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Homecomings

A Scarborough Fair Story

by RedFox6

Chapter Seven

Interlude: with Mysteries

Confederation of Independent Star Systems

Onboard the Scarborough Fair en route to 9160 Vishakha III

Present day

In his darkened cabin, Leu finally awoke. With a groan he slowly sat up and put his feet on the floor, happy that he could find it on the first try. With his head hanging down, he attempted to gather his thoughts.

After a short period, he was able to stumble to the sink and splash some cold water on his face. With a massive headache pounding away behind his skull, he turned the lights on low and looked at himself in the mirror.

“Deities,” he thought, unwilling to risk speech.“I look like drek.” He fumbled some pain blockers out of the cabinet, and washed them down with water, then leaned against the sink until they kicked in.

Slowly his memories crept back in. “Okay,” he thought, “Not drunk this time, go-pill backlash. How long was I out this time?”

He managed to focus his eyes on the clock. It read 0412TS with the day after it. Leu persuaded his brain to do some basic math. “Deity's child, almost fourteen hours this time.”

Leu managed to find his flip flops, and slowly stumbled to the bathroom. Twenty minutes under the shower, with the water as hot as he could stand it, and he felt almost human again. A quick shave, and some clean clothes, provided by one of Marie's helpful drones, and he was ready for the journey to the galley.

Lured by the smell of fresh coffee, he walked down the corridor, years of experience enabling him to move confidently despite the fact that the lights were turned off for the night portion of the ship's day-night cycle.

After some coffee and food, prepared by some more of Marie's helpful drones, Leu was ready to face the world again.

“All right, Marie,” he finally said. “how bad was I this time?”

“You've been worse,” she began. “However, this time your paranoia may be justified. I have heard Tollel's and Aoife's versions of what happened, now I would like to hear yours.”

When Leu finished his statement a half hour later, Marie was quiet for a while. Then, “There is still not enough data to reach any conclusions beyond the obvious, that we are being targeted by someone with both money and influence. Until further data becomes available, there is nothing we can do besides increase our vigilance.”

“Yeah,” he said. “We've made more than a few enemies over the years, Crakesbone's old org being the most recent one.”

“It is unlikely to be them,” she answered. “All reports indicate that they are still locked into a violent dispute over who will be their next leader. Apparently Crakesbone did not designate a successor. There are several factions contending for that position, and the body count has been rising in the last few months and is swiftly approaching triple digits.

“Also, even when they do get that worked out, they will have more important problems to deal with, such as rebuilding their strength and reclaiming their marketshare. Rival orgs, especially Ms. Jenner's, have made significant inroads into that, so they will need to fight to get it back. Merely getting revenge on us should not be high on their list of priorities.”

“Maybe they've decided that they need Tollel and her implants for something?” Leu began.

“Since the last attack attempted to kill you, that does not seem likely,” was the answer. The silence stretched on for awhile.

“There is another problem,” Marie finally continued. “One of my subprograms spent its time attempting to trace Aoife's family. It reports that there is no record of them in the Confederation.”

Leu smiled, not surprised at Marie's actions. She was developing an almost human curiosity. And just like a cat, she hated mysteries and just had to know what was going on.

“Maybe their records have been wiped?” Leu asked. “Government could do that easy.”

“Records that have been wiped still leave traces that can be found by a search program as sophisticated as mine, Leu,” she answered. “There are no indications that her family ever existed.

“There is also the data from the Daktari to consider,” she went on. “Some of it is to be expected. For instance, the implants are quite definitely Cormoran. But there have been several other medical procedures, many of them performed when she was a child, that seem to indicate that her true origin is from the Stellar Regency.”

“But all her memories about her family and...,” Leu began, before the penny dropped. “Of course,” he went on. “The Xombex. Combine that with Brain Bleach, and you can control her memories. Sheol of a nasty way to keep her under control. Bloody expensive, too. But it would be very effective.

“Well,” he said, after some thought. “we'll have to discuss it with Aoife of course. But, if she's okay with it, we can apply for a Regency visa when we reach Vishakha III. Find someone who can restore her memory, and then maybe we can reunite her with her real family. Assuming, of course, that the story of them selling her is just a false memory. If it isn't, then frag 'em sidesaddle. She can continue traveling with us.” A smile, then he went on in a softer voice. “I can see definite advantages to that.

“On to the next thing,” he went on. “You said that you made a deal with Haiphong's defense grid.”

“His name is Yi Soon Shin,” Marie interrupted.

“All right,” Leu responded. “You made a deal with Yi Soon Shin. Do I want to know what the price was?”

There was silence for a moment, then Marie answered, “I do not believe I could explain it to you, Leu. Organic language is very limited and does not have the concepts necessary to enable you to understand what our agreement consisted of. Rest assured, it will not endanger either us or the ship. There should be no repercussions during our next trip to Haiphong either. At the time,Yi Soon Shin registered our flight as authorized, and has promised to scrub all records of our flight in the next few days. Officially, it will have never happened.”

“Well,” Leu said after a moment's thought. “my 'limited organic brain' tells me that it might be advantageous to have Mr. Yi as a friend. As long as we don't try and frag him over, that is. It's always useful to have friends in high places.

“Okay,” he went on. “we're fine. What about the car?”

“With our available spare parts, and given enough time, we will be able to repair most of it ourselves,” she responded. “The engine and the chain gun, however, will have to be completely replaced. They are far too damaged to repair. For the time being, only the Sportster is available to us as a ground vehicle.”

“Well,” he remarked dryly. “that's going to play hob with the profit margin.”

Leu sat and toyed with the remnants of his food for awhile. “B and G,” he finally said. “That sounds good.”

Accustomed as she was to the way his mind could jump from topic to topic, it still took Marie a second to realize what he was talking about.

He rose and began searching through the galley. “I know we have some biscuits here somewhere,” he muttered. “And the gravy will be easy enough to make, long as I can find some sausage. Gotta do something, and that should be a good start.” He began assembling the meal while, in the corridor, the lights came up for the ship's day cycle.

In Tollel's cabin, the two were snuggled together in her bed. After supper, Aoife had confessed that she was afraid to sleep alone after the events of the day. With an understanding smile, Tollel had invited her into her cabin. After undressing, the two had climbed into bed, then merely held each other. The simple human contact relaxed them both and enabled them to fall asleep.

Partway through the night, Aoife began muttering and twisting in her sleep, locked in the throes of a nightmare. Tollel held her, whispering, “It's alright, love. I have you, you're safe.” In Terranglish, she began quietly singing an old lullaby she had learned years ago. Slowly Aoife relaxed, slipping back into a deep sleep. It reminded Tollel of the many times that Leu had held her when she had suffered from nightmares. It felt good to bring that sense of safety and belonging to someone else, and she went back to sleep with a smile on her face.

After their morning shower, the two followed the scent of baking bread to the galley. Entering, they found one of the tables set for three, with a pot of coffee and a pitcher of orange juice sitting in the middle. Leu was in the kitchen, finishing up the gravy. “Have a seat,” he called out. “I'll be out in a minute.”

With a knowing glance at Aoife, Tollel led the way to the table. “He's feeling embarrassed again,” she said softly. “When he's feeling embarrassed, he likes to cook to make up for it. Unlike us, he doesn't have any real culinary training, but his meals are tasty and filling.” For a second, her eyes went vague as she remembered her first meal onboard the Fair. In retrospect, it wasn't as good as she'd thought, but at the time it had seemed like the nectar of the gods.

Filling their glasses with orange juice, she went on, smiling, “And it is nice having him serve us. Kind of a special occasion, since breakfast is usually self serve.” Arching her eyebrows, she added, “Just try to avoid his pastries.”

“Not so good?” was the response.

“Well,” Tollel said judiciously, “he tries, but, as a pastry chef, he's a pretty good pilot.”

About then, Leu came out with two plates of biscuits and gravy, along with generous amounts of hash browns piled high,steam rising gently off the plates. He placed the trays in front of the two, then returned to the kitchen to get his own meal. Conversation was curtailed in favor of breakfast.

Finally, the last bit of gravy and potatoes was sopped up, and the three sat back, sighing almost simultaneously with pleasure.

“Well,” Leu began finally. “that should keep us going for a while.”

Switching tracks, he went on, “Our next stop is 9160 Vishakha III. We'll drop off some more of our luxury goods, and pick up some pharmaceuticals.” With a cynical, half smile, he continued, “Given what happened on Haiphong, I think we'll skip the tourist stuff and just stay forted up on the Fair.

“It will kind of curtail our enjoyment of Confederation Day, but we've got food and booze and silly hats on board, so we should be okay for that, anyway.”

Looking at Aoife, he went on more soberly, “There's also something else we need to discuss before we reach Vishakha III. Marie has been rather busy the last few days.

“If you would care to continue?” he finished, looking at the speakers.

“I have spent some time attempting to locate your family,” Marie began. For the next several minutes, she repeated and expanded upon the data she had told Leu. Partway through, Tollel put her arms around her friend as her world was turned upside down.

When Marie mentioned Brain Bleach and Xombex, Tollel gave a small start, remembering her dream, but neither Leu nor Aoife noticed.

Finally, confused and frightened, Aoife said, “But, if I'm not who I am, then who am I?”

Tollel whispered something in her ear while Leu said, “Well, that's something we'll have to find out. If you want to, that is. It's your decision. We will help you, but, in the end, it's up to you.

“I know it's a lot to process,” he continued. “But we still have quite a few hours before we reach Vishakha III, and we'll be onplanet for a couple of days, so you'll have plenty of time to consider it.

“Rest assured,” he went on with a smile, “our offer of employment on the Fair will still hold true, regardless of who you are.”

“Thank you, Leu,” she said softly. “It's just, so much. I'll have to think about it for a while.” With a stunned expression on her face, she walked out of the galley. Tollel went with her friend, to give what support she could.

Sighing, Leu leaned back in his chair and said, “Well, that went about as well as could be expected.”

With a quick glance out the door, he continued, “And speaking of mysteries, how's the search for Tollel's mother going?”

“It has been difficult, Leu,” Marie admitted, a hint of frustration in her voice. “I have been unable to track her beyond her time with Selena Harker. Apparently, Ms. Harker had a thing for vixens; she bought them in lots, identified only by numbered codes. When her estate was liquidated, the vixens, along with all other property, were sold, also identified with numbered codes. However, the codes for the estate sale were different from the codes they were bought under; thus I have been unable to correlate any of the original codes with specific individuals.

“I searched the records of the slave dealer for Ms. Harker, but the slaves were only identified by codes there as well. I am continuing my search, but it is proving much more difficult than I anticipated. The biometric records on the slaves are incomplete, and in many instances, missing entirely.

“There is one anomaly that I think you should be aware of,” she went on. “It pertains to Tollel's training at Forever Yours. She was there for eighteen months.”

“Okay,” Leu answered. “So?”

“The standard course she was enrolled in is only twelve months long,” was the answer. “I have been unable to penetrate their records enough to determine why she spent an additional six months at the facility. Apparently, they keep some of their more sensitive records in secure, offline storage units. Until my subprogram is able to penetrate their offline records, I will not be able to discover why she spent this additional time there.

“There is another aspect to it,” she said. “During my conversations with Tollel, I have discovered that she has no recollection of the additional time spent at the facility. As far as she is aware, she spent only twelve months there, not eighteen. I believe those memories have been blocked, probably by the judicious application of Brain Bleach.”

“Bastards,” Leu said softly. “Frag with somebody's memory like that. It just ain't right.”

His fingers drumming nervously on the table, he went on, “That would explain why the records are offline, though. Wouldn't want any nosy reporters hacking in and revealing any wrongdoing. Bad PR if nothing else.

“Okay,” he said after a moment's consideration. “we'll need to start budgeting money to pay for getting her memories unblocked.

“Hardest part will be finding someone we can trust,” he went on softly. “Billie maybe? Or maybe King Mike can help out. Have to think on that some.”

Back in her cabin, with Tollel sitting beside her on the bed, Aoife was in shock, staring blindly at the wall. “I'm not me,” she was saying, over and over. “But, if I'm not me, then who am I?”

“You're still my friend,” Tollel was saying, hugging Aoife closely. “No matter who you may be, I promise that'll never change, love.

“And we will find out who you really are,” she went on. “No matter what it takes or how long it takes. Marie and Leu have been looking for my mother. We haven't found her yet, but we haven't given up. And we won't give up on you, either. I promise.”

That brought Aoife back. Turning to Tollel, she said, “Oh, Deities, that's right! I'm so sorry, I forgot. How do you do it?”

“One day at a time,” she answered with a sad smile. “But just knowing that we won't stop looking is a comfort. One day, eventually, we will find her. And then we'll know who I am and where I came from. And we'll do the same for you, too. You just have to have hope. And a lot of patience.”

With a sly smile, she went on, “Leu doesn't know that I know what they're doing. He thinks that keeping it secret will protect me from disappointment if we can't find her. Marie and I are letting him believe that. It keeps him happy and makes him feel important.

“And you know how important it is to protect the fragile male ego,” she said.

With knowing looks, the two giggled together for several minutes, breaking the tension, and allowing them to put their problems on hold.