Chapter 3: Shappard

She stood there for a few moments in silence in the damp wood after she lost sight of him. With a whispered small prayer to their shared god Locne.

Then, with a deep breath, she turned and made her way back to her glider bike. She would finish her patrol and return to the barracks. No doubt Collins would moan about her comms being off again.

She periodically did it to avoid creating a pattern of meetings with Lor. However, tonight had been a risk. If the Pillar had been watching, they would’ve noticed her comms were down. She would just tell them what she always told Collins.

'The suits were twenty years old with no engineer on-site, what the fuck do you expect?'

Once she had parked her glider bike after her patrol of the town, she made her way toward the pre-fab barracks. Like all pre-fab buildings, it had long since become a permanent fixture.

The lights came into focus, but something caught her attention. Figures were standing outside the barracks.

She glanced toward the clearing and saw a transporter ship. A rhombus-shaped ship with open sides like the ones from the war.

Four soldiers in Dorlec uniforms stood by, flanking an officer with gold trim on his helmet. A Lieutenant Commander.

“Ah, Captain Lawrence,” came the distorted voice of the Lieutenant Commander. He had been speaking with Collins.

She didn’t need to see Collins’s face to know that this was exactly the kind of situation that would turn him into a puddle. Her heart sank as well.

Perhaps tonight had been too big a risk after all.

She’d seen the kettle in the window two days ago but thought it rash to meet immediately. Now, it seemed, she had made a mistake.

"Lieutenant Commander. What do we owe the pleasure?” she asked, walking up to them.

“Commander Sheppard would like a word,” he said, bowing his head slightly. His voice was cheerful, Angie noted, even through the mask.

“We tried to contact you through the comms, but it seems that you may be having some issues with yours?” he added, feigning concern for her equipment. “In fact, it seems a miracle that your equipment still works at all, seeing the state of this.” He gestured toward the blocky barracks. The structure had been sitting on the moon for twenty years now, and the elements had taken their toll. The back left side had even sunk into the ground, leaving their entire 'home' lopsided.

“Very well. Let me change into my uniform, and I’ll join you,” she said, darting her eyes without turning her head toward Collins. She didn’t want to seem concerned.

The younger man, Collins, had only been on the moon for three years. A delinquent soldier sent here for no other reason than to be out of the way. He was a sweet kid, but right now, he was visibly panicking. His head whipped back and forth, darting between the armed Dorlec soldiers and her, unsure where to focus his attention.

“No need. It’ll just be a report. We have decontamination protocols on the Pillar,” said the Lieutenant Commander, extending his arm toward the transport ship.

She nodded and passed Collins, placing a brief hand on his shoulder.

“That fence strut on the Western side has fallen over again. Can you fix it before morning?” she asked. He nodded quickly. “Take Jwo with you. You’ll need the help,” she added.

“Ah, before that”, interjected the lieutenant commander, “We will be inspecting the barracks. Two birds and all of that. You may perform your duties once the inspection is complete. You understand, right, Captain?” It was now Angie’s turn to nod. They had already bloody done that. She tightly squeezed Collins' shoulder, needing to push through the exo-suit’s armour plating on the exo-suit.

“Shall we?”

Two of the soldiers remained at the barracks while the other two flanked Angie and the Lieutenant Commander. She didn’t feel comfortable at all.

She hated leaving her men behind, hated being separated. And now, she was being loaded onto a transport deployment ship.

She’d been on plenty of these before. Standard issue for Pillars

She stepped aboard the rhombus-shaped, vee-hulled ship, the open sides still placed for gunners on all corners. These ships were usually the last familiar thing that someone knew before being dropped off on a battlefront. She felt the same now.

They didn't speak while en route. The wind coming in would have made it difficult, and her comms equipment was ‘still not working’. She preferred it that way, it allowed her to think of everything that was about to come. She hoped her men would be okay. There were three of them. Collin’s, the closest to her, Aubrey, who had been there for only six months now and Jwo, who was serving his fourteenth year on the moon. And now two armed Dorlec soldiers.

They flew over the forests, the town’s dim lights being the only break through the fog.

Angie turned her gaze up toward the Pillar. She was taken back to the enormity of the monolithic structure. There was a stillness to it, an unnatural calm in the way it hovered, untouched by the landscape beneath it. The smooth, rounded curves of the ship's top and bottom gave nothing away to the weapons that hid under almost every square inch of the thing.

Only a handful of people moved below—workers hauling crates from freighter ships and loading them onto the gravity lifts suspended beneath the Pillar’s massive frame. It was a resupply. Pillar’s could be travelling between planets and moons for decades at a time. Usually, though, a resupply would occur on a planet or moon that was at least habitable. Not somewhere like Gol.

Their transport docked, and they stepped out into the glow. A moment later, the platform beneath them began to rise, lifting them into the heart of the ship.

Angie squinted against the sudden brightness. It had been a long time since she’d seen this much artificial light.

The drop platform, little more than a wide metal shelf, halted its ascent and then slid smoothly sideways into the interior of the Pillar.

There was no jolt. The gravity lifts kept them perfectly balanced. She had forgotten that and instinctively shifted her weight, trying to steady herself.

The Lieutenant Commander reached for her arm, thinking she might fall.

She held up a hand. “I’m fine.”

“You’ve been in a Pillar before, correct?” he asked, sounding surprised at her over-correction. She stood up straight and nodded.

“It’s been a long time,” she responded, not wanting to offer any more.

“The Hulfean fleet?” he asked, as though passing conversation.

“The 37th Reon. It was very much like this ship,” she said, her eyes scanning the vast, well-lit interior. Down here, in the lower levels of the Pillar, the space was cavernous. Lift platforms moved up and down, side to side, gliding between bays stacked with tanks, soldiers, and scientific equipment. She hadn’t spent much time in the cargo hold before, only before getting deployed on foot.

“Ah, yes, under Lord Guy Reyes, if I’m not mistaken,” he said.

“Should I be worried that you have studied up on me?” she said, not getting an answer, but again, he held his arm out. They stepped into a room with five doors. Angie moved ahead through one of the doors, and the Lieutenant Commander split off into his own, his boots echoing faintly behind her.

The decontamination process began, and Angie removed her exo-suit, placing it next to her as she stood in the room, wearing only her base layers. She waited for the familiar vibration to occur and felt her entire body start to buzz. The jets of smoke started to spray forward. She could feel the marks on her face from wearing her helmet for too long. The itch of sweat. The smoke stopped, and the wall to her left had been imprinted with a holographic display of her. Gods, she looked old, she thought. Tired.

She moved her hand to the messy bun that her hair was being kept in, wondering if that’s really what it looked like now.

Writing flashed up and cleared her of any contamination. She glanced at the image of herself again. She had lost that spark she once had, that eagerness of eye. She wondered if she had lost her ability to intimidate anyone. During the war, although just a teen, she had been virile, imposing and dangerous. She just looked like an ageing woman now. Though still only forty-six. Her stats showed that she was five feet nine, but her frame had slimmed. She had always been strong, but she wondered how much of that strength nowadays was from her tech rather than her natural muscle.

The door on the opposite side from where she entered opened, and she saw the Lieutenant Commander waiting for her, hands held behind his back, standing with impeccable posture. He must have been in his late twenties. He didn't look like he was someone important enough to have age-extending privileges.

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He had neatly parted black hair, a clean-shaven face and was by all accounts, a good-looking man, though he held the usual smug, overly pale face of a Dorlec soldier. His complexion was the same stark paleness they were known for, with that shaped look. It was their defining feature. All Dorlec were genetically manufactured.

“All clear, I see,” he said, with a smile that didn't reach his eyes,

“No uniform?” Angie asked, looking around the stark room.

“No need, in and out, as I said. It’s just a report.” That same hollow smile was still in place, with that unsettling ability to lie with his eyes.

“I must apologise for my previous questions. It is just that I am fascinated by the war, always have been,” he said. “I was too young, you see, but I saw the world change regardless. I’ve watched all of the programs on it and heard some of the war stories, but I have never spoken to someone who was in the Hulfean fleet. I've studied it, of course. Difficult not to study the Hulfean while looking at the war, with people like Guy Reyes and, of course, King Locne. Did you ever meet him?” He asked.

“No,” she said, slightly irritated that he was speaking this much.

“What was it like?” he asked, as they reached an elevator. He resumed his pose with his hands held behind his back. “The war, I mean?”

“It was like trying to negotiate with a grenade that's already gone off,” she said dismissively. The Lieutenant Commander seemed to get the message.

They rode the rest of the elevator ride in silence, though the Lieutenant Commander did not seem comfortable in silence. Once the doors opened, they came to a small antechamber adorned with a painting hanging on the wall and two large chairs with a small table in the middle of them. The painting showed a great battle. Angie could see some long-lost city being destroyed by Pillars with Dorlec sigils on them and soldiers swarming the city. She didn't remember much about the Dorlec during the war. Her deployment was on the other side of the galaxy. This seemed a bit dramatic, though.

“An original,” he said with a smile and a slight shake of his head while admiring the painting. Thankfully, the doors opened before Angie could say something to offend the man.

She had been in a Pillar Command room once before, but at that point, it was filled with the smells of blood and explosives. They witnessed a call of relief from the Matise House after being ordered to drop onto another forsaken planet. Their Pillar had already been in tatters. Their men were weak and broken, or dead. This one, though, was plush.

It was immaculate and nothing like the war-torn spaces she had known. The thick carpet beneath her feet was soft, the walls clean, and adorned with rich wood panelling that appeared to be from a single tree that spiralled up the right side of the room. Fine leather sofas sat in the centre, and a round table with high, wing-backed chairs.

Angie’s gaze flicked to the heavy doors on either side, each guarded by a Dorlec soldier in full exo-suit gear. The room stretched long, and she saw the silhouette of the Commander seated at a desk that spanned nearly four meters wide. Behind him, a massive viewport offered a view of the skyline and the faint glimmer of the rising sun far in the distance. A small illuminated square on the window looked to be a zoomed-in image of the town below, with information scrolling alongside.

“Commander,” said the Lieutenant Commander, “Captain Angela Lawrence.” Angie threw her hand up in a salute. She saw the briefest movement and imagined he had only just bothered to raise his eyes from whatever he had been working on.

“Step forward, Captain.” He drawled.

“Thank you, Smik,” He added.

Angie noted that instead of Lieutenant Commander Smik leaving, he moved to one of the sofas on the side of the room. Angie stepped towards the desk, saluting once more, not remembering if that was the correct protocol or not. She wasn’t relieved of duty and remained standing, hand still raised in salute.

“Commander Sheppard, sir”, she eventually said, her eyes never lowering to his face.

“Your comm device seems to be non-operational, Captain”

“Yes, sir, our tech is old”

“Are you not maintaining it?”

“We are, sir, though we do not have an engineer on moon”, she said, feeling irritated that she was not allowed to drop her salute yet.

“Lieutenant Commander, get an inspection of the Captain's equipment done again, and send the report here,” he said, not bothering to raise his voice any higher.

“Sir”, came the voice of Lieutenant Commander Smik from behind her.

“You were picked up on the scanners meeting with one, Lor Dimitri, this evening. What did you meet about?” he asked, nonchalantly.

Angie dropped her salute and held her arms behind her back. She also dropped her eyes to look at the Commander. Her first thought was that he recruited in his own image. It seemed Lieutenant Commander Smik had modelled himself after the Commander. He had neatly parted hair, not a single hair out of place. He had a sharp nose and chin, piercing eyes and held himself well. He was clean-shaven and wore his uniform with textbook precision. His overly pale skin was a stark contrast to the inky background of the night through the window behind him. She knew the Dorlec were all genetically modified, so it made sense. He did not look impressed that Angie had decided to relieve herself, but did not press the matter.

“He wanted to know about the Pillar’s arrival and what it meant, sir”

“And what did you tell him?”

“That I didn't know, sir. We have not received any information about the next steps”

“Are you always that candid with prisoners, Captain?” The words took her by surprise. It was foolish for her to think that would have been okay. She didn't want to say anything, and it seemed that Sheppard did not need her to. “Lor Dimitri, you served with him during the war in the Hulfean fleet”

“Yes, sir”, they had picked up the message she had sent, she thought.

“I am sure you can understand that a meeting that seems so clandestine in nature would cause concern”

“Concern, sir?” he watched her carefully for a moment and then said,

“The boy has picked up nine per cent muscle mass in the last few months, according to your scanners. Lor Dimitri is training him. I was uncertain what to make of that, and then one of the guards, the Captain of the guard,” he emphasised the rank, “And a former unit member, meets with Lor Dimitri, outside her patrol schedule without her comm device active. One could almost say it looks like preparation.” Again, he let the implication hang in the air. She would not be baited. “I am quite sure that you are telling the truth in his interest in the Pillar, but why like that? Help me understand.”

“He wanted to thank me for the herbs, sir”

“Yes”, he said, peering over at his datapad, “You have planted a number of rationed seeds in the forest for them over the years?”

“Yes, sir”

“And he chose now to thank you for that?”

“He doesn't know how much longer he has, sir” It was weak. Why did she have to say anything in the first place? She was on the back foot here, rattled by what he wasn't saying. They knew. They must have.

“What else did he want?” He asked quickly and sharply, his tone changing for the first time. She would need to give him something. If he knew anything about Lor, he would know that Lor was always up to something. His military record would say as much.

“Some time ago, he asked me to send a message to his people, a farewell” Too little, too late, she thought after adjusting her strategy.

“Did you?” he said, resting back into his drawling tone.

“No, sir. These people do not exist anymore”

“No, they do not,” His tone low and dangerous. “Have you corresponded with the Hulfean House since the war?”

“No, sir, I was posted here after the war. We only received entangled communications two years ago”

“It’s not the only way to communicate,” He said, leaning back in his chair. “It’s no matter even if you did. Even Hulf is bound by House laws. You would have been foolish to have even tried,” he said as though speaking to a toddler. “No House would expose itself to the rest for a mere guard”

“If I may, sir, am I being interrogated?”

“You are being interrogated for assisting a Hulfean House sympathiser, Captain. We have already established that you are incapable of maintaining military equipment and have no regard for military rations being used in a decent manner,” he answered easily, without hesitation.

“I was in the war with him. Are the Hulfeans not our allies?”

“And you have lost your sense of hierarchy, Captain” She felt her breath become uneasy, as his tone remained implacable. “Tell me about the boy”, he said, again pulling up the datapad.

“Meno is eighteen, seems to have a natural immunity to the disease. He was dropped at the fence fifteen years ago. It seems that his parents did not want him and chose the worst place in the galaxy to leave him”

“Sympathy?” he judged. “Who were his parents?”

“Unknown, sir. We did not have the scanners that we have today back then. Nobody saw them come in”

“You collected his bloods?”

“We received a blood sample from one of the prisoners, Hellen Milton, some years ago. The results came back clean. Somehow, he doesn't have a trace of the disease in his blood, nor does he have any mutations to suggest that his body learned how to fight it off. It seems that the disease just misses him, sir”

“Yes, Milton, she took primary care of him, did she not?”

“It seemed so, sir. He grew up in her home” She could tell where he was going with this. Hellen, although sweet in her disposition and kindness to the rest of the townspeople, had murdered her last employer. She had been a housekeeper for a Commander of the Matise House. Angie didn't know much more detail than that. Hellen had never had a trial.

“How long does Lor Dimitri have?” He asked, putting the data pad down once more, becoming somewhat exasperated, as though this was a waste of his time.

“I couldn't tell you, sir”

“Surely, Captain”, he raised his eyes lazily at her, “You have watched them for twenty years. Do not tell me that you have not gained some measure of this disease”

“A few months, maximum, maybe weeks. He has been in the final stages for a while now, sir”

“Not exactly a quick end, is it?” It was the first time that he seemed to express his own thoughts, and he had said something like that. Angie took a breath to calm herself.

“The disease has a somewhat slower rate with them than previously seen, sir. Fatality usually occurs within six months. Some on Gol have lasted nearly twenty years, though they have felt the effects of it”. She knew that was the point of this experiment of theirs. To make carriers.

“Well, it sounds like he has suffered for long enough, then. Lieutenant Commander, make the preparations. I do not want to spend more time here than needed. Captain.” He said, straightening up, facing her dead on for what seemed the first time, “You are being stripped of your rank” She spluttered, but he continued, “You will be moved to a Dorlec internment camp for treason against the House’s. You have failed the Dorlec, the Autarch and yourself as a soldier.”

“Charges!?” She roared, all pretence now gone.

“The aforementioned offences, as well as fraud in manipulating the blood work that you sent for testing,” he said as calmly as before. He looked at the datapad. “For illegal experimentation on the indigenous population of a moon”, Angie couldn't even get the words out of her mouth. They were pinning this on her? “And it seems to be for the intentional sabotage of House equipment.” She hadn't noticed the guards behind her who grabbed her by the arms.

“I gave my life to the Houses!” She shouted, being pulled by the guards, “You fucking scum!” She added. The Commander did not say anything. He had turned back to the datapad as she was being dragged out. She passed Lieutenant Commander Smik, who smiled at her and said,

“It was lovely to speak with you, Angela.”