“I’m complicated.”
“Oh, of that I have no doubt.”
“I’m still taking them as well as giving them, but no, I don’t have any qualms about leading. I earned the right to give orders—for now here at this small outpost on Perona. Later, perhaps elsewhere, to a greater number of soldiers. But I earned the right operating within the system I respect, and it’s teaching me what I need to know to be a worthy leader.”
“You’re delightful.”
Her glass landed on the table with a clang. “I was not trying to be—” Her eyes narrowed as her chin notched up. “Are you patronizing me, Captain Solovy?”
His face, always so expressive and alive with personality and verve, looked vaguely panicked. “No. No, I would never. Please, forgive me, dorogaya.”
She blinked in surprise at his use of an endearment—this was only their third date, for heaven’s sake—but he resumed talking before she could protest. “You are delightful, truly. I admire your outlook. It’s refreshing.”
He was not getting off so easily. “But?”
He huffed a breath. “But the universe is not ordered, and it will not become so simply because one wishes it. The universe is chaos made manifest. The military does a fine job of creating an illusion of structure, of dependable rules to provide an answer for every situation. But it is only an illusion, one which on its best days holds the volneniya at bay.”
She took a sip of wine to buy her time to consider her response, and to internalize the fact that the way he peppered conversations with colorful Russian interjections was rather enchanting.
“If you genuinely believe that, then why are you here? Why join the military, and why stay after your service commitment was fulfilled?”
He cocked an eyebrow like some kind of lothario. She despised lotharios, which did nothing to quell the fluttering in her chest. “To get to be the hero. Turns out I’m better at being the hero than I am at most other things.”
“That’s a terrible answer.”
“You never stop, do you?”
She thought she might be smiling, just a touch. “I don’t know how to.”
“Indeed. Why am I here, in the military? Because even the chaos needs someone willing to stand in the center of it and say ‘enough ’ ”
David had been right all along, but not until she rose to the pinnacle of military power—where no one remained to create it but her—was she able to see through the illusion.
Now here she stood, terrifyingly free of all structure, unmoored from any rules to guide her. She stood alone, with only her own moral compass to tell her how to move forward when there were none but awful choices to be made.
Allow amoral, power-hungry zealots to lower an iron fist on thousands of innocents, many of them little more than children, killing or imprisoning them for daring to be at the vanguard of technological progress?
Or defy the government she’d devoted her life to serving, ally herself with a murderer and commit treason under any reading of the law?
I am so, so sorry, David. How many times must she apologize to him, if solely in her mind? How many times could she expect the ghost of his conscience to forgive her?
I will always forgive you, dushen’ka, because I know you will always do what you believe to be right.
It was nothing but a memory whispering in her mind…and it would have to do.
Now it was time for her to be the one to stand in the center of the chaos and say ‘enough.’
When Richard returned, she had splashed water on her face, re-braided her hair and poured herself another drink. She ignored the food he placed on the center table, instead clasping her hands together in her lap and meeting his questioning gaze.
“Here’s what I need you to do for me.”
SENECA
CAVARE
SENECAN FEDERATION MILITARY HEADQUARTERS
The adiamene manufacturing plant now operated at full capacity. Assembly of the shipyard above the newly declared colony of Murat was complete and construction on a new class of ships had begun. These were good things.
Strife and discord appeared to be the default state of civilization, however. This was a less good thing, but Eleni Gianno could not change it.
What she could do was not only be prepared for it, but be more prepared for it than other interested parties. In so doing, the people she protected were better able to thrive in times of peace and survive in times of war.
The new Independent Defense Consortium of Colonies didn’t concern her. Even if it did not become an ally, a three-legged stool was a far more stable configuration than a two-legged one. She didn’t expect the independent group to be aggressive—not for years anyway—and it would provide an additional check on the Alliance, which was threatening to become aggressive again.
The fact Morgan Lekkas led its armed contingent…actually gave her some comfort. It enabled her to keep an eye on Lekkas, and it provided the young woman an outlet into which she could direct her considerable energies.
Eleni frowned in surprise at the request for entry into her office. The hour was quite late, and she was still here only because she’d been waiting on approval to forcibly depose Olivia Montegreu off of Itero. The Cabinet had refused—technically deferred, but the result was the same—her petition for the third time mere minutes ago. Also surprising was the guest. Richard Navick had always been accompanied by Director Delavasi on previous visits to Military Headquarters. According to the request, tonight he came alone.
Curiosity got the better of her, and she opened the door. “Mr. Navick, what brings you—” Her words cut off when Miriam Solovy followed him into the office.
The Alliance Fleet Admiral had been to Eleni’s office once before; that visit had not been unannounced and in the dark of night. The woman wasn’t in uniform, but she also wore a netted scarf draped loosely over her hair and shoulders which cast her features in shadow. Her face was widely known at this point, particularly in these halls, so it seemed a wise precaution if she intended her presence to be clandestine.
“Miriam? This is…most unexpected.” She offered her hand.
Miriam stared at her with such coldness that if she’d been anything less than the Field Marshal, she’d have sought a corner in which to hide. As matters stood, her instincts told her a fairly unpleasant night would now be getting worse.
She withdrew her hand and closed the door behind her guests. “I won’t burden you with small talk. I’m certain why ever you are here, it is important, secret and possibly urgent. So what can I do for you?”
Miriam’s throat worked visibly. Eleni did her the courtesy of waiting until she chose to speak.
“I understand you know something about planning and instigating a revolution under the noses of your government and unwitting superiors.”
What did she mean? Eleni’s role as a Federation leader in the First Crux War had never been a secret. It was impossible that Miriam hadn’t known it long before their first meeting on Romane a year earlier.
This was something else.
Eleni’s gaze shot to Navick as the pieces snapped into place. Damn Delavasi and his unpredictable, mercurial conscience. “Miriam, you must understand—”
“Don’t. I am not here to listen to explanations, justifications or apologies. They would not have mattered then, and they do not matter now.”
Miriam drew in a breath and set her shoulders with a sobering dignity. “I am here to ask for your help.”
PART IV:
WHAT LIES BENEATH
“But first a hush of peace, a soundless calm descends;
The struggle of distress and fierce impatience ends
Mute music sooths my breast—unuttered harmony
That I could never dream till earth was lost to me.”
— Emily Bronte
PORTAL: C-7
SYSTEM DESIGNATION:
TAYNA
22
SIYANE
UNCHARTED SYSTEM
TAY
NA PORTAL SPACE
* * *
“NOTHING? AT ALL?”
‘Nothing. Nothing across the EM spectrum that can’t be attributed to natural phenomenon. No readings that suggest the presence of organic life. No artificial structures on the surface or in orbit. The atmosphere is nominally compatible with organic life, but the air is too thin to sustain humans for more than a few minutes. The same can be said for the surface temperature. It averages -9° at the equator and drops twelve degrees for every ten degree change in latitude.’
Alex wrinkled her nose in disappointment. “It wouldn’t be the first time we’ve come up empty….”
“We should do a little ground reconnaissance, to be thorough—like we did in the other uninhabited portal spaces.”
She chuckled and eyed Caleb. Seneca’s twin had been the last time they’d touched soil. She knew he was itching to get off the ship for a spell, mostly from the way he vibrated with coiled energy.
Truth be told, she longed for some fresh air herself. “I agree. Valkyrie, is there liquid water anywhere on the surface?”
‘Perhaps. If we descend to three kilometers and adopt an equatorial orbital traversal heading, I can search for it.’
“Let’s do it. Water holds the best chance for us finding life, or signs of it anyway. If it’s not in the water, it won’t be far away.”
“Unless it’s atypical life. Which, let’s be honest, out here it usually is.”
She made a face at him, but he was right. The Khokteh were the only species they’d encountered that were remotely similar to humans or the multitude of organic life in their universe. Well, the dragons arguably qualified, but they were at least tangentially tied to home.
As they descended, she was drawn to the landscape they flew above. The surface beneath them spread out in a frozen expanse of ice. No mountains or valleys broke the endless stretch of alabaster. Even the bright steel sky was bleached of color.
‘I’ve located a small pond 4.3 kilometers to the northeast.’
She tried to spot it out the viewport, but everything was white-on-white. “Terrific, Valkyrie. Still no life signs?”
‘Correct.’
“Let’s set down, then.”
She glanced over her shoulder to see Caleb already preparing the gear for a ground excursion. He really was going stir-crazy. She acknowledged the twinge of guilt the realization triggered…but she had to trust him to speak up if it became a problem.
They landed well back from a pond of crystal-clear waters. After their usual pre-sortie checks, she opened the hatch, extended the ramp and headed down.
Frigid air bombarded her cheeks in a thousand tiny needles. She didn’t stand to last long without the helmet. She certainly had her fresh air, though.
The ground beneath her feet was crunchy, more snow than ice, but it felt solid enough.
She trailed Caleb toward the pond. “Theories on why liquid water is at this specific location, Valkyrie? There’s no unique terrain nearby to account for it.”
‘My best guess? Subterranean geothermal activity may extend unusually close to the surface here, warming the ground underneath this area.’
They reached the snow-packed shore of the pond, and Caleb crouched at the edge of the water. “This has to be the most pristine, clearest water I’ve ever seen. Astonishing.”
She knelt beside him. “I kind of want to drink it.”
He rolled his eyes. “Fine, but run the analyzer on the ice first.”
She complied, giving the snow pack beside her a quick sweep and studying the results. “We’re good.”
She pushed the breather mask down to her neck and inhaled unfiltered air. It was like the air atop Denali—cold enough to freeze her lungs solid and hardly air at all. She didn’t remove her gloves, but cupped them in the water and drew her hands to her lips.
It tasted as one would expect, which was to say heavenly. Glacial and pure. Caleb followed suit and gave his approval at the result.
She was cupping another sip when an unpleasant possibility occurred to her. She’d tested the snow, not the pond’s water. Just because it tasted pure didn’t mean it was. “Crap, I hope we’re not ingesting the locals.”
She groped around in her pack for a small container and scooped up some water in it, then ran the analyzer over it. “Whew. Nothing—not so much as bacterial contaminants of note.”
‘I am detecting movement three hundred thirty meters to the northwest.’
Caleb was instantly on his feet. “How fast—how big, and how many?”
‘Bipedal walking speed. It is a single creature of approximately 1.6 meters’ height.’
Alex repositioned the breather mask and stood as well, her pulse racing in excitement at the prospect of the looming encounter. And healthy respect for a potential adversary—shouldn’t forget that part. “Where the hell did it come from? There’s nothing for…a very long way.”
‘I do not know. It simply appeared.’
Valkyrie sounded perplexed, but Alex was more intrigued by the fact it had appeared. “I take it the alien is approaching the ship?”
‘No. It is approaching you.’
Caleb cocked his head at that. Uncloaked, the Siyane presented a far more distinct and visible profile on the ice than their comparatively tiny forms.
He turned to her. “This means there are factors at play we can’t see or identify. It means we can’t predict anything about what will happen next. We don’t want to be threatening as an opening move, but unlatch the safety clasp from your Daemon’s holster and be ready to follow my lead.”
She gave him a terse nod. She’d been working on improving her reaction time, on transforming fighting techniques into muscle-memory reflexes. She wanted to think she was prepared for whatever came—assuming what came wasn’t a guided missile or an aerial strike—but this was still Caleb’s domain.
They moved away from the water to firmer ground. Closer to the Siyane, but they didn’t retreat to the ship. This alien was coming to greet them on foot, and they would do the same.
She observed its approach through the ship’s visual scanner. The alien was bipedal and vaguely humanoid, with long arms and legs compared to its torso, though it was also shorter than them. A square-ish head was dominated by its eyes. They were enormous, diamond-shaped and shone in some form of churning luminescence. It wore a full-body cover—a coat of some kind—so she couldn’t determine much else about its physical appearance.
“It doesn’t look hostile.”
Caleb’s voice was low and tight, but gentle to her. “Which means…?”
“Absolutely nothing.”
“Correct. We’ve got no references for translation, so body language will be doubly important.”
“Hands at my side. Should we don our helmets?”
He thought on it a moment. “No. Not yet. It’s organic and humanoid, so we should make it evident we are as well. Commonality is reassuring.”
The alien was now close enough to see clearly using normal vision, so she switched to her own sight. She kept the link to Valkyrie open. Glowing eyes ought not to frighten the alien, seeing as its own eyes radiated like lighthouse range lights.
The alien’s outer garment was made of a white fiber weave that blended into the backdrop of frozen tundra, and up close the garment continued to obscure many details about the body it protected. The alien wore boot-style foot coverings, and its gait had a loping, almost rolling style to it, as if the balls of its feet were not flat. Mittens covered its hands, which bent into the palms.
The face peeking out from the coat’s hood was leathery in texture and a muddy terra cotta color. The large eyes were not any one color, but rather multiple hues blending and shifting. What might be lips extended in two thin lines across the breadth of its face.
“I don’t see any weapons. Valkyrie, are you picking up any EM emissions coming from it?”
‘I am not.’
“Okay. Palms open and slightly raised at your sides.”
>
“Got it.”
The alien stopped four meters away and regarded them with its whirling, colorful pools.
Alex dipped her chin carefully. “Greetings.”
The alien’s—yep, they were lips—parted into a smile so broad it took up the majority of its face. A high-pitched, sing-song melody of sounds emerged from them. The voice sounded almost like a nightingale’s warble.
But that wasn’t all. Its eyes pulsed in time with the spoken tones, and their color shifted in beats—first aqua and silver, then plum and rose. Even more astonishingly, its skin seemed to gleam from within, subtly taking on flowing colors as well.
‘The alien is speaking on multiple bands and frequencies. In addition to what you can hear, I’m picking up harmonic overtones in the ultrasonic range and accompanying tones below the fundamental in the infrasonic range.’
Caleb kept his expression scrupulously neutral. “Any idea what it’s saying on any of those frequencies?”
‘None whatsoever.’
He took a single half-step forward. “We do not understand you, but we want to. We come in peace.”
The alien spoke again and waved out with an arm, then drew the arm in to its chest. Did it want them to come closer? When they didn’t move, it repeated the gesture. Additional words preceded a pointing motion back in the direction it had come. Now it pointed at them, then behind it.
“I think it wants us to follow it to wherever it came from.”
“Agreed. We’ll go along with it for now. Valkyrie, keep close watch and be ready to swoop to the rescue.”
‘Hopefully swooping will not be required, nor rescue. But I am ready to do both.’
He squeezed her hand. “Alex?”
“I’m ready, too.”
Together they took a step forward.
The alien smiled again, gestured again and stepped backward. They followed, and after a few steps the alien turned and began walking purposefully away, reversing its course. It peered over its shoulder every few steps to ensure they continued to follow.
Dissonance: Aurora Renegades Book Two (Aurora Rhapsody 5) Page 13