The Circus

Obsidian Arrows

Time of our Lord Creatos 1539, Sunday the 20th of Manhuary

The Circus

The circus was moving forward with little to no effort on their part. It had so much momentum that they didn’t even have to show up and the whole thing would proceed without them. Or at least that's what Tarinnish told himself. He could not believe the predicament that he found himself in.  A wife, well soon to be. A child and now parents that were… Well that knew his God and worshiped him and not Creatos. What were the chances?  

Tarinnish was in his dressing room, that’s right three dressing rooms had been erected near the park so that the bride and groom could prepare for their walk down the isles right there at the park. There was a knock on the door. Tarinnish got up and answered it without thinking. It was Jack.

“Can I come in?” He asked.

Tarinnish left the door open and nodded yes.

“I just heard that the local media had been asked to put their feed on the main.” Jack said.  He was pondering something but held back.

Panic started crawling up Tarinnish’s spine. He looked at Jack, “This was supposed to be a simple private affair.” He didn’t finish.

“I know.” Jack said.

“I can’t go out there.” Tarinnish said as he stood. He looked at the door. It felt right to run.  To get away from all this. It was just too much exposure.   

“I have a plan.” Jack finally said.

Jacks words were like a lighthouse that Tarinnish was drawn to. It had an air of hope that Tarinnish needed. “What? What plan could… Why are they doing this?”

“We need to change your face.” Jack finally said.

“My face.” Tarinnish didn’t follow. His mind was set to run.

“Well if we change your face just a little.” Jack looked at the door then back at Tarinnish. “We need change it just enough that the facial recognition prodigals can’t pull up your father’s image... Well we just might pull this off.” 

If all the other stuff wasn’t enough, now he had to face the mainstream media and all its resources. All of Creatos’ resources would be brought to bear on him, here. It was only supposed to be a simple ceremony.  

There was another knock at the door. Tarinnish jumped up. He was looking for an escape. This was just too much.

Jack assured him, “It’s okay.  They’re friends and they can help.” Jack opened the door and two older women were standing at the there.  Jack quickly ushered them in. 

They set up a table next to the counter where the lit mirror was and went to work.  First, they removed Tarinnish’s shirt. He just sat there like a stone.  He needed to be someone else today.  Someone that wouldn’t bring the weight of the world down on their ceremony. Someone, that no one was looking for, but everyone was watching.  

The first lady addressed him. “I’m Charlet and this is my sister Winiford.” she took a scanner from her suitcase that was placed on the table. “I need to scan you and determine just how much work this is going to be.” Without waiting for permission, she pointed the scanner at him and started her work. Winiford was watching a screen.  She then took a stylist and started drawing on it.  With the scan done Charlet joined her sister and they talked quietly. Sometimes agreeing and sometimes not.  Then they both said in unison, “Okay.”

With that Charlet stepped back to Tarinnish’s side, “We have a plan and it will only take about thirty minutes to execute. You have a very distinct jaw line that we are going to disrupt, then pull your eye just a few millimeters forward and then that nose. Yes, we definitely need to make it bigger. 

Tarinnish was afraid that Marisa was not going to recognize him as the sisters administered their alterations. They did not let Tarinnish look in the mirror. They worked on this jawline and cheeks. It was a combination of adding stuff here and taping down skin there and then the nose. It looked like they were pasting a new layer of skin on him, but this new layer would have different features than his own.  

Then came the makeup. Foundation, ruse and flesh colored powders. It was a whirlwind of activity and then they stopped.

Charlet spoke first, “Oh, that’s perfect.” 

Winiford whispered, “scan him again.” 

Charlet picked up the scanner. She triggered it and Winiford waited for the results.  His new features sent the machine into a whirl of beeps and then went silent.  

Winiford announced, “He’s Folien.” 

“Which family?” Charlet asked,

“Indeterminate, a mix.” replied Winiford.

“Perfect.” Charlet whispered then looked at Tarinnish, “You’re a mutt, congratulations.” 

Tarinnish had a confused look on his face and then they turned him to the mirror. It was him, but not. He looked closely. His jaw had dropped just a few millimeters and his eyes looked closer together. How did they do that? His nose didn’t seem different, but as a whole, his face was different and yet he could still see enough of himself.  

They turned him back and Jack snapped a picture.

“What was that for?” Asked Tarinnish as spots darted here and there. 

“You don’t want Marisa to be too surprised at the alterations?” Jack asked.

Tarinnish shook his head, “Knowing her, she would ask what I did with her fiancé.” Tarinnish looked back at the mirror. His confidence was starting to rise, “Jack.”

Jack looked at him in the mirror and Tarinnish looked him in the eyes, “Thank you.” 

“Keep my daughter safe.” Jack said. Nothing more.

For a long moment Tarinnish said nothing. They just looked at each other. Finally, Tarinnish responded, “I’ll do my best.”

 When the two men broke their stares, they noticed that Charlet and Winiford were all packed up and waiting by the door. Jack walked over and shook Charlets hand. Thanked her and her sister and they left. Jack left too and Tarinnish put on the suit that he had selected for this moment. It was simple with long lines and a black that was so black that it swallowed light.  He wanted all the brilliance of this day, to come from Marisa. She was the star and he was in orbit around her.  

 Tarinnish looked at his chronometer. It was time and he put on his jacket and headed for the door. He opened it and Captain Trent was standing outside in full dress uniform.

 Tarinnish had forgotten all about the ship and his crew mates. Embarrassment filled his face.  In all this insanity he had not invited Trent and Stone to the wedding.

 Trent broke the ice immediately, “I thought you were eloping.” 

 “We tried.” was all Tarinnish offered.

 “Wow!” Trent looked around, “This…” He put his hand up and out at his side and made a slight rotation. The immensity of all that was their wedding was summed up in that one statement.

 “Yeah.” Tarinnish said in return, with a slight nod of his head and then shook it back and forth to indicated he had nothing to do with it. He then asked, “Is Ashley here?”

 “Oh yeah. She wasn’t going to miss this.” Trent grinned. He then shook his head again. “Oh the irony.” 

 Tarinnish looked at him with a puzzled look.

 “Yeah, Ashley wanted to do this.” He looked around then continued, “And we ended up at the Justice of the Peace for a civil union certificate for our son. Then you… The ever quiet ones get this.” He looked about again, “Irony.” 

 Tarinnish looked Trent in the eyes, “I would trade places with you in a heartbeat.”

 “I know.” Trent winked at him. “I know.” 

Changing the subject, Trent asked, “Who do you have standing with you?”  “Damn.” Tarinnish felt like a rag doll with no will of his own. He was so caught up with just coming to the planet, having Marias’ parents discover who he really was and the baby stuff, that a stand in at his wedding had never crossed his mind.  

Trent slapped Tarinnish on the back, “Don’t worry lieutenant. Your captain has your six.” 

With that they walked towards the ceremony. Once at the ceremony a short sprite of a woman dressed in ping from show to hat, with a headset on, approached him. “You two need to be on the stage.” She then turned away and spoke into the mic, “They’re here. I’m sending them up now.” She then looked at them as if to say, “Your still here, go!” 

They went.  

“Who was that?” Trent asked.

 “I don’t know. I’m just a pawn.” Tarinnish admitted.

 They arrived at their appointed position and stood to look at the isle where Marisa would be walking up.  At the far end of the isle, Ashley was standing in the arch. She was looking to her right.  Tarinnish followed her gaze to the sprite dressed in pink.  The one that had directed them to the stage.  She was in charge now.

Music started to play from the live band just to the south of the sage.  In those moments Tarinnish looked around.  There were flowers everywhere, with colorful ribbons and white tablecloths on every horizontal surface.  The arch that Ashley was standing in, was arranged with flowers from the floor up.  The chairs everyone was sitting in were white.  The grass looked intensely green and there were hundreds of people in the seats and standing on the side.  There were lights shining from poles and then there were the drones hovering with their cameras pointed at him.  Four of these annoying machines hovered at various heights.  They would record every detail. 

Ashley started to walk towards them.  She had a small bunch of flowers in her hand.  She walked up to Tarinnish and then turned to the other side of the stage.  Everything stopped.  Tarinnish looked at Ashley, but she was staring at the back.  Tarinnish looked back and saw a vision.  Marisa was standing there.  The most beautiful person he had ever seen.  Her dress was so white it dazzled.  Her face beaming. Her eyes fixed on him.  Everyone else vanished.

The ceremony was a blur.  The Mayor said some things and they exchanged vows.  Then it was over.  Months of planning and days of panic... Over.  Tarinnish and Clarish were married and now.  There was a brief reception, where they greeted hundreds of people they did not know and ate some food that didn’t even seem real.  Now they were in a hotel that was given to them for the remaining two night of their stay.  

It was too early to transfer the baby, so they would have the procedure done in two alunars.  They would also have a few more eggs removed from Marisa and I would provide more semen just in case something went wrong.  The surrogate agreed to carry a baby to term whether it was from this pregnancy of another.  

Tarinnish was sitting up in bed aboard the Hōkūle‘a.  It was two hours before first watch and he couldn’t sleep. There was nothing on the schedule for another two sevenths.  So, it was time to bone up on the latest surveys and a new Astro charts with two more sectors added to it.  One was from an unmanned probe and the second was from a gate that just came online.  The good thing was, the crew survived.  The bad thing was, besides some asteroids the system, they jumped to, had six gas giants and little else to offer.  The crew had to wait for six years for their gate to sync with little to nothing to do.  They did visit each of the planets to make sure that they were indeed nothing but gas.  And sure enough, each one checked out as gas only.  With one known as a Hot Jupiter.  They spent little to no time at this planet as it was just a few degrees from an ignition of its hydrogen.  They left a probe to transmit data and then moved away at all possible speed.  The only bright spot was that the crew survived and was headed home as soon as they circled back to get enough speed to make the jump.  Three alunars and they will be back at the quiver.  The hardest decision they will have to make is what to have for dinner.  Once back, however, they will have to decide whether to go out again or disband.  If they disband, some will join other ships, and some will opt to take their bonus and move on with their lives.  As for the ship, it will get another crew and prepare to take another stab at the universe.

Just then a vision filled his eyes.  Marisa was lying on a pile of what use to be the forward bulkhead.  A large shard of mettle was sticking out of her abdomen.  She was dead and by the look on her face the ship had decompressed.  Tarinnish snapped back.  Was he dreaming?  Was it a vision? Or just a fear of what could happen that managed to surface in his subconscious.  He quickly looked over at this new wife as she peacefully rested in the bed next to him.  Tarinnish dismissed it as a fear he had failed to subdue.  He then said a quick prayer his mother had taught him. A prayer of hope and protection.  That’s when a question came to him.  Why are you here?  Why didn’t you stick to the plan?  Be alone, be an island. One that can’t get hurt again.  But no.  You have a wife and a kid, well will have a kid.  That makes a family.  And that was not a part of the plan.  

Tarinnish got up and went to the common room.  He needed to clear his head, get some coffee and try to bury this fear that had put its tendrils into his heart.  Marisa was not going anywhere, and they were going to love each other and their child for a very long time.  Just where they are going to do this family thing, he did not know. 

End of Chapter 7
Next Chapter 8

If you have enjoyed the final chapter and want to start at the beginning of this book, click the link below. This is an unedited book of the Remnant Series. Book 4

Beginning of Obsidian Arrows

Book 3 is call Graham Heights and starts here: "We Gotta Go"  

Enjoy and please leave a comment and follow this blog.   

Book 1 is available in paperback or kindle The Grey Abyss

R.A. Legg

R.A. Legg © 2016. All Rights Reserved.

We Have a Problem

Obsidian Arrows

Time of our Lord Creatos 1539, Thursday the 17th of Manhuary

We Have a Problem

With the ship secured and the mock gate removed we were ready to head down to the planet.  There were details to take care of and a wedding to be at.  Much of which was planned by Merisa’s mother, Mrs. Francieen Clarish.  Tarinnish still remembers the painful conversation they had to have with her parents some two alunars ago.  It was a lot to take in at one, the fact that their daughter was in a relationship and that she had decided to get married.  Yes, it was difficult.  They are somewhat old fashioned, and their daughter had never really shown much interest in men.  It’s not that she didn’t like them, they just didn’t fit into her plans.  As for the men that joined the Obsidian Arrows, few were to her liking.  Most were arrogant and too self-assured. Which was the exact composition the order was looking for.  They were the best of the best. Which, if you think about it, made no sense at all.  Why would you send the best you have on a fool’s errand? Tarinnish scolded himself for getting off track.  What other men were like did not matter now. He had made his way past her mental barriers.  The ones she had made for herself to keep others from getting too close.  But he had done it.  He was the love of her life and more importantly, her soul mate.  Now he was contending with her parents to be accepted.

Which was not going to be an easy task.  Especially when it came to Francieen.  Who started to change some of the arrangements that Marisa had already set up.  She insisted that the ceremony take place in the arboretum and that flowers and ribbons be placed in the aisles and tables.  It was to be a grand occasion, not just a cold procedure.  That would not do for their only daughter.  Marisa tried to stop this insanity, but it was no use.  Her plans were swept aside, and a grand fiasco was being erected in its place.

As the conversation continued and the event of their marriage was being orchestrated by Francieen, Marisa apologized to her lover repeatedly. Tarinnish squeezed her hand in reassurance.  He had been through so much and this, well this was just another thing to get through.  In the end, he would have her.  No, they would have each other.  Most of the rest of the conversation was a blur.  It didn’t matter what they thought anyway.  Francieen would see to most of it and they would be pawns in this event.  

 Now that they were back in orbit, things were getting real.  They had to make another call to Marisa’s parents and this one was going to be even more difficult than the last one.  Tarinnish kept delaying the inevitable, but with just three Rotations before their departure this task had to be done.  Marisa insisted that they tell their parents before their arrival as it would give them time to accept the circumstances before they had to face them up close and personal.  It might have been a bit cowardly, but Marisa insisted that this would be the best way to deal with her mother.

 After the initial hellos and customary “how are you?”, Marisa dove in.  She was a lot more like her mother than she wanted to admit. However, before they broke the news Francieen asked a question, “So when is the baby due and when were you going to tell us?” 

 There was nothing but silence as the question hung in the air.  They may have been thousands of kilometers away, but the news still managed to make it all the way to her mother’s ears.  Finally, Marisa said, “That’s what we’re calling for… Congratulations, your going to be grandparents.”

 Thats when Jack, the ever-silent partner spoke up, “And where are you going to raise this child?’

Marisa cleared her throat but Tarinnish broke in to answer the question.  “Well, sir… We need you to help us with that.” He paused to let that sink in and when the silence continued, he felt as if he needed to give them more. “Marisa said that you could not have another child and we… Well, we are not in a position to be… there.”  This was not coming out right.

Marisa looked at her mother and said, “Mom, I know how much you wanted another child… and I’m going..” She didn’t want to say it.  It was that unspoken thing that was never to be given breath.  They were headed into certain death.  And that was a truth.  Never spoken, but the truth, nonetheless.   “I want to give you a piece of me.. Of us… just.”

Francieen would not let her finish, “Until you return.”  Tears started down her face.  She loved her daughter but did not understand why she was going away.  

Marisa father, Jack, spoke again, “We would be honored.” He now hugged his wife who was full on crying.  Sobs and tears flowed on both sides of this chasm.  Her parents on the planet and Marisa in space.  Tarinnish had never seen such family love.  He could not fathom the emotions that were charging the atmosphere.  He just watched and kept his hand in Marisa’s.  

Jack finally cut it off, “We will meet you at the spaceport.”

Marisa interjected, “I’ve already made arrangements to meet you in Botanica.  Which was short for the real name of the city, Botanical Oasis.  “We will be there in three rotations, at noon.” Tears still flowing down her face but trying to sound excited, “I’m looking forward to being home.” 

Her mother never looked up.  Her sobbing had subsided, but tears were still flowing out of her eye.  They were dripping to the floor as she was bent over in grief. Jack just held her and shook his head in agreement.  

Tarinnish ended the transmission and Marisa buried her head in his chest.    

That was three rotations ago, now they are headed for the shuttle and more uncertainty.  On planet side, so much can go wrong.  Here in the quiver, things are ordered and efficient.  You could set your watch to when things happened.  That is how life was here.  Safe and ordered, but on the planet, things were chaotic and unpredictable.  He had to look relaxed but be ever wary of who was around him and whether to offer his left or right hand for identification.  It would be a seventh full us opportunities for fate to mess with him.  

Marisa could feel his uneasiness, “It will be fine.  We will wear our uniforms like trophies wherever we go.  We will act like the heroes we know we are not.  But that is all they will see.”  She gave his hand a squeeze. “Besides, they will have to deal with a commander of the Obsidian Order, and I can be such an ass when I want to be.” 

With that assurance, Tarinnish steeled himself for the trip. He could do this, one last time.  

The trip down was uneventful.  The customs guards were in awe that such distinguished guests were in their presence that they did the bare minimum to clear the two. The same thing happened in Botanica.  It was as if the whole planet was awed by their presence.   Even out of uniform everyone seemed to know who they were and what they represented.  And the fiasco that Francieen had planned, well it grew into a full-blown circus.  The whole town wanted in on their local hero being married.  Everyone was putting out their best.  The Town’s central park was turned into the venue.  The mayor was to officiate the ceremony with the justice of the peace as the signer of the certificate.  The local band had offered to perform live music and there was enough food to feed a horde of miners.  

Two seamstresses were fussing over the wedding gown and Tarinnish had six formal suites to choose from.  It was way over the top for him.  He had spent decades trying to hide.  He had no idea what to think of all this.  He did find that getting up two hours before first watch and meditating seemed to help.  Then, if they had to venture out, he took Marisa with him. She was very good at deflecting people or bring the attention to herself and sparing him.  Yes, she was his soul mate and she was determined to keep her partner safe.

 On the afternoon, that they were to meet with the doctor. Tarinnish was especially unsure.  The doctor would have to take a DNA sample from each of them and the baby.  Then they would analyze it for genetic defects, probabilities for illnesses and other screening.  This doctor was selected from among the friends that his mother and grandfather had given him.  But fate can be fickle and if his allegiance had changed, then all would be lost. 

The doctor conducted the procedure to collect the samples and tests them himself.  He then put the results on a secondary storage device and turned to talk to his clients.  He was looking at his pad and thumbing through the results.  “Your child will be remarkable.  He… Oh! I’m sorry. I didn’t ask if you wanted to know the sex.  I don’t usually do the interview, just oversee the results.”  He looked up so see if they wanted him to continue.

Marisa assured him that it was okay and to continue.

The doctor looked down and continued, “He will be about two meters tall, Brown eyes and hair.  His tone will be darker than the both of you, a recessive trait that has become more assertive.”

Tarinnish was squirming in his seat.  All this was great, but he needed to know if there was any DNA that would give his son away or put him in danger.

The doctor turned to Tarinnish, “I’m aware of the issue that haunts you and I will assure you that your son is free from this problem.  I cannot tell you how, but there is only one strand of DNA that is of consequence and it shows no sign of an issues.  The best anyone can determine from it, is that the parents are from mixed systems.  And as I recorded it in our records.  Your son with be a citizen of this world.  Permanently, anchored here.” He looked at the pad again, then gave the following advice, “To keep your son safe, I would stay clear of him.”  I know that you are planning to have a surrogate birth the child and I assume someone else will raise him while you are away.”  He looked up to both of them shaking their heads yes. “Good, then if you survive.” The words just few out. The doctor looked up and corrected himself, “When you return, I would suggest you have off world visits to keep exposure to a minimum.” 

The meeting went on for another thirty minutes as they discussed various markers in the DNA, possible aptitudes and general health.  It was upbeat and just good to know how their son is going to be as an adult.  He was projected to live a long try centennial life.  He could handle abnormally high radiation levels and he was not prone to the two diseases that Marisa family had passed down to their offspring.

 Tarinnish felt very good at this point.  He could leave knowing his son was safe and secure here.  With Marisa’s parents.  And he didn’t have to disclose where he was from or who his parents had been.  Or so he thought.  Once they got home that afternoon Francieen was in full marriage prep mode.  She prodded him for information about his family.  The Clarish family could trace their lineage back to the first colony ships.  Dates and places properly stored in memory chips that were almost a thousand cycles old.  Tarinnish had only developed his lie back a few generations.  Just enough to satisfy the military requirements and no further.

Mrs Clarish was not impressed.  She was going to dig into this issue and gets some results. Tarinnish turned to Marisa for help.  He needed to stop this inquiry.  If Francieen could find out about the pregnancy while they were thousands of kilometers away, she would certainly dig up some unpleasant details that were best left buried.   After the first attempt with her mother Marisa admitted that they may have to tell mother everything.  

Marisa was whispering in Tarinnish’s ear, “She doesn’t know when to quit.” 

Tarinnish was trying to think up a suitable lie that would satisfy his mother in law without revealing the truth.  

Marisa whispered back, “She will know you are lying.  She always knows.” She paused to look around.  “I don’t know how, but she always caught me when I was lying. Its freaky, but she just always seemed to know.” 

“Can she handle the truth?” Tarinnish asked.

“I don't know?” Marisa admitted.

“Well we'd better do it now, before she trips some internal investigation.” Tarinnish said, his voice slightly higher in tone.  

“Tonight, at dinner.” Marisa countered.  “Besides she’s out looking at flowers this afternoon. She was given two choices for arrangements and she just couldn’t decide until she saw the flowers in person.  

“Are you going with her?” Asked Tarinnish.

“No.” Marias looked at him in surprise. “I have no interest in flowers.”

“I think you need to go with her.” Tarinnish said suspiciously, “She needs to be watched.”

“What are you saying?” Marisa was getting offended.  This was her mother not some admisary.

“Your mother found out you were pregnant while we were seven thousand kilometers away.  How did she do that?  That’s private information.” 

“I don’t know.”  Marisa fell silent.  Thinking of how her mother had gotten the information.  She then said, “I’ll go with her.” 

Tarinnish felt better about that.  It just seemed weird that her mother had access to their life without them knowing about it.  He wondered if she knew of their relationship before they told her.  Tarinnish’s mind was racing ahead of him.  Thinking of all the possible ways that this information was leaked and what other information might be out there.    

While Marisa and her mother were walking through the greenhouses full of fragrant flowers.  Marisa and her mother were separated.  Marisa was studying some interesting varieties of orchids and her mother had moved on to look at some lilies.  Marisa then saw a man dressed differently than the greenhouse employees.  He stood out as he was not looking at any of the flowers.  He walked in and immediately approached Francieen.  Francieen looked upset when he approached her, and she quickly looked around.  It was obvious she didn’t want people to see them together, or she didn’t want Marisa to see them together.  He handed her something and quickly walked away.

Marisa charged up to her mother, “Who was that man?”  and when she saw the panicked look on her mother’s face, “What have you done?” 

She didn’t answer at first.  She just held her finger to her lips to indicate that Marisa be silent.  And for some reason this Lieutenant Commander of a star ship complied.  This was her mother.  They quickly slipped out of the greenhouse and found a secluded spot on the grounds where they could talk.

Marisa repeated in a whisper, “What have you done!”

Francieen looked away like something had caught her eye, but she spoke in her low motherly voice, “I’m your mother and I know when something isn’t right.” 

“That didn’t answer my question.” Marisa insisted.

“Let’s just say that God has a sense of humor.” Francieen said.  

“What!” Marisa was getting annoyed with this evasion. “What does Creatos have to do with all this?”

“I wasn’t talking about Creatos.” Frincieen said as she looked at her daughter.

Marisa stopped talking, she quickly looked around.  Her mind was screaming at her that her mother was about to drop the biggest truth ever.  “No.” was all she could say.  How could she not have known? “You’re not one of them?” she managed to get out.

“One of who?” Francieen asked.

“Is father?” Marisa asked.

“Who do you think told me about Him?” Francieen said softly.  

“When?” Marisa asked.  Because they had always gone to Creatos Temple when she was growing up.  Never had her parents spoke of another God.  Never.

“About the time you left.” Francieen told her.

Marisa thought to herself.  This is not the place to be talking about this.  They had to leave, but they couldn’t.  They had not picked out the flowers yet and it would be in insult to leave before they did that.  They would have to talk about this when they got home.  However, she needed to know one thing.  She asked, “What did that man tell you?”

Francieen didn’t have anything to hide at this point, “He told me that my daughter had managed to find that most wanted man in all the seven systems.  The son of Sarack.”

If it weren’t for her military training, Marisa would have bolted in panic.  If her mother could find this out, so could others.  They had to leave, but they had to look as if nothing was wrong.  Marisa summoned all her mental strength and told her mother.  “We will pick the lilies and let the florist do the arrangements.  Whatever, they come up with will work.  Is that clear.”  

For once Francieen did not argue.  She simply nodded her head in compliance.  

With the flowers done and nothing on the agenda for the rest of the day, they went straight home.  On the trip home the tension between the two women was so thick others could feel it and no one wanted to break the intense silence.

Once at home, Francieen went to get Jack and Marisa ran to Tarinnish.  They met in the living space.  No one spoke as they sat down.  Everyone knew the stakes.   

Jack finally broke the silence, “So, we have a problem.”  

End of Chapter 6

Next Chapter 7

If you have enjoyed the final chapter and want to start at the beginning of this book, click the link below. This is an unedited book of the Remnant Series. Book 4

Beginning of Obsidian Arrows

Book 3 is call Graham Heights and starts here: "We Gotta Go"  

Enjoy and please leave a comment and follow this blog.   

Book 1 is available in paperback or kindle The Grey Abyss

R.A. Legg

R.A. Legg © 2016. All Rights Reserved.

Shockwave

Obsidian Arrows

Year of our Lord Creatos 1538, Thursday the 26th of Augustus

Shockwave!

After more than a month of accelerating we are finally to the point where we can get our trajectory in line. The lieutenant has typied in the equations four times now and the computer is still rejecting his computations.  He was sure that he did it right, but the computer keeps telling him that he has an error. He starts again “ds2= – (a2 – BiBi) dt2 + 2Bi dxi dt + gijdxi dxj, where B = 12.342. d=.00433 i=.2331774, solve for x.  

Error

Error

          “Damn!” the Lieutenant looks away, “What is wrong with you.” 

          “Are you talking to me?” Clarish asked from the other compartment.

          “No!” said Tarnnish then thinking that was too harsh he added, “I’m trying to get the stupid computer to accept our course and speed so it will give us our finaly trajectory.” he paused, “But it won’t let me.” 

          There was no response, so she’s either annoyed with me or mad again.

          “You missed our speed and weight.” Clarish yelled back.

          “It’s suppose to get our speed from the telemetry and our weight was correct when I started, if its off now, its because this stupid machine can’t get it right.” 

          There was silence again as Clarish typed a few entries and then the computer beeped that it was finished.  It then gave a trajectory of 1.68 by 288.556 by 0.097.  

          “How did you do that?” Tarinnish was a bit embarrassed.  This was an easy operation, but his fourth attempt was proving him wrong.

          Clarish walked in and put her hands on Tarinnish’s shoulders.  They were tender and he had missed her touch. “I’m sorry.” She said.

          “For what?” Tarinnish asked.

          “Yesterday Tim made me realized that I had been thinking about having a child for months and I was making you make the decision in seconds.” She paused and then said, “I was just so sure that you… would want that.” 

          Tarinnish did, but not like that.  He loved her and wanted a child that they could raise.  “I do, it’s just our situation.”  He turned around, “If we do this.. We need to make sure that it would be safe.  Our child needs…” He did no finish.

          “Needs what?” She was feeling hopeful again.

          “Needs to have different DNA.” Tarinnish spoke as if this was possible.

          “What?” 

          “Well, if my DNA were to be altered.” Tarinnish was trying to be delicate.

          “Altered how and who would do that?” Clarish was a bit skeptical.

          “I know a few physicians that can… help.” Tarinnish knew this was going to be a touchy subject, but the alteration would be so slight.  It just so expensive.  

          “What would you change and when could we do this?” Clarish asked.

          “So, I’ve been doing some research and due to the intricate combinations of atmospheric conditions, radiation and composition of the water on each planet, they set up a certain sequence in our DNA.  It’s like a planetary signature, so to speak. It has nothing to do with the child’s looks, traits or anything that you could see physically.  We all look the same on the outside, but at the DNA, well it’s like a beacon and if we are going to leave a child behind, it needs to… Not be from Sycarine.”

          Clarish thought about that.  It was a compromise.  She would have his child, not literally, and her parents would have a grandchild.  It seemed right, but she wanted some time to think.  How would they pay for it without anyone else figuring out what they were doing.  And what if this physician sold the information on what they did.  That happens when someone gets caught.  They trade information for leniency. The silence went on for a moment to two...then three.  Clarish looked up into Tarinnish’s eyes.  

          Tarinnish melted when those brown eyes looked at him that way.  She would accept his compromise. She buried her face in his chest and that was that.  The war was over.  

          There embrace was interrupted by the captain, “If your done we’re ready to start the final acceleration test.” And without waiting for an answer he announced, “All hands prepare for one-point-two-five Gs.” 

          The next month was clumsy. Between the floor’s grav plating that was trying to keep you on the “ground” and the ships acceleration is was a difficult time to get around.  Unlike the bigger ships that could compensate for the direction you felt the gravity, this one’s power systems was too small to put inertial dampeners in the walls.  You were simply stuck trying to contend with both forces.  Besides it was only going to be a few sevenths and then the acceleration would back down to three quarters of a G.  

          Clarish had rearranged the their quarters so that the head of the bed was against the aft bulkhead and this way they could sleep half sitting up.  They also spent a great deal of time just lying together listening to each others heartbeat.  Tarinnish never felt so at peace as when his mate was just there, next to him.  She provided a strength he had never felt before.  He only hope he did the same for her.  

          One evening Clarish asked, “Have you asked for shore leave yet?”

          “No.” was all Tarinnish offered.

          “Why not?” Clarish asked.

          “Well I need to find a reason.” Tarinnish offered.

          “What?” Clarish asked in surprise.

          “I haven’t stepped foot on the Colony in six cycles.  The Captain knows I don’t like it down there.”  Tarinnish said and snuggled a little closer. “He doesn’t know why.  He just knows I don’t have any family that I want to visit and few to no friends, besides you three.” 

          “Let’s get married then.” Clarish shot up as she said this then.  Her head started swirling as the two gravity forces reminded her they were in motion. She felt sick and put her hand out to steady herself.  

          Tarinnish saw she was in distress, “Are you okay?” He asked as he held out a hand to help her.

          “Yeah, just a little space sick.” Clarish said.

          Tarinnish looked at her like he knew something but said nothing.  

          “So?” She asked.

          “I guess I’m just old fashioned.” Tarinish said.

          “What do you mean?” Clarish truly did not know what he meant.

          “Well.. I just wanted to be the one to ask, that’s all.” Tarinnish had no intention of asking at this time.  He was going to wait until they reached the other side or at least survived the trip to the other side.  It just seemed fitting, a new place in the universe and a new life.  

          “Well?” She asked again.

          “I guess that works.” Tarinnish conceded.  He brought this on himself.  Why did he have to be born and raised on Sycarine? Why did the love of his life need to leave behind a child?  A child that would certainly be in his or her double digits by the time they met it.  This was just difficult to prepare for and so far away from how he had wanted to leave humanity.  He was supposed to be alone. Now he was going to have a wife and a child.  

          “Oh, and will you be taking my name or are we keeping our own?” Clarish had the impish grin on her face.  The teasing one.

          “Your name?” Tarinnish bristled.

          “I am the ranking officer.” Clarish informed him. She started to giggle.

          It was nice to see her in such a good mood.  It had been almost two sevenths since she was in such good spirits. Not that she was depressed. This was the woman he had fallen in love with.  This was the woman he could spend the rest of days loving and caring for.  “We can share our names. Mrs. Clarish Tarinnish.” he said.

          “Or” she counted, “Mr Tarinish Clarish.” She smiled at him.

          “Oooor.” He said as she climbed out of the bed trying to adjust to the dual vectored gravity. “We confuse the hell out of everyone by making our middle name, each other’s last name.  Like.. Lieutenant Colonel Marisa Tarinnish Clarish.”

          Clarish’s eyes lit up. “I like it.” 

          “This is the captain.” His voice broke through the euphoria that the moment had produced. “All hand prepare to a radiation flare.” 

          Clarish and Tarinnish snapped out of their personal lives and back into their reality.  They were million of kilometers from any type of protection and they had to re-enforce their own shields now.  The flares move a thousand times faster than they do and if they had already seen the sun flare up, it’s only a matter of minutes before it will overtake them. 

          Clarish got to her terminal first as she was closest to the door to their room.  She immediately turned into the first officer, “Bringing fusion generators to 110% of maximum.”  She turned to the cockpit, not that she could see it, but she was addressing the Captain and it just seemed right. “I’m taking main propulsion off line, you will have to keep our course with the thrusters.” 

          “Copy that.” was all the captain said.

          Tarinnish had reached his stations and brought up the shield generator page.  All four generators were functioning.  “What’s the vector of the wave?”

          “Port side.  Vector 1.56.  We’re going to be broadsided!” the captain’s voice was strained.  

          “With your permission captain, I’m going to rotate our starboard shield generator to re-enforce the Port side.” Tarinnish was already typing in the command when the captain added is affirmative to the request.

          “Generators at full.” Clarish told no one in particular.

          “Increasing Port Shield output. Forward and Aft shield generators are spinning up to maximum.”

          The Captain came on the intercom again. “Clarish did we miss something in the forecast?” 

          “No captain.  This is out of nowhere.” Clarish shot back.

          “Outer edge within sensors. Impact in fifteen seconds.  It’s a big one!” Ensign Stone yelled over the intercom.  She was very excited and her voice was shil and loud.  

          “Aborting run, turning into the wave.” The captain said once he realized the size of the wave.” 

          “I’m sending a level one alart on all frequencies. They need to know this is coming.” Clarish barked.

“Affirmative.” Was all the captain side. 

The ship started shaking and then it was hit.  Since the ships main drives were taken off line to provide more power to the shield. Their sense of gravity had returned to normal, but now the ship was being pushed by this radiation wave.  Some call it a solar storm.  The ship shook and vibrated as the waves of radiation washed over them. It wouldn’t last lone. For two long periods the waves of radiation washed over the ship.  During which they would be swept off course and helpless to do anything about it.  It’s a double edge sword.  The shield that are protecting them were also acting as a sail. Giving the radiation ten thousand times more area to push against than the hull would have provided.  But without the shields everyone inside this little sliver of life would be cooked.  So they contend with sun’s rage the best the could, then resume normality afterwards.  

Radiation levels did go up, but nowhere near an area of concern, however the neutrino emissions were off the chart.  Tarinnish swore that he saw spots on the hull that were emitting photons.  But they kept jumping around and he was unable to get a vid of the event.  It would be one for the record books.  So many neutrinos that they were actually interacting with the hulls atoms enough to immite visible photons. Typically these near nothing particles would pass through any matter without even so much as a hello.  But when the emissions are so intense, a few reactions are seen, but not by the naked eye.  So, this wave must have been extraordinary.  

With the wave over and the reports filed, the captain decided to set a course for the quiver.  We needed to do an inspection of the hull to be sure the wave didn’t do more damage.  We also decided to take on our mechanized contingency.  For one, an astromech. A robot, not an android for the purpose of doing spacewalks and hull repairs.  We also wanted to get our A.I.s loaded.  They would have been helpful during our last mission, but they had not been assigned yet.  

The report from the testing stations showed that we were seven point five percent ahead of our projected acceleration curve.  Which is almost four percent above our engineered specifications.  This was good.  It meant we didn’t have to do the test again and we were going home to stay until we received our orders.  

Clarish had gone into full prep mode for our “vacation” on the planet.  By the end of watch she had tickets purchased for a round trip from New South Africa to Botanical Oasis.  The town where her parents lived. She even scheduled the justice of the peace to perform their wedding ceremony.  It was all arranged.  

Tarinnish checked his supply of skin grafts to ensure that I had enough for the scanners.  Most of the time Tarinnish was able to move about with his credential, but on occasion an over zealous security guard would require a scan. That’s when the graphs allowed him to fool the scanners.  Especially in the more backward areas of the planet.  The ones closer to the base were up to date and his fake identity would hold, but where they were going.  Who knew. So he would carry a graft on the top of his left hand and his right hand would be normal.  This way he could present one or the other depending on who was asking and where they were. Tarinnish only hoped the anxiety of being on the planet did not overshadow why they were going there.  It was supposed to be a joyful moment. However, the idea of him offering the wrong hand at any one time would undo what he had spent three decades trying to accomplish.

On their way back to the quiver, Tarinish spent most of his time preparing a speech to Clarish’s parents. He wanted them to like him enough that what he was did not matter.  Eventually they would have to be told, but both of them agreed that that would be after they had left.  And not just the planet, but the solar system.  They needed to be gone.  Clarish knew that when it came to it, her parents would love their child as if it was their own, but she hated the deception. 

Tarinnish had contacted some old friends that his mother had told him about.  They would make the necessary arrangements for him to have his semen altered.  It would have the offending portions of his DNA replaced with the new origin that his records indicated.  His child would not be hated or hunted.  With this done he would take the specimens with him to the impregnation appointment where a dozen or so of Clarish’s eggs would be inseminated.  

It took almost the entire trip back to the quiver to get a surrogate and the doctor to perform the insemination. Typically they would take a fresh batch of semen to do the fertilization of the eggs.  But in this case, Tarinnish had to find someone that did not question the fact that they were using samples “collected” earlier.  Tarinnish explained that they had been trying for a few Alarnars and were unsuccessful due to a low count on his behalf. So they had been accumulating samples for the purpose of this insemination.  The doctor finally agreed to the procedure when he was told that they were scheduled to leave the system within the alunar. Another lie.  

With all the details made and lies spread to the appropriate parties they put in at birth 12A.  It was anti climatic.  No one was waiting for them to disembark and their security badges did not work on the primary bulkhead.  They actually had to call for maintenance to let them back into the barracks area.  Apparently their badges were corrupted by the radiation wave.  This required a full security screening. 

Tarinnish was nervous.  So much time, so much effort and now at the verge of getting what he wanted plus more, he was having to undergo an invasive scan.  He put his right hand out.  The tech scanned it and turned to the monitor.  He turned green and his face appeared on the monitor.  “Thank-you sir, please step up to the counter over their and they will issue you a new set of credentials.” The tech never even looked at him.  He just went to the next person in line.  

Once at the counter Tarinnish had to answer a set of security questions and then have a retinal scan.  This is where things started to break down.  Apparently his scan was off.  Something had changed enough to cause the computer to questions the authenticity of his identity.  The only good part was that the captain’s scan was also in question.  The entire crew was then asked to go into a private room where two security guards were brought in to babysit them.  

Almost two periods later the civilian that was out-processing Tarinnish, just two cycles ago, walked through the door. He was looking over the top file on the stack in his hand.  He stopped and looked at Tarinnish.  “Well we meet again.” 

Tarinnish did not like the way he said that.  

The old civilian sat down at the desk and proceeded to make a show of going through the files.  He had two pads that he was going back and forth with.  A few huffs and “ahaws” and he finally looked up. “You are fee to go with the exception of…” He paused and looked at one of the pads, “Lieutenant Commander Clarish.” 

The rest of the group stood and started walking towards the door.  The civilian told them to pick up their new badges at the counter and then closed the door behind them.  They did as they were instructed and then waited outside the security office.  One then two more periods passed and no commander.  

When the captain tried to make an inquiry as to what happened to the commander he was told it was a security matter and that they would tell him once the matter was cleared up.

So, with that they returned to the ship.  They no longer had quarters in the barracks and the mess hall was closed until the first hour of the watch, so they had no where else to go. No one said anything.  They had worked so hard for so long, that this was just devastating.  What could be so wrong that they would take a member of their crew now.  No one slept, nor did they eat.  The absence was like a huge hole had been opened in their hearts.  It’s not like they hadn’t been apart before, but there was always the knowledge that they would be together again.  This was uncertainty and it was unpleasant.  

Somewhere in the middle of the night watch, they fell asleep.  The captain an ensign on the couch and Tarinnish at his station.  They were awoken by a request to enter at the main hatch.  The captain granted the request and got up to straighten his uniform.  The request came from the commandant.  The Captain ran to the Port hatch to meet here.  They had a few words of greeting and then they went to the main compartment where the captain announced, “Commandant on deck!”

The two remaining crew members went to attention and waited for the commandant to release them.  She did not.  She walked in and stood in the middle of the room. “So, I hear you had an eventful first voyage.” 

No one answered.

She continued, “I’m also told that you had an interesting neutrino storm.” 

At this the captain responded, “Yes mam.”

“Is that what lead the commander becoming pregnant.” The commandants words hit hard.  She looked at Tarinnish and then the captain.  

The captain looked at Tarinnish.

That’s when every eye fell on him.

“We…” He stammered.  He didn’t know what to say, “We took precautions.” He looked around the room, “We didn’t plan it this way.” 

The commandants face lit up, “Congratulations young man.” She paused to let the mood lighten up.  She had had her fun, now it was time to celebrate. “I know why you were going on shore leave, but I thought you were going to have this done in a lab, not here.” She said as she came over to shake his hand.  “I wish you both happiness and a long life together...after the mission.”

End of Chapter 5
Next Chapter 6

If you have enjoyed the final chapter and want to start at the beginning of this book, click the link below. This is an unedited book of the Remnant Series. Book 4

Beginning of Obsidian Arrows

Book 3 is call Graham Heights and starts here: "We Gotta Go"  

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Book 1 is available in paperback or kindle The Grey Abyss

R.A. Legg

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