Chapter 28

We thoroughly enjoyed the shipboard facilities on the journey. I also checked in with the ship’s Healer as requested by Cassire, though he reported no one on board required the services of a Cure. Still it was pleasant to finally be reaching Arconia to view one of the great artefacts of known civilisation, the Spire.

The Spire is a space elevator, in that one end is attached to the surface of the planet Arconia on the equator, the other end is attached to a huge space station in orbit. Up and down the connecting strips run huge lifts carrying passengers and cargo. To the Empire and a lot of worlds since the discovery of grav-tech there was no need to do this, but to see it was seriously impressive as it was very energy efficient.

“Wow,” Kirim breathed as the starliner approached slowly to permit us the time to take in the view on the screens in our lounge.

“Definitely wow,” I agreed, holding Kiria up to watch, as all parents do, even though we know they won’t remember.

“The Spire is over a thousand Imperial years old (2,800 Earth years),” the shipboard AI informed us. “Few records remain of the civilisation who built it, though it is known they weren’t human, if human sized. The base floats upon the ocean below and acts as a counterweight to the Spire space station above. All power is drawn from atmospheric ionisation, though the base contains a massive fusion plant for emergencies. The station itself is home to nearly one hundred thousand residents and visitors and is regarded as neutral territory to all races, though under the jurisdiction of the Protectorate.”

“Wonder what happened to the race that built it?” I murmured.

“It is not known, they simply left, leaving their works behind,” the AI replied.

“No war or disease?” Kirim asked.

“Not as far as archaeologists have ascertained. They left behind no data, no pictures nor images. It is not even known if they terraformed the planet as it was discovered as is.”

“How do we know they weren’t human?” I asked.

“The controls in the various fusion plants and other buildings were not designed for human hands.”

“Oh, right.”

“Hope they don’t return and evict the Protectorate,” Kirim giggled.

“As do the Protectorate no doubt,” I replied with a grin.

We were soon lodged at our hotel in the space-station terminus of the Spire, me to wait, Kirim to later do some shopping and sightseeing. I’d had confirmation from Myrialis that she knew where I was; it was just a case of setting things up with her ‘client’ to get his wife cured and the information handed over.

“I hope this won’t take too long,” Kirim said as we sat in the lobby waiting for Myrialis.

“Me too, though apparently this guy is being quite paranoid about the situation as whatever it is he has is quite sensitive. Plus the situation on the surface is difficult with one of the organisations engaged in a takeover of another, with a lot of low level fighting.”

“Yes, fortunately they do not permit such situations here in the Spire,” she nodded.

“Yep, they need the interstellar business and here is where it’s done.”

“Yes, I read up on it, even though the Empire and Vraik are at war, they can meet here without trouble and will be thrown off for causing any. It’s why a lot of peace treaties are negotiated here.”

“The Empire is not too popular here anyway,” I shrugged.

“True, they don’t like the way we’ve thrown our weight around recently. Though that’s more to do with the fact that we can,” she replied with a wry smile. “Oh, here’s Myrialis.”

“Hi Dave, hi Kirim,” Myrialis greeted us, looking slightly different to the last time I saw her in that her hair was now blonde.

“Hi Myrialis,” I greeted her. “This is Kiria.”

“Ooh, she’s gorgeous,” Myrialis enthused.

“Hi Myrialis,” Kirim also greeted her. “Would you like to hold her?”

“Perhaps when we get back. It’s game on, Dave. My source is ready to help; all you have to do is cure his wife,” she replied. “You need to pop this on,” she added, handing me a fake beard, moustache and bushy eye-brows which formed themselves perfectly onto my face.

“That’s why I’m here,” I nodded after a quick glance in a mirror held up by Myrialis. I then kissed a giggling Kirim and Kiria goodbye and we set off for the elevators.

“Be careful,” she called out to our retreating backs, waving Kiria’s arm for her.

“You’re a lucky man, David,” Myrialis noted as we waved back and headed for the security check to gain access to the next elevator to the surface.

“I like to think so,” I chuckled. “Now, anything I ought to know before going into bandit territory?”

“Stick close to me, don’t say anything and act like my bodyguard. They don’t like Imperials here since Amantil put the pressure on and forced the closure of the Assassins’ Guild, part of the Mercenary Compact.”

“She has a long reach,” I murmured.

“That she does and her threat to prevent access to the Empire for mercenary units forcing them to go the long way around to various Realms would have cut massively into their profits as the Empire is a very safe place to passage through, providing you behave yourself.”

“Take it some Realms would not be happy to have mercenaries travelling through to aid their enemies?” I grinned.

“Very much so, David. Though currently the Empire only stops moves against their allies, none of whom are at war with anyone,” she nodded.

“What of the Vraik?”

“They don’t use mercenaries; they’d see them as a source of protein.”

“Yes, Jessin did mention they aren’t very nice.”

“That was a bit of an understatement, though they’re just about beaten now as the Empire destroyed their last orbital shipyard. The peace conference is going to be held in Vimeaon, our capital city just as soon as the Vraik can get word to their ships to honour a ceasefire.”

“I thought interstellar communication was straightforward?”

“Not to that bunch after the Empire destroyed their far arrays. It means they have to do it by hand and many of their couriers are being shot down by their own side as they know what’s coming. Hence the mop up work the Imperial Ninth Fleet is still doing,” she explained. “Ah, here we are, no more talking.”

I shut up as we were passed through various scanners and identified. I did get a lot of attention from the Custom Officers which I ignored as Myrialis’ papers identified me and were all in order.

The elevator was huge and contained various seating arrangements. Myrialis and I headed to one that was beside the huge downwardly curving artificial sapphire transparent windows that gave a view of the planet below.

“Wow,” I murmured.

“Wow indeed,” she nodded as the elevator filled until the doors sealed and gently, it seemed, dropped towards the surface.

Only the view gave any indication that we were moving at all as the speed picked up for the hour’s drop to the surface. Most of the passengers were either excitedly looking out, or were at the bar looking bored.

“Guess even this palls after a while,” I opined, sure no one was listening in.

“Guess so,” Myrialis chuckled.

It was cool on the surface as we left the elevator station on a flyer that appeared to be acting as a taxi of some sort. Myrialis spent the time updating me on my patient and a few rules on dealing with the various criminal organisations who controlled Arconia.

“Always be polite,” she warned. “Everyone you meet will be armed and perfectly prepared to drop you on the spot for an insult. Fortunately we’re unlikely to run into problems in the short walk to our client’s home.”

“I don’t have a weapon anyway,” I replied with a frown.

“You are a weapon to the unwary,” she chuckled.

“Only if I can get close enough,” I grinned as the air-taxi slowed and dropped down onto a pad in what appeared to be a well maintained housing complex.

Myrialis then led the way to a beautiful looking residence in well-tended grounds sticking strictly to the path as various devices mounted in the trees and some popping up out of the lawns and gardens kept an eye on us. The door opened before we reached it and an older man silently allowed us entry.

“Greetings, Accommodator Libris,” Myrialis stated once we were inside and the door had closed.

“Greetings, Myrialis. Is he the Cure?” he replied, getting straight down to business.

“He is. Do you have the information you offered?”

“Yes, you can view it whilst he deals with my Renoitla. I have a copy on a datatab for you,” he replied.

“Very well, thank you,” Myrialis nodded. “Dave, go do your stuff please.”

“Of course,” I replied and headed off in the direction Libris was pointing.

A door dilated open at my approach, allowing me access to a bedroom where a middle aged lady sat waiting for me.

“Salutations, Renoitla,” I greeted her, noting the beginnings of skin translucency that were associated with the locartis virus.

“Greetings to you, Cure...?”

“David.”

“Oh my! ‘The’ Cure David?” she asked, looking rather shocked.

“The one and only,” I chuckled.

“The honour is mine. We’ve heard of you even out here, though the Empire is careful not to give out tri-dee images of you on their interstellar arrays to the outside of the Empire.”

“Thank you. Now, do you know what I have to do?”

“Yes. Do not worry about my partner. Sexual mores are different here as women are usually a commodity and often handed over to ‘seal the deal’ with an act of a sexual nature, though Libris loves me in his way, hence your presence.”

“I did wonder,” I nodded.

“Yes, it often shocks those who do not understand society here.”

“Then let’s get you sorted. Any preferences?”

Half an hour later I stepped back through into the area where Myrialis was looking through the reams of data that Libris had provided.

“Success?” she asked.

“Yes. Is what you wanted in the data?” I replied.

“Yes. ImpSec will have a lot of things to look at with regards to the Killios Cabal based out of the Realm of Shunik, particularly with regards to a buyer of services named only as Vandaman,” she enthused. “Thank you for this, Libris. It will enable our allies, the Empire, to go after the one who tried to have the Empress assassinated.”