The monsignor placed both hands on the blue-robed priest’s throat. “You fool. You always were rushing into trouble, and I was always the one having to bail you out.”
Trinity sensed Power pour through Monsignor Zerakan’s hands into the throat of the dying priest. Suddenly, the life force of Monsignor Detarus strengthened and steadied into a constant glow on her passive scan.
“I’m all right,” said the blue-robed priest as he tried to shove Monsignor Zerakan’s hands away. “I’m healed. Now let go of my neck before you strangle me to death.”
Chapter 10 – Dissenters
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Fourteen bodies lined the sides of the morgue. Thirteen were of human stock while the last was covered in the unmistakable orange fur of a Carsoloian. Four of the human corpses were more pieces of disassembled flesh than they were bodies.
“What were you thinking, Trinity?” asked Major Criteron still wearing his blood-covered uniform. “That was an anti-tank weapon you used on them. You know it’s against the Interstellar Conventions to use anti-armor weapons on personnel.”
“I was a little too busy trying to stay alive at the time to re-familiarize myself with conventions,” Trinity said. She couldn’t resist smiling as she added, “And who says I was shooting at the people. I was aiming at their power-suits. Is it my fault they happened to be wearing them at the time?”
Trinity thought she saw a hint of a smile appear on the major’s face before he abruptly looked away.
“Besides,” Trinity continued, “what do you mean what was I thinking? What the devil were you thinking? Jumping in front of me like that almost got you killed.”
The major looked back at Trinity for several seconds without saying a word. Trinity thought his eyes looked a little shiny.
“That Carsoloian was going to kill you, Trinity. I…, I couldn’t let that happen.”
“Well, I hate to burst your bubble major, but I’m a wizard scout. You’re not. Even if he’d hit me in the heart, my self-heal would’ve kept me alive. I had plenty of Power in my reserve. You on the other hand almost died. Or do you have some big, self-heal ability you haven’t told me about…, sir?”
Instead of responding to her verbal attack as Trinity expected, the major just stared at her. His eyes were hard for her to read. They were still shiny, but something else in them made her nervous. She noticed her own reflection in them looking back. Trinity unconsciously looked down at her hands. The battle suit’s gloves were covered in blood; his blood.
“You could’ve died, Major,” Trinity repeated in a voice unusually soft for her.
“Jerad,” whispered the major.
“What?” Trinity asked whispering the question back. She stared into the major’s eyes again as he took a step toward her.
“My name’s Jerad,” said the major.
The sights and sounds around Trinity dimmed into the background. The major’s soft brown eyes were suddenly all that mattered. She took a half step of her own in his direction. Her hand reached up toward his face almost reflexively.
“Should I come back later?” came a voice behind them. The voice belonged to Sergeant Ron. “I mean, if you two want to go get a room or something, I’m sure this civil war can wait. I wasn’t aware morgues were the current rage for making romantic rendezvous, but I’ve been married so long I probably haven’t kept up with things.”
Dropping her hand, Trinity took a quick step back. She felt her face growing warm. She noticed the major stepping back as well. His bright-red face made her face grow even warmer.
“Ah… no… err…, hell,” said the major. “Sorry Sergeant Ron. I didn’t see you. I’m glad you’re here.”
“Yeah, I’ll just bet you are,” said the Defiant’s captain not even trying to hide his smile. “So what’s so important you had to drag me away from the Defiant right in the middle of her overhaul. I’ve seen dead bodies before. It’s no great thrill, believe me.”
“Nor for us,” Trinity said trying to get her mind on anything except the last few seconds. “Take a look at this.” Walking over to where the body of the Carsoloian lay on a metal table, Trinity pointed at a small vial on a nearby stand. The vial gave off a bluish glow.
As Sergeant Ron drew closer, he frowned. Picking up the vial, the old man held it up to the light. Inside was a sliver of blue the size of a grain of sand. The sliver radiated intense energy. “Where’d you get this?”
Trinity wasn’t surprised at his interest. The energy’s frequency was strangely familiar. After their discussion in the temple, she’d known he’d be interested.
“It came off the tip of the phase bullet the Carsoloian sniper fired at me,” Trinity said. “I was pretty sure you’d sense its frequency. You do recognize it, don’t you?”
Sergeant Ron nodded his head. “It’s the same as the residual energy we picked up in the vault. I’m guessing you think it’s part of the monsignors’ missing gem.”
“Either that or another like it,” said Jerad jumping into the conversation. “You said you’d encountered energy like the gem before. Do you have any idea why someone would put a piece of it on a phase round?”
The old sergeant scratched his beard before setting the vial back on the stand and turning his gaze on Trinity. “You say the bullet was fired at you, Trinity? I thought the major here was the one that got hit.”
With a nod of her head, Trinity said, “He was. Apparently he thought I needed protection so he dived in front of me. He got hit instead and almost died. In fact, he would’ve died if Monsignor Zerakan hadn’t been there. The monsignor’s a healer, you know?”
Sergeant Ron shook his head as he looked down at the vial before looking back at Trinity. “Actually, I didn’t know that.” The Defiant’s captain scratched his beard again, but he remained silent.
“What are you thinking?” Trinity asked. In her opinion the old man acted the part of a fool to throw people off, but she knew he was anything but. She’d grown to respect him during the short time they’d been together.
Sergeant Ron looked at Trinity while nodding his head in Jerad’s direction. “I’m thinking you’re mighty lucky the major was fool enough to try and save you. I’ve got a feeling if this piece of the gem had gotten into one of your vital organs it would’ve dealt out damage faster than your self-heal could repair it. When your reserve finally gave out, you’d have died. Unless I miss my guess, I’m betting the bullet would’ve even penetrated your defensive shield.”
“The bullet didn’t kill me,” said Jerad.
Sergeant Ron faced the major. “No, but then you weren’t wearing chest armor, were you? It went out your back. If I’d been the sniper, I would’ve made the bullet’s velocity enough to penetrate one side of a suit of power-armor without going through the other. Then it would’ve bounced around inside Trinity’s battle suit before finally coming to rest somewhere in her body.” He rubbed his beard and sighed. “Yep, I recon she’s lucky you’re either a fool or a hero. You probably saved her life.”
“Well, I’m no hero,” said Jerad giving a forced smile. “I guess that narrows the choices down a little, doesn’t it?”
Sergeant Ron chuckled. Trinity did not.
“Jennifer?” Trinity asked out loud. “What do you think?”
“Sergeant Ron’s theory is plausible,” replied Jennifer over the battle helmet’s external speakers. “They only found the one bullet. I calculate you’re one lucky wizard scout. If the sniper had been given more than one of those modified phase rounds, I calculate a ninety-two percent probability both the major and you would be dead.”
“We should get this piece of the gem to Telsa for analysis,” said Jerad. “It could be important.”
“I’m afraid that won’t be possible,” said someone behind Trinity.
Turning, she found Monsignors Detarus and Zerakan. Even as she saw them she sensed a globe of Power around them disappear.
“Hmm,” observed Jennifer in their shared space. “Good stealth shiel
d. So was Sergeant Ron’s. People sneaking up on you is starting to be a habit, wizard scout. Are you getting sloppy in your old age?”
“Hush, Jennifer.”
“And why won’t that be possible?” asked Jerad. “I’m the one who got shot. I’m thinking possession is nine-tenths of the law.”
“That blue sliver is part of the Hallowed Gem,” said Monsignor Detarus. “We can tell by its frequency. It’s the shared property of our two sects.” Facing Trinity, Monsignor Detarus bowed. “We owe you our thanks, wizard scout. If you hadn’t shouted your warning, the bomb would’ve killed both of us.”
“Yes,” agreed Monsignor Zerakan. “As it was, we barely got a defensive shield up in time to ward off the blast. Regardless, the piece of the Hallowed Gem remains with us. If we can’t locate the gem itself, we may still be able to use the sliver to initiate our priests. We can’t risk having it destroyed during testing.”
Seeing the determined look in the eyes of the two priests, Trinity decided to change the subject. “I notice that the attackers have an even mix of tattoos. Half seem to be Osoloians and half Tremarian. Can you explain that?”
The two monsignors glanced at each other before looking back at Trinity.
“No, we can’t,” admitted Monsignor Zerakan. “Neither can we explain the presence of the Carsoloian sniper. To the best of our knowledge, all Carsoloians left Cavos last year shortly after the gem was stolen. As to the other attackers, there have been some dissenters among both of our priest sects during the last decade.”
“We examined the bodies earlier,” said Monsignor Detarus. “All thirteen of the priests were previously excommunicated from our sects. We’d heard rumors that some of them had banded together.”
“Are there more of these dissenters?” asked Jerad.
“Uh…, we’re not at liberty to say,” said Monsignor Detarus. “That’s classified information.”
“All right then,” said Jerad, “let me put it this way. Was the tattooed technician who attacked our compound one of these dissenters? If so, how’d he pass through our security checks to get authorization to work in our UHAAV maintenance program?”
The two monsignors looked at each other again before turning back to the major. “We’re not at liberty to say,” they both said at the same time.
“Well, that’s just great,” said Sergeant Ron. “For all I know, one of these so-called dissenters might be one of the technicians working on the Defiant right now. So if you all don’t mind, I’ll be getting on back to my ship.” Without waiting for anyone’s approval, the Defiant’s captain turned and left.
When the old man was gone, Jerad eyed the two monsignors. “I can’t help you if I don’t have all the information. I’m in command of the peacekeepers. Won’t you trust me enough to let me do my job?”
The two priests remained silent for several seconds. The tense muscles in their foreheads gave Trinity the impression they were communicating somehow. Finally, Monsignor Detarus spoke.
“We’re told the Empire’s finally sending the reinforcements you requested. We’re also told your replacement will be coming with them. We’ll deal with him when the time comes. Until then, it might be best if your peacekeepers remained in their compound. That’s what you planned on doing anyway, wasn’t it?”
Jerad nodded his head. “Then I guess we’ve got nothing further to discuss.”
“I suppose we don’t,” said Monsignor Zerakan.
After a few awkward seconds, Jerad turned and headed for the exit. “Come on, Trinity. We’ve obviously accomplished all we can here.”
Once they were outside and back on the street, Jerad hailed a hover-cab. The driver stared at their bloody-uniforms before making a call to his superiors. After an awkward thirty seconds, the driver opened the door to the cab and motioned them in. Within seconds, they were a thousand meters over the city heading in the direction of the spaceport.
Trinity glanced over at the man sitting next to her. The major was gazing out the window apparently deep in thought. She noticed an artery on the side of his neck beating rapidly. She decided to try and take his mind off his problems.
“So you’re being replaced,” Trinity said. “I’m sorry to hear that.”
“Uh, you call that trying to take his mind off his problems?” snorted Jennifer in their shared space.
“Hush. Mind your own business, Jennifer.”
Jerad turned from the window and looked at her. Pursing his lips, he shook his head. “I’m not sorry. A division commander’s too high up the food chain for me. I like working directly with the UHAAVs. Besides, my fate was sealed the day that dissenter attacked the compound. Twenty-two good soldiers died. I’ll never forgive myself for letting them down. The fact I probably won’t make it to retirement is of no consequence. I don’t blame the Imperial High Command one bit for relieving me. Someone has to be the one to fall on their sword. I was in charge. The fault was mine.”
“I don’t believe that,” Trinity said feeling a strange urge to defend the man. “The attack on the compound wasn’t your fault. Monsignor Detarus said General Avandra was responsible for setting up the agreement to have Cavos’s maintenance techs work on the cats.”
Jerad gave a half smile and shrugged his shoulders. “It doesn’t matter. Like I said, someone has to take the blame and fall on their sword. This time it’s my turn.”
Before Trinity could think of any response, the major turned away and stared back out the window. “I’ll admit I would’ve liked to have made lieutenant colonel before I retired. My dad was a battalion commander in the marines. He was killed during the Fastelian skirmish of ’03.”
Even though she knew the major was probably correct in everything he said, she refused to let the matter lie. “Well, it doesn’t seem fair. Sergeant Ron told me the Imperial High Command hasn’t authorized hyper-jumps for the troopships carrying your reinforcements. They have to make the trip using standard hyper-drives only. At their current rate of speed, we’ve still got almost two months before the reinforcements arrive. That’s plenty of time to find out what’s going on and prevent a full-scale civil war from happening on Cavos. That’s bound to make a difference in any decisions made by the Imperial High Command.”
The major turned away from the window and looked back at Trinity. He was smiling. It was a small smile, but it was a smile nonetheless. “I think you’re being a little optimistic. They might decide to teleport my replacement here ahead of the rest of the reinforcements. I do appreciate your support though.”
Trinity noticed the man’s smile disappear. He continued to stare intently at her for several seconds.
“I calculate he’s trying to figure you out,” commented Jennifer.
“I told you to hush,” Trinity said. “This isn’t any of your business.”
The major finally spoke. “Why the sudden interest in my career? Or are you just trying to complete your mission?”
“Uh,” Trinity said feeling her face grow warm under the major’s stare. “I guess I just don’t like seeing a good officer done dirty, Major. I think you deserve better.”
“Jerad,” said the major. “I told you my name’s Jerad. I’ve been doing some reading on wizard scouts lately. You’re neither an officer nor an enlisted soldier. Wizard scouts are a gray area in rank. According to regulations, you don’t even have to salute generals if you don’t want. I’ll admit I feel kind of foolish for my actions that first day in the command tent. After what we’ve been through together, I think calling me by my first name is appropriate at this point in time.”
“All right, Jerad,” Trinity said finding herself smiling in spite of the situation. “So now that we’ve got that settled, what’s our next step? Uh, for solving this mystery, I mean.”
Jerad smiled. “I know what you meant, Trinity.” He drummed the fingers of his right hand on his leg. “I think our next step depends on Telsa. Hopefully she’s found something out about the information on that disk. I wish we could’ve let her take a
look at that piece of the gem. Sergeant Ron told me she’s got a degree in astral physics and is the smartest person he’s ever met. She might’ve been able to figure something out.”
“Jennifer,” Trinity said in her shared space. “Did you by any chance take readings from that gem sliver?”
“What do you think I am; an amateur?” asked Jennifer sounding as indignant as a computer could. “I got oodles of data from it, and it’s all in my databanks. Telsa’s busy analyzing the data we got from our inspection of the vault. Once she finishes, I’ll have her start on the data from the piece of the gem that was on that bullet.”
Trinity caught Jerad’s eye. “My battle computer did a scan on the gem sliver when we were in the morgue. I think we’ve got enough data to let Telsa make some good guesses about its capabilities.”
Jerad smiled. “Trinity, you’re a gem yourself. You almost make me optimistic. No matter how this thing turns out, I’m glad I met you.”
Trinity felt her face grow warm. “I’m… I’m glad I met you too… Jerad.”
Jerad’s smile disappeared and his expression became more serious. Trinity saw something in his eyes she hadn’t seen before. He leaned closer toward her. She found herself leaning closer to him as well.
The hover-cab jerked and began losing altitude.
“We’ll be at the spaceport in another minute, Major,” came the cab driver’s voice through the speaker that was built into the rear compartment.
Jerad straightened and faced toward the front. “Uh, thanks.”
Trinity straightened and faced the front as well.
“Hmm,” said Jennifer. “Timing is everything, isn’t it? But don’t worry, wizard scout. I took readings of the major’s pulse and rate of breathing. I calculate—”
“Hush,” Trinity said. “The last thing I need is you sticking your nose in my love life. Besides, we were just talking.”
“Sure you were,” said Jennifer. “As I’ve said more than once in the past, who are you trying to fool, me or yourself? I monitored your pulse and breathing as well. I calculate—”
Trinity Unleashed (Wizard Scout Trinity Delgado Book 1) Page 11
