Sisterhood of Suns: Pallas Athena

by Martin Schiller

  A first contact gone wrong, she wondered? It was certainly possible, and this added another layer of responsibility to her shoulders. Now, the battle group would need to gather enough information for the SVER to conduct a follow up, or to provide them with the justification to avoid the area all together.

  “Helm.” Lilith said, “Take us in for a closer look. Full stealth mode, and launch probes as we finish the transit.”

  The battle group went into Null, and when they came out again, they were at the very limits of the little star system. A group of probes were launched immediately.

  Once they arrived at their destinations, the spy devices went to work and began sending their data back to their mother ships. What they reported was surprising. There was a group of anti-ship missile batteries in orbit around the second world, but they were not Hriss devices.

  “Well,” Katrinn remarked. “I haven’t seen anything like those things since the Academy history classes. They look like pre-plague GSF equipment.”

  “Indeed,” Lilith agreed. The batteries were at least two hundred years out of date. And while they posed a formidable threat to a careless exploratory ship, they were no match for the battle group.

  Meanwhile, more data was coming in. The probes had spotted multiple buildings on the surface of the planet, surrounded by cultivated fields. There was, in fact, a small town, and near it was a com array. Like the anti-ship batteries, this too was an antique.

  Seeing all this, Lilith ordered the probes to make a cautious descent into the atmosphere. When they were at 39,000 meters, the machines discharged a cluster of microbots.

  The tiny machines descended and over-flew the settlement. The pictures that they sent back depicted a well-ordered community, complete with rows of trees and open green areas that had to be for common gatherings. But the most surprising images of all were of the inhabitants themselves. They were clearly human, and they were moving about their business as if they were completely unaware of the surveillance taking place.

  Lilith sat forwards in her chair and steepled her fingers, considering this development. Then she turned to face the Ship’s Advocate, who had come up from her office with Mearinn d’Rann to watch the proceedings.

  “Now I am definitely interested, Advocate. It seems that we have some kind of human colony down there. If I’m not mistaken, they appear to be a mixture of… what are those? Neomen and women? There are even children running about! At a guess, I’d say that this is some kind of renegade Marionite colony.”

  “If that’s so,” Katrinn offerred, “then they are still technically part of the Sisterhood, and should have applied for permits to colonize. We’d know about them.”

  “Which a few minutes ago, we did not,” Lilith observed. “We also have the matter of the Atalanta to consider. Those batteries might only be for self-defense, but I’d wager that they were responsible for its destruction. If the explosives in their warheads match what we read off that debris, they’ll have to answer for that.’

  No one disagreed.

  “I also believe that we have an obligation to inspect the colony,” Lilith continued, ”and make certain that they are in compliance with at least some of the Colonial Laws.” She looked over at the Advocate, who nodded her agreement.

  “There’s only one thing about all this that bothers me,” Katrinn said. “It’s the level of their technology. You’d think that even a renegade colony would still want to enjoy some of the benefits of the modern universe.”

  “That’s where history might provide us with an explanation,” Mearinn d’Rann interjected. “I would urge you all to recall the example of the Returnals, and the clan-based society that they established on Nemesis. By rejecting most of modern technology, they had hoped to return humankind to a more ‘perfect’ state of existence by adopting an aboriginal lifestyle. You might also recall that on Old Gaia, there were religious communities in the North American continent who forswore anything that post-dated the 19th century.”

  “The Amish,” Katrinn responded.

  “Precisely,” Mearinn replied. “And these groups maintained their antiquated lifestyle right up to the MARS epidemic. Perhaps this is a similar situation.”

  “I’ve never heard of the Marionites taking things quite this far,” Lilith countered. “Unless this is some break-away sect that we don’t know about. And it still doesn’t explain the warp signatures that we detected. Even if these people are not accepting supplies from an outside source, someone has been visiting them who is just as old fashioned, and I’d like to know who they are.”

  “I can’t disagree with you, Commander,” Mearinn conceded. “There are some anomalies here that tend to weaken my theory considerably.”

  Lilith smiled at this admission. Mearinn was an excellent teacher, and it had always been difficult to contradict her arguments.

  “We’ll know one way or the other soon enough,” she said. “Helmsmistress, take us in, and stand ready to jam those batteries. They might be out of date, but I don’t fancy any trouble from them.”

  The battle group began to move and the probes continued to send back information. What they reported next changed the entire situation dramatically. A more detailed scan of the settlement picked up psiever signals. These matched the identities of the crewmembers of the lost Atalanta exactly. Despite the odds, the women were still alive.

  Lilith ordered up a holomap of the settlement and summoned Col. Lislsdaater to the bridge.

  “Colonel,” she said when the woman arrived, “when we get within range I want you to send a Marauder team down to the surface. Their primary mission will be to conduct a rescue operation of the Atalanta’s crew. Once those women have been safely secured, we’ll send down a security detachment, and sort all of this out with the colony leaders.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” the officer replied. “It will be my pleasure.”

  “Yes. I’m sure that it will be,” Lilith agreed dryly. “I have one other stipulation, Colonel. Because this is a Marionite colony, I want you to include the neoman in your team. He might prove to be a valuable asset.”

  Lislsdaater started to object, but stopped herself. As much as she disliked the idea, her superior’s logic was unarguable. “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Thank you, Colonel,” Lilith said. She faced her senior officers. “Now, ladies, let’s get on with this.”

  USSMC Training Facility, 75th Training Battalion, Hella’s World, Hecate System, Artemi Elant, United Sisterhood of Suns, 1043.02|29|05:41:88

  “Good afternoon, ladies,” Troop Leader n’Teri said as she walked across the training mat. “Today we will work on some more of our hand-to-hand combat skills.”

  The diminutive blond snapped her fingers and Hvaarka entered the gym, accompanied by his usual armed escort. N’Teri spoke with him briefly in Hriss'ka and then turned back to address the class.

  “As you can see, Hvaarka has returned to assist us in our lessons. Hopefully, you’ve had the chance to practice some of the moves we’ve been working on, because today I want to see some successful matches between you and him.”

  “Oh, goddess,” Bel Anny whispered, “and here it looked like things were going so well.”

  “We’ll see,” Kaly replied, her eyes narrowing as she met the creature’s pitiless gaze. “He can’t always win.”

  “Yeah” Bel Anny agreed facetiously. “We’ll compare notes in medbay.”

  N’Teri called up the first recruit, Bel Haariet. The woman took her place on the mat, but Kaly could almost smell her uncertainty and her fear. Unsurprisingly, the Hriss made short work of her.

  “Confidence,” n’Teri said as Bel Haariet was helped over to a bench to recover. “Be confident in what you know and work with that. Your opponent will always try to undermine what you know about yourself and use this to your disadvantage. Recruit n’Deena, you seem to be eager to engage our guest. Have at it.”

  Kaly walked out onto the mat and faced Hvaarka, who greeted her with a low growl.

&nbs
p; You won’t psych me out, you fek! she thought, meeting his stare squarely. She was determined not to let the creature unsettle her.

  Abruptly, Hvaarka charged at her with a hideous roar. It should have frightened her, but instead, she called on the phrase she’d heard in bayonet drill; “Remember what we are fighting for!” With a snarl of her own, Kaly stood her ground, and waited for Hvaarka to close the distance between them.

  The Hriss struck at her and Kaly attempted to block him, but he surprised her with a backhanded blow to her face. The girl fell backwards with the impact, but as she hit the mat, she went with her momentum and managed to roll out and regain her footing.

  Hvaarka attacked again, attempting to sweep her legs out from under her, but Kaly had the advantage of speed, and danced back and away from his feet. The Hriss responded by lunging forwards, his arms spread wide to engulf her.

  Kaly saw her chance and struck the creature in the face with her palm, putting all of her body weight into the blow. The Hriss stumbled backwards, stunned and clearly surprised by this turn of events.

  She immediately pressed her advantage with a solid kick to his midsection and Hvaarka doubled over. When he rose, he bared his fighting claws. There was a collective gasp in the gym, and the military policewomen started to draw their side arms, but n’Teri stayed them.

  The enraged Hriss charged at Kaly, intent on eviscerating her, but slashed at thin air as she stepped sideways and away from him. He kept at her, trying to reach her with his claws, but she moved away from them, and when an opening occurred, she dove into another roll.

  This time she came up behind him. With all the power she had in her, she spun into a hammer blow to the back of Hvaarka’s skull, the only place where she knew that the bone turned into soft cartilage. The effect was instantaneous and dramatic; the creature flopped forwards, completely unconscious.

  “Stop exercise!” N’Teri shouted. Kaly stepped back to let the MP’s and the DI examine the creature, and then a Medic joined them. The woman scanned the Hriss, and administered something to him in a hypo that brought him back to awareness.

  As the military policewomen got him to his feet, it was obvious that he was in no shape for any further matches that day.

  “Well,” N’Teri commented as she watched them lead Hvaarka away. “We seem to have concluded our lesson rather abruptly. Well done, N’Deena. Very well done.”

  ***

  Platoon Carli got a break from PT that afternoon and attended another class instead. This time the lecture was on the Marine uniform. Kaly thought it was rather silly that an entire class was devoted to the subject, but she did her best to appear interested, and awake.

  Their instructor turned out to be none other than Troop Leader n’Teri. The DI had changed out of her sweats and entered the classroom dressed in her Class ‘A’ uniform; a bright red tunic encrusted with service ribbons, and black pants with a single white stripe running down each leg. Kaly was so accustomed to seeing her in dull grey fatigues, that it took her a moment to recognize the DI.

  N’Teri took up a position in front of the seated recruits and smiled at them. “Back on Old Gaia,” she began, “one of the proudest moments that a Marine had was when they were issued their Class ‘A’ uniform. Even though the uniform has changed over the centuries, the pride remains. It is, for everyone who sees it, the very embodiment of the mission of the Corps, and its history, and those who are privileged to wear it are the guardians of that sacred obligation.”

  “If you pass basic, you will have the honor of wearing this uniform, and the honor of representing the Corps. It will be your responsibility to see to it that dishonor is never brought to it by your actions, or inactions. Now, let’s discuss its symbolism. Can anyone tell me what my red tunic stands for?”

  Hana n’Keera raised her hand. At the beginning of Basic, she had been one of the troublemakers, but lately, she had distanced herself from Bel Jeera and the others, and started to come around. “Ma’am, the red in your tunic represents the blood shed in defense of the Sisterhood, ma’am.”

  “And?”

  “Ma’am, this recruit does not know, ma’am,” N’Keera admitted.

  “Well, it looks like someone will need to spend some more time with their Grey Book.” N’Teri remarked dryly. “You are partly correct: red does stand for the sacrifices that we’ve made, but it also stands for the sacrifice that we are prepared to make. Our mission never ends. Anyone care to venture an idea about the black in my collar and pants?”

  Lena n’Gari volunteered. “Ma’am, the black symbolizes both space and the soil of all the planets in the Sisterhood, ma’am.”

  “Very good!” N’Teri said. “And the white in my piping and in the stripe on my pant legs?”

  “Ma’am, the white stands for our honor and the purity of our mission, ma’am,” N’Gari supplied.

  “Well done, hatchie,” N’Teri said. “Now, does anyone here remember the meaning behind the insignia on my collar?”

  Kaly responded. “Ma’am, the sun, the sword and the starship represent the suns of the Sisterhood worlds, the sword of our unwavering defense, and the starship, our mobility.”

  “Perfect. Just as if Senior Troop Leader sa’Tela had recited it,” N’Teri said with an approving smile. “But what do all these symbols mean together? How can we sum it all up?”

  The class remained silent, so she supplied the answer. “We can bring it all together in the Marine Motto: ‘Sorele, Sacrif, Oneur,’ Sisterhood, Sacrifice, Honor. If we understand these basic principles, we are a long ways towards becoming Marines.”

  “What about ‘Sisterhood’? What does that mean?” N’Teri asked them. “Anyone? N’Gari, care to give it a try?”

  “Sisterhood means…our fellow women and the nation,” N’Gari replied.

  “Partly correct, hatchie. What else does it mean? N’Keera?”

  N’Keera thought about this for a moment, and then answered with some hesitation. “The Corps?”

  “Yes!” N’Teri exclaimed. “It also means our sister Marines. Not bad, N’Keera, even if you were guessing. Ladies, for us sisterhood is not just a word. It’s a commitment.’

  “All right, who would like to tell me what we mean by ‘Sacrifice’? And don’t let me hear you repeating what I said earlier. I want your own thoughts.” N’Teri looked around the room, and then pointed at Enggredsdaater. “You, what does it mean?”

  “Ma’am, zat means zat ve are villing to give up anything for za Sisterhood,” the Zommerlaandar replied.

  “Yes it does, including our lives,” N’Teri nodded. “And now, what about ‘Honor’? What is Honor? N’Deena, any ideas?”

  “Honor is…” Kaly began. Then she realized that she’d never really thought about what honor was exactly. “Ma’am, this recruit is not certain,” she finally said, “but I think that Honor is doing what’s right and sticking to it no matter what.”

  N’Teri grinned. “Well put, hatchie. Honor is following a code of right conduct, even when everyone else around you doesn’t. Honor is not just something you follow when someone is watching you.’

  “‘And Honor’ is also something that you defend. The Corps represents ‘Honor’ and as a Marine, you are the Corps, therefore if you fail to uphold your ‘Honor’, you have failed the Corps, and your sister Marines.’

  “Now as we move forwards in our training, I want you to think about what we’ve discussed here today. I want each of you, from here onwards, whenever you do anything, to think about the Marine motto and how you can apply it to the situation.’

  “It’s not just a pretty phrase for a branch of the armed services any more than a Marine is just a soldier. It is a way of life, and as Marines, it will be your way of life. It will stay with you for the rest of your days, and because of that, you will always be Marines, even after you leave the service. Thank you for your attention, ladies. You are dismissed.”

  USSMC Training Facility, 75th Training Battalion, Hella’s World, Hecate System, A
rtemi Elant, United Sisterhood of Suns, 1043.02|30|03:65:65

  The fifth week of Basic began and Platoon Carli received something rare for Hella’s World; a pleasant surprise. After they’d completed their usual morning PT and parade drills, Senior Troop Leader sa’Tela informed them that they would be able to visit the base PX and shop. There were restrictions, of course. Nothing considered contraband was allowed to return with them, especially when it came to foodstuffs, but otherwise the Senior DI let them know that they were free to spend the credits that they’d earned up to that point.

  The very nanosecond that they were dismissed, Kaly, Lena, Enggredsdaater and Bel Anny made right for it. Compared to the famous PX on Rixa, the one on Hella’s World was small and stocked mostly essentials, but after the spartan austerity of Basic, everything inside the building seemed like an exotic luxury to the recruits.

  Although the Corps issued personal hygiene kits, the very first items the women selected were their civilian counterparts. Like her companions, Kaly had taken for granted the easy availability of such items until she’d reached Basic, and she grabbed them up eagerly, not worrying herself overmuch at their prices. The simple prospect of feeling and smelling human again was a pleasure that she was not about to deny herself.

  After that, it was on to the racks of holomags. There was a brief debate among the group over whether these would be considered contraband, but Bel Anny quickly settled the matter.

  “So long as we only view them on our off time and not after lights out, they’ll have to let us keep them,” she explained. That was all the encouragement that any of them needed, and they snatched up whatever caught their eye.

  Kaly herself had never been much of a fan of the popular holomags, and had always considered their content to be rather inane, and a waste of time. But that was before she had entered the world of the hatchie and experienced the complete media blackout that had accompanied it. In a complete turn-around, she wound up choosing Glitterati a ‘mag that featured gossipy stories of Thermadon’s rich and famous and even worse, Secret Desires, which offered up a series of short romance stories set in improbable, but strangely engaging settings. She might have felt a little stupid for selecting them, had her companions not gone right ahead and grabbed up material that was even more mawkish than this.