塞翁失马 Not All Bad Comes to Harm

Posted on Fri Mar 22nd, 2019 @ 7:23pm by XiaoLi Zhan

1,154 words; about a 6 minute read

Mission: Season 1 Interlude I (E2.5)
Location: See Below
Timeline: See Below

--Bynaus, Central Canton, About 3 Weeks after the Clockmakers-

XiaoLi shivered slightly as she stepped onto the ground of Bynaus. For an equatorial region, it was quite cold, which she hadn’t expected, despite her own homeworld being somewhat similar, albeit for drastically different reasons. She’d just have to...obtain...as coat or jacket she decided, with some disdain at not knowing if or how the Bynars dealt with currency. In retrospect, she was realizing there were probably a few things she SHOULD have learned before actually arriving, instead of trying, rather less than successfully, at finding out exactly what had happened. It could not be helped now, though, so she collected her small traveling container and began the painfully slow process of clearing the newly instituted manual customs and immigration check.

While she was waiting, and lying about the reasons for her visit and intentions, she reviewed what she had been able to find out. Qiao BaoJun had definitely been seen on Bynaus. He was definitely in the presence of one Commander Mrazak. And the metaphorical shit had definitely hit the proverbial fan. At the end, something had been done to Bynaus’ central computer, the Federation Ambassador lay dead, and the cover-up had not been quite fast enough to hide the Ferengi bodies or Federation involvement – evidence definitive of the sloppy tradecraft involved. So many potential leads to follow, though many had probably gone cold in the considerable amount of time it had taken her to actually make it to Bynaus to follow up on Plotch’s information, which, to her immense bemusement, had been accurate, though perhaps worrisome on exactly what the price to be paid for it would ultimately be.

Finally through the bureaucratic nightmare, she immediately committed the first of a likely series of crimes by having her muse attach itself to Bynaus’ computer network and show her the world as the Bynars saw it. She shook her head at the sight. The technological ability to build their world into whatever they wished, and a resort to simple AR illusions. How wasteful, and exploitable. Done is such a way, even the most centrally controlled system could not be fully censored and controlled. It was time to work.

--1 Week Later--

Seven days. That is what it took to track down the ‘quantumist’ social movement. Well actually, that had taken more like two. The rest of the time had been spent effectively in-grouping herself, and assuring them she was not a spy or government operative there to try to end their nascent movement for the conversion of all Bynars. Apparently, free choice in the matter was not respected on Bynaus and the government was doing everything in its power to make sure it did not catch and spread. Of course, she was not surprised. The Federation was all about the illusion of personal choice, but when it came down to it, it was just that, an illusion. Bynaus had no reason to be any different. She only hoped that the revolution was hard fought and completely toppled and rewrote the oppressive collectivist society.

She might even have a little help to offer with that. She’d taken to distributing ‘subversive’ litterature as part of ingratiating herself. A few copies of John Locke here, a Saint Thomas of Aquinas there, and of course, a lot of Ayn Rand, Milton Friedman, Hayek, Mill, and Bastiat. Spreading the good word of liberty while she was at it wouldn’t hurt. And that was how she found herself seated before a Bynar formerly known as Eroteme, who had chosen the name ‘Kokyangwuti’ in reference to a human myth about a spider woman deity bringing fire to humanity. She nodded at the alien, who had apparently decided to be ‘female’.

“Good morning, Madame Zhan,” said the Bynar, albeit with a slight hesitation. XiaoLi knew the woman was still adjusting to being an individual and acting without her paired partner. “The others say you have been asking for information about the Factor’s helper. The other Lagashi who was here. Why? We will not betray him, out of respect for the help he gave to us and to the Factor.”

The Lagashi woman her well-manicured hands. “Do not misunderstand me, Kokyangwuti-XiaoJie.” she said. “I mean no harm to Qiao BaoJun. I believe you know enough to understand the concept of engagement. We agreed to marriage some time ago, making him my fiancé, and I simply want to find him and make sure he is safe,” she continued, at least somewhat believable for no other reason than she was technically telling the truth. “His parents and I are worried, because we cannot contact him, and we have serious reservations about the people he is with, as we believe they may have kidnapped him.”

The Bynar nodded along, as she either already knew the information, or it made sense from what was known. “Your Lieutenant Qiao interviewed me when I was still Eroteme, along with my partner Ampersand, who has had more trouble adjusting than I. I can tell you that while I would not say he got along well with the people he was working with, he did not seem to be under any real distress. Although, he was clearly working with a clandestine organization that does not always employ the most approved means. As their effective prisoner, I did not learn much, but some of the crew of their ship where I was held and interrogated let slip that their organization is “Memory Theta” and their starship is the USS Phantom of Starfleet’s Defiant class.”

The former intelligence operated smiled. “Thank you,” she said. With a ship name and type, at least she had something to try and track. Now, for the payment, which could conceivably, albeit with only a small probability, aide the Pentad in the future. “I will have to leave Bynaus soon, but in the mean time, I believe you had some questions about Rand and Hayek? I think I can spare a few days to speak of them if you would like.”

–Shortly before the beginning of Barbarians at the Gates, Song of Stars Ti’en System –

Unfortunately, it had turned out that tracking this USS Phantom was harder than anticipated. Either they covered their tracks well, which seemed inconsistent with their prior behaviour, or they had been quiet for a long time. She was beginning to get a touch frustrated with what she had been able to find. She had considered trying to contact Plotch again, but so far she was not that desperate. However, whatever else she might have considered at that time was cut short as the civil defence sirens activated through the arcology. She cursed as she sat up straighter. What in the name of the 18 Courts of Hell could be going on to activate the Civil Defence?

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