Inquisitor's Promise (Act Three, Chapter Ten)
The Holy League had been united, but the Grey Globe continued to move towards Earth. Aeneas and the members of his inner circle knew they had much to do and little time to prepare.
Chapter Ten: Conversion of the Lektros
The electric storm continued on its path towards Colony Nine. Pep was sure that the village’s energy shields would do little to stop it. But the Lektros was amazed as he saw the blue glow of the shields began turning purple. The shield’s color reminded Pep of the glow of an alondite crystal.
As soon as the storm touched the shield, it began to dissipate. And soon, there was nothing of the storm. Colony Nine was saved.
“How?” Pep asked in confusion.
“It must be Commander Deere’s doing,” Mario answered.
“The Chief Engineer’s been messing about with the colony’s engine?” Pep cried.
“He saved Colony Nine, my love,” Giulia pointed out.
“Right.”
And the three of them soon made their way back to Colony Nine. As they returned, they were soon mobbed by Lektros villagers who were grateful for what they had done.
“Thank you, Archon,” a villager woman said.
“Yes,” a villager man added. “You’ve removed that tyrant from our colony and from the Lektros Dimension as a whole.”
“I’m glad I can help,” Pep said before he went off towards the direction of the house where the Monsignor was being held.
“What’s going on with the Archon?” the villager woman asked.
“He just killed his own papa,” Giulia said. “That can’t be easy, even if their relations were strained.”
“More likely he was worried for another father figure,” Mario interjected.
“You mean, the Monsignor?” Giulia asked.
Mario nodded. “Go to him, he needs you now more than ever.”
As the Admiral watched Giulia following Pep’s trail, he decided that it was now the best time for him to visit Giuseppe at the colony’s engine room.
The engine room of Colony Nine looked nothing like that of the Lepanto. It was much messier with wires strewn about and parts sticking out. Everything looked like it was hastily put together.
Soon, the ship captain spotted his Chief Engineer. He was working on the room’s main console; it was large and square-shaped with crude buttons.
“How are things down here?” Mario asked.
“Making progress. The blueskins have no idea how their stuff works. But I’ve been putting some alondite in their generator,” Giuseppe explained.
“And that was how you strengthened the colony’s shields, eh.” Mario stated.
“I heard what happened with the duel. I didn’t expect for my little experiment to save us. Funny that,” Giuseppe said sheepishly.
“I didn’t know that alondite can even do that. I though we’re supposed to use them to attack the Grey Globe,” Mario said.
Giuseppe looked deep in thought. “The alondite’s properties can be used both to strengthen and to weaken. I am certain that some sort of alondite exists in the Electrosphere, maybe where the Grey Globe came from. Could explain its durability.”
“There you go with your scientific mumbo jumbo,” Mario said mockingly.
“I’m an engineer, Mario. Not a scientist.”
Back at the top of Colony Nine, Giulia found Pep kneeling beside the bed where Monsignor Bartholomew was lying. The Venetian Lieutenant smiled as she saw her husband praying.
She was about to leave but was stopped as Pep called out to her.
“Please, don’t go.”
“What’s bothering you, my love?” Giulia asked as she took a seat next to her husband.
Pep sighed. “I’m supposed to be happy. We can finally get the alondite needed for the Holy League and we even got rid of a murderous tyrant while we’re at it…”
“But you also killed your own papa, and that can’t be easy,” Giulia finished.
“Yes. I know he deserved it. He had to die. But still, just thinking about that man makes me afraid,” Pep said.
“Afraid of him? But he’s dead?”
“No.” Pep shook his head. “I’m afraid for you, Giulia. That’s why I’ll be the opposite of that man.”
And a masculine voice boomed. “You’re going on the wrong path, Pep.”
Pep could hardly believe his ears. “Monsignor!”
And soon, Monsignor Bartholomew sat up on his bed. “You can never remove your father’s influence from you.”
“But I don’t want to be a man like my father. He murdered so many people, including my own mother,” Pep said as he took a glance of Giulia.
“Your father was not a good man, to be sure,” Monsignor Bartholomew began. “But he had qualities that I see in you. For one thing, he was willing to put everything aside for his goal. His problem was that his goal was a faulty one.”
“Ah, I understand!” Pep exclaimed. “I need to have a worthy goal. My father’s goal was to amass power the sake of it. Mine needs to be based on the truth.”
The Monsignor smiled in return. “You really are my best student, Pep.”
It did not take long for Monsignor Dominic Bartholomew to make a full recovery. As soon as he did so, he was mobbed by Lektros villagers wanting to get baptized. The first person with that honor was the villager whom he had taken Gvardiol’s electric blast for.
Once more, the Mission in Colony Nine was reestablished. As it turned out, Gvardiol Siman was the only real opposition to the missionaries in the Lektros Dimension. When he died, everyone soon fell in line with Pep’s decree to protect the Church in the Lektros Dimension. That being said, the Archon did not wish for his faith to be imposed on others. He wanted it to be the people’s choice, just as it was for him.
As for the issue of the alondite, Giuseppe’s discovery was recorded by Mario. Furthermore, the mining of the alondite was able to continue. Terrans and Lektros worked together. The former to defeat the Grey Globe, the latter to strengthen their colonies against the dimensional storms.
Having decided to use his late father’s house as his place to stay, Pep soon began to move things around. It was during this time that Giulia discovered a series of black letters, letters written from the Cabal.
As Pep read the letter, he soon realized that Bashan Voronin had been egging on his father to murder the Terran missionaries and soldiers in the Lektros Dimension. This knowledge led Pep to call the others for a meeting.
“What do we do?” Giulia asked the rest.
“Nothing,” Mario answered. “As we speak, Tsar Nikolai is invading the Azov. Taking out the Cabal is their mission. We had done our bit in securing the alondite.”
After enjoying his brief stay at home, Pep knew that it was time for his group to leave the Lektros Dimension. But it wasn’t easy for the locals to let them off. The Monsignor, in particular, had villagers crying for him. But had had assured them that they will meet again if God wills it.
And the party went through the Lektros Gate back to the Moon once more.
The three Terran men soon assumed their old positions as they returned back into the Lepanto. Mario returned to the bridge as the ship captain. Giuseppe went into the lower levels of the engine room as he looked forward to seeing how he could use his new discoveries to make the Lepanto better. And Monsignor Bartholomew returned to the ship’s chapels to celebrate Mass and serve the spiritual needs of the Lepanto’s crewmen and family.
As for Pep and Giulia, the two chose to spend some time enjoying the view that the lunar colonies had in store for them.
“That’s Earth over there,” Giulia said as she pointed towards the spherical object of mostly grey and green.
“I wonder where the Azov is.” Pep mused. “Perhaps we can see the destructions of war.”
“You can’t see the war’s effect from up here, my love. It’s too far away.”
Pep didn’t say anything in response. His wife was most likely correct when it comes to these things. Even so, he couldn’t help but think of Nikolai’s war effort down below.