Considerations on China Street

June 11 - Spinwheel City, Paquin

"I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library." - Jorge Luis Borges

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There is a little bookstore on the corner of China and Shuttleside. I found the place on one of my walks.

It sat on the second floor of a wooden building that it shared with a small herb and tea shop. The outside was decorated with a string of colourful paper lanterns. It had a long balcony with some chairs so you didn't have to wait until you got home to sit and enjoy a good read.

Inside, the shelves were well stocked, and there were books here that I have had difficulty finding anywhere else.




I was in this store when a call came in from Consulari Raghilda.

"Hello Major," she said.

"Hello Consulari," I replied.

"Are you still in the Mu Draconis system?"

"Why do you ask?" I said, giving question for question, thus avoiding an answer.

"I had hoped to speak to you about the Jadeist issues," said the Consulari.

"That would be useful," I remarked. "Have they made any more threats against you?"

"No," she replied. "I had an interesting meeting with a non-albino Jadeist who I think was a native."

"Perhaps this movement is expanding," I suggested.

"I know of four Jadeists," she elaborated. "I originally thought it was just one person. Perhaps others did too, which is why they did not take the threats seriously at first. Jadeist propaganda started cropping up soon after Jade's death, but there were no threats."




"It started with an idea," I said, browsing through the selection of non-fictional historical works. "It always starts with an idea."

"Ideas are a lottery," answered the Consulari. "I have lots of ideas but very few revolutions."

I smiled, then re-focused my remark. "It was an idea that found fertile ground in the resentment and dry heat of Araxes."

"The heat makes people cranky," agreed the Consulari. She continued, "My position at the embassy has changed as you probably know. But I would still like some of the lab results to discuss with my fellow delegates on the Beit Dawla. They are taking the Jadeist threat seriously."



"I do know," I acknowledged, "and I am hoping that the increased UAP security makes you feel safer."

"Do I ask you? the monitor officer? or someone else?"

"You will have to go through channels now," I replied. I selected a book and slid it carefully from the shelf. A reprint of Burhham's Celestial Handbook.

"Do I have to go thru channels to find out what those channels are?" she asked.

"Put your request in with the Monitor," I said. "He will contact my office."

"Is that the basic protocol for all local UAP requests?"

"At this point yes," I said. I paid for my selection and stepped out of the store into the cool evening air.



"I have a request from the NavCorpus asking about flight logs," added the Consulari. "Do I forward that to the monitor also?"

"Yes please," I replied.

An auto-taxi turned the corner of the street and slowly came to a halt before me. I climbed on board and the vehicle accelerated gently.

"I must go now Consulari," I said. "Please stay safe."

"I am taking care to," she replied, "Thanks."

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Shadows and light played across the window of my cab as I passed through the streets of Spinwheel.



Ardra Aurotharius had been successfully retrieved from Mu Draconis, but it was becoming apparent that I needed to make an appearance on Araxes to cover our tracks, to complete the illusion that I had never left. Knowing that the Navigator Corpus might be looking our way increased the need for stealth.

Stealth sometimes required a circuitous route.