“Amazing…” Marqyni Avieli put a hand over his chest, taking a deep breath as I finished speaking. “I’d not believe a word of it if it weren’t coming from you, my dear Sid.”
I returned to Dei Lucrii and my favorite library because I became stuck. Nothing I had heard or seen aside from one source lent any information toward Ivan being involved with slavery. The only connection, providing me with the kernel of certainty necessary for pursuit, was the former crime lord Hanatar.
Unfortunately, I had to spend over an hour summarizing everything I’d learned for Marqyni before I could pursue my line of inquiry. His exuberance, normally endearing, became the smallest bit exasperating.
“The slavery issue as a reason for Ivan’s betrayal of Hanatar was little more than a footnote in the conversation. Grey’s mention of a slaver colony has to be connected somehow.”
Marqyni put on a big smile. “My dear Sid… I never doubted you for a second.”
“Focus, please,” I replied with a frown. “I need to depart as soon as there is something to pursue.”
He held up his hands. “Very well! Very well. You come again, blazing through my house of knowledge spinning whirlwind tales. My pitiful little brain is boggling, grinding in such circles I can hardly keep from falling over…” He tailed off, noting the scowl on my face. “Oh, fine. What can I help you with?”
“Have you ever heard any connection to Ivan and the slave trade?”
The librarian shook his head. “Ivan is a cultural boogeyman used to frighten children. Though many tales present him in a favorable light, as a vanquisher, few express him with magnanimity.” He waved a hand. “Oh, there are some about rescued children, clergy or some such, perhaps its slaves in others, but otherwise no. In fact, the only connection I’ve ever heard to the forced labor trade was your own mention of Hanatar’s fall as a product of Ivan’s revenge. Obviously, the murder of the slave trader in Hanatar’s home, ah… who was it?”
“Barian Dreger,” I replied.
“Yes, Dreger.” He rubbed his chin. “You’re clearly correct; it must have some connection to what Grey mentioned.” He gave a laugh. “I still can’t believe you spoke to both Traverian Grey and Voux Hanatar. How by the tides of Old Earth did you manage such a thing?”
I raised an eyebrow.
Marqyni pouted. “Oh, fine. Be all mysterious. If you’re not going to humor me even in the slightest, what can I do for you?”
“I need both of us to dig through as much as we can to find… something, anything,” I replied. “I know it’s ambiguous, but there must be some news report of Dreger’s arrest. Perhaps Ivan tipped the authorities to a group of released captives. There’s nothing the GSA would like more than the good press of breaking apart a slaver colony.”
I furrowed my brow. “Or, maybe some of the GSA reports are public record now that Hanatar is in prison for life. Or… there was also the slave container Dreger discarded when he was captured. It was near to an asteroid field. The colony could have been nearby: not a terrible place to hide something of that nature. If we can find any survivors from Dreger’s slave trade, they would have been the most likely candidates for Ivan to approach for help.”
The librarian listened with a thoughtful expression. “Let’s get started then. You wish to be inside no more than an hour, correct?”
“Yes. You start with public GSA records around the time of Hanatar’s arrest; I’ll work on news archives.”
“Are you certain?” Marqyni frowned. “There’s going to be a broader range of subjects there; you might lose a lot of time.” He was referring to the Archivist instinct to tangential searching.
I waved a hand. “I can still dig through them faster than you can, no offense.” I smiled.
He rolled his eyes. “Very well, I’ll set you up here in my office and use one of the terminals out on the floor myself.”
“Good,” I replied. “Let’s get started.”
Dana’s improved programming and architecture helped. Using it made me nervous, as I had no idea what else her programming and the hidden vestige would have in store for me. I still couldn’t resist using it.
The result was nothing short of amazing. My mind blazed through hundreds, thousands of files, clippings, news reports. The fall of Hanatar was widely reported; killing a GSA witness in his own home drew not insignificant attention. They mocked him for it, and hardly a mention was made of the victim’s name, even less mention of former employment with his alleged killer.
Dreger’s initial capture was kept quiet as well. Only vague pieces about GSA pursuit and bravery against a well-known, unnamed slave trader received tiny blips in the waters of Hanatar’s destruction. There was nothing about a cargo ship full of people nearly smashing into an asteroid.
As per usual, dozens of times my mind was lost to the pursuit of other topics. However, a sharper focus seemed to be present, tangents more relatable to the focus of my search:
A historical catalogue of whistle-blowers and witnesses, successful and/or killed for their dedication. Various instances of forced labor and its degree of social acceptance. More recent uptake of kidnapping vacationers and tourists. Thousands of cities on hundreds of worlds with reported missing bankers, laborers, researchers. Even a tour group from Atropos Garden went missing and was later rescued by GSA forces.
I searched files on the incident on the Garden, and little aside from speculation existed on the subject. I even recognized images on the nets, similar to those gleaned from Dana’s mind, of the reforming world. Much of it was discarded as fabrication, and general consensus was not that the planet was destroyed: only the colony.
How little they knew.
Much rumbling existed in the Ivan enthusiasts. Several corporations seemed to be regaining interest in the subject, and public contracts for information regarding him had been renewed. Hundreds more stories floated about, an absurdity of gossip sprinkled with the tiny motes of truth.
I resisted the temptation for self-congratulatory egotism in seeing if anything related back to myself and continued to search through Dreger and slave colony reports.
There was nothing. Nothing at all.
After a time of fruitless searching, I disconnected. My eyes opened.
Marqyni loomed above me, grasping and shaking my shoulders. “Sid. Sid! Are you all right?!”
Scowling, I replied, “I’m fine, what’s the problem?”
“You were seventeen minutes over! I couldn’t wake you!” He appeared quite worried.
“Seventeen minutes?” I asked.
“You’re bloody-damn right seventeen! I thought I’d completely lost you! How can you…” As my friend the librarian chattered about how concerned, angry, terrified, and uncertain he was, I checked my systems.
The subroutine for my internal alarms and the external port for Marqyni’s wake-up were both disabled. As I checked them over, I felt the tiniest trickle of laughter in my mind, and ghostly fingerprints dotted the landscape of my programming.
As I sought the source, I felt a tiny foreign presence skittering away, fading into subsystems. As I perused it, a small measure of shock came to me as I realized it was the hidden vestige of Dana, capable of more influence than I had thought. It seemed she decided to assist my search by extending it, or she was simply trying to kill me. I tried to seek her out, but the essence, whatever it was and could do, was gone.
“…and Great Alexandria only knows what your employers would do to me if they thought I ever endangered your existence. You’re worth umpteen billion; I’m just an eccentric librarian!”
“Relax, Marqyni, I’m fine,” I said. “It was a glitch, nothing more.”
“That was a hell of a glitch! Archivists have lost their minds at forty-five minutes, even with fail-safes!”
I hadn’t told the librarian about Dana. Shame of brutality, coveting some information, whatever the reason, I omitted that piece of the story. This also meant I didn’t reveal what I knew about the damage to Atropos Garden. “I’m all right, please relax,” I said. It felt wrong to leave him out of the loop, but some things seemed best kept private. A measure of guilt returned to my thoughts for both her demise and oddly still for Cain’s appearance at the Class 4 shipyard.
Marqyni scowled. “You’re going to be the death of me, Sid. Mark my words.”
A sliver of concern seeped into my mind as his statement echoed my troubled thoughts. I tried to push it aside. “The concern of lesser mortals is always touching, my friend.”
The librarian smirked and gave a short laugh. He wagged a finger at me. “Don’t toy with me, Sid. The Gods are nothing without the mortals to serve them.”
He seemed to calm somewhat, but I could still see the tension in his body. “I’m sorry to have concerned you, but I’m quite all right.”
This was the honest truth. Far from the normal overheating delirium from too-long searching, I felt excellent, refreshed even. Dana’s memories didn’t give me her precise age, and the jumbled files hadn’t yet provided a frame of reference. However, I’d have guessed she’d been no more than a year old as an Archivist. Her programming and systems were marvelous in their improvements over my own.
“Tell me,” I said, changing subjects. “Did you come across anything helpful?”
My friend shook his head. “I’m afraid I didn’t, Sid. Many of the records from the trial are still sealed, citing galactic security.”
Something about Ivan as a government spy using the pinnacle of fighter technology rang in my mind. “Maybe Grey was right…” I said softly.
“About the OLGA nonsense?” Marqyni said in a skeptical tone. “I don’t know, a ship? Seems a little farfetched, doesn’t it? I’d wager the name appeared somewhere along the line and means nothing. Well, maybe it’s the codename of the project, but what of all the other references? Wasn’t it a cutting torch in one? I doubt Garden researchers were working on labor tools.”
I nodded, tapping my hand on the desk.
He frowned. “In any case, I can’t find a single shred of anything to corroborate what Grey told you.”
“Neither could I.”
Marqyni shrugged. “You think he was mistaken? A little too senile from such seclusion?”
“I don’t…” I started speaking, but a connection fired inside my brain.
“What is it?” Marqyni noticed my eyes widen.
I made an assumption, but it seemed to make sense. “He knew.”
“Hm?”
“Grey knew…”
Marqyni favored me with an exasperated expression. He spread his hands apart.
More pieces fell into place. I said, excitement in my tone, “Grey’s the only one we’ve found who heard about the slave colony incident. He knew about it not because of some report or something but because he knew about the colony itself.”
Marqyni swept a gesture. “Didn’t he say the colony was destroyed?”
Grinning, I replied. “Most definitely, but I doubt even he believed it. What happened to all of those freed people? There must of been what, thousands?”
“They likely returned to their homes. What else would there be?”
“But no news of their return?” I ticked off on my fingers. “Transients, working class, the infirm and ashamed. Maybe even a few that became institutionalized. Think about it, there was almost no mention about any returning forced labor captives. Only a few people actually returned to their lives.”
“Your meaning?” the librarian asked.
“There was nothing to suggest an influx of thousands of rescued refugees. Don’t you think the GSA would have gotten the story spewed all over everywhere?”
Frowning, he said, “Since there was no news, you’re thinking the freed slaves are still there.”
“And I’d bet anything Ivan is with them.”
He nodded. “I see what you’re saying, but—”
I interrupted. “Grey worships Ivan now. If he knew exactly where the subject of his admiration was hiding out, do you think he’d be forthcoming with details?”
“Then why tell you anything?”
“He realized how close I was getting.” I rubbed my chin. “He probably figured I wasn’t the only one either. Maybe he thinks of me as a lesser threat.”
Marqyni wagged a finger. “I’m not so sure, Sid. There are a few too many assumptions there.”
I favored him with a condescending expression. “Traverian Grey was at the very heart of the last Ivan hunt, where the only cooperation was a result of persistence from Lorric Bren. The questions from years ago are still unanswered. Sure, half of everyone isn’t certain if Ivan exists now with so much myth floating around, but the sheer possibility of what could be found makes Ivan this glorious prize. I know it, and Grey knows it. Cain knows it, Da—” I shook my head, forgetting myself for a moment. “How many others may know, may be looking? The Ivan search is blazing hot once again, and Grey knows this.”
Marqyni didn’t appear convinced. “Still…”
“Why else would Grey mention something not able to be verified? How would he have knowledge of something which neither of us in an hour of digging can find the slightest hints of?” I grinned. “He knew.”
My friend opened and shut his mouth several times. Finally, he shook his head and gave a bow. “I live only to serve, good master.”
I laughed. “I’d be nothing without my favorite vassal.”
He clasped his hands together. “You must get going, then, right away.”
Nodding, I stood and donned my cloak.
“How do you intend to find the colony? Clearly even the GSA was unable to locate it.”
“I might have to break my promise to the Penitent Children of Ivan and go back.” I put on my hat. “Or I suppose I can contact Grey and see if he’s in a more amiable mood. Or I can scour the asteroid field for a few weeks.” I gave a wry smile. “I’ll find it eventually.”
Marqyni chuckled. “Good luck, my friend. Come back and let me know how it turns out.”
We shook hands, and I departed the library.
Through the station and into Minerva once more, I strapped in and ran preflight. As I warmed up the console, a message popped into my system. It was labeled, “TG.”
Shaking my head, I played the message.
The aged voice of Silas/Traverian Grey played through the speakers of my vessel as I continued to prepare for departure:
“Well, it was quite a visit we had there, Archivist. By this time, I’m sure you’ve figured me out and further figured out about the area where you can find my good little deity.” There were hints of a snide tone. “Unless of course you’re not as smart as I thought you were. Either way, I sent a message off, warning Ivan that folks like you would be coming his way very soon. Oh, I’m sure he’ll be surprised to hear from me after so long, but that’s not important.”
“Since I’ve seen a few of the other types of people Ivan’s attracted, I want you to be in the lead. Attached are the coordinates and flexible flight path through the asteroid field. Fifteen years ago, if I had cared about anything but myself and you threatened it, I’d have blasted you to bits and scattered your remains across half the known universe. However, it’s up to him to decide how to deal with you. I admit I enjoyed our conversation, and I think there’s enough human left in you to do the right thing. Don’t disappoint me Archivist. I’d sure hate to ruin my retirement by having to hunt your ass down.”
The message ended, and I smirked. “This should save some time,” I murmured, pulling Minerva out of the stall and into the docking bay.
“Minerva, please hold your progress.” A tense voice from the control room came through my intercom.
“Is there a problem?” I asked.
“Yes. Open your channel to a wide-band.”
I did as he asked. There was a garbled noise of static for a moment, and I hovered only a few meters away from the exit of the station. All in and outbound traffic appeared to have stopped.
“…Siiiiiiiiiiiid. Siddy-boy. Why don’t you come out and plaaaaay?”
The voice coming through my intercom was familiar, and its presence here in unknown fashion sent an icy chill through my veins. Through the narrow docking bay entrance, I could see stars outside but no other vessels save a few hovering transports stopped and waiting.
I cut out the continued taunting and transmitted to the control center. “Where is Cain? Is he outside? What vessel is he in?”
A fearful voice came back. “Gunship. Frye-class with six unmanned drone fighters. Oh dear God.”
I felt and heard nothing, but through my screens I saw the station shudder under an impact. I switched the channel back to Cain’s transmission.
“You see, you love this place ever so much.” I had the distinct impression he was grinning, “so I’ll just go ahead and light it up, piece by piece, until you surrender and fly your little self on out here.”
I didn’t respond.
“Siiiiiid,” he continued in his sing-song tone. “I know you can hear me. At least say something, or I’ll see if I can dig out your fat bastard friend’s library with a few more missiles. Now, is it near to the outer hull or toward the middle? I can’t quite remember, so I suppose I’ll just have to keep smashing until I find it. Very well, let’s try—”
“Hello, Cain,” I spoke through clenched teeth. I remembered all too keenly what Marqyni said not half an hour ago about me being the death of him. I was not eager for his statement to be prophecy.
“Sid! Oh, my boy; it’s good to hear your voice. I missed you so much when you slipped away on that station. Oh goodness gracious, I was worried about you when you vanished; I had to tear the whole station apart looking!”
I drew in a sharp breath, hoping Cain didn’t cause too much damage and wondering if Lorric went unscathed.
“The fight in the bar… Ooh, you missed a good time, you did. I always love it when the pathetic monkeys try to pretend they’re not worthless.”
My mind desperately searched for some kind of solution to the problem. Minerva’s weapons were present as not much more than a formality, only mild damage potential to other vessels, especially those of a larger size. Dei Lucrii had a defense grid, but Cain could tie it up, harassing with his drones while bombarding the station. Minerva was fast, likely fast enough to escape, but Cain knew it.
“Athena wants her revenge, Sid, but if you run, Mercury will have his way with your favorite hidey-hole.” Laughter issued from the comm. “Choose the destroyer and the destroyed, Sid.”
Grimacing, I didn’t reply.
“What a terrible choice you have! Even an Archivist still has feelings for other people, places, does he not?” Mock pity filled Cain’s voice. “Or is there nothing left to us but research, information, and more data?”
I contemplated the decision. It was true; I harbored some level of attachment to Dei Lucrii XVII. But… I was on the investigation of my life. Nothing, before or after my alteration procedure, none of the many successful conquests of data in my existence compared to the search of Ivan.
Even without such heavy purpose on my path, self-preservation was a close-second to information. Since nothing could be gained from staying except my demise, and feeding Cain with everything I knew was not something I could accept, I had to leave. I felt Dana’s ghost trickle through my thoughts again, and even she seemed to agree.
The station shuddered again. “I’m beginning to think you’re rude, Sid.” Cain’s tone rang with malevolence. “I can always bring the station down around your ears and recover your corpse later. It won’t be as fun to scoop out your cold and squishy brain-matter than if you were still partly conscious, but I do have a job to do.” Another shudder. “Business before pleasure.”
A terrified voice cut in from the station. “Do as he asks! Good God, man, you can’t just let us all die in here!”
My decision was already made, and in no way could I have ever justified the self-sacrifice. “I’m sorry, Marqyni,” I whispered, preparing to engage full thrust.
Both the station and Minerva shuddered with a wave of displaced force. Preoccupied, I thought Cain had fired something with more punch. In the ensuing moment of silence, I didn’t even consider it as the product of a large vessel arriving.
My ignorance was short-lived as a broadband override played through the intercom, cutting out all other communication. “This is Captain Josef Onnels of the GCG vessel Cassander. All hostile activities in this region will cease immediately, and all participants will power down weapon systems and prepare to be boarded. System travel is now considered restricted. Archivist Sid of the vessel Minerva is being hereby placed under arrest for the possession of materials sensitive to Galactic Central Government security. Any attempt to deviate from specific instructions will result in immediate hostile action.”
I punched my accelerator, my decision all the easier now that the Cassander was in-system to protect the station. Though its fighters would be swarming in a matter of minutes, I had plenty of time to escape both of my apparent pursuers. Cain’s ship, far too slow to continue threatening and bombardment, would have to start fleeing immediately. Even then, it was possible he wouldn’t escape. At the very least; he’d have to burn his drones distracting the wave of fighters from the Cassander.
Already out of the bay, I pinged the location of the Cassander and set my tail to it and Cain’s gunship at full speed. The communication override ceased, and I could hear Cain cursing and Onnels ordering me to stop through different channels. I cut out the intercom.
As I sped out of detectable range, a wave of regret and sorrow flowed through me, the most powerful emotion I could remember feeling since my transformation. I betrayed Dei Lucii: my home, and Marqyni: my friend. Nothing negative happened, but my decision to leave them made no difference. I reeled against the intensity of these thoughts, my rationality flailing against them. The presence of this extreme emotion was as disconcerting as the feelings themselves.
In an action I had not experienced ever before as an Archivist, tears flooded into my organic eye. I felt such potent strain, and I had no idea where it was coming from.
Casting aside the emotion, I tried to force calm composure and again focus on the task. It was possible I’d never be welcome to return to my one place of rest and comfort. It was also possible I wouldn’t survive the next week. The search was nearly over.
I tried to maintain a calm and serene status, but the guilt at my actions continued to bubble to the surface. Never before had emotions been so profound, and I became worried that something was wrong.
Assignment: Seeking information regarding the truth and whereabouts of Ivan.
Location: Dei Lucrii XVII
Report: Discovered location of Ivan.
Probability: n/a
Summary: Research yielded no useful data; location provided by tip [source: Traverian Grey]. Dei Lucrii attacked by Cain. Cassander arrived in pursuit of assigned Archivist [Sid]. Likely seeking leaked information regarding Atropos Garden and Ivan.
*Addendum: Please exert influence to hinder progress of GSA in Ivan investigation.
**Second Addendum: Inescapable Cain encounter sometime in near future. Survival improbable without assistance or upgrade.