by Dan Worth
Unlike most systems, Klondike’s administrative centre was not a planet, but an asteroid. There were no habitable planets in the system, but the various bodies that did exist were mostly small, rocky and rich in metals. The absence of gas giants and their large gravity wells meant that the system contained a large number of asteroids, of which New Colorado was the largest. The twenty-five kilometre long peanut shaped rock had long been mined out for its iron ore. Its outside had been smoothed off and fitted with solar panels and a docking port installed at either end, whilst the interior had been hollowed out to form a cylinder twenty three kilometres long and ten wide. This had been sealed and made into a habitable chamber. The rock had been spun to produce a gravity of slightly less than one gee.
New Colorado was honeycombed with factories and workshops, but the interior environment had been landscaped using imported loam, water, flora and fauna. A chain of lakes linked by rivers flowed endlessly around the mid-point of the chamber via a system of dams and pumping stations. Towns were constructed around their shores, such as Breckenridge where Katherine currently sat.
The rest of the habitat was constructed to resemble a rural setting, with small towns dotted hither and thither, whilst the capital city of Boulder was built around one of the ends of the chamber. It housed the government buildings necessary for the administration of the system and the corporate headquarters of the various mining concerns that operated here.
Katherine found the view impressive, though dizzying. The landscape had a perceptible curve even at medium distances, even the water. She followed the view up and up and over so that she was looking at the lights of the settlements and the shapes of the land and water on the opposite side of the asteroid. She found that it gave her a form of vertigo as her brain became confused, unable to fully resolve the unusual perspective. If she stared long enough she felt like she were pinned to the ceiling and would fall to the ground below her/above her at any moment. Still, if she kept her eyes level the effect wore off. She suspected that if you lived here that you’d hardly notice it after a while.
Katherine watched the ducks that paddled around the shoreline, hopeful of morsels of food being tossed to them. A group of children further along the terrace began to feed them pieces of bread and were quickly mobbed by the creatures, whose squawks and quacking pierced the warm evening air.
Katherine finished her glass of white wine and reached for the bottle to pour herself another. She didn’t generally drink alone but after the past few days she felt she’d earned the indulgence. Having refilled her glass she sat back with it resting gently on her lap. She brushed a few stray red hairs away from her face and studied the amber depths of her drink. The alcohol and her general state of fatigue were making her tired and she rubbed her eyes, deciding that she should make this her last glass and retire to her room before she fell asleep in the oh-so comfortable wicker chair. Groggy and inattentive, she failed to notice the small AG internal shuttle that crossed New Colorado’s airspace from the opposite side taking a curving path to avoid the light tube, settling quietly in the parkland behind the hotel.
A heavy hand came to rest firmly and suddenly on her shoulder, startling her from her drowsiness. Katherine sat up blearily and turned to see two men looming over her. One she recognised; the fat sweaty looking man who had followed her from Cambridge to Batavia Port, the other she hadn’t seen before. He was black and stocky, with a shaved head and a small beard. Both wore suits, which bulged ominously in various places - no doubt from the weapons that they carried.
‘Ms. Katherine O’Reilly?’ said the second man.
‘I was a Doctor last time I checked. Will you people please leave me alone?’ her voice snapped.
‘My name is Agent Pearson, this is Agent Rochenko. Would you please step inside, we’d like to talk with you.’
‘No, I will not!’ replied Katherine loudly and clearly, a few people at other tables began to look round. ‘Whatever you have to say to me you can say it here,’ she added forcefully, glad that she had drawn attention to herself.
Rochenko leant forward so his mouth was inches from her right ear. She could smell his breath and his stale sweat.
‘Now look here love, you’re in a shit load of trouble so don’t mess us around, alright? Do you think we followed you this far for nothing?’
‘I might be in a lot of trouble, but I wish someone would tell me what the hell it is I’ve actually done, and was it you who rifled through my clothes you greasy little fuck?’ she shot back. The drink had given her a bit more confidence. Rochenko grinned.
‘Now Doctor, just step into the lobby for a moment with me and Bob here and we’ll have a little chat.’
‘Get lost, I know my rights.’ She eyed the wine bottle on the table and weighed up her chances of being able to hit one of them with it.
Pearson cut in. ‘Doctor, if you don’t co-operate, we’ll just arrest you and ask you the same questions. Or you can go along with our request and remain a free woman, it’s up to you. You have my word. If you comply we won’t lay a finger on you.’
‘All right, all right,’ she replied, a resigned tone in her voice. She knew that they had her cornered. ‘Come on then let’s step inside shall we? But I swear if one of you so much as touches me I’ll yell the place down, especially if it’s your charming colleague.’
She stood up uneasily and strode off toward the brightly lit lobby of the hotel. The two agents followed. Once inside she checked that there were staff behind the reception desk who would notice them and sat down in an overstuffed leather couch that was in full view of reception. Rochenko and Pearson sat down on either side. Pearson placed a small circular device on the coffee table in front of them. A sonic inhibitor, it would muffle the sound of their conversation to anyone else in the room outside of its range.
‘Now then gentlemen, explanations please,’ demanded Katherine. ‘Firstly, why are you chasing me all over the bloody place, secondly, why are you bastards trying to ruin me? What the hell am I supposed to have done?’
‘I think you know what,’ said Rochenko
‘Let’s pretend for a moment that I don’t okay? Let’s pretend that I’m not actually the galaxy’s most wanted criminal and I am actually an archaeologist who’s sick of being stalked by you idiots,’ she snapped sarcastically.
Pearson spoke, keeping his voice low despite the suppression field. ‘Doctor, you were caught aboard a top secret vessel belonging to the Arkari navy. Either you or Professor Cor took something from that vessel; a log or some such device.’
‘Well that’s bullshit,’ she replied scornfully. ‘For a start, that ship was around million years old, according to our published findings. It had Arkari corpses on board, but they were all mummified and had been aboard the entire time that the ship was lost in deep space.’
‘Then I would suggest that your findings were incorrect. I needn’t remind you that the Arkari didn’t build any starships until fifty thousand years ago. That ship was reporting missing by the Arkari Navy several days previously. It was a new type that they were testing and the engines are believed to have malfunctioned. The log you liberated represents not only crucial data that can be used to determine the cause of the accident, but confidential military information regarding the capabilities of the vessel that could be of use to the enemy. The Arkari want it back. Now.’
‘Agent Pearson, that ship was a relic. I don’t know what you’ve been told but it was no more top secret and experimental than that liner I arrived on. Even I could tell that and I’m no expert on military hardware.’
‘That is not my concern.’
‘No I suppose it wouldn’t be would it?’ she sneered. ‘Can’t have you thinking for yourselves, now can we? Anyway, I don’t have it, haven’t you figured that out yet?’
‘We know,’ said Rochenko. ‘Professor Cor has it doesn’t he? Where is he right now?’
‘I have no idea. Look, I haven’t seen him for months, he could be anywhere.’
‘An Arkari cruiser attempted to apprehend him in Esacir space two days ago, but he managed to evade them. It was at first believed he had been killed in the escape attempt, but now we’re not so sure.’
Katherine’s stomach lurched, ‘Killed? How? What the hell did you do to him you fucking…?’
Pearson cut her off. ‘We didn’t do anything; his ship attempted a hyperspace sling shot manoeuvre around the system’s star in an effort to evade capture. Ordinarily this would be suicidal, but it’s possible that he may have pulled it off. Our investigations revealed that he had accomplices who loaded some experimental software into the ship’s computer to help him, though since the Esacir bubble cities are outside of both Commonwealth and Arkari jurisdiction we were unable to apprehend anyone for questioning at the time. We and the Arkari later conducted an investigation aboard Riianto with the co-operation of the Esacir authorities, but we turned up very little’
‘Doctor, is he planning to sell the log to the K’Soth? We have followed his progress to some degree, and it seems possible.’ said Rochenko. ‘If he is, it’s important that we stop him before he commits the act. It would be a tremendous blow to the Arkari and to us in military terms, and I suppose you’d hate to see your friend tried for treason.’ The last part of the sentence descended into a hiss. He grinned.
Katherine snorted indignantly. ‘Are we talking about the same Arkari here? This is Professor Rekkid Cor we’re discussing, right? Foremost scholar on ancient languages? Gets sick in zero gravity? Is scared of space travel? Forgets which lecture theatre he’s supposed to be in and then gets lost on his way there when he does remember? You people seem to think he’s some sort of super-spy come hotshot pilot. It’s total rubbish. Besides, what would he do with money? If he wants limitless luxury he can just move back home, his people have don’t have a use for currency remember?’
‘We’re trying to help you Katherine, and Rekkid,’ said Pearson. ‘We’d hate to see two people like yourselves ruin your lives and do immeasurable damage to their own species.’
‘Ruin my life? You lot have done that already, thank you. Why on earth was my reputation attacked, my friends and family harassed, my property burgled? Why didn’t we have this chat months ago?’ she snapped.
‘I’m afraid I’m informed on a need to know basis. I couldn’t comment on our operations.’
‘Really. You know with you people guarding us from evil doers it’s a wonder there still is a Commonwealth. The K’Soth might be bastards, but at least they’re honest about it.’
‘The K’Soth are the enemy of our species Katherine, it is our sworn duty to defend the citizens of the Commonwealth against the clear and present danger that they represent.’
‘Yes, yes alright. There’s no need to go all gung-ho on me thank you,’ she replied scornfully.
‘Back to the subject,’ said Rochenko. ‘We have reason to believe that you arranged to meet with Professor Cor on the planet Maranos in the Fulan system.’
Katherine sighed. ‘Yes, yes that’s true,’ she admitted. ‘But if the events you described are accurate then, who knows.’ She shrugged.
‘And what is the nature of your little trip?’
‘We’re going to assess a dig site on the planet. It’s a religious site and the locals want our advice and participation.’
‘And where will you be staying?’
‘At the Commonwealth embassy in the capital… You know you could have got all this by asking the University, it’s not a great secret.’
‘You are of course aware that there is also a token K’Soth presence on the planet?’
‘Yes…’ she replied warily.
‘This is the source of our concern you see. Be warned Doctor O’Reilly, any attempt to pass them classified data will be dealt with swiftly and harshly. Do I make myself understood?’
‘Absolutely, and believe me, you’re barking up the wrong tree.’
‘Thank you for your time Katherine,’ said Pearson, standing up and switching off the suppressor. ‘We will be keeping an eye on you.’
‘No doubt,’ she replied dryly, eyeing Rochenko. He leered back at her.
The two men began to leave; Pearson turned and called back to her. ‘Remember what we discussed,’ then they left. Katherine waited until they had disappeared from site before she let out a long sigh of relief and sank back into the couch.
She turned the discussion over and over in her mind. What the two agents had said just didn’t seem credible. Either they were lying to her - which was distinctly possible - or someone was lying to them. The story about the wreck being a top secret new warship was a blatant untruth and they hadn’t explained why there had been such an effort to destroy her academic credibility. She still had no inkling as to why the log of a derelict, ancient starship was seen as so dangerous an artefact. From her point of view it was like being threatened with arrest for reading ancient vellum scrolls. It didn’t add up at all, and the apparent age of the vessel and its occupants was still a mystery.
She needed to sleep, badly. She hauled herself out of the depths of the couch and walked wearily to the lift, and thence to her room where she collapsed fully dressed onto the bed and fell into a deep, mercifully dreamless sleep.
Katherine slept in till nearly noon and awoke with a foul taste in her mouth, having forgotten to clean her teeth the night before. Her clothes were creased from her having slept in them and she had twisted them awkwardly around herself as she slumbered. She squinted blearily at her watch; still five hours to go until her flight to Maranos. She had some time to kill.
Sitting up on the bed she rubbed the sleep from her eyes and the previous nights events came back to her. Rekkid: Shit, she thought, was he even alive? The story the two agents had told her didn’t sound particularly convincing. Rekkid piloting a ship and out-running an Arkari naval vessel? Still, the worry gnawed at her that something untoward had happened to her friend. She’d find out sooner or later one way or another once she reached her destination, but not knowing was unbearable.
Katherine showered and changed then gathered her things and took them with her to the lower floor of the hotel, placing her bags in a secure locker room for collection later. She took her breakfast on the terrace. The interior of New Colorado was now brightly lit with a simulated mid-day sun and the villages, countryside and lakes at the other side of the habitation tube were clearly visible. Katherine experience a surge of vertigo again and studied her grapefruit half and bacon sandwich instead. What to do for the next few hours? She had to do something to take her mind off matters.
There was a laminated tourist brochure wedged into the menu stand, she plucked it out and read it whilst finishing her coffee. It enthused about ‘The Sights of New Colorado,’ most of which sounded either pretty boring, or expensive, or too time consuming, or all three. Most of the asteroid’s attractions were designed for the entertainment of either corporate executives, or holidaying miners who had been shut away inside some barren ball of rock for the past few months. Hence, lots of overpriced bars, restaurants and casinos, cheap and seedy bars, nightclubs and casinos, expensive leisure complexes and rip-off shopping malls, most of which were situated in the capital, Boulder. There was something that caught her eye though; Klondike’s only museum, located in the capital and dedicated to the history of human settlement in the system. Fine, that would do to kill a few hours.
She took the underground maglev train to Boulder and alighted at what she guessed to be the nearest station to the museum, the diagram on the leaflet having been rather unclear. Climbing the steps from the station she found herself on Boulder’s main thoroughfare; a wide, busy boulevard with a perceptible concave arc that ran the circumference of the habitat chamber. The rows of shops, bars and civic buildings curved away in either direction in the bright, simulated, early afternoon light.
Katherine squinted at the tiny map on the leaflet and gazed around for some indication of the museum’s location. She guessed that the new looking, glas
s fronted edifice a quarter of a mile away must be it and started off in that direction through the busy throng of pedestrians and light vehicles. Walking, she scanned the crowds for signs of anyone paying undue attention to her, wondering if the secret service really were keeping an eye on her at all times. She couldn’t see anyone. The only attention she appeared to be receiving was from the driver of a small AG utility lifter who honked his horn and winked at her.
Katherine arrived at the museum and after paying a small fee at reception, entered its spacious, cool interior. The building was fairly new and was pleasantly airy and well lit. A central atrium was surrounded by a horseshoe of tiered galleries devoted to different topics. The ground floor, including the floor of the atrium, was given over to an interactive display on the history of mining. This floor was swarming with excited children. There appeared to be a party visiting from a local school and scores of uniformed minors jostled with one another for a go with the exhibits whilst several tired looking adults attempted to keep them under control. Pilot an asteroid miner! See how a drill bit works! Clamber through a replica mineshaft on ancient Earth!
Katherine took one look and groaned slightly, then headed upstairs to the galleries. The first floor was a more sober look at mining history than the one downstairs; documents, pictures, photographs and a few artefacts. The exhibition showed the story of mining from its early beginnings on Earth - men, women and children grubbing in the dark and the dirt for coal and other resources. Firstly in small sites, then later in huge industrial scale operations as coal became the lifeblood of the burgeoning empires of Europe. Diagrams and photos illustrated the appalling conditions endured by the workers, as did the statistics of their fatality rates and accounts of their various unpleasant fates.
The exhibits then went on to show how the lot of miners had improved over the years with new technology, labour movements and the intervention of governments to improve their lot, at least in the developed world, though the occupation still remained a dangerous one. A battered, ancient Davy Lamp stood in pride of place on a stand in the centre of the display of artefacts.