crystal containing a copy of the raw footage from each of the cameras to the Cardinal. It disappeared beneath his vestments.
“ Let us now proceed to an examination of the artifacts,” Cardinal Simpson said smiling. Nathan and Remi escorted the Cardinal to the cargo bay. Upon arriving, the group gathered around a table upon which a small cargo container had already been placed. The container had a large 1 stenciled on every side.
“ This contains the first artifact we obtained,” Nathan began. “The bucket of water by which Jesus' disciples identified the man at who’s house the Last Supper would be held. If you remember from the video, it is a pail constructed of wooden staves held together by leather with a short length of rope for a handle.”
Nathan unlocked the airtight container and began to open it. The first thing he noticed as he cracked the seal was the ripe stench of decay. A look at the faces of Remi and the Cardinal told him they noticed it as well.
He threw back the lid, and received the shock of his life. Even though the stench had prepared him somewhat. Gazing into the container, he could see the contents were ruined by decay. The rotted, misshapen mass looked as though it may have once been the handmade pail they had all expected to see, however it had obviously collapsed under it's own weight, leaving nothing but a pile of detritus.
“ I... I... I... I... Don't understand,” Nathan stuttered.
“ Maybe I can shed some light on the situation,” Cardinal Simpson said as he withdrew a scanning device from his vestments. He held the device over the remnants of the bucket and read from the display. “Definitely organic material, as I am sure we all gathered from the odor. It appears that it has the chemical make-up of wood and leather that has undergone substantial decay. Preliminary estimates based on the level of decay would indicate... No, that can't possibly be right...”
“ What can't?” Remi interjected.
“ Hold on,” the Cardinal said, keying a sequence on the device. “I'm having it carbon dated.” The device whined a little longer and the Cardinal's eyes went wide as he read the results. “Captain, the contents of this box are over four thousand years old!”
“ That can't be!” Nathan exclaimed. “I swear I held that pail in my hands only a week ago!”
“ It appears the happenings on the planet Jesus are even more interesting than anyone has believed previously!” The Cardinal intoned. “How about we check the other items. Perhaps something inorganic next?”
Nathan crossed the cargo bay to retrieve another container, as Remi resealed the first one and removed it from the table. She was just setting it on the deck when he returned with the container marked with a two. He set it on the table and readied to undo the latches.
“This should be the cup used at the Last Supper. The Holy Grail, if you prefer.” Nathan undid the latches and opened the container. A small pewter cup was inside, but it was extremely corroded.
The Cardinal scanned the cup with his device and said, “Just as I suspected. Judging from the level of decay, this cup is over four thousand years old as well! Structurally, this cup is identical to the original grail.”
“How can you possibly know that?” Remi asked. “The original Grail vanished long before any electronic scanner would have recorded it!”
“ Not so, young lady, the cardinal confided. “In fact, the Grail was in the possession of the Church right through the diaspora brought about by the religious wars on Old Earth, disappearing only after the Vatican had been relocated here to New Rome.”
“ Lost in the move, eh?” Nathan remarked. “I hope you had insurance!”
“ When I said after the move here, I meant it. An artifact of that importance traveled with His Holiness here, and then was locked away in the most secure vault in the Vatican. It,
“ Let us now proceed to an examination of the artifacts,” Cardinal Simpson said smiling. Nathan and Remi escorted the Cardinal to the cargo bay. Upon arriving, the group gathered around a table upon which a small cargo container had already been placed. The container had a large 1 stenciled on every side.
“ This contains the first artifact we obtained,” Nathan began. “The bucket of water by which Jesus' disciples identified the man at who’s house the Last Supper would be held. If you remember from the video, it is a pail constructed of wooden staves held together by leather with a short length of rope for a handle.”
Nathan unlocked the airtight container and began to open it. The first thing he noticed as he cracked the seal was the ripe stench of decay. A look at the faces of Remi and the Cardinal told him they noticed it as well.
He threw back the lid, and received the shock of his life. Even though the stench had prepared him somewhat. Gazing into the container, he could see the contents were ruined by decay. The rotted, misshapen mass looked as though it may have once been the handmade pail they had all expected to see, however it had obviously collapsed under it's own weight, leaving nothing but a pile of detritus.
“ I... I... I... I... Don't understand,” Nathan stuttered.
“ Maybe I can shed some light on the situation,” Cardinal Simpson said as he withdrew a scanning device from his vestments. He held the device over the remnants of the bucket and read from the display. “Definitely organic material, as I am sure we all gathered from the odor. It appears that it has the chemical make-up of wood and leather that has undergone substantial decay. Preliminary estimates based on the level of decay would indicate... No, that can't possibly be right...”
“ What can't?” Remi interjected.
“ Hold on,” the Cardinal said, keying a sequence on the device. “I'm having it carbon dated.” The device whined a little longer and the Cardinal's eyes went wide as he read the results. “Captain, the contents of this box are over four thousand years old!”
“ That can't be!” Nathan exclaimed. “I swear I held that pail in my hands only a week ago!”
“ It appears the happenings on the planet Jesus are even more interesting than anyone has believed previously!” The Cardinal intoned. “How about we check the other items. Perhaps something inorganic next?”
Nathan crossed the cargo bay to retrieve another container, as Remi resealed the first one and removed it from the table. She was just setting it on the deck when he returned with the container marked with a two. He set it on the table and readied to undo the latches.
“This should be the cup used at the Last Supper. The Holy Grail, if you prefer.” Nathan undid the latches and opened the container. A small pewter cup was inside, but it was extremely corroded.
The Cardinal scanned the cup with his device and said, “Just as I suspected. Judging from the level of decay, this cup is over four thousand years old as well! Structurally, this cup is identical to the original grail.”
“How can you possibly know that?” Remi asked. “The original Grail vanished long before any electronic scanner would have recorded it!”
“ Not so, young lady, the cardinal confided. “In fact, the Grail was in the possession of the Church right through the diaspora brought about by the religious wars on Old Earth, disappearing only after the Vatican had been relocated here to New Rome.”
“ Lost in the move, eh?” Nathan remarked. “I hope you had insurance!”
“ When I said after the move here, I meant it. An artifact of that importance traveled with His Holiness here, and then was locked away in the most secure vault in the Vatican. It,
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