The Saran Plague

Chapter 2-1

Chapter 2

“Our patience will achieve more than our force.”

—Edmund Burke

The communication console lit up. Tonas pulled away. His body strained, begging. But the console was lit, now was not the time. The government below had forwarded the final proposal. The incoming communication would decide their fate. Tonas dropped to his knees alongside his Bonded, taking deep breaths trying to push away arousal. He grabbed Jonal and held on. “We are one, never alone again.”

It took some time for them to stop shaking.

“It’s going to work,” Jonal said. “We were almost there and we’re not even on the planet yet. The Bond is so strong.”

“Come,” Tonas said rising and pulling the heavy man to his feet. “We have work. There are twenty-five hundred WarriorPairs in the Brightstar Fleet, each with a potential fem on the surface, maybe each of them feeling the first stirrings of the Bond. Every fem with a high enough psi rating and potential compatibility is unconsciously broadcasting to this vessel. We are responsible for every pair, for every potential Triad, for the survival of all things Sarran.”

Tonas’s words burned in his throat, “I feel her. But her touch, her radiance is dim. Our passion fed her soul, briefly, but you are right, there is little time. She is here, in my mind and yours. I have operated on anger for so long, that love and desire are almost strangers. I’m so sorry, Firefly. I’ve failed you.”

“No, Tonas, never that. We both needed the time to heal.” Jonal tried to comfort him.

“The pull is intense. I need both of you in my arms, yet she is the key. We need our fem, she is our future. And she needs us now.” Tonas grimaced with the pain of longing.

“She is alone, dying and fearful, and there is something she worries over, taxing her limited strength.” Jonal sighed. “Something that lives.” His brows moved together.

“Could it be she has a mate? There is a heavy feeling of an impending loss, someone she loves, fears for.”

“The Goddess could not be that cruel. I have to believe that.”

Jonal rose with Tonas and moved to the console. Both men still strung with unspent passion.

“Calm, Jonal,” said Tonas. “Whatever is to be in our Bond must come second to our duty.” He drew in his breath and sighed. “We need to do this right. We must control our desire for completion and think of our burden. It is only a few more tines. We cannot act in haste. We came to offer mutual assistance, not war, and they must not know how desperate our situation is. They claim that theirs is a monogamous fem/male culture despite the evidence in their literature and art to the contrary, and all primitives fear what they do not understand. Our ways are foreign to them. What is normal to us is perversion to them. We must tread with delicacy, like a slink laptard stalking prey. I will not lose this to poor execution.”

“We must outflank the enemy here. I don’t trust this Earthman in his White House. I don’t like secret treaties. We need data and a plan to maneuver around this roach. But to lose the fems would be unendurable, leaving us broken. He has to accept this last offer. And then, we corner the rodent,” hissed Jonal.

Tonas moved forward and ran his fingers along the scar on the side of Jonal’s face. He stroked his thumb across Jonal’s thick lower lip and fingered the cleft that delineated his chin.

Jonal moved his head. His lips brushed the palm of Tonas’s outstretched hand. “I bow to your patience, My Light. We wait, but not long.”

Tonas opened a hidden panel along the far wall of the room. He took two matching tumblers of silver filigree etched with maroon and gold. He filled the tumblers with a clear blue liquid and turned, bringing one to Jonal’s mouth.

“To our Triad BondMate,” he said, as they each drank from his BondMate’s tumbler and let the Sarran Asta brandy flow like a fiery snake down their throats.

Jonal drank from Tonas’s cup, “To our BondMate, one way or another she’ll be ours by this moontide.”

A voice sounded from the consoles, “Admirals, a communiqué from the surface.”

“Re-route it here, Lieutenant Septis,” Jonal replied.

“Break seal, by command, Jonal.”

“Break seal, by command, Tonas.”

Tonas stepped over to the console, the communiqué scrolled open on the screen.

“They agreed,” he shouted, “Bless the Goddess, they agreed.”

Jonas said, “Septis, get me the Bridge on a secure channel.”

Septis responded, “Line open, Admiral Jonal.”

“Commanders Lunas and Saxton, broadcast this communication fleet-wide.”

“Confirm, sir,” said Lunas.

Saxon said, “Attention all fleet personnel; this is Commander Saxon with orders from Brightstar. Attention: all fleet personnel.

“Admirals, the links are in place.”

“This is Jonal, Admiral, and Prince of FireClan. Ready the vaccines and antidote for transport. Brightstar medical pre-assigned staff report to surface teams for teleportation. Saxon, Lunas, distribute coordinates to section leaders, teams of ten pairs to each collection point. Pharmaceutical team, make sure you have complete instructions on antidote and vaccine manufacture. Warriors, proceed to your posts.”

“Communications, Lieutenant Septis, you have the Bridge,” Tonas said and followed Jonal to the cargo bay, issuing orders enroute.

“Saxon, Lunas, have remaining lead section pairs inspect the fleet’s Quarters. Make sure all is ready to accept the fems. Non-paired Warriors of all ranks are assigned to barracks. Those who have already psi’d their fem’s location have been assigned to the center nearest that locale. We go in twelve tine shifts. If a pair finds their fem, they will be immediately replaced by backup, until all Warriors Triad. First shift goes to BondStirred Pairs. All fems will have received the antidote and the vaccine prior to transport. As you are aware, with virus mutation, one without the other is useless to those already infected. Once the drugs are administered by the advance teams, fems will be placed in Earthen transport vehicles, conveyed to collection points, and then beamed aboard. BondStirred claims will be recognized immediately on surface, and the affected Warriors cleared to return with their fems. Back up teams stand ready to replace the newly-Bonded.”

Tonas and Jonal stepped from the transport pad into the cargo area of the ship. The surface teams had assembled.

“Tonas, Admiral: Non-Sarran, Alliance crew should be assigned to all but weapons systems.”

“I need Fleet Medical, now,” Jonal barked into his comm.

Medical Officers Bane and Flagen, fraternal twins and Warriors of FireClan answered Jonal’s summons.

“Here, sir,'' Bane and Flagen responded. Jonal narrowed his eyes. His body gave off waves of hostility.

“Medical Officer Bane, you and your second are in charge of antidote and vaccination in Sector Two, the Manhattan Population Center in New York, United States. Take the list of all Brightstar Medical Personnel and assign at least one team to each of the remaining distribution centers. All of whom are to transport simultaneously in two marks time. Tonas and I will join you in Sector Two at 24:00 tines Earthen Time. You both report directly to me and me alone. Do you understand?”

“Yes sir,” replied Bane and Flagen. Jonal did not miss the arch look Bane sent to his twin.”

::Was that really necessary?:: Tonas spoke to Jonal’s mind.

::Yes, it was,:: Jonal shot back. Jonal returned to his broadcast, “According to Earth Government USA data, there are four thousand four hundred and forty eight Priority One cases. These Fems are the most genetically compatible, ironically because they are the ones most severely affected by the virus. The Priority One List has the additional advantage of no pressing ties to the planet, no clan to miss them or note their absence. Those Fems not paired from this first group will be assigned a medic, quarters and taken to Sarran as guests of the people and hopefully find Triads among our defense forces.”

Tonas spoke, “Follow your orders, I repeat, we beam to the surface in ten parties of 100 to the coordinates given. Timepieces have been set to local time in your translator chips. Additional chips will be given to each Bonded Pair to be inserted immediately upon recognition of their Triad mate. We rendezvous at the distribution sites, Moontide, 24:00 tines Earthen time. Are there any questions? None, good. May the Goddess bless our endeavor. May today be Sarran’s salvation.”

* * * *

“Laptard piss. What did you do to him?” Bane asked his fraternal twin. “Flagen, his eyes shot comets.”

They were standing with the group for sector two, Manhattan. Since their group would be accompanied by Admirals Tonas and Jonal, they would be among the last to leave. Tonas, I still call him Tonas in my mind, despite the ten years that separated us. And I still hate Jonal and Jonal knows it, Flagen thought.

Flagen looked at his brother. Though not identical, the twins could be mistaken as such. Bane had the same honey blond hair, the same brown eyes. He was perhaps a half-inch shorter than Flagen’s own six-five. Both he and his brother were lean and muscular. Both had gone into medicine. They were separated in their eleventh cycle and had roomed separately at the academy. The BondMates in their Triad had thought it would be a good thing to separate the twins. They told the brothers that it was to prepare them for lives that could only be lived independent of each other. They needed to draw apart to enable a PairBond and eventually find a fem to form a Triad. Up until that time, Flagen recalled, he and his brother had been inseparable. After, Flagen, bitter and wary at both the separation and the result, had stayed away from Bane until the Zyptz attack changed everything.

“Flagen, where are you, brother?” asked Bane. The inscrutable look left Flagen’s face and he smiled back at Bane.

“I’m afraid it’s a small bit of unfinished personal business. It has nothing to do with you, Bane. I knew it would probably be like this when I was accepted the mission. I was positive that they would have weeded me out before liftoff if Admiral Jonal had his way. I probably got the posting because I was not Bonded, a plus for this mission and the Admiral knew I was likely to remain so.”

Bane shook his head. “So many of us are heart sore, Flagen. I was on Brightstar when we came out of FTL planet side. We could not draw weapons. Had we known, we would have engaged before the jump. We thought to come home to celebrate victory.” Bane chest expanded as he drew air deeply. “You know how I feel about this mission. I don’t think a Bond is possible with an alien culture. Without the fem, well, even if you love your BondMate, it’s still just f*****g. “

“Without your true BondMate, it’s not even that,” Flagen replied. He hardened his expression and straightened his back.