“In this case, Admiral, the difference is in our values. However, let us put that broader discussion aside. I believe you sought an explanation for the delay in departure. Commander Rhodes cannot give you that, but he can handle the launch while I fulfill your request.”
“Very well. Just don’t blame me later because you missed your last launch, Capt. Boru,” the admiral rejoined genially. “So, tell me, why are you running a passenger service with a war ship.”
“I am acting on Admiral Sabika’s orders.”
“You’re stalling, Boru. I understand that you must obey the orders of the Sector Commander. However, I don’t understand the reason for those orders. And please, don’t tell me to contact Sabika directly for an explanation. I know you know what this is all about and I have no desire to waste precious secure comm time on what is likely to be a personnel issue.”
“Of course, Vice Admiral. The reason for the Massouds’ presence on this vessel is not classified. Constance Massoud is traveling to Gnost for medical treatment and her mother is caring for her on route.”
“So, we’re not operating a passenger ship. We’re an ambulance service!” he responded testily. “Why in heavens is the child not being treated on Denison? Do we really need to use fleet resources in this frivolous manner?”
“The matter is hardly frivolous, Vice Admiral. The child requires genetic reordering. Both parents’ DNA is required for the procedure. There are no clean copies of her father’s DNA on Denison. Like myself, Commodore Teloc followed Gnostian convention and refused to supply a DNA sample for his fleet record. He vacated his home too long ago for a good environmental sample to be found. The only alternative is to use DNA data from both his mother and father.”
“I’m sure the grandparents would be delighted to transmit their DNA data. It’s likely Fleet Health Services would even pay for the cost of transmission. I still don’t understand this particular situation.”
“Firstly, the transmission of DNA data files over conventional channels is unreliable. The minor errors in transmission and reception that are unnoticeable in text or visual communications can be critical, or even deadly, when the data is being used for genetic reordering. Secondly, the Gnostian Department of Public Health has refused to permit physical tissue samples, or data pods containing the grandparents’ DNA data, to be transported out of our sovereign territory.”
“This situation is more layered than I might have thought,” Lightfoot mused. “I know Gnostians have strong laws relating to medical privacy, including protections for DNA integrity, but I can’t believe the grandparents have any objection to sharing their DNA with a regulated medical facility on Denison.”
“Indeed not. They have petitioned the authorities for permission to send tissue samples to Denison for their granddaughter’s benefit. However, it may be many months before the legal process is complete, and the child needs more timely treatment. That is why Lt. Capt. Massoud requested passage to Gnost where appropriate medical care can be promptly administered.”
“I don’t like having a child on board. There’s no guarantee of safety. I can’t comprehend why Sabika agreed to it. And I can’t comprehend why the child’s mother agreed to it. She’s fleet. She knows how risky this journey is.”
“One must choose the lesser of two evils. The voyage may be dangerous for the child, but it is better than the certainty of death associated with her illness.”
The admiral was dumbfounded. “That little girl is dying?”
“There is no doubt.”
“Then why in heavens didn’t the Gnostians send the tissue samples she needed?”
“Constance Massoud is no ordinary child. She is the child of a notable war hero and, as a consequence, she is of interest to the media. As you are aware, it is unacceptable to allow a child, any child, to die on a peaceful planet. There would be a public outcry if such a thing happened―even more so if the family is well known. For that reason, Admiral Sabika had little choice but to approve the child’s transportation to Gnost for treatment. Understanding this to be the case, the Gnostian government manipulated the situation.”
“What?”
“You must understand, the Gnostian government appreciates the child’s scientific value and wishes her to reside on Gnost.”
“Scientific value?” the admiral questioned, entirely puzzled.
“The Gnostian government has been trying to gain access to the person of Constance Massoud since before her birth. The government’s intent in withholding the grandparents’ DNA data was to force Admiral Sabika to deliver Constance Massoud to Gnost. They have succeeded in that objective. The child is the only living female Gnostian Terran hybrid. Such hybrids are normally unviable. Her body represents a wealth of scientific information.”
“That’s an utterly barbaric viewpoint.”
Boru was mildly befuddled. “No, Vice Admiral. It is merely a statement of fact.”
“That poor child! I suppose the mother has no choice. Let the child die on Denison or transport her through dangerous space to a place where she will be subject to some kind of scientific experimentation.”
“Some assurances have been given to Lt. Capt. Massoud by the Department of Health relating to her child’s medical privacy and treatment on Gnost. However, the assurances are carefully worded and encompass more circular logic than is common in Gnostian legal documents. I believe the Lt. Captain accepted the governmental assurances at face value simply because of the duress under which she operates.”
“So, the Gnostians are playing an ugly game.”
“I am Gnostian, Admiral.”
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to include you, Boru.” Lightfoot contemplated the woeful situation. “And what’s this other business with your new medical chief? Dr. Foster, was that his name?”
“It is unfortunate, but he and Lt. Capt. Massoud have a negative history.”
“Will it be a problem?”
“If Elizabeth Massoud says not, it will not.”
“What happened between them?”
“He saved her life.”
“Please, Boru. You’re being unclear.”
“He also accused her husband of dereliction of duty, almost ending his career.”
“Ah, yes. I remember something of it. You seem to be very familiar with the details of this situation,” the admiral mused. “I wonder why this family is traveling on your last voyage with the fleet.”
A sharp observer may have noticed a dry smile on Boru’s face. “I consult, at times, with the Massoud family on their situation. My intimate knowledge of both Gnostian and Alliance Fleet protocols gives me a unique insight into the potential outcomes of alternate courses of action.”
“I bet,” Lightfoot responded, his suspicions obvious.
Acknowledgments
Many thanks to my editor, Bernadette Drumm, for her generous gift of time in reviewing this work. I have been naughty and made changes since her final reading, so be assured that any errors are my responsibility and do not reflect her level of expertise.
My dear husband, Tim Burchett, must also be thanked, most especially for saving a late version of this book from an electronic trash heap, where I had inadvertently dumped it.
And a final, but sincere, thank you goes to Marie Doughty McIntyre who taught me that life is short. Carpe diem.
A Note from the Author
It may seem strange to make your principal character an adherent of a religion that is not your own. There were two reasons for introducing religion, and specifically Islam, into this work.
Firstly, it is strange to me that the great religions—that have survived and thrived for centuries, and even millennia—are mysteriously extinct in our imaginings of the future. Surely faiths that have weathered the transition from one human culture to another, or have flourished from the iron-age to the electronic age, will not suddenly lose relevance when we step beyond our own planet. Hence, it is my belief is that the major religions of the present will exist and be valued i
n the future. It is incomprehensible to discount ancient spirituality in the forward movement of our species.
Secondly, it is my personal opinion that the great religions have something worthy to teach non-believers. Even without subscribing to a particular faith, an individual can be entranced by some facet of a religion that is not her own. A true believer may be dismayed that my imagination has been captured by the concept that Allah created a number of Earths and the Islam allows a belief in alien life. I beg that no offense be taken; I also value Islam for its emphasis on social responsibility, self-discipline, and moral behavior; but these traits did not inspire this work.
I have certainly taken some liberties, in allowing aspects of culture from different Muslim societies to be muddled in this novel. Cultures do mix and merge when they migrate to a new home. With regard to errors in Muslim beliefs, one or two may be attributed to Massoud’s own ignorance as a poorly-raised and scandalously irreligious individual; the remainder are errors on my part. I apologize for my failings in this regard.
About the Author
Amanda Norris is an engineer with an unappetizing alphabet soup of letters after her name. Most of those lettered qualifications relate to her profession and are utterly irrelevant to her new pursuit as an author. After writing technical reports, incredibly boring even to her, for the better part of thirty years and she has decided to try her hand at a more engaging format, the success of which you can judge for yourself.
She is also a middle-aged mother, of the frightening Irish variety, who lives in Northern Nevada with her husband and youngest son. Her personal interests include teaching Tai Chi, knitting and befuddling children who do not understand her foreign sense of humor. It is important to politely refuse any food that she has prepared with her own hand. However, it is permissible to engage her in conversation while she walks in circles around the kitchen to increase her step count.
Follow Amanda’s blog to keep informed about her writing and her sideways exploration of STEM:
The Numerate Ninny
Massoud (Massoud Chronicles Book 1) Page 33