Shattered Jewel (A Jewel of the Heavens Draft)
Posted: 2006-12-06 03:24am
((Author's Note: This is an out of sequence draft for a larger story. Had to break the dry spell somehow))
“I still don’t feel comfortable talking to them, to him,” Nadia glanced at the door uneasily.
Ashton smiled at Nadia’s sudden discomfort. “What, all your years on the force and you never dealt with guys like him?”
“No, I never did, but then I wasn’t in the Information Crimes Department. Besides, how did you get to know so much about them?”
“Well, for starters, I’ve worked with them, and Wes in particular. He’s a good guy and oddly enough you might just get to like him if you met him.” Ashton waved at the door. “Now let’s go, he’s got information we want, he and his buddies are hard to trace, and he knows how to keep a secret.”
Nadia sighed as a tacit defeat. The door opened to reveal a small robot that resembled a spider more than a human. A voice came from a sound system built in to the robot. “About time, Detective Varsha. Ashton, nice to see you again. Please, come in, I’ll have some drinks ready. I assume you’ll want some Coffee. Could I interest you in anything, Detective?”
“Water.” Nadia mumbled as she walked in through the door ahead of Ashton. “Please.”
Inside the apartment was part desolation, part destruction. The walls and floor were barren, but the tables and workbenches were cluttered with mechanical and electronic equipment in various stages of disrepair. The only major defining feature were the security cameras that lined the walls.
The spider-like robot followed, the wheels at the bottom of its legs squeaking with an irregular rhythm. “Are you sure? I do have a wide selection of drinks, including Vodka.” Nadia’s eyes narrowed in annoyance.
“I get it. Very good. You’re amazing,” She turned to Ashton, who was following with a smile of amusement. “Cant we just get what we came for and go?”
Ashton shrugged, “Wes likes to show off for women he’s trying to impress, you should take it as a compliment.”
“I didn’t come here for a crash course in the mating rituals of Cyberneticizens, Ash.”
“A good thing, too. I don’t have any spare VR gear for you two, though I’m sure you’ve got lovely ports, Detective.” Nadia shivered slightly as a very uncomfortable image appeared in her mind. Ashton quickly gave her a look of apology as they walked into a darkened room lit only by the lights of diodes indicating that the electronics within were powered. Immediately a noxious smell hit both Nadia and Ashton, a mixture of urine and feces eminating from a corner of the room. The source was a tube that lead back to a chair supporting a gaunt man with pale skin interrupted by grafted metal and metal plugs. “Sorry folks, my waste collection system had a bit of a leak. It’s been sealed, but we’re still working on getting everything smelling better. I had to delay it a bit due to this little puzzle you passed my way. I’m still amazed it came from 51 Pegasi. When this is over, you’ve got to tell me what the big secret is.”
“You mean you don’t know?” Ashton asked as another small robot entered the room with a small tray containing two cups, one full of steaming hot coffee, the other filled with water. Ashton picked up his cup and gently blew on it while Nadia quickly drank the water and put the cup back down on the robot as it stayed motionless.
“Not really. I mean, we have some guesses, but what’s inside is a mystery. You were right, there’s encrypted data in there, and it’s using a one-time pad. Dead end there until you find the key. However, we did some digging into historical databases, cross-referenced with as much outside correlation as possible. I’ve organized all the information for you to reference on your own time, but I’ll keep looking at some of the loose ends as we go. However, we’re missing a huge chunk of data from 51 Pegasi itself. Unless we can get into a flight computer from a ship that came from 51 Pegasi shortly around the time of the incident, preferably after, we’re not going to be able to piece together some of the more vital details. The trouble is that the Government keeps a close eye on those computer systems, and almost all of them have been accounted for by now.”
“Any good news?”
“You’re chasing a pretty old trail here Ashton. The 51 Pegasi Incident was a long time ago. There’s hardly anyone still alive who remembers it happening, much less the details of a piece of jewelry that survived the event. I got some leads that indicate that Loray has some knowledge of it, but I doubt you’re going to want to head back to his place to ask him.”
“No, that’s not exactly going to happen any time soon. Besides, I doubt he really knew what it was anyway. He seemed more interested in the aesthetic value of it and the fact that it’s an artifact of the incident.”
Nadia shook her head. “If it was just that, he wouldn’t be so eager to get it back. He may not have known at first, but he knows now, and that’s a problem.”
“Maybe not as much as you might think.” Wes said.
“What do you mean?” Ashton asked, sipping his coffee.
“Well, it’s not as solid as some of the other data I’ve floated your way, but I was looking at the spending habits of the rich and famous, namely your Erich Loray.”
Ashton raised an eyebrow. “So? I mean, sure, his sinks weren’t Platinum, but he’s still got more money than most of the colonies in the sector.”
“Not really. His family’s fortune has been declining over the years, but it hit a massive decline under his care. Apart from the legal fees from his divorces, he tossed away money like he was allergic to the stuff. About five years ago, his spending got drastically reduced. Over the last three years, his largest purchase was that fancy necklace you helped yourself to and the party he threw to show it off.”
Ashton and Nadia both looked at each other. “So the party was a warning to anyone who knew what was held inside the necklace,” Ashton started.
“And then he’d slowly blackmail anyone affected to keep his lifestyle going.” Nadia finished.
“That’s what we thought might be the case. Unfortunately, while getting old financial stuff was easy, we couldn’t get the guest list from his party in time for you guys.”
“Did you send out the request?” Ashton’s asked.
“No, I could do it now if you wanted, but it would take some time getting to you.” Wes responded.
Nadia shook her head. “No, by now they’ll keep on an eye on any civilian inquiries into the party now that the theft has been publicized.”
“Oh, so you do care after all. You might just warm this cold, mechanical heart, Detective.” The lips twitched into a smile around the feeding tubes slowly flowing into Wes.
“Keep dreaming. Besides, Ashton and I were there, we should be able to get started from what we remember.”
“Your loss, but if you need help, I’m still here, waiting for you.” Wes chuckled through the speakers. “Seriously though, I’m surprised you can remember anything at all that far back. You know, I know this great neural interface specialist. I could get you guys some good deals on stuff. Then you could visit me without leaving the comfort of your own ship, Detective.”
“We’ll pass, but thanks for the offer, Wes, and thanks for the coffee.” Ashton placed the partially finished cup back on the robot’s tray.
“Sure thing Ash. The datachip is waiting for you at the door. Let me know how this turns out. There’s a CNC group out there with a real hard-on for all 51 Pegasi data and conspiracies that we could really lord over with this stuff if it pans out.”
“Sure, if turns out to be anything world-shattering, I’ll let you know once all is said and done.” Said Ashton as he walked back out of the apartment behind Nadia, picking up the datachip left behind for him.
“Take care, Ash, and take care of your new ladyfriend. We certainly enjoyed her company.” The door shut behind Ashton and Nadia, drawing a sigh of relief from Nadia.
“I know, he’s a little hard to get used to.” Ashton said, walking back to the car they had rented.
“Yeah, well, the next time you need to talk to him, you can go alone, I’ll stay with the ship and carry on a conversation with the air filters. Did you see all those recorders? I feel like my image will be worked into his fantasies.” Nadia said as she opened the passenger-side door.
“His whole group’s, more likely. I wouldn’t worry about it. They did the same thing to me. Hell, he tried to show me what he and his friends had cobbled together. It was kind of flattering in concept, but yeah, just a little creepy. Still, they’re good at piecing together information. I get the feeling that part of the act is to keep attention away from their other activities.”
“I think it’s from slicing open their heads and putting a computer inside. I mean, just the thought of it is, well…” Nadia trailed off, her face scrunching into a look of disgust.
“Yeah, it’s a little weird for them to be doing it voluntarily, but it works for them. In any case, we’ve got other problems. Loray’s diminishing fortune is going to be bad for us.” Ashton pulled out of the apartment complex and started driving back to the spaceport.
“Yes, chances are he’ll get desperate to get the Necklace back. We need to get away from his sphere of influence. If we head back to Hollis, my friends in the force might be able to protect us.”
“Yeah, I’m sure they’ll love to give me all the protection in the world for stealing something from the rightful owner, and you for helping me. Besides, didn’t you have bad blood with your old job?”
“Yes, but I still have some good friends. It’s an option we should keep open. Even if they do arrest us, being in custody beats the hell out of being dead.”
“Point,” Ashton frowned as he drove. “Still, I’m thinking the colonies would be our best bet. We can hide out there pretty easily, and I’ve got a good number of contacts out that way.”
“That could work, but our communications with our contacts in the Core systems would be vastly diminished due to the general lack of datanet coverage. Plus if we get into trouble, there’s far less support in place for us. Besides, there’s one more place I want visit before we go under the radar.”
“Where’s that?”
“Earth.” Nadia glanced at Ashton as he shot her a concerned look. “We have to go to Earth.”
“I still don’t feel comfortable talking to them, to him,” Nadia glanced at the door uneasily.
Ashton smiled at Nadia’s sudden discomfort. “What, all your years on the force and you never dealt with guys like him?”
“No, I never did, but then I wasn’t in the Information Crimes Department. Besides, how did you get to know so much about them?”
“Well, for starters, I’ve worked with them, and Wes in particular. He’s a good guy and oddly enough you might just get to like him if you met him.” Ashton waved at the door. “Now let’s go, he’s got information we want, he and his buddies are hard to trace, and he knows how to keep a secret.”
Nadia sighed as a tacit defeat. The door opened to reveal a small robot that resembled a spider more than a human. A voice came from a sound system built in to the robot. “About time, Detective Varsha. Ashton, nice to see you again. Please, come in, I’ll have some drinks ready. I assume you’ll want some Coffee. Could I interest you in anything, Detective?”
“Water.” Nadia mumbled as she walked in through the door ahead of Ashton. “Please.”
Inside the apartment was part desolation, part destruction. The walls and floor were barren, but the tables and workbenches were cluttered with mechanical and electronic equipment in various stages of disrepair. The only major defining feature were the security cameras that lined the walls.
The spider-like robot followed, the wheels at the bottom of its legs squeaking with an irregular rhythm. “Are you sure? I do have a wide selection of drinks, including Vodka.” Nadia’s eyes narrowed in annoyance.
“I get it. Very good. You’re amazing,” She turned to Ashton, who was following with a smile of amusement. “Cant we just get what we came for and go?”
Ashton shrugged, “Wes likes to show off for women he’s trying to impress, you should take it as a compliment.”
“I didn’t come here for a crash course in the mating rituals of Cyberneticizens, Ash.”
“A good thing, too. I don’t have any spare VR gear for you two, though I’m sure you’ve got lovely ports, Detective.” Nadia shivered slightly as a very uncomfortable image appeared in her mind. Ashton quickly gave her a look of apology as they walked into a darkened room lit only by the lights of diodes indicating that the electronics within were powered. Immediately a noxious smell hit both Nadia and Ashton, a mixture of urine and feces eminating from a corner of the room. The source was a tube that lead back to a chair supporting a gaunt man with pale skin interrupted by grafted metal and metal plugs. “Sorry folks, my waste collection system had a bit of a leak. It’s been sealed, but we’re still working on getting everything smelling better. I had to delay it a bit due to this little puzzle you passed my way. I’m still amazed it came from 51 Pegasi. When this is over, you’ve got to tell me what the big secret is.”
“You mean you don’t know?” Ashton asked as another small robot entered the room with a small tray containing two cups, one full of steaming hot coffee, the other filled with water. Ashton picked up his cup and gently blew on it while Nadia quickly drank the water and put the cup back down on the robot as it stayed motionless.
“Not really. I mean, we have some guesses, but what’s inside is a mystery. You were right, there’s encrypted data in there, and it’s using a one-time pad. Dead end there until you find the key. However, we did some digging into historical databases, cross-referenced with as much outside correlation as possible. I’ve organized all the information for you to reference on your own time, but I’ll keep looking at some of the loose ends as we go. However, we’re missing a huge chunk of data from 51 Pegasi itself. Unless we can get into a flight computer from a ship that came from 51 Pegasi shortly around the time of the incident, preferably after, we’re not going to be able to piece together some of the more vital details. The trouble is that the Government keeps a close eye on those computer systems, and almost all of them have been accounted for by now.”
“Any good news?”
“You’re chasing a pretty old trail here Ashton. The 51 Pegasi Incident was a long time ago. There’s hardly anyone still alive who remembers it happening, much less the details of a piece of jewelry that survived the event. I got some leads that indicate that Loray has some knowledge of it, but I doubt you’re going to want to head back to his place to ask him.”
“No, that’s not exactly going to happen any time soon. Besides, I doubt he really knew what it was anyway. He seemed more interested in the aesthetic value of it and the fact that it’s an artifact of the incident.”
Nadia shook her head. “If it was just that, he wouldn’t be so eager to get it back. He may not have known at first, but he knows now, and that’s a problem.”
“Maybe not as much as you might think.” Wes said.
“What do you mean?” Ashton asked, sipping his coffee.
“Well, it’s not as solid as some of the other data I’ve floated your way, but I was looking at the spending habits of the rich and famous, namely your Erich Loray.”
Ashton raised an eyebrow. “So? I mean, sure, his sinks weren’t Platinum, but he’s still got more money than most of the colonies in the sector.”
“Not really. His family’s fortune has been declining over the years, but it hit a massive decline under his care. Apart from the legal fees from his divorces, he tossed away money like he was allergic to the stuff. About five years ago, his spending got drastically reduced. Over the last three years, his largest purchase was that fancy necklace you helped yourself to and the party he threw to show it off.”
Ashton and Nadia both looked at each other. “So the party was a warning to anyone who knew what was held inside the necklace,” Ashton started.
“And then he’d slowly blackmail anyone affected to keep his lifestyle going.” Nadia finished.
“That’s what we thought might be the case. Unfortunately, while getting old financial stuff was easy, we couldn’t get the guest list from his party in time for you guys.”
“Did you send out the request?” Ashton’s asked.
“No, I could do it now if you wanted, but it would take some time getting to you.” Wes responded.
Nadia shook her head. “No, by now they’ll keep on an eye on any civilian inquiries into the party now that the theft has been publicized.”
“Oh, so you do care after all. You might just warm this cold, mechanical heart, Detective.” The lips twitched into a smile around the feeding tubes slowly flowing into Wes.
“Keep dreaming. Besides, Ashton and I were there, we should be able to get started from what we remember.”
“Your loss, but if you need help, I’m still here, waiting for you.” Wes chuckled through the speakers. “Seriously though, I’m surprised you can remember anything at all that far back. You know, I know this great neural interface specialist. I could get you guys some good deals on stuff. Then you could visit me without leaving the comfort of your own ship, Detective.”
“We’ll pass, but thanks for the offer, Wes, and thanks for the coffee.” Ashton placed the partially finished cup back on the robot’s tray.
“Sure thing Ash. The datachip is waiting for you at the door. Let me know how this turns out. There’s a CNC group out there with a real hard-on for all 51 Pegasi data and conspiracies that we could really lord over with this stuff if it pans out.”
“Sure, if turns out to be anything world-shattering, I’ll let you know once all is said and done.” Said Ashton as he walked back out of the apartment behind Nadia, picking up the datachip left behind for him.
“Take care, Ash, and take care of your new ladyfriend. We certainly enjoyed her company.” The door shut behind Ashton and Nadia, drawing a sigh of relief from Nadia.
“I know, he’s a little hard to get used to.” Ashton said, walking back to the car they had rented.
“Yeah, well, the next time you need to talk to him, you can go alone, I’ll stay with the ship and carry on a conversation with the air filters. Did you see all those recorders? I feel like my image will be worked into his fantasies.” Nadia said as she opened the passenger-side door.
“His whole group’s, more likely. I wouldn’t worry about it. They did the same thing to me. Hell, he tried to show me what he and his friends had cobbled together. It was kind of flattering in concept, but yeah, just a little creepy. Still, they’re good at piecing together information. I get the feeling that part of the act is to keep attention away from their other activities.”
“I think it’s from slicing open their heads and putting a computer inside. I mean, just the thought of it is, well…” Nadia trailed off, her face scrunching into a look of disgust.
“Yeah, it’s a little weird for them to be doing it voluntarily, but it works for them. In any case, we’ve got other problems. Loray’s diminishing fortune is going to be bad for us.” Ashton pulled out of the apartment complex and started driving back to the spaceport.
“Yes, chances are he’ll get desperate to get the Necklace back. We need to get away from his sphere of influence. If we head back to Hollis, my friends in the force might be able to protect us.”
“Yeah, I’m sure they’ll love to give me all the protection in the world for stealing something from the rightful owner, and you for helping me. Besides, didn’t you have bad blood with your old job?”
“Yes, but I still have some good friends. It’s an option we should keep open. Even if they do arrest us, being in custody beats the hell out of being dead.”
“Point,” Ashton frowned as he drove. “Still, I’m thinking the colonies would be our best bet. We can hide out there pretty easily, and I’ve got a good number of contacts out that way.”
“That could work, but our communications with our contacts in the Core systems would be vastly diminished due to the general lack of datanet coverage. Plus if we get into trouble, there’s far less support in place for us. Besides, there’s one more place I want visit before we go under the radar.”
“Where’s that?”
“Earth.” Nadia glanced at Ashton as he shot her a concerned look. “We have to go to Earth.”