There was the small hiss of drones jetting past the window. I shifted in my seat.
‘You know what?’ I said carefully, ‘I think I’ll take that coffee after all.’
Luciano got up to prepare them. I found I liked him. A man of his calibre could be doing anything in life and he’d funnelled his energy and intelligence into education and study. You’ve got to appreciate such clear sincerity.
It seemed I’d found the House of Suns. I knew who was behind the deaths, but that was only half of it. I was in the dark as to why they were killing Reapers and skinnies and setting Harmony up for the fall. I’d have known if these people were on Harmony’s radar.
‘So this band of enthusiasts are on a scavenger hunt for an alien civilisation that’s been extinct for millions of years?’ I asked as Luciano returned with two small porcelain cups of steaming coffee. No milk, no sugar. Just straight, the way I liked it.
The professor tapped the side of his head. ‘You’re forgetting: these sons of bitches don’t think straight. One of our core theories is that knowledge of the Shenoi strengthens us in a way that other alien species don’t. Their existence as a sentient organism that’s also a drug – a drug that has the same effect on a human’s body and an alien’s – opens up entirely new areas of study in the fields of biology, physiology. The House of Suns took that further: they theorise that greater knowledge of the Shenoi is fundamental to your existence in every way. They’re quite intransigent in that regard. Anyone who questions their vaunted word, or dares to hinder them in their pursuit, is an enemy. So, yeah, they’re out there, sniffing out alien scraps in an interstellar treasure hunt.’
That explained why they were collecting stormtech, but not why they were poisoning it. I downed my coffee and let the silky bitterness melt down into my stomach. ‘I’ve had a few run-ins with these people. Most of them don’t have stormtech. If they’re already that obsessed with the aliens, why haven’t they shot themselves up?’
‘Some are naturally resistant to stormtech. Others leave their obsession at a distance. The one thing we agree on is that stormtech is lethal and makes you unpredictable, prone to urges. You can’t risk that around your fellow cultists. You can be obsessed with chainships while still knowing taking one for a spin through an asteroid field like those lunatic racers is a bad idea.’
‘Do you think they killed Viklun Ryken?’
‘You’ve done your homework, son. Ryken was a stubborn old bastard. His works are in our archive, but he kept the best findings for himself, to publish when he was ready. They got wind of it. I can’t imagine they asked nicely. If he found something they wanted, or they didn’t like what he stumbled upon, they’d have killed him.’
The warble of a speeding chainship rattled through the windows as I turned this statement over. There’ve been plenty of fanatics, cults and crazies floating around, before and after the Reaper War, some more dangerous than others. But these people were spreading corrupted stormtech around for some more immediate reason than finding their beloved aliens.
‘Why didn’t you come forward about this?’ I had to ask.
‘To who? Harmony?’ He flapped his hand, made a pfft sound. ‘You think they’re going to listen to me, ranting about aliens and super-secret cults? I’ve been dismissed before, and it doesn’t get any more fun the older you get. Besides, Harmony’s hardly the most approachable of organisations.’
I thought of Kowalski, the authority and respect she commanded over her men, how she’d looked after me because she saw me as a human being. Not another disposable tool of Harmony. She’d listened to me when I’d told her about Artyom, and she’d put her career in my hands in an effort to clear stormtech off the streets and make a difference in the world. If I trusted this man, then I knew she would. She’d make this work.
‘Now, if you’d be so kind, tell me where you saw their mark,’ said Luciano. By the time I finished telling him, his face had turned white as the reams of papers around him. ‘They’re back on Compass?’
‘Everything you said matches up,’ I said. ‘They’re the ones Harmony’s after.’
Luciano chewed his lip. ‘I was wrong. We have to alert Harmony to this and make sure they don’t leave Compass and hurt anyone else.’ He looked straight at me. ‘You did well coming to see me, son. I’ll go to Harmony, tell them everything I know. The universe is better off without them, believe me.’ He raised his coffee mug in salute. ‘I’ll go after this.’
I settled into my seat, at ease for the first time in weeks. If Luciano knew these people and who was leading them, we’d solved half the problem. It wouldn’t clear up Artyom’s involvement, or give us a motive, but you’ve got to take one step at a time.
Kowalski would love to hear the news. I reached for my palmerlog
