Julia didn't get much sleep. The day on Phi Perseus 4 was shorter than the standard 24 hour day the Aurora used and sunrise was at 0545. She was up at 0400 to have time for her abbreviated morning routine with a quick breakfast and then her planned stops.
She met Leo at the entrance to the shuttlebay. Before she could say anything he pressed a hypospray to her neck and triggered it. There was no pain from the injection. The device sent its contents in almost microscopic streams through the pores of her skin into her bloodstream. The tingle it made caused her to rub at her neck. "What was that?" she asked.
"A little something Doctor Ke'mani'pala and I came up with," Leo said, grinning slightly. "I've already given two doses for Opani to use on Lucy and Meridina."
"What's it do?"
"It should keep your brain from registering the presence of the pheromone, at least for a little while," Leo explained. "We think the Aururians use something similar on their non-infected crew through those implants we detected in them."
"And you're sure this will work?"
"About eighty percent sure," Leo admitted. "You'll know it's not if you start feeling an attraction toward any of the infected. Which I imagine will be very awkward."
"I suppose that depends on how much you believe Tom's remarks about my sparring matches with Angel," Julia joked. The humor helped to deal with the awkward sense the thought gave her. "I'll let you know how it goes. If it works, we'll want to inform Command."
"Good luck," Leo said. "And when you get back, we'll need to talk about your sleeping habits."
Julia leveled a playful glare at him before walking onto the basic Mark II shuttlepod that the shuttlebay crew had prepared on her order. It was a personal transport shuttle, six seats with only small stowing net cargo spaces. She got into the cockpit and settled into the pilot seat. The customary pre-launch check took just a minute. The shuttle's micro-naqia reactor came to life. "Flight control, shuttlepod B prepared to launch. Awaiting clearance," she said.
"You are clear, Shuttlepod B," responded a man with the slow lilting accent of a Gersallian.
At the press of Julia's index finger to the appropriate key, power surged into the thrusters that lifted the shuttlepod from the floor. She carefully maneuvered the pod about and toward the exit before triggering the main thrusters. The craft accelerated out of the shuttlebay and into orbital space.
Orbital space looked more open in the pod. She watched the rear of the Aurora move away to her right upon her banking to port. The Enterprise's lower nacelles were visible at the top of her view. The Lrrik was almost dead ahead, at least until she changed her course slightly, allowing her to fly past the Steslus-class destroyer. The blue orb that was Phi Perseus 4 loomed ahead. It looked much like Earth in color. The continents gave it a unique look, however. The wide band of a Pangea-sized continent that spanned much of the southern hemisphere was covered in greens and light browns and visible mountains. A big blue thumb the size of the North Atlantic stuck into the southern continent, not quite splitting it entirely. The Northern Hemisphere of the planet was mostly water on this side, but there was a continent a little larger than Europe that banded the temperate zone and just barely dipped down into the subtropics. She pointed her shuttle toward that continent's western coast and prepared for reentry.
The reentry went smoothly. So did the landing, just outside of the Oakland Colony at a promontory overlooking the ocean. Julia stepped out of the shuttle and waited quietly. A comforting warm sea-breeze brought the salty scent of the ocean with it.
Light appeared in the night sky above her. As it drew closer the light cast a deep shadow over its source and obscured its origin. It wasn't until the small craft set down that Julia made out the shape of the Aururian shuttlecraft, the same type she had seen a few days before.
Captain von Lohringhoven stepped out. Her curly hair was still pulled back into a severe bun at the back of her head. "Captain," she said. "I will advise you that it was against my own judgement, and the considerations of my officers, that I have come."
"Fair enough. I can't say I blame you given what happened a couple of days ago." Julia motioned to her shuttle. "I promised you access to the prisoners. I want to keep that promise."
Lohringhoven eyed the shuttle warily. "Why did you not have me land in your Colony?"
"Because we're not going to the Colony," Julia replied.
A quiet moment followed. Julia fought to keep her expression clear of any apprehension. The slightest overeagerness, or any other wrong reaction, could cause Lohringhoven to get back in her shuttle, or worse, and render this entire trip moot.
"Then I will trust in your word of honor, as suspect as it has been," Lohringhoven answered. Julia sensed the anticipation in her tone. Lohringhoven was already wondering just where the betrayal was going to come from. Which begged the question of why she would still come down.
Because her Empire doesn't want war any more than we do was the thought in Julia's head, but she didn't dare to speak of it.
"If you will accompany me?" Julia looked out over the horizon. They were on the eastern shore of the hundred mile wide peninsula that Oakland occupied the western coast of, so it was over the midnight black of the sea that the first hints of the impending dawn were starting to show.
Without a further word Lohringhoven followed Julia into the shuttlepod. She took up the co-pilot seat and quietly considered the touch-panel interface before her. Julia tapped the key to close the hatch and lifted off the second she heard the hatch finish shutting. They flew to the north, moving steadily inland over hills that, in daylight, would look lush with green and blue grass.
Julia brought them to a landing in a wide field. Meridina and Lucy were already present with the portable transporter. Lucy was operating that device when they stepped out of the shuttlepod. The Aururian Captain leveled a skeptical gaze at Julia, who checked her omnitool. "Any second."
Four columns of white light briefly burst into being. When they fell away, four figures now stood nearby; two Ralsan women and two Human women. Another four columns formed within ten feet of those first arrivals, bringing the last two Ralsan and two other Human women. Three final bursts of white light brought with them the last of the Aururian prisoners with Doctor Opani. One of them, one of the younger women, looked to Lucy and Meridina and nodded respectfully.
All briefly looked to the eastern horizon, where the corona of an early dawn shone over the distant forested hills. One by one they seemed to notice the shuttle and with it the presence of Julia and Lohringhoven.
There was a brief moment when Julia wondered if they would try to take their chance now. If, with Captain Lohringhoven and her pistol to help, they would attempt to rush Julia and her comrades. It was eleven against four now, after all, and they might not realize Julia had locked down the shuttle, nor the extent of Meridina and Lucy's capabilities.
But they didn't. Opani nodded respectfully to her and said, "Captain." For the benefit of the prisoners, she said, "This is Captain Julia Andreys from the Aurora."
They nodded to her with respect. But their real focus was on Lohringhoven.
"Captain von Lohringhoven," said the older woman who had been beamed in toward the end. "An honor." She bowed her head. Those with her did as well.
Lohringhoven returned the bow slightly. "Ladies. Sisters. It is good to see you are healthy and well. I can assure you that Her Imperial Majesty is pursuing every avenue to secure your release."
"We are honoured by the attention from Her Majesty," the older woman said simply.
The younger woman, the priestess whom Julia remembered was named Kirrhi, motioned to the dawn. "We would be honored if you would join us, Captain."
"It has been too long since I enjoyed the sunrise," was the answer.
Julia walked over to join the others while the Aururians took up positions together. Some seemed to be reaching out to embrace the sun as it rose, others knelt, and all sang. The translators still didn't have the Aururian language deciphered completely, but Jarod had been able to apply the known languages of the Australian aboriginals to the program in order to partially translate Aururian speech. With this Julia was able to understand some of it.
The older woman who had beamed in with the priestess sang her own song lowly to herself, on a different melody to the others, and it seemed, in English. "Oh why soldiers, why, why should you be melancholy girls, should it be you or I, whose business it is to die…?"
Opani interrupted Julia's quiet observation of the eleven Aururians. "Captain, I have a confession."
"Yes, Doctor?"
"I do not want to turn them over," Opani admitted.
Meridina and Lucy didn't react to this admission. Julia twisted her head slightly to face the Dorei doctor. "Oh?"
"I believe they are good people who are fighting a good fight," Opani said. "That they bring the means to resist slavery to the species oppressed by this 'League'."
"Have they admitted to that being their purpose?"
"Not directly. They say nothing." Opani shook her head. "But I can feel that as the reason. I believe that if we turn them over to the Xou!tasam, they will be given to the League and end up enslaved or killed."
"Strong words," Julia said. "But without proof I can't do anything about it, Doctor. We have a treaty with the Trading Consortium. We have to obey it."
Opani glowered. "We made the wrong friends in this universe."
"Did we?" Julia looked at her directly. "Even if the League Captain was misleading us about the cause of their conflicts, we've seen the Aururians behave aggressively. They're threatening to expel us from this solar system on the basis of a claim they've shown no proof of. They killed a member of our crew in an unprovoked attack."
Opani's minor glower turned into a betrayed frown. "So you're siding with the Consortium and the League? With people who practice slavery?"
"I'm not siding with anyone, Doctor," Julia replied. "At least not until I know more. All I'm trying to do is stop this from becoming a war."
"A single solar system, no matter how wealthy its resources, does not seem worth a war over. Not considering our current predicament," Meridina pointed out.
"On that, I'm in agreement. But Command isn't. They insist we need these resources, and we need them now, and they're willing to gamble that the Aururians will blink first." Julia returned her attention to Opani. "You've gotten pretty close to them, haven't you?"
"They are good people, Captain," Opani insisted. "They're doing the same thing you did in the years before the Alliance."
"That's… entirely possible," Julia admitted. "And I do want to know more about them. I want to hear their side of the story. And when it comes down to it, I want to find a way to stop this from becoming a war."
Opani took a moment to consider her reaction. She ended up nodding quietly in reply.
The conversation ended and the four officers from the Aurora continued to observe the sunrise celebration quietly. When the singing ended Lohringhoven made quiet conversation with the priestess and the woman who accompanied her.
One of the Ralsan walked toward Julia and the others. "Doctor, Commander," she said. "Thank you again for this. You give us hope that justice will be done for us."
Opani glanced toward Julia before she nodded in reply. "You are welcome, Kishala. But you should also thank Captain Andreys."
"She made it possible," Meridina added.
Kishala faced Julia next. Her yellow eyes scrutinized Julia for several moments before her head bowed once more. Her tail swished from side to side. "Thank you, Captain, for your compassion and nobility."
"You're welcome," Julia answered. "I was hoping this might break down the barrier between our peoples so that we might find an end to this crisis."
"There is naught that we can do on that matter. I am sorry."
"Maybe you can't…" Julia shifted her head slightly, allowing her to meet Captain von Lohringhoven's eyes as the Aururian officer approached. "Captain von Lohringhoven."
"Captain Andreys." The severeness in the Captain had not disappeared. But there was a small warmth in her voice now. "You have fulfilled your promise to me. I am sure you wish to discuss matters."
"What I want is your side of the story," Julia said.
"I take it Captain de Montamar has explained our history to you? The horrors of the Great Interplanetary War?"
"He did. He told us about the old government's crimes against your peoples, the Aururian and the Ralsan. And he told us about the spongiform and the pheromones it produces."
"And yet you come amongst us anyway." The slightest hint of a smile appeared on Lohringhoven's face. "You and your people need not worry on that score. The Chorus of Singers is best improved by the willing."
"He also charged that your Empire is the aggressor, launching war after war against his people."
"He would, yes." Lohringhoven seemed bemused by this. "It is true that we have often initiated the conflicts, but only in response to the terrible abuses that the Northern League have inflicted on other species. For all of their talk of reform and pursuing equality, they behave toward others just as they did when they were the United Nations of old."
"You refer to them as the Northern League," Meridina noted. "Why?"
"Because they are the descendants of the Northern Hemisphere nations that abandoned their allies in the Great Interplanetary War," Lohringhoven replied. "I suspect he did not mention that. The more powerful states in the north abandoned their allies in the Southern Hemisphere when they fled Earth at the end of the war. The 'Global South' was naught more than chattel to be dispensed with at the whims of the North. And that is how they still operate, Captain. Whenever they find a hospitable world for settlement, they seize it. Any indigenous species are brought under 'protection' that rivals the worst of the European Empires of the 19th Century."
"And you fight to liberate these species?" Julia asked. "And that's all?"
"Of course it is not," said Lohringhoven. "The Empire does take worlds from the League. We have captured their capital twice, in fact. It is our intention to reduce them to the point they are no longer a threat. But they always find new worlds to seize and exploit and new allies to throw into the flames. And so we continue this bloody dance, and I suspect we will until the League finally surrenders completely."
"You could stop," Julia said. She considered the alternative response - pointing out the assumption that it was the League that would ultimately submit and not the Empire - to be unconstructive. "Why not offer a peace treaty in exchange for the League ceasing those exploitations?"
"That would require us to trust them, Captain. We do not." Lohringhoven looked at her with pity, condescending pity, which Julia did not appreciate. "Your people will learn the same harsh lesson so many other nations and species have about the Northern League. Whether they are Democrats or Fascists, their view has proven the same; the galaxy and its worlds and races exist for their benefit, riches meant solely for the satiation of their most base desires. If we break them enough, this attitude will no longer lead to the abuse of innumerable sapient beings, but it is sheer fantasy to assume they will stop on their own. Certainly no treaty will constrain them. They will always insist upon it as a necessity, and justify it under the same lie."
"Yet you only fuel hostility and resentment with this approach, Captain," Meridina noted. "Your Empire and the League seem to be trapped in this cycle. They fear you, you fear them, and in the resulting mutual hatred the darkness within your peoples grows stronger with each conflict. The Flow of Life is weakened and all suffer."
"A bitter reality is a reality still," Lohringhoven answered. "And I imagine you have other concerns than our conflicts with the League. Your own position here is precarious and undefended by right. Disputed frontiers have ways of starting wars."
"You continue to insist this system is yours, Captain, but you have provided no proof of that," Julia pointed out. "I've been made aware of how you claim these systems. All you need to do is provide to us the marker showing your earlier claim, and we would acknowledge the justice of your claim."
"You would wage a war with the Empire for but one solar system, Captain? When you claim to have multiple copies of our galaxy to settle?"
"Under ordinary circumstances, likely not," Julia conceded. "But we are not in ordinary circumstances. We are fighting a war in another universe against the Nazi German Reich. I'm not sure if the Nazis ever developed in your history…"
Lohringhoven's eyes narrowed. "They did."
"Well, in S4W8, they won. They defeated the Allies. And by the end of the 21st Century, they subjugated the entire planet and forced what was left of their opponents to flee into space. Then they expanded into space themselves and began to exterminate any alien species they encountered. They've got a large interstellar empire that we've only begun to liberate. We need every resource we can get to finish them off before they recover their strength or, God forbid, reverse-engineer our interuniversal drive technology. We need this system, Captain."
Their eyes met. Lohringhoven was suspicious of the claim, that was obvious. She glanced toward Kirrhi. "Sister? You are a priestess. What does your gift say about this?"
"The good Doctor and her friends already spoke to us of this war, Captain," Kirrhi said. "I sensed truth. And I believe they…"
When Kirrhi stopped, the others turned toward her. "Priestess?" one of the other Aururians asked, bewildered with her sudden silence. The growing unease on her face made Julia wonder what was wrong.
"We are in danger," Kirrhi said.
Meridina nodded. "Yes. There is something…"
Some of the others were looking at the sky behind Julia. She turned to see what was there.
"Get down!" Lucy screamed. Julia felt someone - she didn't know who - slam into her back and throw her into the grass.
By the time she looked up, her ears were already ringing from the first blast. Two voices, one Human and one Ralsan, were screaming in the aftermath. Another pair of blasts went off around them that were accompanied by cries of shock and pain. She looked toward her shuttle and saw that it was reduced to a burning wreck.
A dull roar was in the air now. Despite the overwhelming ringing in her ears Julia was able to track it to the south side of the field. A craft was settling to the ground, or near to it, with ripples of blue flame spurting from beneath it. The vehicle was a dropship of some sort with blue and white coloring. An insignia she'd once seen - but where? - was emblazoned in blue on the strip of white facing them.
Figures in white and blue armor, with the same insignia on their chests, jumped from the craft. Her eyes widened at seeing that they were not all Human. The thin, top-heavy form of a Turian was among their number. A harsh voice barking, "Secure the target!" spoke with a guttural sound that Julia recognized as Batarian.
One of the armored figures raised a gun and fired. Julia watched the woman beside Kirrhi collapse to the ground, who with her bronze skin and straight black hair had stood out from the others but been silent and unassuming the entire time. She didn't fall as if she had been shot, mortally or otherwise, but rather in a boneless collapse as if she fainted. And she was the target?
There was a loud burst the next moment. One of the gunmen fired a round toward the crowd of Aururians. Julia expected to a weapon using mass effect fields. Instead she got a burst of flame followed by a spray of flesh and blood with an accompanying scream of agony. One of the Aururians went down.
Ahead, Lucy rose to her feet and ignited her lightsaber. The blue energy blade intercepted a shot aimed toward them. There was no burst of flame. The shot had been cleaved in half. Julia could barely hear the second electronic snap and hiss from Meridina's lightsaber.
"Waste 'em!" a Human voice cried, and the armored beings opened fire, focusing on Meridina and Lucy. Their lightsaber blades became whirring blurs of sapphire light, intercepting and destroying the incoming fire.
But not all of the enemy were involved in that fight. Two soldiers broke off and charged toward the fallen form of the lead Aururian. Julia was reaching for her pulse pistol when Kishala threw herself at one of them and brought the female Turian down. Another Aururian tried to intercept the second attacker, a Human male, and was shot point-blank in the chest. The weapon was a vicious one; a burst of flame in front of the Aururian that seemed to shred into the poor woman's body, sending a cloud of blood and flesh away from both the impact point and the opposite point on her back. The Aururian toppled.
Just as suddenly, a burst identical to the incoming fire tore into one of the arriving Turian troopers and sent him toppling in a spray of blood. Julia saw that the shot had come from Lohringhoven. Those are Aururian guns they're using, she realized, grabbing for her own pistol in the cover that Lohringhoven's fire gave her, and promptly opened fire on the human as he lowered himself to pick up the unnamed Aururian target. Her pulse shots dissipated against an energy field. The man growled at her and raised his weapon to shoot her.
Lohringhoven suddenly appeared between them. Julia didn't see the burst of flame, but she did hear it. Lohringhoven's left arm became shrouded in a storm of sparks. A sharp pain ran across Julia's left shoulder and arm, as if she had been cut by a blade at several points. She ignored the pain and stepped to the side to get a clear shot. Lohringhoven fired as well with her sidearm. The blue spark of light from the pulse pistol was joined by a burst of fire and what looked like a storm of impacts against the upper chest and neck of the trooper. The protective barrier had failed. Blood erupted from the neck of the man at the same moment Julia's pistol found its mark, blasting him in the face.
The explosive weapon went off again. A harsh cry of pain came from Kishala, who fell onto her back. Her torso was a mess of dark red blood - too dark to be Human - and shredded cloth and hair. The Turian female she had been engaged with brought her weapon over toward Lohringhoven and Julia as Lohringhoven paused with a sharp look to Kishala.
Before she could strike, the woman the entire attack seemed focused on leapt back to her feet as if she had just been lightly napping on the grass, only a minute after receiving a stun blast at close range. Julia watched in fascination as the woman's hand expanded outward, exposing a gun barrel where her palm had once been. A burst of ruby light sliced into the back of the Turian woman. The Turian's death cry sounded briefly over the battle.
The immediate threat of these two particular foes had occupied Julia's attention. Now she allowed herself to consider the others. She turned to see what was happening just in time to see the Batarian lose an arm to Lucy's lightsaber. The white-and-blue-clad attackers were falling back to their dropship. One managed to get into it and swung out what looked to be a vicious heavy weapon.
Before he could fire it, Lucy's arm reached out and pulled. The man flew from his seat as if pulled, flying over his heavy weapon and to the ground. When he tried to get up Lucy held her lightsaber toward his throat. "Surrender," she ordered.
Whoever he was, he'd had enough. He raised his arms.
The pilot of the craft had apparently seen enough. The dropship began to lift from the ground.
Meridina didn't let it get far. After cleanly disarming the last of the attackers - namely by severing her arms at the elbow - Meridina twirled around toward it. In the same motion her right arm extended. Her hand released her lightsaber, at least physically, while her will guided it to its target. The blue blade looked almost like a complete circle of sapphire when it hit the tail of the craft and sliced cleanly through it. The engine in the severed portion died in the seconds it took for the piece to slam into the ground. The rest of the craft soon followed.
The fighting was over at this point. But Julia couldn't relax. The attack had made certain her suspicions that there was more to this group than appeared. What was so important about that woman…?
Around them the Aururians still alive from the ambush were contributing by bringing together the surviving attackers and securing their weapons, those that were not frantically trying to stabilize and comfort the wounded and dying. The prisoners acquiring weapons was another cause for concern. If anything kept Julia from worrying about it, it was the sight of the dead and dying women in the field. Lucy and Meridina had drawn the fire of the attackers quite well, but there were three Aururian women and one Ralsan who had yet to move from their places on the ground.
Two Ralsan, Julia corrected herself, at noticing Kishala. Opani was crouched over her while Lohringhoven watched quietly. "How is she?" Julia asked.
"Multiple internal injuries," Opani answered. "I need time to stabilize her." Opani pulled a hypospray from her medical kit and went to work.
"Have you worked with a Ralsan before, Doctor?" asked Lohringhoven.
"No, but during their quarantine we took detailed medical scans while trying to figure out the spongiform. I can at least stabilize her for transport." Opani finished injecting Kishala and put the hypospray back. She removed a pack from within the kit. "I have to stop the bleeding first."
"I can," said Kirrhi. She knelt down beside Opani and laid her already bloodstained hands over the stricken Ralsan woman. Her eyes closed. The flow of blood from Kishala's wounds seemed to slow, and then stop entirely.
With the situation stable, such as it was, Julia lifted her arm and tapped the comm key on her activated omnitool. "Andreys to Aurora, we have an emergency situation. I need medical teams and security teams to my location ASAP."
After a few moments Lieutenant Takawira answered. "Right away, Captain. They are on their way."
"I have not seen these species before," Lohringhoven stated, look at the Batarian. "Do you know of them?"
"That's a Batarian. The others are Turians. They're from Universe M4P2. And I'm not sure what they're doing here, or who they are."
"I believe I do," said Meridina. She finished pulling the pilot out of the craft. A set of shackles she'd found in the dropship were now wrapped around the Turian's wrists. "I recognize this symbol. It is the insignia of the Blue Suns, a mercenary organization from Universe M4P2."
The question of why popped up in Julia's head, and was as easily dismissed. She thought aloud by saying "Someone hired them to take someone from the group. And probably kill the rest."
"The League. Or their Xou!tasam allies," said Lohringhoven.
Julia turned and looked over the Aururian captain. Her own left arm and shoulder had a couple of bleeding cuts. The uniform sleeve of Lohringhoven's left arm had been shredded. Pieces of flechettes hung from the metal cylinder they had embedded themselves in, now revealed by the gashes and holes cut through the fabric. "They're the most likely," Julia agreed. "If they're afraid the extradition will be denied. Or that you could successfully prevent it from being carried out. This craft had a cloaking device, otherwise we would have seen it."
By this point security and medical personnel were already beaming down. A bronze-skinned man in a security uniform stepped up to them, with the rank insignia of a junior lieutenant. "Captain, we're securing your attackers now."
"Secure the wreckage too, I want it analyzed immediately."
"Yes ma'am."
Another bust of white light heralded the arrival of Leo and more nurses. He looked toward Julia before moving to join other nurses checking over one of the fallen.
"Your people have not worked with Ralsan physiology before," Lohringhoven observed, looking tow here Opani was still securing Kishala. "My surgeons can save her life."
Julia nodded quietly. "Can you have one ready?"
"Your transporters can send the girl to them on my ship."
A harsh chuckle came from Julia's throat. "And that means I defy an Alliance civilian court by returning her to your custody without a court order."
"Is that a more important thing than this woman's life?"
The question was a fair one. And it was the kind of call Julia would be making a lot now that she was a captain. She suspected Robert's reaction would be to just hand her over.
But Robert wasn't here right now, at this moment, to make this call. Julia was. She had an obligation to uphold the Alliance's laws. She also had an obligation to uphold its ideals, its principles, and saving the Ralsan's life regardless of legal quibbles was one of those things. And as commander, she had to make the decision, and she would have to live with the consequences.
Her first try was to go with a compromise. "Your surgeon can come over to the Aurora," Julia said.
Lohringhoven kept a cold look to her eyes. "And what of the others? It is clear they are not safe on this world. Whomever is behind this will try again, and I can assure you that the Empire will mete out harsh justice to your people for allowing their deaths in that eventuality."
"I agree," Julia replied. With all of the adrenaline in her system getting her heart to slow to a normal beat was proving impossible. This was not helped by the thoughts she felt circulating in her head. "Whoever did this could try again. So as of now, I'm assuming custody of these people. They will be kept on the Aurora, in comfortable conditions, while my officers investigate this attack."
"Somehow I suspect your civilian court will not appreciate that approach either."
"Maybe not, but I can justify it, and I'm betting Governor Taylor doesn't want a mercenary group blasting its way into the colony's hospital." Julia let out a breath. "So. Your surgeon?"
There was quiet for several moments. Lohringhoven's hand reached for her belt and pulled off a device. She opened it like an old-fashioned cell phone. "Captain von Lohringhoven here," she said into it. "Inform Surgeon-Commander Vega that her services are required on the vessel Aurora. Have her report to the hanger bay immediately. And send another shuttle down to my location. We shall need to retrieve mine."
"Yes Captain," replied the woman on the other end.
Julia tapped her omnitool again. "Andreys to Aurora. Have the medbay send someone to the main shuttle bay. We're getting a shuttle from the Aururians with a doctor on board, we'll need her in medbay for our patients."
"Yes Captain."
Nearby there were flashes of light. Opani had just beamed up to the Aurora with the stricken Ralsan woman.
"We still have more to talk about, Captain," Julia said to Lohringhoven. "Whatever your feelings are toward the League, going to war with the Alliance over a single solar system can't be your Empire's wish."
"It is not a matter of wishing, Captain. It is a matter of our rights. We claimed this system openly and properly. Your people have violated that claim. While I am willing to grant that you did not do so intentionally, the Imperial Federation cannot permit our territory to be taken in this manner. It would encourage other such encroachments by the other powers, and that would most definitely result in war. My ultimatum stands."
"Then why not a joint possession of the system? The Alliance and the Imperial Federation can hold equal title."
"That is but a minor improvement. And it still encourages the same behavior we must dissuade." Lohringhoven shook her head once. "Had things gone differently, had our peoples made contact before this colony was founded, a negotiation might have yielded such an arrangement. But we cannot accept it now. The fact of undisputed Imperial sovereignty over this system must be upheld. Upon that point we cannot yield."
"I see." Julia kept herself from sighing out of disappointment. "Just as much, we need the resources of Phi Perseus to fight the Reich. An interstellar war of this magnitude, and the defenses the Alliance requires for our other member systems… we need everything we can attain."
"Then there is nothing left to be said on the matter," Lohringhoven stated. "I wish to see my Sisters before you bring them to your ship."
Julia nodded quietly and said nothing more. Lohringhoven walked off. Seeing the visible metal on Lohringhoven's left arm, it made Julia wonder how much of "Iron Margrethe" was truly made of iron.
Meridina walked up to her. "Captain, you should return as well. You are wounded."
Julia looked to the wounds on her left shoulder. They were still bleeding. And she had things to do back on the Aurora, starting with getting Commander Richmond's help with their new guests. "Alright," she said. "I'll beam back up. You're going to take over the investigation?"
"Indeed. I will be interviewing the prisoners while Lucy and Lieutenant Liton examine recovered data from their computer systems."
"Good. Let me know what you find." Julia tapped her omnitool. "Andreys to Aurora. One to beam up."
The grass field, now stained with blood, disappeared from Julia's vision in a flash of light.
A pounding headache was Zack's reward for waking up at 0700. It hurt enough that he couldn't resist the temptation to dull it with a shot of his ever-dwindling bottle of tequila. He looked at the bottle, now between the halfway and one third mark, while the substance burned its way down his throat. "Crap," he muttered. The headache wasn't going away. And now anyone getting near him would smell the alcohol on his breath. He swiveled his chair to the replicator and barked, "Computer, six hundred milligrams of Niltox, a cup of water, and one mint breath mint, now."
"Warning…"
"Override," he added, every syllable dripping with profound irritation at the machine nagging him yet again. "In fact, never bring up the dosage warning on Niltox again."
"Unable to comply with order. Dosage warnings may only be overridden by authorization from a Chief Medical Officer."
Zack glowered at the machine. He didn't have a doctor aboard right now anyway, and even if he did, he wasn't going to breathe a damned word about this to them, or to Leo or Opani or any of the others. He ran a hand through his uncombed brown hair in frustration. Get it together, he demanded of himself. You're starting to lose control, just like Dad did.
Once the machine fulfilled his order and provided the medication and the drink to wash it down with, Zack did so with a single gulp. He put the breath mint in his mouth and went off to his shower. He stood under the warm water and felt it spray him in the face. It woke him up fully, just as the Niltox was beginning to purge his system of the remaining alcohol and reduce the power of his hangover.
He might have remained in the shower forever if a tone hadn't come over the ship's intercom. "Bridge to Commander Carrey," Apley said.
Zack closed his eyes and sighed. A tap of a button just outside of the shower stall opened the channel. "Carrey here," he said wearily.
"We're approaching one of the solar system's moons. According to our sensors, the radiation trace is growing stronger. Lieutenant Navaez thinks that whatever it was, it might have gotten trapped in the moon's gravity well."
"Then assume an orbit and keep scanning. I'll be up shortly." Zack tapped the key again and let out a sigh. He would have to replicate another breath mint before going up. The worried thought came, that said mint would give him away. He didn't often chew on things.
"Gum," he murmured. "That'll work. Since I couldn't have breakfast. Yeah…"
The wounded Aururians on the planet were undergoing treatment in the medbay when Julia arrived there. A male Dorei nurse approached, his light teal complexion contrasted with the dark blue spots lining his forehead and hairline. "Captain, let me look at that."
Julia followed him to a biobed and sat on it. She removed her uniform jacket and pulled her undershirt up over her head to reveal her left shoulder and arm. Three lines of crimson stood out on her skin. The nurse scanned them for signs of infection before reaching for the dermal regenerator. Julia watched him hold the instrument over her wounds. A blue light softly ran over the cuts, closing said wounds as it passed over like a zipper being pulled across her skin.
When this process was over Doctor Walker stepped up. Julia had only met her once before; a woman near her age with a deep brown complexion and long dark hair. "It seems you were one of the lucky ones, Captain," she said while doing a scan. "I'm reading no other injuries."
"Don't I know it? What about the others?"
"Three dead, four wounded," answered Walker. "The worst is that alien… Ralsan, correct?" Upon Julia's nod she continued, "The Ralsan wounded. The Aururian surgeon and Doctors Gillam and Opani are in the OR now. We won't know if she survived until they're finished."
Julia nodded quietly. "Keep me posted." She slid off the bed.
At that moment blue light appeared on the back of her left hand. An electronic tone accompanied it. She tapped the light. "Andreys here."
"Captain, another shuttle has arrived from the Maya-Mayi," said Jarod. "It's asking for landing permission."
"What do they want? Who is it?"
"It's Captain von Lohringhoven. She's asking for permission to see the wounded."
"Then grant it and send someone to escort her to the medbay. I'll wait here for her."
"We also have Governor Taylor and Chairwoman Logan on comms for you."
"And I know just what they're calling about," Julia sighed. She knew she couldn't talk to them here, in the middle of the medbay. But with the growing questions in her mind, she wanted to be present when Lohringhoven arrived. She looked to Walker and asked, "Is there somewhere I can have some privacy?"
Walker nodded. "I'm sure Doctor Gillam won't mind you using his office."
"Thank you, and I'll thank Leo when I see him." While Walker moved on to check other cases, Julia left the treatment ward. To get to Leo's office was a short trip through the medbay. She stepped in and took one of the guest seats before re-activating her omnitool. "Put the Governor through to me," she ordered.
"Patching them in now."
Her omnitool projected a screen in front of her showing Taylor and Logan. "Captain, we've heard about what happened," Taylor said. "We're glad to know you're safe."
"Thank you, Governor."
"When can we expect the return of the prisoners? Sub-Consul Tio!sat!ny has made inquiries on the matter."
"I'm holding them on the Aurora for the time being," Julia answered. "Until we know more about who launched this attack and why."
"You don't have the legal authority to do that," Logan insisted.
"Given the situation, Madame Chairwoman, I'm acting in the best interests of you and your Colony," Julia answered. "The last thing you need is for more mercenaries to start shooting their way into your hospital, or your jail. The Aurora is a target they can't simply attack. I'm also going to return the three dead Aururians to Captain von Lohringhoven so they can be returned to their families."
"That is an usurpation of...!"
Taylor's raised hand forestalled the angry protest from Logan. "It's a reasonable action, Madame Chairwoman. We don't extradite the dead."
"I'm starting to wonder about this entire case, Governor," Julia said. "The mercenaries were after one of the Aururians in particular. We don't know why. We don't even know how they found us yet. I can't help but think that there's more to this case than charges of gun smuggling."
"Perhaps. But it's not my part to decide that. I have Chief Jiang and Colonel Littleton investigating where the mercs came from. As soon as we confirm the details and whether or not there is a further threat, I expect the return of our prisoners immediately."
After a moment of thought Julia replied with, "I understand your concern that the extradition agreement with the Consortium be upheld. I'll let you know if I find out anything regarding that."
"Of course. Good day, Captain."
Their image disappeared and Julia's omnitool returned to its standby status. She sat and considered her options. It occurred to her that under certain readings of regulations regarding emergency situations, she could assert authority over the Aururian prisoners and keep them in her custody instead. Returning them to Captain von Lohringhoven as part of a settlement ending the standoff would be acceptable in that circumstance. But the regulations might not stretch that far and the resulting tussle with the civilian legal authorities was not one she could take lightly.
The real key to the situation was the woman that the mercs tried to snatch, the one with the cyborg implants. She stood up and returned to the ward. The woman in question was remaining quiet at the side of Kirrhi the priestess, who was consoling one of the others. Given the quiet sobs Julia could easily imagine it was over one of the dead Aururians. She walked toward the unassuming woman and got a better look at her. She and Doctor Walker shared skin tones and hair color, although the woman was rather older. Seeing Walker looking over scans at a station, Julia went up to her and spoke in a low tone. "What do you know about that patient? The one sitting over there?"
Walker followed Julia's eyes. "She's healthy. Middle-aged, at least forty-five," Walker answered. "She has substantial cybernetics."
"She woke up from a stun blast within a minute," Julia remarked.
"That would be the cybernetic implants in her central nervous system," Walker said. "If they're shielded appropriately, they can allow rapid recovery from stun effects."
"Is that something you'd normally install in someone's implants?"
"I probably wouldn't," Walker admitted. "Those kinds of implants can run into difficulties normal ones can't. They consume more energy, for one. I imagine she wanted shielded implants for a reason. They were certainly hard to find. Most of my scanners showed her as completely organic. I had to use our Cylon-scanner to confirm the presence of cybernetics."
Julia considered that. "Really. Did she give a name?"
"Nina was the only name she gave."
Any further conversation ended when the door slid open. Lohringhoven entered in the company of Ensign Talara. Julia walked toward them. "Thank you, Ensign. You're dismissed."
"I'm pleased to have been of assistance, Captain," Talara answered before departing.
"Captain, welcome to the Aurora," Julia said to Lohringhoven. The Aururian captain had an intact uniform jacket now and didn't look like she'd also been in a fight for their lives.
"Your vessel is certainly an interesting sight. It seems to have been made for more comfort than normal for a military warship," Lohringhoven answered.
"Yes, well, the Aurora's purpose is not just to serve as a combat starship," Julia replied. "We consider her to be a star cruiser capable of non-military missions such as exploration, research, and diplomacy. We even have a contingent of civilian specialists aboard for those purposes."
"And yet your vessel has quite impressive armament, given the devastation it wrought to the Irresistible," Lohringhoven pointed out.
Julia nodded quietly. "We are capable of defending ourselves, yes. We have to be. Every universe has its dangers."
"I would expect such." Lohringhoven walked past Julia and approached Kirrhi. "Sister, what is the word?"
"We have lost three." Kirrhi replied solemnly. "Dead before medical aid could be given. Katherine and Lietan are lightly wounded and recovering. Naoko is gravely wounded but has been stabilized due to the efforts of Doctor Walker."
"I see."
Julia didn't need telepathy or life-force powers to figure out what Lohringhoven was going to ask next. "I will return the deceased to you, Captain, so that you can return them to their families, or perform whatever burial rites are necessary."
"I appreciate the gesture, Captain," said Lohringhoven. "But I am more interested in learning what rogues are responsible for this atrocity."
"Commander Meridina is leading the investigation," Julia answered. "She was once the ship's chief of security, and she's worked with law enforcement during her time in the Order of Swenya. Commander Richmond is, I've heard, quite the detective as well. I'm certain they'll figure it out." She frowned. "I wish to know what was going on as well."
"I am certain you will find the League or the Consortium behind this affair," Lohringhoven insisted.
Julia glanced toward the woman called "Nina". "I'm leaning that way too," Julia admitted. "But I'm more interested in why they were after that woman. The others, Katherine and Kirrhi and Kishala, seemed more important in this group." Julia was already looking at Lohringhoven again by the time she finished that sentence. She wanted to see the reaction to speaking on Nina.
"I do not care to speculate as to their motives, Captain. What matters is that this affair come to an end. I am hoping that you will yet see the injustice of the charges and release my people on your own authority."
"The Alliance places civilian leadership over military. If I ignore a civilian court, I betray that principle," Julia pointed out. She kept her poker face on. Lohringhoven's denial was well-spoken, yes. But she didn't believe it. Lohringhoven knew who "Nina" was, and why she was so valuable. "If I had a good reason to defy the court, though, or something I could bring to Governor Taylor to consider him to rescind the extradition order…"
An intent look appeared on Lohringhoven's eyes. "I cannot help you with that, Captain."
The door leading to the critical care and operating room wards slid open. Leo emerged. He was clearly finishing the act of pulling his lab coat back on. "Captain Andreys," he said formally, recognizing the presence of their visitor. "And Captain von Lohringhoven."
"I am, yes," she answered. "Doctor Gillam, what is the status of Kishala Abrakia?"
"Ordinarily I wouldn't share patient information with someone who wasn't next-of-kin or on a list of authorized persons, but given the situation, you're more likely to speak to her family than I." Leo crossed his arms. "She lost a lot of blood, and her internal organs suffered severe damage. Honestly, if not for Doctor Vega, I couldn't have saved her. Your surgeon's knowledge of Ralsan physiology allowed us to systematically deal with the worst of the damage. She's critical right now. Hopefully she'll be stable enough for the remaining surgery she requires, but I can't make promises yet."
"I see." Lohringhoven was utterly impassive. "Can I see her?"
Leo shook his head. "In her state, I would be remiss to let anyone but family around her. Her condition is still very serious…"
"I understand, Doctor." Lohringhoven glanced to Julia. "Captain, I am returning to await the outcome of your officers' investigation."
"I'll let you know what they find out," Julia replied. She watched Lohringhoven leave while restraining her frustration over the continued refusal to help her deal with this problem. Her eyes briefly moved back to "Nina" before she left the medbay.
The Koenig moved into orbit of the moon labeled Phi Perseus 7-XII, one of twenty moons in regular orbit over the Saturnine gas giant that was the seventh planet in the solar system. The moon in question formed a beige-tinted sphere on the Koenig's viewscreen.
"Are you still following that radiation trace, Magda?" Zack asked.
"There's interference in the moon's atmosphere," Magda answered. "A strong electromagnetic field." After a few key presses she said, "No wonder. The surveyors found several large deposits of Cameronite along with high-purity naqia."
Zack blinked. "Just how large are these deposits? That stuff's the rarest of the rare, right? Some variation of Ripleyite?"
"It's more conductive than Ripleyite, and for an EM pattern this strong the deposits are about the biggest you can find in nature. Whoever ends up mining this stuff is going to make a bundle."
Zack whistled. "No wonder Command's ready to start a war over this place."
"Give me a moment…" Magda continued her work on her console. Zack imagined she was trying to get the sensors to search in bands less-susceptible to EM interference. "I think I might have it… there. I've got the radiation trace again. It's faint… and it's on the surface."
"Can you put it on screen?"
The screen shifted to show a close-up of the beige-tinted surface of the planet. There was a rock formation in the center of the screen and, faintly, the indications of an impact that had struck underneath an apparent overhang. "That's the best I can do," Magda said. "We'll have to move whatever is under there out."
"Can we beam through that EM field?" Zack asked.
"I wouldn't recommend it," Magda answered. "At least not without modifications."
Zack tapped the intercom key on his chair. "Carrey to Engineering. Karen, we need to beam through an intense EM field. What can you do?"
After a moment the reply came. "Give me a couple of hours and I might be able to rig up the cargo transporter to punch through."
"Sir?" Apley turned in his chair. "I think we should send the Kirschner down with a team to recover… whatever it is. That way we don't risk the object with a failed transport."
For a moment Zack thought on it. He tried to hide his irritation at the fact that he should have thought about it before Apley. His approach could thoughtlessly destroy what mind be vital evidence in this standoff. "Right. Good point, Ap," he said. "Take Hajar and a team with you and whatever tools you might need."
"Aye sir." Apley stood up and left the bridge. One of the new officers, Ensign Brady, walked over and assumed the helm.
Zack considered letting Julia know, but he decided to wait and see what it was first.
In the grassy field where the ambush had taken place, Aurora security officers were now being joined by Oakland police. Chief Jiang stood beside Lieutenant Commander Richmond as she stared down at one of the survivors, a Turian. "You realize that you're facing a long prison sentence, don't you?" she told him. "Multiple counts of capital and attempted murder, including four involving Alliance personnel."
"The Blue Suns don't rat on clients," the Turian answered. "Besides, I've been imprisoned by the Hierarchy before. Your luxury jails don't frighten me."
Richmond had her arms crossed. She was clearly considering other approaches to the interrogation. Jiang weighed in by saying, "You would rather spend decades, if not your whole life, in prison?"
The Turian said nothing.
The two walked away and were met by Commander Meridina. "They are uncooperative," Meridina said. There was no need to ask.
"Unfortunately. And very much so," Richmond grumbled. "From the sound of things they think our prisons are resorts."
"According to intelligence and security reports, many have operated as little more than pirates in the Terminus Systems for years," Meridina noted. "Given the reputation of those worlds, it is indeed possible that the humane conditions in Alliance penal facilities are no threat."
"We could always say we will turn them over to the Aururians," Richmond remarked.
"The unknown might frighten slightly. But I doubt it will be of much use."
"Then I don't see what the point is keeping them here," Richmond said. "We've finished interviews with all of them. We should either throw them in the brig or turn them over to Chief Jiang."
Meridina turned her attention to him. "Can your jail facilities hold them?"
"I'm not sure I want them," Jiang said. "Hard-boiled mercenaries are a security threat my jail personnel are going to struggle with."
"Then you have no objections to our taking them?" Richmond asked him.
"The Chairwoman might," Jiang conceded. "But if you ask me, it'd be a big favor to us if you did."
"That is sufficient, then," Meridina said. "Commander, begin transporting them to the brig."
"Happily. I'll triple brig personnel while I'm at it." Richmond stepped away to do so.
"I'm sorry we haven't been able to get them to cooperate," Jiang said to Meridina. "I'd like to know where they came from myself. Under our current colony code, we have to be informed if someone hires a group this heavily-armed. Actually, I think the Governor can even refuse to let them come."
"Someone did not care much for your law," Meridina noted aloud. "I am placing my hopes in the recovery of data from their hardware. Follow me, please."
The two walked over to the wrecked remains of the Blue Sun dropship. The merc unit's armor, weapons, and other devices were piled beside it. Three operations officers from the Aurora were going over them with the help of security personnel. Lieutenant Kyle Liton looked up from where he was examining an inactive omnitool. "Ah, Commander."
"Lieutenant." She nodded. "I have not yet had the chance to welcome you back to the crew."
"Oh, it's fine," he said. Nearly two years before Liton, still an Ensign, was with the computer security branch of Meridina's security staff on the ship. He had been framed by a Changeling from the Dominion of Universe S5T3 and, while exonerated, asked for a transfer off the ship due to the experience. Meridina was pleased to note that the young man seemed more seasoned than he had been before. "Honestly, after serving on the Libra, being back on the Aurora is a welcome change. But that's not why you're here."
"Have you made any progress?"
"Some." Liton tapped at his own omnitool and brought up a screen showing computer code. "These Blue Suns guys are pretty good at their computer security. Their wipe program was pretty thorough. But it's not complete. I think I can reconstruct some of the fragmented remnants of the data using Lieutenant Delgado's data compiling program. I've already sent it to her."
"Very good." Meridina stepped up into the crashed dropship. "Lieutenant Lucero?"
Lucy's head emerged from the cockpit. "I'm here."
"Any luck reconstructing the dropship's flight path?"
"I was just about to finish that," she said. She motioned for Meridina to follow her. Jiang came as well. The cockpit was lit by the overhead lights. There was no visible window for the pilot, whose seat Lucy returned to. She started tapping at the hardlight controls again, occasionally pecking away at her omnitool. "Their data wipe program did eliminate the logs from their sensors. But their own safety systems make that moot."
"In what way?" Jiang asked.
Lucy was grinning. "Because they didn't wipe them."
"And how does this help us?"
"The systems are designed to observe power flow to track potential faults and compensate," Lucy explained. "Or to warn the pilot so they can set down before suffering an overload or power loss. I can use that to determine when the dropship launched and get a close estimate as to the speed it was managing on the flight. And then I can check the systems that maintain flight control and use that log to reconstruct the maneuvers the dropship took, allowing me to establish a flight path." Figures appeared on a hardlight display above the cockpit controls. Lucy entered them into her omnitool. "Here. Let's see how the numbers add up." Her omnitool projected a screen showing a flat map of the planet centered on their location. After a few key presses a line left the area. It moved west until it reached the perimeter of the Oakland Colony.
"That's not possible," Jiang insisted. "The Colony Police would know if we had a mercenary unit in town. They're supposed to register with us." He eyed Lucy. "Are you sure they didn't come from a ship?"
"The power distribution logs don't lie," Lucy answered. "The engine power used is consistent with atmospheric flight only."
"Where is that in the colony?" Meridina asked Jiang.
He looked over the map closely. "It looks like it's near the spaceport. It would have to be, there's no way we'd miss something like this there. Going by the area…" He frowned. "Damn. It is them. This is not good."
"Who is it?" asked Meridina.
"My boss," Jiang answered simply.
There was a quiet tension on the Koenig bridge after the Kirschner dropped from the ship's ventral shuttle bay. The shuttle flew downward into the atmosphere, turning into a red streak as it made re-entry.
"Entering the EM fie-... -ference on com-... -justing to…. -sate. Kirschner to… -nig, please respond."
Apley's voice was partially obscured by the static, but toward the end it became slightly clearer. "We can barely read you," Zack said.
"Roger. We've boosted the comm trans- …-er. It's the best we… do. Approach- radiation tra- ...source."
"Send us an image when you can."
The following seconds expanded into minutes. Zack glanced toward Magda. "They're still on visual sensors and the ship's intact," she said.
Zack tapped the key on his chair's arm to re-open the channel. "Ap? What's going on down there?"
"Stand by… -mander. Sending image now."
"We're getting the data. Even with data loss, I think I can clean it up enough to…" Magda used her controls to run a process in the ship's computer to sharpen the image forming on the viewscreen.
Zack watched the pixelated image sharpen enough to make out the detail on it. "Send this image to the Aurora immediately," he ordered.