Theirs Not To Reason Why: A Soldier's Duty (30 page)
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Authors: Jean Johnson
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Ia nodded and shook her head at appropriate points, making it sound like she was endorsing Spyder’s plan of convincing several others to find a hovercar for rent and taking it up to the beach. (
He made the mistake of stumbling across my mothers while they were in the mood to celebrate the idea of getting around to having a couple of children.
)
He made the mistake of stumbling across my mothers while they were in the mood to celebrate the idea of getting around to having a couple of children.
)
(
So? He shouldn’t have mated with both of them.
)
So? He shouldn’t have mated with both of them.
)
She smiled. (
They were rather insistent.
)
They were rather insistent.
)
(
He’s a Feyori. We’re only fertile in this form when we make an effort at transforming energy into matter.
)
He’s a Feyori. We’re only fertile in this form when we make an effort at transforming energy into matter.
)
(
He caught them while they were on a picnic . . . in a
crysium
field.
)
He caught them while they were on a picnic . . . in a
crysium
field.
)
(
. . .)
. . .)
(
The crysium clouded his mind, and thus—shall we say—enhanced his efforts?
)
The crysium clouded his mind, and thus—shall we say—enhanced his efforts?
)
Ia waited for him to process that statement. It didn’t take much longer.
(
That . . . is the most perverted,
disgusting
thing I have
ever
heard,
) Silverstone growled. Physically, his face remained mostly impassive, save for a pinched crease in the otherwise smooth skin of his brow. (
We’ve been visiting that planet for longer than your species has been sentient, and you’re telling me that the
crysium
“influenced” your progenitor?
)
That . . . is the most perverted,
disgusting
thing I have
ever
heard,
) Silverstone growled. Physically, his face remained mostly impassive, save for a pinched crease in the otherwise smooth skin of his brow. (
We’ve been visiting that planet for longer than your species has been sentient, and you’re telling me that the
crysium
“influenced” your progenitor?
)
(
Influenced,
and
protected . . . as my progenitor found out when he realized afterward that he’d impregnated both of my mothers. He couldn’t terminate either of us, though he tried. Nor could the two Feyori who came by to help him. The crysium stopped them.
)
Influenced,
and
protected . . . as my progenitor found out when he realized afterward that he’d impregnated both of my mothers. He couldn’t terminate either of us, though he tried. Nor could the two Feyori who came by to help him. The crysium stopped them.
)
(
It is
not
capable of doing that, little one,
) Silverstone explained patiently, coldly. (
You do not know what your precious “crystal sprays” are made of. It is
not
sentient, it does
not
interfere, and it does
not
play the Game.
)
It is
not
capable of doing that, little one,
) Silverstone explained patiently, coldly. (
You do not know what your precious “crystal sprays” are made of. It is
not
sentient, it does
not
interfere, and it does
not
play the Game.
)
(
Ah, but I
do
know what it is. I told you, I’ve studied you Meddlers,
) she reminded him. (
Every time you convert yourselves to a matter-based life-form, some of your energy selves remain. That’s how you can communicate telepathically, and lift things telekinetically, and do all the other things we’ve come to associate with psychic abilities. It’s nothing more than lingering traces of your energy-based abilities.
Ah, but I
do
know what it is. I told you, I’ve studied you Meddlers,
) she reminded him. (
Every time you convert yourselves to a matter-based life-form, some of your energy selves remain. That’s how you can communicate telepathically, and lift things telekinetically, and do all the other things we’ve come to associate with psychic abilities. It’s nothing more than lingering traces of your energy-based abilities.
(
But when you revert back to your energy forms, you carry trace amounts of matter with you . . . which, to put it delicately, you eventually “shed” all over a selected planet,
) Ia recited dryly. (
Preferably a heavyworld, since that strips a higher percentage of stray matter from your forms, and preferably on a world like Sanctuary, one with its own revitalizing electrical field, so you can use it to refresh and rejuvenate yourselves with a little midflight energy snack.
But when you revert back to your energy forms, you carry trace amounts of matter with you . . . which, to put it delicately, you eventually “shed” all over a selected planet,
) Ia recited dryly. (
Preferably a heavyworld, since that strips a higher percentage of stray matter from your forms, and preferably on a world like Sanctuary, one with its own revitalizing electrical field, so you can use it to refresh and rejuvenate yourselves with a little midflight energy snack.
(
You haven’t just been “visiting” my homeworld. You’ve been
shitting
on it,
) she accused.
You haven’t just been “visiting” my homeworld. You’ve been
shitting
on it,
) she accused.
(
. . .)
Ending his conversation with Sergeant Tae, Doctor Silverstone folded his arms across his dress jacket. He was too canny to look directly at her, but he was also too upset not to scowl. Proof that he had learned to act Human quite well by now. (
I find it disturbing that you know so much about us. I find your claim that the crysium interfered even more unsettling. I would far more believe that
you
intervened, even as a tiny squidge of barely fertilized pre-sentiency, than that a pile of crystalline
shit
intervened. How much
do
you know?
)
. . .)
Ending his conversation with Sergeant Tae, Doctor Silverstone folded his arms across his dress jacket. He was too canny to look directly at her, but he was also too upset not to scowl. Proof that he had learned to act Human quite well by now. (
I find it disturbing that you know so much about us. I find your claim that the crysium interfered even more unsettling. I would far more believe that
you
intervened, even as a tiny squidge of barely fertilized pre-sentiency, than that a pile of crystalline
shit
intervened. How much
do
you know?
)
Ia figured it was wisest to admit the truth to him. Hopefully, the truth from her metaphysical lips would convince him she did, indeed, know how to play the Game.
(
Crysium dust—the lingering, energy-infused particles of matter you expel—either gets absorbed into the local life-forms, both the plants and the animals that eat them, or it absorbs water, electricity from lightning storms, and certain minerals from the indigenous rocks, until it grows into a crysium spray. The dust ingested by the plants and animals helps both kinds grow larger than they should on a world with as high a gravity as Sanctuary’s. And when it accumulates in the bones of sentient beings, it not only strengthens those bones, it increases the native-born settler’s chances of developing psychic abilities.
Crysium dust—the lingering, energy-infused particles of matter you expel—either gets absorbed into the local life-forms, both the plants and the animals that eat them, or it absorbs water, electricity from lightning storms, and certain minerals from the indigenous rocks, until it grows into a crysium spray. The dust ingested by the plants and animals helps both kinds grow larger than they should on a world with as high a gravity as Sanctuary’s. And when it accumulates in the bones of sentient beings, it not only strengthens those bones, it increases the native-born settler’s chances of developing psychic abilities.
(
You don’t have to
breed
a progeny to develop a bloodline capable of Meddling in matter-based affairs,
) Ia pointed out, listening with only half her attention on the conversations of her fellow Humans. (Roses
will grow in a carefully tended garden, yes, but they’ll also grow on a compost heap, given the right conditions. Even seemingly random ones.
)
You don’t have to
breed
a progeny to develop a bloodline capable of Meddling in matter-based affairs,
) Ia pointed out, listening with only half her attention on the conversations of her fellow Humans. (Roses
will grow in a carefully tended garden, yes, but they’ll also grow on a compost heap, given the right conditions. Even seemingly random ones.
)
(
Yes, but the fertilizer doesn’t
plant
the flowers. Something else does that. The wind, the rain, a stray dog carrying a seed.
Not
the fertilizer.
)
Yes, but the fertilizer doesn’t
plant
the flowers. Something else does that. The wind, the rain, a stray dog carrying a seed.
Not
the fertilizer.
)
(
We’ll see, won’t we? Take my advice, either way. Offer them a ride, leave in half an hour, and roughly half an hour after you get there, you’ll find a woman in dark red looking at a crab shell on the north end of the beach—if nothing else, consider it a preliminary test of my prognostic abilities,
) Ia told him.
We’ll see, won’t we? Take my advice, either way. Offer them a ride, leave in half an hour, and roughly half an hour after you get there, you’ll find a woman in dark red looking at a crab shell on the north end of the beach—if nothing else, consider it a preliminary test of my prognostic abilities,
) Ia told him.
(
And what if I’m at the south end of the beach instead? What if I go into the water?
) he countered.
And what if I’m at the south end of the beach instead? What if I go into the water?
) he countered.
(
Have you ever stepped on a lion fish, before?
)
Have you ever stepped on a lion fish, before?
)
(
No.
)
No.
)
(
Don’t be in the water at the south end of the beach at the half-hour mark. You may be a Feyori, but you’re also in a matter-based body. You can feel pain just like anyone else,
) Ia warned him. (
As for the lady in dark red, it would be no fault of
yours
if
she
were releasing two eggs at the moment of procreation.
Don’t be in the water at the south end of the beach at the half-hour mark. You may be a Feyori, but you’re also in a matter-based body. You can feel pain just like anyone else,
) Ia warned him. (
As for the lady in dark red, it would be no fault of
yours
if
she
were releasing two eggs at the moment of procreation.
(
My “advice” isn’t illegal interference . . . barely. You only have my “word” that such a thing could be possible, never mind true. And the odds of you procreating at the right moment in time to “accidentally” take advantage of such a thing . . . well, I’m not going to tell you
when
to actually do that part, so my words couldn’t be considered a factioning of your efforts. Particularly since you don’t think I’m the Prophet of a Thousand Years . . . but also because I
do
know how to play by the rules. I haven’t given you enough information to give you an illegal faction-boost.
)
My “advice” isn’t illegal interference . . . barely. You only have my “word” that such a thing could be possible, never mind true. And the odds of you procreating at the right moment in time to “accidentally” take advantage of such a thing . . . well, I’m not going to tell you
when
to actually do that part, so my words couldn’t be considered a factioning of your efforts. Particularly since you don’t think I’m the Prophet of a Thousand Years . . . but also because I
do
know how to play by the rules. I haven’t given you enough information to give you an illegal faction-boost.
)
“. . . Wha’
choo
don’t understand, Private Arstoll, izzat I don’t
wanna
speak educatedly,” Spyder argued tartly, recapturing her attention. “If I wished to do so,” he enunciated carefully, “I could speak as clearly as the rest of you. But we New Lunnoners take great pride in our local ‘color’ and its slang. From the ancient, pick-dug coal mines of Newcastle to the dronegathered gas mines of Jupiter and Saturn, my ancestors take
great
pride in being generation after generation of miners.” He dropped the precision of his speech as he continued. “I’m only here ’cause I got caught messin’ wi’ th’ equipment an’ th’ Nets, and a freight-load a’ other stuff one too many times, an’ the psychologists said I needed ‘a better outlet’ for my energies.
choo
don’t understand, Private Arstoll, izzat I don’t
wanna
speak educatedly,” Spyder argued tartly, recapturing her attention. “If I wished to do so,” he enunciated carefully, “I could speak as clearly as the rest of you. But we New Lunnoners take great pride in our local ‘color’ and its slang. From the ancient, pick-dug coal mines of Newcastle to the dronegathered gas mines of Jupiter and Saturn, my ancestors take
great
pride in being generation after generation of miners.” He dropped the precision of his speech as he continued. “I’m only here ’cause I got caught messin’ wi’ th’ equipment an’ th’ Nets, and a freight-load a’ other stuff one too many times, an’ the psychologists said I needed ‘a better outlet’ for my energies.
“Right now, that outlet sez take me ’n a bunch a’ pretty meioa-es t’ th’ beach. Now, choo wanna come along, or choo wanna sit here an’ pretend choo don’t wanna see Forenze in a teeny-weeny bikini? ’Cause if you say that,
we’re
all gonna call
you
a liar!”
we’re
all gonna call
you
a liar!”
Arstoll crossed his arms over his chest. “If I wanted to see her naked, I could have done so at any point during Basic Training. We
did
share the same latrines, after all.”
did
share the same latrines, after all.”
“Neh-yah-veh,”
Kumanei argued, waggling her hand to accompany the V’Dan slang for “more or less,” literally “no-yes-maybe.” She winked at Forenze, who bore a mildly insulted look at Arstoll’s words. “If you ask me, it’s all in th’
packaging
. Naked is okay, but draped in something that covers just the right spots, and a tiny bit more, that’s a whole ’nother matter. Now, if we put you out there naked? No interest, meioa-o. But wrap you in a Samoan
lavi-lavi
, with that chest of yours all muscled and bare on top, but only your calves and your feet showing down below?
Mucho irropoi.
”
Kumanei argued, waggling her hand to accompany the V’Dan slang for “more or less,” literally “no-yes-maybe.” She winked at Forenze, who bore a mildly insulted look at Arstoll’s words. “If you ask me, it’s all in th’
packaging
. Naked is okay, but draped in something that covers just the right spots, and a tiny bit more, that’s a whole ’nother matter. Now, if we put you out there naked? No interest, meioa-o. But wrap you in a Samoan
lavi-lavi
, with that chest of yours all muscled and bare on top, but only your calves and your feet showing down below?
Mucho irropoi.
”
“Did I hear something about a
lavi-lavi
?” a new voice interjected. The Human-shaped Feyori had approached while they were talking, and now nodded at the former recruits. “Captain James Silverstone, paraphysician.”
lavi-lavi
?” a new voice interjected. The Human-shaped Feyori had approached while they were talking, and now nodded at the former recruits. “Captain James Silverstone, paraphysician.”
“Sir!” Arstoll said, snapping to Attention.
“Relax, Private, you’re on Leave. If you’re looking for a
lavi-lavi
, there’s an excellent little import shop at the Mindil Beach Market.” He glanced briefly at Ia, then aimed a smile at the other ladies. “They also sell civilian swimwear and other goods. I’m headed there in about half an hour for a couple of hours of relaxing on the beach; my hovercar has room for five or six more. If you’re interested . . . show up outside Building D-400. Will you be joining us, Private Ia?”
lavi-lavi
, there’s an excellent little import shop at the Mindil Beach Market.” He glanced briefly at Ia, then aimed a smile at the other ladies. “They also sell civilian swimwear and other goods. I’m headed there in about half an hour for a couple of hours of relaxing on the beach; my hovercar has room for five or six more. If you’re interested . . . show up outside Building D-400. Will you be joining us, Private Ia?”
She managed to keep her smile polite, rather than smug. “No, I can’t, though I appreciate the offer. I’m headed across the Indian Ocean with my friend. We have to leave shortly, so I’ll say this now, and I mean every word. It was an honor to survive Basic with all of you.”
Arstoll smirked. He held out his hand. “ ‘Survive’ is right. Good luck, Private Ia. May you get a good duty post. You have some good leadership potential. Rough in places, but I know you’ll polish it once you’re out there.”
Clasping his hand, she shuddered internally, sensing his soon-to-be disappointment and frustration at his own first post. If he didn’t lose his temper, he would have a good shot at advancement through the ranks and a decent enough career for the next few years . . . but she didn’t want to see all the way to the inevitable end of his life, and freed her fingers. “Thanks for showing us all those fine qualities of your own. You’ll make a good officer, Arstoll, noncom or commissioned. Once you get there.”
Silverstone held out his own hand to her. “Private Ia . . . try not to be so stubborn about carrying through an impossible mission. Next time, I won’t be around to patch you back together.” (
Though we
will
keep an eye on you and your Simmerings.
)
Though we
will
keep an eye on you and your Simmerings.
)
“I’ll keep that in mind, sir.” Shaking his hand briefly, she didn’t bother to reinforce her reply telepathically.
The others offered their hands, too. Sharing a round of firm handshakes, and an abrupt, friendly hug from the irrepressible Spyder—whose fate she mercifully didn’t sense—Ia moved away and found Ssarra just finishing his own conversation a few meters away. Crossing the grass to join him, she guided him toward the exit from the parade grounds.
“If you’re about ready, I just need to get my kitbag from the barracks and to take a moment to stow my mechsuit case with the Supply department at the Camp here, then I’ll be free to go. I’ll also need to be back here in three days to pick up my orders.”
The Grandmaster nodded. He waited until they were out of earshot of the others, beyond the grandstand, before speaking. “My sssuborbital ssship is at the landing padss eassst of here. Ah—I meant to tell you, now that we are alone, the planss ffor the Vault have been approved by the Order Counssil. But winning the fffunding for it through the Lottery ssseemss like a cheat. When I opened that envelope and sssaw what the insstructionss were . . . it sstill leavess a bad tasste on my tonguess. I fffollowed your insstructionss . . . but it iss a bad tasste, nonethelesss.”
“I carefully picked a ticket that wouldn’t harm the future if it went ‘missing’ from the unaltered version of time,” she murmured back, senses alert to any chance of being overheard. Dr. Silverstone didn’t count, of course; she could feel his extra senses blanketing the area, pricked to pick up anything of interest to him. This was just part of her Simmerings, though. “I told you I wouldn’t ask you to start such a huge, costly project as the Vault without paying for it. Since I don’t have any other funds available, this was how I chose to pay for it.”
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