Shroud of Doom

by William Manchee

  Chapter 37

  The Prophecy

   

  After the vote Daylight contacted Allo of the Nanomites and gave him the news that a Loyalist had been elected Chancellor and that he wanted to end the war and make peace with the Nanomites. Threebeard, Nic and Artis also contacted him and assured him there would be no retaliation for what had happened in Shisk. Allo tentatively agreed to the accord subject to further negotiation of the exact terms.

  That night the Loyalist threw a big party to celebrate the election of Basset Als as Chancellor. Everyone in the government was invited but the Purists understandably did not show up for the celebration. After the last guest departed in the early morning hours Chancellor Als, his chief of staff, Nic and Captain Shilling got on a video conference with Threebeard and General Zitor.

  “Congratulations, Mr. Chancellor. You really came through for us.”

  The Chancellor shook his head. “No, it was Nic and the rhutz who really saved the day.”

  “Yes, so I heard. Well, now that we have managed to thwart the Purists one more time, I fear they will be looking for a way to get revenge. I know from talking to Captain Shilling that they are already plotting to subvert our Tarizon Repopulation Project on Earth.”

  “Yes, and they will be trying to get their hands on the Intergalactic Fleet that is being built on Clarion,” Captain Shilling warned.

  “I’ll make sure that doesn’t happen,” the Chancellor assured them.

  “How are they going to subvert our efforts on Earth?” Nic asked.

  “I don’t know for sure,” Captain Shilling replied, “but they are spreading a lot of gold and precious stones around trying to buy influence for something.”

  “Fortunately, Rammel Garciah is there to keep an eye on them.”

  “We need to get someone else to keep an eye on the Purists on Earth,” Threebeard disagreed. “We need Rammel Garciah back on the Supreme Council of the Interpreters. The court is split now with him gone and we certainly cannot afford anymore decisions like the reversal of Broggin and Zahn’s convictions.”

  “That’s true,” the Chancellor agreed. “We’ll send a replacement with the first wave of guests going to Earth.”

  “Good,” Threebeard said. “On another topic the Nanomites have agreed to work out a peace treaty. They have no interest in further bloodshed.”

  “That’s excellent news,” the Chancellor said. “I can’t believe the devastation they’ve cost in just a few days. We really underestimated them.”

  “Well, we didn’t really have any experience with them. Everything was going fine until Rupra Bruda got in the picture.”

  “I feel partly responsible for that,” Threebeard said. “I should have sent Nic or someone else to help Artis on the project. She has no political instincts.”

  “I doubt that would have made any difference,” Nic disagreed. “The purists will do anything to get what they want. If Falling Star and her pack hadn’t been handy when I happened to see Bruda up to no good, the Purists would be in control of the government right now.”

  “Yes, thank God and Sandee for that,” Threebeard said. “I fear that because of their lack of any moral constraints that we will have a very difficult time keeping them at bay, particularly with the continued deterioration of our situation here on Tarizon.”

  “I agree,” General Zitor said. “There are seven now in control of the TGA. Unfortunately, four of those have embraced the Purist Party. Most of the soldiers will remain loyal to their commanding general, so I think there is little chance we can avoid civil war. The Purists care little about the Supreme Mandate and one day they will outright repudiate it.”

  “If there is a war,” Nic asked. “Do you think we could win?”

  General Zitor shrugged. “I don’t know. It would be an uphill battle.”

  “Yes,” Threebeard agreed. “I think a majority of the people would be behind us, but in a long war they would lose hope. They’d need something very powerful to believe in to get through such an ordeal.”

  “Like what?” the Chancellor asked.

  “Nothing short of divine intervention, I’m afraid.”

  The Chancellor snorted. “Well, I believe God and Sandee are on our side but so do the Purists. So, unless you have figured out how to communicate with God and actually get a meaningful response, I think we’ll have to stick with building a strong army. Speaking of which, how is your Mutant Army coming along, Threebeard?”

  “Pretty well, actually,” Threebeard said proudly. “We have ten thousand pretty respectable soldiers who have almost completed their training. They are being groomed to be our officer corps for our fully mobilized army of one million.”

  “Good. We’re going to need every last one of them, I’m afraid.”

  “Indeed we will,” General Zitor agreed.

  “Well, thank you, gentlemen,” the Chancellor said. “I’m exhausted so I think I’ll try to get some sleep. Tomorrow will be a busy day.”

  After the meeting Nic took a sky cab to Capitol Station on his way to the Mighty Jolly. It was early in the morning and the streets were deserted. He was exhausted and just wanted to get in his bed and sleep for the next two days. As he turned a corner he saw the bright lights of the Mighty Jolly in the distance. As he was coming to the alley where Misty used to hang out he felt badly that she’d been so brutally murdered. Then he thought of his friend Eyeball who’d been like an Uncle to him. A profound sadness came over him. He wondered how many would die before the human race would come to its senses. He was just about to the alley when he heard a noise. He stopped abruptly, but before he could react Rupra Bruda, dressed in black and wearing a mask, stepped out with a laser and fired three short burst. The first one hit Nic in the chest, the second in the stomach, and the last one took off his left arm. He fell to his knees and was dead before he hit the pavement.

   

   

  Bruda dragged the body into the alley and dumped it into a trash disposal unit scheduled for pick up the next morning. At breakfast Shellee realized Nic hadn’t returned from the party and called over to the Chancellor’s office.

  “No, he left kyloons ago, right after our video conference early this morning,” the Chancellor’s aide reported.

  “Thanks. I’m going to call the PE. I’ve got a bad feeling about this,” Shellee said.

  Shellee called Chief Stegis who she’d worked with after the attack on Threebeard. “Is it possible he was so tired he stopped at a tavern near the party?”

  “No. No way. He always stays here when he is in Shisk and I talked with him before he left yesterday. He said he’d see me after the election was all over. I knew he’d be late when I heard Basset was elected. They always have a victory party after these affairs, but when he hadn’t shown up by breakfast I knew something was wrong.”

  “All right. I’ll get working on it. If he should show up in the meantime call me immediately.”

  Chief Stegis decided to walk to the subtram station along the route that Nic most likely would have followed. When he passed the alley he remembered that’s where Misty used to live before she was murdered. He stopped and looked down the alley. A disposal truck was making its way up the alley picking up the previous days refuge. There was an odd smell in the air that got his attention. He took in a deep breath and recognized it immediately. It was the smell of blood.

  He started down the alley looking carefully on the ground and then he saw it—streaks of blood as if a body had been dragged along it. Realizing the disposal truck would be there shortly he called his office and asked for backup to seal the alley. Then he started checking the individual disposal units and in the third one found Nic’s body.

   

   

  Threebeard and Artis were devastated by the news of Nic’s murder. They knew that Rupra Bruda was behind it but couldn’t prove it since there were no witnesses and lasers didn’t leave any kind of signature. Several days later everyone of any importance in Shisk
gathered for Nic’s funeral. It was a sad occasion as Nic was loved by all and had been a hero that very same day by stopping Rupra Bruda from stealing the election. The new Chancellor insisted on delivering the eulogy.

   “Although I didn’t know Nicirius Nocteris or ‘Nic” as his friends called him, as well as I would have liked, I often heard of his selfless efforts to establish a line of communication between the human race and the rhutz. The dire need for this was made self-evident after the recent Flat Meadow massacre. At his brother’s request and because he was a true patriot, Nic dropped everything to make sure such a misunderstanding between these two life-forms never happened again.

  “Not only do we now have a constant dialogue going between the Rhutz and the human race, but the Rhutz have become an important ally in our response to the recent natural disasters that have plagued Tarizon these past few cycles.

  “And if were not for the rhutz I wouldn’t be here today as your new Chancellor. It is no secret that Rupra Bruda attempted to steal the election for Chancellor away from the people for the purpose of seizing power by trickery and deceit. Had it not been for Nic this conspiracy would not have been discovered.

  “Although we may not have the necessary evidence right now to prove Rupra Bruda is responsible for Nic’s murder, it is likely he or one of his co-conspirators is responsible for this horrific act. The obvious motive was revenge for Nic’s spoiling of their plot.

  “But I want to assure everyone that we will find Rupra Bruda and all those who aided or abetted him in this attack on our democracy and the killing of Nicirius Nocteris and they will pay the ultimate price for their crimes!”

  As the Chairman stepped down a choir began singing Praises for a Fallen Hero and the mourners began filing by the open casket to see Nic one last time before he was laid to eternal rest in a grand mausoleum to be constructed by the nanomites as a gesture of good will and to honor a new era of peace between the two life-forms.

   

   

  The reconstruction of Shisk began immediately. Chancellor Als wanted the war with the Nanomites to be forgotten so that they could get back to work helping to restore the worlds’ infrastructure that had been so badly damaged over the past few cycles. It was while the debris from the Tuht Tower was being cleared away that an ancient tunnel was discovered far beneath the city. Archeologist were called in immediately to excavate the site and were thrilled to certify that it had been a part of the ancient city of Tuht from the Soni civilization that flourished in the region some two thousand cycles earlier.

  After several phases of excavation the tunnel led to a large circular room that experts thought might be a place of worship. On the walls of the room were beautiful pictures and inscriptions. One of the inscriptions was of particular interest and some even said it was a prophecy.

  There were several different translations of the prophecy as scholars couldn’t agree on the meaning of many of the words in the ancient language. And nobody knew when it was written or the identity of the prophet who wrote the inscription as it was unsigned. Nevertheless the public began to believe in it, as it offered hope for the future at a time hope was so desperately needed. Eventually one version of the Prophecy became most popular as it seemed to speak to the times.

   

  When the sun and the moons align,

  amongst the Earthchildren will come

  one wise and pure in heart.

  A man of humble birth,

  who'll tame the savage rhutz,

  unite those who'd have liberty

  and justice restored to Tarizon,

   and rid it of its evil tyrant.

  Known as The Liberator,

   he'll restore the Supreme Mandate

   and free from bondage

  the mutants, seafolken, and nanomites.

   

  When Earth Shuttle 26 along with 99 other shuttles left for Earth there was an intense excitement about the adventures that lay ahead for those leaving Tarizon, but there was also a great anticipation of what the travelers would bring back with them. Several million healthy human children would be a shot in the arm for the dying planet, but what would these Earthchildren be like having grown up in an environment so different than Tarizon? And how would the returning parents be changed by the experience of living in America where life was so very different than it was on Tarizon? Nobody knew the answers to these questions. There would be much debate and speculation about them, but in the end only time would bring answers.

  Meanwhile on Clarion, Tarizon’s largest moon, the Intergalactic Fleet was in the final stages of construction even though its original purpose was no longer relevant. But while the Loyalists were overwhelmed by the seemingly insurmountable problems that faced Tarizon each day, the Purists continued to plot to overthrow the government and gain control of the Intergalactic Fleet.

  Other Books About Tarizon

   

  The Tarizon Saga

   

  Unification (2014)

  Shroud of Doom (2013)

  Desert Swarm (2013)

  Cactus Island (2006)

  Act Normal (2007)

   

  The Tarizon Trilogy

   

  The Liberator (2008)

  Civil War (2009)

  Conquest Earth (2010)

   

   

  Other Books by William Manchee

   

  The Stan Turner Mysteries (10 volumes)

  The Rich Coleman Novels (3 volumes)

  Go Broke, Die Rich (Non-fiction)