Planetside
180,32-2
Aboard ISS Belfast Windfall

“It keys on the Cross Constellation, huh?” Biggs Hilsfar, perhaps the most frugal living Interstel-certified flight officer, was sipping at a cup of coffee at his desk on the bridge. Arella nodded. “I guess it stands to reason, this being a cathedral and all, doesn’t it?” The symbol for the Sol system had been at 117,6 on the map in the cathedral and from there it wasn’t a great leap to determine that 0,0 was the center of the Cross which Artheneans placed at 98,80 on their own maps. Biggs looked at a few photographs arrayed on the linoleum surface of his desk.

“Those two there are of the miniature map inside the cathedral itself,” said Arella. “The permalite imprint I received at the Great Library—it was stamped from that map. It’s chiseled into a rock that protrudes up from the cathedral floor. The colonists—the Order of Saint Christopher—they seem to have built the cathedral around the rock, rather than remove it.” Biggs made a comment about saving money “one thin dime at time.”

“So what’s the deal with this rock?” asked Mack, angling to head off standard Hilsfar ‘bottom line’ speech number two-seven-five. “You think my stunning architectural discovery is important?”

“Curious—perhaps. Important? Never,” she confidently declared, smiling in spite of herself. Turning to the navigator, she continued, “Commander Grx’bzzgah, would you be so kind as to establish for us the correct nomenclature used to denote zero/zero on the star map?”

“Nav-t-z,” buzzed the Veloxi navigator.

“Very well, thank you, commander—navigational true zero,” she said, developing her English detective routine. “Here we are on what was once known as the Downspin Range, at one point the leading edge of the Empire’s frontier. Belfast Windfall is set down in the middle of a navigational reference station established by a religious order. A decent optical system can detect the huge map from a considerable distance—light years even.”

“Gold coin if you’re lost,” noted Biggs, “but what does that have to do with the boulder in the cathedral?”

“It’s an old enough story,” Arella explained. “Churches sheltering weary travelers, pointing them on their way.” Assuming her best posture, she prodded them further, singing a verse from an old hymn:

“…O, hear us when we cry to thee/
for those in peril on the sea!”

Hands on her hips, Arella said, “You’d all have guessed it by now if you’d benefited from a proper upbringing. The map, built on a rock, keys on the Cross—navigational true zero…”

“The Rock of Truth,” guessed Biggs. “You’re saying the boulder is the Rock?” Anyone who flew on Interstel’s caravels knew the old saying, may the Rock of Truth shine brightly upon you.

“Hey wait a minute—isn’t that Endurium?” said Mack, lobbing a crumpled napkin into the waste basket.

“Silence, Watson!” snapped Arella. “Of course it is. Interesting coincidence, though, isn’t it? I’m going to look into it further. I half expect the Order had navigational posts scattered across the Empire’s frontier. Christopher is the patron Saint of travelers, you know…” The crew kicked their new discovery around for another hour while the mineral drones and survey droids made their way back from sundry points on the planet’s surface.

“Well,” said Biggs as the last of the droids bleeped their return signals, “I suppose the Marigolds didn’t send us out here for our health. Grix, how long to cycle up for the jump off world?”

Thoss World
Standard Orbit
Thrynn Frigate Jussru

“I should be there to rip hisss rank of myssself,” Colonel Venn’Bk hissed beneath his breath. “I should tear away hiss dying breath—this is a clear border breach and he didn’t report it.” The incident had taken place on the upspin border, just outward of the main commercial lanes. It had been days. “Daysss,” said the furious Thrynn, staring out the bow window. He turned to Captain Rssa. “Get me the operationsss officer with the Elite
Guard…”

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Next: “Grabbing Hold”

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Hilsfar & Company: Closing the Blast Doors
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