by Andrew Beery
Sergeant First Class Jeremy James Hammond awoke ten minutes later. There was a dead corporal laying on top of him. His own legs were crushed and he was pretty sure he had a few broken ribs. Somehow in one of life’s strange ironies the corporal had managed to shield JJ from the bulk of the blast. JJ began to swear like a sailor on liberty.
***
Four hours after the battle for Bashar had begun it was over. The Ashtoreth battlecruisers had quickly learned they were no match for the Heshe-enhanced Yorktown-class GCP starships… much less the mobile marine base, WhimPy-101. The four targets on the Basharite home world had been neutralized and the intelligence team was even now working through the data that had been collected. Sadly the Administrative center that was the last of the major targets to be approached had detonated a small fusion bomb that vaporized the complex. Cat had no idea if the personnel that had worked there had been evacuated or killed in the blast. Either way, they were not available for interrogation by Cat’s forces.
Four hours was not a long time to conquer a world but Cat knew that the victory was not representative of the battles to come. The enemy had not been expecting an attack and was woefully unprepared for it. It was unlikely that their success would be as easily duplicated at their next major target.
Cat walked into the medical center. Commander Stone was scheduled to be decanted in the next few minutes. She wanted to be there to discuss the situation on the ground. The only survivor of the Depot engagement was Sergeant Hammond and he was in no position to discuss the situation rationally.
The medical center was bustling. It was clear that the dynamics of being a marine had changed. Cat was not sure how she felt about that. Marines were risk-takers. That was part of their DNA. But up until the Infinity Brigade marines strove to win and survive. Now it seemed as if they were willing to push things just a little bit harder to win… without the emphasis on survival. Cat’s concern was that in routinely cheating death, the average marine might learn to devalue life. How that might play out in their dealings with ‘mere mortals’ was a cause for justifiable concern.
Chapter 10: Murray Bay…
Tannaka the Basharite had not felt this good in years. The medical technology the Earth humans had brought to his world would quite literally change lives. Medical nanites swam in his blood. They repaired tissue and removed accumulated wastes. Endocrine systems that had long under produced critical hormones were now functioning at near optimal levels. Chronic pains in his knees and feet were simply gone. As impressive as these accomplishments were… that fact that they were being made available to all his people was the greater boon.
Admiral Kimbridge and her Yorktown taskforce had been in the Basharite system for less than a week and yet it already seemed like their world had been reinvented.
The Ashtoreth presence had been eliminated aside from a single internment camp that had been setup outside the spaceport. The camp was surrounded by automated laser turrets and an electrified fence. The fortifications were not so much to keep the Ashtoreths in as to keep the Basharites out.
Resentment ran high among the Basharites. The fact that genetic manipulation had been used to limit fertility amount his people and that the damage was permanent was an especially bitter pill to swallow. Only the intervention of the Yorktown taskforce made a future possible.
Over the last several days, Admiral Kimbridge’s people had established several medical centers. In addition to providing basic medical care, including nanites, for Tannaka’s people, they also provided access to specifically tailored probiotics designed to address the Ashtoreth induced genetic fertility defect.
The medical centers were but the tip of the iceberg. Soldiers from Marine City were busy transporting and setting up fabrication centers that would insure Tannaka’s people had the tools they needed to flourish. Perhaps the greatest gifts were the training centers.
One of the ways the Ashtoreth had dominated his people was by limiting what they were allowed to learn. The fact that Tannaka was able to read and write was an exception brought about by greed rather than anything else.
The training centers took advantage of the very technology that the Ashtoreth had developed to enslave humanity. This time, in a reversal, the technology would be used to ensure his people remained free. The Basharite were of human stock and as a result a Basharite adult could learn engineering and medicine via a simple engram transfer. Already Tannaka and several others had received training in various human sciences and engineering disciplines. The training would allow the Basharites to fully exploit the advanced technology the Yorktown taskforce was putting in place around the planet. If and when the Ashtoreth came back to this world they would find it a very different place.
The sound of an approaching GCP shuttle filled the air. It was a noise that had become common near the spaceport. Tannaka looked up and saw the beautiful little craft glide towards a soft landing on the tarmac. If he had to guess he would bet Admiral Kimbridge was on that shuttle.
He was on his way to a meeting between the newly elected Council of Elders and representatives of the Infinity Brigade. He and Admiral Kimbridge had spent quite a bit of time over the last several days talking about the future. That, in and of itself, demonstrated to Tannaka that his people were not switching from one master for another.
***
The door to the shuttle pulled into a recessed space in the hull of the little ship. At the same time, a short ramp automatically descended to the cement tarmac. Cat stepped out into the cooling evening air of Bashar’s northern continent.
Other than the slightly different color to the sunlight, this could have been any place in Europe or North America. There was a slight burnt smell to the air but Cat suspected that was a result of the fighting that had taken place a week earlier rather than an indigenous odor. Many of the plants looked earth-like and Cat suspected they were descendants of the original colony’s seed stock.
The engineers from Marine City had done a good job repairing the major damage to the spaceport facility. There were still places where signs of the prior conflict remained but by-in-large the signs of the struggle were gone.
“Amazing what a week can do for a place,” AG said from behind her. Admiral Bud Faragon and Cat’s executive officer, Commander Ben First, where the other occupants of the shuttle. Admiral Faragon had just joined their group the day before via a transport from the Hupenstanii home world. Admiral Melbourne had stayed behind to finish in the recovery efforts for that planet.
Cat scanned the repairs as well as some of the new construction taking place.
“It is amazing what a week can do Commander,” Cat agreed. “But some of the damage will take years to heal and I’m not talking about the physical damage to infrastructure.”
Admiral Bud Faragon and Ben brought up the rear. “I’m afraid the physiological damage will be something that the Basharites will be dealing with for generations,” Bud acknowledged. “But that said, I’m encouraged by what I’ve seen so far.”
“I agree,” Cat said as she led the group towards the newest of the buildings.
It had an attractive glass enclosed entrance with additional rooms located behind the open foyer. It was a facility that served as an administrative and operations center for the nascent Basharite nation. It had been one of the first things built by the nanite fabricators. Initially it had served as a location for medical triage but once the first of several dedicated medical facilities had been built near the various population centers the building was turned over to the Basharite leaders.
The building had its own liquid fluoride thorium reactor that produced enough energy to supply a small city. A number of these types of power generation systems were being deployed across the planet. Thorium salt reactors were inherently safe and given the abundance of Thorium it was a logical choice for supplying the Basharite’s energy needs. This was especially important because the existing Ashtoreth power systems were either destroyed in the fighting or being shut down becaus
e they were unsafe.
The building they were approaching was one of the few buildings on the spaceport built by and for humans. Cat suspected the remaining structures that had been built by the Ashtoreth would be torn down and replaced in short order. The Basharites seemed intent on erasing the Ashtoreth presence as fast as they could.
The building itself was designed to be expanded. Cat knew that several expansion modules had already been added and several more were planned.
They were met at the door by an old friend. Tannaka was a living testimony to modern medicine. He was a man in his nineties. Less than a week ago he had almost died of a myocardial infarction. Today he was like a man reborn. Medical nanites had cleaned way the plaque building up in his arteries. Cardiac tissue had been regenerated. In point of fact, he looked to be a man twenty years younger than he was.
“Admiral Kimbridge, it is a great pleasure to see you,” the older man said as he reached out a hand to shake hers.
“The pleasure is mine Elder Tannaka,” Cat said with a genuine smile. “I trust you continue to feel better after your ordeal?”
Tannaka returned Cat’s smile. “I am quite literally… a new man. You and your people have been a God-sent gift.”
Cat smiled again and then looked past Tannaka. She saw several of the other elected members of the council towards the rear of the building near the offices and conference rooms.
“Are the others here yet?”
Tannaka shook his head. “Some are… some may yet be coming. I’m unsure. I just arrived myself when I saw your shuttle landing. Shall we head to the conference room and see?”
The conference room looked like it might have been cut out and transported to the spaceport from its normal location on the GCP Yorktown. The nanite fabricators had cloned the Yorktown’s main conference room and included all the normal amenities. The only major difference that Cat could see were the size of the chairs. Basharites, although of human stock, were as a people taller and heavier than the terrain human norm. The seats in the room reflected that difference.
As it turned out the entire council was already present. Cat made a point of greeting each one by name. Her Heshe encounter unit’s AI helped immensely with this task as the names of the various councilors were difficult to master. The French and Chinese had nothing on the Basharites when it came to subtle nuances in pronunciation.
Tannaka as the senior-most member of the council gaveled the meeting into order. He opened the session using one of the few traditions that had survived the Basharite encounter with the Ashtoreth.
“Friends, welcome. May all that is said here today reflect the honest thoughts of our hearts and may none judge another for that honesty. Let us remember the words of the great founder Kepmurray Bay… ‘People of good intent can disagree and still be people of good intent.’ Let us remember those fine words as we deliberate our future here today.”
Cat looked at Admiral Faragon and whispered, “Well that answers that question.”
Seeing her whisper Tannaka offered her the floor. “Does Admiral Kimbridge wish to address the council?”
Cat stood. “I would Chief Elder.” She turned to face the dozen men and women seated about the table. She instructed her internal AI to upload a three dimensional image to the holographic display built into the table. Immediately a ship floated above its surface.
“I believe I finally understand the origins of your people,” Cat said. She had a twinkle in her eye. “I’ve got to admit that you have been a mystery to us. Genetic tests show that some of your people are distant relatives of members of the crew of the USC Edmund Fitzgerald. The Fitz was a deep space colony ship launched as part of an expedition from Earth a little over four hundred and fifty years ago. The expedition disappeared with no apparent survivors about five years into its mission… that is until we located their descendants by accident about a year ago.”
A beautiful, if lanky, woman named Nstra Durn, tapped the table to interject a question. Cat nodded to her. “Is it your contention that our ancestors were from this ‘Edmond Fitzgerald’?”
“No Elder Durn. The tests we have been able to run so far on your people have shown only a very small correlation between the Basharites and the crew of the Fitz. Elder Tannaka however has offered a clue.
“This ship,” Cat pointed towards the floating holographic image, “was the biggest and fastest of her day. She was named after another ship that was the biggest and fastest of her day… the SS Edmund Fitzgerald which sailed one of the great lakes on Earth. Now what makes this story interesting is that both ships had sister ships that sailed at about the same time. Those ships were called the SS Murray Bay and the USC Murray Bay… and the second was also part of the Fitzgerald’s expedition. The captain of the Murray Bay was Rachael Stevens, the sister of Edward Stevens who served as the First Officer on the USC Edmund Fitzgerald.”
Tannaka looked at her with a quizzical expression. “Captain Rachael Stevens of the Murray Bay… Captain Murray Bay… Kepmurray Bay. You think it is the crew and passengers of the Murray Bay from whom we are descended?”
“I would almost guarantee it,” Cat answered. “We rescued Edward Stevens Junior last year. His DNA is the closest match we have found to Manu Yreeb. We could reconcile this with what we know of the history of the Fitz. But the ultimate fate of the Murray Bay remained a mystery until now.”
Nstra Durn shook her head. “There are still so many questions to be answered. You say this expedition left four hundred and fifty Earth years ago. Our people have been on this world for hundreds of years. How is it possible for a generation ship with sub-light engines to travel the tens of thousands of light years to get here?”
Commander Ben spoke up. “We have encountered a race of historians that apparently like to tamper with the timeline as well as record it. They are called the Agur and they were directly responsible for what happened to the Fitzgerald. My guess is they played a role in your mystery as well.”
“The point is, we may never know the full extent of what happened,” Cat said, “But it seems fair to say you are the children of the Murray Bay.”
Elder Tannaka stood up again as Cat sat down. He adjusted a few controls and the holographic image of the USC Edmund Fitzgerald was replaced by a desolate city.
“There are dozens of abandoned cities like this across the globe. They contain the forgotten memories of our people. Perhaps in one of them we will find the answers to our origins.” Tannaka looked around the table catching each person’s eyes for just a second.
“The reality is that there are only about one hundred thousand of us left on this world. Any of these cities could house each and every one of us. We will be generations recovering what has been lost. The question we must ask ourselves is should we? Or should we chart a new course?”
Samder Cull, the second oldest man in the room and the only other representative of the Old Ones, stood slowly and leaned forward to peer at the holographic city.
“This place was my home. I lived there as a boy. My friends and family died there. I have no desire to revisit that death. The Creator has blessed us with a rebirth. I say we become a new thing. Let the old things be preserved so that we can remember what we once were… but let our future be defined by what we chose to do now… not by what we were.” He waved a hand at the ruined city dismissively.
“I have to disagree,” Nstra Durn said politely. “A peoples past often defines them. These cities are as much a part of our past as the hated Ashtoreth. What we are today is a meld of the two. We are neither slave nor free men. We are a people under the threat of continued enslavement. We must chose to remain free… or to accept the eventuality that the Ashtoreth will return… and return in force.”
“What are you proposing Nstra?” Tannaka asked.
“Simply this… we have an ally who is strong,” she nodded towards Cat, “but short of manpower and resources. We have resources and manpower. I say we help each other against a common threat.”
&nb
sp; Chapter 11: Camp Purejoy…
Tannaka struck the gavel to close the meeting. It had been productive beyond his wildest hopes. The Council of Elders had formalized a relationship with Admiral Kimbridge and her Infinity Brigade Marines.
Marine City would remain in near permanent orbit around Bashar for, at least, the next six to eight months. In the event the massive battle station needed to move out of the system temporarily then, at least, two Yorktown class starships would remain on station protecting the planet.
Teams of engineers and support personnel from each of the four starships stationed at Marine City would begin the task of updating and replacing the planet’s infrastructure with human compatible technology. Four fusion reactors and countless smaller liquid thorium reactors would be installed at every major population center. The starships would create the small items themselves but the more massive fusion reactors would be fabricated using the much larger facilities at Marine City.
Two separate medical centers, one at the spaceport and one at the capital city which was named New Hope, would be built and staffed by Basharite engineers and medical personnel. All four starships and both medical centers would double as temporary engram transplant centers.
It was estimated that between the six facilities they could process about one hundred people a day. That was one hundred engineers, doctors, skilled technicians and administrators each and every day. As the number of skilled individuals increased, the pace of the transformation would increase. Basharites hoping to join the Infinity Brigade Marines would receive their training engrams from a seventh facility located in Marine City on the battle station in orbit.
In addition, the Yorktown and Mador would have teams building several self-replicating fabrication centers based on advanced human and Heshe nanite systems. Three of the existing but abandoned Basharite cities would supply the raw material for the industrial transformation.