Tying Up Loose Vines: Pt. I
30 Dec 2021Lily Flemmon
It’s really wonderful being back home at Chilton Terminal, but I see things a bit differently now. I’m more sensitive to people in need than ever, but I also see things from a more tactical perspective. Heh, tactical. Never thought I’d call myself that seriously. But hey, this isn’t anything my dad taught me. He wanted to raise a mindless, loyal killer, and I’m… I’m really proud that even though I’m still a fighter, I’m the most mindful fighter I’ve ever known. The best operatives always go for the kill, or so I’ve heard. Which makes me far from the best. I would be shooting weapons out of people’s hands if most of them didn’t contain volatile energy sources (looking at you, Takada and Manticore). No point in a disarming shot if it ends up killing the target anyway. But even so, somehow “drop the regulator or I’ll shoot you dead” isn’t as intimidating as “drop the regulator or I’ll vaporize your right kneecap.” Hoo boy, glad I didn’t have to kill that guy. Turns out he had character. I helped him get a new kneecap, too. I mean, he’s probably still doing the usual pirate stuff, but something tells me he takes a more considerate approach now.I remember the first mission I did as Lily. I remember recovering the malfunctioning control pad and the hostage tech, and I remember all the chatter about “what if this technology gets out? What if it gets in the wrong hands?” But I guess I tied up all my loose ends pretty thoroughly on that first rescue mission.
But now, my name is out there. CTAC’s name is out there. Sure, it’s 20,000 lightyears away, but that gap is getting bridged more and more. And that’s a whole lot of loose ends that could prove fruitful- but now when I look at the gardens here at Chilton, I can’t help but think to myself that somebody’s going to try to attack, for some reason, eventually. We can’t be completely defenseless. But it’s not like CTAC has any intention of becoming a faction, and I was drawing a blank on solutions.
So I headed up to the Director’s office, and let him know my concern, and he definitely understood.
After a pensive pause, I heard his low, gravelly, but somehow gentle voice, “You make a fair point, Lily. I don’t know if I have much for you to work with, but it has been three years since we really got going with the expag stuff.” ‘Expag’ had become the local shorthand for Experimental Agriculture, CTAC’s specialty field, and why we exist in the first place. “It’s not like there haven’t been a few curious side projects of members, especially since we started getting the nanite colonies to grow with the plants. If I recall, there were some that their developers voluntarily labeled as ‘military-relevant’ and I helped figure out the security protocols for. Maybe you could look at a few of those, that might help? I don’t know, I’ve never had to deal with armed… anything. Combat, security, it’s not my department and never has been.”
“So, you’re saying… bioweapons, but more literal? Plant guns?”
“Well, I’m hoping we can come up with something more clever and less, well, overt. Still, thinking about what CTAC has accomplished from this perspective, I can’t help but let it remind me of a certain hot-button issue that starts with the letter T.”
I was a bit confused, and my professionalism dropped for a bit because of it. “Uhhm, testosterone?”
The Director gave me an amused look that only someone over 80 can give to someone much, much younger. “No, Thargoids. You know, fusion of technology and organics and all that. Sure, the only macroorganisms we work with are plants, and it’s only rudimentary at this point, but comparisons are going to be inevitable. We should be the first to speak in that discussion, rather than anyone else who might have an… opinion.” He paused, seemingly processing what he just said. “For the love of Jameson, I’m way out of my depth here.”
Luckily I had a quick response to that that I’ve used a number of times. “Yeah, out of your depth just like every other so-called responsible adult. That’s how it goes once you’re supporting yourself, and you’re supporting a lot more than just yourself.”
The Director chuckled. “We learn and grow, eh? You know, Lily, if there’s anyone I know who can teach an old dog like me some new tricks, it’s gotta be you. I’ll put an exception in the access protocols to allow members to give you access to their military-relevant data. And I’ll reach out to Domino again, she might have some good perspective. Don’t be afraid to reach out to other Commanders on our behalf. It may seem brash, but while we have the creativity to handle this sort of fortification, we lack perspective. Hell, we could use more diverse people for taste testing too, just make sure you give ‘em the low-down on our usual testing safety practices.”
“Any particular department I should start with to have a look at the military-relevant projects?”
“Well, the two departments with the most of these restricted projects are the plant kinesthetics and bioreactivity department and the macrotechnology integration department. You’ll find some… interesting stuff, I’m sure.”
“Well, you can let them know I’m coming.”
“Will do. And Lily?”
“Yeah?”
“Thanks. You just brought up the thing that was itching at the back of my head for the last couple years, and I didn’t even know what it was. Good luck with this.”
“Thanks.” I heard a strong sense of warmth in his voice, and I felt the same in mine.