Free Vatican Ambassador by Mike Luoma Page B

the Mass while you're gone, minister to your people up there. Make sure your congregation makes him feel welcome, eh?
    “We'll see you in Rome on Tuesday, then. Pope Linus the Second, out." Well, well, well, what do we have here? That was Him, huh, the actual Pope? Guess I'll find out more next week.
Chapter Seven
    BC’s itinerary, provided by the Vatican, has him boarding a church transport ship for Rome early Monday morning. He makes his way to the docking bays bristling at being on someone else’s schedule instead of his own.
    I’ve gotten used to setting my own timetable.
    BC spots the man who looks to be his temporary replacement, Father Dan Daycomb, in the ship's Gate area, based on the pictures sent up by the Vatican. Daycomb looks to be an eager, young, redheaded priest. He’s dressed in a traditional priest’s collar. His wide brown eyes take in the landing area of the Lunar Prime as he walks through the port.
    That must be him. What are the odds of anyone else wearing a collar coming through here, anyway?
    “Father Daycomb?” BC calls out, stopping the man.
    “Ambassador Campion?” the other priest asks.
    “BC, please,” Campion says, extending his hand. “Dan? May I call you Dan?”
    The other man nods, grasps BC’s hand and gives it a good solid shake.
    “Well, Dan, please be kind to them, eh?” BC asks.
    “Oh, I will, Father Campion. I, uh, I mean, I will, BC.”
    He’s young! I bet he’s never even worked in a Parish, never mind on the fucking Moon!
    “You’ll do fine, Father, I’m sure,” BC reassures him. “By the way, there’s a young man named Jim Fitzgerald here. He hears the call, but he’s unsure. You’re younger, you might relate to him better than I can. See if you can convince him to join our ranks while you’re here, Father!” BC challenges Daycomb.
    “I – uh, I will,” Daycomb answers, uncertainly.
    “He’ll be a help to you, no matter what,” BC says, trying to inspire a little confidence in the man.
    “Anyway, I’ve got to catch my ship! Good luck!” BC tells him.
    “Th-thanks,” Daycomb manages to get out.
    “See you later!”
    BC turns and heads over to his flight’s docking bay.
    Well, I wished him luck. What else could I do? Heck, a lot of them here will love having a 'real'
    priest for a change. Okay... Rome, here I come.
    BC is booked on a public flight. He finds the docking bay and makes his way onto the ship. He looks around at the other passengers, trying to see who they are without making eye contact.
    Pretty normal looking, I guess. No risky types… Just everyday folk taking a flight down to Earth.
    He finds his seat and settles in for the trip.
    How long is this flight?
    BC looks through his papers for his itinerary as he sits waiting for the ship to depart. Twenty Hours? A long time to think.
    Think about how it's come to this.
    Strange, finding myself telling some kid to become a priest! Didn't tell him I did it online way back when. That it was all a cover for smuggling. What a long, strange, bizarre trip, all right,
    ‘The Biography of BC’. I can see it now: Born in the old USA, on Earth, 2080. Early life unremarkable. Classic underachiever.
    I wanted to be a pilot, driving ships from the Moon to Mars on the Mag-Loop highway... BC looks out the window as they take off from Lunar Prime. Melancholy memories well back up into BC’s mind.
    They said I didn’t have the discipline needed to study to become a pilot. So I gave it up… proving them right. Self-fulfilling prophecy. Too bad. Ended up drifting from job to job after I got out of school. Finally ended up on Linderstern Finch as a station-boy. After getting rolled by Fiza, I stayed on board. I answered the ad from the Holy Redemption Church of Jesus. And so I became a preacher ! Well, sort of.
    I still remember the ad's headline, “Get Nontaxable Status!” Heh. I got my ordination papers and tax forms and officially became Brother Bernard Campion of the Holy Redemption Church of