Carbon Life

by HR Ringer

  They walked on in companionable silence for several moments before Xiùlán replied, “So, something must have changed that allowed General Park to divulge information regarding our training. Did Captain Anderson share any other information with you?”

  “Well, the assassin that tried to murder me? Lang?” Sam’s grip on Xiùlán’s hand tightened just a bit as she declared, “Bastard’s dead, Ai.”

  “How?” came the shocked response, prompting Sammy to relay the conversation she had had with Captain Anderson. Xiùlán remained silent for several minutes as she processed all she had just learned. Glancing at her lover, she said, “So, something major must have changed to prompt RaeLee Park to tell Anderson about me… and you. Any idea what that catalyst might have been?”

  Traynor answered softly, “A suicide… upper brass, an admiral by the name of Owen Fletcher… By the look of things, he’d been selling information to Cerberus for quite some time. He was responsible for the termination of the O7 program, responsible for the murder of Raherix Ursivus and the destruction of the MSV Anixara. Killed himself rather than go through a court-marshal.”

  Xiùlán stopped walking, pulling Sammy around in front of her as she did so. “I am so sorry, Sà mǐ; [薩米 – Sami] it would appear this coward’s death enabled General Park more latitude in providing our superiors with information concerning the training we received, even if it must remain redacted from our service records; at least something positive came from it.”

  Samantha reached in to plant a happy kiss on Xiùlán’s lips. “It’s you that will gain the most from all that upheaval. As for me…” Traynor’s face took on a solemn expression as she continued, “… I’ll be shipped out as soon as the Normandy is declared flight ready – probably in three weeks or so. You’ll be on the Tokyo, my love. We’ll have to say our goodbyes before you ship out, as I don’t think we’ll see each other for quite some time. Are you ready for that?” Traynor blinked rapidly in an attempt to clear the sudden onset of moisture in her eyes.

  Xiùlán slowly drew the specialist into her comforting embrace, hugging her tightly as she applied a kiss to eager lips. “We will see each other again, Sà mǐ,” she declared. “Never think otherwise, wǒ de ài, [我的愛 – my love] not even for a second. We'll make a point of taking all our leave time together. I love you with all that I am… never doubt that… ever.” Releasing her, Yuán resumed walking as she said, “Let’s get back to your apartment. I intend to fix Chinese for us tomorrow, and want to start my shopping early.”

  * * *

  * ARCTURUS STATION AND SHIPYARD · AT LARGE *

  Traynor and Yuán had spent an exceptionally pleasant ten days enjoying each other’s company. Their second evening together found them enjoying an incredibly delicious meal of fresh steamed fish – Xiùlán told Sammy not to ask where the fish came from – with soy, ginger and onions. Xiùlán had even found a delightful Pinot Noir that perfectly complimented their dinner.

  They had also gotten all dressed up and gone out to a couple of restaurants – one serving traditional western style meals and another featuring meals from the far east. By the end of the week, Traynor was half-heartedly complaining that her pants were too tight around her waist, prompting Xiùlán to book them some time in the Alliance gym, where they could hone their skills at unarmed… and armed… combat.

  Traynor emerged from the women’s changing room before Xiùlán, and was dismayed by the seemingly large number of people that seemed to have materialized since she entered the gym. She unhurriedly moved to the exercise mat and began her warm-up exercises, ignoring the snide remarks and catcalls being made by a scattered few among the unwelcome spectators.

  “Don’t let them get under your skin, Sà mǐ,” Xiùlán said softly as she walked up behind her. “Here, stand beside me.” Sammy smiled knowingly as she moved to Xiùlán’s left side, placing her right arm low across her lover’s back, as Xiùlán draped her left arm across Traynor’s shoulders. “Follow my lead,” she said softly. So saying, she led Sammy down in a deep bow to the people watching. “Perfect,” she whispered upon standing erect once again. She used her free arm and hand to wave to the spectators as she slowly turned, dragging Sammy along.

  As they were both wearing matching exercise outfits, their sleeveless, cropped compression tops allowed their matching back tattoos to appear to be kissing. Additionally, Xiùlán’s long ebony hair – having grown almost to its previous length since her encounter with batarian slavers – was pulled into a braid that cascaded down her spine, the loose ends at the tip swinging back and forth as she moved, allowing the vivid greens and golds of her dragon to seemingly hide from sight, only to be revealed when she moved her head. Traynor’s soft brown locks were quite short by comparison, so the view of the brilliant shades of red that formed the massive dragon tattoo on her back was virtually unimpeded.

  Releasing their grip on each other, the pair began their centering exercises, a form of Tai Chi called Neigong, matching move for move side-by-side. ‘Surely they’ll get tired of watching and go somewhere else for entertainment,’ Traynor thought. After ten minutes, the pair picked up their nángùns and began solo exercises with the polished wooden staves. Ten minutes in, the people remaining to see what these women would do were treated to a real treat, as Sammy squared off with Xiùlán.

  The pair began circling around each other, twirling and swinging their staves in front of each other while the displaced air from each staff created a fear-inducing ‘whir-r-r-r-r-r’ as they looked for an opening. Xiùlán went on the attack first, feinting to her right before instantly banging her opponent’s staff centimeters from her left hand; Traynor dodged to her left, quickly jumping straight up before planting one end of her staff on the mat as a pivot, allowing her to cartwheel away and put some distance between them.

  Their dual was over almost as soon as it began – each woman was intimately familiar with the other – all their moves, attacks, parries and feints. Xiùlán finally succeeded in sweeping Traynor’s feet out from under her; this dropped the specialist to her back and partially knocked the wind from her lungs.

  Yuán used the large, blunt end to lightly tap Traynor in the throat just above her collar bones. Breathing hard as she stood over Sammy’s head, staff just touching her larynx, she huffed, “Damned if I don’t think I’ve bested you this time, wǒ de ài. Seems it was me looking up at you not that many months ago… on the Ionsaí, while we were still in the Widow System.

  Sammy chuckled at the memory as she offered her hands in surrender. “Seems I was able to take a prize from that meeting. Will you desire the same prize in return?

  Xiùlán chuckled as she pulled the specialist to her feet. “Wouldn’t want anything else.”

  Traynor grabbed a towel and was wiping the sweat from her face as a young woman, lieutenant’s bars flashing reflected light from the overhead, walked up to them both. “I’d heard the two of you were rather tough as unarmed combatants, but seeing the reality of it was quite something… remind me to never get on your bad side, Xiùlán.”

  “Kenzie! I didn’t realize you were watching!” Turning towards Traynor, Xiùlán asked, “You remember Olivia McKenzie, don’t you, Sà mǐ?”

  Traynor slung the towel behind her neck and let go the ends as she stuck out a hand. “Hi, Lieutenant,” she said with a smile. “Good to see you again.”

  “So, you’re not upset with me for sticking my nose in your love life?”

  Sammy pumped the lieutenant’s hand once and let go as she replied, “Water under the bridge, Lieutenant. I needed someone to kick my ass for how I treated Xiùlán – glad you were there to stick up for her.” Looking back at Xiùlán, Traynor said, “I’m gonna take a shower and change clothes. We have time for lunch, if you like.” Looking back to McKenzie, she added, “Care to join us? It’ll probably be our last chance before the Tokyo shoves off for another patrol.”

  Olivia’s smile was radiant. “It’d be a pleasure to sit down with both of you, T
raynor. Give us a chance to speak about old times.”

  * * *

  * SSV TOKYO, READY FOR DEPARTURE FROM ARCTURUS SHIPYARD *

  Xiùlán hugged and kissed Traynor one last time. “My gosh, Sà mǐ… these past couple of weeks have been amazing. We won’t see each other for what’ll seem like forever. I really hate to leave you.” The sable brown eyes regarding Sam were glistening with barely contained moisture, prompting Sam to gently pull her Inamorata’s head close so she gently kiss her eyelids.

  “We’ll get through this, Xiùlán. By the time the Tokyo returns here, I’ll be long gone, probably to Vancouver. Wherever I happen to land, I’ll always let you know how to reach me, so we can talk, or just stare at each other’s image on a screen. We'll focus on aligning our leave times, just as we discussed, but no matter what happens, you keep training for a captain’s slot, okay?”

  Xiùlán sighed. “Wǒ duì nǐ de ài tiānchángdìjiǔ, sà màn shā. [我對你的愛天長地久，薩曼莎，- My love for you is as enduring as the sky and the earth, Samantha] Stay safe.” Picking up her travel bag, she kissed Sammy once more, then turned and entered the massive cruiser that would be her home for the foreseeable future. Traynor stood and watched for several minutes after Xiùlán had disappeared inside before turning slowly to go back to her apartment. She already felt slightly lost, as if a piece of herself had been taken from her… a piece she would not see for a long time.

  * * *

  * FRIGATE SSV NORMANDY, UNDER CONSTRUCTION · ARCTURUS SHIPYARD *

  It was the final week of the project and Captain Anderson had been on and off the Normandy a number of times, overseeing final preparations and making the last of his crew selections. While he still awaited the arrival of the last couple of people from their prior duty stations, including his XO, Anderson was preparing to meet General Invectus, the turian representative, for their final selection – the Normandy's pilot. He walked into the communications area and smiled. "Specialist Traynor. A word please?"

  With most of her installations finished Traynor had been fine-tuning the programming of the various sensor suites and comms packages. Walking quickly towards the Captain, she answered, “Of course, Sir. What do you need? Is the communications terminal in the captain's quarters acting up again?”

  Anderson chuckled softly. Traynor had gone out of her way to assist him the past couple of weeks; he felt sure it was largely due to his conversation with Admiral Hackett that resulted with Garrett Sutton being relieved of his command for malfeasance. With Traynor's assistance, it had taken very little digging by the Alliance N7 to turn up plenty of evidence proving Sutton's purposeful lack of due process; as it turned out, the station commander's failure to investigate Traynor’s claims and prosecute Kelsey Winters was the least of his offenses.

  “I'm sorry, Specialist. I love your attitude, but humor is not the appropriate response to the news I’m about to deliver.” He paused and took a deep breath before continuing, “I'm afraid I was unable to get the disciplinary warning removed from your permanent file, Specialist.” He held up a hand to indicate he wasn't done. “I did manage to get it redacted from the public personnel file… and I was able to secure a fresh start for you with a colleague of mine in Alliance R&D in London. I know it's not the field work you're used to, but you're smart and talented… We need your unique skills to develop, test and improve new technologies like those aboard the Normandy.”

  Traynor’s expression was solemn as she nodded her understanding. “Thank you, Sir. I’m sure you did your best… but with only you and General Park truly in my corner, I quite honestly didn't expect you to succeed. So, more than anything else, I appreciate your candor… and, of course, the personal recommendation that is likely responsible for me getting a challenging position in research and development.”

  “You probably won't appreciate it as much once you realize we’re selecting the Normandy pilot tomorrow – you’re due to ship out as soon as you get him set up with all the communications and systems protocols.” He frowned at the momentary distress that washed over her features, so quickly continued, unabated. “You're due in London by the end of the week. I’m sorry I couldn’t postpone your departure until after the Tokyo returns from her current assignment.”

  Traynor smiled back at him. “Xiùlán and I were prepared for this… I anticipated being reassigned before she returned, so we already said our goodbyes. That’s life in the military, isn’t it? We enjoy the time we have together, and endure the separations with as much grace as we can manage. I’ll be fine, Sir, and I thank you for all your intervention on my behalf.”

  Anderson grinned at her for a moment before saying, “Right. Carry on, Specialist.”

  * * *

  Chapter 41: Omens of Change

  There was a feeling of inevitability when I met you. The sense that we would be together; that there would be a moment when you would look at me in a certain way, and we could cross the threshold from friendship into something so much more. We spoke once about lovers who kept finding each other, no matter how many times the world came between them. And I think I had to break your heart, and you had to break mine. How else could we know the worth of what we were given? I think you were always meant to know me a little better than anyone else. And our lives were fated to converge like some cosmic dance. I know there is terrible distance between us. But our bodies are made of celestial light, and we are hurtling through space and time, toward the most beautiful collision. – Lang Leav, The Universe of Us

  * * *

  CO – Commanding Officer

  Inamorata – A woman with whom one is in love or has intimate relations; a female lover (Italian)

  NDA – Non-Disclosure Agreement, signed by Yuán and Traynor at termination of the O7 program

  SDU – Standard Duty Uniform

  VI – Virtual Intelligence

  X3M – a contragravity speeder designed for transporting individuals in metropolises and space stations.

  XO – Executive Officer

  * * *

  * FRIGATE SSV NORMANDY, FINAL OUTFITTING · ARCTURUS SHIPYARD *

  Specialist Samantha Traynor was completing the final connections linking the ship’s new flight computer to the flight controls at the pilot’s and navigator’s stations on the bridge of the newest ship in the Alliance Navy. Unlike the standard accepted practice of the pilot, navigator and deck officer – be that the captain or the executive officer – all being grouped together on the ship’s bridge, the pilot would be seated to the left of the centerline in the cockpit, all the way forward on deck one; the captain or his second, generally the XO, would direct ship operations from the Combat Information Center, or CIC, through the use of integrated comms units, while standing on a platform behind a projection of the galaxy map. A raised walkway between the bridge and the CIC ran between eight operations stations – the tactical passageway – where specialists in various aspects of starship operations would sit, monitoring for and correcting problems as they arose.

  Traynor had been meticulously tracing and connecting all the light conducting control cables between the galaxy map interface and the flight control interfaces on the bridge. Additionally, she had to ensure that the generator for the cockpit internal kinetic barrier – designed to protect the pilot from vacuum exposure should a catastrophic decompression occur in the CIC – would activate automatically without fail each and every time she triggered the test cycle.

  Sammy had just finished closing the access panels to the flight controls in front of the pilot’s seat when a man she didn’t know hobbled onto the bridge with the aid of crutches. “May I help you?” she asked politely.

  The man smiled as he looked around the bridge with a great deal of interest. “Name’s Moreau… Flight Lieutenant Jeff Moreau. I brought General Invectus to the shipyard control center – he’s the turian assigned to evaluate the Normandy’s readiness after its test flight. I’m just taking a look around the ship before Captain Anderson comes on board.”
>
  “You sound… I don’t know, disappointed somehow. Are you not the assigned pilot?”

  Moreau’s response was bitter. “I applied. Aced all the written tests, flew the wings off the simulator, but…” he held up his crutches as he continued with a self-deprecating chuckle, “… as soon as the brass sees these, all my accomplishments are conveniently forgotten.”

  Traynor shook her head slightly in sympathy. “That’s tough… I’m sorry.” Checking the chrono in the bulkhead beside the hatch, she said, “I have to finish my checklist, Flight Lieutenant, so if you’ll excuse me?”

  Stepping aside, Moreau touched the brim of his cap and replied, “By all means, Specialist. I’ll be right out.”

  Traynor nodded, picked up her toolkit and strode out the hatch towards the CIC, there to go down to the engineering deck to inspect and verify the connections from the flight controls on the bridge and from the navigator’s station at the galaxy map.

  * * *

  * OXFORD, UNITED KINGDOM, EARTH · SYSTEMS ALLIANCE R&D CENTER *

  Samantha Traynor had been surprised to learn the Alliance research and development facility was located not in London, but 92 km northwest, in the city of Oxford, literally a stone’s throw from the college she had attended thanks to the tuition paid for by the Alliance. She had been flown in from Earth orbit aboard a heavy-lift freight shuttle that had touched down at the London-Oxford Airport; from there, she was assigned an air car from the small Alliance fleet in order to travel the 13 km south to her new posting. The X3M would be hers to use for the duration of her stay in Oxford, as her work would involve a significant amount of travel between the several research centers scattered about the city.