The convoy of two vehicles reached the small urban center that surrounded the Pontifical Palace. It was just a small group of about fifty low buildings, mostly homes and offices, among which were distributed some short streets with sidewalks that led to a wide, landscaped plaza, in front of which the Palace stood.
The cars quickly entered the esplanade and their occupants were able to clearly see the settlement's Government headquarters building. The building was divided into a central, taller body, crowned by a Renaissance dome, and two lower, lateral wings, which extended halfway around the outside of the square. It was built of cement, probably built in modules with 3D printing machinery, like practically all the buildings they had seen until then. However, an attempt had been made to make the aesthetic appearance reminiscent of a Renaissance palace, with a classical style. It had a big columned front entrance, with a large pediment over the main gate, and stone joints were simulated on the cement, as if it had been built from blocks. Scattered around the façade were friezes with ornaments that helped give the impression that it was something ancient.
The vehicles circled the outside of the square and stopped in front of the steps that ascended to the main entrance. The driver of the car in which Meyer, Wilson and Saito were riding, immediately got out to open the door for the passengers. The three women exited the vehicle, while two clerics descended towards them to remove Isabella's luggage from the trunk and take it to their chambers. The escort SUV, which had stopped behind the official limousine, took off again and passed by the parked vehicle, while the soldier with the machine gun gave a military salute to Meyer, who returned a distracted salute, and drove away towards one of the the exits from the square.
The monsignora addressed the Church officials. "Take the Doctor's things carefully to her bedroom and leave them next to the bed. Don't touch anything and leave the room closed."
While Meyer gave instructions, Wilson stayed with Isabella and accompanied her when she crossed the road to the wide garden lawn on the other side, in front of the palace. It seemed that she had been very pleased to be able to get close to the grass and flowers, and she immediately knelt down to touch the ground covered with vegetation. Mac smiled at the happiness showing on Saito's face. She herself enjoyed the environment of Biodome 1 as much as she could, but the truth is that she saw it every day, and that probably made her not appreciate it as much as she should. However, she could still remember the first time she saw the finished biodome, and was able to lie down on a field of grass, after 2 years of living underground. Mac was happy when Isa expressed her admiration for the place, turning to her and sat on the grass next to Saito when she indicated it with a gesture. She looked back for a second at Greta, who smiled at her from the stairs when she saw them sitting there, and made a gesture indicating that she would be inside the palace accompanying the clerics. Then looked back at Isabella, who was slowly caressing Niki, and listened attentively as she began to tell her about her life.
While Dr. Saito spoke, Mac remained respectfully silent, while grief gripped her throat as she discovered the saddest details of her story. It was truly terrible the amount of suffering Isabella's mother had had to endure. After having been raped and mistreated by that evil corsair, she had to feel totally alone and abandoned by her own family... If there was no one to lean on, socially rejected, it was no wonder that she had ended up giving up her life and had ended up taking life. As a doctor, she knew perfectly well what a terrible disease depression could be, causing people to be completely incapable of finding solutions to their problems. It was incredible how today people were still not aware that humans are social beings who need to feel supported by their peers, for their brain functions to function correctly. "We're social animals, if we are forced to live in isolation, we end up feeling that nothing is worth it." Wilson said to herself, wiping away a lone tear that had slipped from her emotion-wet eyes.
Fortunately Isabella had managed to get ahead, and without a doubt her mother's tragedy had marked her life and made her become who she was today. She had the extraordinary luck of meeting two people who seemed to have truly loved her, her adoptive parents, with whose support she had managed to become a doctor. She had also managed to attract the attention of Doctor John Henry Holiday, who had recognized her talent and had incorporated her into his ranks at MFE. Furthermore, it was clear that she had managed to rise to her current position through her own merits, since Dr. Holiday didn't seem like someone who promoted people out of mere personal preference. Furthermore, from what Saito had dropped, she felt the same way about her superior's integrity.
She had heard of this Dr. Holiday. He was a kind of living myth in Sirius about whom thousands of rumors spread, but like all living myths, most would be nothing more than rumors. However, she knew that Magister Orlov had a lot of respect and appreciation for him despite not knowing personally. His opinion was not a secret, and if he was asked about it, he would often talk about the extraordinary work that Holiday and his staff had done in Gran Canaria after the SCRA-Corsair war in 820 AS. And that was something to keep in mind, because it wasn't common to hear sincere compliments about someone coming from Yuri Orlov.
Saito's hug certainly caught her by surprise, although it didn't bother her. Wilson realized that it had been a sincere and truly feeling reaction on the part of her guest. When Saito detached himself from her and apologized, Mac could only smile and reassure her with a gesture. "Please Isa, don't apologize for something like that. I wish people had the courage to hug others more when they need it. I think everything would be much easier that way. I thank you for trusting me to tell me such personal things about your life. I'm glad you did, since we'll be spending a lot of time together from now on." Wilson hesitated for a few moments, and then continued, feeling indebted and wishing Isabella knew more about her own life. "I see that your life has been more difficult than mine, honestly. I was born in Cambridge and, like Greta, my family is also descended from acolytes of the extinct Order of the Covenant Machina. We've always believed in Deux, I was raised with the Faith from birth, and for me it has always been the logical thing, especially after the attacks we suffered after the Nomad War. I studied medicine because I wanted to do something for people, just as Deux encourages us to do to unite Mankind, and I believe that there can be no better act of unity and harmony than healing and caring for our fellow human beings. It's what the medical oath binds us to do, and from my point of view it's something very consistent with my religious beliefs."
Mackenzie looked towards the end of the square, her gaze slightly lost, searching through her memories. "My parents had money, I never suffered hardship. I was able to study what I wanted, do my specialty, and work in a public hospital. However, when the Church was founded my entire family and I left everything, and also went to the Omicrons to join it." Wilson smiled slightly, trying to imagine what was going through Saito's mind. "I understand it may seem strange to you that so many people decide to abandon their often comfortable lives to run towards the Edge Worlds just because a guy who calls himself the Pontiff claims to have founded a Church in which the same entity as you is worshiped. However, for us it was something that filled us with hope, and we couldn't think of doing anything different. We did not know many people who had our same beliefs, our religion was transmitted from parents to children for generations, among the few descendants of an ancient secret society that had existed since the times of Earth, scattered throughout all of Sirius. As for religious feeling, you will understand that the believers of the Faith of Deux felt quite alone and abandoned, sometimes wondering if Deux was still watching over us. Too many centuries of silence, do you understand? No community leaders, no one to tell us what to expect. We had all been able to see how the prophecies of the Codex had been fulfilled when the Nomad attacked us here too. I was just a girl, but I remember the terror when hearing the news, the prayers at home, the uncertainty... Therefore, suddenly discovering that there was an organization, a community of people who thought the same as us and who shared our creed, was a source of such great joy that we could not value anything other than joining them.
Wilson looked at Isabella, trying to guess if Saito could understand what she was explaining, or if she was just listening silently out of respect. Sometimes it was very difficult to express to people who didn't have religious beliefs what it meant for a believer to be surrounded by people who understood and shared their Faith. "We joined the Church already in Gran Canaria, after the Corsair-SCRA war. I wasn't present at that conflict, nor did I have the opportunity to help the refugees or the wounded. However, I immediately joined the medical team of our new settlement, which was just in the midst of construction and creation. And there I worked until the Bretonians shot us out. When Pontiff Paolus decreed the evacuation I remember that it was chaos. We weren't even remotely prepared for an operation of such magnitude, for so many thousands of people... Many were left behind, there were not ships for everyone. It wasn't an real evacuation, it was a kind of flight in disarray. We lost a lot of people... my own parents, for example. Fortunately I was able to get my brother out of his house, along with his wife and their children, and we managed to board one of the transports."
Mac had to stop for a second to clear her voice, which was shaking with sadness and some anger at this point. She took a deep breath, gulped and continued. "I haven't heard from my parents since. I've tried to investigate it, but without success. On the other hand, in recent years the Church has contacted many people from our old settlement who stayed there, or who could have fled to other places, and has offered to bring them here to reunite with their families, or simply to give them a place to live. Many have done it, others have not. And we have never been able to find others, like my parents. I suppose they were killed by the Bretonnians, like so many others."
Mac remained silent for a few seconds, composing herself from what she had just shared with Saito, and observing the square in front of them. People could be seen passing by, alone or in groups, from one side to the other, most dressed in the black uniforms of the clergy, although also some others in civilian clothes. Patrols of the Pontifical Guards also passed by from time to time, both on foot and in a vehicle similar to the one that had escorted them there. Due to the complete battle equipment they were wearing and their vigilant and not relaxed attitude, soldiers seemed alert. On several occasions some patrols looked towards the two women sitting on the grass, more with curiosity than anything else, but never did they seem interested in them for more than a few seconds. When looking towards the palace, the official car was still parked in front of the steps, with the driver leaning on it while smoking a cigarette, and Meyer had disappeared, so she was still inside the Palace. Mac assumed she had gone up to escort the two clerics carrying Isabella's suitcases to her guest chambers, to make sure no one touched any of her things. Greta could be very naive and distracted, but when she was aware that something was bothering someone she took it very seriously to respect it.
Mac dared to express to Isabella the question that had been on her mind since Meyer had informed her of the characteristics of her new study plan with MFE. "From what I know, MFE has a large influx of students at the General Academy, and it doesn't surprise me, I think you have the only educational center for, at least, the Omicrons. I suppose there will be many applications to study Psychology, and I don't think you want to tutor them all personally. I don't quite understand why you wanted to choose me to be your personal apprentice." Wilson smiled, hoping that the question didn't sound as bad in Saito's head as she had thought it sounded in her after saying it. "Don't misunderstand me, Isa, I'm very excited for this opportunity that has come to me from the sky. Being able to learn Psychology directly from you and your professional practice is great, and I could never have imagined that I could be so lucky. However, I can't avoid asking myself the question of why you decided to choose me for it. Don't think that I feel special in any way, and I imagine that what has happened is that my application for studies has coincided precisely with a time in which you are in a position to be able to dedicate time to a personal student, but I would like to know If this is indeed the case or if there is something else.
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