynor could even ask what the problem was. Sammy hollered back towards their kitchen/dining area, “Buchanan… we need to travel to Sol!”

  * * *

  * SOL SYSTEM • EARTH, ALLIANCE HQ IN VANCOUVER *

  Buchanan and Traynor only had to wait a few moments before General Park’s aide ushered them into her office. Standing behind her desk, the general waved the pair towards the chairs facing the desk as she said, “Hold all my calls, Ms Flynn.”

  After Flynn acknowledged Park’s request and closed the office door behind her, Park took a seat, picking up a datapad as she did so. “Since I called you, I’ve read through your report a bit more thoroughly, Traynor, Buchanan. Seems pretty incredible that Lang would simply write off the deaths of so many innocent people as collateral damage.” Raising her hand as Sammy began to protest, she continued. “I don’t doubt for one second the veracity of what you’ve uncovered, Ms Traynor. I want you to know I went up the chain,” she smiled grimly, “short as that chain is, with the contents of this report. Consensus is, we let events unfold as they will.”

  Traynor was on her feet instantly. “General Park, with all due respect, Ma’am, we can’t do that!” At the intense look from the general, she amended her statement, “Something needs to be done, Ma’am, or a lot of people, innocent people just trying to get home, will vanish without a trace. You do understand that a drive-core failure within a relay-created space/time corridor will result in a contained explosion. Nothing will come out…”

  Park interrupted her by completing her statement. “… of the other end but dust. I understand that, Ms Traynor, as do the admirals and generals up that short chain.” Indicating to Sammy that she should sit back down, Park continued, “I applaud your research… it is extensive, detailed, and proves to me I have the right team on the job. That said, the people I answer to will not allow your report to reveal our abilities to the rest of the Alliance, or the galactic community. There’s too much at stake.”

  “Ma’am, preventing the destruction of that ship would elevate humanity in the eyes of the other races, particularly the turians,” Sammy responded. “Preventing the death of a war monger like Raherix Ursivus might just show them we’re not the threat so many turians think we are. Are we just going to sit on that information… let the Anixara be destroyed?”

  Park’s frown was not directed at Traynor or Buchanan, but Sammy couldn’t help but think that it was. “That’s exactly what we’re going to do, Ms Traynor.”

  Traynor was incensed that a chance to save innocent lives was going to be squandered. “Then we’re no damn better than Cerberus, General Park.”

  The general reacted as if Traynor had slapped her; standing from her chair, she placed her fingertips on the surface of her desk and ground out, “I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear you say that, Serviceman! You are dangerously close to insubordination here.”

  Traynor had stood at the same time as General Park. “Is it insubordination to state the truth, or has the Systems Alliance issued an edict that its service members are to disobey their conscience?”

  “That’s enough, Serviceman Traynor! I recommend you shut your mouth before it talks you into a dishonorable discharge.”

  Traynor was so angry she was trembling all over; Park continued to stand at her desk, waiting to see what Traynor would do. ‘She could kill me where I stand and I’d never see it coming,’ came the unwelcome thought. ‘Will she stand down, I wonder?’

  Sammy finally found her tongue again, asking, “Am I dismissed, General Park?”

  Park thought for a moment, then answered, “You are… both of you are dismissed. See Corporal Flynn on your way out… she’ll see you both are assigned temporary quarters here on the base.” As Buchanan rose from his chair and Sammy turned to leave, Park added, “Remember, both of you… not a word to anyone about what you’ve been doing. I don’t know for a fact, but this may be your last special assignment.”

  The look Traynor gave the general spoke volumes about her state of mind. Wisely staying silent, she left the general’s office like a cold wind, Buchanan hot on her heels.

  * * *

  It had been nine days since Traynor and Buchanan had arrived in Vancouver to brief General Park concerning the results of their investigation into the planned assassination of turian Hierarchy hawk Raherix Ursivus. Since their meeting, the pair had been confined to base in order to ensure their silence concerning Michael Moser Lang’s involvement in the plot. Traynor had spent three hours in the morning and afternoon of each day working out in the gymnasium; morning exercises involved honing her skills with her húdié dāo [蝴蝶刀 – butterfly sword(s)] – as she had done on the asari corvette Ionsaí, she employed them in slow-motion ‘shadow’ fights, emphasizing precision movement at all times – afternoons were spent on core exercises designed to maintain her strength and agility.

  On this particular morning, General Park entered the gym through a side door and slowly walked up to Sammy’s exercise area. As Park was wearing sweats, Traynor chose to ignore her presence, concentrating on her movements. Park watched her for several minutes before commenting, “I expect those knives are not the only weapons with which you’re proficient… I already know about your unarmed prowess, thanks to your dustup with a certain Jason Joesiar. What about firearms?”

  Park thought for a moment Traynor wasn’t going to respond when she heard the words, “Rifle. Pistol. Shotgun. Take your pick.” The first three were said with a grunt as she lunged with one or the other of the knives in her hands.

  Park replied, “You’re still angry with me, aren’t you?”

  Before she replied, Traynor shoved her knives into their calf-mounted sheaths, grabbed a towel to wipe some of the sweat from her face and arms, took a drink of water, then turned to stand facing the general from a meter away. “What can I do for you, Ma’am?”

  Park had never seen Traynor out of uniform. The woman was wearing a sleeveless, cropped compression top, allowing full view of the massive musculature of her arms and the pronounced definition of her abs. Her exercise shorts, coming only from hipbone to mid-thigh, allowed a similar view of her legs. ‘Goddamn woman’s build would put most men to shame,’ Park thought. ‘It’s a wonder she didn’t kill Joesiar with her fists!’ She said, “I just came by to tell you you’re free to travel… check out a shuttle, go to Thessia to see Yuán, if you like. Once she’s released from rehab there, you’re both on leave for thirty days, after which you’ll each report to your new duty assignments.”

  “You’re splitting us up?”

  “Something like that. Yuán’ll be promoted and assigned to the SSV Tokyo. You’ll be going to work with Alliance R & D, probably on Arcturus Station at first.”

  Traynor wasn’t surprised at this turn of events – she had known for some time the program was ending, and fully expected that she and Xiùlán would be split up. “I take it then, that the MSV Anixara was destroyed?”

  Park’s face was an impassive mask as she replied, “Yes, it was. Alliance News is all over the story… they have a pretty impressive list of conspiracy theories, none of which are even close to the mark.”

  “So, what good did we do, General? Seems to me the Alliance wasted a lot of resources, not to mention puttin’ our lives at risk, for what? The knowledge of how the ship was going to be destroyed? And that bastard Lang is still in the wind!”

  Park sighed heavily. “The Alliance stands to gain with that turian dead, Samantha” she said. “It is true, some innocent people died, but you and Buchanan eliminated som
e Cerberus thugs and determined how the ship was going to be destroyed. Searchers, including a few Alliance vessels, are still out there; none of them have a clue they’re flying through the debris field.”

  Traynor shook her head, grabbed her towel and gear and moved to the heavy bag, where she began pummeling it as hard and as fast as she could. Park moved with her and stood in quiet amazement as Sammy unleashed her three-punch combo, over and over, hitting the bag with so much force the leather covering began to splinter and crack. She circled the bag in order to keep her blows from hitting the same spot continuously, but at some point the heavy leather cover would have split if she had continued; pausing to catch her breath, she looked at Park for a moment, then wordlessly turned, grabbed her gear and headed for the showers. The general watched with a heavy heart as Traynor walked away. After a few moments, Park sighed, turned and left the gym.

  * * *

  “My God, Sà mǐ! It’s a wonder she didn’t kick your ass out of the Alliance! She is… or was… on our side! What the hell happened?”

  Traynor was trying to explain how her meeting with General Park had gone so badly, but was afraid to give Xiùlán the whole story over an unsecured connection. “I’ll be with you tomorrow, Luv… I’ll give you the whole story then. Soon as you’re out of rehab, we both have thirty days leave… I’m kinda hoping we can go to Shanghai… visit your family. Might be the last chance we have for some time.”

  The grin Xiùlán had lit her entire face. “That sounds wonderful, Sà mǐ. Can’t wait!”

  “Okay… I’ll see you tomorrow, Luv. Have a good night.”

  Chapter 31: Calm After The Storm