Illimitable Dominion

By Erik Rune

 

And now was acknowledged the presence of Red Death. He had come like a thief in the night. And one by one dropped the revellers in the blood-bedewed halls of their revel, and died each in the despairing posture of his fall. And the life of the ebony clock went out with the last of the gay. And the flames of the tripods expired. And Darkness and Decay and the Red Death held illimitable dominion over all.

 

Edgar Allen Poe,

The Masque of Red Death

 

~~~

 

Prologue: 15 years ago...

 

He had to be quiet. That was all. Quiet as a mouse, as he'd heard some of the Earther prisoners-of-war say, although exactly what a mouse was, he wasn't entirely sure. Whatever it was, and even though some Earth animal couldn't possibly be quieter than an Andromedan creeping to save his skin, he could use all the helpful metaphors he could find.

 

Sneaking along the darkened corridors of the station, Robi tried to think of a decent excuse for being here or for being here right now. Try as he might, he couldn't think of any, for either the Spung guards who might discover him or for his compatriots who slumbered, exhausted, in the barracks. The truth of the matter was... he was simply curious. Robi had wanted to know for years, even before the Spung had come. The information couldn't help his situation in the slightest, it wouldn't help to free his people from slavery and could easily ostracize him further, but... Robi wanted to know.

 

He slipped silently into the office where he had heard the records were stored. Every sound was like a gunshot to his temple. Robi punched in the access codes he had stolen, fearing that his pounding heart would betray him. It was so loud! He smiled slightly as he scanned through the data. His tell-tale heart... One of the Human POWs, Styles, had introduced him, in passing, to an Earth writer called Poe, who had written some of the most original and gruesome stories Robi had ever heard. The Tell-Tale Heart was one of his favorites, and The Masque of Red Death was another...

 

"Speaking of red death," he muttered sadly, as he read the reports of outbreaking Shosha'ana among the hatchery attendants. He would have to warn his bunkmates; there could be no more sharing of bowls and blankets until the epidemic had passed. The Spung were not likely to provide medical attention, so the Andromedans would have to take their own precautions.

Robi mumbled an Andromedan curse under his breath as he fumbled through the information. How he hated and detested computers! He had been a priest after all, not a technician. Had been... It was this crazy quest of his that had lead to his dismissal from the Order, his 'defrocking,' as Styles said wryly. A priest of all people should have no desire for... aor'uto. For family.

 

It was a very Human desire, and the elders had been quick to blame his friendship with Styles for the unAndromedan yearning. Which was pure nonsense, Robi thought, finally finding the file he wanted. I wanted to know who my parents were when I was a hatchling, I wanted siblings when I was a youngster, and now I want a lifemate and children. Styles had nothing to do with it. She's the only one who understands.

 

All right, he said to himself, concentrate. This is the one you've been looking for. It was his own file, confiscated by the Spung from the Hatchery databases:

 

Robi 529
out of Redran 635, by Edrei 148
Age: 18
Number of pairings: Zero

 

Redran 635 and Edrei 148. They were his parents, Robi thought, but he had never known the pair, and on checking, he found that both had died in the first few months of the captivity. He also discovered that he had several half-siblings; again, people he had no knowledge of. But wait! He did have one older full sibling, a woman by the name of Lyera 347. I recognize that name... Robi quickly accessed her file:

 

Lyera 347
out of Redran 635, by Edrei 148
Age: 22
Number of pairings: One
Paired with: Pioter 228
Successful? Yes
Egg serial number(s): 386

 

Robi took a deep breath. This woman whose file he was reading, was his sister, and his sister had a child in the Hatchery right now. Then Robi's breath caught in his throat. Right now?!

The Shosha'ana had broken out in the Hatchery. There must be something I can do. Robi used his limited knowledge of computers to download his findings into a data crystal. Then he turned to shut down the terminal.

 

"Stop right there!" shouted a familiar harsh voice. Before Robi could palm the data crystal, the guard had ripped it form his grasp. "I would've thought you could find something better to do with your time than raiding Hatchery records," he sneered. Robi had to physically bite his tongue to keep from spitting in the man's face. The guard was as Andromedan in body as Robi, if much better fed. But he worked for the Spung by choice; his soul belonged to them. Timon was no more Andromedan than the warlords who ran the station.

 

Timon held the crystal up to the light. "What in Yon's name could you possible find of interest in this?" he asked, half-curiously. The ex-priest winced to hear Yon's name taken in vain.

 

"None of your business," snapped Robi. Timon backhanded him casually.

 

"And none of your lip." Timon inserted the crystal into the terminal and erased the information. Robi winced, though he was only acting. He hadn't needed to keep the information, although it might've been helpful one day. He had what Styles had termed a 'photographic memory.'

 

Timon took him by the arm. "Come on," he snarled. "You're going for a trip."

 

***

 

Thud-thud-thud-thud.

 

The sound of a skull banging methodically against a metal wall rang throughout the barracks of the ship.

 

Thud-thud-thud-thud. She stopped when she felt a hand on her shoulder. "Cut that out, will you?" said the Earther tiredly. "You're going to hurt yourself." Diera shrugged her off..

 

"I've got a thick skull." She hit her head once more than sighed. "How could I have been so stupid?!"

 

"What're you in for?" asked Styles out of pure morbid curiosity, knowing full well that she shouldn't have asked and wouldn't get an answer. But the Andromedan woman surprised her.

 

"I was trying to incite rebellion among my people," said Diera shortly. "At least that's what the charge was. I say I was trying to goad a few people into stealing a few extra rations for a sick old woman." She laughed shortly. "Either way, I'd say I didn't have much luck."

 

"You--"

 

"Sshh!" Diera clamped a hand over Styles' mouth. "Someone's coming." When she was certain the Earther would make no noise she let go. Styles grimaced and ran her tongue over her teeth, tasting blood from a cut lip.

 

The heavy door of the barracks clanked open, and the Spung guards threw in another prisoner. The blond man slammed face first into the floor. Styles breath caught in her throat, but she waited until the door was closed before running to his side.

 

"I'll be damned, Robi," she said in English. "What did you do to get in here?"

 

"What do you think?" he grumbled in the same language. "But I found what I was looking for, Pwca." And Robi grinned slightly. "I can die a happy man now." Out of the corner of his eye he saw a woman watching him warily. Styles saw as well.

 

"Robi, this is Diera 392. Diera, this is Robi 529." The two Andromedans nodded in greeting.

 

"What're you in for?" asked Diera, mimicking the Earther.

 

"Hacking." Robi grinned, throwing the woman off. He smiles more than any Andromedan I know, she thought. But it doesn't make him look as foolish as it makes other males look.

 

Suddenly all the prisoners in the barracks were thrown forward.

 

"I gueff we're leaffing," said Styles, holding a hand to her bloody nose.

 

It was three months into their trip before they met him. They had seen him, of course. He was unusual enough in appearance to attract some attention; a red-haired green-eyed Andromedan was not a common sight. Topped off with the fact that he was openly displaying his affections for a female--when neither of them were in the mating cycle--he was hard to ignore. Most of the Andromedans stayed away from him, Robi and Diera included. So when he approached them one day, they were understandably startled.

 

He was friendly but abrupt. "My name is Rikel 666," he said smiling. "Would either of you care to get out of here?"

 

Robi and Diera looked at each other, then looked at Rikel and nodded in tandem. Rikel's smile broadened. "Good. Wait for my signal, then follow my lead." He got up and walked away. Styles watched him doubtfully.

 

"I hope you two know what you're getting into." Robi smiled wanly, but Diera looked blank.

 

"What?"

 

"On Earth, '666' is considered a very unlucky number," explained Robi, his tone dry as if to convey his disbelief in the suspicion. "They call it 'The Sign of the Beast.'" He looked up at Styles from his position on the cold metal floor. "Perhaps we need a beast right now."

 

The signal, when it came during the head count that night before lights-out, didn't come from Rikel. Robi, waiting in line with all the other Andromedans, heard a high-pitched whistling that grew higher and higher until he felt that his eardrums would burst. He clasped his hands over his ears and fell to his knees, along with every other person in line.

 

The Spung were startled and annoyed. "What's happening?" one of them shouted. "Timon!" But Timon was in too much pain to respond to his superior. He too had fallen to his knees in agony.

Somewhere in the back of his mind, Robi knew this was the signal that had been promised. He tried to raise his head to look for Rikel, but the room was spinning and he couldn't focus...

 

Then the whistling stopped.

 

The Andromedans looked up, their faces streaked with tears, wondering what had made that sound.

 

Then, as the Earthers are wont to say, all Hell broke loose.

 

Rikel--or at least Robi assumed it was Rikel--let out a blood-curdling scream and tackled the nearest Spung guard. The lizard-man was incapacitated in no time, and with the others following Rikel's lead, soon the rest of the Spung had joined him on the floor. "Follow me!" said Rikel. "Follow me to the bridge!" Robi grabbed Timon from behind and shoved him through the door.

 

"You don't think I'm just going to leave you here, do you, old buddy?"

 

The bridge and the rest of the ship were taken just as quickly and cleanly. They shoved the surviving Spung--and Timon--into the barracks that had been their home and settled into their new quarters.

 

Before lights out that night, Rikel stopped in to see Robi. "The others want me to take over, you know." Robi nodded. "I mean, they want me to be in charge, you understand that?"

 

"Of course. You led the uprising, why shouldn't you be in charge?"

 

"Because we aren't supposed to have leaders." Robi sighed; Rikel had a point.

 

"Well, we needed a leader to break free," he pointed out. "Perhaps we need a leader to find some place to stay until the war's over." Going back to their people was out of the question. They would be shot on sight for mutiny. The only thing they could do was to wait out the war.

 

"You'd make a better leader than me." Robi blinked.

 

"What makes you say that?"

 

"You're an ex-priest and I'm an ex-spy for the UPP. And that's a fact that no one else needs to know and that's bound to come out if I'm under the pressure of command day in and day out."

The UPP? No wonder he's frightened of being found out. The Spung and the Andromedans had been fighting the United Populated Planets for nearly a year now. The only reason the Andromedans were fighting was because the Spung held their Hatchery hostage, and they had promised that when the UPP was defeated, they would release the eggs. A spy for the other side could have endangered the lives of an entire generation, all the eggs, including Robi's newly discovered niece or nephew.

 

Robi strove to control his temper. "I wouldn't make much of a leader. I'm something of an introvert. Besides, it's only temporary. I'm sure you can handle it." Rikel nodded and turned to leave. "Rikel?" He turned. "What was that sound? It was ear-splitting."

 

Rikel grinned. "That was one of the Earther's doing. Lieutenant Marshall Sarcan. He called it a 'dog-whistle.'

 

***

 

All the Andromedans hoped that the situation would prove to be temporary. Rikel was a decent leader, better than the Spung slave drivers that had been directing them. But following a leader was still a bit... unnatural, and Andromedans are not known for their ability to adapt. Still, it seemed that the journey back to safe space would be calm and uneventful.

 

It was not to be.

 

"Robi, please come to the bridge," said Rikel into the intercom. He rubbed his forehead ruefully. It was a habit he'd picked up from his contacts in UPP territory. A normal Andromedan would have been massaging his ears right now.

 

"What is it, Rikel?" asked Robi. Rikel jumped.

 

"Must you shout?" he scowled.

 

Robi blinked. "Did I? I hadn't noticed. What's wrong, Rikel?"

 

"It's Kripen," Rikel reported shortly. "He spouting water from his ears and he's shivering." Robi almost stopped breathing. "And he's not the only one," Rikel continued. "At least twelve others are showing signs of the Shosha'ana, in various stages of the disease. Countless more may succumb soon. I need your opinion, Robi: what should we do?"

 

Robi 529 hung his head and choked back a sob. Freedom was truly a fleeting thing. "We.. should find... somewhere to land... and hope... that we all die quickly."

 

He raised his head, and his blue eyes met Rikel's sad green ones.

 

"Yes," said Rikel softly. "I thought so."

 

~~~

 

Part Two: Now is What We Fear the Most

 

"Hello? Can anybody hear me? Hello?!"

 

Even as he shouted, Radu knew it was useless. He was wasting his breath and hurting his ears, but the sound of his own voice comforted him if doing nothing else. After all, it wasn't as if anyone would hear him or come to his aid.

 

Radu was in the one situation he had hoped and prayed would never occurred: he was alone, a prisoner of the Spung, trapped in the brig of a Spung killcruiser, and slated for execution in the morning. He backed up against the wall and slid down to the floor, holding his head in his hands. How could this have happened? he thought.

 

The away mission had, according to Bova, been fated from the start. From yesterday morning until right now, had been completely downhill.

 

"As you are not at the Command Post and are doing nothing constructive with your time, I shall have to assign mandatory extra credit." The cadets groaned. In a moment of pure insanity, they had somehow managed to revert to pre-school stages. Someone had started a food fight, one thing had led to another, and so now here they were, standing (food-covered) in front of a very angry teacher.

 

"Rosie," instructed Miss Davenport, "you and Radu are to explore the nearby asteroid field we passed yesterday." Radu sighed inwardly. It wouldn't be a total loss then, if he got to pilot a Starling. And Rosie would make the best of it, as always, it was just... well, it wasn't how he'd planned on spending his day! "You will then each write a two page survey report, complete with diagrams.

 

"Bova and Suzee, you will research and prepare a five minute joint presentation on the long-term and short-term causes of the civil war on the Minbari homeworld, and Harlan--" She thought for a moment. Harlan felt his heart leap at the idea of not having extra homework.

 

"Harlan shall spend the day cleaning the mess hall." Radu's ears tingled at the sound of Harlan's decidedly audible groan. Ms. Davenport clapped her hands briskly. "Now, I suggest that you all get--"

 

"Crew," came the Commander's voice over the intercom, "to the ComPost. Now!" The Starcademy cadets were out of the classroom before Ms. Davenport could bat a well-mascaraed eyelash.

 

"What's up, Commander?" asked Harlan the second he hit the floor. Goddard looked the boy up and down. He decided not to ask what Harlan was covered in.

 

"I decided that the planet we're orbiting right now is a good choice for an away mission."

 

Harlan grinned. "Away mission slash field trip?"

 

"From the looks of you, we could use one." The rest of the crew took their stations and prepared for landing. Ms. Davenport stalked in and looked annoyed, then stalked out again.

 

***

 

"Well, how was I supposed to know you were planning on punishing them?!"

 

"They goof off on such a regular basis, Commander, that I thought it would be a given!"

 

"Well, Davenport, you thought wrong!"

 

***

 

Looking back, Radu decided that it was Bova who had been wrong. The trip hadn't been doomed from the beginning. It started being doomed when Commander Goddard told them to be back to the ship within three hours. That was when Harlan started singing under his breath. He kept repeating some stupid ditty about a 'three-hour tour,' and it ended up grating on Radu's nerves. So he walked off in a different direction. It had been a dumb thing to do, he realized now, but...

 

But why didn't I hear them coming? Radu wondered into his hands. They snuck up on me and I didn't notice anything wrong. That's just not supposed to happen. He didn't bother considering that they should have known long before they landed that the Spung were on the planet. In his mind, it was his own fault that he'd gotten himself caught. Can't I do anything right? And why am I so cold? Radu wrapped his arms tighter around his body, trying to warm himself. The temperature in the room felt like it had plummeted. Radu drew in a breath of air and let it out in a fit of raw coughing.

 

I can't get sick now, he thought fearfully. Then again, what does it matter? Radu decided as he lay himself down on the cold metal floor, drifting off into a fitful sleep. If they're going to execute me in the morning, maybe they'll just put me out of my misery.

 

***

 

He was awakened by a swift kick in the stomach. Radu gasped and rolled himself into a tighter ball.

 

"No, you don't!" hissed a Spung guard. He dug his foot into Radu's ribcage again. "Get up, scum. You will walk to you death or you will die here!"

 

And make your superior miss the chance to watch an Andromedan squirm? thought

Radu darkly. Not likely. But not enjoying the feeling of a Spung foot in his gut, Radu pushed himself up. Immediately a Spung was frozen to either of his arms. He could feel the tension in one, a youngster who was obviously nervous at the thought of holding the arm of a creature who could have snapped his neck in two seconds.

 

"Bring him to the Warlord!" said the head guard.

 

The two Spung pulled Radu along the corridors of the killcruiser, with the other bringing up the rear. They dragged him into a large chamber and flung him to the floor. I'm getting to be on intimate terms with more Spung floors than I'd care to remember. Radu's head and throat

hurt. He was cold and shivering and he could feel something trickling down his neck. Probably blood. But his hands were free, and if the Spung Warlord, whoever he was, thought that this Andromedan was going to die without a fight--

 

"Very good, Commander Sheck," said a familiar voice. "This is the correct Andromedan."

 

Against his better judgment, Radu looked up.

 

"Shank," he said monotonously. There was a movement in the shadows behind Shank's unnecessarily ornate chair. The figure stepped into the light, and Radu felt his heart begin to pound in fear--and his cheeks to burn with shame.

 

Elmira?

 

She said and did nothing, just stood there behind her father like a good and dutiful Spung female, looking at him, emotionless. Radu clenched his teeth, partly to keep them from chattering, and partly to keep from crying. Did you betray me? he moaned in his mind. Are you no different from any other Spung? Did you lead them to me somehow, Elmira? Is this your doing? Radu's eyes met hers squarely. The Sirola stared back at him, frightened but not ashamed. She touched the tip of a long finger to the hollow of her throat.

 

The Andromedan's eyes misted, and his doubts melted away.

 

Shank was speaking. "I have waited a long time to see one of the Christa die a horrible death," he gloated. "And to have it be the Andromedan freak who has plagued not only me, but my daughter as well, is an added bonus." Radu turned to stare at Shank.

 

"And just what have I done to her?" he rasped out, horrified at how bad he sounded. Shank rose, took two steps forward and backhanded him. Radu crashed to the floor. Well, fancy meeting you again.

 

"Andromedans do not ask questions!" said Shank angrily. Then he mellowed. "But since you are to die, I shall do you a final kindness. You have corrupted her, pasty-face, you have twisted her mind and her thoughts so that she finds no comfort in her own kind." Aside from that crazy cousin of hers, Shank thought, but that's a different story. "For that alone, you shall die." Shank folded his arms across his chest. "Stand." Radu stayed motionless. Shank's face twisted in loathing. He motioned to Sheck, who obligingly came over and kicked Radu in the ribcage. He listened, satisfied, as the Andromedan hacked and wheezed.

 

"You see, my daughter?" he said to Elmira, who watched with an absent face. "This is the way to deal with Andromedans."

 

"Really?" She didn't seem interested. "Then why isn't he getting up?" Shank turned around. The boy was still prone on the floor, though he did seem to be making an effort to rise. Shank frowned. "Sheck, bring that thing to its feet."

 

Shank looked at Radu with the kind of caring yet indifferent concern that a human might expect to see from a veterinarian who cares only because he is paid to care. Shank noted the low body temperature and the shivering, the wheezy breathing and the coughing, and the liquid trickling from each ear. He wiped a bit of it off the Andromedan's face and sniffed. Shank wrinkled his reptilian nose. It wasn't blood; it was ice water tinged with blood. He stood there still for a minute, lost in thought... Elmira watched in horror as a cold cruel smile spread across her father's scarred face.

 

"Sheck," he commanded, "let go." Sheck complied, and all the Spung males shared a hearty laugh as Radu's legs gave out at once. Elmira couldn't help it: she ran to Radu's side and knelt down beside him. Still laughing, Shank returned to his chair with a flourish.

 

"Are you all right?" she whispered, taking his head in her hands. Radu couldn't answer, his head was swimming badly.

 

"Warlord Shank has decided to forgo punishment," her father boomed. "That is, punishment of any artificial sort. Nature has generously provided a punishment of her own."

 

"What do you mean?" Elmira demanded.

 

"Is it not obvious, my misguided offspring? The pasty-face weakling has the Koren Thopan." Elmira felt the color drain from her face. Koren Thopan? But--! But no one survives the Koren Thopan! "And since you seem not to have discarded your foolish attachment to this... thing, you shall be punished with him."

 

Radu stirred weakly. He said something in Andromedan, so softly Elmira could quite make it out. She just hugged his head a little tighter.

 

"You shall take the Andromedan back to his ship," Shank ordered, grinning sadistically. "And you are to remain there. Until he is dead. Perhaps that will cure you of this disgusting infatuation."

 

"How do I know you won't track my shuttle and then just destroy the Christa?"

 

Shank's grin grew wider. "You do not. Now go, before I decide to become less understanding."

 

The Sirola gathered her charge into her lap, and was about to attempt lifting him to his feet, when a vision shot through her like lightening, so powerful and strong she had to bite her lip to keep from crying out. They can't see, they can't know I'm having a vision, she thought wildly. Though it hurt even more, she recited the rhyme in her mind, only to herself:

 

One who's shame is claim to fame
Mother's brother plays the game
Blood to blood and host to host
Now is what we fear the most

 

Elmira didn't have time to puzzle out the riddle. She was too busy dragging Radu to her shuttle. It was very frightening, but he seemed to grow lighter by the minute. As she pulled him into the little craft and prepped the engines for takeoff, she wondered if perhaps the disease had transferred Radu's strengths to her, because it seemed that she could still hear to caustic laughter of her father and his minions.

 

~~~

 

Part Three: Darkness Before the Dawn

 

Elmira put the little ship on autopilot. The sensors were programmed to pick up any trace of the Christa, and they would alert her at the first sign of success. There was no need for her to watch them religiously, not when she had more urgent matters to attend to.

 

She brushed her hand over Radu's long blond hair. The thick mane had become lack luster even in the few hours since they had left the killcruiser, and his skin was icy to the touch. It even seemed to lower the temperature in the ship, making Elmira shiver as well. Or perhaps that was just her reaction to the fact the Radu was deathly ill. Deathly indeed, she thought mournfully. Even I know there is no cure for the Koren Thopan. Radu stirred.

 

"What is it?" he whispered. Elmira pulled a blanket out of a storage locker, tucking it around him.

 

"What is what?"

 

"What is... what Shank said? K-koren Thop-pan?" Radu shook his head weakly, trying to get the water out of his ears. His voice shivered. "Th-that m-means 'S-s-slave K-killer' in S-spung, doesn't it?"

 

The Spung princess nodded. "It is a fatal disease, Radu. During the war, there were many outbreaks of this sickness. I have never heard of any surviving it." To her immense surprise, Radu gave her a wan smile.

 

"I have," he said hoarsely. "On N-new Andromeda, it's c-c-called 'Sh-shosha'ana.'" She looked at him blankly. "It m-means 'Red D-d-death,'" he clarified. "You c-can survive it, if you're s-s-strong enough..." He trailed off. Elmira waited for him to continue, but Radu only stared out at space, at the stars that beckoned from infinity and beyond. If you're strong enough... but is anyone really that strong? I've heard of survivors, as legends in the Hatchery, but try finding anyone who's ever seen one of the Torhem, one of the survivors. That's about as possible as finding a frown on Rosie's face... or a passing grade on my report card... Radu realized that alone in his brain, he was beginning to drone. But Elmira was quiet, wrapped in her own thoughts. At least it kept him awake. As possible as finding any other Andromedan who could ever understand the relationship between Elmira and me. Radu had to make a conscious decision not to shake his head in remorse; it would just give him a headache.

 

Suddenly the control panel began beeping wildly. Quickly, Elmira checked the controls. "It's the Christa," and she sent out a distress signal.

 

"Don't worry, Radu," she encouraged, "they'll be here soon." She didn't like the look on his face; to her, it signalled that he had given up all hope.

 

"This is the starcruiser Christa," came the voice of Harlan Band. Elmira almost cried in relief. "Please state the nature of your distress."

 

"Harlan, this is Elmira. I have Radu with me. Harlan, he's dying!"

 

They got Radu into the MedLab as fast as was mortally possible. Rosie covered him with blankets and tried to inject him with the strongest general antibiotic the Christa carried. "I can't get the needle to go through his skin!" she complained.

 

Radu groaned and struggled to sit up. "Lie down," Rosie said semi-sternly. "If you sit up too fast, you might pass out." Radu complied, and then shocked them all by painstakingly peeling off his left glove.

 

"Th-there's a v-vein in my p-palm you c-c-c-c-can use," he chattered, blushing. Rosie gave him the medicine quickly, aware that Radu's embarrassment at violating the powerful Andromedan nudity taboo was vying against his equally powerful instinct for survival. Radu let his hand fall back to his side, but he made no move to put the glove back on.

 

"Come on, crew," muttered the Commander. "Let's let Radu get some sleep." He allowed the students to file past him into the corridor. Then the commander looked back at the still form of the Andromedan boy on the bed, and the Spung girl standing beside him. Davenport and Goddard exchanged a look.

 

"Elmira," said Ms. Davenport gently, "are you coming?" Elmira shook her head, her voice firm.

 

"I'll stay with Radu."

 

Reluctantly the adults left, leaving the two children by themselves. Elmira picked up the discarded glove and, with her long fingers, began to put it back on Radu's hand. But he stopped her.

 

"Where did you learn that sign?" he whispered slowly, so that his teeth would not chatter and make his words harder to understand. "On the killcruiser, you touched your throat with the tip of your finger. That's an Andromedan gesture, of... of affection. Where did you learn that?"

 

Elmira shook her head. She hadn't known that it was a gesture he would recognize; only hoped that he would be able to interpret it as a sign of innocence--the offering of the throat as a sign of defiance in the face of a false accusation. She said as much.

 

"It's not used very often," Radu continued, "except by hatchlings, since any kind of emotional attachment is frowned on. But it's not defiance; it's trust. I--" He was interrupted by a fit of harsh coughing. Elmira helped him sit up and steadied him until the attack had passed. "Th-thank you." He turned his head to look at her. Elmira almost gasped. Radu's clear baby-blue eyes were unnaturally bright and frightened. She could see Radu groping for the sight before his eyes, and failing. It hurt her, more than anything else, though she was not certain why. I am certain of so little lately, she told herself.

 

Out loud, all Elmira said was, "You need rest." She helped him to lie back down and watched him close his eyes. When she turned to look for a chair,

 

"Elmira!"

 

She was by his side in an instant. "I'm here," she said gently, and to prove it, she took his hand. It was the one without the glove, and Radu blushed slightly at the feel of bare scales against bare skin.

 

"You... you w-won't leave, w-will you?"

 

She gripped his hand tightly, and was unaccountably happy when Radu returned the pressure in full, almost crushing her fingers but Elmira didn't care. "No. No, Radu, I won't." Those few words calmed him to no end, and he closed his eyes again. This time, Elmira waited until she was sure he was asleep before going to look for that chair.

 

***

 

"The Andromedans call it Shosha'ana," Commander Goddard said quietly. "But during the war, we knew it as 'Andromedan consumption.' A few of the Andromedan POWs we had captured were suffering from it." He looked around the tables at his students. "It's... not pretty."

 

"Well, we couldn't expect it to be anything else, now, could we?" Bova huffed. "So, how long is Radu going to be flat on his back before he gets better?" Rosie was surprised; it wasn't like Bova to be so optimistic. She hoped the others would notice how his demeanor was improving. But Commander Goddard's face was depressed.

 

"You mean, if he gets better." Four agitated faces turned in his direction. "I saw at least seven Andromedans with this disease during the war. They told us, and they were right, that it is a non-preventable, barely treatable disease. Kids, it did awful things to their bodies. They lost weight, to the point of becoming skeletal, and their skin became dark brown, leathery... And their hair fell out... " The commander's voice was hoarse. He was remembering the terrible things those Andromedan prisoners had gone through, details that he certainly wasn't going to tell to the crew. The idea of Radu being put through the utter agony of the Shosha'ana: the fever and the fatigue, the bone-wracking coughing spells, and the final stage when he would begin to cough up blood... the final, fatal stage...

 

It was a devastating idea.

 

"I've never seen the commander like this," Suzee whispered. Beside her, Harlan nodded.

 

"Me either. But it can't really be that bad." He glanced back at Goddard's face. "Can't it?" Suzee shrugged. Bova and Rosie had no idea either.

 

"Commander," prodded Ms. Davenport briskly. "You haven't answered Bova's question. How long before Mr. Radu is well?"

 

Goddard sighed heavily. "You want it straight, crew?" They nodded. "All right: Radu's got six weeks to recover. If he's not well by then..."

 

Bova interrupted. "He'll be dead?"

 

"No. According to the student clause in the Temporary Earth-Andromeda treaty--the clause written specifically for Radu--if he hasn't recovered within six weeks, I'll be under direct orders to... to waylay him." Goddard couldn't look at his crew; he knew what their expressions would be. Shock. Fear. Anger. He knew because that had been his reaction when his superiors during the war had ordered him to put the Andromedan POWs out of their misery. And he had relived that reaction again when he had read the student clause for the first time.

 

"But... but Commander!" exclaimed Ms. Davenport. "You can't just ki-- I mean, 'waylay' one of your own students!"

 

"If Radu survives that long without any sign of recovery," Goddard attempted to explain, "then it's the humane thing to do. Believe me, he'll tell you the same thing, if you ask him." Then, with noticeably false cheerfulness, "But he will get better, you'll see. Radu's got too much spark to just die on us. Just give him some time." Inwardly though, Seth was shaking his head with grim finality. I've never seen anyone survive. All I'm doing is giving him time that he just doesn't have.

 

***

 

After the rest of the crew had gone to bed that night, Seth Goddard crept quietly into the MedLab. He wasn't sure whether or not Radu would be asleep, but he felt certain that Elmira would be awake. He rounded a corner to come upon a touching sight: Elmira, sitting beside Radu's bedside, and bathing his face with a washcloth. Goddard had a hunch that the cloth was probably warm rather than cool; Shosha'ana made the body temperature drop dramatically.

 

"How is he?" Seth asked lowly. Elmira shook her head.

 

"It hasn't even been a day and he's getting worse. He's sleeping now."

 

Goddard continued. "That was a brave thing you did, Elmira. Shank's probably fuming that Radu got away." The Spung girl's hand stopped in mid-air. Setting down the washcloth, Elmira turned around with a troubled look on her normally serene face.

 

"He didn't get away, Commander. My father let him go."

 

Seth choked back a laugh. "Let him go? Is Shank showed a compassionate side?" He read the answer in Elmira's eyes. "No. I guess not. What is he planning, Elmira?"

 

"He's punishing me. When he saw that Radu was ill, he was going to use him for entertainment, but when I tried to help Radu, he got mad. My father said that I was to bring Radu back to the Christa and to stay here until... until Radu was dead." Seth cursed silently. He only had one question for Elmira.

 

"Is he tracking us?"

 

"I don't know. He did not tell me." Disturbed by all the noise, Radu began to stir. Immediately, Elmira was bathing his face again, but Goddard stopped her.

 

"Elmira, could you step outside for a few minutes? I need to talk to Radu alone."

 

"But Commander, I--"

 

"Please go."

 

Elmira was a princess of the Spung Empire, and she knew how to say 'No' to subordinates. Just as she opened her mouth, however, Radu turned his head to look in Elmira's direction.

 

"G-go on," he whispered. "Get something t-to eat, or g-get some s-sleep. I'll be okay." When she had gone, Seth took up the washcloth Elmira had left.

 

"You've got some explaining to do, mister," the commander said gently as he patted the warm water onto Radu's cold forehead. "I've seen Shosha'ana before, and what little literature there is on the subject, I've read. But none of them ever mentioned an incubation period this long. What didn't you tell us, Radu?"

 

Radu licked his lips, which had become dry and chapped since morning. Goddard took the hint and brushed the cloth over them. "I've s-s-seen this s-s-sickness before, C-command-der. It was d-during an ep-p-pidemic in the H-h-hatchery. N-none of the h-hatchlings who c-c-contracted it surv-vived."

 

"You didn't contract it then?"

 

"N-no. B-but the elders th-thought th-that the rest of us m-might be c-carriers of s-some sort." Goddard curled his lip and muttered something. "Who? C-command-der, who's T-typhoid M-mary?"

 

"A pariah from Old Earth. So this is why they put the Student Clause in the Temp Treaty? Because they thought you might contract the disease eventually?" Radu nodded as best as he was able. A last kindness from an exiling people, he thought bitterly.

 

"I've b-been c-carrying it around inside me f-for years," he whispered, unable to raise his voice. Radu turned his head away, but not before Seth saw the single silent tear trickle down his face.

 

***

 

It was perhaps only one week afterward that Radu began to cough with the painful hacking that both he and the commander both remembered and dreaded. "Commander, he doesn't want to see the others," persisted Elmira. "He's afraid that he might be contagious."

 

"Are you afraid to be in there with him?" It was a dumb question, Goddard realized. She had not willingly left his side once during the entire ordeal. Elmira shook her head. "He's got no reason to worry. Andromedan consumption is contagious only to Andromedans. The others will be fine, and they're worried about him."

 

The crew of the Christa crowded around Radu's bedside. They had an agreement not to say or do anything to call attention to his illness or appearance.

 

"Hey, buddy, how you doing?" asked Harlan.

 

"We've missed you, Radu!" Rosie exclaimed.

 

"Yeah," said Suzee. She couldn't say much; Elmira was still in the room and Suzee got the impression that the Spung princess was in a possessive mood.

 

"Man, Radu," Bova blurted out, "you look awful." Radu's browning skin reddened as the rest of the crew verbally pounced on the offender.

 

"Guys," he whispered. "Don't..." But he got no further before he was wracked with coughing. Instinctively, Radu turned away from his friends and clamped his hand over his mouth to stifle the bursts. He didn't notice that the yelling had died down. When the coughing subsided, naturally Radu removed his hand.

 

On one side of the bed, Elmira saw the stricken look on his face. One the other side, the crew saw the red smear on the palm of Radu's glove.

 

***

 

After they had gone, Elmira sat down to bathe Radu's freezing face. He had fallen into a fitful sleep, and she hoped that her presence might calm him somewhat. He tossed and turned weakly, thrashing with his stick-like arms. But he was so quiet that Elmira physically jumped when he began talking in his sleep.

 

"Aor'uto, sean ko. Robi, sean ko," he repeated over and over. "Aor'uto, sean ko. Robi, sean ko."

 

Suddenly Elmira was bombarded with a powerful psi vision, quick and forceful like a punch in the gut. But the images were so jumbled, she could make no sense of them. It's nothing, she told herself. I'm just worried about Radu. Maybe I picked up a dream he's having. That theory seemed plausible, especially since he quieted once the vision ended.

 

***

 

Robi woke in a blanket of cold sweat, gasping for air. The touch of Red Death, something he'd thought never to feel again, was still chill on his shoulders. He leapt out of bed and began dressing. Deira was awake in an instant.

 

"What is it?" she asked forcefully. "What's wrong?"

 

"386," Robi replied. "The little uto. It's ill." He touched Deira's face in the darkness. "Tell Rikel but don't wake Teirkina. I'll be back soon."

 

***

 

Late that night, Radu woke up. Bova had been right. He did look terrible. He was thin and he'd lost at least 40 pounds, his skin had taken on the unhealthy leathery color that the commander had predicted, and much of his hair had fallen out. He raised a hand and touched Elmira's cheek.

 

"Maybe you were wrong," he rasped, struggling to keep his teeth form chattering or his tongue from slipping up. "Maybe it just wasn't our destiny." Elmira took his hand and gripped it fiercely. He tried to return the pressure, but failed.

 

"I wasn't wrong," she insisted. "We will be together, Radu, one way or another."

 

Radu seemed to contemplate her words for a long moment. Then he forced himself into a sitting position and put his thin arms around Elmira's neck. "Don't say that," he told her as firmly as he could manage. "Now promise me something: when I die--"

 

"Radu!"

 

"When I die," he repeated, "I want you to stay here. I don't care what Shank told you. You have to stay here, because I want you to live. And life with Shank is not living. You have to keep going, Elmira, for my sake." Radu smiled weakly.

 

"'It seems like we're always saying thank you and goodbye,'" he quoted himself. "I want to say thank you, Elmira, for all the times you've saved our lives, and for making me feel a little less alone. And I want to say goodbye to you now because I know I won't get a second chance later on." Radu took a deep, ragged breath. "And I want to say I love you."

 

Elmira couldn't speak. Radu watched her closely, then he smiled, lay back down, and fell back to sleep. An hour later, he was in a coma.

 

~~~

 

Part Four: The Thickness of Blood

 

"Commander," said a listless Bova, "we're picking up a signal." Goddard couldn't blame the Uranusian for sounding bored. Since Radu's illness had set in, nothing else had seemed very important to any of the crew. It had been over two weeks since Radu had contracted the Shosha'ana, a week since he had succumbed to the final stages of the disease and, while not gone yet, Radu was clinging to life tenaciously by only a very slender thread. Commander Goddard sighed.

 

"What's the nature of the signal?" Bova analyzed the frequency three times before responding.

"Commander," he said slowly, "it's a Spung signal--" The crew of the Christa tensed for action. "--but the message itself is encoded in Andromedan."

 

"Andromedan?" echoed the crew.

 

"What would an Andromedan be doing way out here?" scoffed Suzee. "You probably read it wrong."

 

"Probably," Bova agreed without missing a beat.

 

"Well, if it is an Andromedan," Rosie piped up, "maybe they can help Radu."

 

Bova shrugged. "Or at least give him a proper funeral."

 

"Bova!"

 

"Alright, that's enough." Goddard rubbed his forehead. "Mr. Bova, get ready to open a channel to that shuttle, Mr. Band, be prepared for evasive maneuvers." He went and stood in Radu's position. "I'll take navigation." The commander nodded to Bova.

 

"Unidentified shuttlecraft, this is the starcruiser Christa," he broadcast. "Please identify yourself."

 

The face that appeared on the screen was an Andromedan. But he was like no Andromedan most of the crew had ever seen. He had brown, leathery skin, and his curly blond hair was short and springy. But his eyes were clear and bright, and despite the color of his skin, he seemed to be the picture of health. Seth Goddard was shocked.

 

"Greetings, starcruiser Christa," the Andromedan was saying. "This is the shuttlecraft Krevka."

 

Goddard stepped forward, his entire body tense. "I'm Commander Seth Goddard, Stardog, of the United Populated Planets. Identify yourself and state your business." Too many years in command eventually catches up with anyone, and Seth never could help sounding like he was in charge.

 

"I am Robi 529," said the Andromedan. "As to my business, you are in my territory, Commander."

 

"Your territory," repeated Harlan incredulously. "The Andromedans never explored this far out in space!"

 

"Nor did the UPP," Robi pointed out, a tiny gleam in his eyes. "But I am not holding claims for the Andromedan government. I am from a Spung slaver that was... hijacked during the war."

 

"Hijacked?" Goddard was suspicious. "By whom?"

 

Robi smiled toothily. "By its cargo. No need to worry, starcruiser Christa," he hastened to assure them, "I am no pirate. Just an ex-priest, currently a farmer and a doctor of sorts, who--"

 

"WHAT?!" The Andromedan jumped in his safety restraints. "You're a doctor?" asked Goddard.

 

"As I said, of sorts," Robi repeated, shaking his head to get the ringing out of his ears. "We've had some illnesses over the years on our colony; someone had to treat them."

 

"Have you ever treated Shosha'ana?" persisted the commander. Robi just stared at him patronizingly.

 

"Look at me, Commander. What do you think?"

 

Goddard ignored the bitter comment. "Because we have an Andromedan on board who recently contracted the disease." Robi sat up very straight. "He was captured by the Spung several days ago, and came down with the Red Death while in their cells."

 

Robi was silent, thinking. "May I have permission to come aboard?" he asked finally.

 

"YES!"

 

***

 

Brightly, Thelma led Robi to the MedLab. The crew trailed behind them. Suddenly Harlan grabbed Goddard's sleeve. "Commander!" he whispered fiercely. "We forgot to tell him about Elmira!" Seth was horrified, but before he could warn the Andromedan, he had already gone into the MedLab.

 

The first thing Robi saw was the sick boy on the bed. The second thing he saw was, of course, the Spung girl tending to him. Robi frowned slightly, but made no comment. The girl looked up and saw him. Thelma took the opportunity to introduce them.

 

"Elmira, this is Robi 529. He will be helping Radu. Robi, this is Sirola Elmira." Robi glanced at the chipper android, then acknowledged the Spung with a slight nod of his head. He put his hands to Radu's forehead, frowned, then turned to Elmira. "How long has he been unconscious?" he asked, firmly but not harshly.

 

"About a week," Elmira answered softly.

 

"And he's been ill for...?"

 

"Two and a half weeks." Robi exhaled softly. He bowed his head and concentrated. Then, to Elmira's joyous amazement, Radu woke up.

 

He didn't seem surprised to see Robi. "You came," he rasped. Robi shrugged.

 

"Of course."

 

Elmira was too ecstatic to puzzle out their meaning just then. In fact, she could barely say a word. She wanted to throw her arms around him and hug him until the end of time. She couldn't do that, of course, not with Robi standing there, and a tiny part of her brain reminded her of this. Robi turned and motioned for the crew, gathered at the MedLab door, to come in, reminding them to "Please, be quiet, for the boy's sake!"

 

The adults and children crowded around Radu's bed again, murmuring exclamations and thankfulness. He was still a bit woozy, this Robi could see immediately, though he was truly no doctor, despite his claims. But he still knew enough about Shosha'ana to write an entire lecture circuit, and he did not like what he saw written on this Radu's face and body. Only two and a half weeks and this much damage has taken place! he thought, astounded. He hasn't got much time left if he managed to contract such a deadly strain.

 

"I hate to disrupt your pleasantries," he interrupted finally, "but there are things we need to discuss."

 

"What things?" asked an enthused Harlan. "You cured him."

 

"No, I didn't. I woke him up." Robi sighed and sat down on a vacant biobed. "This is Shosha'ana, human. It cannot be cured in one fell swoop. Many times, it cannot be cured at all."

 

"I didn't think it could be," Radu whispered, echoing the commander's thoughts.

 

"Conventionally, it can't. I will be frank with you, boy." Robi looked at Radu sorrowfully. "Your chances for survival are slim." He paused. "If you stay on the Christa."

 

"He has... other options?" asked Elmira cautiously. Robi nodded.

 

"I can take him back to my colony for treatment. It would mean three weeks in quarantine, so he can't infect the other colonists, and then the rest of the time on medication."

 

"How long would this treatment take?" Ms. Davenport asked. Robi did some figuring.

 

"About two Earth months, give or take a day."

 

Goddard looked doubtful. "Has this treatment ever been successful?"

 

"You are looking at one of its success stories, sir."

 

"But we can't just hang around in space for two months doing nothing!"

 

"There are plenty of exploration opportunities for a student ship in this area. And if two months is all it takes to cure your crewman, I would have thought you would be grateful." His calm statements made Seth rethink his words. It had to be true; he had never seen any Andromedan recover from the Red Death, and no other disease he knew of left behind the trademark brown skin. And two months was a small price to pay for the health of a valued crewmember.

 

"What do you think, Radu?" he said, turning. Radu struggled to sit up.

 

"I don't want to leave the Christa, sir," he said pleadingly. Robi came to stand beside the commander.

 

"I understand your sentiments, Radu, but listen to me, you will die if you stay. And Shosha'ana is a hell of a way to die, uto." Radu looked up at the older man. The use of the strange Andromedan term had put an odd look on his face.

 

"I don't want to die," he murmured absently, pondering something. He stared at Robi, suddenly frightened. "You'll send me back when I'm well, won't you?"

 

"Of course." Robi seemed surprised at the question. "We would never hold you against your will."

 

***

 

Robi had to carry Radu to the landing bay, as he was still far too weak to walk. He placed Radu gently in the cockpit of the Krevka. Radu grabbed his arm. "Let me say goodbye first." Robi nodded, and busied himself with checking the little ship's engines while the boy said his farewells. Such a private thing was not to be witnessed by an outsider, even one such as Robi. He tuned out for a few moments to allow Radu to finish, then walked back to the front of the shuttlecraft.

 

"All finished?" Radu nodded. "Then I suggest we get going."

 

Radu was silent for much of their journey, saving his energy, and, Robi suspected, more than a little uncomfortable sitting in a Spung shuttlecraft. Abruptly, Radu asked if the disease would affect his psionic powers. "No," said Robi, "but the medication will. Only a direct relative could reach you in that state. Such an Andromedan might be able to boost any connection you tried to make," he added. His mouth quirked upward in a grin. "I could help, if you like."

 

"Oh, no," declined Radu hastily, blushing. "That's alright."

 

Robi grinned. "You might want to take me up on my offer, uto." He explained that once Radu began the medication, "your "sweetheart" won't be able to contact you." Radu, realizing that Robi meant Elmira, blanched a dead white.

 

"You don't care?" Robi shrugged.

 

"It's your business, not mine."

 

"You... you could help me contact her? But you said only direct relatives could..." He trailed off. Robi nodded silently.

 

"I've been calling you uto all this time, yet you don't know what it means, do you?" Radu shook his head slightly, fearing a dizzy spell.

 

"I know what it means. It's a contraction of the word aor'uto. Family," added Radu, barely daring to breath.

 

"Yes. Uto means 'family member." Robi put the tiny ship on auto pilot and turned to face Radu. The boy seemed nervous. "You called out to me, Radu. Shosha'ana weakens the body, but it strengthens the psi powers. I felt the touch of your mind, and I knew that you were my aor'uto. I had to help you." He laughed slightly. "I've actually been sitting here in space for the past week, waiting for your ship to show up."

 

"Are... are you my--?" Radu fumbled for the right words. "I mean, am I your--?"

 

Robi's eyes were kind. "No. No, you're not my son, Radu." The boy's face fell. "We don't have a word for it, but I'm told the human word is 'nephew.' It denotes the son of a brother or sister."

 

"But how do you know..." Robi sighed heavily.

 

"During the war, I was a priest of Yon. Good, loyal, obedient for the most part. But a bit too opinionated for the elders' liking. So I was cast out. In the old days, I would have been executed as well, but the Spung saw that I was strong and healthy, so they forbid it.

 

"I was also something of a revolutionary. I felt that our way of life, our lack of individuality and our lack of family was a terrible weakness, one that had led to our enslavement. One night, I snuck into the station head's office and hacked into the Hatchery records."

 

Radu was agog. "Why?" Robi, his... uncle shrugged.

 

"I wanted to see who my parents were. I found them, found out that they were dead and I had never known them, and also found that I had several half siblings who I also did not know.

"Then I found the records of one full sibling. A female." He didn't say her name, and though Radu was dying to ask, something in Robi's tone made him hold back. "Her first egg was due to hatch soon, an egg that was numbered 386. She was my sister, and you, Radu 386, are my nephew." Then Robi smiled, and there was a sparkling warmth in his eyes that Radu had rarely seen at all, much less in the eyes of an Andromedan. He couldn't identify it, but it made him feel safe, strangely warm and secure.

 

He couldn't identify it, but he liked it.

 

~~~

 

Epilogue

 

They landed on a small planet, its green coloring very inviting and soothing to Radu's aching head and eyes. Gently, Robi helped him from the shuttle. "How are you doing?" he asked softly.

 

"I'm tired," Radu mumbled, leaning on his... uncle's shoulder. Robi scooped him up, and he barely saw the approaching person out of the corner of his eye, before he fell asleep in Robi's arms. Smiling, Robi turned to the individual hovering around the makeshift shuttle pad. The tall, red-headed Andromedan male peered down at the exhausted boy.

 

"He's your blood for certain, Robi," Rikel said. "I wouldn't have thought you'd have such a strong connection with this one, who you've never met nor seen in your life."

 

Robi shrugged his eyebrows, not wanting to wake Radu. "It's a mercy and a blessing that I heard him cry out. Certainly better me than his mother. I shudder to think what would become of him if she ever found him alive." He shook his head. "Come, friend. If he's to survive, we must get him to the village."

 

~Finis~