by S. E. Smith
Juli nearly choked on her sip of coffee as his choice of words, given the nature of her own extra assignment. Don’t be silly, there’s no possible connection between the two events.
There was nothing else unusual or substantive and the meeting ended shortly thereafter.
Juli moved to sit in the chair next to the captain at the head of the table as the room cleared. She gave Fleming a quick rundown on her meeting with the lawyer. “Not a big deal,” she concluded. “Although I must add the late passenger ordered a bequest of 50,000 credits to whichever CLC employee handled the return of the rock. Will there be a problem if I accept?”
“I see no objection since the funds were offered, not solicited by you or CLC. The whole thing is beyond eccentric, but what do we know about being a generational or self-made billionaire? They live life on a totally different scale than us hard working spacers.” Fleming cracked a rare smile. “I can’t see any reason for you not to accept the bonus. I’ll make a note to that effect in the files.” He finished his coffee and rose. “Is it a pretty rock at least?”
Reflecting on her quick examination of the souvenir earlier in the morning, she shook her head. “No, sir, kind of clunky and dusty actually.”
“Thanks for handling it.” And with a chuckle he was gone.
Next Juli had to rush to her own conference room on Level C to meet with her direct reports to flow down tidbits from the captain’s meeting, and to go over highlights of the upcoming cruise.
Then she was finally able to attend to one of her favorite rituals, greeting shuttles full of new passengers embarking on the Nebula Zephyr. A few people she recognized as repeat guests, because she had a good memory for faces and names, but for the most part everyone was new and she and her assistant Meg Thomsill greeted them warmly. A high priority for both women was to make sure there were plenty of crew members available to answer questions and assist the new arrivals to their cabins. Embarkation was a crazy, exhausting time and when it was over, she and Meg compared notes briefly on a few people who were going to need special consideration, for medical or other reasons. Then the pair split up, each to make her separate rounds of the passenger areas of the ship.
Juli had events scheduled even though this was the first day and not all the passengers had arrived. It was important to CLC to maintain a full slate of interesting shows, lectures, special events and onboard games, not only to entertain those passengers continuing on, but to excite the new arrivals for what lay ahead on the rest of the cruise.
Never boring was Juli’s motto when it came to any ship where she was in charge of directing passenger activities and the maxim had served her well. The Nebula Zephyr consistently gained high ratings and a heavy volume of repeat business.
If the passengers only wanted to relax in their cabins, the Ship had a complete library of trideos, games and books.
And of course there was always the casino, open around the clock, and the various specialty restaurants, in addition to the ship’s own dining rooms and room service. Juli wasn’t responsible for any of those operations but she kept an eye on them because their activities had an impact on her programs.
She ran into Aunt Dian and Charrli in the corridor on Level A, outside the casino in fact. Juli braced herself for more barking and hostility from the dog, but today Dian’s pet seemed happy to see her, attempting to give her a slobbery kiss when she knelt to pet him.
“He must be in a better mood,” she said.
“Yes.” Dian narrowed her eyes at the pet and her tone was speculative.
“Planning to risk a few credits at the casino?” Juli asked, conscious of the need to make it to the lecture hall in plenty of time to introduce the special panel giving a workshop this afternoon on unsolved mysteries of the spacelanes. She didn’t have time to chat for long.
“I adore roulette,” Dian said. “Charrli and I are quite good at it in fact.”
“I can assure you we run a straight up, clean operation,” Juli said. “Although of course the House wins more often than it loses. Good luck.”
Eventually she made it back to her quarters hours later and changed into an elegant evening gown for the demands of the night shift. As she passed the desk on her way to a quick shower and a refresh of her makeup, Juli paused and did a double take.
The rock from Tahumaroa seemed a bit bigger tonight, which was of course ridiculous. She touched it with one fingertip and the chunk toppled over, revealing another stripe of the purple and white. Taking a closer look, Juli had the impression this side of the rock might have been polished, maybe even worked a bit as if the previous owner had wanted to carve it into something, an idol perhaps. Or maybe this chunk had once been part of such a statue, millennia in the past.
Shaking her head, she continued on her way after standing the stone upright, even though it was wobbly.
Juli made her rounds of the evening entertainments the ship offered, stopping constantly to answer questions and talk to passengers, which was all part of her job. The problem solving was a key feature of her position as cruise director and she took great personal pride in having high satisfaction ratings for the Nebula Zephyr experience. She was also in realtime communication with Maeve, the AI who ran the ship, to resolve anything which rose to the level of a shipwide problem. Juli also checked in regularly with Meg, who was carrying out the same duties on her share of the assigned activities.
She’d just entered the casino when a shout went up from the roulette table and, curious, she made her way over. The manager of the casino intercepted her. “Can we talk?”
“Of course. What’s up?”
Eyes narrowed, he gazed across the busy gambling floor. “We’re taking a huge hit tonight, pretty much every game. The passengers are winning much more than the percentages would normally allow. Sure there are anomalies from time to time on a cruise, a guest gets a hot hand in one game, but it evens out. I’ve never seen anything like this. I checked the surveillance vids and it all started when she walked in.” He tilted his head with emphasis toward the roulette table.
Juli pivoted, expecting to see a hardened denizen of the spacelanes or else perhaps a too beautiful to be believed femme fatale, or even a studious card counter type. Been watching too many trideos in your spare time, she chided herself. What she saw was Aunt Dian, dressed in her usual pink and lavender, with an unusual feather boa, holding a bored Charrli under one arm, his expressive ears flopping. Catching her eye, the travel blogger waved and smiled and Juli waved back.
“You know her?” The manager’s voice was astounded and he rubbed his neck as if regretting the whole conversation.
“She’s the Third Officer’s aunt,” Juli said. “Not a cheating gambler.” With a pang, she realized she didn’t know of Dian’s innocence for a fact. But really, would someone like Steve have a relative who cheated? Or at least not fail to warn the command staff she wasn’t to be allowed in the casino? “I’m sure it’s as you said, a coincidence.”
“Yeah, well, if you can get her out of my casino, I’d be grateful. I’ve got margins to maintain.” The manager was more upset than she’d ever seen him before, twisting the gold ring on his pinkie finger incessantly.
“I’ll see what I can do. Let me know how the night settles up, will you?” The casino wasn’t under her authority but it was a critical element of the ship’s profitability for CLC. As she walked toward the roulette table, Juli observed an unusually jovial mood among the passengers at all the tables and machines. The casino was packed elbow to elbow tonight too, probably because word had spread about the run of good luck.
“Juli, hi!” Dian was in a happy mood and the stack of brightly colored chips in front of her was so high they threatened to spill over. “What number shall we play next? You pick.”
“Red 37,” Juli said. It was her go to number.
The old fashioned wheel spun, the ball bounced and settled firmly in the red 37 slot. “Winner!” The croupier was cheerful and slid more chips toward Aunt Dian.
“I thought I could give you a private tour of the Observatory deck,” Juli said, refusing the offer of a stack of Dian’s chips with a shake of the head and a smile. “I can’t gamble on duty.”
“Oh, yes, I’ve been wanting to see the interstellar display,” Dian agreed. “The Ship told me it was closed when I inquired earlier.”
“We’re doing minor renovating and upgrading,” Juli said. “But it’s still pretty spectacular.”
Dian rose, pushing back the stool she’d been occupying and a casino employee came forward to take charge of her chips. “We’ll credit this to your cabin,” he said.
She paused to sort out several of the larger denomination chips and hand them to the croupier as a tip before following Juli toward the rear of the casino space.
Juli’s DNA print gave them access to the observatory and she escorted her guest up the short set of retro stairs, emerging on what appeared to a balcony floating in space, with a breathtaking panorama of stars and planets above and around them.
“Maeve likes to show this off,” Juli said, as Dian set Charrli on the deck and wandered the length of the rather confined area, staring at the galactic display. “Right now she’s portraying a generic star system but she can show you anything you want to see. Special for you, tonight.” She bent over to pat the dog’s incredibly soft ears. Charrli gave a contented yip and settled at her feet.
Dian mentioned several systems and the ship’s AI changed the display obligingly each time. “Gorgeous.” Hands on her hips, she said, “Can you show me the original system? The one with Old Terra?”
“It’s not impressive,” Maeve the AI said. “Small star, nine planets, assorted moons.”
Dian persisted, her voice polite but firm. “Nevertheless I’d like to see it.”
A new display materialized.
“Pretty colors.” Juli made an effort to be tactful about the birthplace of the Terran-descent humans like herself. But the galaxy was huge and life in the Inner and central Sectors was much more civilized and exciting than anything she’d ever heard about the isolated and remote home planet. “I like the rings on the big gas giant.”
“I’d like to go there and produce a travel blog trideo about the experience.” Dian took out a handheld and made notes. “Maybe I’ll use the night’s casino haul to pay for it.”
“Hard to believe the human race started out there.”
“Well, not all of them,” Dian said. “Human and humanoid stock was found well seeded throughout the galaxy.” She sat at the small table where Juli and Charrli had parked themselves. “Could I have a coffee, please, Maeve? Thinking about Old Terra makes me thirsty.”
“On me,” Juli said. “Please. Genuine coffee is one of our most expensive menu items. It basically only grows on Old Terra and importing it into the rest of the Sectors is prohibitively costly.”
“I think I can afford it.” Dian laughed. “Your casino was most generous tonight. Didn’t you say the house usually wins?”
“The casino manager did think it was a rather odd string of good luck.” Juli chose one of the steaming mugs the robo server delivered and raised the drink in her companion’s direction. “To good luck and far travels?”
Dian clinked cups with her. “Indeed.” She sipped and made appreciative sounds of enjoyment.
“So how’s the cruise been so far?” Juli asked.
“Lovely. I have a list of things I want to see and do on the ship, thanks to your daily bulletin, but did you have any personal recommendations for me, to add to the ones you already shared?”
“Don’t miss the Comettes—everyone who enjoys dance artistry should take in at least one show. I’m also keenly anticipating the Ship’s formal reception tomorrow night.” Juli leaned across the table and lowered her voice conspiratorially. “Of course the Socialites and generational billionaires don’t typically attend functions on board—we have a private and discreet nightclub for them—but the majority of the passengers enjoy an excuse to dress up, dine and dance. The Ship makes a good amount of credits on the event. And we’re having a special Tahumaroa-themed beach party on Level Five toward the end of the cruise. Get the passengers in the mood for arrival at the planet for their vacation.” Juli finished her coffee. “I have to be getting back to work soon, sorry to say.”
“I think I’ll go to my cabin and relax,” Dian said. “I don’t want to lose all my winnings on the same night I raked them in.”
“Wise decision. I’ll keep you company to the gravlift if you’d like.”
“Steve’s taking me on a tour of the ship tomorrow,” Dian said as they made their way through the crowded casino and exited into the promenade. “I want to see it all. Behind the scenes information is fascinating to me. And my followers.”
“He’ll be an excellent guide,” Juli said. “Maybe I’ll run into the two of you as I’m making my rounds, although I stay in the passenger areas when I’m on duty.”
“Do you get time off? Would you like to have dinner with us perhaps?” Dian asked.
Before Juli could say anything, they were stopped by a couple, who recognized Dian and Charrli from her travel blog trideos and wanted to talk about one of their favorite episodes. Since Dian didn’t seem to mind, Juli bade her farewell and continued on her way. It was time for her to serve as hostess for a ship’s version of a game show, which was always fun. As she entered the gravlift, Juli glanced back and saw a crowd growing around Dian. I ought to ask her if she’d like to be a guest lecturer. Evidently she’s more of a celebrity than I realized. On the heels of the inspiration, Juli called the chief of Security, Jake Dilon, on the senior officers’ channel and suggested one of his staff should check on Dian and make sure the crowd wasn’t getting too large or too overwhelming for the elderly lady.
“On it. Thanks for the heads up,” Jake said in her ear. “Who knew the Third Officer’s aunt was famous?”
“Maybe I should ask her to do a trideo about her time on our ship after all,” Juli said. “The Line likes good publicity.”
“Couldn’t hurt.”
When she finally returned to her cabin, Juli closed the portal, kicked off her pretty but tight shoes and walked barefoot into the small kitchenette to pour herself a glass of wine. Wandering into the main room again, sipping at the glass, she stopped and studied the rock on her desk as if she was seeing it for the first time.
The rock was the same size as it had been earlier in the day but even from across the cabin she could see there was more of the purple and white semiprecious mineral vein exposed and the area which appeared to have been carved was larger and more detailed, although the shapes were abstract. Goosebumps covered her arms as she examined the stone. “This is not happening,” she said, setting the wine down. Walking to the desk, she reached for the rock and pulled her hand back at the last moment. “I’m imagining things.”
Juli retrieved her wine, walked into the bedroom to undress and took her shower in the tiny but efficient bathroom. Toweling her hair dry, wrapped in a fluffy bathrobe, she walked to the desk and gave the rock a dismissive look. “You’re going into my office safe tomorrow.” I might even do a bit of research on the late passenger. Raising her voice, she addressed the Ship. “Can you do a mineral scan on the rock sitting on my desk right now?”
“Scanning.”
Juli retreated from the desk as a cage of bright yellow light enclosed the souvenir. There was humming and buzzing and the illumination winked out.
“A mixture of solidified lava, fossilized coral, semiprecious amethyst, white quartz, all typical of a rock found on Tahumaroa Two.”
Unable to decide if she was disappointed or relieved, Juli asked, “Anything I should be worried about?”
“No toxicity or radiation of any type. Just a rock.” Maeve’s voice was level but Juli had the distinct impression she was hiding amusement at the request. As if an AI who was a Ship could smile at the foolish human.
There was one more thing she could do to ease her own mind. �
�Can you capture a 360 degree image of the rock as it is right now, tonight?”
“Of course. Already done, in fact. You have two interstellar messages waiting by the way,” Maeve announced.
“How odd. Who would be sending me a message?” Juli sat at the desk and opened the first communication. It was from the same lawyer she’d turned down before, about buying the rock, now making an even higher offer. Tapping her fingers, Juli considered. She couldn’t sell the rock, since it had been given to her in her official role as the representative of the CLC Line, but maybe she could learn more about it if she at least talked to the lawyer. The second call was from another person who said she was interested in the late Mr. Rodrimueller’s unique possession. “This is odd,” Juli said, giving the lump of minerals the fisheye. “Especially now I know for sure you don’t have diamonds in the middle or anything.”
She asked Maeve to calculate what time it was on the planet the lawyer was calling from and to leave her a reminder to talk to the man the next day. Dealing with putting the rock into its straw container was more trouble than she had energy for right now, so she went to bed. Plenty of time in the morning…
Chapter Four
After a night of disturbed sleep and vaguely remembered nightmares, Juli awakened with the nagging feeling she’d forgotten something. A swift check of the wall chrono had her cursing and scrambling to get out of bed. She was perilously close to being late for her first passenger event of the day. “Maeve, why didn’t you wake me at the usual time?” she said as she rushed to do the minimum of personal hygiene, makeup and hair arranging. Not the way I want to start the day.
“I didn’t have an order from your cabin for a wakeup call today,” the AI said.
