• • •
The High Cleric was angry, and he glared at the Inquisitor standing before him, “WHAT DID YOU FIND OUT?!”
“The Senior Law Enforcer and his mate were killed in the edge of the forest High Cleric.”
“WHO DID IT?!”
“We have been unable to make that determination. We found remains of their burned clothing and small residues of their blood at the site, High Cleric. There was no evidence left of the ones that did it.”
“IT HAS TO BE SOMEONE THAT’S A TRAITOR!”
“Why do you think that?”
“Because they met with me weekly and they had my favor! Someone must be jealous and killed them to remove them from being elevated to a higher position.”
“Is it possible the Third Cleric could have made this happen.”
The High Cleric considered the question and then shook his head, “No. He’s more upset than I am. He’s of the opinion that whoever did this was doing it to get at him.”
“Is that a real possibility, High Cleric?” the Inquisitor asked.
“Possibly. But why would they want to do him harm instead of me?”
“We have nothing to go on, High Cleric. The Senior Law Enforcer said that he saw another ship moving toward him and he stepped out of his ship to see who it was; that was the last thing he said. The Community Leader contacted us in the morning, and we went immediately, only to find his ship was still active and the port open when we arrived. There was no evidence that another ship had been at the site.”
The High Cleric’s expression turned angry, “That makes this an even more dangerous situation! You will find out what happened, or you will be properly punished for your failure!”
The Inquisitor bowed and left the High Cleric’s presence. He knew that many lives were in danger due to this. Every person that had any contact with that couple was going to be questioned. The first would be that new Third Cleric. He would face a truth machine and if he passed…well…that would delay any further questioning. If nothing turned up, the High Cleric would have to allow him to be fully questioned. At the moment, he had no clues on what happened to the dead couple and things didn’t look good at finding any.
Epilogue
Lieutenant Drum Gowie sat in the new scout, Assassin’s Spear, and stared at his monitor. His eyes opened wide and he punched the gravity controls and started his pitch-black ship drifting at high speed below his position; the giant warship in the distance was headed directly toward his current location. He shut down all his systems and waited. He felt the deep thrumming sound as the giant warship passed above him and he waited for thirty minutes before he activated his scanner. He saw the giant far behind him toward the center of Andromeda and moved the Spear back to its former location. He smiled and took a deep breath.
He found it curious that his skin was as black as the ship’s hull. He wished he had his drums on board but that was too great a risk to run. His people played drums from the beginning of their recorded history and he loved playing the drums and pounding out a rhythm. Africa is where humanity started, and he was proud of his heritage.
He tapped the transponder and a message went out that another Cyren warship was headed toward the center of the Andromeda Galaxy. The other Assassin Class scouts would track its course and warn Fleet that a Cyren Warship was moving its way. This was the twentieth warship he detected since he relieved the scout before him. Most of the giant warships returned after a few days but their frequency was starting to increase, and they were remaining longer. He had little doubt the confrontation would start soon, and he hoped he’d be pulled out before it did. He picked up two drum sticks with soft heads attached to them. He started pounding out a rhythm on his console and smiled. There was nothing like a good beat to pass the time.
The End
Message me at Saxonandrew@msn.com and let me know your thoughts. I treasure your feedback.
Books by Saxon Andrew
The Annihilation Series:
Love Conquers All
The Power of a Queen
A Rose Grows in Weeds
Tommy’s Tale
Searcher
Demon’s Sacrifice
Finding Keepers
Prequel-Psychic Beginnings
Searching for a Hero
Dahlia’s Deception
Annihilation-The Complete Series Box Set
The Annihilation Saga:
Lost Royalty
The Warrior's Destiny
No Way Out
Fight... and They Will Come
Ashes of the Realm:
Juliette’s Dream
Greyson’s Revenge
Death of an Empire
The Return of the Realm
Lens of Time:
The Pyramid Builders
Planet Predators
Pray for the Prey
The End of Time
Lens of Time - Star Rover:
The Worst of Time
Running Out of Time
Chosen to Die
The Fight for Creation:
Life Warrior
Scout Warrior
Ultimate Warrior
Star Chase:
The Lost Prince
Nowhere to Run
Nowhere to Hide
Probe Predators
Jesse's:
Jesse’s Starship
Mike’s War
Joshua’s Walls
Nemesis:
Revenge is Best Served Hot
The Search for Orion
Trapped in Time:
The Time Takers
Taming a Planet
Extinction
Escape to Earth:
Running From Fate
Fighting for Space
Defending Holy Ground
The Legacy of a Conqueror
Living Legends
The Sequel Series to Escape to Earth - Defending Earth:
Searching for Death Feeders
Discovery Means Death
The Death Prophecies:
The Coming of the Prophet
The Prophet's Eyes
The Unknown Enemy Will Kill You
No Technology is Invincible
Survival is Never Free
Stories from the Filament Universe:
Gregor’s Run
A Pirate’s Tale
Soul of the Swords
The Death Filament
Death Never Leaves a Calling Card
Gregor’s Search
Jimmy's Dreams Stories:
Jimmy’s Dreams
Jimmy’s Dreams II - A Recurring Nightmare
The Assassins Guild:
Earth Must be Stopped
Defending the Colonies
Rage of the Brotherhood
Other:
The War Against Earth
The Book of Life
(a short story)
Coming Soon:
The Last Man Standing
About Saxon Andrew
Saxon Andrew is a former social worker with a degree in Psychology and Education from Mercer University. He has taught school, managed several sales organizations and owned his own business.
He has devoured science fiction since he first learned to read and his stories are the product of years of personal experience and exposure to the universes created by the genre’s great authors.
He lives in Tampa, Florida with his wife and two dogs who still appreciate his sense of humor after all these years. "Dogs are always ready to smile."
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