A Meeting

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After Captain Hans left him, Ernest had made a call to David Sonet. Agreed to a meeting the next morning.

He'd put the question directly and been given a straight answer. Not just the coordinates of the Anomaly but a set of research notes to go with it. So much for all of yesterday's agonizing. Clearly the kid was more naïve than he'd thought. It was what he said next that caught Ernest off guard.

"Can I come too?"

The words transported Ernest back to another time, another life, triggering an uncharacteristic grunt of laughter. Can I come too? – Of course. Even Ernest had been a child once. David was the little brother, what else was he going to ask for.

His first instinct was to deny the request. Then his conscience kicked back in. He tried hard, but could find no good reason to refuse. He'd been so helpful. And this time even his anger gave its consent – the young man might prove useful in dealing with the sister. He sighed and agreed.

He paused then and wondered how much he should explain about the reasons for the mission. Nothing more, he decided. After all there was as yet no hard evidence to prove the body copy had taken place. Perhaps the whole thing was an elaborate double bluff designed to drag him in by guile. On discovering The Capt'n's innocence, Ernest would be overwhelmed by a need to atone for the guilt of false accusation, would relent and agree to navigate the ship. As a scenario it was ludicrously unlikely, but he couldn't entirely rule it out.

He pulled out his phone and made the call to Captain Hans. "We're ready when you are."

The journey from Sibay to the edges of the Sonet Anomaly took more than a week, but then Ernest knew it would have taken The Capt'n even longer to make his own trip from Miramar Station. Allowing for the time he had used up in reaching Sibay and making his investigations, adding to this the unavoidable delays in getting Captain Hans's ship underway, Ernest reckoned he was now a little over a week behind his quarry. Very well, there was nothing he could do about this now. A week wasn't all that long. Assuming his suspicions were true, he doubted his other self would yet have given in to whatever blandishments The Capt'n would be using to secure his cooperation. So it was with a sense of optimism that Ernest arrived at the coordinates provided by David Sonet and launched a swarm of hyperspatial sensors in search of his sister's ship.

It didn't take them long. In this deserted corner of known space there was only one ping to investigate. Having confirmed its identity, Captain Hans brought them to a halt alongside the other vessel, set up a comms link and handed the call over to Ernest. A conversation took place and a meeting was agreed.

There was a choreographed quality to how Ernest and David entered The Capt'n's ship; the older and younger man taking position side by side as their three hosts formed an arc in front of them, all five centered in the open space of the saloon. Were it not for the gender imbalance, you could be forgiven for thinking a square dance was about to begin.

Captain Hans had agreed to wait on his own ship. Not that they were expecting any tricks from The Capt'n – but just to be sure.

Of the three, The Capt'n occupied the left-most position. It was hard to tell beneath the beard and the wrinkles, but to Ernest he looked unhappy, reinforcing the impression gained when they spoke earlier by comms, a hint of resignation and an unusual willingness to agree that had warmed Ernest's heart, suggesting that the man's plans were not proceeding as hoped.

In the center was a young woman, on her other side a young man. Ernest glanced from one to the other, recognizing them both. It took a mental gear shift, a rearrangement of facts, but then he understood.

The young woman was caught in an expression of surprise, clearly unready for the presence of her younger brother.

"David?" Gina gaped at this sudden apparition.

Her brother ignored her, his own face mirroring her astonishment, his gaze directed not at his sister but the man standing next to her. Alone among the five of them, this man seemed unaffected by developments, arms folded and an inscrutable expression on his face.

David broke the silence: "Jack? You're still alive?"

It took his sister a moment to follow his gaze and interpret his reaction. "Oh, this isn't Jack. I know what it looks like, but ..." Her words tailed off, presumably at loss for a succinct way to explain the situation.

Ernest – the copy – observed this exchange, his expression losing its blankness as he did so. "Jack?" He turned to Gina, holding his voice steady. "Who is Jack?"

"Jack Jefferies, celebrity navigator," said Ernest. "Did they not tell you?"

"They did not." The copy looked down at himself, as if to confirm he was still there. When he looked up it was to Ernest that he spoke. "You know who I am, don't you? You know what happened back at Miramar?"

Ernest nodded, turning now to The Capt'n. "I think some people have some apologies to make. Some crimes to be held accountable for." That his tone was flat did nothing to mask the anger in his voice. He turned back to his other self. "But first of all the two of us need to talk. In private. In the other ship."

"Hang on," said The Capt'n, belatedly coming to life. "How do I know you won't do a runner?"

Ernest looked at his other self, who shrugged. "You don't," he said.

After introducing himself to Captain Hans, who had stationed himself on the bridge to await developments, the two Ernests took themselves through to the crew room. Neither man wanted to sit, so they stood by the viewport, resting their eyes on the barren expanse of starscape. Although brief, the time in The Capt'n's ship had left the older Ernest feeling claustrophobic. Strong emotions in a small space.

The discussion didn't take long. They started by putting the cases, for and against. The arguments against were overwhelming: the danger – Ernest summarized what he had discovered on Sibay, that this wasn't The Capt'n's first attempt to enter the Anomaly, what had happened to the navigator the last time around. In turn, his other self went over what he had found in the probe data, the levels of turbulence he had observed, its peculiar characteristics, what it might take to navigate through it. What it might signify. They talked next about The Capt'n. The man deserved punishment for what he had done. To take the ship in, they both agreed, would be to reward him for his crime.

Then they fell silent, each respecting the privacy of the other's thoughts, eyes averted, staring out into the blankness, staring down the inevitable.

"We can't let him win." They both nodded, eyes now reconnecting, understanding passing between them.

Ernest sighed. "We could spin it out a bit longer, make him sweat?" They shrugged. Agreed it just wasn't worth the effort.

Returning to the other ship, Ernest stood to one side, allowed the copy to act as spokesman.

"We'll do it," he announced.

The Capt'n looked up, suddenly grinning. "What did I tell you Misery. All it needs to get you going is a good ... Hey!" His words terminated abruptly as he turned to give Gina an accusing look, she having just kicked his shin.

Gina ignored him. "You'll take us into the Anomaly? But what about the danger? What you were saying before about the data from the probes?"

"What I said before still stands. It would be very dangerous to take you in on my own. But with two of us ..."

"You think it might work?"

"It's never been tried before. Not that I'm aware. Navigators as a rule don't go in for team work. But in this case ... we've discussed it and we believe it's possible. Still risky – no question about that. But you've been right about one thing from the beginning. Just possibly, there's a prize out there big enough to match any risk. And whatever else we might feel about the current situation, that's not something we can turn our back on."

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