Slipspace: Harbinger

by P. C. Haring

  Her stomach twisted and she cleared her throat. Something from dinner was not sitting well with her. When the moment passed, Nira refreshed her glass with water. When she returned to the med-deck she would take an injection of an antiemetic. Technically speaking, she could not prescribe medication to herself, but she would take a low dose; just enough to let her sleep through the night. In the morning, she would feel better.

  The computer beeped, having taken far less time to run its filter than she expected. This might bode well. A quick result often meant the analysis had found something already in the database. When she accessed the results, the computer requested that she standby while the data sorted itself into a presentable form and she took the moment to withdraw the sample from the analysis chamber and dispose of it. By the time she returned her attention to the output, the requested information had displayed. The unwelcome results screamed at her but held her firm as if Medusa’s gaze had turned her to stone. The sound of the glass she had been carrying shatter across the deck did not faze her. Then her stomach revolted, twisting, heaving, and doubling Nira over as she retched.

  November 3, 2832

  23:00

  Mjöllnir - Executive Officer’s Quarters

  CASSANDRA AMADO’S eyes blurred again as she tried to make sense of the reports sitting in front of her. Her head was hazy, in desperate need of sleep, coffee, or both. There was too much science here and her head was spinning at all the data points and explanations. Nira and Lieutenant Melor thought they had something, but for the life of her she could not follow the connections.

  “Clarify all this, please. First, where did this slime come from?”

  Melor stepped forward, a little too eager to answer. “We kind of traded for it. The ships out there showed intriguing damage patterns that I wanted to study a bit more. So, we traded the damaged hull fragment for a patch job.”

  Amado closed her eyes. She would have to put a stop to that practice very soon lest they develop the reputation of having unlimited resources to pass out. She would not allow the Mjöllnir to become as resource-strapped as the Remali had. That would wait for a better time.

  “Continue.”

  “We didn’t know the slime...”

  “Enzyme,” Nira corrected.

  “Enzyme, excuse me,” Melor continued. “We didn’t know the enzyme was there until we brought it aboard. The hull breach looked to have been consistent with something literally tearing the hull open, not conventional weapons fire. We’ve seen that before, so I wasn’t surprised.”

  “The Ralgon,” Cassie said.

  Melor nodded. “When we found the enzyme, I asked Doctor Fen to analyze it and see what she could tell us. Truth be told, I was expecting a straight confirmation as the Ralgon corrosive enzymes they used to chew through everything in their path.”

  “But you didn’t get that, did you?” Cassie asked, already knowing the answer. If it had been such a mundane result, they would not be here at this late hour.

  “Actually, we did, Commander,” Nira responded. “But we got another strong correlative match to the Remali samples we’ve gathered over the past day.”

  “How did you get Remali scans?” She bit back any further questions as she had already cut Nira off.

  Nira and Melor exchanged tentative looks, but at the impatient look from Cassie, Melor responded.

  “Um, well, Commander. Long story short is that Surahan is much easier to scan through than Rashar’s command ship. We combined that data with the archives of the decontamination scans of the Remali who boarded the Mjöllnir. That gave Doctor Fen enough data to establish a baseline from which to compare the Ralgon enzyme sample.”

  As though Cassie had been hit in the head, the connection formed and she knew she had asked the wrong question. Her mouth fell open.

  “Wait...”

  The two women waited while she processed and for the first time, understood why they had woken her.

  “You said that the Remali samples...” Her voice trailed off as Nira started nodding slowly. “And the Ralgon samples...matched?”

  Nira’s nod turned into a noncommittal head bob. “Not perfectly, but enough that the computer correlated them together.”

  “So, they’re the same...”

  Nira put her hand up, stopping Cassie’s sentence. “I don’t have enough data to draw a definite conclusion and given the sensitive nature of this, I don’t want to speculate. I can tell you that they’re somehow related. It could be as simple as they are both protein-based life forms.”

  “Or they could be the same race,” Cassie responded.

  Nira shook her head. “Again, I don’t have enough data to find out. A lot of different species share similar genetic markers. Lura and humans for example.”

  “Not quite, but close enough. Lura and Humans are genetic cousins with significant overlap and are capable of producing fertile hybrid offspring. I don’t think the Ralgon and the Remali are even half as close to each other. All I can tell you with any certainty is that the two species are related in some way. I don’t have enough data to conclude whether they are simply based on the same genetic structures, or genetic cousins. But my best educated guess is that the former is far more likely than the latter.”

  Cassie nodded. “All right. Thank you both for your work. Please do not share this among the crew until we have fully investigated this. Dismissed.”

  November 4, 2832

  08:00

  Mjöllnir - War Room

  “ONCE SHE’S FINISHED with repairs to the Mjöllnir, I’d like Melor to start deploying teams into the refugee fleet and station. Keep her on board the ship and away from the Remali. She can coordinate her teams from here.”

  Cassie rolled her eyes. The meeting had been going for only a half hour and already it grew monotonous.

  “To what avail?”

  Cody looked up from his display. “I’m hoping to build some goodwill with the Remali while giving our people more opportunity to glean more about the Remali-Ralgon relationship.”

  She reached for another bagel and began smearing the spread over its open face.

  “I’m not sure if that’s the best idea, Cody. Assuming the Remali aren’t telling us the whole truth, if Melor’s teams find something we might put ourselves back in another standoff.”

  “We’ve been there before with them.” Cody took a sip of his juice.

  “Yes, and they held back the full force of their firepower because they were hoping for the chance at good relations. If we find something they want to keep hidden, they might not be so considerate a second time.”

  “We’re going to have to take that risk, Cassie. Given what we know already, we’re getting close to something bigger.”

  Cassie rolled her eyes. “Your tactical intuition telling you that?”

  “Yes, actually.”

  Cassie groaned and bit her tongue. This was the same tactical intuition that had left her screwed during the siege while at the same time giving him a god damned medal. She doubted she would ever understand why his intuition always ended up with him placing his own people in harm’s way. Yes, putting on the uniform meant taking risks. One of those risks was the loss of life and limb. But such actions were to be taken only after careful consideration and certainly not in the flippant cavalier manner he now displayed. As she spent those days and weeks laying in the hospital bed recovering, she had vowed that she would do all in her power to see to it that no one else saw their lives destroyed by him. It was that vow that stopped her from spitting in his face when he gave her the assignment. It was that vow which stopped her from requesting an immediate transfer.

  At first, things had been far different than she had expected. He had played things carefully over Artez and in the encounter with the Verasai and later the Remali. Perhaps he had figured it out—finally. But now, here, it was as if someone had pushed a reset button for him.

  “I’m not convinced I agree with you on that point, Cody.”

  He turned,
the surprise on his face evident. What had he expected?

  “Oh?”

  “I’m not convinced that the risk is warranted in this case. Our continued presence here is a big enough risk in itself, I can’t get on board with compounding it by sending our people into situations where the enemy would have an easy time capturing them if so inclined

  Cody paused a moment to consider this. Perhaps she was getting through to him.

  “I could send them with armed escort, if that would make you feel better.”

  Or not.

  “And how exactly does that change the situation other than to display our suspicions to the Remali?”

  Cody deflated, and his face contorted as he struggled to remain in control. She had not sought his anger, but if she found it, then so be it.

  “Then what do you suggest instead?”

  “I suggest we go home, rally our troops, return in force, and rip the truth from them.”

  Cody’s eyes widened, telling her that he had not even considered that option.

  “Are you truly suggesting that we declare open war on the Remali? Do you forget they have tactical superiority?”

  “That’s my point! We’re already outgunned three to one by the Valor alone. If things go bad and they call in support, we’re screwed. Ship for ship they’re stronger, but our fleet is far larger. We need to pull back for now and return with the task force. We’ll have the advantage of greater number and then we can force them to give us the answers we need!”

  Cody waved his hand as if gathering his thoughts. “And if your theory proves correct and the Ralgon and Remali are allies in some way and all of this talk of a Remali-Ralgon war is a ruse, what happens to our superior number when the Remali unleash the Ralgon against us?”

  “Then we know for sure! And if your theory is correct they won’t send the Ralgon after us and we’ll walk all over them.”

  He held back for a moment, his hand raised to his mouth as he shook his head. “Let me make sure I’m clear on your position. Am I to understand that your strategy ends with either our subjugation of the Remali or our annihilation at the hands of the Ralgon?” He stared at her. “Don’t those outcomes seem both a bit extreme and undesirable?”

  The bastard. How dare he twist her words like that? Her jaw tightened as she tensed up, ready to pounce. But the beeping of the comm stopped the argument cold.

  “Amado.”

  “I’m sorry to disturb you, Captain, but we have a communication incoming from General Rashar. She’s asking to speak with you and says it’s urgent.”

  “Put it up in here.”

  The display wall flickered to life displaying first the ISPA crest, then a similar but unfamiliar icon which Cassie could only presume was that belonging to the Remali military. The words “secure connection established” appeared under their icon and the entire display faded out as Rashar’s face faded in.

  “Captain Amado, I apologize for the interruption.”

  “Not at all, General. Always happy to hear from you. I take it you remember my executive officer, Commander Amado?”

  “Of course, it is good to see you again as well.”

  Cassie returned a curt nod, but remained otherwise non-responsive. The quickness of the conversation indicated that someone somewhere had updated the linguistic database and that the cochlear implants inside Cody’s and her ears were now translating in real time. There would be no need for the external attachments anymore. Thank God. Those damn things hurt.

  “Captain,” the General began, “I’ll come right to the point. I need to request a favor of you, your ship, and your crew.”

  Cody frowned and Cassie caught herself in a similar reaction. She sat forward but otherwise held her place.

  “I’m listening, General.”

  “You’ve seen for yourself the dire need we have for relief supplies for Surahan Station. Convoys are scheduled to arrive on regular intervals, but the last half dozen have not made it, thus exacerbating our existing problem.”

  “How can we assist?”

  Cassie shook her head. The writing was on the wall.

  “Our latest convoy is still a few hours out but we’ve lost contact yet again. I’d like to ask you to rendezvous with them and escort them in.”

  Cassie stole a look at her brother and saw his tension. At least they were in agreement on this matter. “With respect, General, I’m sure one of your ships would be best suited to this task.”

  “And with equal respect, Captain, they would. However, our two ships are the only ones close enough to intercept in what we believe to be a reasonable time frame. My ship is needed elsewhere on a matter of Confederation Security. That leaves you.”

  Cody held for a moment before shaking his head in acquiescence. Inside, another small part of Cassie died.

  “I’ll recall my people and we’ll get under way immediately. Send me coordinates, and communications protocols.”

  “I’m sending Colonel Valeer as a liaison. He will have all the details. Thank you, Captain. Rashar out.”

  Cassie sat there, incensed. “And if whatever is attacking those convoys is out there, and sees us defending them, that draws us into conflict with these forces.”

  Cody closed his eyes and shook his head. “Humanitarian concerns have to take priority. We’ll verify the cargo before we form up. Even so, I doubt these missing convoys are due to anything serious, otherwise they wouldn’t ask us to go. It’s probably some loosely organized pirates or mercenaries. They won’t be a problem. Issue a full recall of all personnel and support ships. We depart in a half hour.”

  He stood up to leave, but the conversation had not been finished.

  “What of the Remali and the Ralgon?”

  Cody paused and turned back to her. He raised his hand, and his finger circled around wildly as if encompassing the both of them and the overall situation. “Again, humanitarian concerns take priority. But this may have bought us more time to work through those issues as well.”

  November 4, 2832

  22:30

  Mjöllnir – Captain’s Quarters

  NIRA SIGHED as she pushed herself in closer to Cody. With the ship arriving in a few hours, they had decided to try for some sleep. He would need to be on deck when they dropped out of Slipspace, but she could enjoy a fuller night of rest, assuming there were no medical emergencies between now and then. He snored softly and she made a mental note that he’d need another treatment soon before the snoring got worse. Shifting in her place, she settled her head on his chest, allowing his rhythmic breathing to calm her.

  Ever since she had pulled those results on the enzyme, her mind reeled and there was nothing she could do to calm herself. Sourcing it back to the Ralgon was not news, by any measurement. Scientists had found it back during the first war and quickly identified it as the catalyst that caused the compound the Ralgon secreted to take on acidic properties when it came in contact with metal alloy.

  Was it the underlying implications that the Ralgon were back that had done her stomach in? Maybe. But at the same time, she had to question whether that was the implication after all. The General had made no secret that her people had been under assault by the Ralgon and that the people here were refugees so it made sense that the ship would be damaged by the Ralgon. She was no engineer and she had no way to tell just how old that damage was. In theory at least, it was possible for that to have been caused before the Ralgon retreated. But that had been a decade ago. Would that ship still be flying with that damage to the hull after ten years? No. Probably not.

  That left only one logical conclusion- the Ralgon had returned. If they had even left in the first place. No one knew why they retreated a decade ago. No one cared. The civilized worlds relied on each other for survival and none were in any position to question the sudden cessation of hostilities by the Ralgon. The newly formed Alliance had their hands full trying to rebuild while fighting off the opportunistic mercenaries and organized crime guilds who sought to capitalize on
the suffering of others. Hell, it had taken them almost a full decade to rebuild the Alliance fleet. From what Cody had told her, the Mjöllnir herself had taken a little over five years to build and launch. If you included the initial R&D during the last six months during the war and the time the project had spent in limbo, the entire process had taken most of the past decade to come to fruition, to say nothing about the rest of the fleet that had been built up in the fear of another Ralgon assault.

  But had they retreated as previously thought or had they simply moved on to greener pastures with the Remali and who knew who else? The hit at Artez seemed decisive enough, but with the clear interconnectivity the Remali had with the Ralgon, nothing seemed for certain. Her stomach churned at that thought and as she shifted in her place, careful not to wake Cody as she sought a more comfortable posture, she realized she had hit on some truth her conscious mind had not yet put together. No, things had not started off well with the Remali. But in the past days, and despite the tensions between them, things had seemed to smooth out and Nira had hoped that maybe, for once, they had found a potential ally.

  That hope had all but shattered when Cody had dragged himself into their quarters earlier this evening. He’d been looking progressively worse the longer this mission wore on, but tonight when he went straight for the gin and tonic, she knew something had gone wrong. Of course, it had been Cassie. Things had been much better between them than Nira could have expected. For that she was grateful. But it seemed that one bad moment could destroy weeks of patching up their relationship and Nira had to hold back tears as he vented to her about their argument and his disappointment in his sister’s warmongering ways.

  She could not accept the idea that the Remali were allied with the Ralgon. Sure, the scientific evidence linked them biologically. But diving into the details showed that aside from both the Remali and the Ralgon being protein-based lifeforms, they shared very little else. No one would accuse the Verasai and Humans of being allies, but if the genetic similarity argument was true, then the fact that both Verasai and Humans were carbon-based life, that would be enough to put them in bed with one another. To call this grasping at straws would be an understatement and she was grateful it was her husband in command and not her sister -in-law. Hell, for all she knew, if Cassie had been in command they might already be dead. But in that scenario, she wouldn’t have come aboard in the first place. She would have stayed home with Cody and it would be someone else out here.