OVER THE SILVER SKY TO THE WORLD OF NEVER : Part 234 - I Have Very Important Work For You To Do.

in #story5 years ago (edited)

Ah the good old UK. Just when you think it's sunk as low as it can possibly get, it heads down to the subbasement and starts digging furiously. They can't stop themselves devaluing everything to the point where it becomes inconsequential. Take their education system, honestly you'd be doing them a favor especially if you threw it in the garbage. The universities are responsible for new concept called grade inflation. That's where you just turn up to a university and your pretty much guaranteed a top degree grade. They've studied the grade inflation and found it has no known cause. More people are getting better degrees, but their work has not improved. It's actually got worse. People barely scraping into a system that has to admit anyone who can write their name, are leaving with First Class Honors degree's. Meaning they aren't worth the paper they are printed on. Meaning that UK universities are rapidly becoming very expensive diploma mills. You're better off going onto the internet and downloading a PhD for your cat that will only cost a few hundred dollars. The universities have repeatedly been warned not to do this. They have ignored it. Let's stop all the fucking about. Education has been rendered meaningless when over 40% of students get the top grade out of the 4 bands. Just give the fuckers a degree as soon as they turn up at nursery school and do some finger painting.


(The copyright to this image is the property of study knows.)

The audio was still playing while Pip looked at Jake quizzically. Not only had Scarlet revealed Daisy's true identity , against her wishes, she was still pushing the point with Ydrie. Ydrie expressed some concerns about how disrespectful Scarlet's language was towards her friend. She wasn't bothered though. Daisy was here to meet with Ugo the chief Patriarch for information regarding those of her people who'd crossed the Boundless Ocean. If Ydrie came with her he could visit his long lost kin. He'd become famous throughout Fafindi on his return. Think of the new artistic influences he might find. It was a long journey though, she admitted. However Daisy was very relaxed about the whole thing. Having been apart from these citizens for millennia there was no rush. Scarlet knew she could keep her happy and do what she and Ydrie wanted instead. They could visit other lands. Possibly places no one had ever been. She was playing down the risks and assuring Ydrie she could keep him from them.

He could be there to record on canvas the story of their adventures. Mostly they'd be in places where technology didn't work. His pictures would be the only ones that existed. Show things no one in Fafindi had witnessed. Ydrie had a lot of very sensible objections. All of which she was trying to surmount with an overly idyllic description of the reality. Wearing him down with her arguments. That felt familiar. Although Jake never put up that much of a struggle. Obviously he'd be protected. Unlike the others he could die and wasn't disposable. So she'd make sure there was no risk for him. He'd be safe, no matter what, she promised. His concerns over Daisy were misplaced. Although she was a living goddess she was travelling incognito. Preferred to be treated as informally as everyone else.

Unfortunately Ydrie kept coming back to how honored he was to have met her. Her presence excited him. Scarlet cautioned him not to allow that to affect his behavior with her. It would make Daisy uncomfortable. Therefore he should carry on as before. Not mention anything about her status. His excitement over the Matriarch was a major concern. He might share that. Either with his sister or someone else over their internet. Once that got out of the bag they would be headed into a full scale clusterfuck of enormous proportions. Fortunately the loved up couple were now far to busy banging to spread the news. That couldn't last though. Despite their prodigious efforts they did have non sex breaks. They had to eat and use the bathroom.

Pip was still gazing at him. Although his thoughts had only taken a few seconds, it was time enough for her to suspect she'd done something wrong. He was being very serious, not like him at all. There were signs of that incipient misery starting to appear on her beautiful face. What to tell her though? Not the whole thing. It would take too long and might not be necessary. It could provide her with even more worries. The inescapable fact was he needed her help. She was the only one who could do what needed doing. He hoped she could. Time was a wasting though. He could tell her on the way to the control room. It wasn't like she was a security risk. Then again he hadn't thought of Scarlet as being one until this moment. He should stop second and third guessing.

"Scarlet has either intentionally or unintentionally dropped the ball here. I have the feeling only you will be able to retrieve this. I need your help. This was really good work to. If not for you we'd already be screwed. Follow me young lady. I have very important work for you to do."

He stumbled his way through an abridged explanation as they walked. Revealing he'd contacted Ugo, but not how. The ancient one had agreed to come to meet Daisy here. It was the safest place for them to talk with one another. Filling Pip in on some of the intricacies of the situation. The opposing factions. Ugo's inability to act without sufficient cause. The citizens were already docile and accepting. If some group from either extreme gained control then the people would blindly follow them no matter what. Because that was the way they had been molded. Total trust in their various levels of government. They'd always been kept safe. They always would be. Their leaders would not lead them astray. Those other actors she'd detected tapping into the feeds could be either benevolent or malign. Regardless of this even if they were only doing what they thought best, according to Ugo, it might be catastrophic. It was hard to imagine that after all this time Ugo had suddenly decided to become a dictator. Therefore Jake trusted his knowledge and opinion. It all stacked up.

"Right. What do you need me to do?" Pip responded.
Good for her. Straight to the point, no messing or fussing. She didn't have to dance around the facts though. Jake knew the presence of Daisy hadn't spread yet, because Ydrie hadn't had a chance to share. He had told Scarlet he'd need to speak to friends about what they thought of him leaving Fafindi. The guy was so trusting he'd be an open book. Incapable of being suspicious or guarded in such a free and open society.
"For a start I need you to check whether any of this has got out yet. Taking into consideration everyone is under surveillance by AI's. There's a chance they may have picked up the conversation. There's a possibility that they've been programmed to report things like this. Then I need you to block the spread of the information, or whatever it is you do. Once that's done I want you to find a way for me to contact Ugo secretly. As it stands he's the one who is supposed to contact me when he's free from all possible monitoring."
They were already at the control room as Jake ran down. Uncertain as to whether he'd covered all the vital points, or revealed too much too soon.
"Can do." Pip immediately affirmed. "So you're finally coming round to my conclusion about the captain then."
Still refusing to use her name except for the odd slip she regretted instantly.
"Look you've built up a pile of evidence against Scarlet but I'm still not completely convinced. I have a hunch this is a lot more complicated and possibly ambiguous." Pip's face set into a frown. "However given the present situation and what's at stake we have to consider her as a threat. That's how we will treat her for now. You okay with that?"
She sighed as she took a seat at a console and began touching her tiles.
"I know what you mean. Despite all this I'm still fond of her myself. Deep down I want to be wrong, but I don't think I am. There may be another explanation for all these facts. I haven't seen it though." She gave him a sideways glance. "There's other stuff you should see as well. I need to do this though. It'll have to wait."

He couldn't help noticing she didn't feel good about this other stuff. Was it that bad? Or had she done something else she wasn't especially proud of. No need to interrogate her now. It would wait. Jake gave a start as Ydrie neared his own terminal. Pausing as he passed. Scarlet was posing for him though, had just called him. Danger averted by a minuscule margin. The other 3 were safely wrapped up in their own piece of paradise for now. Meaning Ydrie was the only potential source of a leak so far. Discounting the suddenly erratic and careless Scarlet. The odds of her suddenly broadcasting their entire itinerary had vastly increased. What was wrong with her? Had she been hiding the influence of the Ashenram all this time? When he had the time this needed investigating. Pip had done a highly effective job already. He had sources and resources she didn't.

"Whoa!" She sat bolt upright in her seat. "You weren't kidding were you. The Fafindi's every movement is watched and every word listened to. Found a couple more trespassers to. There could be more. Fortunately Taini and Ydrie are out here in the boondocks. Only their house is recording everything they do. The workshop was built by Taini with materials she made herself, so it's clear. Everything that goes on inside that house is covered though." Another sideways glance at him. "I'm going to need to access some of the ship's systems... Is that okay? Nothing sensitive. The control and power systems mainly. I can use them to block communication. Nothing about Daisy has gone in or out so far."
She'd carried on past that a bit too quickly.
"Are you bullshitting me perchance? I'm getting a vibe that you're not telling me everything here."
"I promise I'm not. The thing is this is a faster than light star ship. It will have systems that can be weaponized or used for other multiple purposes. If I get in I could do that. I won't though. Not unless you tell me to anyway. Do you trust me? You can't have a lot of trust left, if any."
"Fine. Do what you have to."
"Thank you Jake. In order for me not to set off every alarm I will need you to tell Chiro to grant me access though."
She listed the systems, they didn't sound suspicious, he ordered the ship to let her in. What did he really know though? He left her to her work for a while.
"How's it looking?"
"Could be better. I can prevent Ydrie and Taini from spreading the news. Short term at least. The central system is going to notice there's a problem eventually though. Meaning that after a couple of days they'll be coming out to check what's wrong. I'm going to have to censor the internal systems they're being observed by. That's if they mention anything about Daisy in the house. Nour knows about her to. Maybe I should check him as well?"
"I think he'll be fine. It's not going to hurt. Or is it?"
"Already done. He contacts his wife twice a day and hasn't mentioned anything. Not even about us passing through. I'll put a bot in place though. Just in case."
"Anything else you need let me know."
Another swift movement of those blue eyes toward him.
"Not for now. Although..."
Pip left that hanging there.
"Alright. What is it?"
She sat up again.
"I've been wondering. You've got this memory palace thing yet you're so forgetful. Why is that?"
Jake gave the question full consideration before replying
"Because it's easier that way. Some things you don't want to remember. I've done a lot of bad things and a lot of bad things have happened to me and the ones I care for. The scars of my passing litter the multiverse I'm afraid."
"Go on, there's more I know."
The problem here was that she was a new soul. For Pip there were no previous lives. How to explain?
"Past lives, future ones for that matter, they can affect some people in the here and now. You'll meet someone and take an instant dislike to them no matter how nice they are. You don't trust them. Because you had a conflict with them or went through something horrific with them in another life. It can go the other way as well. You connect with another person even though they are deeply flawed. Ydrie and Scarlet could have had a life together. Several lives. They could have been blissfully happy. That might explain why she took a shine to the guy as soon as she laid eyes on him. That's why I'm not jumping to any conclusions regarding her. Among other things. A lot of negative crap is tied to me. Especially where Scarlet is concerned. It's possible that's built up over life times. She might not even be aware of it, but she could be looking for a happier quieter life. Nothing but good forgotten memories of him and a whole heap of bad ones with me. The weight of all those lives can weigh you down. Especially if you can remember too much of them." He snorted. "Take the fact I have no idea what the Ustraski look like. That leads me to believe they are real ugly fuckers."
This time she gazed directly up at him.
"I'm sorry. You must have spent thousands of years with her. That's why you're being so easy on the treachery... Do you think you might have intentionally blocked out something like this happening before?"
"It's crossed my mind. Along with me doing even worse things to her, that I've chosen to forget."

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