The Anomaly

A Job Offer

Planet living – Ernest had all but forgotten it. There is a day of the year, a moment when spring rests most delicately upon the pivot of winter and summer. It occurs, if it occurs at all, some time in the weeks following the equinox. The winds ease, the clouds part, a wash of warm sunlight fills the still-chill remnants of winter air. Sweet and sour. The perfect balance.

It felt to Ernest like the city wanted him home.

On leaving the university, his first action had been to put a question to his data hound colleague, Terry. Then he found another outdoor table at a café, ordered a coffee and settled himself down to wait for the answer. It wasn't long in coming – no, the location of the Sonet Anomaly was not available in the public domain. Ernest had chosen not to ask David Sonet for this information. The young man had been so very forthcoming, so eager to help. And yet, for all his cooperation, surely he must realize that those coordinates were not a thing to be given away lightly. There was nothing to be gained by asking him to act against the best interests of his sister. Not yet at least.

So, what to do? Recruiting a captain was not going to be hard. There were calls Ernest could have made but didn't – he was weary from his meeting and the question of the brother remained unresolved. The sun was sinking now, its passing overhead having done little to take the chill from the air. Time was relaxing into the slow quiet of the afternoon hours, prelude to the sudden burst of evening bustle that would come at the end of the working day. Refreshed by this solitude, Ernest set about considered the options. He still had contacts in this city. Had friends who had friends. Assuming the kid did actually know the location, Ernest didn't doubt the information could be extracted. One way or another.

And yet, he'd been so helpful; and clearly not part of any conspiracy to rob Ernest of his own self. Ernest's anger hadn't left him. It seethed away, as strong as it had the moment he'd grasped The Capt'n's plan. Now it battled against his conscience.

*

"Misery Morrison! Long time, no see."

Ernest looked up at his visitor. "Captain Hans. How's business?"

There was little more trace of warmth in Ernest's words than there was in the early spring air, but the captain wasn't fooled. He'd known Ernest from the old times.

He pulled out a chair and sat down. A thickset man with a large head atop a short neck, grey haired and bearded.

"Oh, business is pretty thin, truth be told. It's not like the old days." Hans was captain of his own starship. Like The Capt'n in that sense, but otherwise no relation, neither in bloodline, personality type, nor ethical standards. His voice was deep and gruff; raised in some rural outpost where people's habit of taking their time and getting things right extended to the pronunciation of their vowels. Despite all his time in the city, he'd never lost his drawl.

Ernest shrugged. "Sign of the times, I guess."

"Well yes and no. I've come here to offer you a job."

Ernest's expression animated a fraction. "What sort of job?"

"Dragon hunting, of course, just like the old days. Exploratory expedition out in the terra incognitas."

Ernest nodded his head, pausing to examine the captain's expression more carefully. "This offer: it wouldn't by any chance be prompted by a certain conversation I had this afternoon?"

The captain shook his head. "All I know is, I hear this rumor: Misery Morrison is back in town."

"That's a pretty quick rumor. I only got here this morning."

"This is Sibay, Misery. News gets around."

Ernest didn't answer, taking a sip of coffee without dropping his gaze.

"I asked Terry, okay? He told me you might be receptive to an offer. Are you?" The captain narrowed his eyes. "Look," he said, "I dunno who you've been talking to but things have changed since you were last here. You want to be careful of enticing schemes promoted by pursuasive strangers. I know I'm not offering the most glamorous deal in town, but you know who I am. And you know I'm not the sort to be pushing you into places you won't be able to get back out of, you with me?"

Ernest held his silence.

"These navigators we've got these days, Misery – couldn't navigate their way into the tradesman's entrance at a whorehouse. Scared to take them much beyond the shallows. You know me. That's not what I'm about."

"This expedition. You have any particular objective in mind then?"

"Nope." The negation was emphatic. "But there's bound to be a few places out there that are still worth a look. That's kind of the point of exploration. You don't know what you'll find 'till you get there."

"What about this Jack Jefferies bloke? Become a bit of a celebrity, so I heard. Surely he attracted some new blood into the profession?"

"Jack Jefferies is gone, Misery. And not just him. Fact is, there's not many left that you'd recognize. Navigation's become something of a risky business in recent years."

"And that's meant to encourage me?"

"If you were paying attention to what I've just been saying, then yes." The captain gave Ernest a searching look. "Working for me could be very advantageous to your long-term health." As he was speaking he shot his hand out to waylay a passing waitress. After a pause to ensure Ernest had absorbed this comment, he turned his attention to her and ordered a coffee. Ernest declined a second cup.

"Listen, Misery. Sure this Jefferies bloke made a bit of a name for himself, attracted a few wannabees. But you know the score. A good navigator takes time to mature, but with all the easy routes already charted, there's less opportunity than there once was to hone your skills, even if you have got what it takes."

"But people keep trying."

"More to the point, people keep paying them to try." The captain sighed. "There's still an honest living to be made, Misery. One that don't involve dying. This other thing you've got going – whatever it is – is it worth the risk? Do you really want to go mixing yourself up with the sort of trash that collects at the bottom of a gravity well? When you could join me out in the wild blue yonder? Face it Misery you're a precious resource. And precious resources tend to get locked up."

"Is that some sort of threat?"

"Misery!" His tone was affectionate exasperation. "It's the exact opposite of a threat. It's a way out I'm offering you. So how about it?"

"Speaking of attrition rates, what do you know about the Jefferies expedition. What exactly went wrong out there?"

"Is that what this is all about?" The captain nodded to himself. "I don't know nothing, Misery. Just what's public knowledge. They got themselves into a knot and ripped free. In the process, tore the poor bleeder's mind out of its socket. Limped home on automatics. Not a pleasant thought, I grant you, but things like that happen. Could have been worse; they could have lost the ship. Then we'd never be any the wiser what happened."

"You haven't heard any stories then. That they had a particular target in mind. Knew what they expected to find out there?"

"Sorry Misery. I ain't heard no rumors like that going around."

"No? Well, as of now you just have."

"You know something?"

Ernest grinned, though on his face it looked more like a barring of teeth. "I know I've found myself a captain with a ship. I know of a destination that could deliver quite a payday in return for a bit of poking around." Ernest stood up and extended a hand. "We got a deal?"

Captain Hans took the hand and shook it. If he was in any way put out by Ernest's sudden change in attitude, it didn't show on his face.