Marduk's Rebellion Read online

Marduk’s Rebellion

  Copyright 2013 by Jenn Lyons

  Cover by: Jennifer Williamson

  ISBN-13: 978-0-9911395-1-4

  ISBN-10: 0991139518

  All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form, or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of both the copyright owner and the above publisher of this book.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

  www.jennlyons.com

  Published by

  There By Candlelight Press

  Look for other books by Jenn Lyons:

  2014

  First Book of the Returned:

  The Culling Fields

  and

  Book 2 of the War in Heaven:

  Making Shiva

  and from World Weaver Press:

  Blood Chimera

  and

  Blood Sin

  Look for other books by Jenn Lyons:

  2014

  First Book of the Returned:

  The Culling Fields

  and

  Book 2 of the War in Heaven:

  Making Shiva

  and from World Weaver Press:

  Blood Chimera

  and

  Blood Sin

  To my mother,

  Alexandra,

  who taught me

  to ignore my limits.

  I miss you.

  Dramatis Personae

  The Aliens

  Emperor Ul-Sarco Kathanial–a Sarcodinay emperor. Omashai-class telepath.

  Emperor Kathosis–a former Sarcodinay emperor, deceased. Omashai-class telepath.

  Gala-Mal Norus–a Sarcodinay scientist.

  Kaj-Shae Threllis–a Sarcodinay warden of Deimos Prison. Vela-class telepath.

  Maia-Leia Shana–a Sarcodinay Gene-Priestess. Shinu-class telepath.

  Seris-Kamala Tavan–a Sarcodinay High Guard.

  Seris-Karat Valanat–a Sarcodinay High Guard. Dori-class telepath.

  Seris-Sarco Zaladin–a Sarcodinay High Guard. Shinu-class telepath.

  Seris-Sarco Tirrea–a Sarcodinay High Guard.

  Shaniran–a Sarcodinay War-Leader.

  Ran-Dukal Rominval–A Sarcodinay knight.

  Ran-Alas Tagallion–A Sarcodinay soldier.

  Tal-Magra Kelhelion–a Sarcodinay Minister of Justice on Terra.

  Tirris Vahn–a Sarcodinay Governor of the Sol System. Omashai-class telepath.

  The Meshikath on Deimos–a colony of Meshikath miners.

  Vana-Nus Lorvan–a Sarcodinay Minister of Education on Terra.

  Vana-Ten Penrolyr–A Sarcodinay teacher in FirstCity, later Kaimer.

  Whisper Jack–an insane Kantari.

  The Colonials

  Colonel Belisle–a member of Naval Intelligence.

  Captain Kovaks–a member of Naval Intelligence.

  Colonel Walter Tallman–a member of SIL’s Intelligence Operations. Code-named “Jockey.”

  Jonathan Sukei–a party guest.

  Lieutenant Petrov–a member of Naval Intelligence.

  Lisa Keiler–President of the Solar Independence League.

  Kyle Tallman–a son of Colonel Walter Tallman.

  Stephanie Xian–a SIL Councilman’s wife.

  The Urbans

  Ara-Anguiano Miguel–a janitor.

  Ara-MacLain Mallory–a scientist and Intelligence Operations agent. Code-named “Weaver.”

  Gala-Lee Vanessa–a scientist.

  Gala-Patel Randolph–a Director of Social Placement.

  Gala-Rhodes Alexander–a secretary to Gene-Priestess Maia-Leia Shana.

  Gala-Rhodes Nicholas–a scientist.

  Fal-Delgado Ian–a waiter.

  Seris-Zaitsev Zacharei–a teacher. Code-named “Marduk.”

  Tal-Aneirin Khalid–an Intelligence Operations handler. Code-named “Merlin.”

  Tal-Campbell Stewart–a Ministry of Justice detective.

  Tal-Forestal David–a Ministry of Justice officer.

  Tal-Stiles Breman–a secretary to the Minister of Justice.

  Vana-Golliard Duncan–a teacher.

  The Wilders

  Bloody Jester–a pirate captain. Code-named “Loki.”

  Gabriel Zacharievich Zaitsev–a sniper. Code-named “Archangel.”

  George Sukei–a leader of the “Kurokami” striketeam. Codenamed “Tetsuo.”

  Admiral Ernak Szabo–a leader of the Solar Independence League navy.

  Nadja Zaradnikova–a striketeam member. Code-named “Isis,” later called “Eve.”

  Paul duPres–an Intelligence Operations agent. Code-named “Hermit.”

  Other Intelligences

  Medusa–an artificial intelligence. Nicknamed “Deuce.”

  Kerethres–an artificial intelligence. Nicknamed “Cerberus.”

  ONE.Vanessa

  “Two weeks ago we would have been arrested for standing here, so the least you can do is pretend to enjoy yourself now that it’s legal.”

  “Technically, it’s not legal until the treaty is signed.” I snickered, put a hand on Vanessa’s shoulder, and leaned in. “And two weeks ago I would have been in disguise.” I glanced down at my white and gold dress. “One might argue I still am.”

  “At least you hid the tattoos.”

  “Shouldn’t you be more concerned about where I hid the weapons?”

  I laughed as Vanessa rewarded me with a shocked expression. I took the opportunity to liberate a glass of whiskey from a passing waiter. “The Sarcodinay only announced the withdrawal from Terra last week. You didn’t really think I was going to show up to a high-caste party unarmed, did you? Someone might try to arrest me.” I sounded hopeful.

  Maybe I was in the wrong mood for a party.

  Whoever the owner was, they had decorated their palace in the latest Sarcodinay style, and in the wake of Sarcodinay withdrawal there hadn’t been time to change the decor to anything sane. I know, I know: the Sarcodinay don’t see the same way humans do. Too many cones or at least, a lot more than humans. You say biological relativism; I say tacky.

  Fiber optic carpeting glowed softly underfoot, changing colors through wavelengths of the spectrum beyond my perception, all of it programmed to harmonize with the overdone clothing of any given party guest, which might have worked out if the clothing of any given party guest made any effort to harmonize with each other. Delicate crystal stars, aglow with shimmering light, flitted through the room like tiny pixies to illuminate individual guests with the perfect glow to match their complexions. Someone had even provided velvet curoquo couches so people could practice their lounging skills. It was all luminescent, glorious, extravagant, glowing. See: tacky.

  “You aren’t going to need weapons tonight.”

  “That remains to be seen.” I waved a hand at myself. “I’m breaking sumptuary laws, wearing a scholar-caste mark when I’m servant-caste, illegally armed, oh, and let’s not forget the Black Flag and the many warrants out for my arrest. I’m a popular girl.”

  “No one’s paying any attention to that.”

  I gestured with the hand holding my drink. “Twenty-seven hidden cameras, not counting implants. At least five of our mingling neighbors are hooked into the Ministry of Justice defense grid. It’s not a matter of whether they’re paying attention as much as whether they feel like trying to stop me. Half these people would have sprained their ankles running to turn either of us
in to their Sarcodinay masters a week ago.”

  “You’re exaggerating.”

  “True. Realistically, it would have been all of them.”

  “Peace, Mallory. Try to remember we’ve come here in peace.”

  I sighed into my drink. “You’ll have to give me a definition. I never learned that word in school.”

  Peace had come down on us like an ambush.

  We were taken completely by surprise. We had fought this war for so long, just as our parents and grandparents and great-grandparents had fought it, that “after the war was over” had become the modern equivalent of “happily ever after”—something that only happened in fairy tales.

  And then, without any warning, we’d won.

  So what would you have done? A party to start, right? That’s what normal humans used to do to celebrate wondrous events (weddings, births, promotions, graduations, peace,) wasn’t it?

  So I was at a party.

  Vanessa rolled her eyes and took my statement as rhetorical. “It’s that thing that happens when you stop fighting, dress up and have some fun for once.”

  “Really? That doesn’t sound like my idea of fun at all.”

  Force me to be honest: I was only there for the booze.

  Normally you couldn’t have persuaded me to walk within three klicks of a party like this, but our host had real liquor. I was sold. In my opinion, the little gathering’s popularity had as much to do with being able to openly break Sarcodinay prohibition laws as it had to do with being able to hobnob with a couple of rebellion-approved Colonial scientists. Who cared about them?

  Certainly not me, and I was one of the rebellion-approved Colonial scientists.

  That was a good joke, wrapped in a pretty lie. I was neither born nor raised on any of the Human colonies, and my current occupation had little to do with science except for certain practical hands-on applications involving mass, velocity and energetic reactions. At least Vanessa was the real thing.

  Or mostly: she hadn’t been born on a colony either.

  My best (and only) female friend wore a layered dress of shimmering pink rose petals exactly the same shade as her lipstick and fingernail gloss. Parts of her dress occasionally turned diaphanous, although never so transparent