Chapter 23
Starliner Athos Nexus Main Chat
Chattykaffi: Good morning, cruisers! Don’t let all the activities on today’s schedule overwhelm you. If you need a break, the Celestial Spa is the perfect retreat. Or perhaps you’d prefer a leisurely stroll through the botanical gardens. And, of course, the holodecks can provide any activities you like, regardless of your interests. There’s no end to the things you can do aboard the Athos!
KayCruises: Are there bugs in the botanical gardens? I do not like bugs.
Nexus_Mod3: KayCruises, there are bugs in the botanical gardens. They’re part of a very valuable ecosystem and they play a very important role.
KayCruises: I’m sure they do but if I see one, I will freak out. Bugs are gross.
Nexus_Mod3: KayCruises, perhaps the holodeck would be more to your liking.
1001Stories: Hello, cruisers! This is Ellis, the Athos’s head librarian. We now have a hundred and twenty new books available at the library. Historicals, mysteries, thrillers, romances, sci-fi, you name it, we can find you the perfect book. Stop in today!
Starliner Athos Nexus Chat 3
WalkWithMe: Any word on who killed Andrew Woolsey yet? How hard can it be to find the perp on a starliner? There are only so many suspects. Or did the ASF let the killer get off at Aetrea?
ASF_Officer9: Have you ever had to investigate a suspicious death? No? Didn’t think so. Maybe stay in your lane and let the professionals do their job.
Offical_ASF: WalkWithMe, at this time, the Athos Security Forces cannot comment on the unfortunate passing of Dr. Andrew Woolsey except to say that we are investigating the situation. Any speculation about the events that took place or who might have been involved are merely that, speculation, and do nothing to move our investigation forward.
I frowned at the screen in my library office. The image search was still working, churning away through the enormous database of information stored in the ship’s bubble memories. Until it found something, the plant I’d discovered in Andrew’s quarters would remain an unknown. The fact that the search had run this long without returning anything wasn’t a good sign.
“Harry, I might be losing a little bit of hope.”
He looked up at me from his spot on my desk but said nothing. His reluctance to speak when we weren’t at home was fine with me. The longer that ability remained our secret, the better.
I petted his head. “You stay here. I have to go check on the book.”
He lay down and tucked his paws under his chest.
“Good boy.” We’d only just gotten in, and the image search had been my first priority. I left him to go check on the book Sarah Fenchurch did not yet know I was printing for her. The printing would be done by now, but before I turned it over to her, I had to scan it in so it could be digitized and translated.
That wasn’t going to be a small job. It was a big book, and scanning it would take some time. That was the main reason I’d come in so early. On any other morning, I’d be sipping my second cup of coffee and having breakfast while watching the Morning News Report .
The book was done and looked identical in every way to the one I’d printed for Andrew. I hefted it out of the printer and laid it on the countertop in the breakroom to examine it. I flipped through a few pages. It was organized by the nine climes, or climates, mentioned in the title, each section featuring different illustrations of the plants that grew in those climes.
A few of the plants looked familiar. I recognized the flowering branch of a dogwood tree, a wild jonquil, and a forest violet. Some I’d never seen before, making me wonder if they’d gone extinct. The illustrations were detailed and done with care. Whoever had sketched them had been talented. The drawings would have made lovely framed art.
I picked up the book and took it back to my office. Using the scanner in there made the most sense.
Harry opened his eyes when I returned but shut them again when he saw it was me. I didn’t know who else he was expecting.
The screen table alongside my desk was smaller than the ones in the library’s main workroom, but I wanted to keep this project private. I tapped the table’s power button and opened the book, then carefully turned it over and laid it face down.
I hit the New Document button, then pressed Scan. The Nine Climes of Practical Plant Alchemy had two hundred and forty-three pages. I had a lot of work ahead of me and only an hour before I needed to unlock the library doors.
Forty-seven minutes later, I had scanned the last page. My arms hurt from repeatedly lifting the book and turning it over. I really needed to work out more. Maybe lifting the book so many times could count as my first weight-lifting session? Probably not. But it was a nice thought.
I would still have to format the scanned pages, making sure they were in order, something that didn’t always happen despite the technology I was using. Once that was done, I could load the book into the translator and, in an hour or so, I’d have an English version.
How correct that English would be depended on whether or not the AI could read everything. Some of the words on the pages were hard for me to make out.
That was the downfall of old manuscripts, especially handwritten ones like this, but the software would flag anything it couldn’t read and give me the opportunity to input my own interpretation. If I could read the handwriting, which was also questionable.
Maybe that was something Frank and I could work on together. The thought brought a smile to my face as I went to unlock the doors and turn the lights on.
Two phone calls remained on my to-do list. Sarah Fenchurch. And Officer Lu. The latter wasn’t something I was looking forward to.
I got the library open, made sure there was no one waiting to come in, then went back to my office and called Sarah first because it was easier. A braver woman might have called Officer Lu just to get it out of the way, but clearly, I wasn’t a braver woman.
Sarah answered right away. “Good morning, Ellis. I hope you’re calling because you’ve decided to print that book for me.”
“I’m giving it serious thought. Maybe you can help me make up my mind. Can you tell me what Andrew was working on that was so important? It would be good to know that printing this book a second time would mean something.”
She sighed, clearly hesitant. “I can, but you’ll have to swear to secrecy. He didn’t want his work shared until it was complete, and I feel obligated to respect that.”
“I understand.” I crossed my fingers because I had every intention of telling Frank. “It will have to go into the notes as to why the book was reprinted, but those notes are really just for library records. No one’s questioned any of the books I’ve printed so far, and I’d like to keep it that way, which is why I’m asking you for more information. Resources are somewhat limited. Reprinting a book is a rather unusual request.”
“I’m sure it is. I can see your point.”
When no further explanation was forthcoming, I quickly added, “I’ll keep the reason as vague as possible. I just need to know this is a worthwhile project.”
“It is, I swear it.” She let out a long breath. “Andrew was working on a new hydrogel that he believed could speed the process of coming out of cryostasis, reducing the recovery time from twenty-eight hours down to three, while also improving cell integrity and reducing side-effects. If successful, it would be a huge boon.”
I blinked and said nothing. That was not the answer I’d been expecting. Honestly, I’d thought she was going to tell me something far more trivial. “And you think with this book, you can complete his research? And make this hydrogel happen?”
“I’m certainly going to do my best.”
I thought of all my frozen friends in cryostasis. “I’ll have the book for you today.”
“You will?” Relief edged her words. “Thank you so much.”
“You’re welcome. I’ll let you know when it’s ready.”
“I really appreciate this.”
“No problem. Talk to you soon.” I ended the call, then frowned as I realized only Officer Lu was left now.
The sound of patrons in the library gave me a slight reprieve. I went to help them. I soon found out the couple at the front desk had joined us in Aetrea and were looking for a few books by some Earthlings. I got their library cards sorted, then added three books to each of their cards.
As they left, I made sure everyone else was good, then went back to my office and made the dreaded call. Maybe I’d get lucky and Officer Lu would be out.
“Officer Lu speaking.”
Sadly, he was in. “Officer Lu, this is Ellis McFadden.”
“Mrs. McFadden. What can I do for you?”
I briefly closed my eyes. “I remembered something from the night I was in Andrew Woolsey’s quarters.”
“Mm-hmm. What was that?”
There was no point in delaying the information. No reason to try to make it anything it wasn’t. “His side table, the one by his couch, had fallen over, so I picked it up and set it right again.”
After a brief moment of silence, Officer Lu spoke again, his voice rife with consternation. “You touched his table?”
“Well, that was the only way to pick it up.”
“ Why did you pick it up?”
“As I mentioned, it was lying on its side.”
“But why not leave it that way?”
“Because I like things neat and tidy? Because it’s in my nature to restore order in the face of chaos? Why do any of us do anything, Officer Lu? Because of who we are, I suppose.”
He sighed. I could picture him rubbing his forehead. “Did you touch anything else?”
“As I told you, I touched the carpet. And the wall as I used it for support. I couldn’t help myself when it came to the rug. I’d never even seen one of those in person, let alone touched one. I wasn’t about to let the opportunity pass me by.”
“Yes, you mentioned that.” He sounded … tired. “And that was it? Nothing else?”
I gave it two seconds of thought. “Nope, that was it. The table and the rug. Well, and the wall when I knelt down to touch the carpet.”
“And you just remembered about the table, did you?”
“Yes.” I went with Frank’s suggestion because it was the first thing that came to me. “I dreamed about being in Andrew’s quarters last night and that’s what reminded me.”
“I see. All right. I’ll make a note of that in your file.”
“Thank you. You have a good day.”
“Mm-hmm.” He ended the call.
I frowned at my wristband. He could have at least said have a nice day back. I looked at Harry, who was on his side, lounging across my desk but looking at me. “Some people could use a little more common courtesy.”
Harry yawned, which I took as him agreeing with me.
I was about to check on how the translation of the book was coming when the delicate chime of a notification caught my attention. I touched my screen to wake it up and see what was new.
The image search had found something. I clicked on the waiting notification, which opened up a new window.
The plant fragment I’d found at Andrew’s had been matched with something called aconitum orbexilum , a species listed as extinct on Earth. If that was true, how had I found a piece of it in Andrew’s quarters? Could be the computer had gotten it wrong. It did happen.
I started to read through the description of the plant the computer had found and saw it was written in Latin. So not only was the plant possibly extinct, but this image search had only been successful because I’d scanned in The Nine Climes of Practical Plant Alchemy.
The page in front of me was from the book. Now I just had to wait for the translator to do its job and hope that whatever information the translation revealed would shed some light on Andrew’s death.
And how he’d come to have a piece of an extinct plant from Earth on board a ship that was nowhere near our home planet.