Asmark’s Diary part 5: Begma & Zircon

In The Doom that Came to Amber

15^th Bull 3658

After walking the Pattern, Asmark teleported to home to Garland House to recover. On arrival he found that his school friend, Raymond “Saint” Yeophol was visiting. He said he was visiting a number of people in the area and had dropped in on Asmark. He was worried about Archibald “Chudder” Nailer. Archie seems to be under house arrest. Raymond was worried that his family was considering doing away with him.

Raymond is off to Jasper to join a monastery there. He says it is an odd place where everyone uses typewriters. There seems to be an enormous amount of intrigue. There have already been two or three attempts to recruit him as a spy. It seems he does not wish to remain there too long and helps to be able to move elsewhere before too long. This seems to accord with his family’s wishes.

Raymond had clearly left Amber a little before Beltane and so had not heard of Asmark’s formal recognition. After being told, Raymond left to travel north (presumably back to his family home) rather than continuing his southwards tour of friends.

After breakfast with Raymond, Asmark returned to the Office of the Golden Circle. There was a note from Bathsheba saying she needed to see him about Zircon. He immediately replied that he was back in the office and could discuss it any time. Then he wrote a short note to Archie on OoGC stationary sent care of his family: “Dear Chudder, Saint dropped by yesterday. He seems concerned that you haven’t been in touch. Do drop him a line if you have a moment. All the best, Asmark”.

Bathsheba was (at Benedict’s request) investigating Michael’s Pattern-laser-pistol. Morwaith had already concluded that the weapon had a remote power source. Aylwin and Asmark were asked to attempt a Trump examination of it to try to determine where this power source was located. Asmark found out nothing of interest as high-technology is too unfamiliar for him. However Aylwin produced an undersea scene, which is strongly suspected to be the Mareb Trench. This was communicated to Benedict and Gerard. Gerard believes that the defences around this are likely to be too extensive for a direct military attack with Amber’s available forces.

Bathsheba and Asmark trumped through to Gerard’s flagship where they met Khitan and Nathan. Khitan was on his way to Cryopoptek. Nathan was preparing for a clandestine mission to Zircon. Bathsheba and Asmark planned an official diplomatic trip. Gerard arranged a video call to the Zirconian president Hannah Sirocco. Whereas she was a little aggressive, it was agreed to an early morning meeting the following day. They flew to Zircon in the evening and arrived on the top of a hotel. The security guards on the roof seemed to be representatives of all of the main Zirconian corporations rather than a single team. They were provided with penthouse suites for the night.

During the night, Bathsheba received a trump call from Khitan in Cryopoptek saying that he had found another laser pistol in Cryopoptek but had been unable to recover it. It did not seem practical to attempt obtaining it.

Some time later there came another call from Khitan in Eregnor, who had been injured with a poisoned barb in his arm. Apparently things are not going well in Eregnor. Bathsheba woke Asmark so he would be available to trump her back to Zircon and then took Khitan back to Amber to be patched up. On return Bathsheba announced that Khitan is a shapeshifter with an eight-foot flaming demon as his true form (or one of them), and is now in the Amber dungeons.

16^th Bull 3658

In the morning Bathsheba and Asmark were taken by helicopter to Chrome House (the presidential residence) for a working breakfast. They were met by Hannah Sirocco and the representative of four of the major corporations: Advanced Technological Industries and Associated Companies [ATIAC], Cybernetic and Genetic Systems [CyGen], Galactic Carbide Technologies [GalCarb], and Zirconian Eidolon Technologies [ZEiTec].

The discussion was largely about trade and specifically Zircon’s wish to obtain a greater quantity of raw materials from other parts of the Golden Circle. They produced a ZEiTec communications device that they claim will work in a number of shadows where such technology does not normally work. The suggestion being that it may work in Amber itself, although this has not been proven. Whereas the ZEiTec representative was clearly very pleased with this, the representatives of the other companies seemed far less happy about it.

At the end of the meeting Helene Saan (the CyGen representative) slipped Asmark her business card endorsed with “We must talk”. ZeiTec allows them to keep the communicator with the suggestion that ZEiTec would call them on it to demonstrate that it works.

Notes:

1: Asmark’s nickname at Malmsey was “Sandy”.