Scene of the Crime

The group entered Abban's building; the body was still there, soaked in his own blood. One of the Magellan priests started to move it's tentacles around the shelves, examining vacuum-sealed medications and ailments. Merin couldn't take her eyes off the corpse. She told herself that the Securitate would pay for this; Erishum's elite had crossed a line that should never have been crossed. 

"Abban-Acacius, you poor soul. You shall join another cluster in the spiritual domain." Priestess Cloelia looked down at Abban, pulling a type of ceremonial blanket from her robes and gently concealing the body beneath it. 

"What shall happen to this place?" another priest asked, and his interpreter collar gave him a voice much more gravelly than the rest of them. 

"The property belongs to the Lysima family. Xshayarsha, that bug back there, he's one of them. They'll make the necessary arrangements," Merin explained to them. She turned to confront the priestess. "Priestess, I believe the body needs to be properly examined by a coroner. I believe the Securitate to be involved in this murder; I'd like it to be investigated."

"That is a ridiculous claim; the Securitate would not assassinate a member of the Magellan species, let alone on this crime ridden world," the gravelly-voiced Magellan said. 

"Respectfully, how do you know that? Erishum's forces are getting desperate—there's something suspicious going on around here." 

"Merin's right," Tiye added. "They probably contacted you in an effort to clear up their mess. Everyone with the slightest shred of intelligence on our species understands how efficient the cluster is." 

"I will have to discuss this with the rest of the priests and priestesses; until then, I suggest you two return to your friends." The priestess nodded to a pair of Magellans, who promptly escorted Tiye and Merin out of Abban's. The two gave each other a look of uneasiness. Maybe this conspiracy went deeper than expected.

To Be Continued...