The Voyage of the Joyous Venture

Part 18

Trouble for Thisbe; Corporate Grand Strategy (according to Victor); Keisuki's learning difficulties; Miho and the Tarot; the meaning of Symbology

Andi: Trilon, influenced by Andi's ex, is increasing shipping costs to the asteroids, including Thisbe. This is putting the squeeze on margins across the asteroid belt but the ability of colonies to deal with it varies from place to place. Also Thisbe is nearing the end of its viable life. Options available include:

* Move to another asteroid – it would have to be smaller, and so have a shorter exploitable lifespan

* Move to Earth – problematic due to gravity issues

* Move to a colony

* Move to asteroid mining in another system – expensive

* Change model away from mining – to what?

Andi's simulations of the current financial situation suggest that either Trilon intends to buy into the asteroid belt or that the resource costs have genuinely risen and Trilon is attempting to keep its own costs down.

Andi receives a message from her ex-husband asking for a meeting. She also receives an invitation from Sam Houston for dinner. He has sent a chartered spacecraft to convey her. Andi works out that with the chartered ship she can make both dates and return to the Joyous Venture on time. She accepts both invitations and leaves her family in argument about how to respond to the price rises.

Antonio: Antonio meets with Victor Kea from Kurita, ostensibly to take advantage of the free lunch. Kea apologises for the earlier attack on Antonio's life and offers him a job. Kea considers the trip of the Joyous Venture to be some sort of "deep reconnaissance" mission. In particular he notes that the war with the Kafer must be coming to an end and Trilon will need to find some way to occupy its battle-fleet. Antonio notes that in this respect either Kurita directly or a Beekhu Jihad could well provide a suitable opponent. Kea would like to be kept informed of the Joyous Venture's activities but offers no retainer. Antonio raises the issue of the vessel that fired on the Joyous Venture. Kea claims that it was a response to a perceived threat from Trilon and that Kurita were currently disappointed by the teething problems encountered on its maiden flight.

Antonio goes for a walk with Kea but a 'pick pocket' delivers a message that suggests they are under surveillance. Kea gives him an address but there is no time to act on it. Antonio has also been invited to meet Sam Houston.

Miho: Miho's nephew (actually son), Keisuki, has been having problems at school. Suggestions have been made that it might be Asperger's, but the symptoms don't really fit. In some ways it is the opposite - Keisuki seems too aware of other's emotions.

Miho visits her mother to discuss the problems with her 'nephew' and her sister, Sumiko. Sumiko has been seeking guidance from Jose Wroclavitz, who claims to be a fortune teller. In later conversation with Sumiko it turns out that JW wants to meet Miho. She goes along to a meeting, which Sumiko seems very nervous about. JW feels talking to Miho is important for Sumiko and Keisuki, the matter having turned up in an earlier reading for Keisuke. JW asks Miho to think of a question and does a tarot reading. Miho's question is "Does the relationship that Robert has noticed among us extend to JW or Keisuki?" The reading is:

Significator (present situation): The Priestess (intuition, wise or inspired woman, muse, female authority figure)

Aspirator (aim or destination): The Star (hope, faith, widening of horizons, new life and vigour "as a gift from the gods")

Past influences: The Wheel of Fortune (beginning of a new cycle of events, fortune, luck and fate)

Hidden influences: The Devil (Need to sublimate the self, hidden forces, strange experience that opens the mind)

The future: The Hanged Man (readjustment to a watershed rather than evolution, ability to adapt to change of a voluntary nature)

Pivot card: The Hermit (probably a person, need to retire, think and plan, advice from another - not to be trusted?)

JW's interpretation is:

Priestess = Komiko

The Star = widening of horizons in a physical and mental sense - change of direction in career

Wheel of Fortune =? cycle of flight - planetfall - flight - etc., but JW thinks it is longer term

The Devil =? the Hermit (below) or another male figure. Could also be influence from within (DNA inserts?)

The Hanged Man = Difficult and surprising change

The Hermit =? probably literal, an isolated person in some sense

Miho also receives and accepts an invitation from Sam Houston. She leaves Earth with samples of DNA from Keisuke, her sister and her sister's spiritual advisor.

Robert: Robert asks Andi to run some statistical correlation programs on symbols found on Beekhu, Eberhavn, general Indian architecture and the proposed "Ancient Site" in India. The results say that Beekhu, Eber and Earth styles are all distinctive. Statistically speaking, the Earth "Ancient" site is closer in style to Earth symbology than the others however it does have some bits that correlate to Beekhu symbols. Similarly much Masonic symbology (the triangle with the eye) correlates with some Beekhu symbology but the general outcome of the statistical simulation is that such correlations are as likely to be coincidence as not. Clearly symbology alone can not be used to classify a site as Ancient but the presence of Silicon Carbide does make a link.

Robert is invited by Sam Houston to dine with the CEO of Forethought (a hard science research company). He accepts. He starts trying to donate his Beekhu folk music recordings to a museum but then decides to set up a web site instead.