Linton Chronicles - The Gnosis
20 Apr 2018Andrew Linton
The story so far14Feb3304, Vela Dark Region JS-T b3-0 A 3, The Gnosis
When Pnin Re and I arrive at The Gnosis, the megaship is in orbit around a planet where a Guardian structure has been found. Re looks at me.
"Ever seen a Guardian structure?" he asks.
"No, never."
"Want to?"
"Of course I want to, but we have a job to do first."
We land on pad 1 of The Gnosis and are met by Kendrick Zyme. He's a senior astrobiologist whose expertise I've called on several times in the past. I've always been a bit of a generalist, a sort of third-rate polymath. People like me need specialists like Kendrick who can get into the fine detail of some situation, just like I need Vinny Ayr for the cyber stuff.
Always affable, Kendrick Zyme is the most polite person I've come across, never failing in his consideration of others. He wears his own scientific greatness with modesty and self-effacement.
"Hello, old chap, it's marvellous to see you again," he says, warmly shaking my hand. He looks admiringly at the Corvette. "And good to see you're making your way in the worlds. Is this a new friend, I don't believe we've met."
He greets Pnin Re effusively and turns back to me.
"I was told you were coming here, old man, and why. I've arranged a meet-up for you with Wang Shu; she was Dieter Wegener's research assistant in the short time he was with us."
We've found Wang Shu; that was easier than I thought it would be; not sure how it helps, yet.
"So, he's definitely not here?" I ask.
Kendrick ignores the stupidity of my question and smiles. "It's best that you hear the story from Wang Shu herself. It's this way."
Pnin Re grabs my arm. "Would it be okay with you if I took the 'vette to get a look at the Guardian site?"
I nod my agreement. "Sure; you work in insurance, so I guess you have fully comprehensive cover and enough funds for a rebuy."
Re scampers off grinning like a child who discovers that the cardboard box enveloping his new toy makes a decent pretend-spaceship and is more fun than the toy itself.
Some people exude consciousness. The gleam in Wang Shu's eyes denotes keen intelligence and crystal-clear awareness. Canonn Research always recruits the best minds and hers is clearly among them.
We meet in Wegener's lab, a messy shambles of half-built machines, racks of electronics supplies, and analytical equipment.
Kendrick makes a respectful bow to Wang Shu. "Please could you tell Commander Linton about the day that Dieter left."
She responds with a similar bow, demurely angling her head downwards, then she raises it and turns those fiercely bright eyes on me.
"I didn't know Dieter very well, but I could tell he was a genius; the ideas flowed from his mind in a torrent of energy. Sometimes it was hard to keep up with him."
"Wang Shu is being very modest," Kendrick puts in. "She was apprenticed to Felicity on Deciat when we asked her to join us. Her work on advanced frameshift drives earned her the title of 'Furtherseer' from her co-workers at Farseer Inc."
Wang Shu blushes and I'm afraid she'll clam up.
"What can you tell me about Wegener's disappearance? Can you remember when it was?"
"Oh yes, very clearly. It was March 21, we were working in here, as usual; he sets a very fast pace and we worked long hours. I went to get us some coffee; the machine is through there," she points to a door opposite the one we used to enter the lab.
"As I returned, I heard voices – calm, quiet voices; then Dieter let out a half-cry of 'No!' and I looked cautiously into the room. I saw three people with Dieter; they were sort of surrounding him and one of them, a woman, was showing him something on a screen."
"Did you recognise them?" I ask.
"No, I've never seen them before. They were dressed well but they didn't seem comfortable in their clothes, if you know what I mean."
I nod. Pirates putting on a respectable face. "And, can you remember what time it was?"
She tells me and I realise it was about an hour after Dieter's wife, Lena, and her children were snatched from Lodestar Laboratory.
They showed him either the abduction of his family or some menacing video of them being held hostage.
"What happened next?"
"He left; just walked away; abandoned everything he was doing here and went with them."
"A great loss to us and a setback for several key projects," Kendrick adds.
I pull out my tablet and show Wang Shu the translation of Wegener's last message from the v-space modulator.
URGENT URGENT URGENT IF ANYONE IS READING THIS TELL WANG SHU TO BRING THE BLACK BOX SYN ON STARGAZER KNOWS WHERE PLEASE SAVE US
I see the anxiety in her face, and I give it to her straight. "Yes, I think he and his family are in danger, held by pirates somewhere in the Hyades Sector. The pirates have the ability to pull ships out of witchspace, the same way the Thargoids do. The best way you can help is to tell me what you know about this black box."
"Dieter said he always regretted leaving that kit behind and often talked of going to get it – and that's what we must do!" her enthusiasm lights up her face. "If he needs it, we must go for it."
"No worries, I have the box," I say. "But, what does it do?"
She squints at me and I can tell she's trying to judge whether I will understand the explanation. "In simple terms, it does what Dieter said in his crowdfunding appeal; it's a probe that detects ripples in witchspace that are caused by events in v-space. I think it has built into it some components that he wanted to use here, but in the end, and typical of him, he found a workaround that was even more effective."
"He clearly needs it right now, so I need to find a way of getting it to him."
"Well, I'm coming with you of course," she looks at me with determination. "I think I can help you find this pirate gang using the probe if what you say is true, that they are hyperdicting ships. The energy from a hyperdiction would be detected easily, with a little tuning, if we can get within, say, thirty light-years of the event."
A loose plan begins to form.
"What we need is some bait," I suggest, as Pnin Re joins us after his jaunt to the Guardian structure. Everyone's looking at him.
"What?" he asks.
"We're going back to Obsidian Orbital," I say, "Fast as we can, assuming we still have the Corvette."
"Of course, she flies like a dream; I couldn't land, though, it was too rugged; the Guardians built one mighty fortress down there."
I think Kendrick Zyme is going to give us some insight into Guardian architecture but he surprises me. "Hold on, old chap, we're eight hundred light-years from Maia; in that Corvette of yours you must be about fifty jumps away. Let me see if I can pull some strings with the Canonn Gnosis Division management committee; it would be only two jumps for us and we'd be back here while you were still requesting docking at Obsidian."
I start filling in the details of my plan with Pnin Re and, as a military veteran, I see from his broad grin that he approves.
When Kendrick returns half an hour later it's good news; The Gnosis will drop us into the Maia system and return to continue its research. To me this is testament to the respect the Canonn management have for both Kendrick Zyme and Dieter Wegener.
I put in a call to Justin Gardner, Agneta Elonsdottir's right-hand, asking him to meet us in Obsidian Orbital and to bring his credit card.