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could have survived something like that, and we were his only hope of rescue."
Bethany shook her head. So much destruction.
"Poor Bragan," she said softly. "He'd been through so much already. It's not
fair."
"Life isn't fair," Jess said curtly, rolling out of bed. "I'm going to take a
shower before the station commander does his address."
Bethany nodded, watching him stalk into the fresher. Then she leaned back
against the pillows, eyes moving to the vid screen. The newscaster was now
presenting an overview of Pilgrim beliefs.
"The Pilgrims of the Apocalypse have existed in small pockets for more
than 1,000 years," the woman was saying. "Very little is known about this
obscure and secretive cult. Until recently, they have been largely located
within the Empire, and are headquartered on the planet Karos. Their
founder, known as the Celestial Pilgrim, was a young Imperial
nobleman who gave up his rank and status, retreating to a cave in the
mountains above his ancestral home. Nearly ten years later, all but forgotten,
he re-emerged and announced that he was the new incarnation of truth and
reality. He invited all those present to follow him into the realms of
enlightenment, and the Pilgrim movement was born.
"The Basic tenets of the Pilgrim religion are obscure, although rumors abound.
Only elders and a hand-picked group of priests are given access to the full
range of writings and instructions left behind by
the Celestial Pilgrim. The rest of those born into the cult are trained to
be obedient pawns, working blindly to fulfill the goals of the group."
Well, that was certainly accurate, Bethany thought darkly. She had never been
privy to the secrets of the religion that governed her life. Of course,
neither had her father. She gave a wry smile as she thought of what they
had all been taught. Only that which is needed is known. Do not
question the
Pilgrim's needs; strive to meet them.
As far she knew, nobody in the mining outpost had known what they were truly
working toward. All they knew was that the Pilgrim had asked them to work for
him, and they must obey.
"While the Pilgrims have been the victims of some persecution under the
Empire," the newscaster said in the background, "nearly 200 years ago they
reached an agreement with then-sitting Emperor, Nahn'vet VIII, on
taxation and religious freedom. Since that time, they have operated
largely independently within the Empire, although always respectful of
Imperial law. They do not participate in any type of local government, and
have been excused from fighting in the Imperial army. They are not known to
exist within the Federation."
Jess came back out of the fresher.
"What are they talking about?" he asked.
"Pilgrim culture," she said. "Did you realize that they know more about the
Pilgrims than I do?"
"Are you sure they're right?" he asked. "That doesn't make sense to me."
"I think being a Pilgrim doesn't make much sense," she said darkly.
"I can't argue with that, he said, rubbing a towel against his hair.
"I love how the showers here have water," she said quietly. "I've never seen
anything like it."
"It's actually pretty common," he said, voice muffled by the towel. "The only
places that don't have water are some of the long-haul cargo ships. Even those
usually have both, though."
"Oh," she said, feeling foolish. There was so much about this
outside world that she had no understanding of. It was hard at times. He
turned away from her, and suddenly she felt very alone.
"Jess, would you like to come back to bed?" she asked softly. She didn't like
this distance between them; it needed healing.
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"No," he said tightly.
"There's nothing else we can do," she said. "We're stuck in here. Maybe it
will help."
He shook his head and she sighed heavily.
Throwing off the covers, she went into the fresher herself. Might as well
take advantage of the shower if there was nothing else to do.
The hot water sluiced over her, washing away some of her fears. Just standing
here, allowing this water to run down her body, seemed so decadent. Dangerous,
even. There was so much more to life than she'd ever realized.
It was good.
She turned her face into the stream and closed her eyes. Despite
everything the suffering, the loss, the pain life was good. Even if she died
within the next hour, she had had this one perfect moment in the shower. The [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]