Part 12 (2/2)

From the s.p.a.ceport, the Holy Office group was whisked via groundcar shuttles through decaying streets to the new Pax-built Governor's Palace on the outskirts of St. Malachy. Security was heavy. Besides the Grand Inquisitor's personal security force, the Pax Fleet Marines, the Governor's troopers, and the Archbishop's contingent of Swiss Guards, there was a battle regiment of Home Guard armored infantry encamped around the palace. There the Grand Inquisitor was shown evidence of the Shrike's presence two standard weeks earlier on the Tharsis Plateau.

”This is absurd,” said the Grand Inquisitor on the night before flying to the scene of the Shrike attack. ”All these holos and vid images are two standard weeks old or taken from high alt.i.tude. I see these few holos of what must be the Shrike and some blurred scenes of carnage. I see photos of the Pax bodies the militia men found when first entering the town. But where are the local people? Where are the eyewitnesses? Where are the twenty-seven hundred citizens of Arafat-kaffiyeh?”

”We don't know,” said Governor Clare Palo.

”We reported to the Vatican via archangel drone and when the drone returned, we were told not to tamper with the evidence,” said Archbishop. Robeson. ”We were told to await your arrival.”

The Grand Inquisitor shook his head and held up a flat photo image. ”And what is this?” he said. ”A Pax Fleet base on the outskirts of Arafat-kaffiyeh? This s.p.a.ceport is newer than St. Malachy's.”

”It is not Pax Fleet,” said Captain Wolmak, captain of the Jibril Jibril and new commander of the Old Earth System task force. ”Although we estimate that thirty to fifty drops.h.i.+ps a day were using this facility during the week previous to the Shrike's appearance.” and new commander of the Old Earth System task force. ”Although we estimate that thirty to fifty drops.h.i.+ps a day were using this facility during the week previous to the Shrike's appearance.”

”Thirty to fifty drops.h.i.+ps a day,” repeated the Grand Inquisitor. ”And not not Pax Fleet. Who then?” He scowled at Archbishop Robeson and the Governor. Pax Fleet. Who then?” He scowled at Archbishop Robeson and the Governor.

”Mercantilus?” pressed the Grand inquisitor when no one spoke.

”No,” said the Archbishop after another moment. ”Not Mercantilus.”

The Grand Inquisitor folded his arms and waited.

”The drops.h.i.+ps were chartered by Opus Dei,” Opus Dei,” said Governor Palo in a tiny voice. said Governor Palo in a tiny voice.

”For what purpose?” demanded the Grand Inquisitor. Only Holy Office guards were allowed in this suite of the palace, and they stood at six-meter intervals along the stone wall.

The Governor opened her hands. ”We do not know, Your Excellency.”

”Domenico,” said the Archbishop, his voice quavering slightly, ”we were told not to inquire.”

The Grand Inquisitor took an angry step forward. ”Told ”Told not to...by whom? Who has the authority to order the presiding Archbishop and the Pax Governor of a world not to...by whom? Who has the authority to order the presiding Archbishop and the Pax Governor of a world 'not to interfere'!” 'not to interfere'!” His anger boiled through. ”In the name of Christ! Who has such power?” His anger boiled through. ”In the name of Christ! Who has such power?”

The Archbishop raised pained but defiant eyes toward Cardinal Mustafa. ”In the name of Christ...precisely, Your Excellency. Those representing Opus Dei Opus Dei held official diskeys from the Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace,” he said. ”We were told that it was a security matter in Arafat-kaffiyeh. We were told that it was not our business. We were told not to interfere.” held official diskeys from the Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace,” he said. ”We were told that it was a security matter in Arafat-kaffiyeh. We were told that it was not our business. We were told not to interfere.”

The Grand Inquisitor felt his face flus.h.i.+ng with barely subdued rage. ”Security matters on Mars or anywhere else in the Pax are the responsibility of the Holy Office!” he said flatly. ”The Pontifical Commission for Justice and Peace has no charter here! Where are the representatives of the Commission? Why aren't they here for this meeting?”

Governor Clare Palo raised a thin hand and pointed at the flat photo in the Grand Inquisitor's hand. ”There, Your Excellency. There are the Commission authorities.”

Cardinal Mustafa looked down at the glossy photograph. Forms of white-clad bodies could be seen in the dusty red streets of Arafat-kaffiyeh. Even through the grain of the images, it was obvious that the bodies were mauled into grotesque forms and swollen from decomposition. The Grand Inquisitor spoke softly, fighting the urge to scream and then order these imbeciles tortured and shot. ”Why,” he asked softly, ”haven't these people been resurrected and questioned?”

Archbishop Robeson actually attempted a smile. ”You will see that tomorrow, Your Excellency. It will be abundantly clear tomorrow.”

EMVS WERE USELESS ON MARS. THEY USED ARMORED Pax Security skimmers for their flight to Tharsis Plateau. Torchs.h.i.+ps and the Jibril Jibril monitored their progress. Scorpion fighters flew s.p.a.ce/air combat patrol. Two hundred klicks from the plateau, five squads of Marines dropped from the skimmers and flew ahead at low alt.i.tude, raking the area with acoustic probes and setting up firing positions. monitored their progress. Scorpion fighters flew s.p.a.ce/air combat patrol. Two hundred klicks from the plateau, five squads of Marines dropped from the skimmers and flew ahead at low alt.i.tude, raking the area with acoustic probes and setting up firing positions.

Nothing but the s.h.i.+fting sand moved in Arafat-kaffiyeh.

The Holy Office security skimmers set down first, their landing legs settling into sand where gra.s.s had once grown on the oval city commons, the outer s.h.i.+ps establis.h.i.+ng and linking a cla.s.s-six containment field that made the buildings around the plaza seem to s.h.i.+mmer in heat haze. The Marines had dropped into a defensive circle with the commons as their locus. Now the Governor's Pax and Home Guard troops moved out to establish a second perimeter in the streets and alleys around the plaza. The Archbishop's eight Swiss Guardsmen secured the circle just outside the containment field. Finally the Grand Inquisitor's Holy Office security force exploded down the skimmer ramps and established the inner perimeter of kneeling figures in black combat armor.

”Clear,” came the leading Marine sergeant's voice on the tactical channel.

”Nothing moving or alive within a kilometer of Site One,” rasped the lieutenant of the Home Guard. ”Bodies in the street.”

”Clear here,” said the captain of the Swiss Guard.

”Confirm nothing moving in Arafat-kaffiyeh except your people,” came the voice of the captain of the Jibril Jibril ”Affirmative,” said Holy Office Security Commander Browning.

Feeling foolish and disgruntled, the Grand Inquisitor swept down the ramp and across the sandy commons. His mood was not lifted by the silly osmosis mask he had to wear, its circular boostirator slung over his shoulder like a loose medallion.

Father Farrell, Archbishop Robeson, Governor Palo, and a host of functionaries ran to keep up as Cardinal Mustafa strode by the kneeling security forms and, with an imperious wave of his hand, ordered a portal cut in the containment field. He pa.s.sed through over the protests of Commander Browning and the other forms in black armor who were scuttling to catch up.

”Where is the first of...” began the Grand Inquisitor as he bounced down the narrow alley opposite the commons. He still was not used to the light gravity here.

”Right around this corner...” panted the Archbishop.

”We should really wait for the outer fields to be...” said Governor Palo.

”Here,” said Father Farrell, pointing down the street onto which they had emerged.

The group of fifteen stopped so quickly that those aides and security people in the rear had to catch themselves before b.u.mping into the VIPs in front.

”Dear Lord,” whispered Archbishop Robeson and crossed himself. Through the clear osmosis mask, his face was visibly white.

”Christ!” muttered Governor Clare Palo. ”I've seen the holos and photos for two weeks, but...Christ.”

”Ahh,” said Father Farrell, taking a step closer to the first body.

The Grand Inquisitor joined him. He went to one knee in the red sand. The contorted form in the dirt looked as if someone had fas.h.i.+oned an abstract sculpture out of flesh, bone, and gristle. It would not have been recognizably human had it not been for the teeth gleaming in the wide-stretched mouth and one hand lying nearby in the s.h.i.+fting Martian dust.

After a moment the Grand Inquisitor said, ”Did scavengers do some or most of this? Carrion birds, perhaps? Rats?”

”Negative,” said Major Piet, the Governor's Pax Fleet groundforce commander. ”No birds on the Tharsis Plateau since the atmosphere started thinning two centuries ago. No rats...or any other moving thing...have been picked up by motion detectors since this happened.”

”The Shrike did this,” said the Grand Inquisitor. He did not sound convinced. He stood and moved to the second body. It might have been a woman. It looked as if it had been turned inside out and shredded. ”And this?”

”We think so.” said Governor Palo. ”The militia that found all this brought out the security camera which had that thirty-eight-second holo we've shown you.”

”That looked like a dozen Shrikes killing a dozen people,” said Father Farrell. ”It was hazy.”

”There was a sandstorm,” said Major Piet. ”And there was only one Shrike...we've studied the individual images. It simply moved through the crowd so quickly that it appeared to be multiple creatures.”

”Moved through the crowd,” murmured the Grand Inquisitor. He stepped over a third body that might have been a child or small female. ”Doing this.”

”Doing this,” said Governor Palo. She glanced at Archbishop Robeson, who had moved to a wall for support.

There were twenty to thirty bodies in this section of the street.

Father Farrell knelt and ran his gloved hand across the chest and into the chest cavity of the first cadaver. The flesh was frozen, as was the blood that fell in a black icefall. ”And there was no sign of the cruciform?” he said softly.

Governor Palo shook her head. ”Not in the two bodies the militia returned for resurrection. No sign of the cruciform whatsoever. If there had been any remnant at all...even a millimeter of node or bit of fiber in the brain stem or...”

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