The Path of Andromeda (RF IX), Chapter 13
Spoiler alert: This is the first draft of the ninth book in the Reckless Faith series, now with the working title of The Path of Andromeda. You can start with the prologue here: https://devonai.wordpress.com/2024/10/17/reckless-faith-ix-prologue/
Ten days had gone by since the Reckless Faith and the Antares had said goodbye to the Flying Serpent, and moved themselves to a high orbit around Ibnal’saffar. There, they had waited for the arrival of the Fox and, for the time being, resisted any urge to land on the planet. What they did allow themselves to do was conduct extensive scans of its surface, and while they had hoped the results would give them a better idea of the history of the planet, as well as its ultimate fate, such answers remained elusive. Any further action would have to wait until the arrival of the third member of their small flight.
For the crew of the Faith in particular, this extended downtime was most welcome. For those members who were unwittingly cast into exile, though the amenities aboard the ill-fated Tempest had provided a modicum of comfort, nothing could compare to those offered by their own home. For their newest arrival, trust had been extended in careful measure, until Helena’s overall attitude could be relied upon. As such, she had been gradually awarded more freedom on the Faith, ultimately earning the right to be treated as a full equal.
Unfortunately for her, this meant being moved from John’s quarters to the cargo hold, which had long since been converted into an ad hoc bunkhouse. At some point, she might be transferred to the Antares, which had ample space; but for now, her hosts preferred to keep her somewhere they could keep a close eye on her, a fact of which Helena was keenly aware.
There had also been much discussed with the crew of the Antares, mostly regarding what had happened at Tartarus and Fuyue’s mysterious resurrection. No one, with the possible exception of Fuyue, was happy to learn that Verisimilitude Android Designs had apparently stolen the specs for an Umberian quantum orb. A visit to that business was planned, to have a friendly chat about it, but that would have to wait until later. Also on the back burner were concerns about the rumors of Rakhar involvement in the affairs of Matesia, something that would have to be investigated eventually.
On that day, in the galley, the crew enjoyed a leisurely lunch, while at the same time being excited about the imminent arrival of the Fox. The only other thing that they were waiting for were the results of Helena’s brain scan. Though it had not been easy to convince her to agree to it, her concerns about the vivid dreams of a being that called itself Andromeda eventually won her over. Evangeline and Reveki, in particular, had put forth a compelling argument that such a scan might reveal details that even Helena herself might have overlooked. Whether or not any of that would prove to be useful remained to be seen. And so, twelve hours earlier, Helena had taken a deep breath, and placed her hand on the side of the orb at the center of the ship. Then, Ari had sequestered herself on the bridge to analyze the data.
In the galley, every available seat was taken, including the stools at the bar. Six of the crew were seated at the table in the center of the room, alternating between forkfuls of food and playing yet another session of Texas Hold ‘Em. Ari came down the stairs from the top deck, and got their attention. Helena, seated at the bar, glanced over at her, but returned her gaze to her plate of spaghetti and glass of beer.
“Got something?” John asked Ari.
Ari gestured back upstairs. “Come with me.”
John got up, grabbed his bottle of seltzer, and went with Ari up the stairs to the lounge area. Friday appeared a moment later, and jumped onto the coffee table.
“You don’t want anyone else here for this?” John asked Ari.
“I didn’t want to freak her out. We can discuss it with everyone else later.”
John sat on the couch. “All right then, whatcha got?”
“Bottom line up front, everything that Helena told us about her past is true. Obviously there’s a lot more to her than she told us, but those details can remain hers to reveal if she chooses. As far as her contact with the Kira’To, she did have memories of talking to Cygnus, and brain wave activity at that time confirms that those conversations were real. That’s where things get tricky.” Ari sat down across from John, and leaned forward. “We did find hundreds of memories of dreams of her talking with a, uh, I guess you could say avatar, of someone she believed was a Kira’To named Andromeda. But brain wave activity shows that they were, in fact, just dreams. If a Kira’To with that name actually exists, the evidence shows that it never actually contacted Helena.”
John sat back, and let out a long breath. “Damn. Wow. I don’t even know how to respond to that.”
“It’s tricky, for sure. Considering how she’s dealing with these dreams, if I was a psychologist, I’d diagnose her with full-blown psychosis. So my recommendation, for now, is to keep this info to ourselves. Trying to convince her that it’s all in her head, no matter how much evidence we have to show her, could result in a complete psychological break.”
“Yeah, but she also believes that there’s something important to be found on Ibnal’saffar. She claimed she got that info from Andromeda. If it was just a dream, then where did she actually get it from?”
“Hold on.” Ari looked at the ceiling for several seconds. “Okay. So when Helena first arrived on Kuisu, she was staying in a place like a hostel. She was having breakfast in a common room, and there was a program on a wall-mounted monitor that she was kind of half paying attention to. Do you remember the show Unsolved Mysteries?”
“Of course.”
“It was sort of like that, except it was talking about mysteries surrounding abandoned planets. There were a bunch mentioned in this part of the galaxy; if we get super bored some day I suppose we can go check them out. But it also mentioned, however briefly, Ibnal’saffar, and the Kira’To. Now, even with full access to someone’s memories, it can be difficult for us to understand exactly how information is processed and stored. Her memories immediately after overhearing that tidbit are of a guidebook to Kuisu that she was reading on her PDA, which strongly suggests that while she heard and remembered that tidbit, she didn’t consciously process it. The next time it comes up is the first dream she has about Andromeda.”
“Woah. Fascinating. The problem, though, is that that program was actually right. If we take Helena to the mountain temple, or find any other evidence of former Kira’To activity down there, then it will only feed into her psychosis. Who knows how she’s going to react?”
“That’s an excellent question. I have no idea. We’ll have to gather our leadership together and talk about it, soon.”
“Very soon. She’s going to insist on coming with us.”
Friday stood up, and jumped off the table. “The Fox is here!”
“Ah, yes,” said Ari. “It is.”
The trio went to the bridge via the conference room, and Friday immediately opened a channel to the Fox. Its bridge appeared on the main screen. They were greeted by Milena Zukova, Ikari, and Jim Penrose.
“It’s good to see everyone again,” began John. “I hope your journey here was uneventful.”
“It’s good to see you too, Commander,” said Milena. It’s been a bit boring. Fortunately, the Fox is a fine ship to spend time on.”
“Glad to hear it,” said Ari. “Did you have a chance to read the report I sent you yesterday?”
“We did. We have a lot to talk about. First, I’m sure Captain Kitsune and Mister Venator are just bursting at the seams to get back to their ship. Are they on the Faith right now?”
“Yes, we’ll let her know. Friday will help you get docked. We’ll see you soon.”
The transmission ended, returning their view to the beautiful blue-green globe of Ibnal’saffar off their port side. John and Ari made their way back to the galley, and shared the news with everyone. Vecky leaped out of her seat and ran upstairs with a joyful shout. Cane stood up and finished his beer.
“All my stuff better still be in my room,” he said.
_____
Penrose stood above a sink in the Fox’s medical bay, washing his hands after a simple, and successful, surgery. When Vecky and Cane had boarded the Fox, Penrose had waited patiently for them to greet their old friends, as well as revisit their quarters, before gently reminding Vecky that he really needed to evaluate her gunshot injury from earlier. Though Vecky had agreed to this, she still made her stalwart surgeon wait for her to walk every inch of the Fox, from stem to stern, before finally meeting him in the medical bay.
There, after removing her bandage, Penrose discovered a wound in desperate need of debriding and stitches. And so, after several shots of lidocaine, fifteen sutures, and a prescribed regimen of amoxicillin, he slapped another bandage on her arm and sent an impatient Vecky on her way. Once he was done cleaning up both himself and the bay, he looked at the clock on the wall. He was just in time for the next briefing, which as he understood was in advance of the next long-awaited part of their mission. So, he headed to the bridge.
At the moment he got there, Vecky had just switched places with Milena in the pilot chair. The younger woman settled into the seat with a smile on her face and a barely-audible sigh. Milena joined Ikari at one of the port-side consoles, herself smiling at seeing the rightful commander of the ship take her place after so much time. The other three Eaglites, two men and one woman, remained at their normal stations.
For that trio, though Penrose had tried to find something in common with them, to at least pass the time together, if not become friends, they proved more interested in sparring in the cargo bay with wooden swords and gradually draining the ship’s supply of beer and spirits. In fact, other than gaining a basic understanding of the Fox’s systems, the youngsters had proved to be barely more than a resource-consuming addition to an otherwise competent crew. Though mostly a passive observer during the Fox’s many combat engagements, Penrose nevertheless understood the importance of a crew that could keep the old girl together. In the face of an unknown future, he sincerely hoped that Vecky would take the time to evaluate them fairly.
On the main screen, the vista of the Reckless Faith and the Antares in orbit above Ibnal’saffar changed to a split-screen of the bridges of said ships. Though the entire crews of each ship were gathered there; John Scherer and Wei Zhu Lesath were front and center in frame. John was the first one to speak.
“All right, everyone,” he began, “I’ve heard that most of you have had a chance to read the report that we prepared about our time apart, and what we’ve learned about Ibnal’saffar. Just so that everyone is on the same page, I’d like to summarize our findings about the planet before we venture back to the surface. Any objections?”
“Go for it,” said Milena.
“Cool. So, after our liberation from the Flying Serpent, the Faith and the Antares conducted extensive scans of the surface of Ibnal’saffar. The findings were that the planet was once home to an advanced civilization, most likely space-faring, with several large city-centers interspersed throughout the globe. At some point, according to radionuclide readings at the rather obvious ruins of said cities, between four hundred and several thousand years ago, someone or something nuked the shit out of them. However, a distinct lack of fission daughter isotopes anywhere else on the planet makes it unclear what type of weapon was used. Certainly not any conventional device that any of us are familiar with.
“This would all be nothing more than a curiosity if not for the Kira’To temple that we found upon our arrival here. So far, we have no idea who created it or why. We would like to study it further and, while that’s a simple enough task, there is also the matter of the extensive underground tunnels and/or facilities our scans have revealed under each of the dead cities. Though answers may be found there, it does beg the question of whether or not such expeditions are worth our time. There are also concerns about recent Rakhar activity in the Vulpecula systems, which would be worth keeping an eye on.”
“That’s an understatement,” said Ikari.
“Indeed. So we have to decide, collectively, what to do next. Let’s start with our captains. Thoughts?”
Lesath said, “Kheiron brought us here for a reason. If the answer to what that is doesn’t lie below, then there may be clues to point us somewhere else. My vote is to stay here for however many days or weeks it takes to investigate that possibility; within reason, of course.”
Vecky stood up, and put her hands together behind her back, as if addressing a room full of diplomats. “With all due respect, Captain Lesath, I disagree. We will inspect the temple further, for sure, but I’ve just about had enough of crawling through ancient dungeons in search of secrets that were buried for good reason. Commander Scherer is right; after speaking with Commander Ikari and Miss Adeler about recent developments in the Primarian system, our attention to that region of space should be our priority. And that’s not just speaking as someone with a personal attachment to it. We have a huge advantage in experience and contacts there versus a newcomer, and it would be foolish to remain absent for long, lest that advantage evaporate.
“There’s also the matter of our dear Master Fuyue and his rather unexpected acquisition of an Umberian brain. While it did result in a convenient receptacle for Kheiron to deposit his mind into, the mere fact that Verisimilitude Android Designs came into possession of the schematics for an orb should be something we’re far more concerned with than… well, than we seem to be. Am I wrong?”
“No, you’re not,” replied John. “I agree with Ferro that the only way they could’ve gotten it, other than traveling to Umber itself, is some sort of spyware, or software exploit, installed into Christie’s android body without our knowledge. While Fuyue escaped, it’s still possible they would share that info with others, including our enemies. I think a visit to them is in order.”
“We’s is gonna break some kneecaps,” said Richter.
Vecky sat down, and said, “It seems like the best plan is for the Fox to return to the Primarian system and pursue our goals there. That’s twelve days’ transit time for the Fox. That should be plenty of time for the Faith and the Antares to explore the planet, then link up with us at home.”
“I’m not thrilled with the idea of splitting up our firepower again,” said John. “But if we encounter something we can’t handle, we can always just get the hell out of here and resolve to come back later.”
“Then it’s decided,” said Lesath.
“It seems so, unless there’s something we missed. Anyone else got anything?”
“It’s evening by the Fox’s time,” said Vecky. “We’ll depart in twelve hours. Anyone who wants to come with us, you’ve got until then to board.”
“We’ll let you know.”
The Faith and the Antares both terminated their transmissions. Vecky turned to look at the others.
“I hope none of you felt reluctant to speak. If you’d rather stay here, that’s perfectly fine with me.”
“You know I’m going,” said Cane. “I’m itching to get back to my old neighborhood and beat some bushes.”
Ikari grunted. “You’re only saying that because you’ve got all of us backing you up. Though I suppose I can’t deny that you know the underbellies of Secundus and Matesia better than any of us.”
“I’m kind of a big deal.”
“Shut up,” said Vecky, smiling. “You were right there with us being useless on Ibnal’saffar for six weeks. If anybody here is a big deal right now, it’s Commander Ikari. He’s got the latest intelligence on the situation back home.”
“Indeed,” began Ikari, “we have a lot to talk about, Captain. You’re right that our attention should be focused on what the Rakhar are doing, or at least, trying to do, back there. In fact, I’m honestly disappointed that Captain Lesath and Commander Scherer would rather spend their time chasing ghosts than immediately support our mission. I would have thought they’d be more concerned about Rakhar incursions after what happened at Eniph.”
“Though I’d like to have them with us sooner, if there are clues about the history of the Kira’To down there, it’s worth checking out. You can’t blame them for that. I do hope Evangeline decides to come with us. I miss her.”
Cane said, “I wouldn’t count on it, with her and Richter having been apart for so long. Maybe both of them will come with us, I don’t know. We could at least extend the offer.”
“Miss Adeler is a formidable ally,” said Ikari. “Her skill with a blade is matched only by her intuition.”
“May I remind you all,” began Penrose, “that I can only operate on one person at a time.”
