Janet Edwards: Earth Star

‘I’d settle for just being able to portal to an Alpha sector world without dropping dead,’ I said, bitterly.

Fian sighed in sympathy, and counted the luggage to make sure we hadn’t lost any, while I checked the portal destination display. ‘New Mexico,’ I said. ‘I bet we’re going to White Sands. The ships from the solar arrays were trying to land there during the solar super storm.’

Fian nodded, and we both stared at the portal for a moment longer without moving. I finally pulled myself together. In Military families, the first child born into the family after someone’s death in action carries their name and honour on down through the generations. I was the Honour Child of my grandmother, Colonel Jarra Tell Morrath. Only months ago, my parents had also died on Planet First assignments to open up new worlds for humanity. I might only be an ape, but I was a Military Honour Child, the daughter and granddaughter of heroes, and I could face anything, even aliens.

‘We’d better do this.’

Fian nodded, and we stepped through the portal, popping out in a small room. A man in Military uniform got up from his chair and used a scanner on us. I saw he wore a Captain’s insignia.

‘Jarra Tell Morrath and Fian Andrej Eklund,’ he said, and handed each of us a Military forearm lookup. ‘Please go next door for your medical check and then to room 7 at the end of the corridor.’

‘Err, where are we?’ asked Fian, giving the object in his hand a puzzled look.

‘Military Base 79 Zulu,’ said the Captain.

I frowned. ‘But … there isn’t a Military base on Earth.’

‘There wasn’t two days ago, but there is now,’ he said. ‘There’s a map and other information on your lookups, but be advised we’re still building at high speed so the map isn’t always up to date.’

I headed out of the door with Fian trailing after me.

‘Why would they build a …?’

‘No idea,’ I said.

Next door was a large room containing four Military medical staff. Two of the staff pounced on us, waving scanners. I got an efficient looking young woman with short dark hair. Fian got an elderly man with a beard.

‘Jarra Tell Morrath,’ said the woman.

I was tempted to say I already knew my name, but this was no time to act like a silly kid. She was checking my identity because Alien Contact was classified code black.

I was dragged off into a cubicle and the woman checked my medical records. She scanned the leg that had suffered electrical burns during the Solar 5 rescue.

‘Perfect cellular regeneration,’ she said, and moved on to scanning the rest of me.

I hate medical scans. I didn’t like the compulsory sessions with my psychologist that Hospital Earth inflicted on me when I was a kid, because I didn’t like him trying to nose around inside my head. I didn’t like people nosing around inside my body either, and it always seemed as if doctors spent twice as long scanning me as anyone else.

‘You only have 90 per cent function in your left little finger,’ said the woman.

‘I know.’ I went around this every time some officious medic got a scanner on me. ‘Dig site accident when I was 15. They grew me a new finger, but the nerve connection wasn’t totally stable because my body was still developing.’

‘You’re 18 now. The finger could be removed and regrown to give perfect function.’

‘No thank you.’ I firmly defended my finger. ‘It works quite well enough.’

The woman put away her scanner. ‘Your annual inoculation and contraceptive shots are due for renewal in less than two months. We’d like to give you the inoculation shot early, combined with a few special ones. Do you want the contraceptive done as well to keep them in step?’

‘Yes please.’

The woman sprayed a few things into my arm, then lifted my top and held a strange looking object to my stomach. ‘There will be a barely perceptible pain.’

‘Wait a minute! What are you doing?’

‘Taking a genetic tissue sample,’ she said.

‘I don’t want … Ow!’ I glared at her. ‘That was definitely a perceptible pain.’

She glanced at the object and nodded. ‘All done. You’re free to go now.’

I gave her another glare, went out into the main room, and found Fian was already there. The second he saw me, he gave me a look of urgent appeal, used his key fob to gather up his clutch of hover bags, and headed for the door. I collected my own bags and chased after him.

‘What’s the big hurry?’ I asked when we were outside in the corridor.

‘I wanted to get out of there before they decided to take any more tissue samples.’

I giggled. ‘It didn’t hurt that much.’

He gave me a bitter look. ‘It’s all right for you. You’re female.’

‘What?’ I suddenly remembered the doctor’s words. ‘Oh. They’re taking genetic tissue samples, so …’

‘I just want to forget it ever happened,’ said Fian.

I shut up and led the way down to the end of the corridor, tapped on a door with a number 7 on it, and entered. This was a smaller room, containing only one Military Captain. He had a scanner, but only used it to check our genetic codes.

‘Jarra Tell Morrath and Fian Andrej Eklund,’ he said. ‘Jarra, please raise your right hand and repeat the words on this card.’

I took the card, read what was on it, but didn’t manage to say a single word. Aliens were really quite humdrum compared to this white plastic with neat black lettering. I stared at it, utterly grazzed. This wasn’t the Security Oath that civilian advisers and other people with access to classified information had to take. This was the Military Oath of Service. I was supposed to take the full Military Oath!

The structure of my entire universe gently crumbled around me and fell apart. I’d always known it was impossible for me to join the Military because I couldn’t leave Earth. When Alien Contact called me in, I’d assumed I’d be a civilian adviser, but if I was actually taking the full Military Oath then …

Earlier this year, I’d pretended to be a Military kid, discovered my real Military background, and even believed the fantasy myself for a while. This was no pretence and no fantasy. Taking this oath would mean I really was Military. This could not be happening.

I finally managed to speak. ‘You do realize I’m an a … I mean Handicapped. I can’t portal off world.’

‘Of course,’ said the Captain. He nodded at the card.

I took a deep breath. My grandmother had taken this oath, my parents had taken it too, and now it was my turn. Taking the Military Oath has to go on record. Somewhere in the Military archives is a recording of my voice breaking up as I struggled through the words.

‘I, Jarra Tell Morrath, do solemnly swear to uphold the honour and faith of the Military, to serve and protect humanity, to …’

I got through to the end somehow, and then I stared at a reassuringly blank incurious wall for a few minutes while thinking of my parents. My mind replayed that one incredible conversation I’d had with them, struggling with emotion and portal relay lag, while I stood among the ruins of New York and they were on a nameless planet out in distant Kappa sector. My thoughts moved on, inevitably, to the call from the General who’d told me …

No, I mustn’t think of that. I mustn’t make a nardle of myself by breaking down entirely. I concentrated on Fian’s voice as he took the oath as well. He just sounded grazzed rather than emotional. When he’d finished, I took another moment to get my face under control, and turned around cautiously. I found the Captain waiting patiently for me.

‘Jarra Tell Morrath, you are hereby promoted to the rank of Captain. Congratulations.’