by Matt Snee
“Me too,” Captain agreed.
“Marty told me all about his theory of the Great Barrier, and the Mmrowwr, and the Cosmic Garden. I love all that hokey-pokey.”
“Me too,” said Captain, deeply sincere.
* * *
Down the table, Jon Jason spoke to Jennifer, “Do you remember your last winter here?”
“Yes,” Jennifer breathed.
“For God's sake why didn't you contact me earlier? Everyone thought you were dead.”
“I was dead,” Jennifer replied. “I died along with my parents. It's only recently I've come back to life.”
Jon Jason looked at her, puzzled. “I could never understand you,” he said, annoyed.
“I'm sorry,” Jennifer said. “I just mean—I lost it for a while, I guess.”
“I missed you,” Jon Jason told her, with apparent seriousness.
“I missed you too,” Jennifer said, confused and conflicted. “I need your help, Jon Jason.”
“Anything, Jennifer. Just ask it.”
“I need a ship that can breach the deep Death Dream. I've heard you have one.”
“I have two,” Jon Jason boasted. “Why would you care about that?”
“The No-Shape…” Jennifer started. “We're trying to stop it.”
* * *
“The No-Shape?” asked the Boss Man from across the table, not at all stealthy with his eavesdropping. There was no such thing as privacy at an event such as this. “You mean that phenomenon that afflicted Mercury and Venus?”
“It was just awful,” added the actress, Josie Barnett. Her face dripped with empathy. “You could see it from Earth. I heard it was like a tornado of light.”
“The No-Shape is indeed real.” Captain said, cutting off his conversation with Auntie Bess. “I've seen it myself.”
The table turned to him. “How?” asked Douglas Daniel. “What was it?
Captain felt all of their eyes upon him. He looked towards Jennifer, who seemed perturbed he had spoken up. “Well,” Captain began, “I can't explain exactly what it was. But I was there, on Venus, when it hit. I saw it. I could smell it.”
“What was it like?” asked Norma Kennabee. The whole table stared raptly at Captain.
“It was like the end of the world,” he told them.
* * *
The waiters came to remove what was left of the soup and salad course, which for Captain wasn't much, but for Jennifer was nearly all of it, as she had hardly eaten anything. The servants refilled their drinks. Jennifer tried to drink the wine slowly but found herself nervously lifting the glass again and again, hoping to calm her nerves. She was not accustomed to alcohol, and her head already felt light. She turned to Jon Jason, who smiled back at her with unknowable motivations.
“You're still as beautiful as you were when we were kids,” he told her confidently, not caring who was listening.
A strange rush of emotions ran across her skin. “Ha,” she said. “After what I've been through I certainly don't feel beautiful. But Jon Jason—the ship…”
“What about it?” he asked her. “Do you want to take a cruise? The ships are extremely well equipped. We could go tonight.”
“Tonight?” she asked. “We could, I mean, into the Death Dream?”
“Sure!” he said. “Only human ingenuity could do such a thing. The Fire Bolt and the Phantom Ray, both are my legacy. They can reach the middle depths of Jupiter without breaking a sweat.” He snickered. “We can go right now.”
Jennifer shook her head. Jon Jason didn't understand what she was asking. “I have to go deeper than that,” she told him.
“Why?” he asks skeptically.
“Because of my father's research. There's an artifact, hidden at the bottom of the Death Dream, something that could…destroy the No-Shape.”
“An artifact?” Jon Jason asked, curiosity lighting his eyes. “What sort of an artifact do you mean?”
* * *
To Jennifer's left, Captain was trying to explain his bizarre adventures to Auntie Bess, who obviously had a touch of dementia. “Oh, how did you get out of that one?” she asked, thrilled by the excitement of his story.
“Well, we met a Mmrowwr, and he helped us escape,” Captain said. His thoughts of Plerrxx reminded him of his responsibility to save his friend.
“I've heard the most awful things about Mars,” Auntie Bess contributed.
“We should bomb it clean and take it for ourselves, just like Richard Ross proposed a hundred and fifty years ago,” said Earl Kennabee, catching a string of their conversation.
“Please,” complained the Boss Man. “Why would we do that? What on earth is of value on Mars?”
“Plenty of things,” Douglas Daniel retorted suddenly.
“None of which would be profitable for us,” Jon Jason protested, compelled to interrupt his discussion with Jennifer.
“It would be a good thing to do,” Douglas Daniel continued. “And it's real estate close to Earth, not all the way out here. Someone will have to do it, eventually.”
“That would be a hellish industry,” spoke the Shadow Puppet in its ghastly voice. The table quieted in audience.
Douglas Daniel alone had the courage to speak. “We would be putting them out of their misery.”
“There's no resources worth the investment,” Jon Jason pointed out.
Douglas Daniel shook his head. “That's not true,” he argued. “There's plenty of methane, and a good deal of water at the poles.”
“And an amazing amount of Chitin,” the Boss Man laughed.
“Mars belongs to the Braconids,” Jennifer said, loudly.
Jon Jason stared at her, a sharp glint in his eye. “That which can be taken, doesn't belong to anyone.”
She frowned.
“So said Richard Ross Dunleavy, when he first conquered Jupiter,” Douglas Daniel explained to Captain.
“It's true, isn't it?” Jon Jason asked his father.
“It's true,” Douglas Daniel reluctantly agreed.
* * *
The waiters brought plates of cold shrimp, olives, and squash; all simple human foods, but considered luxuries this far from Earth. To Captain, the food was bland compared to the surroundings. To Jennifer it was the closest thing to Earth food she had ever had, except for the tuna sandwich she ate at Captain's house.
With the table full of culinary delights, Jennifer turned back to Jon Jason and continued her plea. “Jon Jason. We must find this artifact.”
“Shhh,” Jon Jason replied. “We can talk about that later, in private.”
“Okay,” said Jennifer, defeated, not knowing what else to say. She just hoped she had succeeded, that Jon Jason was, in fact, agreeing to help her.
She looked over to Josie Barnett, who was conversing buoyantly with her date, the Boss Man.
“Sure, Dunleavy could do more for the less fortunate of Ganymede,” the actress was saying. “Progress isn't so bad, you know.”
“We're not responsible for them,” the Boss Man countered. “It's always been every man—every animal—every organism, for himself. Those that aren't strong enough to survive die out. That's how the whole thing works.”
“But we're not animals,” Josie argued. “We've evolved beyond that. You show so much contempt for nature, yet you twist this tenet however you see fit.”
“We are as God made us,” said the Boss Man.
“Please, you're only religious when it furthers your objectives. Besides, isn't one of the main points of Christianity to rise above our animal impulses?”
“We…” interrupted Jon Jason. “Are not Christian.”
“But you believe in God, do you not?” Josie addresses him, as well as the others.
“Sure,” said Douglas Daniel. “However, God is older than Christianity.”
Earl and Norma Kennabee nodded vigorously in agreement.
“Jesus was an agitator,” said the Boss Man. “No doubt a brilliant dreamer, but definitely not a prophet.”
“No, he does not,” agreed the Boss Man.
“Then what religion are you?” asked Josie.
“We are from… older stock,” said Jon Jason. “The Jews aren't the only ones that escaped from Egypt.”
“They worship Ptah,” said Jennifer.
“Who?” asked Josie, intrigued by the discussion. Even Captain was enthralled by the philosophical debate.
“An ancient god from Memphis, Egypt,” Jennifer explained.
“And even more ancient than that,” Jon Jason corrected.
“His herald was the bull, Apis,” added Douglas Daniel. “That is why we respect the animal so.”
“But you just sacrificed one!” Josie exclaimed trying to show the hypocrisy.
“Ptah demands sacrifice,” Sara Sloan broke in.
“And like the calf, some are sacrificed to society, as others are blessed,” said the Boss Man.
“We all sacrifice for civilization,” the Shadow Puppet muttered.
“Some sacrifice more than others?” Josie Barnett asks, frustrated. “No one should have to suffer so,” the actress continued.
“Inequity is part of reality,” Earl Kennabee said.
“So is rain,” Jennifer interrupted. “We build roofs.”
Jon Jason laughed. “Ah, Jenn, you haven't changed one bit. But the rest of us have grown up quite a lot. Society is built upon the many to benefit the few. Some must have, while others must have not.”
* * *
Captain listened, rage building up in his muscles. He hated how Jon Jason was picking on Jennifer.
“There's always work to be done,” he said, staring Jon Jason down in a challenge. “The main industry of society is to improve. We should never grant suffering protection with our lethargy, our greed, or our simple ideologies.”
There was no reply to this. Silence echoed as the table absorbed Captain's words. The line was from one of his books, Sky Water, which had been about a far-flung future democracy perched upon the death of the sun.
“What are you people talking about?” asked Auntie Bess spitting squash droplets into the air in an effort to diffuse the tension.
“This shrimp tastes like gasoline.”
Some at the table laughed. Auntie Bess had unwittingly changed the subject. As the waiters came to take the remnants of the shrimp, the diners once again separated into private conversations amongst themselves.
Captain zoned out for a minute letting his eyes stare off as he did his best not to listen to anymore conversations. His serenity didn't last. He heard the old industrialist's wife, Norma's voice burst in, “A proper childhood is fundamental to reaching one's potential as an adult. That's why the child-raising techniques the Delphiniums toy with are so hypocritical, as they don't properly instruct their children with our values. All they are doing is creating disorder and strife by teaching them as they do. If a child is too poor to eat let him get a job in the mines. Children can work just as easily as adults. We're irreparably ruining the children of our workers!” She suddenly turned to Captain. “Do you have children?”
Captain covered his mouth with his napkin and finished chewing the last piece of shrimp on his plate, as much out of social grace as to buy himself time to articulate this thought. He swallowed. “I was married once,” he replied, searching for a way to both describe and conceal his past. “But we never had children.” Captain hoped this would be enough.
“What a shame,” Douglas Daniel came to the rescue. He hesitated, then turned to Jon Jason and added, “Children are a gift.” He said this solemnly, without irony, as one bared a truth that was painful.
The volunteer and Josie Barnett continued to argue about the Delphiniums. “But what about the shelters and the schools?” asked the actress, whose Earthy liberality was out of place among their ancient interstellar Egyptian monotheism.
“What about them?” the Boss Man asked. “The schools are the problem. There's no telling what the Delphiniums are teaching the children.”
“They're their children!” Josie said. “Children that have been abandoned to a harsh reality.”
“They teach nothing but hatred for the system,” Norma said. It is as if everyone teamed up against the actress. Except for Captain and Jennifer. Captain sat staring toward the other edge of the table, wondering why the boy hadn't said a word yet. Jennifer had her neck bent, conversing with Jon Jason.
* * *
“You want to get out of here?” Jon Jason asked her.
“Right now? And go where?”
“Away,” he grinned. “This is unbearable. I never stay the entire time.”
Jennifer thought about Captain. “Okay,” she told Jon Jason. She turned and laid her hand on Captain's wrist. “I'm going to go,” she said to him.
“Where are you going?”
“I don't know. I'm going to talk to Jon Jason.”
Captain considered this. “Should I come?”
“No,” she shook her head. “No, I have to do this myself, Lewis.”
“Okay.” He understood. This was a different Jennifer than usual. “What should I do?”
“I'm sorry,” she said. “This is going to be hard. Stay here. Continue with the dinner. Call Plerrxx when it's done, and try to meet up with him. Then go back to the hopper.”
“And leave you here,” he asked.
“I'll be fine,” she said. “I'm strong.”
He knew this. Still he doubted her. He doubted Jon Jason.
“I'll meet you back there soon,” she said.
He nodded, not knowing what to say.
Jon Jason was already standing. Jennifer stood, and the master of Jupiter spoke. “Well, if you'll excuse us, we must be going,” he said. The table just looked up and smiled. Jon Jason must do this sort of thing all the time.
Jon Jason whisked Jennifer away from the table and down the steps, toward one of the room's exits.
“C'mon,” he told her, grabbing her hand. His own hand was strong and warm against her skin. “I think we have unfinished business.”
“Yeah.” She followed him out.
* * *
Captain watched her go. What do I feel? He wondered. He clenched his teeth knowing the truth. I feel her absence already.
Now, he was truly alone. His eyes turned back to the other guests sitting around the table. They looked at him suspiciously, before going back to their meals. The waiters had just brought out the latest course.
5. Jon Jason
Men are seldom remembered for their weaknesses. It is greatness that this family seeks, and it is in danger that greatness is harbored. We must become more dangerous than the dangers we face.
–Neme Dunleavy, “Note on My Fathers' Epics”
Captain managed the rest of the dinner alone the best that he could. He said as little as possible. He made sure to always end with a question so that the other person does most of the talking. It was a trick he had learned from one of his own, minor novels, “Sea Dog Frank”, about an old sailor with a horrid past who hid away as the ship's cook on an English luxury liner during the last years of the belle époque.
Auntie Bess, who was safe, dominated most of the conversation. “The Solar System is a dangerous place,” she told Captain. “You shouldn't have let your girl go like that.
“My girl?” Captain asked. “You mean Jennifer?”
“You two need to stick together,” Auntie Bess prophesied.
“I know,” Captain said, still confused about what she was talking about.
“I knew Jennifer when she was just a glimmer in her father's eye,” Auntie Bess said. “I can hardly believe life's twists. It's too bad what happened to Marty and Kitty. I guess they were too good to live long, not like me…”
“Auntie Bess?” Captain looked around to see if anyone was obviously listening.
“Yes, dear.”
“What do you know about Jennifer and her parents?”
“What do I know?
I know most of their expeditions were financed by myself and my dearly departed husband, Leslie Lionel Dunleavy.”
“Really? I suppose you knew them really well.”
“No!” Auntie Bess laughed, chagrined. “I wish I had known them more. It was just a lark, something to spend money on. My husband—he was the real expert. He couldn't get enough of Marty.”
“What was he like?”
“Impertinent. In everything. But wondrously handsome and funny. And French, if you know what I mean.” She winked at him.
“What about Kitty Pichon?” Captain asked softly. “What was she like?”
“Oh, she was a tiger. She loved it more than Marty did. She was the brains and brawn of the two, I'll tell you that. You see, I knew Kitty's father; he was rich—of Saturn. You should have seen the look on his face when Kitty married Marty. They cut off the money then and there, until Kitty's parents finally died and the estate passed to Jennifer.”
“You were there?”
“I think so,” Auntie Bess stuttered. “Let me show you this.” She slipped her hand into her blouse and pulled out a shining necklace. It had a jewel like the one Jennifer had shown his mother. “Do you know what this is?”
“No,” he said, “but Jennifer has one.”
“I imagine so.” Auntie Bess held the jewel up to the light, peering at it.
Captain turned and saw that Douglas Daniel was staring at him. Had he listened to the whole conversation? Captain tried not to think about it. He looked back to Auntie Bess, who slipped the jewel back under her blouse, dizzily.
The waiters were bringing dessert and coffee now. Captain wondered if he would be able to excuse himself and leave soon. He could almost smell Jennifer's cigarette smoke as he tried to figure it out; he had gotten so used to her being with him during such conundrums.
Captain looked down at his plate, which was filled with chocolate mousse and fresh strawberries.
“Coffee?” a waiter asked him. “Champagne?
“Uh, no, thanks,” Captain said, a courage building up in his legs. “I must be going.”
“Going?” Douglas Daniel asked him. “But you cannot leave yet. There's so many questions I want to ask you about Marty and Kitty.”