Of mysteries and children
22 Jun 2016Jellicoe
“The Children need you.” The note read, a simple phrase loaded with hidden meaning for its intended recipient. I understood the message immediately but the reasons behind it were proving more difficult to devine. It was late and I was alone in my cabin aboard the Resolution, indeed I was the only man on the entire ship as the crew celebrated the completion of our last mission in the various bars of Leconte station. I had been with them, I should still have been with them but the folded paper pressed into my hand by the cowled stranger had changed everything, it was a summons to a place I knew but what would we be flying into? So far I had drawn a blank. I sighed, poured myself another brandy and began again.“Computer search all transmissions over the last month for anything containing the words ‘Salomé’, ‘Thorne’, ‘childred’ or ‘Raxxla.’”
“Search complete. No results found.”
“Give me the current location of Commander Luko.”
“Location of Commander Luko is presently unknown.”
“Current location of Commander Salomé.” I tried a different tack.
“Location of Commander Salomé is presently unknown.” I exhaled frustration mounting, my brain clouded by drink and exhaustion. I knew I should get some sleep but I couldn’t bring myself to let this go.
“Give me the last know whereabouts of Commander Salomé.”
“Last know whereabouts of Commander Salome Beagle Point, 7th April 3302.” I sat up, finally something.
“Long shot I know but are there any recorded transmissions from Commander Salomé within two standard weeks of that date?”
“There is one recorded transmission made at Beagle Point on 7th April 3302.” I leapt to my feet at that, something my drink befuddled head instantly regretted.
“Play transmission.” I demanded excitedly.
“Voice transmission from Commander Salomé to Children of Raxxla and Distant Worlds expedition. Transmitted in clear at Beagle Point 7th April 3301. Transmission begins…” Lady Salomé’s perfectly accented and enunciated tones filled the room as she began by thanking all those who had accompanied her on the great voyage. I sat down and lit a cigar as I listened, I had only met Salomé once and while she had made a big impression I was still surprised at the effect the sound of her voice had on me, I smiled at my own foolishness, Imperial senators, even ex senators did not get involved with spaceship captains. The message continued, Lady Salomé paid tribute to those lost during the expedition and the enormity of their achievement. I was beginning to fear there would be nothing of any use to me when she warned the explorers to guard the data they had collected carefully and that it may be more important than any of them knew, then she spoke of Raxxla itself, the rift and the other mysteries out in the black before warning of shadowy forces at work in the core worlds. It was vague and made no mention of any specific danger; what if anything did it have to do with me though? Lady Salomé had recruited me to the Children of Raxxla as a combater not an explorer, my uses were largely limited to the bubble not the deep, the reasons for my summons had to be closer to home, the question was were they linked?
“Computer how long would it take Commander Salomé to get back to the bubble?”
“Unknown. Insufficient data held on Commander Salomé’s ship.”
“Okay, could an Asp Explorer class vessel be back in the bubble now if it had been at Beagle Point on 7th April?”
“Confirmed. An Asp Explorer class vessel optimised for long range trav…”
“Thanks silicon brain I don’t need chapter and verse, so she could be back in the bubble but the fact that there’s no known location suggests she isn’t.”
“Unknown. Insufficient data.” I sat back down, took a long drag on my cigar and drained yet another brandy.
“Computer has there been any increase in the incidence of attacks on ships known or suspected of having links to the Children of Raxxla in the following systems; HR6421, Jitabos, Bhottada and Daras?”
“Available data suggests a 2.147% rise in attacks within search parameters. Search parameters leave a margin for error or around 10.842%” That appeared a dead end, an insignificant rise rendered irrelevant anyway by the large margin for error. I poured another brandy.
“Repeat search but this time restrict it to the following ship types; Lakon Type 9, Faulcon de Lacey Python, Gutamaya Imperial Clipper, Zorgon Peterson Fer de Lance, Core Dynamics Federal Gunship and Faulcon de Lacey Anaconda.”
“Available data suggests a 17.524% increase in attacks within search parameters. Search parameters leave a margin for error of around 6.429%” I sat up again, this was significant even with the margin for error. Too few attacks to be a pirate infestation but too many to be insignificant, it suggested a highly skilled assassin targeting important members.
“Computer run the same search for the following organisations; L.O.S.P., HR^$”! Federal Network, Mob of Jitabos and the Daras Family. Have any of them had a rise in attacks above 5% in either category?
Negative.” Could that be it? A skilled assassin targeting important people with links to the organisation? It would explain my summons, especially if Lady Salomé and other senior members were returning from the Distant Worlds mission imminently. I leaned back in my chair to think and immediately fell asleep.
I was woken some time later by a frantic hammering on my cabin door and worried shouting from just outside.
“Open.” I groggily told the computer and in rushed Claude and Lieutenant Soames, pistols in hand leading four armed policemen in full tactical body armour.
“You’re alive thank God! Claude blurted out his voice breaking with relief.
“Of course im alive I didn’t drink that much.” I said struggling with the residual effects of sleep and last nights alcohol.
“Bomb went off in your hotel suite sir. If you’d been there they’d be swilling you off the walls, then we saw the ship had been accessed by your entry code and feared the worst.” Lieutenant Soames summarised the situation. “somebody’s out to get you, all the hallmarks of Imperial Intelligence trying to make it look like the Mob.”
“It’s not the Imps or the Mob.” I replied remembering the previous night and feeling certain this was linked to what I had learned.
“We need to leave immediately, Claude get the crew aboard and lock the ship down, we’ll give it twenty-four hours to sober them up then we go. Mr Soames I’ll have to release you and your men back to the Admiral, this isn’t Federation business.”
“With respect sir I’m assigned to you personally, for some reason Craddock wants you keeping alive. Four of the men and I will be coming along.”
“Okay but you stay out of uniform and if anyone asks you’re private security, where we’re going the Federal military aren’t popular.” He looked uncomfortable at that and I feared he would stick out like a sore thumb, on the other hand five marines could come in very handy in the wild.
We left the following day, I saw us through the first few jumps before leaving Claude the bridge and retiring to my ready room, I had barely been there five minutes when Claude entered entirely unannounced and just as I had expected.”
“I trust everything is in order number one?” I asked knowing exactly what the response would be.
“Don’t come the Rear Admiral bollocks with me, I’ve known you too long. What the hell is going on?”
Last night I had a message that I was needed at Serabrov, then somebody tried to kill me, I think the two are linked.”
“Why?”
“Because other members are being murdered. I think someone is out to get them and by extension me.”
“I always thought they were trouble. What do we really know them even now?” I sat back in my chair and looked out of the window into the void, what were the Children of Raxxla? We were shadows in the black, whispers in the wind, flashes in the furnace. We were watchers and searchers, we were a net of shadows that spread across the Federation, Empire, Alliance and beyond. Rumours about u shad grown like flames from a spark, some said we were part of the Dark Wheel while others maintained we were their implacable foes, some claimed we would defend humanity from the Thargoids, others that we were in league with them, but nobody beyond our ranks knew the truth. The truth was that we were seeking without knowing what we sought, we knew there were things out there that our rulers had concealed or lied to us about, even the Thargoids had been propagandised and demonised to the point where the truth was so obscured as to be indescribable. That then was the Children of Raxxla, delvers of mysteries the mighty wanted hidden, it would be no surprise therefore if someone had decided to move against us. I looked back at Claude.
“A flame of truth in a galaxy of lies.” I replied.
“Worth getting us all killed for?”
“I don’t plan on dying for a very long time yet old son.” I said with a smile.