Carbon Life

by HR Ringer

  As the stars began to appear, the young lovers amused themselves by watching the visible planets follow the sun into the ocean. Xiùlán pointed out Arcturus, lying low on the horizon. “That’s where we’ll be, Sà mǐ; me on the Tokyo in the Third Fleet, you on Arcturus Station designing and installing quantum entanglement gear for secure point-to-point communication. I really do hope we get to see each other occasionally.”

  Sam sighed wistfully. “As do I, but you realize the possibility exists I’ll be bounced around among a number of different stations, maybe even back to Vancouver, or London.” Pouring them each another measure of wine, she sipped before adding, “That’s why I want to make every second of our together time memorable, whether it’s right now, or when we take leave in the future.” Sitting back in her chair, she sipped from her glass again, happy to simply be with Xiùlán.

  As the breeze faded away and the biting insects began buzzing around, they rose and went back inside the cottage to sit and chat some more before going to bed.

  Xiùlán laid on her back with Sammy snuggled up to her right side, an arm and a leg lying across her body and right thigh, her head on a muscular shoulder. Xiùlán held Sammy in her arms and sighed in deep contentment. “I wouldn’t trade this moment with you for all the credits in the world, Sà mǐ.” Xiùlán squeezed her and purred, “I love you so much.”

  Traynor tilted her head to place a kiss on Xiùlán’s neck under her ear. “If someone had told me, all those months ago in Vancouver, that I would find the love of my life on Luna, I would have said they were crazy. Now?” Sam placed a kiss on the soft skin under Xiùlán’s jaw. “I cannot imagine my life without you. You scared the livin’ ‘ell out of me on Cartagena Station, Luv. I was so afraid you were going to die…”

  “But you saved me, Sà mǐ.” Xiùlán placed a kiss on Sammy’s forehead. “You kept your wits about you, did what needed to be done and got us to safety. I am so proud of you… of what you’ve accomplished. And don’t worry… we’ll be together again, my darling. Wǒ yǐjīng bèi nǐ de ài zhùfú, sà mǐ! [ 我已經被你的愛祝福，薩米！- I have been blessed by your love, Sami! ] Don’t ever forget that.”

  * * *

  The ebony of the night sky gradually gave way to a deep indigo, which in turn slowly lightened to the intense blues of the tropical heavens as the sun rose behind their cottage. Xiùlán stirred first, parting her eyelids just enough to squint at the bedside chrono – 0540 – pleasant memories of the previous evening came to mind as she gently squeezed the full breast under her right hand. Using a thumb and finger to tease a pink nipple erect elicited a slight moan to escape her partner.

  Xiùlán whispered, “Zǎoshang hǎo wǒ de ài,” [早上好我的愛 - Good morning my love.] into the tangle of reddish-tinged brown hair covering Samantha’s ear.

  With a purr of happiness, Sammy straightened her legs and arms and tensed all her muscles in a waking stretch, before turning her head towards Yuán’s waiting lips in order to receive what had become an obligatory ‘good-morning’ kiss on the cheek.

  With a whispered, “How did you sleep?” Sammy turned within the arms that had held her close each night for the past month. Her answer was a pair of lush lips softly brushing her eyelids, as if kissing the remainder of her sleep away for the day.

  “It is time for us to rise, Sà mǐ. We need to do our exercises, but I thought we might just have some fun this morning, before we have our breakfast. We have a few hours before we have to leave for Vancouver… Let’s go play.”

  Sammy rolled back away, swung her legs over the edge of their bed and got to her feet. As she was getting ready to pull on her underclothes, a warm hand lightly smacked her bare butt to get her attention. “No clothes, Sà mǐ. Come on.” The puzzled expression she gave Xiùlán in response quickly gave way to a child-like grin as she followed her lover out to the grassy yard, then down the narrow path to the white sand beach below. “Xiùlán, what are you…”

  Her question died in mid-sentence as her lover trotted into the water until she was hip-deep, where she turned and used the flat of her hands to slap water at Sammy’s form. Traynor saw it coming and half-turned, but not in time to avoid getting hit in the face with the salty spray. “So, that’s how it’s gonna be…” she sputtered in mock annoyance.

  Sam chased after Xiùlán, who was using her long legs to splash her way through the water, all the while squealing and giggling like a naughty six-year old caught skinny-dipping in the gentle surf; she turned and used both hands to throw water at her lover as Sammy closed on her. Screaming in unbridled delight as she went down with her lover wrapped around her in a full-body tackle, she twisted her way free to rise, gasping for air as Sammy flailed around in an unsuccessful effort to hang on to a slippery right leg.

  Reaching down, Xiùlán got one arm between Sammy’s legs to grab her lower back and the other around and over her shoulders; lifting the thrashing woman clear of the water, she quickly tossed and released Sammy to splash down half-a-meter in front of her, before quickly diving after the giggling woman to grab her face in both hands. Applying her lips to Sam’s, Xiùlán released her with a chuckle. “Isn’t this way more fun than simply exercising?”

  Sammy stood in the loose sand, bent over with her hands on her knees as she replied, “Most fun I’ve ever had exercising with you. Tell me again why we didn’t spend our entire month here?”

  “Would have been a bit expensive, Luv. Captains earn more than both of us combined.”

  Traynor had to admit there was truth in what she said. “So, you ready to go back to the cottage, shower and have some breakfast?”

  Splashed salt water was her reply… The pair spent another twenty-five minutes thrashing about in the shallows, each enduring facefuls of briny liquid until Xiùlán held up her hands, motioning for a cease fire. Panting out, “Did you say breakfast? I thought you’d never ask! Lead the way…” came the smiling answer.

  After enjoying a warm shower together, the pair reapplied lotion to their tattoos, dressed in lightweight duty uniforms for the trip to Vancouver, then prepared and ate a light breakfast. Samantha was unusually quiet as she ate, finally prompting Xiùlán to ask her why.

  “Just thinking about the program, Luv… How they’re going to end it, cast us aside like so much inconvenient rubbish.” She took a sip of tea before adding, “I knew it was coming when they allowed the destruction of the Anixara… something we could have prevented, either by intervening directly or by informing the turians.”

  “Nothing we can do about that now except move forward, Sà mǐ. You have to let it go.”

  Traynor grimaced. “Don’t know if I can do that, Luv. We had that bastard Lang by his fuckin’ balls, and Park tied our hands. It’s not right…”

  “… That may be,” Yuán interrupted, “but the upper echelons are calling the shots, my love. Your hands weren’t tied any tighter than General Park’s… You told me so yourself!”

  Traynor leaned back in her chair and sipped tea from her mug as she glowered over the rim at her lover. Xiùlán sighed and said in an unhappy voice, “Sà mǐ, if you don’t let this go, it is going to cost you… mouth off to the wrong person, you’ll find yourself on the losing side of a dishonorable discharge.”

  Sam’s eyebrows went up as she asked, “What the ‘ell? Are you takin’ their side in this?”

  “No Sà mǐ,” Xiùlán replied evenly. “I am not taking their side, not even remotely, but I want you to think about what you’re doing. I don’t plan on putting my entire career in jeopardy by arguing with the brass about right and wrong; you’d be wise to keep quiet when we receive our new assignments.” Xiùlán’s expression hardened ever so slightly. “Sà mǐ, I love you with all that I am, you know that, but… if you allow your feelings to dictate your actions, I cannot help you.”

  Traynor stood and began pacing the floor. “What if I did get discharged? Would it really matter to anyone?”

  “It would probably matter to you, Sà mǐ,�
�� Xiùlán replied quietly. “The Alliance paid for your education, at Oxford, no less; get yourself discharged over this, they could very well require you to reimburse them for every credit spent on that education; your career prospects in the private sector would be considerably diminished, and no matter what kind of job you could obtain, you’d still be working for the Alliance.” Xiùlán stood and cleared the table before moving to plant herself in front of her unhappy companion. Tear-filled sable eyes looked into Sammy’s turbulent honey browns. “And, it would matter to me, my love… you receiving a DD? That would most definitely matter to me.”

  As always, Traynor could not bear to see her lover in emotional distress, particularly as she herself was the reason for that distress. She raised her arms and gathered Xiùlán into a close embrace; Xiùlán reciprocated by holding Sammy close and kissing her cheek. Saying, “We’ve been through so much together, Sà mǐ; it would rip my heart out if you let yourself get kicked out of the Alliance just because you’re unhappy with actions taken by the brass. Please, Samantha… I’m begging you, promise me you’ll drop this before it costs you your career!”

  Sammy realized the depth of Xiùlán’s unhappiness with her when she used her given name; without hesitation, she whispered, “Promise,” in Xiùlán’s ear. “I’ll do my best.”

  * * *

  * VANCOUVER, BC • SYSTEMS ALLIANCE, WESTERN NORTH AMERICA HQ *

  Service Chief Yuán Xiùlán and Serviceman 1st Class Samantha Traynor stepped out of the UT-47 that had brought them from the commercial airport across the river; grabbing their packs, they walked past a pair of parked VIP shuttlecraft into the squat, featureless building that housed the Western North America headquarters for humanity’s System’s Alliance. Stopping at the reception counter, they each presented their ID badges to the corporal behind the wide desk; Xiùlán spoke for them both, saying, “We’re here to meet with General RaeLee Park… She’s expecting us.”

  The young man behind the counter scanned each of their badges, which prompted an answering beep from his terminal. “Okay, Ms Yuán… Ms Traynor. Proceed straight down the hallway to the last door… General is waiting for you in her office.”

  “Thanks, Corporal.” With a glance at Traynor, Xiùlán grabbed her packs and started down the passageway, closely followed by her inamorata. Thinking, ‘Please Sà mǐ, keep your opinions to yourself,’ they quickly reached the door at the end, where Xiùlán passed her hand through the amber door lock to announce their presence.

  Faint sounds of movement could be heard within just before the door slid open to reveal a smiling General Park. “Yuán! Traynor! Come in… come in! It’s wonderful to see you again!” Park offered her hand to each of them in turn before having them drop their packs near the door, then waving them to the pair of chairs facing her desk. As they sat down, the general walked around the desk to take her own seat and said, “So, Ms Yuán. How’s your leg? I understand the asari managed a minor miracle by saving it for you. Any complications… limitations?”

  Xiùlán smiled as she replied, “It still hurts… aches… just a bit. Dr Shakia cleared me at the end of my rehab on Thessia, but I still need to be released by an Alliance doctor.”

  “That’s wonderful news.” Park turned her attention to Sammy. “And Ms Traynor… last time we talked was in the Smiling Tiger Tavern. You ready to go to work on Arcturus Station?”

  Traynor countered with a neutral, “What will be my job there, Ma’am? Will we still be taking clandestine assignments?”

  Park’s eyes narrowed as she responded, “You already know the answer to that question, Samantha… We discussed it over drinks in the tavern. I know you don’t agree with the decision, but the program has been terminated… it’s finished. The two of you are the only loose ends left. I asked those in charge of the program’s termination to allow me to hand out your promotions and your next duty assignments.”

  Sammy opened her mouth to say what she was thinking, but quickly closed it at the sight of Park’s hand held up, palm facing her, and Xiùlán’s hand subtly gripping her thigh out of Park’s line of sight. With a quick, angry look at Xiùlán, she settled back in the chair to listen to the rest of what she considered to be Park’s repetition of the Alliance’s official line of bullshit.

  “I’m sorry, Ms Traynor. I don’t like it either, but my hands are tied.” Traynor thought, ‘exactly what Xiùlán said.’ Park continued on. “Now, as I was saying, and what you, Ms Traynor, did not know, is that you’re both to be promoted in gratitude for your exemplary performance on behalf of the asari government.”

  Turning her attention back to Xiùlán, she said, “So Ms Yuán, I read in your file that you enlisted with the goal of someday commanding a warship.” Park frowned a bit as she scrolled through a datapad. “For the life of me I cannot fathom why the Alliance recruiter in Shanghai didn’t steer you to OTS.”

  Xiùlán frowned at that. “What exactly does that mean, General? Am I in the wrong section, or…?”

  Park held her hand up for a moment before continuing, “It’s fine, Xiùlán. I probably need to send a nice note to that recruiter, though. Anyway, as I was saying, Service Chief Yuán, I’ve been authorized to offer you a commission as a Staff Lieutenant in the Alliance Navy, provided you are willing to sign a legally binding non-disclosure agreement concerning your training and assignments in the Alliance’s recently terminated program known as the Special Operations Force.”

  “General, just so I’m clear, does that mean my service record for two years of my life in training, plus the time I spent doing special assignments, will be totally blank?”

  “I’m afraid so,” Park answered in a tone colored by regret. “Of course, flag officers will be able to retrieve those records if they request them, though not many bother to do so.”

  “You have the agreement here?”

  Park handed the datapad she’d been inspecting to Xiùlán. “Go ahead and read that while I talk to your partner here.” As Yuán began reading the legal agreement, Park turned to Traynor. “Samantha, I’ve been authorized to offer you a promotion as well, but only if you sign the same NDA Ms Yuán is looking at now.”

  Xiùlán still had a hand on Traynor’s thigh; one little squeeze of her fingers was all the persuasion Traynor needed to stand down. “What’s rank will I be promoted to, General? I only enlisted as payback for my education, and the Special Ops program sounded like it’d be a valuable addition to my training. We both achieved CvO7, Ma’am… an achievement of which I am quite proud. To not be able to wear the device on my armor…”

  Park interrupted, “… you most likely won’t have any need to wear your armor again, Ms Traynor.” Anticipating the coming protest, she added, “You’ll be able to keep it, Sammy… take it with you. You earned it, and it won’t fit anyone else anyway. As for your rank, I’m going to jump you ahead, probably a bit more than was anticipated by my bosses.” Park grinned. “Dammit, I like you, Sammy. You have a good head on your shoulders, and you don’t suffer fools gladly. That said, as a favor to me, I’m asking you to stow some of that attitude… please? You’ll go a lot further while suffering a lot less friction.”

  Traynor nodded silently before asking, “Rank?”

  “Oh… sorry…” Park chuckled. “I never got that far, did I? Sammy, the offer on the table is for you to become a Chief Warrant Officer – a CWO, specializing in Operations and Intelligence. That’s a hell of a bump up from a Serviceman 1st Class. Your new title will be ‘Specialist’; your rank will actually be higher than that of a Master Chief Petty Officer, and you probably won’t have any supervisory duties. You’re going to put all those college smarts to good use… astrophysics, math, comp sci, statistics, analysis. That’s quite the résumé.”

  Traynor thought about her options for a few moments, then shook her head in resignation as she held her hand out. “Let me see just how much of my life is going to disappear, Ma’am.” Park handed the datapad to her and sat back in her chair to wait.
/>   * * *

  * VANCOUVER, BC • SYSTEMS ALLIANCE N.A. BASE HOUSING *

  Upon entering the small apartment where she and Xiùlán would spend the night while the paperwork for their promotions was being processed, Samantha Traynor tossed her packs in the general direction of the chairs as she complained, “Nearly two months since I was in this damned place, Xiùlán. I was really hoping Corporal Flynn would find us some better accommodations.”

  Her inamorata looked around as she set her own packs down by the door. “I don’t know, Specialist,” she said with a smirk. “Doesn’t look too decrepit for base housing… I’ve seen worse…” pausing to look in the small kitchen, she added, “… much worse.”

  General Park had given each of them 24-hours to obtain new uniform insignias denoting their higher ranks in the Navy, and she had set up an appointment with one of the base doctors to give Yuán an abbreviated physical, just to insure she was ready to go to work. The general had also arranged transportation for both of them to Arcturus Stream. Specialist Traynor would be riding the shuttle all the way to Arcturus Station after it detoured to drop Staff Lieutenant Yuán off on the cruiser SSV Tokyo.

  “The bed’s not too uncomfortable, even if it is a bit on the small side,” Sammy said. “Hope you don’t have any objections to spooning a warrant officer.”

  “My God, Sà mǐ, you realize you nearly gave me heart failure today? Thought for sure you were going to jump down the general’s throat.”

  Sammy flopped down in one of the two upholstered chairs gracing the living room; legs straight out in front of her and crossed at the ankles, she replied, “As the old saying goes, that ship has already sailed, Luv. Program was done before I rejoined you in Serrice. Night before I left here to join you, I sat in this damned apartment watching the news vids on ANN; laughed my ass off at their theories concerning the disappearance of the Anixara while it was traveling FTL.” Traynor grew silent after saying the name of the doomed passenger-carrying freighter.