Cargo Bay

Feb. 25 - Zenobia Northern Provinces

The home offices of Zenobian officials have a character to them unique for the modern bureaucracy. Furniture of rare wood. Parchments from old Earth. Priceless works of art. Candles to indulge in an obsession with naked flame.

I'd returned to the Northern Provinces to pick up search and arrest warrants, and to log a few requests. The moist air was a blessed relief from dry, parched air of Mu Draconis.

While I had yet to locate Ardra's father, or even been able to ascertain if he was still alive, I had discovered the existence of a being spawned by Project Aurotharius. It was a creature designated "Arudra". The Watcher Drone located in the Zenobian warehouse on Al Raqis had registered it.

Ardra, herself, was getting bold. She sent me a photo with the message : "The reliques are cluttering up my cargo bay."

The image shows the vast interior of her ship. One of our mainframes merrily goes about it's business to the left of center frame. A unique logo decorates the walls, ceiling and floor.

The Analysis Department returned with a security capture from Splintered Rock. A huge craft bearing the same logo. No apparent means of entry or propulsion. This was a Guild vessel.

It would seem that we have located Ardra.

Of course, it could be a trap. A taunt. An invitation....

I toyed with idea of taking a team, risking an interplanetary incident, and storming the ship. But somehow I doubted that the relics would still be there.

After all, some items are just too valuable to keep in one place for very long.

IV. The Boy with No Past

Feb. 4 - Al Raqis

"And she bore him a son, and he called his name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land." Exodus 2:22

-----

I walked out of the landing bay and into the direct Sun. I had forgotten what a drastic shift that was here on this desert world.

Lynx was waiting alone in the plaza. He bowed slightly.

"Hello Lynx," I smiled, "I am glad to see you are healthy."

"Thank you," he replied, "How are you?"

"I am well thank you." It was good to see him alive and well.

"And how is your friend?" I added.

"She is well." He pulled his hood back. "I have a picture for you."

"Thank you," I said and extended my hand.

The photograph provided a good view of the contents of the Faith Industries warehouse. From the angle I would venture that whoever took the picture, gained access through an air duct.

"This was taken while you went to talk with the constable," he remarked. He must have meant Lady Soyinka. I didn't have the need to correct him.

"The missile is behind the boxes..." I said.

The weapon was situation behind row of crates with the Blue Sun logo crossed out on each one.

"Yes," he said, "But look closely. That is a different device."

"...and what is that next to it?" I asked "Is that like a canister?"

"Look at the silver device." He pointed.

"Yes."

"Yes."

"Nerve gas you think?" I asked.

"I do not know," he replied "I am no expert on weapons."

I ran my finger tip along the edge of the photograph.

"Hmm, you know more than most...."

"My friend said she heard beeping," he chipped in.

"... that's what intrigues me about you," I completed the sentence.

"I have tried to help as best I can."

I pocketed the picture. I would send this in for analysis.

"Well, good work Lynx," I said with a smile.

"Thank you," he said.

Suddenly, he thought of something else, "Also... Calina.. she seems to have feelings for the old...." he corrected himself. "...the elder Faith."

He took a breath. There was more.

"Major?" he began, "Is there a chance you can provide me with an ID?"

"ID? like an Alliance ID card?" I asked.

"Yes," he replied "I have no Identity. I heard there was a marshal seeking to find people without IDs and taking them in."

"Okay, see the Ambassador here at the Zenobian embassy... they can process ID. Full consulate services and all that."

"I will need a name...." he said.

I frowned. "Yes..."

Lynx looked at me not sure what to do.

"Well," I said "I could run your retinal scan and prints..." For some reason, however, that felt ill-advised.

"Alright."

I thought out loud, "What should we do? what should we do?"

Lynx stood by waiting patiently.

"You have no idea of your last name?" I asked.

"No," he answered, "I don't even know my first name..or how old I really am..."

I sighed. Wonderful.

"Will a retinal scan tell you who I am?" he asked.

"Well," I confessed "I have a odd feeling that we should be more cautious."

Lynx looked a little panicked, like he suddenly felt he's in trouble.

"Don't worry Lynx..." I said trying to be a calming influence.

You could see he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach.

"...you go to see the Ambassador..."

He nodded his head.

"...ask for a temporary ID card..."

"Alright," he said.

"...I'll see what I can find out, without tripping any alarms."

"Alarms?" he cried.

"You just never know," I said. So much for being a calming influence.

Lynx opened his eyes wide, "Could I be in trouble for something?"

"No, I don't think so."

"I've only stolen a few things," he said frantically "And as to the information? I never blackmailed anyone."

I tried to explain, "Some information is guarded."

"Um, How guarded?" he asked "I mean, I've been a no one for over a month. No one is missing someone who looks like me?"

"The Verse is a big place..." I was at a loss at what else to say.

"I understand," he replied.

"Do you have any idea where you might be from?" I probed.

"No. I can fly a small ship. I am well read. I use a saber.... How many places teach that?"

"Sounds Core," I remarked.

"Oh and I seem to spout off Confucius-isms sometimes. But where? And why am I out here?"

Confucius? Sihnon maybe? Maybe I can make some discreet inquiries there.

"I don't know... maybe you are lost.... maybe you are planted out here."

"To what end?" he asked.

"As a probe," I suggested. "You have instinctive knowledge of weapons and military matters, yet no memory...so you can't be compromised if caught."

"When I woke up," he explained "I had bruises on me.. like I was beaten up."

"Bruises? what kind of bruises?"

"Some on my sides, one on my shoulder. I think one on my cheek... I woke up aching and cold."

I frowned. I did not like the sound of that.

"Do you have a safe place to stay?" I asked.

"I've been staying on MacLaren's Drift. In an empty cargo container."

That will not do, I thought.

"Come with me then."

I led him to the guest house in the Zenobian embassy compound. A simple table and a number of chairs occupied the center of the room. A comfortable bed was tucked under the stairs. A well-stocked bookcase leaned against the far wall.

"You can stay here," I declared.

"Thank you. May I ready the books?"

"Yes of course."

"Thank you. I will pay you when I can."

"No payment."

He looks at me strangely, "Are you sure? I can provide my share."

"Yes," I said firmly. "This is an embassy of a member state of the UAP. You are it's citizen. It exists to serve you."

Lynx nodded, "And I will respect it's laws."

I elaborated, "You may use this as your refuge for as long as you need to."

He bowed slightly, "Thank you. I'm grateful for your hospitality."

"I am grateful for all your help."

"I will continue to get what I can for you," he promised.

"Do not take any serious risks though," I said "you have done more than most."

Lynx pulled off his cloak and set it on the chair. He nodded, "I have been watchful. I took your warning very seriously. And after Faith found us inside his warehouse. I worry for my friends."

His friends. Calina and Cindal.

"Bring them here if you need to," I instructed as I prepared to leave.

"I will."

"Thank you again, Major."

"Thank you, Lynx."

He bowed slightly.

I inclined my head and smiled. Yes, this was definitely a cultured young man.

III. The Girl from Avalon

Feb. 4 - Al Raqis

Her voice was like a whisper in my mind.

"Are most of your meetings as dull as this?"

It was Ardra. She was calling on a private channel.

She continued, "I come here most days and fly overhead within listening distance. The meetings are mostly dull or without substance. You have some amount of talent at provoking substance into meetings."

Determined to get a testable sample from the tentacle, I had remained on the landing bay after Lady Soyinka had left. How long had she been there?

"You have finally taken possession of the item from the Harvester," said Ardra. It sounded like a statement.

"I have."

"I am not prone to whims," she declared, "but I did reconnaissance at the Blue Sun Facility recently."

"And what did you find?" I asked.

"A moment while I process the picture."

She sent a picture through on my Cortex. I stepped back away from the probing tentacle to examine the image on the small screen. It showed a room with a white tile floor and, on a counter, a jar containing cerebral matter.

"So there is another brain?"

"I have only my reconnaissance," she replied, "I am going to see if I can send in an agent on the ground to gather more information."

"You started telling me about your project," I began.

"Amazing," she declared.

"You started to."

"I wondered about that," she mused, "Apparently it is easier to take the girl out of humanity than it is to take the humanity out of the girl. It would seem that there are a few corners of sentimentality left. It is easier to part with your liver than your teeth. In a weak moment, I indulged in sentimentality."

"Is that your plan?" I asked, "To exorcise your humanity."

"Transcend," she corrected, "When you were a small child, did you ever ask your parents why the sky was blue?"

"Certainly," I admitted.

"As did I," she confessed, "My father, a scientist of some repute did not give me the usual answers. The sky is not blue. It is indigo....and using unflavored clear Jello and water slightly diluted with milk, he made a prism and proved it to me. The human eye is limited, it is biased towards the green. So YOU see a blue sky, not its true colors.... I see the violet skies now."

"Where was your father from?"

"The greater question is where is he now. If you find him, let me know. I will give you a fine prize."

I suddenly felt like an infant with Ardra dangling something shiny in front of me. Was it a choking hazard?

"I don't understand," I said.

"He has been missing for quite some time," she continued.

"Well, I will need more information, if I am to find him."

"You can safely assume that his last name is also Aurotharius. He was last seen on a research ship heading towards the Halo Asteroid Belt."

"And where was your childhood home?"

"I am a child of Avalon," she said.

Avalon. The moon of Albion. Zenobia's lunar colony.

"And your mother?"

"Died in childbirth. Zenobian medical technology is not perfect."

Enough in that direction. I circled back.

"Why were your modifications so unsuccessful?"

She brushed the question aside with one word, "Experimental."

Perhaps I touched a nerve because then there was silence. I could hear that the connection was still open. I waited, holding my breath.

She began her speech.

"There is an intractable conflict between Scientists, Mathematicians and Philosophers. Thus they are kept from Singularity. Damned by their thinking to be mere technicians. If you want something done right..."

She stopped and asked, "Are you familiar with Zeno of Elea?"

I was not.

"A pre-Socratic philosopher, author of the three famed Zeno's Paradoxes," she explained, "devised to argue that plurality, change and motion in particular are illusions...."

The words began to flow. Ardra stated the three paradoxes as we find them in Aristotle and then, like a tutor, she explained each one to me.

Basically, by dividing space into segments or time into points an infinite number of times, nothing ever gets done.

"In a race, the quickest runner can never overtake the slowest, since the pursuer must first reach the point whence the pursued started....

I listened carefully, following as best as I could.

"....The Dichotomy Paradox is really just a restating in another format of the Achilles and the Tortoise Paradox. Before you can get there, you must get halfway there. Before you can get halfway there, you must get a quarter of the way there. Before traveling a fourth, he must travel one-eighth; before an eighth..."

I could feel myself disappearing down between the cracks in the number line.

"My favorite as a child was the Arrow Paradox...." she explained, "...for motion to occur, an object must change the position which it occupies...."

Her favorite as a child.

"...any instant of time there is no motion occurring, because an instant is a snapshot. If it cannot move in a single instant, then it cannot move in any instant, making any motion impossible....The arrow never arrives, I presume the target merely dies of fright.

"They were the grist of philosophical debate for thousands of years. The interesting part to me was the difference in the solutions between mathematicians, philosophers and physicists. Mathematicians use calculus. Physicists use quantum physics. Philosophers complain that neither satisfies the original question of performing infinite steps."

And then the punchline.

"The key to the next true physics revolution and probably the transhuman singularity will be in reconciling the conflicts between mathematicians, philosophers and physicists.

"The quantum computer, using quantum effects to allow the calculation of a solution with an apparently infinite number of steps is also known as a Zeno Machine. Zeno Machines are a requirement of any true Turing Grade Artificial Intelligence, hence they are also called Accelerated Turing Machines. Bringing us back to the two known Turings, the temperamental rogue Replicant and the hyperactive Synthcat.

"Zenobia is well known for its computer mainframes. The prototype Zeno Machine Mainframe (ZMM) from the Quantum Consciousness Project (QCP) utilizes human type neural microtubals to coordinate the necessary quantum effects. I wonder how many 'reader' brains they harvested to build it or even design it.

"The ZMM was recently removed from its home on Space Station Zenobia during the turnover in power from the Zenobian ruling families to the Militant factions. I wonder how the midget managed to extract it without Doctor Qui von Wer Foreman knowing. The midget turned the prototype Zeno Machine Mainframe over to the Rogue Replicant to decrypt. If I were still capable of vertigo, I would be dizzy from this much circularity."

She turned her attention to me.

"I am expecting that the present from the harvester and my reconnaissance photograph will assist you in moving the project forward," she said at last.

"If Krenshar has another brain, the present may not be as helpful as one may wish," I answered.

"The conic section brain is I think his backup," she suggested.

"You wanted the Ardra AI to remain with the SynthCat."

"I am content with that for the moment," she acknowledged, "If extraction is necessary, I am working on another method. The seismic data, the asteroid field navigational archive and the two AIs are a sufficient project."

She continued, "Don't spread yourself too thin. You isolate yourself as much as I do, but in service to an entity that does not care for you."

"The state?" I asked.

"Yes," she replied, "They are prone to treating its subjects as means and not grant them their due dignity as end in and of themselves."

It was a funny thing to hear from a being that dealt in stolen human organs. Then, like an older sister sending me off to bed, she dismissed me with these words:

"You are probably fatigued from exchanging witty rejoinders with the Nativist Fanatic. Send a wave after you speak with the Rogue Replicant."

And with that the transmission was severed and she was gone.

I did not move for several minutes. I weighed what I heard in my mind. Her intelligence. Her arrogance. Her sentimentality.

Meanwhile, the tentacle in the crate flicked and probed the air, oblivious to the idea of a motherless, little girl delighting in an arrow that would not move.

II. The Woman of the Desert

Feb. 4 - Al Raqis

We entered a building off the main square.

"Let us go to my office," invited Lady Soyinka.

I bowed my head in a gesture of respect, "Thank you Lady."

We climbed the stairs to a comfortable little office.

"Please, have a seat."

I settled into the chair next to her.

"I find the way you think to be of interest," she began.

"How may I be of service?" I offered.

"You either are quite logical or you have investigative experience," she continued.

By way of explanation I introduced myself. "I am Major Pepper Siamendes, Alliance Military, Special Investigations Unit."

"Ahhh, please tell me what this Alliance is."

"The Union of Allied Planets is a collection of planets and moons that orbit the 34 Tauri system of stars. There are five stars in that system .. planets in orbit of the White Sun constitute the Core Worlds."

"What is the interest of this Alliance in the Mu-Draconis system?" she asked.

"Trade mostly."

Trade is always a good thing to admit to. Everyone wants to do business. It's something we have in common. It's like talking about the weather.

"I myself first came to Splintered Rock to find someone," I began. I left out the part about analyzing strategic defenses.

"Of personal or professional interest?" she inquired.

I told her I was looking for Ardra. "She is a suspect in a series of crimes in our system. Since that time my own world has opened an embassy here."

"Ah, in the Splintered Rock settlement?"

"The embassy is here in Al Raqis," I explained. "My own quarters were in the the Hagga Settlement until recently."

"And you are now here as security for that Embassy?"

"No," I replied "We have other staff for that. Members of the Aegis as we call them."

"Aegis...shield?"

"Yes," I confirmed "That's correct."

"The Hagga settlement is slated for removal, I believe," Lady Soynika said.

"The sand will take it back...as with all things here."

"As Shai Hulud wishes," she replied.

I nodded respectfully.

"I think a closer relationship between you and the Magistrate's office might be considered," she said at last.

I raised my eyebrows a bit. That would be advantageous.

I spoke plainly, "My world has no extradition treaty with Al Raqis as yet. Even if I should be successful and hunted down the criminals that seek to avoid our laws by hiding here, we have no claim on them."

"I have studied the interlocking laws of many systems," began Lady Soyinka, "and I think many of them are silly."

"Go on," I prompted.

"If I have a grievance with an entity," she continued "I should handle that grievance and not wait for another to handle it for me. But, I am not law giver. These subtle vendettas cause much grief."

I asked her about the local tradition of vendetta and its judicial oversight procedure.

"Ah yes," she replied "The idea is to prevent the destruction of planets by the use of atomics."

"Indeed," I said "That does bring up the matter of the destruction of the planet Shadow."

"Instead of something so complex...why not just destroy the atomics?" she asked rhetorically.

"They were meant to be the defense against the thinking machines, if I read the legends right."

Reiko Soyinka grinned as if I had said something humorous. "Something so long ago...half of those atomics are now lead... but, I do not think they were made so long ago," she mused.

I smiled warmly, "Let's hope that no one has plans to build new ones." Did she know of the warhead in Faith's Warehouse?

"That is the thing that there should be interstellar cooperation on," she stated.

I agreed.

"Hunting individuals...pfffft," she dismissed the topic, "Back to this bombing of Shadow..."

"Yes," I replied.

"It has thrown a long shadow...to Al Raqis," she remarked, "Would the Alliance have had a reason to bomb this Shadow? I ignore the question of who bombed Shadow...I am curious if everyone or none had reason to do so."

I let out a breath. This was a delicate matter to discuss. "There was a bombing on our Central World of Londinium..again atomics"

"So, possible retaliation? Interesting."

"I have reason to believe that the situation is far more sinister than that," I offered. "I am in fact conducting an internal investigation into the actions of the man who ordered the bombing of Shadow...."

"Ah, an interesting statement."

"...while my counterparts on Londinium are investigating two other persons of interest."

Let's get that little piece of information out there.

Reiko Soyinka examined me without looking directly at me. "So, an attempted bombing on Al Raqis is linked to widespread destruction."

I did not have to confirm her statement. She was obviously connecting the dots. Instead I asked, "Have you, by the way, heard of Ardra Aurotharius?"

"Yes."

"She is a suspect in the theft of some of our national treasures," I elaborated.

"I have heard of this Ardra."

She was the first I had met on this planet who admitted as much.

"I have a question...." she continued.

"Of course."

"There have been some...um, peculiar constructs... biological ones, with tentacles..."

"Tentacles?" I echoed.

"Let loose on Splintered Rock...maybe by accident, maybe not by accident. Dropped from a ship."

I frowned. " Any markings on the ship?"

"There may be some connection with this Ardra," she suggested.

"Why do you say that?" I inquired.

"Ardra is said to be a biological construct."

"She was once a Guild Navigator," I explained, "She chose to be .... modified."

"In which laboratory or hospital?" asked Lady Soyinka.

"She seeks to conquer death," I added, then I answered her question, "On a world that believes in the fusion of machine and biology."

Reiko Soyinka breathed the word, "Abomination".

I smiled in a humourless way. "It is that abomination that I hunt...and others like her."

"These tentacled things are also abomination, but without minds."

I paused. "Where are they now?" I asked.

"If they have not been moved...come with me."

"Gladly," I replied.

Lady Soyinka did a quick unconscious check of her breather and nose plugs as we left the office.

.........

Outside, morning had broken. We had talked up the sun.

We stood in a hanger bay that opened onto the desert. It was lower than street level and well shaded. It would have been a restful little spot except for the monstrosity under the stairs.

"Is this the beast?" I asked

"Yes..." replied Lady Soyinka.

Under the stairs was a wooden crate. Reaching out and probing about in the air was a long grey tentacle.

I let out a heavy sigh. "I've seen the like.... on a derelict ship out in an uncontrolled sector."

I approached slowly, getting close enough to examine the tentacle. It must have sensed me somehow because it lunged, grabbed, and stabbed at me with many hidden, sharp claws.

It tore my cloak and scratched my cheek. I withdrew.

"It has no place on MY world," declared Lady Soynika.

"Nor in any world," I admitted. "Well, it is possible that there is a connection...."

I doubted it though, for some reason.

"At least two of these have already been killed," she explained.

"And the remains burned?"

"I do not know," she answered, "for my people have not yet seen them. We do not burn...but we will take their water."

It's a wonder, I thought, if the water wasn't spoiled.

I stepped further back away from the creature. "It would be interesting to see if someone returns to try to retrieve this," I added.

"Agreed."

"And the ship that dropped them," I asked, "any markings or recognizable features?"

"None that I questioned remembered any... said it was a freighter that broke up."

"A freighter...." I repeated. "When did they first appear?"

"This past week."

I turned the information over in my head. Could be something that was in transit and the ship ran into trouble. Could be a weapon test. Too early to tell.

Lady Soyinka excused herself to attend to matters that required her attention, leaving me alone with the creature under the stairs.

I. The Man in the Chair

I had just entered the Mu Draconis system when I received the transmission.

It was Tillery Woodhen. "Major, Just had something occur on Al Raqis. A bomb has been left in my bureau here. Any guesses who left it?"

"A bomb?" I asked, "Has it been disarmed?"

"They're working on that now."

"Who do they have working on it?"

"The magistrate has sent in a bomb disposal team."

"Good," I said firmly, "Let them see the viper they have let onto their world."

"You know what this means," continued Tillery.

I did know. Still, I had to ask.

"Do you think this was a serious assassination attempt or merely an attempt at harassment?"

"Does it matter with a bomb?" he replied.

"It will depend if it was actually set to go off." I was still playing the skeptic.

"Two blocks of plastic explosive," he said.

That ended the debate. I cut the communication link as I entered the atmosphere of Al Raqis.

----

Feb. 4 - Al Raqis

It was well into the night when I landed. I docked on the embassy landing pad and hurried down the street to the main square of the settlement. By the time I reached the CNS offices, a crowd had gathered.

There was a sleek black transport parked outside the offices.

A tall companion arrived just behind me. "Is everything alright?" she called "I heard the commotion from the Guild house."

"Everything is fine now," answered Tillery, "Just an attempted bombing."

I recognized a few people. Lynx. The Magistrate Joan al Jafar and Tillery Woodhen, of course.

There was the girl from the photo with Lynx. Her name was Cindal. She removed some pins that appeared to be interfering with the hood of her cloak.

And there was the woman I had seen in the Keep meeting with Lady Bondar and William Faith on the day I visited Bri in jail. Faith had called her Reiko. Here, she watched the gathering crowd with barely concealed amusement.

"Attempted bombing...." I repeated.

The Magistrate snorted, "Just an attempted bombing!"

"In my bureau," added Tillery.

I scanned the crowd.

"Where was the bomb at?" Cindal asked.

Tillery clarified, "Under the desk in my bureau in there."

"And was there only one?" I asked. This was important. We were uncomfortably close to the building.

A woman I did not know but who was dressed to suggest a member of a religious order muttered, "Probably somebody else he almost ran over."

"Miss Mistwood," answered Tillery, "I check the spot I landed a second before coming down. Are you saying you didn't hear the car 20 feet away?"

Miss Mistwood sighed, "What are you suggesting? That I dove under your vehicle?"

"Any idea who?" asked Cindal.

"Oh, I have an idea," Tillery said darkly and he looked at me significantly.

Cindal continued. "I would be happy to hear that idea sometime...Mr....?"

"Woodhen," said Tillery.

"Mr. Woodhen," said Cindal.

"You are fortunate indeed Mr. Woodhen," I added.

Joan al Jafar looked at the Tillery and Miss Mistwood. "If this case is going to appear in my court I will have to remove myself from this scene. I have been burned like this before."

"No need, Magistrate," said Miss Mistwood "I feel unwell as it is. I shall go." She looked around at the crowd, nodded to the Magistrate, and departed towards House Bondar.

"Who will be in charge of this investigation?" I asked out loud.

Reiko looked at the me. "The Magistrate, of course." she replied. "Why did you ask?" she added with a whisper.

Joan al Jafar smiled at Reiko. "With the help of House Morloch I assume?"

Reiko accepted the honour with a little bow, "I would be honored, Magistrate."

"You have been involved in this case so far," continued the Magistrate "And your House does have the expertise I need."

"House Morloch will function as if you were the Head...in this case," added Reiko.

"Thank you Reiko," answered Joan "I must go and meet with the bomb squad and secure the evidence."

"I would respectfully suggest checking for second device," I insisted, "It is common practice to detonate a delayed device once rescue attempts are made after the first blast."

"Thank you," replied Reiko "but both devices have been removed by the bomb squad."

"You sure that was all of them," pressed Cindal.

"My team deactivated two devices," said the Magistrate, "The area is secure."

I nodded.

Cindal spoke up, "No disrespect to anyone, but anyone could be responsible, and you don't have access to everywhere."

Reiko turned to face me. "I will speak with you further, shortly. Please do not leave."

"Gladly Lady Reiko," I replied.

She raised her chin. "I am Lady Soyinka, stranger."

Ooops.

The Magistrate nodded to the crowd. "I will take my leave now." Then tapping Tillery's chair she added. "and we will speak more of Lord Faith." With that she departed.

Cindal waved "Oh and I'm Cindal....sorry I didn't mean to stay so mysterious..."

"Miss Flux, I remember you," said Lady Soyinka.

"I don't think we've met before," remarked Tillery.

"Editor," explained Lady Soyinka, "Miss Flux has a little mystery of her own, about which I spoke with you."

The tall companion, who had remained silent yet attentive all this time, nodded to Lady Soyinka.

"I'd need a reminder of the details," added Tillery.

"We have met before Lady Soyinka... briefly...at the Keep," I reminded her.

"At the Keep?" asked Reiko Soyinka

I continued, "You were speaking with Commander Faith and Lady Bondar."

Tillery grunted when I mentioned those two.

"May I ask what you were wearing, at the time?" Lady Soyinka inquired.

"I was in these clothes," I said.

"Ah, the messenger," she struggled to remember.

"I was petitioning the Magistrate on a judicial matter," I elaborated.

"Yes, I do remember, now," said Lady Soyinka "It is still not appropriate to use my given name."

"My apologizes," I replied humbly.

Meanwhile, Cindal was speaking with Tillery. "Once your criminal has found out he or she has failed they will try again, unless those were decoys," she remarked.

"Oh, I think this is just the beginning," he replied.

"So do I," she agreed, "And I don't think we should sit around for the ending."

Lady Soyinka turned her attention to the pair, "Editor, regarding Miss flux...I asked you about two murders. If such had been reported..."

"That's right," Tillery recalled "I wasn't able to find any information."

"Thank you," answered Lady Soyinka and then to Cindal she said, "I am sorry, Miss Flux."

"That is a shame," added the tall companion.

Cindal adjusted her breather mask "It's fine....if my mother was alive she would come find me....but I think she's dead.... father is definitely dead...and in a way....I hope he suffered..." She tightened her cloak around herself.

Reiko Soyinka flashed a smile at the pavings.

"Editor, do you still have your transport available?" asked Lady Soyinka.

"On planet transport or space?" asked Tillery.

"Space."

"I do," he answered.

"I suggest you do not use the housing you rented...for tonight...until the UXB checks it out," she said.

"I wasn't planning too," said Tillery "I just like to check on my offices on a regular basis."

"I will guarantee that your offices will not be bothered again," she stated.

That was a dangerous thing to guarantee I thought. Things were likely to heat up between Tillery Woodhen and William Faith.

"Evening, ladies, Till... What's all the ruckus?" It was Dex Argent.

"Someone tried to bomb me," declared Tillery.

"Bomb? Why in the 'Verse would anyone do that?" asked Dex.

"That's a long story," said Tillery.

"'Cause someone doesn't like us," blurted out Cindal.

"Doesn't like me, specifically," explained Tillery.

"Details in the next edition, then?" asked Dex.

Tillery Woodhen looks up at me. "You do realize the gloves come off now."

"I'd be hard pressed to find someone who didn't like you, Till," remarked Dex.

"They exist," said Tillery.

"You will need to register your .... the matter with the Magistrate," I said. I wanted to avoid the term vendetta in front of others. "The forms must be obeyed," I added.

The tall companion nodded in agreement.

"Mr. Woodhen what do you do?" asked Cindal.

"I run the CNS Corp," he said simply.

"Then that's why.." Cindal began.

Lady Soyinka chimed in, "From his previous displays of temper, I would guess that he has irritated a few..."

"...they ain't like'n how you print the truth..." Cindal said.

Dex Argent snickered.

"Ms. Soyinka," explained Tillery "I only lose my temper when provoked."

"...if you print the truth," added Cindal

"So it is with all humans, Editor." Lady Soyinka said definitively.

The tall companion chuckled "I do believe someone is trying to provoke you, Tillery."

"...or kill you," I amended.

Dex nodded. "They may well have succeeded."

"I know." replied Tillery "And I don't plan to just sit and wait."

"This is the second time in my acquaintance with you, Editor, that I have seen you NOT lose your temper," said Lady Soyinka "It perplexes me.

"Because the person provoking me isn't here," Tillery explained.

"Lady Soyinka... did you have questions for me?" I inquired.

"Yes, we shall retire to the coffee shop...Please come with me."

"Of course," I replied.

Lynx looked at me. I did not acknowledge him. If there was a chance that the bomber was watching the crowd, it was safer for him that way.