The Remnant Fleet, page 6
“It’s safe,” Cicero said. “The people who attacked our ship didn’t get their hands on it, and I made sure it was in a safe place. You’ll understand if I don’t want to be too forthcoming with its location.”
Heely said, “You don’t trust us.”
Cicero stared directly at her. “No.”
Bauwerji said, “Assuming the people who attacked you will come back for another attempt at the rock, what do we do now?”
Cicero shrugged helplessly and held her hands out. “I’m open to suggestions.”
Chapter Seven
Indira was obviously shaken by the news Cicero had delivered, but she gathered her wits and focused. The people around the table were looking to her for leadership. “First and foremost,” she said, “we have to determine whether this technology could actually exist. Just because someone could theoretically use it to wipe out entire species, it’s not going to do any good if they don’t have the means to weaponize it.”
Heely said, “We already have it. The Roadblock systems. Set it to Human or Balanquin, activate, and it stops that species in their tracks.”
Nerea Paisian, the station’s Paisian envoy, considered the statement before speaking. “Technically correct, although that is a much smaller scale than what Captain Drayton has postulated. Those are specific nets that are programmed to analyze a single person at a time. If it notes certain characteristics associated with the pre-set race, it activates the security protocol. For a weapon that actually seeks out and attacks the DNA of a specific race while leaving all the others unscathed... it would be a doomsday weapon of the highest magnitude.”
Cicero nodded. “And what’s worse, I think whoever attacked my ship already has a prototype. The Karezz who brought me the information and the stone was killed in his quarters. We were all injured and we lost our memories, but we’re mostly unhurt. What if that was a side effect of the weapon? The genetic material on the asteroid may be the last piece necessary to fine-tune their weapon.”
Bauwerji said, “So a ship could just pull up into orbit, hit a switch, and every member of one race or another on the planet below would die?”
“Essentially,” Cicero said. “That’s what the Karezz man was worried about. Given what’s happened, it’s what I’m worried about, too.”
Indira said, “Okay. When Dr. Littlefoot has finished taking care of the Sastruga’s crew, I’ll run all this by her to see what she has to say. Captain Drayton, you’re certain that the asteroid is in a safe place?”
Cicero nodded. “For now, anyway. If the mystery ship comes here and attacks...”
“We’ll be ready for them,” Indira said.
Nerea said, “The Paisian fleet can be brought in to act as a blockade. I can contact them once this meeting is dismissed and have them depart immediately.”
“Thank you, Nerea,” Indira said. “We would be grateful for their help.”
Heely said, “The Karezz fleet can be put on high alert as well.”
Indira nodded. “Very good. They can coordinate through me.”
“Typically that goes through the XO,” Heely said.
“Now is not the time,” Indira sighed. “The Karezz fleet can coordinate through me. If no one has anything else to contribute to the discussion...” She knew the Ladronis wouldn’t offer to help, due to their pacifism, but she cast a glance at Jocia Wison regardless. The Ephor smiled regretfully, and Indira nodded to show she understood. “Then we’ll adjourn. Constable Heely and Nerea, contact your people and have them get underway. Nerea, I would also like you to take a look at the Sastruga’s records.”
Nerea nodded his head.
“I’d like to think we could defend ourselves against this mystery ship, but given what they did to the Sastruga, I’m not taking any chances. We’re adjourned.”
The group filtered out of the room, with Bauwerji waiting for Cicero so they could leave together. Constable Heely was one of the last to leave, and Indira stepped into her path.
“Stop.”
“I have to stop. You’re blocking the door.”
Indira stared at her. “You’re antagonizing Bauwerji. It has to stop.”
Heely sighed and crossed her arms. “Bauwerji treats me like I’m hi’fruzam.”
“You’re giving her every reason to continue. Make peace or just avoid each other. I would be happy with either choice. If this stone of Cicero’s does bring trouble to our doorstep, I want to know I can count on the two people I trust the most. Should it become an issue, I think you know whose side I would fall on.”
Heely grimaced. “If I was relieved of duty, the Karezz fleet might leave as well.”
“I’m willing to take that chance.”
Heely considered whether or not to call her bluff, then nodded. “Fine. I’ll do my best to steer clear of her whenever possible.”
“That’s all I ask.”
Heely stepped around the Admiral, and Indira turned to watch her leave. She’d been on-duty when they picked up Bauwerji’s ship on sensors. A little Balanquin bracijera, all on its lonesome, almost too small to be picked up by their instruments. The only reason they were alerted at all was because it was moving quickly on an obviously plotted course. The ship had only barely survived its trip from Pelorum. Bauwerji was unconscious, hypoxic, starving, and dehydrated when they pulled her out of the ship. She regained consciousness just long enough to say one word: “Sanctuary.”
Bauwerji was taken to the Med Center. While she was being treated, a Karezza cruiser arrived and demanded they hand her over as a prisoner of war. Indira was forced to make a choice without knowing what had truly happened. All she knew was that Bauwerji had allegedly killed her Karezz supervisor and fled the scene before she could be punished for the crime. Indira had seen the desperation on Bauwerji’s face, even if it hadn’t been apparent by the fact she’d jumped in a short-range ship to travel two thousand light years to find safety.
She refused to hand Bauwerji over and hoped the Karezza weren’t willing to lose the friendship of the Aphelion Project over one person. In the end, she was proven correct; the cruiser departed without their prisoner. Once Bauwerji was awake and could explain what happened, Indira was vindicated. Bauwerji was granted sanctuary and began working for the Aphelion Project to earn her keep. Indira still considered it one of the wisest decisions she’d ever made.
Mara Heely had been a low-ranking member of the security force when Bauwerji arrived. She advanced through the ranks because she was a good constable, a hard worker, and she knew how to gain the favor of her superiors. The end result was unfortunate. She hated that her second and third in command were from warring races, but it couldn’t be helped. They were both the best choices and the best at what they did.
Still, if Heely continued to act cruelly toward Bauwerji, Indira would have no choice but to replace her. Bauwerji was not the one causing trouble but, more importantly, Bauwerji also had nowhere else to go. If she went back to Pelorum she would be tried in a Karezza court as a murderer. Since she’d been required to give details of why she fled the planet to gain sanctuary, the Karezza would use that as a confession. She would be put to death for defending herself.
Indira sighed and disabled the lights in the briefing room. It was bad enough that they had a powerful enemy they knew nothing about. She didn’t want to waste any more time than necessary dealing with interpersonal relations of those on her staff. Either Heely straightened up or Indira would find a new constable. As for the threat of losing the Karezza fleet... she’d called their bluff once before. She could only hope it would work a second time.
#
Bauwerji lay in bed with Cicero, holding the scoundrel’s hands in both of hers. Her quarters were specifically designed for a Balanquin, meaning her bed was a platform suspended in one corner of the ceiling. Cicero usually hated it because she was always bumping her head on the ceiling if she woke up too quickly or needed to get up to use the bathroom. Tonight, however, she was cuddling too close to be claustrophobic. She had maintained her cool and calm exterior until the door was closed, and then she turned and fell into Bauwerji’s embrace. The room was dark save for a small ovoid light-source above the bed, shining down so that Bauwerji’s head partially eclipsed Cicero’s.
“I thought I lost them, Bauwerji,” she whispered against the material of Bauwerji’s uniform top. “I thought I lost my whole crew. I had gotten them killed.”
“Sh,” Bauwerji said, stroking Cicero’s hair. “Let me take care of you.”
She had taken off Cicero’s bloody tunic, leaving her in an undershirt. The blood had washed away easily enough, and now she ran her fingers over the pale pink skin of her lover. There were Balanquin who found Humans difficult to look at; the hue of their flesh made them look like they were sickly. But Bauwerji found Cicero beautiful. She was like marble touched with just the slightest bit of fire. Warmed and darkened but not scarred. She bent down to kiss Cicero’s shoulder, brushing her dark hair away to nuzzle her neck. She liked Human mating customs, too. The cuddling, the touching, the use of the mouth and tongue and fingers. Balanquin had a tendency to be very businesslike about their intimate affairs. Humans treated it with a near-religious reverence. A lover’s body was something to be cherished, tasted, and explored.
Bauwerji extended her tongue and licked up to Cicero’s ear, her hands moving over the other woman’s back. Cicero lifted her head and Bauwerji’s lips skimmed along her jawline until their mouths met. Cicero moved her hands to Bauwerji’s face and touched it gently before moving to her hair. She lightly traced each braid, almost as if she was using it to read the history of the women each one honored. Bauwerji’s tongue slipped into Cicero’s mouth for a moment before retreating.
“I don’t want to do this if you’d be uncomfortable.”
Cicero’s eyes were still closed. “I can feel my heart beating. I can feel yours. That’s exactly what I need right now.” She brushed her lips across Bauwerji’s again. “I need to feel alive. I can’t think of a better way. Can you?”
“No,” Bauwerji said, nipping at Cicero’s bottom lip. “But I confess that I’m not trying very hard.”
Cicero smiled and tilted her head to capture Bauwerji’s mouth. They repositioned themselves so that Bauwerji was on top. Cicero moved her hands over Bauwerji’s clothes, finding catches and zippers and releasing them until she found flesh underneath. Bauwerji lifted her arms so her shirt could be removed, and Cicero sat up to press her face between the other woman’s breasts. She cupped one in each hand, her thumbs over the nipples, and she moaned as she kissed the hard bone under the warm skin.
Bauwerji closed her eyes and stroked Cicero’s hair. From keeping a watchful eye on her when they first met, to this. She remembered those first few hesitant days of friendship, the strained courtesy on both their parts. Cicero didn’t trust someone who was in a position to arrest her. Bauwerji knew that sometimes there were extenuating circumstances that required lawlessness, but Cicero was a thief just for the hell of it.
As she got to know Cicero as a person, however, she came around to a new way of thinking. She loved the freedom Cicero had. Her home was constantly in motion and she was always looking for the next port of call. Cicero’s voice had picked up traces of accents from a multitude of races, though she denied having any accent at all if anyone brought it up. It was very clear to anyone with ears that she picked up a mixture of Balanquin, Paisian, even a bit of Ladronis which seeped into her voice from time to time. She was the only Human who could effortlessly pronounce Bauwerji’s name correctly, although when it was pointed out, she insisted it was only because she was trying to be respectful.
For Cicero, the act of falling for a Balanquin was just one more aberration. Humans frowned on interspecies relationships. Bauwerji had heard that Earth still had rallies against it for one arcane reason or another. Some based it on religion, others said it was no different than having sexual relations with animals. Bauwerji bristled at that, but Cicero told her it was a tale as old as time. People were always trying to impose their own morality on anyone who was different. The discovery of aliens had just opened up whole new avenues of bigotry.
Bauwerji kissed the top of Cicero’s head as the captain sucked her nipples. Such an exquisite thing, something so minor and yet Bauwerji had never considered it. Nipples weren’t sexual in Balanquin culture. But oh, how Cicero had taught her to enjoy them properly. She bit her bottom lip and moved her hands down to touch Cicero’s body.
Humans were vile creatures. War-like, aggressive, suspicious, xenophobic. They liked the fact they were isolated by technology, and they loved that other races relied so much on the Quay. In their eyes, it was a vulnerability they could exploit. “Do what we say, or we’ll cut off access to your waystation, and if you don’t like it, tough.” Bauwerji disliked Humans. They were only one step above Karezza in her esteem. And yet... she supposed there was always an exception to the rule.
“Cicerone,” she whispered.
Cicero lifted her head. Their lips brushed together briefly before they kissed.
“I love you.”
“Bauwerji, I love you, too.”
Bauwerji settled between Cicero’s legs. She put her hands on Cicero’s waist to draw her down against her thigh and began to gently thrust against her. The space between the bed and the ceiling meant that her shoulders were brushing against the smooth metal, but she didn’t care. It made her feel like she was wrapped in a shell with the woman she adored. Cicero closed her eyes and lifted her chin, exposing her throat to Bauwerji’s lips and tongue. She hooked her ankles behind Bauwerji and pressed her lips against Bauwerji’s ear.
“Make me come...”
“Bauwerji put her hand under Cicero’s head and made a fist in her hair. She pulled back as her other hand moved between them. She stroked Cicero to get her fingers wet, then extended her middle finger to pull her clitoris from its hood. Human and Balanquin were mostly similar anatomically, save for a few quirks. The most intriguing was that the Balanquin clitoris was more external than a Human’s. Bauwerji stared into her lover’s eyes as she stroked hers to full erection, fingers already slick with her juices as she pressed its tip against Cicero’s folds.
“Yes,” Cicero said, her voice choking off the end of the word. Bauwerji’s clitoris was small at the tip but widened closer to her body. She arched her back and grunted when she felt Cicero squeeze her. There was no opening at the tip of her clitoris, no way for her to ejaculate, but moisture gathered around the base and transferred to Cicero’s folds. She closed her eyes and focused on thrusting without losing her balance. A cramp threatened her right calf, but she soldiered through.
When Cicero came, Bauwerji followed her over the edge. She had been holding back her orgasm so Cicero could finish first, and the relief caused her to collapse in exhaustion on top of her lover. They murmured to one another, soft affirmations and repetition of each other’s name as they caught their breath. Cicero lifted her head to Bauwerji’s ear and whispered that she loved her again.
“I love you, too,” she repeated.
Dr. Littlefoot’s voice emanated from out of thin air. “Ladies. I’m assuming you did not intend to respond to my hail.”
Bauwerji lifted her head and looked around until she spotted the communicator lying under a tangle of bedclothes. She freed it and said, “Apologies for that, Doctor. Did you enjoy the show?”
Cordwainer laughed nervously. “It sounded... enthusiastic, at least. I was attempting to contact Captain Drayton. Is she in a position to speak?”
“Here she is.”
Cicero brushed her hair out of her face. “Any news, Dr. Littlefoot?”
“Good news, in fact. Aryana is awake.”
Bauwerji shifted off of Cicero in anticipation of her getting up. “That’s wonderful. Is she... is she all right?”
“She had some burns that required grafting, but we took care of that while she was unconscious. Her wounds are bandaged up and salved. She’s well enough for guests, and she asked for you specifically.”
“Thank you, Dr. Littlefoot.” Cicero had already climbed down the ladder and was gathering her clothes. Bauwerji followed her down. When she disconnected the call, she turned and cupped Bauwerji’s face to kiss her lips. “Thank you, too. That was exactly what I needed after everything that’s happened.”
“I’m happy I could help.”
Cicero smiled and brushed her hand over Bauwerji’s. Bauwerji thought back to her life as a child, the peaceful world where joining the military was honorable but not considered dangerous. If the wars had never come, she would have stayed on Pelorum her entire life. If she hadn’t become a fugitive, she would never have taken a position aboard the Quay. Everything in her life had to go wrong in order for her to be on the station when Captain Cicerone Drayton showed up.
Maybe she should stop thinking of those things as “wrong” and start considering them “necessary evils.” She smiled at Cicero as she finished dressing and wished her luck with her newly-awakened crewmember. If the theories they passed around in the briefing room were anything close to fact, then they would need all the luck they could muster.
Chapter Eight
Of the races inhabiting the Quay, the Paisian were the most alien in regard to Humans. They were the first to make contact with the upstart race. One of their ships was disabled and required extensive repairs to continue the journey back to their home planet. They would have been left adrift between solar systems if it wasn’t for the small space station. The Paisian requested permission to dock. The Aphelion Project’s commander sent the message on to Earth, but in those early days it sometimes took hours for a message to reach home. Then it would require committees, debates, and much consultation before they finally came to a decision. The commander knew the Paisian didn’t have that long, so the request was granted.
The alien vessel had been docked at the Quay for seventeen hours when the Aphelion Project responded with a resounding negative. The commander sent back a single-word response: “Oops.”
