Dangerous Evolution (29 page)

“You have it, Tizo; they are telling the truth.”

I watched as one of the larger Sentient ships moved out of
formation and toward the perimeter established by the Sector fleet. I contacted
Prescott, and he gave the order to permit the ship through the security cordon.
A Sector dreadnought took up position alongside the Sentient warship, escorting
it to our location.

I exhaled forcefully, then let go of the console and looked down. I’d
been squeezing the pedestal with so much force that my fingers had gone white. The
blood started to flow back into them, and a now all too familiar tingling
sensation began anew.

We looked around the hub at each another—human and Sentient alike—relief
and anticipation on every face; but also a single question, fueled by years of
paranoia, distrust, and fear…

Was it really over?       

Chapter
Twelve

The four ships exited Transit together, emerging in a tight
formation near the gas giant where Evan’s Moon silently revolved. Val stood at
my side as we began circling the colorful planet; rejoining me on the
Na’ardeen
just before we left the fleet behind, bringing welcome news from the
Invincible’s
physician that Mendoza should make a full recovery.

The ensign nearly died when they removed the Sentient netting from
across her abdomen, but the doctors managed to save and stabilize her.
According to Val, when she left the
Invincible
Mendoza was already awake
and cussing. Somehow, I wasn’t the least bit surprised. Val also told me that Captain
Prescott had been very kind to her, and had asked a slew of questions about
me
.
He would get his answers soon enough,
I thought,
when we finally met
in person.

The negotiated settlement reached at Vrent had been simple: Both
fleets would hold their positions and effect repairs while this special, joint
task force collected the cure and returned. Neither side would arm or repair
weapons systems, call in reinforcements, or make any other potentially
aggressive moves. It was, in every sense, an old-style verbal agreement between
humans, and a race that had no history of tolerance or restraint. But I knew
that the only thing truly holding the peace together was our superior firepower
and positioning.

Well, that and the apparently broken will of the Sentients.

The ships made a single orbit of the planet, then moved as cohesive
unit toward the moon. The huge vessels kept such a tight spacing that one might
mistakenly believe their navigational controls had been slaved together, but it
was my belief that each side was just showing the other how proficient they
were at controlling their craft.

As they entered orbit around the moon, shuttles emerged from the
large ships—one apiece—each containing that vessel’s captain and assorted
scientific personnel. Our shuttle carried; Stinson, Doctor Sa, Val, Captain
Thov, myself…and a small Envirocell with a little blue infant inside.

I watched Val’s face as we crested the moon’s horizon and her dome
came into view. She let out a brief smile—visibly relaxing for a moment—then
the tension returned. I understood her reaction; it was as if the weight of the
world had been lifted from her, only to be replaced by the weight of two
worlds. She was home, but still had a serious task to accomplish with trillions
of people counting on her.

“You okay,” I asked.

She grabbed my wrist. “I will be.”

We were the first shuttle to set down, entering the dome via the
hangar where Val’s private ship was still docked. Looking out the shuttle’s
window, I saw that the engineers had finished reassembling the flyer. It looked
complete, polished and ready to go, but I wondered if she’d ever be able to set
foot inside it again.

She will,
I thought, as we made our way down the
ramp.
She’s strong; made even more resilient by surviving this madness.

We left the hangar, walking outside to a nearby common area to await
the arrival of the other groups. I realized that
Invincible
’s shuttle
was the next to touchdown when I saw Captain Prescott burst through the doors
and walk swiftly toward us. From the opposite direction, I saw Breth and
several of the dome’s staff approaching at an equally rapid pace.

“Val!” Breth called out, running up to hug her. They embraced for
a moment, then Breth held her sister out at arm’s length to look her over. “Are
you okay? We were all so desperately worried.”

“I told you over the com, Breth; I’m fine. Really. It’s…it’s good
to be home.”

“Commander…Captain,” Breth said, looking over at Stinson and
myself, “I can’t thank you enough.” Her voice faltered, “I can’t imagine…well.
Val, you are never leaving this moon again!”

Val gently broke away from her sister’s grasp and directed the
workers to grab the portable Envirocell. She announced to everyone present, “Doctor
Sa and I will take the child to the lab and get it hooked up to a support
system. Then we’ll start mass producing the cure.”

Val and I shared a meaningful look, then she left for her lab with
the welcoming party in tow. As they walked away, I saw Breth peer into the child’s
chamber. “Ah the baby you spoke about. Let’s have a look at…oh my….”

I turned around to find Prescott standing right behind me, taking
it all in. “Commander,” he said, “I have to admit, I was torn between shaking
your hand and punching your lights out.” He held out a thickly muscled hand—the
rest of him was just as solidly built. “I’ve decided that I’d like to shake
your hand.”

“I’d like that too, Captain Prescott.”

Gesturing to the rest of the group, I introduced Prescott to
Stinson and Thov, and they all shook hands in turn. Captain Thov was obviously
discomfited by the gesture but reciprocated nonetheless.

“Due to my recent experience working alongside Captain Thov, and
my association with you, Commander, the Regents have appointed me acting fleet
commander for the duration of this…incident. As such, I’ve been conferring with
Prima Sector’s HQ, Captain Stinson. You will be happy to know that the
Babylon
Rising
will be here in two days. You are to resume command as soon as it
arrives.”

“Of course,” Stinson replied. “I need to get back onboard as
quickly as possible. You know how discipline wanes when the captain is off the
ship. Besides, we need to resume our patrols.”

“About
that
, Captain, due to the losses from this battle, much
of the newly combined Sector fleet is being repositioned. I’m afraid that the
Babylon
Rising
is being reassigned to Narel. Your daughter lives there I believe… Hopefully,
you’ll be able to quickly adjust to your new duties.”

Stinson’s business-like veneer cracked open into a wide smile.
“Oh, I think I’ll manage just fine, sir.”

“I’m sure you will.”

Prescott turned his attention to Thov, “Captain, allow me to
express my personal condolences for the crew you’ve lost today, and to thank
you for your valor. There were at least two clear instances during that battle
where my ship would have been destroyed without your efforts.”

“It would have been a wasteful loss, Captain. I am also grateful
the
Invincible
’s actions. With luck, this will be the last time our
people feel the need to war with one another.”

“Agreed,” Prescott said, nodding his head.

Captain Tizo’s shuttle was the next to land, and Thov greeted the Sentient
amiably. The introductions went smoothly enough with Thov taking the lead, but
I got the impression that Tizo was continually looking around for snipers, or at
the very least, some sign of a yet un-sprung trap.

I
know
his bracer-equipped guard was.

Captain Thompson of the
Titan
commanded the last shuttle,
rounding out our eclectic ensemble, and prompting yet another round of
introductions. He’d been designated the Liaison Officer for Inter-Sector
Cooperative Defense; it was his job to debrief Prescott and Stinson for the
ISCD-then consult with me on humanity’s next actions during this crisis. Per my
recommendation—made in my initial report to Prima Sector during Transit—I also
knew that he had another mission. Just as I knew that two of my fellow Special
Inquisitors would be landing in a fast Transit craft within minutes to take Lesa
into custody for questioning. And to help me put this whole episode into focus
for a detailed report for all seven Sector governments.

Thompson spoke as we started our walk to the lab. “Captain Thov, I
wonder if I might have a moment of your time when it’s convenient.”

“Of course, Captain Thompson.”

Thov looked puzzled, and the request made Captain Tizo even more suspicious.
To his credit, Thompson picked up on this and invited Tizo as well.
Good
,
I thought. It looked like they were going to pursue my recommendation to ask Captain
Thov to become an ambassador for the Sentients—establishing a formal and open
line of communication between our two races.

The trip was a short one, but the dome’s scenery was so fascinating
that it elicited comments from human and Sentient alike. When we reached the
residence section, Thov and Tizo both pointed out Val’s colorful garden; it was
clear that they’d never seen anything quite like it.

Captain Prescott looked confused when we arrived at the small,
shed-sized entrance to the underground laboratory. But as we descended the
steps, emerging into the enormity of the underground space, he smiled in
understanding.

We found Val and Doctor Sa at different terminals, discussing
quantities of chemicals and suspension mediums. Val was also teaching Sa how to
interface with computers and equipment designed for humans, and I could tell that
the Sentient was having a hard time adjusting to the wildly different input
methods.

An unintentional segregation occurred when Stinson and Prescott
joined me at Val’s side to observe the work, while the Sentients flocked to
Doctor Sa. Thompson, thinking smartly and probably in furtherance of his
mission, went with the Sentients. I saw the data disk copied from Rroske’s
files sticking out of a makeshift adapter attached to Sa’s console; the
homespun interface undoubtedly devised to merge the two disparate technologies.

Val spoke loudly enough for everyone in the room to hear. “I would
rather have more time for trials and refinement, but we just don’t have that
option.”

“I’m afraid I have to agree, Doctor,” Sa replied. “But this
will
work. We can refine it later if need be.”

According to the calculations we’d made in Transit, factoring in the
materials we had on hand, and how quickly our batches could be delivered—after
two days we’d lose any benefit from the operation. At that point, the more distant
Sentient systems would be able to produce their own medicine faster than we
could transport it to them.

“Then let’s start the run and get the cure off to the closest
Sentient worlds,” Val said. She looked around at everyone, a pained expression
on her face. “The distant systems will suffer a
much
higher mortality
rate.”

Thompson asked, “Do your estimates take into account the Sector
ships we’ve authorized?”

“I’m afraid so,” Val replied.

The mood was somber, but what more could be done? Millions of
lives would be saved or lost based on distance, the laws of physics, and the
restrictions of technology. The fact that we were ‘doing our best’ would be
little consolation to the Sentients we couldn’t reach in time.

But how
do
you console the dead?

*****

Over the next two days, the laboratory machinery never stopped. When
warning lights flashed red, someone stepped in immediately to remedy the
problem and keep the production going. Even Captain Tizo helped out on
occasion, eventually dismissing its guard to wait on the shuttle.

Val practically lived at the lab, sleeping on a cot in a
semi-secluded storage room—only taking time away from monitoring production and
sampling test batches to spend a few moments with the Sentient child.  She and
Sa had carefully disconnected it from the tubes Rroske had cruelly inserted
into its body, replacing the unnatural measures with real food and sanitary
wrappings. Val took the baby out and held it occasionally, and in those moments,
she looked happy…content. The child relaxed her, I realized. It gave her peace.

“How is it?” I asked, returning to the lab from a meeting with the
other inquisitors.

“Fine,” she replied, then gave me a mischievous look, “But you
need to get used to saying him.”

“
Him?
”

She smiled. “This Sentient has gender.”

Doctor Sa looked away uncomfortably, then moved off to check some
equipment.

“How…interesting,” I said.

“Isn’t it? He is unique…maybe in the entire universe.” Despite her
obvious fatigue, her eyes were as bright as I’d ever seen them. “In another day
or so, I should be able to move him into the main house.” She looked down at
the child’s blue face, making no attempt to hide the emotion she was feeling, “Into
his very own room.”