Briefing Room
Stellvia
10:37 GMT 14 March 2014
"... and that's everything that Rashid's been able to find for us." Noah put the last of the papers his lawyer had forwarded on the table, beside the bug-stomper.
"Just who did he have to bribe to get those, boss?"
"Probably nobody, Jake. If there's one thing I'm sure of about Rashid Abdallah, it's that he's scrupulously honest. That's why I have him on retainer, not his firm. Is everybody up to speed on these documents?"
There was a chorus of affirmative answers around the table.
"Good," Noah continued. "The next question is what do we do about this?"
The newest member of Stellvia Corporation's senior staff cleared her throat. "With all due respect, M. Scott, you 'ave something more important to do right now."
"I assume you're talking about the wedding tomorrow, Mme. Rouleau."
"But of course. Please, let us deal with this matter."
"She's right, dad," added Kohran. "You've got to delegate more. And this is the perfect time to start."
Nobody said anything while Noah thought for a moment. "All right. Mme. Rouleau, you and your staff on Wonderland are in charge of this matter until Leda and I get back from our honeymoon. Jake, back her up if she needs anything from us."
"What about us?" Kelly asked.
"I'd appreciate it if you prepared to put contingeny plan #3 into effect." Half the people around the table reacted to that, none positively.
Jake was the first to speak. "Are you crazy, boss?"
"Dad, isn't that going too far?" Kohran followed quickly.
Yayoi stood up. "Noah... I understand why you want to do that, but is now the right time, and is this the right reason?"
"Just prepare for it, okay? Now, unless there's anything else..." Nobody said anything. "... this meeting's adjourned. Yayoi, Kohran, I think you can still make your appointment at Judy's if you hurry." Noah picked up the laptop that he hadn't let anyone else touch, and headed out the door and toward his office.
As the others left, Leda motioned to Yayoi to stay behind. "What's contingency plan #3? For that matter, what are plans 1 and 2?"
"There is no contingency plan #1. Plan #2 is a reaction to a hostile DQS, and involves massive use of Kohran's toys. Plan #3..." She leaned close and whispered in Leda's ear.
Leda grinned. "Oh, boy. I'll bet Chris Marsden hates plan #3."
"We've never told him about it. Or anyone else, including A.C. And we'd better not say anything about it to anyone for now. Let's not piss people off the day before the biggest social event since Kandor-con."
"Right. Is there a plan #4?"
"I'd rather not say. And Kohran's waiting for me."
"Sorry. Here's hoping nothing else unexpected happens."
Maintenance Bay
Old Ring, Stellvia
14:26 GMT 14 March 2014
"Me and my big mouth," Leda muttered. Then she continued out loud, "The rehersal's in an hour and a half, and the three of us are nowhere near Grover's Corners. Can you leave Inagawa-san yet?"
A.C. and Kohran looked up. "Is it that late already?" the former asked. "Sorry, give us... three and a half minutes."
"Who-o-o-o-o's she?" asked Yuu.
"That's Leda Swansen," Kohran replied. "Although tomorrow she'll be Leda Scott."
Yuu's eyebrows went up. "She's mar-r-r-r-r-rying grand-d-d-dfather?"
"Is there some reason she shouldn't?"
"I don't-t-t-t-t think so, n-n-no. I j-j-j-j-j-just never thought h-h-he'd ever g-g-get married-d."
A.C. smiled disarmingly. "It surprised us, too. Would you open access hatch 34-A, please?" There was the sound of a spring latch uncoupling. "Thank you, Yuu. Now I'm going to swap out one of your components. This might feel strange."
Nobody said anything for two minutes.
"There, you can close the access hatch now."
"You're finished? I don't feel any different."
Kohran and A.C. grinned. Leda smiled and said, "But you sound different now, Yuu."
"Do I? Hey, I'm not stuttering any more! Thank you, aunt Kohran, aunt A.C!"
"It was all A.C.'s doing, Yuu-san. Now we really have to leave; Kagome-san is on the way here to keep you company."
The door opened to admit the station's security chief. "I'm here! You two... sorry, you three had better get going."
"We're leaving!"
Shuttle Glennorth
en route between Stellvia and Grover's Corners
14:39 GMT 14 March 2014
"What did Takami find out?"
Leda turned to A.C. "Yuu's memory had been completely erased. For all intents and purposes, she was born three minutes before Kohran and Yayoi met her."
"I hope she backed up her memories somewhere," Kohran whispered.
"Even if she did, how would she know where to find them?" asked A.C. "But take a look at this." She held up an electronics module.
"That's the signal processor we took out of Yuu. What about it?" asked Kohran.
A.C. tapped a maker's mark on the circuit board. "It's British. Specifically, it's from Beagle 2." The others looked at her blankly. "Kids these days; no sense of history. Beagle 2 was the UK's first attempt at a Mars lander. It was lost on landing."
"Obviously, somebody found it," Kohran said.
"And looted it for parts," continued Leda. "You think Yuu's from Mars?"
"It's worth a look, after the wedding."
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012
Stellvia
10:37 GMT 14 March 2014
"... and that's everything that Rashid's been able to find for us." Noah put the last of the papers his lawyer had forwarded on the table, beside the bug-stomper.
"Just who did he have to bribe to get those, boss?"
"Probably nobody, Jake. If there's one thing I'm sure of about Rashid Abdallah, it's that he's scrupulously honest. That's why I have him on retainer, not his firm. Is everybody up to speed on these documents?"
There was a chorus of affirmative answers around the table.
"Good," Noah continued. "The next question is what do we do about this?"
The newest member of Stellvia Corporation's senior staff cleared her throat. "With all due respect, M. Scott, you 'ave something more important to do right now."
"I assume you're talking about the wedding tomorrow, Mme. Rouleau."
"But of course. Please, let us deal with this matter."
"She's right, dad," added Kohran. "You've got to delegate more. And this is the perfect time to start."
Nobody said anything while Noah thought for a moment. "All right. Mme. Rouleau, you and your staff on Wonderland are in charge of this matter until Leda and I get back from our honeymoon. Jake, back her up if she needs anything from us."
"What about us?" Kelly asked.
"I'd appreciate it if you prepared to put contingeny plan #3 into effect." Half the people around the table reacted to that, none positively.
Jake was the first to speak. "Are you crazy, boss?"
"Dad, isn't that going too far?" Kohran followed quickly.
Yayoi stood up. "Noah... I understand why you want to do that, but is now the right time, and is this the right reason?"
"Just prepare for it, okay? Now, unless there's anything else..." Nobody said anything. "... this meeting's adjourned. Yayoi, Kohran, I think you can still make your appointment at Judy's if you hurry." Noah picked up the laptop that he hadn't let anyone else touch, and headed out the door and toward his office.
As the others left, Leda motioned to Yayoi to stay behind. "What's contingency plan #3? For that matter, what are plans 1 and 2?"
"There is no contingency plan #1. Plan #2 is a reaction to a hostile DQS, and involves massive use of Kohran's toys. Plan #3..." She leaned close and whispered in Leda's ear.
Leda grinned. "Oh, boy. I'll bet Chris Marsden hates plan #3."
"We've never told him about it. Or anyone else, including A.C. And we'd better not say anything about it to anyone for now. Let's not piss people off the day before the biggest social event since Kandor-con."
"Right. Is there a plan #4?"
"I'd rather not say. And Kohran's waiting for me."
"Sorry. Here's hoping nothing else unexpected happens."
Maintenance Bay
Old Ring, Stellvia
14:26 GMT 14 March 2014
"Me and my big mouth," Leda muttered. Then she continued out loud, "The rehersal's in an hour and a half, and the three of us are nowhere near Grover's Corners. Can you leave Inagawa-san yet?"
A.C. and Kohran looked up. "Is it that late already?" the former asked. "Sorry, give us... three and a half minutes."
"Who-o-o-o-o's she?" asked Yuu.
"That's Leda Swansen," Kohran replied. "Although tomorrow she'll be Leda Scott."
Yuu's eyebrows went up. "She's mar-r-r-r-r-rying grand-d-d-dfather?"
"Is there some reason she shouldn't?"
"I don't-t-t-t-t think so, n-n-no. I j-j-j-j-j-just never thought h-h-he'd ever g-g-get married-d."
A.C. smiled disarmingly. "It surprised us, too. Would you open access hatch 34-A, please?" There was the sound of a spring latch uncoupling. "Thank you, Yuu. Now I'm going to swap out one of your components. This might feel strange."
Nobody said anything for two minutes.
"There, you can close the access hatch now."
"You're finished? I don't feel any different."
Kohran and A.C. grinned. Leda smiled and said, "But you sound different now, Yuu."
"Do I? Hey, I'm not stuttering any more! Thank you, aunt Kohran, aunt A.C!"
"It was all A.C.'s doing, Yuu-san. Now we really have to leave; Kagome-san is on the way here to keep you company."
The door opened to admit the station's security chief. "I'm here! You two... sorry, you three had better get going."
"We're leaving!"
Shuttle Glennorth
en route between Stellvia and Grover's Corners
14:39 GMT 14 March 2014
"What did Takami find out?"
Leda turned to A.C. "Yuu's memory had been completely erased. For all intents and purposes, she was born three minutes before Kohran and Yayoi met her."
"I hope she backed up her memories somewhere," Kohran whispered.
"Even if she did, how would she know where to find them?" asked A.C. "But take a look at this." She held up an electronics module.
"That's the signal processor we took out of Yuu. What about it?" asked Kohran.
A.C. tapped a maker's mark on the circuit board. "It's British. Specifically, it's from Beagle 2." The others looked at her blankly. "Kids these days; no sense of history. Beagle 2 was the UK's first attempt at a Mars lander. It was lost on landing."
"Obviously, somebody found it," Kohran said.
"And looted it for parts," continued Leda. "You think Yuu's from Mars?"
"It's worth a look, after the wedding."
--
Rob Kelk
"Governments have no right to question the loyalty of those who oppose
them. Adversaries remain citizens of the same state, common subjects of
the same sovereign, servants of the same law."
- Michael Ignatieff, addressing Stanford University in 2012