The Dead Priest

by K A Bledsoe

  “What is it, Alli?”

  “One of the diagnostic programs showed some anomalies in the communication system. I ran some analyses when I was on the bridge but haven’t found anything definitive. I, um, wasn’t sure if I should report it until I had something significant, but I figured it couldn’t hurt to tell you.”

  “Put the information on a pad and I will look at it. Thanks for letting me know. Have a good night, Alli.” She waved and was gone up the ladder.

  Diarmin ran a scan for foreign substances or viruses around the six-alls, careful not to scan the cargo itself as Bondle had warned. Nothing out of the ordinary. He’d ask Bondle tomorrow why he had opened the crate for the first time since he boarded. He put the scanner away, feeling his worries about Quinn return. He paced around the bay for at least another hour, mind wandering and wishing there was an easy answer to their problems with Quinn. Nothing became any clearer, so he decided to try the thing that usually ordered his mind, tinkering. Since it had been quite a while since he had sat at his workbench, he lifted the cloth that covered it and idly stared, wondering which project to work on. Absently he began to gather his implements, mind still on the current difficulties and what to do about it.

  When he found himself digging in his toolbox under the bench, he came back to awareness of his surroundings. He had wasted several hours in the bay and done nothing. He also abruptly realized he had been looking for his specialized microtool since he had sat down but there was no sign of it. He rooted around the rest of his work area to no avail. He felt his lips tighten as he considered the possibility of theft. Taking inventory of everything, Diarmin discovered there were several more items missing including the latest microreceiver patch for Quinn. Everything was there the last time he worked at his bench, but he realized that was several days ago. Maybe one of his family had borrowed his things. Perhaps Quinn tried out the microreceiver and used the microtool to examine it.

  Diarmin’s lips tightened further as he took a deep breath through his nose. Nobody ever disturbed his work, but he had to check even though it was very late. He replaced the cover and went to go wake his children and collect Lenore as well.

  When they were all seated in the lounge, children blinking sleep out of their eyes, Diarmin went to the door to the passenger cabin corridor and closed it. He noticed Allison’s eyes widen and Lenore’s narrow. Quinn just blurted out.

  “Why did you do that? We haven’t closed it since our first passenger came aboard.”

  “We have a very serious discussion and I don’t want to be overheard.”

  “Why not on the bridge?” he persisted.

  “Quinn, I know you are tired but if you stop asking questions and simply listen, it will become clear.” Diarmin was losing patience but he regretted his tone when he saw his son’s face show annoyance rather than remorse.

  “When I went to do some work a while ago, I noticed that several items were missing. Did any of you borrow them or even move them elsewhere for any reason?” All three shook their heads as he expected. He wasn’t looking forward to what came next.

  “What’s missing, Dad?” asked Allison.

  “My microtool, one of the new transmitter patches, a small pack of various electronics and other small items. Nothing very valuable, but that is no excuse for theft. We will have to search Bondle’s cabin as he is the only other of us to have been in the cargo bay.”

  Quinn cleared his throat and all three looked at him. Diarmin was surprised to see Quinn’s ears slightly tinged red.

  “Um, well. Bondle isn’t the only one. The other night when I was on duty, I was wandering the ship and ran into Kurla in the cargo bay. She wasn’t carrying anything though.”

  “And just why didn’t you report this, young man?” asked Diarmin, aware his voice was fairly gruff. Probably not the best tone since Quinn seemed to get more defensive than usual.

  “She said she was just stretching her legs and forgot that the cargo bay was off limits. I believed her and like I said, she wasn’t carrying anything.” Quinn crossed his arms.

  “And she has no pockets?” asked Lenore. Quinn reddened further but didn’t answer as she continued. “A microtool and patch are very small.” She glanced at Quinn and finally appeared to notice his red face. “But just because she was there doesn’t mean she is guilty.”

  Diarmin narrowed his eyes at his wife but noticed Quinn’s slight relaxation. Was her last sentence intended to placate Quinn or did she truly suspect Bondle? It doesn’t matter.

  “We’ll search their cabins simultaneously,” he said.

  “I’ll search Bondle’s,” said Lenore and she bounced up and toward the door.

  “Then I will search Kurla’s,” he replied.

  “I’ll go with you, Dad,” said Quinn.

  Allison made an exasperated sound and Diarmin privately agreed with her. “No, Alli will help me search Kurla’s”

  “I guess that means I’ll go with Mom then,” said Quinn with a surly tone.

  They stood in front of the doors. Diarmin raised his hand to knock but Lenore hissed at him.

  “No, I would prefer to respect their privacy, but we need to just enter so they don’t have time to get rid of any evidence.”

  “At least let’s knock first,” he said.

  Lenore looked like she didn’t want to give even that small warning, but she nodded at him.

  They both typed in the override opening sequence in case the doors were locked. They simultaneously knocked on the doors and then opened them a breath later. Diarmin took a single step into Kurla’s cabin.

  Kurla sat up quickly on the bed, causing the light blanket to slither to the floor. She was wearing a very thin, lacy sleep garment and made no effort to cover up. Glancing back at Allison’s wide eyes made Diarmin very grateful it hadn’t been his son behind him.

  “What’s going on? Some sort of an emergency?” asked Kurla and her eyes slid from Diarmin’s to look at Allison.

  “I apologize for the rude entry, Ms. Plaad, but we have a situation.” He reached down, grabbed the blanket and held it out to her. She rose to take it and then tossed it loosely around her shoulders, covering up nothing. “Please remain by the door while we search your cabin.” Diarmin could hear Lenore’s voice and assumed she was saying something similar.

  “Search my cabin? Why?” She moved to the door with the blanket still hanging off her shoulders.

  Diarmin turned to answer but she was looking out the door, probably trying to see Quinn. He gritted his teeth at the attempted manipulation but kept searching, keeping an ear out for Quinn. He hissed at Allison to catch her attention and jerked his chin at Kurla. Understanding his request, Allison tried to put herself between Kurla and the door while responding to her question.

  “Well, um, Kurla. Some valuable items have gone missing so we are searching the cabins, Mr. Bondle’s as well as yours to see if, well…” Allison trailed off.

  “To see if I stole them?” She put her hands on her hips. “Why would I steal anything?”

  “Perhaps you merely borrowed them?” asked Allison, her voice exaggerating a sweet tone just shy of mocking. “Sometimes items can make a person mighty curious.”

  Kurla’s mouth worked as if she wanted to reply to Allison but held herself back. Finally, she looked at Diarmin, her chin raising slightly. “Go ahead, look. You won’t find anything.” Diarmin didn’t comment that he was already looking but simply kept on. She stood right inside the door but kept looking out over Allison’s head.

  Lenore came in to announce that Bondle’s cabin was clear, Quinn following, his face turning the brightest red Diarmin had ever seen. Trying to ignore the fact that Kurla edged closer to his son, Diarmin picked up one of the robes on the floor and felt a suspicious lump. Sure enough, there was an inner pocket that held the microtool, patch, and other missing items. He held them out for all to see.

  “Those aren’t mine,” said Kurla loudly, letting the blanket slip from her shoulders as she gestured
wildly. “They were put there by someone else. To make me look guilty.”

  “Why would someone do that, Ms. Plaad?” asked Lenore. Diarmin moved closer to his wife, recognizing that tension in her shoulders as anger and a readiness to take down an enemy. Guilty as she appeared to be, Kurla was still a very young woman.

  “I never lock my cabin so anyone can come in at any time.” Apparently, she also sensed Lenore’s anger as she retreated to the far wall of her cabin, wringing instead of waving her hands. Allison squirmed out the door, away from any confrontation but Quinn planted himself between his mother and Kurla.

  “That is how but not why,” said Diarmin.

  “I don’t know. To throw suspicion off of themselves? Why would I take whatever that is?” She jabbed a finger in the direction of Diarmin’s hand then went back to wringing. Now there were tears in her eyes. She is either very skilled at manipulation or truly innocent.

  “May I speak to the High Priest? Perhaps he can settle this,” said Diarmin.

  “He might be the one who did this!” she shrieked.

  “Or he could prove your innocence,” said Quinn.

  “But—” Suddenly her body straightened as her hands stopped wringing and dropped to her sides. “I apologize. I was conserving my energy. What has occurred?” Her voice had deepened.

  Diarmin explained the situation to the priest. “We were hoping you could shed some light on what may have happened.”

  Kurla, or the High Priest, slowly shook her/his head. “I am sorry. I fade in and out of consciousness quite often. It is dangerous to take control like this. We run the risk of damaging Kurla’s psyche and my spirit. I can neither confirm nor deny the accusation.”

  Lenore huffed out a breath and Quinn shuffled his feet awkwardly in the silence.

  “I may, however, offer a temporary solution,” said the priest.

  Diarmin and Lenore nodded.

  “Confine us, or the girl, to this cabin for the duration of the trip. When we reach our destination, I will again take control and deliver her to the Order. They will know how best to deal with the problem.”

  “That sounds reasonable. Thank you,” said Lenore and Kurla’s body went slack for a mere heartbeat.

  “No no no! You can’t lock me up. I’d go crazy. I need space. I am not used to being on small ships much less in one tiny cabin.” In one stride she reached Quinn and gripped his shoulders. “Please don’t let them do this.”

  Diarmin headed to rescue Quinn who was doing nothing to help himself, merely staring wide-eyed at Kurla’s hysterics. Lenore got to Quinn first and forcibly separated them.

  “Ms. Plaad. Control yourself or I will have to sedate you,” she said with a slight push. It didn’t appear that hard but Kurla stumbled back and fell onto her bed. She sobbed.

  “I thought you were my friend,” she spat at Quinn. Quinn said nothing, but pivoted and headed out the door, shoving past Allison in the hall. Allison stared at her parents very briefly then turned to follow her brother. Diarmin and Lenore left, closing and locking the cabin.

  “That was…unpleasant,” said Lenore. “I will see if she wants breakfast after she calms down.”

  “Is everything all right?” asked Bondle who was standing in his doorway.

  “Yes,” said Lenore, but she also disappeared through the lounge door.

  I guess it’s up to me to explain, thought Diarmin.

  When he was finished, Bondle looked very uncomfortable. “I am sorry this happened. And since there is no real proof, I would be happy to remain in my cabin as well except when I need to inspect the vaccines.”

  “That is very gracious of you and we will send someone to accompany you when you need to inspect them or if you need anything. I do have one question, however.” Bondle nodded so he continued. “Our computer officer noticed you removed a specimen from the cargo container. You’ve never done that before, why now?”

  “Oh, I was simply checking to see if the cultures were still active. I can’t tell the exact specifications from an external examination. Remember, if the cultures go inert—”

  “They will be useless, I know. Well, were they fine?”

  Bondle bounced on his toes. It took Diarmin a few seconds to realize that Bondle was happy.

  “Very fine. They are reacting exactly as I hoped.”

  “Reacting?”

  The bouncing stopped. “Um, bad choice of words. I mean that they should be chemically active even past our scheduled landing. Which means that they will have the best chance of working at maximum capacity.”

  “Ah, I see,” Diarmin decided to let the matter drop. “Would you like something to eat?”

  “Yes, thank you.” Bondle retreated to his room as Diarmin went to fix him something from the galley.

  Chapter Twenty-six

  The entire family was together for the first time since Kurla’s house arrest. It had been twenty very uncomfortable hours where nobody wanted to talk to anyone else. Meals were solitary, either in cabins or in shifts. Lenore had never felt so helpless. It didn’t help that, with the exception of the theft, this trip had been routine, and she was feeling restless. She knew she should be grateful for the lack of excitement since that excitement usually meant danger for her and the family. Taking action was how she solved problems and she would be happy for something to divert her attention from the family’s problems. The simple act of a course change was a welcome distraction.

  Normally, only Diarmin and maybe Quinn would take care of the course change, but Lenore wanted everyone together. She had thought for days on how to bridge the awkwardness and finally figured that nothing could be done until the passengers were off the ship.

  She glanced around, everyone sitting in their usual seats, staring at their displays and pointedly not at each other. She cleared her throat but the only one to glance at her was Diarmin.

  “Is there a way to shorten our course at all? Get to the Reese system a little faster?” she asked.

  Diarmin tilted his head at her as if silently asking her what she was thinking, but since both kids had turned at the question, he went on.

  “Quinn,” he said. “You have been charting courses. Do you have one that will shorten our trip?”

  “Of course I do,” he said, and his slightly sneering tone hinted at what his next words would be. “But this course was to keep ‘out of the way’ so it will be harder to be followed. Like usual.”

  Lenore tried not to bristle at his attitude. Allison had turned back to her board, clearly uncomfortable.

  “Why do you want to know?” asked Diarmin, his voice thick with the tone that Lenore thought of as 'exuding calmness' as if he was trying to soothe them all.

  “Bondle keeps mentioning his time crunch. I thought we would speed things up to help him.” And get both of them off the ship faster.

  “We haven’t had any pursuers in a while. It might be worth a try,” said Diarmin.

  Quinn grunted which Lenore took as a positive sign, but apparently Diarmin knew better.

  “You’d like to add something, Quinn?”

  Quinn shook his head and turned back to his board. The relieved look on Allison’s face mirrored what Lenore felt in her gut.

  It didn’t last long.

  “Very well, let’s calculate a shorter—” Diarmin started but was interrupted when Quinn spun his chair back to face his parents.

  “Yes, I’d like to add something.” The fire in his eyes made Lenore brace herself.

  “Alli and I aren’t stupid, you know. You think not telling us everything is protecting us, but we aren’t little kids anymore. I know that the guy who confronted you on the planet is probably a Xa. I know that the leak wasn’t an accident; the mine proved that. I know you guys talk about it; I see those looks you give each other all the time. I know that your pasts must be horrible, but you haven’t said why. I know that we should be even more afraid that nobody is following us because there is something else going on. Nothing is adding up and you both a
re too obsessed with your secrets to even notice that Alli and I are grown and able to handle it. We have been handling things for quite a while. You deliberately keep us in the dark so we don’t know what we might be missing. And maybe we can even help.”

  “Hey, leave me out of your rant,” said Allison, her face showing the first hint of anger, an anomaly to Lenore.

  “Fine, then just me. All this hiding and ducking and secrets. You think you are doing what’s best for me, but you don’t even ask me what I want.”

  “What do you want?” asked Diarmin.

  “I don’t know. I don’t know enough about the universe beyond this ship to make that choice. Because you never gave me the chance to experience it.”

  “You’ve been on plenty of missions,” said Lenore, trying to keep her voice down but not succeeding very well. “So don’t tell me you don’t get any experience.”

  “The only missions I get to go on are ‘safe’ ones.” Quinn said. “Information gathering. That’s it.” For emphasis, he made a downward cutting motion with his right hand.

  “You’re not trained yet.”

  “And why not?” Quinn didn’t wait for an answer. “I know, because you don’t want us in danger. But the little training you have given us is defensive. Hell, we don’t even know how to use any of those weapons we have. What if someone breaks into the ship? How do we ‘run away’ from that?”

  “So you want training like me?” said Lenore, letting her anger loose like Quinn. “You want to be a Xa’ti’al?”

  Quinn paused for a moment, leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “Maybe I do. I have no idea what they are really like. All I know is that you say, ‘they are bad.’ At least when I was little and you said not to touch the hot stove, you explained that I would burn myself if I did. Now you just say ‘no’ to everything without telling me why not. I’m sick of it.”

  Silence descended on the bridge which wasn’t good. As it lengthened, Lenore searched for something to say but could find no words. She looked at Diarmin for help, but he was only shaking his head. She opened her mouth to break the heavy stillness but was interrupted by a ‘ping’ from Quinn’s console.