Ildarim's Arrow

Ildarim's Arrow - Part 2

"So, you're an accountant?" the guy to Lucien's right said during the skimmer flight to New Arctica. "Gotta love it. Everyone needs an accountant."

"I didn't say that," Lucien said. "I'm not an accountant."

The guy to Lucien's left popped open an eye and leaned in. He had a dark, meaty mustache, and he was chewing gum. "He's not an accountant, Tom," the guy said. "He's IT. Record keeper. Like a librarian." The mustache guy clawed lazily at his chest and then turned back to the window.

"Ah, a data manager?" Tom said. "I get it."

Lucien waved down the flight attendant and requested another glass of wine.

"Archivist," Lucien said. "I'm an archivist. I arrange and preserve records and documents. I decide what, in a collection, is crap and what isn't. It's sophisticated work. Something you might not understand."

The guy with the mustache turned to his friend and gave him a smug look. Tom looked back at Lucien and pinched his eyes.

"You interested in property in New Arctica?" Tom said. "I got a good line on some fjord-front split-levels."

The flight attendant appeared and handed Lucien a small bottle of wine, and Lucien opened it and poured the contents into a cup.

"I'm not interested in property," Lucien said. "But thank you."

"You live in New Arctica?" Mustache asked.

"No," Lucien said. "Going there on business."

"American?" Tom asked.

"Yep...Montreal, born and bred."

"What kind of business does a librarian have in New Arcitca?" Tom said with a wink.

"You guys sure ask a lot of questions."

"Yes he does," Mustache said.

"But if you must know," Lucien continued. "I'm on a trip to oversee a private collection. The owner passed away earlier this year, and his estate inquired at my school about hiring an archivist. So that's why I'm here."

"Oh, I see," Tom said. "Who's the dead guy?"

"Well," Lucien said as he took a sip from his cup. "I'm not at liberty to say. Let's just assume that without this man Earth's status in the galactic spiral might not be what it is today."

The two men looked impressed.

"Rathman Bilk?" Mustache said suddenly. "Shipping magnate. Didn't he die a few months back?"

Lucien cleared his throat and shook his head. "Don't know if he did," Lucien said. "But that's not the man I'm talking about."

"Rou Akinappalli?" Tom put in. "News reporter? That the guy?"

Lucien shook his head.

"That actor," Mustache said. "Horatio Xieng? Did all that Martian Bollywood stuff?"

Lucien waved them off. "Okay, okay," Lucien said. "I'll tell you, but if I do, you must promise discretion. In other words, you won't mention this to a soul."

The businessmen glanced at each other, nodded, and leaned in.

"Walter Byron Ildarim," Lucien said as he stuck out his chin and lowered his eyelids.

The businessmen looked at one another and shrugged. Lucien could sense that they were scouring the net with their VIs for clues, but they probably got stuck on the name "Ildarim" and didn't bother to logic through the thread.

"Got me," Mustache said. "Who's that?"

"Never heard of him," Tom said.

Irony, Lucien thought.

"Walter Byron Ildarim put Earth on the galactic map," Lucien said.

There was a pause and both Mustache and Tom shrugged again.

"Walter Byron Ildarim," Lucien continued, "was not only one of the first to captain a coldsleep vessel on an extra-solar system journey, but he was also the first to meet a Trehelian and the first to conclude a bilateral treaty between Earth's and an alien civilization. He's a legend. They've named a planet after him."

Lucien took a sip of wine and cocked his eyebrow.

"Was that the quantum golf guy?" Tom asked.

"No," Mustache said. "I know who you're thinking about...but that was somebody else. And that guy didn't invent quantum golf either, he just knew how to market it. Saw some media drop on him a few weeks back."

Lucien was ready to pull his hair out, but thankfully they were coming to the end of their flight and he wouldn't have to suffer through further discussion. He took a sip of wine, leaned back, and drew up Cat Pollution on his VI player and kept his eyes locked until they were back on the ground.