Gregorius smiled at Dr. Saito's open-mindedness. Normally people used to look at him with alertness and distrust as soon as he pronounced the name of Deux, or worse still, they showed a disdainful smile. However, the psychologist had not done so. In the eyes of the Pontiff, the acceptance that there were things greater or more complex than the human mind could explain was in itself a sign of wisdom.
"I'm glad you think that way, Doctor. You can't imagine how many times we're practically required to apologize for believing in an entity greater than ourselves." The Pontiff looked back at the twinkling stars that appeared between the treetops, towards the immense space. "Curiously, at the moment in history in which we live, with the things we witness almost daily, it seems somewhat difficult to me not to believe in something greater than ourselves. There are so many inexplicable things in the void... "
The Pontiff reached into one of the pockets of his white clothing and took out a silver cigarette case. He took out a cigarette and lit it with a lighter, taking a few deep drags to get it to catch on. Then he looked at Isabella and took a few steps back, to prevent the smoke from reaching her. "Oh, I hope you don't mind my smoking. This is a bad vice, I admit it, but it's one of the few that I allow myself, and helps me to relax." Gregorius took another drag on the cigarette and blew a puff of smoke backwards, trying to make it go in the opposite direction from which the doctor was sitting. "As I told you, it's curious that people have so much rejection towards those of us who believe in a god. After all, what is a god? By definition, he's just a suprahuman entity whose power we cannot explain, but today anyone should know that the fact that a power cannot be explained doesn't expressly mean that it's produced by... magic. A superior and unknown technology may well seem like a magical power to those who don't understand it. Let us keep in mind that several thousand years ago the very creation of fire was something inexplicable to our ancestors."
The Pontiff rested his arm on the fountain, and observed the swirls that the current of the water produced on the surface as it fell. "We venerate Deux because we believe that He's the Great Benefactor of Mankind by giving us the Gift of the Machine, which allowed humans to evolve and be able to defend themselves from the Great Enemy. We firmly believe that the Gift He gave us has allowed us to survive until now and, in exchange for His favor, we fulfill His desire to work so that Mankind continues to exist." Gregorius turned his gaze towards Saito. "But who is Deux?" The clergyman shrugged his shoulders. "We really have no idea. He could be either a magical entity or a member of an alien society technologically far superior to us. The truth is that we don't know, and we don't care. We believe in Him because He has shown us that He desires our good, and that is enough. And that's Faith, as I understand it. The ability to believe in something I don't understand or comprehend, just because I know it's a good thing."
Gregorius finished his cigarette, walked over to a wrought-iron trash can on the side of the tiled path, and stubbed it out against the edge and then threw it inside. As he approached Isabella again, he found that the doctor's cat had gotten off her lap and had walked towards him. The Pontiff smiled and bent down to pet the kitten between the ears, while she purred, and then she climbed onto his shoulders and jumped into the fountain. The cat played a little, even soaked her head slightly in the stream of water, and then returned to request pampering from the clergyman.
Gregorius laughed heartily, as he caressed her again, this time on the back and belly. "Curious, it's not usually very common for these animals to like water, but it seems that she loves it." He spent a few more seconds surrendering to the cat's charms and fulfilling her wishes, and then he laughed again, suddenly feeling much happier and freed from his worries. "She's really lovely. There are still very few pets here in Faith Haven, although some settlers have some. The truth is that they bring a joy that is very necessary here, especially in times like this."
The Pontiff listened to Saito as she reassured him about the inconveniences in her visit. It seemed like she was happy with most of what she had seen, and it was evident that Meyer and Wilson had been good hosts, from what the psychologist was saying about them. He congratulated himself for having heeded Magister Orlov's recommendation that Meyer should be in charge of leading the visit. It had undoubtedly been the right choice.
Gregorius nodded gratefully as the Doctor explained the steps she had taken to help improve the mental health of the colony. "You don't know how much I appreciate the work you're taking, Dr. Saito. We really need help so that our people can receive mental health care, that's a subject we certainly have pending here. Until recently, the Church wasn't aware of how necessary good medical care can be in this field." The Pontiff took out another cigarette and lit it, without stopping talking. "It's true that when we're settled in Gran Canaria everything was easier. The planet was a paradise, safe and peaceful, and generally the situation was less prone to people developing mental illnesses. Those who suffered from them were mainly due to purely physical origins, which Neurology used to treat." The clergyman automatically took a few steps back to prevent the near cat from breathing the tobacco smoke. "However here... We've managed to turn Faith Haven into a very habitable place, but life underground, and the difficulties of keeping the settlement running takes its toll on our people. Fortunately, Dr. Wilson was quickly aware of this and was very insistent to take action, and for her part, Monsignora Meyer had enough sense to listen to her and bring the problem to the Concilium." Gregorius made a concessive gesture towards Saito with his free hand. "Now, with the support of MFE, we'll certainly be able to deal with the problem properly."
The clergyman took a few more drags on the cigarette and then disposed of the butt again after extinguishing it. He spent some time reflecting on what was on his mind, and on what he wanted to ask the doctor. He wanted to express it in a way that didn't seem impolite, or too direct. Ultimately he didn't want Isabella to feel obligated to give him an answer, but at the same time he wanted to take advantage of having her there.
Finally Gregorius decided to address the issue, although not without some concern about how the psychologist might take it. "As I imagine it has already been explained to you, doctor, one of the most important current objectives of the Church is to preserve the Mankind, or as much of it as we can, from the threats posed by the Nomads." The Pontiff gestured with his hands, trying to explain. "Well, the truth is that actually our Sacred Codex, wich are the scriptures written by our ancestors who directly interacted with Deux thousands of years ago, don't specify that the Great Enemy of Mankind is the Nomads, but they do say that this Great Enemy is a very dangeours threat that would come from the depths of space." Gregorius leaned on the fountain again and he put his hands together. "Anyway, due to the terrible experiences that Mankind has had with this... race of entities, for us there is no room for doubt that the Sacred Codex refers to them."
The Pontiff scratched his chin thoughtfully, and continued. "All of our experiences with the Nomad have been truly terrifying, here on the Omicrons. We've suffered indiscriminate and unprovoked attacks by them on our unarmed commercial vessels, to such an extent that we've been forced to establish constant patrols in Omicron Delta with the largest warships available to our Pontifical Navy. Unfortunately, they aren't even close to being able to provide enough security to our transports." A gesture of frustration was reflected on the clergyman's face. "Despite what you may have seen here at Faith Haven due to the special situation we find ourselves in, because the Zoner-Corsair conflict, we aren't a violent or militaristic faction, nor do we've great capabilities to have a large defensive army. Our resources to protect ourselves, or to protect others, are very limited. Still, we do everything we can."
Gregorius paused briefly so Isabella could calmly process what he was saying, and then he went on. "Violent Nomad activity has been increasing lately in both Omicron Delta and Omicron Theta, and from what we have heard, also in the surrounding systems. We're very concerned because if this continues, we'll most likely be facing a major attack very soon. One the likes of which haven't been seen since the Great Nomad War, and given the dissension and lack of unity that currently exists among human factions and powers, this wave could drive the humans of the Omicrons to extermination." The Pontiff stood up and took a few steps, near the bench where Saito was sitting, with his hands behind his back. "You'll wonder why I'm telling you all this, doctor. Well, I'm certainly not trying to scare you, but rather I'm asking for your help." The clergyman stopped and looked to the ground, looking carefully at the blades of grass that peeked out between the flagstones of the path. "The idea we had of the Nomad, until now, and from what we've personally seen, is that they're biomechanical entities created by the Dom'Kavash, programmed to exterminate humans. You can't reason with them, you can't dialogue to them, and all that can be understood from what they say are those telepathic messages full of hate and anger that their victims usually hear before being attacked." He turned around and looked directly at Isa, seriously. "However, Monsignora Meyer said me that you told her that the MFE, and well, you yourself, had had some experiences in space with Nomads, which didn't end in violence. It's clear that you have much more experience dealing with them than us, and I would like to know more about it."
Gregorius walked back to the fountain, where he caressed the cat again, now under the chin. "MFE is beyond any doubt about its objectives of protecting and helping the Mankind, and in that we're quite similar. Of course I don't dare to compare something as enormous and efficient as your organization with our insignificant Church, but we both fulfill Deux's plan, if you allow me to express myself this way. For this reason, and at the risk of asking too much of someone who is already doing a lot for us, I would like to start some kind of mutual relationship with MFE to share some information about the behavior of the Nomads." The Pontiff opened his hands towards Saito with a reassuring gesture. "I know that it's probably not a decision that you can make right now, nor on your own, but I would like to ask you to evaluate it and discuss it with whoever is appropriate. I think it's a good idea for people who seek common goals to share information that can facilitate their achievement, and..." The Pontiff shook his head and looked at Saito smiling. "...the truth is that although we consider the Nomads as deadly enemies, we practically know nothing about them. What I'm going to say could be considered heretical according to the teachings of the Church that I lead but, I think that learning more about them might make us better able to defend ourselves, and maybe even understand why they do what they do."
![[Image: e6Nh92v.png]](https://i.imgur.com/e6Nh92v.png)