Shadows of Golstar (60 page)

The
Preservers of the Way assembled at the appointed time. All the sub-leaders,
along with their lieutenants had never before met together in a single
gathering. Prior to that, meetings were usually limited to smaller groups and
often only included the sub-leaders. Occasionally, one or two lieutenants would
be included to report on the status of various projects. It was a true singular
event for the Leader to call for a complete assembly.

The
meeting room, a large auditorium in the old abandoned school on the outskirts
of the city, was quite crowded. The gray, peeling walls seemed to absorb the
light in spite of the numerous portable light globes that dotted the cracked
flooring. However, the attendees did not seem to mind. The Leader called this
special meeting to discuss a new strategy. The room was abuzz with speculation
and barely concealed anticipation.

Near
the rear of the room, two of the gray-robed figures were engaged in a quiet
discussion. The shorter one asked, “Do you think the Leader has called us
together to announce the time is finally at hand, that we will soon openly move
against the Grand Patriarch?”

The
other shrugged, “That is a difficult question to answer. The Leader’s message
did seem to indicate some new strategy was forthcoming, but nothing of its goal
was mentioned. It may only be limited to the latest plan that will finally lead
to the elimination of the dark-bringer. I for one would be most pleased to
wield personally, the instrument of the dark-bringer’s destruction.”

The
shorter robed figure nodded in agreement, “Would that any of us be given that
opportunity...” then paused. “Perhaps the death of this man from Confederated
Planets will serve as the signal to begin the coup d’état. I am weary of all of
these cloak-and-dagger activities in which we have been forced to participate.
The Grand Patriarch should not be allowed to…”

The
other Preserver immediately grabbed the speaker’s arm in a painful grip and
said in an urgent undertone, “Quiet. Such talk can have serious consequences.
Remember where you are.” The Preserver then released the other’s arm.

Rubbing
the place where the taller Preserver had gripped, the short, robed Preserver
started to respond when the ninth chime of evening began to toll.

The
room immediately went dead quiet. A door to one of the numerous entrances
opened. The tall, hooded form of the Leader walked towards the mass of
followers. Members of the Preservers of the Way began to kneel before the one
who had called them together. The Leader reached the center of the room, paused
for a moment and saw that all had knelt in obeisance. The Leader then walked
towards a raised platform at one end of the room without acknowledging those
who knelt and took up a position behind a podium.

Then,
with arms raised, the Leader called to the assembly, “Arise, my fellow
Preservers. The glorious day of ultimate illumination finally draws near. My…
our goal is within our grasp.”

The
throng rose as one.

The
Leader looked out upon the gathering of Preservers, nodding in apparent
approval and said, “The end is near, so very near. Your hard work will soon
reap its just reward. All of your labors have led us to this most glorious
moment in Golstar’s history.”

A
figure near the front boldly stepped forward and shouted, the voice synthesizer
cracking with distortion, “Hail to the Leader for his steadfast guidance, hail
to the Founder for bringing forth the Light!”

This
pronouncement ignited a deafening cheer that reverberated off the auditorium’s
ancient walls. The Leader allowed the demonstration to continue for a time then
the gloved hands were raised once more for silence.

“We
all know that through divine visions, the Founder was guided in his work to
formulate and construct our grand civilization. These holy revelations provided
the Founder with the great insight that allowed only him to navigate through
the myriad moral and theological pitfalls that beset civilizations throughout
the ages of human history.” The Leader looked down, as if in prayer and said,
“I now humbly come before you as one who has been gifted by such a vision.”

The
Leader then looked up. A low murmur began to rise again from the crowd. The
Leader nodded and began to talk over the rising voices, “Yes. It is true. The
Founder saw fit to gift me with a pure vision, a vision which will guide us to
victory in the name of the Founder. The vision has shown me the means to
achieve the final grand victory!” The Leader held up a hand for silence and the
voices quickly died back down.

“Before
I share with you my vision, a vision that relates the final, true strategy that
will once, and for all time, secure Golstar’s future, I ask you all for one
more sign of your united support.” The Leader looked out at the sea of gray
robes and said nothing more. The leader seemed be savoring the prolonged moment
of silence.

Finally,
the Leader spoke, “The time has at last come to reveal ourselves in the bright
Light of the Way.” The Leader’s synthesized voice increased dramatically in
volume. “The concealing veil of darkness must now part! We will no longer walk
in the shadows, hiding the bright nobility of our cause behind demeaning cowls
and masks! Golstar must soon be made aware of our personal sacrifice for the
good of all.”

A
collective gasp rippled among the assembled Preservers. The Leaders voice
dropped in volume. “Yes, my brethren, I know it is difficult… for you have not
witnessed the glorious vision bestowed upon me by the Founder. However, you
must believe in His wisdom and trust in my judgment as you have always done
before.”

Another
murmur began to rise from the crowd. The Leader quickly interjected, “Look into
your hearts and know the truth. The time for secrecy has come to an end at
last. Trust that it is the Founder’s wish.”

The
crowd became quiet once more and for a while, no one moved. The Leader looked
out on the stilled throng and seemed to be waiting. Then, the same Preserver
who had stepped forward before, did so again.

Pulling
back the cowl, the Preserver shouted, “I am with you great Leader. I will walk
in shadows no longer. I will take my rightful place beside you, bathed in the
glory of the Light!” The Preserver ripped away the mask to reveal a young man
that a few in the crowd recognized as a member of the Grand Patriarch’s
personal guard.

As if
the young man’s demonstration was a signal, others began to discard their robes
and masks. More and more Preservers began to shed their disguises. Soon, the floor
was littered with robes and masks. The faces of senior members of the Assembly,
heads of royal houses, high-ranking members of government agencies and officers
from the various branches of the military gazed at each other with varying
degrees of surprise or acknowledgment. When last robe and mask fell, all eyes
turned to the raised podium.

The
Leader nodded and stepped away from behind the podium. Moving to the edge of
the platform, the Leader said, “Yes, it is time I too come out from the
shadows.” The Leader threw back the cowl and with a flourish, ripped away the
mask. The dramatic revelation of Leader’s true identity immediately drew shouts
of surprise, quickly followed by cries of despair. Finally revealed before the
Preservers of the Way, the Grand Patriarch stood on the platform and smiled
widely at their dismay.

The
shouts of disbelief grew louder, but before any of the Preservers could take
action, the doors to the auditorium flew open with loud bangs. Armed men
wearing the livery of the Grand Patriarch’s personal guard rushed through the
thresholds and quickly swarmed the confused mob.

It
was late at night. Minister Joselé sat alone in a bedroom located somewhere
within the palace. When she was confronted by the Grand Patriarch back at the
apartment and summarily arrested, she had expected to end up in a prison cell.
Instead, she found herself in a plush suite of rooms. She was no less a
prisoner but at least her surroundings were bearable. She absently fingered a
bit of lace on a side table and wondered how long she would be allowed this
unexpected luxury.

Her
thoughts were interrupted when she heard muffled voices coming from beyond the
room’s door. The guards posted outside in the hallway were talking with someone.
Her heart beat faster as she turned to face the door. Were they finally coming
to take her for interrogation? Or perhaps she would just be taken away and
summarily executed. She strained but could not make out the words. She was
deciding whether to move closer to better hear when the conversation abruptly
ended, and the door opened. Through it strode a slender man. He slammed the
old-fashioned door closed.

“Talin,
what…” she began.

The
Guardian of the Way put a finger to his lips, signaling for her silence. He
removed a compact metal cylinder from his coat. On its surface, three small
telltales glowed green. He then walked around the room looking at the detector
in his hand. The tiny lights remained green. Nodding to himself in
satisfaction, he put the cylinder back into his coat pocket.

He
walked over to her and said, “It should be safe to talk. I had a hand in
putting you in these quarters. I had them swept for electronics before you
arrived, but I wanted to make certain nothing had changed. Now do sit down.
There is little time and there are some things we need to discuss.” She sat
down and he pulled up a chair and sat facing her.

“You
are taking an unnecessary risk,” she admonished him.

He
shook his head, “The time for caution is long over, Lauren. The Grand Patriarch
has arrested the Preservers.”

She
felt initial shock, and then guilt flooded her. “It is my fault, Talin. Even
with you helping me to avoid discovery, the Grand Patriarch found me, just as I
was accessing the network. He must have read the message for the meeting.
Talin, I am responsible for leading him to our doorstep.”

“No.”
Talin reached for her hands and held them firmly in his own. He looked into her
eyes and held her in his gaze. “Listen to me. Lauren, you are not at fault. The
Grand Patriarch already knew where the meeting would be held long before he
found you.”

She
searched his face and found only honesty. “There was an informer within our
ranks? The meeting was just called by the Leader with little advance notice,
how could...”

Talin
gently cut her off. “It was the Grand Patriarch who called for the meeting of
the Preservers.”

She
looked at him in bewilderment.

“Lauren
, the
Grand Patriarch
is
the Leader. He has always been the Leader.” He
released her hands.

Thunderstruck,
she couldn’t believe his words, “No, that is not possible!”

“I am
afraid it is true, nonetheless.”

“But
how can that be?”

Talin
began to explain, ignoring the shocked amazement on her face. “The Preservers
of the Way were the creation of the Grand Patriarch.
He
created the
Preservers to serve his own ends. By uniting the various opposition groups he
could easily monitor and control their agendas.”

 “That
is simply incredible. I still cannot believe it.” She paused, thinking of the
implications. “I have attended many meetings. I have listened to the Leader’s
speeches and followed the Leader’s directives and never would I have suspected
he could be the Grand Patriarch. How could the Grand Patriarch direct attempts
at sabotage against his own ruling government?”

 
“I would imagine those attempts were seldom successful. However, when they did
succeed, they were limited in scope?”

She
gazed at her hands, “We had a few modest successes but looking back, no, none
were truly significant. Most of our activities were associated with information
gathering and planning for the final revolution; a return to the sacred
values.”

Talin
nodded, “He controlled the organization’s activities with great care, allowing
only for enough success to keep the members’ appetites whetted.”

She
sat very still, absorbing the Guardian’s revelation. “Yes,” she said slowly. “I
am beginning to see… it does make a horrible kind of sense. He guided the
Preservers of the Way in the direction he wanted. He allowed them to believe
they were part of a growing movement, building to a righteous confrontation,
while all along, he was shepherding them to his own ends. How does that old
saying go? Keep your friends close, your enemies closer…” Her voice trailed
off.

“Exactly,”
Talin nodded. “Years ago, he had me work to ferret out the groups that were
opposed to his ideas. However, with each rebel organization quashed, two more
would arise in their place.” He shook his head ruefully. “Eventually, the Grand
Patriarch had me pull back the active investigations and ordered me to withdraw
from our open pursuit and instead focus our efforts on passive, clandestine
surveillance. Only the imminent act of treason could trigger any action.”

She
asked, “So you were aware of the Preservers of Light all of this time?”

“Yes,
I was aware of them, but until this evening, I truly had no inkling of the
Grand Patriarch’s involvement.”

“I do
not understand. Their recent activities would most certainly be construed as
treasonous, and yet you did nothing?”

Frowning,
he said, “Unfortunately, the true nature and extent of their activities were
kept well away from me.”

“I
confess that makes little sense to me. You are the Guardian of the Way.”

He
only nodded.

She
went on, “You have absolute control over every aspect of our military, our
police and most importantly, our intelligence network. Nothing escapes your
surveillance net. Being in your position, I do not see how you could not know.”

In
the face of this implied accusation, color rose in his features. “You know as
well as I, it is not the office of Guardian that has the absolute control.
Rather, it is the…”

“The
Grand Patriarch,” she finished for him. “Please, I did not mean to imply any
ineffectiveness of you or your office.”

The
tightening in his face relaxed and he continued, “I have just recently found
that he has his own network of spies strategically placed within my
organizations. They answer only to him. A surprising number of my deputies, key
people with whom I have trusted over the years, I now discover were filtering
reports and distorting information, all at the Grand Patriarch’s direction.”

She
looked at him in disbelief.

“Obviously,
I knew nothing of your own membership in the Preservers, until your arrest.”

She
flinched, and then started to explain, “Talin, I was afraid to involve you
beyond what you had already done to help me escape. You put yourself in great
jeopardy when you helped me evade the Grand Patriarch’s initial warrant. The
risk you have taken on my behalf…”

He
held up a hand to forestall further explanation. “I understand, Lauren. I do
not fault you for keeping this secret. And besides you must know where my true
sympathies lie. It is the Grand Patriarch with whom I must find fault.”

She
hesitated before saying, “How could he have done all of this without your
knowledge? To create a spy network within a spy network without causing
suspicion is something I thought beyond even the Grand Patriarch’s
capabilities.”

His
expression became pained. “He did not create it; he simply used an existing
resource. You see, his spy network has been in place for some time, a very long
time.”

She
asked, “How long?”

“The
Grand Patriarchs’ spies have been in place since the Founding. I know this will
not sit well with you, but the clandestine sub-organization was created by the
Founder himself and carried on by each successive Patriarch and Matriarch.”

She
was shocked and dismayed to hear her beloved Founder was the guiding hand in
creating the heretofore unknown spy network. “It… it would appear that paranoia
is not limited to the present Grand Patriarch.” She sighed heavily, “Obviously
such a disease has been passed down along all the generations of our rulers.”

He
sighed heavily, “Indeed, just one more secret among a myriad of others.”

“If
the secret was so well kept, may I ask how you came to discover it?”

He
smiled grimly, “Oddly enough, it was the Grand Patriarch himself who told me.”

She
raised an eyebrow, “Really? What could have driven him to take you into his
confidence? Why would he reveal an age-old secret, especially one that gave him
a particular advantage?”

“It
does seem unlikely,” he replied, “but you must remember we were the closest of
friends, almost like brothers when we were younger. In fact, I was his one true
friend. It seems that he still adheres to that belief. So who better to confide
in than me?”

She
thought for a moment, then said, “In order to gloat on what he had done, share
in his grand victory, he had to reveal to you how he had accomplished it and
under your very nose.”

Talin
shrugged.

She
went on, “He actually expected you to overlook his breach of trust? I cannot
understand it.”

“I
doubt he views it in quite that way. In fact, I would wager he believes that he
has revealed a closely guarded, precious secret to his most trusted advisor, as
a reward for his trust.”

 “Completely
ignoring of course, that the secret undermined your position of office,” she
sniffed

Talin
only nodded, looking older.

“He
is a megalomaniac, completely insane,” she concluded.

Talin
actually chuckled, “I cannot disagree. I have watched him over the years,
watched him change from a wise, visionary and forthright ruler to a secretive
old man, scheming to forward his objectives, over the true needs of the
people... ”

“Including
fostering the opposition,” she interjected.

“Yes.
But looking back at his sly deception, you have to give him at least some
little acknowledgment. He must have concluded early on that we could not cope
with the various splinters of opposition who were constantly rising up against
him.”

“After
all that has happened, you can still think that?”

He
shrugged, “Even
you
have to admit his plan was most cunning. He formed
the Preservers and one-by-one the opposition groups were gradually absorbed. In
one bold stroke, he virtually broke the back of the resistance movement and all
without their knowledge.”

“And
as the Leader, he masterminded the plans and oversaw all the activities of the
Preservers,” she finished, amazed by the Grand Patriarch’s boldness.

“Yes,”
Talin agreed. “Did you know he had actually engineered the attacks on the
outsider?”

Her
eyes widened, “Amazing. As a member of the Preservers’ inner circle, I knew of
the attacks and with the identity of the Leader revealed, I can see now why
they failed time and again.”

“I
had not known you were that high in the organization’s hierarchy,” he said.

She
shrugged, “I suspect that when the Grand Patriarch found I had joined he was
ecstatic. My being selected to the inner circle was just a means to control and
monitor my activities outside the government.”

 She
shook her head. “But returning to the subject of the attacks, the attacks he
directed on the outsider only demonstrate that the Grand Patriarch has strayed
far from the path of sanity. Think about it,” she said earnestly. “All of his
grandiose schemes were dependent on getting the precious Outsider safely within
our borders. And yet he risks the single person in the universe, he claims, who
is to be the deliverer of our salvation! Only madness can explain his
irrational behavior.”   

“I
asked him about that very contradiction.”

Her
eyebrows rose in skepticism “Oh? And what did he say in his defense?”

“He
said that the risk to Janus Owens was minimal. He had made sure that ships and
ordinances that were used in the attacks were of the poorest condition, even
for our current sorry state of technology.”

“Even
with these precautions, it remained a serious risk,” she countered.

“He
went on to say that some of his guards were planted within the ranks of the
volunteers to ensure that the attacks would ultimately fail.”

She
shook her head, “In his diminished state, it amazes me that he still commands
that much loyalty. Sadly, when they volunteered, they must have known that in
doing so, it meant their lives.”

“He
has always depended on that loyalty and used it to his best advantage,” Talin
answered. “But in this case, they received extra conditioning. As a result,
they would make sure there were no survivors or evidence from the failed
attacks, including themselves. From his perspective at least, he left nothing
to chance.”