Waiting

by Gary Sapp

at her. “Oh, I have honored my word,” he said. “No innocent has been harmed. If these men have fallen from a simple gunshot wound, my dear, then that is simply daunting proof of their guilt. Centauri jurisprudence at its finest, I would say.”

  He resumed his gratuitous search amongst the throng of Earthers dragged up from the mines, while each of his officers nodded and grunted their approval. Amadeus looked past a preeminent looking woman with a head of curly, chestnut colored hair who flashed the most sympathetic little smile at Trinity that she’d ever seen.

  By then Amadeus had found another.

  “You were a trial lawyer, my dear; surely you understand the uses of discovery and circumstantial evidence at court. That being said, perhaps this elderly woman is ready to stand trial next,” Amadeus spat. “Or perhaps this young father, or maybe even this sweet little child is surely guilty—“

  “Enough!” Trinity yelled, inhaled deeply, ignored the other woman’s hardened gaze, and swiped angrily at the tears littering her pale face. “Leave these people alone. I’ll go to Earth. I’ll aid Magistrate Jonas in his investigation, if it pleases Alpha Centauri. If it so please you, Governor Amadeus.”

  The governor sighed, relieved the shooter, and eyed Trinity encouragingly as his smile grew cynical, victoriously wide and bloody. “Just remember, time is precious my dear.” He said, the weariness he’d worn like a shroud returning; the same look that he’d worn when discussing their daughters’ hours earlier. “The government of Alpha Centauri and I appreciate your assistance as always.”

  “WHY DID YOU convince Amadeus to choose me as your liaison for this mission, Jonas?” Trinity asked from the seat of a sleek and roomy Centauri shuttle, fresh sanitizers circulating through the vents.

  “You know your world’s landscape and your expertise—“

  “I think you know what I mean, Jonas.”

  After a measured pause he said, “Governor Amadeus reign as master of Artemis is in even more perilous shape than he dared lead on in front of his subordinates back on the station.”

  “So that’s why you hinted to me about his daughter being taken… and why he’s hitting the booze so hard.” Trinity said, after some thought. “I smelled the indistinguishable aroma of Martian Ale on his breath.”

  Jonas’ hazel eyes flashed, he was impressed as any mentor would be whose prize student arrived at the realization of an important lesson. “Yes. Centauri officers are infamous for drinking on duty, but usually limit these guiltless pleasures to milder toxins.”

  “Martian Ale,” Trinity said, understanding that Jonas once was the resident expert on alcohol consumption. “This liquor is known to be quite potent, even in moderate doses.”

  The magistrate nodded. “Martian Ale can be downright lethal in larger ones.”

  After a brief, uneventful venture into a deserted outpost buried deep in a gorge in eastern Africa, Jonas continued his tale.

  “I’ve learned over the years that Centauri officers are so infatuated with power and titles, so treacherous at attempting to hold them, that they find a necessity to guard even something otherwise as trivial as their usual inventories of supplies. And they find it a necessity to guard them personally against tampering, embellishment, or sabotage.”

  “And our beloved governor has this issue?”

  “Until the events transpired over the past few hours it was the one thing consuming him.” Jonas said. “Amadeus is almost sadistic in his fear of this tampering occurring. Apparently, he should have been. Nothing—I mean nothing has been exclude from these childish practices: Computer software, grenades, automatic rifles, data pads, even pencils.”

  “So. . .”Trinity said, as her left boot tapped impatiently on the soil that they had adapted into a campground for the evening. Trinity had asked and Jonas had granted her request to sleep under an Earth skyline tonight. Unbeknown to Jonas, this same skyline would disappear under a tsunami of nuclear like mushroom clouds rolling through the atmosphere. The reverting Windows Effect would theoretically destroy the Earth and restore the Dominant Universe to its rightful place as a lone entity in time and space. I’m glad I did come back to the planet after all. This view is stunning. Jonas seems to be admiring it as well, or is he seeing something else more personal beyond the cloudbank? At least I can carry this beautiful canvas in my mind at the end. The brisk autumn breeze seemed to dip ten degrees colder as even the heat radiating from the campfire failed to warm her.

  And yet, the magistrate said nothing, a sad smile perching on his lip.

  “Jonas,” Trinity said, whistled loud enough to wake him out of his daydream.

  “Amadeus’ proclaimed admiration for your people is long winded folly, we both know that.” Jonas of Proxima said, even as if the previous lack of focus never occurred. “Nonetheless, worker’s time in the mines is expensive, and the loss of profits is not easily replenished. While Amadeus is capable of cold blooded murder, you’ve seen it, I find it highly unlikely that he would risk such a detonation that kills cheap labor, halts production, embarrasses himself in front of his superiors, and potentially places his daughter’s safety at risk.”

  Trinity followed a vocal agreement as a gust of wind carrying the stench of approaching rain passed, her picturesque sunset already ruined.

  Oh well. I guess a little rain wouldn’t hurt? Maybe it’s God’s way of giving us His blessing after all. He understands we’ll all need some cleansing of our souls after all of this is over.

  “By your admission, Jonas, only the bomb centered in the Centauri quarters traced back to Amadeus personal inventories,” she said. “What of the other explosives?”

  “There were two, each linked back to the Belt. In fact the exact origin of location traces back to Jupiter’s largest moon, Titan, stolen right under heavily armed Centauri Guard.” Jonas said.

  Trinity’s belly churned. The first part of your explanation can’t be true, Jonas. Micah assured me that all the bombs originated from Titan. Have you gathered any other solid evidence in your investigation?”

  Jonas grunted testily and shook his balding head. Trinity tore into a chunk of her left over rations; felt spying eyes upon her, and discovered the magistrate glaring at her, an accusing expression planted on his face.

  “What?” What is it, Jonas?” She asked, tension reverberating through her shoulder blades. If you tied all the details together about what’s happened do I try to escape, or do I stay and attempt to kill you?”

  “You asked why I exercised my limited influence in bringing you before Amadeus, acknowledging that he’d volunteer you for this mission.”

  The wind whistled and thunder clapped behind them as Trinity shrugged. Don’t, Jonas. Damn you. Don’t say it.

  “Trust, Trinity,” Jonas said, despite her silent plea. “I thought that I could trust you.”

  Oh, Jonas …you’ve provided me with meals when I was hungry, water to clench my thirst, a mercy for aging uncle, even something as simple as a kind word for me from time to time aboard the station. But as long as a foreign army occupies my world, you can’t trust me. I’m sorry.

  Aloud she said, “I would hope that I have earned your trust.”

  He flashed a rare smile and exhaled a breath he’d been holding. “My final analysis is that Governor Amadeus of Alpha Centauri is being hounded by his enemies, and they are closing in for a decisive, killing blow,” Jonas said. “I work closely with the man on a daily basis. I see all of the signs that he’s stressed, even desperate. But know this: Amadeus is not a weak man, nor is he the incompetent fool his superiors believe him to be. I’ve learned that he has laced all of his inventories of weapons with a high-resolution residue which remains intact for months after it’s activated. It’s colorless, odorless, and impossible to extract from an individual’s DNA once it is engaged.”

  Understanding, Trinity said, “If any of my people were responsible, this residue would be imbedded in their DNA.”

  “As it is in your,” Jonas said brusquely.

&
nbsp; “Magistrate…I…”

  “As is should be,” Jonas said. “You’re DNA, mine, and anyone else who stood within a thousand meters of the detonation point aboard Artemis early yesterday morning would test positive for this residue.”

  “Of course,” She could manage to say nothing else.

  Jonas stared at her flushing cheeks a moment longer, grunted, found nothing of substance deserving comment, moved on.

  “This is what are traveling companions were trained for. They are carrying along sophisticated, hyper-sensitive equipment modified to identify any potential residue reading with pinpoint accuracy,” Jonas said. “A bureaucrat named Rainier has been at odds with Amadeus long before the latter’s posting aboard Artemis. My sources within the Centauri Government say that Mr. Rainier was once listed as a finalist for the posting aboard the station before Command appointed Amadeus.”

  Jonas concluded his monologue by informing Trinity that a boisterous minority in leadership positions would likely reconsider Amadeus’ posting as master of Artemis. Yet, the governor’s counter plan was under way so time, as Amadeus said back on the station, was precious. The governor entrusted an underling on Alpha Centauri with a residue sweeping team of his own, collecting evidence against Rainier and dozens of the governor’s identifiable enemies. Amadeus’ ultimate wish: Have both investigations conclude with the damning