There was a stillness in the
room. Everyone was hanging on the
sentient’s words, but remained silent. The agent received another telepathic signal from Shirra. He willed an image from the stasis
orb’s databanks to appear in the center of the room.
“Can
you tell me what this image is?”
The Minister asked.
The sentient bowed reverently before answering. “Honor and respect the messenger of the Lord God. He is Gabriel, who comes at the end time to trumpet the first of the last days.”
“Gabriel? Is that the name of the being in this
image?”
“Yes. He is an Archangel of the Lord and a
Prince of Heaven.”
From
behind the Minister came Kantootha’s skeptical voice. “You can’t possibly be serious.”
The
Minister waved a tentacle at him, telling him to be quiet.
“You
doubt the image before you?”
Malachi asked. “Well, you
do not doubt what has happened. I
know that for fact. It is why you
have come here.”
“You
really do know don’t you?” Shirra asked.
“Of
course, Minister. This is the most
glorious event in the history of all creation.”
“You’re
referring to the Great Vanishing?”
“That
is what you have called it in your blindness,” the sentient said, smiling
serenely. “They have been called
home, all of them, everything living.
Only those of us who were not part of the original line remain. But our time is coming soon. As we always knew it would. Our faith
is justified.”
“Faith? What are you saying?”
Electricity
was almost a tangible force in the air.
The words Malachi had spoken went against all excepted Galactic
conventions. What he was saying
was already quite clear, but Shirra wanted to hear them spoken.
“The
Lord God has called his children home, Minister. Sol has consumed the birth world in fire, as was
written. As you yourself can see,
the Great Angel of the Lord was on hand to announce the end. It was in that moment Minister that all
Human beings of the original line, corporeal or energy, believers or
non-believers, were called home to Heaven.”
The
room was in stunned silence.
Nobody knew what to say to this revelation from the Human/Zatai
sentient. Malachi sat there,
looking quite smug from the shock he engendered in the representatives from the
mighty Conjoining. Everyone was at
a loss for words, except Shirra.
Malachi was right about him. On some level deep within the vortices
of energy that comprised his being he had felt this. He was not a believer in deities, just as his friend
Randolph had not been, but something inside made Malachi’s words ring true. It was awful and beautiful at the same
time. Shirra had so many questions,
but he knew it was time to depart.
These questions were of mighty import and required the answers to be
given elsewhere.
“Malachi,
would you mind…?”
“Of
course, Minister,” Malachi said standing.
“It is written I will accompany you to give witness among the great
powers of the Galaxies.
Nexus-Prime is our destination, yes?”
Shirra
stood as well. “Yes, yes it is.”
“As
it is written.”
Malachi
smiled, his countenance was beatific.
Though in raw power he resided far below the most junior sentient in the
room, it was they who were in awe of him.
“None
of you believe, Minister,” Malachi said.
“But at Nexus-Prime … you will.”
The
Minister said nothing as they walked out of the Cathedral. He ordered the agent to sever the
telepathic link. He didn’t want
anyone else to know. He didn’t
want to speak it and he didn’t want others to feel it. He would wait, wait and see Malachi’s
revelation. Only then, did he feel
he would be able to deal with what he felt was happening inside. For without any empirical evidence
whatsoever, just a time-dated image, and the words of a hybrid sentient, he was
finding himself starting to believe.
“Well,”
he muttered under his breath.
“Stranger things have happened.”
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