Curios - jars, urns, and tapestry - lined the wall. A carpet woven from notum fabric lay on the ground, with a simplistic but mysterious design. The tables and chairs all had an inlay of common stones: pearls and zircon. Inexpensive, but charming. If it weren't for the glowing wires that ran across the room, one would think that time had stopped in this modest display of wealth. This was the director's room of Balun's Antiques.
Two men were seated across each other. One was Detective Constable Glenn Vai, a fairly tall Nanomage defined by his bald head, a detective for Omni-Tek's Department of Investigations. The other was Hasoff Balun, a Solitus male with brown hair tied back in a braid, the director of Balun's Antiques. His eyebrows gave of the impression of a strict boss, but he was in fact a temperate man.
"Care for a drink, Constable?"
"Yes, please."
Balun poured a glass of vodka for Glenn and himself.
"We're dealing with art theft, Constable. Last Friday, two thieves broke in through our front door and smuggled out one of our paintings."
Glenn shuffled his hands.
"I have the initial report on file. The perps hacked into the shop's security system, and exploited a vulnerability in the code, effectively putting the system to sleep. Their getaway was an unregistered Yalmaha, and escaped through Borealis' unrestricted airspace. So, how do I fit into the picture? Excuse me for the pun, by the way."
Balun failed to take the joke.
"We want you to locate those thieves, arrest them, and recover the painting."
"That's no different from what the guys at Pol do."
"We also want you to identify the the painting's original artist and if possible, track him down."
Glenn whistled. "Now that's something Pol doesn't do."
"Your extensive knowledge in Old Earth history may prove useful in identifying him."
"And why is that?"
Balun hit a key on his office's control panel. An image of a painting flashed on the holo board.
"As you know, our shop deals in real paintings. The ones you see being sold in shop terminals are but images flashed on miniature holo boards. The paintings we sell are the real deal: drawn on a primed canvas using manually mixed paint, and applied tirelessly through countless days and nights."
Balun pointed towards the screen, indicating it was the stolen painting. 'Sundry' was its title. It depicted a scene of daily life in a desert marketplace. Merchants selling garments fresh and used, were lined up in a row on a street. Citizens of the city browsed through their wares, while the others walked along a visibly scorching street. Men and women, Solitus to Atrox, filled the wide space.
The desert sun shone on everything, as if a symbol of Clan ideology. One of the scene's distinguishing features was a Clan flag that waved in the background. Beneath the flag was a Sentinel, armed to the teeth with standard equipment. Yellow and brown colors were heavily used in the painting.
"What makes this painter so special?"
"The painter uses natural paint, instead of synthetic ones. I'm sure you've come across that in your studies of Old Earth."
"I have. They make use of nature in order to create colors a machine wouldn't be capable of producing. Things from beeswax to grass, and even innards."
"Because of the higher quality of paint used, these paintings fetch a high price on the market."
"Rest assured we've already issued a watch on the black market for the article. My question is, why are you trying to find the artist?"
Balun paused for a moment. "I...want him to mentor the future generation of artists. Natural painting had become a lost art ever since machines became of use to human beings. Tell an artist to grind dead branches with glue. He'll refuse one hundred percent of the time and say it's an antiquated practice."
Glenn examined Balun. The director was clearly an enthusiast in fine art.
"There are techniques in natural painting. Techniques I want to preserve, by finding the man who painted 'Sundry'. It's not as simple as mixing whatever material with glue and slapping it onto a canvas. Even the priming and preparation process uses natural ingredients. There are some things you cannot discover using high tech structural analyses."
In his studies of Old Earth, Glenn had encountered prominent figures who lived during the apex of human art. He had immersed himself in paintings, portraits, sculptures, clockworks, and architecture. His study of art was one of many facets of the history of Old Earth. He agreed with the director. Technology cannot replicate art and the techniques used at the height of their existence.
"From whom did you acquire the painting?"
Balun fingered through his datapad, and after a few clicks, the constable's own beeped softly. He opened the dealer's info file.
"Got it."
"One more thing." Balun sent another file to Glenn. "It's an analysis of the materials used in the paint of 'Sundry'. You may find it useful."
Glenn stood up and walked towards the exit.
"I'll keep you updated."
"Thank you, constable", the director said with relief.
"Best patch your system, director. An update was released last night."
"I will."
The constable left the room. The director remained seated, his eyes set on the two shots of powerful vodka.