The Return of Nathan Brazil

it.

Gypsy, who was an empath, read the fury, rage, and confusion that churned inside the Olympian priestess and admired how she regained her composure. She swallowed hard and said without expression, “Very well, sir. We will talk as equals.” For her, that was quite a compromise, but it didn’t suit Marquoz.

“Oh, no madam, we are not equals. I represent fourteen races on over a thousand worlds; I represent the power that is, and the power that your people have spurned. Your Council seat is ever-vacant, or we wouldn’t be having this meeting. Your own planet came from the Council and your seed money was given by its then President. Now, as with many planets, you wish government services although you appear to contribute nothing to the support of those services. I am the Com, madam—convince me. First tell me what you want, then why I should give it to you.”

To Gypsy, the woman seemed on fire. Had it been within her power, he knew she’d have incinerated them with a glance. But what Marquoz said was true, and it was galling to her.

“Very well, sir. During the recent war the computer files and seals were opened. I know that the weapons locker has already been secured—but, while the seals on other files are still inactive we seek to use them to fulfill the aim of our faith and our life’s work.”

Marquoz nodded thoughtfully, dragged on his cigar, and blew a thick smoke ring in her direction. “Okay, you think you can find Nathan Brazil in there. Let’s say you could—why should we allow it? He’s a citizen of the Com, and if he chooses to bury himself it is none of our concern. We don’t want him, and I’m certain I would not like hordes of people trying to find me if I didn’t want to be found.”

“Oh, but He does want to be found!” she protested, the fire of fanaticism replacing the anger. “For He is God, don’t you see? It is the goal of all to find the true name of God, which we have, and then to find Him. If we do so, then shall Paradise be ours!”

Marquoz settled back on his tail and rocked slightly. “But, surely you must see our position. You are but one religion out of tens of thousands. More, you’re a human religion that is racially biased. There are uncounted billions of solar systems, tens of thousands of galaxies, all containing an almost infinite number of planets inhabited by just about every type of race you can imagine and a lot neither of us could. The Com is not antireligious, but it is nonreligious. We have no way of choosing the right from the wrong, the real from the unreal, higher spirituality from superstition and fakers. We don’t try. Consider the precedent, madam! If we allow even one religious group to have access to classified files, why, then, why classify them at all?”

“But we wish to find only one thing!” she almost shouted.

The little dragon shrugged. “This fellow, Brazil, has the same rights as you. From the Com point of view he has stated, by his actions and his use of rather political leverage, that he does not wish to be found. Other than your religious beliefs, can you give, me one reason why the Com should allow this?”

“Other than—” Yua spurted, then stopped. Here was quite a challenge, yet she understood it. To this creature her beliefs were as nothing, so what sort of practical reason could she give? She wished that she had been better prepared, that they had sent older or wiser heads, that she might have the chance to commune with Her Holiness. But, no, she’d been convenient and properly located, she’d been offered the chance to refuse, and she’d taken the challenge.

Suddenly Gypsy interrupted. “Someone else is here.”

Thankful for the opportunity to stall, the Preistess responded with a wave of her hand. “The Acolytes are all about, taking down the sound system and such.”

The strange, dark man shook his head. “No, not them. Somebody is listening in on us deliberately. Someone is in this very room with us.”

Both Yua and Marquoz looked around. The room was small and barren of any obvious places to hide, nor were closets or trap doors in evidence. “You are mistaken,” the Priestess said.

“He is rarely mistaken,” Marquoz replied in a very low whisper.

They sat in total silence for a moment, trying to hear what Gypsy heard or sensed, but the only noises were the muffled pounding and calls of the Acolyte and State Hall crews outside.

Finally Marquoz shrugged. “What difference? We discuss no state secrets here.” He turned again to the Priestess. “I ask again, is there any reason—other than your beliefs—why you should be allowed access to the files?”

Yua was about to answer when Gypsy said nervously, “More than one. Several creatures are here in this room with us, listening to us.”

Marquoz and Yua looked at him with concern. Marquoz was afraid that the odd nomad was cracking up. He turned back to the Olympian. “Well?”

Yua had had some time to compose herself. “Your own researches have proved our beliefs—surely you must know that. Your own scientists state that a master computer exists somewhere, that Zinder was right—and we are Zinder’s children, we Olympians. You have been dabbling in the forces that led to our creation so you know that’s true. Then why not indulge us on this one additional thing? If we are wrong, then little is lost. None need ever know—you can bury this precedent as easily as any other fact you wish. If we are correct, then this is something the Com must know.”

Marquoz considered the argument, but finally shook his large head. “No, sorry. As you say, we can bury the attempt, but there’s simply nothing in it for us. Brazil could have our necks for violation of privacy.”

Yua pounced. “Ah! Then you admit that such a one exists!”

The dragon nodded. “Oh, yes, there is—or was—someone named Nathan Brazil, all right, although preliminary evidence seems to indicate that, if he’s god, he’s not the god you’d want.”

Yua looked at him strangely. “What do you mean by that?”

“I’ve researched him as far as I could,” the Chugach told her. “He’s something of a legend among freighter captains. The oldest alive by far, a loner, a hard drinker and brawler for fun. Not exactly your image of god, is it?”

She shrugged. “Who can pretend to know or understand God or what He does?”

Marquoz sighed. “I’ll admit you’ve got a point, but, no, I’m afraid you haven’t given me enough to present to the Presidium. Sorry.” He turned and glanced up at his distracted companion. “Gypsy? You coming?”

“Perhaps I can give you a good enough reason,” said a new voice, a woman’s, deep and rich, without accent. Yua and Marquoz both started, and Gypsy almost jumped out of his skin.

“See? I told you!” he said, voice quivering. Marquoz’s large head took in the apparently empty room. “Who speaks?” he demanded. “Where are you?”

“Here,” the voice said from just behind him. He turned and saw a young woman dressed completely in black, slight of build and not much taller than he, wearing leather boots and a belt whose buckle was the joining of two dragon’s heads.

“Who the hell are you?” he asked. “And where were you hiding?”

The woman smiled and cocked her head toward Yua. “Ask her. She can do that trick as well. I am someone who knows the truth behind this silly religion and I have the reason you will find Nathan Brazil or allow us to.”

“You propose force?” Marquoz almost laughed at that.

She shook her head. “No, not force. The reason you must find Nathan Brazil is that he’s the only one who knows how to fix the Well Computer—and if it isn’t fixed that gaping hole in space-time your blundering military opened will swallow the Com in less than a hundred and fifty years.”

Yua was on her feet now, long hair blending into her magnificent tail. “Who are you?” she demanded. “Who can enter a place guarded like this and do the things only Olympians can do?”

“Answers later,” the mysterious woman replied. “Okay, gang, time to come out now.”

Suddenly, six more shapes materialized about the room. Three were male, three female. All were large and imposing, and all held pistols of unknown design and type.

Yua, to the surprise of Marquoz and Gypsy, suddenly seemed to fade to invisibility before their eyes. The newcomers, however, were not deceived. Looking straight at the spot where Yua had vanished the woman said, evenly but in a tone of command. “That will get you nowhere. We can see and track you despite that little vanishing act. We know all about it.”

As if to emphasize that point one of the women moved close to where Yua was last seen and tracked her outline roughly with the pistol.