Sisterhood of Suns: Pallas Athena

by Martin Schiller

  ***

  Maya waited on the lawn, eager for Skylaar’s arrival. Thanks to a hangover cure that Zara had slipped her the night before, she felt well rested, and ready to train.

  As always, the Nemesian arrived right on time, with Sarah accompanying her. She had them begin with their usual drills, and then, as had become her custom, she announced the topic of the day’s lesson.

  “Cho-sena,” she said. “Up to this point we have concentrated on the basic fundamentals of hand-to-hand techniques, but Sarah has advised me that you will be going on a mission where other skills might become necessary. So, today we are going to focus on learning to use a common weapon.” With that, she reached into the pleather case that she always brought with her, and produced a needlegun.

  “It is important as a fighter not only to know the fundamentals of body movements, but also how to apply them when a weapon is in their hand. This is one of the most universal weapons in use today.”

  Maya had seen plenty of needleguns, but she had never learned to use one. They were expensive, and thieves like her didn’t need them. Stealth and trickery had always been the tools of her trade.

  “I have asked Sarah to begin our lesson by tutoring you in the basic use and operation of this gun, and then we will work on techniques for disarming an opponent.”

  At a signal from Skylaar, Sarah went back inside for a moment, and returned with a hovertarget floating behind her. It was shaped roughly like a woman, but without arms or legs, and a series of concentric rings were painted on what corresponded to its chest. When she stopped, the hovertarget drifted off to take up a position at the opposite side of the lawn. Then she took the needlegun from Skylaar and addressed Maya.

  “First, you should understand the operating principles behind this weapon. The needlegun uses a system of powerful magnets that propel the needles down the barrel and out towards the target. It is really a small version of the rail-guns that are used on Navy ships and fighters.”

  She pressed a stud on the side of the weapon and released the clip, making sure to show Maya how this mechanism worked.

  “The needle itself can be a simple solid projectile, or it can be ‘smart’ and employ tiny fins to home in on a target and then penetrate and destroy vital organs. Of course, the needles can also carry anything from simple tranquilizers to nerve toxins. There are even explosive versions, and rounds that divide into flechettes. The needles are really quite versatile.’

  “Today I have loaded the weapon with simple dumb rounds, but we will also try some of the smart ones as well. Personally, I like to carry a clip with several dumb rounds and then several smart ones, or explosive rounds, just in case I need to follow up with my shots.”

  With that said, Sarah re-inserted the clip and cocked the weapon. “There are also two sighting modes on this particular weapon, which is a feature that you will not see in most needleguns on the street. You can sight in on your target using the sights, or use your psiever to acquire your point of aim.’

  “Additionally, you can fire at your target with single shots, or in bursts of three. This is also something special to this particular gun. Most needleguns can only fire a single round with each trigger pull.”

  She brought the weapon up in both hands and squeezed off a shot. A sharp sizzling noise and a loud crack issued from the weapon as the round left the barrel at supersonic speed. Maya flinched involuntarily, and when she looked down-range, she saw a soft red glow in the middle of the target’s chest, plainly announcing that Sarah had hit it dead center.

  “I am now sending a signal from my psiever telling the needlegun to switch to the burst fire mode,” Sarah continued. She squeezed the trigger again, and this time, three rounds left the barrel. Once again, her aim was perfect, and Maya suspected that she was using the psiever-aided targeting feature to accomplish this.

  Sarah knew exactly what direction Maya’s thoughts had taken and explained her accuracy. “Just in case you are wondering, Maya, I am not using the psiever to track my point of aim, and it is better to get into the habit of doing without that feature. If something blocks the signal to the gun, or it malfunctions and you don’t know the fundamentals of shooting, you could find yourself in a very precarious situation.’

  “Now, let us address those fundamentals.” She handed the girl the weapon, and proceeded to tutor her.

  By the time that the lesson was over, Maya had managed to do a passable job of hitting the hovertarget (which had turned out to be much harder to accomplish than she had imagined), and then Skylaar took over the class and instructed her in various techniques for disarming an armed opponent. At the end of their session, she made one more announcement.

  “Captain bel Lissa informed me that your mission may require your services as a body-guard. Therefore, the needlegun that we practiced with today is yours to keep, and the Captain will expect you to have it with you at all times during your voyage.’

  “I strongly suggest that you avail yourself of Sarah’s experience in the meantime, and get as much practice as possible with it. She will also provide you with some Psionic Training System feeds to help you build up your skills.”

  Maya bowed solemnly to her teacher. Up to that stage, she hadn’t learned anything more from Bel Lissa or Sarah about their mission. Now, with the presentation of the weapon, she realized that whoever the Captain’s friend was, she was someone very important, and that there was definitely some kind of risk involved, luxury liner or no. The whole thing was starting to feel like something out of an adventure-realie, set against exotic backdrops, and filled with spies and conspiracies.

  But this would not be a simulation, she thought soberly, and she had been with the JUDI long enough now to know that things could get very rough. Hoping that she would never have to use it, Maya pocketed the needlegun and made a point of arranging for the PTS feed with Sarah.

  Dinner that evening was delivered from a local restaurant by an armored delivery vehicle. It was a large Tipandian dish that Maya had never encountered before. Zara had said that it was called a “pizza”, and aside from the fact that the vegetables and the meat on it came from several Sisterhood worlds, it was one of the few dishes that had remained virtually unchanged since its creation on Old Gaia.

  While Maya got used to handling her slice and keeping the thick Zommerlaandar cheese under control, Bel Lissa finally announced the specifics of their upcoming assignment.

  “Maya, I know that you’ve been wondering about our trip, and it’s time to give everyone the details. My friend is Senatrix Layna n’Calysher. You might have heard of her.”

  Maya nearly dropped her pizza. Although she wasn’t given to watching newsfeeds, or paging through holomags, she recognized the name right away. Like many prominent Thermadonians, the Calyshers had retained their family surname instead of using the matronymic, and they had always been at the forefront of Sisterhood politics. And of all the women in their illustrious line, Senatrix Layna n’Calysher was without a doubt, the most powerful and successful. She was the leader of the ruling Galaxa party, and an advisor to the Chairwoman herself.

  She is the Captain’s friend?she thought in amazement.

  Suddenly, Maya began to appreciate Bel Lissa in an entirely new light. There was much more to the ex-Navy smuggler than she had previously imagined. “Yes,” she said at last. “I’ve heard of her.”

  “I thought you might have,” Bel Lissa replied, clearly amused by Maya’s astonishment. “She’s also a very good friend of the OAE, and she’s asked us, and the Agency, for a favor. She’s going to be traveling on the Star of Aphrodite with her daughter on vacation, and she wants us to join her.”

  “But there’s something else that she’s really there for?” Maya ventured. The feeling that she was in a realie had returned in full force.

  “Yes,” Bel Lissa said, taking a drink of her wine. “She’s actually waiting to be contacted by members of a group called the Rampart. We met some of them when we went to Sagana; they’re a coll
ection of worlds that are banding together to defend themselves against the Hriss.”

  “By arming themselves with smuggled weapons?” Maya asked.

  “Exactly. Most women haven’t heard of them or just how heavily they’re arming themselves. Some of them are even suggesting secession from the Sisterhood and negotiating their own treaty with the Hriss.”

  Maya was aghast. “That would mean rebellion!” Despite its flaws, and her own cynicism, she had always unconsciously maintained an image of the Sisterhood as one cohesive body, operating with total solidarity.

  “It will not happen,” Sarah reassured her. “For one, the Navy is going to be coming into the Territory in a significant way, and quite soon. That event will be public, and billed as an effort to inject more security into the area, which it certainly is.’

  “It will also be a bargaining chip for the Senatrix in her negotiations with the Rampart leaders. She is going to be offering them the establishment of a permanent base in the Territory in exchange for them agreeing to disband themselves.’

  “In addition, the faction that wants the separate treaty with the Hriss is small and doesn’t have much influence yet, but another incident like the raid on Persephone could change that, which is why the Navy is stepping things up.’

  “The real danger is their process of self-arming, and the very fact that there are some women who are suggesting secession. That news, if it became known, would be an embarrassment to the current government, and to the Senatrix herself. She is hoping to heal the breach before that can occur.”

  “So why are we getting involved?” Maya asked.

  “The meeting’s going to be secret,” Bel Lissa replied. “Only the Rampart leadership and the Senatrix are aware of it. With any luck, when it’s over, the public will never even know that the Rampart ever existed and life will go on as always. You know, ‘Sisters United’ and all that. Knowing the Senatrix as I do, I think she’ll manage to settle things down, especially if the Rampart sees that the government is serious enough to establish a permanent naval base.”

  Maya reached for her own glass of wine, and took a deep drink. “But?”

  “But, the Senatrix and the Chairwoman have powerful enemies within the Supreme Circle itself,” Sarah said. “If they knew that this meeting was occurring, and there is a chance that they will find out, they would want to prevent it and let the situation get far enough out of hand to force the Chairwoman to resign.’

  “Some of these same women would also like to see the Senatrix dead for reasons that have nothing to do with the Rampart. Add to this equation the fanatics within the Rampart who have a vested interest in preventing any form of settlement, and you have a very volatile situation that depends on complete secrecy and vacuum-tight security to guarantee its success.”

  “And here I thought that being a Senatrix was just a bunch of dull speeches and boring committee meetings,” Maya remarked. “So, her going on vacation is some kind of cover?”

  “Yes, it is,” Sarah said. “Her security people are hoping that no one would suspect her of doing anything clandestine when she is on a holiday cruise with her daughter. That sort of thing just doesn’t fit the usual cloak and dagger mold.” She smiled in amusement at this, and then went on. “With luck, the ruse will work, and her enemies will be caught completely off guard.”

  “What about a group of smugglers hanging around with her?” Maya countered, “Isn’t that just a little bit suspicious?”

  “Not in the least,” Sarah responded. “Like any powerful woman, the Senatrix is known for her varied associations. Assuming that they even manage to identify us as smugglers, and not merely another component of her security detail, anyone who is aware of the weapons being smuggled into Sagana will think that we are representatives of the Sisters of the Coast, trying to bargain with the government before the Navy increases its presence. They may even come to believe that this is the whole point of her trip.”

  Maya saluted the plan with an appreciative toast. “Very cute.”

  “Our basic task,” Bel Lissa said, “will be to help her security staff with their protective details while she’s aboard the liner. As soon as we find out where the meeting is, we get her off the ship, to the meeting, and back aboard before anyone is the wiser. With luck, and the Goddess’ blessings, Senatrix n’Calysher will come home from her vacation with nothing more newsworthy than some gossip about how she was dressed for dinner.’

  “Your job, Maya, will be to safeguard the Senatrix’s daughter, which should be fairly easy work. As for the rest of us, and especially Sarah, we’ll be staying close to the Senatrix, and ready at a moment’s notice to get her aboard the JUDI for the meeting.”

  “So I’m stuck playing babysitter for a spoiled little rich girl?” Maya frowned. The idea of shepherding some brainless little ninny around while she complained about the temperature of her soup, or the way her flowers had been arranged, didn’t sound terribly appealing.

  Bel Lissa nodded affirmatively, and Maya sighed raggedly in resignation. “Well, here’s hoping that she’s not a total bitch.”

  “It could be worse,” Zara offerred. “It’s light duty and I hear the food’s good at the Platinum class tables. Just the same, when you’re not busy powdering the girl’s bottom, keep a sharp eye out and your needlegun handy. Some of the women that hate the Senatrix are pretty nasty and wouldn’t flinch at a chance to hurt the Senatrix through her daughter. I’ve even heard tale that the Bio Action Army has a contract out on both of them. Being on the liner wouldn’t stop their kind one nano. In fact, they’d welcome the publicity that’d create.”

  The Bio Action Army was one of the few real terrorist groups in the Sisterhood. They believed that the Sisterhood had abandoned the principles of the old Bio Movement in favor of conventional terraforming, which they labeled ‘bioimperialism.’

  On several occasions, they had managed to make the headlines by committing sensational acts of violence. The worst had been the notorious Fiveday Evening Attack of 1023.04, when the main magnorail station on Thelta in the Chandi Elant had been attacked with chemical agents. One hundred commuters had lost their lives, and thousands more had been injured.

  Although the Sisterhood had managed to destroy most of their cells following this event, the Bio Action Army was still a force to be reckoned with. Their potential presence sobered Maya, but it also mollified her in a way. Even if she was only to play the role of an armed babysitter, the possibility of real danger, however remote, did manage to make the job seem just a little bit more important and worthwhile.

  “Okay, I’ll do it,” Maya agreed. “And who knows? Maybe while you’re all off playing hovertaxi drivers, I’ll be the one to rescue the beautiful girl from imminent peril. So, when do we start this thrilling, action-packed adventure?”

  Bel Lissa chuckled. “Be up and ready by 03:75,” she answered. “We’ll fly out of the port by 04:16, transit and meet with the liner by 05:20. She should be in the Artemi Elant by then and we’ll catch up with the Aphrodite when she makes port at Chione.”

  CHAPTER 11

  USSNS Pallas Athena, In Space-Dock, Rixa Naval Base, Rixa, Belletrix System, Pantari Elant, United Sisterhood of Suns, 1043.02|16|07:70:06

  As Ophida had agreed, the wedding ceremony for the two crewwomen took place just before the Athena was scheduled to head out on patrol. The event was held in the ship’s Temple, and Lilith and Katrinn atttended. Like everyone else in the room, they were in their dress uniforms, and sat together near the cylindrical altar.

  Katrinn nudged Lilith as the traditional pairing song began to chime and the two brides entered the Temple. “Here they come,” her Second said breathlessly. “Aren’t they beautiful?”

  Lilith looked back over her shoulder at the couple and had to agree. They were positively radiant.

  In keeping with the Selenite faith, they wore matching green gowns, the color of fertility and happiness, which were trimmed with silver in homage to the moon goddess. Their face
s were also veiled, but as they passed by, and walked down the aisle together, Lilith could still see the utter joy on their faces.

  One of them (she thought it was Ensign t’Marria from Stores) was doing her best not to cry and reached up to blot at her eyes as they stepped up to the altar. Their handmaidens, attired in their finest dress uniforms, stopped behind them and took their places to either side.

  Ophida n'Marsi raised her arms in a gesture of benediction. “Sisters,” she declaired, “we are met here today to witness the union of these two women, Ensign Sharala t’Marria and Lieutenant Karol Gretasdaater to be joined together as loving partners in the eyes of the Lady from this day forwards.’

  “Their pairing is like the face of the Lady herself, the moon that once shined upon the planet of our birth. Here and now in this sacred Temple, it is waxing, as the fullness of their love for one another brings them together in a sacred bond. And as they go forth from here, and face life’s challenges, their pairing and their love shall increase in its fullness, outshining everything around them.’

  “In time, as their days grow short, their light shall seem to wane, but their bond will be eternal and follow them as they pass into darkness, only to be renewed again in an eternal binding of two souls, imperishable and undivided. Witness then, the pairing of Sharala and Karol and know the secret of eternal life; it is love that unites and transcends all things, including death itself.”

  An Assistant Priestess stepped forwards and brought forth a small pillow. On it rested the couple’s silver pairing rings, gleaming in the gentle overhead lighting.

  “Sharala,” Ophida asked, “is it your wish to be paired with this woman? To be her partner in all things, both good and ill? To have her for all time as your mate?”