Jason Halstead - Parasites

“Jeremy?”

Jeremy Sinclair jerked himself out of his chair. He came to an uneasy imitation of standing at attention and realized he still held the hand held display with his daughter’s picture in his hand. In the doorway stood his new boss, Dr. Synnamon Rice. “Sorry Doctor, I was…um, did you need something?”

Dr. Rice’s eyes went to the flexible display panel in his hand. “May I?” She asked. Jeremy thought her voice seemed distant. Then again, it was also icy calm. Her very demeanor was the polar opposite that her spicy name implied. Even her black hair, streaked with grey, reflected an absolute no-nonsense personality with it being pulled tightly back into a bun.

Jeremy thought about denying her. Wasn’t it enough that he had given up everything in his life to come on the mission? Discovering a new planet was exciting. Even more so because this was the first in his lifetime. All the existing systems in the coalition had been settled nearly a dozen years before he’d been born. This one was far enough away even at full burn on the military transport, the TCS Explorer, it had taken years to get there.

It would be years to get back too, not counting the time he was stuck being Dr. Rice’s lab tech on the planet. He glanced at the picture again then sighed and handed it to her. “Her name’s Jasmine, she’s my daughter.”

“Oh,” Was all Rice said as she took it from him and looked at it. Jasmine was barely more than an infant but even so it was obvious something was wrong with her. She was smiling in the picture, proof of the innocence of youth. Tubes were attached to her belly and chest, providing a necessary exchange of fluids and nutrients.

“Spartan’s Syndrome,” Jeremy heard his words and wished he could have taken them back. They sounded lifeless and pathetic. Spartan’s was a genetic disorder discovered less than a hundred years ago. It was also something that had come about at the same time, due to improper shielding of some of the earlier jump stations. Jeremy’s father had been through enough hops between solar systems and had passed along the genetic damage to him. Jeremy’s ex-wife, Bleigh, had similar damage. Between the two of them the one and only child they had was doomed before it was born.

“I see,” Dr. Rice said. “I’m sorry, it must have been difficult. How long did she-“

Jeremy pulled the display back from her. “She didn’t!” He snapped. He took a deep breath and forced the tension out of his body. “I’m sorry. I mean she was doing good when we left. As good as can be expected. She’s near the upper end of those affected, with proper gene therapy it’s possible for her to lead a normal life.”

“That was close to nine years ago.” He was thankful she hadn’t pointed out the obvious, that nobody survived past their fifth year with Spartans without significant, and expensive, therapy.

“That’s why I’m here, Doctor,” Jeremy said. “All of my checks go to her therapy. There was no other way I could make enough to pay for it. I was just catching up on status updates that had been sent while we were enroute. I’ve got about three years worth remaining, but I can do that after we’re settled at the colony.”

Dr. Rice stared at him for a long moment. “I was saying, Mr. Sinclair, that the transport is leaving for the surface in four hours. I believe most of our equipment has been loaded but…I’m going to check and make sure nothing has been overlooked. I’ll expect you’ll want to review your own items as well?”

Jeremy nodded, not sure if he was believing his ears.

“Good, I’ll leave it to you to determine how much time that will take. I’ll see you on the transport.”

Dr. Rice turned and left. The door to his quarters shut behind her, sealing him in. Jeremy stared at the door until his brain started working again. “Maybe she’s not the cold fish I’d read about,” he mused aloud. With a shrug he turned back to the display on his desk and pulled up the next message. He smiled and fought to blink past the blurriness in his vision. Jasmine was six in the picture and looked like a normal girl, even if her gaze was distant and unfocused. Modern medicine couldn’t cure everything, but this was as close to a miracle as he’d ever dared to dream.

“Listen up!”

Jeremy snapped his head up again, surprised by the harsh tone. The Coalition Marine who spoke was sitting in her chair and letting her serious gaze travel over all of the science crew. When her eyes touched his he felt a sudden urge to hide. She looked angry and he didn’t want to be on the receiving end of it.

“My name is Lance Corporal Fiona Kate. I’m in charge of Fire Team Charlie. I’m also in charge of keeping you people out of our way. Orbital scans show an atmosphere rich in nitrogen, oxygen, and other trace elements that make it nice and breathable for humans. You do not need containment suits, but you will stay in this transport until you have clearance to leave. Do you understand?”

Jeremy glanced around and saw everyone staring at the Lance Corporal with expressions that he was sure mirrored what he was feeling.

“You people are supposed to be some of the smartest people out there, prove it by not doing anything stupid! Do you understand?” Lance Corporal Kate yelled at them.

Shocked into reaction, Jeremy found himself stiffening and responding, “Yes Lance Corporal!”

He noted that some of the others had responded as well but none quite like he had. Jeremy felt his cheeks warm in the cold interior of the transport, then the icy chill returned when he noticed the Marine staring intently at him. Her eyes dipped to the name sewn on his environmental suit. “You a Marine…Sinclair?”

“No Lance Corporal,” Jeremy said. “I was in the Navy.”

Lance Corporal Kate grunted and looked away from him. He felt Dr. Rice looking at him from her seat beside him.

“That’s not in your dossier,” She said low enough to keep anyone else from hearing.

He ignored her, forcing himself to continue staring straight ahead. His time in the Navy was of no interest or use to anyone, least of all him. “Good,” He said, refusing to speak any further on it. If she made an issue of it he’d do what he had to — it wasn’t like he had a choice to leave and find a new job! He was stuck with Rice and, he supposed, she was stuck with him.

The most recent image of a nine year old Jasmine filled his mind, soothing the added tension in his shoulders. For her he’d deal with his past if he must. The treatments had worked beyond his wildest hopes. She only needed annual checkups and minor gene sequencing to correct the minor alterations that took place. She would continue to need that the rest of her life, but with it she could lead a normal life free of handicap or prejudice.

“Sorry, I’m just not-“

The lighting shifted in the passenger bay to red, distracting and disrupting him. Within seconds the transport shuddered briefly, the inertial suppressors not reacting quick enough to the forces of atmospheric entry. The shuttle smoothed out after a heartbeat. Jeremy swallowed nervously even as he heard Dr. Rice let out a deep breath.

The next few minutes of the ride were quite in an eerie fashion. Everybody was looking around, both at one another and at no one. They were headed to a new planet where only a handful of other people had been before and, from the orbital scans done, little sign of those people could be found aside from the ruins of a spaceship.

Jeremy heard someone squawk as the shuttle was shaken again. It was suppressed as quickly as it started, but a new noise penetrated the strained sound of the ventilators. It was a whining noise that was slowly rising in pitch.