Symbiosis Chapter 18

I was going to post a photo of a victim, but
it was so gruesome I was nearly sick myself.

“Should I know it?” Rianya said, still puzzled by the faces.

“It was called The Black Death,” Adams announced. “This microbe caused of millions of deaths across all of Europe, as much as half of the entire population. It changed human history, set us back centuries in technology.” Mills stood and paced slowly. Tom stood as well.

“How is that possible? An Earth bacteria on Cinco? Are you positive?” Rianya asked. Vague nods made the rounds of the table. “Can we catch it?”

“Yes, we can most assuredly catch it. Transmission is by touching an infected person or breathing after an infected person has coughed. Just like the common cold or the flu,” Ferris said.

“How did an Earth bacteria get on an Eta Cass planet?” Rianya asked.

“Brought as a doomsday weapon?” Tom asked.

“Maybe the Kiians brought it,” Ferris suggested.

“Wait, when did it go extinct on Earth? How would Kiians get it to bring it here?”

“Would any species intentionally inflict this monster of a disease on their worst enemy?” Mills muttered.

“You’ve heard of biological warfare. If a population has never been exposed to something, well, it can devastate them. And that’s what is happening down there,” Ferris said.

“Some of the strain was undoubtedly kept in stasis,” Mills added.

“Streptomycin was a perfectly good antibiotic against Yersinia. Treated early and quickly it could be stopped. But there are literally millions down there with it; obviously resistant to streptomycin classes of drugs,” Dr. Adams said gravely. He sighed heavily and the characteristic twinkle in his old eyes had vanished.

“What do we do?” Rianya asked, looking around at blanks.

“It’s our job to get an effective treatment, right now, yesterday even. I may not have time to play with gene splicing.” Adams kept rubbing at his face and sat hunched over the table. Jackson sat down again; Mills stopped pacing at also sat down. Ferris seemed to stare into space without any focus at all, her brown eye and blue eye both vacant. “We have our work cut out for us, people,” Dr. Adams said.

“This scares the hell out of me,” Dr. Ferris said.

“This is an antibiotic apocalypse. We can start with Polymyxin E, that will work and we brought mountains of it, and it’s easy to manufacture.”

“Won’t it just become resistant to that?” Mills asked.

“Eventually, but for now, if we hit it with Poly E in the infected population, we can use a phage plasmid virus prophylactically to introduce a stop-gene in the environment.”

“What’s that, a phage what?” Rianya asked. Adams addressed the entire room of worried faces.

“Well, old protocol was to introduce a cell disruption gene plasmid in vivo, into the patient, that killed the bacteria. But those disrupted beneficial bacteria as well. Now we use a virus and piggyback a splice onto it, targeting only the gene in the bacteria that actually mutates. This stops survivor bacteria. Now we can target the specific mutation gene, in vivo and in the environment, the food supplies, and stop the species of bacteria from mutating. Takes longer, lasts forever.”

“Doc, the Cinconians said they had help from Kiians and Pegasi. Is it possible the Pegasi supplied them with antibiotics? As long as they could keep the population sick, and the bacteria resistant, it could be especially profitable for them, long term.”

“There’s a terrifying thought,” Dr. Ferris said.

“Anything’s possible. I’ll start working on the gene therapy. Until then we’ll use Poly E and go from there.”

“You medical people do what you have to do, but whatever you do don’t let any Yersinia loose on my ship,” Tom said. “I’m going to chase down Dukvita and find out what he’s up to. Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s no good.”

                                      ~~~

“Captain Jackson!? Captain Jackson, it’s been a long time, hasn’t it?” The olive green face appeared on the bridge monitor and was equally offensive at it had been a decade ago.

“Dukvita, yes, not long enough, actually.” Jackson lifted his chin a little when the green face appeared.

“Don’t be bitter, old friend. It was just business.”

“Let’s move on, can we?”

“Would you like to come aboard so we don’t have to talk over monitors and microphones? I’d love to show you my new ship.” Jackson hesitated for a split second.

“I’d invite you here, but we have some nice microscopes we’d like to hang onto. You’re not going to fly away with me and affect some revenge?” Jackson watched the Pegasi’s face carefully for any tics or twitches.

“If you don’t bring any gifts, Captain, I won’t push you out an airlock. What is your interest out here? I’m sure this isn’t a social visit.”

“In a way it is. I was actually wondering what your business was out here in the Eta Cass system. Aren’t you a long way from home?”

“Simply business, simply business. I’d be happy to discuss it with you although I’m not sure what I do is any of your concern.” Jackson’s thoughts raced, not wanting to be fooled, tricked, embarrassed, or kidnapped.

“I’d be happy to discuss it with you, Dukvita.”

“I will have my pilot come right to you. Bring a friend, if you prefer. I don’t recognize your ship. Where is your docking port?”

Captain Jackson and Sergeant York waited by the airlock for Dukvita’s transport ship to dock. He handed her a button sized sphere.

“Dukvita is a pirate, and don’t forget it for a second. Keep this on you in case we’re separated for whatever reason,” Jackson said to his sentry leader. She nodded and put the ball in her pocket. “You can’t trust him. Whatever he says, believe the opposite.”

“Are you sure we should board his ship, sir?” Jackson chuckled a little.

“Oh, yes. We’ll get much more out of him this way on his turf where he’s comfortable. You’ve met Pegasi before, right?”

“No, sir, not in person. Only over monitors.”

“There’s something you should know about. The males have a toxin gland on their temples, kind of a dark, army green spot. Be sure he doesn’t touch it before he touches you. It’s like touching a chili pepper then rubbing your eyes.”

“You’re kidding me,” she said, pulling back a few centimeters from the captain.

“Um, no, I’m not. It’s not a big deal, but just be aware.”

Jackson heard the ship dock alongside the Maria Mitchell. He watched the door controls flash red, then go solid green. A barber pole signal snapped still and a digital readout flashed on: CAPTURE. He pressed a couple of buttons and the airlock hissed briefly as it pressurized. A moment later, the door slid open. Jackson nodded at York and they entered the airlock, waited for the Pegasi hatch, and they entered the alien ship together.

“Welcome, this way,” one of Dukvita’s associates greeted them. Jackson and York followed behind the large man. When York glanced at Jackson he saw her from the corner of his eye and glanced back. Never having met a Pegasi in person, York was understandably taken aback at his hefty size, metallic wardrobe, and his pea soup skin tone. Seeing one of them on a monitor couldn’t prepare a person for a face to face, or rather, a face to chest meeting.

He was willing to take the lead and stepped just a meter ahead of York. The long legged pirate made quick time and Jackson almost had to jog to keep up; Ms. York did break into a jog now and again. In half a minute, they arrived and were greeted considerably warmer than expected by Commandant Dukvita.

“Captain Jackson,” he smiled. The man hadn’t changed much. His stomach had grown fatter, his heavily enameled teeth were still a mustard color, but his skin was more olive than he remembered. He had unusual dermal art on his hairless head that hadn’t been there before, something resembling a badge or another symmetrical symbol.

“Dukvita, is it captain now?”

“It’s whatever I want it to be,” he said, handing Jackson a glass with an ochre liquid inside. Small bubbles floated upward and popped at the surface. The associate handed a similar glass to Ms. York. “To a renewed friendship, Captain.”

“Perhaps we should call it a truce. I’m not sure friendship is the appropriate word you had in mind.” The two men raised glasses just a few centimeters without taking their eyes off each other before sampling the brew.

“My English vocabulary is limited,” he offered, sweeping his hand towards a comfortable seating area. They didn’t appear to be on the bridge, but in a conference area. “It’s been a long time since I’ve bumped into humans.”

“Not that long. This is my armory chief, Sergeant York.”

“Please, sit, relax. Captain.” The animated fellow shook his head and sipped his drink. “I’ll never understand how you can employ females on your ship. We would be distracted to impairment.”

“Pleasantries aside, Dukvita, I came to discuss your commerce activities.”

“You get right to business, don’t you Jackson? No matter, I appreciate your point of view. What may I do for you?”

Jackson gritted his teeth knowing Dukvita was being much too cordial and cooperative. He sat anyway and decided to play along. Against a master of games, to win, one had to play by the house’s rules.

“You seem to be running cargo to Cinco. I just wondered how that came about. You’re not exactly their neighbors. What are you selling?”

“How does it concern you?” The giant sipped his ale.

“The Universal Medical Association for Cinco asked for human help in combatting their plague. It’s a pandemic.”

“That’s what we’re doing. Providing antibiotic drugs to fight the germ they can’t seem to get a grip on. They’ve been trying for years.”

“We made a visit there yesterday; the drugs are ineffective. I couldn’t help but wonder why you’re still supplying them if the bacteria are resistant.”

“No one has mentioned it to me.”

“No one on Cinco has given you a clue? The increase in orders, larger dosages, for the drugs, perhaps?”

“Captain, you know a lot about medicine for a soldier.”

“I’ve been living closely with scientists for more than a decade; my wife’s a biologist.” Dukvita sat back on the long bank of white cushions, then leaned forward.

“Captain Jackson, when did you marry? And why would any captain do such a foolish thing?” The greenish pirate slapped his meaty thigh.

“Discussion for another time, Dukvita.”

“Yes, yes, my apologies. We all make mistakes, I shouldn’t impose my culture on aliens. Where were we?” Jackson sighed.

“The antibiotics.”

“Captain, I’m no scientist, or a doctor. I’m a businessman, doing a job, that’s all, making some honest money transporting goods.”

Jackson glanced quickly at York and back at Dukvita. A trickle of chartreuse sweat dribbled its way down his forehead towards the venom gland on the side of his head.

“I just need to know what we’re working with so we aren’t, well, at odds, you see,” Jackson said carefully. “We’re working on this problem at their request, and I can inform my doctor to cross treatments you’ve already tried off his list.”

“I hope you aren’t expecting me to discontinue my current business deal. I can tell you, Captain, we supplied them with a variety of ‘cillians, not me personally, but for many decades. Now it’s this newer medicine. I’m hired to deliver a product, Captain, nothing more. I think you’ve mistaken me for someone who cares about what happens to the Cinconians.”

“I don’t know whatever came over me,” Jackson said in all seriousness. He inhaled sharply. “What do you call this new medicine?”

“Captain, I’m not accustomed to such direct inquisition from a person in your position, that is, irrelevant.”

“I get the feeling you would prefer we butt out and not assist the population with a cure. Perhaps that would eat into your profits?”

“There are hundreds of millions of sick Cinconians, Captain; there is no such thing as curing them all. I doubt if your efforts could put a dent in my profits.” Jackson knew then he’d not get the information on the drug out of Dukvita. He’d have to have his medical team reverse engineer a sample. Another time wasting task but necessary. He finished the fruity ale-cider and handed the glass to his host.

“Thank you for your hospitality, Dukvita. We’ll not take up any more of your valuable time.”

“Very well, Captain. I will offer you a suggestion because I can see this is eating at you.” The brute leaned forward to speak quietly to Jackson. “Go back to Earth and don’t look back.” He took the glasses from both Jackson and York and ushered them to a crewman who led them off.