The Jester Part 2 of ?

Posted on 01 Aug 2025 @ 12:23am by Lieutenant Aev Flammia
Edited on on 01 Aug 2025 @ 12:50am

1,916 words; about a 10 minute read

Mission: Assignment: Arawyn
Location: Shuttle Obolus

= Shuttle Obulus =

Thunder rumbled in the distance, and Aev turned sharply, startled. His gaze rose to the towering black columns of cloud far off on the horizon. Lightning snaked along their edges, bright tendrils crawling like veins through the dark cotton mass. He frowned, then glanced back at the dusty trail stretching ahead, cutting through a sea of tall, swaying grass.

Why was he here? He didn’t know. But something deep in his gut told him to follow the path and that whatever waited at its end would give him answers. Another crack of thunder rolled across the sky commanding him to move. He obeyed, stepping forward as the wind shifted, cool and damp, whipping the grass around him in violent waves ahead of the coming storm.

At last, the trail ended. Aev found himself standing in front of a small cabin nestled in a clearing, isolated amid the vast grassland. A tall, raven-haired figure, Romulan by his olive skin and pointed ears, stood with his back to Aev. The strange Romulan was speaking quietly to three Reman soldiers that flanked him. One of the Remans grunted upon noticing Aev and gestured in his direction.

The Romulan began to turn, speaking: “S'Tcaevra, aeuthn qiu oaii mnek'nra?”

Before he could fully face him, Aev jolted awake in his bed, sweat beading on his forehead. He exhaled sharply and dragged the hem of his shirt across his brow. When he lowered it, he nearly jumped. Ignis loomed over him, those golden eyes wide with curiosity, wearing a look that could only be described as a leer. “What are you doing?” Aev demanded, his voice sounding more nervous than commanding.

Ignis tilted his head slowly causing strands of his hair to slip forward and frame his sharp features. His molten-gold eyes glimmered in the shuttle’s low light like embers banked under ash. The flame-shaped tattoos across his cheeks pulsed faintly, betraying his amusement more than any smile ever could. “What am I doing?” Ignis echoed, his voice silk and mischief entwined. He crouched closer, resting his elbows lightly on his knees, his expression carved somewhere between intrigue and teasing delight. “I’m observing, Spark. Fascinating process, really. You thrash, mutter, break into a light sweat, very dramatic I must say.”

He leaned in just enough for Aev to feel the faint hum of the holo-projection’s energy field, his grin widening to that fox-like curl that promised trouble. “You were dreaming,” Ignis went on, softer now, his words threading between curiosity and play. “Judging by the muttering in Rihannsu and that lovely look of panic when you woke up, I’d say it was quite the riveting nightmare.”

Ignis shifted fluidly, perching on the edge of Aev’s bed in that too comfortable way only he could manage, leaning back on his hands as though this were entirely his space. “Care to share with your favorite AI,” he teased, tilting his head and letting his glowing gaze linger. “Or should I just start guessing?” His flame tattoos flared slightly brighter as his smirk deepened. “Or, and hear me out, you just like waking up to find me staring at you? Admit it.”

“Can you step back?” Aev said, pressing a hand toward the hologram only for it to pass straight through Ignis, making the projection flicker briefly. His palm tingled faintly with warmth from the photonic field before Ignis retreated a step to give him space.

Aev stood and turned away from the hologram, heading toward the shuttle’s cockpit. A quick glance at the navigation display told him they were just an hour out from the Starbase.

“You record our conversations,” he said over his shoulder. “Do you also record everything else within your emitter’s range?”

Ignis followed him with an easy stride, his tall, lean form gliding silently across the shuttle’s deck. He stopped just short of the cockpit threshold, leaning casually against the bulkhead with his arms folded, golden eyes alight with their usual amusement. “Record everything?” Ignis repeated, feigning offense as his flame-markings flared faintly. “Spark, please. I’m an adaptive holographic intelligence, not a flight recorder. Sure, I could log every sigh, every twitch, every charming bit of muttering you do in your sleep,” he went on, voice velvet-smooth, “but that’s not exactly what I was designed for. I observe, yes. I catalog when it’s relevant. But I don’t sit around building a file labeled ‘Aev’s Most Embarrassing Habits.’”

“Unless,” Ignis added with a sly grin, “you want me to. Then I could even play it back for you on request. Very immersive experience.”

Aev pinched the bridge of his nose and drew in a deep breath. “No, you don’t have to record everything,” he said, putting extra weight on the last word. “In fact, I’d prefer if you didn’t. That’s not what I was asking. You said you catalog things when they’re relevant, right?”

He slid into the pilot’s chair and swiveled it to face the hologram. “Do you remember my last mission aboard the Charon? I was tasked with leading the security team while we brought medical supplies and replicator systems down to the refugee settlement on Rhaevath.”

Aev jabbed a finger at Ignis “you complained the entire time that I kept you in audio-only mode and wouldn’t even let you access a tricorder for context.”

Ignis’s smirk deepened, his molten-gold eyes brightening as he shifted his weight lazily against the bulkhead. His flame-shaped tattoos flared faintly in rhythm with his amusement. “Oh, do I remember?” he purred, his voice laced with exaggerated dramatics. “How could I forget being reduced to a disembodied voice, Spark? Trapped in audio-only like some outdated starship computer from the twenty-second century! No visuals, no tactile feedback, not even a peek at a tricorder feed to keep me entertained.”

He crossed his arms over his chest in a slow, deliberate motion, his elvish ears angling forward as if punctuating his mock indignation. “I believe,” he continued, leaning his head back slightly against the wall, “I referred to it as ‘a fate worse than decompiling in a storage buffer.’” His smirk sharpened, tattoos flickering brighter. “So yes, I remember. And if this is your way of admitting I was right, consider this my formal acceptance.”

Aev let out a low groan and cut Ignis off with a sharp wave of his hand. “Focus, Ignis. During that mission, when we were offloading the shuttle, do you remember the Reman who approached me? He said he recognized me. He said he knew my father?”

Ignis’s smirk faded to something subtler, the glow of his tattoos dimming as his molten eyes narrowed thoughtfully. “I remember,” he said, his tone losing its usual teasing lilt. He straightened slightly against the bulkhead, gaze fixed on Aev. “Tall. Scar across his jaw. Voice like metal dragged over gravel.”

Ignis tilted his head, ears angling forward. “He looked at you like he’d seen a ghost. Said your name before you even introduced yourself.” His fingers drummed idly against his arm, thoughtful. “And when you asked him if he knew Maxim Flammia, he hesitated.” The AI’s eyes glimmered faintly. “I cataloged it because it was odd. Relevant. He knew more than he said.”

“Yes,” Aev said, rising slowly and stepping toward the hologram. His voice was quieter now, edged with unease. “When I pressed him for clarification, he mentioned my eyes and something about why I have them.”

He froze for a moment, the memory surfacing recalled how the revelation had left him stunned and speechless at the time. “He said if I went to a certain place, I could find out more… but I can’t remember where. Can you replay our interaction?”

Ignis inclined his head slightly, his flame tattoos dimming to a low ember-like glow as the holo-field shimmered to life between them.

The dusty yard of Rhaevath took shape, gritty, sun-bleached, alive with the faint sounds of distant machinery. A spectral version of Aev stood by stacked crates, issuing orders to his team. Then, from the crowd, a tall, scarred Reman emerged, his gravel-edged voice cutting through the racket.

"Are you Aev? I know you…”

Holo-Aev turned, startled. "What?"

The Reman’s gaze fixed on him. "I know you. I knew your father.”

Holo-Aev stiffened, his voice wary. "You know Maxim Flammia?"

The Reman hesitated, his expression unreadable, and then he leaned closer. "If you want to understand, if you want to know why you carry those eyes… go to Corvanis."

Holo-Aev frowned. "Corvanis? Why?"

"Because that’s where the answers wait," the Reman replied briskly. Without another word he turned around and melted back into the crowd. Holo-Aev took a step forward to follow him but another crewmember drew his attention with a question and then the projection froze.

Ignis’s molten gaze flicked back to Aev. “Corvanis,” he murmured. “You didn’t forget, Spark. You buried it.” He let out a quiet breath, flame tattoos dimming slightly. “Well,” he said softly, “that’s not ominous at all.”

Aev frowned. Corvanis? Had he really buried it the way Ignis suggested? The idea unsettled him. He hadn’t given the encounter much thought since the mission. Too much of his attention had been consumed with preparing for his transfer to the Arawyn. But the quiet trip to Starbase 369 had dragged it back to the forefront of his mind. At least Ignis had saved the conversation. For all the headaches the AI caused, it was occasionally useful. “Can you access the computer database and see what it has on Corvanis?” he asked, then hesitated, frowning. “You know… those dreams started after that mission.”

“Already querying the database,” Ignis said smoothly, though his smirk softened into something more curious. “And dreams tied to mysterious family revelations? Classic narrative timing, Spark.” He added lifting his hand slightly, and with a subtle flick of his fingers, the holographic projection of the supply yard dissolved into a faint shimmer before vanishing entirely. As the cabin returned to its dim, quiet state, Ignis tilted his head slightly. His molten eyes glowed faintly as the shuttle’s computer responded to his wireless command. Lines of data scrolled across the forward display.

“Corvanis IV,” he said evenly. “Federation records confirm it was a dilithium mining outpost, decommissioned twenty-two years ago. Located near the old Neutral Zone.” His flame tattoos pulsed faintly in rhythm with the data feed. “Abandoned after a series of structural failures,” he continued, his voice smooth but edged with intrigue. “Starfleet stripped anything valuable, flagged it derelict, and hasn’t been back in almost two decades.”

Ignis’s gaze slid back to Aev, golden and sharp. “So, either your mysterious Reman is sending you on a nostalgia tour… or there’s something there Starfleet doesn’t seem to know about” he paused before adding “maybe even happy to overlook. Either way, no other records.” Ignis gave a loose, almost careless shrug.

Aev started to reply, but the console chirped sharply, cutting him off. He swiveled the pilot’s chair back toward the main viewer. “Starbase traffic control,” he said, glancing at Ignis as if briefing a fellow crewmember. “They’re switching us over to automatic for docking.”

Ignis smirked, his flame tattoos pulsing faintly. “Ah, the joys of surrendering control to a glorified autopilot. Try not to look too relieved, Spark.”

= To be continued =

 

RSS Feed