by Shawn Jones
“Your last question is the easiest to answer, sir. My own sire has studied it. Our experience with warlike species indicates that they evolve more rapidly than comparable but peaceful species. They are also more tribal. Therefore they keep their advances to themselves, rather than share them for the good of the species. That is the real puzzle involving this species. They are not communal, but share advancements. Our studies of their history indicate that sharing of technology has only been characteristic for the last thirty standard orbits. There was a biologic attack between peoples that forced them to realign their governments.”
Glydnal smiled. “Yes, war does advance science. Even in our own history it has done so. But seldom does the species survive long enough to enjoy those advancements. This species seems to have thrived on war until the plague you spoke of. Then they united. At least partially.”
Parvess said, “A moment, sir,” and closed his eyes. When he reopened them he announced, “I believe I have more material for the puzzle sir.”
“Explain, Parvess.”
“The records we recovered from the third planet region we destroyed indicate there is a member of their species that has been alive for over a thousand orbits.”
“How is that possible?” Glydnal asked. “The species shouldn’t be able to live longer than three hundred of our orbits, even with their synthetic blood.”
“It appears he was sired over one thousand orbits ago. For some reason, he was put in stasis and emerged approximately ten orbits past. He moved to the fourth planet five orbits past. His timeline coincides with that of the missing beacon.” Parvess held up one hand and closed his eyes again. “An update, sir. He was not put in stasis. Records indicate he moved forward in the current time line. I would propose he somehow used a beacon to do so.”
“Impossible. Activating the beacon would have either summoned us or transported him to the homeworld.”
“Nonetheless, sir, his actions coincide with the beacon activations. Our researchers postulate that under the right conditions the beacons could be used in such a manner.”
“But what would be the purpose? Even if you could facilitate the necessary alignment, it would serve no benefit to move forward in the time stream.”
“Perhaps just to see if it could be done, sir. He was also significant in the fourth planet’s declaration of independence from the third planet.”
“Parvess, were there not four beacons unaccounted for in this system?”
“Yes, sir. Also around the time the subject left his time, two beacons were improperly activated and destroyed. I suggest the third was used to enable him to move forward. Leaving the fourth to be taken with him to the new planet.”
“You are right, Parvess. You have added to the puzzle.”
“One more thing, sir. His designation. He is called Cort Addison.”
Glydnal looked up. “How very odd. Why would his sire name him Cort?”
“I do not know sir.”
“Very well. Keep me updated, Parvess. I am going to report to Director Speral.”
“Please give her my regards, sir.” Parvess turned and left Glydnal to his communication.
As the channel opened to his homeworld, Glydnal said, “Hello, my warmth. I have a report to make.”
Eleven
Argyre, Ares Federation
“Kim,” Cort said as he stumbled out of the shower in his quarters. Five days in the HAWC had taken its toll on his body. In addition to missing his much needed physical therapy, he smelled horrible. So his first move after entering the colony was to go straight to his quarters for a shower. Without the FALCON suit on, his limbs were exhausted just from standing. Stepping out of the shower enclosure caused him to nearly fall into the woman who was waiting for him. “How are you?”
“I brought Zandra back. It was good for Coke to have her around.” If Kim was shy about seeing Cort naked, she didn’t show it. She did step up to him with a towel. Watching him dry off, she stared at his chest. She raised her left hand and touched his collar bone, tracing the long scar down the left side of his pectoral muscles. Glancing down, she saw the effect her caress had on the man in front of her. She dropped her right hand and reached down to Cort’s groin. “This is such a bad idea.”
Cort’s mind echoed the thought Kim had spoken. But his body clearly felt differently. He dropped his towel and shuffled to his bed. “You’re going to have to do the work.”
--
Two hours later, Kim helped Cort into a clean FALCON suit. The added musculature would allow him to move freely, even though his own strength was not fully recovered. As they slipped his arms into the sleeves, he paused.
“What is it?” Kim asked.
“My hands. They don’t have any scars. My right one used to be covered in them. It’s odd. They were just scars. But I miss them, I guess.”
“I don’t know about scars. Well, not physical ones. Emotional ones I am an expert on. But I think I understand. They remind you how you got to where you are.” Kim sealed the suit and held her hand out to Cort. “What we just did, Cort.... I needed that. Thank you.”
“I did too, Kim.”
“Do you love Clare?”
Cort thought for a moment. “Yes I do. I hope that doesn’t hurt you.”
“No. I still love my late husband. Does that hurt you?”
“That’s different. He’s dead. Clare isn’t.”
“You told me once that as long as I remember him he will be alive, if only to me.”
“You’re right. I’m sorry. But yes, I love Clare. Not the way she needs me to, though.”
Kim brushed wolf hair off the FALCON and asked, “What do you mean?”
“She doesn’t like who I am. She loves who she wants me to be, but she hates who I am. I am a warrior. It’s what I will always be.” Cort was quiet for a moment. “My wife back in my time couldn’t deal with who I was. It drove her to alcohol abuse. We didn’t have synthetics back then. So it was a disease. One night she got too drunk and drove my daughter home. They both died in the wreck she caused. And you saw what happened to Clare last month. She can’t handle who I am.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. I’ve never told anyone in this time what happened. Well, not what really happened. It’s cathartic in a way.” Cort let go of Kim’s hand and pulled the hood of his suit back. He tilted his neck and kissed her again. After he broke the kiss, they finished dressing and walked out of his quarters. Zandra and Coke followed them into the corridor.
“How far away is the module?” Cort asked. He was back to himself now. Kim knew his guard was up. Whatever they had just shared had been left back in his bedroom.
“It’s about two hundred kilometers away.” I understand who you are, Cort.
“Do we have an update on the aliens’ arrival?”
“It is the same. Just under two weeks from now. We do not know if they are moving at their maximum speed, but they haven’t changed it.” You won’t ever let another person in. But I got in. Because I am just as damaged as you are.
“Okay. By the way, you did the right thing about the spies.”
“I learned from the best.” Yes, I know you, Cort. Because I wanted to be like you. Or I wanted to be who I thought you were. Cold and unfeeling. But you do feel. You feel too much. So I ended up being like you anyway. Kindred souls.
Cort stopped and turned to her. “Don’t be like me, Kim. It’s lonely inside my head.”
“No one will ever be like you, Cort.” Except me.
“Are you okay with what you did? With having them put out?”
“Cort. I didn’t have them put out. I put them out myself. I will not ask someone else to carry that burden.”
Cort briefly and gently squeezed her hand. “Then you already are like me. I’m sorry, Kim.”
They turned a last corner and entered Cort’s office. Rhodes and Dave Gaines were already there. Cort said, “Okay, let’s get ready for more company. First of all, I want to talk about why
they are coming here.” Cort spoke for thirty minutes, telling them about the medallion. Then he outlined his plans. He was ready to welcome the newcomers, but he was also willing to fight them. After the meeting, Kim and the wolves went back to his quarters with him.
--
Keen didn’t like Cort’s plan. “They wiped out an entire alliance, Cort. We can’t beat them.”
Cort was brusque as he said, “So you want to give in to them, like you did Taps and the mercenaries? Listen to me, Keen. You might be a coward, but as long as I am in control of the military, I make these decisions. I’m not a dictator, though. You just say the word, and I will pull my people out of the other two colonies. But once you do that, we cut you off. We will never again, under any circumstances, communicate with you. I’m tired of you fucking paperweights waiting until the last minute to realize we need to do something. How many times do I have to pull your asses out of the fire before you accept that I know what I am doing? So what’s it going to be, Dave? Are you in or out?”
Kim squeezed Cort’s hand under his desk. “Cort has shown over and over that he’s the man to protect us. Argyre is with Cort.”
Rand spoke up. “So is Aeolis. If you want out Dave, that’s fine. But you will be on your own. I can recall the new people I sent you within the hour.”
“Let’s not be stupid. I’m not saying that.” Dave was backpedaling. “I just think we might be in over our heads this time.”
Cort’s mind was racing as pieces fell into place. Out of sight of the others, Kim saw him typing a message. “That’s not your choice, Dave. It’s mine. And I’ve made it. Discussion over. Now, on my way here, Rhodes and I were talking about security. We think that we need to move all three colonies to one location. We’re too far apart to provide mutual support. It would take fewer resources to move the colonies to one location than it would to build Dave’s monorail. Rhodes suggests we use the Tharsis region. That will put us much closer to the water that Dr. Black found. Most importantly, we will only have one base to protect. We can concentrate our forces.”
“It makes sense. What are the downsides?” Rand asked.
Black said, “We would be putting all of our eggs in one basket. We would not have a backup site. But we can put a subsurface installation under or adjacent to the new location.”
Dave Keen was about to speak when his intercom activated. “Just a moment, everyone.” He stood up and disappeared from view.
Cort said, “Rhodes, are you ready?”
“Yes. Gods, I hope you are wrong, Cort.”
“So do I, Chief.”
In the background they heard Keen cursing.
Cort pulled his hood down. Kim, Rand, and Dr. Black were confused.
One property of the old style synthetics was that they could be used to question a subject. It was a practice widely used in the criminal systems on Earth. By putting the subject in a state of ‘forced hypnosis’, it was easy to determine the intent or guilt of the person being questioned. It was this property that Cort was counting on. Keen reappeared in his chair. This time he was between two of Rand’s security people.
“Is Doctor Verne with you?” Cort asked.
“What are you doing, Addison?” Keen practically screamed, “I thought you were not a dictator! Release me NOW!”
“Stun him,” Cort ordered. The security officer didn’t even hesitate. When Keen’s body went limp, Cort asked about Doctor Verne again.
“Yes, Mr. Addison. I am here,” Verne said. “I would like to know why though.”
“Has Keen been transitioned to the biosynthetics yet?” Cort asked.
“No.”
“Okay. Chief, open up the comms.”
Once Cort saw that he was transmitting he spoke. “Hello, everyone. I’m sorry to disturb you, but I hope to address two problems at once with this broadcast. As you know, Governor Keen has ordered that you all be transitioned to the new biosynthetics or be moved to non-vital positions. Part of that transition is being questioned before the procedure. The need for this exists because so many people have died as a result of espionage and attacks against our federation. I would like you to all see exactly what kind of questioning you will be subjected to. Governor Keen will be undergoing exactly the same procedure you will, should you choose to comply with the order.”
Rhodes split the transmission view. One half of the screen was now filled with Governor Keen’s face. Cort spoke again. “Please activate Governor Keen’s synthetics.” After a moment he began the questioning.
--
“Damn,” Dr. Verne said after the broadcast was over, “I never would have considered Keen as a mole. What tipped you off, Mr. Addison?”
“I don’t know. There were several things, I suppose. He kept going against things that would increase our defensive ability. Then I thought about the battle for Oxia. He would have been a more logical target that Kay. But he wasn’t even in danger. The attackers entered the opposite side of the base. And Rhodes coordinated the defense. I still didn’t think it was true though. When he pissed me off tonight, I wanted to embarrass him. That’s how it felt, anyway. I won’t lie to you, I am going to enjoy putting him out. He and his people caused Kay’s death. She was family and my best friend, next to Dar,” Cort sighed. “Listen, I’m a little tired. What say we continue the meeting tomorrow before Chief leaves?”
Everyone agreed, but before Cort signed off, he said, “Two more things. Clare is either unwilling or unable to execute her duties. Dr. Verne, you are now the medical director for the Federation. Rhodes, you are temporarily in charge of Oxia. Don’t get used to it. We will hold elections within the month. Second, all of you will be interrogated before you transition. And your interrogations will be broadcast. I’m not trying to make this difficult, but when it comes to the Ares Federation, I do not trust anyone. Too many people have died.” Cort paused as his words sank in. “And let me be clear. For the administration, no one is exempt from interrogation. Not a single one of you. Am I clear?
“What about you Mr. Addison?” Dr. Verne asked.
Rand and the others were visibly shocked at the question. Verne clearly didn’t understand the hierarchy yet. And he clearly didn’t know Cort. Kim said, “Doctor, I don’t think…” but she was cut off before she could finish the sentence.
“Doctor, that’s a great point. I already have the bios, so standard questioning won’t work on me. If you can come up with a safe and effective way to interrogate me, I will submit to it. I’m going to rest now, everyone. Thank you.” Cort deactivated his comm.
--
The next morning, Cort awoke to the smell of freshly fried bacon. As he walked back from the bathroom Kim joined him in the bedroom with a plate of food and said, “Hey. You up for some breakfast?”
Cort looked at her in his three hundred year old Forty Niners jersey. He took the plate from her and sat it on the nightstand. Lifting the shirt over her head, he said, “I can do the work this time.”
“Gods, this is such a bad idea.”
Later, as they ate breakfast, Kim asked, “Cort, will you teach me to fight?”
“Fighting isn’t as useful now as it used to be. You would be better off learning how to use weapons.”
“Dave Gaines taught me weapons. I am qualified for everything we have now. Even the CONDOR Twos.”
Cort was surprised. “Since when?”
“I started as soon as Dave transferred here.”
“Clearly I haven’t been keeping up with my own job if you were able to qualify with all our gear and I didn’t even know about it.”
“Cort, you had a few other things on your mind.”
“Yeah, I guess. I’m going to miss Dave.”
“He thought a lot of you, Cort. And Gods, he was gorgeous. If he had been ten years older and interested in women, I might have fallen for him.” She winked.
“Aren’t you the funny one,” Cort laughed. “Did he have anyone?”
“Just Mike Rage. Mike has taken it pretty hard.�
��
“I knew they were close, I didn’t realize they were a couple though. I’ll go see Mike today.”
“They weren’t married. They met when Dave lived at Oxia Palus. May I come with you Cort?”
“Of course.”
“You know, Mike would be a good person to teach you to fight. He’s a martial arts expert. I’m not sure what form. It would be good for him too.”
“Good idea.” Kim finished her breakfast and stood up. “It may not matter though if the aliens are in a bad mood when they get here.”
“Speaking of which, drop the module and bring your people back.”