A Butterscotch Sy

Irenka gasped. "Oh, hell. Alyonka's analysis makes perfect sense. Think about it!"

"

How

does it make sense? North Korea entered the nuclear arms race at the beginning of the century. Why go through this incredibly expensive exercise just to retrieve a nuclear device off another planet when they have plenty of their own?"

"That is why it

must

be going to China. When they test-fired an ICBM with a live warhead into Siberia, how did the world know it was North Korea?"

"Well, the first clue was the launch being detected by satellites," I answered. "That was sort of hard to miss. Russia, India, North America, Japan⁠—

all

of our nations' satellites observed it."

"But how was it

confirmed

?"

My mind finally started catching up. "The isotopes⁠—it was confirmed radiologically, wasn't it? Several countries' nuclear scientists tested the fallout and determined the material had been enriched in North Korea."

Simi spoke next. "So you are telling me these people are about to detonate a device in China? They're going to bite the hands that feed them?"

"No, Simi," Irenka scoffed, "

We

are."

"It'll certainly

appear

to be us," I agreed.

"If they're successful, they'll determine the ship we abandoned here, Pleiades Alpha, deployed a nuclear device, probably in an air burst. The signature will implicate the United States," Alyonka commented.

"Not only

my

country. Yes, the fissile material was mined and enriched in the United States, but the initiators were manufactured in Israel, the detonators in Russia, and the enclosure in Japan. Other parts were manufactured elsewhere, so it'll cast blame on a multitude of Partner Nations."

"How do you know such detail?"

I shrugged. "I asked. It's not a secret, but the location of the device within the base surely was. I wonder how they found it. The enclosure was radio opaque. It should not have been easy to find."

"Ground penetrating radar, possibly," Cedric offered.

"As good a possibility as any," I agreed.

"This could get dicey quick. Breadcrumbs implicating North Korea in some grandiose plot were being dropped, and we've all suddenly disappeared. How are we part of this now?" Irenka asked.

"The timing doesn't line up. It was no lie that the six of us returned to Earth together. Regardless of the stories of our fates, who could say it is us in the craft?" Cedric added.

"It

doesn't

make sense. They must have something else up their sleeves. Alyonka, we should update central," I suggested.

"Agreed."

My bonded⁠—yes, my

bonded

sat at a station and began to compile all of the information and "intelligence" we'd gathered, including suit recordings, and the video of the "interview" and conversations we'd just had.

"Simi, get some rack time," I said as I began to draft a foreword to a mass of digital content.

"I won't argue," he said, turning toward crew rest.

"Wait. Hold on a second," I said, closing the distance between us.

I then whispered, "My friend, are you going to be okay? I mean, you're not going to go in there and do some⁠—"

"Sean, I'm not stupid," he interrupted. "I will not dishonor the memory of Shizuka by killing myself like Cedric did."

"A joke?" I challenged. "I don't think so. Valiant effort, but I need to know I can trust you to be alone."

He sighed. "I thought about it. I did. I considered it while the four of you were outside, but … no. There's no reason to worry about me. It's going to take me some time to get past this, but you can trust me."

"Good," I said, clapping him gently on his shoulder. "Try to get some sleep. I think tomorrow is only going to be busier."

He nodded and went down two levels.

The two strapped into their seats began to regain consciousness. They looked at each other and back at Aly with widened eyes, seeing her paying absolutely no attention to them.

"Are you hungry?" I asked them.

It didn't surprise me that neither of them was, but both asked for water.

I went to stores and removed two 500ml water pouches. I offered one to each of them.

"It is cold!" objected the woman.

"I know you would prefer it hot, but cold water will help settle your nausea."

They read the screen for the translation, and the woman was the first to take a sip through the valve with practiced ease. I suspected they'd learned how by consuming the remaining food and drink we'd left behind in the hab.

"Tell me. How were our four orbiters destroyed?"

"Fragment explosives," the man answered.

"And our other return module?"

"The first crew to arrive moved to it and disabled its data link. It was not difficult to activate the landing program, but it was destroyed when they refueled it. Then rest of crew arrived in six days, two days between each."

"How much food did your mission bring with you?" I continued my interrogation of sorts.

"Enough for all to have two hundred fifty days."

Two hundred fifty days, two meals per day, shared between twelve people meant they'd brought six thousand meal units.

"How many units remain?"

"We were left food for ninety days," the woman said. "We have been eating a half meal per day."

It was then that I realized the ones who had departed the planet would not have been in DoC. They couldn't have known how, which suggested the departing people carried most of the food supplies with them.

"We have enough food on this vessel to sustain six individuals for fourteen days," I said.

"You or one of your colleagues," I continued cautiously, "killed one of my crew, so you do not deserve three meals per day each. If you continue to cooperate, the two of you will share between you my late colleague's allotment."

I turned away from them and continued entering my message.

Have confirmed via dialect and language analysis the mission is North Korean. Consisted of twelve individuals. Six departed on Pleiades. Two killed by their own crew. Two killed during engagement with ours. Two remain. Transcript and digital artifacts follow.

Mission objective was to obtain our assets and use them in a nuclear attack, possibly on China. Our vessel, our base demolition charge, our materials, the blame will be made to look like our nations' responsibility.

I included more information and digitally signed my authentication.

Aly was reading over my shoulder as I finished.

"Go ahead and send it," she said. "It will take more time due to Venus relay delay."

I nodded again, then whispered to her, "Still recording, yes?"

"

Da

."

I returned to my former position. "Why did the last⁠—would you care for some more water?" I asked, seeing both pouches had been emptied.

Two nods quickly followed. It seemed to me they both realized how severely parched they were and were suddenly feeling the relief of rehydration.

Personally, I would have parked their bodies on the target marks of node two or three and let them be incinerated when the resupply vessels landed, but I knew every action and word was being recorded. Instead, I withdrew to stores, removed two more packets of water plus two additive injectors.

Sitting back at the small table, I said, "Do not be concerned. These are electrolytes I am going to add to the water. Doctor, what do they contain?" I asked Aly, again referring to her with a fictitious title. Well, not fictitious

per se

because she did hold a doctorate, but not in medicine.

"Sodium chloride, citric and ascorbic acid, sodium citrate, monopotassium phosphate, and dextrose," Specialist Sabratova, my future wife recited without an ounce of hesitation. She absolutely knew her realm.

Of course, the pair read the transcript overhead. Given the gobbledygook, I hoped it translated faithfully as I added the contents of the two injectors into the pouches.

I assumed it had when both began to gulp the sweetened cocktail.

"Do either of you need the toilet?" Aly politely asked.

The woman timidly nodded.

"Irenka, please allow her to relieve herself," Aly said.

"Yes,

Doktor

," the sudden actress replied.

"Women have such small bladders, yes?" I laughed fictitiously once the woman had been taken to the relief station.

The man had the nerve to smile after he read my words overhead. I wanted to kick him in his crotch.

I continued, "Why did the four of you attack us on landing?"

His schoolboy humor faded quickly.

"I will not answer that."

Aly pointed her stun at his torso.

"No! I beg you, do not!" he yelped. "We do not want to die here!"

"Continue," I said as evenly as I could.

"We die here. Die! I do not care what our supreme commander chooses. I have family!"

"Is this true?" I asked.

"Yes! I have children!"

"Convince me to care," I hissed. "One of your crew killed the bonded mate of one of mine. She was a brilliant woman, and your people destroyed her and almost killed me, as well.

Seong-Min Jeong

, it does not matter to me or any of my crew if you perish. I suspect your supreme

commander

has used you and your thirteen compatriots to begin a third world war.

"How would you pilot the craft? Where would you land? What food would you eat?" I said as Irenka situated the woman back in her place and secured her.

He remained mute, and my curiosity would remain unsatisfied.

"Well," I scoffed. "You certainly did not think this through. If we decide to bring you on our return to Earth, somehow, I am certain you will both be brought before a world tribunal, and you will never see your families again. I consider it likely your families may be imprisoned or worse for disgracing your Supreme Leader."

The woman listened silently.

Aly and I sat across from them, waiting for either person to divulge more information.

I was startled by sudden movement and commotion.

"Stay where⁠—" I shouted as the woman aggressively leaned toward the man next to⁠—was she

kissing

him?! I heard an unmistakable sound as she spat into his mouth. His eyes widened as he coughed.

"

Yeoj! Nega naleul jug-yeoss-eo

!" he shouted with fire in his voice.

Out of the corner of my eye, words appeared on the screens:

[woman or mistress] have [slaughtered, killed, ended {contextually uncertain}] [I or me].

My mind was struggling to parse the confusing translation. I moved my eyes toward Aly, and found her expression was similarly confused.

"Sean! She may have⁠—they⁠—" she cried out.

Both of our foes were in throes of convulsions, and a minute later, they were both dead.

It was as silent as a library for several moments.

"What. The

fuck

. Just. Happened?" Cedric said quietly.

"Did they

kill

themselves?" Irenka gasped.

"

She

did, but it seemed like he had other plans," Alyonka responded as she checked them for jugular pulse.

"How?! How could she have done that?! What could she have given him?" I demanded.

"Any number of compounds."

"From where? Where'd she get anything?" Cedric asked. "She had no access to our supplies!"

Irenka turned her back, but it didn't prevent me from hearing her shuddering breath.

"Irenka?" Alyonka said.

"I gave her privacy when I took her to the toilet!"

"

Shit

! Were you not

thinking

?" I shouted.

"

Fuck you

, Sean! Were you expecting me to give her a cavity search first?!"

"You are ex-military! You have the most experience!"

"I was

infantry

! Do you believe infantry are instructed to shove fingers up⁠—"

The force Alyonka used to knock me into the bulkhead was beyond anticipation.

"You are behaving like an ass! It is not her mistake! Answer her question. Did you suspect the woman had poisons hidden in her

vagina

?"

I coughed against my lost breath. It took me a few moments to recover. I stared solidly into her eyes. "No."

"Then stop this, Sean!"

"Irenka, please forgive me. I don't know what I was thinking."

Cedric brought her into his arms. "My love, all of our emotions are running very high."

She sobbed. "Not yours!"

"That's because I am too stupid to know any different, eh?"

"So much for keeping our emotions in our pockets," I said with a regretful grimace on my face. "Irenka, I am truly sorry. I feel like we're sailing into an unknown abyss. This is all well-beyond my own realm of experience. I don't know how this is going to end.

"We're still in shock at losing one of our own, and now we have to deal with this nonsense?" I gestured to the two lifeless husks slouched in their seats.

Cedric scoffed. "Put them back in their suits, vent them, and leave them in the open airlock."

Irenka gasped. "

Cedric

!

That is

… that … is not a terrible idea."

"I agree. Do so," said Aly.

Twenty minutes later, we received a communication far sooner than I anticipated.

China has agreed to launch an

Imolet

to carry one fuel synthesizer module. Anticipate arrival sol 81.

"China?

China

is stepping up? What fantastic news!" I said. "Their

Imolet

is by far the fastest⁠—no. I won't jinx it."

Aly smiled with an expression of hope equal to my own. "They could not have been told yet of the information we sent. This is good news for several reasons."

"Cedric, Irenka," Aly said, "Go get some sleep, okay?"

"I thought you'd never ask."

Irenka followed him holding his hand.

Sol 8, Mission Time: 03:22

"Aly, It's pretty late. Are you still sharp?" I asked after the hatch had closed.

She nodded. "I am exhausted, but I have a energy left."

"What do we tell Central?"

"Everything we know," she said, sitting next to me in the adjacent seat.

Two in captive now deceased. Believe female had secreted a rapid acting toxin not on, but in her person. She expectorated into the male's mouth. Video follows.

"Can you attach that last bit?" I asked Aly who was reading as I was typing.

"Of course, love," she whispered, and tapped on her own panels.

will show the male's anger at her action. The final act was witnessed by me, Cdr. Sabratova, and Spcs. Ljuba and Hamilton. It was not witnessed by Spc. Reinoud who had been dismissed to rest.

Both the male and female, approximately a half standard hour ago, were placed in their suits and were put in the airlock with their vent ports open. We will perform the protocols described in CM's prior dispatch as soon as practicable.

Orion One status unchanged since last report. Re: China's aid with Imolet and fuel synthesizer: we remain hopeful.

We are shutting down to get some rest.

Sol 8, Mission Time: 08:00

I was pleasantly surprised when the alarm which awakened me was the one I'd set, and not the Hyper-D infrared monitor nor an emergency communique from Central. I slipped as quietly as I could from my sling and headed first to one of the two relief stations, then to the command ring. I pulled up the dispatches we'd received overnight.

N/K Supreme Leader attended public broadcast of flaying of his intelligence department's chairpersons for allowing such "unforgivable mistakes" in regard to Pleiades Six crew fates. S/K intelligence believes individuals were stand-ins, perhaps political prisoners.

Lunar radar will not be able to search for Pleiades for several weeks due to current orbital geometry.

Advise habitat status as soon as practicable. OA prior reports do not confirm its vacancy.

"Yeah, that's the first thing we'll do," I sarcastically said to myself, or so I thought.

"Bad news?" a voice asked behind me.

"You can't make up this crap."

"Is

crap

the same as

shit

?" Simi asked.

I chuckled. "You know the word hillock but don't know that crap and shit are synonyms?"

He shrugged, and I chuckled again.

"Yeah. The North Koreans accepted the blame for our false fates, and Central is blind to Pleiades Alpha on lunar radar."

"They would only do that if it furthers their own plans, correct?" he surmised. "Where are the two criminals sleeping?"

"Their bodies are in the airlock. They're dead."

"What?" Simi said in shock.

"Yeah. The woman might have had something in her⁠—" I pointed to my crotch, "and removed it during a bio-break. She'd put something in her mouth then spat in the man's. They were both dead within a minute."

"Absolutely insane," Simi said after a few moments of thought.

I nodded. "It's time to get to work," I said, pressing several buttons on the console to turn on all interior lighting to roust the crew.

We spent about an hour eating breakfast and preparing for our tasks.

"First priority should be to assess our rover and retrieve it if possible," Aly proposed. "Then, we can return to base and check the status of the habitat."

"I agree. And once that is done, we will see to Specialist Ayani's final request," I said.

"May I ask what it is?" Simi said.

"Her personnel file states her wish to be laid in repose on the apex of

Aeolis Marcus

. It stipulated no suit or uniform."

"That is going to take some time," Irenka said. "It is sixty kilometers distant."

"But can we do it?" I asked. "Do the rover and cargo EV have the endurance?"

"They should if they are still in good condition."

"Then let us determine if they are," Aly said.

"Wait! You are going to do it?!" Siemen argued.

"We must, Simi," Aly said. "It is her last request. We must honor it."

"No! We should cryopreserve her remains and bring her back to Earth!"

I felt Aly subtly touching my hand.

"I don't like it either, but it's up to us to honor Ayani-san's instructions. We should do it for her. I don't want to have to make it an order." I paused. "Please, my brother. It is already difficult. Don't compound it."

"Fine. Go check the fucking rovers."

"Don't forget, we still have guests outside," Cedric said.

"They will be in the way," Simi said. "Just kick them overboard."

"Simi, keep in mind that we need to record everything we do so the politicians back home don't have to worry about cleaning up any messes we make. You may already be in enough hot water due to your actions yesterday."

He sighed. "Whatever you say, Commander."

I clapped him softly on his shoulder.

"We could abseil down with them using our fall arresters," Cedric said.

"It should be easy enough," I agreed. "I can't help though, because I have to buddy off until we retrieve Ayani-san's atmospheric concentrator."

"I'll deal with them both," Cedric offered, "but I'll need help maneuvering them one at a time off the porch."

Irenka latched her helmet on, then her and Cedric stepped into the crowded lock after I pressurized it.

"Their bodies are as stiff as steel," Irenka grunted through the comm. "I guess that's what hours of zero atmosphere and cold temperatures do."

"One away," Cedric's voice strained.

We could hear the thumping against the hull as he descended, then clanking as he climbed the pegs. The thumping repeated again followed by Irenka descending.

"There's no reason for all five of us to be outside at the moment. Why don't you two see if you can fetch the rover," I radioed.

"Understood," Irenka acknowledged.

The task required only thirty minutes, then they returned to the ship.

"The rover is in agreeable condition," Cedric said as soon as they'd entered and he'd removed his helmet, "though it can't operate in autonomous mode because the system in the hab is not communicating."

Irenka silently handed me the atmospheric concentrator she had removed from Ayani-san's suit.