An exercise in sci-fi à la the stories of Heinlein. On Tommaso, a seemingly dying planet, yet one being mined for unique gems, Advisor Sagnonpélé meets Pastor János and a tall, multilimbed native given the name Esau. The Church Universal has succeeded in what it believes to be conversion of the natives to Christianity. But there is a deeper influence at work.
“We are the main protective forces for xenospecies,” said Pastor János. “We usually get in after the arrival of government so our role as protectors is often limited. But here…”
“You were here first,” said the Advisor.
“Yes. Star system Tommaso was first visited just eighty standard years ago. The probes showed what appeared to be a dying world, so it was put on the back shelf. Sixty years ago, the Church Universal made contact. We were welcomed and we proceeded to learn their language. We were also informed of just what we could and could not do. But, the one thing they wanted us to do was preach the gospel. Oh, they had a great demand to understand the Word of Christ. They soon opted to join the CU and be born-again. We baptized on Sand and Great Island until we fell, exhausted, by the seashore. So we created Deacons amongst the people who went to the islands we call the Six Forbidden to spread the Word and baptize in our stead. One of the other things we trade with are Bibles and many Christian histories and texts.”
“I had not heard this.”
“Well, we tried to keep it quiet and we succeeded in doing so until word came back that every soul on the planet was born again and lived in Christ.”
“But to them Christ was an alien.”
“It does not matter to them. Their faith is unshakable. But, we did not husband our charges wisely. We did some crowing over our success, and there were some artifacts that went off world. Suddenly, the government got interested and the state-owned Pan-Sector Organization of Mines decided to muscle in. With the utmost exertion, the CU hammered out the deal that permits the mining of the Sands with all the restrictions the people here require.”
“You said artifact. What sort of artifact and how does that fit in?”
“Early on, we found something that was unexpected, almost miraculous. We suppressed it from the outside worlds, but we couldn’t forever. Samples sent to our leadership leaked out and the government took one look and sent their representatives.”
“What did they see?” asked Advisor Sagnonpélé.
Esau spoke and moved his hands again. The translator said “Let me show Black Opal what they saw.” He raised his hands to the cord above the mechanical translator, the one holding the blue disk. He handed it over with an air of reverence and she took it and looked at it. It appeared to be a finely polished disk of pale blue quartz, the circumference facetted but otherwise unremarkable. “Look at the sun through it,” said Esau through the translator. Advisor Sagnonpélé raised it up and peered deeply into it. Her breath caught in her throat.”
“Now you see why these gems are worn,” said Pastor János.
Inside the crystal, clear and brilliant, smashing the sunlight into the vivid hues of the rainbow was the sparkling form, breathtakingly beautiful, of a cross. It was likely an artifact of the crystalline alignment of the atoms of the gem, but Advisor Sagnonpélé saw something in it that stunned her. “It’s not symmetrical.”
“No. One axis is longer than the other three. Every gemstone of this family, no matter its size or color, has embedded in its basic structure a perfect Latin cross.”
Advisor Sagnonpélé stared at the gem for a moment longer, then she silently lowered it and held it at her waist. She sighed and lifted it in her cupped hands back to Esau.
“No,” said the native. “Put it on. Wear this cross as we wear it.” A tear came to her eye as she drew her hands back and placed the cord around her neck. Pastor János went behind her and shortened the cord with a knot.
“I am honored,” she said. Esau reached out and touched her forehead.
“You are blessed,” he said. They went up the trail.
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