Eighth Session
Shine was reviewing/writing government reports to Green Sun, while the rest of crew focused on other, recent events.
Pieter had finally contacted Phaedra: he wanted her present for Marina's funeral in Counterweight Station. Joined by Linus, they went up to attend.
An artificial, yet reminiscent Marina was placed on a bier, mournful Pieter nearby. He described the terrible news of his governess' suicide, railing that he hadn't even realized Marina was unhappy. He had quickly moved her up after hearing about the suicide, but found himself unable to revive her. Linus peered into the adjoining lab, while Phaedra uncomfortably comforted her fiancee. The lab held ashes and analysis, but - looking at the files - nothing like DNA, fingerprinting, or other data to verify it was Marina that had been worked on. Linus picked up the slug supposedly found in Marina's head, pocketing it.
Pieter reassured Phaedra that he still meant to marry her, and still meant to keep up his end of the bargain to her: she would be protected from her family's machinations. Declaring his period of mourning, done he bid Phaedra good luck.
Meanwhile, Othis had received a message or commission from other Hammerheadians: Steal the City of Industry. He thought of ways to do this, first suggesting to the rest that the crew should - perhaps - split up or try to get to the ship.
On the Magnum Opus, their life-support-encapsuled, comatose cat's condition could be seen to slowly but steadily degrade; it would need some sort of serious medical intervention in a few months; the best New Buffalo had to offer had proven insufficient so far.
Pieter had, meanwhile, left to do scientific research somewhere planetside. Linus's look at Marina's quarters did not turn up anything new - in fact, they had been cleaned, its contents intentionally destroyed by what passed as stationside police in New Buffalo. This was apparently standard procedure. He looked into the reports, noting that an energy weapon discharge had occurred. He recalled that the authorities had said she had killed herself - presumably - with such a gun, explaining the lack of much of a corpse. And yet Pieter had found a slug.
Marina's children had invited Linus - as Marina's cousin - to her funeral planetside, in several days. While there was a desire to catch up to the City of Industry, as - perhaps - something they had promised Marina before her "suicide", it was determined that the Magnum Opus was likely quick enough to reconnect at Topiary if they stayed to attend her family's services.
The crew stayed; Shine joined them down below - a dreary, cold, cramped, and dangerous place. A typical enough funeral, although one without a body. And the family apparently had no knowledge of either Pieter's work on Marina, nor his service in her name above. They made their courtesies - after a quick by through scan for suspects (Marina in disguise?) - and departed.
How did Pieter find out about Marina's death? His new secretary replied: Through that friendly woman who had been hanging about the crew the last few days; their guide. The same who had returned the Diamond to them, in its cask, at the same time as telling them of Marina's death. They would need to speak to her.
Reaching Topiary, a place which both Othis and Shine were familiar, they had no immediate challenge to their prior understandings. The filaments of Topiary extended as they always did, with its dying biomass a chemical and physical hazard to vessels. While electrical discharges could be sudden hazards, radioactive areas were generally more fixed. However, navigation was complicated only outside the cleared space lanes. They followed them to a large Topiary station, easing their Topiary-created vessel to their designated station connector.
The City of Industry was docked at the very same station; Leeandra Raoul sent greetings and offered an escort/convoy if they were planning on going to Old Terra as well; she would otherwise be keeping her crew to quarters, and would be departing as soon as maintenance and resupply was complete. A large contingent of Hammerhead pirates, led by "Admiral Jenny" - Jenna Kline - had docked, as well. Later, it would turn out, both William Syracuse's main ship and Andre Wotan's ship (the Supremacy) were also docked. A small cluster, crossing paths under the watchful eyes of Topiary.
What was different (and the increase in tech level was particularly noticeable in the quality of communications and datastores available) were the tree-related... "monasteries" that had begun springing up and openly recruiting certain Topiary-favored individuals. Indeed, a group of tabard-wearing folk greeting Shine in a friendly manner when they departing from their ship. Shine went along, trying to learn more about this - and, with his fellow injured cat's wounds to tend to - felt fully justified in playing upon sympathies to get an immediate medical intervention with one of these "monasteries'" - the tree in a hexagon - senior medical professional.
Consulting, but speaking only to Shine, despite the others' presence, the doctor suggested that "Mynx's" body may as well be disposed off, and its replacement reactivated. It would be possible, of course, to wake this Mynx in front of them, but it would be painful to the cat, and considering the seriousness of the injuries sustained, likely fatal anyway.
Of course, this was confusing to Shine, and the others. Clone? Death so casual an option? The doctor asked whether Shine was initiated. When Shine indicated positively, he attempted to recruit Shine to his order.
Quick research answered some questions. As suggested by Topiary's prior gifts to some, Topiary was capable of replicating bio-life forms. However, it did not normally accept higher intelligences as biomass. A solution was found, and apparently followed through on: the Topiary-favored friends could intentionally lower certain parts of their intellectual capacities so as to be rendered acceptable product by Topiary. And saved in that way, Topiary could retrieve that state at - as far as most could tell - any point in the future. Many had done this for various reasons - political, social, economic - and around these individuals, these orders were organized.
It was, fundamentally, a series of really stupid ideas in play.
Circletree was founded, it turns out, by William Syracuse's niece - Anders' wife. William had forced his niece to undergo the procedure to make her acceptable bioproduct.
Hextree - the doctors order - was founded by a couple deeply in love, who wanted to be together forever. These originators were, in fact, back home somewhere in the Hammerhead system.
Tritree was Mynx, and formed to help Mynx help Green Sun achieve its goals. Shine had a sudden realization - Mynx was an operative and an Agent for Green Sun. Looking at the skill set... Shine now knew who assassinated New Buffalo's former chairman, by blowing up the chairman's ship, and immediate family... eventually leading to Pieter Coventry's sole ownership of the Combine. This uncomfortable knowledge helped Shine decide to let Mynx's current body be disposed of and recloned.
(Later, a terse and text message from Mynx thanked Shine for the assistance and reassured Shine that any further passenger transport would be unnecessary.)
Linus thought of Marina, but was surprised to learn that there were not - nor had there ever been to the datastores recollection - any Old Terran favored by Topiary. This, naturally, led to the -tree orders to strongly search for such a person on Old Terra, so as to be the first to have one.
Othis tries to get an interview with Admiral Jenny, but is severely rebuffed. He does receive another message about his "mission", and how is expected to fulfill it.
Linus is surprised to see a bureau office of the Terran Inquisitor newspaper, from Old Terra, on the station! It's explained that Galliardis are not particularly favored in Topiary, so it is one of the few places that Old Terra media can get a leg up on their channels. Linus is interviewed - he's asked about what he thinks of the various factions of Old Terra, the Aggie plans, the Galliard Colonial Fleet, and the rest.
With an escort established with the City of Industry, and quick missive from their guide about how well she is settling in on the ship, both ships depart for Old Terra.
Reaching OId Terra, and transiting to the planet, the Magnum Opus was - more than it had been since its time in Green Sun - awash in communications, news, and random chatter. Low-tech as it was, Old Terra was likely the planet with the large density of humanity in the cluster: at last count, decades ago, well above 10 billion.
Approaching, there was sudden and negative news: the University of Old Terra was being shut down; its main space campus, containing the Institute of High Energy Physics as well as other scientific and non-military facilities, was supposed to be turned over to something called the "Galliard Colonial Fleet," ("GCF") a conglomeration of ships approaching Old Terra from the other direction. They would arrive in days to occupy the facility - an old station created during the bad, Second Empire days preceding the von Schultz rule - and militarized.
The capture of an academic facility for this purpose was a violation of the Protocols of Terra, the occasionally ignored, but occasionally important, historical, local standard for military propriety. The facility was radio-ing any and all for ships to evacuate, including the Magnum Opus.
Rall von Ritter, in fact - a distant cousin of Linus - specific asked Linus for any help they could provide. Othis, and others in the crew, noted that their vessel was not designed to enter atmosphere. What could they, then, do?
Research into why - filtering out the significant bulk of data - showed that doctoral students at the Institute had released, several weeks ago, sensor data from a student probe showing secret outer system exploitation of radioactives - presumably by Galliardis - at ten to twenty levels higher than permitted or expected. Shine noted that the unexpectedly fine for Old Terra data reading were in line with standard Green Sun probe protocols. With the system's wealth in rare radioactives, and extrapolating the datasets time implications, Othis calculated Project Clear Conscience had likely overcome its most apparent problem.
Meanwhile, the GCF, commanded by a very young Admiral Victoria "Vicky" Esten, launched what it called a "warning volley" and "pinpoint strike" of nearly half a dozen missiles towards the station. The station was warned not to attempt evacuation, and to remain in place. Othis realized the situation was, perhaps, more complicated than it seemed: Old Terra was, from his understanding, ordinarily Wotan territory.
