{"id":188,"date":"2012-06-17T00:00:54","date_gmt":"2012-06-17T04:00:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=188"},"modified":"2012-06-16T11:33:50","modified_gmt":"2012-06-16T15:33:50","slug":"chapter-twenty-five","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/?p=188","title":{"rendered":"Chapter Twenty-five"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

War makes strange bedfellows.<\/h3>\n

— General Deacon Black, Rose Foundation, circa 4843 PD<\/h3>\n<\/blockquote>\n

 <\/p>\n

13 Novem, 5249 PD<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>
\nLindsay tugged at her gloves, adjusting them for the tenth time.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure I want to be facing D\u2019Arcy Morgause right now, Aunt Rachel.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you seriously considering not going, Lindsay?\u201d<\/p>\n

She sighed.\u00a0 \u201cNo.\u00a0 I\u2019m not.\u00a0 It\u2019s just\u2026something feels wrong, Aunt Rachel.\u00a0 Really wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConnected to D\u2019Arcy?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know.\u00a0 Maybe.\u201d\u00a0 Lindsay exhaled a sigh.\u00a0\u00a0 \u201cSomething\u2019s not right with him.\u00a0 But I can\u2019t put my finger on it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cThe man\u2019s a snake, Lindsay, but that doesn\u2019t mean he\u2019s going to try anything all that questionable.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was purposely delaying giving us information on my parents.\u00a0 Who knows what else he\u2019s been holding back?\u201d\u00a0 Lindsay raked her fingers back through her hair.\u00a0 \u201cWhatever information he\u2019s about to give us is already out of date.\u00a0 If he\u2019s called the Council to give us information at all.\u00a0 He could be on a fishing expedition.\u00a0 Uncle Adam\u2019s been very tight-lipped about the operations he\u2019s running right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAs much as that probably galls D\u2019Arcy, the man knows the value of keeping military operations quiet until danger has passed.\u201d\u00a0 Rachel took her by the hand.\u00a0 \u201cCome on.\u00a0 Don\u2019t want to be late.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you sure we should be leaving Freder alone?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cStop trying to get out of this, Lindsay.\u00a0 Freder\u2019s perfectly capable of taking care of himself.\u00a0 Most of the time.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cListen to your aunt, Lindsay,\u201d Freder called from the living room.\u00a0 \u201cNo one\u2019s going to bother me here because everyone still thinks I\u2019m dead.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd it\u2019ll stay that way until you decide otherwise, Freder.\u00a0 Come on, Lindsay.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay sighed and let her aunt tug her out the kitchen door.\u00a0 \u201cUncle Adam\u2019s not going to be able to put off meeting with Mission Systems again, is he?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe said something about making new arrangements last night.\u201d\u00a0 Rachel headed for the skimmer and Lindsay followed, exhaling a sigh.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want him to go.\u00a0 Not until they\u2019re home.\u201d\u00a0 She rubbed her eyes and climbed in next to Rachel, leaning her head back and staring at the sky as the older woman got them underway.\u00a0 Rachel sighed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to need those ships, Lindsay, regardless of when Brendan, Alana, and Ezra get home, and we need them as soon as possible.\u201d\u00a0 They sped along through the trees, down the roadway toward their meeting.\u00a0 \u201cHe shouldn\u2019t have delayed as long as he did, to be honest, but he did it because of you.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay winced, feeling a momentarily pang of guilt.\u00a0 Great.\u00a0 Now it\u2019s on my head if we don\u2019t have enough ships in enough time, when this war starts.<\/em>\u00a0 She reached up and massaged her temple.<\/p>\n

Rachel glanced at her sidelong.\u00a0 A faint smile tugged briefly at her lips.\u00a0 \u201cNot entirely<\/em> because of you, sweetheart, I promise.\u00a0 But he knew how hard that mission was going to go on you, so he delayed.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t mean that he wasn\u2019t concerned about being away from the command center in case updates came in.\u201d<\/p>\n

Really?<\/em>\u00a0 \u201cI guess I didn\u2019t realize how much he cared about them.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019d be surprised.\u00a0 I <\/em>was surprised.\u201d\u00a0 Rachel grinned.\u00a0 \u201cHe\u2019s inordinately fond of Brendan, which is what surprised me the most.\u00a0 Then again, regardless of how things were going between Adam and I, I doubt he\u2019d have let you two get close if he didn\u2019t like him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay laughed, though it was a weak, almost broken sound.\u00a0 \u201cI think Brendan would be surprised by that, too.\u201d\u00a0 But I guess I\u2019m not\u2014not really.\u00a0 She\u2019s right.\u00a0 Brendan never would have gotten close to me if Uncle Adam didn\u2019t approve.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re all surprised to find out that authority figures actually like<\/em> us,\u201d Rachel said.<\/p>\n

Her niece nodded.<\/p>\n

They parked the skimmer not far from the Council building and walked the last few dozen yards.\u00a0 Lindsay\u2019s apprehension hadn\u2019t faded, her shoulders uncomfortably tight at the thought of another ten rounds with D\u2019Arcy Morgause.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m not sure I can stand it.\u00a0 This might be the time that I snap<\/em>. <\/em>She suppressed a sigh.\u00a0 Rachel squeezed her arm gently.<\/p>\n

\u201cStiff upper lip, sweetheart.\u00a0 It\u2019ll go well.\u00a0 I doubt anyone\u2019s well-disposed to D\u2019Arcy right now.\u201d<\/p>\n

At least she knows why I\u2019d rather not come.<\/em><\/p>\n

They came across the Marshal standing in a knot outside the meeting house.\u00a0 An unfamiliar man stood with them, as tall as Aidan Church but slender with olive skin and dark hair peppered with gray.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\u201cEvacuate no-essential personnel and send them to the ground.\u00a0 These people\u2014they\u2019re not going to care who\u2019s manning them.\u00a0 They\u2019ll hit the orbitals first and use the burning wrecks to cover their landers.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Lindsay snapped back to herself, sucking in a ragged breath.<\/p>\n

Rachel squeezed her arm again.\u00a0 \u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay sucked in a ragged breath.\u00a0 \u201cJust saw something.\u00a0 That man\u2014he\u2019s not from here.\u201d\u00a0 Who is he?\u00a0 How did he get here?<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em>Her aunt\u2019s brows knit as they approached the four.\u00a0 Adam turned at the sound of their footsteps, offering a brief, weak smile.\u00a0 \u201cCounsels Farragut, I was hoping we\u2019d catch you out here.\u201d\u00a0 He gestured vaguely toward the olive-skinned man.\u00a0 \u201cThis is Marcos Scarelli.\u00a0 He\u2019s the vice president of operations for Mission Systems.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lindsay rocked back against her heels.\u00a0 Rachel looked like she wanted to do the same, but recovered more quickly, extending her hand to the man.<\/p>\n

\u201cMr. Scarelli, Rachael Farragut.\u00a0 What brings you all the way out here?\u201d She shot Adam a quick glance that clearly asked the same question, though more pointedly.<\/p>\n

\u201cMarshal Windsor has been gracious enough to arrange for me to address the Rose Council this afternoon,\u201d Scarelli said quietly. \u00a0\u201cWe have a proposal for them that I very much hope that the Council will approach with an open mind.\u201d<\/p>\n

Adam ignored the sharper look that Rachel gave him, reaching around her and drawing Lindsay forward.\u00a0 \u201cMr. Scarelli, this is Lindsay Farragut.\u00a0 Commander Channing is her father.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cCommander Grant Channing?\u201d\u00a0 Scarelli took Lindsay\u2019s gloved hand with only the barest trace of hesitation.<\/p>\n

Lindsay nodded.\u00a0 \u201cYes.\u00a0 I took my mother\u2019s name when I came here from Mimir.\u201d\u00a0 Scarelli\u2019s grip was firm and Lindsay forced herself to match it. Hearing him speak, she knew it was his voice she\u2019d heard in her short-lived vision.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy father met him once, a long time ago.\u201d\u00a0 Scarelli smiled faintly.\u00a0 \u201cHe said that he was a dangerous man, one that he hoped never to cross.\u201d<\/p>\n

A blush crept over her cheeks as she shook her head slightly, withdrawing her hand.\u00a0 \u201cI never really knew him.\u00a0 I was evacuated when I was a baby.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t seen him since.\u201d<\/p>\n

Something softened in Scarelli\u2019s gaze.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m sorry, Consul Farragut.\u201d<\/p>\n

She forced a smile.\u00a0 \u201cIt\u2019s not your fault, Mr. Scarelli, and it was a long time ago.\u00a0 Perhaps I\u2019ll be able to know him someday.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThen he\u2019s still alive?\u201d Scarelli looked away from Lindsay toward Rachel, then toward Adam and the other Marshals.\u00a0 Adam cleared his throat.<\/p>\n

\u201cTo the best of our knowledge.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel caught Lindsay\u2019s wrist.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019ll see you inside,\u201d the elder Farragut said, tugging her niece along in her wake.<\/p>\n

Scarelli smiled briefly and nodded.\u00a0 \u201cIt was a pleasure to meet you both.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cOf course,\u201d Lindsay murmured.\u00a0 Rachel just smiled.<\/p>\n

Once they were inside, Rachel let go, a shudder wracking her.\u00a0 \u201cI hope he knows what kind of game he\u2019s playing,\u201d Rachel murmured, looking back over her shoulder at the doors.<\/p>\n

\u201cGame?\u201d\u00a0 Lindsay blinked at her aunt, then followed her gaze back toward the doors.\u00a0 \u201cWhat are you talking about, Aunt Rachel?\u201d<\/p>\n

The elder woman shook her head slowly.\u00a0 \u201cThere\u2019s something going on that he hasn\u2019t told me about, but I think that it caught him off-guard, too.\u00a0 Mission Systems is here for a reason and I\u2019m not sure the Council\u2019s going to like it.\u201d\u00a0 Rachel turned and started walking toward the Council chamber.<\/p>\n

Lindsay shook her head, crossing her arms.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re going to ask us if they can stay, Aunt Rachel.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel froze, then twisted, moving as if she was caught in a block of ice.\u00a0 \u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAre you surprised?\u201d\u00a0 Lindsay asked softly.\u00a0 \u201cEven if D\u2019Arcy hasn\u2019t told us the whole truth, none of us are stupid.\u00a0 We know that things must be getting bad back in Commonwealth space\u2014I\u2019ve seen what\u2019s coming, Auntie.\u00a0 I know it\u2019s coming.\u00a0 It\u2019s just a question of when and how bad.\u201d\u00a0 She sighed and went to Rachel, putting her hands gently on her aunt\u2019s arms.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re asking Mission Systems for the ships that the Guard ordered before Mimir fell.\u00a0 We\u2019re a port in the storm they see rising all around them.\u00a0 It\u2019s only logical that they\u2019d ask for our protection.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel barked a bitter laugh.\u00a0 \u201cWhat protection?\u00a0 We need those ships so we can protect ourselves.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cDistance, maybe?\u00a0 I don\u2019t know. \u00a0Maybe they know something we don\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0 Lindsay\u2019s shoulders rose and fell in a shrug.\u00a0 \u201cRegardless of what he says, Aunt Rachel, I may vote for them to stay.\u201d<\/p>\n

The other woman stared at her as if she\u2019d grown a second head.\u00a0 \u201cWhat if they want to rip up the mountains and turn our rivers and lakes to acid?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re not stupid, Aunt Rachel.\u00a0 Something tells me that Scarelli knows what they\u2019re getting into\u2014at least in part.\u00a0 You heard what Mugabe and Uncle Adam said.\u00a0 They\u2019re not going to settle here unless they agree to live by our rules.\u00a0 If they don\u2019t want to do that, though, if they want to build an arcology out in the asteroid ranges?\u00a0 I won\u2019t oppose that.\u00a0 Would you?\u00a0 Would you deny them the chance to get away from New Earth space as long as they won\u2019t try to force their way of life on us, destroy our system?\u201d<\/p>\n

Rachel swallowed twice before she dropped her gaze and shook her head slightly.\u00a0 \u201cYou sound like your mother,\u201d she said in a bare whisper.\u00a0 She took Lindsay\u2019s face in her hands gently and kissed her forehead.<\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know where you got that wisdom of yours, Lindsay,\u201d she said with a sigh, turning away and heading toward the Council chamber, \u201cbut you\u2019d best put it to good use today.\u00a0 You\u2019re right.\u00a0 Regardless of what Mr. Scarelli has to say, we need Mission Systems and their cooperation\u2014I just hope that we don\u2019t have to sell our souls to get it.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

War makes strange bedfellows. — General Deacon Black, Rose Foundation, circa 4843 PD   13 Novem, 5249 PD Lindsay tugged at her gloves, adjusting them for the tenth time.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m not sure I want to be facing D\u2019Arcy Morgause right … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-188","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-last-colony"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p25yjF-32","jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=188"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":189,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/188\/revisions\/189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=188"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=188"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.embklitzke.com\/e557\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=188"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}