calligraphy

[isthisart]

Linya is working on a massive flowchart-like diagram of a planned software project for Dr. Cheung. It's laid out in every color and in three dimensions with sprawl of its little writing that takes up most of her office and keeps fading out at the edges and in her shadow when she moves around, but reappears when she turns or approaches.

Comments

[thisvorlunatic]

"Well, no. But in the absence of information I'm going to guess yes, because the other option is that he managed to find and hire someone to untraceably cover a bed in dried beans, which presents the same 'ImpSec was bloody following him at the time' problem as doing it himself plus the additional problems of who it was, how he found them, and how he convinced them to take such a crazy job. Well, I suppose the answer to the last one is 'put on his Miles hat'. What an absolute little... Naismith he is."

[isthisart]

Linya giggles. "Unsettling though I find his Miles hat, it is occasionally very entertaining to watch you contemplate your own characteristics from the outside."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I feel a deep sympathy for my parents, I have to tell you."

[isthisart]

"Maybe Aral Adri will take after me."

[thisvorlunatic]

"I wouldn't get your hopes up. You should ask Mother sometime for all my terrifying childhood stories."

[isthisart]

"I'm sure they'll be riveting."

[thisvorlunatic]

"You'll wonder how I survived to adulthood. Sometimes I wonder how I survived to adulthood. Well, I did have help."

[isthisart]

"...I have just accidentally imagined how, er, inconvenienced Mark would have been if you had not survived to adulthood."

[thisvorlunatic]

"...Ah." He contemplates this. "That wouldn't have been good."

[isthisart]

"Probably not."

[thisvorlunatic]

"He might have gotten out alive... and I think he's smart enough to have figured out eventually that he could come home to Mother. But. Not a happy thought, all in all."

[isthisart]

"Sorry."

[thisvorlunatic]

"It's fine." He hugs her. "You didn't engineer his childhood."

[isthisart]

Snuggle.

[thisvorlunatic]

Snuggle.

"Anyway, I've had my fun, I'll let you get back to work now."

[isthisart]

She kisses him and sets him down. "Thank you for keeping me up to date."

Here again is the giant diagram!

[thisvorlunatic]

He waves over his shoulder as he exits the room.



A couple of hours later, he bounces back in with a packed bag slung over his shoulder, wearing undress greens and his ImpSec silver eyes.

"Time-sensitive egg-sitting run," he says. "I've got time for a goodbye kiss, then I'll be back in three weeks or so. Shouldn't be anything dangerous unless something comes up while I'm away - no sealed orders, so either it's very routine or it's very very freaky, but I'm betting on option one."

[isthisart]

Scoop. Kiss.

"I love you. I hope you have a topped-off reading list."

[thisvorlunatic]

"Love you too. Maybe I'll shoplift a book or two on the way to the spaceport," he jokes.

And off he goes.

[isthisart]

Linya schedules a trip to Komarr while he's gone, because she might as well and has a timetable and an excuse. She collaborates on things with Dr. Cheung and then turns around and goes home again.

[as_i_remember]

There is a message waiting for her when she gets back - over comconsole, not pen, possibly because the attachments are so enormous.

Here is the final report on pens. I included all the details in case you wanted them. To summarize, it would be possible to make pens a fully permitted device in my office, but the necessary hardware additions would give your no doubt carefully balanced tradeoff between weight and storage capacity quite a shove.

If you decide to produce an alternate secure model, this should be everything you need to design one. Please don't show the marked sections to anyone who has not passed an ImpSec background check. If you need someone checked for that purpose, appropriate contact information is also attached. Don't fret about bothering the analysts; it's what they're for.

-Simon

[isthisart]

Well, that will keep her busy for a while. She sends him a nice thank-you note and gets cracking.

[thisvorlunatic]

A few days later, there is a message from Miles saying that something came up ('honest, I didn't even get the orders until just now') and he will be delayed for an unknown interval ('one of those cook-until-done jobs') and she shouldn't worry too badly. ('Feel free to pester Illyan for the latest reports as often as you like. He'll hold back some details, but he'll tell you how I'm doing to the extent that he knows.')

[isthisart]

Linya pesters Illyan, once every three days, in between her usual activities of engineering and music and genetics and reading physics textbooks.

[as_i_remember]

Illyan reveals that Admiral Naismith is currently breaking up a wormhole blockade that briefly threatened to disrupt important trade routes. All sources report that Miles is doing fine. All sources continue to have reported that Miles is doing fine every time she checks, right up until the day that Illyan preemptively messages her before her scheduled query to tell her that Miles is doing fine and on his way home, and will be there in ten days.