The Data Crystal Mystery

Part Two

(1) By a roundabout route, with many visual and telepathic checks for anyone paying attention to her, a cheaply dressed Kaori arrives at the central library. Dr. Lee's given her no clue about how to find the crystal she's been sent to retrieve, so her first few minutes are spent looking around, a little lost, then standing at a terminal retrieving nothing of importance so as not to be conspicuous while she thinks.

Finally she finds herself thinking of the buzz and headache triggered by her attempt to access the electronic consciousness of Zani. If Dr. Lee has related technology...She starts scanning with her mind, and feels a faint but similar electronic buzz on the other side of the library's central plexus. She narrows her focus and follows the buzz to its source, under one of the terminals, embedded in the column. She pulls the slip of paper with the code out of her shoe, and carefully enters it on the keypad. 9 - 1 - 9 - 2 - 9 - 3 - 9 - 7 - 9. So many nines - She holds her breath, hoping the number's correct and that she's entered it correctly.

There's a quiet click. The panel opens and a data storage cylinder rolls out of the compartment. Kaori catches it, wishing that it wasn't so obviously a whole

cylinder rather than a crystal she could easily tuck into a pocket. She eats the slip of paper to get rid of it, and leaves the library as nonchalantly as she can. Heading into the city, she finds a confectionary and carries the cylinder into the palace disguised in a sack of chocolate covered almonds. At the last moment, she stops at an inexpensive little electronics shop and picks up a new padd, using cash instead of her attention-getting Myeong Mai identity card.

In the privacy of her sleeping alcove, she disables the networking capability of the new padd, then examines the cylinder and eventually gets it to disgorge the expected crystal. Eagerly, she inserts it into the padd.

Disappointingly, reading the contents takes no time at all. They raise more questions than answers, and some of the files seem to have gaps. She uses the new padd's limited capacity to diagnose possible issues, finding that although the files aren't large, chunks of them have been corrupted. She reads what she can once more, then lays back and reflects on a number of worries the readable part of the information raises.

There's little reason to believe that Dr. Lee will expand on anything the crystal is supposed to have provided. After a while, Kaori gets up, changes clothes, and telepaths a message asking for a meeting with Jenai Sung.

(2) Kaori Jo enters the imperial dining room, as the return message from Jenai has instructed. She sees the High Priestess at one of the side tables and walks to it. She bows. "Myeong Mai be with you." She bows humbly

High Priestess Sung nods slowly, then stands. "Myeong Mai be with you." She bows. "Take a seat."

Kaori sits and folds her hands. "Thank you for making time to talk, Seonsaengnim.." She switches to telepathy, as the talk is highly confidential and the palace is not perfectly secure from listeners. <<I have met with Dr. Lee.>>

High Priestess Sung nods. <<Yes I was curious about the meeting also.>>

Kaori Jo shakes her head. <<It wasn't much of a meeting. Dr. Lee told me nothing - just directed me to the crystal, and told me to keep it private and secure except from other expedition members. I retrieved it as directed but am concerned because I learned very little. There is enough information on the crystal to be worrying, but not enough to be truly useful. Some content seems to have been corrupted - but the number of bytes the crystal contains seems very low even with corruption taken into account.>>

Jenai Sung (JenaiSung Resident) >> Can you show me the Crystal and what was on it? <<

Kaori untucks it from the fold of her kimono-style shirt. <<This is the crystal. Given Dr. Lee's hyperfocus on security, perhaps I should share the content telepathically rather than playing it for you.>>

>> I need to see the read out but maybe you just take it too Captain Mags and say the High Priestess needs her to recover corrupted data. She has special equipment and it is more secure there<<

Kaori smiles slightly. <<Odd to think that the palace is an unsecure place. It makes living here less than relaxing.>>

Jenai Sung : >> Well it is secure here but we don't have the equipment. Captain Mags can recover the data and will be providing the transportation to Naeya. She is a very good intermediary. Her relationship with Empress Hae Ri has provided her protection so not many will confront her <<

Kaori takes a slow breath and releases it. <<Now - one of the worrying bits - the crystal talks about a NARI - the first NARI - and says that it was named Zani. Like the bounty hunter who was on the ship we encountered aboard Hatae.>>

Jenai Sung: >> Zani? I hope it is only coincidence that the name is the same. So keep very vigilant. As far as my understanding is all the Original NARI from the colonization teams don't exist anymore <<

Kaori Jo <<I will certainly stay alert for anything to do with today's Zani. Now the second piece of worrying information is that the Nari are exceptional because they are made with a bit of Shylzani brain matter - and there's a strong suggestion that some of the Shylzani who supplied it supplied so much that they died.>>

Jenai Sung: >> The use of brain matter to manufacture NARI was very limited after Agent Tuko revealed the secret outpost/manufacturing facility. Now it is strickly forbidden other than if one wants to volunteer to donate. They are paid a small fortune to donate but there are few who will risk it. This is partly the reason the NARI manufacturing has come to almost nothing. <<

Kaori Jo frowns almost imperceptibly. <<That's essentially what the data crystal says. If it's so well known, though, why did Dr. Lee have to be the one to share?>>

Jenai Sung: >> well that is hard to explain. It is very complicated and something the Cyhnon Space corps wanted to keep secret. There are still secret groups in the Corp like the Z spies and Shadow Hunters. Who commands them is still not known.<<

Kaori Jo: <<And that's the next item. The Z spies. The crystal talks about a group named Ziera, particularly Ziera 57. A connection suggests itself - Sunhi Kim? And the crystal suggests that Merc Verne and Kay Kim may both be involved - though I know Captain Kay is not an adherent of Verne's.>>

(3) Jenai Sung: >> That is very interesting. My recommendation is to not assume anything. The Ziera should not be under estimated. Also the shadow hunters either. I guess you can figure out some by the name shadow hunters what they do.. <<

Kaori Jo nods. <<The crystal suggests that both the Ziera and a Shadow clan with which they've collaborated may be trying to achieve independence. It doesn't say independence from whom, however. Who have they been working for?>>

Jenai Sung: >> I am not sure of that but if we had someone not connected to the Empire, maybe they could investigate this and bring what they find to the Empress to handle.<<

Kaori sighs. <<So we have spies who have been working for someone, for decades, but we don't know who...Well. The crystal also mentions a NARI scanner which we should obtain or create if we can. And finally, it provides a bit of colonization history, including mention that the group who went to Naeya was Shylzani, came to Naeya from Cyhnon, and voluntarily gave up advanced technology...which isn't much more than we knew already, so not very useful. I hope Captain Maggie can find more.>>

Jenai: >> "Yes you will get the scanner and more info. Just take the crystal to Capt Mags and she will recover more of the data for us <<

<<I will do that as quickly as I can.>> Kaori pauses. <<The expedition group is coming together very slowly - not only can't I tell anyone much that would help them decide, but there isn't much to tell. I contacted Captain Gama in hope of getting a comm tech, and she gave me a contact but not what I'd asked for - someone who is apparently a political advisor to Gama's group and a diplomat - and not a telepath, but both empathically and observationally talented.>>

Jenai: >> Yes, we will go with what we can get to join. This is very important. We are working some back channels to arrange a guide on Naeya to meet with your team <<

Kaori sighs again. <<I'm assuming the whole data crystal has something to do with Naeya, but what is very unclear. Is it possible that some of those early NARI may have been with the colonists who went there, or that some of the later models have been spending time there?>>

Jenai: >> I don't believe that is known or expected about the NARI but your conclusions need to be investigated. Naeya was supposed to be quarantined.<<

Kaori shakes her head. <<I'm just trying to figure out why a data crystal that was supposed to prepare me for Naeya seems to dedicate so much more space to NARI. The information is interesting - disturbingly interesting - but I have to stretch to get any notion of relevance. And if people besides Dr. Lee know about it, her extreme approach to security becomes surprising.>>

Jenai: >> "Dr Lee has had many attempts on her life and she is the most powerful individual in the Empire outside the Empress and Admiral Merc. Yes, seek out Capt Mags and work on your team. <<

Kaori stands. "But you've given me a good deal of your time, Seonsangnim," she says aloud. "I will continue my studies of old Aerok - I think I'm making progress! Crisha Ra, of all people, gave me help with pronunciation." Telepathically, she adds, <<And she knew about the Naeya mission, and also told me to talk to Dr. Lee...>> She switches back to voice. "May you find unity in the chaos," and bows. "And I will strive to become less confused, rather than more so."

Kaori returns to her quarters to prepare for a first communication with Gama's candidate - not much more satisfied with her teacher than with the corrupted crystal, but determined to continue.