I love wolves. So there you go. I do have a softer, slightly less psychotic side. Despite what the psychiatrists say. I particularly love wolves when they are tearing their helpless prey to pieces. My next door neighbors for example. It's not my fault a pack of ravenously hungry grey wolves accidentally found their way into the middle of a residential area. In the middle of the night. As those annoying assholes were walking home. I'm just the guy who filmed it happening. While threatening to shoot anyone who tried to help them. It's nature taking its course. Interfering with them, as they feasted on the bowels of their still conscious victims, would have been wrong in a lot of ways. Not least because I would have shot them if they did. There's something noble about the wolf. Especially when it's tearing the throat out of someone I despise. They were vegans anyway. It doesn't matter. They had very little to live for. I like to think that deep down, as they squealed in terror, they were thinking about how much this would lower their carbon footprint. It's zero now. Thanks to the wolves they've been recycled into wolf shit. I've done my bit to save the planet and promote the welfare of an endangered species. That's how much I care.
(The copyright to this image is the property of Getty Images.)
Thanks to a tired, yet grateful, Kayzee, Jake got a potted history of Palamar from it's foundation. Although Scarlet had stated it was hundreds of years ago, it was in fact over 2,000 years. Time was different here. When people lived an inordinately long time, in an infinite world, a hundred years was nothing. It was barely a generation, given their life spans. In Haorrowmist, you were potentially immortal. Out here 900+ years was expected. Palamar had the same problems earth did. Eventually its citizens reached a point where they no longer wanted to exist. Life became a burden when there was nothing you hadn't seen or done.
Here they had a tendency to either waste away or head off into the interior of the continent. Their stored personalities couldn't be rebooted in the one case. They wanted something different in the other. Many simply traveled to their deaths. Others were never seen again. As far as they could tell no one had returned. Then there was that damn statue. The one it had taken centuries to complete. Even with their extended lifespans it's origins had become myths and legends. That long arm pointing out over the ocean had caused a lot of stupidity to. A millennium after its construction stories had emerged. That finger was pointing at something. A lost civilization. A new continent. Huge wealth. As a result countless expeditions had set out on that bearing, hoping to find what the statue was pointing at. So far none of them had ever returned. The only thing known for certain was that 12,000 kilometers in that direction was a landmass almost ten million square kilometers in area. Inhabitants unknown. It could contain the descendants of all those explorers. Along with the explorers.
People had become tired of the colossus. It hung over them. Ignoring it was a major part of living anywhere along the coast where you could see it. The damn thing wasn't hated. It was just annoying. Hearkening back to a past no one knew much about. There were records of course. Each of the factions within the city had archives. The thing being, none of them agreed. Each of the four families insisted they were descended from the original founders. The Merchants and the now defunct Artificers had been established by them. There was a collective amnesia. A few hundred years ago there'd been residents who'd been alive when these foundational events had happened. Not anymore though. The last had wandered into the interior long ago.
At some point during the construction of the monstrosity, they'd had the idea of putting a beacon inside that big head. For a few decades the eyes had sent beams of light out along that arm. Visible for a hundred nautical miles. The early explorers had used it as another navigational aid. Eventually they turned it off. Instead of looking out over the immensity of the unknown, it made people look inwards. Jake had the beginnings of an idea. One he wasn't sure could be achieved. It would require skills he did not possess. He'd need allies. Hardest of all would be keeping it secret from Scarlet. It would be his gift. To her and to all of those friends he'd used for his own ends. Always in the belief that it was for the best. The arrogance of a man who'd lived thousands of lives, yet hadn't learned vital lessons. The time streams had become his playthings. His companions, pieces he moved around the board. Jake definitely required a lot of help here.
"What were you and Kayzee talking about?"
Holy shit, she'd sneaked up on him again. This time as he bade Kayzee farewell. It was dark. She couldn't see his face. He hoped she couldn't. Scarlet had powers beyond his knowledge. Dissembling wouldn't work.It would make her far more suspicious. And boy was she going to get suspicious if this ever got out of the starting gate.
"We're having an affair. I thought it was the least I could do. She's under a lot of pressure with all the negotiations. Needed a bit of down time I thought. So we had sex."
He dared not look at her. Scarlet would see right through him.
"Up here?"
"Yep. You don't mind do you? You're not jealous. Only you said you'd been cheating on me. So I thought it would be okay."
"I was only joking, but it's fine."
Fuck. Did she believe him? He was only joking as well. His wasn't funny though. If she believed him and it was fine. That was something to worry about.
"You're fine with it? Why?"
He'd turned to look at her in the dim light.
"Because I know it's bullshit. There's no way Kayzee would have sex with you. Not unless she was heavily drugged or unconscious. What the hell are you up to Halliday?"
Her using his surname wasn't a good sign. He decided to throw himself on her mercy.
"Look. I love you. Isn't that enough?"
"You keep saying that. You don't really show it though. The words mean nothing without the deeds."
"True. At some point I will eventually get round to showing you how much. Right now I've got a lot on my mind."
Was that too obvious? His clumsy misdirection could screw things up before he started.
"I suppose so. With you deciding which leg of your pants to put on first is a lot on your mind. You know, I know you're up to something. Will it affect the ship? I'll know if you're lying."
"I promise you it won't. The ship will be fine. You on the other hand might not like it."
He thought about slapping himself there. Why did he have to add that last bit? She grinned.
"Cool. You know if I don't like it I'm going to use it as a stick to beat you with, don't you?"
Relief flooded his overloaded lying glands.
"Goes without saying. I fully expect you to use whatever I do against me. There is no malice intended. It will be purely a side effect. Have you got a birthday coming up?"
"No." He'd stumped her. Accidentally. By being stupidly tangential.
"Thought not."
"Why did you ask then?"
"It was a desperate attempt to change the subject." The truth was so much easier where she was concerned. Even with all its pitfalls.
"I could always ask Kayzee you know. We go back a long way."
"Go ahead. She doesn't know anything." He responded defiantly.
"I'm certainly going to now. I'm calling your bluff."
"It's not a bluff."
"Oh so you don't want me talking to Kayzee."
"I did not say that... I don't care. Tell you what. I'll make an appointment for you if you like."
"I don't need one."
"Yes you do. She's very busy."
Scarlet tapped her wrist communicator.
"Hi Kayzee. Do you fancy a drink?"
"I sure do. Where do you want to meet up?" Came back the reply. "I could really do with some advice and a friendly ear to bitch in to."
"I'll see you at the Customs House in ten minutes." She closed the call.
"Well... she was very busy when I called her."
"That says more about you than about how busy she was."
It couldn't have gone better. By some unlikely fluke he'd got her off the ship. The odds against that happening were incalculable. Jake was so transparent in his normal state it was nigh on impossible. He watched her down the gangplank. Kayzee would only be able to tell her the things he'd been told about Palamar and that monument to his hubris. Although she was very smart. It would take a lot more work for her to discover his newly hatched plan. One he still wasn't sure could be achieved. As soon as she was out of sight he leaped into action. First he found Morag. Sending her to fetch Sade. The first two pillars of his rickety structure. Once they'd been recruited he fetched Pengelly and Fetu. That took longer. They'd gone ashore. In search of tail apparently. He really would have to give it a try first chance he got. Calling them on his comms was out of the question. Scarlet was suspicious enough that she might set up some kind of intercept. He and his fellow conspirators fetched them from a very nice restaurant only a few minutes walk from the ship.
When they were all assembled he delivered his speech. Not before realizing he'd been so intent on finding them he'd missed out the vital step of finding out if it was feasible. He needn't have worried. As soon as he stated what he intended Morag and Sade were on board. Pengelly was happy to become the architect. Fetu was Fetu. It could be a laugh. he was in. The boatswain was very good at drawing. The engineers advising him along the way. It could be done. It would be done. They had to do it tonight. Any delay would risk Scarlet discovering the plot. Shortly after midnight the team set off. They would not be back until morning. Even that was optimistic. They'd arranged a set of signals. From all systems are go, to keep her busy for a while. That would be hard. Unless? Oh that would work. So pathetic Scarlet would accept it as his intended objective. It did mean interrupting his nerds though.
Poppy and Norbert were talking in the hermitage hut. That was only to be expected. Once he laid it out they were happy to help out. With their know how the diversion, which might not be needed, was complete in very short order. Jake then escorted Poppy back to the sickbay. His nerves were jangling. So much that he was unable to sleep, no matter what Hermes did. The biological AI was slightly put out by not being able to maintain his contact with Morag. Jake appeased him by promising to arrange the consummation of this relationship, at the very first opportunity. It would be bloody expensive though. Right now he was barely solvent. At around four in the morning the Captain fell through his doorway.
"I'm drunk." Scarlet proclaimed.
"I'd never have guessed." Jake responded ironically.
"Why are you awake? I wanted to wake you up. I'm going to fuck your brains out. Should take all of five seconds." She swayed drunkenly. "Why is this ship moving?" She giggled. "Silly me. I'm drunk. I wanna know what you're up to. Kayzee was no use... We did drink a lot though. Then we worked out different ways of killing all the annoying people she has to deal with now. That was fun."
"So are you going to take your clothes off."
She waggled a finger in his general direction.
"Don't you be getting any ideas Jake Halliday. I'm only here because everybody I like has buggered off. Now get my clothes off..." She giggled again. "No... I'm supposed to get... is this ship moving? Move over anyway. I've got needs... I need another drink I think. You're beginning to look attractive... No wait... Would getting more drunk make you look atractiver or less attractiver? It doesn't matter you ugly fuck. There I said it. I've been holding that in for far too long. Best to get it out there and move on. The truth hurts."
He climbed out of bed. Took hold of her only to be shrugged off.
"You're going to have a hangover in the morning."
Scarlet swung at him and missed.
"No I'm not. I've got these." She opened the pocket on her forearm at the third attempt. Pulling forth some medistrips. "See. All I've got to do is this." One of them was placed on her neck. The look of triumph on her pretty face changed. "Oh crap... That's a sedative."
Her eyes rolled upwards. He caught her as she slumped over.
"Hermes, is she going to be alright?"
"She'll be fine. While it's interacted with the alcohol in her system it won't have any bad effects. She's not the first one to mix up her medistrips. She'll be asleep for some time though."