BIRTHRIGHT 1 – THE ASSIGNMENT
by Soledad
For disclaimer, rating, etc., see Part 1.
Author's note:
Kiviaho is the nameless Perseid scientist from the episode Banks of the Lethe. I named him after the actor who played him. Obviously, Sarin is an original character, and so is Desabri. Covlob is the Perseid monk of Ep. 1.07, The Ties that Blind. The silly name is my addition.
Dylan's recruiting speech is directly quoted from Ep. 1.02, An Affirming Flame. Some of Höhne's scientific explanation is taken from Ep. 1.08, The Banks of the Lethe. Everything else is mine. g>
PART 2
In the end, it took Höhne more than just two hours to reach Desabri's office in the Historical Institute, which also housed Sinti IV's Academy of Social Sciences, of which Desabri happened to be the chairman. He had to gather all available data about the ship and the station first, and about the Dyhedra System as well, as – considering its former importance for their work (meaning before if had become one of the Magog breeding centres) – he was quite certain that Desabri would want to know everything that was there to know. Quite frankly, so would Höhne himself.
In any case, he had gathered everything he could and left Rekeeb, his youngest assistant, at he computer to cross-guess the data that were already there and so probably find new information. Rekeeb was nothing if not thorough – if there was anything else to find, he would find it. Once again, Höhne congratulated himself for having listened to Kiviaho, one of his closest co-workers and chief assistant, when the latter asked him to take the youngling under his wings.
Perseids rarely suggested their own offspring for a position in their own working place, as family ties were practically nonexistent, kept only in order to avoid inbreeding. But at that time, the Institute had needed someone with a degree in astrophysics (which Rekeeb happened to have, with a concentration on slipstream dynamics), and Höhne had hoped that the young researcher had earned at least some of his parent's scientific brilliance. As it turned out, that was indeed the case, and the three of them quickly formed an easy and efficient working relationship.
Desabri had also done considerable research work, it seemed. When Höhne arrived, the head of the secret bound of the All Systems University librarians was evaluating what little they knew about the history of GS92196 and the Dyhedra System after the Fall. Höhne recognized the person assisting him at once. It was Rannveig, Desabri's right hand, and an excellent historian himself.
Of course he recognized Rannveig. They had worked together for several years, half a lifetime ago, when Höhne had been researching historical files for any possible information about Commonwealth slipstream technology, and Rannveig had been assigned to him to help creating a reliable database. They had travelled together across three galaxies for a long time, visiting every world where they could hope to recover lost data. From Castalia to Möbius, from Marduk to Schopenhauer's world and Enkindu, to San-Ska-Re and even Earth, although visiting the Magog-ridden homeworld of humanity, enslaved by the Drago-Kazov Nietzscheans, was considered a suicide mission.
They had even procreated together. Twice.
That was highly unusual for Perseids, as they didn't form sexual bonds like humans – and even Nietzscheans – did. When they bred they did it in an exclusively practical manner. But Höhne and Rannveig happened to come into oestrus at the same time during one of their long journeys, and since they both could offer excellent traits to hand down to possible offspring, they decided to bear each other's children.
Höhne always chose the best candidates to mingle himself with. And Rannveig had a lot to offer: a keen intelligence, a robust physique, and a curious and courageous nature that wasn't very common among Perseids. Thus Höhne found – even in hindsight – that mixing their genes had been a good choice.
The fact that they had done it a second time had been the result of the long, forced isolation on some abandoned backwater research station. Not that Perseids would need to breed every time they were in oestrus – which happened in every three years, based on Ugroth's reckoning, as their metabolism was still keyed to the cycles of the homeworld – but they had been the only people there, and the chance that they'd never be found was alarmingly high. Someone had to continue their work and save the precious data they had recovered. Even if they had to create a whole new generation for that purpose.
They had been found and rescued by a Than ship after all. Their offspring, already two years old by then, had been sent to the education centre, as it was custom, and their ways had parted, their shared work done. But Höhne had followed Rannveig's career as well as he could, and he was impressed by the historian's achievements.
Rannveig was, indeed, as reckless as any Perseid could ever hope to be. Using various aliases – the most amusing of which was a Castalian air-breather named Adrian Ranweigh – he continued travelling to the most dangerous places, and he kept an extensive net of contacts on hundreds of worlds. None of these informants had ever seen his face; only computer-generated false images of him, and most of them knew him only by one of his fake names. He led a dangerous life and seemed to enjoy it – again, highly unusual for a Perseid.
But that was the very reason he was so useful for the All Systems University librarians. And Höhne was truly pleased to see him again.
"Rannveig!" he cried out in delight, and they embraced each other warmly. "How are you doing?"
"Splendidly," Rannveig answered, rubbing his chin against Höhne's affectionately. "Still travelling a lot. Settling down like you wouldn't suit me, as you might guess. Just came back from the Hephaestus System – what a mess! But you scientist guys would have the time of your lives examining it, I deem."
"No doubt," Höhne laughed, slipping back into the easy banter that had always made working with Rannveig such a pleasant experience. "I might suggest Kiviaho something like that. He'd be ecstatic."
"And a research project like that would justify asking the aid of the Andromeda Ascendant," Desabri grinned smugly.
Höhne grinned back at him. "Exactly. And as a good little High Guard officer, Captain Hunt would be eager to assist the very people who helped humans to become a member of the Commonwealth, despite Vedran reluctance to accept them."
"Especially since his declared goal is the resurrection of the Commonwealth," Desabri said.
At that, Höhne laughed so hard that the black leather cap he wore to hide the deep scars, caused by a Magog attack almost a decade ago, nearly slipped from his head. "You are kidding, aren't you?"
"Not at all," replied Desabri, handing him a flexi. "One of our people, Covlob, is a monk in the Starlight and Stillwater Wayist monastery, as you know. They got this communiqué from the only Magog Wayist known in our time, one Reverend Behemial Far-Traveller. Take a look!"
His curiosity piqued, Höhne activated the flexi. A human in an ancient High Guard uniform, with slightly long hair and disturbingly pale eyes like those of the sea serpents in Ugroth's oceans, stared at him from the record. Well, actually not exactly at him, but at a small group of ragged-looking people who seemed to listen to him in stunned disbelief…not necessarily the admiring sort. More as if they weren't entirely sure that the man wasn't slightly…crazed.
"I'll make this quick," the officer said, very obviously trying to make a heroic impression. "This isn't my time anymore. I've checked your historical records, and since my time, life has gotten a lot harder. Civilization is in tatters, the strong prey on the weak, there is no justice, there's no unity, there's no law. I intend to change all that. The Commonwealth wasn't just an institution. It was a dream. But dreams don't die. And as long as I'm alive and in command of the Andromeda, neither will the Commonwealth."
"Then it's time for a change of command," Rannveig commented cynically. "The man is obviously insane."
"I'm not so sure about that," Höhne said thoughtfully, "but this is hardly the right time to discuss it. A lot depends on how many of the original crew have survived? Do we have any reliable data?"
Desabri snorted. "None, aside from Hunt. Apparently, he ordered the entire crew to board the escape pods and ejected them before getting trapped in the event horizon of the Hephaestus black hole."
"That was the accretion disk, actually," Höhne corrected mildly.
Desabri shrugged. He was an historian, not a scientist and didn't even try to understand the difference.
"Whatever," he said. "The fact is, according to Brother Covlob, the 'crew' of the Andromeda, if you can call that a crew, contains of the human captain of the salvage ship that pulled her out of the event…the accretion disk, a human engineer from Earth, no less, the Magog Wayist, a Nietzschean mercenary and a purple…being with a tail, the like of which nobody has seen before."
"Five civilians, trying to do the work of four thousand well-trained Commonwealth soldiers," Rannveig added, with an exasperated shake of his head. "Including a Nietzschean who'll shoot them in the back by the first chance to seize the ship for himself."
"That won't be easy, with the ship's AI intact," Höhne said. "High Guard ships are sentient – and extremely loyal to their captain. Reprogramming them would require great skill…and long, undisturbed access to the core AI."
"Could you do it?" Desabri asked.
Höhne thought about that for a while.
"I don't know," he finally answered. "Certainly not alone. Not without the help of someone who has a surgically implanted data chip in his brain like Rannveig. An organic brain is simply too slow to outwit a core AI of that size."
"I see," Desabri said. "Well, we'll have to find a way to get you – both of you – aboard that ship. The recent events at GS92196 show that Captain Hunt is a risk for us all. A risk that cannot be left uncontrolled. Not to mention that Nietzschean having access to the biggest arsenal in known space."
"We should show interest in Captain Hunt's 'quest'," Höhne suggested. "That, and a shared science project could get me onboard the Andromeda. As for the rest…we'll see."
"Are you truly interested in the black hole?" Desabri asked. "Can you fake a project that would fool the ship's scientific databanks?"
"I don't have to fake one," Höhne shrugged. "The fact is, Kiviaho, Rekeeb, and I have been working on mapping the wave function of the universe for years by now. Once we succeed, the possibilities will be endless. Faster-than-light communication, predictable slipstream travel, perhaps even teleportation. Not to mention…"
Desabri raised both hands. "Thank you, I got the picture. But how comes the Andromeda into all this?"
"The ship would be an extraordinary research platform," Höhne explained. "She has a quantum computer – a true marvel to behold. Unfortunately, it's the last of that kind. Unless the 'the ghost ship of Tau Ceti Six', as they call it, is more than a legend, that is. But perhaps given the chance to study it thoroughly, we could reverse-engineer that sort of computer. We have the people, the resources, and the talent. All we need is the specs."
"I still don't understand what you'd need the Andromeda for," Desabri said. "How could she be useful for your research?"
"The core AI should be able to establish a quantum interface with the black hole. Theoretically, at least. Not permanently – that would damage it, which I would never risk – but long enough for us to make tremendous headway."
"And you believe Captain Hunt would allow you to use his precious ship as a lab rat?" Desabri had legitimate doubts about that.
"No, unless he can hope that Sinti IV would sign up to the new Commonwealth he wants to create," Höhne said.
Desabri glared at him as if afraid that he'd lost his otherwise excellent mind.
"Why would we want to do that? That quest is just as insane as Captain Hunt himself. Or do you really believe that restoring the Commonwealth would be possible? Or even desirable?"
"No," Höhne said, "at least not as it used to be. As you've explained the Council numerous times, the Commonwealth's fall was triggered by the fact that it had been created by conquest in the first place. And that it had overgrown the size which would have been easily manageable. But Captain Hunt's attempts to recreate it could result in a small alliance between similarly minded worlds, at the very least. And in the face of the current threats, be it the Magog, the Nietzscheans, the Kalderans, or the Restorians, just to name a few, we could use some allies. Not to mention the firepower of the Andromeda Ascendant."
"And the chance that with the help of the Andromeda, we might be able to get our hands on other derelict High Guard ships of the line," Desabri nodded. "I see your point. But persuading the Council to sign up for such an insane quest won't be easy."
"Can I count on your vote?" Höhne asked.
"Of course," Desabri said. "And I think winning over Cernan and Sarin won't be that hard. Especially Sarin, he's always concerned about our world's safety… and with a good reason, I'd say. But the others…I don't know. Nabroth will be the main hindrance."
"I know," Höhne sighed. "We'll have to work on this subtly and patiently. At least he was all for sending me to study the Andromeda."
"True enough," Desabri said. 'We're in a good position, right now. Hunt's request will give us the chance of accessing both his ship and GS92196. Those are chances we cannot have unused."
"Oh, I completely agree," Höhne laughed. "But there's one more thing we might want to try. Did you find any reliable data about the Dyhedra System before it got overrun by the Magog?"
"Some. Dyhedra XVI was the location of the most extensive archive of the All Systems University, as you know," Desabri paused. "Do you really believe that the planet might have survived the explosion?"
Höhne handed him a flexi. "Look at this. Dyhedra XVI used to be on the extreme outer border of that sun's gravitation field. Kiviaho and I calculated the possible trajectory, in case the explosion had hurled it outward of its orbit. In fact, the shockwaves might have thrown it into some neighbourhood systems. Or sent it on an irregular course. These are the possibilities."
"Do you think the archive could have survived an explosion of such cataclysmic magnitude?" Desabri asked, studying the trajectory lines with a frown. Höhne shrugged.
"I don't know. Dyhedra XVI was barely more than a planetoid, but the archive used to be buried under solid rock. Under miles upon miles of solid rock, with a well-sealed access tunnel only. It was meant to be an emergency databank, after all, in case something happened to the main archive."
"Hmmm…" Desabri's frown deepened. "If there's a chance to retrieve the archive, we should try. So much got lost during the Long Night, so little have we been able to secure, even after three hundred years. Who knows what we might find in the archive, should it still exist. It could be a gold mine, both for historians and scientists."
"My thoughts exactly," Höhne agreed. "And we happen to know just the right person for the job, don't we?"
Rannveig grinned at him in excitement.
"I can see where this conversation is heading," he said, and Höhne grinned back at him.
"Who'd be better suited for this assignment than you? You are known to travel across the Known Worlds, visit strange places, and ask weird questions. And you have the means to store the entire archive in your head, so that no-one can find it."
"Do you think there'd be others looking for the data?" Rannveig asked. Höhne hesitated for a moment, before answering.
"I don't know," he said. "But it'd be naïve to assume that we're the only ones who know about their existence. The All Systems University used to be a huge organization, with databanks scattered all across three galaxies. There's no way to know how many of them have survived the Fall – and who got their hands on them. You must be very careful, Rannveig. This assignment can be dangerous."
"That possibility never stopped me," Rannveig said with a grin even boarder than before.
"I know," Höhne replied. "That's why you are the best choice for this job. We'll help you with everything we can, but in the end, you'll be alone."
"Don't worry," Rannveig said, "this won't be the first time. Do you have a ship for me? Something small, fast, and tough?"
"Indeed, I have. It's a new model our construction department has just finished a short time ago. It looks like a one-man courier ship but is very tough and fast; it even has some rather effective weaponry. We've thoroughly tested it, both in normal space and in slipstream. All bugs have been ironed out, be assured. In fact, serial production could start any time now."
"Does it mean that I get the prototype?"
"No, we've built two more already. I've got great hopes for them; we're working on the two-man version right now. I intend to use one of those as my own ship, soon."
"All right," Rannveig nodded. "Let's say I do find the archive, unlikely as it is. What am I supposed to do with it? Bring it home?"
"No," Höhne said grimly. "I have the uncomfortable feeling that that wouldn't be safe. Should you find it, go directly to the Andromeda Ascendant. I hope I'll be there already, with an assistant or two, but even if not, you must stay there and wait for me. Right now, the Andromeda is probably the safest place in the Known Worlds. And on a ship of her size, with a computer as complex as hers, you'll have plenty of opportunities to hide the archive – or, at least, a copy of it."
"I understand," Rannveig said. "When can I have my ship?"
"You could have it right now," Höhne answered, "but we must fake some convincing assignment for you first. I'll have Rekeeb program the ship's computer with all the data you might need, but it has to be heavily encrypted. And we'll overlay it with lots of insignificant rubbish…in case the ship's boarded. I'd say, in two days' time."
Rannveig nodded. "That'd be enough for preparations. Where do you want me to leave messages for you if I succeed?"
"Nowhere," Höhne said promptly. "Just go directly to the Andromeda. The less is known about your mission, the better. And Rannveig?"
"Yes?"
"Don't tell Captain Hunt anything, should you arrive before me. We'll provide some believable reason for you to seek out the Andromeda."
"Are you not telling him about the archive at all?"
"I will…later perhaps. When I've met him and seen what kind of person he really is. Right now, I don't know whether we can trust him or not."
"All right," Rannveig said. "I'm looking forward to see you on that glorious relic."
Höhne laughed and shook his head in fond appreciation. "You are a peculiar creature, Rannveig,"
"I know," Rannveig grinned at him again. "That's what makes me so popular among my fellow librarians. Very well, I'm gone now to settle a few personal things. See you aboard the Andromeda Ascendant."
"I hope so," Höhne answered seriously.
The End -