The Story Of One World I, Chapter VII, Part II — The Counselor, Captain Temanov
The Counselor
He knew they would reach out to him eventually, undoubtedly at the most inconvenient time. Sure enough, the message arrived just as he tried to persuade Gustav Goldbloom not to disturb the king at an inappropriate hour. In his languid manner, Gustav insisted that “Kruel awaits him eagerly.” The Counselor had long grown accustomed to the ruler’s peculiar tastes. Still, he disapproved of this particular favorite — Goldbloom was not only excessively vulgar but also not as simple as he pretended to be.
However, the unexpected message disrupted any desire to continue the argument with the magnate. He waved dismissively and stepped aside, allowing Goldbloom access to the service elevator leading to the royal quarters.
The letter contained only six words and a signature, but even this brevity was enough to shiver down the Counselor’s spine. Usually calm and composed, he now found himself at a loss for what to do next — waiting seemed to be his only option. He was no fool and understood all too well that the current turmoil in the capital would soon escalate into something far more significant than disconnected assassinations, minor revolutionary acts, and police raids.
He glanced at the message one last time before deleting it. Yet the text seemed to burn into his retina: “I have returned to the city. F.S.”
Captain Temanov
A few hours later, Judjur sat with the young lord at an outdoor table of his favorite bar along the shores of Pungi Lake, sipping a strong, dark-red Varsian ale. They had deactivated their suits and enjoyed the warm breeze leisurely caressing their exposed skin and carrying the sweet scents of blooming orange trees.
Their conversation was lengthy, and they were already on their second, perhaps third, pint of the sharp ale. Kevar had told the captain almost the entire story of his journey to Fraktura, omitting only certain details like ‘Paradise,’ Snake, and the pirates. To Temanov, the story seemed entirely plausible: Argomantis had discovered a new Temple, which led him directly to Fraktura and, from there, as soon as possible, to the capital.
“And what do you make of all this, lord?” Judjur asked thoughtfully, tracing the rim of his mug with his index finger.
“How about we drop the formalities? It’s silly at this point… What lord am I? Just call me Kev. It’s what my friends use.”
Temanov thought for a moment and then nodded seriously, “Agreed… Kev.”
“Good. Now, about the matter at hand: I have a few theories that might sound crazy, but I can’t think of anything else,” Kevar pulled a pouch of crystal dust and a pipe from his pocket and took a small puff. He only smoked in extremely difficult life situations, “We have a few simple facts to start from. First, the source of Ombro’s inspiration is indeed on the planet where the most… let’s just say, disastrous cleansing operation in recent times was conducted. Second, the killer is a professional, acting like an experienced military person, and appeared in the capital less than six months after the campaign. Third, Ombro has serious mental issues, suggesting a significant traumatic event in her life…”
“Wait, we know the killer is a woman. That narrows down the list of suspects, doesn’t it?”
“Not exactly. It’s a person in a female spacesuit, but that doesn’t mean it’s necessarily a woman. As far as I know, no one has seen her without the suit.”
Judjur nodded thoughtfully while Kevar paused, puffing on his pipe, seemingly gathering his thoughts before continuing, “My main theory isn’t too far-fetched: we have four plausible scenarios. The killer could be Phaeton Savone, as the military seems to believe. Although they claim they have no interest in the Fanatic case, it seems that’s exactly what they’re most concerned with right now. You don’t have to answer, it’s pretty obvious. But the notion that Phaeton is involved seems nonsense — I’ve never met a more noble, honest, and strong person. Yes, he might not have always agreed with the command or shared all the goals and values of the government, but he’s incapable of such unjustified cruelty. So, our second scenario is that the killer is sitting right before you…”
“Don’t be silly, Kev. If you were Ombro, you’d go down in history as the first killer actively helping the police to find evidence against himself! That would be too extravagant, even for Ombro. Plus, after your brother’s murder, we put a little surveillance on you — to protect you, just in case.”
“That’s a twist. Thanks for the concern, but I can handle myself. As for the absurdity of this theory, I agree, but it had to be mentioned. The third option — and I consider it the main one — is that someone from my squad survived. After what he went through, he lost it, was picked up by monks led by Inisio, had his brain washed, then for some reason wore a female spacesuit (perhaps expressing some of Inisio’s feminist views, who knows) and went on a rampage in the capital. And the fourth possibility, also likely but with less evidence, is that Inisio is Ombro herself.”
“That’s compelling. Could someone have survived? Can you describe what exactly happened on Fraktura?”
“It’s hard to summarize in a few sentences… Especially since much of it is still unknown to me. But yes, there’s a chance — we couldn’t retrieve the bodies from the planet.”
Judjur nodded, diving deeper into his thoughts, trying to piece together the puzzle. It was challenging, but at least now he had some pieces to work with. The assumption that Ombro was someone from the infamous Squad 379 seemed logical, and he immediately requested Colonel Krib for the personal files of all twelve stormtroopers. A troubling thought crossed his mind: ten of them were listed as dead, and one — Savone — was missing. Consequently…
“Kev, you understand that we must find your former squad mate as soon as possible, right? Because if we don’t find the killer soon, the military might put together a couple of facts and arrest you without understanding the full story. And we both know how hard it is to get out of jail for an innocent person who’s already been incarcerated.”
“I’ve thought about that, too. But right now, the only thing that will help us further unravel this case is a thorough investigation of Fraktura and what happened there. It’s just that I’m on a no-travel bond…”
“I’ll go to Fraktura myself. What worries me more is that you’re in a dangerous position no matter how you look at it: you could be arrested by the military pending clarification, but Ombro might also target you. As we understand, she likely has an informant in the police or access to our databases. And you, potentially, are a threat to her.”
“Don’t worry about me, I can defend myself. What’s more important is dealing with this maniac as quickly as possible — as I understand it, she hasn’t exactly been idle in my absence.”
“Yes, two more murders…”
“Then we’ll act as effectively as we can. But right now, the only thing I can do is go home and get some serious sleep. The past few days have worn me out beyond belief. Damn, these religious fanatics!”
“Don’t say that, Kev. Not all orders are equally fanatic and destructive. Take the Old Belief Temple and our state religion. Yes, they’re too involved in politics and try to influence the government and the king. But think about what would happen without them — billions of citizens would be deprived of faith, and how would the king and his entourage manage to control the already resentful masses? This way, everything is done for the sake of faith, and there are fewer questions. And I’ll let you in on a secret — I was part of a small religious society in my youth, the Order of Peaceful World — you probably haven’t heard of it. And as you can see, I’m still quite sane.”
“Maybe you’re right… It’s a slippery subject, not for my tired mind tonight.”
Continued here:
The previous part is here:
