The clergywoman smiled slightly when Isabella asked about her path being a monsignora.
"Well, positions of ministerial rank, such as monsignors or magisters, have to be proposed by someone of higher rank, and submitted to a vote in the Concilium, with the approval of His Holiness. In my case, it was Magister Julio Barbarossa, our current Minister of the Interior, who proposed me to be promoted to monsignora, and take the position of my predecessor, Monsignor Castillo, when he died in the invasion of Gran Canaria..." Meyer's eyes briefly reflected some pain as she remembered, but he quickly continued speaking. "I come from one of the few families from Rheinland who descended from former members of the Order of Covenant Machina, and who continued being believers in the Faith, when the New Covenant Church was created. My parents, my brother and I were living in Stuttgart when the news reached us, and we hardly stopped to think. We took all our belongings, sold our rural house and joyfully left for the Edge Worlds to join the other believers who responded to the call of the new Pontiff. From the first moment I wanted to enter the clergy, to be more than a mere believer, I wanted to build the new Church from within, so I was ordained immediately."
Meyer unconsciously smoothed out his priestly uniform. "When someone enters the clergy of the Church, he does so with the rank of cleric. The clerics are priests and government officials at the same time, they occupy administrative and advisory positions, but they're also responsible for organizing the liturgies in the Temple and serving as social and religious support for the settlers. They're the basis of the Church, the bridge between the secular community and the religious, and at the same time the bridge between the colonists and the Government system. When I was ordained cleric, I was soon appointed as a supervisor in the Secretariat of Scientific Research, which depends on the Ministry of Science, since I've a university degree in Biology from the University of New Berlin."
Greta scratched her chin as she reminisced in her mind. "The next rank on the Church ladder is that of churchman. Churchmen are senior officials who carry out the functions of department heads or secretaries. When my superior was assigned to another position two years later, in Gran Canaria, the Church promoted me to churchwoman and put me in charge of the Scientific Research Secretariat. Then, once here in Pygar, as Monsignor Castillo had died, they proposed me to take charge of the entire Ministry of Science, and His Holiness approved it. I guess the Church were happy with my work, although I've to say that it wasn't difficult to stand out in the field of sciences. In the beginning there were not many personnel with scientific studies within the clergy. Fortunately that is something we've managed to reverse through study abroad programs for some clerics and lay settlers. It's quite expensive to send people to study at university in Bretonia or Rheinland, but it's essential for the future of our community. In my opinion, it's money well spent."
The convoy of two vehicles at that moment crossed the last section of glass-steel tunnel, and finally entered under the large main biodome. The passengers of the car were able to see how the gigantic transparent dome rose to more than 180 meters high, reinforced throughout with a steel and titanium frame. The space it contained was so vast that if one concentrated, could almost ignore that he were under a biodome. Most of the floor surface was designed for vegetation to grow on. There were fields with some trees and even some small crop fields, scattered everywhere. The highway was widened on the shoulders to allow for more comfortable driving, and on the sides of the road it began to see buildings that looked like medium-sized single-family homes, most of them on one floor, with their own small fenced gardens and orchards. In the distance there were also groups of warehouses, and buildings that looked like offices, and at one point the cars even passed next to what looked like a fire station, with emergency vehicles parked.
Meyer pointed out the window. "We're now in Biodome 1, or the Main Biodome. We've another active biodome in the settlement, further to the east, very similar in size to this one, although lower in height, which is where all the extensive crop fields are located. We're currently building two more large biodomes on the surface, to the west, which will house more crops and recreational spaces for the population, among other things. As you can see, the space under the Biodome 1 was designed in a way in which vegetation and fields abounded. An attempt was made to make the area as similar as possible to what the atmosphere of Gran Canaria would be like, before the start of the glaciation that it's now suffering. Here is the Pontifical Palace and a large part of the Government and Ministries offices, as I mentioned before. All the homes you are seeing are occupied by clerics of the Church who are civil servants and work for the Government, and their families. Being able to have their home in this "outdoor" environment is a privilege that, for the moment, only the clergy can enjoy. However, this biodome isn't at all closed to the rest of the settlers, anyone can come here at any time, and many people usually come here to spend their leisure time, with their family, for a walk or to have a meal in a field." Meyer smiled. "This is the closest thing we have at Faith Haven to spending a Sunday picnic in the countryside."
Greta turned to look at the road through the front glass of the vehicle. The Pontifical Palace could be seen getting closer, rising between several residential buildings and offices of two or three floors that gathered around it, in a kind of small urban nucleus that stood in the center of the biodome. She sat back down, facing Isabella, and pointed to the front of the car. "We'll arrive at the Pontifical Palace in about 5 minutes. Once there I'll order your luggage to be taken to your room in the residential wing and we can begin the visit to the most interesting part of the settlement, the underground part."
Dr. Wilson intervened upon hearing Saito talk about his interest in Pygar culture and gastronomy. "Isa, if you want to taste the local cuisine, we can later go to eat in one of the general dining rooms, or if you prefer, in one of the three restaurants that are open in the settlement, right Greta?" Meyer nooded, smiling. "However, I warn you that we don't have much variety of products at the moment, we mainly eat vegetables, but the chefs try to come up with varied dishes with what they have. Since our settlers come from all over Sirius there is a mix of quite fun culinary styles."
The monsignora supported Wilson's words with a gesture. "That's how it is. We mainly eat many dishes based on the vegetables we grow here in Pygar, and in some cases they are complemented with some meat grown from animal cells in laboratories, but we don't produce enough for meat to be common in our general diet. In the future it's possible that we'll be able to bring farm animals here and start working on livestock, but currently it's impossible due to lack of space and resources. However, private restaurants obtain synthetic, growned, or sometimes even real meat from outside traders, so it's possible to try recipes that we wouldn't otherwise be able to taste. And yes, our culture, both culinary and social, is the sum of many cultures, thanks to our settlers and their diverse origins. This is reflected in gastronomy, fashion, and music."
Mac and Greta laughed heartily when Isabella referred to herself as a "student on a field excursion." Meyer thought that she was really starting to feel personal sympathy for Dr. Saito. She had already imagined that, as a person who had dedicated her life to providing free and altruistic medical assistance to others, she would undoubtedly be a good one, but now that she was starting to get to know her, she felt that Isabella was really someone with a heart of gold. It was something that Saito... transmitted when she spoke to her, a feeling of constant kindness, which encouraged her to smile and feel comfortable. It didn't surprise her that Isabella had a knack for Psychology.
"Don't worry, Isa." Mackenzie said with a warm gesture. "You're the guest here, so no one will be surprised that you ask all the questions you want, and for our part we're delighted to be able to tell you things about our home. But it's true that I would like to know more about you: Where do you come from, how did you become a doctor, how did you join MFE...? You've mentioned before that you are half corsair, but obviously you also have origins in Kusari. Since we're going to be spending a lot of time together from now on, as you well said, I'd love to know your story a little more." Mac raised his hands and smiled shyly. "As long as it isn't asking too much, of course."
