Shadows of Golstar (49 page)

Sharné was surprised at the driver’s mention of a
seal. Her father had to have known about this. The Grand Patriarch’s seal was
not used lightly and could only be applied at his direction. Why had she not
known of this? As next in-line, she had assumed there were no secrets to which
she would not be privy. She was starting to see her father held more secrets
than she had realized, secrets to which she was totally unaware.

The driver struck the dash with a closed fist, “He is
most decidedly an arrogant bastard and I truly rue the day he was made our
leader.”

The man beside him nodded, “But he does have the
colonel’s ear and whenever he is able, he uses his position of trust to
everyone else’s disadvantage.”

The driver shook his head, “Mark me; he will take full
credit for the dark-bringer’s demise. Our role in removing the threat will
almost certainly be diminished, if not omitted entirely.”

The other man agreed, then said, “Still, I do wonder
how he did it. The field was locked and we had no equipment or weapons on the
shuttle that could penetrate it or decipher the code module.”

“He probably just threatened it into submission,” the
man beside Sharné grumbled. 

“Not so loud,” the man in the passenger seat
admonished the other two. “He could hear you. Keep it down, the both of you.”

The man in the back seat snorted, but said nothing
further. The driver said, “We get out here and walk to the gate.”

The man beside Sharné motioned with his weapon for her
to get out of the bug. She did so and was immediately joined by all three men.
The driver looked over his shoulder at Owens’ inert form and asked, “What do we
do about the body?”

“There is no sense in dragging it inside the wall.
Leave it for now,” the man holding the weapon replied. “It is not as if it will
get up and walk away.” He looked at the body with speculation and said, “But
just in case…” He fired his energy pistol at the motionless body. Owens’ body
jerked violently in galvanic reaction to the weapon’s discharge. One of his
arms flailed out as if in protest to this final indignity.

Sharné
screamed and fell to her knees. He grinned and then
looked over at the other two men and said, “Bring her along.”

The two men grabbed her under each arm and lifted her
to her feet. She looked away from the body and stared up at the man with the
weapon. Her reddened eyes were dry. The hatred in her face was tangible. “I
will personally see you are put down like the animal you are.”

He smiled mockingly, turned his back on her and
started towards the gate. The men tightened their grip on her and propelled her
after him. Their pace was rapid and she almost had to run to keep from being
dragged.

She thought furiously. She knew she must regain her
calm, at least outwardly. If she were to avenge Owens, her head had to be
clear, her wits about her. She could not afford to be mired down by her anger.
Like Owens, she had to be observant, find an opportunity and take full
advantage of it. She refused to dwell on her inexperience in such matters. With
all that she had gone through recently, she was determined to find a way to
strike back. Her father would expect no less from her. She almost tripped and
was forced to pay more attention to staying on her feet.

They abruptly stopped. She was not prepared for the
sight that greeted them on entering the walled enclosure.

The strange construction took up half of the area
within the enclosure. It was a sprawling assembly of glistening gold and silver
rods and geometric shapes. They were in motion, all shifting planes and angles.
Light from the distant sun reflected blindingly on the constantly moving
surfaces. It made the bright shifting objects difficult to look at directly.
Surprisingly, she noted it made no sound.

Her eyes were drawn to the top of the moving mass. She
saw, suspended above the eccentric mechanism, a large sphere of pure light and
circling the bright orb, a number of shiny globes in various striated colors.
Sharné immediately recognized that it represented the sun and planets of the
Golstar system. What could such a construct mean?

The man in front of her stood with mouth agape and the
two men holding her arms seemed stunned as well. They all stared in awe at the
wondrous thing before them. A voice from behind startled them. “Impressive, is
it not?” The words came from a tall man with red hair, silvering at the
temples.

The man who had shot Owens’ body stared mesmerized at
the object and without looking at the speaker asked, “Linden, how did you get
past the force-field and what exactly
is
that?”

Linden shrugged, “I wish I could say we were responsible,
but I cannot. We did not do anything, Niske, not a blessed thing. We had
nothing that would breach a level ten force-field. And all of our attempts to
access the coded control box failed.”

Niske asked, “Then how?

“It simply went down by its own accord. We do not know
why, but interestingly enough, only the portion of the field covering the gate
actually went down. The remainder of the field is still energized. It is all
quite remarkable, is it not?”

Niske was about to speak when Linden interjected, “As
to what the mechanism is, I have absolutely no idea. I cannot say if it even
has a function. It may be no more than a kinetic sculpture. According to the
plaque,” he pointed at a large bronze plate set in a boulder near the
mysterious object, “it is the Founder’s Shrine. The plaque indicates this marks
the very place where the Founder was gifted with the final revelations, so the
object may exist as nothing more than a commemoration.”

Sharné had listened to Linden and immediately
discarded his explanations. Although placed high in the government by both
birth and position, she had never heard of such a shrine. Why would she, as
Keeper of the Way, be kept unaware of such a significant historical and
religious artifact? And why would someone wall-up such an important symbol? As
for Linden’s musings regarding the object as being a kinetic sculpture, one
look at the object told her it was not created by a human artisan’s hands.

Niske’s reaction was different. He immediately fell to
the damp earth, kneeling and said, “Bless me Founder.”

“Oh, do get up Niske. We do not have time for that,”
Linden said crossly. “I am sure the Founder will understand our urgency and
forgive the brevity of our piety for the moment.”

Niske said nothing but remained kneeling, head bowed.

“For Founder’s sake, Niske,” Linden growled, raising a
side arm. “Get your ass up now, or I will shoot you where you kneel.”

Niske stood up slowly, brushing the moist earth from
his knees. He looked angrily at Linden and for a moment, it seemed as if he
would leap at him. But his expression turned sullen, and the tense moment
passed.

Linden nodded, holstering his weapon. “The main ship
has been monitoring military communications. They just sent a message that a
fleet is on its way and closing in on Selane. I do not want to be here when
they land.”

Niske immediately forgot his anger, “How soon?”

“We have more than enough time,” Linden answered. “I
sent the recall signal to the ship as soon as I received your message that the
dark-bringer was finally dead. It should not take too long for them to arrive
and retrieve us. There should be sufficient time to allow us to gather our
equipment, load it back on the shuttle and depart well before the Grand
Patriarch’s lackeys arrive.”

“If we find there is some extra time, then we may use
the opportunity to investigate the Shrine.” He suddenly grinned. “But first,
where is the body? I wish to see what is left of this pitiful man who would
destroy the Light.”

“We left it back on the ground-bug,” Niske replied.
“He was a very big man when he was alive, but now he is just an over-sized lump
of charred meat.” He motioned for Linden to follow.

Linden turned to the two that were holding Sharné.
“So, the dark-bringer had a female companion and lovely one at that.” He
frowned, “Tie her up. I will question her later. Then go and get Penman. He is
on the other side of the sculpture or whatever it is, trying to take some
readings. I want you to begin packing up the equipment. Don’t bother with the
shelters, they can stay.”

He turned to follow Niske. They walked out of the gate
and headed for the nearby vehicle. Linden followed Niske to the cargo platform.
He looked at the back of the vehicle. His eyes widened and his voice rose in
sudden anger, “What is the meaning of this Niske? Is this your doing? Is it
supposed to be amusing?”

Niske was thunderstruck as he looked down at the empty
flatbed.

The two hooded figures stood, facing each other. “The
Grand Patriarch has set his dogs on me. It can only be that he knows of the
Preservers and my involvement in the cause.”

“I know of the city-wide searches now being carried
out, but I believe you are mistaken that it is because of your association in
the Preservers of the Way. In fact, I am confident our organization remains
quite secure. The Patriarch remains in darkness; he still has no inkling of our
existence. As to the true reason for the Patriarch’s desperate city-wide
searches, I know it is not due to your fellowship in our cause.” The Leader’s tone
was low and Joselé leaned closer to hear the disguised voice.

“What else could it be?”

“I have well-placed sources within the palace. They
tell me the Grand Patriarch’s daughter is missing and he has somehow linked her
disappearance to you, Minister Joselé.”

“Me?” She drew back. “How did you know?  I did
not identify myself.” The voice synthesizer concealed the sudden alarm in her
voice.

The Leader held up a hand, “Rest easy, Minister. My
sources had already informed me of the Grand Patriarch’s hunt for a specific
minister named Joselé. You coming to me with your concern made the connection
seem almost certain and just now your own words confirmed your identity. Surely
Minister Joselé, you cannot be surprised I guessed your identity? Your noble
Light shines clearly through the robes of concealment.”

“I see,” she said. “I suppose being a fugitive has
affected me more than I had realized. I did not think it through. Please accept
my apology.”

“It is quite understandable. I can well imagine evading
the Guardian’s enforcement teams has been quite stressful and I commend you for
your success at eluding them.”

She bowed her head and thanked the Leader.

“And,” the Leader continued, “I want to assure you our
security remains quite strong. Other than myself, and the immediate members of
your cell, no one else knows of your identity or participation in our cause.”

She felt somewhat relieved, but was still troubled by
the relative ease with which the Leader had identified her. She then remembered
what the Leader had said earlier and all thoughts of her personal safety
vanished. “You mentioned that Sharné is missing?”

The Leader nodded, “Yes. It seems the
Grand Patriarch
sent his daughter on a secret mission.
Through my sources, I know now that it was related to the outsider.”

“Related to the outsider, how?”

“We have come to understand she was present when the
outsider entered our system. The Patriarch lost contact with her and was unable
to re-establish communications with any of the ships sent out to meet the
outsider. He realized something went very wrong. When she appeared to be
missing, the old fool somehow jumped to the ludicrous conclusion that you were
involved.”

“How could he believe such a thing? Sharné has always
been dear to me; he knows that.”

“Perhaps it has more to do with your outspoken
opposition to both his out-of-proportion characterization of the crisis and the
insane recommendations he has repeatedly put forth in the Assembly. You have
made your position quite clear in a number of public forums. Your resistance to
his arguments has galled him over the years. Can it really be a surprise to you
that he believed you capable of striking at his heart through his only
daughter?”

Joselé thought for a moment, “But still, it does
surprise me. I think of Sharné almost as if she were my own. He was well aware
of my affection towards his daughter and I am saddened to find he could even
imagine I would do anything to harm her, least of all for petty revenge.”
Another thought occurred to her. “Just a moment ago, when you discussed my
opposition to the Grand Patriarch, I detected... do you disapprove of my public
stance in opposition to his mad declarations?”

“Not at all,” the Leader answered. “In fact, be
assured that I fully endorse your public position. Your open opposition has
aided our cause. By remaining in the forefront in the public arena, you help
distract the Patriarch and the government. Frankly, your activities have kept
the focus on you and away from the Preservers. You have helped our concealment
and thus our goals. You are to be congratulated and I did not, in any way,
intend to criticize.”

She bowed her head. “Forgive me, I meant no
disrespect.”

The Leader extended a hand and gently squeezed her
shoulder. She looked up on feeling the Leader’s touch.

“Forgiveness is not required, for no disrespect was
given. Your question was not at all offensive.” The Leader seemed to hesitate,
then said, “As you have proven your worth time and again, I think that I can
share with you more of the details surrounding the disappearance of the Grand
Patriarch's daughter.”

Joselé said, “You do me honor and I will guard your
confidence with my life.”

“Well said, but let us hope it does not come to that,”
the Leader looked back at a closed door. “Perhaps it will be more profitable to
take this conversation into the inner chamber where we can sit and be more
comfortable.”

“I would certainly welcome a chance to sit. The Grand
Patriarch’s agents have been scouring the city and I was forced to move often.
I feared to stay at any location for long. I confess that I am quite weary.”

The Leader nodded, turned and walked toward the door.
Joselé followed and was soon sitting in a worn but comfortable, thickly
upholstered chair. She was sitting opposite the Leader in what must have been a
personal library at one time. A few ancient, leather-bound books occupied some
of the floor-to-ceiling bookcases that covered the walls. The smell of old
leather and the acrid tang of rotting paper filled the air.

“Now then,” the Leader began. “At the meeting, I
imagine you noted the absence of one of our more prominent members?” Before she
could answer, the Leader continued, “I am of course referring to the General.”

“Yes, of course,” she answered. “Before the assembly I
noticed he was not in attendance. At the time, I could not recall him ever
missing a meeting. And I was sure he must have had a very good cause for being
absent.”

“Indeed,” the Leader answered. “He had the best of
reasons.”

“Oh?”

“Yes, as with you and all of the Preservers, his
identity was kept secret. Of course, as a member of the inner circle, I knew
his true identity. You see, he really wasn’t a true general. He was actually a
colonel in real life.”

 “Your demonstration… “

“Yes, yes,” the Leader nodded. “I see you now understand.
Those were
his
badges of rank. So you see he had the best of reasons to
be absent; he is dead.” The Leader’s voice synthesizer then began to emit a
series of strange coughing noises.

It took Joselé a moment to realize the noise was
laughter.

● ● ●

The aide entered the office quietly. Talin wearily
looked up. It was late in the evening and his eyes were bloodshot. He had been
perfunctorily going over reports from his operatives in the field. He was not in
the least surprised that all the reports were negative. Minister Joselé
remained at large. In fact, he wished her continued success at remaining free,
not that he would ever intimate his feelings to the Grand Patriarch. He just
hoped it would be no surprise to the Grand Patriarch, given the size of the
city and the limited resources at his disposal, she continued to elude capture.
“What is it?” His voice was gravelly with fatigue.

“Sir, the Grand Patriarch sends word for you to meet
him in his study. His message is that he has received important news.”

The Guardian of the Way’s heart lurched. As he rose
from behind his desk, he asked, “Is it good news? Has there been word from the
fleet?”

“No sir, I just came from the fleet communications
center. Their next scheduled report is not due for another twenty minutes. They
still have another full cycle before they reach orbit around Selane. The Grand
Patriarch’s message does not specify the nature of the news. It must be related
to some other matter.”

“Very well, I will go to him now,” he said curtly.
“Notify me immediately if there are any new developments. You have my
permission to interrupt us if there is any news from the fleet. Updates
regarding the status of the manhunt for Minister Joselé can await my return.
You may take your leave now.”

The aide quickly bowed and left Talin alone. He again
looked down at the reports and smiled. Minister Joselé was quite resourceful
and it should be no surprise to anyone she was able to elude his operatives.
She had received help in avoiding his operatives; help from a well-placed
source within the palace. However, time was on the Grand Patriarch’s side. She
might not be able to avoid capture forever, even with the aid she was
receiving.

Realizing with a start the Grand Patriarch was
waiting, Talin hurriedly left his office.

The hallways were almost deserted at that time in the
evening and in a relatively short time he arrived at the entrance to the study.
The ubiquitous guards stood bracketing the doorway. The double doors were
constructed of native wood and each had the Seal of the Grand Patriarch carved
deeply into the door’s three panels. Someone on the other side must have heard
his steps on the stone floor and opened one of the heavy doors. A richly
liveried steward ushered Talin inside. He was guided to his customary chair. He
often met with the Grand Patriarch in the study and its familiar warm
surroundings were usually a source of comfort, but not this night. 

Normally, the study’s fireplace, the centerpiece of
the room, would glow with a warm fire blazing at its core. Tonight it was dark
and cold. With the absence of the fire, the room seemed to be brooding in being
denied its fiery heart. Two lamps vainly tried to fight the gloom, but dark
corners and gray shadows became bold and made the room seem smaller than it
was.

A brandy was gently pressed into Talin’s hand.
Startled, he looked at his leader sitting across from him. He also had a drink
in his hand. The Grand Patriarch told the hovering steward that he could take
his leave. The steward placed the tray with the brandy decanter on a table
within the reach of the Grand Patriarch. The steward bowed respectfully to the
two men then left the room, quietly closing the door.

After the steward had left, the Grand Patriarch took
an appreciative sip from the crystal snifter he was holding. He looked at Talin
over the rim and said, “Please, do try it. It is from my private reserve, well
over two hundred solars old. I must say there are times when I do appreciate the
little extras that come with my station in life.”

Talin was unconsciously swirling the amber liquid,
holding the crystal snifter in a cupped hand, warming it. He stopped and
inhaled the complex aroma and took a cautious sip. The incredibly smooth liquid
fire was delicious and he smiled his appreciation at the Grand Patriarch. “It
is indeed a rare and delightful vintage. Thank you for sharing it with me.”

The Grand Patriarch waved a hand in dismissal. “I am
glad you like it. I thought with the hours you have been expending, you could
use a brandy.”

“My thanks again,” Talin took another sip of the
brandy.

The Grand Patriarch set his drink on the table and sat
back into the high-backed chair. “I have just returned to the Palace. On my
arrival, I called for you immediately.”

The Guardian of the Way sat straighter in his chair.
The drink in his hand was momentarily forgotten. He waited for the Grand
Patriarch to elaborate.

“I was conferring with our Intelligence people. They
would have notified you directly, but I wanted to be the one to break the
news.”

Talin's heart skipped a beat, waiting for the Grand
Patriarch to continue.

“They have received a number of partial messages from
Janus Owens’ ship.”

Talin looked at the Grand Patriarch in surprise. “His
ship? It yet survives?”

“Yes. I am happy to say that Janus Owens’ ship remains
intact, a most favorable omen.”

Talin asked eagerly, “But what of Sharné? Did the
message contain any information on her wellbeing?”

“The message fragments were garbled due to continued
jamming by the attackers, but some of the transmissions were intelligible. So,
although there remain some gaps, a portion of the message was successfully
deciphered and some coherent information was pieced together.” The Grand
Patriarch then paused.

Talin waited impatiently for the Grand Patriarch to
continue. The silence lengthened. Finally, Talin could no longer contain
himself. “Please, what did the message say?”

The Grand Patriarch’s face suddenly broke into a broad
grin. “I am sorry, dear friend, but I could not resist. The message confirms
what we suspected. My daughter is alive!”

Talin sagged in his chair, downed the rest of his
brandy in one gulp, and said, “Thank the Founder!”

“Yes,” the Grand Patriarch beamed. “Sharné is alive, but
there was more to the message. It told the story of what happened at the
rendezvous point. It is hard to accept, but I must believe my daughter. Our
ships turned against the
Light Saber
. It appears they tried to destroy
it in hopes of removing Janus Owens.”