(Ch 18 - yes, continued)
As I swept in low over it, I saw that it was one of the Observatories. I was pretty sure that Observatories had come up just fine previously, even before I had installed a black market upgrade. Maybe this was a special one. I settled down beside it and hopped out, giving it a cursory scan. It came up as Krellian-Tumovosky Communal Center. Well, that was different. I approached the door cautiously, wondering if anyone was inside, as no structure had ever revealed its occupants before. Opening the door, I saw that it was uninhabited.
The interior was singularly different, lit red like so many factories I had come across. But this one housed a large oval table to one side, surrounded by austere modernist chairs, and beside it was a terminal with it’s hemisheric shell. It resisted access, but Suit was able to grant it for me. It contained the record of a meeting, and I read it with increasing perplexion.
It spoke of a hidden society of the Korvax. They appeared to have some sort of grand scheme, and met in secret throughout the years with members of other species to manipulate their races and the course of history. They discussed many issues; the state of the skeletal civilization in Euclid, the dynamics of the Three Races, the acceptance or resistance to ATLAS and the Sentinels, the mystery of the Ancients, the issues of the Travelers, and to my astonishment, one in particular: Nigel Fox. My image was included with the file.
I was so shocked, I was almost dizzy from this revelation. Why in the name of Space were they so concerned with me? But then, hadn’t I been hell bent on making an epic fuss in Euclid? Now the discussion held my attention like a vise, and I grew even more bewildered as I came upon a notable passage.
General 1: What can you tell us about the activities of the Traveller?
Agent 0: He was searching erratically for finds to advance some goal connected with ATLAS. So far, he did not seem to make much progress on that, and was on a general heading towards the center of Euclid. Now… I am not sure where he went… into some void? Authorities and contacts lost him some weeks ago.
General 2: The significance of this cannot be underestimated. The trouble which could result from such a rogue actor is incalculable. He must be relocated.
Advisor 1: I believe that to be an overreaction.
General 2: Perhaps, but we should be certain of him. Try to reacquire him if you can.
Agent 0: Understood, but what level of priority do you advise?
Mogul 1: Second, second, I say. Continue on with your mission, and discreet, discreet! Discovery would upset all plans!
Priest 1: Concur. Importance secondary, but priority, high.
Seeker 1: Enough of him, what of your friend?
Agent 0: I am not sure. I believe he was following a trail of messages. The Entity… still trying to determine what and who he meant.
Advisor 1: That again… why do you insist on pursuing such unproductive matters?
Agent 0: That isn’t fair… I mean—
Seeker 1: Be polite. This is a significant relationship, after all.
Advisor 1: Oh, very well. Keep us apprised of your findings. Do not divide your focus to the detriment of your primary goal.
Agent 0: …Understood.
Sage 1: What of the information? Acquisition soon?
Agent 0: I am awaiting word of their success. I will notify when the data is received.
Sage 1: This, priority one. New Threat must be understood prior to counter.
General 2: Is a move expected soon?
Advisor 1: Moves have already been taken—
General 2: You know what I mean.
Advisor 1: Yes… to date, no. But resources are being positioned for something significant.
General 1: If you want results, you must take risks and trust your instincts.
Advisor 1: That is true, to an extent. Now, agent, the Instrumentality has authorized this, so these are your amended instructions. Transmitting now.
Agent 0: Yes, received.
Sage 1: Be discreet, be safe. Assistance of great value.
Agent 0: Understood. I will make contact once I have something solid in either case. By your leave.
Seeker 1: Good hunting.
Agent 0: Thank you. Closing.
General 1: Well, what do you make of that?
Sage 1: Complexity. Traveller Fox, a curious variable. Behavior, erratic. Unpredictable. Life calculations, indeterminate. A strange dilema.
General 1: Is not his impact minor?
Advisor 1: Small impacts can have large consequences, even if properly understood and accounted for.
General 1: But not as much as the New Force.
Advisor 1: Obviously. And they are indeed our primary concern. But Travellers are Prime Movers. Their effect on patterns of history are often greater than projected. And he is no mere explorer, chronicler. He has incredible ambitions. Our Two Friends have been unable to impede his progress. And now, he vanishes. For what purpose? He cannot have made a breakthrough, but could he be on the cusp? Doubtful, he has not made the proper connections for that.
Mogul 1: Deploy more assets. Deflect, obstruct. Be sure, very sure!
General 1: You would say such a thing. Too obvious, to me. And what if he serves our purpose?
Advisor 1: Perhaps, and interesting developments could result from his actions, which to date have been mostly positive. He is also not the only actor in play. We are now engaged with deployment of the new asset. Results will take time to bear fruit, but it is expected that significant intelligence will be acquired in time.
General 2: Our new agent, what she reported. What do you make of that? Of her?
Advisor 1: That is hard to say. Our eyes in the field seem to have divided loyalties and resources, her own agenda.
General 2: I suggest that even with all our assets at play, it will not be enough. The onset of action seems unavoidable. It must be accounted for in the Agenda.
General 1: I believe nothing more can be said on the matter, and the others seem to be ready for what comes next. At least, for the time being. I urge we leave our Interloper-friend at interference level two.
Advisor 1: Then it is suggested that… wait, I sense a detection.
Sage 1: Postpone. Closing.
General 1: So are you saying - oh, space, I missed that.
Priest 1: Closing.
Mogul 1: Closing.
Advisor 1: I am saying that it will be a problem, but surmountable. We will simply deal with it when it develops. Closing.
General 1: Thank you. Closing.
General 2: Closing.
Seeker 1: The God bless this mess. Closing.
That was the end of it, and I took a seat to digest what I could of this incredible account. What the hell were they talking about! What New Force? And what did I have to do with any of it, their agenda? What exactly was it? Oh yeah, and the push by some of them to impede my progress… and then I grew angry. Why was I such a threat to their precious Agenda that they felt the need to mess with me, obstruct me? How many Korvax were involved with these diversions… all of them?
Then more of what they said hit home, and I grew furious. My Two Friends… who else could they be! Nada and Polo… all this time, they were involved with this Instrumentality - where had I come across that before? - and they said nothing to help me with my Quest, while pretending to be so supportive. I had half a mind to teleport back to the system where the Anomaly lurked and threaten them within an inch of their lives, make them tell me everything—
But wait, didn’t I have other friends who might fit that conspiracy? Asrial? Andonai? Troq? In particular, Troq was well connected, and quite coy about what information he was privy to. He warned me about learning too much, and that such information might be a threat to my life, without so much as a clue to what it was. That Traveler came to mind, the one who knew about Polo and questioned me on that station, and his Vy’keen cohort that clobbered me… hell, who wasn’t involved?
I was so confused, unsure of what to think, what to do. Who to be mad at. What the hell was going on in this galaxy! And was it limited to this galaxy? What did it have to do with ATLAS, if anything? From now on, would I feel like I had a target on my back? Was that a trick question? I felt lost and alone, and wished I could talk to anyone who knew the smallest detail of this Instrumentality. Who could I talk to—?
Tesky.
Oh yes, the one being outside of all this as a being could get. Surely he had some advice to give me. Oh Lord, the file! I practically yelled, “Suit! Download that file! And don’t tell me you can’t!”
After a moment she replied, “Attempting… file has re-encrypted itself—”
“Just… do it, please, any way you can,” I begged her. “This is important.”
“Acknowledged.” I grew anxious as time crawled past, and this seemed way too much like Sparky’s work on the Sentinel Pillar. If only the result could be the same. After much too long a time, she informed me, “Safeguards defeated. Download complete.”
“Oh thank you - I could kiss you! Tesky, Tesky, Teskyteskytesky…”
A few moments later, he responded. “Well, I believe you would refer to this as a red letter day. You must have made a significant discovery to contact me a third time within hours.”
“And then some. Tell me - and tell me as much as you can; have you ever come across any mention of The Instrumentality?”
There was a significant pause. “Yes. Very rarely, but I have noticed a few references. What twist of fate caused you to discover information about them, and what was—?”
“Listen,” I interrupted, as I couldn’t contain myself. “They’re involved in some sort of galaxy-wide conspiracy. They’re like… some sort of syndicate or spy group, and I think they’re operating outside the bounds of any government. They’re trying to shape history by manipulating leaders of the Three races. They know about me, and are trying to put roadblocks on me, God only knows why. They seem to think I can upset some great plan of theirs. I need to know something more about them, and what they’re doing.”
He paused again, and I didn’t like these gaps. “Then you know far more than I do, and I dare not tell you anything more than—”
I lost my cool at that point, and exploded, “Tesky, don’t do this to me! I’m sick to death of people hiding things from me! I need to know what the hell is going on!”
“Calm down, friend. Take a breath.” I wasn’t in the mood to calm down, but I tried to regain some modicum of composure. I also wasn’t in the mood to be brushed off with a lecture, but I feared one was coming. “This galaxy is reaching a point of complexity it has had prior to The Great War. I suppose this is inevitable with such races under the thumb of ATLAS for so many centuries, and with no overarching government to restrain ambitious actors, much like yourself. I have little doubt that individuals have very low value, particularly in comparison to whatever schemes they have in play. And they most likely have forces at their disposal which they will undoubtedly use to protect these schemes. You must understand this.”
Travelers have been killed getting involved in one plot or other. We couldn’t count on our status to protect us in such matters, not even a Hero of Euclid. That was a sobering realization. They didn’t sound all that threatening, so far, but that depended on the trouble I caused. “Tesky… okay, I get that. But I need to know something so I’m not completely at their mercy.”
“I understand your reaction, but your emotions are still overshadowing your ability to reason. Think of it this way. As familiar as I am with your Human nature, I see that you are like many of the organics I have befriended in my past life, and like them, they had a tendency to jump to conclusions, to spread rumors and gossip. And I believe you understand how unwise it is to take such things seriously. Now, bring this to the level of an organized and very serious conspiracy, just one of them. If I were to mislead you, and you encountered someone who may or may not be involved, would you be able to conduct yourself exactly as you would without knowing anything? I know this is a hypothetical, but surely you get the point.”
In spite of my best efforts, my behavior and anything I said would likely be different, might even seem suspicious. “Yeah… okay, I get it. But I’m ex-military. We need to know some details. We were never sent into a situation cold, knowing nothing. That was just as bad.”
“I understand, believe me, as once upon a time I was in a similar situation. But consider what it is you’re facing. Rather than something nefarious, this conspiracy could well be, in the broadest sense, just and good, for the benefit of all. I still believe in the overarching wholesomeness of races in their entirety, the tendency of our Vy’keen friends towards war aside. Meddling in affairs of which you can’t possibly know may cause… problems, and reactions.”
My arguments, most of them, evaporated away with every word he said, and it was frustrating. “Darn it… I hate it when you make sense like this.”
He chuckled wryly, and it was still a surprise when he did. “Nigel, I do understand your consternation, believe me. But I want you to know that I tell you this as your friend, and I would never intentionally mislead you. I confessed things to you that I have told no one else, besides a few things to your wife, Seri, because I consider you to be trustworthy. If you’ll pardon a slight reprimand, the way you treated Seri was less than trustworthy. But I don’t consider an indiscretion to tarnish your entire reputation, and I won’t dwell on that. I would say a bit more, as I do sympathize with your predicament. I ended up in the condition I am now because we embarked on a journey in which we knew nothing ourselves, the nature of a voyage into uncharted territory. Even handling situations as best I could, they spiraled beyond my ability to control. As a result, I was lost, the crew was lost, and my ship was lost, all for a lack of understanding and foreknowledge.”
Regret was clear in his voice, and it saddened me more than the sting of his mild chastizement. He really had suffered in ways that I could just begin to imagine. “I’m very sorry for what happened. But… you know, I’m curious about that. Do you think you were sent on a mission that was just and good?”
I could almost hear him shrug. “Who knows? I must be honest. But my hope is that my masters learned from that debacle, and didn’t repeat it. I likewise hope you take my advice to heart, and act on it in ways that are honorable, wise and prudent.”
I gave the speaker a nod. “I’ll do my best, I promise.”
“I cannot ask for more than that. But if I may, do you have anything to share of your discovery? Some file, or—?”
“Oh yes!” I interrupted. “Sorry… this has been a very weird day. I’ll send it right now.” I trusted that his channel was as secure as he could make it, and attached the two files to a nearly empty note - Thanks again for the advice.
After a few moments, he said to me, “Well… this may fill in a gap or two of my understanding - and don’t ask me about them, let me hasten to add. To quote an old cliche, ask me no questions and I’ll tell you no lies.”
“Yeah… that’s one of ours too,” I muttered. “But—”
“But this - pardon the interruption, but… the first file… eheu! Astonishing! Is this from a Sentinel device?”
“Yes, and I wanted to discuss it with you. What do you make of it?” I asked eagerly.