Mission: Swords to Ploughshares, Day 6
Stardate: 2408.05.25

(Planet Tobias 5 - Temple of the Divine Three - PSA Director Marken
Bholl - Day 6 - 1515)

Marken Bholl strode briskly into the reception area of the Temple and
made a beeline for the grand spiral staircase at the far end of the
lobby.  "Excuse me, Director," called the receptionist after him, "do
you have an appointment?"  Bholl ignored the receptionist and headed
up the steps two at a time.  As he reached the first landing he saw
the receptionist hurry back to his desk and speak frantically into the
intercom.

By the time Bholl made it up to the top floor, where the Messenger's
suite was, word had reached those present of his arrival, and he was
intercepted by a Cardinal and two lesser priests.  "Good afternoon,
Director Bholl," said the Cardinal cordially.  "Do you have an
appointment for an audience with the Messenger?"

Bholl glared at the other man.  "You know full well I don't," he
snapped.  He opened his mouth to say something uncharitable, but
instead simply took a deep breath and took a mental step back.  ~The
man is only doing his duty,~ he told himself, willing himself to calm
down and bring his anger and frustration under control.  "I'm sorry,
your eminence.  Please forgive me, " he said, quite deferentially.
"I have a matter of urgent importance to discuss with the Messenger,
and I'm afraid it can't wait for the formality of scheduling an
appointment."

Cardinal Tomax Lemani smiled at the younger man and recalled his own
younger days, when all matters seemed urgent and required immediate
attention.  While Bholl was certainly not a young man, he was still
decades younger than Lemani, who was the senior member of the Council
of Cardinals and the Messenger's most trusted adviser.  "Of course.
Forgiveness is our business, after all," he replied with a chuckle.
"Perhaps if you tell me of your 'matter of urgent importance', I can
take your concerns to the Messenger and she will surely attempt to
address them with you as soon as her schedule permits."

Bholl sighed, realizing that he had no hope of forcing an immediate
audience without the cooperation of Lemani.  "Very well, Cardinal.
However, this is a highly sensitive matter," he said, with a glance at
the younger priests flanking them, "that is perhaps not something to
be discussed openly."

Lemani nodded sagely.  "Of course.  Jemail, Stomus, please resume your
duties," he said, and the two priests instantly hurried away to the
far end of the vast chamber.  "Perhaps you will feel comfortable
discussing your concerns now?" he asked genially.

After a borderline-paranoid glance around, to ensure there were no
other priests lurking about, Bholl turned back to the Cardinal.
"Cardinal, I have recently learned of the existence an artifact that
was entrusted to the care of the church some time ago, supposedly by
one of the Gods personally."  Bholl allowed himself a small smile at
the momentary look of shock that passed across the face of the older
man.  He paused to consider his words carefully.  "While I realize
that any benevolence bestowed upon us by the Gods is to be celebrated,
we must also consider the possibility that the visitor was not in fact
a God, which could make the artifact not a gift of love but a
nefarious device of evil intent, sent perhaps even by the Lord of the
Black himself.  I wish to volunteer my knowledge and expertise to
assist in determining the true nature of this artifact."

By the time Bholl finished, Lemani had managed to compose himself, but
his mind was still staggered by the fact that this man, of all people,
had learned of the artifact.  Very few in the church even knew of it.
"I see..." he said, stalling for time, as he mulled the possibilities.
He debated whether to say anything further, in case the man was
fishing for confirmation.  "If such an artifact did exist," he said
carefully, "and has been in our possession for 'some time', as you
say, would it not have revealed any such 'evil intent' by now?"

Bholl shrugged.  "Perhaps not.  Perhaps the time for its action has
not yet arrived.  But whether the artifact arrived yesterday, or a
thousand days ago, the threat, and the possibilities, are still the
same."

Lemani regarded the scientist thoughtfully.  "Very well.  If you will
wait here, I will speak to the Messenger."  The Cardinal then turned
and headed to the far end of the chamber, where he disappeared through
an ornate set of double doors.  After a few minutes, he re-emerged and
beckoned to Bholl.  "The Messenger will see you now," he said.

(Planet Tobias 5 - Temple of the Divine Three, Audience Chamber -
PSA Director Marken Bholl and Messenger Alora Temarch - Day 6 - 1530)

Bholl followed Lemani through the doors into the audience chamber.  He
had been in the room a few times before, but he never failed to be
awed by the grandeur and majesty, especially when compared with his
own drab office.  He smiled as he and the Cardinal approached the
Messenger, and waited for the formal announcement of his arrival and
introduction.

"Your grace, here is Director Marken Bholl, as requested," said Lemani
formally.

Alora stood up from her ornate desk, her skin held a sheen of polished
silver, and her bronze hair fell past her waist.  She stood at a mere
five feet two inches tall, but she made up for her youth and stature
with determination.  She nodded to the Cardinal, who bowed formally
then backed out of the room.  She looked down at her desk and ran a
finger across the cover of her personal copy of the "Chorus of the
Three".  She said a quick prayer under her breath before looking back
up at the director, "Please, take a seat Director, I'm told you have
been the victim of a very bad rumor.  I am however thankful that you
haven't spread them yourself, "  Alora said, sitting down in her
chair, and folding her hands on the desk in front of her, a small
smile on her face.

Bholl smiled cordially as he took the offered seat, though the smile
did not reach his eyes.  "Rumor, eh?  Interesting that the source of
the rumor -- a fairly high-up priest in your own heirarchy -- became
strangely silent after mentioning this so-called artifact, as though
he realized that he had said too much."  Bholl steepled his fingers
before his face and regarded them.  "But let us consider the
possibility that it is mere rumor.  Surely it will not harm us to
discuss the hypothetical existence of such a rumored artifact?  And to
discuss how best to ensure that it is in fact what we were told, and
not some trick of the Lord of Black."  Bholl had his doubts about
the existence of the Lord of Black as well, but it served as an
acceptable proxy for a more generic, undefined, extraplanetary threat
of ill intent.

"Well as this priest of yours, high up or not, was simply talking of
things he knew nothing about, I'm not sure why we are even having this
conversation.  However if you wish to talk hypotheticals, then please
explain to me how you would be better able to uncover a trick by the
Lord of Black than myself and my Clerics?  I hate to be the first to
tell you, but your science wouldn't help in that situation, such a
situation calls for faith, something you either lack, of let your ego
over shadow."  Alora said her eyes flashing as the director walked a
very fine line.  She would have to find out who had spoken out of
turn, the favor of the gods could not be sacrificed due to a loose
tongue.

Bholl raised an eyebrow but otherwise said nothing.  He dabbed at his
gold-tinted brow with his handkerchief as he considered a different
approach.  "Forgive me, your grace," he said eventually as he placed
his hands before him, palms up.  "I did not intend any disrespect.  I
merely believe that science and faith can and in fact must work
together in the face of any threat, either from the Lord of Black or
elsewhere.  They are complimentary, not contradictory, in nature."  As
much as it pained him to speak these words, he knew that he must not
allow Alora Temarch to view him as an adversary if he had any hope of
gaining access to the artifact.  "Only by working together can we have
the best chance of discovering the true nature of such a ...
hypothetical object."

Alora rose to her feet, a cold anger rising in her as well, "Be very
careful, Director, you walk a fine line.  No one, save myself and MY
Cardinals, dictate what the church must or must not do.  Science may
work with Faith, but the moment that Scientific method and goals
encourage and bring about blasphemy and slander against the Holy
Three, and their agents, the Lord of Black will have won dominion over
our souls.  It is my solemn duty to defend the heart and souls of the
people, and will not any one, let alone a man of who has made up for
his lack of faith with an over abundance of ego, jeopardize our place
as the Children of the Three," Alora said, her voice cold, quiet and
calm.  "Rest assured, Director Bholl, should the Church ever be
entrusted with an artifact of the Gods, you and your ilk will never
lay their faithless hands on it."  It wasn't a threat, just a simple
promise.  Alora had had people try to usurp her power before, she was
young, but she was not naive.  Her faith was her armor and weapon, and
any who stood against the church or the Gods would feel her wrath.

Bholl sighed in frustration.  "I had feared you might respond in this
way.  You accuse me of lacking faith, and of being close-minded, but
there are two sides to every coin.  Perhaps you should consider which
of us is truly being the more close-minded.  Good day."  And with
that, Bholl spun on his heel and strode angrily out of the room.

Alora watched the man walk away and through the ornate doors.  To say
she was angry would be like calling the ocean wet, somewhat of an
understatement.  She balled her fists and thought many uncharitable
thoughts, as she worked to regain her composure.  She could not risk
the director speaking of the artifact openly, but she could not move
without the help of her Clerics.

Lemani walked into the large room, and glanced at Alora, the paragon
of the faith.  She was beautiful, both physically and spirtitually.
The Church hadn't had a Messenger of Alora's determination in
generations, her faith was unyielding, and her youth gave her the
energy openly fight the enemies of the church.  He was afraid to meet
the flashing silver eyes of his leader, afraid to see her judge his
soul, afraid he might be found unworthy.  Staring at a spot somewhere
in front of her desk, he asked with a false confidence, "shall I call
a meeting of the Clerics?"

"Yes, immediately, and find out who let slip word of the holy artifact
to Director Bholl and deal with them.  I am not to be disturbed for
the next two hours, I must go pray for guidance," she said then turned
and walked to an alcove, pushing a hidden button and slipping, quietly
through a hidden panel, closing and securing it behind her.

(Reply none)
(Posted by Aaron and Patrick)

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(Planet Tobias V - Outside the Temple of the Divine Three - PSA Director
Marken Bholl - Day 6 - 1600)

Seething, Marken Bholl pulled his short wave radio out of his pocket and
consulted the card he always carried with him.  He ran his finger down
the list of frequencies until he found the one for the President's
office, then adjust the dial on the radio to that frequency and pressed
the signal button.  Shortly, the radio crackled to life with the voice
of the President's executive secretary.  << Good afternoon, Director
Bholl.  How can I help you? Over. >>

"Good afternoon, Henna," replied Bholl as he waved for a taxi.  "I
urgently need to speak with the President.  Is she available?  Over."

As Bholl waited for a reply, a taxi pulled up.  He waited patiently for
the couple inside to emerge, inwardly envying their platinum-hued skin,
before hopping into the back seat.  At that moment, the radio chirped
again.  << She is in a meeting at the moment but has an opening in
twenty minutes.  Shall I put you on her schedule?  Over. >>

Bholl smiled at the driver who was waiting rather impatiently for his
destination.  "Executive Tower.  There's an extra twenty in it for you
if you can get me there in ten minutes."

The driver nodded happily, then pulled out into traffic abruptly, tires
squealing on the pavement.  Once they were safely in the flow of
traffic, Bholl pressed the transmit button. "Thank you, Henna.  Please
do, I'll be there shortly.  Over and out."

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, Hexagonal Office - President Telgar
Sallah - Day 6 - 1611)

Telgar Sallah stood looking out of the window of her office. It was one
the lower floor of the triplex penthouse suite; her apartment which she
shared with her husband and teenage son occupied the upper two floors.
The view over the city of Bhenden was magnificent, and she never tired
of looking at it. Sadly she rarely had the time, but after the meeting
with the Regional Administrators she needed a few minutes to centre herself.

Henna Roos, her executive secretary (who had worked for Telgar since she
had been Assistant Regional Administrator for Lhassa Province), entered.

"Madam President, I have a change to your schedule. Director Bholl
requested an urgent meeting and is on his way over now. He'll be here
in," Henna consulted her watch, "Nine minutes."

Telgar's copper-coloured eyes, which stood out against the dark pewter
of her skin, narrowed slightly. "Thank you, Henna. Any idea what he
wants that's so urgent?"

Henna Roos shook her head. "No, he didn't say."

Telgar sighed, and tucked a strand of her shoulder-length platinum hair
behind her ear. "It's a good thing that you put the space programme
information in my brief last night. Are you psychic, Henna?" she asked
with a small smile as she sat down at her desk. "Never mind," she added.
Show the Director in as soon as he arrives. Oh and bring me a jug of hot
klahvol, I need something to wake me up after listening to all those
RAs. Was I ever such a besom in the clarts as they are?"

Henna smiled. "No, Madam President. Not that I recall."

Telgar nodded. "That's why I like you so much, Henna. You know all the
right answers," she said dryly. "Oh and you'd better bring two glasses
in case the Director wants some refreshment too."

As the door closed behind Henna, Telgar picked up a stylo and tapped it
against her teeth thoughtfully.

~What's on your mind that's so urgent, Marken?~ she wondered.

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, President's Outer Office - PSA
Director Marken Bholl - Day 6 - 1620)

Bholl walked into the Executive Suite after going through the requisite
security checks, and smiled at Henna Roos as he approached the desk
where she sat.  "Good afternoon Director.  Right on time, I see.  I'll
inform the President that you're here."

Bholl smiled.  "Thanks."  The secretary then went through the door into
the President's office, while Bholl walked over to a nearby piece of
art, which he regarded absently without actually seeing it.  After a few
moments, the door opened again and Henna emerged.  "The President will
see you now."

Nodding once, Bholl turned and strode confidently into the President's
office.

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, Hexagonal Office - President Telgar
Sallah and PSA Director Marken Bholl - Day 6 - 1621)

"Good afternoon, Director. Please take a seat," Telgar said pleasantly
to the scientist as he strode in. "May I offer you a glass of klahvol?"
She indicated the vacuum jug of hot liquid on the tray on her desk. She
herself had a half-finished glass of the green liquid beside her, and a
second, clean glass stood on the tray beside the jug.

Marken Bholl smiled.  "Thank you, Madam President," he said cordially as
he took the jug and poured himself a glass, then took a seat as indicated.

"What's so urgent?" the President asked with a half-smile. "You're not
going to tell me your landing on the moon found alien life after all,
are you?" she joked.

Marken chuckled.  "Actually, it's funny you should mention that.  I am
still going through all the reports and the photographs, but..."  He
glanced around just to make sure all the doors were sealed.  Lowering
his voice slightly and leaning forward, he continued.  "There are
indications that our mission was not the first to land on the moon."

The President just stared at the Director. Whatever she had expected, it
was certainly not that.

"And that's not all," added Marken.  "I have heard from a reliable
source that the Church was miraculously visited by an 'emissary of the
Gods' in recent years, and presented with a mysterious artefact to be
placed in the Church's hands for safe keeping."  He paused for a moment
before lowering his voice even further.  "In light of what we discovered
on the moon, I have reason to believe that this was no emissary of the
Gods, but rather an alien space traveler, and the artefact is in fact
some alien device.  If that is the case, we could all -- and I mean all
of us, everyone on the planet -- be in grave danger."

Sallah's eyes widened. Her first instinct was to laugh, but swiftly
following that was the realisation that Marken wouldn't request an
urgent meeting just to play a joke on her. "How -" her voice came out a
little crackly, and she cleared her throat. "How reliable is this
source? I have heard nothing of any 'emissary of the gods' or mysterious
artifacts!"

Marken nodded.  "Of course you wouldn't have.  My source is a priest
with whom I have been friends since we were children together, growing
up in the same neighborhood.  He has risen to a level of importance in
the Church.  We were sharing a few drinks the other day to celebrate the
moon landing, and he let slip something about it.  The fact that he
became very evasive about it when I asked him for more information makes
me believe that it is not supposed to be known outside the Church,
perhaps not even outside the upper echelons."

Eyes narrowing, Telgar nodded. "This wouldn't be the first time that
Messenger Temarch has kept information from the Hexagonal Office. Nor, I
suspect, from you, Director. So what, exactly, did you discover on the
moon that leads you to believe that an alien has visited us and -
supposing that to be true - that we are in danger?"

Marken reached into his pocket and pulled the photograph out of his
pocket.  He held it out to the President.  "This is a photo taken from
the lunar lander of the moonscape.  Look closely at the pattern
imprinted in the lunar dust on the left side.  That wasn't done by our
lander, but it sure isn't naturally occurring, either."

He leaned back as Sallah examined the picture.  "Now, if some sort of
alien spacecraft has landed on our moon, doesn't it stand to reason that
they could have also visited our planet, posing as an emissary of one of
our Gods?  And left behind some artefact of their highly advanced
technology?  There are any number of possibilities for what this
artefact could do, and many of them that I can think of are not good.
What if their goal is to kill us all and strip our planet of its natural
resources?  What if their goal is to enslave our minds to do their
bidding?"

Telgar regarded him in silence for a moment as she took in the
implications of the picture. "You may be right," she said finally. "It
just seems so....... fantastic. Like all those movies they're churning
out now. But if you are right....." she paused. "If you even *may* be
right, I have to consider the implications for everyone."

"I understand that my mind immediately leaped to the worst case
scenario," replied Marken with a shrug.  "My hope is that these aliens,
if indeed this is what they are, are benevolent and peaceful and only
wish to help us.  But I'm afraid we cannot take the chance that their
motives are good.  And we cannot blindly believe that we were simply
visited by an emissary of the Gods, and given a holy artefact for 'safe
keeping', when scientific evidence indicates that there is another
possibility.  But oh no, Alora Temarch wouldn't hear of it."

Marken leaned forward again.  "I went to visit her, you know.  To tell
her what I had found, to insist that I be allowed to examine this
artefact, to ensure that it is not in fact some weapon or other grave
threat to us.  But her close-minded zeal has blinded her to all but the
one explanation that fits with her dogma.  To consider another
possibility is heresy to her."  He sighed.  "I hope she's right.
Because if she's not..."  He let his voice trail off.

Telgar sighed. "To be honest I don't know which is worse. An emissary
from the gods or aliens." She wasn't sure she really believed in either,
but the photograph certainly seemed to show *something* and even if
Marken hadn't seen the artefact it presumably existed. On the other hand...

"Are you sure that this isn't just some elaborate hoax?" she asked.
"Remember the 'alien spacecraft' footage that turned out to be made in
someone's cellar? And the Lake Tcheen monster, that turned out to be the
inner-tubes of car tyres joined together on an underwater raft?"

Marken shook his head.  "I know for a fact this photograph is straight
from the lander. I followed the data trail myself.  And there's no way
anyone else from this planet could have launched a moon landing without
our knowing about it.  It's simply not possible.  Whatever this is in
the photograph, it is real.  Now, as to whether or not this artefact
actually exists... as I said, my evidence is admittedly hearsay and
would certainly not stand up in court.  But even the possibility of such
an artefact existing, and the implications thereof, are in my opinion to
great to simply ignore or brush aside.  That is why I saw Alora Temarch
earlier, and that is why I am here now."

The President steepled her fingers. Her head was beginning to ache with
the potential ramifications. "You were right to do so," she said slowly.
"But I think the first thing we need to do is ascertain the existence or
otherwise of this 'artefact'. If you were permitted to examine it, could
you tell if it were indeed of extraterrestrial origin?" Not, she
realised, that that would convince Alora Temarch that it wasn't a gift
of the gods. It would likely only convince her that she had indeed been
entrusted with a wondrous artefact.

Marken nodded.  "I believe so," replied the scientist.  "If it were made
of some kind of metallic alloy that is unknown to us, or it has some
technological component beyond our means, then that would be such
evidence.  I do have equipment and techniques that could be used to
thoroughly examine the artefact, even down to the molecular level.  But,
as you say, the first thing would be to determine that the artefact does
indeed exist, and then to get it into my posession... with, or without,
the approval or cooperation of the Church."

Telgar snorted. "You don't ask for much, do you. The University is still
seeking permission to carbon-date the Veil of Tresan, and have been for
the last ten years. All *they* want is a couple of threads. *You* want
the whole artefact."  She stood up and looked out of the window. So many
people, and she was responsible for all of them. At least until the next
election. "What is it you want from me?" she asked.

Marken grinned.  "Your help.  There are two approaches I can think of.
One is the diplomatic approach, which is something you would be better
suited for than I.  The other is the more clandestine approach, to which
your Secret Service is uniquely qualified, I would say."

Telgar turned at that, and gave Marken a twisted smile. "That would be
the secret service that does not, of course, exist. Yes, I think you are
right. It is time that the Messenger learned that the day of religion
dominating our every belief and law has gone. It is not she that rules
this planet but the Council of Representatives and me. However, I will
try diplomacy first. Many of the people are still loyal to the old
beliefs." ~Too many~ she thought. "If that fails... we will try the
other alternative."

"Sounds like an excellent plan, Madam President," said Marken.  "I look
forward to hearing the results of your efforts."

Telgar nodded. "I'll let you know," she said. "Thank you for bringing
this to my attention, Marken. Although thank you seems an odd phrase for
being handed a ticking bomb."

Marken smirked.  "Let's hope your analogy does not prove to be
particularly apt," he said as he rose from his seat.  "Have a pleasant
afternoon, and thank you again for seeing me on such short notice."

Telgar inclined her head graciously. "You too, Director."

She waited until he had left her office and had time to leave the outer
office too. Then she pressed the buzzer on her desk that would summon Henna.

"Yes, Madam President?"

"Please inform Messenger Temarch that she has an appointment with me
tomorrow morning at 9 am. Once you have done that, inform Commander
Vaylen that he has an appointment with me this afternoon at 1800. I have
a job for the Information Service. Oh, and inform my husband and son
that I will be late home."

"Yes, Madam President."

Henna left the Hexagonal Office and Telgar turned back to look out of
the window.

(Reply Vaylen, Temarch, any)
(Posted by Aaron Scifres and Liz Geuken)

----------

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, President's Outer Office- Commander Tobin
Vaylen- Day 6 - 1755)

Commander Tobin Vaylen, decorated war hero, expert in espionage and covert
operations, was not new to these offices. He had visited them on several
occasions. His current base of operations, his office five floors down in this
very building were decorated by the awards, medals and certificates that three
Presidents had bestowed upon him for his role in absolutely nothing that he
could discuss with anyone.

Tobin was, officially, nothing more than a low-level clerk, working for a
third rate assistant deputy minister of something equally useless. His day,
should it be noticed and observed, consisted of mindless data entry and
churning out bureaucratic reports that were in fact never sent to anyone. He
had no girlfriend, no pets, no hobbies other than reading books and buying
clothes that were at least two-years out of style, yet to see him you would
never guess that he was one of the most knowledgeable men in the world, with
access to information that only a handful of people in the entire world could
view.

When he was summoned to the president's office, as he was on occasion, he
never took the direct route, instead, he always used the private elevator that
was reserved for such things.

He arrived dressed plainly, in a pair of slacks that were a little too short
for his 5-foot 9-inch height, a white vertical striped button-up collared
shirt and his clip on neck tie, which clashed terribly with the rest of his
attire.

He wore eyeglasses, although he did not need them, filled with clear glass
lenses and kept his hair parted to the left. He wore white socks with his
black loafers. He was always pleased when people made some off-color comment
about the geek or his attire, that meant that they were doing exactly what he
wanted them to do- underestimate him.

But in the presence of the president, any awkwardness that he normally
portrayed, flew out the door. There he stood up straight and took on an air of
confidence that he didn't dare show anywhere else. Here he was his true-self
an man that could kill you with twenty different items in a common room.
Elsewhere he was a clerk with low self-esteem and hardly noticeable.

As was always the case, Vaylen was smiling when he exited the elevator and
entered the president's outer office. He would by-pass all the security
measures as was normal, since he had helped develop them, and could not afford
to be seen even by the president's security officers.

He smiled as he noticed Henna sitting at her desk smiling up at him. She and
the President were only two people among a very select few who actually knew
who he was. Even the members of his own organization thought him just another
clerk, when, in fact, he was their director.

"Good Evening Henna,  You look as lovely as ever." he said smiling to her," is
the president ready to see me immediately or shall I wait?"

"Thank you commander." she replied smiling, "Right on time, I see.  I'll
inform the President that you're here."

Tobin smiled and nodded and took a look around the room while he waited for
the president to see him.

After a few moments, the door opened to the president's office opened for a
second time and Henna emerged.  "The President will see you now."

Tobin smiled, nodded and moved across the room and into the president's
office.

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, Hexagonal Office- Commander Tobin Vaylen-
Day 6 - 1800)

At exactly 1800 hours the door to the office closed and Tobin Vaylen was alone
with the most powerful woman in the world.

He strode confidently across the floor until he reached  the area where she
kept the chairs for her important guests, where he stopped. She was looking
out of the windows at the city below.

This one fact told Tobin, that whatever it was that was bothering the
President was extremely troubling. He stood silently waiting for her to speak
first, knowing that when she was ready that she would begin the meeting.

(reply President Telgar Sallah)
(posted by Daniel Greene)

----------

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, Hexagonal Office- President Telgar
Sallah - Day 6 - 1801)

Telgar heard the door close, and knew that Vaylen was in the room, even
though she hadn't heard him enter.

"I need some information, Commander," she said without turning around.
"Unusual information."

She turned around and regarded him for a moment.

"I have heard rumours that the Church of the Three has an... artefact
which it acquired a few years ago, very possibly during the incumbency
of the previous Messenger, allegedly from an Emissary of the Gods. I
need to know three things. One, does such an artefact exist; two, if so,
what exactly it is and when and how it appeared; and three, is it
possible to gain access to it. Note, I do not wish you to gain access to
it... yet."

For a brief moment, she wondered if Vaylen knew of her personal lack of
belief in the gods. ~Of course he does. It's his job to know everything.~

It was a secret she guarded very jealously. If it became known her
position would be tenuous at best, and so she was meticulous in her
observance of all the forms of the religion.  Belief in the gods and in
Alora Temarch as their Messenger was absolute for most of the
population. The wonder was that they didn't live in a theocracy,
although Telgar considered that to all intents and purposes they might
as well. And yet the Church was, whilst retaining a seat on the Council,
officially non-political. She could not accuse Alora Temarch of
interfering in secular affairs, certainly not overtly.

(Reply Vaylen)
(Posted by Liz)

----------

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, Hexagonal Office- Commander Tobin Vaylen-
Day 6 - 1802)

"I need some information, Commander," she said without turning around.
"Unusual information."

"Of course Madame President, What is it that you would like to know?"

"I have heard rumors that the Church of the Three has an... artifact which it
acquired a few years ago, very possibly during the incumbency of the previous
Messenger, allegedly from an Emissary of the Gods. I need to know three
things. One, does such an artifact exist; two, if so, what exactly it is and
when and how it appeared; and three, is it possible to gain access to it.
Note, I do not wish you to gain access to it... yet."

"Madame, President, with all due respect if I answer these questions for you,
there will be no accountable deniability if the Church of the Holy Three
should call forth an inquisition against you. The Church has after all, called
inquisitions for much less infractions."

He took a step closer to her, "I am here to protect you as much as serve you.
If you really want to know the answer, I will of course provide it, but I will
not be able to protect you if things should go poorly in this matter. It is my
opinion that Alora is a zealot,  and despite the fact that we have seen no
evidence of significant power plays by her, there is no telling whether
involvement in this incident  may push her into a dangerous position, where
she may react with righteous anger rather than have any of this information
pass into your hands." he warned.

(reply President Telgar Sallah)

"Very well," he replied. "I knew this day would come, it was only a matter of
time before word of it reached you, so let me disclose what I know to you
completely."

Vaylen stepped forward and pressed a button inset in the table. The reel to
reel tape that recorded every conversation in the president's office for
posterity had now been switched off.

He took a deep breath and slid his slightly copper colored hair out of his
face. He removed his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment
before continuing.

"Madame president, four years ago this world was visited by an individual
claiming to be an emissary of the gods. This being was clearly not of Tobian
descent, indeed, we do not know of what descent he originated. What we do know
is that one of our ground bases performing lunar visual studies observed
something unusual. Some sort of unidentified object was seen landing on our
moon and was later tracked We know that that source was tracked to the surface
of the our moon and that later was tracked to a location roughly twenty Mosas
from here."

"By the time that we arrived, the visitor was long gone, but there was
evidence that he had been here. We took a number of photographs of the
suspected landing site and took samples of everything in the area. We
determined a few things from this forensics evidence. First that there was an
incredibly powerful although unidentified power source in use there at a
recent point in the past. It was the only explanation that we could come to
since there was no physical disturbance of the local area by rockets or jets.
Nor was there any radiation. Secondly that we know the exact dimensions of the
device that arrived there, which we believe to have been a very advanced
spacecraft of unknown origins and that someone met with this visitor while
they were here."

"Since then, I have directed several assets at my disposal to getting to the
bottom of this mystery. We even covertly arranged for the landing site of our
first lunar lander. The photographs taken there confirm that the depressions
we found match those at the landing site three years ago. They are exact."

"A few years ago we put into place a detailed plan to turn certain members of
the Church who were less than pure into information courses for the service.
The hope was to finally establish some in-roads that could be used for
intelligence gathering within the church hierarchy. This was relatively
successful, and we have managed to turn one very valuable member of the faith
as well as several dozen lesser ones, to our needs. Through the course of
their employment with us, we have managed to collect a series of informational
tidbits that point definitively to the existence of such an artifact."

"What little information we have is very difficult to piece together, but we
do know a few key facts. We know where the device is located. We know what the
device looks like from a singular description that we received from a source
and we know that it's whereabouts are known to only a very few individuals. We
do not know what it does if anything."

"If we were to acquire it, it would be a difficult operation, but one that has
been in planning for the last two years. If we move to acquire this artifact,
we will be in direct opposition to the Church. We will lose a very valuable
intelligence asset within her upper echelons and your position and life could
be at great risk. If you want this artifact acquired, I believe it can be
done, but at great expense in both monies and lives because of it's
complexity. There is simply no way to know how members of the church would
react to our actions in this matter."

"As for the source of the device's origins. We know almost nothing. We know
only that it is rumored that the visitor wore sun shades to protect it's eyes
from the sun."

(reply President Telgar Sallah)
(posted by Daniel Greene)

----------

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, Hexagonal Office - President Telgar
Sallah - Day 6 - 1803)

"I am here to protect you as much as serve you," Vaylen said. "If you
really want to know the answer, I will of course provide it, but I will
not be able to protect you if things should go poorly in this matter. It
is my opinion that Alora is a zealot,  and despite the fact that we have
seen no evidence of significant power plays by her, there is no telling
whether involvement in this incident  may push her into a dangerous
position, where she may react with righteous anger rather than have any
of this information pass into your hands."

"Thank you for your advice, Commander, but I still wish you to answer my
questions," the President said calmly, sitting behind her desk.

Before doing so, Vaylen turned off the recording device in the Hexagonal
Office. Then he told her what he knew.

The extent of it astounded Telgar, and she listened in silence, though
not without a frown gathering on her forehead.

Vaylen told her that he knew, beyond doubt, that their world had been
visited four years ago by someone who claimed to be an emissary of the
gods. He added that traces had been found at the supposed landing site
which corresponded exactly with those found on the moon by Bholl's
mission. He went on to say that his department had suborned certain
members of the Church of the Three, from whom they had ascertained
information which seemed to confirm the existence of an artefact which
allegedly had been entrusted by the emissary to the Church for
safe-keeping. He added that they also knew the location of the device
and had a rough description of it, but that was the extent of their
knowledge.

"If we were to acquire it, it would be a difficult operation, but one
that has been in planning for the last two years. If we move to acquire
this artefact, we will be in direct opposition to the Church. We will
lose a very valuable intelligence asset within her upper echelons and
your position and life could be at great risk. If you want this artefact
acquired, I believe it can be done, but at great expense in both monies
and lives because of it's complexity. There is simply no way to know how
members of the church would react to our actions in this matter," Vaylen
stated. "As for the source of the device's origins. We know almost
nothing. We know only that it is rumoured that the visitor wore sun
shades to protect it's eyes from the sun."

He stopped speaking and Telgar remained silent for a moment. Many
thoughts were competing in her mind for expression, and eventually she
spoke.

"I do not wish at this time to act in direct opposition to the Church of
the Three," she said. "Messenger Temarch will be meeting with me
tomorrow and I hope that fact that the existence of the artefact has
become known despite her best efforts to keep the matter a Church one
will persuade her to be open with me."

She was not as convinced as she sounded that that would be the case, but
even the President of Tobias V was not sure that in a head to head
confrontation between Church and State that the State would win. The
Church was very popular with the mass of the population, and rightly so
for the good works they did. Even Sallah was prepared to acknowledge
that, and even to be grateful for it despite her own scepticism as to
the existence of the gods. So she preferred to try the open approach
first, hoping to take Alora sufficiently by surprise that she would
agree to let Marken examine the object.

"Should I fail in that, I will reconsider but I do not wish you to do
anything about it now."

Telgar looked at Vaylen closely. "However, Commander, I do have one more
question for you. On what grounds did you keep this information secret
from the elected President of the people?"

(Reply Vaylen)
(Posted by Liz)

----------

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, Hexagonal Office- Commander Tobin Vaylen-
Day 6 - 1804)

After a few moments of silence, the president finally replied.

"I do not wish at this time to act in direct opposition to the Church of the
Three," she said. "Messenger Temarch will be meeting with me tomorrow and I
hope that fact that the existence of the artifact has become known despite her
best efforts to keep the matter a Church one will persuade her to be open with
me."

"Should I fail in that, I will reconsider but I do not wish you to do anything
about it now."

Vaylen nodded indicating that he understood.

Telgar looked at Vaylen closely. "However, Commander, I do have one more
question for you. On what grounds did you keep this information secret from
the elected President of the people?"

"Nothing short of a presidential order Madam President. Your predecessor,
president Daleen, was a stout supporter of the church. When he was informed of
this issue he ordered that the information be kept under wraps and that it not
be given, even to future presidents unless that president asked."

He tipped his head. "I have kept to the letter of that Presidential Order
madam president, as I believed it was the right thing to do. I think that
president Daleen was worried that the presidents that followed him might try
to use the knowledge to create a confrontation between the church and the
state. At the time there were already secret rumblings about limiting the
powers of the church. And I believe that it was his belief that if proponents
of such measures were to become aware of this artifacts existence, that they
may cause significant problems within our society."

"I make no excuses for my actions." he added.

(reply Sallah)
(posted by Daniel Greene)

----------

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, Hexagonal Office - President Telgar
Sallah - Day 6 - 1807)

Vaylen told Telgar that he had not informed her of the artefact nor the
possible alien landing on Tobias V because he had been ordered to keep
silent on the subject by the former President, Daleen. Daleen, a devout
follower of the Divine Three and a staunch supporter of the Church, had
feared the knowledge might be used to create a rift between Church and
State, and had issued the Presidential Order in an attempt to prevent
that happening.

It seemed to Telgar that Daleen had been a short-sighted man. Nothing
was more likely to create rifts and misunderstandings than secrets of
this magnitude. And whilst she would very much like to limit the power
of the Church she was also a pragmatist and knew it wouldn't be
accomplished overnight, and certainly not by charging in like a bull in
a china shop.

She looked at Vaylen.  "No excuses needed, Commander. However, I would
like to know if there is anything else being kept from me? Consider it a
Presidential Order to reveal it, if there is," she added with a
humourless smile. She understood why he had followed the Order of her
predecessor but thought it was invidious that it should have been made
in the first place.

(reply Vaylen)
(Posted by Liz)

----------

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, Hexagonal Office- Commander Tobin Vaylen-
Day 6 - 1808)

"I make no excuses for my actions." he added.

She looked at Vaylen.  "No excuses needed, Commander. However, I would like to
know if there is anything else being kept from me? Consider it a Presidential
Order to reveal it, if there is," she added with a humorless smile.

"There are a few other matters, Madame president, concerning connections
between the Information service and some of the more heretical sects of the
church. We have been in discussions with certain members of various sects for
a couple of years. Our work has been to aid them in remaining beneath the
notice of the church. In this manner we have assisted them in avoiding
prosecution from the Church authorities and garnered some very useful allies."

"This friendship is directly related to the plans in place to acquire the
artifact. Key members of these sects have been given training and military
service, including infiltration training. We have made it very clear that
there would be no militant use of the skills that we have taught them, and
thus far, we have had no problems."

"We monitor all the various members of the sects in question very closely
although we have several established layers between those assets and our own
government."

"There are a few other things, perhaps. I shall put together an intelligence
brief for you  Madam President."

(reply Sallah)
(posted by Daniel Greene)

----------

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, Hexagonal Office - President Telgar
Sallah - Day 6 - 1810)

"There are a few other things, perhaps. I shall put together an
intelligence brief for you  Madam President."

"Thank you, Commander, I would appreciate that," the President said, a
little irony in her tone. Before she'd been elected President - in fact,
until today - Telgar had believed that the President was kept fully
informed of everything. Now she was beginning to wonder what else she
hadn't been told. ~Before long I'll be seeing plots and conspiracies at
every turn~ she thought grimly. "That is all for now then, Commander. I
will expect a full brief to be delivered to me by nine o'clock tomorrow
morning."

(reply Vaylen)

When the head of her Intelligence Service had left, Telgar put her head
in her hands. ~What in the name of all the gods is going on on here? Who
else is keeping something from me? Henna? Delenn? Marken Bholl at least
seems open enough. Alora Temarch is another question. Where her Church
is concerned she's as tight as a cloyster-fish.~

She opened the notebook in which she was keeping notes of her time in
office. There would of course come a time when she wasn't in office and
then these notes would form the basis of what she hoped would be a
lucrative best-seller. ~Enough to endow a science Academy perhaps~ she
thought as she began to transcribe her meetings with Bholl and Vaylen.

----------

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, Hexagonal Office - Commander Vaylen - Day
6 - 1814)

"Thank you, Commander, I would appreciate that," the President said, a little
waspish bite to her voice. "That is all for now then, Commander. I will expect
a full brief to be delivered to me by nine o'clock tomorrow morning."

"I will see to it personally, Madame president. And as requested, I will
prepare but not initiate any missions concerning the procurement of the
artifact. Should you change your mind in the matter, simply let me know and I
will tend to it immediately."

The commander of the Information Services turned and left the office of the
president. He smiled at her personal assistant as he headed for the elevator
that led down to his office.

~I guess for once I called the ball wrong.~ he thought as he rode down in
silence.

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, Information Services Office - Commander
Vaylen - Day 6 - 1819)

Vaylen walked through the empty foyer of the clerical department of the
Information Services Offices. The offices were quiet, as the clerks and
analysts had long ago left for the night.

He stopped and fished a key ring holding three keys from his pocket and used
each of them to unlock a different lock.

Once he had unlocked the door he stepped over the threshold and  into the
office. A quick glance across room told him that everything was exactly as he
had left it.

He took several long thorough minutes to sweep the room with a hand-held radio
wave detector the size of a small briefcase. Finding nothing, he smiled and
went to a drawer in a non-descript filing cabinet.

There, he unlocked the lowest drawer and pulled it open. Inside was a
cardboard box, which he removed and carried over to his desk.

There he sat down in his heavy leather chair and opened his desk drawer. He
pulled out a small crystal tumbler and a bottle of Whiskey.

He poured himself two fingers of whiskey. recapped the bottle and drowned the
contents of the glass. He then replaced the bottle in the drawer and pushed it
closed.

He sat for a few minutes looking at the box, wondering if he should open it at
all. He nodded to himself and finally decided that he should.

He took a deep breath, and opened the flaps of the box. With a smooth movement
he removed the newspaper wrapped contents and sat it on his desk. A moment
later he had carefully stripped away the wrappings and left them piled neatly
on the corner of the desk.

Before him, on his desk, sat a very accurate replica of the artifact held deep
in the vaults of the central temple.

The replica was constructed as a result of four years and 2,000 photographs.
The source that had been persuaded to provide the information had been
provided with a miniature camera, which in turn had been used to photograph
the artifact from every conceiveable angle.

A model had been built from a material that was visually and magnetically
indistinguishable from the original. It had been specially treated to make it
appear ancient and it was an incredibly accurate model.

Whenever Vaylen would look at it, he could imagine a piece of himself making
contact with that mysterious alien visitor. As if there was a strange kinship
bourne out of the simple act of touching the artifact or it's replica.

It had always been his intention to swap the replica that sat before him on
his desk with the real thing. Plans had been made, pieces on the espionage
chessboard moved and gambits arranged.

Now he had to put it all on hold. Despite his personal feelings, the President
no longer had deniability and she was a good woman. Vaylen couldn't possibly
betray her.

He rewrapped the device in the newsprint and replaced it in his cardboard box.
He then picked up the box and secured it. This time, however, he locked in a
safe alongside rather than return it to the filing cabinet.

He needed to call off a few operations before things went too far.

He picked up the receiver of the phone, and unscrewed it. He checked both the
earpiece and the mouth piece for unwanted electronics. He had long agao
removed the plastic covering from the body and so could see all the internal
workings of the rotary device.

Satisfied, he reassembled the handset and dialed a short three digit number on
the dial.

//Switchboard// a voice answered.

"Connect me to Century City 4561" he replied.

//One moment.//

There were a series of clicks on the line as the switchboard operator made the
connections. then there was a distant ringing sound at the other end of the
line.

The phone rang three times before it was answered. The man on the other end
was twice removed from Vaylen, although he thought that the man who acted as
the face man between them and Vaylen were one and the same.

//Hello//

"Hello Brother Arbith" he said, using the prearranged code to authenticate who
he was.

//Hello Brother Casgan// came the reply; it was a response to the encoded
challenge that Vaylen had just used. That meant that both men were who they
claimed to be and that neither was under duress.

"There has been an unexpected change in our plans for the pilgrimage brother."
Vaylen said, "it seems my mother would like me to wait a while and help her
around the house. We'll need to reschedule."

There was a grunt on the end of the line as the man acknowledged his coded
message. //Do we know when would be a good time to undertake the pilgrimage?//
he asked.

"Not yet, there is quite a bit of work to be done here, but I suspect we will
be able to go soon. please call the others and tell them that we will meet the
priests at another time. Send word to your father that we will reschedule as
soon as possible. Tell him not to worry, we will go soon." vaylen instructed.

//I understand. I look forward to your call soon, Brother.//

"I look forward to calling you soon. May the three watch over and guide you."

//And you as well.//

There was a click as the line was disconnected.

Vaylen hung up the receiver and started putting together the classified
documents and the briefing notes that  he would take to the President's Office
in the morning. She had asked for complete disclosure, and so that is what she
would get. Vaylen suspected that she would be slightly outraged by the
preparations he had made, but would later realize how important they had been.
he just hoped that he had a job and was alive when it was all over.

(reply none)
(posted by Daniel Greene)

----------

(Planet Tobias 5 - Temple of the Divine Three - Messenger Alora Temarch -
1800)

Prayer always calmed her nerves, brought peace to her thoughts.  Many
people said that Alora was a cold person, that she ran the church
without feeling or care for the world around her, those people were
wrong.  Alora was far from cold, her faith burned inside of her.  She
cared deeply for the people of the world, their plights and their
pains were hers as well.  The church sponsored good works across the
globe.  The Order of Saint Tem alone ran hundreds of hospitals
offering free medicine to those in need, the Percarian Order operated
schools in troubled areas were others feared to go, their faith their
only armor against the violence that plagued some of those areas.
Alora knew, however, how her faith made her appear, how her single
mindedness made her less friendly, especially following in the wake of
the Previous Messengers very grandfatherly attitude towards the
people, but those people who thought less of her didn't know her,
didn't know how much she loved, how much she sacrificed for her faith.

She left the chamber that held the artifact and secured the heavy
doors behind her, triple checking the locks and security devices,
nodding to the two high priests who stood watch, their faith nearly as
deep as hers.  She made her way back through her office then out into
the main area of worship, few minor initiates and priests mixed with
the spattering of citizens that were in the temple at that hour.  All
bowed deeply to her as she moved through the large area.  A young
woman wept at the feet of a Statue of Yeltendy, her brass colored skin
streaked with tears.

It was only those who did not know Alora that said she had no heart.

Alora stopped next to the woman and looked down, she was young,
younger than Alora by about a decade at most, somewhere in the mid
twenties.  "Child," Alora said softly, placing her hand on the woman's
shaking shoulders, only managing to startle her.  "What brings such
tears to your eyes?"

The young woman looked up at Alora, shock written on her face, cause
no doubt by The Messenger's presence, but the shock wore off quickly
and she answered.  "My daughter," the woman said, "she's sick, you
Grace.  They just moved her here from the Temtar city Children's
hospital.  They tell me she might not make it to six months.  I...I
just didn't..." the woman started to say before breaking back into
silent tears once again.

"You show your faith in the Three by beseeching their help here, but
do not loose faith in the doctors that care for your daughter.  Just
as I was placed here by the Gods to care for your spirit, those
doctors were also placed here by the gods to care for the body.
However we will pray together, so that Yeltendy might hear our voices
better," Alora said, resting her hand on the woman's head.  "What is
your daughter's name?"

"Savaya, Your Grace.  Oh thank you so much."  The woman said.

Alora hushed the woman, "Do not thank me, I am merely the Messenger of
the God's will," Alora said before closing her eyes.  "God of the
Mountains and Oceans, we call to you this day and ask your grace be
bestowed upon the Child Savaya.  Her fragile and innocent life hangs
in the balance.  She is new to this world and we ask that she be given
the chance to fully experience the wonder that the Three have given
us, here.  Please, as you care for your children, take special care of
Savaya, and grant her Doctors the strength and wisdom to preserve her
new formed life."  Alora said.  She prayed with the Mother for another
15 minutes, leading her through the Children's Prayer, as well as a
Prayer to Saint Tem for his assistance.

When she stood up, even her eyes were wet with tears.  The woman
thanked her as she left her.  She turned to see Cardinal Lemani
standing a respectful distance away with another Priest.  As Alora
moved towards Lemani, the Priest bowed quickly to her then moved to
the mother's side.

"We heard you talking with the Mother, Orman will pray with her as
long as the Mother needs, and will take her back to the hospital when
she is ready."  Lemani said as the two walked towards the side of the
temple.  "You should also know, that the President's office called,
and I quote, you have a meeting with the President tomorrow at 9am.
Should I schedule your meeting with the Clerics for 9am tomorrow?"
Lemani asked with a slight smile.

Alora had to fight down the urge to cruse the president.  "How dare
she try and dictate my schedule.  Inform her office, that if she
wishes my advice, she can request a meeting, but she does not get to
dictate when and where I will be," Alora whispered.  "Yes, schedule
the Clerics meeting for tomorrow morning an inform the President's
office that I can see her at 1300 hours, or not at all for the next
few days,"  She glared anywhere but at Lemani's face, he was too kind
to her to deserve even the extra rage fueled by those who tried her
patience.  He was a good man, not much older than she was, and he
looked out for her best interests with a passion.  After a few moments
of calming down, she looked back at Lemani, patient as ever.  "I'm
going to go back to the Residence for the evening, if you need me, you
can find me there."

Lemani simply smiled and bowed, "Have a good evening and pleasant
dreams, Your Grace," He said quietly as he opened the door to the
passage that lead from the temple to the garden out back which
connected the Temple to her Residence.

"And to you as well, Tomax.  You do sleep, don't you?"  Alora asked
with a smile as she moved through the door.

"When the mood strikes me your Grace, good night."  He said as he
secured the door behind her.

----------

(Planet Tobias 5 - Messenger's Residence - Messenger Alora Temarch - 1845)

Alora secured the door behind her and turned on the lights.  Her house
was old and large, too large for her tastes.  Most Messengers weren't
elected until their fifties and consequently had families to consider
when moving into the Residence, but Alora had been elected at the age
of Thirty two.  She had been a priest at the age of twenty, and her
zeal had her elevated to Cleric at the age of twenty seven.  The
former Messenger had taken her under his wing, and she'd served as the
Cleric in charge of the Temple of the Divine Three, never far from the
Elderly man's side.  He'd made it clear to his council that Alora was
placed in the world with a special purpose, and had made it clear that
he felt she would be his successor.  Apparently the Council had
believed him, and Alora had been elected as the youngest Messenger in
known history.  Her exceedingly fast rise through the ranks, however,
had left her very little time for a personal life, and part of her
regretted it.  Her only family were her parents and older brother,
whom she rarely saw.  Her advisers would talk of their children, or in
the case of some of the older Priests and Clerics, their
grandchildren.  Her personal secretary's wife had given birth to twins
six months ago.

A fire had been laid in the fireplace in the living room, and she
quietly lit it, before looking at the picture of her brother on the
mantle.  He was a colonel in the military, stationed half way around
the globe.  She sighed and walked away from the mantle as the room
filled with the dancing of fire light.  She undid the braid she kept
her bronze hair in, running her fingers through it as she let it fall
loose around her shoulders.  She whistled a short rising note as she
moved across the room, and was rewarded with the sound of tiny claws
clicking on the stone stairs.  "There you are Grin, did I catch you
napping?" she asked as the small furry mammal entered the room and
would around her ankles, mewling at her in response.

She sat down on the sofa, Grin settling in beside her, and pulled a
paperback book out of the drawer in the end table.  A pulp mystery, it
was a guilty pleasure, one she'd had since school.  She was sure it
would raise eyebrows if someone found out that the Messenger liked
reading the stories of the private investigator Yellan Ramach, but she
had yet to find a piece of scripture that said the only book the
Messenger was allowed with the Word of the Three, and until she found
that passage, she'd keep reading.

(Reply None necessary)
(Posted by Patrick D.)

----------

(Planet Tobias V - Executive Tower, Hexagonal Office - President Telgar Sallah
- Day 6 - 1900)

Telgar had finished making her notes of the meeting with Vaylen and had locked
the notebook away in her safe. She picked up the pile of folders containing
the briefs she had to read that evening and placed them in her briefcase and
was about to leave when the door to her office opened and her personal
assistant, Henna, appeared.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Madam President, but I have just received a
communication from the Messenger's Office."

Henna looked at little flustered, and Telgar raised an eyebrow.

"Yes?" was all she said.

"The Messenger regrets but a prior engagement precludes her from meeting with
you at 0900. She can, however, meet with you at 1300, if that would be
convenient." Henna looked anywhere but at Telgar as she spoke.

Telgar sighed. Not only did she know Henna well, but the message did not sound
as though Alora had phrased it.

"What did they really say?" she asked. "You might as well tell me; if you
don't, I'm sure Messenger Temarch will."

Henna looked irresolute for a moment, and then said quietly, "The exact words
were: tell the President that if she wishes the advice of the Messenger, she
can request a meeting but she does not get to dictate when and where the
Messenger will be. The Messenger will either see the President at 1300 hours
or not at all for the next few days."

Telgar's eyes flashed with anger and for a moment she was so incandescent with
rage that she couldn't speak. ~How *dare* she!~ "You can tell the Messenger
with my compliments that it is not -"

She broke off, her better judgement having asserted itself. "- a problem and
that 1300 is not convenient for me. I regret she has not the time to discuss a
matter of religious as well as planetary importance but I understand her wish
to remain removed from matters of state. Unfortunately since the matter is
somewhat urgent I will therefore reluctantly have to forgo seeking her advice
and act in whatever way is revealed to me by the Divine Three, whose advice I
will seek tonight. Once you have sent that message, order my car for 1930 to
take me to the Temple in time for the evening service. I will let my husband
and son know now."

Henna looked worried, but knew better than to argue when the President was in
such a mood. "Yes, Madam President," she said.

(Reply any, none)
(Posted by Liz)

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(Tobias V - Temple of the Divine Three - President Telgar Sallah - Day 6
- 2030)

It would be inaccurate to say that the President never missed a service,
but she was meticulous about attending every Third-day - the day of the
week set aside for devotions. Today was not a Third-day but Telgar made
a habit of attending the odd service on other days of the week. No one
would have cause to doubt her devotion to the gods through any remission
on her part.

She knew she was a hypocrite, though. She had no devotion and no belief,
not since she had watched her mother - a truly devout woman - die slowly
and painfully despite all the prayers of herself and her family for
relief. Not a cure - she had never asked for that (although 13 year old
Telgar had) - but for a merciful release from the pain and a quick
death. That hadn't happened; her mother had wasted away bit by bit for
long months, her body racked with pain that not even the strongest drugs
available could entirely dull. Telgar had to admit that the priests had
been nothing but supportive, alongside the medical profession, even to
the point of agreeing that a lethal dosage of painkillers was not only
merciful but desirable. So her mother had eventually died, as much
poisoned by the drugs given to relieve her pain as killed by the disease
itself. But the gods - the gods had done *nothing* and for that, Telgar
could not forgive them. Nor could she bring herself to believe in them
any more. Her mother hadn't asked for a miracle, only for a swift and
merciful death. And if the gods existed at all, they had ignored her.
Yet the Church claimed that the gods cared about the people and would
answer their prayers; but the gods had remained deaf and blind to the
pleas not only of Telgar and her family, but the priests who had prayed
with them too. So, to the teenage Telgar, that was proof that the gods
didn't exist and she'd seen nothing since to convince her otherwise.

Above all, Telgar was a pragmatist. Even as a teenager she had not
wanted to advertise her scepticism - she'd seen what had happened to the
boy in the year above her at school who had openly declared his
unbelief. He had been shunned by the majority of his fellow-students -
more, Telgar suspected, out of a wish not to be associated with his
unbelief than out of malice. A few of the more missionary-minded
students had attempted to bring him back to the fold (an apt phrase,
Telgar felt, since to her most believers were like the herd-beasts that
bleated and followed the leader blindly, even off the face of a cliff)
but they had not succeeded. She'd walked past the table in the refectory
at school where he sat alone, shunned by the others, and caught his
eyes. He'd seemed to look right into her and she knew from the way he
gave her a small, sympathetic smile that he knew that she shared his
opinion of the gods. She'd looked away, scared to be ostracised along
with him, and when she'd looked back, wondering if she could scrape up
the courage to join him, he'd shrugged and looked back down at his tray.
The moment had gone and she'd moved on to take a seat at another table.

Later, when she knew that she wanted a career in politics, Telgar had
been glad that she'd not revealed her scepticism. No one who wanted to
be elected could afford to be a non-believer. It wasn't that the Church
would openly condemn such a person, it was more that the people would
reject them in favour of a more devout candidate who they felt would
have the favour of the gods.

So, decades later, here she was. President of the planet. And somehow,
the fact that she'd made it this far only bolstered her lack of belief.
Yet to safe-guard her position she still attended services, still kept
up the appearance of devotion to the gods. Even, as on this occasion,
appearing to ask their guidance. The service being over, she had retired
alone to a side-chapel, ordering her bodyguard to remain outside. "For
who," she had said when he objected, "would dare to risk the wrath of
the gods by committing an act of violence in this holy place? And
besides, the Temple has its own guards. I'll be perfectly safe, and no
doubt a priest will come to pray with me."

She half-hoped Alora Temarch might come out of curiosity, but accepted
that was unlikely. One of her acolytes, perhaps even Lemani himself.
Time would tell and if no one came, then at least her presence seeking
the aid of the gods would not have gone unremarked.

(Reply Vaylen, Any at the Temple, any)
(Posted by Liz)

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(USS Boudicca - Ready Room - CO - Captain Susan Rivers - 1900)

Susan leant against the back of the sofa and drank the last of her
Idaanian tea before she began to record her log entry.

"Captain's log, Stardate 2408.05.25.1900.

"I've been on board the Boudicca nearly a week now, and what a week it's
been! My first day here, Ensign Niles George, the TAC/ASC, was abducted
by a group of criminals bent on destroying the ship. Somehow they had
bugged the Ready Room and learned of our mission to recover and
deactivate the device Zach Falthgood had hidden in the Tobias System.
Their plan was to trigger it and destroy both the ship and the system in
one go. Fortunately the plot was discovered when Ensign George was
rescued. The four conspirators are currently in the ship's Brig and will
be handed over to the authorities on our return to Federation space.

"Day two was quieter, the biggest excitement was the party in the
Holodeck organised by Dorga and Shadow. It was a good evening, enjoyed
by all who attended, and I was able to offer the position of Bar
Manager, left vacant by the departure of Mei Ling, to Arania McLaren.
She promised to think it over after talking it through with Matthew. I
feel badly for Matt, the injuries he sustained on the last mission have
meant he has had to give up the position of CEO. His replacement, Bob
Lorimar, is a good officer however, and I have every confidence in his
ability to lead the Engineering department as well if not better than
Matt did. I offered Matt a position in the ATT department under Lt
Commander Zzt, and look forward to seeing what he will accomplish there.

"I spent most of the third day getting to know my senior staff a little
better; it took most of the day to go round all the departments but I
feel it was worth it. We are going to need to work closely together to
ensure the success of our mission. Arania also informed me that she had
decided to accept the position in Ten Forward, and I look forward to
seeing what she will do with the place.

"For the last few days, the senior staff and their chosen assistants
have been working on a way to safely deactivate and ultimately destroy
the device. We are also preparing to survey the system - our ostensible
reason for being there - so the science and engineering departments have
also been busy. Tomorrow we arrive at the Tobias System and I can only
hope that the retrieval, disabling and destruction of the device will go
without a hitch.

"Computer, end log."

Susan rose, placed her cup in the recycler, and then left her Ready Room
to collect her daughter from the Nursery and return to her quarters.

(Reply Any, none)
(Posted by Liz)