by Lionel Law
“Your offices are too vulnerable right now,” Henchuk replied, shaking his head. “I can’t have you exposing yourself to violence. If either you or Mister…. sorry, I forgot your name.”
“O’Connor. KC O’Connor.”
“If you or Mr. O’Connor meet violence, I’m not sure what the response from Iova City will be. I’m just glad Governor Hunt didn’t decide to use his missiles already.”
“Ross is military, but he’s not stupid,” KC interjected heatedly. “He wouldn’t use nuclear weapons unless he had to. He knows that as soon as those missiles are in the air, he’d be making Iova City a sitting duck for any Iovan return attack.”
“After today’s debacle, his confidence may grow,” Henchuk replied. “Yes, they were just farmers and such, but they were slaughtered.”
“How many human casualties?” KC asked, his voice tight.
“We don’t know, but not many. Your people’s defenses are much stronger than we had imagined,” Henchuk replied. “The defense and security ministers are working together now to prepare for any retaliation.”
“Ross Hunt wouldn’t retaliate!” KC interjected hotly.
Henchuck looked at him levelly. “Iovans didn’t start the shooting, Mister O’Connor. And as your little exposure of the past few hours has hopefully shown you, we didn’t start this plague that seems to be affecting us both either.”
KC looked down, chagrined. He didn’t have anything to say in reply. Da’al looked around the office and sighed. “This is getting to be too much. We’ve got people dying, shooting in the streets, and now my house is destroyed. What are we doing to try and fix this?”
“Until the transmitter gets here from my offices, there isn’t anything we can do,” Katrina replied. “Unless Iovans have a religious background, in which case you can pray, and wait.”
*****
The transmitter arrived about an hour later, along with a welcome surprise. Brynnda came in carrying the heavy briefcase sized device, only barely grunting with effort. “Brynnda!” Katrina said, rushing over and giving her assistant a quick hug. “I was so worried, even with what Councilor Henchuk told us.”
“You need my help,” Brynnda said with a smile, returning the hug. “Despite your best efforts, you’re still pretty much dependent on my help. So, while Da’al watches the new guest I’ve been told about, you and I get to try and see if we can get our two governments to talk.” Brynnda turned to KC and stuck out her hand. “Hi, I’m Brynnda. I’m Katrina’s assistant, and I’m totally into what your database calls California culture. What’s up?”
“KC O’Connor,” KC replied, unsure of how to react. Katrina watched as his eyes goggled at the voluptuous beauty before him, and he swallowed twice before continuing. “I’ve actually never been to California. Sorry, I’m from the asteroid belt.”
“Really? That sounds very interesting, we should get together and chill about it some time,” Brynnda replied with a smile. “But I need to get to work with the boss if we’re going to ever have that opportunity.”
“Okay….. so what should I do?”
Da’al looked over at Katrina, using their mental link. I was wondering the same thing.
I’m going to try and get Ross Hunt to talk, but I’m worried, Katrina replied. Do you think Henchuk will try to stop any more shooting, or is this going to spiral out of control?
Henchuk’s a good man, I knew of him before I went into exile, Da’al replied. He’ll try and keep the peace, if Ross Hunt is willing to try as well. But if Hunt is belligerent, Henchuck will crush the humans before Hunt can use his nuclear arsenal. The passive defenses we have in orbit can be turned towards the surface as well.
What’s up there?
Directed energy weapons that can vaporize the entire surface, up to a hundred meters deep, in one kilometer wide swathes, Da’al replied. All the devastation of a nuclear blast without the leftover radiation.
Then I guess I better do my job better than ever before. In the meantime, stay close by, at least in the building. Take KC and keep him out of trouble and safe. I don’t know him, but he is another human, and he’s acted with restraint since I had to shoot him.
How many people have you been able to say that about? Da’al thought back with a grin, causing Katrina to also smile. Nodding he turned to KC, gesturing towards the door. “Come on. By now you must know I’m not trying to poison you, let’s go get something to eat. The cafeteria here, if it’s open, has a wonderful soup.”
Henchuk watched Da’al and KC leave before turning to Katrina. “All right Ambassador. I’ll leave you to your work here, my private office will be fine for my purposes. If you can get the human government on communications, please tell me. I don’t want any more deaths.”
Katrina and Brynnda found themselves alone in the outer office, Brynnda still holding the communications case. “Well, I guess it’s time to get that thing set up and see if we can prevent all out war,” Katrina said to break the tension. “You ready?”
“Before we begin, Katrina, I just wanted to say…. it’s been an honor and a pleasure working with you,” Brynnda said. “If you weren’t attached to Da’al and from what I can tell monogamous, I’d be honored to introduce you to a couple of my husbands who would love to make your acquaintance. You’d be a fine addition to my family.”
Katrina was touched by the beautiful Iovan woman’s words, and felt her throat tighten. She cleared her throat and nodded. “You’re a damn good assistant, Brynnda. As for your husbands, I’d be happy to meet them, but that’s it. You’re right, I’m a one man type of woman. Now, let’s stop a war so that I can take you up on your offer. If not, I hope you know how to evacuate quickly, because we’re going to need a way out very damn quickly.”
Chapter 12
Da’al and KC sat in the almost totally empty cafeteria, sipping on soup. KC looked at Da’al, a questioning look in his eyes. “Yes?” Da’al asked, raising his eyebrow. “Whenever Katrina looks at me like that, she has something she wants to ask me.”
“You don’t seem angry that I tried to shoot either Henchuk or Katrina,” KC replied. “Why is that?”
Da’al thought for a moment, choosing his words carefully. “In the months I’ve been together with Katrina, we’ve shared a lot. I’m going to let you know, her and I share a psychic bond, and that means she has let me see the memories in her head. I’ve seen the way she was treated as a so-called Dirt. While I don’t have personal experience with being treated that way, I remember learning about cultures who have slavery, or what is basically slavery. There was always a certain percentage of those who were held in subjugation who identified strongly with their captors, to the point of being fanatical defenders. Actually, what does surprise me is how calm you seem to be in other ways. The few case studies I’ve seen, any captives of the fanatical type have often been very violent at first.”
KC sighed and took a spoonful of soup. It was delicious, and he was very hungry. “It’s because I’m not fanatical,” he replied. “I’m just a normal man who followed orders. You got lucky, Da’al. I don’t know what your studies have shown you about other species, but in humans, this mindset we have, of just shutting up and obeying orders, it’s a lot more pervasive than what our literature proclaims. Sure, there’s a lot in our history of people supposedly rising up, of telling their oppressors to piss off. One of the largest, most powerful nations in history started that way supposedly. But the reality is quite different. The common person, we just want to be left alone, to get by and not be bothered by those with power. The vast majority of the human race simply just wants to get by, and maybe make things a bit better for their children. Seems you met one of the outliers in our genetic heritage.”
Da’al sipped his soup before replying. “Our people are not as different as you think. Iovan history has its fair share of tyrants as well. I think it was partially due to the lucky chance of our psychic abilities that we have avoided the situation humanity is in. It has its drawbacks though.”<
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“So the rumors of psychic abilities are true? Can you command others using your mind?” KC asked, only a bit fearfully. He was too damn tired to really care any longer, and serving one group of masters seemed just as tolerable as the next. He was glad when Da’al shook his head.
“Your popular culture does you a disservice. I don’t know about other species, but between me and Katrina, everything is voluntary, and it is more like a sharing of information and communication than anything else. She’s let me into her memories, and I’ve let her into mine. She’s seen me in both my good and bad times, not because we have no control of it, but because I love her and I want her to know all of me.”
“So you do love her then? It’s not just some weird fetish thing?”
Before Da’al could answer, KC blinked his eyes, coughing twice into his hand before looking up at him in alarm. “Oh no.”
“What?”
“Get a medic,” he said, his voice quickly becoming raspy before being broken up by racking coughs. “Get a medic now!”
Instead of getting up, Da’al focused his mind. He had never tried to communicate with Katrina over more than the length of their house before, but he didn’t know what else to do as KC’s eyes rolled up into his head and he sagged sideways, his breath coming in short rasps. Katrina! Help!
What’s wrong? Katrina replied back, sitting up in Henchuk’s office as she felt the thoughts come through strong and clear. It was like Da’al was mentally yelling for her, and it cut through every other thing going on around her.
KC is has passed out, and I think he’s seriously ill. He said to get a medic.
Okay. Get him on his back, keep his airway clear, and I’ll have Brynnda get a medical team down there quickly. Fear rippled through Katrina as she thought of the meaning of KC’s words. Apparently, the man knew what was going on, which meant he was probably ill with whatever was sweeping through Iova City. I’ll try to get Iova City on the communications now. Hurry, and keep him breathing!
Turning to Brynnda, Katrina pointed towards the desk where Henchuk’s secretary normally sat. “Medical team to the cafeteria. KC is sick, I think it’s the human plague.”
Brynnda paled but nodded, quickly going to the communicator. Meanwhile, Katrina turned back to the human terminal, jamming her thumb against the signal button. “Come on Hunt, you stupid shit, pick up the goddamn phone.”
Her thumb went from red to bloodless white before a face came onto the screen, Katrina not knowing who it was. “What the fuck, lady? Think you can wait a minute before buzzing me into oblivion?”
“Who is this?” Katrina asked, perplexed. She had never seen the woman before. “I’m trying to get in touch with Governor Hunt.”
“Well, you can call the hospital, because that’s where he is,” the woman replied with absolutely no regret in her voice. “I’m his assistant secretary. Gloria Timmons, at your service. You must be Katrina Cole.”
“Yes. Listen, I need your help, and I need it fast. Who’s in charge over there?”
“Right now? Technically it might even be you. A lot of the elected officials came down with the Iovan Plague within the past five or six hours. Hunt himself was very symptomatic when he landed back in Iova City after he and KC O’Connor left. He barely was able to speak, so a lot of us are wondering what the hell happened. Then the shooting started, and we’ve got a bunch of people asking questions and not a lot of answers. I’ve been keeping things down by pretending to be doing stuff in Ross Hunt’s name, but that isn’t going to last much longer. Can you clue me in with what’s happening?”
Katrina’s mind whirled as she listened to Gloria talk. She wasn’t listening to the words, as much as she was the tone of voice, the words she used. Gloria wasn’t a Dirt, she could hear. She was a Peer, maybe pretending to be a Dirt, she wasn’t sure, but she wasn’t the ignorant Dirt she pretended to be. Katrina knew she had to tread carefully. But, she also didn’t have time to play games with a Peer when KC’s life might be in danger. “Okay, I’m going to level with you,” Katrina said, making sure she gave away as little information as possible. “I stunned KC O’Connor when he pulled a gun on me at the meeting I had arranged with myself and Ross Hunt. Hunt took off, so I brought KC back with me. He’s showing signs of some sort of illness as well. I’ve seen plague patients in the hospital, but I haven’t seen the initial symptoms. Can you assist?”
“Aren’t the Iovan doctors able to treat the disease?”
Katrina knew she was being probed. Who was this woman? “The disease is different for Iovans. I want to do whatever I can to help KC. Please, can you assist me?”
She watched as Gloria’s mind worked, evaluating things. Finally, she nodded. “Okay. I know I can fake the system into sending one of the hovercrafts over with a medical team. But I need to make sure the team has clearance. Can you get me clearance through the Iovan defense networks? If the team gets blown to hell by some shuttlecraft, I doubt I can stop the military guys from launching the nukes.”
So that was the crux of her questioning. Gloria wanted a clear path through the defense systems the Iovans had. Ironically, Katrina wasn’t even sure if the Iovans had any sort of defense systems as integrated as Gloria suspected. “I don’t have that information, but I’ll talk to the head of the Council. Give me ten minutes.”
“I’ll be here. Timmons out.”
The screen went blank, and Katrina shook her head. “You were doing great, right up to that last line,” she muttered to herself. “No Dirt would ever hang up on a call with another Dirt like that, and if she had taken me for a Peer level, she’d never have hung up first.”
Considering what to do next, Katrina went over to Councilor Henchuk’s office door. Knocking, she opened it slowly. “Councilor?”
“Come in,” Henchuk said. “I overheard some of your conversation. You doubt the other woman’s honesty?”
“I think she’s not telling me the whole story,” Katrina replied. “If I had to make a guess, I’d say she’s an intelligence officer, maybe a spy of some sort, definitely trained in passive interrogation techniques. I’d guess that Ross Hunt is sick, and that the plague is working its way through the Peers as well as the Dirts now, but I don’t think it’s anywhere near as bad as she tried to make it seem.”
“So what now? By the way, a medical team has responded to the cafeteria, although they cannot do much for Mr. O’Connor. Other than basic scans, they’ve never treated a human before. You’ve kept yourself in excellent health the entire time you’ve been here, Katrina.”
Katrina nodded. “I’ll talk to the medical teams, but I understand that KC isn’t their priority.”
A knock on Henchuk’s door interrupted their thoughts, and both turned to look at their visitor. “Actually, I think both KC and yourself are our priority.”
*****
The lab was slightly chilly, and Katrina couldn’t help but shiver. “You’re serious?”
Da’al sat next to Katrina, his eyes also uncertain. “I have to agree with Katrina. What led you to come up with this hypothesis?”
The doctor, a scientist whose name Katrina couldn’t even begin to pronounce, but Katrina decided to call Doc, nodded. “I know it sounds strange, but I started thinking about it after analyzing some DNA samples you gave us when you came to New Des Moines. I….” the doctor continued, his voice trailing off before continuing in Iovan. He shook his head, and looked at Da’al.
Da’al nodded. He’s asked me to translate for you. He did an analysis of the DNA, and it lends evidence to a theory he has. A certain percentage of the scientists in Iovan society believe in what they call the star seed theory. I think your species has put forth similar theories as to the basis of life on your home planet. The star seed theory states that eons ago, a certain, now long extinct, species, faced with their own mortality, sent the basis for life out among the stars, seeding appropriate planets. While each planet has, of course, given certain twists to that original genetic information, there are c
ertain similarities.
The trouble arises when these species come into contact with each other. Because of the similarities, often times there are diseases that cross genetic lines. In Earth terms, if I am right, it would be like a disease arising within wolves, then crossing over to the other species of dog, except worse, since our immune systems are not adapted to the same diseases the other has.
“Okay, I follow so far. But what does that have to do with sexuality?” Katrina asked, bringing things to the point. “Your comments in Henchuk’s office has something to do with sex?”
The star seed theory is somewhat accepted, Da’al continued, but he has a very controversial particular of his idea on the theory. He thinks that the ability of certain species to not only be sexually attracted to each other, but also breed together is a safety mechanism the original species programmed into our DNA. By allowing interbreeding, and the ability to pass other genetic information along the paths of sexuality, it sets in motion the ability for our systems to quickly adapt to these sorts of dangers.
“How?” Katrina asked, rubbing her shoulders. She was getting colder by the second, and all this clinical talk about sexuality wasn’t helping matters any.
Just as there are sexually transmitted diseases, he thinks there can be a sexually transmitted immune factor, a sort of retrovirus that is produced when our species intermingle. He says he has a lot of data to validate his theory, but what it boils down to is that he thinks the reason you and I are not ill, despite the large amounts of exposure we have both had to the other’s environment, is that we’ve given each other this immunity.
To verify his theory, he’d like us to have sex, Da’al continued, and Katrina could hear a note of slight embarrassment in his thoughts. Here in the lab, he can take instantaneous samples of our bodily fluids as well as any microorganisms we put off. He suspects the reason we haven’t passed on this immunity is that the immunity doesn’t survive outside the host bodies for very long, although perhaps Brynnda might have inherited our immunity because of how long she’s been in close contact with both of us, living in our house and such for a few days and being in the same office as you for the past few months. But he doesn’t know.