The afternoon light flows in through the tall, narrow window. It falls an a tableau of a Karnor and a Karnor-Vartan hybrid, sitting across from the desk of a red-haired, teenaged Captain-Astromancer. In the corner, a Savanite secretary sorts paperwork, appearing oblivious to the conversation going on.
"Actually, I may have been overstating things," Tahir Archelaus, the current Astromancer, notes. "I only have some of Henry Cannan's memories, and those are from before the mutiny of course. You've recovered Expedition technology; do you know of the PersoCom system?"
Tasha had been locked in awe of the Captain-Astromancer before; his revelation has only served to increase her startlement, her eyes wide. "The PersoCom? That's ... That is, y-yes, we know of it. I've been subject to it myself, s-sir," she answers, the last part more forward than she would have liked. When she came to the Temple, a part of her mind never took it seriously. To this part, her whole adventures since leaving The Rake had been a dream -- an impossible future that was too strange and wonderful tobe real. All of that came crashing down when she was called to the Bridge. On top of the immense anxiety and fear of entering in to Rephidim's center of government -- a place only spoken of in whisper by most, and never seen -- Tasha suffered the complete breakdown of her reality bubble. Suddenly, where she was and where she was going was all to stark; a nearly unbearable epiphany cloake in all the fear and insecurity of her old life.
"The Temple is.. very old, as I'm sure you're aware," Tahir explains. "The memory systems have degraded from constant use and the effects of quantum uncertainty. So when a new Astromancer needed to be created, they chose the memory of Tahir Archelaus, a rather bookish and mild-mannered diplomat. There were gaps, however. So they were filled in with the memories of someone who was a bit brasher and more technologically experienced: Henry Cannan. His memories are from before the mutiny, but Tahir's are from after it. It was.. very awkward for me to come to terms with, as you might imagine: having two very different personality fragments, one of which despised the other."
As she listens, Tasha ears perk and the young woman finds hrself leaning forward. By the time the Captain Astromancer finishes, it's obvious that he has her full and undivided attention. Her anxiety has been pushed aside in the face of a new realization: that she and the Captain-Astromancer have something more than age in common.
After a blinking as she realizes the connection, Tasha leans forward and exclaims, "No ... no I understand, sir! I understand completely! I have the same problem!"
Tahir's red eyebrows go up in surprise. "You have implanted memories? I didn't know that was possible with someone who wasn't a blank slate."
"She's young and malleable still, sir," Gabriel offers.
"It was an emergency procedure," Tasha explains, clearly starting to shed some of her anxiety as she fixates on a common problem. "I was intubated by the automated systems of a ship which confused me for someone else: I have the implanted knowledge and partial memories of Lieutenant Commander Nora Argentine."
"Nora?" Tahir asks, blinking in surprise. "The Karnor Elite?"
"That's right. She ... She didn't survive the hours after planetfall. The system was still waiting for her. I had found her holotags and had them on my person when the system ambushed me and forced me in to the tank. I was then confronted by her PersoCom self -- that was the moment I first learned of the true history of the Expedition, and a great deal else as well. But, you see, sir ... " Tasha takes in a breath, suddenly looking away, ears lowering. "I'm sure Nora would despise me. She fought hard for what she had. I was given her memories and ... Other things. Every day I think about it, and every day I feel guilty. To her, I was just a ... Silly little girl." Her gaze flicks back, and for the the first time she offers a smile, however bare and embarassed. "It's part of the reason I recreated the JEF."
"I remember seeing the Elite at a reception, before the launch," Tahir says, then frowns. "The details aren't that clear, and I'm not sure whose memory it is anymore. They were very impressive. But.. you're here for Cannan's memories, I imagine, not nostalgic musings from a previous life. What did you want to know?"
Tasha's ears flick as she leans back, her head tilting. She considers the question a moment, then asks, "Well, the first thing I'd like to know is: why? Why did Henry Cannan throw so much away, end so many lives and trap us all here? What was he afraid of?"
"Henry was a man in love with technology," Tahir says. "His memories tell me he was.. afraid.. of losing it all, when it became apparent we would not be able to leave orbit, and that our future was on the planetary surfaces. He would rather risk his life to escape that with the unfinished gateship.. which could have ended up anywhere, or nowhere, once it left. Of course, you are probably aware that the PersoCom cannot scan your memories - you have to show it what you want saved. It's possible that Henry's memories and feelings on this are fabrications to hide his true intent. But then, even living memory isn't something to be trusted. We're all quite capable of deluding ourselves."
"I see," Tasha sayss, her muzzple pursing as she considers the answer. "But I'm sure that can't be the entirety of the situation. That seems like, and pardon my saying so sir, but an afterthought; a symptom of what he had caused rather than the original thought. But, maybe it is correct. That would mean another entity caused us to be trapped here, and he was simply reacting to that entrapment by panicking. A Khattan plan, perhaps. Or a Kampfengruppe plan. Possibly both." Head shaking, Tasha takes a moment before she admits, "For what it's worth, I couldn't imagine leaving behind the technology I now work with, either."
"It wasn't just the technology, it was his way of life," Tahir explains. "The rest of the mutiny.. I don't know if was coordinated, or if Henry was just the trigger. His claims of our presence dooming our homeworlds.. seemed very out of character for him. Or else his entire personality was a fiction, a mask to cover his motives. I, for one, doubt conspiracies when there is a simpler explanation. Even here in the Temple, there are fewer conspiracies than what everyone else suspects."
Tasha nods slowly, but then motes, "I've found the opposite to be true. In a sense, our whole way of life is a fiction, and there was much concealed within the motivations of the Fleet -- something I am trying to get to the bottom of. Which brings me to the Markers; did Cannan or Archelaus know anything about them? Does the Temple know their whereabouts?"
"As a diplomat, I traveled between the flagships of the Fleet fairly often, usually as a courier. I've no idea what I was transporting between them though," Tahir notes. "The engineers of every ship where in constant communication when the 'quantum uncertainty' issue proved greater than expected and were working on a solution. As for the Markers.. I saw something, briefly. The Vartans were loading it onto one of the new airships. They were in charge of the efforts to explore the rest of the planet; even though the Ark was grounded, we still had work to do. The oceanographic station had to be dropped into position, and above certain altitudes our transports still worked. The Garudas did not last though. Despite having the simplest systems, they often went down, along with our few Gryphons. The new air fleet used ancient technologies, and the Vartans.. just seemed to know them better. They were key to spreading ourselves across the globe, along with the new people we created. But the Marker they had was t
But the Marker they had was treated as almost a holy object, and went with the ship charged with founding a Vartan colony."
Tasha listens intently; halfway through the answer she reaches for her side, only to frown once she remembers her notepad is elsewhere. "That is very useful information," she decides, reaching hand returning to her lap. "And a great deal of it I wasn't aware of, in particular how the Expedition propigated itself across the globe." She taps her fingers together a moment, head tilting as she considers. "We've each experienced problem with the SPF and our vehicles personally, so I'm not surprised the efforts degraded rapidly. The oceanographic station -- Is that connected to the Paquebots? And that cargo you witnessed, that's a good lead. Do the Temple records show where that particular ship had been heading?"
"Little Rephidim West is built around the research station," Tahir notes, and leans back in his chair (which does not lean back with him, so it looks more like slouching). "Himar. That was where the Vartans decided. They liked the mountains, and the climate. I don't know anything about their homeworld, if they have one, but it's probably mountainous. There was some concern about them being too isolated, at the time - we depended on them nearly as much as we did the Karnors. The other races - aside from the Imperials - just didn't have the strength and stamina to get us through those early days. I don't recall exactly where in Himar the colonies where, just.. in the mountains. Some might be close to where the Red Cliffs are now."
"That should be enough information to proceed, at least." Looking to her mate, she asks, "Do you have any question for the Captain-Astromancer, Captain?"
"Are you sorry you were reborn?" Gabriel asks seriously.
Tahir thinks about this. "I'm not the same person. I'm not that old Tahir. He had his life, and I have a hard time.. relating to it anymore. I'm probably a much better person than he was. So.. while there have been moments where I hated this existence, I do not regret it."
Tasha frowns at the question, but nods a little at the answer. She's had her own battles and self-hate in dealing with her earlier memories, both Nora's and her own. "I have a question," she says, ears swiveling forward. "Why does the Temple conceal our origins and withhold technology from its people? Is it simply the effort of retaining power and control? A matter of policy? Something deeper?"
"Our Technology is all.. legacy. It cannot be replicated anymore. Repair is the focus now. What would be the point of sharing that which cannot reliably be used outside of the Temple? As for origins.. I understand that the story goes that the Ark came from the heavens, and from it spread all the people that populate the world. That's fairly accurate. But perhaps you can answer it better, Tasha: before you learned of all of this, would the truth have mattered or made sense to you? Would it have changed your life?"
"No, it wouldn't have matter. But I wasn't the sort of person who would have cared either way. But I know now that there are people to which that information does matter, and people who do not concern themselves with history may find it in themselves to change, as I did. While there may be little impact, there would be impact. Tiny ripples can create large changes, and impossible dreams may some day be possible -- but they will never exist without the knowledge that gives birth to them. The future is not always clear to us, and small dreams may become large. Knowledge changed my life, and while maybe I'm one of the few, I have accomplished great things. I know there must be others who would so so as well, but first they must have the dream. It is for this reason and my belief in the ability of people that I believe the truth should be provided," Tasha answers, finally beginning to sound like her usual self. The answer sounds practiced, but there's an undercurrent of fire, both in her voice, and in her
eyes. "I do recognize that some information is dangerous, while other information is useless -- at least to us. But not to everyone. For the former, safety must be balanced with honesty."
"Besides," Tasha adds, pausing to exhale and think. "It does the people of the Expedition a disservice to hide who they were, and what they died for."
"I'd agree, but.. there are things that I cannot change," Tahir notes, a bit neutrally. "It was hard enough abolishing slavery. But the simple answer to a complicated situation is this: Rephidim is not alone. The Empire, the Emirate, Babel.. they all have the same past, but not all of them would be happy to present it to everyone. I know in Babel it's there for everyone to see if they make the effort, but the Emirate and Empire have societal reasons for keeping information in the hands of the ruling class. For us to start preaching the past would cause international friction. But really, the information is not secret, it's just not open. Education is still rare here, and we just do not have the resources to teach everyone both the past and the context needed to understand it."
"There's also the issue of worshipping the past, a 'golden era' when we were all as gods," the Astromancer points out. "Why try to build a better future if you know it will never live up to what came before and was lost?"
"Then leave that job to us," Tasha says, her smile much more confident now. "While we're still building, I hope to see the JEF providing education in the future even as we disseminate technology we recover." She then pauses to consider the question, and answers, "There's no rule in life that says the future must be worse than the past. It may not be the same, but it will be something. It may even be better. It is the nature of people to strive for a better life, and, I think, to reach for the stars."
"There are other issues, of course," Tahir notes. "I've seen how the Silent Ones were treated. Imagine if the origins of the Lapis, Rath'ani and others came out? Would they be seen as lesser beings, or as special? Would it make the Temple seem too godlike? These are issues that have been avoided, so far. I think the Temple really just feels it should wait things out. The systems of the Ark won't last forever, clearly, since so many have failed and fallen into disrepair. Maybe it's best that way, too."
"I suppose that we must differ on this subject, then. I am the sort of person who chooses to believe in the future, to give people the knowledge and trust that, while it may be misused, there will come an ever greater good. To do otherwise is, I think, surrendering to stagnation and limiting the potential of life. We must rise up to the challenges before us, not hide from them out of fear." The young woman folds her hands on the table and leans forward. "Even though we may stumble, we will not give up. We will grow to meet our challenges. These are words I live by, and I offer the same to all who follow me, to those who ask, and to the world, freely."
"That may work on Abaddon, where technology as the Expedition knew can still function - but the rules on Sinai are different," Tahir points out. "It's not just technology, it's physics. The laws of the universe are different here, and can only be learned without having to unlearn what we could teach. The future is in the people here developing things on their own, without the legacy of the Expedition actually hindering them with ideas that no longer work here."
"Would magic have been discovered otherwise?" the Astromancer ponders.
"That's fine," Tasha a conceeds. "It's admirable, even. But we won't be here forever. There will be people who, born here, chose to leave. Like me." She purses her muzzle at the question, thinking, then offers, "One knowledge does not preclude another, even if a third must be invented to bridge the gap. In fact, I would say it is because we understood -- however incomplete -- the nature of the external universe that were were able to realize the significance of these worlds."
"Is that Nora speaking or yourself?" Tahir asks.
"She is me, and I am her -- and we are," Tasha answers, smiling.
"What purpose does the Marker serve in the future, then?" the boy asks curiously, leaning forward again.
Tasha arches an eyebrow, answering simply, "It answers questions, and creates many more. A subfaction of Khattans believed it was an important enough question to risk the Markers and not inconsiderable resources to see what that answer would be. You could say I am following in their footsteps." The young woman then raises a hand, forestalling the question she knows will come. "And no, I am not their agent. I have had no contact with the Khattan Trade Coalition of any faction, though I am aware that other agents have visited these worlds. We may even be at odds. It is too early to know."
"So, an millennias-old mystery?" Tahir asks. "Good luck, I suppose. Secret societies aren't known for leaving easily followed trails."
Tasha suddenly barks a laugh. "How true," she agrees.
"Of course, I have to ask you to keep everything I've said in strict confidence," Tahir notes. "However things work out, it would be best if the Temple was not involved."
"If that is the Temple's wish, then we will honor it. We aren't in the habit of betraying those who help us, and that extends to confidential information," Tasha agrees. She then glances to her mate before asking the Captain-Astromancer, "By your request I take it as an indication the Temple may not be interested in our future efforts, either as an associate, contact, or patron? What does that mean for our efforts on this world, when dealing with areas the Temple normally claims authority over? And if other nations are more willing to cooperate?"
"We have not been officially approached by your organization regarding any cooperative activities," Tahir notes, sounding officious. "Is your quest official business of the Joint Expeditionary Force?"
"It can be. Right now we are simply meeting with an informant that has provided us with information and who's name will go unrecorded out of respect for his or her privacy," Tasha answers, settling in to her own tone of business. "However, we can switch crew and move on to more official business." Looking to her mate, the young woman asks, "Captain, are you ready to move on to official business, or do you have any more questions?"
"Well, that depends," Gabriel says. "We haven't filed the paperwork for official business yet. And I don't think a private interview with the Captain-Astromancer would be considered following the chain of bureaucracy. Also.. we don't have any official business yet, do we? We don't need any Temple resources, or really have anything to offer that we haven't already given them as gifts. We're just here to gather some information, and hopefully generate some goodwill towards any future dealings."
Tasha nods to this, but offers, "I was just thinking that while we're here it would be polite to offer; I wasn't trying to evade proper procedure." She turns back to the Captain-Astromancer and offers her apologies before returning her attention to her Captain. "We can always postpone official formational business to a future date, in particular one where we have a more robust diplomatic corp. Does that sound right?"
"I am all for the employment of diplomats," Tahir says with a smile. "Is there official business though? The Temple maintains ties with Abaddon, of course, but they are largely diplomatic rather than economic or military."
"Well, there's the fact we'll be exploring ruins. While our focus is currently on Expedition ruins, there remains the possibility of exploring other 'ruins of opportunity,' which could lead to the exploration of Sifran or First Ones sites. I am aware that the Temple claims all Sifran sites, but I am uncertain about the others. I would prefer the JEF not run in to any jurisdictional or other problems during our exploration. Having clear cit boundaries, or better yet, a pass to explore these sorts of ruins would do much to relieve any anxiety we may encounter and help us get off on the right foot," the uniformed hybrid explains while also demonstrating her PersoCom enabled knowledge by accidentally letting a Terranisim slip.
"Hmmm, exploration is the purview of the Inquisition," Tahir notes. "Do you already know of ruins that the Temple hasn't explored yet, or have a suspected list of such? Do you intend to mount large-scale expeditions or just your own small group? Are you looking for specific artifacts other than the Marker?"
"We suspect the planetfall location of the Lucifer, and of course we will also be attempting to locate the Vartan colony. We also made a stop in Safar because of its proximity to the Gateway Tower and the Emirate, where we were permitted by its local government to conduct our search. Aside from this visit to Rephidim, Safar, south-central Savan for the Lucifer, Himar for the Vartan colony, and Olympia for personal reasons, we have no further destinations in mind. This expedition is, in part, as much an assessment of our capabilities and knowledge as a recovery effort. We are also testing the waters, as they say," Tasha answers. "As for the sites themselves, Safar has been explained, southern Nagai is, as far as I'm aware, unclaimed wilderness -- especially with the collapse of the Nagai Empire, and Himar ... That depends where in Himar we end up."
"I do not think it would be practical to give you a 'pass' to explore ruins, as that would most certainly include a Temple representative tagging along with you," Tahir notes. "Since you are only looking for one Expedition site, which you may or may not find, I would only ask that if you do find it, you inform the temple of the discovery so that a proper exploration and recovery mission can be sent afterwards."
"Does the Temple require we leave the site untouched, or are we free to withdraw artifacts so long as we list them?" Tasha asks.
"I didn't hear that question," Tahir says. "Of course the Temple insists that the site be as undisturbed as possible. And so I trust that is the condition you will leave it in, within reason. Just don't blow anything up, basically."
"If you take anything, be sure to hide it well," he adds, and glances to his secretary. "You didn't hear that either, Tiffany."
The Savanite looks up as if she had only just now heard her name and wasn't paying attention to anything else at all.
Tasha chuckles at the insistence. "I like to think I've moved past that part of my education as far as ruins go." She glances to the Sacanite a moment before turning back to the Captain-Astromancer. "I don't expect that we will need much. The largest object may be a Titan, but it is highly unlikely is is still functional -- or even in one piece, as much as it pains me to say so. Such a thing would be of little use on Sinai anyway."
"The Savan is still rough territory, both geographically and politically," Tahir notes. "There are bandit lords hiding in the cover of the Beast Lands, and tensions with the Empire, which is beginning to reclaim its renegade territories."
"We'll do our best to be careful. In fact, we anticipated the need to defend ourselves and have trained and equipped ourselves appropriately," Tasha assures the human. She pauses, then adds, "Which more or less means I get sent to deal with the dangerous things. Some things never change, do they?"
"I think things always change, and we just choose to look at them in familiar terms," Tahir notes with a grin. "Be careful."
Tasha grins at that, too. "We will." She then hesitates a moment before offering her hand across the table, in old Terran custom. "I apologize for my nervousness earlier. Thank you for seeing us, sir. "
The boy hesitates a moment, then takes Tasha's hand and shakes it. "I expect you to come back with tales of your adventures, and so I can spend some time reminiscing on the 'old days' with your Captain."
Tasha smiles, glancing towards her mate. "You knew all along?"
"I'd seen him at the same reception I did Lt. Argentine," Tahir notes. "Plus, we do have diplomatic relations with the governments of Abaddon," he adds with a wink.
Tasha laughs at that, shaking her head. "Some times I wonder why I tell people anything -- they all seem to know already." She reaches over and pats Gabriel's shoulder. "We've been together ever since I found him. I don't know what I'd do without him at my side."
"I really can't comment on that," Gabriel says diplomatically, but with a grin. "It was a pleasure meeting you, Captain-Astromancer. You've helped out more than you know."
"Yes, thank you again," Tasha chimes in, smiling all the more.
After leaving the Astromancer's office and picking up their supplies, the pair is quietly returned to the library. Tasha feels a lot lighter retracing the route than when she was first on it, and can really take some time to take in the sights. Back at the Library, they find Hakeber and Aaron where they left them, their table now covered in notes and charts and books. It also reveals unexpected talents: Hakeber can take notes with both hands at once, and Aaron can apparently be napping while looking wide awake.
"You're back already?" the scholar greets them, while Aaron starts out of his reverie and squints at the pair, as if worried they might be duplicates.
When she enters the library, Tasha is smiling and her tail is wagging. "Oh no, we never left at all. In fact, if we were have gone somewhere, which we didn't, it was probably fine -- but since we didn't there's no need to think about it further," she replies as she takes a seat besides Hakeber.
"That serious, eh?" Aaron asks, while Hakeber just looks a bit confused.
Tasha pats Hakeber's shoulder and leans in to examine her notes. "Did you find anything?"
"Well... uh, not directly," the scholar claims. "I'm cross-referencing several sources to try and a get a statistical approximation.."
"She's gone through three pencils already," Aaron notes. "It's.. very surprising to see her at work, compared to how she usually is."
"Well, at least by my reckoning of the subject, we should try ..," here Tasha points directly to tge Himar, completely ignoring both notes and map notation, "here, in this region. At least for one of them."
Looking up, Tasha grins at Aaron. "Didn't I tell you? She's very smart. I didn't bring her along just because I think she's pretty. That's why I brought Gabriel."
The big Karnor stifles a chuckle.
"I assumed you were enacting some elaborate plan of revenge against me," Aaron claims.
"Himar? Oh, the Vartans! Yes, the colonies are mostly in Himar, with a few scattered around other similar areas," Hakeber notes. "I just can't tell you how many colonies there are in Himar."
"If there was an elaborate plan, which there isn't, I could most certainly assure you that maybe there were plans and if so or not, that they were, in fact, a maybe," Tasha insists, laying a hand over her heart. She winks, then turns to Hakeber and nods. "We'll probably have the best luck inquiring around and asking about local legends and other religious customs. The artifact we're looking for was last seen being loaded on to a transport to this region, and records indicate it was held in reverence. It may still occupy a place of worship that is widely known."
"Vartans worshipping something?" Hakeber asks, then shrugs. "Nothing should surprise me at this point. The fleet deployment records were heavily redacted for some reason, but the information on the Naga ships could be pieced together from various sources.. And yes, it looks like Lucifer went down in the Savan, in or around the Forbidden Zone known as the Beast Lands."
"So much farther north than we originally expected. And the Beast Lands no less ..." Here Tasha grimaces, nail tapping againt the map. "That could very bad. The Beast Lands cirulate through the airship crew rumor mill now and then, and they're on every map. Like any Forbidden Zone it's dangerous to fly through, but, worse, it's said to be occupied by monsterous animals. I've even heard it can have an effect on the mind, but that may just be an exageration. I wouldn't hold it against anyone if they wanted to stay behind when we enter that area."
"Really?" Aaron asks. Then he purses his lips and notes, "There are some very unique plants that grow there. Used in a few high-end rituals and medicines.. hmmm."
"Ooo, monsters," Hakeber says, wiggling her fingers spookily. "I'm pretty used to big dangerous animals."
"Well, it could just be hyperbole, but I've come to expect descriptions of Forbidden Zones to be, if anything, modest in their details." She gives Hakeber a look, and then shrugs, chuckling. "Well, I suppose you are, at that. I just wanted to warn you. Forbidden Zones are places where physics and reality begin to break down, so monsters are usually the most normal of the problems they represent. Judging from the on on Abaddon, it's not a stretch to think they may be pandimensional rifts. Anyway," she looks back to the notes and gestures to them, "Lets finish up here and return to Aaron's place. We can take the next few days to plan our route and enjoy some free time before The Rake arrives. After that we'll be off."