Shadows of Golstar (42 page)

She now seemed a little nervous, so he said in a
conciliatory tone, “I was never led to believe otherwise.” Owens thought to
himself, it had been a hope rather than a belief. He knew Vice Consul Reynaud
would be very disappointed to hear Sharné’s declaration.

She said more earnestly, “Owens, please believe this
is no reflection on you. You are not here because of any diplomatic skills you
may possess. We summoned you to Golstar to perform a specific service; we need
you for an important investigation. It was never intended as a sign our borders
will be relaxed or the status quo has changed in any way.”

“I see.”

She allowed herself a small sigh, “So I ask you to
keep in mind it will be necessary for you to exercise a certain degree of
caution and be little more… circumspect when dealing with what are obviously
sensitive subjects to Golstar.” This was not coming out the way she wanted it.
“Allowances, of course, will be made, but I confess patience is not of our
foremost virtues.”

Owens stifled a sarcastic laugh.
What patience?

Owens took another moment to consider her words. Her
initial, harsh reaction notwithstanding, she now seemed to accept at least some
of the rationale behind his earlier discussion on the
Saber
. She had
returned to a calmer demeanor. However, her follow-up statements were still a
little too condescending to Owens’ ear, although it didn’t appear she intended
this to anger him. Nonetheless, he felt some degree of frustration. These
‘sensitive subjects’ he thought, obvious to whom? How would he know what those
sensitive subjects were? This orientation she talked about?  

Just then he wasn’t about to ask Sharné for further
clarification. He had seriously upset her. Her initial reaction was more
intense than he had expected, but at least now she seemed composed. In any
event, he
would
try to be more careful in the future. Besides, he
thought, her defensive posture had already told him some of what he had wanted
to know. Unfortunately, it further cooled their relationship. Still, he
believed he was right in sharing his observations.  

In reviewing the last few minutes, Owens was still
puzzled by Sharné's personal conduct. For someone holding what was obviously a
high office in her government, her behavior hadn’t matched his expectation. His
limited experience with government officials didn't prepare him for her strong,
emotional response. Of course, his reaction to that response hadn’t been
exactly mild-mannered either. She certainly seemed to have a knack for pissing
him off.

Breaking his reverie, Sharné asked, “Owens, can you
understand our position?”

He figured it was as a good time as any to change the
subject. “Yeah, I do understand. You’ve answered my questions, and I have no
need to make further reference to the
Saber’s
condition. In the future,
I’ll keep in mind what you’ve said.” He felt that a little clarification on his
part was needed. Perhaps it would help for reconciliation with her. As though
as an afterthought, he said, “But I will confess that some of my questions
weren’t solely intended for clarification.”

 She looked at him and wondered if he was about
to offer up a new revelation. Whatever he was about to say, she vowed to
herself that this time she would be prepared; this time she wouldn’t lose
control. “Oh,” she said. “What other reasons did you have?”

“To be honest, some of the questions were aimed to
satisfy my personal curiosity.” He ran a hand through his hair. “You see, I’ve
always been inquisitive; it was my insatiable curiosity that led me into this
profession in the first place, and I happen to think it’s an advantage for
anyone in my line of work. Even so, I’ll admit it’s difficult sometimes for me
to draw a clear line between professional and personal curiosity.”

She felt a wave of relief at his words. She said, “I
believe I can understand how that might happen.”

“I’m glad. Frankly, in our present circumstances, my
personal survival seems to be intertwined with Golstar’s request for my
professional services. So I can’t promise I won’t stray over the line again,
but I’ll try.”

Nodding, she said, “Thank you.”

He asked, “Would you now be open to a strictly
professional discussion on the case you have in mind for me?”

“Yes, of course,” she disguised her relief. “It
is
the reason you have traveled so far… and endured these hardships is it not?”

● ● ●

Hec had listened to Owens and Sharné’s heated
discussion with interest and wondered if it was a genetic trait in Golstar
citizens to be so hypersensitive. While he was monitoring the conversation, Hec
also tracked the probe’s progress. The probe successfully reached the outer
perimeter of the sensor net without mishap. If the satellites were active,
there was no measurable indication that Hec could discover. The AI guided the
probe deeper into Golstar’s early-warning system watching for any indication
the little satellites were functioning. So far, everything seemed as Sharné had
promised.

● ● ●

“It is a statuette approximately this long,” Sharné
was holding her hands about thirty centimeters apart. “It is a small-scale
 
representation of a Berralton Glow Hawk with
its wings in the folded position. The animal it is fashioned after is a
birdlike creature native to Berralton. You could say the Glow Hawk is closer to
an earth-extinct flying reptile than to a present-day bird. The living animal
does have rudimentary feathers, but it glides rather than flies. Its body is
about the same size as an adult man but naturally carries much less mass.
Although not an active threat to humans, it can be quite ferocious when
disturbed. It was the first creature of Golstar encountered by the Founder. He
is credited for its discovery.”

Owens became more relaxed on seeing Sharné’s attitude
continue to thaw as she began to describe the assignment.

He asked, “Why is it named a Glow Hawk? Is there some
special significance to its name?

“It makes its home only in the upper reaches of the
Radiant Mountains, a mountain range that lies east of the capital. The rocky
crags where it nests are covered with bioluminescent lichen. This gives the
mountains a blue-green glow after dark. The Glow Hawk rubs against the lichen
and at night, when it hunts, it appears ghostlike from the glow given off from
the residual bioluminescence on its feathers, hence the name Glow Hawk.”

“Can you describe the material the statuette is made
of?”

“Certainly, the body is comprised of Silverene
crystal, a naturally-occurring mineral native only to Berralton. The head is
sculptured out of pure platinum. The wing areas are striated with ribbon inlays
of emerald and sapphire. Its eyes are diamond-cut rubies. I am afraid that is
all that I remember of its construction. I brought a detailed description and
scale reproduction of the statuette from Berralton, but it was lost along with
the
Saber
.”

“Well, from your description I have a pretty good idea
what it looks like. And, I can guess it must be quite valuable.” He hesitated.
“But can it be worth all the effort and expense Golstar expended in getting me
here? I don’t say this to be disrespectful, but you must have your own
investigators who are capable of tracking it down.”

Sharné nodded, “I can understand where you might think
it so. And indeed, it is true we have our own police agencies. If it was only
the simple recovery of a missing artifact, the investigation could be conducted
by our Bureau of Investigation and Enforcement. However, the situation is a bit
more problematic.”  

Owens waited for her to explain.

“The statuette is more valuable than you can imagine.
It was a personal possession of the Founder,
General Golan
Berral
Light. The crystal Glow Hawk was a gift from his grateful followers,
the first settlers of Berralton. It is almost five centuries old. Thus, it
takes on a far greater worth through its direct association with the Discoverer
of Golstar, the Founder of our civilization.”

She became more animated. “Prior to his discovery of
Golstar, before he led the last celebrated migration of humanity to this
system, Golan Berral Light was a general of ancient Earth’s military. In spite
of the turbulent times that followed the Great Desertion, he quickly rose through
the ranks of his peers to command the army of the greatest nation left on the
planet. As one of Earth’s last powerful military leaders, he forged alliances
with many of the diverse sovereignties that still remained on old Earth.” 
  

Owens was interested to note Sharné’s reference to the
Great Exodus as the ‘Great Desertion.’ The seeds of antipathy between the
Confederated Planets and Golstar had been sown much earlier than he or anyone
had supposed.

“Many people of that time believed he would eventually
assume the reins of a world leader. However, it would not be, for they did not
reckon his destiny would lead him to choose a far different path. His early
successes had come to him with relative ease, yet he still felt empty, a vessel
for greatness yet to be filled.

He entered into a period of inner reflection… a search
for his true purpose. His quest for personal discovery was soon followed by a
holy revelation. He was gifted with a number of visions and through those
visions, he learned of the Prophecy. Guided by the Prophecy and through his own
inherent leadership and wisdom, he gathered together remnants of humanity from
a number of military branches existing within the splintered societies that
remained scattered across the face of the mother planet. The Founder believed
military honor and discipline would play a principle role in fulfilling the
Prophecy.”

Owens listened closely to Sharné’s words. Her words
flowed easily as if memorized. Her vocabulary and phrasing were evolving, and
her description began to sound like a litany.

“The Founder gathered the finest representatives of
humanity and unified them under his noble banner. Word spread and others sought
to join him and his followers. Only those that met the Founder’s high moral
standard were allowed to unite in humanity’s last and greatest exodus; a great
voyage to culminate in the creation of a new society, a society based on the
best values garnered from military discipline and Earth’s finest civilizations.
It would be a society where humankind would flourish and achieve its’ highest
potential.”

Owens ignored her pious pronouncement. However, at the
reference to ‘Earth’s finest civilizations,’ he thought back to his
observations aboard the
Light Saber
. One of those civilizations must
have included ancient Victorian England. He remembered his feeling of
recognition when first he saw the internal design and furnishings of the
Saber,
including the cut of Sharné’s robe and the guard’s attire. It had all reminded
him of that period of Earth’s past.  

He held back comment. He had told Sharné he wouldn’t
mention the
Saber
again, but he couldn’t help but think about the
Victorian image the ship had mirrored. That was something he knew through his
own past research. After all, the
Holmes
was named after his favorite
fictional character, the famous literary detective of the Victorian era penned
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. He wondered if she had made any connections to his
ship’s name.

Sharné was unaware of Owens’ momentary distraction.
“You must understand the Founder not only led a fleet of settlers, he created
the very values intrinsic to our civilization and the foundation of our
beliefs.”

“It’s not hard to understand why he is so important to
your society.”

“Yes. So now you can see that as a personal memento of
the Founder, the most central and revered figure in our history, the crystal
Glow Hawk is of far greater value than the materials of which it is comprised,
or for that matter, the exquisite craftsmanship employed to create such a
treasure. To some it is even considered a religious icon and perhaps the most
important and valuable artifact we possess.”

Owens said carefully, “Okay, but wouldn’t that be even
more of a reason to refer the case to your own agencies? I would think that a
priceless historical and religious symbol such as the one you’ve just described
would be better left to the investigations of an agency internal to Golstar.”

“Your point is well taken, and I would agree with you
under normal circumstances,” Sharné answered.  

Owens shrugged, “Well, so far nothing related to my
summons to Golstar has been normal. Okay, so things aren’t normal. Are you
allowed to explain them to me?”

She had rehearsed her answer to this inevitable
question while back on Berralton. “Like any human society that has existed as
long as ours, small number of political factions has come into being over time.
I am sure you are familiar with similar organizations existing within your own
society.”

Owens nodded.

She went on, “Such groups within Golstar range in
ideologies from one extreme to another. Some subscribe to the
ultraconservative, while other embrace the code of the unrestrained
liberal.  Naturally, there are a number of them that fall somewhere in
between, but all are outside of the political mainstream. Although they are
relatively small in number, any one of these political factions would gladly
use the loss of this symbol to promote their own agenda.”