Ilox Saga 1: Eris Monroe: More Than Human (12 page)

“The Majestic came under attack by a large number of
mercenary forces soon after a tactical nuclear weapon was detonated. Lieutenant Arneson managed to fly to a jump-point while being pursued…” Dominic Gray paused and glanced at Kyle Arneson. “Under fire, I might add…with you on board he managed to evade pursuit and safely jumped to another star system. One of my agents contacted him and led him to this facility to begin your medical treatment. I believe he saved your life twice…”

Kyle blushed and grinned at the same time. “
I was just doing my job. Eris
is
my commanding officer - I mean Commander Monroe. I would have done the same for anyone in my squad.” Arneson had been silently taking in everything Dominic Gray had said...and all of it confirmed suspicions he’d held for months about the disaster on Domovik. The CEO of Dynamic Space Development would have access to the most up to date and reliable information available. Of course Kyle believed what he said was absolutely true – he stroked the fur on Sif’s back to keep her docile. Dominic Gray turned his gaze back to Eris.

“Unfortunately, the Majestic was
completely obliterated with loss of all life aboard. She did manage to destroy five of the attacking mercenary vessels but they were thoroughly overwhelmed and out-numbered. Lieutenant Arneson…and you…were the only survivors of the Domovik mission. What became of the Valdren technology is merely conjectured, but probable that the Alliance has it.” Dominic Gray looked as if he had further topics to discuss when Lia Xinhao interrupted him.

Eris struggled to get out of bed. “We have to get going then…where are my clothes?” Lia Xinhao put a hand on her and made a soft whispering sound.

“Mr. Gray, we must let Commander Monroe rest,” Dr. Xinhao spoke gently but firmly. If she held any fear of giving orders to her chief executive officer, she showed no signs. She silently ordered a sedative be given to her patient to let her sleep; she was clearly becoming agitated. “You can continue your discussions with her tomorrow.”

Dominic Gray nodded his head in assent as he finished. “Of course doctor, I wouldn’t want to unnecessarily tax your patient. Just one more thing I must say to you
Commander Monroe. I want you to command a team of unique and highly talented individuals. Missions of the utmost importance
must
be completed if the Republic is to withstand what I believe is coming. I’m giving you command of a ship, the Sparta, so that you will be able to accomplish these missions.”

Eris was fading fast but managed to utter a few more words.

“A team? What…is coming?” Words came slowly and she slurred them as her eyelids fluttered and she struggled to stay conscious.

“War.” Dominic
Gray’s face faded out as he discontinued the holographic transmission. Silence permeated the room like a fog that hung heavy in the air. For a full ten seconds no one said a word. Sif barked – a small little yip. Kyle tried to calm her down “Shh, bad Sif, no barking…”

Arnav
Malik spread his hands as if to apologize. “Doctor, I believe my duties lie elsewhere. I appreciate you letting me talk with Commander Monroe. It was very illuminating…thank you.” He turned around and left the room followed by his two soldiers.

“Well, that’s depressing,” said Doctor Xinhao, “it’s time for you to leave as well Lieutenant Arneson. You can come back tomorrow to check up on her, but therapy will begin in earnest at 0800. She really is an amazing human being. I was allowed access to all of her files, including
every one of her medical records, so as to fully repair all of her organs.”

“Yes, she is amazing…but
you
saved her life doctor. I know I’ve told you this before but you astonish me as well. I didn’t think it would have been possible to bring her back from the burns and radiation she suffered, but you did it.” Kyle looked at Eris wistfully and moved out of the way for Doctor Xinhao to examine her patient closely.

Lia checked the
medical devices attached to Eris to make sure they were functioning correctly and offered a sardonic smile. “Oh, believe me, I’d love to take full credit, but her body did most of the work. Her healing rate is at least five times that of a normal human. Everyone today gets some form of transgenic work done, but did you know she is one hundred percent genetically engineered? Her sequencing is ninety-nine point nine seven eight percent pure. She can bench-press four hundred kilograms, run twice as fast as an average human and her reflexes are simply amazing. And that’s just what’s stated in her files… When I reconstructed her skin and internal organs I had to run genetic tests to get a baseline to begin the regenerative processes. I found there are no genetic anomalies or deviations, her telomeres show no sign of deterioration - she is perfect…absolutely perfect. No, Lieutenant Arneson…Eris Monroe is a work of art; the pinnacle of what humanity can achieve. And all of it accomplished without any implant technology whatsoever…”

“I’ll
check in with you later, Doctor. Be sure to keep me in the loop if anything else happens,” said Kyle as he left the recovery room. He made up his mind immediately - he would try to win Eris. At first he had been intimidated by her beauty…by her overwhelming strength of presence, but over the long months of caring for her he realized how ephemeral life truly was. She had come as close to death as any person ever could and been brought back. He regretted that he’d never told her his true feelings. He walked back to his quarters carrying the puppy that Eris had not held.

For seven days Eris had been poring over intelligence reports concerning the Vortex mercenary group – absorbing as much information as she could. She had learned a name. The leader of the group was an Orvod named Chol Cuxa – a name she had learned to hate.
Chol Cuxa…you will die by my hands,
she thought
.
The intelligence reports were surprisingly detailed and quite lengthy. Mr. Gray had granted her unprecedented access; he clearly had a vast information network and agents feeding him timely reports. A few of the reports shocked her to her very core; there were fleeting hints that a coup was being planned in the Republic. People with high political positions throughout the Republic Fleet were implicated in the dispatches she was reading. The information, if true, was why Dominic Gray had ordered her to be taken to this facility in secret.
It all seemed to fit
. Once she began feeling more like her old self, she declared she wished to talk again with Mr. Gray. Her wish had been granted after a delay of two days. She was alone in the recovery room when his holographic image came sharply into focus from her datapad.

“Captain Monroe…how good to see you again. The reports being sent by Doctor Xinhao note your remarkable progress. I’m incredibly pleased that you’ll soon be fully recovered.”

“Actually, it’s Commander…I’m not a Captain, Mr. Gray.” She was slightly impatient; she had more questions for the enigmatic CEO of Dynamic Space Development.

“
You were drugged and barely conscious the last time we spoke…perhaps you don’t remember. I have given you command of a ship, along with a dedicated crew. I know I’m not officially part of the Republic Fleet, but isn’t it customary to give such a person the title ‘Captain’?” He had no hint of sarcasm in his voice and was relaxed.

“
Let’s say I agree to what you want. I take command of this ship…the Sparta…and do your missions for you. I would have to resign my commission from the Fleet. Hell…I don’t think the Republic knows that I’m alive.”

“
For now that’s a good thing. The fewer people that know you made it off Domovik in one piece, the better. The Republic is swarming with Alliance spies and the Fleet has been infiltrated by their agents. They probably assume you are alive as they’re not stupid. The image of Dominic Gray paused as if momentarily lost in thought.

“If I were them, I’d have biometric scanners monitoring every starport in the Verge
watching for your unique bio-signature to pop up. The Vortex ships that chased Kyle Arneson, along with your unconscious body, reported back that a dropship shuttle fled the Shaedra system. The Alliance, through their proxies, tried once to kill you…don’t you think they’d consider it an unfulfilled mission parameter? They’re not going to stop until they have you locked up or in a grave. If you accept my offer, you’ll have much more leeway to do things your way. I know how dissatisfied at the joint command structure you had to work under. I’m giving you a chance. I suggest you take it.” The image flickered out and Eris was left alone with her thoughts.

Another
three days passed and Eris told herself she was ready. Half of her day she spent reading intelligence reports trying to piece together all of the information on Vortex and the Alliance into a coherent picture…the other half she vigorously exercised her body for hours on end to hone her reflexes and rebuild muscle tone. Her mobility had returned to normal and she was moving essentially as well as she had been before Domovik, perhaps even better. A long rehabilitation was not going to be needed so she had set out to learn everything she could about the enemies that had killed her team and destroyed the Majestic. She had also learned she was on a space station in the Hyperion system of the Rigel quadrant – still inside the Verge at a secure DSD facility she had never heard of. Dominic Gray had informed her yesterday that in two days she would meet her crew and take command of the ship. She decided she would set up a secure encrypted quantum relay to contact her old boss – Admiral Hargrove. Eris initiated the link at what she supposed would be early in the morning for the Admiral, assuming he was still stationed at Fleet Headquarters on the planet Terra Nova in the Vega system. The call shouldn’t be traceable if she kept the conversation shorter than sixty seconds…in theory at least. Eris enabled the comm link.

The worn and lined face of John Hargrove filled her view screen.
His initial reaction was one of shock as he saw her for the first time in over fifteen weeks.

“Eris…my
God, the rumors are true – you’re alive!”

“John, I don’t have much time to speak. I’m sending you encrypted files…now…
Look them over – and use them! They concern a possible coup attempt using the Fleet. Do what you can with this information.”

“Wait! Haven’t you heard? The
TEC branded
you
as a traitor…and are claiming it was you that blew the Domovik base to hell and then fled with Valdren tech. They said you betrayed the Republic...” He had a pained expression on his weathered face. “I
never
believed that! But if what you say is true, you should come in and together we can prove your innocence!”

Eris smiled grimly, “John
, I know you, old friend. Hell, you’re the reason I joined the Fleet. Trust me when I say that I am doing what I have to do but I’m no traitor! The Alliance and the Vortex mercenary group were behind the destruction at Domovik!” She looked at John Hargrove with a bittersweet smile. “I’ll talk to you again when I have the chance. Be safe, old friend…” She cut off the link and the screen went black. She had made up her mind before talking to her gruff minded mentor – she would do what she had to do. She would take up Mr. Gray’s offer and take command of the Sparta. Using her talents on the battlefield was the best remedy for the injustices the Alliance was perpetrating.
I hope to hell John can do something concrete with the specific Intel I just gave him...

Kyle
arrived at 0600 early in the morning of the next day to find her performing pushups. He knocked on her open door and waited inside the threshold. He came with Sif on a leash and a serving MEK walked behind him carrying a small crate. The puppy happily wagged her tail when she saw Eris.

“Have a minute?” He wanted to talk to her. There was to be a meeting
at 0830 that morning with Mr. Gray. Eris stopped, got up off the floor in a fluid motion and reached for a towel hanging on the wall. She began to dry herself; soaking up the perspiration all over her body.

“
Sif! You brought her back,” said Eris with a broad smile on her face. “Give me just a moment.” She dried off and hung the towel over her neck. Kyle reached down and unhooked the leash from Sif’s collar. The dog began exploring the room, sniffing everything she came in contact with. Eris made a small motion with her hand and called out to the dog.

“Sif, come here girl! Come!” The dog bounded over with her tongue flopping out of her mouth. She licked Eris’s hand and wrist. Eris began to laugh. “She tickles!”
Eris threw the towel around her neck onto her small bed.

“She likes you…” Kyle grinned.

“And I like her! What type of dog is she?” queried Eris, still smiling. Sif’s all white fur was soft as she stroked her from her neck to her rump. Sif enjoyed the attention immensely.

“She’s a German Shep
herd - Kwaizume mix,” offered Kyle. He had squatted and was petting Sif along with Eris. Their two hands met while stroking Sif. “She likes to be touched a lot.”

“Kwaizume…aren’t they the genetically engineered
breed that can talk?”

“They can sort of talk, but not directly…they don’t have vocal chords. The smartest ones know at least three hundred words.” He stood up straight
while Eris continued to play with the dog. “Of course, they have to be fitted with neural implants and a speech synthesizer.” I’ve already had them installed. You can begin teaching her words today if you want.”

“Where did you find her?” Eris
was intrigued and wanted to know more about Sif. Kyle began to pace in her room, a trait she found endearing in him, if a bit compulsive.

“Well…I’ve been busy
during the three months you’ve been laid up in a hospital bed. Dominic Gray has had us doing Intel work - surveys, search and rescue…all kinds of stuff.” He had become animated while speaking. Clearly he enjoyed the work he had been doing – it showed in the way he talked and moved. Eris sat on the floor of her quarters with her back against the unmade bed. The floor was cold but she didn’t mind as she played with the puppy. Sif moved her head from side to side watching Eris’s hands and would pounce when she wiggled her fingers.

“We had been ordered to surveil a planet that had been hit by an unknown force a week before we got there. The whole colony had been wiped out. There was hardly anything left…but I found her hiding in a trash bin. She had been surviving on bits of food and scraps…she must have been born just before the attack took place. I took her…cleaned her up…and here she is.”
Sif licked her on the face - Eris burst out laughing.
It’s good to hear her laugh
thought Kyle. “MEK, set up that box for Captain Monroe,” said Kyle to the silent robot still holding the small container.

“Yes sir,” was the
MEK’S soft feminine reply. The MEK was a newer model, with a fully human look except for the eyes, which were purposely designed to appear artificial. The MEK leaned over, set the box down, opened it and took out various items one at a time and made sure each was clean and free of packaging material. One unpacked component was an automated water dispenser – another item was a food container. The MEK went to the sink and completely filled the water dispenser. Returning back to the other items, the MEK put all of them down on the floor, arranging them in a rectangular pattern against the wall. Sif smelled the food and came to investigate. She sniffed a few times, and then proceeded to chomp the dog food with gusto while wagging her tail. Eris suddenly frowned.

“The Fleet doesn’t allow animals on ships…”

“This isn’t the Fleet. I checked with the boss and he’s okay with the situation. He said something about her improving your efficiencies…or something. I guess in his weird way he approves.” Kyle’s eyes glinted as he recalled the memory of talking with Dominic Gray about the puppy.

“I’m in the mood to walk a bit. Come with me
,” said Eris softly. Together they left the recovery room she had utilized as her living quarters and walked side by side down wide softly lit corridors. Sif stayed behind eating her food and Kyle dismissed the serving MEK. It left the same time they did and walked in a different direction from the route Eris took. Very few personnel were active at this time of day, but they did pass a mechanic who saluted Eris as he passed. Every ten meters a rather large wide oval window made of clear plasteel showed the emptiness of space with a planet turning on its axis thousands of kilometers below. Eris had learned that the planet was called Wen Chang and its atmosphere was a poisonous mix of carbon dioxide and methane. The Hyperion facility that DSD built was used for research into bio-medical and regenerative medicine techniques. Eris had learned that Dynamic Space Development didn’t just build starships; they had major business assets scattered throughout the galaxy. In every category of manufacturing the company owned subsidiaries such as communications, medical, robotics and weapons. Those few were just some of the major divisions that DSD operated on systems throughout the Republic. Kyle was staring at the planet below and then looked at Eris with a glimmer in his eyes and a warm smile on his face.

“You’ve made Doctor Xinhao unnecessary with your fast healing. She had a full regiment of reconditioning
equipment set up for you and now you don’t need it at all. I think she’s upset that she doesn’t have you to look over any more…” Kyle said teasingly.

Eris didn’t reply. Kyle noticed her hair had been pulled back in a ponytail; it was long, black and lustrous.
He thought her hair looked better longer
. She was wearing workout clothes, a black sports bra and clingy tight shorts that hugged every curve like a second skin. Kyle was staring intently at her, and she averted her eyes. She suddenly seemed to be withdrawn and troubled.

“Eris, I wanted to talk…to discuss things.” He gently touched her face
so that she would look at him.

“Kyle…I never truly thanked you.” Eris
took his hand in hers…stopping him from touching her face. “All this time has passed…I guess I have a lot of people to thank for my life, you first and foremost, Doctor Xinhao and her team…Dominic Gray. I could keep going. I…I almost wish I had died with them. I know I shouldn’t feel that way…I’m a soldier and I have a duty to perform. I’ve never felt this way before. Survivor’s guilt is not something I wanted…but that’s what I feel.” She continued to hold his hand and was squeezing it with each breath she took. A glint of tears welled up in her eyes and she laughed weakly as she wiped them away from her cheek with her fingers. “I never cry…why now?”

Kyle looked
searchingly into her eyes and shook his head. “Because you’re
human
…it’s going to take time to figure out those feelings. I have them too; you know…I also have other feelings.” He leaned over and kissed her…a warm sensual kiss that seemed to linger on for minutes. She could have stopped him, but she didn’t want to. It felt right to her. She returned it in kind and pulled him close to her.