6 Billion A.D./Chapter 2

Chapter 2: (...)

Tentative Synopsis: Rigel, in search of a cure, ventures out of League territory to a far off planet following rumors of an illegal medical procedure.

2.1

The news never sank in completely. I couldn't die. Not now. As the weeks passed on the ship I became further detached. I had convinced my father to let me board a ship heading outside of League territory. He reluctantly agreed. To him this was goodbye.

[need information about Rigel: his appearance; what is his past?; what is his genetic disorder?; how fast is interstellar travel?]

[insert description of departure here]

By the third day of the journey, I had experienced an amazing series of worries. Such a long boring trip… why was it necessary to leave the security of the League realm? When would I start noticing actual symptoms of my disease? How much did other passengers know about me and what did they think?

Though I could not access the information nets of my destination, Barneth (?), I had spent my time wading through the ship AI’s data storage.

The League just didn’t pay much attention to fringe worlds. No doubt there were scholars who studied them, but I hadn’t had thought of that before I left and there was no way to look into that now.

From the League Star Catalogue

LSC-352-34920047 aka: Cindor: A G0 star in the Perseus Arm of the galaxy, generally south of the Orion Spur. Five planets orbit; 3 rocky planets, 2 gas giants. Planet 2, Barneth, supports [intelligent] life.

Directory of Inhabited Worlds

Barneth (Cindor2), is the habitable planet of the Cindor system. As with many worlds, it is not known when Barneth was first settled. While ruins exist, no documented efforts have been made to determine their age.

Orbit: Barneth orbits Cindor every 317.62 days; the orbit is nearly circular.

Being a mature planet, there are no outstanding geological processes evident; no very large mountain ranges, no active volcanoes. Oceans cover 73% of the planet’s surface. There are 4 continents of moderate size and numerous islands.

Climate: Having minimal axial tilt (2.6 degrees), Barneth has barely discernable seasonal variations, so climate is determined by distance from the poles, which have small ice caps. Ocean currents also play a small role in climate but the oceans are relatively shallow. Temperatures are Standard Tropical at the equator.

Settlement: There are several large cities on Barneth and 2 spaceports. Most inhabitants live in small towns or rural homesteads. There is not a great deal of manufacturing. Barneth's major industry may be smuggling, but that has not been verified. League regulations are not in force and there is a chance visitors may encounter criminals.

That was all I could find on Barneth in that database. Still, it was an improvement over my initial description: 'There's a place out there in the Fringe where they do some questionable research', basically.

At least the ship's memory provided plenty of other educational material and entertainment to keep me occupied during the easy part of the trip. I thought things might be a bit more challenging when we reached the edge of League space and I had to change ships.

It turned out that it was the easy part of the trip. The ship put in at the main station orbiting Trantaz, which was where I was supposed to transfer to a passenger ship heading out to Barneth and other worlds. Upon arrival at the terminal (so called), I found that my ship had already left.

2.2

The planet (...) was... I found myself among low characters as the months passed, following the rumor. But finally I got a lead from an arms dealer. A nearby moon supposedly held a facility that performed risky experiments... The men surrounded me. One swung his pipe at me. I rolled out the way, and positioned myself against a wall. I couldn't give them my credit chips. This was the only hope I had to live. So I did what any cornered animal would do and rushed the man closest to me tackling him to the ground. I picked up the pipe. Rage overcame me. I swung the pipe at the man over and over again until there was nothing left of him. The other men ran away. I felt awful, but also had a guilty satisfaction. I was alive.

2.3

The shuttle quickly flew away, leaving me stranded. The suit itched. I saw a facility in the distance. My suits fluid retention modules were not configured properly, someone had removed them prior to my donning of the suit. If I was going to last long in this suit safety in a clean environment was a paramount concern. ... ...

2.4

The guard opened the doors. The room was filled with lush furniture and paintings. A man sitting in a chair greeted me. He wore a very ill fitting robe despite this decadence that surrounded him.

2.5

The doctor told me that the procedure was unsafe. It was only once successful 30 years ago. Only one in a million people would allow the (nanoprobes, picoprobes?) to sync. And then it still was not guaranteed. I agreed to the procedure. I was approaching the time I had left, and was already feeling my health deteriorate.

2.6

As the weeks passed it was clear that the procedure worked. Janae approached me in the hall. We talked. "Am I immortal?" I asked... Janae replied, "There is a place where you might go. A temple of the old ways, before the Dark Age. I can take you there.

...

Janae told me about the Old Ways when everything was possible, when people lived forever, when life dared to venture beyond. Life must have seemed wondrous then. Until of course the scourge came and cleansed all these wonders. Tell me about the scourge, “The soldiers of the Order. Horrific robots whose only purpose is to destroy.” I looked up, “I thought the Order was a myth?” Janae smiled, “Who knows what really happened. All we know is that we were pushed from the stars by some malevolent force.” ...

...

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