Chapter 64 — The Ship That Never Looks Back

Regular Maintenance Schedule

The shift roster appeared on Khe Lam's handheld screen, a dense grid of numbers and symbols that only those in the profession could fully understand. She sat in the quietest corner of the maintenance workshop, during her lunch break, pretending to be checking the schedule for the coming week while actually looking for something much more specific — a gap in the routine maintenance cycle of the area around the Prime Core, which she had the proper credentials to access but had never actually been assigned to in months.

The Primordial Core is located deep within the ship's spindle core, where gravity is almost zero, surrounded by three layers of sealed doors and a surveillance system separate from the rest of the Origin. This is more than just an ancient navigational computer — it's directly connected to the core reactor that powers the entire water and gas recycling system, to the Ring that maintains artificial gravity, to all the lights that light the Bright Field where food is grown. Anyone wanting to access this area, even for the most mundane maintenance reasons, must go through a rigorous verification process, and now, after Directive Twelve, that process has become even more rigorous.

"There is a periodic safety valve inspection cycle every forty days." She spoke softly to Bach Van through the short communication device, her voice careful even though the maintenance workshop was almost deserted at this time. "The next inspection is in six days. Normally two people will be assigned, but if I propose to take it on alone, using the excuse of saving manpower during the period when Directive Twelve is tightening the operating budget, there is a possibility of approval."

"I checked the navigator training schedule." Bach Van replied. "There's a navigation simulation exercise for seniors that's taking place right around the same time, in an area near the Protoplasmic Core but under the jurisdiction of the Navigation Department, not the Guard. If I ask permission to leave the practice session early under the pretense of checking backup navigation equipment, I can be nearby at the exact moment you need me."

In the afternoon, she found Vu Khac Dang in his small office in the corner of the maintenance workshop, where he often sits and prepares work schedules for the whole team. "Uncle Dang, I would like to request to take over the routine safety valve inspection in the Primeval Core area, alone, next week." She said, trying to keep her voice calm as if she was talking about a normal job.

He looked up at her through his glasses, a moment of surprise crossing his face. "Alone? That inspection always requires two people, Khe Lam. Not because of lack of trust in your skills, but because of safety procedures - if there is an incident in such a vital area, one person is not enough to handle it."

"I know." She replied, already preparing her argument. "But with rations and operating budgets being tightened under Directive Twelve, I think your suggestion to save manpower for low-risk inspections will be appreciated by your superiors. You've done this inspection three times before, I know you know the process well."

Vu Khac Dang was silent for a moment, his eyes examining her the way he always did when he felt there was something she didn't say. Over the past several months, he had learned not to ask more questions, but this time he still couldn't hold back a question. "Are you okay, Khe Lam? Since that trip to visit relatives, you've changed a lot."

"I'm fine, uncle." She replied, feeling a bit guilty because she had to continue hiding the man who had trusted and protected her for many years. "It's just that I need some space to think, and work helps me do that better than anything else."

He nodded slowly, not entirely satisfied but accepting the answer, as he always did. "Okay. I will propose to the superiors. But if there are any unusual signs in that area, report it immediately, do not handle it alone. That is the most sensitive area on the entire ship, Khe Lam. I don't want to lose another person because of it."

That last sentence, although he did not say it clearly, made Khe Lam suddenly remember his father, who died in this very area eight years ago. She nodded, swallowed the lump that suddenly rose in her throat, and left his office with the signed proposal.

They met that night in their usual engineering niche, spreading out a map of the old engineering area that Khe Lam had copied from the official, legal system, because it was part of her regular job. The small flashlight illuminated the intricate outlines of the system of pipes, cables, and control stations scattered around the Primeval Core area.

"This." Khe Lam pointed to a point on the diagram. "Secondary checkpoint, where I'll need to check the safety valve. From here to the main entrance to the Primeval Core is only about a fifteen minute walk, but requires two security checkpoints."

"Surveillance cameras?" Bach Van asked.

"Yes, but the scanning cycle is not continuous in the sub-station area, because that is not the most important area. I noticed that when I first discovered the Lam Chu data, even though I had no plans to return then." She paused, looking down at the diagram, a familiar feeling of anxiety mixed with a determination she couldn't deny. "The problem isn't getting into the Primeval Core. I've been there, legally, many times. The problem is finding something specific in there without leaving a trace that I'm looking for it."

"Do you think your mother might have left some mark there?" Bach Van asked, his voice carrying a cautious tone, not wanting to raise too much hope if it did not have a solid basis.

"I don't know for sure." Khe Lam admitted. "But Pham Ngoc Suong said that the traveling mechanic — my mother — asked about the route to the area near the spindle, near the Primeval Core, before leaving the Silent Tunnel. If she had gone there, even just to observe from afar, perhaps she would have left some kind of mark, like the mark engraved on the valve in the Silent Tunnel. Good mechanics always leave their mark, even if they don't mean for anyone to find it."

Bach Van nodded, although he still had another unspoken worry in his heart. "There's something I need to tell you, Khe Lam. The security around this area has increased significantly compared to six months ago. Not only the number of Guards patrolling, but also the frequency of access credential checks. If we're discovered again, it won't be a silent warning like last time at the Founding Archives. With what's happening in the Council right now, I think the consequences will be much more serious."

"I know." Khe Lam said, her voice lowered but did not waver. "But as each day passes without action, I think of my mother, somewhere on this very ship, possibly moving closer or further out of my reach without my knowledge. I can't stand another nineteen years of waiting, Bach Van. Not when I'm this close."

He took her hand, a gesture that had become familiar between them over months of shared danger. "So we will, but more carefully than ever before. I will seek to check the actual Guard patrol schedule for next week, not just the official schedule, as I suspect there will be changes that are not publicly announced after the Council's extraordinary session."

"Did your father say anything more?" Khe Lam asked, recalling the story Bach Van told the night before.

"Not much." Bach Van replied, a bit of bitterness passing through his voice. "He chose neutrality, at least publicly. I think he was trying to protect both of us by not choosing sides, but I'm not sure how long that neutrality can last, when everyone around him is forced to choose."

They spent the rest of the evening going over every detail of the plan, marking blind spots in the camera system, calculating travel times, preparing rationales for each step they would take if questioned. Khe Lam felt a strange calm during this meticulous preparation, a feeling familiar from her profession — that no matter how chaotic the world around her, a carefully prepared plan, step by step, always provides a solid foundation.

Before parting, she took from her pocket the small piece of metal with the swirl mark, twirling it between her fingers under the dim light of the engineering niche. "Six more days." She said, more like a promise to herself than to Bach Van. "If there's any trace of my mother there, I'll find it."

"And if nothing?" Bach Van asked, not to discourage her, but because he knew she needed to mentally prepare for both possibilities.

"Then I still won't stop." She replied, her gaze steady in the darkness. "It's just that the road will be longer than I hoped. But it's still the only road I'm willing to take."