Botany Bay (Part One)

April 24 - Botany Bay

"He cannot go where he lists; he who is not of nature has yet to obey some of nature's laws — why we know not. He may not enter anywhere at the first, unless there be some one of the household who bid him to come; though afterwards he can come as he please." - Bram Stoker, Dracula

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Botany Bay was nothing like I had imagined it. When I heard of the relaxed laws concerning slavery, I expected to find a place dark and gloomy. Cries of despair down long, dark corridors.

Instead, it was sunny and bright. The leaves of the trees whispering in the wind.

Granted the buildings were of a uniform rust colour, giving the appearance of airlifted, prefabricated structures dropped in rows to accommodate a sudden growth in population.

But the corridors of despair must be elsewhere.

I landed outside of the colony itself and walked into the settlement. As it was my first trip here, I wanted to get a sense of the terrain.

I walked through the wide streets until I came to a stone column carved with writing. The path circled around it.

Svetlana Pleides, well into her pregnancy, was standing near the column. She was talking to a woman distinctly feline in appearance. "I do feel fat.. and swollen and my skin is..."

"Hello," I interrupted.

The feline woman glanced up as I approached and nodded in greeting, "Hey there..."

"Hello.. umm," hesitated Svetlana.

"Ms. Pleides," I acknowledged.

"Hello there," she answered, "I know you.... Major Siamendes."

The feline woman silently watched us, her large, furry ears perking in curiosity.

Svetlana Pleides herself looked a bit spooked and nervous.

"Yes," I began, "You called me about a problem."

"OH.. OH!!!!"she cried and breathed a sigh of relief, her hand going to her forehead.

Regaining her composure she continued, "The problem we were able to solve otherwise."

I took the moment to acknowledge the other woman. "Ma'am," I said with a nod.

"Serus... I'm just Serus." the cat creature introduced herself. Her voice was low, quiet and somewhat scratchy.

"Hello Serus," I replied.

"Sorry where are my manners," added Ms. Pleides.

"What problem did you call her for Svet?" asked Serus.

"This is Major Siamendes," she introduced me. She then went on to explain, "The ... girl, C______'s girl, had an organic chip. I was looking for means to kill, for virus to serve as EMP."

"Mmmm..." Serus looked at me, "the man she's talking about has a warrant out for his arrest and has fled the Bay, probably permanently. Though that poor, brainless twit who follows him around is kind of screwed. There's not much we can do for her now. She's gone with him."

"We find virus that targeted the biochip ..umm elsewhere. Mistress found. She is, is real tragic.."

I nodded, "So the chip was rendered inactive but the girl followed him after all?"

"The girl actually followed me," said Ms. Pleides, "with one of those Japanese pole ax. She went nuts."

"Were you injured?" I asked.

"Me?" asked Svetlana, "nyet. He does not treat his girl very well, so I was able to out waddle her."

"He doesn't treat anyone very well," added Serus, "I saw the inside of his head. Not a fun place."

"Was this girl from 34 Tauri originally?" I asked and therefore part of my business.

"Pepper? Can I get you something to eat or drink?" inquired Svetlana.

"Sure ... something to drink would be fine."

I followed her to a open air tavern just off the path. The bar was well stocked. The open side of the enclosure faced the ocean.

"I have no idea." Svetlana answered my question, "she appeared human."

"Water would be good," I said as I settled onto a bar stool, "I'm just out of Al Raqis."

With a shout, Sveltana invited Serus to join us.

"Thank you," I said as I took the bottle. "So how is your shoulder?"

"My shoulder?" she inquired.

I sipped from my water.

"She got no where near my shoulder."

"Yes..you were shot in the shoulder the day that Sentry Swashbuckler and Mikie Rhiadra were captured."

Svetlana Pleides blinked, "That was.... that was months ago.. that was.. before Christmas.. da.."

I waited for a reply.

"Yeah. Is all healed now."

"Yes," I acknowledged, "Some wounds go deep though."

"Well, when it rains, it hurt some, but is okay. Is not life threatening," she grinned. "I had almost forgot.. so much has happened since then."

I smiled, "Oh?"

Svetlana Pleides turned and showed her belly proudly.

Serus entered the tavern and Svetlana addressed her, "Serus.. can I get you something?"

I smiled warmly, "Wonderful, when are you due?"

"24 May..."

"Fast approaching then."

"Da.... I cannot wait.. I am just so happy."

Serus paced about nearby. She seemed to be listening with half an ear but mostly watching the water. It took her a few moments to respond to the question, but then she shook her head "I'm fine."

"So your shoulder injury, where did you get it treated?" I probed.

"Oh, there on Maclaren. I think it was JJ that treat."

She searched her bag and handed over a picture of herself and an injured young woman. I examined the photo and raised an eyebrow, "This was the girl with the chip?"

"Da," she answered and proceeded to relate the story.

It seems that the young woman had once been married. Her husband was a doctor, according to the slaver at least, and had contracted some sort of infection. she killed him to save a planet. Twisted with guilt she then submitted herself to this man C________ and the abuse that followed.

C________ himself appears to be self-employed as a slaver and mercenary. It was with him that Ms. Pleides had her grudge.

When C_________ arrived in town a month or so ago he took an immediate dislike to Sveltana's captain and mistress. The captain had survived a reaver attack several years ago, if survive is the right word. Now the majority of her body is synthetic.

"He is robo-phobe," explained Svetlana Pleides, "and get strange idea that Mistress is using an electronic devise to control me. He have machine to kill any electronics and demanded he use it on me. At first, sure, no problem. Then I think, Hey! this could be bad thing to Ana. I mean is not worth threat to my baby, da?"

"True," I acknowledged.

"Thank you, but he is man. He does not have clue."

"You wouldn't want to do anything that could harm your child," I stated.

"DA!!!" she exclaimed and gestured wildly as if thanking the 'Verse for someone who is listening, as if she has made these same points again and again.

Regardless, in the interest of being a good neighbor she had offered to show him around a ship she was building. It was on that tour that he had secretly exposed her to the radiation of his machine for a full ten minutes.

"How did you react then?" I asked.

"Okay.. I bide my time." She trembled with rage as she recalled the incident.

"You waited," I noted.

"I not tell Mistress because I thought that Mistress would nuke the colony. I talk her down once, not sure I want to do again. Da. I wait. I fume. I go to doctor three days later, make sure Ana is okay. No harm, no foul. Then he brings in this.... well you see. He brings in this ... girl. Is sad, pathetic story that frankly does not add up."

In the time that followed, Svetlana had discovered the type of organic control chip that C______ used and that there was a virus that had been developed to free people infected by these chips.