Branegate by James C. Glass

Author:James C. Glass [Glass, James C.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction, General, War & Military, Fiction
ISBN: 9781933846330
Google: tphQLwEACAAJ
Amazon: 193384633X
Publisher: Fairwood Press
Published: 2012-09-01T04:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 22

They were imprisoned for one month before visitors were allowed, and then it was only because Tatjana’s family demanded it.

There was an apology from The Council of Bishops, but it was sent privately to Natasha Salizar, the eighty-year-old matriarch of the family. Her eight sons were the business minds behind a trillion sovereign a year empire, taking the place of their long dead father Carlos. One of those sons was Ernesto. And Tatjana Zylak was his daughter.

“Your apology will be accepted when my grand daughter is released on bail,” said Natasha to the Archbishop when he called on her personally to apologize for the oversight. “I will not tolerate abuse of political power, even by The Church.”

The presence of tiny Natasha Salizar was formidable, and the quilted chair she perched on was like a throne. Sky blue eyes blazed forth from a round face with pug nose and a small bow of a mouth rouged violet.

The Archbishop swallowed hard, and said, “I sincerely regret the necessity of arrest, Madam. If the Zylaks had not returned there wouldn’t be a problem, but they represent a criminal government we fought hard to overcome, and we cannot allow them to remain free.”

“Our previous government was inept, not criminal. Our economy is still a mess. Does that make The Church criminal? You spend your time flaunting power instead of tending to business.”

“Madam, please be reasonable. Charges have been filed, but nothing has been proven in court. There will be a trial.”

“Then why can’t our lawyer see his client?”

“An oversight. It will be corrected immediately.”

“Yes it will, and I’m giving you a list of other things to be corrected.” She reached into a folio in her lap, withdrew a sheet of paper and handed to him.

“You should be pleased to note I’m not asking for bail if the rest of those things are done within a week,” said Natasha. “If they’re not, I’ll go public with my demands and I’ll release every piece of dirt my family has collected about The Church and its hierarchy.”

“You’re imagining things, Madam. I must caution you about commiting heresy.”

Natasha laughed at him, a deep, earthy laugh. “Oh, my dear, we control all information on this planet. Nothing can be hidden from us: the lies, the assassinations of those you claim are imprisoned, the agents and saboteurs you send to the other side and the military fleet assembling near the Grand Portal. You cannot even stabilize the economy of a single planet, but are vain enough to think you can invade, conquer and control another universe on top of it.”

“The public will not believe such lies, and The Church won’t tolerate them,” said the Archbishop, and now he was angry. “Don’t think for a moment you’re immune from prosecution, or worse.”

Natasha’s eyes narrowed. “Do not think you’re immune from harsh treatment. The Source will not protect you from the consequences of stupidity. I can make one call, and the Council of Bishops will be dead within a day. It’s already arranged if anything fatal happens to a single member of my family.

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