Personal Log 65: 5th - 11th October, 3301
30 Sep 2016Jemine Caesar
5th - 11th October, 3301 Sam had spent the past few days at Beta Hydri, following a call from his father asking for help at The Rose. I hadn't told Sam about my decision to search for my father. Why not, I don't know.
Of course, I couldn't very well just walk up to Harold Duval and say, "Hello, I'm your illegitimate daughter!" I would need some sort of proof first, but how to get it? Grandmama knew the truth, but I didn't want her to know about my quest. It would cause her too much distress.
Then I remembered the chat show that she had appeared on back in 3272, to publicise the ailing holosoap, 'Star's End'. Of course, the visit of Harold Duval to the studio had been shrouded in secrecy, but perhaps I could find someone connected with the chat show who would be willing to tell me something?
After a little research, I discovered there had been around two hundred chat shows showing across the Empire at the time. It took me the best part of a day to narrow down my search to the show which had included grandmama's appearance: 'Like It Is', hosted by the ascerbic comedienne Marcia Bannerman.
The show in question had gone out on July 18th, 3272, which fitted the timeframe for my birth nine months later. The featured guests were billed as 'Star's End' actresses Rebekka Thorne and Cheryl Maughan-Pike. Might Cheryl Maughan-Pike be the key to unlocking the truth of that night?
A k-cast from Sam brought distressing news. He had collapsed while working a triple shift at The Rose, and was now confined to Stephenson Base. Tests revealed that some coding protocols in his cybernetic arm had malfunctioned, causing a blood pressure spike. Sam assured me that the offending protocol had now been rectified. I felt guilty for not being with him, so I packed my luggage into The Last Thing and set off for Beta Hydri.
*****
Sam completely understood my desire to find my real father, and offered to help as much as possible. His sister, Jenna, was now bigger than ever with her pregnancy, and still helping out at The Red Rose. I had also received a k-cast from Nathalie, offering to be with me when the time came to meet Harold Duval.
My research on Cheryl Maughan-Pike turned up some astonishing news. She was currently on tour, appearing as Lady Bracknell in 'The Importance Of Being Earnest', the very play Sam had taken me to see on Homeland in August. I checked my dataslate for the programme I had bought that night and, sure enough, Cheryl Maughan-Pike had been in the cast!
The play was running at the Orb Theatre on Miller Depot, Barnard's Star, from 5th to 18th October. Sam's old friend, Oliver Reade, was still playing Jack Worthing. I asked Sam if he could ask Mr Reade for his help in getting us an introduction to Cheryl Maughan-Pike.
"No problem," said Sam. "Oliver owes me a favour anyway."
Feeling elated at this rapid progress, I contacted Nathalie to give her an update. She was in the Munshin system, hunting pirates who were disrupting the much-publicised Bacon City party.
"But I am ready to leave Munshin now," she told me, "on a more important mission. I want to help you find your father."
*****
The rest of the week passed with no word from Oliver Reade, so I was forced into a waiting game once more. To pass the time I took on some delivery jobs, in the process reaching my second million credits with a consignment of coffee. Nathalie went pirate hunting. Marcus Trelawney got in touch with Sam to thank him for his part in arranging his brother Hadrian's return home.
On October 8th I received a worrying call from Sam. He had called in at Beta Hydri's Edmonson High starport to collect a package addressed to him. Suspicious that there had been no sender's tracking details, Sam had the package scanned, revealing the contents to be a rather crude bomb.
"There was a message with the bomb," Sam told me later. "It said, 'This is only the beginning. Consider yourself marked'."
My attention returned to the kidnap of Esmerelda Erskinne. I had heard nothing from Rudolphus since his trip to see his friend at Harma, so I called him. As usual, his female slave answered, and told she would inform her master of my call.
"Wait!" I said. "What is your name, slave?"
After some hesitation, as if confused by the question, she answered, "My name is Autumn."
Rudolphus told me his friend had been helpful, insofar as to say that he was certain Esmerelda was not being held by the Kumo Crew. Not for the first time I wondered just who Rudolphus' 'friend' was. I had discovered that Harma was the headquarters of none other than Archon Delaine, the brutal leader of the Kumo Crew. Rudolphus moved in some highly dubious circles indeed.
"By the way," I asked, trying to sound nonchalant, "what did you say your friend's name was?"
The sudden question must have taken Rudolphus by surprise. Either that, or he was trying to tell me something that he knew was dangerous information.
"His name," said Rudolphus, "is... Archer deLonley."