“Welcome to Today’s Truth. The voice of the people and of Mother Earth. We have just recently received a tip that there has been more news out of Yellowstone that our corporate overlords don’t want you to know about. Several children and teenagers were rescued this past Monday.
These children were left alone for three weeks in underground tunnels with the dead bodies of their parents who were killed by Sal’nash that came up from underground. Our investigation has uncovered that they were rescued by none other than Allison Wanjala.
This conspiracy goes deeper my friends. What the corporations and board are hiding from you is so much worse. When Lieutenant Wanjala first arrived on the planet she encountered a jamming field of unimaginable power, a jamming field that can disable all Alliance Technologies. How did she defeat this terrible weapon?
If the board and their henchmen had their way, she wouldn’t have. She would have flown home like a good little soldier. Instead, she did the human thing, spat in their eyes and ignored them. Weaponized an asteroid and used it to attack the source of this signal. What did her attack uncover? A Sal’nash super hive under the surface.
Yes, our corporate overlords have had our citizens living on planets already infested with Sal’nash. Was this an experiment? A wise man once said, never assume malicious intent, that which can be explained by incompetency. How incompetent does a government have to be to miss something that big so near to one of our colonies? Do they even scan these planets before they send defenseless colonists out to fend for themselves?
So now we need to ask the question, why were the children not rescued sooner? Sources say they were only three kilometers away from our colony. They also say that Allison Wanjala warned her chain of command there were tunnels that could have survivors shortly after she recovered from the injuries she received during her initial rescue of the colonists. When she realized the government was too incompetent, cheap, or lazy to do what needed to be done she repeatedly requested approval to enter the quarantine zone to mount a rescue mission.
A freedom of information request has revealed that she submitted eighteen separate requests to mount a rescue mission. Each was categorically denied. I think this is starting to look like they didn’t want those children to be rescued because they were afraid what they might know. I would love to speak to one of those children and find out what was really going on down there.
Once again Allison Wanjala brings to light that which the corps wish to hide. Fight the power, Allison! We’re with you.”
*****
Allison was eating breakfast while leaning on the kitchen counter. Her mom had gone to the office early, Aryna had taken the public transit to get to school for an early morning choir practice. That left Allison, Robin and her father all fending for themselves for breakfast. Oozie and Raghar were curled up in a ball on the couch watching a documentary about animals. Robin was trying to spread peanut butter on toast though it was more like she was putting it on in thick globs. Allison fought the urge to help her. Apiyo had been clear Robin needed to learn basic cooking skills for herself. Allison remembered her struggles. She’d learned how to make toast and how she liked it really quickly. Robin didn’t seem to care she just ate the toast and grinned. Her father was in his uniform and reading the latest sports news on his tablet. Robin finished her toast up and ran off to get washed off and into her uniform. Allison took a drink of her tea and sighed.
“You giving us a ride again today dad?”
He shook his head.
“No, you girls are on your own.”
Allison called out.
“Robin! Hurry up we need to take transit!”
Her dad put down his tablet.
“Hey, now, I didn’t say you had to take transit.”
Allison was confused.
“I can’t take my bike there’s still snow, and I don’t have the license for it.”
He flicked her a code key chip.
“You can take that.”
Allison pressed it against her holo-phone. It was the code key for a brand new Beartech Ridgerunner. It was black with a rollbar, push bar and fog lights. Raised suspension and big tires.
“What?”
He pointed to the garage. Allison rushed out to it. There was a brand new pickup truck parked where the almost twenty year old one had been. Her dad appeared behind her with his hands in his pockets.
“I know it is not the old girl, but her engine was almost done. She’s all yours.”
Allison looked up at him.
“But you and mom said you were getting rid of the old one because it was too expensive to repair how… how did we afford this one?”
He grinned.
“Well, my assignment was a joint effort between the Alliance Military and Beartech. They wanted to give me a bonus. I said, just give me one of your latest model Ridgerunners and we’ll call it even. My daughter likes black. She’s all yours, drive safely and no accidents, your mom just let me back in the house.”
Allison hugged him so tightly she might break his back.
“Oh my god dad you’re the best!”
He groaned.
“You’re welcome, please don’t break any of my bones.”
Allison blushed. Robin was looking at them from the kitchen.
“I’m ready for school!”
Allison nodded.
“We have a ride. Come on.”
Allison was bouncing when she reached the pickup. She drove Robin to school then went to her school. She was feeling on top of the world. After her medical treatment she felt like she had a new lease on life. The sword hanging over her head for so long was gone. She just needed to keep her supplements up and if she died super dose herself with nanites. She had a brand new truck. She had a new sister. Aryna was on top of the world. She got straight A’s so her mother was off her back.
When she saw the two colonial security officers waiting for her at the school entrance, she was rather confused. She was even more confused when they took her secure armor and weapons case from her like they were allowed too. She thought, I should have known something bad was going to happen, things were going so well. They removed her holo-phone.
“I wouldn’t do that… uh, never mind.”
They put her in binders, the kind that would be used for full cyborgs. She tried to be polite.
“I’m sorry, but you’re not allowed to take that case. You’re in violation of System’s Alliance law. Are you sure you have the right person?”
The headmistress had apparently been waiting in the wings to see what was going on and rushed out.
“Where are you taking her? She has class.”
The security officers glanced back at her.
“We have a warrant to bring her in.”
Allison was a bit shocked at that, since she was pretty sure anything illegal, she may have done was either in self-defense or in the course of military service. Well at least there was no evidence of anything she’d done that was illegal and not government sanctioned. She didn’t resist because there were literally cameras everywhere and that would just be a bad scene. She looked at the two men.
“I don’t recognize you guys, just so we’re clear, you do know who I am right?”
One glanced back.
“Yes. Allison Wanjala.”
Allison raised an eyebrow.
“And… you do like your jobs, right?”
The same one laughed.
“Was that a threat?”
Allison shook her head.
“You know what. I wasn’t looking forward to civil studies anyway.”
Allison leaned back and noticed a shadow hovering over the security vehicle and following its every move. Allison glanced up. One of the officers was getting freaked out.
“What the hell is a starfighter doing following us?”
Allison shrugged.
“I told you not to take my holo-phone. Bit is slightly overprotective. See if I had my holo-phone, or you hadn’t turned it off, I could be telling her to head back to the hanger but, you took it so I just hope she decides to fire warning shots first. She’s old and gets cranky when she gets woken from her naps by alarms. I’m pretty sure a team from the base will get to us before she gets the chance…”
They decided to comm to their HQ.
“Uh chief we have a problem. There is a starfighter shadowing us… Could you call the base and tell them to call it off?”
Allison snickered but let them think that it would work. They pulled into the security station. Bit hovered menacingly close and her weapon ports were open. Allison decided that it was enough fun at the expense of the security officers. She called out.
“Hey, give my mom, dad, Maria and Eyre a call please. You can go, they’ll sort whatever this is out.”
Bit spoke.
“As you wish.”
The starfighter lifted into the air and flew away. The officers visibly relaxed. As Allison had predicted, a full squad from the base were rolling up in an APC. They came out with weapons aimed at the two colonial security officers. They did not look very happy, the leader of the squad, a man Allison recognized as Yani Ugando called out.
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“Release the Lieutenant, her weapons, and any other equipment you confiscated. We are authorized to use lethal force in her defense. You are in violation of System’s Alliance law.”
Allison looked at the two CS officers and shrugged.
“I tried to tell you.”
She looked towards the squad.
“Stand down Warrant Officer. I’m sure my parents will sort this out, no need to shoot these two newbies. For… I have no idea what mistake they made but someone will tell them, I’m sure. Head back to base, but could you tell my father what’s going on?”
Yani saluted her.
“Aye ma’am. Should we retrieve your kit?”
Allison shook her head.
“No, I’ll get it back soon, I’m sure.”
The CS officers slowly backed into the CS office with their weapons still drawn. Allison was seated in an interrogation room and her binders were chained to a post that was through a table and firmly secured in the concrete. A man wearing the uniform of a Chief of Colonial Security came in and sat down. He had a bushy grey mustache and close-cropped grey hair. He looked like he might be near retirement age.
“Well, well, Allison Wanjala. I bet you think you’re something special. Using that military training of yours to assault an innocent fifteen-year-old boy and break his collar bone. Well, in my colony I don’t care who your mother is, or if the media thinks you’re something special, I’m going to ensure you’re punished to the full extent of the law. My son-in-law might be too much of a pussy to protect his family but I’m not.”
Allison rolled her eyes. The new CS Chief was the grandfather of the kid she’d beat up after he pushed her to it. She decided this was enough stupidity to deal with for one lifetime, since she’d taken civilian laws surrounding making an arrest as part of her training since, well she could make arrests for the System’s Alliance Security Forces and smiled sweetly.
“Chief, you have made a few mistakes here, one, I’m a minor, that means before you talk to me, a legal guardian, or appointed advocate. Two, your officers did not provide me with a list of my rights if you were taking me into custody, which is required by System’s Alliance law. Also, I’m a dhampir, so while you can take me into custody if I’m in the middle of committing a crime, for crimes that I may have committed previously, it would have to be a Seer, which helpfully there is one on the Colony, she’s my next door neighbor. We’ll just forget about all the military regulations regarding active defense force members and detainment during a general state of emergency, which is in effect in the Andromeda Sector right now.”
The chief was looking pretty annoyed at her. Who wouldn’t be with a mouthy little teenage shit telling him how to do his job. He grabbed the chain holding her arms and yanked slamming her into the table. This elicited an ouch from her. Allison could feel that beast inside her starting to stir. She felt blood running out of her nose. She wasn’t too worried it would fix itself really fast whether by nanite or her healing factor. She was worried he’d keep it up and she’d snap. That would be pretty messy she was sure he had turned any recording devices off so it would be a he said, she said situation, only he’d probably be dead if he was locked into a small room with a vamped out her.
“Chief, I’ll tell you the same thing I told your grandson when he kept poking at me. Don’t. You will not like me when I’m angry.”
He did it again.
“I don’t really care what you want. I know your family is going to get you out of here. It is just such a terrible thing that you got beat up in the cells. Door is locked no one is getting in or out of here. Just you and me.”
He got up and punched her in the side. He must have had some cybernetics because she started struggling to breathe as her ribs snapped. That did it. A few bruises she could keep from vamping out but broken bones made it impossible. Her fangs came out and she snarled. She snapped her chains.
“Good plan, except you’re locked in here with me!”
He stumbled backwards. She was like an animal she leapt over the table and slammed him into the wall cracking the prefab foam. She was about to go for his throat when the door got kicked in and she felt strong arms holding her back.
Helen and Allison were a blur to everyone around them. Finally, it ended when Helen slammed Allison against the wall. She had her hand pressed against Allison’s sternum. She showed her fangs. Allison had no chance against a full Imperial vampire in Atlantean armor, especially one that was a thousand years old.
“Allison, calm yourself. Breathe.”
The chief was on the ground trying to get far away from them, but they were between him and the door so all he could do was squeeze into the corner. Three CS officers managed to squeeze into the room and had their side arms pointed at the two snarling vampires. Helen pulled out her badge showing that she was a System’s Alliance Security Officer, a Seer.
“Get out, you’ve done enough damage already. Shoot me or her, and I will arrest all of you as conspirators.”
Allison grabbed Helen’s wrist and tried to shove it aside. The vampire was far too strong for her. Helen sighed and pulled out an injector and pressed it against Allison’s arm. Allison collapsed almost instantly. Helen reached down and grabbed the chief by the front of his uniform.
“You are lucky I am not my mother.”
She easily tossed him towards the door. She pointed at him. Two officers grabbed his arms to get him out of harms way two officers came in, seemingly intent on restraining Allison.
“Get him medical attention. I want him alive for his trial. Stay away from her she might still be ready for a fight.”
Allison was already starting to move. Helen got ready for a fight. The two security officers who had been approaching the unconscious teenager backed away. Allison blinked while she tried to put the last few minutes together. She held her side and said.
“Ow.”
She noticed Helen standing over her. Helen had several bruises on her face that were disappearing by now.
“I’m sorry Helen, did I hit you? What happened?”
Helen offered Allison her hand.
“Ah, one of the CS officers got a little bit eager with his questioning and decided roughing a hormonal teenage dhampir up in a locked room was a good idea.”
Allison stretched as she felt her breathing become easier.
“How bad is it?”
Helen glanced at the cracked wall.
“Well, it could have been worse. Let’s get your things and take you back to school.”
They recovered Allison’s belongings. After what the CS officers had just witnessed, none of them really wanted to argue with Helen whose badge indicated her jurisdiction trumped theirs and then some. Helen offered Allison a tissue and pulled her four-wheel drive vehicle out from its spot. Allison wiped the blood out from under her nose.
“How are you so fast and strong?”
Helen glanced at her.
“I’m a full vampire, at least outside of the sun. That encounter would have gone a lot differently if we were out here. You have got to learn to control it.”
Allison looked around the four by four.
“Wait when did you learn how to drive?”
“I always knew how, I had to get my license to get my badge. I knew all about this century I just didn’t know I did. Mom must have made me forget. I ate some fruit from the tree of knowledge in Eden… the garden not the planet. Once I was here for a bit it started coming to me. She must have done it, so I wasn’t confused. It was like knowledge without context. I would have been lost. Don’t change the subject, you need to keep your vampire half under control.”
Allison sighed.
“I try so hard I push back; I push back but it just wins. The only time I didn’t lose it was this time with a… she was bad news. Really bad news. She was crushing the life from me. I wasn’t angry I was just scared then something else happened. This… power built up in my chest and I exploded. That’s when I got angry. It was bad. Like catastrophic bad. It is like I have no control of my body. I was having such a good day… I was okay but then I think he broke my ribs and snap I was on him about to tear out his throat.”
Helen pulled into the school. Allison pulled her holo-phone onto her wrist. Helen sighed and licked another tissue. She wiped Allison’s upper lip to get rid of the blood that had dried. Allison didn’t even react to it; Her mother had done this too her so much as a small child.
“Mom had similar issues; I don’t know what you inherited from her. I watched her get angry and turn a rock into an implosion bomb. Turned the ground into glass for miles around. Hazel and I wouldn’t stop arguing, sisters have this way of getting under your skin like no one else. Maybe it will work for you, what worked for her was forcing herself to be who she wanted to be. When she was Enid the mortal, she forced herself to be Enid the mortal. When she lost control, it was frightening. Catastrophic even. Hazel never had anything like that. Matilda, when she had a temper tantrum as a toddler the room could shake. Eyre has told me she nearly went insane because she kept seeing things she couldn’t understand because she would get flashes of what people were going to say next or do next. Also, she could see what no one else could. She knew about everything strange and supernatural before she could speak. Because she could see their auras. Mom was weird. For me it was not the same as you, I spent my whole childhood biting my tongue or I’d be hit with a switch or just beaten by my biological mom. As a seer I always see the hit coming, even if I can’t avoid it, I’m prepared for it. Also, for vampires there is no biological mess involved, no hormones. Wow, I know that word… it’s just pride and natural predator instinct. Anyway, there is no guidebook to being a dhampir.”
She put her fingers on Allison’s chin and looked her face over.
“Looks like you need to reapply your make up, it got messed up by the blood and tears.”
Allison pulled the touch up kit out from her purse and started fixing her lip gloss and very light foundation. Helen watched her and spoke.
“When mom was teaching me about making new vampires, she told me the most extreme cases when a new vampire was created, they had no control whatsoever, if they couldn’t stop feeding, she’d have to kill them. However, if it was just that they kept losing it when they got hurt or had their ego prodded, she’d pick on them, maybe outright beat them up until they could control themselves. It wasn’t a punishment; It was just so they got used to taking hits. She even stabbed them with swords and shot them with arrows randomly. Sounds a bit inhumane to even me, who grew up in a time when cutting someone’s hand off for theft was sometimes the way street justice worked. And a parent taking a switch to their child wasn’t punished by anyone…”
Allison looked at Helen in disbelief.
“Are you saying I need to get someone to shoot, stab and beat me up?”
“I don’t know, I’m just telling you what mom taught me. She’s made a few vampires in her time, all of us were seers, not all of us were well-behaved at first. You need to figure something out because you’ve been lucky so far, but you aren’t always so lucky and feeding from someone until they’re dead and you’ve devoured their essence is very bad. The highest crime vampires have. Also, you’re devouring their immortal soul so I’m sure St. Peter will have something to say about that when you are on your way to meet the Lord.”
Allison finished her makeup and looked at Helen.
“What? Can we do that? That’s horrific.”
Helen looked at her glowing instrument panel.
“Yes, and mom did it more than anyone else. Hazel told me about it. She knows twice, once it was a vampire named Tiamat in Babylon, another was her Uncle Remus. Grandfather was disgusted. Maybe she got away with it because of what she was, but we can’t. It is abhorrent. I’m not sure what it would do to a dhampir but for a vampire you absorb everything they were, and if you’re successful you destroy their immortal soul and subsume their power. If you’re not, well best-case scenario you both die, worse you both get destroyed. Never do it. It marks you forever I could see it on mom’s soul.”
Allison was really disgusted now.
“Did she know what she was doing? Like was she vamping out?”
Helen shook her head.
“No, mom never vamped out unless she wanted to. She knew exactly what she was doing and when I asked her about it, she told me she would do it again. She had two swords, both of them were soul destroying. When I asked her about how she could do such a vile thing when I found out near the end, she got a far off look in her eyes and said, souls are energy and you cannot destroy it, but it was better if some souls were fed back to the universe. I asked her, is that not what hell is for? She simply said, ‘There are worse places than hell.’ I do not understand but I do know is it is never alright. That is the one law we still have that is an instant death sentence, but who is going to tell the Empress she can’t do something?”
Allison pondered something then and there. If she had finished Aryni off, would she have prevented her from coming back?
“What if not doing it would cost countless lives? What does it do to the vampire?”
Helen glanced at something on her AR HUD.
“It is never alright to obliterate someone’s soul. Under any circumstances. Death is transitory there is an afterlife. To destroy someone’s immortal soul is to rob them of a chance to find forgiveness, find peace. The vampire gets all their knowledge and power. If they knew abilities the vampire didn’t know the vampire could learn them. They absorb their strength if a Child of Lilith somehow managed to succeed in doing it to an Imperial they would match one of us in power. It is a vile practice. Children of Lilith do it to each other far too often.”
Helen looked very serious as she spoke. Allison waved it off.
“I’m a dhampir I doubt it would work for me.”
Allison stared at the dashboard of the SUV.
“Could you… would you… if we could find someplace out of the sun that I can’t destroy anything in help me learn to control this? How long before I lose it and someone, I care about is in my way? I need to fix this.”
Helen pondered the request for a few minutes. After their many conversations while Allison worked in the hanger, the teenager knew the soft-spoken vampire abhorred violence in all its forms and only resorted to it as a last resort, or to prevent further harm to innocents.
“Yes. You are right, you are often around children, it is best we deal with this before something truly tragic happens. In exchange you’re going to teach me how you do your makeup because I can’t tell you’re wearing it in sunlight. It’s how vampires work. Knowledge for knowledge, always.”
Allison held out her hand. Helen shook it firmly.
“You’re going to be late for your next class, sis.”
Allison sighed.
“So much fun, getting arrested publicly and then dropped off by another police car. Only this one is System’s Alliance instead of Colonial Security. Great way to start the semester, at least my day can’t be any worse.”
Helen looked at Allison over her sunglasses.
“I am sorry, sis, you have just made your day worse. Good luck.”
Allison snickered before getting out of the SUV and heading inside.