Mark Tiedemann - Chimera

"Stop interrupting me."

"Stop jumping to conclusions! You didn't know about this because I didn't know! I didn't know because Ambassador Setaris told me I wouldn't know! She has asked for the utmost discretion, and I will not tolerate petty fits of temper over personal slights!"

"I can't cooperate with Mr. Avery unless I know what he's doing," Polifos said.

"I agree, " Hofton said. "Can't expect useful cooperation from ignorance. "

"Perhaps I was remiss," Leri admitted. "But I was told that your work was highly confidential and that a minimum of interference was in order."

"Misunderstandings are easy under these circumstances," Derec said. "Evidently, I was misinformed about protocol myself. "

Leri looked sheepish. "I, uh…"

"Director Polifos and I can work this out, I'm sure," Derec said.

"Well." Leri gave Polifos one last glare.

Polifos did not look away this time. "I do not want Palen's goons tramping through here as if it were their office and we were criminals. "

"Under the circumstances, we don't have much choice," Leri snapped. "Now, straighten all this out with Mr. Avery. I'm too busy to do arbitration over bruised egos." He looked at Derec. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience, Mr. Avery. If you have any more trouble…"

He stormed off. Huddled techs watched him leave.

Derec turned to Polifos. "Chief Palen?"

"One of our staff was arrested," Polifos said. "Nothing unusual in that-the man in question has a history of running afoul with Palen."

"Doesn't sound like someone you'd want to keep on staff," Hofton observed.

"We have personnel shortages," Polifos said. He seemed distracted. "But even so, I've tried to get this one rotated back to Aurora and it simply doesn't happen." He shook his head impatiently. "That isn't the real problem. What is the problem is her people have been in and out of my lab since yesterday, questioning my staff. Then you show up, and the next thing I see is Palen herself with your man Hofton here bringing in a robot of which I had no knowledge! I can't help but think that it's all connected. Your presence has changed our relationship with Palen, and not for the better."

Derec exchanged a look with Hofton. "I'm afraid I don't know anything about-"

Polifos cut him off. "No, I don't imagine you do, nor would you even if you did. One of her police appears in the doorway, points, and expects to be followed. Our arrangement with the Terran authorities here is peculiar to say the least-we were all required to concede that Palen is in charge of all security throughout the station. Makes sense, I suppose, but-"

"We were informed about none of this," Hofton said. "When was the arrest made?"

Rana frowned at Hofton but said nothing.

"Shortly before you arrived," Rotij said. "Naturally we're nervous. "

"What are the charges?" Hofton asked.

"Disorderly conduct. But Palen's been questioning my people about smuggling. " Polifos snorted in disbelief. "Smuggling! Why would an Auroran engage in smuggling?"

Derec looked across the lab and recognized the tense look in the eyes of the staff.

Derec stepped close to Polifos. "I want that equipment, Director. Soon as possible. The quicker we get done here, the sooner we'll be out of your lab and away from your people. But we want the equipment here. I don't want any more confusion over who's responsible for what."

"No, we don't," Polifos answered sharply. "All right." He stepped around the blind. "Hovis!"

Derec looked at Hofton. "What's this about?"

"You stepped on toes in your walk across hallowed ground," Hofton said. "Someone complained. The accusation that we're plants from Palen materialized. There's a rather ugly atmosphere here. Also," he lowered his voice, "I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to tell you earlier. I tried to look into Director Polifos's record. This posting and credentials from the Calvin Institute were all I could find. There's a security block on records older than Kopernik."

"Terran security?"

"No, sir. Auroran."

Derec stared at Hofton, for a moment uncomprehending. Then he shook his head. "We'd better proceed on the assumption that we have even less time than we started with." He showed the disk to Hofton. "I had the blood sample screened and typed."

"Blood sample?" Hofton asked.

"The robot's hand. I found material in the finger joints. Some of it is blood. The rest I'll look at when I get the proper equipment."

"Blood. Wonderful. That should help exonerate the robot."

Derec slipped the disk into the comm console. "We're going to need a complete autopsy report on all the victims, I think. And I want to look at that cargo bin. In person, not on a screen."

"I'll see what I can do," Hofton said.

"One way or the other, we need to see for ourselves."

"I understand. "

Derec turned to address his RI. "Thales, I'm sending a blood screen. I want you to run a match through all available databases."

"Yes, Derec. That may take some time."

"I can wait. " He pressed SEND and turned to Rana. "How's the link?"

"Established. Thales is beginning the first level excavation now. I've set up buffers to receive intact memory nodes as they're found and retrieved. We should be able to view them in isolation."

"Good, good." Derec went to the edge of the blind and watched a pair of technicians setting up a magnifier on a cart. "I want a complete scan for eyes and ears on all this equipment. Have Thales do one on the lab itself."

"All of it?" Rana asked.

"Every bit."

"Derec," Thales said, "I have a consanguinity match."

"Already?"

"Given the probable source of the sample, I began with the most obvious. I am continuing through the rest of the databases on the chance of finding an exact match. "

"All right, what do you have?"

"There is a 99% match to Nyom Looms. "

"So…it's her blood?"

"No. I can display the details, but the distinction is clear. This sample came from a male."

"Her father, perhaps?" Rana suggested.

"No, Rana. Even given the unlikelihood that Rega Looms would permit a robot close enough to him to touch, I ran the same match against his genome and it remains only a close match, not identical. The markers I used to verify distinctions number two hundred eighteen. There is no significant margin for error. The sample belongs to a male relative of both Rega and Nyom Looms, probably a son and brother."

"Son…" Derec mused. "Looms never had a son."

"The record would so substantiate. However, there are always possible oversights."

"'Oversights'," Hofton said. "Interesting way to put it. Have you typed the sample against Looms' wife?"

"Yes. The same degree of consanguinity. The logical implication is that Nyom Looms had a brother. However, no record of such a relative is forthcoming."

"Can you determine age, Thales?" Derec asked.

"That is proving difficult, Derec. Normally there are mutations over time in the chemistry and base DNA. Proteins provide a reliable clock. But this sample shows an incongruity of results. Certain proteins suggest an age of twenty-nine, others an age of ten."

"Rehab treatments?" Hofton suggested.

"The requisite chemical signatures of all known rejuvenation or rehabilitation protocols are absent. This does not preclude that one or more have not been employed that are unknown, but I cannot consequently give you an accurate estimate of age. "

"Send this data to Ariel, Thales," Derec said. "Continue your search for an exact match. Add the databases of all rejuvenation clinics extending back a period of, oh, thirty-five years, and see if anything turns up. "

"Yes, Derec."

"Nyom had a brother she didn't know about?" Hofton said. "Amazing. Imagine that, from a man like Looms."

"Call Palen," Derec said. "We need to see those bodies and all the autopsy reports. " He stared across the lab, watching the personnel, and realized after a moment that he was looking for something that did not fit. "Thales, ask Ariel to run a background on Rotij Polifos. "