Sisterhood of Suns: Pallas Athena

by Martin Schiller

  G’nar’varkka’s luminous eyes narrowed and he replied in a harsh guttural voice that issued from internal lips set deep inside his mandibles.

  “A portion of a weapon?” he growled, “Miserable egg-layer, do you think me such a fool that I, a fighter almost too noble to even dispatch a creature as lowly as yourself, would accept only part of a sword, or a half a rifle in exchange for whole riches?” His combat claws flexed again, but this time it was with irritation. Even so, he kept a careful distance from the Gun.

  “That I do,” Bel Lissa replied defiantly, placing her hands on her hips and staring up at the creature. “I dare to offer you a portion of a weapon because I know that had I brought you the entire thing, and not had the Gun here with me, that you would have denied me my rightful share of your riches, and taken my breath from me for being so stupid.”

  “You know our ways all too well, egg-layer,” the Hriss admitted slyly. “I would have gladly slain you for fools, even if your lowly blood would have soiled me by its mere touch. I commend you. You think almost like a Hriss. Perhaps there is hope for your pathetic species yet.”

  “We will accept your compliment,” Bel Lissa returned, “and half of what is owed us now. The rest of the weapon will be delivered elsewhere. Even in this dead place, there are too many eyes that might have watched us and could yet interfere. You may name the place, and we will come there, but rest assured, we will be as well prepared as we are now for any treachery.”

  G’nar’varkka gave out his version of a sigh of resignation. “So be it, wretched female. We mighty Warriors will allow you to do this thing for us. You will receive half the credits owed, and we will contact you with the place and time of our next encounter. With luck, you will fail to consider all of the possible dangers, and I will have the pleasure of eating your bones myself.”

  “I issue the same warning to you, oh arrogant one,” Bel Lissa retorted, waving over to Zara and Maya. The two women lifted up the case and brought it over to the Hriss.

  “Open it,” Bel Lissa ordered. “And back away so that a mighty Warrior might look upon its contents without being distracted by mere females.” Maya gritted her teeth at such talk, but did as her Captain had directed.

  Inside the case, packed in foam, was the rear assembly of a military grade anti-ship torpedo. The Hriss purred like a kaatze as he ran one of his long claws over its oily surface. “Yes,” he said. “This is well worth a few paltry credits thrown in the dust for spineless egg-layers to squabble over.”

  He reached into a belt pouch and handed Bel Lissa a shiny plastic credit chit. Bel Lissa in turn produced a small hand terminal from her own belt and inserted the chip. Seeing the amount that it registered, it was her turn to purr with satisfaction.

  “Quite acceptable,” she said.

  With that, G’nar’varkka barked a command into a bracelet he wore on his wrist. A pair of Hriss walked out of the armored car and took possession of the case. When they had disappeared with it back into the belly of their vehicle, the Hriss addressed Bel Lissa once again.

  “Our representatives will contact you soon. Until then, may your swords sheath themselves in the bodies of your victims.”

  “And may you collect the heads of many worthy opponents,” Bel Lissa replied politely. Their business, for the moment at least, was concluded and everyone, human or otherwise, was the richer for it.

  ***

  On their return trip to the city Maya wondered about the transaction that she had just witnessed. During the journey there, and throughout the negotiations, she’d been too nervous to really think about it, but now that the danger was past, she realized that the entire thing had made no sense at all.

  Everyone knew that the Hriss and the Sisterhood were sworn enemies, and had been for centuries. While Captain bel Lissa and her crew were smugglers, Maya found it difficult to accept that they would do business with the Hriss, much less sell them an anti-ship torpedo. Even Moonrunners had some loyalty to their own species, and the Captain and Zara had been proud of their naval service in the last war. For veterans like them to suddenly turn around and hand their mortal enemies a dangerous weapon, simply did not add up.

  As for Sarah, her position on the matter was an unknown quantity, but again, the girl couldn’t reconcile Bel Lissa and Zara’s involvement with her if she favored trading weapons with the Hriss, and they didn’t. Nothing fit with anything else. Which meant only one thing. Something she wasn’t seeing had to be going on, and she decided to find out what that was when they made it back to Ashkele.

  She knew that this was a potentially dangerous gamble to take. Sometimes the woman who asked too many of the right questions wound up dead instead of getting a larger cut of the action, but Maya wasn’t going to stand by and let Sarah or the Captain play her for a fool either. Fools made fewer credits than those in the know, and oftentimes, they took the fall for everyone else. She had to confront them, and gain the upper hand.

  There was one card that was in her favor. Sarah had an investment in her, although Maya still didn’t know how far it went, or what her ultimate objectives were—but if it came to it, she could threaten to cut her ties. It was an edge, however slight

  With her course set, Maya tried to relax and enjoy the ride back.

  Arriving at the Free City at last, Zara returned the Gun to its station in the Square of the Twelve Golden Corpses of Prosperity, and after Bel Lissa had negotiated the rental fee with its Xee masters, drove them back to the house. Once they were inside, Maya decided that this was as good a time as any to make her move.

  “Captain,” she asked, “I have a question.”

  “What is it, Maya?” Bel Lissa replied, taking off her jacket and pouring herself a glass of amber-colored wine.

  “That deal we did back there. Why are you selling the Hriss that torpedo?” Everyone in the room stopped what they were doing and turned to look at her.

  “I think I deserve an explanation if I’m going to be part of this crew,” she insisted.

  “There’s really nothing to explain, Maya,” the Captain answered nonchalantly. “The Hriss want it, and we have it to sell.” She sat down on the couch and took a sip of her wine.

  Maya walked over to the little replica of the Anne Bailey. “I don’t believe you,” she said, indicating it. “No one who did what you did in the Navy would sell them something like that. The same goes for you too, Zara. You’re lying to me.”

  Bel Lissa looked at Zara, and then over to Sarah, who nodded back solemnly. “Inish,” Sarah said, “She’s just as clever as I told you she was. I think we’ll need to resolve this matter, here and now.”

  “Ay-yah,” Zara agreed. “If we don’t do it now Captain, you know that we’ll have to later. If it goes badly, Sarah can always handle things.”

  “I’d rather not,” Sarah replied, “But I will if I need to.”

  Maya felt a chill at these words, but she hid her disquiet. This was the dangerous part, and it was not the time to show any fear, even if if Sarah, with all her talents, knew otherwise.

  Bel Lissa gazed at the model thoughtfully and then put down her glass. “Maya,” she said, “perhaps you would like to sit down to hear what I have to say.”

  “I’ll stand, Captain.”

  “As you please,” Bel Lissa responded. “You’re absolutely right, Maya. Things are not what they seem. Zara and I fought the Hriss in the last war, just like we told you. And we hate them for all the good women that had to lose their lives defending the Sisterhood.”

  “So, your way of paying them back is to give them weapons to kill even more women.” Maya asked mockingly, “I’m supposed to accept that shessdrek?”

  “Of course not,” Sarah interjected. “We do give them weapons, yes, but not ones that work the way they think they will. That torpedo has a line of code hidden in its program that will make it explode harmlessly if it is ever fired at a Sisterhood warship. Our friend, G’nar’varkka doesn’t know that of course.”

  “And
you pulled this little swindle for the… what? The fun of it? The credits?” Maya demanded. It was time to play her card, for better or worse. “There’s still something that none of you are telling me, and if you want me to be a part of this crew, you’d better come out with it. That, or let me go now.”

  “You can leave any time you wish, Maya,” Bel Lissa said. “I’ll even make sure that you get passage back to Thermadon with enough credits to get you by until you can find something else. It’s your choice.”

  For just a moment, Maya was tempted by the offer. Up to that instant, she’d always imagined that she would eventually find a way to get out from under Sarah’s control and go her own way. That her stay with the JUDI was a temporary thing. With the chance dangling enticingly right in front of her, it was hard to resist taking it.

  But if Bel Lissa was willing to pay her off, then there was a very good chance that the secret they were keeping was worth even more. She had to play her game to the end.

  “And if I agree to stay?” she asked.

  “You also agree to keep what I am about to tell you a secret,” Bel Lissa countered. “That’s not negotiable.”

  “What if I don’t keep this little secret of yours?” Maya inquired. “What then?”

  “Then I will do what I must, Maya,” Sarah said quietly. Somehow, and without Maya perceiving it, the woman had moved from where she had been, and was now directly behind her. “I assure you that I will not enjoy it, but I will not hesitate. Please, consider leaving now if you are not certain of yourself.”

  Maya looked over her shoulder, and Sarah stepped back and gestured towards the door.

  “You have the option to leave right now,” the woman told her, “to leave or to stay. You must choose which road you will take, but as the Captain said, if you decide to stay, you must keep your silence.”

  A remark that the Captain had made on her first day at the house came back to her. It had puzzled her when she had heard it, and now, she suspected that it was connected with the JUDI’s secret. Another card suddenly seemed to be in her hands, and she played it.

  “I have a question I want to ask before I decide, Captain,” she said.

  “And that is?”

  “The first time I was here, you said that ‘sometimes you did some good’ being a smuggler. Does this secret of yours have anything to do with that?”

  Bel Lissa took in a deep breath. “Yes, Maya. It has everything to do with it. But I can’t tell you any more unless you agree to keep silent. There’s no going back once you do that.”

  Maya looked at Sarah again. Somehow, and possibly through the agency of her own talents, she could tell that Sarah was ready for the matter to go either way, and desperate for her to make the right decision. There was also death in the woman’s eyes, and Maya had no doubt about what would happen if she chose incorrectly. It was all as clear to her as if Sarah had spoken her feelings aloud.

  But Maya also realized something else simultaneously, something that was wholly unexpected; that Sarah, in her own strange way, actually cared about her. It was an unsettling revelation, and one that she had not been prepared for. She took in a deep breath of her own, shelving this surprising discovery for a later time, and faced Bel Lissa. “I’ll stay,” she agreed. “And I’ll keep my mouth shut.”

  Behind her, Sarah’s relief was almost palpable.

  “I was hoping you would say that,” Bel Lissa said. “And now I think that you really might want to relax and take a seat. Maybe even have a glass of wine?”

  The girl shook her head and sat down on the couch. “The wine can wait, Captain. I have the feeling what you’re about to tell me should be heard with a clear head.”

  “Well, if she won’t get a glass, I sure as fek will,” Zara interjected. “Sarah? How about you? You look like you could use a drop or two yourself.”

  “Yes, please,” Sarah said, finally removing her cloak. “Or something a bit stronger if you have it.”

  While the women got their drinks, Maya waited patiently, never taking her eyes off of Captain bel Lissa. When Zara and Sarah had taken their places, she nodded to the woman. “I’m ready now,” she said.

  “It goes back to the end of the last war, Maya,” Bel Lissa began. “Zara and I had just reached the end of our enlistment when we were approached and given the option of continuing our service, but in a different way. A similar offer was made to Sarah, and we all found ourselves working together aboard the JUDI.”

  “How so?” Maya asked.

  “You already know that the JUDI is not a normal ship,” Bel Lissa replied. “Everyone knows that. She’s a lot more than a moonrunner, though. We do smuggle, but not for the same reasons that others do. The credits aren’t what’s important to us.”

  “And what is? “

  “Service, Maya,” Bel Lissa answered. “We served the Sisterhood in the Navy, and we fought to protect it, and girls like you, from enemies like the Hriss.’

  “At the end of the last war, we learned that another war had started. It was a different war, not like the one we’d been through at all. It was a war that was fought in the shadows, and not just with the Hriss either. That war is still going on, and it’s just as deadly as the other one was. If we loose it, we’ll all be just as dead.”

  “We can’t allow that, Maya,” Zara interjected. “We fought too hard to let that happen. That’s why, when our time was up with the Navy, we signed up.”

  “They needed us,” Bel Lissa explained, “They needed our experience and our loyalty. The women we work for, they’re the ones that give the JUDI her orders, and I’m proud to say that our little ship does more for the Sisterhood than any battle cruiser ever could.”

  “So, you’re spies then,” Maya concluded, suddenly feeling like she was in the middle of an adventure-realie.

  “Yes,” Sarah admitted. “In a manner of speaking, we are at that.”

  “And you were in the Navy, too?” Maya asked her. Sarah had never struck her as the military type, her martial arts skills notwithstanding.

  “I was,” Sarah nodded. “I joined the Navy when I wasn’t much older than you, and I was posted aboard a starship as a psi. Then, after a few years, I was invited to join Naval Intelligence.’

  “I accepted the opportunity, and transferred. After I had been with the DNI for a while, the same group that had enlisted the Captain and Zara approached me.’

  “They asked me to serve the Sisterhood in ways that no woman in the Navy ever could have. I thought over their offer very carefully and in the end, I made my choice and did what we are asking you to do here tonight, Maya; I joined and I kept my silence.”

  “So, who is this mysterious group that you all work for?” Maya asked.

  “This is where the conversation becomes perilous,” Sarah warned. “And it is also where your silence will guarantee you a long and happy future.”

  Maya spread her arms wide. “Well,” she said, “here I sit. As silent as space.”

  Bel Lissa was the one who finally answered her question, “We work for the OAE, Maya. The Agency for External Affairs.”

  It took a moment for her words to sink in, and when they did, Maya burst out laughing. “The OAE? The Diplomats?”

  The OAE was the very last name she had expected to hear. Telling her that they worked for the Star Scouts would have been more plausible.

  “Oh, the OAE are diplomats,” Sarah assured her. “Some of them are, at least, and that’s just what they want all the good little girls to think when they tuck themselves in at night, but it is not what they really are. Not what we are.’

  “The Agency has a much bigger job than just trading niceties with alien governments. Its real job, our job, is to gather information, assess threats, and deal decisively with them before they can become serious problems.’

  “It’s a hostile universe, Maya, but I don’t have to tell you that. The Sisterhood faces threats to its existence every day, from many quarters, and from forces that most women never hear ab
out, and because of us, never will.’

  “Some of our enemies are obvious and external, like the Hriss, and others less so. Some of them even come from within the Sisterhood itself. It is our mission, and the mission of the JUDI, to help make sure that these enemies, whoever they are and wherever they are, are defeated and destroyed before they can do the same to our nation.”

  “I feel like I should be hearing Sisters United playing in the background while I stand up to salute,” Maya commented sarcastically.

  “Where I you,” Sarah rejoined, “I might say the same thing. After all, what has the Sisterhood ever done for you? Nothing. I, for one, don’t expect you to be a part of what we do out of something as anemic as mere patriotism.’

  “I would however venture that the chance for profit, and adventure, might just appeal to you. That, and the little fact that whatever you do, as long as it is done in the Agency’s service, is perfectly legal.”

  “Now that does have a nice ring to it,” Maya agreed. “All right, I’m in. But just so long as no one calls me little miss-goody-do-right.”

  Sarah smiled broadly and raised her glass in a toast. “On behalf of the Agency, I can assure you, with great certainty, that no one will ever call you that. Welcome to the OAE.”

  ***

  That night, after Maya had gone to bed, Sarah and Bel Lissa finished the last of the wine together.

  “I want to thank you,” Sarah said, “and to apologize. I know that you don’t care for play-acting, but it really was necessary. Maya would never have agreed otherwise.”

  “Don’t mention it,” Bel Lissa replied. “You were absolutely right. I know that I had my doubts about taking her along for the meeting with the Hriss, but she saw it exactly the way you said she would, and angled for a deal just like you predicted. I would have preferred that she had joined up with the Agency out of a sense of patriotism, however.”

  “As I pointed out, that is not what appeals to a girl like Maya,” Sarah returned. “She’s been on her own for a long time, and doesn’t deal in abstractions like that.”