Lockheed
Alwen watched the screen as the DNA sequencer analyzed the latest sample she and Bachir had fed it. Ever since the battle on the capital they had spent a majority of their time dissecting and analyzing the Aunviry tissue they had recovered. And the more time they spent picking apart their monstrous flesh the more Alwen and Bachir began to realize that they had struck gold. The Aunviry flesh contained many miracles that would change the course of medicine forever, regrowing severed limbs, extending life by hundreds of years, and much more. After three months of work they were only now starting to realize that they had only pierced the tip of the iceberg.
Today however was a little different, today Captain Astarte had come to see the fruits of their labors. It had taken Bachir months the retune the DNA sequencer to read Aunviry DNA and today was the day they analyzed their first sample.
Astarte tapped her foot impatiently as she watched the screen slowly crawl through a loading bar, she only stopped when the sequencer had finished its job. “What’s it say?” the Captain asked as soon as the machine had finished its job.
Bachir grumbled “I don’t know, I’ll need more than a few seconds to read the results.”
“I thought the machine would do that?” she asked testily.
“No, the machine was only taking the raw goop of alien DNA and rendering it into something I could read, now be silent girl so I can do my job” he growled as he stooped over the computer.
Astarte began to tap her foot rapidly once more as she glared at Bachir’s back, and from Alwen’s angle she could see the gruff doctor’s eye twitch in frustration and held back her chuckle.
“How long is this going to take?” Astarte asked after a minute of silence.
“As long as it needs to” Bachir grumbled. “I’m reading the raw data of an alien race whose DNA is as complex as a humans, its going to be a long time before I find anything noteworthy.”
“Well what can you tell me right now?”
“I can tell you to be quiet and let me work.” He snapped.
While they were bickering Alwen began to notice something “Doctor, I’m not seeing any inactive genes. And moreover there doesn’t seem to be any indication of genetic editing”
Bachir turned and looked to where Alwen was pointing “Yes, that…that’s incredible.” He muttered.
“What does it mean?” Astarte asked.
“One of two things. Either, the Aunviry spawned from the primordial soup fully formed, skipping past the evolutionary tract from a single celled organism to what they are now. Or, someone built them from scratch, built them protein by protein, molecule by molecule. Both of which seems equally unlikely”
“What do you mean, we already have access to gene editing and genetic therapy, how is that any different?”
“Captain, that’s like comparing the heat of a campfire to the complexities of a fusion reactor. The methods and technology available to us currently couldn’t hope to achieve even a fraction of what we’re seeing right now. We can edit genes, replace one line of code with another, but doing this would require us to invent a whole new programming language.” Bachir said in amazement.
Astarte’s face went grim “So either the Aunviry were miraculously born completely formed, or an incredibly advanced civilization took the time and effort to create them from scratch. I don’t like what that entails. Have we figured out why incendiaries had been so effective? The more I thought about it, the less sense it made. Aunviry skin is notoriously resistant to directed energy weapons, so why would propellant and fire work as well as it did?”
Alwen cleared her throat “I might have a theory for that, I haven’t been able to fully test though since that would require a live specimen. But the white substance that would ooze from the skin and cover open wounds and severed limbs has a lot of very interesting properties that help enhance the healing process in their already rapid regenerative abilities, but on a simple molecular level it isn’t all too different from kerosene. The body will only produce this kerosene like substance when there is a sufficiently large wound, like a gash from your sword. From my tests on some retrieved samples I have found that direct heat like that provided by plasma, or pulse weapons is not enough to ignite it, in fact direct heat only seems to cause liquid within the skin to sublimate leaving behind dried out patches of skin that just fall off and scab over. But when introduced to an ongoing combustion reaction it readily bursts into flame, the body then attempts to heal the wound but instead pours more fuel onto the fire.”
Astarte blinked “I see, so all you need to do is cut them up and then throw a match at them? Why hasn’t anyone discovered this before?”
“With all due respect captain” Bachir said taking over for Alwen “most sane and rational beings wouldn’t charge at an Aunviry with only a blade in hand, and then just happen to toss an incendiary grenade at the cut. There are other far more effective ways for dealing with them, that don’t put yourself directly in harm’s way.”
Alwen nodded “Right, and assuming that the Aunviry are an engineered species then we can also assume they were designed to be soldier or living tanks, it would go a long way to explain a lot of their more obscure traits. But whatever battlefield their creators had envisioned for them, they likely did not expect someone to charge at their creations with a sword and spite. It would be like designing a jet fighter for modern warfare, but forgetting to make it resistant to bows and arrows. Sure it’s a weakness, but why would you ever imagine someone shooting a bow and arrow at your super advanced jet fighter.”
“The greatest swordsman doesn’t fear the second best, he fears the worst, because they have no idea what that fool will do” She muttered to herself before going quiet for a long time before she spoke once more “The Union must know about all of this, they had hundreds of Aunviry corpses to deal with after they destroyed themselves. What benefits do you think they already reaped from this treasure trove.”
Bachir looked thoughtful for a moment “Off the top of my head, life extending medicines, some potentially apocalyptic bioweapons, maybe even Vaxis.”
“Vaxis?” Alwen asked in confusion, sure Vaxis stung to breathe, but it didn’t seem to be some sort of super poison.
“Yes, its hard for us Terrans, and Torweni, too comprehend, but Vaxis is the deadliest poison in the galaxy. Even in low concentrations it can kill everything it touches with impunity, sapient life, animals, plants. Terran and Torweni life seems to be uniquely resistant to it because we developed on worlds were such toxins are commonplace, the pollen from a common cedar tree is equally deadly in its own way. Even other deathworlders are susceptible to Vaxis, because despite the pain inhaling it causes the real deadly part of it is in how it attacks the nervous system after infiltrating the bloodstream. We’re exempt because of our almost psychotic immune system, and your own incredibly unique biology doctor Djani. The pepper spray like taste and pain is just the gas it is mixed with to keep it active and help with dissemination, most are dead before they even get a chance to notice that their lungs are on fire.”
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Alwen’s eyes widened “That’s insane!”
“Yeah it is” Astarte agreed “But why not just use mustard gas, or another easier to produce deadly gas, why go to all the trouble?”
“Because there are lifeforms that evolved to breath air very similar to mustard gas, and over lifeforms that grew up on methane or ammonia rich worlds, life forms that would find the atmosphere on Venus very habitable. They mostly stay on their own worlds since Union standard atmospheric conditions are toxic to them. But with the exception of us, Vaxis is a universal poison, and unlike mustard gas Vaxis is easily absorbed through the skin. It made more sense for the Union to employ one nerve agent that worked on almost all life rather than a large variety of deadly gases.”
Astarte looked contemplative for a minute, “Do you think they did ‘that’ with something derived from Aunviry DNA”
Alwen quirked her head at the mention of what ‘that’ was, but neither of them explained it.
“It is possible” Bachir mused “I have theorized that whatever ‘that’ was would be similar to the DPDV-27 variant used to uplift the Mammaloids. And it might explain why no trace of it remains.” Bachir looked thoughtful.
“Would you be able to create an antidote for whatever it was?” the Captain asked.
Bachir shook his head “No, what ever it was, it was only a catalyst to begin an unstoppable chain reaction. But I might be able to devise its opposite, something that might undo what has begun, or slow it down.”
The captain sighed “Well I will let you get back to work, this is now priority number one. I will leave you to your work in peace.” She said before promptly turning around.
Alwen watched the captain leave before turning to Dr. Bachir “Are going to tell me what ‘that’ was about?”
He shook his head “Its best you forget everything you heard, that was a secret only known to a small minority of us, just me, the other captains, and a few other powerful individuals. Please just return to your work, I am going to be very busy with my own research.”
Alwen new better than to push doctor Bachir on this point and returned to her own workstation, but before she went back to her lab samples she pulled out her personal journal and opened it up. she hadn’t given up on figuring out what motivated these pirates beyond simple greed, and had added several new points for her to ponder on. Number four ‘divine mandate’ had been firmly crossed out and was replaced with ‘Kalwen and Admiral Kedi’s collusion’. Number five was ‘all the marines believe that being here is serving a greater mission’. Six was ‘a place called Pandemonium’. And now she added number seven ‘researching something major that has dire consequences and needs to be reversed’.
She then closed the book and returned to her work, desperate to use it to drown out thoughts of Gato and her still aching heart. She hadn’t been to any of her usual training sessions, and he hadn’t come to find her either. She knew that she was just avoiding the problem, but what would she do if just the sight of him tore a new wound into her heart. He had turned her down and made it very clear that he didn’t want any sort of relationship with Alwen, so now she just needed to stay away until her feelings for him went away.
~~~*~~~
Aster was oddly melancholic on the flight over to the private home of Marshal Penton, the current CEO of Lockheed Martin on the island of Elysium. She and Bell had successfully convinced Doctor Grace Martin to join the Hellworlders as their chief supervisor of the Obama’s refit, it had been a lot easier than Aster had thought it would be. But once they spilled the beans and told her everything they were trying to achieve, and introduced her to some of the very powerful people backing their growth, she had joined up without any hesitation. Even took the mark of Beelzebub with minimal fuss.
Now she and Bell were working to rig the Obama to Boudica and Calamity Jane so they could move it to Pandemonium where they could work in peace without any interruptions. And now that they had a spacecraft carrier they needed spacecraft.
This was a major step for the whole Hellworlder fleet, it would mark a direct transition in the nature of the whole organization. Starting an airwing would have major implications and wasn’t something one did lightly. Not only did they need to spend hundreds of millions of credits on just getting a sufficiently advanced plane designed, but they would also spend millions on getting production facilities set up on Pandemonium, and much more on building an actual airwing. Not only that, but they needed to recruit pilots, train mechanics, buy replacement parts, and set up an office just for dealing with all the logistical challenges this whole venture would entail. The whole endeavor promised to end up costing as much as the whole Hellworlder fleet, and costs would only continue to balloon.
And worse yet, unlike they rest of the fleet these planes wouldn’t ever be capable of bringing in a return on investment. They would lack any ability to raid and steal cargo, and might even lack the range to stray too far from the Obama.
This was a step that would begin an unstoppable countdown timer, one that counted down the remaining days the Hellworlders and their allies could remain a secret. But there was no better time than now, first fleet was fully assembled and had gained a lot of experience, second fleet wasn’t too far behind either. Their political allies were growing impatient and would be pushing for things to speed up. Astarte’s industrial backing had been mostly assembled and would only grow more powerful as time went on. And Pandemonium would soon need to go public or else they would face major growth hurdles that could end the whole colony. And the Union diplomats were only placing more and more pressure on the Torweni government to accept Union membership, which would end only one of two ways. Either with the Torweni accepting and being made into an empty puppet like earth had been, or with a Torweni refusal which would force the Union to invade and end the ‘Torweni threat’. Like they had in Sol during that last battle over Ceres, or when they forced the USA to disband their armed forces and pass an amendment declaring the dissolution of the United States or face total annihilation.
Her grim thoughts and anxieties were interrupted by the shuttle touching down on the landing pad of Penton’s private estate, and Aster plastered on her business face. She straightened her finely made robes and made sure her eyepatch was firmly in place; this one was plain black leather with no demonic embellishing and didn’t fit quite right. The hatch opened and she gracefully stepped out of the fancy chrome vessel and smiled at the man who met her on the landing pad.
He wore a rich navy-blue suit, finely fit, and was obviously custom made. His teeth were all perfectly straight and almost blindingly white, and he kept his curly black hair cropped short and square. “Miss Astarte, it’s a pleasure to finally meet you in person” Marshal Penton said cheerily as he extended a hand forward. Normally Astarte would ignore the chivalrous gesture, but this meeting was a careful dance, and the proffered hand was the first step.
She let her hand rest in his as she stepped out of the polished shuttle and returned his smile “The pleasure is all mine; Miss Duke had some very good things to say about you”
Victoria Duke was the current CEO of MDY, and the young CEO had been Aster’s first and most reliable contact into the world of the Martian elite.
“I’m glad to hear it, she has told me a bit about you as well, nothing specific, but the picture her words painted spoke of a brilliant and industrious new player in world of interstellar trade and industry.” He said probingly. Most people didn’t know Aster’s true business or origins, they only knew that she came out of nowhere and had some very powerful backers. They saw her explosive growth, and wanted to know the secret, or a piece of the action.
“It’s nothing special, I simply looked at the numbers and realized there were many opportunities left untouched by other traditional shipping companies from the core. They’re only interested in selling cheap goods and buying up raw resources, they ignore all the business opportunities right here in the Orion.” She answered pleasantly.
“Opportunities like?”
“Like selling corn, spinach, and kale to the Kaydic, or beef and chocolate to the Balikstro. Taking native crops from those worlds and exporting them to Mars were restaurants in Olympus Mons buy them and turn them into exotic dishes. Simple opportunities like those that better support interplanetary trade between us Orion sector worlds rather than simply having us export raw materials to the core worlds.”
He looked contemplative “That sounds fascinating, but your not here to talk about your own business’s. Victoria tells me you’re interested in getting into the game of retro aircraft, and other sports craft.”
Aster smiled “Yes, I’m particularly interested in the work you have done in renovating a Void Hawk.” She said leadingly
“Then come, I’ll show you my pride and joy”
She followed behind him and enjoyed the view of the manicured rose garden as they walked around the length of the grand estate to the hanger and airfield behind it. Some fifty to sixty years ago jet racing, and fake dogfighting had taken off, what had once been an idle pastime for a select few had turned into several major sports with official leagues and large fanbases. Many powerful men and women had begun sponsoring the expensive needs of certain racing teams and Lockheed Martin once again became a major player in the field of aeronautics after losing the last of their shipping contracts to MDY. They built powerful and agile aircraft with an incredible range of atmospheric maneuvering and even the ability to easily maneuver in a vacuum on those same atmospheric systems. And as the scope of those races kept expanding to encompass some nearby star systems like Proxima Centaury and Barnards star they also began to develop small but insanely efficient warp drives, pushing the bounds of warp technology to better suit small space craft rather than massive ships with huge power plants. All this made them the ideal company to make Terra’s first generation of warp capable strike craft.
Marshal in particular was known to own a whole custom fabrication facility for him to tinker around with the idea of what a modern space fighter might look like, rumor had it he hoped to sell the idea to the Union and once again make his company a military contractor. Rumor also had it thought that the Union had shot his idea down so thoroughly that he was now on a watchlist for potential rebel sympathies, not ideal but she could work around it by setting up production on a world the Union couldn’t monitor.
They entered the clean white hanger and Aster didn’t need to fake an impressed expression, the sleek black craft before her literally stole the breath from her. Swept back wings, twin turbo ionic engines mounted just off the main fuselage, and no visible seams or edges on the length of its lithe body. There was no cockpit visible from the outside, advanced sensors, cameras, and augmented reality technology had allowed for the engineers to safely store the Void hawks cockpit and crew cabin just slightly ahead of the ship’s center of gravity. The mat-black paint was so dark that it obscured any of the gentle curves designed to redirect any radar waves trying to get a lock on it.
“She’s gorgeous” Aster said in astonishment.
“I’m glad you think so, other’s with my particular hobby claim the texture-less black hides to much of shape and is hard to look at.” He said as he placed a loving hand against its sleek black frame.
“Function over form, especially when it is literally the best at doing what it does. My own ship employs similar techniques, but instead of radar absorbing black we went with the more subtle gray paint the US navy developed at the end of the 21st century. It does a similar job, but more efficiently per square meter of surface area so long as one also employs some form of radar jamming.”
He smiled “I looked into that, but this was a more suitable choice for a smaller craft like the Void Hawk. Would you like to go for a test flight?” he asked with a grin.
“I was hoping you would ask”