The Galileo Gambit

The Galileo Gambit VATICAN SECRET ARCHIVE THRILLERS BOOK SIX GARY MCAVOY RONALD L. MOORE Copyright © 2023 by Gary McAvoy All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted under current copyright law. For permission requests, write to the publisher at the email or postal address below. Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-954123-32-8 Paperback ISBN: 978-1-954123-33-5 eBook ISBN: 978-1-954123-34-2 Library of Congress Control Number: 2023908070 Published by: Literati Editions PO Box 5987 Bremerton WA 98312-5987 Email: [email protected] Visit the author’s website: www.GaryMcAvoy.com R0623 This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, long-standing institutions, agencies, public offices, events, locales and incidents are either the products of the authors’ imagination or have been used in a fictitious manner. Apart from identified historical references, any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. All trademarks are property of their respective owners. Neither Gary McAvoy, Ronald L. Moore nor Literati Editions is associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. This book contains original and copyrighted material that is not intended to be used for the purpose of training Artificial Intelligence (AI) systems. The authors and publisher of this book prohibit the use of any part of this book for AI training, machine learning, or any other similar purpose without prior written permission. The authors and publisher do not endorse or authorize the use of this book for AI training, and shall not be liable for any damages arising from such unauthorized use. Any unauthorized use of this book for AI training is strictly prohibited and may violate applicable laws and regulations. The authors and publisher reserve all rights, including but not limited to, the right to seek damages and injunctive relief, against any person or entity that uses this book for AI training without prior written permission. Contents Books by Gary McAvoy Prologue Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47 Epilogue Fiction, Fact or Fusion? Author’s Notes Books by Gary McAvoy FICTION The Galileo Gambit * The Jerusalem Scrolls The Avignon Affair * The Petrus Prophecy * The Opus Dictum The Vivaldi Cipher The Magdalene Veil The Magdalene Reliquary The Magdalene Deception NONFICTION And Every Word Is True * co-authored with Ronald L. Moore Prologue SIENA, ITALY, 1633 Just off the coach from Rome—where he had endured a trial for heresy against the Catholic Church for contradicting Holy Scripture—Galileo Galilei strode into the opulent parlor of the Episcopal Palace, home of the archbishop of Siena, the Most Reverend Ascanio Piccolomini. Though Siena wasn’t Galileo’s beloved Arcetri—his home in the hills west of Florence—it was a lot closer to Rome, and he was grateful for the opportunity to stay here. And while he was here he was hopeful for a brief respite to visit his two daughters in the San Matteo Convent. The room was a dizzying feast for the eyes, with riches draped everywhere: wondrous rugs and gilded furniture, walls adorned with heavenly treasures, including a haunting representation of Christ's martyrdom. As he sat there waiting, Galileo could hardly draw his gaze away nor ignore the painful parallels between his own suffering and that of Christ’s. Glancing around, however, it was difficult to consider this as suffering in any form. Galileo had taken up residence in the home of the Florentine Ambassador to Rome while the trial had taken place and for the ensuing ten days awaiting the verdict. Now, he braced himself while the court determined where he would serve his imprisonment. The uneven pulse of approaching footsteps—two people, he surmised, both men by their long strides—snapped him out of his reverie. Just as he stood up, the archbishop's herald swept into the room and announced, “His Excellency, the Archbishop Piccolomini.” Piccolomini entered the room, clad in his purple cassock, a white rochet overlaying it, a hooded mozzetta covering his shoulders, and a purple zucchetto atop his balding head, with a gold pectoral cross on a chain around his neck and secured over his right breast. “Forgive me, dear Galileo, for keeping you waiting. I was celebrating Mass this morning.” As the archbishop approached his guest he extended his right hand. Galileo instinctively knelt and kissed the archbishop’s ring, a sign of loyalty and obedience to the Church. “Your Excellency, thank you for seeing me and allowing me to reside here in your magnificent palace during my imprisonment. I promise not to bring you trouble,” he said, rising from his kneeling position. “Have you been so thoroughly humbled, my friend? That is not the Galileo I have come to know. Here, do sit down.” Piccolomini gestured toward a pair of luxurious chairs set off to the side of the room near the fireplace, the wooden logs within crackling fiercely as orange and yellow sparks leapt from the flames. “Come, tell me all that has transpired, for it has been some time since we spoke, and while I have heard fragmentary accounts, I would prefer to hear the whole tale from you yourself.” “As you wish, Excellency. As to the beginning of it all, we have spoken of it before, so I will be brief. But for the sake of the memory, I will go back to where I think it all began. “You