The Fall of the Absolute

by Karen Page

Chapter 1

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Prologue

For most of its history, humanity assumed the universe kept its secrets through distance. Light took time. Ships took longer. Even the boldest dreams of interstellar travel were framed as a patient project for future centuries, not a decision that could be taken, and completed, between one heartbeat and the next.

That assumption ended with Aurora, the Star Bright test craft built to prove a single, dangerous idea; that space could be treated less like an ocean to cross and more like a page to be turned.

The flight itself was planned. The surprise was who was watching.

The first jump was modest by later standards. Three hundred and fifty kilometres into Earth orbit in under a second. A few weeks later Aurora stepped beyond the Solar System, one hundred and fifty light years in three seconds, returning with its crew alive and its instruments calm, as if physics itself had simply agreed to new terms.

What humanity did not anticipate was that the universe had been measuring for that threshold for a very long time. Far from Earth, sensors built by minds older than human civilisation registered the signature of an interdimensional tunnel forming and collapsing, cleanly, repeatably, and with intent. A new species had acquired the one capability the Council could not afford to ignore.

The Reginaddes arrived soon after the first test, neither invaders nor benefactors, but envoys responding to a signal that meant history had shifted.

They chose their moment carefully, appearing at a global economic summit where the world's most powerful leaders were already in one room. Their message was delivered with calm precision and unmistakable gravity. Humanity was not alone and never had been. The inhabited galaxy was bound, imperfectly, tensely, but deliberately, by the Rohastin Council, an ancient institution that existed to stop interstellar capability from turning into interstellar extinction.

Humanity was invited to join. Not because the Council wanted another voice, but because the technology that had just appeared on the galactic stage forced a choice: either bring this new species into the framework of treaties and expectations, or leave it outside, unaccountable, misunderstood, and dangerously easy to misjudge.

There was a condition. The Rohastin Council did not recognise fractured authority. Membership required a single diplomatic voice, a single set of commitments, and a single point of accountability. Earth could take its seat among the stars only if it could speak as one.

The announcement cracked the world open in ways no war ever had. Governments scrambled. Markets reeled. Faiths re-examined their foundations. Ordinary lives continued, school runs, hospital shifts, late buses, under a new and unsettling fact; the sky was no longer empty, and Earth's future was now part of other peoples' politics.

While humanity argued about how to respond, another species watched with growing alarm. The Yvestigans carried their own histories, their own prophecies, and their own fear of what a sudden human ascent might mean. To them, Aurora's signature was not a curiosity. It was an omen. They acted in secret. Sabotage, covert interference, and attempted assassinations designed to slow the new species before it could settle into the wider galactic system. When the Yvestigans attempted to kill a human inside the Rohastin Council chamber they were expelled. Exile did not dissolve hostility. It only pushed it into quieter, darker places.

On Earth, Aurora's success rewrote assumptions faster than laws could follow. The Interdimensional Drive collapsed traditional distance. Defence strategies built around reaction time became theatre. Space agencies rewrote missions, industries went obsolete, and the old comfort of borders began to feel like a story people told themselves rather than a rule the world obeyed.

For the first time in history, nations voted not as rivals but as a species. The referendum was stark. Accept membership in the Rohastin Council and the obligations that came with it or retreat inward and attempt to navigate an interstellar future alone.

The answer was decisive. An Earth Government formed, not to erase nations or cultures, but to carry responsibilities that could no longer belong to any single state. Interstellar diplomacy, planetary defence, and regulation of technologies capable of reshaping civilisation became shared obligations. Humanity took its seat in the Council chamber, a young voice among ancient ones, and the balance of the region shifted.

For centuries, Council species had coexisted without truly intertwining. They met, traded, negotiated, and kept polite distance. Humans disrupted that equilibrium simply by insisting on contact that was more than transactional, by treating the Council not as a static treaty machine but as a living community that could evolve. To some, that was recklessness. To others, it was the first honest sign of hope in a long time.

Among the Council's oldest traditions were prophecies. For some, they held hope. For others, they held fear. The Yvestigans feared the prophecy about humanity's rise once they joined the council. Then there was the prophecy about someone who would save the human race by creating a ship capable of interstellar travel. Those two prophecies had come to pass.

There was a third prophecy. One that was still shrouded in mystery. The Trinity. The Oracle had said The Trinity wasn't about Earth but about the Rohastin. There were three titles involved. The Saviour, the Enabler and the Knot. Jennifer was the Knot, and her parents had the other two titles. Nobody apart from The Oracle knew what the Knot meant and he refused to say more.

Becky Head did not build the Interdimensional Drive because a prophecy required it. She built it because she could not accept a universe of locked doors. Ashleigh, the person who kept Becky from burning herself out, became the steadying presence that made Aurora possible to fly, and possible to survive. Their work became legend almost immediately, the kind of story that spreads through a civilisation because it offers both warning and promise.

Their daughter, Jennifer, grew up after the threshold had been crossed. Alien languages appeared alongside school subjects. Diplomatic visitors became familiar faces. The fact that humanity's future was braided with other species' futures was not philosophy. It was background noise. Yet Jennifer's life, in its daily details, remained stubbornly human. Friends, music, lessons, and the private determination to be known for who she was, not for what people expected her to become.

She knew the stories told about her family in careful, reverent tones. What she did not know was how quickly those stories would stop being history and start being instructions written in other people's fear.

The universe had noticed humanity because Aurora's tunnels announced a capability the Council had learned to respect. What came next would not be decided by prophecy alone, nor by the Council's caution, nor by old enemies pushed into exile. It would be decided by choices, human choices, made in a galaxy that was suddenly paying attention.

The cradle was behind them. The stars were no longer distant. And the first question of humanity's new era was not whether it could reach other worlds, but what kind of presence it would become once it did.

Expansion was not as quick, or as tidy, as the optimistic headlines predicted. EarthGov existed for two years before the first colony truly took root, and even that began as something closer to a proof of concept than a grand national plan.

Soon after the referendum, Star Bright built two exploratory craft to explore the regional star systems. Astronauts and scientists queued for early missions, mapping nearby unclaimed systems and identifying worlds that were, by sheer luck, already close enough to human biology to settle without terraforming. In the first six months, four such planets were found.

Grant Collins, the first Canadian trillionaire, turned that discovery into a dare that he would fund. He challenged the University of Toronto to design an expedition that could live on 18 Scorpii c for one week, safely and cleanly, and then leave without contaminating the world. The project drew in dozens of departments and produced the first practical standards for off world living, habitats, water, power, medical contingencies, and the uncompromising rule that no waste, human or otherwise, would be allowed to touch the planet.

Star Bright offered logistical support, moving hardware, maintaining a communications hub, making the impossible feel merely complicated. People who had dismissed the challenge as academic theatre realised, abruptly, that it was real.

The students succeeded. Nobody died, helped by the fact that the planet had a breathable atmosphere, accessible water, plant life, and a small ecology of native animals. But success has a habit of becoming permission. Once the week ended, other teams asked to go. Then other universities. Then other countries.

What began as a week-long field exercise grew into a rotating presence. A broken arm justified a medical team. A month became a season. A season became permanence. Someone brought their family. Others followed. Children appeared. A school opened, because even on a new world, life insists on continuing.

Infrastructure followed. A two-pad hopper control system became the first true permanent structure. When a satellite link to Earth-1 was requested, it was clear the settlement was not going away. Some suggested naming the planet after Collins, but he refused. The students had been the first to set foot there, and they deserved the honour. After a brief parade of terrible ideas, such as Earth Two and Dirt, the name the students had always used endured. The planet became Scorpion. The founding settlement became New Toronto.

With New Toronto, humanity became multi planetary and, more quietly, multi system. It was an insurance policy written in stone and routine. If Earth failed, the species would not vanish with it.

It was not like the old terrestrial age of exploration, where distance enforced separation and news took weeks to catch up. Scorpion might have been dozens of light years away, but a hopper could bring someone back to Earth in seconds. Messages carried a tiny delay, just under a second, enough to remind everyone that physics still existed, but not enough to feel like absence. Colonists remained connected to humanity even as they looked out across a vast, empty landscape and understood they were, in the most literal sense, alone.

Other changes arrived in quieter ways. In her second week as human ambassador to the Rohastin Council, Georgina Harries travelled to the Yvestigan home world with Vers'am, the Council's head. It took a week to secure the meeting, and another measure of courage to step into a place that had recently tried to turn a new species into a warning.

The Yvestigan leader greeted them without hostility. With Earth now a Council member, they said there would be no direct attacks on humans. They had failed to prevent humanity's admission, and nothing remained that could stop humans from becoming the Council's most powerful species. It sounded like a concession. It did not feel like peace.

Chapter 1

Jennifer looked out from the roof viewing area. It was her go to place when she wanted to take in the landscape and get away from everything. Not really her thinking place. She was always thinking about something. It was her place not to think. It was her place to dream and hope. At night, if it wasn't cloudy, the stars would appear, and she would look up, wondering which species roamed the ones she gazed at. It was one of the areas students had discovered, but the school had already made it safe, knowing that one day students might find it.

Sometimes she thought life had a plan. She knew that some regarded prophecies with the highest respect and would go out of their way to help ensure they happened; or to try and stop them. Her Ma and Mum had prophecies about them, and she knew she did too. It was why, when she was offered a place at the school on the Rohastin Station, she refused. She wanted a life without someone pointing out she was one of the Trinity.

Like all school children, she took the entrance exam for Hayfield Music School. When she was invited to sit the second exam, she got scared. She was surprised when she got a letter stating someone from the music school would come to her current school and interview her.

"Why don't you want to come to Hayfield?" Kirsty Turner asked.

"Sorry?" Jenny asked, surprised. She'd expected questions about her life, or what she did.

"The second test. Your answers weren't in keeping with the first test. It was like you were deliberately trying to avoid getting chosen. I'll ask the question again. Why don't you want to join Hayfield?"

Jenny shrugged, not knowing what to say. Kirsty waited, watching Jenny's body language.

"I just want an ordinary life." What she didn't say was she didn't want the expectations to follow her. She wanted to just be anonymous and to lead her life without that weight.

"Don't you like playing the French Horn and Piano?"

Jenny gave a small smile. "Yes, and I can still play them if I go to Hayfield or not."

"Touché," Kirsty muttered. "What you do after Hayfield is up to you. But at the end of the day, the choice is yours and your parents. If you don't want to go, then that is fine. I was just curious."

"There are only twelve places. I don't want to be selfish. If I went, someone else wouldn't."

"What if you look at it differently. I know your birth mother was a psychiatrist at Hayfield. I know your aunt and uncle went to Hayfield. Yet you are only looking at it from one perspective. What if by not going, someone else doesn't get the benefit of you being there?"

"Are you saying a study partner might need me?" Jenny asked, slightly intrigued at the idea.

"You do know the lingo. Study partners are a two-way street. Hayfield can be stressful for any student. Study partners need each other." Kirsty paused, letting that idea germinate. She then threw another unexpected change of direction. "I believe you're due your lunch. If you aren't interested, let me know after you've eaten. If you are, we can talk, and I can assess you properly to see if an offer can be made."

During lunch, she sat thinking, ignoring the other girls she often sat with. Kirsty had thrown her into a spin, and she wished Kelly was around. She'd have loved to have talked with her about it. Kelly was someone she could always talk to; but she'd moved away a year ago. Her dad got promoted and they now lived in London.

All her life her parents had let her make significant decisions herself. She'd been trusted to go with her Ma to meetings. Her Ma had given her the choice about extra help with lessons. Her Ma had let her listen in while the scientists developed Aurora. Now she was being asked to make another major choice.

She suddenly jerked around, making the two others at the table jump.

"Are you okay?" asked Patricia.

"Yes. I just realised that the choice isn't now. I've been thinking about it all wrong. Right now, it's 'Do I listen?'. I might not have to make the bigger choice, and I should worry about that later."

Patricia and Andrea glanced at each other. Jenny was such a great girl, but sometimes they didn't get her. "Yay. You seem happier."

"I am," Jenny said, and started to eat. "Thank you for putting up with me."

When she went back to see Kirsty, she was packing a sandwich container in her bag. "Come on in Jenny and shut the door. How was lunch?"

"As good as school lunches go, it was fine. How was yours?"

"Delicious. That was very polite of you to ask."

"When my Mum joined the project, she took me under her wing. Sometimes my Ma would work long hours, and Mum made sure I had what I needed. She taught me to how not to rush into something, and to consider the other person. For instance, with a visitor you should ask how they are. I found that hard, but it has become second nature. Well, most of the time."

"Did you learn more from your Ma or your Mum?"

"Different things from each of them," Jenny said after a moment's thought. "Social skills more from Mum. How to face fear and never giving up probably more from Ma. I always learnt a lot from others in the team. Some I've seen basically every day since Star Bright was created."

"You probably know more about Hayfield than a lot of the other children who would join. Things you shouldn't know."

"Probably not much. My aunt and uncle never talked about it. But even before I knew my aunt and uncle, I learnt that somethings shouldn't be discussed. I never discussed what my Ma was researching with anybody. Nobody at school knew about Aurora until my parents were kidnapped. Even my best friend didn't know until she was told."

"Hayfield has changed over the years. It isn't exactly the same school as when your aunt and uncle were there. If you did come to Hayfield, you would have to start from scratch. You won't get any help because they went there or because your mother worked there."

"All I really know is they came out playing instruments really well and can cook like a top chef. I hope that part hasn't changed."

Kirsty studied Jenny's face and posture. Either Jenny didn't know more about the school, or she was very shrewd in how she framed it to just mention the public face.

"I'd like to offer you a place at Hayfield Music School. If you accept, then your parents will be asked. Before you give your permission, I need to mention some school stipulations. The parents aren't told where the school is. You will live there until you finish. You wouldn't go home for school holidays."

Jenny steeled herself and took the plunge. "I'll accept on two stipulations. One, I will not discuss with you or any other school staff, including Dr Ruiz, what Star Bright does or any of its technologies. I'm aware that I should keep no secrets from my study partner, so I won't include them in my stipulation."

"And your second stipulation?"

"That I wish to be introduced as Jennifer, not Jenny."

"The secrets of Star Bright would never be discussed. You are going to the school. The school is interested in you getting the most out of the school, not some fishing exercise. You aren't the first pupil to go to Hayfield who has an interesting background. As for being called Jennifer, that is perfectly fine. I will mark that down as your preference. How you introduce yourself to those in your year is up to you."

"You're very good," Jennifer said, feeling slightly giddy at the decision. "We went from me not wanting to go, to deciding the opposite."

"You did that all by yourself. I just gave you the facts."

Jenny got a grip, and said sombrely, "I worry about my Ma. She lost a son and first wife. Now she is losing me."

"She isn't losing you. You are just going to school. You can still write to her and your Mum. And before you say it, I know it isn't the same."

Kirsty watched the young girl. Yet again she was thinking of others before herself. "Think back over the years. How much leeway have your parents given you to make your own decisions. Your first paper indicated it was a lot higher than most parents."

Jenny thought and then nodded. It was true. Her parents sometimes pointed out why something was bad, but the choice was always hers.

* * *

"I thought you'd be up here," Theo said. He sidled up next to her, and they put their arms around each other. "It's a big day."

"I was just thinking about when I had my interview for coming here," Jennifer said. "I can't believe we've been here six years."

"I remember that day, meeting you as I was collected by Kirsty to come to the school. I was shell shocked and you looked so confident. You'd done so much before joining the school, you didn't seem phased."

"And six years later, you wouldn't be," Jennifer reassured. "At least the weather is nice to sit here. We've officially finished and just waiting to leave. For the first time in a long time, we have nothing to do."

"I know. It seems ... strange. I've said goodbye to the ones I could find. A lot were readying for The Leaving."

"Ever since the school got the new mini hoppers, it's become so different. My uncle mentioned about The Leaving once. His took two hours. Now they arrive at the destination in seconds."

"We better get changed," Theo said, getting up. He held out his hand which Jennifer took and pulled her up. "Did you know that before the hoppers, they used to change out of school clothes at their destination?"

"Even The Leaving is impacted by Star Bright technology."

Theo's mop of dark brown tousled hair and startled look were what Jennifer remembered about her first sight of him. His early days when he'd not grown into himself. Now he was tall, slender, and well-toned. His hair was swept to one side in a neat and very sophisticated look. It was still longer than a traditional male style, but that helped with school trips.

As they went down the stairs to the sleeping wing, Theo wondered what Becky and Ashleigh were like. He'd seen them on the television once or twice. They seemed to be private people who didn't like the limelight. He remembered some of the early 21st century technical entrepreneurs who seemed to get a thrill out of being interviewed. If they were anything like Jennifer, they would be wonderful people.

"Have you two been on the roof again?" Hope said as they made their way down the corridor.

"Guilty as charged," Theo laughed.

Jennifer stopped and looked at Hope. "Don't tell me you haven't been thinking about what you'll miss from school?"

"There is too many good memories here to even think about," Hope said. "But life moves on. The four of us have an adventure ahead of us. We've been trained for a different type of task than your aunt and uncle were."

Jennifer nodded. "A new world, a new hope and new dangers. Come on Theo. Let's get changed. We don't want to hold up proceedings."

He laughed. "We've time, but yeah."

They slipped into their rooms. On top of their shared bed were the clothes they were going to wear. Their leaving outfits. The last school photographs, taken as they left, would be forever immortalised in these clothes. It was clothes they would wear for such a short time as they didn't want to reveal where they were going."

"Do you regret not going the university route?" Theo asked, as he undressed.

"No. We've already got a degree. There is time for other things later, but I think the training we will get next is going to be more important."

She glanced shyly at him, and he stopped and came across to her, putting his arms around her waist and cuddling her. Her back to his front. His arms across her belly. Leaning her head back their cheeks touched before he turned his head to kiss her.

Eventually they broke apart and they finished getting changed. Even putting on different underwear. What was worn at the school stayed at the school. It was an old rule, but one still observed.

"I remember when my cousin got married. She had a special going away outfit," Theo said. "It's kind of like that."

"Do I look okay?" Jennifer asked, giving a small spin.

"You look perfect, as always."

She blushed and checked in the mirror that her commitment brooch was straight. Some ex-pupils would wear them for the rest of their lives. Jennifer knew she would rarely get the opportunity after today. It was too much of an identifier. It wouldn't lead back to the school, but it was unusual enough that people might remember her by.

Jennifer was still feeling introspective. "We've changed so much."

"I've hardly changed," Theo laughed. "You don't squeal as much."

"I've never squealed much," Jennifer complained.

"Jen. The first day you got here, we went down to our year room to meet the others, and you gave the almightiest squeal I've ever heard."

"Yeah, but I'd just seen Kelly; my bestist friend who I'd not seen for a year. I thought I wouldn't get to see her again until I left here. And before you say it, I know bestist isn't a word, but it should be. Language evolves."

Theo laughed. It was a carefree laugh. Seeing her so earnest reminded him that she might be six years older, she was still the same person. She had grown. The school had taught them both so much, but at the end of it, she was still her. Just as Kirsty had said in one of their early sessions. The school doesn't change the core person. It doesn't change what they stand for.

There was a knock on the door, and Jennifer rushed to open it. It was her room. Theo's room was through a connecting door, but it hadn't been used apart from storing clothes for three years.

It was Kirsty, their designated support psychiatrist. "I just need to check that you've changed out of all your school clothes."

"The only things we're wearing are our brooches. You mentioned we could still wear them."

"Of course. They are unique to the two of you. I've checked Kelly and Hope. You should also take your Rohastin Station device. You will need that if you ever return to there. Why don't you meet with the rest of your year in the entrance hall."

"Thanks for everything," Jennifer said, and with a sudden urge gave her a hug. "I'm sorry Charlotte wasn't here to say goodbye. I hope her first foster mum is okay. I'd have never had been as fit as I am if it wasn't for her. Though I still don't get her love for rugby."

Kirsty laughed. "I know what you mean. I'll pass on your words. It's been an interesting six years. I still remember our first non-human concert at the Rohastin Station. Our first outreach concert rather than for any other reason."

Theo laughed. "I don't think that one will ever be surpassed. I knew you had connections there, but an ambassador's grandchild hugging you like that."

Jennifer blushed. "I think we should get downstairs to meet the others before you reminisce about the other four concerts on alien home worlds."

"Spoil sport," Theo said, his eyes twinkling.

Kirsty opened their bedroom door and ushered them out.

The entrance hall was mostly plain. The only major thing in it was a large painting of the only pupil who'd died at Hayfield. Eugene had died at the previous school location, but the occasion of his death was still marked and carried through to the new building with respect and honour. The school was such a close-knit community, the thought of any of them dying would be devastating.

When she'd heard the story soon after joining the school, Jennifer knew her birth mother had tried to save him. She sobbed, and nothing anybody could say would calm her tears. Only Rachel Ruiz, the current school head, had understood and Theo hovered in bewilderment as Rachel took Jennifer to her office. When Jennifer had calmed down, Rachel gave a single instruction. To tell Theo. It was the first secret that Jennifer had told him. It was only the following year, on the anniversary of Eugene's death that she felt able to tell Kelly.

"We're ready," Rachel Ruiz said, coming into the school entrance. "If you'll make your way outside. Duncan is standing by."

Duncan was the new head pupil. He had a big job following on from Kelly, but Jennifer had no doubt he would make the position unique to him, just as Kelly had done things slightly differently from the joint heads of Jacob and Sebastian.

"Good luck to you all," said Hope as they started to make their way to the door. "I love you all."

That stopped them all and they were all hugging each other. Six years of friendship. Six years learning all about themselves. Six years of support and love. Knowing they weren't going to see each other tomorrow was a jolt. It was the end of their time together. They would stay in touch, like they were still in touch with those that had left the year before and the year before that. It just would never be the same again.

Jennifer and Kelly hugged. Kelly whispered, "See you tomorrow at nine in the morning."

"See you then," Jennifer whispered back.

"Let's do this," Kelly said to the whole year.

And together they made their way out into the May sunshine. At least the weather had held. The last two Leavings had been wet, and it really didn't work as well doing the ceremony inside and then dashing to the vehicles.

"Today is their Leaving," Duncan called as they made their way out. "Today we wish them well. We don't do this in sadness, though we are sorry you are going. But in joy that you have learnt. You are ready to face the world. A world changed and a world still changing. The challenges of today won't be the challenges of tomorrow. But Hayfield has given you the tools to not just face the challenges yourself, but to help others face them too."

"They have our stamp of approval," called out Hillary, the head of year three and there was the sound of the pupils stamping their feet against the gravel.

Tears came to Jennifer's eyes. She remembered stamping her feet the previous years. The heartbreak of seeing friends leave. Now she was leaving herself and it felt different than she thought. She was pleased she was leaving. You never stay at school forever. They would understand when it was their turn.

They all waved and made their way towards the small hoppers. They would program in their destination and go. Once they got off at the other end, the pods would return, the location where they'd gone a secret.

The house was one of the London redevelopment projects that had taken place over the last five years. Since commutes were so quick, people decided they didn't want to live in the centre of the capital anymore. They wanted to live somewhere nicer. Somewhere with space for families. A garden community which might be somewhere warmer. It was just as quick to commute from France, Spain, or the Bahamas than it was from within England. Some said that life was cyclical. What was once in fashion would become fashionable sometime later. The regeneration meant apartment blocks and old small terrace houses were demolished. Nobody wanted to live in them, and hundreds were abandoned. Replacing them were houses like elsewhere in the country. The population of Greater London was the lowest in over a century, but the quality of life was the highest it had ever been.

It wasn't their first time in the house. They'd been several times over the preceding two months to furnish it and get some clothes. It wasn't their forever home, but they knew it wasn't going to be somewhere they were very often. Their job was elsewhere. This was somewhere safe. Somewhere they could be themselves. A place they could play their instruments and repair their souls.

It was early afternoon when they got there, and Theo had carried her over the threshold. It was rather symbolic, as they'd been in the house several times. But this was different. They weren't awaiting deliveries of furniture or hanging clothes in the wardrobe. This was their home. This is where they could eat when they wanted and go to bed when they wanted. Their life was no longer restricted by school rules.

"I think we should get some food in," Theo suddenly blurted.

Jennifer looked across and saw he was nervous. She wondered if he'd been thinking about the lack of school rules. "That sounds a good plan. Shall we get a bite to eat on the way? I fancy a jam doughnut."

It was two hours before they got back, their arms not carrying that much food. They would be spending the night but tomorrow they would be on training. It might be a few months before they were back. Any milk left in the fridge would certainly not be drinkable when they returned.

When things were stored, Jennifer put her arms around Theo. "What's wrong? You seem lost."

He turned and looked at her. "I am a bit. I've grown up always surrounded by rules. I didn't have the freedom you had before Hayfield. Even though there weren't many rules, there was structure. I think I'm more bewildered than anything else; unsure what we can and can't do."

"What do you want to do?"

He gave a small smile which she recognised. She gave a returning grin. "I think that's a great idea."

She rushed and closed the curtains in the living room. "The bedroom is too far."

That didn't just break any remaining thoughts of the old school rules. It smashed them into tiny bits.

"So, this is freedom," Theo whispered to her later. "I think I can live with that."

The Fall of the Absolute

by Karen Page

Chapter 2

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Chapter 2

They'd set an alarm, but it wasn't needed. Six years of regimented wake-ups didn't disappear overnight. Nor did the habit of exercise. The school only mandated exercise three days a week, but as they progressed through the school, they got into daily runs, with at least one bicycle session a week. They were out of the door at 7am. There was a small park not far away, and they did a few laps of it for their first morning of freedom.

The school had taught them all to cook, and cook well, but any time they helped in the kitchen, it was for lunch or the evening meal. Breakfast was new, and they hadn't thought about it when they'd gone shopping.

"Oops," Theo said, as they came down from their shower and noticed they had nothing in.

They both laughed. It was something so absurd that they hadn't thought about breakfast.

"Let's pack and get going," he suggested. "I'm sure there will be a café near the international hopperport."

The Tube was Earth's first underground railway, and it was still going today. Hoppers for such short distances were rare. The electric underground was still more convenient in a city that was still transforming itself.

The hoppers they'd used to come from Hayfield were smaller than most, but that still seated fifteen. The miniaturisation of the technology was new, but a few taxi hoppers were appearing that seated six. Thousands would be needed in each area. Since each journey didn't take long, ordering a hopper would be like ordering a taxi used to be. The hopper turned up and takes you to your destination. Due to the smaller battery size, there would be a limit on distance, and they would have to stay within the country. Borders still existed.

Theo was right, there was a café near the hopperport. They'd just sat down when Kelly and Hope turned up. They were both sporting small rucksacks, just like they were.

The four of them were close. Whether that was because Jennifer and Kelly had known each other since they were small, or because of the Beta team, nobody knew. They just gelled. All of them. It wasn't like Kelly and Jennifer were the primary friends and everybody else were "plus ones". They all got on, even if it was just Kelly and Theo, they would chat for hours.

Once finished, they made their way to the request line in the hopperport. There were standard routes that ran frequently. Then there were rarer routes, which were run via the request line. You logged your destination. If you were lucky enough that someone else was going there, you'd be grouped together. The hopper took you to your destination port, then returned for the next requester and their destination.

Nobody else was going to New Toronto on Scorpion, so they waited thirty minutes to reach the front of the queue.

Journeys on the planet took a fraction of a second, but when going outside the solar system, the traveller felt the difference of the interdimensional tunnel. It wasn't dangerous, but it felt odd the first time. It was best described as nothingness. There was no extra weight or feeling of weightlessness; it was like nothing existed. Jennifer was eight when she took her first long hop, which took three seconds, when her parents took her with them to the Rohastin Station. Scorpion wasn't as far and would only take a second. The feeling of the hop would be over before the traveller knew it, but there was always the strange feeling when they arrived.

They didn't even sit down. They got on the hopper, the doors closed and, a second later, the doors were opening. They walked out, the hopper detected they were gone, closed the doors, and went back to London. They flashed their passports at a scanner, and they were let out of the terminal.

"Stacy!" Jennifer called, seeing one of the senior investigators. A small girl, aged about three, was holding Stacy's hand. Kelly had seen Stacy briefly when she was younger, though Stacy hadn't made a lasting impression. Jennifer's interaction had been a lot more intense.

"Hey Kiddo," Stacy said, giving Jennifer a hug. "Blimey, you've grown."

She was sure that would get old quickly, but it was the first time someone had mentioned it. At school, growing was gradual. A ten-year gap was different.

"And who's your friend?" Jennifer asked, indicating the young girl.

"This is Tilly. We take turns in deployment. I'm on mummy duty this time."

"Hi," Tilly said, giving a little wave.

"I'm tasked with introducing you to your trainers. We always try to send someone recognisable the first time. The others are busy elsewhere. I've no idea about your training, and I don't need to know. Once done, Tilly and I will be back home for messy play, and before her brothers are finished at school for the day."

Tilly gave little jumps of happiness at the sound of messy play.

Investigators normally retired when children appeared. It seemed that Stacy, Andy, David, and Helen were bucking the trend. Apart from Tina and Luke, Jennifer hadn't seen a team so dedicated to helping others. Tilly would know nothing different, and it was great she got time with each parent. Helen was the only one who could have carried the child. Who the father was, Jennifer didn't know and, after a moment's thought, didn't care. All four of them were a single unit at work, and their hearts beat as one at home. Tilly had four parents, and that was that.

"Update the others on who I am," Stacy said to Jennifer as they made their way down one of the streets. The huts from the initial expedition were all gone. Nothing looked temporary anymore. The bricks on the building were shiny white. They obviously weren't like Earth bricks. Perhaps something they found locally, though on second thoughts, they weren't mining so perhaps it was something one of the asteroids had provided.

Once out of the centre, none of the buildings were close together. They were like mini-mansions, with drives, walls, and gates. This wasn't traditional frontier life. Yet those who lived here might not work here. A hop to anywhere on Earth was only a walk to the hopperport.

On the ninth building along the street, Stacy opened the gate and they followed her through the garden. There were plants none of them had seen before; they were indigenous to Scorpion.

Her palmprint unlocked the door and they stepped inside. A man and a woman were waiting in the entrance lobby.

"This is Alex and Adelle," Stacy introduced. "Jennifer, I believe you've met their godson, Jay."

"You trained with Tina and Luke?" Jennifer asked.

They nodded. "They were a few years older than us."

"That puts you in the same year as Eugene," Jennifer said with care.

The expression on Theo, Kelly and Hope changed too. It was noticed by Alex and Adelle.

"He's still remembered," Kelly said. "His painting is hung at the new Hayfield. The 12th of March is still a day of remembrance."

Alex and Adelle looked pleased.

"I'll see you all around. You have their devices. Give them later today."

Tilly and Stacy gave a wave and were gone.

Alex shook his head. "That girl is like a force of nature."

"I remember meeting her when I was seven," Jennifer said. "Just vague things. I remember her letting us out of the panic room when things were clear. That stuck in my mind."

Adelle nodded. "We know who each of you are, and your backgrounds. While you're here, you're going to learn some new languages and cultures. It's going to be intense. Like a bootcamp."

"What languages?" Kelly enquired.

"The home languages for the Alphonians, Reginaddes, Frotanians and the Yvestigans. Jennifer and Kelly have some advantages as they've mixed with some of them. You've all played concerts on all their home worlds. Before we start, are you all comfortable mixing with non-humans? If not, we need to know now before you spend weeks learning."

Nobody minded. Instead, there was a hint of excitement. All the species in the Rohastin spoke Hytuna. Even some of the species that decided not to join did too. But just as they were talking in English now when not dealing with someone unfamiliar with the language, the people on the home worlds would not speak Hytuna. They were lucky though. Those races had matured to the point there was a single home language. So, they only had four languages to learn. Sheesh.

Understanding and speaking a language was one thing. Reading and writing was something else.

"In this house, you will only speak Hytuna or one of those four languages. You will chat over breakfast in Hytuna, you will dream in Hytuna, you will curse in Hytuna, and you will cry out in ecstasy in Hytuna. When you go to see your family in four years will probably be the next time you speak English."

The four of them glanced at each other. Hope then said in Hytuna, "Sounds fun!"

"Let me show you the house and your rooms. You can then unpack and we can get going."

The ground floor had a large open plan kitchen and dining room. The counter appeared to be the same white material as the outside of the buildings. There were four barstools along one side of a kitchen island. Beyond that was a formal table for ten, and four double sofas. Jennifer noticed a door at the end with a palm reader, which she would inspect later. The other rooms were offices or setup for teaching. Upstairs were the six double bedrooms, each with an en-suite bathroom.

"This one is ours," Adelle said, pointing to the first one. "Choose which two you want. They are all soundproofed."

Even though they were soundproofed, they still left gaps. In Jennifer's mind, Adelle's room was bedroom one. Jennifer and Theo took bedroom three, and Kelly and Hope took bedroom five.

While putting their rucksacks in their room, they had a glance around. A large bed. Windows looking out over the garden and two desks for private work. Jennifer was itching to give the room a thorough inspection, but she left to rejoin the tour. There would be time later to get acquainted with her room.

"There is a small empty attic, accessible via that door," Adelle pointed out. "You can inspect it later if you wish. Let me finish the tour with the basement."

They marched back downstairs and into the kitchen. They went to the secure door that Jennifer had noticed earlier.

"All your palm prints are already registered in the house," Adelle said, unlocking the door.

They followed the stairs down. There was another secure room to the right, and two open doors along a small corridor on the left.

The first room on the left was a gym. The second room had a large mat on the floor.

"At school you learnt how to defend yourselves. You will continue that here, but you'll also learn some offensive fighting styles. You will learn human and non-human styles. Hopefully you will never need any of that, but it's best to be prepared."

Finally, they went along the short corridor to the locked door. None of them were surprised to see a weapons room with a firing range. What they were surprised to see was the cabinets were filled with weapons from multiple species.

"You will learn how to identify, defend against, and use each one. The grunts and cries of each species need to be understood. You need to know when someone is tiring or egging you on. There is no range officer here. You unlock and lock the weapons. You train when you can. All the rooms have cameras apart from the bedrooms and bathrooms."

The warning was implicit. Foul up and someone would know. Any stupid behaviour and someone would know.

As they made their way out of the basement, Adelle finished with some basic house rules. "You are responsible for keeping your room tidy and maintained. We aren't housekeepers. We are here to mentor you, and we have our own training to do. Cooking and cleaning the house are all our responsibilities."

She guided them to one of the training rooms where Alex was. Laid out on one of the tables were four tablets and four phones.

"These are your official devices. Email is routed via a proxy on Earth, so messages to family aren't tracked to your location. When you deploy, you will be given other devices."

Theo spoke up. He'd been quiet through most of the tour. "We're going to be learning a lot about these four species. If we tried to go undercover at one of their home-worlds, we would stick out. Humans on their planets would be rare that it would incite chatter."

Alex said, "True, if that was your job. It isn't. The initial part is based on the Rohastin Station. Aliens speak Hytuna when speaking with others, but if an Alphonian is speaking to an Alphonian, they will speak their native language. If you then need to follow, you need to understand their psychology. If there is danger, what does a Yvestigan do compared to a Reginadde?"

Adelle added, "The plan is for you to have jobs at the station. You will do those jobs and listen to the underlying talk of the station. Two of you are already known to others there. That is good. You may get invited to events that investigators might otherwise have difficulty getting to."

"What type of jobs?" Hope asked.

"That is still being worked on. I'm aware there might be some additional training to get you into roles, but that isn't the issue now. Now we get you so you can do your real job. Sit, and let's start with the Alphonians. We will start not with language, but with a dichotomy. They have a single language but two numeric systems. They've been embedded with the base-8 Hytuna for so long, they use base-8 at home too. There is a group of traditionalists that insists base-10 is retained, and it is used for a lot of formal government work."

It was a major difference in how they'd previously learnt a language. Earth languages like French and Spanish were simple, as the units of measurement never changed. There were always twenty-four hours in a day, and distance was mostly kilometres, with only a few countries retaining the use of miles. Temperature was Celsius, Fahrenheit, or occasionally Kelvin.

When they learnt Hytuna, which they'd all had a good understanding of before joining Hayfield, even the numeric system was different. Most people went through their lives knowing only decimal. Hytuna used octal. Time was different, temperature had a different scale, and distance had only three subdivisions.

When they finished for the day, there was no formal homework. It wasn't school. But there was love of learning in each of them. After they ate, all six of them sat on the settees and chatted about the Alphonian home-world of Alfare.

As the evening drew to a close, Kelly piped up. "Jen, this morning Stacy said that you should tell us something about her."

Jennifer nodded and then paused. "I'm not sure whether there is a Hytuna word for their relationship type."

"There is a close phrase," Alex said. "I'll be interested in how you explain it."

The other three younger adults looked interested. "Stacy is part of a unit of four. She is married to Andy. David and Helen are married. That is the legal side. You could say, though, that they are all married to each other. They, along with Luke and Tina, came to look after us early in the project. Someone in the company had heard some talk in the underworld about the project having had a breakthrough. Those six came to see if anything came of it. On the Saturday it was just me, Ma and Mum. They cross-dressed so we'd know how they would look that way too. As part of that, the four of them also swapped partners."

The other three gave small shrugs. Hayfield's attitude to love was: if you loved someone, you loved them. They'd seen gay, straight, and everything in-between. A Polyporus relationship was unusual, but it had been covered in their life skills lessons, so it wasn't unfamiliar.

"To them the biological parents of Tilly and her brothers are irrelevant. They are all parents to them," concluded Jennifer.

Adelle smiled, "Those four are the most senior investigators. Stacy probably wanted the others to know just in case they see one of the others with Tilly. Stacy and the others are always willing to talk about a tasking, but private life to them is treasured. For them to show you Tilly is high approval."

"But could it have been that there was nobody to babysit?"

"Tilly has grandparents who are retired. There is never a lack of love for that girl. No, for Stacy to bring Tilly, it was deliberate."

"Am I okay to go into the back garden?" Jennifer asked.

"Sure," Alex responded, unsure why someone would want to go outside when it was dark.

Jennifer went out into the warm night, shutting the door behind her. The blackout blinds hid the majority of the light, and she inched forward to where the alien grass was. If there were streetlights, they were not projecting much light. She lay down on the grass and gazed up at the stars. Hayfield had been remote, and the view of the sky had only been surpassed by the Welsh mountains. Here, though, there was no light pollution, and she almost wept at the vista.

The sound of the door filtered through her amazement, but she didn't glance across. It wasn't just Theo; she heard the sound of other footsteps. Theo's hand found hers on her left, and she heard him sigh. "There's too many stars to wonder which species live where we're looking."

"There might be ones outside the Rohastin's knowledge," Kelly mused.

"It takes about three seconds to get from Earth to the Rohastin Station which is about one hundred and fifty light years away. That's fifty light years per second. The centre of the galaxy is twenty-six thousand light years away, so that would take—"

"Five hundred and twenty seconds," said Alex. "Under nine minutes. But you wouldn't want to go there. It's a gigantic black hole."

Jennifer said, "Dr Mann once told me that the Yvestigans could only do jumps a maximum distance of thirty light years. They never worked out why. I've no idea what the limit is for Eos."

"And what happens if you hit that limit?" Kelly asked. "Do you stay in the interdimensional tunnel, or do you get spat out at the limit? Or is the limit, how far the tunnel can reach and doesn't form if you try too far?"

"Do you want me to ask?" Jennifer said after a pause.

"That depends if you are comfortable asking," Adelle said. "Your file states we can't ask Star Bright secrets."

"I don't think it's a secret about the Yvestigan limit. I just don't think it is widely known. It is why the Yvestigans arrived last over Australia. The Rohastin Council saw the jump and got two faster ships to Earth first."

"If you do ask your Ma, or Dr Mann, don't ring them. They'll detect the delay."

There was silence before Theo asked, "I thought Scorpion had three moons?"

"You obviously didn't get time to study last night," Kelly laughed. "It does. The orbit of two of them means they are never really visible from New Toronto. The other one will rise in a few hours. It isn't very bright."

Theo asked, "Is there a park I can run around?"

Alex was the one who answered, "Just carry on up the road, away from the centre. You'll come to the northern nature reserve. It has a path around it. The reserve itself hasn't been changed. It is what has been there for thousands of years. Some might call it bleak, but some of the native flowers are beautiful."

"I think I'll call it a night," Jennifer said, sitting up. "Good night."

Theo helped her up.

"You don't have to come," she whispered to him.

"I'm getting tired too," he responded, gently stroking his fingers across hers.

They grabbed their tablets on the way through the kitchen and scarpered up the stairs to their bedroom.

"What are you doing?" Theo asked, as she set the tablet on one of the desks in their bedroom.

"I'm going to send two emails. First to my parents to let them know I'm safe and started work but will be training for a bit. The second I'm going to send to one of the scientists and CC my Ma. These will be sent encrypted. I don't want that second question being in the open."

Theo sat at the bottom of the bed, watching her. She sensed something was up and turned to see him gazing at her looking a bit lost. She knew the problem. She was sending a message to her family, and he was torn what to do. Six years and these ghosts weren't laid to rest. She wondered if they ever would.

She went and sat next to him and put her head on his shoulder. "I know he might not respond, but what harm will it do if you send your dad a message?"

"He hates me," Theo said with feeling.

She took her head from his shoulder and moved so she could look straight into his eyes. "You weren't responsible for your mother's death. You were at Hayfield. Your dad wasn't responsible. It was a tragic accident. When he gets his head together and realises that, perhaps your messages will help."

"It's just so demoralising that I have to be the adult. He never responds."

"One day he will. They loved each other so much. He loved you too. And suddenly he found himself alone, not knowing what to say. I remember at the funeral you and he stood together at the side of the grave, both trying to be brave for each other. Both trying not to cry."

"And that was the last day I saw him. I was so grateful you came with me."

"That's what study partners are there for," Jennifer said, emphasising the word study.

Theo gave a small chuckle, and they rested their heads against each other's.

After a minute, Theo said, "You'd better send your messages before it gets too late. I'll send one to my dad."

Ten minutes later, they were both in bed, snuggled up together.

"What a first day," Theo whispered, even though it was a soundproof room. "What do you think tomorrow will bring?"

"Probably more of the same. There will be no introductions, so after a run and breakfast, we'll probably be at 100% intensity. They'll then ramp it up over the next few weeks."

Theo didn't chuckle. He knew she was right. After kissing her forehead, they both fell asleep on a world fifty light years from home.

The Fall of the Absolute

by Karen Page

Chapter 3

---

Chapter 3

Earth Two might not have been a bad name, mused Jennifer, as she set off for her run with Theo, Kelly and Hope. There was a slight difference in the chemical composition of the atmosphere, but the light wasn't too different. The hue of blue was a bit off, but that was something the mind soon forgot. The flowers were different, she noticed, as they made their way up the road, following the instructions they had been given.

Not once did they see an Earth plant. Nobody had brought something to remind them. If that was chance, deliberate, or the law, she didn't know. Surely someone would have wanted a rose bush, or a cherry tree.

The road was quiet. It was early, but why drive when most things were only a ten-minute walk away? The total population was just under a thousand. She'd once asked why there weren't more settlements. The answer was quite simple: settlements on Earth sprang up because people needed to be where they worked. There were no factories or mines on Scorpion. Two test farms had been created to see whether some of the indigenous animals could be bred and used for food. Until there was a reason for another settlement, New Toronto would remain a small blot on an unspoilt planet.

New Toronto wasn't ready to stand on its own. It was still reliant on food from Earth. Water and sewage were on a closed circuit. Electricity was local too, but food and rubbish were not something they could yet handle. It was no harder to ship from the warehouse to a shop in Toronto on Earth than it was to ship to New Toronto on Scorpion. Yet the desire to be independent resulted in the test farms. The near miss, three years ago, of an Earth-bound asteroid had given them the push to solve those last problems.

As they finished their run, they came out on the other side of the park. They went past the hopperport and into the centre. They slowed to a walk so they could take it in. There was a food store, a hardware store and a hairdresser. There was no sign of anybody selling clothing, unless that was in the back of the food store. There was a store under renovation, with a sign indicating Cathy's Café would be opening soon.

As they approached the street, they saw Alex and Adelle coming in from the direction of the wilderness beyond. They must free-run, rather than stick to structured paths.

After Jennifer showered, she quickly checked her tablet. There were two messages. The first was from her parents.

Jen,

We're so proud that you managed to get a job so quickly. It didn't surprise either of us, though. Your temperament has always been close to Tina's. You've never taken the easy road, but one that is true to your heart. Stay safe and train hard. Based on how long it was before Tina saw relatives, we know we probably won't see you for a while. Just let us know every so often that you're well.

You are an adult now, so we've secured your DTD to stop your location from being stored. You never used it at school, and you said you'd only use it in an emergency because your location could be derived. Use it as you see fit, as nobody, not even us, can track you that way.

Love, Ma and Mum

Jennifer sat there for a few minutes, crying. The enormity of what she was doing overwhelmed her for a moment, but it seemed they understood.

"Hey, what's up?" Theo asked, putting his arms round her.

Jennifer pointed to the screen and he read.

"They care. You told me about Tina and Luke. Your parents know the type of thing they do. They've done so much in life that they know what you're doing. They haven't said to stop. They haven't tried to persuade you to change your plans. Your parents have always let you control your own destiny. Doesn't that make it easier?"

Jennifer wiped her eyes. "It does and it doesn't. It is like one of those unwritten things. They know what I'm doing, but we still have to dance around the subject."

"You'll always have to dance around it. They might understand that you're an investigator, but what you do and where you go will always be a mystery to them. They know that. You have to come to terms with it."

Jennifer laughed. "That's easy as I don't know myself what we're going to be doing."

"It sounds like our first deployment is to embed ourselves on the Rohastin Station and listen. That place is the centre of this segment of the galaxy. Nothing happens without some rumours there. It sounds like they realise it is a hole in their current intelligence network, and we are going to fill that gap. What's a DTD?"

"Direct Tunnel Device," Jennifer whispered back. "I don't have to use the beacons to communicate."

Theo's mouth dropped open. "But that's impossible."

Jennifer's eyes twinkled. "One of the privileges of having a parent who designed it."

The final message was from Evan.

Jenny,
I bet you are taller than me now. Liam and I were impressed with your questions. It isn't something we know all the answers to. The longest single tunnel has been 493.2 lightyears. That was the limit based on the ship's power. None of this is confidential, though it's rarely discussed. A larger ship takes more power than a smaller one, but that ratio is a lot less than the distance. As an example, an Alphonian City Ship using our drive would go about 470 lightyears.

If you try to dial in a distance longer than the power allows, the tunnel doesn't form. We block the attempt for safety reasons. The ship knows the power available and what distance is permitted based on that power. If that restriction wasn't there, you would attempt to draw more power than the system could give, and cause a failure. The power core has a safety mechanism to stop that.

For our tunnels, the power needed for a distance is the only restriction we are aware of. What it is for other species we don't know. Tunnel technology isn't shared.

The only ships that would need to go further are research and exploration vehicles. We plan to upgrade their power and drive as we further develop that technology.

If there is ever a need to go beyond the drive distance, you can perform intermediate jumps. For instance, if you needed to go 800 ly, simply jump 400 ly and then do the last segment. Our knowledge of stars is less comprehensive the further away you go. The difference between current and visible position becomes harder to account for as distance increases. Dimmer stars will be missed, and safety goes down.

There is more to say, but not over email.

Evan

"And who are Evan and Liam?" Theo asked, as Jennifer sent a thank-you response.

"Evan is the chief scientist at Star Bright. Liam works with him. Last time I looked, they were both still in the UK's current top ten for IQ."

"And you can just email them? I mean, I know you said you were sending an email last night, but that was a lot of detail."

"They used to give me science lessons when I was young. I would hang out in their lab and listen as they came up with the drive concept. When Kelly lived near me and was told they'd created Aurora, she used to get science tuition from them with me."

"I knew your Ma came up with the idea and worked with a team, but I'd no idea you used to be there. You never said."

"I don't talk about that company, like we don't talk about what we do. If someone could replicate the technology, they could send anything anywhere."

"I know. Bad people would do bad things if they got that power."

"I get enough issues because of the Trinity prophecy. If people realised that I knew Star Bright, I'd get offered all the wrong jobs. I want to make my own way because of what I can do, rather than because of who my parents are, or what some Oracle has said."

Theo shook his head. "You are you because of what you've learned and your genes. Star Bright is part of that. The aliens are also part of that. You didn't get an alien pen pal because you were chosen, but because you asked. You earnt that. It wasn't given. When you were learning with Evan, it wasn't because you were Becky's daughter, but because you wanted to learn. If you didn't want to learn, or didn't have the attitude to learn, he wouldn't have bothered."

"Let's go and have breakfast before my head explodes," Jennifer said, getting up. "Anything from your dad?"

"No. Not a thing. It shows he opened it."

"That's great. It shows he's not ignoring you."

Kelly and Hope had been busy in the kitchen and breakfast was ready when Jennifer and Theo came down.

"I got a response from Star Bright," Jennifer said, as she tucked in. The others looked up and she started to fill them in, stumbling when she realised it contained a human measurement. She had to pull out her phone and convert 493.2 lightyears into srohytms.

Kelly pulled out her phone and did a quick srohytm to lightyear conversion.

Adelle frowned. "That isn't the way to think. You have to think in Hytuna measurements. You might be able to converse in Hytuna without translating, but you aren't fully immersed until you can think in their units without converting."

She went to the fridge and pulled out some sausages. "How long should I cook these for and at what temperature?"

"That's a trick question," Hope said. "On the Rohastin Station, they don't cook using heat."

Alex sniggered and Adelle laughed before saying, "Perhaps that wasn't a perfect example, but I think you get what I meant."

Hope piped up again, her eyes wide with realisation. "Hayfield got it wrong. When we did a concert in Italy, we learnt Italian and we immersed in that. But Hytuna is different. It isn't just a language. When we did the concert on the Rohastin Station we could all make ourselves understood, but we converted measurements. I still thought in seconds, not ticks."

Hope reached for her tablet to send a message to Rachel Ruiz, but Kelly put her hand on her partner's. "Don't. I'm sure Alex or Adelle has a way of letting Dr Ruiz know without it becoming obvious that we are studying Hytuna at such a level."

"Which of your family taught you to be so security aware?" Adelle asked Kelly.

Kelly looked unsure. Jennifer answered, "She was always like that. She was inquisitive and wanted to know things she shouldn't, but she never gave anything away."

"What aren't you telling me?" Kelly asked. "What do you know about my family that I obviously don't know?"

"We didn't realise you didn't know," Alex said apologetically. He looked at his wife unsure and she shrugged.

"Can you tell me?" Kelly persisted.

"If you want. Do you want to go next door?"

Kelly shook her head adamantly. "No, tell the others too. It saves me telling them."

Adelle was the one to tell. "Your great-aunt used to work for MI6. Your father worked for GCHQ while he worked in Cheltenham."

"So why the move to London?"

"When the World Government was formed, GCHQ closed. He worked out of London for them on their internal communications security. Poacher turned gamekeeper."

"Is that why the police didn't deal with my parents when I was kidnapped and after?"

"Probably. Everything you said would have been channelled through a security team to make sure you didn't tell them anything you shouldn't have."

"My dad was very good at not saying anything. I got the opportunity to have science lessons at Star Bright. One of the rules he laid down was never to tell him what I saw or learnt. He said he couldn't tell what he didn't know. I didn't get that then. It makes sense now. Sheesh. His bosses would have loved to know what went on in that old pub."

"Your family couldn't have told you," Jennifer said. "That was part of their operational security. They kept what they did to themselves. Just like you aren't going to tell them what you do."

"Finish up, we have classwork to do," said Alex.

When they got there, they all sat in a circle of chairs. Alex didn't stand up at the front and preach; it was more of a conversation. "We need to do some reframing. So, we will start with a few basic pieces of human general knowledge. What temperature does water freeze? How long does it take light to get from the Sun to Earth? How far is Scorpion from Earth?"

"I've got another," said Kelly. "What is five times three?"

Alex nearly answered and then stopped himself. "Wow. I nearly fell for that one. Seventeen. I instinctively nearly said fifteen."

"When Jen and I were eight, we had a few hours at a multispecies school on the Rohastin Station. It took me ages to understand why fifteen was wrong."

"Is the school leader as fierce as the rumours go?" Alex asked.

"No," Kelly replied. "Unless you're thinking about the senior school or someone else has the job. They were a Pretotian. And yes, they do have feathers. They were so caring of the pupils."

The Pretotian were one of the few species where gender wasn't male and female. Surprisingly, that trait, seen in a lot of Earth species, was the same across space. The Pretotians laid an egg, but the egg was only activated by the blossom from the Itotran bush.

"Kelly is right, though," Alex said after a moment's thought. "Base-8 maths is where we need to start. It's like we are back in primary school. We have to be able to add, subtract, multiply and divide in base-8 as instinctively as we do in base-10. I know it sounds boring, but knowing that four times two is ten is fundamental to the rest. For instance, if it takes a Yvestigan vehicle five ticks to travel three hundred srohytms, how long will it take to get to Earth from their home world? Actually, let's try that. I will do it too. I want to see all your workings."

"Do you have any contact with App builders?" Hope asked after they worked away on the question. "I'd like a calculator that only worked in base-8."

"Try HCalc," Theo responded absentmindedly as he scrubbed out his calculation.

"I did. It also shows the decimal values. I want something purely Hytuna based. Total immersion."

"Go to settings. There is that option."

A few seconds later, a "Yay" from Hope made Theo smile.

There were so many different variables, it took time to bring it together, but after thirty minutes, they had all reached the same answer.

"Not bad for our first attempt," Alex said.

"Why are you doing this with us?" Jennifer asked. "I thought since you were teaching us, you would already be an expert."

"We are mentors, here to guide you in the preparation for your first assignment," Alex said after a moment's thought. "You've already proved at Hayfield that you can learn quickly and adapt. What you need now is different from school. Nobody has ever trained for this task before. There isn't any syllabus. So, our role is to guide you, highlight what matters, and help you build the instincts you'll need."

"This is the first time a team has been asked for this level of immersion in non-Earth environments," he continued. "Two of you already have more direct experience with other species than most investigators currently do. The bosses believe that our experience in preparing for taskings, combined with your abilities, will get you where you need to be."

He gave a small smile. "And you're already bringing ideas to the table. The discussion about not converting into familiar units? Kelly added another angle, and now you're working towards using base-8 instinctively. That's exactly what we want. This afternoon we'll move downstairs where Adelle will lead the weapons session. That's an area we are already skilled in, and by the time you leave here, you'll be better than us."

"Can you get a dartboard?" Kelly asked.

"What?" Alex said, confused at the sudden request.

"A dartboard. Base-8 of course. It has double and triple scores. We have to add up our three darts and then subtract from the starting number."

Alex grinned. "I'm going to like preparing you. You have a gift for making it fun!"

"You'd better add a Hytuna version of Monopoly too. Shake a five and a four, that is eleven. Land on somewhere with a set, that is double. It's all maths. Perhaps we can add a timer. If you can't work out the value in seven ticks, you forfeit the request."

"Great ideas, but unless Hasbro has one in development, don't expect it quickly. The dartboard is something that we could easily get a company to make."

As promised, the afternoon was in the basement. Adelle was ready for them. "Let's start with knives. Choose one each and we can work from there."

There were four knives on the table, each one a favourite style for one of them. Jennifer knew they were being played, so she grabbed Hope's. Noticing, each of them grabbed someone else's.

Adelle didn't comment, but pointed them to four lanes. "Let me see your style."

They each went and threw. Four bullseyes.

"Nice. How far would you say the target is?"

"About..." Theo tailed off with a groan. "Is this torture ever going to end?"

"Finish off what you instinctively were going to say," Adelle pressed.

"I was going to say about six metres. I stopped because I suddenly realised what I'd done, but I couldn't articulate the distance without converting. I don't want to convert, because I won't learn then."

"Good. Now go and fetch your knives. I see you didn't go for your expected versions. It wasn't a trick. You will go through each weapon."

When they returned, Adelle said innocently, "How heavy would you say your knives are?"

The four trainees looked at each other, despair on each of their faces.

"I see," Adelle said, looking at each one of them. "What are you going to do to fix this?"

The four of them looked bewildered.

Adelle continued. "This isn't school. You have some issues. We aren't here to spoon-feed you. We are here so you learn how to be an investigator. Part of that is recognising when you have an issue, and another part is coming up with your own solution to solve it. I heard about your idea with the dartboard. That was an interesting solution for becoming instinctive with the basic maths, but what are you going to do for weight and distance?"

"Do you have any alien cookbooks?" Jennifer asked.

"Sorry?"

"We need to get up to speed not just with Hytuna, but with four alien cultures. Cooking will be part of that. When you cook, you have to weigh the ingredients. Some species may also have cooking times. As we cook, we get to learn weights instinctively. We also learn about their base ingredients, so we are proactively learning more about them."

Theo added, "Some human recipes mention the size of tin you need, such as when making a cake. I've no idea if they'll have that, but if so, we get a bit of extra measurement knowledge."

"No," Kelly said slowly. "Well, I think no. We need to check. Wouldn't an Alphonian recipe be in Alphonian units, rather than Hytuna? They, and the Reginaddes, are one of the oldest races in the Rohastin Council. Would Hytuna units have filtered into their customs, rather like base-8 has, or will they use native units?"

"If they are in native units," Theo said, rubbing his nose in thought, "how instinctive would the species be for weight and distance in Hytuna? Wouldn't they always naturally think in their native units?"

Adelle smiled. "But what if an Alphonian and a Reginadde are discussing something? Wouldn't they then use Hytuna? Remember, they grow up with their native culture and the Hytuna culture. They learn both, rather like some parents on Earth used to speak multiple languages to their children, so they naturally became bilingual."

Kelly sighed and said, "Why don't we carry on with weapons training now. We can discuss more later."

Adelle nodded and brought a knife from the cabinet. "This is a traditional Alphonian hunting blade. They are rarely used today, especially on worlds close to their home world. It can be found in some of their wilder worlds which haven't been fully tamed."

They each held it, taking in its feel, weight and balance. Hope ran her finger gently along the blade. "The handle certainly isn't for a human. What metal is this?"

"A type of iron compound. Not steel in the human sense. There is no carbon in the mix. It is quite a weak metal, but it doesn't break easily."

"Can I?" Theo asked indicating the lanes.

"Yes. Use lane five, it has a soft target setup. We only have one of these."

Theo hesitated when he heard it was the only one.

Adelle nodded in appreciation. "Throw it. It isn't a priceless weapon. We can acquire more from their markets."

Theo shrugged and let it fly. He didn't use as much force as he had earlier, but it still found the centre of the target.

"It wasn't comfortable in my hands and felt strange as I let it go. For me, the handle is too large and the blade too thick."

Jennifer pondered and said, "It isn't designed for human hands. And if they are readily available in a market for use on underdeveloped worlds, they probably aren't going to be well made."

Adelle took out a jewel-encrusted blade. "This is a Hobitoa. It's a Reginadde ceremonial blade. I'd rather you didn't throw this one. The metal is liable to snap."

Jennifer's eyes grew wide when she got a closer look. "Kelly, think about the Reginadde neck and then this tip."

"It's an assassination knife! Well, not anymore if it is ceremonial, but I agree with Jennifer. That's what it looks like."

"The Reginadde hands aren't too dissimilar," said Jennifer to Kelly. "Try it, just don't break my skin."

In a flash, Kelly had twisted Jennifer and held the knife to her throat. A deafening alarm rang out, and Kelly quickly removed the blade, wondering if she'd set it off. Hope took the knife from Kelly and put it to one side, out of the way.

Adelle looked at the nearest camera and made some sort of gesture. She repeated it, and the sound stopped. She put the knives away and locked the cabinet.

"Now you get a different type of training. You learn how to write a report explaining what you just did and why."

Alex was at the door, his face ashen. "Are you all okay? The life at risk alarm went off."

"Yes. Some eager trainees decided to see if a knife felt like an assassination weapon. I don't think Kelly was going to kill Jennifer, but the automatic system hadn't been warned, so it triggered the alert."

"I'm sorry," Jennifer said, almost in tears. "I didn't mean to cause a problem."

"We know," Alex said. "We also have to do a report on why we didn't warn you."

The Fall of the Absolute

by Karen Page

Chapter 4

---

Chapter 4

"How much are you in contact with Reggie?" Alex asked a few days later. They'd all finished their evening meal and were relaxing in the lounge.

Reggie was the nickname Kelly had given their Reginadde friend. She'd been introduced to Jennifer when she was eight by the Reginadde Ambassador to the Rohastin Council, and they'd become pen pals before becoming close friends. Jennifer, Kelly and Reggie had been bridesmaids at Becky and Ashleigh's wedding.

"I haven't messaged her since we finished school," Jennifer said.

"Neither have I," Kelly added. "I haven't heard from her either. Why?"

"We're not sure. She was seen with someone from Reginadde Intelligence. Next thing, she went back to their home world."

"Is she okay?" Jennifer asked, concerned.

"Her grandfather is still at the Rohastin Station, as are her parents. There doesn't appear to be anyone flapping about her leaving. The assumption is that she hasn't been arrested, but is being recruited to work for them. She has good contacts with the strange new humans."

"Are we being asked to break off contact?" Jennifer asked, trying to keep her voice neutral.

"Not at all. There is an old saying, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. It is just conjecture, but you're being told so you are careful what you say."

"If she is being recruited by Reginadde intelligence, could it be because we're here?"

"We don't know the depths of their knowledge. But remember, if she is, she will be working for the state. We aren't EarthGov intelligence, but a private company trying to keep the peace and stop instability when people commit crimes and think they are protected."

Adelle added, "Still be her friend. She might need it. If she is intelligence, she will probably be worried about you. Did her parents really take you Space Racing?"

Jennifer and Kelly shared a look and grinned. "Oh yes. That was fun."

"The Space Racer facility at the Rohastin Station is the premier track. It's like learning to drive at Silverstone or the Indianapolis Motor Speedway."

"Is it on Kelly's file that she is a Level 4 certified Space Racer?" Hope asked, trying to hide her cheeky grin. Kelly tried to swat her.

Alex and Adelle looked at her with astonishment. "How?"

Kelly blushed. "Hayfield sponsored me. The day after my eighteenth birthday, the school had me take the required lesson and test at the Rohastin Station."

Space Racers was the major cross-species sport right across the Rohastin Council members. Even Earth was building a facility in high Earth orbit to take part. While a driver is underage, the craft nulls out some of the g-forces. Level 4 certification meant she could do a primary course with full g-forces. She completed the course without crashing, and within the required time.

"If you were Level 5 certified, you would be able to race for a team in the entry category," Alex said, his mind racing. "Do you think you could manage that?"

Kelly shrugged. "With a lot of practice, I might. No human has achieved Level 5 certification. And it isn't just making the cut, which is extremely hard. Level 5 certification is more about being able to perform certain manoeuvres safely. You still need to post a fast enough time for a team to pick you up. Why?"

"And these manoeuvres you've never done?"

"I tried some a few times. I put on crash mitigation, not wanting to cause damage when I tried. The problem was that without feeling the full g-force, you couldn't visualise them. It's not like being in a car, where you can see what's going on. You are in a zero-gravity arena with gates to traverse. Think of it like a cross between Formula 1 and giant slalom in zero gravity. The only way you know if a manoeuvre is working is by feel."

"Do you need to put in so much time to maintain your level?" Adelle enquired.

"What do you mean?"

"We have a few investigators that are pilots. They have to log a certain amount of time in the air. Do you have to do the same for your Level 4 certification?"

"I don't think so. Though you would get rusty if you left it too long, just like anything else."

A tinkle was heard on all their phones. It signalled the front gate had just opened.

They all looked at their screens to see who it was. Stacy. It had been a week since she'd brought them here, and they all scrambled to the entrance lobby.

Tilly was with Stacy. The small girl had bright red rain boots on and looked far brighter than a three-year-old would be at that time of the evening. Stacy was carrying a large bag.

"What time was it in the UK?" Theo asked in Hytuna, then worried that would exclude Tilly.

"Early morning. It's raining and we had fun splashing in the puddles."

Tilly jumped up and down, then said in Hytuna, "Big puddles."

"Come on in," Alex said. "Do you want a drink?"

"Sure. We've brought a few things you ordered."

They went through to the kitchen and Stacy got the items from the bag and laid them out.

"A dartboard in base-8. Monopoly in base-8. It's the UK version, and someone redid the cards and money. The board is the same, with stickers over the prices. It is the best we could do. Finally, a few packs of playing cards. We like this idea and are researching games that different species play."

"You aren't here to also tell us off, are you?" Kelly asked nervously, as Hope made a drink for Tilly and Stacy.

"No. If that was going to happen, it would have been the day after. You all learnt there are safety precautions. The look on Adelle's face when you made your move was fantastic. And not a drop of blood spilt. When you're training, it is important you get the most out of it. You know what it feels like to hold, and Jennifer knows what it feels like against her neck. Have you seen the recording?"

"No," Kelly said, perplexed.

"Watch it. You can see a lot from it, from your technique to Jennifer's absolute trust in you. She totally relaxed her body and became a doll in your hands."

"If I can't have total faith in these three, who can I trust?" Jennifer responded.

"You remind me of your mum. You might not be her blood, but you can see her upbringing in you. Do you remember when she and your ma were kidnapped?"

Jennifer nodded, remembering those awful days. Those memories were forever ingrained in her mind.

"Brenda and Helen were undercover as pilots. Your mum was dragged into their plane and she saw them. She realised they were undercover and stared at the carpet. She didn't call out their names or ask for help. She trusted them to get word out and she would be rescued. She was confused why there was nobody to rescue her at the airport, but she never lost faith that she would be freed."

"Without that, you might not have shut down that group," Jennifer said.

"Correct. But we also trusted her that she would be able to cope for those days. When you and Kelly were kidnapped, Kelly gave a code word that she wasn't coping. The police changed their tactics to get you out quicker. They reacted based on what was needed."

Hope hugged Kelly when she shuddered.

Stacy continued, "You learnt to trust each other at Hayfield. That shows. You need to learn to enhance your perception, to read the situation around you. You knew that the areas other than your rooms were monitored. What you didn't think about were the protocols that might be in place. You will learn as your training progresses."

Tilly had been looking out of the back door. "Can I see the stars now?"

Stacy rolled her eyes. "I mentioned to her that there were lots of stars visible from your back garden. She kept looking since we landed, but the streetlights kept coming on as we got near."

"Did you see the stars last Christmas?" Jennifer asked Tilly. She had to use the English word Christmas. It was a purely human event, so there was no Hytuna word.

The girl nodded. "Lots of them."

"We have more," Jennifer said conspiratorially. She'd have to introduce Theo to the farm and the cottages before Christmas. "The best way to see them is to lie on the grass and look up. It might take a few ticks to see them."

The girl stuck out her hand for Jennifer to hold. Jennifer looked across at Stacy, who nodded. Carefully, they went out and lay down. Stacy had a quiet word with Alex and Adelle, but soon the others joined them. Stacy lay down on the other side of her daughter.

"The grass tickles my ears," the girl giggled in Hytuna. She then went quiet for a bit, before saying, "There are a lot more stars."

"There are the same number of stars," Stacy said. "It is darker here, so more are visible. Theo?"

Theo had a flashlight with him, so it was easier to see the way back to the house. He turned it on.

"It is brighter, so you see fewer stars," Stacy continued. Theo turned the light off, and after several seconds she said, "The stars don't hide. We just couldn't see them."

That was probably a lot for a three-year-old to take in, but Stacy wasn't hiding the truth just because it was hard to understand. Tilly didn't stay lying down long. She was only three and her attention span was short.

"You lot stay here. We can find our way out," Stacy said, getting up after her daughter.

"There aren't any puddles here," Tilly complained.

"Let's go find some puddles to splash in," Stacy laughed.

"Splash!" Tilly squealed and they went on their way.

* * *

The next day didn't turn out like any of the trainees had anticipated. They thought they would be continuing the same routine as they had in the previous days. It wasn't to be.

"Kelly, a discussion occurred overnight. We'd like you to go to the Rohastin Station and try out some of the Level 5 manoeuvres."

"You want me to see if I might be able to achieve it?" Kelly confirmed, stunned.

"Stacy's husband is a pilot. He, or rather Brenda, was one of the pilots who spotted Ashleigh when she'd been kidnapped. That skill opened a door. We like to know the limits of an investigator's skills. This is finding out yours. If you don't think you can reach Level 5, that is just as valuable as if you think you can."

"When do you want me to go?" Kelly asked, as she finished her breakfast.

"Today. The Rohastin Station isn't a regular destination and might be memorable if you get a request hopper directly from here. I'd like you to go to a busy UK hopperport, like Manchester or Birmingham, and get a request hopper from there."

Kelly nodded. Having a British passport made it easier to go there than through any other country. Not that it wasn't easy these days. Borders still existed, but the requirements for entering a country were a lot less. If you travelled a lot, you got your passport pre-authorised at World Government level and just flashed it when you arrived. As long as there were no markers against you, you were let in.

All four of them had preauthorised passports, having performed concerts all around the world.

Hope got up to go along too, but Alex indicated she should stay. This wasn't Hayfield, where their study partner would always be there. They might go on investigations alone, or with other investigators.

"Can I ask a personal question?" Hope asked her mentors, as Kelly grabbed her coat, Rohastin Station communication device and was on her way.

Alex and Adelle looked at each other, then shrugged. Adelle responded, "You can ask, but it depends how personal it is, and whether we will answer fully."

Hope took a deep breath and slowly exhaled. "When you've gone on investigations, how often was it with someone other than your partner?"

"It has been a mixture," Adelle said, wondering how that was personal. "Some were on my own. Sometimes there were more than two of us. Sometimes I've presented as female, sometimes as male. I'm so glad I never got too large on top, as that might have been harder."

"Did you ever have to do an investigation where you were in a relationship with someone else?" Hope asked, clarifying her thoughts.

"Yes. We've both had to do that," Alex said. "And it is the hardest thing we do. It impacts the two people involved, and their partners. Sometimes it can be faked. My second time, there were hidden cameras." He paused, then said quietly, "We had to perform."

Adelle moved closer to her husband. "We knew that was a possibility. I worried about it while he was away. I worried he wouldn't love me anymore. He does love me." Then with awe in her voice, "He's always loved me."

Jennifer said, "There are other difficult things you sometimes have to do to keep your cover. Can I show something?"

Adelle nodded, and Jennifer did a web search. They crowded around her tablet. "This was the Birmingham Rally for Earth First from ten years ago. Try not to look at the front, but listen to the crowd."

Hope and Theo would have been eight when this happened and might never have seen it. She was sure Alex and Adelle would have. She watched her colleagues as her ma was dragged to the podium and humiliated. She watched their look of revulsion, not at her ma, but at what was being done to her. After the call "Kill it" was heard, the crowd broke up and ran.

"The person who shouted that is my uncle," Jennifer said. "Even though his wife is trans, and Ashleigh was his sister-in-law, he did it to get recruited into Earth Fist, which was the splinter group of Earth First. It also caused the crowd to disperse and Becky to be rescued. Two simple words that he hated saying, but said because he needed to."

"They were a hard group to get into," Alex said. "There were investigators from Italy, America, Canada and Japan trying to get in there. It is still the biggest group ever broken up. The largest number of rescues."

Adelle said, "And what you are being asked to do is different. You are going to be in plain sight on the Rohastin Station. You can't pretend to be someone else because of the station's computer system interface. It knows your brain patterns. This is what has always made it hard, as we can't use normal investigators. You aren't going to be asked to go undercover there. You can't. You will be you."

"And in some ways that is going to be easier, and in others harder. You are long-term embeds rather than tactical deployments. But no matter the type of deployment, you always have to remember who you really are. This is especially true for long-term deployment agents. You four have a grounded sense of identity, much more than the majority. Without that, you would have been tactical investigators like we are. You are also a cohesive team who can remind each other of who you really are."

Theo, Jennifer and Hope looked at each other. It sounded like a big deal and Kelly wasn't there to witness it.

The day passed. The dartboard was installed, and Hope created a score chart on the whiteboard. The promise they made to themselves, and Alex, was that they were going to score without translating. It was the only way they would get used to it.

They also didn't use a calculator. From somewhere, an old-fashioned pad of paper was found and they did everything longhand. Just like how they'd learnt basic maths when they were tiny.

"We start with 765," Theo said.

"That is a direct translation of decimal, but it seems wrong to do that," Jennifer said. "Perhaps start with 1001. It's only fourteen higher."

The game itself wasn't the priority, but the maths. So, instead of always going for the triple twenty-four, they jazzed it up. The first game was Hope and Jennifer. Theo wrote the numbers, and any multiples, on the board. Then each would calculate what they thought the score was, and what the new value should be.

Hope hit a triple twenty-four and, as they calculated it, it suddenly dawned on them that four was the half measure, like five is in decimal. Four, ten, fourteen.

"A pattern," Jennifer said excitedly. "Then three times two is six. Add the carry. Triple twenty-four is seventy-four."

As the morning progressed, the speed of the game increased as they got more comfortable with the maths. Subtraction was a pain, with many fingers being used, and no thumbs. If they ignored their thumbs, they had eight digits, which was perfect for rudimentary base-8.

It was during the afternoon training on weapons that Alex interrupted the training. This was unusual and the three trainees wondered if he had news on Kelly. "No," he said. "Rhonda had gone into labour."

"Weapons away," Adelle instructed. "We've got to be down there for this historic event."

"What's going on?" Hope asked.

"Rhonda is pregnant. In a few days she was due to go back to Canada, so she was on Earth to have her baby. There is a medical rule that people shouldn't be moved via interdimensional drive during labour. I've no idea where that came from, but it is why anyone in the last stages goes back to Earth."

Jennifer smiled, remembering Miss T going into labour during her parents' wedding, and the elite Rohastin Ambassador doctors saying she couldn't be hopped to the hospital. Miss T gave birth in one of the rooms upstairs. It was a momentous day.

A crowd had already formed outside the hardware shop. This would be the first birth on Scorpion. It would be the first human baby that wasn't born on Earth.

"Dr Dougal is already in there," someone told Adelle. "Since it is the first birth here, I heard Randy say a medical team from a hospital is being hopped across to assist."

Being one of the last to arrive, they were towards the back of the crowd. A couple of the town's police made their way from the hardware store near to where they were. They quickly sealed off the centre of the wide road. Alex and Adelle inched away so less of the town associated them with the other three.

"Don't enter. They are hopping directly from the hospital to here."

Jennifer tried to go back into the crowd, but it was too thick for her to make good progress. Hoppers going to bespoke locations were limited due to security concerns. Most went between hopperports. A few seconds later, her fears were justified as Eos jumped into the cordoned-off area. The medics were helped off by the ship's pilot, James, and engineer, Sam, people that Jennifer had grown up with before Hayfield.

The crowd surged. What a day they were having. The first labour on the planet, and now Eos appearing. The ship was probably more famous now than Aurora. It was the second ship that Star Bright had built and one that ferried the executives of Star Bright. As soon as Theo and Hope saw the ship, they tried to shield Jennifer, but for a fleeting moment Sam spotted her. In a moment, Sam's gaze had moved on as if not recognising her.

"Make way," the two police officers insisted, and being good citizens, a gap formed for the medics and a trolley to go into the store. The three trainees managed to blend more into the background.

Rhonda's husband, Greg, emerged a few minutes later, beside his wife on the trolley. She was in discomfort and being wheeled towards the small medical centre. At least there she would have a more comfortable birth than in the back of a hardware store.

The new café brought out sandwiches and drinks. They might as well; nobody was going in. The town were all awaiting news. Only those that hopped back to Earth for work were missing this event.

"Is that Eos?" Kelly said, joining them.

"Yes," Jennifer said, looking at her best friend. "James and Sam."

"Did they spot you?" Kelly whispered, her eyes wide.

"Sam might have. It's difficult to tell. I doubt they will tell anybody else. Theo and Hope tried to shield me."

It was over an hour later that Greg came out, carrying a crying baby. "I'd like to introduce you to New Toronto's youngest resident. This is Eve," he informed the crowd.

A cheer went up. It might not have been their original choice, but the name was inspired. She'd be forever known as the first girl born on the planet Scorpion.

The press were slow off the mark. New Toronto didn't have a reporter, and the locals kept things to themselves. So, it was only when someone questioned why Eos had picked up a medical team from Toronto, Canada, that they jumped on a hopper. Jennifer and her friends were back in the training house when the news crew arrived to get the reaction to the first non-Earth birth. Adelle and Alex were there soon after.

"That was historic," Theo said. He turned to the two mentors. "Thank you for letting us know so we could witness that."

"I think Sam might have spotted me," Jennifer confessed. "Theo and Hope tried to shield me, but still..."

Alex didn't have to think about that one for long. "Sam went to Hayfield, then The Manor, and knows not to gossip. I'll get someone to have a quiet word, but I doubt Sam would tell your parents. The training at school and then the military is too ingrained. Kelly, how did it go?"

Kelly's grin told them she'd had great fun. "There are fourteen mandatory manoeuvres. I tried three today and made progress. Ve'tran himself came across while I was having a break. He gave me some pointers, and I made better progress."

"The Ve'tran?" Hope enquired, sounding incredulous. "The number two Alphonian racer?"

Theo laughed, then said, "If he drives like his last race, he will soon be the number one Alphonian racer."

Hope, Jennifer and Theo all gave her hugs.

"You did so well," Hope said, proud of Kelly.

"Did you get to see Reggie?" Jennifer asked, happy for her friend, but anxious if there was news about her other friend.

"I went to see her parents. I thought it was polite since I was there," Kelly said, getting all serious. "They were happy to see me and invited me in for a drink. They didn't seem concerned about me being there. They told me that Reggie had a job and was away from the station for at least twenty days, but couldn't send messages from where she was. They promised to mention I'd visited when they spoke to her next."

"I hope she's okay," Jennifer sighed and Kelly nodded.

The Fall of the Absolute

by Karen Page

Chapter 5

---

Chapter 5

The doorbell rang, echoing through the house. This was unusual. Nobody called.

"Stay inside," Adelle said to Jennifer and Theo.

It was just the two trainees. Kelly and Hope had gone to the Frotanian Space Racer track. It was a race day. Hope had gone with Kelly as they'd been invited by Ve'tran to see what it was like from inside a team during the event.

Jennifer looked out from an upstairs window. A small electric pickup truck was outside. Alex and Adelle were carrying boxes from the truck. As the last few boxes were taken off, the two trainees went down to see if they could help.

"Research time," Alex said, as he saw them. "Help us get this lot into the kitchen and we can start."

Theo glanced across at Jennifer to see if she had any clue at what was going on. Jennifer gave a tiny shrug in response. She had no idea either.

"We have Alphonian food," Adelle said as the last box was brought into the kitchen. "This is a task for all four of us. Identify what each item is and how it should be stored. These are based on some of the cookery books for popular dishes."

Jennifer squealed in delight. "Was Foyt'aap one of the dishes?"

Adelle consulted her phone. "Yes."

"I so hope we do it justice. That was such a fantastic dish. I had it the first time I ate on the Rohastin Station."

"You've done so much," Theo said wistfully, no malice in his voice.

"We've done different things," Jennifer said. "You did plenty before joining Hayfield too. And then we did lots of things together. How many can say they've been to a few alien home worlds? We can. I doubt, if you exclude Hayfield, there will be more than a handful who've even been to one, let alone more than one. You have experiences unique to you."

They sorted the boxes into items to freeze, put in the refrigerator or keep in the cupboard. They then looked up what each item was and how it was used. Human food is based on what is grown or on animals. Since crops were different, how they cooked was different too.

"You've got a lot of each ingredient," Jennifer pointed out. "How much cooking are we going to do?"

"This is new to us. We are going to make mistakes. I've also stocked up with Loperamide."

"So little faith," Alex cackled.

"Hopefully we won't need it, but it is better to be prepared," Adelle responded. "Remember your trip to Mumbai?"

Alex grimaced. "Please never remind me of that again! I don't think I've forgiven Ruth for telling you about it."

Jennifer and Theo grinned at their banter.

"She just wanted me to make sure you were okay and had no long-lasting effects."

"Poppycock. Anyway, let's finish putting things away and get cooking."

Hayfield was academically one of the best schools in Britain, yet it also made sure they knew how to cook. When Alex and Adelle had gone there, the head chef, Justin, made it his mission that every leaver could cook a simple meal. That was his stated aim. However, his real goal was to make sure they could cook to a much higher standard than that. The current head chef, Nancy, had carried on that mantra and enhanced it.

Yet they were faced with ingredients that they'd never seen before, and methods that made no sense.

"What do you think it means when it says, 'jiggle until lava jellifies'?" Theo mused.

"You're translating again," Jennifer said, and he groaned. "But even if we don't, it makes little sense."

Alex, trying a different recipe, said, "I have 'Tropando heat until bubble jiggle'. So, we both have jiggle. I've no idea what 'Tropando heat' is, or how it differs from any other heat."

Adelle giggled. "This is going to be so much fun to eat."

The other three looked up at her, and she chortled some more. In the end, they went with gut instinct. Looking at what was before them, they tried to imagine what they needed to do.

Alex gently rocked the bowl. "This is the closest I can think of. Nothing is jellifying."

When it came to sampling, they each took one taste and spat it out.

"I don't think our jiggling was correct," Alex said in a flat, deadpan voice. He turned to Adelle. "Make the call. Jill said she would be able to help."

"She doesn't work for us though."

"No, but she has the knowledge. Jill says she can keep secrets. I trust Jill. We trust Jill."

Adelle stalked out of the room and Alex sighed. "Let's clear this up and make something edible."

Theo and Jennifer glanced at each other. They'd never seen any tension between Alex and Adelle but there seemed to be something going on.

"Don't worry about it," Alex said, putting some bowls into the dishwasher. "She rightly has concerns. She'll make a phone call and Miss T will confirm whether it's appropriate."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. The possibility was already discussed. Do you know Jill Toms?"

"I've heard of her. Julia, the IT teacher's daughter?"

"Yes. She was a Beta but didn't go down the usual route. She joined an orchestra and kept her eyes and ears open as they travelled. She and her wife are a different way of intel gathering. Anyway, Jill's sister is a chef. For the last eight years, Beth has worked on the Rohastin Station."

Jennifer nodded, understanding now what was happening.

Fifteen minutes later, Adelle stalked back into the room. The smell of normal food was in the air, and she seemed to relax a little. Not wanting to be anywhere near that discussion, Jennifer and Theo made a tactical withdrawal to do some more basic base-8 maths by playing darts.

Kelly and Hope arrived during the second match, and the game was forgotten. They were dressed in bright clothes, with their hair styled, wearing make-up. The two of them had dressed to impress and would have stood out. It wasn't the blend-into-the-background style they normally went for. They had only just started to tell their tale when Alex popped his head round the door.

"Haven't you seen it's time to eat?" Alex asked.

"Sorry," Theo responded automatically and they followed Alex to the kitchen.

Adelle had calmed down, which was a relief for everyone. Her hair was down and something had changed, though none of the younger people could put a finger on what it was.

"How was the racing?" Adelle asked, as she served the meal.

Hope and Kelly lit up like Christmas trees.

"We had positions in his booth," Hope said. "We were right next to Po'ropkin, who is Ve'tran's spotter. We could hear all the chat between them, the tactics before the race, and the feedback during it. Po'ropkin was anticipating moves three or four turns before they happened. It was amazing."

"And I got to see some of the manoeuvres I'd been practicing in action," Kelly added. "He managed to come in second."

"How did you get there?" Jennifer asked.

"The hoppers from Earth don't list it as a destination. We went on a special race transport from the Rohastin Station. Coming back, we had to wait for another person heading to the UK. We got invited to the next race too."

"Hope, how much did you understand what Po'ropkin was doing?" Alex asked.

Hope wiggled her hand. "Some of it. It helped that we've been watching Space Racers for years, so it isn't new. We also watched the lower leagues, and they are a lot simpler. The top manoeuvres aren't allowed at that level."

"Any idea why you are getting this level of attention?" Theo asked.

"Ve'tran thinks I have a skill," Kelly responded, blushing. "And he said it would be good for humans to have a racer. It would increase the sport's popularity on Earth."

"What's it like compared to television?" Theo asked.

"You don't appreciate the noise of the crowd," Kelly said, and Hope nodded along. "There was seating all around the track, including what we would describe as above it. Because the gravity isn't due to centrifugal forces, they have a special curved hallway that gradually moves you into the downward look. The technology for that is so impressive."

"Did you get to meet any officials or judges?" Theo asked.

"No. They were in a room beyond where we were permitted. We did get into areas the normal crowd couldn't go, but there are limits."

"You need to get the skills here first, but training there will be good for both of you. More for Kelly at first, but then Hope too."

Hope went white. "You want me to be Kelly's spotter? You want Kelly to do Space Racing?"

"If you can get the skills needed. It is a place that a lot of people go to. It is one of the only places that all species attend. If you are part of that world, then you will hear things."

"Ah, like Jill does?" Jennifer said, proud that her friend was getting recognition.

"Exactly," Adelle said, with a smile. "Like Jill does."

"What did we miss?" Hope asked, wondering who Jill was, but not pressing it at the moment.

"We tried cooking Alphonian food," Jennifer responded. "It was a disaster."

"I'm sure it wasn't that bad," Kelly responded, looking at her friend.

"Adelle and I tried to do a recipe too, and ours was just as bad," Alex said. "We spat out our single mouthful and binned the rest."

"Though I did start to get used to some of the measurements used," Jennifer added after a moment's thought. "At least that made sense. I've no idea how to jiggle."

Kelly grinned and jumped off her chair. She did a little dance. "That's a jiggle."

Jennifer laughed. "Ah, that's what we missed."

As they cleaned up after the meal, Theo pointed out that Adelle and Alex were being more meticulous with the cleaning of the sides.

"Let's do the entrance hall," Jennifer whispered and nudged Kelly to follow.

"Someone's coming to help with the cooking," Theo told Kelly and Hope when they were out of the room. "I think Alex and Adelle are house proud. Let's do it out here."

"I'll grab some dusters," Hope responded. "You grab the mop!"

By the time Alex and Adelle had realised, they'd done the entrance hall and the training room. They'd started on the stairs when Adelle came out. When she saw them busy cleaning she burst into tears.

"You didn't have to," Adelle said.

"We have guests tomorrow, and it's nice for your home to look the best. That's no different from when we were at school. When we had a concert there, it always got an extra special sparkle."

* * *

The next day, not long after breakfast, they heard the warning that someone was at the gate. They'd been putting the dishes away when the alert sounded.

"Why don't you four relax on the settee?" Alex suggested. "Adelle and I can sort out the initial steps first."

It wasn't long before Beth and Jill were ushered in. When Jennifer saw Beth, she realised what Adelle's issue was. A good investigator was instantly forgettable. If someone was asked what they looked like, they would struggle to remember. Beth, though, wasn't forgettable. She was beautiful, with a grace that made her look stunning. Adelle had been jealous. They got up to meet them at the kitchen island.

"Jill has already briefed Beth," Alex said. "She has been given some examples and has promised to keep things to herself. She is happy to help you learn what you need to."

"Beth has never gossiped about my past nor that of Julia's," Jill said.

"We meet again," Kelly said to Beth.

Beth paused for a moment and then smiled. "Oh, yes, you were on the hopper last night from the Rohastin Station. I hardly recognised you."

"Are you able to help us learn how to cook non-human food?" Jennifer asked, hopefully.

"Of course. I believe you have some ingredients. This is going to be fun. It's so different from human cooking."

Jill stayed with her sister, wanting to see how to cook Alphonian food too.

"We tried to make Foyt'aap," Jennifer explained as they got utensils out. "I got lost when it mentioned jiggle."

"Jiggle is a medium stir."

Theo opened the Hytuna recipe book and showed the bit they'd had trouble with.

Beth shook her head in disgust. "You really need an Alphonian book, not a Hytuna translation. It makes more sense. Okay, we'll start with what look like beans. These are quite delicate and come from the Po'roshon tree."

Slowly Beth introduced them not just to cooking, but what the ingredients were and where they came from. "You can't begin to cook properly unless you know what you're handling, and the reason why the method tells you to do something. Following a book will only give you an approximation."

This wasn't new to any of them. Beth and Jill had been taught that by their mother before she died. Jill had seen the same at Hayfield.

"This is like learning to cook at school," Hope sighed. "Understanding leads to perfection."

"How did you learn all this?" Adelle asked.

"The restaurant I'd been working at went under. I got a hopper to the Rohastin Station and found a restaurant. I'd learnt enough Hytuna to speak with confidence and asked a cook there if I could help impart human cooking to them. They accepted but said someone on the station had enjoyed salmon but didn't like eggs."

Jennifer burst out laughing. "Shinara, one of the diplomatic doctors."

"I know Shinara," Beth said, with a grin.

Jennifer thought about telling Beth about when Shinara first visited Earth but thought that was too much information.

"The recipe we'd been following said something like, 'jiggle until lava jellifies'. We have jiggle, but the rest?"

Beth rolled her eyes and took one of the beans from the bag. "These are edible without cooking. Try one."

Jennifer did, and a second later she felt like her mouth and then throat were on fire. The fire spread as it went. After downing a glass of milk, that Beth had given her, she said hoarsely, "Ah, lava."

"If you stir too slowly, you don't get the reaction to jellify. If you stir too vigorously, it doesn't get the chance to blend properly. So, you jiggle."

When it was cooked and they sampled it, nobody spat it out. If anything, it was even better than Jennifer remembered from her first meal on the Rohastin Station ten years ago.

"Now imagine that with the view of a gas giant visible through the window," Jennifer said, with a sigh of satisfaction.

"That's where I cook now," Beth said. "I started near the hangars."

"Do you miss Earth?" Theo asked.

"I can go as often as I like, as it doesn't take long. But cooking there has been one of the best experiences of my life. I get to see so much. Other humans come to the station too. I heard a concert there a few years ago. The human ambassador comes and eats most days in the restaurant with her aide."

"What other species foods can you cook?"

She rattled off a few, including Reginadde and Frotanians.

"Not Yvestigan?"

"Not many can, and there isn't a big demand. The Yvestigans might be back in the Rohastin Council, but I don't see many about the station. I don't think I've even seen their new Ambassador in the restaurant."

"You have been really helpful," Adelle said, her previous rancour gone. "Would you be willing to do this again?"

Beth shrugged. "Sure. It's nice to pass on my cooking knowledge, like my mum did for me. You aren't looking to be cooks on the station, are you?"

"No," Kelly said. "We just need to immerse ourselves a bit. Be able to understand what's out of the ordinary. Cooking is teaching us more about the different species, things like their weights and measurements."

"Since you've lived on the Rohastin Station for a while, and probably heard lots of things over the years, do you know who any of us are?"

Beth hesitated and pointed to her sister, Jill. "I know her."

Jill had been mostly quiet, letting the conversation flow. She spoke now, "Beth, it isn't a trick question. I think they're just trying to judge what is known about them. You are an independent person, so a good person to ask."

Beth nodded. "Okay. I don't know you two," she said pointing to Alex and Adelle. She then pointed to Theo, "I've no idea about you, either. The other three a little."

"Oh?" Kelly asked, intrigued.

"Jennifer is famous on the station. First Contact, The Trinity and a few other things. You two," she pointed to Kelly and Hope. "I saw you earlier on the hopper, but you were also shown on the Space Racer broadcast. You were seen as guests to one of the premier racing teams. Nobody knew who you were, but that you," she pointed at Kelly, "had been seen training hard and that you might be the first human to race."

"I bet my parents are having kittens if they saw that," Kelly said.

Beth looked perplexed. "You aren't trying to go undercover then?"

"You have a Device to allow communication with the space station computer, don't you?" Kelly asked.

"Sure. You wouldn't get far without one."

"It works by communicating with your brain. It recognises who you are by your brain patterns."

"Oh," Beth said, now thoroughly confused.

"Don't worry. We just don't want people to know we are learning about other species' cultures," Theo said. "Once that's over, I hope we can stay in touch. You're a nice person to know, and I don't mean for the cooking."

Beth blushed at the compliment.

The next day, they all had a go at cooking Alphonian style. The result wasn't as good as Beth's, but it was edible, and they began to understand a bit more about the road ahead. It was also the last day, for the next week, that Theo would be in the house. He was to have a crash course in being a Personal Assistant. This would be back in London at Laura Taylor's public company, GWPP.

Laura Taylor was an enigma. She'd inherited GWPP when her mother died and was well known as one of the top business executives in the United Kingdom. She also had side projects. She was part owner of Star Bright, the company founded by Jennifer's Ma. She was also one of the executives in the secret shell company, Greenacre Services, which the investigators worked for. There, she was affectionately known as Miss T.

Theo's time in London was to see if he could pick up the skills. If so, he would be back at GWPP later to fully immerse himself in that world before moving to the Rohastin Station.

It was unsettling for Jennifer. Kelly and Hope were going to embed in the Space Racer world. Theo would potentially be working as a Personal Assistant. But Jennifer wondered what she'd be asked to do, and why she hadn't been given any additional training.