IN A MULTI-PURPOSE room on deck 1 of the Gen Timon faced Doctor Lariv Jinla. Kania had told him about the lie detector test. Timon was thrilled that she bothered to contact him. He might have a chance with her. Now, two hours later, he faced the doctor.
"Thank you for coming here, Crewman Feihn," Lariv said with a warm smile.
Timon almost said, "Did I have a choice?" but caught himself with some effort.
"Of course, Dr. Jinla."
"This is my first time aboard the Gen and Liffa Pentrus granted me a special favor for my services, which is a ship's tour. Since you are a structural engineer, you're a perfect guide for such a tour. Here are the authorization codes."
Lariv produced an e-pad from her doctor's coat, which she handed to Timon. On its display flickered a whole array of codes. Wow, the RSW must like Lariv Jinla. They gave her access to almost the entire ship for half a day.
"Your supervisor is already informed and you're freed up to show me around. Shall we go? I'd like to make the most of my half day tour."
"My pleasure, Doctor." Timon got up. "Where do we start? Tube or habitat?"
"The tube, if you don't mind, engine section."
"Of course. Please follow me."
With a broad smile on her face, Lariv headed for the door.
✜✜✜
They rode down to the hub, then took the tube's train towards the engine section. During the ride, Timon couldn't help asking.
"Am I under special scrutiny and is me being your tour guide part of your investigation?"
"Frank questions get frank answers. Yes. There's your connection to Kania Lurdh, of course. Then there's the tiny little fact that you talked to Liffa Pentrus about your kinship to a certain public figure. And there's one more thing." Lariv made a long pause during which she looked at Timon who decided to say nothing. "Does the name Dalek Madrew ring a bell, Timon?"
"Dalek Madrew?"
"Yes, Dalek Madrew."
Timon scratched his left hand with his right. "It kind of sounds familiar, but I can't place the name. Can you give me a hint?"
"Home, Angreius, when you were a child."
Timon drew in breath. "School... I think there was a kid called Dalek in my elementary school."
"You're quite right. What do you remember about him?"
"Troublemaker... leader of a little gang. Smart but wild. A bully. He always fought with the teachers... and the other kids."
"That's quite a lot you remember."
"Yes, because I was one of the kids he bullied."
"What did he do?"
"Well, nothing horrific, we were kids. He put a big, fat, living toad into my desk once, and it jumped onto me and then all over the classroom causing havoc, stuff like that. How do you know him?"
"How funny. When was the last time you saw him?" Lariv asked.
"When we were twelve, then we attended different schools after elementary."
"Ah, I see. To answer your question, Dalek was, or is, an FTS member, a small courier, and he has been in my custody for about a year."
"Holy Tral! Well, but, yes... fits his profile. Troublemaker and all."
"Indeed."
"What has become of him?"
"He's probably being executed while we speak," Lariv said and with that they reached the engine section of the Gen's tube.
Timon swallowed hard. Dalek... he had never particularly liked him, but he didn't wish death for anyone, even his childhood bully.
"Well then... let's start the tour," Lariv said. Her eyes were glowing like that of a schoolgirl.
"Sure. You'll be disappointed about the engine section though, there's nothing much to see. Everything is hidden behind tons of steel."
✜✜✜
The Gen's tube was a micro-gravity environment and they moved along slowly, hand over hand, clinging to handrails. Lariv kept on chuckling but was a quick learner.
"Weightlessness is such fun," she said.
"You're handling yourself very well, Dr. Jinla."
"Thanks."
They swung through gray metallic corridors while Timon explained things to Lariv, who seemed to soak up all the information like a sponge.
"The Gen has one power station and two engines. They are all located in the tube's tail. The nuclear power station produces the electricity for the habitat ring. One engine is the conventional rocket engine that will bring the Gen out of orbit and onto its course. But even the rocket engine is special, it's the biggest ever built.
"During the Gen's swing-by of Pencros, we'll switch off the conventional stage. To reach the right mix in the main drive will take another year and once the Gen is two years away from our planet, we'll fire up the main drive. The main drive will need ten years to reach full FTL mode. Then the main drive will be shut off for a good ten thousand years until someone switches it on again to reverse thrust. After speed has been reduced to sub-light, the conventional stage will be switched on to allow maneuvering and bringing the Gen into a parking orbit of a planet."
"Very impressive," Lariv said.
The corridor was t-shaped and they reached the end of the T where the corridor opened up into a left and right section that stretched along the entire width of the tube. Dozens of doors in alternating red and green punctured the wall that faced the tail of the Gen.
"We call this the south pole. The hub with the habitat ring is the equator and the Gen's bridge is the north pole," Timon explained. "The ten red doors lead to the ten chambers of the main drive. The ten green doors are corridors between the chambers and lead to the main drive's mixing chamber and beyond to the exhaust nozzle below, which is the conventional stage.
"This is the only place where the tube has decks. You can't see it from here but the doors at either end of the corridor are blue and lead one deck down to the nuclear power plant. There's nothing much to see beyond this point, only corridors. The power plant's control room is just a bunch of instruments, computers, and robots. And you don't have permission to see it." He pointed at the red and green doors. "You also have no permission for those. Hardly anyone has."
"Do you?"
"Yes."
"Did Sirid Unnal?"
"Sure, he was a propulsion engineer."
"How would he hide parts for a bomb and where would he detonate such a bomb?"
"Half the RSW has been searching for those secret parts. I don't know to what success. I suspect Sirid hid them in toolboxes, behind wall plates, floor panels... I don't know, Doc. I can only tell you that if I were FTS, I'd hide the bomb as close to the conventional rocket propellant as possible, which means somewhere down there."
Timon pointed at one of the green doors.
"So, I must take an especially close look at those Gen workers who have permission for these holy areas."
"Yes and no. I mean it wouldn't hurt if you kept a special eye on these people, however, the RSW expects the FTS to mess with the engine, therefore security here is top notch, as well as at another highly vulnerable spot: the docking mechanisms to the OT.
"If you severed the Gen from the OT right now, the Gen would be irretrievably lost. We don't have enough space ships, or any other means to catch and bring back a Gen that has been separated from the OT. We don't have enough shuttles to keep a supply line to a separated Gen open, either, even if by some miracle the Gen were to park in a stable orbit. At the moment, the Gen is the fetus, the OT is the umbilical cord and our world is the mother. If the fetus is born prematurely, it will die."
"A very good and easy to understand analogy," Lariv said.
"Thanks. Therefore, the engines and the OT connection are the two spots the RSW watches most closely. If I were FTS, I wouldn't strike there, but at other points like the hub for example or the nuclear power plant or the water tanks or something like that."
"Well, I'm sure that the RSW has experts in place who are considering all options. But sometimes it's easiest to hide in plain sight. Sirid Unnal was a propulsion engineer after all, which means he would target the propulsion system, right?"
"Well, presumably, yes."
They were quiet for a moment and looked down the corridor with its 22 doors.
"Let's check out the bridge. I have permission to see it, correct?" Lariv swung around.
"Yes, you do." Timon followed her back towards the train station. Another train had just arrived--a group of four RSW jumpsuit-wearing crewmen floated towards them. They nodded at Timon and raised their brows at Lariv.
"Doctor, I'd like to come back to Dalek for a moment," Timon said after the four passed them. "How did you know that there's a connection between me and him?"
"Oh, very easy. After you went to Liffa Pentrus for the first time and told her about Unnal and Lurdh, Liffa ran the names by me. I asked all my FTS prisoners whether they knew these names and Dalek remembered you."
"He did?"
"Well, not really. Your name rang a bell, but he couldn't really remember. I conducted some research and found out you had gone to school together."
"I see. How many convicted FTS members do you have in your prisons and how many are there?"
"Timon, that's classified."
"Well, um, yes, of course."
✜✜✜
They took the train to the other end of the tube and instead of going to the OT's station, they swung into a small elevator, which brought them to the Gen's bridge.
"Oh, this is much smaller than I expected," Lariv said. She nodded at the woman on duty, who sat strapped to a seat bowed over instruments and barely nodded back. Many a grand politician had already been granted a look into the Gen's bridge.
"The Gen is decentralized," Timon said. "The ship has four major command stations. The propulsion center, the nuclear power plant, the habitat center, and the bridge."
"Propulsion center?"
"Across the corridor from the nuclear plant's control room."
"You didn't mention that while we were over there."
"Because your visitor codes only allow you to see the bridge and the habitat center."
"Aha," Lariv said, sounding displeased, then turned to the bridge's window. "Well, at least the view here is magnificent."
"It is." Timon maneuvered next to her to enjoy the view. Their world curved beneath them, blue and green and brimming with light. Ocean shimmered between swirling clouds.
"So, the propulsion center, as the name says, controls the two engines, and the nuclear power plant the energy. What's the task split between the bridge and the habitat center?" Lariv asked.
"The bridge handles course control, as well as communications and the tube's transport systems, including the hub and its four elevators. The habitat center regulates life support and all related systems like water, air, temperature, plus all recycling systems."
"Ah, I see. Can we go there now?"
"By all means."
Lariv nodded at the woman in charge on her way out and she nodded back. Timon made a mental note of that. Part of the doctor's charm was undoubtedly her politeness.
✜✜✜
The habitat center was located on deck 6 of the habitat ring. A busy beehive of activity, it was a large room with twenty stations, much bigger and more impressive than the bridge, and it had two windows. Timon avoided looking out. It made him too dizzy to see their world sweeping by every few minutes.
"Holy Tral," Lariv said, almost toppling over.
Timon took her by the arm and turned her away from the window.
"Don't look out of the window, Doctor, look at me. Don't worry, everybody doubles over when entering this room for the first time. The people who work here have gotten used to it, but even for me this room is hard."
"I'm relieved to hear that." Lariv smiled weakly, still quite pale.
Timon looked around the busy room that blinked with countless panels and monitors. Lariv, still holding Timon's arm, risked a peek around the hall as well and nodded admiringly.
"Well, this looks like an impossible place to conduct a terrorist attack. Just too many people around," Lariv said.
"Yes, but as you said, sometimes they hide in plain sight."
"As impressive as it is, I'm going to be sick if I stay here much longer. Can we leave this room?"
"Sure."
Timon led her out and they toured the decks of the habitat ring. Lariv seemed most impressed by the farms of deck four; its fields were so large they showed the curvature of the habitat ring. Lariv's jaw hung open when they visited the Gen's first live-stock inhabitants.
"Cows grazing on a meadow in space... amazing," Lariv shook her head while she looked at the peacefully grazing animals.
"Heard the animals freak a bit in micro gravity, but as soon as they're here they calm down again," Timon said.
"Wow..."
✜✜✜
When they returned to the multipurpose room where their journey started, soft drinks and snacks waited on the table for them, making Timon feel worse and worse. Just how high in ranking was Dr. Lariv Jinla within the RSW's pecking order that they gave her such a tour and refreshments afterwards? Pretty high up, no doubt.
Lariv sat down, drank half her soda, put a cookie into her mouth, and fumbled in the pockets of her coat. She produced a one-finger glove with two cables and a display attached to it and unwound the thing. The lie detector Kania had told Timon about.
Lariv shoved the glove towards him.
"Thanks a lot for this very impressive and informative tour, Crewman Feihn. I highly appreciate it. I feel rather silly having to ask this of you now, but I must. This is a lie detector, my own design, which the RSW asked me to use in my survey of the crew to speed up the investigation. It doesn't hurt at all. Please put the glove on your left or right index finger, whichever you prefer."
"Yes, Doctor."
Timon put the glove onto his right index finger and waited.
"At first two test questions to see if everything works fine."
"Shoot."
"Please say, I love Kania Lurdh."
"Excuse me?"
"Please say, I love Kania Lurdh," Lariv said again with a broad grin at Timon.
Timon cleared his throat. "I love Kania Lurdh."
Lariv looked at her display and kept on grinning. She reached for another cookie while saying: "Please say, I love Dalek Madrew."
"Um... I love Dalek Madrew."
"Fine, the thing seems to be working. Well then, Timon, let me ask you a few questions."
"Yes, Doctor."
Lariv looked at him, not at her little apparatus.
"Have you set up Sirid Unnal in order to get him out of the equation and have Kania for yourself?"
"What? No! I did no such thing."
"Do you always use the connection to your famous uncle to get what you want?"
"Damn it, no! I've never used him in my entire career. Only once, right now, to help Kania. I'm here because I deserve it, because I worked my ass off for the Gen."
"Did you have any idea about Ganes Trufft and the drama around him?"
"No, I didn't. I met Ganes two, three times. I had no clue whatsoever that he's an FTS member, the same with Unnal."
"How come you claim that Ganes was an FTS member?"
"Liffa Pentrus made hints to that effect."
"Ah, I see."
Lariv reached for her drink and sipped from it.
"Don't you find it odd, Timon, that you are or were acquainted with two recent FTS convicted persons and one from your past as well, our good Dalek?"
"It's not odd, it's coincidence. This ship isn't that big after all, many of the workers around here know each other."
"What about your connection to another subversive element, this hacker Rilad Klapps?"
"I met him in a bar on the ground, for the Inquisition's sake. He's a fun and harmless nerd."
"You are a tolerant person, Timon Feihn. So, two FTS teams have recently been uncovered on the Gen. How many more are there?"
"I don't know. I'm not an FTS member."
"What do you make of the phrase 'no alien life out there'?"
"What?"
"You heard me. What do you make of this phrase?"
"I don't know. I've just heard this for the first time."
"Where can I find Nal?"
"I have no idea. I'm not an FTS member. Your questions are ridiculous."
"Are you aware of any bomb parts hidden on this ship?"
"No, I'm not. How dare you question my loyalty to the Gen and the RSW?"
"That's my job, Timon. Thank you, that was it." Lariv looked down at her display and fumbled around with it, then smiled.
Timon tried to quiet his hectic breathing. Kania said the glove tightened around her finger. Hell, yes, it had. He hadn't even noticed that during the question bombardment. He looked at the glove and gritted his teeth. He wanted to tear the thing off and throw it into Lariv's face. Lariv pressed another button on her display and the glove slackened.
"You can take it off now, Timon, thank you for your cooperation and again thanks for the excellent tour. I think my luggage has already been brought to my cabin but I don't know yet where that cabin is, could you help me to find it? It's on deck 2, section B, cabin 27C."
Timon flung the glove off his finger as if it was a disgusting bug. Lariv coiled it up, then took another cookie.
"Sure, I can take you there. What about my test result?"
"Sorry if the questions were provoking, but that's what they're supposed to be to tickle the truth out of you. You're a glowing example of RSW loyalty and I wish all my upcoming tests were as easy and clear as yours."
Timon took a deep breath. "Well, thank you, Doctor, and I'll be happy to take you to your cabin now."
"Thanks, Crewman Feihn." Lariv grinned broadly.
✜✜✜
As soon as he was alone again, Timon knocked at Kania's V-door. She answered promptly.
"Hi Timon, what's up?"
"Man, I just enjoyed five hours in the company of Dr. Lariv Jinla," he subvocalized.
"Five hours?" Kania sounded shocked. "My interview took just a few minutes."
"Well, mine too, but before that I had to do a ship's tour for her. Who is this woman? Aran's President got a smaller tour than she did."
"Wow. Well, she seems to be the RSW's top shrink."
"Holy Tral, well, at least I passed her stupid test."
"Congratulations."
"I'll go to the gym now and work the stress off."
"Have fun and see you soon."
"Thanks, and see ya."
Timon smiled broadly. "See you soon," she said. Yes, she was his now and she'd come with him onto the Gen and he'd marry her.