“Yes,” Lilith replied. “I had my doubts when they explained their plans to me, but all things considered, I have to agree that she’s more useful to us as a spy-ship. Besides, it will make certain that Captain d’Orsi is too busy keeping her skin intact to have any spare time left to smuggle.”
“I guess,” Erin sighed, “Just the same, she’s someone I’d like to see staked-out in the ‘Green, but even the Neversaw would probably spit her out once it got a good taste of her.”
“More than likely,” Lilith agreed with a small laugh. She’d never seen the predator that Erin was referring to, but she imagined that any self-respecting monster from the endless forests of Nemesis would probably avoid dining on such tainted fare.
“Oh well,” Erin sighed, her tail movements slowing a bit. “Maybe we’ll run across her again some time.” Then an evil grin spread across her elfin features. “And who knows? Maybe she’ll be enough on the wrong end of things to give us cause to blow her out of space. People like that always trip themselves up in the end.”
Lilith made the Sign of the Lady. “The Goddess wills the way,” she said. “One can always hope that she’ll see to that.”
As pleasant as their conversation was however, she did have some important business to discuss with the Mistress of the Artemis and changed the subject. “We should be pulling out of Miranda tomorrow for the next leg of our patrol. Is that problem with your engines getting itself worked out?”
Erin ran a hand through her fire-red hair and cursed. “Teeshka’rek!” she spat. “Hardly! My Chief told me this morning that the secondary impulse engines were still vibrating a few too many points towards the yellow-line. She wants at least two more days to set things a’right. That woman is an endless fiddler!”
“Tell her she can have one day, no more,” Lilith told her. “We have to be in the Telesalla Elant in two days.”
“Done and done better,” Erin acknowledged. “I gave her five hours to finish with her tinkering. I also told her that anything else could be tightened up once we reached port.”
Lilith nodded in satisfaction. She and Erin generally saw eye-to-eye on how a ship and its crew needed to be run—even if they would never agree on their choice of meals.
At that point, the Senior Ships Activities Officer Saara sa’Vika walked up to join them. “Ladies? Is everything to your liking?”
Both women smiled up at the Kalian. Of all the officers aboard the Athena, or on any Sisterhood ship for that matter, the Ships Activities Officer was always the most popular member of the crew. The SAO or ‘AO’ as she was sometimes nicknamed, was directly responsible for the crew’s morale. Today, Lilith knew that she was making the rounds of the mess, checking to see that the food that it served was up to her exacting standards. From what she had heard, a ruthless leader lurked behind Sa’Vika’s easygoing manner, and she let nothing escape her notice.
“I had hoped I’d catch you here, Commander,” Sa’Vika said, with a bright smile that lit up her dark brown skin. “I have just gotten my hands on the latest Celina realie, and I wanted to make sure that you got a copy.”
She held out a gold and black plastic cube. On one face was a holopic of the famous singer, and on another the cryptic title “A Concert for Eversea”.
“Why thank you, Saara.” Lilith took the cube from her with genuine gratitude. “However did you manage it?” she asked. “We’re a long ways from port.”
“Ah now, Commander,” Sa’Vika scolded, wagging a finger at her, “how many times have I told you? Don’t ask me how I do it. I have my ways.”
Lilith strongly suspected that one of those ‘ways’ had involved a brief meeting with Captain d’Orsi about her pirated realies, but the gift was too fine to really press the matter. “Of course, Saara. Tell me, how is your department fixed for things? Is there anything that you’re running short of?”
“It’s gracious of you to ask, Commander, but we seem to be well stocked for the present. I could use a slight accommodation in the second shift’s scheduling however. The workshop on light-weaving is going to run slightly overtime, and some of the crew will be forced to miss it.”
“I’ll do what I can to smooth things out, Saara,” Lilith replied. It was always give-and-take with the SAO. Nothing was ever truly free.
Saara’s pleasant expression never betrayed even the tiniest fraction of the triumph that Lilith knew she was feeling. Forcing an entire ship to change its duty rosters was no small feat.
“Thank you, Commander. I’m sure you’ll do whatever you can for us. Oh, and I’d almost forgotten this,” Saara reached into one of her pockets and produced a tiny can. “Tethyian pinfish in oil. For Skipper.”
“Of course,” Lilith replied. “We mustn’t forget a gift for the real Commander of the Athena.” Both women laughed as she took it.
Then the Kalian caught sight of someone else that she needed to curry favor with, and with a polite gesture of farewell, departed for the next table.
“She greased you up good,” Erin said tartly, stabbing her fork in the direction of the Celina realie.
“You're just jealous,” Lilith rejoined. They both knew that the same tactics worked on the Nemesian just as effectively, even if the bribe took a different form.
"Well, if she isn't jealous, I am,” a voice said. Lilith turned around to see Katrinn bringing up her tray of lunch.
Katrinn threw herself down into an empty seat with an exaggerated sigh of relief. "I know it’s probably not the best subject to bring up just now,” the Zommerlaandar said, “but the Demeter has the Spacewitch in tow. Captain bel Sarra estimates that it will take them about three hours to reach Aridia and drop them off."
"Hmm,” Erin said. "If it were me, I'd cut the tow beam about halfway there--in an asteroid field. I think it'd be fun to watch them try and crawl their way out with all their sensors down."
"That’s an idea,” Katrinn conceded. "But actually, Bel Sarra told me that she plans to talk with the Portmistress and see if she can at least delay the daylights out of any repairs. Apparently, she knows her family and intends to call in a favor or two."
"Isn’t it strange how red-tape can just pop-up all of a sudden?” Lilith observed.
Kat smiled and looked away. "Oh well..." She let her words die away, and then turned around suddenly. "So? When are we going to get to play that realie?"
"Soon enough,” Lilith laughed. "First things first. I get to play it before ‘we’ do. Privileges of rank, don't you know?”
"Yes, ma'am!” Kat said with a mock salute. "Just don't take too long before you get around to sharing it with us lower life forms, Lily. I have a freeday coming up too!"
“Oh, I’ll keep that in mind,” Lilith replied, fondling the realie in her hand. Then her tone became serious. “In the meantime, how are things going for our scheduled transit into Null?”
“Well, on our end, all systems check in,” Katrinn answered. “Engineering says that the drive is operating at 99.995 percent and our power reserves are at 90. Fire Control told me that all defensive systems are on line and ready. They also asked me to let you know that they fixed the traverse problem with gun 2430.” Katrinn leaned back in her chair and folded her hands behind her head. “So, barring any mischievous Aalfen making trouble for us, we should be ready to transit on time.”
“Good,” Lilith said with satisfaction. Her meal had arrived and she took the time to enjoy it, and the company of of her friends. When she had finished, she excused herself.
“Well, I believe I may still have some of my freeday left to enjoy. Ladies?”
Katrinn eyed the realie with undisguised avarice. “I’ll drop by your quarters when my shift is over.”
Lilith flashed her a knowing smile and then departed. It was time for her to keep her promise with herself, and visit the Ship’s Temple.
Whenever she had a freeday, she always made a point of visiting it, even if only briefly. But today, she sorely needed the comfort that it offered. Although her lunch with
her officers had been pleasant enough, it had done nothing to dispel the emotions that Ben Rilla’s words had dredged up, or allowed her to forget what day it was.
The Temple was on the same deck as the recreation facilities, and to a newcomer, it looked like any other compartment there, except for two distinct features. The first was a triple faced lamp that hung on a long chain over its doorway, and the second was its open hatchway. Except in times of ship-wide emergency, the entrance was always open as a sign of welcome and sanctuary.
Just inside this there was a small basin filled with cucumber scented water and Lilith stopped for a moment to wash her hands and face, ritually cleansing herself. Then she stepped inside the temple proper.
In keeping with the beliefs of most of the major sects that worshiped the Lady, the room was circular. Rows of low padded benches ringed the walls, facing towards the center where the cylindrical altar stood. She entered the space, and the ship’s computer registered her presence, and religious preference.
A signal from it to her psiever created the image in her visual cortex of a full moon, the Selenite representation for the Goddess, hovering above the altar. Lilith kneeled and recited the words of the traditional Naval Prayer.
“Oh Eternal Goddess of Heaven,’ she began,
Who alone laid out the heavens, and
Who rules over the raging fires of the stars;
You who have encompassed the void with
Your bindings until day and night come to an end.
Receive into Thy gracious protection the persons of us,
Thy servants, and the ship in which we serve Thee.’
“Preserve us from the dangers of space, and from the violence of the
enemy; That we may be a safeguard for our sisters, and
Provide security for those who pass among the stars. Grant that we
may serve Thee in peace, great Lady;‘
“And ordain that we might return in safety from our voyage
To enjoy the blessings of our motherworlds,
Our labors completed, and in thankful remembrance
Of Thy mercies. So may it be.”
Then she closed her eyes and meditated, drinking in the peaceful silence of the place and letting it soothe her.
***
From a corner of the room, the Most Reverend Ophida n’Marsi watched Lilith as she prayed. She had expected her, and as the Ship’s High Priestess, she always made herself available when the Athena’s commander visited her Temple.
Ophida waited until Lilith had finished with her devotions and then went over to the woman’s side. “Blessings of the Lady be upon you, Commander,” she said.
Lilith stood. “And Blessings be upon You, Mother.”
“It is always good to see you here, Daughter,” Ophida said. “Is there anything that we can do for you in the Lady’s House?” But Ophida already knew full well what Lilith wanted, and why she had come.
“Yes, Mother, there is,” Lilith replied. “Could we retire to the Sanctuary and speak together?”
“Of course, child.” The old woman led her to a curtained alcove in a corner of the room. They entered the small chamber, and the Priestess drew the curtain shut behind them. Then they sat and faced one other.
Ophida recited the ritual words of the Sanctuary. “How can I serve you, Daughter?”
“Mother,” Lilith said, giving her the traditional reply, “I would have you hear me.”
“Speak what is in your heart, Daughter.”
Lilith’s shoulders sagged. “Oh, It’s the same old thing,” she sighed.
“Perhaps it is, but I will still listen,” Ophida answered gently. “Go ahead, Daughter. Share with me.”
Lilith took a deep breath. “It’s that time of year again. It’s my daughter’s birthday. And today, two women from Naval Intelligence and the OAE contacted me. They didn’t have any news, but their visit made me think of her. Then I read a book in the library. It was a history piece, and it talked about the birthing process."
Ophida nodded patiently.
“I can still remember the day that Jan and I went to the doctor and saw the holo of how she would look when she grew up,” Lilith said wistfully. “She was so beautiful...” Her voice trailed off, and Ophida gave her her moment.
She had heard all of this many times, and knew the story well. Years before Lilith had taken command of the Athena, she had married, and the union had produced a daughter. The girl had been a bright child, and she had quickly shown an aptitude for psychic abilities. Then at 18, she had joined the Navy, and had gone on to serve aboard the USSNS Habondia as a psi working in Navigation/Communications.
Finally after several years of space-duty, the young woman had transferred to Naval Intelligence. There, she demonstrated a knack for making accurate assessments from raw intelligence data, often seeing connections that her co-workers had overlooked. This, and a keen interest in field work, had led to her being assigned to train as an agent, and once she had graduated, she had proven herself to be both adaptable and resourceful in undercover assignments.
When she had helped the DNI to uncover a network of corrupt servicewomen selling off military supplies to the Xee, and then a conspiracy to use naval vessels to smuggle glass into the Sisterhood, a promotion had come her way. More successes had followed, and more promotions. And the OAE, always on the lookout for promising assets, had approached her with an offer to leave the Navy and come work for them.
Contrary to Lilith’s wishes, she had accepted the invitation. A few more years passed, and then, without any warning, she had vanished without a trace. The official account was that she had been on a joint mission for the OAE and the DNI, and was ‘missing, presumed dead’.
But Lilith had steadfastly refused to accept this, and continued to insist that her daughter was still alive, somewhere.
“You know me,” Lilith said at last, her eyes misting. “I can’t help it. I worry about her. I wonder where she is, and if she’s safe. And I keep asking myself if there was anything that I could have done. Anything that I could have changed to keep things from turning out the way they did.”
“And bearing a galaxy full of guilt in the process,” Ophida observed. “You and I have talked about this before, Daughter, every year on this date since you came aboard the Athena. You already know the answer: you can’t hold yourself responsible for her disappearance. Nothing you could have done would have changed her fate, whatever it was.”
“I know,” Lilith admitted. “But a part of me will always be missing until I find her again.”
“Yes,” Ophida agreed. “And the Goddess may see fit to reunite you with your daughter. But even if that miracle happens, there will still be a void in your heart. It has been there since Jan died.”
Lilith looked away, her eyes now dark with pain, and Ophida continued. “You know what I’m speaking about. You may or may not have the power to bring your child back to you, but you do have the power to find joy for yourself, and fill that void.”
“I don’t know,” Lilith replied doubtfully. “I still haven’t healed. I’m not certain that I ever will.”
“That is something for the Goddess to decide,” Ophida told her. “But if an opportunity for happiness comes your way, accept it with open arms and an open heart, lest you spit on the gift that the Lady has given you. The Cauldron of Wisdom puts this plainly: ‘Our road is laid out by the Lady, and She sets us on it in accordance with Her great design. We have no choice but to travel its length until our journey is at an end. The Goddess Wills the Way.”
“Yes, Mother,” Lilith agreed, remembering the scriptural passage, “She does, and I will try. Thank you for your wisdom.”
“Is there anything else that you would share with me, Daughter?” Ophida asked.
“No, Mother. I have shared all that was within my heart.”
Ophida rose and placed her hands upon Lilith’s head. “May the Lady always guide you, Daughter. May She sooth your troubled brow and be a comfort t
o you as you perform your duties. Blessings of the Goddess be upon you as you go forth from this place.”
Lilith stood and clasped the Priestesses hands in her own. “And Blessings be upon you, Mother. Thank you for listening to me.”
“My pleasure, Daughter,” Ophida replied. They stepped outside together and walked towards the exit. “I do hope that we will have the pleasure of your company at the next holy festival.”
Lilith’s expression brightened. “Of course, Mother. I wouldn’t miss it. In the meantime, let me know if there is anything that you need before then.”
“I shall,” Ophida assured her.
As Lilith departed, Ophida considered how their session had gone and wondered if the day would ever come when the woman would be allowed to learn what had truly happened to her daughter--and why it had been necessary. Only time would tell.
The priestess turned and went into her private office. There, she secured the door for privacy and sat down at her comscreen. An encrypted message from Dessica was waiting for her.
Met with subject via holo, it read, Requested assistance with Project Merchant Princess. Subject was reluctant to cooperate, but complied. Subject also made the usual inquiry regarding ‘Galenthis.’ Your orders; Monitor subject's loyalty closely and continue to divert interest from Galenthis--Bel Jeanna
Ophida typed in her response. Subject’s loyalty remains intact. Will update on progress as needed --N'Marsi.
Then she sent the message.
The OAE had women like Ophida embedded aboard every major starship, and the Agency considered their jobs to be absolutely vital to the stability of the Sisterhood's naval forces. The success of the Navy's mission utterly depended on the healthy state of its officers’ minds, and on their unwavering loyalty. There were simply too many enemies poised to destroy Womankind to accept anything less.
Sisterhood of Suns: Pallas Athena Page 5