Title: Reliquary
Classification: General, political
Summary: "It was a symbol of my faith, and I had it right here in my hands."
***
Reliquary
***
"As long as we're not putting Lord John Marbury in charge of anything, Mr.
President, I really don't see why you'd think I need to be here for
this...ceremony."
"Leo, you never cease to amuse me." Bartlet laughed for a moment as he put on
his jacket, using the highly-polished desktop as a mirror so he could straighten
his tie. "It's not that big a deal, I'll grant you, but I'd still like you here.
Bulgaria's come through for us on any number of occasions, both for me and for
my predecessors, and if they send us a new ambassador then I think there should
be two people to meet him."
"True enough. And with the new problems cropping up in Macedonia, it'd probably
be better, a more solid front, if it were the Vice-President--"
"The Vice-President in Nebraska at the moment."
"What the hell's in Nebraska, Mr. President?" Leo frowned as he adjusted his
shirt sleeves.
"Corn, Leo, I don't know. He's opening...something or other, and giving a
speech. But the thing is that we're getting this new guy in a few minutes and
I'd like to have more than one important man in the room. Let him know we take
this seriously."
"As seriously as I take coming in on a Saturday morning to work with Josh on the
farm subsidies bill, take a few dozen meetings relating to your re-election
campaign, set up a week's worth of briefings, and the other assorted duties I
perform in order to keep your White House running?"
"Yes, Leo, because you're a prince among men." Bartlet patted him on the arm.
"Just remember that I'm the king."
Charlie knocked on the door and opened it far enough to be seen. "They're here,
sir."
"Thank you, Charlie. Would you show everyone in, please?" The President shook
hands with the man from the State Department as Charlie ushered in the
photographers and showed them where to stand. "Welcome, Mr. Lewis - and who have
we here?"
The Chief of Protocol smiled and nodded at their guest. "Mr. President, it is
with pleasure that I present his excellency Mikhail Arensky, and by request of
the Secretary of State ask that you accept his credentials from Prime Minister
Ivan Kostov as Bulgaria's ambassador to the United States."
Arensky seemed young for someone with this kind of responsibility, probably in
his early thirties. He was of medium height and build, with dark hair in a
military cut. There was a long scar bisecting his left eyebrow and heading up
into his hairline, but in spite of that his dark eyes were youthful and honest
as he met the President's appraising gaze.
There were smiles all around the Oval Office. President Bartlet extended his
hand to the young man and shook it firmly. "Mr. Arensky, I accept your letter of
credence from Prime Minister Kostov and by affixing my signature and seal, do
hereby declare you to be an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary."
Flashbulbs went off all around them as they posed, smiling, hands clasped. "I'm
going to miss Philip," Bartlet said to Arensky, referring to his predecessor.
"But he deserved the promotion and I'm glad he recommended you for the post."
"Yes, Mr. President. I'm honored to have been asked to take his place." The two
men shifted positions a little and Bartlet noticed that Arensky seemed
distracted by the sight of Charlie and Leo talking at the door. "Ah, good, it's
here," said Arensky.
"What's here?" Bartlet craned his neck and saw Charlie bring in a small box.
Charlie handed it to Arensky with a polite nod. "I'm terribly sorry about the
delay, Mr. Ambassador. We had to call someone in from the Gift Office and she's
just sent it over."
"Perfectly understandable," Arensky said, then turned back to Bartlet. "Mr.
President, on behalf of the Bulgarian government, it is my pleasure to present
you with this token of our esteem and appreciation."
Bartlet took the proffered box, smiling, waiting for the photographers to snap a
few more pictures. He opened it carefully and removed the contents with care and
reverence. The item was silver, about nine inches high, a sculpture of a young
woman at prayer. "Mr. Ambassador, I'm absolutely speechless."
"Hold it up, Mr. President," called the photographer, coming closer for a better
shot.
"I'm looking for the attributes," the President said as he peered at the
beautiful object. "I'm not sure who she is."
"Saint Euphemia of Bleven," Arensky supplied.
"Oh, of course, of course. The workmanship is beyond belief." He held the little
statue close to his heart. "She was always one of my favorites."
"That's what we heard, Mr. President, so of course we were happy to be able to
find this version of her and bring her to you."
"I really am most grateful. She's lovely." The President set the icon down while
the photographers started to pack up their gear. "Mr. Lewis, are we done for the
day?"
"Yes, Mr. President. Thank you, sir."
"Thank you, and thank you again, Mr. Ambassador, for this lovely, lovely gift."
Bartlet shook hands with the two men and walked back to his desk, picking up the
silver statue again. "Leo, have you ever seen anything like this?"
"It's very beautiful. May I?" Leo cradled it carefully, marveling at its
intricate details. "The design on the gown. The hair, even the eyebrows. I can't
begin to imagine the work that went into it."
"This is a keeper," Bartlet said, and Leo murmured his assent.
Charlie knocked on the door and opened it. "Mr. President, I'm sorry for the
intrusion, but Yolanda Ortiz is here to see you and she says it's urgent."
"Who's Yolanda Ortiz?" Bartlet asked Leo.
"She's one of the people in the Gift Office. Pretty high up, if I remember
correctly."
"Send her in, Charlie, thanks." Bartlet walked over and shook hands with her.
"Ms. Ortiz, what can we do for you?"
She looked like someone who was usually poised, dressed in an immaculate gray
suit with her exquisite black hair coiled in an elaborate bun. Bartlet noticed
that she was shifting from foot to foot, nervously, looking down for a moment
before looking back up at him. "Not to mince words, Mr. President, but we need
you to return the gift from Mr. Arensky with all possible speed."
"The icon?" Bartlet asked. He reached behind him and picked it up, cradling it
in his hands. "Didn't your office vet this already?"
"Mr. Arensky's gift came unexpectedly. We ran it through very as fast as we
could. We scanned and x-rayed it, and the people who read the reports said there
was no metal or explosive devices inside."
"So what, exactly, is the problem?" Leo asked.
"Mr. President, we scanned it for things like metal and explosives. We didn't
look that carefully for...other things."
Leo blanched. "Are you saying that this contains some form of weapon, that it's
dangerous?"
"No, sir. I'm not saying anything like that. But if you look closely, you'll see
that the coil of hair that goes all the way down the side is actually a hinge.
Once I realized that the item had an opening, I went back to the x-rays and got
my people to look again. There's something in there, Mr. President."
Bartlet sighed, still holding the silver statue in his hands. "It's a reliquary,
isn't it?"
"Yes, sir."
"A reliquary," Bartlet said to pre-empt the question he saw in Leo's eyes, "is a
devotional item, sometimes an effigy of a saint but usually in the form of
whatever it contains..."
"Oh, God, please tell me this isn't what I think it is," Leo moaned. "Ms. Ortiz,
what the hell is inside this thing?"
Ms. Ortiz shook her head and grimaced. "From what we've seen on the x-ray, Mr.
McGarry, we have reason to believe that it's a finger. A human finger."
***
End part 1a/4
To part 1b
Classification: General, political
Summary: "It was a symbol of my faith, and I had it right here in my hands."
***
Reliquary
***
"As long as we're not putting Lord John Marbury in charge of anything, Mr.
President, I really don't see why you'd think I need to be here for
this...ceremony."
"Leo, you never cease to amuse me." Bartlet laughed for a moment as he put on
his jacket, using the highly-polished desktop as a mirror so he could straighten
his tie. "It's not that big a deal, I'll grant you, but I'd still like you here.
Bulgaria's come through for us on any number of occasions, both for me and for
my predecessors, and if they send us a new ambassador then I think there should
be two people to meet him."
"True enough. And with the new problems cropping up in Macedonia, it'd probably
be better, a more solid front, if it were the Vice-President--"
"The Vice-President in Nebraska at the moment."
"What the hell's in Nebraska, Mr. President?" Leo frowned as he adjusted his
shirt sleeves.
"Corn, Leo, I don't know. He's opening...something or other, and giving a
speech. But the thing is that we're getting this new guy in a few minutes and
I'd like to have more than one important man in the room. Let him know we take
this seriously."
"As seriously as I take coming in on a Saturday morning to work with Josh on the
farm subsidies bill, take a few dozen meetings relating to your re-election
campaign, set up a week's worth of briefings, and the other assorted duties I
perform in order to keep your White House running?"
"Yes, Leo, because you're a prince among men." Bartlet patted him on the arm.
"Just remember that I'm the king."
Charlie knocked on the door and opened it far enough to be seen. "They're here,
sir."
"Thank you, Charlie. Would you show everyone in, please?" The President shook
hands with the man from the State Department as Charlie ushered in the
photographers and showed them where to stand. "Welcome, Mr. Lewis - and who have
we here?"
The Chief of Protocol smiled and nodded at their guest. "Mr. President, it is
with pleasure that I present his excellency Mikhail Arensky, and by request of
the Secretary of State ask that you accept his credentials from Prime Minister
Ivan Kostov as Bulgaria's ambassador to the United States."
Arensky seemed young for someone with this kind of responsibility, probably in
his early thirties. He was of medium height and build, with dark hair in a
military cut. There was a long scar bisecting his left eyebrow and heading up
into his hairline, but in spite of that his dark eyes were youthful and honest
as he met the President's appraising gaze.
There were smiles all around the Oval Office. President Bartlet extended his
hand to the young man and shook it firmly. "Mr. Arensky, I accept your letter of
credence from Prime Minister Kostov and by affixing my signature and seal, do
hereby declare you to be an ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary."
Flashbulbs went off all around them as they posed, smiling, hands clasped. "I'm
going to miss Philip," Bartlet said to Arensky, referring to his predecessor.
"But he deserved the promotion and I'm glad he recommended you for the post."
"Yes, Mr. President. I'm honored to have been asked to take his place." The two
men shifted positions a little and Bartlet noticed that Arensky seemed
distracted by the sight of Charlie and Leo talking at the door. "Ah, good, it's
here," said Arensky.
"What's here?" Bartlet craned his neck and saw Charlie bring in a small box.
Charlie handed it to Arensky with a polite nod. "I'm terribly sorry about the
delay, Mr. Ambassador. We had to call someone in from the Gift Office and she's
just sent it over."
"Perfectly understandable," Arensky said, then turned back to Bartlet. "Mr.
President, on behalf of the Bulgarian government, it is my pleasure to present
you with this token of our esteem and appreciation."
Bartlet took the proffered box, smiling, waiting for the photographers to snap a
few more pictures. He opened it carefully and removed the contents with care and
reverence. The item was silver, about nine inches high, a sculpture of a young
woman at prayer. "Mr. Ambassador, I'm absolutely speechless."
"Hold it up, Mr. President," called the photographer, coming closer for a better
shot.
"I'm looking for the attributes," the President said as he peered at the
beautiful object. "I'm not sure who she is."
"Saint Euphemia of Bleven," Arensky supplied.
"Oh, of course, of course. The workmanship is beyond belief." He held the little
statue close to his heart. "She was always one of my favorites."
"That's what we heard, Mr. President, so of course we were happy to be able to
find this version of her and bring her to you."
"I really am most grateful. She's lovely." The President set the icon down while
the photographers started to pack up their gear. "Mr. Lewis, are we done for the
day?"
"Yes, Mr. President. Thank you, sir."
"Thank you, and thank you again, Mr. Ambassador, for this lovely, lovely gift."
Bartlet shook hands with the two men and walked back to his desk, picking up the
silver statue again. "Leo, have you ever seen anything like this?"
"It's very beautiful. May I?" Leo cradled it carefully, marveling at its
intricate details. "The design on the gown. The hair, even the eyebrows. I can't
begin to imagine the work that went into it."
"This is a keeper," Bartlet said, and Leo murmured his assent.
Charlie knocked on the door and opened it. "Mr. President, I'm sorry for the
intrusion, but Yolanda Ortiz is here to see you and she says it's urgent."
"Who's Yolanda Ortiz?" Bartlet asked Leo.
"She's one of the people in the Gift Office. Pretty high up, if I remember
correctly."
"Send her in, Charlie, thanks." Bartlet walked over and shook hands with her.
"Ms. Ortiz, what can we do for you?"
She looked like someone who was usually poised, dressed in an immaculate gray
suit with her exquisite black hair coiled in an elaborate bun. Bartlet noticed
that she was shifting from foot to foot, nervously, looking down for a moment
before looking back up at him. "Not to mince words, Mr. President, but we need
you to return the gift from Mr. Arensky with all possible speed."
"The icon?" Bartlet asked. He reached behind him and picked it up, cradling it
in his hands. "Didn't your office vet this already?"
"Mr. Arensky's gift came unexpectedly. We ran it through very as fast as we
could. We scanned and x-rayed it, and the people who read the reports said there
was no metal or explosive devices inside."
"So what, exactly, is the problem?" Leo asked.
"Mr. President, we scanned it for things like metal and explosives. We didn't
look that carefully for...other things."
Leo blanched. "Are you saying that this contains some form of weapon, that it's
dangerous?"
"No, sir. I'm not saying anything like that. But if you look closely, you'll see
that the coil of hair that goes all the way down the side is actually a hinge.
Once I realized that the item had an opening, I went back to the x-rays and got
my people to look again. There's something in there, Mr. President."
Bartlet sighed, still holding the silver statue in his hands. "It's a reliquary,
isn't it?"
"Yes, sir."
"A reliquary," Bartlet said to pre-empt the question he saw in Leo's eyes, "is a
devotional item, sometimes an effigy of a saint but usually in the form of
whatever it contains..."
"Oh, God, please tell me this isn't what I think it is," Leo moaned. "Ms. Ortiz,
what the hell is inside this thing?"
Ms. Ortiz shook her head and grimaced. "From what we've seen on the x-ray, Mr.
McGarry, we have reason to believe that it's a finger. A human finger."
***
End part 1a/4
To part 1b