Shadows of Golstar (19 page)

“Let me guess, so once again we have no clue as to the
identity of the attackers,” Owens fumed.

“But,” Hec said, “there is one bit of good news.” Hec
then reminded Owens they had complete, detailed, multiple scanner recordings
owing to Owens’ previous order before the destruction of the decoy mine. Even
so, Owens directed Hec to begin a search for ship debris and any remains of the
pilots on the chance there might something traceable back to whoever was
responsible for the attacks. But before they could begin the search pattern, a
message was received from an approaching military ship.

“The cavalry has arrived and again they were just a
tad too late. A Captain Sands is inquiring if we need assistance. You want to
talk to him Boss?”

Owens laughed, “No, but put the good Captain through
anyway.”

A husky but clearly feminine voice filled the control
room, “This Melina Sands, Captain of the
CPSS Foxhound
. We received your
distress call and observed a number of explosions in your vicinity. Do you
require assistance?”

Owens thanked Sands for the offered assistance and
outlined the events that had led up to the explosions. Captain Sands was both
shocked and intrigued by the attack strategy. It was primitive by modern
military standards, yet it could have been successful had not it been for
Owens’ creative use of the rail gun. She congratulated him for his unique
solution.

Sands contacted Neven’s office and sent a data packet
describing the attack. Not long after, she received a message from Neven and
relayed it to Owens. The message contained orders for Owens to return to Denbus
for a detailed debriefing on the incident. But before Owens could get underway,
the Captain first insisted on sending over her chief engineer to check for any
damage. After passing a damage assessment, the
Holmes
was given
permission to depart. As he prepared to leave, Sands informed Owens the
Foxhound
and another ship, the
Mantis,
would conduct the search for debris.

After transmitting the scanner recordings to the
Foxhound
and Neven, Owens directed Hec to take them back to Denbus. Hec returned to the
parking orbit they were assigned previously. A shuttle was waiting as they made
orbit. Soon Owens found himself back in Neven’s office and for the next two
hours, Owens went over the events that took place during the latest attack. He
finished his account for the third time, and Neven finally was satisfied. He
assured Owens all of the government’s considerable resources would be brought
to bear on the attacks. Like Hec, Neven had concluded the two attacks were
related.

“I wish we had more time to investigate before you
depart, but the Golstar request was quite specific about the time-frame in
which they expected you. With the time it took for ship’s modifications, we
have used up a good portion of your margin to get there.” Neven looked at Owens
with unconcealed concern.

 “We hadn’t originally planned for it, but you
are now going to be provided an escort to the outer boundary of the quarantine.
It’s already been arranged; military destroyers have been dispatched for your
additional protection. But we won’t use a standard escort deployment. Instead,
a number of ships will position themselves at pre-plotted subspace emersion
points along your route. They will stand-off far enough provide an illusion
that you are traveling solo but should still be close enough to come to your
aid if necessary.

Owens nodded, “I’m not going to fight you on this one.
Your proposal sounds like a good one. I’m an ex-cop, private investigator, not
a combat pilot. Crude as it was, that attack almost succeeded this time. I’ve
been extremely fortunate to have made it through these attacks in one-piece.
Frankly, other than what I’ve recently experienced, I don’t have any
space-combat background and I might not be as lucky the next time. I don’t want
to test the ‘three’s a charm’ theory, so I’ll use all the help I can get.”

“Very good, I will have the pre-charted points at the
randomly selected locations provided to your AI within the hour,” Neven said
briskly. “I’ve also arranged for a freight tender to replace the ammunition you
expended. It is already waiting. As time is increasingly of the essence, I
suggest you now rejoin your ship.”

Owens had made no mention about discovering the bugs
placed in his ship. Neither did Neven speak of them being disabled. 
Still, thinking about the bugs, Owens turned and left before Neven could extend
his hand.

The Preservers of the Way met at the appointed time.
They waited with much anticipation. The Leader was to give them news of the
latest attack against the enemy of the state and they were hopeful that the
news was good; that the Grand Patriarch’s agent had been eliminated. They could
then turn their attention to the Grand Patriarch himself; a problem in need of
quick resolution. They had been standing on the cold stone floor for some time
and a degree of impatience began to creep into their quiet whisperings. 

As was the Leader’s habit, the hooded figure observed
the members from a place of concealment in an alcove adjacent to the meeting
room. The Leader watched and listened through hidden devices as the whispered
conversations began to rise in volume. Just before they reached the point of
open discussion, the Leader quietly entered the room unannounced. Unhurriedly,
the Leader walked into the center of the room. All conversations quickly died
and no sound other than the swish of the leader’s robe brushing the stone floor
could be heard.
 
The Preservers moved to
form a semicircle.

The Leader raised gloved hands in benediction and in
preparation to the Litany. The leader’s deep, synthesized voice echoed off the
bare walls. The Leader began without preamble.

“We are gathered in fellowship and worship under
the...”

“Light of the Way,”
the members intoned.

“We cannot stray from the true path if it is
illuminated by the…”

“Light of the Way.”

“In righteousness, may we always be bathed in the…”

“Light of the Way.”

 “We seek to protect and preserve the purity of
the…”

“Light of the Way.”

 “All false doctrines shall wither and die when
exposed to the…”

“Light of the Way.”

“Our enemies shall be blinded by the...”

“Light of the Way,”
the voices grew stronger.

The litany continued for twenty-eight more verses and
ended with, “We shall be all victorious in defending the…”

“Light of the Way,”
the voices rose to a crescendo and then abruptly stopped.

Diminishing reverberations of the synthesized voices
continued a moment more, and then all was quiet. The Leader stepped back with
hands now lowered. The Leader always enjoyed this time and with head bowed,
allowed the silence to lengthen. As the silence stretched to minutes, the
tension in the room became tangible once more. Just before it transformed into
the subtle noise of quiet whispers and low murmurs, the Leader raised one hand,
stepped forward and was again the sole focal point of the assembly.

The Leader’s hand slowly lowered and with hooded head
still bowed, solemnly began, “Brothers and sisters, I bring you distressing
tidings. As your Leader, it falls upon me to announce that again our agents
have failed to destroy the threat. Though their cause was just, our comrades
have fallen. Our limited intelligence underestimated the dark agent’s
armaments. We must now confront him on our home ground. He cannot, will not,
withstand the cleansing Light of the Way.” The leader paused and looked up to
the large, glowing sphere suspended in the center of the ceiling.

“The Founder in his wisdom has provided divine
guidance in showing us the path to the Light of the Way. We have survived and
flourished these centuries because of his great foresight and planning. In his
name, we do battle. In his name, we must persevere in defeating this dark
threat to the Light. It will now fall directly to us to repel the encroaching
darkness. I trust that you and those who follow you in our cause will not
fail.”

The leader’s eyes, the only feature visible behind the
hooded mask, turned toward the assembled. As one, the members dropped to their
knees and began to chant the epic poem, ‘Warrior of the Light.’ The Leader
nodded to all and was pleased. Such sheep, the Leader thought. With the last
line ended, the Leader said, “And now my brothers and sisters, we must attend
to the practical matters of planning our ultimate response to the threat.”

They all rose again to their feet. The Leader looked
to the tallest member of the group known as the General. Although no member’s
identity was revealed in the inner circle, the Leader knew the one known as the
General was indeed in the military; not as a general but a colonel with
aspirations well beyond his station. The General provided military support and
planning. Many hidden within the military were ardent supporters of the
Preservers.

The Leader called to him, “We have need of your unique
insight, our General. You have been tasked with leading the campaign here on
Berralton. For the benefit of the inner circle, please counsel us on the
strategy you intend to employ for dealing with this man now known to us as
Janus Owens. The tall, robed figure strode forward, his hood rippling with his
rapid advance to the center of the semicircle. He nodded crisply to the Leader
then turned to the others and began to describe his plan for dealing with
Owens, becoming increasingly animated as he spoke.

 The General received occasional comment from
some of the other members. The Leader stepped back and listened. Suggestions
were made and modifications considered. Some were accepted; some were rejected.
The Leader asked a few pointed questions designed to trigger comment from other
members and guide the planning along a preferred path. In the end, all agreed
to the course set by the General’s plan.

“It has been decided that no more attacks from space
will be initiated,” the Leader concluded. “We will now concentrate our efforts
on a ground attack as outlined by the General.” The Leader then called for an
end to the meeting but before the group made to leave, with voice raised, the
Leader dismissed them with a simple warning, “Failure cannot be allowed. We
must prevail in preserving the Light for without it, there is only darkness.”

● ● ●

Later that evening, not far from the location of the
Preserver’s earlier assembly, the Grand Patriarch paced back and forth in his
receiving room. His expression was set in furrowed concentration; he was
oblivious to the other occupants of the room. Sharné and Talin watched
nervously, not daring to interrupt his thoughts. His steps finally slowed until
he stood motionless, staring at nothing.

Still not looking at either Sharné or Talin, he said,
“They have gone farther than I could have ever imagined. A
second
attack
on Janus Owens! They left the protection of Golstar again to attempt an
assassination, but this time in a system with a Confederated Planets’
Government Center! I would not have credited the opposition with such resolve
or foolhardiness. They risk exposure to Confederated Planets.”

His face became clouded with anger and his voice
continued to rise, “They have known what we were about to attempt all along...
every step we took!” He opened his hand and revealed several small disks
appearing less than a centimeter in size with fine wires trailing.

His voice lowered, but the icy displeasure remained.
“When your standard electronic sweeps failed to reveal any hidden surveillance
apparatus,” he looked at Talin, “I then had these rooms physically searched. My
agent eventually came up with these. These crude listening devices are ancient
technology but still very effective.” He dropped them on the floor and ground
the tiny disks under his heel.

He kneaded his forehead with his fingertips, “It is
time to admit the plan is in real jeopardy. We now know the opposition has been
aware for some time there is plan afoot. This latest move is another attempt to
prevent its success by employing the most extreme measures imaginable. Though
these preemptive strikes have so far failed to remove Janus Owens, they have
succeeded in alerting him and hopefully, he will remain vigilant.”

 Sharné ventured a question, “What will you do
now?”

“Their recent actions severely impact our original
strategy.” He looked at the large book on the corner of his desk and shook his
head sadly. “It might have actually worked had it been given the chance. After
Owens had been verified to have all the key attributes, our plan was tailored
to his profession and moral code.” The Grand Patriarch swept the book off the
table in disgust.

He looked at Sharné. “If the plan had worked as I
envisioned, the quarantine with Confederated Planets would be maintained
without interruption. Now it appears we will have to rely on an abbreviated
version of the plan. In doing so, I will be forced to take additional steps to
ensure the fear and respect we have benefited from all these years will
continue unabated. Should Confederated Planets ever suspect the true
situation…” his voice trailed off.

“We can no longer afford to be circumspect.” He
frowned at Sharné. “Your role has changed. I still want you to be my
representative, but now it will be simply to greet him in your official
capacity as Keeper of the Way. I expect you to follow diplomatic protocol on his
arrival. He’ll likely be expecting this and it will set him more at ease. Once
he is aboard your ship, you will give him his task; that part of the plan
remains unchanged. Your personal involvement will be more limited than your
original role. We will need to discuss the details later.”

Talin ventured his own question. “Have you determined
where you will have him taken and how many of the royal guard might be
required? As you directed, I have been conducting additional background checks on
the guard only; the other branches of the military should have no inkling of
our preparations.”

“That determination has not yet been made,” the Grand
Patriarch answered.

“I see,” The Guardian of the Way frowned thoughtfully.
 “Presently, although I am only half-way through the screening, the
majority of the guard has proven to be loyal. If it were necessary today, I am
confident we could muster over three hundred men. By the time Owens arrives,
there should be close to seven hundred available.”

“Some good news anyway,” the Grand Patriarch nodded.
“But we won’t need them for some time. Janus Owens just recently departed from
the Denbus system for Golstar. Thankfully, with the most-recent attack, he is
taking appropriate precautions. Our monitors have observed he is using a
random-spaced jump pattern to travel here. It should now be practically
impossible for him to be intercepted. When he passes the quarantine’s border,
he will receive the rendezvous location at the last possible moment.”

“What about the military, Father? Sharné asked, “What
will they do? Will they join the opposition?”

“They are sworn to me as the Patriarch and
Protectorate of the Way. But should they be confronted with our dilemma and
made aware of my remedy, many would be torn over loyalty to me as their
hereditary ruler and their duty to protect the Way. I believe at least half, if
not more, would side with the opposition. But again, I must believe Minister
Joselé and her supporters will not risk open civil war. If that were to occur,
then we would be finished as a people. Neither side’s solution would be given
the chance to succeed.”

The Grand Patriarch turned to Talin. “As follow-up to
your question regarding his destination on-planet, I am beginning to think one
of the old spaceports might be the answer. A number of them have been abandoned
for years and there is plenty of open area surrounding them to preclude a
surprise attack. But for the moment, I am going to keep the details to myself.
I am not that confident the Palace still does not have hostile ears trained on
us.”

 Talin nodded, “I understand.”

“Good. Talin, I will need to discuss the details of
Janus Owens’ security arrangements with you soon. Please be available when I
call for you.” The Guardian of the Way had been dismissed.

Talin rose gracefully, made a half bow and said, “I am
always at your disposal.” He nodded to the Grand Patriarch, smiled at Sharné
and exited.

The door closed and the Grand Patriarch waited for a
time and then turned again to his daughter. “We have more to discuss, but not
here. No, I think that we require a location where we can talk a bit more
freely.” He suddenly smiled. “We have not walked in the gardens for a long
while. I think a stroll with my daughter would be quite nice.” They walked to
the private stairwell that led down into the Palace gardens surrounding the
Cathedral.

The weather was warm; the sweet scents of native
blossoms were in the air. They began to walk along a meandering stone cobbled
path bordered by lush foliage and flowering trees.  They paused at a
large, clear water pond jeweled in reflected sunlight. They took time to watch
the iridescent glass eels slither along the bottom hunting for gill frogs.
Their talk was light; nothing was said of Janis Owens until they came to a
bench of polished elder wood. They made their way over to it and sat.

The Grand Patriarch began to describe, in earnest, the
latest plans he had made to secure Janus Owens’ safety. After a long discussion
and a few questions from his daughter, the Grand Patriarch said he was
satisfied they still had a chance to save their people. As they rose to leave,
he said to Sharné, “We must not falter in this, daughter. The Light cannot be
extinguished.”