Shadow of the Chimera (Reckless Faith VII), Chapter 4

Spoiler alert: This is a new entry for the 7th book in the Reckless Faith series. You may find the prologue here: https://devonai.wordpress.com/2022/12/15/reckless-faith-vii-prologue/

Reveki Kitsune and Cane Venator stood on the east side of a wide boulevard in the City of the Swan, facing the Temple of the Acolytes. It was dusk by the asteroid’s clock, and the street behind them hummed with vehicles, bicycles, and foot traffic as the citizens reached the end of their work day and sought to reach home, food, or an adult beverage. On the surface, not much had changed for most residents of the asteroid after so much recent turmoil, though a visitor only needed to strike up a conversation with a passer-by to hear their opinion on the current state of affairs. Though the two visitors had played a critical role in the transformation of the Swan’s government, by sight nobody knew who they were. That fact worked in their benefit for their short trip from the asteroid’s massive hangar to the temple, otherwise they might be interrupted by any number of curious folks.

Vecky was reluctant to take on the task requested of her by the crew of the Reckless Faith, but considering her own ship was still waiting for a lucrative job to take them elsewhere, she could hardly decline. Though she and Cane hadn’t been to this particular neighborhood before, it matched what Arianna Ferro had told them about her adventures there some months prior. They had done the courtesy of reaching out to Fench’est Dann, who presumably waited for them inside. The pair crossed the sidewalk and entered the building through its enormous hardwood doors.

The interior was empty, save for the chief acolyte, who stood behind a long counter, wearing an expression of disinterest. They looked around, noticing little of interest, save for the architecture, which was reminiscent of a government building whose glory had long since passed. The man they had come to see was wearing drab gray clothing, unlike the crimson robe and purple sash they were expecting.

“Chief Acolyte Dann,” began Vecky, “thank you for seeing us on such short notice.”

Dann shrugged. “Sure. Welcome to the hallowed halls of a failed religion. They’re thinking of repurposing this building into a small set of apartments, what do you think?”

“That would be a shame. Perhaps a museum to commemorate the faith that was held for so long would be more appropriate?”

“That would be lovely, if there was anyone here who cared to advocate for it. As it stands, you’d find more support for the remembrance of the ashes of a bonfire, which is all that’s left. The only reason I’m still here is because they keep paying my salary, probably out of sympathy. All of the other acolytes, who were always volunteers, have left for greener pastures. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d ever come back to this place. I would have preferred to meet you at a public house with an ample supply of strong ale.”

“It’s not too late for that,” said Cane.

“Tell me why you’re here first. Then I’ll be happy to find the bottom of a glass with you.”

Vecky took a few minutes to tell Dann what she knew about the situation at Sadal Biham, then waited several seconds as he mulled it over.

“So,” she said. “They want me to try to contact Aquila, and I thought I could use your help.”

Dann raised his eyebrows, the first expression of emotion that he’d displayed since they walked in. “Me? I served his enemy, Cygnus. Why would he want to talk to me?”

“My idea is that we meditate together. Perhaps he’ll be curious as to why you’re participating. Considering the capriciousness of these beings, the more novel the situation, the more likely it will be that he’ll respond.”

Dann nodded morosely. “I guess that makes sense. I’ve got nothing but time, I suppose I’ll humor you. I do have to ask you, though, do you think Aquila is responsible for the appearance of these Chimera things?”

“I don’t know. Maybe. What his interest might be in Sadal Biham is also unknown.”

“Aren’t the Terrans worried that Aquila could retaliate against them if they start mucking about in his affairs?”

“They were able to replicate the intercept device that the CLF invented. They have one on their ships and a network of them protecting their home planet. So they’re at least safe from abductions, should Aquila want to use that tactic.”

“Bravo for them, then. Anyway, are you ready to try some meditation? I have a chamber back here intended for that purpose.”

“Yes. Cane, I assume you’re going to want to wait at a pub or restaurant?”

“Sure. I’ll be at the Cygnet Café.”

Cane nodded at Dann, and exited back to the street. Dann gestured for Vecky to follow him. They entered a small room just off the main area. It was a cozy space, with faded tapestries on the walls, and stained-glass windows comprised of random shapes of brown, green, and red ochre. There were also empty spots on the wall where the stone was of a lighter shade, as if something had hung there for a long time before being recently removed. On the floor were a dark green rug and a few piles of large, purple velvet pillows. A small table in the corner bore an oil lamp and an incense burner, neither of which were lit.

Dann grabbed a pillow and sat cross-legged on it, facing the windows. “Make yourself comfortable.”

Vecky did the same, adjusting the pillow several times until it was centered beneath her. She closed her eyes and tried to clear her mind. Though it was irrational to do so, she couldn’t help but resent the crew of the Reckless Faith, particularly John, for asking her to contact Aquila. She had hoped that part of her life was done for good, and she hated being obligated to a task that probably had nothing to do with her or the Fox. Still, she could hardly refuse such a simple request from her friends.

Her thoughts began to dwell on Cane. Though his personality was mostly the same, Vecky could tell he hadn’t gotten over the loss of Talyn, and despite his commitment to her, she sensed he was bored with the life of a typical freelancer. While it was possible that they might find trouble out there anyway, it was a mundane existence compared to kicking around the galaxy with the Faith. It would not surprise her if he requested to transfer to the Faith or their companion ship to investigate the new mystery that had presented itself.

Her mind wandered to routine matters, including the fact that so far nobody in the Dellal system had posted so much as a simple transport mission. If there was to be any work, it seemed they’d have to look for more fertile ground. Random thoughts pushed their way through, and the next thing she knew, she was somewhere else.

She sat on the veranda at the Cygnus Café, which appeared exactly as it had fifteen minutes ago when she and Cane walked past it, save for the complete lack of any customers or traffic on the street. Across from her sat Aquila, in the guise of Daimyo Yurishi, the same avatar he’d chosen the last time they’d spoken. As before, his expression was inscrutable, and he said nothing, only grabbing a cup of tea and taking a sip. Vecky imagined a tall glass of bourbon, and such a thing appeared before her. She took a long draught, and was surprised to find that it tasted nothing like the Terran beverage she was expecting. Regardless, she felt buzzed almost immediately.

“Thank you for speaking with me,” she said, the imaginary alcohol stinging her tongue.

“Our business has concluded,” said Aquila-Yurishi.

“I know. Something else has come up. What do you know about Sadal Biham?”

“The Lucky Star of the Young Beasts? It is the ancestral home of the Veltflüchter.”

“Wh… what?”

“A young race, though older than yours.”

“What has become of them?”

“They swim like minnows around our ankles.”

Vecky tried to push past the haze that she felt enveloping her mind. “Are you allies?”

“No more than you are allies with the small beings in your gut.”

“Bacteria? I don’t understand.”

“They share our realm, but are harmless.”

“So you’re indifferent to them.”

“We do not give them a second thought.”

“How might a corporeal being defend themselves against them?”

Aquila seemed to ponder that, and again sipped from his mug. “Only the acolytes possess a thing that affects them. I gave one to you as a gift.”

“What is it?”

The sound of breaking glass wrenched Vecky away, and she stood up in shock. In the meditation room, one of the windows had just been shattered, and two native Dellalians stood laughing in the doorway. Dann leapt to his feet, and shoved them out.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” he asked.

“Fuck you, you fool,” one of them said. “Still praying to a false god! This temple should be torn down.”

Vecky drew her pistol, and whacked the man in the side of the head with it. He collapsed, and then scurried out on his hands and knees. She and Dann followed the pair as they ran for the street. Dann sighed.

“They’re drunk, let them go,” he said.

“Has it been like this since Cygnus died?”

Dann looked back at the broken window. “Many revile what our religion once was. This is the first time anyone has resorted to physical violence.”

“Even if the new coalition sees you as a relic, they can’t possibly tolerate this kind of behavior.”

Dann shrugged. “Of course not, but this is no different from any other petty crime. Captain Kitsune, I’m tired of maintaining this façade, salary or not. Perhaps those two cads are right, after all. I represent an altar of lies.”

Vecky put her hand on his shoulder. “I’m sorry. It looks like it may be time to shutter this place. I would only hope that the coalition offers you enough compensation for you to start over elsewhere.”

“I’ve been a coward waiting as long as I have. Would you offer me passage off the Swan? I’m through with pretending I have a place here.”

“If that’s what you want, we’ll take you as far as Primus, Secundus, or Matesia.”

A few tears escaped his eyes. “I’d appreciate that. Even Aquila is without sympathy for me. Did he talk to you?”

Vecky nodded. “In riddles, as usual, but yes. I have a few tidbits to relay to the Reckless Faith, if they know what to make of them.”

__________

Evangeline and Christie stood in the stately lobby of the Library of Xanthos, a massive stone building in a style reminiscent of ancient Greek architecture. It had only taken them ten minutes to walk there from the Reckless Faith, a quick trip that proved the locals had no interest in them as otherwise unidentifiable humanoids. The library stood out against the other buildings in the area, which were thoroughly modern skyscrapers.

The lobby was only separated from the three-story atrium of bookshelves by a long wooden desk, behind which sat a Lycian man with a black beard. He glanced at them before returning attention to his PDA. They approached, their footfalls echoing through the large space.

“Good afternoon,” said Eva.

“Uh huh,” came the reply.

“We’re looking for some information on the history of Sadal Biham, through antiquity to today,” said Christie. “Since the planetary ‘net was hosted on servers there, we’ve found precious little information online. We’re hoping we can do this the old-fashioned way.”

He accessed a console to his right, and poked at it for a few seconds. “There are three books here that fit that description, with the most recent one published ten years ago.”

“That will be fine,” said Eva.

He took out a pen and paper, and wrote some symbols on it. Christie accepted it.

“Level two, row eight, section five,” she read aloud.

“That’s right,” said the man.

An iron spiral staircase to their left was the most obvious way to get to the second floor, so the pair climbed it and began walking toward the back. At the far end of the atrium, they could see a reading area with desks and chairs. Christie led the way until they reached the section of shelves they wanted. Locating the book, a thick hardcover tome, she grabbed it and looked at the dust jacket.

“This should do. Do you want to find some seats?”

“Sure.”

They walked to the end of the shelves, descended another spiral staircase, and settled into two high-backed leather chairs.

“This could take a while.”

“I’ll shut up, then.”

Christie shrugged. “You can talk to me if you want, you won’t distract me. One of the benefits of having an android brain.”

Opening the book, she began turning pages. As she progressed, she increased her speed until she was only looking at each page for a fraction of a second.

“You’d think there’d be more spacers hanging out here, having been stuck on the ground for so long.”

Christie gestured at a page. “I doubt many of them can read the local language.”

“Ah. Good point. Well, this place probably has some old movies or something.”

“This is interesting.” Christie paused and turned to Eva. “According to this, there’s extensive evidence that the Bihamians are a second-generation civilization. Archaeological digs over the past two hundred years have unearthed artefacts of another humanoid species that is estimated to have lived there a hundred thousand years ago. This includes metallic fragments composed of what we could consider modern alloys, and even a concrete bunker containing remnants of radioactive waste. They would seem to have been as advanced as Earth, at least until Seth showed up.”

“Wow. Any historical records?”

“The bunker had a sign on it, presumably a warning, but no one has ever been able to translate it. There’s simply no continuation of their language from then to modern day, and nothing like a Rosetta Stone to help them.”

“What about DNA?”

Christie continued reading. “Curiously, there were never any bones discovered that couldn’t be attributed to extinct fauna already known about. There’s no evidence of what happened to them, although there are plenty of theories. Galactic diaspora is one, though it is rather convenient.”

“Maybe they’ve returned after all these years, in the form of the Chimeras.”

“It’s possible. It would explain why they’ve cordoned off the planet, if they see the modern-day Bihamians as their children.”

Eva furrowed her brow. “Maybe, but they’ve already spread throughout this region of space. Why protect the children if they’ve already achieved the same thing as their parents? I mean, at least as far as leaving the planet. Did they independently invent FTL travel?”

Christie flipped forward to the latter third of the book. “Give me a minute.”

Eva spotted a vending machine in an alcove, and went to investigate it. After a few minutes, she managed to get her PDA to interface with it, and bought herself a hot beverage. She returned to the chairs, blowing steam from the top of the paper cup, and sat back down.

“This tastes like Postum. Y’ever have Postum?”

“No, what are you, like seventy? So to answer your question, the modern Bihamians didn’t invent FTL technology on their own. It was given to them by their first visitors from outside the solar system, the Primarians, about a hundred and fifty years ago. Though, they had explored the solar system with sub-light spacecraft, and set foot on Lycia. I guess the Primarians thought they were ready.”

“Perhaps the Chimeras disagree.”

“Indeed.”

John’s voice came through on their earpieces. “Adeler, Tolliver, this is Scherer.”

“Go ahead,” replied Eva.

“Captain Kitsune was able to get some information for us out of Aquila. How’s it going on your end?”

“I think we have what we need,” said Christie. “I might as well finish this book, if you’re not in a hurry. I should be done in about ten minutes.”

“That’s fine, take your time. We’ll talk when you get back. Scherer out.”