“That is Purgatorio below Minister,” the agent said.
They
had decided to take the stasis orb with them to the planet. The Minister wanted the stored images
with him and the orb would afford them much more maneuverability in the star
system, maneuverability he felt they would need.
Minister Shirra had not yet made
an official report. His actions at
the Sol system would already be a matter of record at the Nexus-Septum
data-cluster. Through channels it
would work its way back to Nexus-Prime, where the Galacticum would look at his
findings with much skepticism. His
mention of an archaic mythical Earth entity in the midst of a scientific
inquiry could very well cause them to call into question his reasoning
capabilities. Before that happened
he wanted to find more information.
He was sure an answer could be found below.
“There
are no artificial environments, no structures to be seen from orbit. What kind of planet is this
agent?” Kantootha asked. “All I see are our Fleet ships.”
“Despite
the world’s primitive look, they were quite advanced. Most of their technology is underground. The cities on the surface of the planet
are primitive beyond belief. All
the planets in this system are like this and it appears this one was its
capital.”
“Take
us down agent.”
“Yes
Minister.”
As the agent began to program the
orb’s descent, he touched his brow.
“Minister, I’ve received a telepathic signal form the
surface. Agents of the Fleet have
found a half-Human, half-Zatai sentient in the largest city. They are questioning him now.”
“Take
us to their location immediately.”
“Yes
Minister.”
The
agent lowered the orb deftly through the atmosphere of the vast planet. Purgatorio was one of those unique
planets of incredibly immense size still possessing a planetary surface. Its atmosphere had obviously been
altered, since planets of this type rarely possessed enough of it to support life. The sky was an iridescent blue, with flecks
of red. Shirra noted the sky and
thought it to be quite beautiful.
“Is
that the capital below?” Kantootha
asked, looking down through the floor of the orb.
“Yes,”
the agent replied. “As you can
see, it is quite archaic.”
“And
quite familiar,” Shirra said.
Both
Kantootha and the agent looked at the Minister, who ignoring them both stared
at the approaching city below.
The
agent landed the orb in the center of the old looking metropolis. They were in the middle of a wide
thoroughfare. It wasn’t paved in
any manner, modern or otherwise.
It was a simple dirt road, not uncommon among frontier settlements. The agent caused the orb’s fields to
become permeable and all three stepped outside. The agent gave a telepathic command, the orb unraveled, and
shrank into a storage tesseract at his side.
“What
do you make of this place Minister Shirra?” Asked Kantootha.
“It
is a magnificent achievement.”
“Sir?” The aide said, looking at his minister
in amazement.
“You
do not recognize it, of course.”
“And
you do?”
“Yes,
from my studies with Randolph. As
you know, he indulged my fascination with Human history. I know these structures quite well. This is a replica of a city from an era
millions of years removed. I
cannot be absolutely sure, but I believe it predates human flight, a time when
they were very corporeal.”
Kantootha
was mystified. “But why? Why build it? What is it doing here?
Is it some kind of monument to the past?”
“I
do not know, but I believe we will soon have our answers.”
Shirra
turned towards the agent. The
question was answered without having to be asked.
“We’re
holding him in the structure on your left Minister.”
All
three turned to face a multi-spired edifice reaching up towards the sky. It wasn’t huge by their era’s standard
of construction, but it was still a formidable structure.
“And
what is that?” Kantootha asked.
“It
is what the Humans called a Cathedral.
A place where ancient corporeal Humans gathered to worship what they
believed to be the one true deity.”
“Are
you serious?”
“Quite. Oh, I know the Humans we dealt with
never did such things. Randolph
certainly never displayed a belief in a god. But I believe the Humans of this world did just that.”
The
Minister proceeded to walk into the vast Cathedral. The Galacticum agent of the Fleet and Kantootha
followed. Inside the building were
several rows of seats. It was just
like the images Shirra had seen in his studies.
The agent took the lead.
They walked through a door made
of wood into a back room, which the agents had turned into a temporary holding
area. There, agents and officers
of the Fleet were standing around a humanoid being seated serenely in an
ancient wooden chair.
The agent turned towards the Minister and after mentally
asking permission, pulled Shirra into a telepathic link. He could better serve him this way and
prevent possible harm from the unknown sentient. Shirra took another wooden chair and sat directly in front
of the humanoid.
“Greetings,
can you understand me?”
The
humanoid tilted his head. He had a
look of humor on his face, as if to say of course I can understand you.
Shirra had seen this kind of
sentient before, fully corporeal, with golden skin and thick long cords of
hair. He had deep purple orbs for
eyes and tiny hearing orifices. The
joining of Human and Zatai had happened long before the majority of Humans
evolved to the next level. There
were enough hybrids from the joining of both races to perpetuate themselves as
a species. They could almost be
considered an ancient race unto themselves they had been around so long, but
they didn’t involve themselves in Galactic affairs. Or any other affairs save their own, or so it was
thought.
“Of
course I can understand you sir. I
speak Gal-lang as well as the next sentient,” the Human/Zatai said
matter-of-factly.
“Yes, of course. Well, do you know who
we are?”
“As
I’ve already told these others gathered around me, of course I do. You’re the Minister for whom I’ve been
waiting. These others are
witnesses. You are from the vast
governmental structure that lingers in blindness.”
“Blindness? Why do you say that?
He
looked at Shirra and smiled.
“Because you cannot see,” he said simply.
Shirra
telepathically queried the agent.
He wanted to know if the sentient possessed telepathic capabilities as
well. He was satisfied to find he
did not.
“Do
you know my name?”
“Yes. As I’ve told you, I’ve been waiting for
you. You’re Minister Shirra,
honored among the Trantken.
If Shirra were not a highly
trained diplomat, the side of his face would have glowed purple, a normal
Trantken response to surprise. He
remained steady and bowed to the Human/Zatai, acknowledging his identity.
“I am called Malachi,” the Human/Zatai
said, bowing deeply in his seat towards the Minister.
Shirra
wasn’t impressed with this game of identities. It was time for answers and he would have them.
“Now
that we know who we are, I believe it is time for you to tell us a few
things. What is this place? Why are you waiting for me?”
“You
already know Minister, deep down inside.
But I shall tell you anyway.”
“Please
do,” replied the Minister nonchalantly.
“You
are in what we call the star system Israel, unlisted in the data-clusters of
all known Nexuses. This world is named
Purgatorio. This city is Jerusalem
and we are seated in the main Cathedral of the Lord’s City.”
Shirra
felt a stirring inside and he didn’t know why.
“You
are in the star system, which resides on the very edge of the firmament
Minister. I know why you have come
and yes … I have your answers.”
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